The Daily Barometer March 8, 2013 by The Daily Barometer

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FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2013 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331

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OSU tries to

remain perfect, hosts Texas State

VOLUME CXVI, NUMBER 99

Not taking freedom for granted Juan Meléndez, Greg Wilhoit recount their experiences on death row, oppose penalty

“It makes you realize the weight of the death sentence, because if you make a mistake in sentencing someone who is innocent, then you have basically murdered an innocent person.” Each of the three speakers had By Ryan Dawes 15 minutes to give their testimony The Daily Barometer Before his death sentence for regarding death row. Then, at the end a crime he did not commit, Greg for about 20 minutes, the audience Wilhoit’s judge conferred these words had the chance to ask questions. “This event was a good way to learn upon him: “You are to die by lethal injection. If that fails we’ll electrocute about the issue,” said Nicole Stauch, you. If the power goes out, we’ll hang president of OSU’s Pi Sigma Alpha you. And if the rope breaks we’ll take chapter. “Even as a political science major, I learned a lot.” you out back and shoot you.” Hannah gustin | THE DAILY BAROMETER Meléndez, who was a resident in Wilhoit began his morning the same Peter Fahy spoke at “Surviving Death as any other. He was unaware his wife Puerto Rico when he was falsely conhad been brutally murdered, and a victed of the death sentence, spent 18 Row. Fahy served for 12 years as a little more than eight months later years on Florida’s death row. Many of Lincoln County prosecutor. his inmates commithe would be falsely ted suicide by conconvicted of killing vincing their jailor her and sentenced I wanted to walk to give them a plasto death. After his on grass and dirt. tic garbage bag, with sentence was issued, which they twisted I wanted to hold a Wilhoit spent the into a rope to hang next five years in baby. I desperately themselves. nightmarish condimissed what we tions on Oklahoma’s Meléndez, death row before plagued by lonelitake for granted being found truly ness and depresevery day. innocent. sion in his situation, Now free, Wilhoit considered hanging and fellow exonerhimself with a garJuan Meléndez ee Juan Meléndez, bage bag. with death penHowever, thinking alty defense attorney Peter Fahy of and dreaming of his family and home Corvallis, came together to advo- life back in Puerto Rico, his knowledge cate for abolition of the death pen- of his innocence, keeping a positive alty. Yesterday at 3 p.m. in the LaSells attitude and his faith that God would Stewart Center, they told their sto- provide him a miracle at the right ries in the event, “Surviving Death time, allowed Meléndez to regain his Row.” The event was sponsored freedom and dignity. by Oregonians for Alternatives to His miracle came when a confession the Death Penalty, OSU’s chapter video was retrieved from the actual of Pi Sigma Alpha — the National perpetrator of the crime Meléndez Political Honors Society — Witness to was accused of, and with it he was Innocence, Window to Justice and the exonerated. OSU school of public policy. “I wanted to see the moon and the “Their stories were really powerful,” stars,” Meléndez said, recalling what hannah gustin | THE DAILY BAROMETER said Brett Burkhardt, OSU assistant was going through his mind upon Juan Meléndez and Greg Wilhoit were falsely accused of crimes they had not committed. Melendez spent more professor in the school of public poliSee DEATH ROW | page 2 than 17 years on death row and Wilhoit spent five on death row. cy, and mediator of the presentation.

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Incumbent dean inspects English language, pedagogy Climate change, Tara Williams, associate professor of English, named associate dean of the UHC

Williams joined the faculty in 2004 after receiving her Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Currently, her areas of research include medieval literature and culture, along with pedagogic issues — pedagogy being the method By Kyle Reed by which something is taught. The Daily Barometer “The UHC position will give me the Tara Williams, an associate professor of English, was recently named opportunity to do more — and have the associate dean of the University a more practical impact — in [pedaHonors College (UHC) at Oregon gogy],” Williams said. “One of my primary responsibilities will be to work State University. n

Vinay Bikkina

| THE DAILY BAROMETER

Tara Williams, associate professor of English, studies medieval literature and has cultivated an interest in pedagogy.

with faculty across the university to coordinate the honors curriculum.” Her interest in pedagogy was spurred by her passion for medieval culture and literature. “I like to say that everything was invented in the Middle Ages, and that’s only a slight exaggeration,” Williams said. “Many aspects of contemporary Western culture can be traced back to that time period, including the English language itself. It’s fascinating to see how English develops and expands to accommodate new ideas and events, and to see the complex ways in which the experiences of people living centuries ago can resonate with our own.” Williams published a book in 2011 through the Ohio State University Press, titled, “Inventing Womanhood: Gender and Language in Later Middle English Writing.” “[The book] is about different words that are used to describe gender categories in the Middle Ages, because that’s the first time they start using words like ‘womanhood’ and ‘femininity’ and ‘manhood,’” Williams said. “So I was really interested in what those words mean when they start using them, and why they need them when they do.” Williams pointed out that the concept of manhood was established two centuries before the concept of

womanhood. Currently, Williams is working on a project tentatively titled “Middle English Marbles.” “[‘Middle English Marbles’] examines depictions of magic in the 14th century, like the giant green knight in ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ or the dragon lady in ‘Lybeaus Desconus,’” Williams said. “What’s surprising is that those magical spectacles often have moral overtones, or offer a moral lesson to the reader.” Williams recognizes the difficulty educators have when attempting to make topics appealing for the vast majority. “I think the Middle Ages can be a little tricky to students,” Williams said. “So anything I can do to help bring it to life — the more interesting, engaging or relevant to students’ lives — is something I’m interested in.” Williams did not originally plan to teach medieval literature and took an initial interest in 20th century authors like James Joyce. “I was the the kind of student who didn’t talk a lot during class, but then I took a medieval lit class and I couldn’t stop raising my hand,” Williams said. Overall, Williams is satisfied with her career choice. “I love that I have a job where I can See WILLIAMS | page 2

morality on table for Science Pub n

OSU professor will approach climate change as philosophical issue By McKinley Smith The Daily Barometer

Kathleen Moore will speak about the relationship between science and morality as they pertain to climate change at Monday night’s Science Pub at 6 p.m., held at the Old World Deli at 341 Second St. in downtown Corvallis. Moore is a distinguished professor in the school of philosophy at Oregon State University. Her presentation, “It’s wrong to wreck the world,” will focus on four reasons why climate change and environmental issues are moral concerns as well as four climate change misconceptions that prevent action. “I think I have useful things . . . to say about the relationship between the science of climate change and the ethics of climate change,” Moore said. “They can’t be distinguished. We have things to say to one another.” For Moore, dealing with climate See SCIENCE PUB | page 2