The University of Oregon's Environmental and Natural Resources Law (ENR) Center and cross-campus partners will present the 20th Annual Rennard Strickland Lecture, featuring Bryan Newland (Ojibwe), former US Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs—via Zoom Webinar. Register for the webinar through Zoom or on our event page. 

Newland will present his virtual talk, "The Vanishing Indian Property Rights: How Federal Courts are Stripping Indians of the Rights to Their Own Lands." 

Bryan Newland is a citizen of the Bay Mills Indian Community, where he served as Tribal President from 2017 to 2021 and Chief Judge from 2013 to 2017. From 2021 to 2025, he served as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in the US Department of the Interior, where he led the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Education, and Bureau of Trust Funds Administration. As Assistant Secretary, Newland helped coordinate a historic $45B investment in Indian Country; led the development of a co-stewardship policy to promote public-land management agreements between federal agencies and Tribal Nations; and worked to implement the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, a comprehensive effort to recognize the troubled legacy of federal Indian boarding school policies and to address these policies' intergenerational impact. Today, Newland is a principal attorney at Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville, PC, where he represents Tribal governments, Tribal business entities, and inter-Tribal organizations on a broad range of legal and policy matters. Newland received a JD from Michigan State University (MSU) College of Law, where he also earned an Indian Law Certificate, and a BA from James Madison College at MSU. He is a recipient of the National American Indian Court Judges Association's Judicial Excellence Award (2024) and the Clean Water Action Great Lakes Protectors Award (2020). 

Through its Native Environmental Sovereignty Project, the ENR Center established the Rennard Strickland Lecture series in 2006 to honor the legacy of former Oregon Law Professor and Dean Rennard Strickland, who retired that year and passed in 2021. An Osage citizen of the Cherokee Nation, Strickland contributed mightily to the field of Indian Law, the practice of legal education, and Oregon Law's ENR and Indian Law programs throughout his lifetime. In keeping with his assertion that "[i]f there is to be a post-Columbian future—a future for any of us—it will be an Indian future..." (Tonto's Revenge, 1997), the Rennard Strickland Lecture series has a thematic focus on Indigenous environmental-legal leadership and Tribal sovereignty in the twenty-first century. 

The 20th Annual Rennard Strickland Lecture is co-sponsored by the UO Department of Native American and Indigenous Studies, Oregon Law's Native American Law Students Association, and the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics. 

Oregon CLE credit pending. 

RSVP for the Watch Party HERE! The University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC) invites you to join us at our campus watch party for the livestream of the first debate of the Oregon 2026 governor's race. 

The SOJC is excited to be hosting Election 2026: The Governor’s Race, the first debate between Oregon gubernatorial candidates Governor Tina Kotek (D) and State Senator Christine Drazan (R).

Election 2026: The Governor's Race is hosted in partnership with the Oregon Journalism Project, KVAL, and Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

While the debate itself is not open to the public, we are hosting a public watch party where the live debate will be streamed. We invite you to join us at the watch party.

Election 2026: The Governor's Race

Watch Party Details

When: Thursday, October 1st, 2026

Where: Ford Alumni Center Ballroom at the University of Oregon

Program:

5pm: Doors open to public

5-5:45pm: Tabling by event partners

This is an opportunity to get to know some of our event partners who support civic engagement in Oregon. You can find the list of tabling groups in the FAQ section below.

5:45pm: Opening remarks from SOJC and event partners

6-7pm: Livestream of debate

7-7:30pm: Optional post-event discussion among attendees

Other Ways to Watch: You can also tune into the live broadcast of the debate on KVAL or watch the livestream of the debate on KVAL's website:  https://kval.com/thegovernorsdebate (KVAL Site for Debate) https://www.youtube.com/live/LW9RFEcMcOc?si=cbctCPpGoAkwGMQI (Youtube Livestream Link)

Event Partners

The gubernatorial debate at the University of Oregon is organized and sponsored by the UO School of Journalism and Communication, Oregon Journalism Project, KVAL, and Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

The watch party for the debate is hosted by the UO School of Journalism and Communication in partnership with the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics, the City Club of Eugene, and the Springfield City Club. Additional support for this event comes from the University of Oregon Office of Intergovernmental Policy and Operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is this where the actual debate is happening? Will the candidates be there?

