The Daily Barometer OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY • CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2014 • VOLUME CXVI, NUMBER 66
DAILYBAROMETER.COM • 541-737-2231
Oregon Secretary of State visits OSU n
Kate Brown meets with ASOSU officers, discusses student voter registration, college affordability
Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown and her policy assistant, Josh Goldberg, visited campus Saturday to meet with Oregon State University students to discuss student voting and the affordability of higher education. Six Associated Students of Oregon State University members attended the meeting, which was held in the Memorial Union boardroom. Among those present were President Brett Deedon and Chief of Staff Nina Nguyen. Discussion focused mainly on encouraging student voter registration and finding ways to make higher education accessible and affordable for Oregon students. According to Goldberg, the two topics are directly correlated. “There’s a direct link between registering in voting and seeing a difference in response from the legislation in the level of priority and assistance they are able to provide,” Goldberg said. Brown said it is important to make voting attractive for students. The lack of students registering to vote remains a top priority for Brown and her staff. “I think (the issue is) students believing that they can have a voice and that their voice makes a difference,” Brown said. “We’re seeing more and more races that … are very close. These races do matter and your voice really does make an impact.” According to Brown, a race that put her in the state legislature several years ago came down to a difference of only seven votes. Every vote matters and student turnout can determine the success of a candidate or ballot measure. “I think a lot of students don’t turn out to vote because they don’t always understand the ballot measures,” Nguyen said. Brown concurred, saying that “technology can be our friend.” Among other ideas, Brown mentioned linking the central voting database to that of the Department of Motorized Vehicles and using tools like Facebook, phone applications and Blackboard links to promote student voter registration. “We are working on legislation to modernize Oregon’s voter registration system and essentially using the DMV database to connect with our central voter registration database,” Brown said. “When people go to DMV to register their license or update it, we want to make sure that they are registering to vote, as well.” Using this system would modernize the “archaic” change of address and registration process, according to Brown. The proposed legislation is likely to be ready for the 2015 legislative session. “I think the burden should be on people who don’t want to participate,” Brown said. “I believe that the world See BROWN | page 2
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A whale’s tale: Fighting for survival n
OSU researcher dedicates life to saving endangered whale populations, tracks their migration with satellite radio monitoring By Dacotah-Victoria Splichalova
By Tori Hittner
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NEWPORT — Bruce Mate took his wife, son and 9-year-old daughter whale tagging on the first expedition off the coast of Newport 35 years ago. There, they met a young gray whale. Mate named her Elizabeth. Last summer, Mate took his granddaughter, who is now 9 years old, out to the sea to meet the large female whale. Struggling through deep-set emotion as he looked at a recent picture of Elizabeth, awe-struck, Mate commented on her “wrinkled, old eyes.” “It’s a lot different than a newborn calf,” Mate said. “But she’s definitely a charmer.” In order to carry out his research on whales, Mate receives 90 percent of his funding through generous philanthropic donations and grants. Mate has worked in every ocean in the world. Mate initially set forth across the globe to map the migration habits of seals and sea lions. These migratory routes were surprisingly unknown to the so-called top experts at the time. First hired by Oregon State University in 1973 as a postdoctoral scholar in biochemistry, John Burn, then See WHALES | page 4
COURTESY OF BRUCE MATE
After more than 30 years, the female gray whale Elizabeth, still spends her summers off the coast of Newport.
MLK Day of Service pulls in Task force taking on trash for trees record volunteer numbers By Tori Hittner
positive legacy. First on his list is the “OSU Divest” Green is not a well-loved color campaign. With a resolution having in the Oregon State community. recently and narrowly passed the Senior Andrew Futerman, however, Faculty Senate, Futerman hopes the believes the color warrants some major proposal gains momentum before reaching the OSU Foundation. attention. The campaign, sponsored by “There’s a lot of talk around Oregon Students Engaging Tomorrow, requests State that we want to be green … and that the OSU Foundation divest from we want to be sustainable and energyfossil fuels. efficient,” Futerman said. “And there “When it comes down to it, OSU are a lot of really good programs on campus that do that, but there’s also is a business,” Futerman said. “To a lot of room where we can improve.” ask someone to take a risk with that amount of fortune is unrealistic. We Majoring in fisheries and wildlife don’t have any fiscal projections; we with a specialization in conservation don’t know what’s going to happen. But and policy, Futerman felt if we can present them with compelled to make a differa really strong, full arguence on campus by serving ment, we have the potential as the Associated Students to turn some heads.” of Oregon State University In addition, Futerman task force director of enviand his team have already ronmental affairs. begun work on a “These “I definitely like to be Come from Trees” caminvolved with what I think paign aimed at reducing is wrong with our sociwaste of water and paper. ety,” Futerman said. “I’m “My goal overall is to not saying there’s anyupgrade five bathrooms thing wrong, per se, about Futerman (this year) from each sex Oregon State, but there are in high-traffic areas to things that we can improve dual flush waste-option toilets and upon.” hand dryers,” Futerman said. “A lot of Futerman hopes to fill in the gaps of structures are aging. Instead of each environmental needs across campus flush wasting 10 gallons, each flush and within the Corvallis community can waste 0.8 gallons. That’s a big while in office. Futerman and his task difference.” force have planned several ambitious Recycled paper bag signs will be projects that may take several years to See FUTERMAN | page 2 complete, yet hopes to leave a lasting THE DAILY BAROMETER
254 volunteers helped at 11 locations throughout Corvallis
arranged the date with transportation services and 11 community organizations and non-profits. “I think it’s our biggest event that By Kaitlyn Kohlenberg we’ve ever put on,” Bingham said. THE DAILY BAROMETER “Last year it was under 200. It was In partnership with HandsOn still really big but it wasn’t as big as Willamette, the Center for Civic this year.” Engagement hosted the 2014 MLK Bingham said that although there Day of Service. were roughly the same number of Julia Bingham, the CCE internal project options as in 2013, this year’s coordinator for the event, startSee MLK | page 4 ed planning in October 2013. She n
JUSTIN QUINN
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Volunteers helped construct homes with Habitat for Humanity during the MLK Day of Service throughout Corvallis.