Is it just me, or does the University seem a little bit stuck in the ’70s?
Think about three of the things the regular American would most associate with our fine institution: Nike, Steve Prefontaine and “Animal House.” All from the 1970s.
Then there are the hippies. And the weed. And the obsession with that hipster favorite, PBR. Very Vietnam-era-esque, wouldn’t you say?
My mom said her first thought when she moved to Eugene from Colorado back in the ’80s was, “Wow! Hippies still exist!” And so they do, keeping the tie-dye fresh and the dreadlocks in style well past their expiration date.
Sure, in the past 10 years or so Oregon has tried its hardest to propel itself not just into the present, but also into the future. We have those kick-ass football helmets now. And that sweet Jaqua Center (too bad I can’t use it). The J-school is finally getting an upgrade, and we’re (sort of) working on updating the EMU, which coincidentally was last renovated in the ’70s (which is why the EMU Fishbowl still looks just like it did in that famous food fight scene).
I started thinking about this when a friend and I were talking about how The Grateful Dead used to play concerts in Autzen Stadium. Apparently that was only because the school couldn’t sell out any football games, and they needed some way to earn money — but that’s still pretty awesome. After Googling for 45 minutes, the most recent concert at Autzen I could find was Rage Against the Machine in May of 1997 (if you know of one more recent, let me know). I suppose it’s a good thing the athletic department is no longer strapped for cash, but I’d certainly like to see shows like the one The Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan put on in 1987.
My dad spent a year at Oregon in 1974, and on his first day of classes, there was a shooting on East 13th Avenue. For real! No one was killed, luckily, but can you imagine?
In 1970, Johnson Hall was bombed. Bombed! Did you know that? Why had I never heard about these things?
In 1971, the Emerald became independent, which I know nobody outside of the Emerald actually cares about but is important (at least to me) nonetheless.@@checked these, yo@@
In the ’70s, there was Vietnam, Watergate, turmoil in the ASUO and Bruce Springsteen.
In the 2000s, we had Iraq, economic meltdown, turmoil in the ASUO/OSPIRG and Bruce Springsteen. Seriously, the guy is amazing.
Really, there are a lot of similarities between then and now. Back then, Pre and “Animal House” thrust the University into the national spotlight. Nike was busy becoming one of the biggest companies in the world. The administration was doing its best to modernize the buildings on campus.
Now? It’s football, rather than track, that has given the University the national visibility (Although, if I may say, our track team is still freakin’ awesome. You should check them out. We are hosting the Olympic Trials this year, after all.) Nike is busy remaining one of the biggest companies in the world. And I know everyone has seen the ridiculous amount of construction on campus the last few years.
What I’m saying is, we’re seeing a revolution of sorts these last few years at the University. We are (or, more truthfully, Nike is) crafting this new image of the forward-thinking, fresh, fierce University and attempting to leave behind the image of the past.
The 2010s are the new 1970s at the University.@@lol@@ Let’s just hope we’re not stuck with this version for the next forty years.