Journalism major Ruby Moxley helps students navigate leases, food insecurity and off-campus life.
by Rachel Ehly, class of ’28
Meet Ruby Moxley ’28
Biggest accomplishment so far:
Something that doesn't get talked about enough: finding my voice. My biggest accomplishment has been learning to hold tight to my principles, stay true to myself and take it one day at a time.
SOJC faculty or staff who made the biggest impression:
Damian Radcliffe led my first study abroad experience last summer. He champions modern media education within the SOJC, ensuring students are equipped with the strategies and skills they will need to succeed.
Most useful experience at UO:
My work with OR Magazine has allowed me to apply my coursework in a real-world setting. The real lessons come when you are in the field, working in a newsroom and telling the stories of people on a statewide scale.
Best thing about the SOJC:
The range and quality of resources available to SOJC students is truly remarkable — from film equipment and Adobe software to New York Times subscriptions and Pulitzer Prize-winning faculty. Every ounce of success I've found here is thanks to its resources and the lifelong connections I've made along the way.
When Ruby Moxley, a second-year journalism student at the UO School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC), first started applying for on-campus jobs, she didn’t think she would be helping her peers navigate financial crises.
As an off-campus living peer navigator for the UO Basic Needs Program, Moxley helps students understand leases, off-campus student housing options and benefits available to them, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and housing subsidies.
Last fall’s 43-day federal government shutdown prompted a significant temporary reduction of SNAP benefits that feed over 40 million Americans. During that time, many UO students lost access to food. Moxley and the other students who run the Basic Needs Program supported affected students in off-campus housing by helping them apply for subsidies and access the student food pantry.
Moxley, who is double majoring in political science, says she benefits as much from her job as her clients do. The Basic Needs Program gives Moxley firsthand experience dealing with housing instability and food insecurity, and it has shown her how federal and state government intervention can help.
Working for the Basic Needs Program has opened Moxley’s eyes to the world of public service and has motivated her to explore a career in media and communications for humanitarian aid organizations so she can tell the stories of disadvantaged people.
“Working with Basic Needs and seeing the impact that the program is making in the community has shown me how many communities are underserved and need more than we think,” Moxley said.
Moxley said that being an SOJC student has given her the skills and ideas she brings to her job. Not only has she learned valuable, transferable communication skills from SOJC courses, but she has also checked out equipment from the J-cage to create promotional content for her job at Basic Needs.
A big part of Moxley’s job includes creating content for the Off-Campus Living Instagram page. She doesn’t mind the uncomfortable walks to class, lugging a tripod in her bag and standing in the pouring rain to record video, because the job has ignited a passion for multimedia storytelling and fostering connections.
“My favorite part of the job is hearing other students’ stories and helping them find a place to live,” Moxley said. “Finding an off-campus apartment for the first time can be pretty stressful. Helping people with that is super important to me.”
Moxley said she often helps students looking for off-campus housing and connects students in need with housing resources. Thanks in part to Moxley’s work, students are using the Basic Needs Housing Subsidy more than ever.
Supporting her peers through difficult periods in their lives has shaped not only how Moxley understands the challenges that come with off-campus living, but also how she views her place at UO.
Her campus job has taught her important life lessons and allowed her to cultivate relationships with peers she never would have interacted with otherwise. She’s met a diverse group of people while tabling at UO events and helping at the student food pantry.
The ECM Student Food Pantry is one place where Moxley feels she’s making the greatest difference. Serving traditional, nontraditional and international students, the food pantry provides free, nonperishable food to college students in Eugene. Moxley regularly volunteers there and values the time she spends helping as many students as she can.
“(My job has) definitely given me a sense of community here,” Moxley said. “It's helped me feel like I'm part of UO beyond just being a student.”
Rachel Ehly is double majoring in journalism and political science. She is also an opinion columnist for The Daily Emerald and a student worker in the SOJC and Lundquist College of Business.