01/26/12

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331

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VOLUME CXV, NUMBER 67

OSU prepares to out-recycle Ducks Upcoming RecycleMania events

n

OSU has beaten Oregon every year since 2010, hopes to win RecycleMania this year in pounds recycled, waste reduction

By Gwen Shaw

The Daily Barometer

The Daily Barometer

Styrofoam Collection Week Jan. 30 - Feb.3 Various Locations

OSUsed Store special events Wed. Feb. 1 5:30-7:30 p.m. and Wed. Mar. 14 12-3 p.m.

OSUsed Store

Res. Hall Competition Feb. 6-24 All residence halls

Recycle Fashion Show

Thurs. Feb. 16 7 p.m.

MU Ballroom A full list and descriptions can be found at recycle.oregonstate. edu The Daily Barometer

As of Monday, RecycleMania is in full swing.

In the next 10 weeks, more than 600 universities around North America will compete to see who can come up with the largest amount of recyclables per capita.

Oregon State University has created an additional competition by starting a Civil War with University of Oregon.

OSU has participated in RecycleMania since 2005 and in the Civil War competition since 2010.

OSU has beaten UO each year since 2010. Last year the results were 17.1 pounds per person to 14.9 pounds per person.

“In addition to doing all the recording, the other big part of RecycleMania is having lots of activities, marketing and things that are meant to both educate people, how to recycle and how to reduce waste and also to encourage them to do

it year-round,” said Andrea Norris, the outreach coordinator for Campus Recycling.

“So the idea is you’re kind of doing it under the umbrella of this competition that’s helping motivate people to go above and beyond, but we’re hopefully giving them the tools and the know-how to continue those habits,” Norris said.

On Tuesday, the RecycleMania kick-off event was held in front of the Memorial Union staircase. They displayed a Styrofoam igloo created the week before and took students’ pictures with their sign. The photos can be seen on the Facebook page, and students are welcome to tag themselves if they had their picture taken.

Throughout this week, another feature event is the “Guess the Weight Contest,” in which a large bin of recycling is outside near the sky bridge on Campus Way and students can guess the weight and enter to win prizes.

Many more events are scheduled throughout the term.

Lindsey

Neil Abrew

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Lindsey Almarode, a junior in environmental science and the assistant outreach coordinator, thinks that RecycleMania is important for stu See RECYCLE | page 3

From Dehli University to Oregon State n

Nationally recognized professor of forestry shares on department, efforts to improve society

By Tony Santilli

The Daily Barometer

Neil Abrew

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Arjit Sinha now teaches in the college of forestry and wants to impact society with applicable research.

Arijit Sinha is a new professor to Oregon State University and teaches in the College of Forestry.

Q: What was it like to receive your undergraduate at Delhi University in India?

A: Delhi University had a very competitive examination to go through to get into the university, and I managed to successfully complete that and the degree as a result of that. It was a really great feeling to be in your hometown and study where you’ve grown up. It was the best feeling to be in the university.

Q: What brought you here to OSU? A: I came here to do my graduate studies.

I came to do a master’s in civil engineering and wood science engineering. I did a dual major and then liked Corvallis so much and the programs, so I decided to stay here and do a Ph.D. I got done with the Ph.D., and as luck or destiny, I got a job opportunity at OSU and now I’m a faculty member of wood science and

engineering.

Q: Has the Oregon weather gotten to you yet?

A: Not really. I am not teaching as much this term. I’m just teaching one class and we meet every other week. So I didn’t schedule a meeting time last week. The timing worked out pretty well and I’m hoping the weather will stay cloudy for the class this week.

Q: Describe some of your recognized work that has nationally won awards.

A: There are a couple of things that create quite a stir. One is a paper on how we characterize thermal degradation and wood composites, for which I won an award which is generally crowned by the Forest Product Society. The recognition of your work must be high quality. We created a different kind of model, an analytical model to analyze our thermal degradation and mechanical properties of wood composites and how the degradation takes place after exploited temperatures, so we kind of took a leaf out of the bottom composite and apply it to the material of wood.

That was one piece of work. I am currently doing work with bamboo. Bamboo is gaining some acceptance because it is a sustainable material and it’s the whole buzz word, and the material is new and a lot is to be learned.

I am teaching a class on bamboo and doing research on bamboo so media and society can gain some acceptance of it.

Q: College of Forestry is ranked No. 1 academically at OSU. What do you do to make sure College of Forestry stays that way?

A: Yeah, College of Forestry is No. 1 here at OSU and I am a proud faculty member of it.

What is essential is that quality of scholarship; quality of work has to be top notch, and it has to be cutting edge research, cutting edge teaching. You have to be the best in the business to stay No. 1. The things I do are cutting edge and really applicable to society; it’s not always for our intellectual pursuit, but how it can be applied to society.

The question for College of Forestry is how we can make society better in a randomly conscious way. How can we make more green buildings acceptable to society? How can we design more buildings? Questions like these is why I am here, and I want to be a lead researcher in that area, and that is how I would contribute to College of Forestry not only academically, but also by my outreach efforts.

Tony Santilli, staff reporter

737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

Predation rates may be killing Steller sea lions, says OSU researcher House passes n

Combined research efforts track sea lion deaths due to predation in Alaskan waters

By McKinley Smith The Daily Barometer

Declining sea lion populations in the waters around Alaska has generated mystery and controversy for decades, but the work of Markus Horning and Jo-Ann Mellish seeks to replace speculation with data.

“Part of the difficulty in determining cause of death in marine mammals is that they often die at sea,” said Mellish, an associate research professor at the University of

Alaska Fairbanks. “While we will never completely understand the cause of the initial decline, we may be able to better understand why some portions of the population are not recovering.”

In order to understand what’s happening to the population of Steller sea lions in the eastern Gulf of Alaska, where the endangered species live, Horning and Mellish needed to

understand how they died.

Telemetry devices were surgically implanted in the body cavity of 36 juvenile seals. The telemetry transmitters record and store information on the life and death of the sea lion. After that, the telemetry device floats to the

surface and transmits signals to the researchers via satellite.

“With this data, we can distinguish between predators and other causes of mortality,” said Horning, an associate professor with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University.

Alan Springer, Horning’s colleague and a research professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, See sea lions | page 3

Contributed photo | Alaska Sea life Center NMFS Permit # 14335

several bills n

Representatives discuss OSA membership fees, original intentions of constitution

By Kristin Pugmire The Daily Barometer

Last night’s meeting of the Associated Students of Oregon State University House of Representatives proved to be action-filled.

As anticipated, the committee tasked to investigate the relationship between ASOSU and the Oregon Students Association presented its findings.

The committee was formed on Oct. 13, after it was decided that ASOSU President M. Tonga Hopoi would be impeached for her decision to withdraw ASOSU participation from OSA without approval from the other government branches.

See HOUSE | page 3

2• Thursday, January 26, 2012

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Thursday, Jan. 26

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich and their surrogates exchanged harsh attacks Wednesday as a new poll showed them in a statistical dead heat in Florida six days before the Sunshine State’s primary in the Republican presidential race.

The CNN-Time-ORC International poll indicated that Gingrich surged after his 12-point victory in Saturday’s South Carolina primary, but his momentum appeared to be slowing.

According to the poll, 36 percent of people likely to vote in Tuesday’s Florida primary back Romney, while 34 percent are for Gingrich. Romney’s margin is well within the survey’s sampling error.

The poll shows former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum at 11 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 9 percent, with 7 percent undecided.

With the final debate in Florida to be broadcast Thursday night on CNN, the campaign intensified Wednesday with the two leaders, their surrogates and super PACs supporting them ratcheting up criticism of the other.

Gingrich, a former House

speaker, disparaged Romney’s personal wealth when asked about the former Massachusetts governor’s call for illegal immigrants to deport themselves.

“I think you have to live in a world of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and automatic, you know, $20 million a year income with no work to have some fantasy this far from reality,” Gingrich said at a “Meet the Candidates” forum in Miami, later adding: “For Romney to believe that somebody’s grandmother is going to be so cut off that she is going to self-deport, I mean this verges — this is an Obama-level fantasy.”

Earlier, the Gingrich campaign acknowledged it had stopped running a Spanishlanguage ad that referred to Romney as “the most antiimmigrant candidate.” The ad had drawn censure from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Romney, asked later about the ad and Gingrich’s criticism, said in the candidate forum, hosted by the Spanish-language network Univision, that such attacks were “unbecoming” for a presidential hopeful. Under the forum format, the candidates were interviewed separately.

“It’s very sad for a candidate to resort to that kind of epithet,” Romney said of the pulled ad.

“There are differences between the candidates on these issues but we don’t attack each other with those kind of terrible terms.”

Romney also noted that Gingrich had previously supported the idea of self-deportation.

“I recognize that it’s very tempting to come out to an audience like this and pander to the audience and say what you hope the audience will want to hear but, frankly, I think that’s unbecoming of a presidential candidate,” Romney said. “And I think that was a mistake on his part.”

Meanwhile, veteran Sen. John McCain, who is backing Romney, accused Gingrich of encouraging an explosion of earmarks when he was speaker of the House that ultimately led to corruption in Congress.

“I saw these earmarks explode. I saw the corruption that resulted from it,” the 2008 Republican presidential nominee said on a conference call with reporters organized by Romney’s campaign.

Earmarks “dramatically

expanded on Newt Gingrich’s watch,” McCain said, citing a memo he said Gingrich wrote in 1996 directing lawmakers in charge of spending decisions to “consider elections” when doling out earmarks.

McCain has long been a critic of earmarks — money lawmakers direct to their home districts and states — and he previously attacked Santorum on the same issue.

Gingrich’s campaign pointed to an independent analysis showing that during at least one of the four years he was speaker, the number of earmarks dropped.

McCain also questioned whether Gingrich’s leadership style was suitable for someone seeking the presidency, noting Gingrich lacked support to continue as House speaker in 1999.

“He could not have been reelected as speaker of the House, and his leadership style was a major factor in giving him lack of support for re-election as speaker,” McCain said.

