The Daily Barometer 02/29/12

Barometer The Daily

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2012 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331

DAILYBAROMETER.COM

VOLUME CXV, NUMBER 91

PAGE 8

SPORTS

8 – Women’s hoops 7 – Intramural playoff news

NEWS

2 – Event on mental healthisms

FORUM GYMNASTICS: Beavers ready to face No. 7 Utah.

4 – MUPC hiring process works 4 – Fraternity response to Thursdays

Assault hits Kings, Jackson yesterday

By Staff

The Daily Barometer

According to Sergeant Jeff Marr, who was on the scene yesterday afternoon, an assault took place in a residential building on the corner of Kings and Jackson yesterday

afternoon.

The female victim was said to have minor injuries, and police had little information regarding the suspect. staff

737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

alexandra taylor

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Police cars and ambulances were found on the scene on Kings Boulevard yesterday afternoon.

Police confirmed an assault for which the victim had minor injuries.

OUS enrollment breaches 100K, schools face drawbacks Oil educator to speak on ‘The End of Growth’ n

In November, OUS’ student enrollment exceeded 100,000, part of Oregon’s 40-40-20 goal

By Kristin Pugmire The Daily Barometer

On Nov. 10, the Oregon University System announced that total enrollment for its seven schools — including Oregon State University — had surpassed 100,000 students.

For the fall term of 2011, enrollment was recorded at 100,316 students, according to an OUS news release.

This achievement has been labeled a “milestone” by the OUS, for whom growth is an important goal. Rapid growth within the university system has become a popular topic of conversation, and many cite its advantages. For one thing, said Di Saunders, OSU Director of Communications, when more people in a state attend college, the state’s economy improves.

“There is a great amount of evidence that the more highly skilled, highly educated people there are in a state, the higher the per-capita income, healthier state economy, greater job stability, lower use of social services [and] more diversity of companies willing to stay and come to Oregon,” Saunders said.

Growth in student population is also an important step on the way to Oregon’s “40-40-20” goal, Saunders added.

This goal stipulates that by the year 2025, 40 percent of Oregonians have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 40 percent have an associate’s degree or work-related certificate and 20 percent have a high school

n

Author will address issues of human health, welfare at Corvallis High School

By Kim Kenny

The Daily Barometer

Evan Parcher

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

diploma.

In order to achieve this goal, Oregon must increase the number of residents with some level of postsecondary education, Saunders said.

The OUS’ 10-year enrollment growth exceeds national averages, according to the news release, and there are undeniable drawbacks to such rapid growth. In a Daily Barometer interview published on Feb. 13, OSU Provost Sabah Randhawa stated that growth is one of the biggest challenges the university currently faces.

“Student enrollment has gone

up quite a bit and we are limited in terms of classrooms, lab space and faculty and instructors,” Randhawa said, who cites an approximately year-long “time lag” — the amount of time it takes to hire new faculty and instructors after growth has occurred — as one of the primary reasons the university seems to be perpetually short on faculty and resources.

Saunders stated that funding is also a major factor in the challenges associated with growth.

“There are drawbacks to rapid growth when funding does not match that growth, which has been

the case in Oregon,” Saunders wrote in an e-mail. “These include a higher student/faculty ratio in classrooms; more difficulty getting classes students need in some cases; higher levels of tuition increases to fund increases in students…when funding doesn’t follow enrollment increases.”

Yet growth is not only inevitable, but necessary if Oregon wants to be on its way to achieving its 40-4020 goal, according to Randhawa.

“I think an initial study that was done said we needed another university for at least 40,000 students See OUS | page 3

With national economic struggles and declining availability of limited fossil fuels, along with a changing climate provoking widespread debate, many look to our future wondering what is next.

Tonight at 7 p.m. in the Corvallis High School Auditorium, author Richard Heinberg will discuss the convergence of these issues in his lecture “The End of Growth,” a title shared with his most recent book published in August of 2011.

Senior Fellow-in-Residence of the Post Carbon Institute in Santa Rosa, Calif., and recognized as one of the world’s foremost peak oil educators, Heinberg will also be the key note speaker at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference in Eugene beginning Thursday and continuing through this weekend.

This evening Heinberg will address the possibility that conventional economic expansion is not the best measure of human health and wel See GROWTH | page 3

2• Wednesday, February 29, 2012

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International News From CNN Middle East

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Europe

Middle East

UN: Syria death toll well over 7,500

Assailants attack buses in Pakistan

Court overturns genocide denial law

As the total death toll in Syria climbed past 7,500, according to U.N. estimates, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could be tried for war crimes.

However, Clinton said Tuesday, pursuing charges against al-Assad might hinder efforts to persuade him to cede power.

The United Nations has credible reports that “the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including women and children,” Lynn Pascoe, a senior U.N. official, told the Security Council.

“The total is certainly well over 7,500.”

Tunisia, meanwhile, has offered al-Assad asylum if he steps down, its state news agency reported.

The number Pascoe cited is still below the 9,000-plus that opposition activists say have died in the nearly year-long attempt to put down opposition to al-Assad. At least 104 people, including three women and two children, were killed across Syria on Tuesday alone, said the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, a network of opposition activists.

The deaths include 50 in the opposition stronghold of Homs, which has been pummeled by government forces for more than three weeks.

Of those, 26 died in “another massacre” in the city’s Baba Amr neighborhood, the LCC said. Thirty-five others died in the suburbs of Hama, where hundreds were also injured in a fifth day of shelling.

Another opposition group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said five members of the Syrian army were killed in predawn clashes with defected soldiers in Daraa province.

The deaths followed a grim day Monday, when 144 people died nationwide, the LCC said.

In an unusual attack in a relatively peaceful region of northwest Pakistan, assailants ambushed four passenger buses, pulled out Shiite males and killed 18 of them Tuesday, police said.

Pakistani officials swiftly condemned the attack, with President Asif Ali Zardari saying the “culprits of such a heinous crime will not be spared.”

