022414osubaro1 8

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331

The Daily Barometer

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2014 state legislative sessions:

Bills OSU students should monitor Student rights

House Bill 4094: Medical Amnesty Provides immunity from prosecution of illegal alcohol consumption for minors who seek medical attention either for themselves or a friend.

Status: Passed in House of Representatives and Senate Senate Bill 1556: Legalization of Marijuana Allows citizens older than 21 to produce, sell and possess marijuana.

Status: Introduced in Senate

DAILYBAROMETER

Oregon State University House Bill 4139: Agricultural Educational Materials Requires Oregon State University to produce educational materials regarding the effects of pesticides on the natural pollination process.

Status: Passed in House of Representatives; introduced in Senate All information was taken from the Oregon State Legislature’s official website. managing@dailybarometer.com

NCAA suspends Ben Wetzler 11 games for using agent during MLB contract negotiations, eligible to return Sunday

season. Sunday is the first day he’d be eligible to return.

Steve Clark, vice president for relations and marketing, said OSU sent an appeal for the suspension Friday shortly after the NCAA announced his suspension. The appeal will be finalized Monday

By Warner Strausbaugh or Tuesday, and Clark said the middle of this week THE DAILY BAROMETER is the earliest they will receive a response back.

After three months of investigation and an Wetzler’s punishment is the result of an NCAA eventual verdict, Oregon State University is going investigation, which began in November 2013, into to bat for one of its own. the senior left-handed pitcher’s use of an agent The NCAA announced Friday that pitcher Ben during contract negotiations with the Philadelphia Wetzler, of the OSU baseball team, would be sus- Phillies. pended for 11 games, or 20 percent, of the 2014 A lawyer or agent is allowed to provide advice n

WARNER STRAUSBAUGH

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Left-handed pitcher Ben Wetzler stares down a Louisville batter during the June 17, 2013, College World Series game at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Neb.

@BARONEWS, @BAROSPORTS, @BAROFORUM

regarding a proposed professional contract, per NCAA rules, but since Wetzler was considering returning to Oregon State, his adviser was not allowed to negotiate on his behalf or be present during contract discussions, according to the NCAA’s official release.

“We understand that there was, within the spirit of the bylaw, a violation here,” Clark said. “However, that should not constitute a ruling that was much too severe.”

Wetzler has not been available for comment since news of his suspension broke Feb. 14, which was also opening day for the Beavers — a game Wetzler was scheduled to start.

Wetzler will hold a press conference Tuesday to address the suspension.

He did, however, send a series of tweets Friday after the suspension was officially announced.

“No one goes through life without overcoming some sort of adversity!” Wetzler wrote. “Just a little bump in the road...”

The university sought a self-imposed penalty of 10 percent of the season, and proposed a reinstatement request Tuesday. The NCAA deemed the request not substantial enough, Clark said.

“The system is inexplicable,” Clark said. “I don’t think a student-athlete can evaluate a decision of this importance (by him- or herself) and should not be expected to do so.”

As a junior following the 2013 season, Wetzler was eligible for the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft and the Phillies selected him in the fifth round.

Wetzler eventually ended negotiations and chose to return to the Beavers for his senior season in hopes of a return trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., and a chance to win a national championship.

“Ben’s decision should be respected and not punished,” Clark said. “This is a bylaw that members of the NCAA staff and member institutions See WETZLER | page 4

Catapulting research to new heights Going to college n

on empties

A slingshot aids Megan O’Connell in retrieving leaves hundreds of feet above in the tropical canopy forests of Panama

By Edward Russo THE REGISTER-GUARD

By Dacotah-Victoria Splichalova THE DAILY BAROMETER

More diversity. Everything is bigger, everything is brighter, everything is hotter and everything is more competitive: Welcome to the world of research under the tropical canopy forests of Panama.

For Megan O’Connell, a post-baccalaureate student in biology at Oregon State University, the hunt to collect hundreds of enormous green leaves from this tropical wonderland proves to be quite the task.

With her trusty slingshot in hand, O’Connell bows her elbow back and fires, or “biombo” as it is called in Panama, with precision. She’s aiming for a specific leaf hanging from a wild cashew tree, which is a flowering plant commonly found across Panama.

“The most challenging part of this field work is that sometimes it’s so high up, that I’m following the leaf as it’s falling and I start to lose it … and then it lands on top of another tree,” O’Connell said. “I really needed to get that leaf.”

Initially, O’Connell arrived in Panama in summer 2013 through an internship grant with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to work for Andy Jones, assistant professor in the department of botany and plant pathology at Oregon State University. Now, O’Connell returns a second time this term as a recipient of the Undergraduate Research, Innovation, Scholarship & Creativity award at OSU to support her research on the tropical leaves

Baseball loses 2 of 3 games over weekend

Sports, page 5

VOL. CXVI, NO. 90

OSU appeals NCAA suspension

Oregon higher education House Bill 4097: Student Loan Reduction Residents who attended a higher education institution within the state of Oregon would not be taxed on the amount of income that went toward paying their student loan interest payments.

Status: Introduced in House of Representatives House Bill 4102: Student Loan Contracts Prevents public and private institutions of higher education from contracting with third-party financial firms to facilitate student loans unless transparency guidelines are met with the aim of reducing added fees.

Status: Passed in House of Representatives House Bill 4147: Undergraduate Demographics Requires the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to establish a minimum percentage of undergraduate students who must be residents of Oregon for every institution with a governing board.

Status: Introduced in House Senate Bill 1524: Free Community College Requires the HECC to analyze feasibility of providing a certain number of years of free education at community college for all in-state students who completed grade 12.

Status: Passed in Senate; introduced in House of Representatives House Bill 4021: Veterans’ Educational Rights Sets tuition and fees for nonresident veterans seeking graduate-level educations at the resident rate.

Status: Passed in House of Representatives; introduced in Senate

MONDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2014

See Panama | page 2

COURTESY OF MEGAN O’CONNELL

Megan O’Connell uses a slingshot to retrieve each leaf from the tops of the tropical forest canopies in Panama.

Women’s basketball wins seventh straight Sports, page 5

EUGENE ­— Stephanie Lilly is helping to pay for her college education one bottle and can at a time.

Lilly and her parents collect bottles and cans almost every weekend in neighborhoods from Harrisburg to Eugene.

