The Wrath of the UO
Bob Keefer’s article (“Art of Politics,” EW 7/31) describes a University of Oregon administration that has lost its moral bearings. At the heart of this case is the alleged distress to a highly-paid dean from a four-day undergraduate exhibit that the Dean did not even see. The administration is spending tens of thousands of dollars to conduct an endless investigation addressing the Dean’s concerns. But the administration has shown absolutely no concern for Cassy Steuerwald, the student being hounded by all this. Four hours of interrogations, endless requests for photos, emails, etc., etc. — consider the distress you would have felt as a sophomore student with all of this bearing down on you.
But the UO administration couldn’t care less. By policy, investigations of this sort are supposed to last 30 days. This one is now into its fifth month, with no end in sight. I have been complaining to the administration for months about the distress this is causing Steuerwald, and the response of the administration has been — to blame Steuerwald!
What is happening to the University of Oregon? Steuerwald is a talented, brilliant student attending the UO on an academic excellence scholarship. The administration should be welcoming to students like him; instead, they treat him like a criminal. The administration should be encouraging art-works addressing the difficult political issues of today. Instead, it responds with McCarthy-esque inquisitions to “name the names” of other students upset about Gaza.
In the past, the UO has been a place of robust dialogue and disagreement. It has been the home of principled voices, like Paul Olum, Robert Clark and Jennifer Freyd. Not anymore, when merely mentioning “Gaza,” or “Palestine” or “genocide” can bring the wrath of the administration down on your head.
Cheyney Ryan
Eugene
Helpful Advice
If you take an art class at University of Oregon (EW, 7/31), confine yourself to pictures of happy seagulls, happy mushrooms and happy running shoes — and avoid using the color pink.
Jan Mascall
Eugene
It Was Inevitable
Daniel Aron Kahn’s actions in stabbing two Springfield police officers were tragic and inexcusable, but understanding the why behind this incident is critical. Mental illness, as described by his father in a recent Oregonian article, played a significant role in this tragedy that ended up costing Kahn his life July 31.
According to his father, Kahn suffered from severe mental health conditions, including a disorder that caused him to reject the very existence of his illness. This is a devastating Catch 22: part of his condition was an inability to recognize that he needed help. This is not an excuse for his actions but a stark illustration of a broader systemic failure. Like millions of Americans living in poverty, Kahn faced a health care system that is often inaccessible, underfunded and ill-equipped to address complex mental health issues.
For those without financial resources, navigating mental health treatment is a daunting challenge, made even harder when the illness itself convinces the individual they don’t need care. Add to this the stigma surrounding mental health and the lack of proactive intervention programs, and it’s clear why tragedies like this can occur.
This incident underscores the urgent need for reform in how we address mental health, particularly for the most vulnerable. A system that leaves people like Kahn untreated and unsupported doesn’t just fail the individual, it endangers communities and puts law enforcement in impossible situations. We need better access to mental health care, more robust community outreach, and policies that prioritize early intervention over reactive punishment.
Understanding the reason this happened, untreated mental illness compounded by systemic barriers, doesn’t absolve Kahn, but it should compel us to demand change so that others don’t follow the same path.
Mike Weber
Lane County Mugshots Uncensored
Quitting KWAX
OK, KWAX, you’re asking me to support the station, in your recent fundraising letter, that fired the best announcer it ever had. The alternative story that he left to care for an ailing father, while credible, is simply not factual.
A man who probably knows more about classical music than anyone alive, who can pronounce all the composer’s names correctly because he speaks six languages and whose speaking voice is mesmerizing, a smooth bass well-articulated, is gone and never coming back.
Whoever let Peter Van de Graaff go did the station and all of its listeners an enormous disservice. It was noticed the station manager retired shortly after. We enjoyed eight years of classical perfection and now have to tolerate one announcer who says, “that music there by…” after every selection, and another, fresh hire, we can barely hear and, when they are audible, tells us the time every four minutes during an otherwise disappointing delivery.
Very annoying. Stressful to listen to, so I quit. I’m not the only one; several of my acquaintances share the same, sad shortcomings with which the station has saddled itself. I’m not listening to KWAX anymore. I was spoiled by the best announcer playing the best sets of the best music ever written.
Sally Nunn
Eugene
Shrinking the Newspaper
First, The Register-Guard reduced news content by widening the blank space at the top and bottom of each page. The bottom is now 1.75 inches of blank — no news, just blank! I fully expect yet another shrink in the size of the paper pages.
Second, on Thursday, July 31, the RG Section A has wide splotches of black ink top and bottom (within those widened blank borders) and a full page of black ink on page 10A. There is a QR code if I want to let them have my information and want to see what they are advertising.
Thank you, Eugene Weekly, for having dependable news and event information without wasting paper and our time!
Alice Kaseberg
Eugene
Shop Local Arts
Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to see a wonderful new play called Shermer, presented by Capital T Theatre and performed at Eugene’s well-loved Oregon Contemporary Theatre. Truly an amazing experience, and one that shines a light on the breadth of artistic talent in our community.
It’s a shame that our local alternative newspaper seemingly did not feel it was worthy of coverage. While I understand that you have limited resources and space, I found it odd in retrospect that you published no fewer than four theatre-related articles in print or online: two pieces on the Michael Jackson musical, one offering reviews of OSF productions and one about an original play festival in Salem.
Much like journalism, the arts are frequently struggling to find an audience. It was therefore disappointing that Eugene Weekly decided to focus on touring and out-of-town performances instead of an exciting, truly homegrown work from an emerging company. I urge you to remember the first word in your name and consider prioritizing and elevating the artists who are within this community over the latest big thing to swing through town for a week. After all, which group would benefit more from your platform?
Many of us speak often of “shopping local” these days — the Weekly included. Shouldn’t that apply to the local arts scene?
Emily Patella
Eugene
Editors Note: Thanks for writing! We love local arts and we prioritize all of Lane County, not just Eugene, when it comes to local coverage! We would have loved to review Shermer. Also, go to EugeneWeekly.com/category/whats-happening to see the fantastic local events we previewed and reviewed from Desi Fest at the Farmers Market to THEM at Lane Community College and more!
Colluding, not Competing
“Bricks $ Mortar” repeated some stories about housing that our corporate-friendly politicians have been promoting (EW, 7/31). It’s not true that “there’s little doubt more supply is good news for students and non-student renters.” Today, every investment-grade, market-rate apartment complex built in Eugene will raise rents.
Instead, we need permanently affordable public housing to put downward pressure on rents. This should be long-lasting, beautiful, protective of the environment and managed by neighborhood groups. Private market-rate rentals cannot lower rents — they only get built when rents are rising. Otherwise, investors would put their money elsewhere. Nearly 14,000 investment-grade rentals in Eugene are in a price-fixing scheme, known as RealPage, being sued by the DOJ and the state of Oregon.
The scheme fixes vacancies (now close to 1,000 empty units) to maintain scarcity and drive up rents in a coordinated fashion. There’s no “competition” among these buildings. They are openly colluding. The units in this scheme are responsible for $20 million per month leaving Eugene’s economy, sending it to Wall Street.
Meanwhile, during an affordability crisis, the University of Oregon is criminally tearing down 400 permanently affordable units at Hamilton Hall, which could be given to student workers, freeing their current housing. Doubling the crime at Hamilton: the UO is killing mature trees on the site (and elsewhere on campus) in the midst of heat waves and a climate crisis. Please protest every market-rate private rental project, from middle-housing to giant towers, if you want an affordable, livable city.