Romney’s campaign received a boost Wednesday by receiving the endorsement of the Orlando Sentinel, which backed McCain in 2008.

— CNN

The growing alternative to English-only education Republicans vying for the GOP presidential nomination are debating and disagreeing about the economy and foreign policy, but they backed each other on one issue this week: the English language.

At Monday’s debate in Florida, Newt Gingrich said this week he supports English as an official language of the United States: “I think it is essential to have a central language that we expect people to learn and to be able to communicate with each other in,” he said.

Mitt Romney said everyone in school should be learning in English: “English is the language of this nation,” he said. “People need to learn English to be able to be successful, to get great jobs.”

Romney, in his 2010 book, “No Apologies: the Case for American Greatness,” highlighted his support for English-only immersion in Massachusetts public schools. As governor, he led the state to pass a law against bilingual education, mandating one year of Englishonly transitional language instruction for anyone learning the language before moving to mainstream classrooms. California and Arizona have similar laws.

But educators across the country

are trying a different approach, one that English-only advocates aren’t considering: Immersion training for non-English speakers - and English speakers. Immersion has several forms, but generally means students learn their core subjects in two languages — a primary language, usually English, and a secondary language.

“What we hear is no dual language, English only,” said Tara Fortune, immersion project coordinator at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition at the University of Minnesota.

“But what’s really happening is beneath the surface these programs are really growing.

It’s become sexy.

“Immersion is a program that is about bilingualism, bi -literacy and multi-literacy.”

Researchers have seen a growth in immersion education across the country.

The Center for Applied Linguistics estimated there are about 800 programs in schools across the nation. Most are Spanish and English programs, but a growing number include Mandarin Chinese, Korean and French. The instruction can be about improving English skills for the 21 percent of school-age children in the country who

speak a language other than English at home, but also about encouraging bilingual skills for English speakers as well.

Utah, one of the most consistently conservative states in the nation, spearheaded two-way immersion programs over the past few years under Republican governor and former GOP presidential nominee hopeful Jon Huntsman.

Utah’s language instruction focuses on immersion learning. In Utah, students learn 50 percent of their subjects in English and 50 percent in a second language. Two-way immersion means some students speak English as their native languages at home, and some might not.

For the 2011-2012 school year, there are 57 immersion programs in Utah — 31 in Spanish, 17 in Mandarin Chinese and nine in French. Next year, the state expects to have 76 programs, said Gregg Roberts, world languages and dual immersion specialist for Utah’s Department of Education.

All of the instruction starts in kindergarten or first grade, and the overarching plan for these programs was developed and supported at a state level.

— CNN

Rockefeller impersonator ordered to stand trial for murder A German-born man known for masquerading as a Rockefeller has been ordered to stand trial for murder, the prosecutor’s office said Wednesday.

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter is accused of killing a man who disappeared in the mid-1980s and whose bones were discovered in his mother’s Southern California backyard nine years later After a five-day preliminary hearing, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Jared Moses ruled Tuesday there was sufficient probable cause to bind Gerhartsreiter over

for trial, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

Gerhartsreiter, 50, is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 9, Robison said.

The dismembered remains of John Sohus, who was 27 at the time of his 1985 disappearance, were found in 1994 by workers installing a backyard pool at a home his mother once owned in San Marino, Calif.

At the time of Sohus’ disappearance, Gerhartsreiter had been renting a guesthouse from Sohus’ mother, Robison said.

During the preliminary hearing, a pool builder described how he discovered a skull buried in the yard, and investigators eventually found nearly an entire skeleton. The remains were not identified until 2010.

Evidence showed that the bones belonged to Sohus, Robison said.

During the preliminary hearing, Moses rejected a defense request that Gerhartsreiter be referred to as “Mr. Rockefeller” in court. The defense attorney said he and other attorneys on the team knew Gerhartsreiter as “Mr. Rockefeller.”

Recreational Sports, 3-4pm, Dixon Conference Room. RecSports Board Meeting. Discussion and deliberation on 2012-13 Recreational Sports budget.

Educational Activities Committee, 4-6pm, MU East/Snell Hall 120. All budget meeting.

OSU Pre-Law Society, 6pm, StAg 111.

Regular meeting.

Friday, Jan. 27 Speakers Sustainable Energy Initiative, 7pm, LaSells Stewart Center. Bill Bradbury, former Secretary of State, will present “Global Warming Hits Home” and discuss conservation efforts in Oregon, job opportunities created by renewable energy and Oregon’s new energy economy.

Events ISOSU, 6-7:30pm, MU Lounge. International Student Experience Forum: Welcome Reception.

Saturday, Jan. 28 Events ISOSU, 10am-5pm, Memorial Union.

International or globally minded students are invited to participate in this two-day opportunity for community learning and fun!

ISOSU, 9-11pm, MU Ballroom. International Community Celebration. Join us for a night of Bollywood Dance Workshop and International music.

Sunday, Jan. 29 Meetings Vegans & Vegetarians @ OSU, 5pm, SSC, 738 SW 15th St. We eat, chat and exchange recipes. All are welcome, even if you aren’t vegetarian.

Monday, Jan. 30 Meetings College Democrats, 5pm, MU Board Room. Come talk about current events, local campaigns and international news with like-minded people!

Educational Activities Committee, Noon-2pm and 4-6pm, MU 110. Budget meeting.

Socratic Club, 7pm, Milam Room 311.

The first meeting of the sponsored book study for Timothy Keller’s “The Reason for God.” We will discuss the introduction.

Tuesday, Jan. 31 Meetings ASOSU Senate, 7pm, MU 109A. Convenes to discuss student issues.

Students and student organization delegates are welcome to attend.

Educational Activities Committee, 4-7pm, JPLC Talisman Room, MU. Budget review.

Wednesday, Feb. 1 Meetings ASOSU House of Representatives, 7pm, MU 211. Convenes to discuss student issues and concerns. Students and student organization delegates are welcome to attend.

Baha’i Campus Association, 12:301pm, MU Talisman Room. Recharge yourself – Bring your favorite inspirational reading, prayer or devotion to share in an interfaith surrounding.

Educational Activities Committee, Noon-2pm, MU 110. Budget meeting.

Events Women’s Center, 2-3pm, Women’s Center. Coffee and Tea from Around the World. International women from all over the world will come and discuss their cultural traditions, social customs and women’s roles. Cupcakes, coffee and tea will be served.

Thursday, Feb. 2 Meetings Educational Activities Committee, 4-6pm, MU 110. Budget meeting.

OSU Pre-Law Society, 6pm, StAg 111.

Regular meeting.

Events Dept. of Design & Human Environment, 8:30am-12:30pm, CH2M Hill Alumni Center. Career Symposium. Industry professionals network and share professional experiences in apparel design, housing, graphic design, interior design and merchandising management.

“FAMOUS COCKTAILS”

Master of Arts in Teaching Earn your master’s degree, teaching license, and ESOL endorsement at the same time!

Applications for March 2012 due January 27 Applications for June 2012 due April 20 For more information contact Bill Hamlin at 503-838-8704 or email hamlinw@wou.edu

Gerhartsreiter, who has led a life of multiple identities, has denied involvement in the Sohus case. At one point in his life, Gerhartsreiter assumed the identity of “Clark Rockefeller,” a cultured poseur who never seemed to have a job. A Boston tabloid dubbed him “Crockefeller.”

There has even been a Lifetime movie, “Who Is Clark Rockefeller?” starring Eric McCormack as Gerhartsreiter.

He moved to Wisconsin, where he married in a green card arrangement using his true name. .— CNN

Meetings

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Thursday, January 26, 2012 • 3

Red Crescent official, priest killed in Syria A Red Crescent official and a priest were among the two dozen reported killed Wednesday in Syria, where a pro-government militia stormed neighborhoods in a city already notorious for an earlier revolt.

The Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross called for Syria to investigate the killing of Abd-al-Razzaq Jbeiro, the Red Crescent secretary-general for Syria and the head of its operations in Idlib province. The international Red Crescent said Hisham was driving in a vehicle “clearly marked” with its emblem when he was killed.

“Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers administer life-saving first aid to the injured,” the Syrian organization’s president, Dr. AbdulRahman al-Attar, said in a written statement. “Like all medical personnel, they must be allowed to carry out their work in safety.”

Jbeiro was on his way back to Idlib from a meeting in Damascus when he died, the Red Crescent said. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said he was shot in the head by a “terrorist group.”

In the flashpoint city of Hama, security forces and pro-government militias assaulted neighborhoods overnight, an opposition activist group reported Wednesday.

Among the dead was a priest who was killed while trying to give first aid to a wounded

man, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an umbrella group.

The LCC identified the priest as Basilious Nassar of the nearby town of Kafr Buhum.

He died as militia members pushed into various neighborhoods in Hama, a bastion of Syria’s anti-regime sentiment, according to the LCC. The forces bombed the Bab Qebli area “from all directions” and destroyed several buildings, the group said. Several deaths and injuries were reported, according to the group, and the constant shelling made it impossible to rescue the wounded in the western city. Soldiers also launched mortar shells in several neighborhoods, including those of al-Hamidiya, al-Faraya, Jarjameh and Alalillat. Explosions and gunfire rang across the city, and soldiers fired rocket-propelled grenades and nail bombs at houses, the LCC said.

Samer Al Husain, an activist with the Revolutionary Council of Hama, told CNN from Damascus that al-Faraya was surrounded by “hundreds of thugs and military forces” late Wednesday. All streets in and out were closed, and Syrian troops were cutting off telecommunication lines, he said.

“This is what the regime usually does when it intends to start a crackdown,” he said.

HOUSE n Continued from page 3 The committee, which was comprised of four representatives and two senators, spent the remainder of fall term gathering testimonials from individuals currently or formerly involved with OSA. According to committee chair Rep. Andrew Struthers, the committee received approximately 15 written testimonies from various university alumni, all of whom were involved in OSA. In addition, representatives from OSA gave the committee a brief presentation on the benefits of staying with the organization.