In the past four years, the Oregon State University senior from Harrisburg has redeemed enough bottles and cans to pay for a hefty share of her college expenses.

Lilly figures that it costs her about $14,000 annually in tuition and books to attend OSU. Some weekends she makes less than $100 from the bottle drives. But most weekends she clears more than $100.

Add that up over a year and it’s enough money to pay tuition for one of OSU’s four academic terms and buy books for an entire school year, she said.

“I tell people that I’m a really good recycler,” Lilly said.

But economic reality, not an overdeveloped environmental sensibility, drives Lilly to gather bottles and cans from dozens of doorsteps each weekend.

The youngest of four children, Lilly See COLLEGE | page 4

Editorial: Science! It matters at OSU

Forum, page 7

2•Monday, February 24, 2014

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managing@dailybarometer.com • 541-737-3383 Friday, February 7

But what happened to the pants?

Residents found a 19-year-old allegedly passed out, face down on a couch with his pants down. Someone told Corvallis police they found him outside and brought him in to keep warm, but then he passed out on the couch. He was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital for care and was cited for minor-inpossession of alcohol.

An easy lead to a suspect

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While talking, the officers heard the sound of broken glass down the street and investigated it. They found a tipped over recycling bin, but no suspect.

A popular place to party Corvallis police found two individuals allegedly at the post office at approximately 10:40 p.m. Two males, 45 and 51, were cited for trespass II and one was cited for an open container.

Corvallis police were notified of suspicious activity at a house on Seventh Street just before 4 a.m. A resident told officers that a male, approximately 6-foot-2 with red hair, was at the door jiggling the door handle. The resident opened the door and told the man to leave, but the suspect allegedly just stood there so he turned back to call the police. When authorities arrived the man was gone, however, a white HTC phone was left on the porch.

Shots fly by when you’re drinking Oregon State troopers were dispatched to Finley Hall for an overly intoxicated female. Three females were found in the room with the intoxicated one sitting on the floor. She admitted to drinking about nine shots, but one of her friends said it was closer to 19. The intoxicated individual gave a breath test that resulted in a blood alcohol content of 0.194 percent and was issued a citation for minor-inpossession of alcohol. The two friends agreed to monitor her throughout the night. managing@dailybarometer.com

Monday, Feb. 24 Meetings

Campus Recylcing, 5:30-6:30pm, Student Sustainability Center. Waste Watchers Weekly Meetings - Come learn about volunteer opportunities and help plan waste reduction events and outreach around campus.

Speakers College of Science, 5:30pm, Nash 204. Endocrinologist Dr. Sarah Swarts will speak on long term consequences of childhood obesity.

Events International Students of OSU, 4:306pm, International Resource Center, MU. Coffee Hour. Come enjoy international food, mingle with other OSU and international students and become culturally aware.

Tuesday, Feb. 25

Special delivery for crop of trees

By Paris Achen

Events Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, 5-7pm, MU Ballroom. Black History Month Dinner. Family activities, African dance performance, soul food and guest speaker Dr. Larry Roper.

Wednesday, Feb. 26 Meetings OSU College Republicans, 7pm, Gilkey 113. Join us for discussion of club and current events. Come have fun with like-minded people.

Recreational Sports, 9-10am, Dixon Recreation Center Conference Room.

RecSports Board Meeting.

THE COLUMBIAN columbian.com

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Volunteers on bicycles maneuvered tree-laden trailers down neighborhood streets as part of a tree-planting event Saturday in west Vancouver.

“It seemed like a more worthwhile way to spend a Saturday than anything I would do at home,” said volunteer Vicki Nier. “It’s a good way to get out and be part of the community, and it allows me to be on a bike.”

The volunteers, some pedaling bicycles, others driving trucks, added about 150 trees Saturday to Vancouver’s tree canopy.

Portland-based nonprofit Friends of Trees organized Saturday’s tree-planting expedition as part of an ongoing effort to help the city accomplish its goal of 28 percent tree canopy in the city by 2030, said Ian Bonham, a Friends of Trees volunteer outreach coordinator.

The city currently has about 18 percent tree canopy, compared with about 30 percent in Portland, according to a city-commissioned study in 2011.

“The planting today is a step toward reaching that goal,” Bonham said Saturday.

The event happens in Vancouver about four times per year during planting season, which is October to March, and results in 300 to 400 trees being planted each year in the city, said Jessica Antoine, outreach coordinator for Vancouver’s Urban Forestry Program.

About 115 volunteers turned out for Saturday’s event, which began with frost and sunshine. Volunteers gathered and staged the tree-planting operation at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 426 E. Fourth Plain Blvd., in Vancouver’s Shumway neighborhood.

Neighborhood volunteers served coffee donated by downtown’s Torque Coffee and food donated by Sunrise Bagels before the volunteers, divided into 16 teams, branched

Calendar

Events Political Science Honor Society, 5:30-6:30pm, Gilkey 305. “Pizza and Politics” returns! Take a break from studying for the upcoming finals to eat pizza and discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. All are welcome!

Thursday, Feb. 27 Meetings Baha’i Campus Association, 12:30pm, MU Talisman Room. Soul, Spirit and Mind - A discussion.

Events

Steve Dipaola

| THE COLUMBIAN

Volunteers plant a tree on Friends of Trees planting day. out into the neighborhoods of Lincoln, Carter Park, Hough, Fruit Valley, Arnada, Shumway, Rose Village and Hudson’s Bay. They planted trees mostly along street edges. Residents pay $50 or less for each tree and planting, which is a discounted rate subsidized by the Port of Portland, Bonham said. The actual cost would normally be about $200 for the tree and labor, Bonham said.

Friends of Trees canvass neighborhoods before the events to find residents who want trees planted on their property, he said.

A few of the residents, such as Rose Village couple Jean and Virginia Emerson, reach out to Friends of Trees to request trees.

The couple selected four paperbark maples for a parking strip by their home along East 33rd Street.

“It looked kind of bare out there,” Jean Emerson said.

The trees have an 85 percent survival rate, said Friends of Trees crew leader Melissa Tiefenthaler. The volunteer effort also in educational, as longtime volunteers give new volunteers tips on how to complete a successful tree planting and give homeowners tips on maintenance. For instance, homeowners should give newly planted trees 10 to 15 gallons of water per week in the spring and summer, Tiefenthaler said.

Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center, 5-6:30pm, Snell 427. Come and play a game of Jeopardy based off of Black History.

Campus Crusade for Christ, 7pm, MU Lounge. Ask Me Anything: OSU professors and local pastors answer your questions on God, faith and Christianity. All are invited to come and ask questions.

Saturday, Mar. 1 Events Coalition for Community Dialogue, 10am-4pm, MU 211. Winter Training: Exploring Systems of Oppression. This training will guide participants through an examination of these systems and their impact, as well as provide a space to envision modes of resistance.

Free, RSVP required.

Sunday, Mar. 2 Events Omani Students Association (OSA), 6-8pm, MU Ballroom. Omani Night (Cultural Night).

KYLEE ESPARZA db4@oregonstate.edu BRADLEY FALLON db5@oregonstate.edu JESSICA BARZLER db6@oregonstate.edu CLASSIFIEDS 541-737-6372 PRODUCTION baro.production@oregonstate.edu The Barometer is published Monday through Friday except holidays and final exam week during the academic school year; weekly during summer term; one issue week prior to fall term in September by the Oregon State University Student Media Committee on behalf of the Associated Students of OSU, at Memorial Union East, OSU, Corvallis, OR 97331-1614.

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PANAMA n Continued from page 1

hard work.”

Ready to take on this challenge again, O’Connell is now looking at the physical traits of in the Panamanian forests. the leaf in order to determine if “It seems like it’s going to be there is a measurable difference really fun to go to the tropics and between leaves of trees from the then you get there — it’s really same species in the wetter area hot and there’s lots of bugs,” versus the drier area of the forest.

Within a geographic disJones said. “It’s great, but it’s

tance of about 125 miles, there is a strong gradient of moisture in the collective sites that O’Connell and her research team survey.

There is a strong rainfall gradient that goes from the Pacific side, which is the drier side of Panama. By comparison, the “drier side” of Panama still has

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more rainfall than Oregon — it receives about 1.5 meters less per year and than the Caribbean side of Panama. Here, Panama receives between 3 and 3.5 meters of rainfall per year, according to Jones.

A collaborative project between Oregon State University, Ohio State University and Bayreuth University in Germany, researchers are interested in the same species of tree’s ability to span across this gradient in Panama. This species of tree performs seemingly well in the drier area as they do in the wet area, O’Connell said.

In the drier areas, where there is more exposure to sun and drought-like conditions, O’Connell and her research team hypothesize the tree has traits that allow it to preserve water.

Additionally, in the drier areas, it would be beneficial for the leaf to be smaller because the less area the leaf has, the less area it has to transpire or lose water, O’Connell said.

O’Connell is looking to see these trends in the physiological traits in relation to the rainfall gradient.

“We predict in the wetter area you’re going to have more stomata, bigger stomata, bigger leaves, thinner leaves, thicker xylem — and then in the drier

areas, the opposite,” O’Connell said.

Researchers have found that there is a considerable amount of variation of leaves on just one tree.

“Each leaf is different, each leaf is unique,” O’Connell said.

O’Connell is collecting five or six leaves from each tree and deriving an average of the physical traits they present. In total, the sample size for the dataset will be taken from 30 trees within three different sites across the gradient in order to examine the bigger picture of their physiological traits.

“It’s a really huge sample size,” O’Connell said. “Going in, I wasn’t really quite aware at how big it would end up being — hundreds and hundreds of samples.”

The project as a whole will hopefully provide researchers with a greater picture of the ability trees may have to respond to climate change in the future.

O’Connell will be working in Panama through April with a planned return to the country to begin her Ph.D. work in the fall through the University of Texas at Austin, investigating how native pollinators and plants are affected by land use change.

Dacotah-Victoria Splichalova Science reporter managing@dailybarometer.com

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4•Monday, February 24, 2014

managing@dailybarometer.com • 541-737-3383

Veterans Open House

Second annual Western Windup

Thursday, Feb. 27 • 11am–3pm Held in the Veterans Lounge

Nearly 300 students attended Western Windup Friday. The Memorial Union Program Council hosted the event in the MU ballroom.

Featured speaker: Renee French Oregon Women Veterans’ Coordinator

Junior Lauren Eyrich teaches students a few moves on stage.

Food will be provided

OSU Students and Faculty!

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COLLEGE n Continued from page 1 comes from a blue collar family.

She couldn’t rely on rich parents to pay for college.

“I’m responsible for any school expenses,” she said.

Lilly plans to attend medical school and become a doctor. She started doing bottle drives while she was a junior at Harrisburg High School.

That year, she redeemed bottles and cans for a trip to Japan as part of the People to People Ambassador program. She did the same the next year for a senior trip.

An excellent student, Lilly received an academic scholarship for college, but it only pays a portion of her costs.

She’s had a job at the Harrisburg Public Works Department since she was 16. She works for the department full-time during the summer and a few hours a week during school.

She saves money by living at home.

These things and the bottle drives have allowed her to avoid the scourge of many college students — loans.

“We are so proud of her,” said her mother, Penny, an assembly line worker at the HewlettPackard plant in Corvallis.

After six years of bottle drives,

the Lillys are experts in what they do.

They visit certain neighborhoods in Harrisburg, Junction City and the Santa Clara area of Eugene. They make rounds every two months, which gives residents time to accumulate enough containers to make it worthwhile for the Lillys to drive by.

The Lillys are relentless. They collect every weekend, except during a few weeks in the summer when they go camping, or during harsh weather, like the early February snowstorm.

After so many years of getting the fliers on their doors, some residents know of Stephanie Lilly’s plans for med school. Some put out extra large collections of bottles and cans; a few give her an occasional cash donation.

The collections are a family affair.

On Fridays, Penny Lilly drives to the selected neighborhoods and walks the streets putting fliers on doors. The fliers ask residents to leave bottles and cans outside their homes the next morning.

On Saturdays, Stephanie Lilly’s father, Scott, would drive the family’s Dodge pickup through neighborhoods for the collections.

Stephanie and her mom would scan porches and driveways for container-filled sacks or boxes.

Upon seeing them, dad would stop the truck and mother and daughter would hop out of the cab and put them in the truck bed.

Scott Lilly, who had been production manager at RV maker Monaco Coach for 25 years, lost his job after the Coburg plant shut down a few years ago.