The attack took place in the mountainous Kohistan district in the KhyberPakhtunkhwa province, senior police official Muhammad Ilyas said.

The attack was unusual in both its scope and its sectarian nature in a region that normally does not see much militant activity.

Police official Khurshid Khan said this was the first time an incident of this magnitude had taken place in the area.

Sunni-Shiite Muslim violence has been minimal in the past and this is the first time an organized terrorist attack targeting either group has taken place,” he said.

A Pakistani Taliban spokesman, Ahmed Marwat, told CNN that his group claims responsibility for the attack.

The interior minister, Rehman Malik, immediately formed a team to investigate the incident and promised a report within three days, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

The buses were carrying passengers from Rawalpindi to the city of Gilgit in northwest Pakistan, Ilyas said. Gilgit is an area with a considerable population of Shiites.

Assailants stopped the buses early Tuesday morning and ordered the passengers out, he said.

They then singled out the male Shiite passengers, lined them up and shot them.

U.S. and Egypt discuss Americans’ trial

A new French law making it a crime to publicly deny the Ottoman Empire’s genocide of Armenians a century ago was ruled unconstitutional Tuesday by France’s Constitutional Council.

The measure, which triggered condemnation from modern Turkey, was given final passage by the French Senate and signed into law by President Nicolas Sarkozy last month.

Sarkozy’s office immediately issued a statement calling for a new version of the law “taking into account the decision of the Constitutional Council.”

“The president believes that genocide denial is intolerable and must be punished in this regard,” the statement said.

The country’s highest judicial body reviewed it at the request of National Assembly members and French senators.

“The Council deems the law unconstitutional,” a short statement from the court said Tuesday.

The Turkish government called it “an example of irresponsibility” and vowed to “express our reaction against it in every platform” when the bill passed the National Assembly — the lower house of the French parliament — in December.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement Tuesday that called it “pleasing that a grave mistake has been corrected by the highest legal authority in France.”

“We hope France will from now on be in a constructive attitude for the dispute between Turkey and Armenia on history to be considered on a fair and scientific basis, and will make contributions that support a solution rather than further deepening the problem,” the Turkish ministry said.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the United States and Egypt are “moving toward a resolution” regarding the prosecution of Americans and other nongovernmental organization employees accused of trying to stoke unrest in the country.

“We are engaged in very intensive discussions with the Egyptian government about finding a solution,” Clinton said during a Senate hearing. “We’ve had a lot of very tough conversations and I think we’re ... moving toward a resolution.”

The trial — which includes 16 Americans accused of fraud in Egypt — got a brief start Sunday as intense behind-the-scenes diplomatic discussions simmered over the case.

Asked Tuesday if she felt the charges against the workers were legitimate, Clinton replied “no, I do not.”

Three of the judges expected to preside of over the case submitted letters that expressed their intention to step down, forcing Egyptian authorities to reshuffle their judicial rotation, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, the head of Egypt’s Appeals Court, said Tuesday.

Ibrahim said that the judges’ reasoning was based on “critical feelings,” and done for “personal psychological reasons.” He did not elaborate.

The trial is scheduled to resume April 26.

The accused were detained as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy, non-government groups, which Egyptian officials say is part of a pattern of foreign interference stoking unrest.

The specter of pulling more than $1 billion in U.S. aid to Egypt over the prosecution is something the Egyptian government is “coming to understand,” Clinton said Tuesday.

Find out who YOU voted as

“The BEST of” in TOWN!

PRODUCTION baro.production@oregonstate.edu

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. Ultimate reality is the theme of this Interfaith meditation, devotion and quiet time.

Bring your favorite inspirational reading to share.

Events Black Cultural Center, 6-7:30pm, MU Ballroom. Black History Month Dinner, in collaboration with SOL. Diversity Development: NAL, 4-6:30pm, Native American Longhouse.

Mineral & Rock Painting: Learn how to make natural resources into paint.

Thursday, Mar. 1 Meetings OSU Pre-Law Society, 6pm, StAg 111.

Regular meeting.

College Republicans, 7pm, StAg 132.

All are welcome no matter what beliefs or political party.

Events Asian Pacific Cultural Center (APCC), 6-8pm, MU Board Room. Learn about the art of Henna and tattoos in Asian and Polynesian cultures. Stop by and get Henna tattoos of your own!

Friday, Mar. 2 Events Diversity Development: NAL, 3-5pm, Asian Pacific Cultural Center. I Scream for Identity: In collaboration with all the centers, we will make sundaes to explore your identity.

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

Events Diversity Development: NAL, 5:307:30pm, MU 206. Native Hawaiians: Revealing the Misconceptions.

Tuesday, Mar. 6 Meetings ASOSU Senate, 7pm, MU 109A. Convenes to discuss student issues.

Students and student organization delegates are welcome to attend.

Wednesday, Mar. 7 Meetings Baha’i Campus Association, 12:301pm, MU Talisman Room. Interfaith readings to share on “Building a Spiritual Democracy.”

Events Graduate Women’s Network, 2-4pm, Women’s Center. GWN is a great place to connect with other grads and learn from guest speakers. This month, Mariah Moore from the Career Center will host a CV workshop.

ASOSU Congress, 7pm, MU Lounge.

The House of Representatives and Senate convene to hear the SIFC Budget for the 2012-2013 student fee levels.

Thursday, Mar. 8 Meetings OSU Pre-Law Society, 6pm, StAg 111.

Regular meeting.

College Republicans, 7pm, StAg 132.

All are welcome no matter what beliefs or political party.

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

Tuesday, Mar. 13 Meetings ASOSU Senate, 7pm, MU 109A. Convenes to discuss student issues.

Students and student organization delegates are welcome to attend.

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Wednesday, Mar. 14 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. Tranquility Zone - Interfaith devotions on “Mind, Spirit and Soul.” Bring your favorite inspirational reading to share.

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Calendar

Only 5 days until it’s all revealed in the March 5 Daily Barometer “Best of” issue!!