“It was hard to find any glaring problems,” said Rep. Michael Robb in a pre-meeting interview, when asked about the committee’s findings.

Rep. Struthers added that many of the initially perceived problems regarding OSA were related to internal issues, such as the management of staff. The work that gets done by OSA, the committee said, is not the problem. The organization lobbies in Salem for legislation that directly benefits students, Robb said.

In a unanimous decision, the committee agreed to recommend that ASOSU stay with OSA, with the stipulation that a Memorandum of Understanding should be created. The memorandum would be a binding agreement that would define the relationship between ASOSU and OSA, negotiated and implemented by an executive negotiating team.

Committee member Jacob Vandever said he felt foolish for having ever considered leaving OSA, a sentiment echoed by fellow committee members.

Vandever quoted former ASOSU President Ryan Mann, who is credited as saying: “Even if OSA only keeps tuition down $5, that’s well worth the $1.14 investment for each student we make each term.”

Following the committee’s presentation, several bills were discussed.

First, HR-03.03, the bill to reinstate membership funds to OSA, was brought back to the floor for discussion. During discussion, it was explained that though ASOSU must now pay membership fees for both fall term and

SEA LIONS n Continued from page 3 said the controversy over the sea lion decline has been raging for years with arguments over whether global warming, commercial fishing or predation is at fault.

“In the 1970s, the Steller sea lion population in Alaska just collapsed by about 80 percent in 15 years,” said Springer.

“These changes were unprecedented. It caused a lot of controversy about what the problem was.”

Horning and Mellish used the telemetry devices to understand the deaths of the 13 juveniles that died as a result of predation.

“Data suggest that three were shark attacks, the rest, probably transient killer whales,” Horning said.

The telemetry devices leave the body as the it is torn apart by the predator, as the remains are passed through the digestive tract of the predator or as the body decomposes.

“Even with the limited number of tags we

Hama is the site of a notorious 1982 clampdown by the government of Hafez al-Assad, the father of President Bashar alAssad, and “tens of thousands” of people died at the time, the group said. Another 953 Syrians have been killed in Hama since the current unrest started in March, “including 21 women, 53 little boys, 16 little girls, and 33 that were martyred under torture,” the LCC said.

Hundreds were killed there in August when Syrian forces moved in with tanks and armored vehicles “to obliterate the city ... during the first days of Ramadan,” the group said.

The LCC said 24 people were killed nationwide on Wednesday, including six from the Free Syrian Army, a group of defectors from the country’s armed forces who have taken up arms against the al-Assad regime. At least four died in Hama, another four in Homs and five in the Damascus suburbs, the group said.

The Syrian government blames the violence on terrorist groups and says security forces are only trying to protect civilians.

CNN cannot independently confirm events because the Syrian government restricts access of international media to the country.

— CNN

the current term (a total of approximately $50,000), the OSA membership funds were allotted and set aside last year and have not since been used for any other purposes. After discussion, the bill was passed.

JB-71.01, the bill to eliminate suspensions during an impeachment trial, was brought to the floor for a second reading. The bill was created in response to the suspension of President Hopoi prior to her impeachment trial. Rep. Brad Alvarez, the bill’s co-sponsor, spoke on the bill’s behalf.

“Suspension should only happen after a conviction by the Senate,” Alvarez said. He added that in circumstances of extreme conduct violation, the university administration will step in and suspend the individual, thereby removing them from office.

After a lengthy discussion, the bill was passed.

JB-71.02, a resolution requiring all representative and senators to attend three studentsponsored events per term, was discussed.

The bill will go through a second reading and discussion at next week’s meeting.

SB-71.03, a bill to hold ASOSU senators and representatives accountable for their office hours, was also read through for the first time.

It will be reviewed again next week.

Finally, Paul Aljets, former Speaker of the House, was invited to speak to representatives regarding the original intent of the ASOSU constitution, which Aljets helped write. He addressed a number of issues; among those were the reasons behind converting ASOSU from a unicameral system (i.e. one legislative chamber) to a bicameral system (establishing a division between the Senate and the House).

“There are a number of steps each bill has to go through…it provides a second chance for a resolution or bill to be studied and looked over,” Aljets said. In addition, Aljets stated that it is appealing for ASOSU newcomers to be a part of the House of Representatives, which only requires a one-year commitment, and for more experienced students to join the Senate, which requires a two-year commitment.

Kristin Pugmire, senior reporter

737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

have deployed, we have learned about the most likely cause of death for specific individuals,” Mellish said. “This kind of information has never been available before.”

According to Horning, predation rates may have an impact on the declining population of Steller sea lions.

“Predators have a large effect on recruitment and can reduce recruitment by up to 50 percent,” Horning said. “Too few of them (female sea lions) survive to give birth to pups.”

According to Horning, recruitment is “how many females survive to have pups of their own.”

The results of the study are part of a continued effort to understand the population of Steller sea lions in the eastern Gulf of Alaska.

“Markus is currently working on the next generation of implant that will be smaller. Hopefully we will be able to move into new areas of concern,” Mellish said.

According to Springer, this research provides some facts to help understand what’s going on.

“I think the research was very carefully

Beaver Strides registration starts tomorrow The Daily Barometer

The Beaver Strides winter term kick-off party will be held tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Student Health Services room 322.

Students are encouraged to stop by to register and get free pedometers and other prizes. They can also register in advance on the SHS website.

Beaver Strides is a free program that promotes physical activity. It uses bio-marker feedback from pedometers and is free to all students and staff who are interested. staff

737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

RECYCLE n Continued from page 3 dents to participate in.

“Students are a part of the community, and it’s our duty as citizens to recycle because what we do to the planet affects future generations,” Almarode said. “It’s a call to duty, it’s something that’s fun and it reduces waste.”

This year’s results for the Civil War are updated daily, so live results can be found online at any point throughout the term.

Gwen Shaw, staff reporter

737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

done,” Springer said. “I’ve been following this research for years. The results are unassailable.”

Horning had the idea for the project in 1998, and shortly thereafter, Mellish became involved.

“He had this great idea about a new kind of animal tracking,” Mellish said about Horning. “We wrote a grant together, and shortly after I started my job in Alaska working specifically with Stellers, so it was just like all of the right pieces fell into place.”

Steller sea lions do live along the West Coast from California to southeast Alaska, but they are what Horning refers to as “the eastern stock.” They are increasing at a rate of 4 to 5 percent and have a threatened status under the Endangered Species Act, whereas the Steller sea lions in the eastern Gulf of Alaska are listed as endangered.

Horning and Mellish’s research paper is available online at PLoS ONE. McKinley Smith, staff reporter 737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

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4 •Thursday, January 26, 2012

Editorial

Forum

Editorial Board

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t

Editorials serve as a means for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale or diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board’s majority.

Letters

Letters to the editor are welcomed and will be printed on a first-received basis. Letters must be 300 words or fewer and include the author’s signature, academic major, class standing or job title, department name and phone number. Authors of e-mailed letters will receive a reply for the purpose of verification. Letters are subject to editing for space and clarity. The Daily Barometer reserves the right to refuse publication of any submissions.

The Daily Barometer c/o Letters to the editor Memorial Union East 106 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 97331-1617 or e-mail: editor@dailybarometer.com

Grady Garrett Don Iler Alexandra Taylor

Sports Editor Managing Editor Photo Editor

forum@dailybarometer.com • 541-737-6376

As obesity continues to rise, so too do costs on society

Twitter trouble A

n the top right corner of each day’s sports page, a tweet, courtesy of an Oregon State student athlete (or former studentathlete), is displayed. The “Beaver Tweet of the Day,” we call it.

More times than not, the tweets are entertaining. And they give us an inside look at the student athletes.

Twitter allows them to say things they probably normally wouldn’t say in a postgame press conference.

Unless you live in a cave, you know what Twitter is. Some may say Twitter is on the decline, but there’s no denying the social media platform’s presence in today’s society.

Even here at The Daily Barometer, we’re encouraging our reporters and editors to use the medium to help spread content and news.

Now, while people use Twitter for a variety of different reasons, most of which are good, some don’t realize the things they say on the social media site can get them into trouble.

And no, we’re not talking about paid professional athletes who get fined for tweeting stupid things — that’s old news. We’re talking about a high school senior who was recently kicked out of his school for things he posted on his personal Twitter page.

Yuri Wright, a top-50 football recruit, was kicked out of Don Bosco Prep High School in Ramsey, N.J. last week after “sexually graphic and racial posts on his Twitter came to light,” according to an ESPN report.

Wright, a cornerback, was a heavily sought after recruit. The University of Michigan, one of college football’s most historic programs, was recruiting Wright, but reportedly stopped after his Twitter escapade. He committed to Pac-12 bottom-dweller Colorado two days ago.

Wright’s account has since been deleted, but — as with almost anything nowadays — you can find screenshots of his tweets after a Google search. The tweets are not good. You wouldn’t want your mom reading them.

But, as sad is it may be to some, the tweets are not out of the ordinary. The majority of them essentially translate to: “I want to have sex,” using slightly different words.

Why anyone would feel the need to talk about how badly they want to have sex in a public light like Twitter is beyond us. It’s a tad embarrassing. But is it worthy of him getting kicked out of school? Worthy of him losing a scholarship to a top-10 program? Heck no.

Somebody at Don Bosco who cared about Wright should have pulled the kid aside and told him he needed to tone down his tweets or delete his account altogether. It’s one thing for a professional athlete who knows million of others are looking up to him to get in trouble for something they say on Twitter, but it’s another thing for a high school kid to get in trouble.

Watch what you tweet, everyone.

You just never know.

Brandon Southward Editor in Chief Joce DeWitt News Editor Armand Resto Forum Editor

s of 2011, 27.5 percent of the people in the United State were considered obese — by far the largest percentage of any country in the world.

