Week 2: Valentine’s Day

This week our subject was an obvious one: everyone’s favorite Hallmark holiday, Valentine’s Day.

In the week leading up to it, we asked University of Oregon students what they thought about the loved-by-some, dreaded-by-many February 14^th. We also asked them to tell us the story behind their most memorable Valentine’s Day.

We will try to cover as diverse a set of topics as possible. We will try to put our finger on the pulse of a modern-day American campus. We will try to get an idea of where students get their information from and why they hold the opinions they do.

So give us a chance, and if you see two men with a camera desperately seeking to interact with passersby (as long as it’s us, of course), grant us a couple minutes of your time and share some of your thoughts.

Week 1: Politics: Measure 66 & 67

The idea for this week’s question came after a cardboard chart with “Vote Yes on 66 & 67” in large letters across the top was attached to my mailbox on the morning of the referendum.

The text underneath described the benefits of the two propositions: how they would prevent more state budget cuts, and only raise taxes on certain businesses and the very wealthy.

I’d previously seen the TV ad claiming the measures would cost Oregon more jobs, and read a number of editorials and columns on the issue.

Confronted with all of these conflicting views, I wondered about how other people had made up their minds over this issue of taxes and funding for public services.

So, in the week after Measures 66 & 67 passed, we asked students on the University of Oregon campus where they had accessed the information they needed to reach their decision.