No. We are streaming the debate at this watch party. The watch party location is not the location of the actual debate. The candidates will not be at the watch party, and the debate itself will not be open to the public. The public is invited to gather in person at the watch party to watch the livestream of the debate.

2. Is the debate open to the public?

No. The debate itself is not open to the public. The watch party, however, is open to the public. See Question 1 above.

3. Where should I park?

Hourly parking and permit parking is available on campus. Learn more about UO parking information. Free two-hour street parking is also available in the neighborhoods directly surrounding campus.

Please note that parking may not be available at or immediately near the Ford Alumni Center, so please factor in travel time from your vehicle to the venue when planning your arrival.

4. Do I need to register to attend the watch party? Registering for the watch party in advance is strongly encouraged. Alternatively, guests may attend without RSVPing if they show valid ID at check-in. Valid forms of ID include a driver's license, passport, student ID, military ID, indigenous or tribal ID, or another form of state-issued ID. All attendees must acknowledge they have read and agree to abide by the event code of conduct. You can read the Code of Conduct here. Copies will also be made available at check-in for those who did not RSVP in advance.

5. Who will be tabling at the watch party? Event partners who will be tabling at the watch party include: The Oregon Journalism Project (OJP): OJP is a nonprofit investigative journalism newsroom for the state of Oregon that produces regular stories on matters of real interest to Oregonians, while shining a light on those institutions whose proper functioning is central to our quality of life. State and local government — along with the federal government’s impact on Oregon — is OJP's main beat. City Club of Eugene: The City Club of Eugene's mission is to build community vision through open inquiry. Through its public forums, it explores a wide range of significant local, state, and national issues and helps to formulate new approaches and solutions to problems. Springfield City Club: The Springfield City Club hosts regular programs about local issues. These events offer an opportunity to learn more about important and current topics in Springfield, such as civic initiatives, ballot measures, candidate forums, and more. The Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics: The Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics encourages civic engagement and inspires enlightened dialogue by bringing students, scholars, activists, policymakers, and communities together to discuss public problems affecting Oregon, our nation, and the world.

6. Are there any prohibited items that I am not allowed to bring into the venue? Yes. For the safety and security of all attendees, the following items are prohibited inside the event venue:

• Firearms, ammunition, weapons, and dangerous instruments of any kind
• Prop, replica, simulated, or toy weapons that could reasonably be mistaken for a weapon or otherwise create a safety concern
• Explosives, fireworks, or other incendiary devices
• Glass containers
• Alcoholic beverages and illegal drugs or controlled substances, except as specifically authorized by the University or venue
• Handmade or printed signs, posters, banners, or placards
• Sign poles, sticks, or other rigid supports
• Balloons, confetti cannons, paint cannons, or similar devices
• Whistles, megaphones, air horns, sound amplifiers, musical instruments, or other items intended or reasonably capable of being used to disrupt the event
• Wrapped gifts, packages, or other items that cannot reasonably be inspected
• Any other object that event staff or security personnel reasonably determine presents a safety or security concern or is intended to facilitate disruption

We will have bag check at the check-in table when guests arrive.

7. I have questions about this event that aren't covered by the FAQ. Who can I speak to? For questions about the watch party not covered by the FAQ, please send inquiries to: sojcevents@uoregon.edu

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, this symposium returns to the bold universal promise of 1776—the claim that “all men are created equal” and endowed with “unalienable rights.” Cast at once as the rights of citizens of a new republic and as the rights of all of humankind, they also coexisted with a deep contradiction: the subjugation of Native Americans, enslaved people, and women. The principles at the heart of the U.S. founding launched a politics of rights whose origins and reverberations were transnational, even as access to them remained sharply unequal in practice.

