Beloved UO biologist Jeff McKnight dies 6 months after cancer diagnosis
By: Claire Warner
University of Oregon Assistant Biology Professor Jeff McKnight had a keen sense of fashion, often sporting beanies and colorful sweaters. His most memorable attire was his galaxy-print hoodies, emblazoned with llamas, cats and panda bears. Sometimes, he would pin his daughter’s artwork to his shirts.
McKnight died Oct. 4 of lymphoma after celebrating his daughter’s eighth birthday. He was diagnosed with the rare blood cancer in March.
Students who worked with McKnight in his lab reflected on their experiences fondly, noting the googly eyes plastered to every piece of lab equipment. McKnight often rode his scooter around the lab and the science building’s halls and encouraged students to play with his fidget spinners.
“Jeff was definitely someone special who saw his students as equals and not as anything lesser,” Bryson Tyler Ricamona, a UO biology alum, said. “It was really enlightening and very motivating to know that somebody really believed in us, not only in the work that we’re doing now but the potential work that we could do in the future.”
‘A Consistent Cycle’: Drug distribution in the wake of Eugene drug bust
By: Bruno Crolla
Federal prosecutors on Oct. 29 announced a drug bust in the Eugene area that resulted in the confiscation of 260 pounds of methamphetamine, 16 pounds of heroin and six pounds of fentanyl.
The bust was considered a major victory in dismantling a key distribution ring in the Pacific Northwest, but Eugene Police Chief Chris Skinner said that it is likely a new operation will take its place.
“It always shocks me a little bit that people don’t believe or haven’t come to terms with the fact that when you’re a community our size on the I-5 corridor, you’re the perfect component for a hub-and-spoke-type of distribution operation when you’re dealing with drug trafficking organizations,” Skinner said.
A hub-and spoke operation refers to a central figure (hub) distributing operations to a number of co-conspirators (spokes) to extend the range of an operation.
Eugene is also an ideal location for this sort of operation due to the lack of a dedicated drug enforcement division, according to Skinner. The previous division, the Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team, was dismantled in 2016 due to a lack of funding.
Skinner said there is a gap that the Eugene Police Department needs to think about how to fill in order to prevent these kinds of drug trafficking hubs from growing once again in the community.
Classified workers at UO express their frustration with lack of COVID-19 relief package
By: Silas Sloan
Feelings of frustration and uncertainty are rising among UO’s classified staff with the absence of the Heroes Act, a federal COVID-19 relief package.
Melissa Unger, executive director of Oregon’s Service Employee International Union Local 503, said that federal support could go a long way for workers.
“Having the Heroes Act to supplement their income, so that they can actually get back to normal or back to where they’re not robbing Peter to pay Paul to keep their car, to get to work or to put food on their table, it’s crucial,” she said.
Classified staff would also like hazard pay to supplement their income. They do not currently receive hazard pay because UO has provided the necessary protective equipment and training for employees to work, Chris Meade, UO Associate Director of Employee and Labor Relations, said.
Even with the personal protective equipment custodians are currently provided, UO Custodial Services Coordinator Johnny Earl said hazard pay is warranted because custodial staff are unsure about the safety conditions of working on campus.
“We’re using a great disinfectant, Oxivir, right. You’re wearing gloves and you’re protecting yourself,” he said. “But then again, who knows, right?”
Members of sorority houses on campus seek to break house leases due to COVID-19
By: Jane Glazer
Editor’s note: The Daily Emerald changed the names of the sorority members interviewed for this story to protect their housing status and to avoid possible retaliation.
For most sororities on campus, members are contractually required to live in for one to two years of their time as an active participant. Most members who planned to live in for the 2020-21 school year signed their lease before they knew how extreme COVID-19 would become.
Sarah, one member of a sorority, said that members of her chapter’s executive board, as well as the national headquarters, are trying to find ways to navigate 26 women living together in her chapter facility. The rules, however, are inconsistent.
“They’ll blatantly ignore some things,” Sarah said. “Like during work week, when everyone was together not wearing masks they didn’t say anything, but then later they got mad for something completely different.”
Lauren, a member of another sorority, said there has been a general lack of transparency about COVID-19 accommodations in her chapter, which causes confusion for members trying to figure out the best plan for their specific situation.
“I am now being held accountable to pay my rent for the sorority,” Lauren said. “That’s confusing, because they never really gave us that information prior.”
Both Sarah and Lauren noted frustrations with their current housing contracts and living situations. Sarah is hopeful that future live-ins won’t have to deal with the same circumstances.
“Hopefully by the time that, if girls want to live in next year, they will have figured most things out, and we’re kind of just the lab rats for it,” Sarah said.