He recently got a job as an RV technician at Camping World in Coburg.

On Saturday, Penny had taken his place behind the wheel and drove the pickup through a neighborhood in north Eugene, near Crescent Avenue.

Stephanie sat in the passenger seat and got out to retrieve bottles and cans.

As Stephanie picked up sacks off a driveway, Penny said: “We run into a lot of people who are just thrilled to see her doing something like this. “They are happy to see a young person doing something for themselves rather than having everything handed to them.”

Collecting cans and bottles takes several hours on Saturdays, but more work waits at home.

The cans and bottles have to be sorted for redemption at a Harrisburg market. Nonredeemable glass and metal containers must be pulled from the piles and put in recycling bins.

Redeeming bottles and cans for $100 each weekend may

More Oregonians are becoming renters

By Sergio Cisneros

and weren’t renting. That’s according to the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.

Josh Lehner is a state economist. He says The number of Oregonians living in their the increase in renters is not necessarily bad own homes has leveled off in recent years, but for the economy. the portion of the population that’s renting has “We’re seeing increases in construction strongly increased. activity both on the single-family and multiThere is a combination of reasons why family side of things. So they’re both being more people are renting. The price of houses positive boosts to the economy, regardless of has increased so much that people are priced what people want to live in you know. They’re out. It’s more difficult for some residents to get both jobs in construction activity and things financing and foreclosures forced some previ- like that.” ous owners into the rental market.

Lehner says he doesn’t see another homeAt the peak of the housing boom in 2005, 70 buying boom like in 2005, but says gradually percent of the population owned their homes more renters will be able to buy homes.

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Austin Bartell (left) and Michelle Doran (above) ride the mechanical bull Friday.

sound lucrative.

However, the Lillys say that, with the sorting, the collections can take about 15 hours a week.

The cost of gas and fliers, which Stephanie’s parents pay for, also much be considered, the Lillys say.

After graduating from OSU in June, Stephanie Lilly will collect bottles and cans on weekends, though not as frequently as she does now. She will use the money from the redemptions to help pay for medical school applications.

She hopes to start medical school in fall 2015.

“I would like to thank everyone that has donated to me over the years,” Stephanie said. “All of their support has been greatly appreciated. Also, a special thanks to my parents for their love, support and help along the way.”

WETZLER n Continued from page 1 have discussed for some time as not being the best, and yet they’ve not done anything about it. We think it’s time that the NCAA and its members make a change.”

Barring an approved appeal, Wetzler will be eligible to return Sunday, which will be the fourth game of the series againstWright State University.

It is unclear if Wetzler would start that day or if head coach Pat Casey will wait until the following weekend in order to get the pitching rotation lined up the way he originally wanted it, with Wetzler starting Friday.

The Beavers are 5-2 to start the 2014 season, and play the University of Washington Monday in Surprise, Ariz., before their home opener Friday at Goss Stadium.

Warner Strausbaugh Editor-in-chief editor@dailybarometer.com

Sports

The Daily Barometer 5 • Monday, February 24, 2014

Inside sports: Gymnastics sets season-high road score page 6 sports@dailybarometer.com • On Twitter @barosports

OSU suffers largest loss of season n

Oregon State was outrebounded by 20 Saturday, fell to Washington, 86-62, at home in Gill Coliseum

By Josh Worden

THE DAILY BAROMETER

In a game with two six-win Pac-12 teams, the Oregon State-Washington matchup was supposed to be evenly matched.

For at least 10 minutes, the pregame billing was true.

Seven lead changes in the first half gave way to a onesided affair, however, as Washington dominated the final 30 minutes of play and powered its way to an 86-62 victory Saturday in Gill Coliseum.

The Huskies (15-13, 7-8 Pac-12) got only their second win since their last meeting with OSU (14-12, 6-8), a sixpoint UW victory Jan. 25.

Saturday’s game was the largest margin of defeat for the Beavers this season.

“I didn’t see this coming; it’s almost inexplicable,” said head coach Craig Robinson. “At the start of the game, it was going even and we were playing well and I expected this game to go back and forth. All of a sudden it looked like the life got sucked out of us.”

The Huskies dictated the game on the offensive side of the court, shooting 57.4 percent from the field and getting offensive rebounds when shots didn’t fall.

UW outrebounded OSU, 43-23.

“They were getting three or four attempts on one possession,” said senior guard Roberto Nelson.

“I take responsibility for that, I let my man get too many rebounds,” said senior center Angus Brandt. “It was demoralizing.”

Along with 23 points, Nelson led OSU with eight boards — nobody else had more than three. Collier and Brandt each had one rebound.

nicki silva

See MEN’S BASKETBALL | page 6

FINAL SCORE:

OREGON STATE 8, INDIANA 1 10 INDIANA ab r Rodrigue 2b 4 0 Schwarber lf 4 0 Travis 1b 3 1 Donley dh 4 0 DeMuth 3b 4 0 Hartong c 3 0 Clark ph 1 0 Smith rf 3 0 Ramos ss 3 0 Nolden cf 2 0 Cangelosi ph 1 0 O’Conner cf 0 0 Totals 32 1

2 OREGON STATE h 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 6

bi 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

bb 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

so 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 6

ab 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 41

Peterson 2b Hamilton 3b Conforto lf Davis rf Keyes 1b Clark dh Ice c Rulli cf Morrison ss Totals

Indiana Oregon State

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Indiana Coursen-Carr L, 0-2 Harrison Stadler Oregon State Schultz W, 2-0

IP

H

R

ER

BB

SO

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6

Baseball drops 2 of 3 over weekend n

No. 2 Oregon State loses to Nebraska, Michigan State in Pac-12/ Big Ten Challenge before rallying to knock off No. 10 Indiana THE DAILY BAROMETER

No. 2 Oregon State lost its first two games of the season over the weekend, dropping two of three in the Aramark Pac-12/Big Ten Challenge in Surprise, Ariz.

The Beavers (5-2) fell to Nebraska — who OSU beat the previous weekend — 9-2 Friday in their weekend opener. The Cornhuskers scored four unearned runs in the sixth inning, grabbing a 4-1 lead and never looking back.

Sophomore right-hander Andrew Moore threw 6 2/3 innings in all, surrendering five runs but only one that was earned.