According to America’s Health Rankings, a measure of data compiled by the United Health Foundation from a number of U.S. departments, the American Medical Association, and several other university related research groups, Colorado was the “healthiest” state, yet still holds a 21.4 percent obesity rate. Mississippi is the worst with 34.5 percent.

Twenty years ago, the country’s obesity rate was 11.6 percent. Ten years ago, it was 20 percent. At this rate, in twenty years, nearly half our nation could fall under the obese category — alarming.

But America is the land of the free, a nation of liberties and privilege — who’s to say we can’t eat, drink and live how we wish? No one should be, but recent efforts to reform public school lunches and dietary standards — from the new food “pyramid” to regulating salt content — suggest government overreach on the issue.

Or at least that’s how some choose to see it.

However, there’s something that needs to be said about our obesity issue. Not on the fact that a person should strive to live life in a healthier manner — that’s absolutely up to the individual — but instead that the rising obesity rate (or poor nutrition in general) no longer affects just the

Armand

Resto

Considering the Horizon individual. It’s become an issue for society in general.

Obesity has been linked to Type 2 diabetes, increased risk of heart disease and stroke, and overall poor health due to lack of activity and mobility. The statistics back it up: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 1 in 12 Americans have diabetes, which is a 9 percent increase from 2008. In 1996, 22.2 percent of the population had high blood pressure. Today, 28.6 percent.

Clearly, our population is not getting healthier. But instead of seeing more deaths, the improvement and expansion of medical coverage has kept more people alive. In 2004, there were roughly 337 cardiovascular deaths per 100,000 people. Today, 270 deaths.

And while improved care should be considered a good thing, this is the very reason our rising obesity rate is such a significant problem.

It has become an issue beyond personal health. It’s become a burden on society.

Medical costs aren’t high solely because there are more people to provide for. Medical costs are high

because more people means more becoming unsustainable, if they unhealthy individuals. Moreover, it’s aren’t already. Making everyone buy the unhealthy individuals demand- insurance forces even healthy, lowrisk individuals to contribute to the ing the medical care.

According to the CDC, in 2006, pot, which more often than not will obesity accounted for 9 percent of only be used by the unhealthy people medical expenditures. In 2008, the — smokers, drinkers, the obese. most recent statistics, the United Pending the Supreme Court States spent a total of $147 billion in approval or rejection of the individual medical costs on direct and indirect mandate in the ACA, America’s got a obesity issues. serious issue in providing for an entire The aforementioned American And while improved nation. Should the 21-year-old nonHealth Rankings health care should be drinker, physically estimate that by active student be 2018, obesity will considered a good forced to contribcost the United thing, this is the very ute to the same pot States $344 billion as the 50-year-old in medical-related reason our rising smoker, expenses — 21 perobesity rate is such a overweight who already had a cent of total healthsignificant problem... knee replacement? care expenditures.

No, they shouldn’t.

Even if the obesity rate were to stay But consider 2014 consistent — an rolls around and the optimistic estimate — it would still American people — as a whole — cost around $200 billion. begin to share health care coverage Alone, the general public shouldn’t — that’s when a rising obesity rate care so much about one individual hurts everyone. facing rising costs due to their own Fortunately, despite past efforts weight issues. But in coming years, by opponents to demean the First between specific companies’ health Lady’s efforts to reform school lunchcare plans and the possibility of the es and set a new health standard for 2014 Affordable Care Act, obesity is students, the USDA is finally taking no longer an individual concern. a step to curb the obesity epidemic The ACA hinges on the individ- plaguing our country and infecting ual mandate, since it prevents the our youth. “free-rider” from jumping into the To be integrated over a five-year pool only when one gets sick. But it See RESTO | page 9 also keeps the outrageous costs from

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The Daily Barometer

Profile tee project doesn’t Girls accepting adulthood, make meetings less awkward sexuality unnecessarily early

T

his month the Barometer ran a story about an instructor at OSU, Imran Haider, who has started a “profile tee” project.

These shirts display tidbits of information that many people have on their Facebook pages.

The intention of the project is to use the shirts as icebreakers for strangers. According to Haider, “The Internet has made it so that we are uncomfortable talking to someone without knowing their information.”

The Internet hasn’t “made” meeting a stranger uncomfortable; it has always been uncomfortable and awkward to meet people we don’t know.

That’s why we’ve had all these constructs to make life a little less awkward: texts, Facebook, email, and in the past, the telephone, dance cards, telegrams, letters and calling cards.

If anything, Facebook has facilitated social connections with people I don’t know very well and would feel really uncomfortable calling up and blurting out, “Hey, wanna hang out?”

I don’t intend for this example to prove Haider is wrong; rather, there are a million different ways to use Facebook, and all of them reflect the user’s personality and preferences.

That’s the beauty of online textified relationships: you can choose the level of intimacy that you have with a person.

Maybe you don’t want to have a tête-à-tête relationship with that person; maybe you want them to remain something akin to a pen pal, but a pen pal that you can share things with on a daily basis that includes not just written word, but pictures, videos and links.

We only have so much time and energy for relationships, so why would we have a deep, meaningful relationship with every person we’re friends with on Facebook? If anything, Facebook allows for very nuanced relationships, introducing completely new ways of interacting and relating to people. It’s not worse or better, but different.

Kelly Holcomb

The Daily Barometer I used to be of the mindset that social networking sites are going to be the end of all meaningful relationships, but not anymore. It’s OK to share and post information, in whatever form it takes, on the Internet.

And it’s just one more way for us to use to interact with others.

However, what that information contains brings me to my second contention with the idea of a “profile shirt.” To wear a profile shirt would actually be quite uncomfortable to those who do not post their information publicly. What would increase the comfort level is if the shirts could look different to each person, which is impossible at this point.

This lack of customization renders the shirt a non-equivalent to what occurs on Facebook, which is an important distinction. What is on one’s Facebook profile and wall is not always something that people want others to see, which is why some choose to post information only to specific people. Again, it’s about having more control, more certainty, about one’s interactions.

While the profile tee project is well intentioned, and I understand the point that Haider is trying to make, it’s a bit like trying to undo the effects of the telegram, telephone, or even written language. We are living through a major shift in human history and as things find their new place, we’re going to lose some aspects of our old lives, but also gain many, many advantages. We have always been uncomfortable around strangers, but now, some of the uncertainty is removed. I, no fan of uncertainty, am glad to be living in this time. t

Kelly Holcomb is a non-degree seeking graduate student with a bachelors of arts in English. The opinions expressed in her columns do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Holcomb can be reached at forum@ dailybarometer.com.

I

wasn’t allowed to wear makeup until my first year of high school. Of course there were times that I cheated and wore body glitter on my eyelids and got away with it, because after all, it wasn’t eye shadow. I thought my mother was nuts not to let me to express myself through the same mascara and blush as all of my classmates.

Looking back, I know that she was right, which will of course make her very happy. The other day, I was going back over some photos that my boyfriend’s mother had posted on Facebook, and I noticed his youngest sister, Kristen, was wearing makeup.

I had noticed it before of course, on Christmas Eve when we had dinner with his family. The eyeliner that smudged halfway through the evening looked very strange on a nineyear-old girl.

She was very excited to be wearing it. As the youngest of eight siblings with her next oldest sister being almost eighteen, it’s natural that she would want to be seen as a grown up.

She was just as excited by the fact that she had almost passed me up in terms of height, but as I’m only five feet tall, this is no huge accomplishment.

Girls seem to be in a great rush to grow up, as do boys. Justin Bieber is only seventeen years old, and yet he sings about love as if he knows what he’s talking about. There were even allegations that he fathered a child.

Even though these claims have been dropped, it is still extremely troubling that this is the kind of role model young teens and preteens have.

The show “Toddlers and Tiaras,” about child glamour pageants, is another shocking display of the sexualizing of girls who aren’t even in elementary school. These girls are primped in every aspect and are even spray tanned to fit the model of beauty that is unrealistic even when applied to women in their twenties. The horrifying thing about this show is that the mothers don’t seem to understand what they’re doing to

Allison Mermelstein

The Daily Barometer their children. Imagine how these girls will grow up to think of themselves and their mothers, who were dressing them up like dolls, trying to relive their glory days.

Children are becoming sexualized at an earlier age because they want to be adults and they see other young people growing up quickly. They want to be taken seriously. If wearing makeup is considered a sign of a woman’s sexuality, then Kristen is starting to create a sexual identity before she’s even ready to become a woman.

Furthermore, before she’s even truly begun puberty.

Of course, all children love to dress up and play, but if they play at being an adult too young, they essentially lose a great deal of their childhood. They will be adults forever after a certain point and can never be children again. We should be preparing children to face the world and meet the challenges of everyday life, but we should let them play first. Painted nails are one thing, but a full face of makeup for a family get-together is unnecessary.

The media’s use of overtly sexual images causes a greater need for parents to watch what their kids are doing. Makeup is a great way to explore your identity, but you have to be old enough to have a concept of what that identity is and what it means to enhance or change your appearance through those powders and sticks. Parents therefore need to keep a watchful eye over their children and impose limits on what can be worn.

In an age where kids can’t safely go outside to play with their friends and come back when the street lights turn on, it’s up to the real adults to preserve this aspect of childhood. t

Allison Mermelstein is a junior in English. The opinions expressed in her columns do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Mermelstein can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.

diversions@dailybarometer.com • 737-6377

Thursday, January 26, 2012 • 5

Diversions

Don Iler

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

What’s Corvallis to do about growth? n

With enrollment up at OSU, many find themselves dealing with growth in different ways

By Don Iler

I

The Daily Barometer

t’s in the streets that are lined up with cars parallel-parked bumper to bumper. It’s in the rows of threestory tall townhouses. It’s in the trash that falls out into the street from Friday night parties, the traffic on Monroe, the sound of buildings being torn down to make way for new development. It’s also murmured and grumbled about by longtime residents watching neighborhoods change and students who deal with few options, soaring rent and absentee landlords.