Thursday, Mar. 15 Meetings OSU Pre-Law Society, 6pm, StAg 111.

Regular meeting.

College Republicans, 7pm, StAg 132.

All are welcome no matter what beliefs or political party.

news@dailybarometer.com • 737-2231

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 • 3

Diversity event focuses on mental health stigmas n

CAPS, Campus Coalition host event highlighting struggles, misconceptions of mental illness

By Katja Kozber

The Daily Barometer

This Thursday, the Campus Coalition Builders, a team dedicated to creating opportunities of understanding diversity, will be co-sponsoring with Counseling and Psychological Services a discussion called “Shattering Mental Healthisms: Continuing the Conversation.”

The discussion will be a continuation of “Shattering Mental Health-isms: Building Inclusive Communities,” which was held last December.

Following the ideas presented in the previous event, this one will again focus on highlighting the struggles and misconceptions of mental illness, but with a more collaborative format.

“It’s about providing an

open forum for people to explore the impact of mental healthisms on their life,” said Audrey Schwartz, doctoral intern at CAPS who is helping to organize the event.

Michele Ribeiro, one of the CAPS, psychologists behind the program as well as a member of the Campus Coalition Builders, said that one of the misconceptions they hope to dissolve is that mental illness is something rare or only present in extreme cases. “It really can happen to anyone,” Ribeiro said. “Not just a small group that should be ostracized.”

Unfortunately, Ribeiro said people with mental health issues are often treated in an oppressive manner, looked down upon not only for having a disorder, but because the very nature of their disorder is not something physical and apparent.

“There is oppression that exists socially against people who deal with mental illness,”

Schwartz said.

“We think this is a very important topic and one that has meaning for everyone on campus,” said Larry Roper, Vice-Provost for Student Affairs, who was a facilitator for the previous discussion.

He also said that the hope of the series is to “provide a more supportive environment amongst the students.”

The focus of the event will be on “continuing the dialogue and de-stigmatizing a taboo subject,” said Ribeiro, through “a public forum of dialog and support.”

Facilitators will introduce and guide topics for discussion, but an emphasis is placed on visitors sharing their thoughts and stories, and finding support among each other and the OSU community at large.

Ribeiro says they hope to help people “not see it as something to brush off, but something to attend to if we’re going to build inclusive

communities.”

Schwartz shared the same sentiments, saying “hopefully people take away from this an awareness for how oppression affects their lives and the lives of others.”

They also hope this can turn into a series, or at least that the conversation about mental health will be kept alive in some form.

“The reason we want to keep this going is it takes a lot of actions and experiences to begin changing a system and overcome the shame, secrecy and silence around mental illness,” Schwartz said.

The discussion will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in MU 206. There will be a lunch break, but guests need to bring their own lunches as the event organizers are “just providing the space,” said Ribeiro. She also wanted to emphasize that “all are welcome,” whether or not they went to the last event.

Katja Kozber, staff reporter 737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

Hopoi claims ‘gray area’ in support during summer transition n

ASOSU President, Vice President touch on goals for next three months for Ethics, Oversight Committee

By Evan Anderson The Daily Barometer

The Associated Students of Oregon State University Ethics and Oversight Committee held a delicate meeting last night wherein they discussed how the organization should move forward and what statement it should make in light of the recent problems with expenses in the ASOSU budget.

Present at the meeting was the committee itself, consisting of seven ASOSU senators, President Hopoi and Vice President Eath, Speaker of the House Drew Hatlen and several representatives of the Ways and Means Committee, including its Graduate Representative Chair.

GROWTH n Continued from page 3 fare, that perhaps an insatiable desire for consumption cannot be a sustainable means for wellbeing. He is known for his ability to clearly communicate what he believes to be the urgent necessity to transition away from fossil fuels, with a pragmatic focus on factual support.

When he was 22, Heinberg read “Limits to Growth,” a well-known 1972 book written by three scientists from MIT that provoked conversation about overuse of resources on a global scale, that brought to him the realization he was living in a society that was on an unsustainable path.

Now, Heinberg believes our society has actually hit those limits. His most recent book, “The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality,” provides the final confirmation of the book that first inspired him.

According to Heinberg, the transition away from fossil fuels and the reorganization of our economy and society that will consequently ensue may, in retrospect, be seen as one of the most defining moments in human history, alongside the implementation of language, agricul-

Hopoi began by saying “There’s a grey area in terms of our support,” speaking of last year’s rocky transition between previous and current ASOSU executive branches. The President and Vice President were given notes of well-wishes rather than instructional booklets when they took office.

In perhaps the most telling line of the evening, she added, “We just want to move forward with our last days of service.”

Hatlen said, “The goal that we should be focusing on is working together to collaborate to fix our communication breakdowns and to strengthen ASOSU for the students.”

The Ways and Means Committee spoke of problems with travel expenditures in the past, and that they should have been addressed in previous years.

Eath expressed his hope that “We have a very transparent government for next year, we learn from our mistakes.”

In discussion of how to prevent the separation of legislative and executive branches in future years, the Ethics and Oversight Committee contemplated the implementation of a special transitional retreat, which would be attended by previous and new ASOSU students to help build knowledge and cooperation.

But ASOSU’s official stance seemed unclear. “During my time when I was suspended I was able to see how to use my time wisely,” Hopoi said. “One thing I wanted to do was to get together and write a letter to the students.

Right now we have three months left in our service. I want to capitalize on that.”

Before any real decisions could be made, Hatlen asked, “How do we want to see ASOSU go forward for the next century?”

ture or fire.

This is a sentiment shared by Post Carbon Institute Board Member Jason Bradford, who was inspired in 2003 by the way Heinberg addressed energy issues in his book “The Party’s Over.” Bradford currently leads the management of Farmland LP and Vitality Farms, two Corvallis businesses that focus on sustainable operations management.

“We are really in one of those unique transition points in human history, on the same level of importance as the industrial revolution [which was made possible by coal and then oil] and the development and adoption of agriculture,” Bradford said.