Oregon State dropped an 8-7 decision the following day against Michigan State. After capturing a 7-6 advantage in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a two-run double from senior Kavin Keyes, sophomore left-hander Max Engelbrekt surrendered two runs in the final frame, earnSee BASEBALL | page 6

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson and senior guard Roberto Nelson look on in the waning moments of Saturday’s loss to Washington.

Women’s basketball wins seventh straight n

Oregon State knocks off Washington State, Washington in weekend road contests THE DAILY BAROMETER

As has been the case all month, Oregon State women’s basketball took care of business over the weekend.

A convincing 67-53 win against Washington State and a 77-57 defeat over Washington extend OSU’s conference winning streak to seven games.

It matches the longest such streak in school history.

Additionally, the Beavers (19-9, 11-5 Pac-12) remain tied for third place in the conference, and will finish the season with a spotless record against teams from the Northwest. They have a 6-0 cumulative record against Oregon, Washington and Washington State.

Sunday’s game against UW (16-11, 9-7) started out competitive before turning into a rout in the second half.

The Beavers found themselves down after six minutes of play, but Washington’s 13-10 lead would be their last.

Over the game’s next seven minutes, the Beavers were able to reign in enough of their mistakes to go on a 21-4 run.

Simply put, Oregon State started hitting shots while Washington missed.

On the game, the Beavers made 52.8 percent of their shots (including 39 percent from three), compared with Washington’s 31.7 percent (and 17.6 percent from deep).

That trend continued into the second half, when the Beavers opened with an 18-4 run. By then, Oregon State’s lead ballooned to 31 points. The 20-point margin at the end of the game was the closest Washington would cut the lead for the rest of the game.

A total of five Oregon State players ended the game in double-figures.

Cooks runs second-fastest 40 at combine THE DAILY BAROMETER

Sophomore center Ruth Hamblin was busy in the paint, finishing with team-highs of 18 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore forward Deven Hunter also did some damage scoring 17 points, recording seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.

Off the bench, freshman guard Gabby Hanson had 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Starting guard Ali Gibson had 12 points off 4-for-6 shooting in 19 minutes.

Freshman point guard SydneyWiese, who owns the Oregon State school record for most threes in a single season, added three more to her total and has 85 on the season. She rounded out the Beavers’ top scorers with 11 points.

Wiese also had a game-high five assists to go along with five rebounds.

Freshman guard Kelsey Plum led Washington and junior guard Jazmine Davis.

Plum and Davis are the fourth- and fifth-highest scorers in the Pac-12, averaging 20.6 and 19.5 points per game, respectively. Sunday was another demonstration of that, as Plum led all players with 26 points. She scored the Huskies’ last 15 points, single-handedly willing her team to eat into OSU’s lead.

Davis was right behind her and finished with 19 points.

OSU has two more games remaining on their regular season schedule., hosting the Wildcats Friday at 7 p.m., and the Sun Devils at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Beavers lost to the Sun Devils in a 64-62 heartbreaker when they met back in January, the Beavers’ only loss in their previous 10 games.

Their regular-season finale offers a chance at redemption, as the two teams are tied with each other in the standings. The winner of that game will likely be the higher seed when the Pac-12 tournament begins.

Former Oregon State wide receiver Brandin Cooks impressed at the NFL Combine, placing high in multiple drills Sunday.

Cooks — who decided not to return to Corvallis for his senior season, instead opting for the 2014 NFL Draft — participated in the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical leap, broad jump, 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttle and three-cone drill.

The Biletnikoff Award winner ran the secondCooks fastest 40-yard dash of any offensive player and fastest among receivers with an official time of 4.33 seconds. Only Dri Archer of Kent State had a faster time, clocking in at 4.26 seconds.

Cooks was first among all participants in the 20-yard shuttle at 3.81 seconds and the 60-yard shuttle at 10.72 seconds, as well as tying for ninth among all receivers in the bench press with 16 repetitions of 225 pounds.

The 5-foot-10 receiver recorded a vertical of 36 inches, a broad jump of 120 inches and a three-cone drill time of 6.76 seconds.

ESPN analyst Todd McShay projected Cooks to go 18th overall to the New York Jets in his latest mock draft, while ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. slotted Cooks 28th overall to the Carolina Panthers.

Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton and cornerback Rashaad Reynolds will participate in the combine starting Monday.

The Daily Barometer

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On Twitter @barosports sports@dailybarometer.com

On Twitter @barosports sports@dailybarometer.com

6•Monday, February 24, 2014

sports@dailybarometer.com • 541-737-2231

OSU softball takes 2 of 5 on road Gymnastics improves road score in loss Oregon State played No. 3 Tennessee close for 6 innings Sunday before losing, 5-1 THE DAILY BAROMETER

The Oregon State softball team snapped a seven-game losing streak over the weekend in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Class in Cathedral City, Calif.

After failing to win a game in the Texas A&M Invite the previous week, the Beavers had five more chances in California to improve their record.

After going 2-3 in the tournament, OSU is now 5-11 after three weeks of play.

The first four games for OSU all ended in the eight-run mercy rule — two wins and two losses.

OSU dropped a 10-2 decision to Boise State and an 11-3 final to No. 13 Oklahoma Thursday before notching two blowout victories Friday by a combined score of 20-4 over Virginia and Pacific.

The last game of the weekend was against one of the top teams in the nation — No. 3 Tennessee.

The Beavers were neck-and-neck until the final inning, when the Volunteers extended a 2-1 lead with three runs in the final frame for a 5-1 final.

OSU’s offense came alive in the third and fourth games. Against Pacific, six different players had two hits apiece and junior shortstop CJ Chirichigno totaled four RBIs. Sophomore Cori Nishitomi and junior Dani Gilmore have switched off at the leadoff position this year, and both were productive over the weekend.

Nishitomi went 6-for-14 and Gilmore finished 6-for-13 with her fourth and fifth home runs of the year.

The Beavers have two more tournaments before Pac-12 play kicks off March 14 with a home game against Arizona State.

OSU heads back to California for the Long Beach State Invite this weekend and to Los Angeles for the UCLA Tourney the following week.

The Daily Barometer On Twitter @barosports sports@dailybarometer.com

n

Beavers fall to No. 4 Utah, but score season-best road score with 196.450 THE DAILY BAROMETER

The Oregon State gymnastics team set its highest road score of the season Saturday, but their score of 196.450 was not enough to propel them to a win over Utah.