The rapid growth of Oregon State University over the last decade has changed the tenor of the city of Corvallis, leaving many neighborhoods, once populated by a diverse mix of people, to become overwhelmingly student-only enclaves. But the growth has also left many students without many options when it comes to renting, with some unable to find adequate housing when facing a rental vacancy rate of around 1 percent.

Tensions between the university and the city have grown so much that last year, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with the city and laid out plans for a committee to look at the problems that the university’s growth had been causing in the city.

The conflict has left many with a bad taste in their mouths. Older, longtime Corvallis residents complain that parking limitations, traffic and noise from parties have gone up considerably over the years, while the expanding size of the university has led students to fan out into neighborhoods previously unused by them.

Students also feel that many times, there is animosity toward them from “townies,” that being called a “student” can come across sounding like a four-letter word and they have fewer housing options, leading them to move away from neighborhoods traditionally occupied by students.

Ongoing problems have led many to question the continued livability and diversity of neighborhoods, and they are worried about parking, availability and cost of housing, noise from parties and traffic.

Housing is hard to find Kimberly Freitas began taking postbaccalaureate courses at Oregon State in summer of 2011 to help her fulfill the prerequisites to get into nursing school. After subletting a room for several months, she and another person planned to find and live together in a two-room apartment after they had to move out at the end of the December.

Freitas spent two months searching for a two-room apartment, but when her planned roommate backed out at the last minute, she found herself in a bind, looking frantically for a studio or onebedroom apartment.

“If you don’t know too many people that would like to live with you, and are hoping to live by yourself or with one other person you know, it can be really expensive to find a place,” Freitas said.

“It was really difficult for me to find an affordable place to live that wasn’t too expensive and was either close to campus or downtown.”

After worrying that she wouldn’t be able to find a place to live, she eventually decided to move in with a person seeking a roommate in an apartment in south Corvallis.

But she’s not the only one unable to

find a one- or two-bedroom apartment.

Bob Loewen, housing program specialist for the city of Corvallis, said that with the rental vacancy rate of the city hovering around .5 to 1 percent, one-bedroom places have been the most difficult to find.

“There are not a lot of studio, one- and two-bedrooms, which I have heard is more in demand,” Loewen said.

Another effect of the housing crunch has been the rising cost of rent. Freitas was shocked to find out her friend in Berkeley, Calif., who had a two-bedroom apartment near the University of California campus there, is paying $850 a month, which is about the going rate in Corvallis for a place with similar amenities and location.

“Based on calls I’ve got from people complaining, since last spring I’ve got calls saying ‘my rent went up 10 percent’ to as high as ‘my rent went up 50 percent,’ and that was from an OSU parent who was pretty perturbed because they hadn’t budgeted for that,” Loewen said.

“10 percent is about the going rate even though some people haven’t raised their rent at all.”

And it isn’t just students that are being affected by higher rents. Many families, senior citizens and working-class people are being affected by higher rents and demands, making the search to find affordable housing in the city even harder.

“I’ve had calls from senior citizens who saw increases. Some could afford it; some couldn’t and were forced to move,” Loewen said.

Hannah Johnson, an OSU student, also had a difficult time finding a place to live.

She eventually found a place close to campus, but said that the heating in it is not very good and it lacks some amenities.

“Corvallis could definitely use more

apartments with the growing amount of students, as well as nicer apartments,” Johnson said. “Many of the buildings and houses in Corvallis are extremely old and could use some renovation.”

The growing storm When Ed Ray, president of OSU, gave a speech in 2009 envisioning what OSU might look like in the year 2025, he probably didn’t think his words would cause so much consternation among residents of Corvallis. He said the university would most likely “have 30 to 35,000,” which to many residents sounded like more than the city could handle.

But even before the speech, OSU had been on the path toward growth. OSU grew 22 percent over the last decade, from a student body of 16,788 in fall of 2000 to 24,977 in fall of 2011, with enrollments especially spiking in the years since the recession began in 2008.

While the rate of OSU’s growth was considerably higher, during the same period, Oregon’s population grew 12 percent and Benton County grew 9.5 percent. Many have suggested that OSU’s growth has been a reflection of a growing state.

But Oregon State’s growth began to spike after the recession struck because many people, who would most likely have found employment in more flush times, were unable to find jobs and sought out higher education instead.

OSU’s demographics have also been changing, as the increase of students is most sharply seen in transfer students who have done a year or more at the state’s community colleges. Nontraditional student numbers are also up, with the number of undergraduate students over 25 up 13.3 percent from 2010. Many veterans coming to school after serving and many See HOUSING | page 8

INSIDE DIVERSIONS: Campus life

INSIDE DIVERSIONS: Baseball

INSIDE DIVERSIONS: Snow

Need to go pretty bad? We search for the best toilet on campus.

Page 6 & 7

It’s pretty tough being an Oakland A’s fan these days.

Rain got you down? Well, sometimes it snows here too.

Page 6

Page 7

Bathrooms 6• Thursday, January 26, 2012

diversions@dailybarometer.com • 737-6377

Consider these suggestions the next time you need to drop trou

By Charles Leineweber The Daily Barometer

T

he public bathroom can be a wretched hive of germs and disgusting unmentionables. But an inability to hold liquids in and an increasing amount of time spent away from home can make school bathroom visits much more of a necessity. In my time here at Oregon State, I have made an effort to use the restroom in every building on campus, with the goal of finding the best ones to use when I need to go. Admittedly, this list is biased towards males as common decency prevented me from rating the women’s restrooms, which was probably unnecessary anyway since they are all furnished with couches and smell like sunshine. And now, the list:

Most High-Tech: Kelley Engineering Center The saving grace of the otherwise unremarkable bathroom is the Dyson Airblade hand-dryer that feels like it will rip your hands clean off. If you have ever wanted to feel moisture violently separated from your skin, this is the place to do it.

Best Place To Be Alone: Fairbanks Hall This artsy building has much less traffic than more popular classroom halls on campus, so it can be a good place to duck into. Plus, there is some pretty nice art to examine before or after just not while doing your business.

Worst Place To Be Alone: The Valley Library Oftentimes, you don’t want to see anybody, especially anybody you know, when you visit the oval office. So it may be no shocker that one of the most crowded buildings on campus will also have the most bathroom foot traffic. While it may have the best reading material,it’s best to try elsewhere if you want some solitude.

Cleanest: Kidder Hall Obviously this category is dependent on the janitorial staff, or what time of day you use it. Any bathroom can have a bad hygiene day. But rarely have I found the Kidder bathrooms to be strewn with paper, smelling funky or laced with anatomically dirty graffiti.

The ongoing trials, tribulations of being an Oakland A’s fan n

With the Yankees getting all the money, the lowly A’s are left in the basement of baseball, a struggle for true fans

By Warner Strausbaugh The Daily Barometer

Since viewing “Moneyball” for the third time in a week after purchasing the DVD, I’ve come to the conclusion that being a fan of the Oakland Athletics bleeping sucks.

Now, to start, I don’t want this to be a pity party by any means. I am and will be an A’s fan until the day I die (unless they relocate to Tokyo). I’ve been loyal to my team since going to my first game in 1997, when I was just five years old. Nothing will change that. However, life as an A’s fan is plainly unfair.

There is a drastic competitive imbalance in Major League Baseball. Unlike pro football and basketball, a salary cap does not exist, meaning there is no limit on the spending a team can do to build their team. Thus, teams with a lot of money have an advantage over those without deep pockets. For example, the team with the highest payroll in 2011 (who else but the Bronx Bombers?) had a payroll just north of $200 million. The Kansas City Royals spent $36 million last year, 5.58 times fewer than the Yankees.

Does that sound fair? No.

The A’s are routinely on the bottom of the food chain in baseball. Since 1998, Oakland has been in the bottom six (out of 30 teams) in team payroll eight times. They have never even been in the top half of team payrolls in that timeframe. As of now, the A’s are projected to have the lowest payroll in the Majors for the upcoming season.

Fielding a competitive team with at least four to five times less money to work with than the Yankees, Red Sox and Cubs of the world is not unheard of. The A’s themselves did it in the early 2000s, reaching the playoffs four consecutive years. The Tampa Bay Rays are doing it now. But it’s very, very difficult and takes a lot of smart decisions, and a lot more luck.

The A’s are not the only poor team in baseball; that’s not the reason life as an A’s fan sucks today. The real reason is the city they call home, the fan support they get and the dilapidated piece of crap stadium they play in.

I love the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. When I lived in the east Bay Area in my childhood, that place was a holy land to me, because it meant going to A’s games. But let’s be honest — it sucks. And now, with the former Florida Marlins opening up their brand new stadium, the A’s are the only team in baseball who shares with a pro football team.

As much as I like the Raiders, watching my

team play on torn-up grass with football field lines in the outfield is not ideal.

The stadium conditions are the biggest constraint when trying to lure free agents to come to Oakland to play. Rafael Furcal, Lance Berkman and Adrian Beltre (twice) are just three examples of players who turned down larger financial offers from Oakland because of the stadium they play in.

Getting a new stadium has been on the forefront of the Oakland front office’s agenda for years now. They have been pushing to move to San Jose as of late, but the San Francisco Giants are trying to block the move by means of San Jose being in their “territorial rights,” suggesting it will take away from their fan base.

The San Jose stadium situation is still far from resolved.

With all of the disadvantages already facing Oakland, not to mention the wads of cash the Angels and Rangers are throwing at players, A’s General Manager Billy Beane has essentially announced to the world that he is throwing this season and probably the next one, too.

The three best players on the team: Starters Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and closer Andrew Bailey — that’s four combined All-Star Game appearances in the last three years — traded, traded and traded in this offseason.

Beane traded three proven stars for a pleth-

ora of young, unproven talent. The plan is a risky one. What Beane wants to do is create the perfect storm: have the MLB approve their move to San Jose and hope for the stadium to be ready by, say, 2015; and then have all of the youngsters pan out at the right time to make for a really competitive team.

And that’s where fans are left. A sliver of hope.

