Guest Columnist | The Oregonian

Opinion: Pac-12 a conference of champions or conference of appeasement?

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2013, file photo, Oregon defensive back Terrance Mitchell (27) walks next to a Pac-12 logo on the field at Stanford Stadium during an NCAA college football game against Stanford in Stanford, Calif. The Pac-12 has proposed changing NCAA rules to allow college athletes to use their names, images and likenesses for their non-athletic business ventures. The Pac-12's proposal will be taken up by the five autonomous conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference) and could be voted on at the NCAA convention in January. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) - In this Nov. 7, 2013, file photo, Oregon defensive back Terrance Mitchell (27) walks next to a Pac-12 logo on the field at Stanford Stadium during an NCAA college football game against Stanford in Stanford, Calif. The Pac-12 has proposed changing NCAA rules to allow college athletes to use their names, images and likenesses for their non-athletic business ventures. The Pac-12's proposal will be taken up by the five autonomous conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference) and could be voted on at the NCAA convention in January. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Opinion: Pac-12 a conference of champions or conference of appeasement?

The Pac-12 Conference shouldn't replace the chaos caused by the impending departures of USC and UCLA with more chaos, writes Rick Metsger, a former state senator and former KOIN-TV sports editor. The conference should be willing to separate football from the rest of its sports to preserve the best experience, educationally and athletically, for student athletes.

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Opinion: Ensuring safer air at Portland schools requires community’s advocacy

Oregon public health officials this week reported 26 new coronavirus cases linked to schools. Associated Press

Opinion: Ensuring safer air at Portland schools requires community’s advocacy

An investigation earlier this year showed that many classrooms in Portland Public Schools don't meet the bare minimum recommendation for air changes per hour, writes Effie Greathouse, a mother of two PPS students and director of Digital Resources for Community and Science. With the district facing multiple challenges, the community needs to help advocate and show the way to ensure safer air that helps prevent the spread of COVID and other airborne viruses.

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Opinion: Speaking out against the hate behind a vicious attack

A look at downtown cloudy Portland just after sunset from the Eastbank Esplanade on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

Opinion: Speaking out against the hate behind a vicious attack

The trip to Portland was meant to help his family fall in love with America, writes Ryuichiro Abe, who recently visited from California. But instead, he and his 5-year-old daughter were struck by a man yelling anti-Asian slurs. While Abe felt he could not do anything during the assault, he is committed to speaking up now to denounce such racist hatred and call on the community to address its root causes.

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Opinion: Lasting investments, not stop-gap measures, needed on homelessness

Hayu Tilixam, currently under construction in the Cully neighborhood in Northeast Portland, will offer 50 units of affordable housing, including 9 units designated for homeless families. The property, is designed specifically for low income Native American and BIPOC families, previously held a single family home. The development features energy efficient apartments with an intent to secure green building certification. “All of these energy cost savings will allow us to be able to save on operating expenses and use those savings toward resident services or to not have to have gradual increases in rents,” said Oscar Ararna, director of community development with Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA). “That’s how residents benefit.” Those elements were funded by Portland Clean Energy Fund. The project was jointly developed by NAYA together with Community Development Partners. July 8, 2022 Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

Opinion: Lasting investments, not stop-gap measures, needed on homelessness

Despite calls to switch directions in addressing homelessness, the region should stick with its plan that emphasizes pairing housing with supportive services, writes Marisa Zapata, associate professor of land use planning at Portland State University and director of the Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative. Portlanders can help support that strategy by advocating for a number of actions, including increasing the availability of affordable housing and needed revenue measures.

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Opinion: A historic opportunity to invest in principals – and boost equity – in Portland’s schools

It’s first day of school at the newly renovated and renamed Leodis V. McDaniel High School in Southeast Portland. September 1, 2021. Beth Nakamura/Staff

Opinion: A historic opportunity to invest in principals – and boost equity – in Portland’s schools

Principals play a critical role in ensuring that students can reach their potential, writes Robbie Davis, principal at da Vinci Middle School in Portland. With the help of a grant from the Wallace Foundation, Portland Public Schools is embarking on a community-wide effort to improve recruitment, training and support for principals that will help boost equity throughout the district.

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Opinion: A cause spanning decades builds to this moment for action

Rev. Dr. W. J. Mark Knutson spoke as Lift Every Voice Oregon held a press conference at Augustana Lutheran Church in NE Portland on Thurs., May 26, 2022. A series of speakers mourned the victims of the recent mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and called for action to get IP 17, an act intended to reduce gun violence, on the November ballot in Oregon.

Opinion: A cause spanning decades builds to this moment for action

The suicide by gun of a best friend; the horror over the inaction after the Sandy Hook killings; and the message, starting from kindergarten, that kids need to prepare for a mass shooting event all drove Dick Mase, Elsa Porter and Mackenzie Knutson to volunteer with the campaign behind Initiative Petition 17, they write. WIth only a few days left to gather signatures, they write that others with their own personal reasons should also support the effort.

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Opinion: Making Portland into a city that works for all of us

An aerial view, facing north, of the Tilikum Crossing, Marquam and Hawthorne bridges during the evening rush hour on Wed., May 13, 2020. Traffic, which had dramatically decreased in the early days Oregon's stay-at-home order, seems to have picked back up recently. Dave Killen / Staff - Aerial views of Portland's increasing traffic in second month of stay at home order Dave Killen

Opinion: Making Portland into a city that works for all of us

Portlanders will be able to vote this November on a ballot measure to change Portland's form of government, writes Melanie Billings-Yun, co-chair of the Charter Review Commission. The changes, which include switching to a commission form of government and electing 12 City Council members representing four districts, will help make city government more accountable and representative, she writes.

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Opinion: A shared aim, shared accountability in driving to ‘functional zero’ on homelessness

Tents line a sidewalk in Old Town on Aug. 25, 2020. The number of tents around downtown Portland has grown as the city has limited cleanups of homeless camps during the pandemic. Jamie Goldberg, file

Opinion: A shared aim, shared accountability in driving to ‘functional zero’ on homelessness

The adoption of the Built for Zero methodology will help enhance regional efforts to solve homelessness, write Mitch Hornecker and Laura Golino de Lovato of the HereTogether coalition. The effort reflects a commitment by service providers, philanthropic groups, volunteers and governments to a shared aim and accountability to measurably end homelessness.

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Opinion: A shining opportunity for Oregon as world track championships come to Hayward Field

Runners compete in the men's 10,000 meters during the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Thomas Boyd)

Opinion: A shining opportunity for Oregon as world track championships come to Hayward Field

Eugene and Springfield will soon host the World Athletics Championships, the first time a U.S. city has hosted the massive sports event, writes Jim Etzel, chief executive officer of Sport Oregon. Not only is the event an opportunity to showcase Oregon, but it is a reminder of the power we have to shape our own future when we bring the commitment and resources to follow through on big ideas.

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