No. 4 Utah scored 197.575, topping its season average of 197.135. No. 11 OSU also topped its season average of 196.205.

The Beavers were able to pull out a score of 49.275 on vault, setting a season-high for the second week in a row.

Oregon State had two careerhighs from sophomore Erika Aufiero (9.875) and junior Cerise Witherby (9.800) and two season-highs from junior Chelsea

BASEBALL n Continued from page 5 ing the loss.

Oregon State trailed 4-0 early in the first inning when junior left-hander Jace Fry gave up a grand slam. The Beavers fought back behind Keyes and a two-run home run from junior right fielder Dylan Davis before losing in the final inning.

The Beavers bounced back Sunday, taking an 8-1 decision over No. 10 Indiana. Freshman catcher Logan Ice and senior outfielder Nick Rulli combined for six runs batted in and senior right-hander Scott Schultz tossed a complete game in the victory.

In just his fifth career start, Schultz recorded six strikeouts and allowed six hits, retiring 10 batters in a row at one point. He’s now 2-0 in his two starts this season.

Ice, Rulli, Keyes, junior left fielder Michael Conforto and senior second baseman Andy Peterson all had two hits apiece for the Beavers, who tallied 12 as a team.

Oregon State plays one more game in Arizona, at 10 a.m. Monday against Washington, before returning to Corvallis for its home opener, a four-game series against nonconference opponent Wright State.

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On Twitter @barosports sports@dailybarometer.com

Tang (9.825) and senior Brittany Harris (9.875).

In their first event of the night, the Beavers saw another solid set of routines. OSU posted a team score of 49.150 on uneven bars, with senior Hannah Casey, who scored a career-high of 9.900, leading the way. Freshman Madeline Gardiner (9.775) and Taylor Keeker (9.800) also posted career-highs.

On the floor, the Beavers hit the 49-point mark again for the third time in the meet, posting a score of 49.150. Gardiner led them with a score of 9.850, while the foursome of Tang, Harris, Witherby and sophomore Nicole Turner all scored 9.850.

Oregon State had to battle through an early fall from senior Kelsi Blalock on the balance beam. Witherby came out with

yet another career-high with a score of 9.775 while Tang (9.900) and Harris (9.825) had solid performances.

Despite losing the head-tohead matchup, the improved road score was beneficial for OSU’s postseason aspirations, especially considering the team was without freshman standout Kaytianna McMillan, who injured her foot Thursday before the meet and was unable to perform. She usually competes in three events.

The Beavers hope to be at full strength this week when they return to Gill Coliseum for the last time this season to take on Arizona State and Nebraska.

The meet will be Saturday at 6 p.m.

The Daily Barometer On Twitter @barosports sports@dailybarometer.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

our foot off the gas pedal,” Brandt said. “It just snowballed and we didn’t n Continued from page 5 reel it in.”

“We were hoping they would stop Washington had 13 offensive boards, six players in double-figure playing well instead of playing harder scoring and two players that recorded ourselves,” Robinson added. “We didn’t match their desperation.” double-doubles.

The Huskies went into halftime up Junior forward Desmond Simmons 44-33 and sprinted out of the gate to had 11 rebounds — four of them start the second period by scoring offensive — along with 10 points. the first five points en route to a 64.3 Freshman guard Nigel Williams- percent shooting clip after the first Goss, who set a UW freshman record half of action. with 32 points in the first OSU matchTwo days after the Beavers outup, finished with 14 points on 7-for-10 scored Washington State 32-16 in shooting and 10 assists. the paint, UW con“I don’t know trolled the inside with what it was, we just a 52-36 advantage in couldn’t find good I can’t imagine that category. team chemistry to Similar to the WSU we’ll come out in our play good defense,” matchup was freshBrandt said. next game playing man guard Hallice UW’s scoring leadCooke’s stat line: he this way. We have er this season has shot 1-for-8 Thursday to get our mental been senior guard and 1-for-6 Saturday C.J. Wilcox, who energy where it for three points. came into the game “There comes a should be and our in a recent shooting time in (Hallice’s) emotional energy slump having confreshman year where verted on only four he’s been playing a where it should be. of his last 27 3-point lot and he gets tired,” attempts.

Robinson said. “And Craig Robinson He connected on he’s been successful Head coach three of his seven so teams are paying shots from behind attention to him.” the arc as part of his game-high 23 OSU will head down to California points. for games Thursday and Sunday Wilcox and sophomore guard against USC and UCLA, respectively.

Andrew Andrews carried the Huskies “I can’t imagine we’ll come out late in the first half when UW took the in our next game playing this way,” lead for good on an 11-0 run.

Robinson said. “We have to get our Wilcox hit three jumpers in a 67-sec- mental energy where it should be ond span before two field goals from and our emotional energy where it Andrews gave the Huskies a five-point should be.” lead just more than two minutes after Josh Worden, sports reporter the Beavers pocketed a 25-19 margin.

On Twitter @WordenJosh “We just got comfortable and let sports@dailybarometer.com

‘‘

nicki silva

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Oregon State senior guard Roberto Nelson drives the lane looking for a layup Saturday against Washington in Gill Coliseum. The Huskies gave the Beavers their worst loss of the season.

‘‘

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The Daily Barometer 7 •Monday, February 24, 2014

Editorial

Forum

Editorial Board

Irene Drage Alyssa Johnson Shelly Lorts

Forum and A&E Editor Graphics Editor Online Editor

forum@dailybarometer.com• 541-737-2231

Mumbling is a shortcut to cessation of communication

Science! That’s I how we spell it H

ere at Oregon State University, science should be spelled with an exclamation mark and always be capitalized (like thus: Science!), just to cut out the middle man.

Science! is cool here.

Our land-, sea-, sun- and space-grants prove it.

We do awesome things here at OSU. Even the non-science majors, including most of us here in the newsroom, can take pride in them.

The most recent science story we reported on was OSU researchers discovering that salmon have what are essentially built-in compasses, though they function more like a GPS. Salmon navigate via the earth’s magnetic fields to successfully migrate during their life cycle to places they’ve never been. They do this the same way we now tend to navigate by punching in an address or coordinates into our phones or cars’ GPS. We tell it our destination and it tells us how to get there.

