• Thumbs up to UO
President Michael Schill for
joining with Oregon Senate
President Peter Courtney
to write a powerful op-ed
for The Oregonian recently
in support of the Dreamers. To quote them, “As presidents of the Oregon
State Senate and the University of Oregon, each of us has a unique per-
spective on how protecting undocumented children, known as Dreamers,
benefits Oregon. These protections create opportunity. They create hope.
They create promise for a generation of young people. It is also the right
thing to do.”
• The news is chilling for our colleagues at The Register-Guard follow-
ing the announced sale of the newspaper to GateHouse Media as of March
1. A notice in the RG employee lunchroom says existing employees may or
may not receive an offer of employment from GateHouse, which is buying
only the assets of the family-owned business. “If you do receive such an
offer, please review it carefully, because the offer will be for a job with very
different terms and conditions than those under which you currently work,”
the notice says. Our guess is that “very different” doesn’t mean “better.”
Rumor has it that RG workers get to apply for their old jobs in interviews
Feb. 12-14; those who don’t make the cut will be gone by the end of the
month.
We wish everyone on Chad Drive the very best of luck.
• Eugene Weekly is excited to announce we launched our new website
this week with a new, clean, graphically appealing (and mobile friendly)
look. With the new site at www.eugeneweekly.com, we’ll be hosting signifi-
cantly more content on a weekly basis, so keep an eye on our social media
feeds for updates. Our comprehensive “What’s Happening” calendar will
be even more user-friendly with readers using the online form to submit
events. And to encourage readers to use our robust Letters to the Editor
section, the site won’t host comments. Send us a letter (letters@eugene-
weekly.com) or comment on Facebook. Enjoy!
HAPPENING PEOPLE
B Y PA U L N E E V E L
DANA TESSLER
“We moved to Eugene when I was 11,”
says Dana Tessler, whose family had pre-
viously lived “all over New Jersey.” After
attending South Eugene High School, she
left for Colorado, planning to establish
residency. Instead, she returned to study
anthropology at the University of Oregon
while working four part-time jobs in food
service and bookkeeping. She graduated,
then started work as a once-a-month
bookkeeper at Rainbow Valley Design and
Construction. “I became a partner four
years later, in 1993,” she says. “I’m the
only woman among nine partners.” She
also got pregnant in a relationship that
ended and gave birth to a daughter, El-
liana, becoming a single mom in 1995. “I
raised her and brought her to work,” she
says. “She grew up in the construction
business.” At age 11, Elliana got sick and
spent eight days in the hospital, diag-
nosed with type 1 diabetes. “It was earth-
shattering,” Tessler says. “Most people don’t understand the impact on daily life, the anxiety
and isolation.” Type 1 diabetes treatment requires around-the-clock monitoring of blood sugar
levels and injections of insulin. In 2011, Tessler started a parents’ group called Mama I’m Low,
offering monthly parent group meetings, peer mentoring, and free recreation opportunities
for families with children who have type 1. “I printed fliers to spread the word,” she says. “It
caught on after a year or so.” Mama I’m Low gained nonprofit status in 2015 and entered a
partnership with the city of Eugene’s Adaptive Recreation Department in 2017. Learn about
upcoming meetings and events at mamaimlow.com. Elliana Tessler, a South Eugene grad like
her mom, is currently a student in the Family and Human Services Program at the UO.
MUSIC • DANCE • FOOD • MARKET • MARTIAL ARTS • KIDS • CRAFTS • GAMING
OREGON
FEBRUARY 17 & 18, 2018
Lane Events Center, Eugene Sat. 10-7, Sun. 10-6 Adults $6/day, $10 both days, 12 & under FREE
Students 13+ get FREE ckets at Oregon Communy Cred Union, see AsianCelebraon.org
Presented by the
Eugene-Springfield
Asian Council
eugeneweekly.com • February 8, 2018
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