At 5:15 p.m. on Oct. 24, the “Rally To Electrify UO” took place at the EMU Green, where the University of Oregon Climate Justice League and Fossil Free Eugene advocated in support of the electrification of UO’s heating systems. 
UO’s heating system currently runs on natural gasses. On the rainy afternoon, UO students and members of Eugene showed up in support for the end of fossil fuel usage on campus. 
“The University of Oregon is a huge source of methane gas emissions in our community,” Molly Babcock, a co-director of UO’s Climate Justice League, said. “For the past few months, [UO] has been going through a thermal transition, so they’re trying to change their heating system to reduce the greenhouse emissions, and really we’re here to amplify the student voice.” 
Babcock said that a large amount of UO’s gas emissions comes from its heating system.
The university has outlined several options to its Climate Action plan of electrifying the heating sources, in hopes to reduce the usage of fossil fuels. One option, Option 4 of their plan, would utilize a geothermal system that stores heat from the ground.
Many attendees spoke on their concern for the potential  increase in tuition costs; costs may rise as a result of compensation for the costs of construction and distribution. 
“I’m an out of state student. It’s a very expensive university to attend,” Isa Eisenberg, the podcast coordinator for Climate Justice League, said.
Approximately 50 people were in attendance, holding signs saying “go electric” and “duck fossil fuels.” The rally hosted four guest speakers, each sharing how important the electrification of UO’s heating sources was to them. “The environments we know and love that bring meaning to our lives are going to change irreparably within the next 20 years,” Babcock said.
Babcock pleaded for a change to restore the health of the planet. Students have the power to change UO’s regulations in hopes to prevent any irreparable damage to the environment. 
According to Aya Cockram, coordinator for Fossil Free Eugene, the university lacks transparency regarding the process of transition. “One of the other things we will be asking the task force is to please include students and the community more in this process and to release information, at more regular intervals,” Cockram said. 
On the same day at 6 p.m., a UO task force with the job to assess the university’s potential heating system transition held a public forum with the goal to hear feedback from the UO community. 
This fall, the task force will be receiving designs for a distribution system that uses hot water. The task force will also be creating its first report to UO president John Karl Scholz. 
This winter, the task force will be recommending a heating system option to Scholz. The next public forum will be in January 2024.
“The University of Oregon is the single largest, non-industrial source of emissions in Eugene,” Babcock said. “And the university is holding a forum to ask YOU how to change its heating system.”
[Editors note: This article has been updated to properly reflect the details of Option 4]
 

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Students and community members gathered in the rain on Oct. 24, 2023 to protest with the purpose of urging the University of Oregon to transition to a clean energy source. (Lulu Devoulin/ Emerald)