The team plans to conduct experiments to determine if hatchery fish are damaged from being raised in highly magnetic environments (compared to natural streams), and if it affects their ability to navigate by the earth’s magnetic fields.

If the team proves this, it could answer the mystery of why so few hatchery salmon return to spawn in their home streams, and why they are so much less likely to survive in the wild.

Finding the cause of a problem is always the most important step of finding the solution to the problem, which is something Science! (and common sense) has always taught us.

It’s not just recently that OSU’s claim to scientific fame started. Thirty years ago, a breakthrough in OSU labs regarding the use of pheromones in the reproductive biology of snakes was made.

Research is continuing on the subject, and new things are still being discovered.

And of course we can’t forget Linus Pauling, the guy our Science! center was named for.

He figured out the nature of the chemical bond, discovered the root cause of sickle cell anemia, determined the structure of proteins, designed an oxygen meter for submarines and created synthetic plasma. He won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his entire body of work, rather than the committee having to choose just one accomplishment to reward. (He also won the Nobel Peace Prize for his fight against the testing of nuclear weapons.)

Science! isn’t all boring, or restricted to the science-minded.

Just last weekend, OSU’s Spring Creek Project hosted “Transformation Without Apocalypse,” a two-day symposium to explore innovative ideas for living sustainably in an age of climate change, featuring fiction writers as key speakers.

The Mars Rover team will visit our campus Thursday in order to drive the Rover over our football team.

OSU currently has scientists and researchers all over the globe, experimenting, learning and discovering more about the world around us.

Science! is cool, and we don’t have to be geeks or scientists to think so.

Warner Strausbaugh Editor-in-Chief Megan Campbell Managing and News Editor Andrew Kilstrom Sports Editor

’ve been trying to figure out what exactly it is about people who mumble that really grinds my gears. The answer is that even if it is as simple as speaking too low for human ears to pick up, it’s a lack of the clear communication that people need to operate in life.

On a personal level, when folks mumble their replies, whether it’s out of shyness or passive-aggressive pubescent rage, I’m always upset that I’ve missed out on what they were trying to say to me.

I’m upset because it means I’ve somehow lost the opportunity to understand what you want, your hopes and dreams or even if you want grape or orange soda.

I have friends who speak very softly,

which prompts this poor columnist to lean in super-close, like a supervillain or a granny, in order to catch at least half of what they’re saying.

But it can be difficult to tell someone that they ought to speak up.

Sometimes it’s like chucking deodorant at your roommate, Smelly Larry — it gets the point across, but has the potential to erode the relationship.

The solution to this sticky social situation is to understand the differences between high-context and lowcontext communication, as brought to you by “A Quick Guide to Cultural Competency” by Dr. Sangeeta Gupta.

Gupta explains that high-context communication revolves around combining verbal and nonverbal contact. If you tell me you’re just fine,

Jennifer Connelly that he wants to sleep with her in “A Beautiful Mind.”

It’s not romantic, but it jumps all of the inane instruction-manual steps Cassie it takes to get to the end goal.

Low-context folks ultimately prefer written communication, because all but you cross your arms in front of of the nonverbal schlep that would your chest and look down, I can infer accompany a face-to-face conversation just isn’t present during a written that you are, in fact, not fine.

If you need a refresher course in version.

Or if it is, then it has to be teased this, watch the innuendos flying back and forth in old black-and- out from in-between the lines to white movies in which they couldn’t discern.

Both forms of communication have say “sex” or show images of toilets (I their pros and cons. Like anything know, weird, right?). in life, the trick is to find a healthy Conversely, low-context com- medium between the two. Regardless munication is much simpler — it’s See RUUD | page 8 Russell Crowe unapologetically telling

Ruud

Corvallis plastic bag ban may actually be harming environment

N

ot all Corvallis residents chose to support the bag ban, but it seemed like a wise decision for the environment. A ban against plastic. Why would that be anything but good and right?

Paper bags are brown. Dirt is brown. Therefore, paper bags must be good for the environment.

False.

We have to go a little deeper in our thinking and research in order to be adamant about an issue as big as this.

Paper bags may decompose in garden compost over a week or so, but most people aren’t that quaint.

Gabi

Scottaline

If a paper bag is recycled, it’s going to be bundled and, if the print is soy or other vegetable-based ink, recycled by way of extensive chemical and machine-based procedures.

Because the process of making and recycling paper bags requires more chemical and machine use, paper

bags generate 70 times more air pollutants than plastic bags, according to “Are Plastic Shopping Bags a Problem in Our Environment?” by Marye Audet.

It’s a little ridiculous that we’re being forced to pay for paper bags under the guise of saving the environment. Yes, the ban cuts down on grocery bag litter.

But with more paper bag use comes massive deforestation. As we face one problem, we turn our backs to another.

The large machinery that marks and cuts down trees for paper bag use involves clear-cutting, which is when all or most trees in an area are uniformly cut down, according to Collin

See SCoTTALINE | page 8

Letter to the Editor Regarding parking problems at OSU:

OSU needs to stop abusing its employees I love my job at Oregon State University and I love the Corvallis Transit System, which I use every work day. But the recent OSU Transportation Solutions Task Force Survey I received has prompted me to speak out against what I see as a serious injustice to OSU employees.

The parking situation for employees who work on campus is sinister. In my past experience working for various state and federal government agencies and contractors over the years, I have never been forced to choose between purchasing an expensive parking permit or walking 20 minutes from the nearest bus stop in order to get to my work station. From my perspective, requiring a costly permit in order to park at my workstation is akin to requiring a special ID in order to enter a voting booth. If the university really wants to keep cars off campus, the very least they could do is to offer an incentive to employees who choose to commute via alternative modes of transportation, such as bus or bike.

Is it too much to ask to be able to park at my work station without paying hundreds of dollars a year, or facing the wrath of the pernicious TAPS enforcers?

Or does OSU enjoy gouging its employees for a privilege that is provided free of charge by most employers? I can think of many better ways to fundraise than this.

The irony is that the parking lot at my building is almost always empty, save for a handful of lonely vehicles. OSU: Treat your employees well and they will value their employment that much more, giving back in kind through increased productivity and loyalty. Addressing the lamentable employee parking policy would be a great place to start.

Caleb Price

t

Editorials serve as means for Barometer editors to offer com-

mentary 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

Dunn’s piece, “Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know.”