As a consequence, Bradford believes our future contains many unknowns as historic trends, such as economic growth, may come to an end.

Another Corvallis resident who has been inspired by Heinberg’s work is Rob Dietz, the previous director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, who is finishing a book entitled “Enough is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources.”

Dietz believes that in the past, economic growth has been a way out of

social problems, but now we may have to solve social and environmental problems without an increase in the production and consumption of goods. He is interested to see the response of Corvallis residents to Heinberg’s lecture.

“He is a very clear speaker that can help give a better understanding of our situation,” Dietz said in reference to Heinberg.

Heinberg believes university students in particular can play an important role in the future convergence of financial instability, the end of cheap oil and climate change by developing an accurate understanding of what the trends are in the world, how economic and environmental systems fit in the big picture and finally by gaining the practical skills for implementing solutions. He hopes those in attendance will leave with a sense of urgency for change along with a sense of the potential to implement it.

The event is sponsored by The Resilience Network, along with cosponsors the Sustainability Coalition, Abundant Solar, Element Graphics, the Pacific Green Party, Hour Exchange, OSU SSI, the Spring Creek Project and others.

Evan Anderson, staff reporter 737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

Kim Kenny, staff reporter 737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

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The Daily Barometer

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Editorial Board

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

4 •Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Editorial

MUPC hiring process

L

ast Friday, the Memorial Union Advisory Board voted to remove the MU president and vice president from the ASOSU general elections. Instead, the positions would go through a hiring process, which would be later organized by the Board.

While any position of leadership, particularly involving student activities and affairs, should face a vote by the students, the MU Programs Council operates in a manner far different from other sectors of student government.

The MUPC does not (theoretically) represent the student body like ASOSU should be represented. Our ASOSU officials must be judged, characterized and voted in by the students, as their ultimate success or failure hinges on their ability to lead and properly assume the role of student representative.

The MUPC doesn’t carry such a burden. The larger student body is not bound by any one event the MUPC organizes; the duties and services of the MUPC are a convenience, while ASOSU’s power is a privilege — and one we all should have a say in directing.

This is not to say the MUPC lacks authority. It merely speaks to the necessity of allowing those individuals involved in the daily affairs of the organization to judge and consider candidates that would suit their proposed duties on their own.

All the evidence needed to defend a hiring process, rather than an election by students, is the two-week delay of the initial vote due to lack of student input, at least from parties not affiliated with the MUPC. We often hear about the lack of student interest and involvement in ASOSU affairs; MUPC faces similar problems.

A hiring process also allows a committee to judge the candidate on merits, abilities and enthusiasm, not how many other students and student groups get behind them. As many asserted at Friday’s meeting, this shouldn’t be a popularity contest. And while a more tenured and involved candidate may be more “popular” to the committee, that’s probably the person who should win the job anyway.

Furthermore, a hiring process gets rid of the political mess that is financing. Students should never have to spend money to earn a position at a university they are already paying to attend.

Also, not every student has the same access to money.

Without candidates having to worry about competing with another candidate through finances, a scene of equal opportunity is created. The goal of diversity — as some members said needed to be addressed — should not be forced, and this new process does so in an indirect manner.

Eliminating discrepancies in requirements and resources — like eliminating the need to run a campaign and get students to support a candidate — creates a more equal field, allowing a greater variety of candidates to have a chance.

Finally, at the meeting, many stressed the need to make these positions “more noticeable,” as past years have involved races with only one candidate. A lack of competition doesn’t foster the democratic ideal of choice.

Current Vice President of the MU Nik Bowen suggested the hiring processes have open hearings, where interested students can hear the candidates’ opinions and priorities. Granted, the open hearings may increase student involvement in the MUPC, creating a more transparent and open organization. But hasn’t that been the goal of student organizations like the MUPC all along — generating more involvement?

For positions like the president and vice president of the MUPC, a hiring process is the right way to go. Focus on the people involved with the organization, and stop trying to force the idea, or simply operate under the guise, that students all across campus are looking to get involved.

Because if we’ve heard anything over the past several years, the student voice isn’t very loud. 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.

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forum@dailybarometer.com • 541-737-6376

Fraternities and athletics have no dilemma The following is a response to the Daily Barometer’s Tuesday, Feb. 28 article, “A Thursday night dilemma.” o any reader, the intent of Tuesday’s sports article is unclear — was this a news piece, or an editorial? Alex Crawford, the author, makes claims that are incorrect, without fact or logic, and simply absurd.

First, beyond any argument made in the piece, one thing that truly surprised me was the casual and repetitive use of the word “frat,” despite the fact that the author is a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. “Frat” is a word that expresses a great deal of negative stereotypes that all Greeks should strive to overcome. It was disrespectful toward the rest of our community to not type “e - r – n – i – t - y” after “frat”; this suggests a disregard for the values our community should hold in higher esteem.

Considering the main point of the article, Thursday night partying cannot be solely attributed

T

Ryan Ruark

Guest Column to Greek life; it can be attributed to college life. All persons on campus, regardless of which extracurricular activities they elect to participate in, will likely party on a Thursday night at some point in their college careers. Anybody who has been to the Peacock or Impulse on a Thursday will verify that not everybody partying there that night are Greek members.

One could also insinuate that business majors are to blame for Thursday night partying, since they rarely have classes on Fridays, but that doesn’t make it true. It should be pointed out that correlation does not suggest causation.

While many fraternities on campus have functions and other activities that take place on Thursdays — these are far from the only thing our members engage in — not every mem-

ber will participate in Thursday night activities with the chapter.

Members will frequently attend athletic events, club activities, work a part-time job and some even — gasp! — go to the library to study on Thursdays.

In the article, one specific Thursday event mentioned, Kappa Delta’s annual Mock Rock philanthropy, raised approximately $35,000 last year for the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence, and is positioned to raise as much, if not more, this year. Mock Rock tickets sold out seven minutes after becoming available earlier this week — a pace not easily matched by even the most popular of athletic events.