Fans are being asked to sit back and take all of these punishing blows — trading away most people’s favorite players (I know they were mine). Not only are they gone, but now fans have to wait a two-year minimum to even have a team that may finish with a winning record.

So, life goes on for those few who still call the A’s their favorite team (not many, considering the A’s finished last in attendance in 2011). It’s rebuilding after rebuilding after rebuilding.

The question to ask ourselves is: when will it actually be built?

It may be worth it in the end. I trust the management of the A’s, particularly Beane, because he’s done it before. But right now, prosperity from the baseball team in Oakland looks as bleak as bleak can be.

And there’s nothing I can do about it.

Warner Strausbaugh, diversions writer

541-737-2232 managing@dailybarometer.com

on campus

diversions@dailybarometer.com • 737-6377

Thursday, January 26, 2012 • 7

Best Overall Quality: Milam Hall (not the auditorium) Consistently clean, not too big, not too small, and limited foot traffic makes Milam my surprising choice for quality time in the commode. While the restrooms in the auditorium are horrendous, the building itself houses some quality, no-frills water closets that are easy to find (right next to the stairs, though alternating men’s and women’s between floors) and actually give an adequate amount of paper towels.

So if you ever find yourself on campus when nature calls, try to give where you answer some thought. Just not as much thought as I give it. It’s a bit ridiculous.

Charles Leineweber, diversions writer 737-2232 managing@dailybarometer.com

Most Spacious: Waldo Hall Most Cramped: The Women’s Building

As a former dorm, the bathrooms are not only cool to look at, but are remarkably large, allowing for plenty of room if you feel the need for some yoga.

With men’s rooms obviously designed for prepubescent hobbits, the Women’s Building is not conducive to moving more than three inches in any direction.

Photos by: Alexandra Taylor

Hardest to Find: Gilmore Hall If you ever have to go in a hurry, avoid Gilmore, especially if you’ve never been in there before (like some ignorant liberal arts major). For a smaller building, it’s tough to find the loo, especially since it’s virtually unmarked and uncomfortably close to professors’ offices.

Dirtiest: Dearborn Hall I understand it can be hard to clean all the bathrooms every day, and naturally some will get more use than others; but Dearborn houses a pretty gnarly lavatory that will make you use your elbows to turn on the faucet.

The unbearable lightness of fleeting snow in the Willamette Valley The rain is all too common in the valley, but what about the snow that lingers so shortly?

imagination and the reality of our kind of snow day — down below the mountains, beside the rivers and along the coasts — is a matter of positive and negative space. Except for rare instances like the 2008-2009

By Annecy Beauchemin winter break, the image of a white The Daily Barometer winter day in the Willamette Valley is Last Monday morning, the snow- not realized in where the snow is, but covered ground in the Quad was in where it is not. already dotted with the reemerging The first gaps in the whiteness tips of the tallest blades of grass. One appear early in the morning: a few lone snowcat stood shrinking, circled asphalt-colored lines that extend in a green ribbon of uncovered and down the roads and loop in parking muddy turf where rolling up its head lots. One thickens for a few yards in had stripped the snow from the grass a worrying squiggle that once crosses completely. The fuller trees had green the obscured yellow line. The decishadows. It was 11 o’clock, and the sion to drive in an inch of snow is snow day was about over. an individualized conundrum, and The difference between the clas- because Valley-dwellers don’t see it a sic marshmallow-land snow day of lot, they may not be prepared to drive n

in it, or they may not know how. Or, God forbid, not know that they don’t know how.

At around 10 o’clock, the footprints appear in the colors of grass and concrete. Students break out the snow boots, which their feet will sweat in by evening. An hour remains to take pictures of the rare weather, which has settled on things like paths and trees usually overlooked when in full color. Rocks and iced roofs look masterpiece-worthy. Handrails. Bicycle racks. Snow-filled sidewalk cracks.

Benton Hall. A row of empty park benches thinly disguised as white sofas. The Weather Channel-issued inch of snow sits on them unmarked, looking like a trick cushion waiting for a pair of dry pants.

Buildings — chemistry and com-

puter lab — breathe just like people do. Vents blow visible, vaporous smoke rings the color of the snow into the air.

Less than an hour now remains before the melt begins.

Something out of sight, behind the ventilation pipes, can be heard dripping.

By the time all of the snapshots are on Facebook, roundabout 11 o’clock, the photographers stand in puddles. Sidewalks have become exposed again, polished with snow melt. Gray smears have appeared up against walls and curbs and in sidewalk cracks — yesterday’s litter processed by several freezes and melts into unidentifiable curdles.

What was once a leaf, a dropped sandwich crust or a paper flyer fall-

en from a telephone pole is now indistinguishable from a crushed earthworm.

In the Quad, a pebble eye drops from a snowcat into a pile of pine needle whiskers.

A small waterfall has formed over the edge of a downtown roof. It spatters onto the sidewalk below in a puddle that is growing quickly into a small city lake, clouded by the paper pulp, the liquified leaf and frozen worms. Gray flecks stain passing boots. Sustaining the flow is mist from a hundred vents, drainage from a mile of sidewalks and last night’s flurry turned to rain.

Here, rain sticks better than snow.

Annecy Beauchemin, diversions writer 737-2232 managing@dailybarometer.com

8• Tuesday, January 26, 2012

older people returning to school because of the economy have also contributed to the increase.

Numbers of traditional first-year students straight from high school, however, have remained steady.

Since it is typically first-year students who live in on-campus housing — around 80 percent live on-campus their first year — and most of the recent growth is in non-first year students, the city has absorbed most of the growth rather than on-campus housing. Many non-first year students may be unwilling to live on-campus, and the number of non-first year students living on-campus is significantly smaller than among freshmen.

While many in the city feel that Oregon State needs to provide more housing, University Housing and Dining still reports vacancies in its residence halls. The university also planned to start work on a new residence hall, but the construction bond was not approved by the state legislature in the last session, pushing plans back at least until the legislature convenes again.

Students spread out farther from campus Judy Gibson has seen her neighborhood, Avery Addition, change over the years; it happens when you become a part of a place for more than 30 years.

Of course the neighborhood changed before even then. Part of Joseph Avery’s — the founder of Corvallis — original land grant homestead, the land was platted out and added to the original downtown portion of the city after it grew and expanded. It’s a historic neighborhood that has the Mary’s River flowing on its southern boundary and the railroad on its eastern. It’s a neighborhood that is within walking distance of downtown, campus and Avery Park.

Perhaps all these reasons are why residents have noticed the neighborhood changing. And also why developers have begun construction on an 80-unit student housing complex on a sliver of land between 7th Street and a railroad switching yard.

When Gibson first moved into the neighborhood, she said it was mostly rentals, but as time went on there were more homeowners. But in the last 10 years, it has definitely swung back to being full of rental properties, and she is worried that new developments, like the 7th Street project, will not encourage people to buy homes in the neighborhood.

“I like living in a downtown, close to OSU neighborhood. Some rentals are bad; some are great. They’re not all students, but most of them are,” Gibson said.

But what really concerns Gibson is parking.

And since the new 7th Street development is required by the city to have only 2.5 parking spaces per unit, she is concerned that what is already an issue for residents in a neighborhood filled with overflow parking from the university will be exacerbated by the new development.

“The big housing complexes and the university selves and have sent their children there as well. itself is going to have to provide more parking,” “We take advantage of the university and what Gibson said. “Parking garages, where you can go it has to offer,” said Gibson, whose husband gradup instead of out. And this housing complex that’s uated from OSU, as well as two of her children. going in right here in our front yard, two parking But many residents and neighborhood associaspaces per unit is just not sufficient. They should tions have been banding together, writing letters be required to have a parking garage structure for and organizing meetings to combat the detripeople to park in. That’s just not enough.” mental effects of OSU’s growth. Their concerns The city requires that developers provide only show a deep caring for the neighborhoods and 2.5 spaces for attached dwellings with more than city they call home. three bedrooms. And since many newer resi“Parking, traffic, improper behavior are all dences can house up to five people, and many results of not providing enough student housing bring their own cars, the overflow of parking has on campus,” said Louise Marquering, an alumna spilled out into the streets of the neighborhoods, of Oregon State and longtime resident of Corvallis. especially those closest to campus.

Because of the townhouses around Chintimini Coming changes Park, she says finding parking at St. Mary’s Church Oregon state law requires that cities develop has become nearly impossible, and traffic in the a 20-year plan to accommodate for growth and neighborhood there is also up. development as part of its land-use laws. Corvallis Many are also worried about neighborhoods has one too, and it envisions a city that is different losing their diversity, housing only students from what it looks like today. instead of having residents of many different ages.

“We have put together a pretty good framework They believe an increase in student housing onfor growth over time,” said Kevin campus is part of the solution, Young, planning division manand find many of these newer ager for the city of Corvallis. are not suitable But he (the landlord) developments for families.

The plan, in place for more threatens to kick than 30 years with the city, has “I’d like to see the older been placing density in close neighborhoods around camus out if we keep proximity to the university. Much pus be more diversified and complaining, because available to live in to those who of the land closest to campus has been zoned high density, medihe knows in Corvallis aren’t students. Certainly we um density and medium high can coexist, which is great, but I there is nowhere density. Near-campus neighborwould hate to see it all just turn hoods have been seeing a lot of into a rental district,” Gibson else to live redevelopment, increasing the said.

Derek density of those properties.

While the university claims OSU student/Corvallis resident “Part of the reason for concento be taking the growth in stride trating that growth close to OSU by hiring more professors and is that our policies have tried to encourage the renovating and constructing new buildings, some use of alternative modes of transportation, things worry about the quality of the university as it other than the people getting in cars and driving. grows.

The closer we can get students to the university, “Size isn’t what makes it better or worse, it’s the more often we see them biking and walking the quality of the education,” Marquering said. to class,” Young said. “(The plan’s) goal is to house “I knew who my professors were and they knew at least one-half of the student population of OSU who I was.” within a half mile of the university.”