The devastation to natural habitats from this massive deforestation causes long-term effects in these areas.

But the issue of bags and which to use isn’t the biggest problem when it comes to sustainability and smart economical

Faculty research assistant College of Agricultural Sciences Ryan Mason is a junior in graphic design

8•Monday, February 24, 2014

managing@dailybarometer.com • 541-737-3383

Bitcoins, the digital currency: Is this the new gold rush?

By Greg Stiles

MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE

MEDFORD — Bitcoin, a global digital currency fostered by geeks, alternately abhorred and adored by privacy mavens and ignored by much of mankind, is making inroads into the Rogue Valley.

At least two Jackson County merchants are now accepting Bitcoin as payment for their goods and services, and a growing number of consumers are dealing in the realm of the virtual wallet as well.

Donnie Rowlett has taken the plunge at Pinehurst Inn Bed and Breakfast and Open Range Restaurant on Greensprings Highway east of Ashland.

“My first Bitcoin transaction just came through,” Rowlett said Friday. “I now have ... the equivalent of $20. The customer sent it ahead to be applied to a dinner this coming Saturday night.”

About 3,000 businesses around the world accept Bitcoin for payment, according to Coinmap.org, including more than 60 in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Wall Street Journal said. Rowlett views his move the way anglers view shiny lures.

“I look at it as an interesting way to market to people who might be looking for places to spend their bitcoins,” said Rowlett, who has operated the bed and breakfast for six

years. “It’s awfully challenging to attract people to a bed and breakfast out in the sticks.”

Bitcoin is like “digital gold” that can be transferred instantly to anyone worldwide (who will accept it) to pay for goods and services. No one controls Bitcoin but the users. Each unit has its own encoded signature to keep it from being counterfeited. Once you purchase a bitcoin, it goes into an electronic wallet run by an app on your personal computer. Once you’ve transferred it to someone else, it’s gone. There’s no reversing the transaction. And if you lose it because of a computer crash -- well, it’s just as if you’d forgotten where you buried your gold. It’s gone.

Rowlett, one-time proprietor of Awwwsome Net Services in Redding, Calif., admits to being a bit of a nerd and doesn’t mind trying something outside of the established payment lines.

“I might as well jump in and get the bugs worked out of my understanding,” Rowlett said.

“Then, when it does become something of wider use, I’ll have a better understanding.”

James Collins, who owns Stim Coffee in Jacksonville, sees Bitcoin as just one more way to pay for coffee.

“My idea was to be the first cafe in Oregon to accept Bitcoin,” Collins said. “It is the first digital currency able to gain wide acceptance.

“Even though it’s early on in the game, there is a lot of growth happening, and we want to offer that as another form of payment. It certainly gives customers another payment option, and an opportunity to use the bitcoins they’ve farmed or stockpiled.”

The advantage, Collins said, is having a transaction settled without needing to await reimbursement.

“We have a merchant account that allows us to convert to U.S. dollars,” Collins said. “It goes into our account, minus a transaction fee, which is much less than for credit cards.”

The risk, he admits, is security.

“Generally, they target people with large balances, the same as if you had a huge amount of cash in a safe in your home. If word got around, chances are people would try to break in and steal it,” he said, adding that he’s not too concerned because he’s dealing with small amounts.

“Long term, Bitcoin will learn and keep it from happening,” Collins said.

The user demographic is 20somethings, video-game players and computer nerds, Collins said.

Brad Hass of Medford fits that description.

He’s worked in the Internet technology industry for five years and considers himself an average Bitcoin entrepreneur.

RUDD n Continued from page 7

because it’s all about being able to communicate with other people.

It’s why prisoners kept in solitary confineof which method a person selects, being able ment start exhibiting tendencies toward delirium, hallucinations and sometimes self-harm. to communicate is crucial.

So stop mumbling, speak up — the clearer It’s why the story of “The Miracle Worker” is still breathtaking. It’s why every parent gets the better — and appreciate the fact that comexcited when their babies say their first words. munication is necessary. t It’s why the idea of going to another country, Cassie Ruud is a junior in English. The opinions expressed in Ruud’s where no one will speak to you because of columns do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. where you’re from, is deeply offensive. It’s Ruud can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.

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“We have a merchant account that allows us to convert to U.S. dollars,” says James Collins, owner of Stim Coffee in Jacksonville, which accepts Bitcoin.

“I found it on the Internet one day and did a bit of research,” Hass said.

In December 2012, he bought two bitcoins for about $8 each.

On Wednesday, bitcoins were worth about $620 each.

“It’s a volatile currency, so it could be worth $600 tomorrow -- or nothing,” Hass said. “I’ve seen it skyrocket and go back down.”

Bitcoin can be acquired three

SCOTTALINE n Continued from page 7

ways: mining, buying or trading (as a merchant), he said.

As one who deals in the arcane world of Bitcoin mining, he knows there is one element to which even non-nerds can relate.

“As the difficulty goes up in the mining process, it requires ever-more computing power,” Hass said. “In my case, it’s caused my electric bill to go way up.”

Rowlett admits he has a sort of oxymoronic relationship with the virtual digital currency at his bed and breakfast in the Cascades.

“We thrive on providing a 1920s environment here,” he said. “There’s a certain difficulty in figuring out how to take an electronic payment when you’re giving the illusion it’s 1924. That’s been a bit of a challenge for us.”

Austin, Texas. Its 100 percent package-free products are an effort to reduce America’s 1.4 billion pounds of annual waste, according to Clara Kim’s choices in the grocery store industry. Packaging of “America’s First Zero-Packaging Grocery Store to typical food products is definitely a bigger problem. Open in Austin.”

However, we can’t expect everyone to drive Consider how much packaging separates you Subarus and cringe at the mention of non-recycled from your typical snack.

For example, consider Lance crackers — the materials, thanks solely to Corvallis’ bag ban.

It could, perhaps, just be one small step toward packages of cracker sandwiches with peanut butter or cheese-like spread. When you buy them in a a more sustainable future, as long as those bags multi-pack, you have to cut through a plastic cover are replaced by reusable bags and not paper ones. t to get to a cardboard tray, and then each six-pack Gabi Scottaline is a senior in English. The opinions expressed in is packaged in plastic.

Scottaline’s columns do not necessarily represent those of The Daily The first packaging-free grocery store opened in Barometer staff. Scottaline can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com.