To suggest that it may be more important for fraternity and sorority members to attend a men’s basketball game than it is to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the prevention of rape and domestic violence represents priorities that ought to be reevaluated.

While I will admit that Greeks and athletes don’t always understand each other and that we can certainly work together to bridge a gap, to suggest that the Greeks don’t show our support for athletics is false. In fact, the banner on my fraternity’s web page is a photo of several of our members attending an OSU football game and cheering proudly. Why would we put this on our banner if we didn’t fully support OSU athletics?

Furthermore, in the men’s basketball photo on Feb. 27 Barometer’s sports page, several members of Phi Kappa Psi and other Greek organizations can be seen attending the basketball game, clearly not partying.

Phi Kappa Psi has one varsity athlete in our chapter, which is a lot for any Greek chapter on campus these days — a significant change from the days of Terry Baker, Oregon State’s sole Heisman winner, who was a See fraternities | page 7

Students, faculty too dependent on the Internet T

he Internet is an interesting place. Anything you could ever want to find, learn or view is just a click away, which can either be a good or bad thing. From watching TV shows to communicating with friends to turning in homework assignments, the Internet offers a profound amount of services that in the past required paperwork and face-to-face interaction. It is in itself a whole virtual society located on your screen, yet connected to the entire world. And like the rest of society, the Internet can be home to some sketchy, even illegal material.

But as this new online society continues to develop and further implant itself into the workings of the human race, it may be important to look at the implications our dependence on the World Wide Web may have beyond supplying pictures of cats with funny captions.

According to an MSNBC article from last year, the average American between ages 13-24 spends an average of 16.7 hours on the Internet per week. In a seven-day week, that is more than two hours per day, and it is

Charles

Leineweber The Pen is Mightier not hard to assume that a lot of us spend much more time than that on our computers. If you sit back and think about all the time you spend online during the day, you may be in for a bit of a shock.

All that time on Facebook and Pinterest adds up.

With such a good chunk of our time being spent online, it is not hard to say that we have developed a certain dependence on the relatively new technological medium. And it isn’t always evident how dependent we are until something goes a little awry.

A couple weeks ago, Blackboard experienced an unexpected power outage and a subsequent shutdown. The site was only down for about a day or so, but from the reaction of students and teachers, you would think it was much worse. Students were unable to access the homework

assignments and lecture notes that certain professors graciously post on the site.

What is normally such a convenience that many take for granted became a bit of a hassle as students blamed the outage for failing to finish assignments or for coming to class unprepared, and faculty were unprepared for class without access to their notes and assignments. It seems like a program that is still relatively new and offers so many services should have more of a contingency plan if something were to happen to the site again. Besides just being able to get by without it, maybe Internet services should be viewed as the convenient luxury they are, not a vital necessity.

We all value the convenience provided by the Internet, especially in the realm of aiding our education, but it is important not to get too attached to this luxury. Currently, if a professor doesn’t post notes on Blackboard, or is behind in updating grades online, students for one reason or another feel obligated to criticize, regardless of the quality of

the course or of the student’s work. For a program put in place solely to make the lives of students easier, it feels like students should be a little more lenient, or at least understanding regarding Blackboard. It’s not like the majority of students’ countless time online is spent productively anyway.

Like rock and roll, the sandwich and high-fives, the Internet and its connection to education is here to stay. But just like all the other timeless aspects of our society, the Internet needs to be used in moderation, and our dependence on it should be curbed. The service can be interrupted with the slightest blip in the power grid, and don’t even get me started on the eye strain from staring at a screen for so long. So if it feels like you have been staring at a computer screen for too long, maybe you have been, and maybe it’s time to take a break for a little while. t

Charles Leineweber is a junior in psychology. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Barometer staff. Leineweber can be reached at forum@ dailybarometer.com.

Sex at an old age, hysterectomies and sexual assault D

ear Dr. Sex: I walked in on my grandparents doing it.

How do I clear this image out of my mind? I can’t sleep at night.

Signed, My eyes! My eyes!

Dear My eyes: That will teach you to knock next time, won’t it?

I understand your discomfort, but your reaction also speaks to our society’s general discomfort with anyone being sexually active who isn’t young, attractive, physically fit, heterosexual and able-bodied.

The best I can suggest is to have you think about whether you hope to be sexually active at your grandparents’ age. Chances are that you do expect to be sexually active at their age, so you just have to get past the fact that it makes you feel uncomfortable and realize this has nothing to do with you. Your grandparents have every right to enjoy and express their sexuality, regardless of how

of the uterus, either in part or in full. Thus, regardless of the type, the surgery won’t affect the vagina or the clitoris, the two body parts Kathy involved in penile-vaginal intercourse and reaching orgasm. In fact, many women who have a Dr. Sex old they are or if they are related hysterectomy (particularly those who have had children) experito you. ence increased libido, mainly Dear Dr. Sex: because they no longer have to Can a woman who’s had a hys- worry about getting pregnant. terectomy have sex? Can she still Dear Dr. Sex: orgasm?

Is there a difference between Signed, Confused convincing your partner to have Dear Confused: sex/sexual contact and commitFor clarification, when you say ting sexual assault? I worry about, “sex,” I am assuming you mean when in the moment, I become penile-vaginal intercourse. Given persistent and in a way, talk my that, it sounds like you may not partner into it. My fear is that know exactly what a hysterec- this is sexual assault. Never have tomy is, because barring extreme I forced or threatened my partner circumstances, having one has into sexual acts. no effect on a woman’s ability to Signed, I Don’t Want to Be have sex or reach orgasm.

“That Guy” Dear Not That Guy: There are different types of For readers who haven’t taken hysterectomies, but generally the procedure involves the removal my class, I refer to the type of

Greaves Ph. D

man who would sexually assault someone they know as “That Guy.” That is a very thoughtful question and something “That Guy” would never think to ask, mainly because he wouldn’t care.