Students stuck in less-than-ideal situations As part of the committee that is looking at Derek began looking with his friends for a OSU’s growth, one of the things on the table is place to live last winter. After several months of looking at the city’s plan for higher density near looking, he happened upon what he thought was campus and whether it is something the city still the dream college house. With five bedrooms, wants. The city is also considering requirements a fenced-in backyard, off-street parking, a front for providing parking, increasing the number of porch, a deck in the back and being only two spaces required. blocks from campus, it seemed like the ideal place It is also planning to look at the municipal and to live out his senior year. student conduct code to see if better enforcement That is before the problems started to happen. or changes are needed, since residents have been Derek, whose name has been changed for fear complaining about parties and noise. that city officials will condemn the house and But the process will be a slow one, most likely evict him and his roommates, discovered one taking several years to come up with a plan to day, the week before fall term, that wastewater allow for adequate community involvement. was leaking into the basement where three of the Neighbors not all happy about growth roommates had their bedrooms.

The wastewater line had clogged, backing up Oregon State has been a part of Corvallis since 1868. Its roots in the community run deep, and into the house. Derek called his landlord to tell even though tensions are currently high, many him the problem, who told them it wasn’t his longtime residents went to the university them- problem since they had broken it.

‘‘

‘‘

HOUSING n Continued from page 5

diversions@dailybarometer.com • 737-6376 Derek called a plumber, who discovered there was something wrong with the pipe at 90 feet, a bend or crack that needed further attention. After spending five days trying to get in touch with the landlord, the landlord was finally convinced that the problem was serious enough to warrant a plumber.

After Derek and his roommates paid for the plumber out of pocket and to clean the carpet, wastewater flooded the house again during finals week fall term.

When Derek called the landlord again to tell him the problem, the landlord still wasn’t responsive and wouldn’t fix the problem.

“He told us ‘this is when boys turn to men and deal with it on their own; don’t be a bunch of sorority girls,’” Derek said.

Then the upstairs shower started leaking into the downstairs bedrooms, causing water damage, and when the heavy rain struck last week, rain flooded two of the bedrooms through cracks in the foundation, the landlord again refused to do anything and told them it was their problem.

Derek knows that the house isn’t safe to live in, from the lack of a carbon monoxide detector to the fact that the basement bedrooms don’t have two routes of escape — but he is reluctant to seek help.

“If I called the fire marshal, he would come in and shut it down immediately,” Derek said. “But he (the landlord) threatens to kick us out if we keep complaining, because he knows in Corvallis there is nowhere else to live.”

Derek and his roommates feel like they have little choice — either continue living in a place that is hazardous and unsafe, or become homeless.

“It’s a catch-22, because we don’t have anywhere else to live, and he’s completely illegal, but if we turn him in, we turn ourselves in and would be on the streets,” Derek said.

What to do about growth?

With so many people concerned about the effects of growth, from residents concerned about parking and parties, to students who have a hard time finding affordable housing, or end up having to live in squalid conditions, it is a problem with no easy answer, and one the city and university will be tackling over the next few years.

Many are looking to the joint City of Corvallis/ OSU steering committee to solve the problem with solutions amenable to all. But others aren’t so sure the committee will respect the interests of all involved.

Growth looks to be a problem in the near future, but most hold out hope that the problems of parking and housing will be solved and that good relations between the city and university will be maintained.

“While there is some antagonism between the city and university in housing,” Marquering said, “Corvallis is really unique because there hadn’t been many issues between the city and university. The university has always been a part of the town.”

Don Iler, managing editor

737-2232 managing@dailybarometer.com

news@dailybarometer.com • 737-2231

Thursday, January 26, 2012 • 9

Connecticut mayor apologizes for ‘taco’ comment The mayor of East Haven, Connecticut, apologized Wednesday for saying he would help Latinos in his town by eating tacos, a remark that sparked anger from state officials and immigrant advocates already fuming over allegations of police mistreatment of Latinos in his city. “My sincerest apologies go out to the East Haven community and, in particular, the Latino community for the insensitive and off-color comment that I made to WPIX reporter Mario Diaz yesterday regarding the recent events affecting our community and our police department,� Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. said in a statement. “Unfortunately, I let the stress of the situation get the best of me and inflamed what is already a serious and unfortunate situation.�

He was referring to the arrests of four East Haven police officers by FBI agents Tuesday for their alleged roles in abusing Latino residents and business owners, performing illegal searches, mak-

ing false arrests and harassing immigrant rights advocates.

The arrests are the first to stem from a federal investigation into racial profiling in the city and follow a scathing December report from the U.S. Justice Department that accused the town’s police of engaging in “discriminatory policing against Latinos.�

In the interview later Tuesday, Diaz pointed out that there were no Latino officers on the police force. “And your point being?�

Maturo responded.

When asked then what he planned to do for the Latino community in light of the discrimination allegations, the mayor said, “I might have tacos when I go home, I’m not quite sure yet.�

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Wednesday slammed Maturo’s comment as “repugnant� and “unacceptable.�

Malloy said the remarks “represent either a horrible lack of judgment or worse, an underlying insensitivity to our Latino community that is unacceptable.�

RESTO n Continued from page 4 period, at an estimated cost of $3.2 billion, the new guidelines nearly double the amount of fruits and vegetables in public school lunches and set maximums on calories, sodium and trans fat provided.

The schools will also receive an additional six cents per meal for the changes.

An estimated 32 million children will be affected by the changes.

Unfortunately, government never works out as planned. Last November, lawmakers tweaked the guidelines to classify pizza as a vegetable, for the toma-

“He owes an apology to the community, and more importantly, he needs to show what he’s going to do to repair the damage he’s done,� the governor said. “And he needs to do it today.�

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra added Wednesday that he was “disgusted by Mayor Maturo’s comment.�

He said Maturo’s words suggested that the accusations of discrimination were “dismissed and disregarded.� “Many have worked diligently to correct the painful history of racism in this country, and Mayor Maturo’s comments are a disappointing example of how far we still have to go to,� said Segarra.

Maturo on Tuesday called the arrests of the officers “unfortunate� and said his office “stands behind the East Haven Police Department.�

Following his apology a day later, Maturo then asked the public to consider the difficulties the arrested officers and their families must be going through in the wake of the scandal.

to sauce, and prohibited the department from limiting french fries. We can thank Big Food for that.

Smoking remains the number one preventable cause of death in America with 440,000 deaths annually, and the general public never had issues with Surgeon General warnings, age restrictions on sales or bans in certain public places.

Yet, obesity is just as preventable as smoking, and some people still have problems with helping out the public — both young and old — with healthier food choices, stricter regulations on ingredients, and clearer guidelines and labels for nutritional information.

“It’s really a devastation to them,� he told CNN. “It’s my apology to the communities out there; whether they’re Latino or not is secondary to what our town is suffering and going through at this particular time.�

Maturo made no mention of any of the alleged Latino victims in the case. “What I apologized most to (WPIX reporter) Mario was that I think I might have hurt him personally, and I can understand that,� the mayor added. “Being of Italian descent, there’s been plenty of people that have said to me, ‘Oh you live in East Haven,’ and we all know what that refers to. Or, ‘Oh you’re Italian; you must like meatballs and spaghetti.’ We all know what that refers to. And sometimes I take those comments to heart, (even) when I realize sometimes there was nothing meant by them.� “I’ve been talking since 6 o’clock yesterday morning,�

Maturo added, saying he had done more than a dozen interviews. He later claimed

that his comment had been taken out of context.

On Tuesday, the mayor cautioned against the blaming police prematurely. “They’re innocent until proven guilty,� he said.

Maturo added that he doesn’t

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believe allegations of such systemic discrimination in East Haven are accurate. “We have an open community here,� he said, speaking on behalf of the police department. — CNN

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Some will say, “Don’t tread on me�; it’s my life, my body. They’ll reject nutritional advice, oppose government proposals to address public school lunch menus — such little endeavors. But if it’s not the government fixing our health to fix their health care system, then it’ll be the costs that fix your life.

No one wants to worry about your BMI, but it’s the nature of our system: it’s become everyone’s problem. t

Armand Resto is a senior in environmental science and editor of the forum. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Resto can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.

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10• Thursday, January 26, 2012

sports@dailybarometer.com • 737-6378

Road Woes: By The Numbers

13

2/27/09

Players on Oregon State’s roster who have won a conference road game in win their collegiate careers

ROAD WOES n Continued from page 10 TAYLOR HAND

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Swim team travels for a back-to-back This weekend marks the last time the Beavers will compete until the Pac-12 Championships in mid-February

the end of the season because we have been working so hard since September. I think it’s kind of crazy that [Pac-12 Championships] are here in less than a month and we’re excited,” said junior Allison Gillespie, who will be racing in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 free and relays

By Natasha Raines for the Beavers at both meets.

The Daily Barometer This is the last weekend for the Beavers to This Friday the Oregon State University women’s swim team will be racing against perform until the Pac-12 Championships, but Washington State University in Pullman, it is unlikely that their race times will be an Wash. and the University of Idaho the follow- indicator of their Pac-12 performances due to the heavy amount of training they’ve done ing morning in Moscow, Idaho.

Last January the Beavers beat the Idaho recently.

“They will get a lot better because we’re still Vandals with a score of 111.50 to 93.50, but fell working pretty hard, and in swimming you to the Cougars 156 to 106.

“It’s stressful because we will be swimming don’t go really fast until you rest,” Leibowtiz one night and then we have to be ready the said.

“I’m definitely sore right now. Every race is a next morning. They don’t get as much rest as we would hope, but it gets us ready for Pac- battle of the will and adrenaline, so hopefully that will carry me through,” said freshman 12,” said head coach Larry Liebowitz.

The Pac-12 Championships take place over Amy Herbst. four consecutive days (Feb. 22-25).

Natasha Raines, sports writer “I think that everyone’s looking forward to sports@dailybarometer.com n

14.5

10 of those 13 losses have been by double digits

Oregon State’s last road win (49-44 at USC)

The Oregon State University swim team will have a long layoff between competitions. After this weekend, they won’t compete again until the Pac-12 Championships, which start February 22 in Federal Way, Wash.

