About Us
Staff members in Media Relations at the University of Oregon are available to help three main constituencies: Journalists; the Campus Community; and the General Public. Information on how we can serve you is found below.
For Journalists
Media Relations at the University of Oregon provides comments on breaking news and other topics, connects journalists with expert university sources and helps ensure smooth access to the university for reporters and news crews. Contact us to receive official university press releases and to request interviews with UO President Richard Lariviere. We can be reached at uonews@uoregon.edu or by calling 541-346-3134.
The university welcomes the news media to campus. We do, however, have some guidelines for coverage. Living areas of residence halls, such as individual rooms and residence area hallways, are not open to the media or the public. Students may choose to grant a reporter or photographer access their rooms. Classes generally are not open to the public or to the media, although professors may grant access. Please contact Media Relations staff in advance to make arrangements.
Credentials and Special Events
In general, credentials are not required. For events of high interest or limited capacity, the Media Relations office will inform news organizations well in advance if credentials are required. Occasionally, reporters and photographers may be asked to show identification from their news organization, especially at special events and to access media platforms at commencement and convocation ceremonies. Requests to film for non-news purposes must be cleared in advance. Contact the Office of Marketing and Brand Management, 541-346-6035. Student organizations hosting special activities typically handle publicity for those events.
Parking
Local journalists who cover UO as a regular beat and who frequently are on campus may obtain a parking pass by contacting the Media Relations office. Journalists who occasionally come to campus may ask for a one-day pass a day or two before arriving. Others should park in metered parking areas or fee lots that are open to the public during business hours. Some special events, such as commencement, may require special parking passes. In most cases, media will be informed ahead of time. Those who come to campus to cover athletics events should request parking accommodations through the Media Services office of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, 541-346-2251. These arrangements should be made as far in advance as possible.
Confirmation of status for students and alumni
The Media Relations staff can confirm if specific people are currently enrolled, if they earned a degree, if so, their area of study, and the year it was conferred. It is helpful to have a birth date or another method to help identify the person. To avoid an incorrect report, please be sure you have the correct spelling of names. Reporters also may use the UO Online Directory.
For the Campus Community
Media counseling
Feel free to let us know if you’ve been contacted by the media as part of your job at the university. You may refer journalists directly to our office. We are happy to work with you on the best way to handle media queries. Not only that, we can track results of your contact with the media, such as newspaper and magazine clippings. Always feel free to call us, 541-346-3134, should you have any questions.
Publicity services
In addition, Media Relations staffers can help you publicize your research (or event, book publication, award, appointment, grant receipt, student achievement, etc.) in several ways. We can counsel you on strategies and tactics that best suit your needs. Depending on your situation, we might:
- Work to obtain media coverage through what you, along with the professionals in our office, deem the best option. It could be a news release, a news conference or an exclusive placement with a journalist.
- Prepare op-ed pieces for publication in local, regional, or national newspapers and magazines.
- Write stories for internal publications such as Inside Oregon. We also can assist you in working to place your story in other campus publications.
- Obtain images to illustrate your story.
Preparing news releases and opinion pieces
Professionals in Media Relations are here to help you prepare news releases, if a news release is the best way to produce results you desire. We encourage you to contact us at 541-346-3134 or to write us at uonews@uoregon.edu for a news release template. Once your draft release is completed, the Media Relations team takes responsibility for editing and distributing it, as required by university policy.
In addition, Media Relations staff can help you write op-ed pieces when we agree that such a piece is the best way to get your message across. We also can attempt to place them with news organizations. Pieces that provide strong, articulate viewpoints and calls to action have better chances of being published. Each publication has its own guidelines, but generally op-eds of 600 words or less are more likely to be published.
Help for the general public
We are glad to answer general queries from the public about the campus and its operations and to direct callers to appropriate locations. If you are seeking specific information, we recommended that you seek departments or offices that deal with your needs. A good resource is the UO Online Directory.