So to answer your question, there is a difference between convincing your partner to have sex/sexual contact and committing sexual assault, but for some people, that difference can seem fuzzy. If you are or have ever been in a committed, long-term relationship, you know from experience that the two members aren’t always “in the mood” at the same time. So what can frequently happen is the one who is in the mood helps to “get” the other one in the mood.

If this process is playful, thoughtful and respectful, it’s fine. In this scenario, the persistent partner can easily talk the other person into it. Sometimes See GREAVES | page 5

forum@dailybarometer.com • 737-6376

Wednesday, Februry 29, 2012 • 5

FRATERNITIES n Continued from page 4 member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.

Nowadays, such overlap is less common. I personally have participated in another campus organization that has explicitly told me and other participants not to join any Greek-letter organization, specifically because of the stereotype that “all they do is party.”

I will not name that organization here, nor am I suggesting that Coach Craig Robinson communicates this opinion to the men on his team; however, if other campus organizations want to bridge the gap between themselves and Greek life, they should judge less and attempt to understand more. Respect goes both ways.

Greek life is not just a social experience. Our members, whose academic disciplines span all departments and skill levels within the university, and whose hometowns stretch from the East Coast of the United States all the way to Jakarta, Indonesia, study together, work together, live together, put on service events together and navigate through this crazy thing called “college” together. Quite simply, being Greek is about being a member of family — a feeling that I wish more people would take the opportunity to embrace.

My personal observation is that attendance at athletic events has increased as the teams’ skills, coaching and performance has increased,

GREAVES n Continued from page 4

ryan mason is a sophomore in graphic design

FEE LEVELS 2011-2012 FEES ARE PER STUDENT, PER TERM

the person who isn’t in the mood just needs to be reminded of how enjoyable sex is.

If the process is forceful, disrespectful and selfish, it could easily be sexual assault. In this scenario, the persistent partner isn’t listening to the other person. The persistent partner isn’t trying to get the other person in the mood so he/she will be an active and willing participant.

and inversely, as the performance decreases, fan attendance decreases.

Take OSU football, for example.

During the 2010 season, camping out for football tickets a day in advance was basically pure necessity if one didn’t want to sit on the moon to watch the game. This was the year the team was one win away from participating in a bowl game.

During the 2011 season, however, where the Beavers finished with only three wins, one could walk up to the ticket booth an hour after opening, without camping for tickets, and get a student ticket on the 50-yard line.

Mr. Crawford apparently agrees with this assessment, because one of the first things he stated in the article read: “…men’s basketball games have seen some of their best attendance in the past decade as more and more students have turned out to watch an explosive and entertaining Oregon State squad that leads the Pac-12 in both scoring and steals per game.”

It was not that long ago that men’s basketball couldn’t win a game. The team has come a long way and us loyal (Greek) fans believe that the team will continue to improve, and we’ll be there to support them, not because we are Greek, but because we are Beavers. I sincerely hope that the team and Coach Robinson don’t regard Greeks negatively as a result of Tuesday’s article.

Ryan M. Ruark

President Phi Kappa Psi, OR Beta, Oregon State University

Rather, the persistent partner is simply trying to get what he/she wants, regardless of whether the other person is willing.

The difference might seem subtle, but in the former scenario, the persistent partner wants the other person to want sex. In the latter, the persistent partner just wants the other person to give in and give it up, regardless of whether the other person wants sex.

Kathleen M. Greaves, Ph.D

6• Wednesday, February 29, 2012

news@dailybarometer.com • 737-2231

Maine’s Snowe says she’ll leave the Senate change over the short term,� Snowe said. “So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate.�

The White House released a statement praising Snowe’s bipartisan efforts. “For almost three decades, Olympia Snowe has served the people of the great state of Maine. ... From her unwavering support for our troops, to her efforts to reform Wall Street, to fighting for Maine’s small businesses, Sen. Snowe’s career demonstrates how much can be accomplished when leaders from both parties come together to do the right thing for the American people.�

Initial reaction from colleagues indicated Snowe’s decision was unexpected. “I was surprised. I know that she’s been quite frustrated with the lack of civility in Washington and the fact that she’s a bridge builder — and it was more and more difficult to do that. But we were all surprised here in Maine that she would make the decision,� said Maine GOP Chairman Charlie Webster. “It’s going to shake things up in Maine politics.�

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican, said she was “devastated� to learn of Snowe’s decision not to seek re-election. “I know this was an incredibly difficult deci-

Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine announced Tuesday she will retire rather than seek re-election this year, surprising colleagues and perhaps casting the future of her seat in doubt.

The decision was made “after an extraordinary amount of reflection and consideration,� she said in a statement.

Snowe, who turned 65 last week, was first elected to the U.S. House in 1978 and then to the Senate in 1994. She is the first woman to serve in both chambers of a state legislature and the U.S. Congress.

Snowe was known as a moderate who sometimes sided with Democrats in the increasingly partisan environment of Washington politics.

Her statement cited the partisan divide. “I have no doubt I would have won re-election,� Snowe said, describing her political service in Maine and Washington as “an indescribable honor and immeasurable privilege.�

While her motivation and sense of responsibility remain, she continued, “I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions.� “Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to

sion for Olympia,� said Collins, who lauded Snowe as “a leader who sought solutions, not political advantage.�

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York expressed surprise at the news when told

by CNN. “We’ll miss her,� Schumer said. “She’s a good, good lady and an example of ... sometimes how the roughness of the political world can affect things. She’s great, and she’ll be missed by people on both sides of the aisle.�

With Snowe in the race, two of the top political handicappers — the Cook Political Report and the Rothenberg Political Report — had considered the seat “safe Republican� in the November election.

Democrats hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate but are defending 23 of the 33 seats up for grabs in November, including those of two independents who caucus with the Democrats.

Guy Cecil, executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, called Snowe’s departure an “unexpected opportunity.� “Maine is now a top pick-up opportunity for Senate Democrats,� Cecil said in a statement. “If there is one place in the country that is likely to reject the extreme, anti-middle class, divisive Republican agenda it is Maine. Democrats not

OUS n Continued from page 6 to get to that level,� Randhawa stated.