10

Conference road losses in a row (not counting the Pac-10 Tournament)

To Robinson’s credit, the team has at least been improving at home over the last couple seasons. In the 2009-10 season and last season, they were 5-4 at home in conference play. This year they are 3-1 in Pac-12 at home and 10-2 overall.

“I think that the better you are, the harder it is for you to win on the road because you become a target for people,” Robinson said. “See before, when we first got here, we snuck up on everybody because they didn’t really plan for us. It doesn’t surprise

GYMNASTICS n Continued from page 10 what happened with the four girls before me [on beam].”

The team now has to flush the memories from last Friday and move on, because for the third straight week, Oregon State takes on an opponent ranked in the top 13 nationally.

Stanford comes in on the heels of a victory over the University of Washington, scoring a 195.925 — a score that would have defeated the Beavers last week.

In the four times these two teams squared off last year, they split their victories at two apiece. OSU is, however, 22-4 against Stanford all-time at home.

The main focus for the week is going to be “building off of what we did the last two weeks and try to better ourselves this week against a really good Stanford team,” according to Chaplin.

Injuries are starting to affect the Beavers going into their meet with Stanford. Freshman

4

13 games

7

Average margin of defeat in those

Teams in the Pac-12 that have at least one conference road this year

me that it’s harder to win on the road, because now we go on the road and everybody’s pumped up to play us because we’re not bad.”

If Robinson wants to bring legitimacy to the Oregon State program, consistent road wins are a must. Still, the Beavers’ road woes do not mean that they can’t make it to the “Big Dance” or, at the very least, have a successful season. Last year the combined overall road record of the Pac-10 teams that made the tournament was 22-23 (.488) and in 2009-10 it was 10-12 (.455).

Sophomore big man Devon Collier cites energy as the

Beavers’ biggest need in order to fix their troubles on the road.

“Generating our own energy and coming out with a fast start from the jump [is what it’s going to take],” Collier said. “So, if we have energy from the start, our bench is loud, on the court we’re talking to each other, we’re focused — that’ll get us going to a good start and we can carry it through the whole game.”

Oregon State will try to get the monkey off its back with their biggest road match-up to date on Sunday at the University of Oregon.

Chelsea Tang, who has proven to be a valuable addition to this team, will most likely be out of the meet with a sprained elbow. Also, Vivian has been under the weather, and it’s still up in the air how much she will compete this Friday.

“I missed practice yesterday,” Vivian said. “I’ve been really sick since Arizona. It just depends on practice this week I guess. If I had my way, I’d do all three [bars, beam, floor].”

With some of the struggles on beam and the injury situation, the one constant for this team right now is Leslie Mak. The senior has scored exactly a 39.400 on all-around in both meets this season. Mak also ranks first in the nation for balance beam – thanks to her 9.950 on beam last Friday. Last week, Mak was named Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week. This week she received another honor: Pac-12 Special Performance of the Week, for her 9.950 on beam.

“She’s started off really strong and she’s very consistent,” Chaplin said. “She’s doing a great job as a leader.

It’s really nice to see that hap-

pening during her senior season. She’s growing off of last season and it’s wonderful to see her start off as strong as she finished last year.”

Mak and the rest of the OSU gymnasts are hoping that the Arizona meet will be their worst score of the year.

“It seems like every once in a while, in the four years that I’ve been here, there’s going to be one meet in the season that isn’t perfect,” Mak said.

“And maybe that just happens to be the one, and we’ll go off of that with more motivation, more determination to not let that happen again. Now we’re making some adjustments in the gym to move on from that and learn from our mistakes.”

It will help having the home crowd in front of the team once again, as it did when they defeated Oklahoma. The Beavers are going to try to get back on track soon, hoping to knock off a talented Stanford team for their third consecutive victory to open the season.

Alex Crawford, sports writer sports@dailybarometer.com

Warner Strausbaugh, sports writer sports@dailybarometer.com

news@dailybarometer.com • 737-2231

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The Daily Barometer 12 • Thursday, January 26, 2012

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On the road, it’s 13 and counting n

Oregon State has lost 13 straight conference road games dating back to a 2009 win at USC

By Alex Crawford The Daily Barometer

To say that the Oregon State University men’s basketball team has struggled on the road recently is like saying the Clippers benefited from signing Chris Paul.

It’s like saying Ryan Gosling is a heartthrob and the cast of Jersey Shore likes to frequent the tanning salon.

Simply put, it’s an understatement.

The Beavers have not won a conference road game since defeating USC 49-44 in Los Angeles, Calif. on Feb. 27, 2009.

Since that win, they’ve lost 13 straight.

In fact, only four of the 15 players currently on Oregon State’s roster have won a conference game. Devon Collier, Ahmad Starks, Roberto Nelson and Eric Moreland are among the key contributors who have yet to win a game in Tucson, Seattle, Los Angeles, or any

other Pac-12 city.

When coach Craig Robinson was informed of this stat, he was surprised.

But in typical Robinson fashion, he was quick to put a positive spin on it.

“Now that you’ve pointed [that stat] out, that’s a good motivator,” Robinson said.

Motivation aside, what is it going to take for Oregon State to actually win some conference road games this season?

“Getting your first road win,” Robinson said. “Once you realize that you can win on the road, then it becomes easier to win on the road.”

The Pac-12 has struggled as a whole with road wins this season. Home teams are 33-11 on the season in conference play and five teams — OSU, USC, Utah, Washington State and Colorado — are still seeking their first road victory.

Oregon State needs to start winning road games this year if they want to even be considered for the NCAA Tournament.

See ROAD WOES | page 10

JOHN ZHANG| THE DAILY BAROMETER

The Beavers don’t sport long faces at home too often, as they’re 10-2 at Gill this year. On the road is a completely different story, however.

Wrestlers can clinch regular season Pac-12 title Gymnastics team ready for

bounceback performance n

Beavers back home after disappointing performances on beam led to a low score

By Warner Strausbaugh The Daily Barometer

VINAY BIKKINA

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Senior heavyweight Clayton Jack defeated Evan Knutson of North Dakota State 8-4 Sunday in Oregon State’s last home meet of the season. n

Beavers would need a win at Boise State Friday and a win at Stanford 2 days later

By Andrew Kilstrom The Daily Barometer

The No. 20 ranked Oregon State University wrestling team will try to avoid a letdown when they travel to Boise State University Friday.

The Beavers are looking for a season sweep of the Broncos after an eventful weekend that included two wins, senior day and head coach Jim Zalesky’s 200th win.

Though getting back on track with the two victories was big, this weekend is more important for Oregon State because they face two of the better opponents in the Pac-12.

Oregon State is currently 7-2 overall, and 4-0 in the Pac-12. With a win over Boise State and a win over Stanford Sunday, the Beavers would clinch first place and win the first regular season Pac-12 wrestling title.

A win on Friday seems likely, considering the Beavers’ recent suc-

cess and Boise State’s overall record of 3-7 and Pac-12 record of 1-4.

The Broncos are riding a two-match win streak, however, and are much improved from the first meeting between the two schools.

“Like I told our guys, this is a whole different meet and a whole different team from the last time, so we have be more ready and prepared than the last time around,” Zalesky said. “They’re a lot better than they were for the first duel.”

Oregon State won the first matchup 35-10, but will likely have a different lineup from the last meeting.

Senior 133-pounder Garrett Drucker will likely get the start instead of redshirt freshman 133-pounder James Roberts, and redshirt junior 174-pounder Cody Weishoff will move up a weight class.

Weishoff, who lost in the first meeting with Boise State, has been much improved since moving up to the 174-pound weight class and looks to continue his winning ways.

“My confidence is getting a lot better after a pretty big weekend

with two wins,” Weishoff said. “One was a major and the other one should have been a major. My confidence going into these next couple of months is going to be good.”

Both Weishoff and junior 184-pounder Ty Vinson have struggled with consistency this season, but have shown flashes at times.

With their continued improvement, the Beavers are looking more and more like a lock on paper for Pac-12 Tournament champions, in addition to a regular season title.

The Beavers travel to Stanford directly following Boise State, where they will take on the Cardinal (8-5), who are currently second in the Pac12 standings. Maintaining focus will be important because of the short time between meets.

“Overall I think we wrestled a little flat last week, so I’m looking forward to a little more spark and energy in our performance this week,” Zalesky said. “We’ll have to wrestle hard to get two wins.”

Andrew Kilstrom, sports writer sports@dailybarometer.com

The No. 10 Oregon State gymnastics team returns to Gill Coliseum for its second home meet of the season, taking on No. 12 Stanford University Friday at 7 p.m.

Last week’s low-scoring road win against the University of Arizona may have been a letdown after their inspiring upset over Oklahoma the week before.

“I’d say it was a little disappointing because I know what this team is capable of,” said senior and 2011 Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year Leslie Mak. “We didn’t quite get there, but at the same time, it’s important that we make it into a positive thing and a learning experience, rather than a disappointment and letting that kind of change the way we view our team.”

The Beavers still got the victory over the Wildcats, but their score wasn’t where they wanted it to be.

Their final tally of 194.825 wasn’t ideal after scoring over 196 their first time out — a big difference in gymnastics scoring.

“Actually, our athletes did a pretty good job in the first three events and were headed down the path to score around 196,” said head coach Tanya Chaplin. “We fell apart on beam.

We will make sure we’ve learned a few lessons; try to take from it some things that we knew we could do differently going into the rest of the season.”

None of the first four gymnasts scored higher than a 9.525 on beam, before Vivan and Mak scored a 9.800 and 9.950, respectively.

“It felt like a freak accident,” said senior Olivia Vivian. “In practice we nailed all of our routines. This team – I’m so confident with everyone that steps up in lineup. I’m not really sure See gymnastics | page 10

ALEXANDRA TAYLOR

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Junior Kelsi Blalock approaching the vault in the Beavers’ season-opening win over Oklahoma two weeks ago.