“We Hold These Truths: 250 Years of the American Experiment at Home and Abroad” brings together a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and leading scholars of citizenship, political development, race, gender, immigration, and civil rights to reflect on this legacy. The panel will explore how America’s founding ideals have shaped struggles for inclusion at home and abroad, and how those ideals have been stretched, reinterpreted, and at times betrayed across two and a half centuries.

Refreshments will be available at 5:45pm.

Panelists:

Nick Kristof - New York Times

Megan Ming Francis - University of Washington

Peter Spiro - Temple University

Carol Nackenoff - Swarthmore University

Moderator:

Dan Tichenor - UO Knight Chair; Co-Director, Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics

Presented by the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages and the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics.

Free and open to the public. No registration required.

This event will be livestreamed and recorded.  Join online

Tuesday, October 20, 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Featuring 2026-27 Wayne Morse Chair Katherine Cramer (Wisconsin)

NO REGISTRATION NECESSARY

Join In Person: Ford Alumni Center, Giustina Ballroom, 1720 East 13th Ave, Eugene

Join via Livestream link: https://www.youtube.com/live/R9hKcXuSzrc

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Data centers are rapidly reshaping communities across Oregon and the nation, generating public debate about energy, water, land, economic development, and the distribution of public resources. These controversies raise broader questions about the role of the public in decisions about major infrastructure; and about the trust people place in the institutions responsible for making those decisions.

Drawing on her research on public opinion, political culture, rural communities, and democratic life, 2026–27 Wayne Morse Chair Katherine Cramer will use controversies surrounding data centers as a window into how people understand the public’s role in shaping their communities. Cramer will examine what people are asserting when they call for greater public participation, question institutional decision-making, or express a desire to restore trust in government and other institutions.

Rather than taking a position on the development of data centers, Cramer’s talk will explore what these debates can teach us about democracy in practice and about the challenges and possibilities of rebuilding trust between communities, institutions, and decision makers.

The conversation is part of the Wayne Morse Center’s 2025–27 Theme of Inquiry, Common Ground: Cities, Towns, and Counties Confronting Shared Challenges, which examines how communities can confront difficult issues that cross geographic and political boundaries.

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About Wayne Morse Chair Katherine Cramer:

Katherine Cramer is the Virginia Sapiro Professor of Political Science and Vilas Research Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is known for her innovative approach to the study of public opinion, in which she uses methods such as inviting herself into the conversations of groups of people to listen to the way they understand their connections to politics and government, and to each other. She is the author or co-author of six books including the 2026 book with Larry Bartels, The Politics of Social Change: From the Sixties to the Present Through the Eyes of a Generation. She recently co-chaired the American Academy of Arts and Science Commission on Reimagining Our Economy (CORE) and has worked with the Center for Constructive Communication at MIT, and the affiliated nonprofit Cortico, since 2017 to create a platform and approach that aims to improve public understanding and policy making. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, and the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters.

Join the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics for a post-election roundtable examining the significance and implications of the 2026 election. The discussion will consider the political, social, and institutional dimensions of the election and its potential consequences for Oregon, the United States, and democratic governance. Bringing together perspectives from political science, journalism, global studies, and public policy, the panel will situate the election within broader questions about contemporary American politics and public life.

Moderater: Dan Tichenor, Philip H. Knight Chair of Social Science | Director, Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics Panelists:

• Aneesh Aneesh - Executive Director, Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages
• Hon. Peter DeFazio - Former US Representative (OR-04)
• Rebecca Tweed - President, Tweed Strategies
• Regina Lawrence - Dean, UO School of Journalism and Communication

Ford Alumni Center Giustina Ballroom, 1720 East 13th Ave, Eugene Livestream link TBA

Thursday, February 18, 12:00 - 1:30pm

A Conversation about Access to Healthcare with Ricardo Nuila, MD, author of The People's Hospital: Hope and Peril in American Medicine.

Ford Alumni Center, Giustina Ballroom, 1720 East 13th Ave, Eugene

Livestream link TBA

Part of the Wayne Morse Center’s 2025-2027 Theme of Inquiry Common Ground: Cities, Towns, and Counties Confronting Shared Challenges.