Since another university does not yet exist, that means each one already in place within the OUS must prepare to expand significantly. Administrators across the board have admitted that as necessary as growth is, there are many challenges to be faced. But how do students feel about growth?

Avery Kolasinski, a junior majoring in math, and Erin Cone, a senior majoring in English, say they have seen and been affected by the negative aspects of university growth.

The primary concern is lack of space; both students cited

only hold a strong registration advantage in the state, but this is a state that the president won by 17 points in 2008 and will likely win by a significant margin this year, as well.�

However, Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said his party remains “wellpositioned to win back a Senate majority in November.� “Maine has a proud history of electing independent leaders, including a Republican governor in 2010, and while this will be a key battleground in the fall, I am confident it will remain in Republican hands,� Cornyn said in a statement.

The Maine GOP chairman said it’s too early to tell yet whether Democrats could potentially pick up the seat. “We’ve got a number of qualified people that could run,� said Webster.

Two Republican candidates already announced primary challenges to Snowe — former Lisbon Falls Selectman Scott D’Amboise and Tea Party activist Andrew Ian Dodge.

In addition, two Democrats being mentioned as potential candidates were businesswoman and 2010 gubernatorial candidate Rosa Scarcelli and state Rep. Emily Cain. — CNN

problems such as not being able to find seats or computers in the library, lack of parking spaces and full bike racks. “I can’t even imagine how packed it is in the dorms,�

Kolasinski added.

However, Cone said that she understands the need for growth. “It’s kind of a Catch-22,â€? she said. “On a personal level I support it‌growth is always a good thing in school systems.â€?

But it’s difficult to find a system that can adequately support it, she added. “I’ve noticed a huge difference this year,� she said. “Our state can’t really support keeping all those students in classes.�

Kristin Pugmire, senior editor

737-2231 news@dailybarometer.com

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sports@dailybarometer.com • 737-6378

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 • 7

Intramural playoff news The Daily Barometer

Basketball Brackets have not yet been released. We will post them in Friday’s edition of The Daily Barometer. We will also release our top-10 rankings for the Men’s A League.

games at 8 p.m. in the MU Basement. Semifinal matches begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 6, and the championship round will take place the next night at 8 p.m.

Team Pocket Billiards

Playoff teams: • Phi Kappa Psi • Sig Ep A • FIJI A Playoff teams: • Lambda Chi Alpha 2 • Lambda Chi Alpha • Lambda Chi Alpha 1 • Big Blue • Phi Kappa Psi 2 • Sig Ep B • Ball Breakers • Pi Kappa Psi • Wild Fish • Master Batters Setup: • Fiji Four first-round games • Braun’s Trainers were played last night, but • Acacia occurred after press time.

• Sig Ep A Semifinal games will be Setup: played Tuesday, March 6, This 9-team tourna- and the championship will ment begins Sunday, March take place the following 4, when Big Blue faces Sig night at 6 p.m. in the MU Ep B in a play-in game. The Basement. winner will face Lambda Chi later that evening. Five games (the play-in game and the entire first round) Playoff teams: will be played Sunday, while • Dainamite semifinal matchups and • Lambda Chi Alpha the championship will be • Phi Delta Theta played Wednesday, March 7 • SigEp A Team at 8:45 p.m. in McAlexander • Fiji Fieldhouse.

• Avery Lodge • Ninja Pirate Robots Setup: The tournament kicked Playoff teams: off last night, but games fin• Bowling With Gramps ished after press time. With • Bowlmania seven teams, Dainamite is • Southern Oregon Swag the lone recipient of a bye • Gutterly Ridiculous and the only team we’re • Tri a Pi-O positive is still alive in the • More Cowbell tourney. The semifinals take • Hi Life place tonight, and a champi• Chi O AGR on will be crowned Tuesday, Setup: March 6.

The tournament begins sports@dailybarometer.com tonight with four first-round

Indoor baseball

Water Polo

Co-Rec Bowling

JOHN ZHANG

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Brittany Harris, the source of today’s “tweet of the day,” approaching the vault last Friday.

GYMNASTICS n Continued from page 8

taining the types of scores OSU wants to put up with postseason on the horizon.

said OSU head coach Tanya Chaplin.

“We already had a great conference with UCLA and Stanford, but those were pretty much our only two big competitors,” Blalock added.

“Adding Utah — another top 10 or top five ranked school — it’s good for our conference, but we need to work extra hard because we want that first Pac12 Championship.”

Oregon State has only three meets remaining before Pac12s begin, and only one of those three meets will be at Gill. It can become much easier at this point in the year for bodies to wear down.

“It’s a balance,” Chaplin said. “We have to do a lot of quality and not quantity. We have to do a lot of mental choreography and mental work, so that they know they have the confidence that their bodies have done these routines enough.”

Finding that motivation to keep grinding is key to main-

“We take one thing at a time,” Stambaugh said. “One day at a time. And that’s pretty much our thought process throughout the whole season.

Beginning of the season, if we’re already looking towards the end of the season, we’re going to be overwhelmed. It can be stressful if you do that.”

Utah will present the most significant challenge for Oregon State for the remainder of the regular season. Win, and the Beavers will have won in Utah for the first time in school history. Utah has the better track record, but OSU has now risen to their level in quality of gymnastics.

Either way, with Utah now in the Pac-12, Oregon State will be seeing a lot more of them from now on, and in all likelihood, each meet will come down to the wire.

Warner Strausbaugh, sports writer Twitter: @WStrausbaugh sports@dailybarometer.com

WOMEN’S HOOPS n Continued from page 8 23 points against California last week, an opponent with one of the most athletic defenses in the conference.

“They have a great scorer. Rodrigues is really playing well right now,” Rueck said. “She took it to Cal and Stanford both, and made one-on-one plays.”

Oregon State will travel to Boulder, Colo. after facing Utah. The Beavers defeated the Buffaloes by 20 earlier this year in Corvallis.

“I love where our heads are, and how tough we were the other day, and that gives me every reason for optimism that we are going to finish strong and hope to be a postseason team,” Rueck said.

Jacob Shannon, sports writer Twitter: @shannon_app sports@dailybarometer.com

SARAH GILLIHAN

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Oregon State defeated Colorado, Saturday’s opponent, by 20 at Gill Coliseum earlier this month.

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8 • Wednesday, February 29, 2012

‘‘

‘‘

The Daily Barometer

Sports

I JUST had my first dunk!! Woohoo. Maybe I should tryout for basketball lol. #MissionAccomplished —@BrittanyHarris_

Beaver Tweet of the Day

sports@dailybarometer.com • 737-6378

Big stage awaits gymnasts in Salt Lake n

When the Pac-12 inherited Utah, it inherited the nation’s best gymnastics fanbase

By Warner Strausbaugh The Daily Barometer

If there will be one gymnastics meet this season that will truly show what Oregon State is made of, it will be this Friday’s meet at the University of Utah.

The No. 9 Beavers travel to Salt Lake City to take on the No. 7 Utes.

With only three meets remaining, postseason is looming in the background, and a conference win over Utah would be the stepping stone this team wants heading into the postseason.

“We’ve got a couple more meets before postseason, so this should be good practice for us,” said junior Makayla Stambaugh. “Especially because we’re going to be going up against them at Pac-12s and then at nationals as well.”

History is not on OSU’s side, however. In 28 tries, the Beavers have never won a meet at Utah. And not only that, the Utes played a part in knocking Oregon State out of getting into the Super Six at nationals last season.

Safe to say OSU wants this one.

“For me personally, I kind of have a little bit of revenge boiling up in my stomach because they beat us out of Super Six by one-tenth last year,” said junior Kelsi Blalock. “And that’s something that I feel like we deserved.”

Oregon State ranks fifth in the nation in average attendance per meet, averaging 4,275 per meet at Gill Coliseum. Utah, however, ranks first, and blows OSU out of the water, averaging 13,501. They even drew a crowd just shy of 16,000 on their Senior Night. If there’s ever going to be a hostile crowd in collegiate gymnastics, it’s going to be Utah. To give an OSU perspective on that crowd size, Gill’s maximum

JOHN ZHANG

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Last year, Utah was one of the teams that prevented OSU from advancing to the Super Six. Kelsi Blalock, pictured above on beam, said she has “a little bit of revenge boiling up in my stomach” because of it. capacity is 9,604.

“Going into Utah and beating them at home in front of 16,000 Utes [fans] would be phenomenal for our program,” Blalock said.

As surprising as it may seem to

the non-gymnastics fan, Utah is a gymnastics powerhouse. They’ve won 10 national titles, and are the only team to qualify for nationals during all 30 years it has existed.

Now that Utah has come over from

the Mountain West Conference and joined the Pac-12, competition just got that much stiffer. It still presents OSU with another good challenge, and adds a lot more regular season meetings between the Beavers and

the Utes.

“Bringing in a program like that to the conference, that goes to the Super Six consistently, that always adds strength to our conference,” See GYMNASTICS | page 7

OSU in play for top-4 seed with two regular season games left n

Beavers will need to win final two and get some help to get a first-round Pac-12 Tourney bye

By Jacob Shannon The Daily Barometer

Top four. That is the goal.

If the Oregon State women’s basketball team finishes fourth or higher in the Pac-12, they will get a first-round bye in next week’s Pac12 Tournament.

The Beavers (16-11, 9-7 Pac-12) reside in a tie for fourth with UCLA with two games to play. The Bruins defeated OSU 69-60 earlier this year, and therefore hold the tiebreaker over the Beavers.

The Beavers will finish in the top four if they win both of their games this weekend and the Bruins lose either Thursday at Washington State or Saturday at Washington.

There are other scenarios, but the bottom line is this: OSU has to take care of its business.

“I am excited with where we are, and we still have that opportunity to climb. We need some help now, and have to take care of business,” head coach Scott Rueck said. “I’m proud of the team for finishing in the top half of the conference, now it’s just seeding the tournament, and we are going to see how high we can get.”

OSU could finish as high as third.

Thursday, OSU will face Utah in Salt Lake City.

The two teams squared off earlier this month, resulting in a 62-49 OSU win. The Beavers were riding a 3-game winning streak and sealed the deal early in the second half.

Since then, Utah found a way to put together a 3-game winning streak of their own, but it came to a halt last week after playing the conference best, Stanford and Cal. The Utes reside in a tie for eighth in the conference standings.

Both teams will be looking to boost their confidence and gain momentum heading into the Pac-12 Tournament. The Beavers are coming off their Civil War win as an extra ego boost.

“It was getting back on track, getting our momentum and confidence back — closing the chapter that is the Ducks,” junior guard Sage Indendi said.

“It’s mental. We are coming in with confidence but not that cockiness, so we are coming in prepared and have worked really hard,” senior guard Earlysia Marchbanks said.

The Beavers’ 8-3 record on the road proves their resiliency to move past the underlying variables that come with playing on the road.

“Utah is really good team. I feel like they had a bad game here. We still have to go there and play at the higher altitude,” Marchbanks said.

“No excuses, so we will go there prepared.”

The Utes are a formidable oppo-

HANNAH GUSTIN

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Patricia Bright had eight points and seven blocks in OSU’s 62-49 win over Utah earlier this month. Tomorrow night, the Beavers will try to improve to 2-0 vs. the Utes this year. nent, despite their sub-.500 record.

“They are tough. They will play half court, lock you up, and control tempo. Their post-play is really strong. They are physical and will

take the air out of the ball and work the shot clock and limit possessions,” Rueck said. “It’s going to be a grind out game just as it was the other day.”

Guard Iwalani Rodrigues is the offensive threat that Oregon State will key on defensively. She put up See WOMEN’S HOOPS | page 7