OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
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Better call Saul n
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Newly elected ASOSU Speaker of the House embraces unique circumstances, looks to tackle, focus on finite issues THE DAILY BAROMETER
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Saul Boulanger looks forward to gaining leadership experience as the next ASOSU Speaker of the House.
VOL. CXVI, NO. 121
@BARONEWS, @BAROSPORTS, @BAROFORUM
Water main in repair
By Tori Hittner
TORI HITTNER
WEDNESDAY APRIL 23, 2014
Dozens of hours campaigning in the Memorial Union quad. Eight to nine class visits per day. Hundreds of personal dollars invested in posters and business cards. Saul Boulanger certainly put an immense amount of effort into his campaign for the Associated Students of Oregon State University speaker of the house seat. After earning more than 1,000 out of a few more than 3,000 votes in last week’s election, it turns out his hard work paid off. Serving as the next ASOSU speaker of the house, Boulanger looks forward to what he believes will be a unique and historical year. “My tenure as speaker is a somewhat unique one, which is nothing thanks to what I did — it’s just the circumstances,” Boulanger said. “Because of the transition, both into the (Student Experience Center) and with the House restructuring, we have the opportunity to make student government more relevant, much more See SAUL | page 3
Crews work to repair ruptured pipe that caused flooding, water pressure problems By Emma-Kate Schaake THE DAILY BAROMETER
City crews identified the main water line that ruptured Tuesday afternoon and are working to repair it and to restore water to those without. The line broke on Fifth Street between Van Buren Avenue and Tyler Avenue, causing flooding in much of the downtown vicinity. “The top of the 20-inch pipe failed and broke completely off the pipe,” said Cory Hill, lead worker of water distribution for Corvallis. As of print time Tuesday, it was still unclear what lead to the break. “It appears just to be an age thing, but we’ll analyze it to see what caused it,” Hill said. Water was turned off in between 17 and 19 meters of the surrounding area, but by the evening, other areas of Corvallis were no longer experiencing water pressure issues. “The people turned off will remain turned off until we get it fixed,” Hill See WATER | page 4
EMMA-KATE SCHAAKE | THE DAILY BAROMETER
A large water main break in downtown Cor vallis caused flooding on Harrison Boulevard, near the downtown fire station Tuesday afternoon.
Celebrating 44 years of Earth Day n
Oregon State students, staff, faculty gather, promote the planet throughout the week By Kaitlyn Kohlenberg THE DAILY BAROMETER
Since Earth Day became a nationally recognized holiday in 1970, Oregon State University has recognized and celebrated the date. In more recent years, students and organizations have expanded the one-day holiday into a full week of planetary celebration. Earth Week at OSU consists of nearly 20 events spread across the week, with each school day focusing on a different aspect of celebrating life on Earth. Andrea Norris, the marketing and development coordinator for Campus Recycling, said the coordinating parties wanted to address the broad spectrum of
issues that are related and interconnected with issues of sustainability. Monday morning, students and community members woke up early to sketch a chalk mural, depicting a few of these associated issues on the walkways of the Memorial Union quad. Andrea Carson, the water projects coordinator for the Student Sustainability Initiative, said hosting and addressing a variety of themed activities helps pull people in from all academic and career fields. “I like the idea (of) just bringing in the students that aren’t necessarily instantly connected to Earth Week, but you can definitely draw them in,” Carson said. “The value is basically because all these fun, different events help you make those connections that you wouldn’t necessarily make in the first place.” See EARTH DAY | page 4
NICKI SILVA
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
For fun and to raise awareness of the group, the Student Sustainability Initiative set recycling bins in the field for participants to drum on during a flash mob.
Freshman’s initiative sparks Spanish club after 2-year dormancy period n
Students work to revive club, promote resouces on campus By Ria Rankine THE DAILY BAROMETER
In a small room at Centro Cultural Cesar Chavez, a group of Oregon State University students gather for the university’s newest Spanish club. Club president Olivia Hill assigned leadership roles and welcomed members’ ideas. Hill, a freshman, began the club to become more involved with her academic focus in education, Spanish and the international degree & education program. She noticed there was a void on campus for a community of like-minded individuals to share their struggles and learn. No official Spanish club had been recognized since the last president of the club graduated in 2012.
This week in campus history
News, page 2
Hill was left with an ultimatum. “Either I could find another club or start this one,” Hill said. “I really love Spanish and languages, and there wasn’t much of that on the campus, so I decided to add it myself.” Quickly, she found that creating a club came with a few challenges. “The biggest struggle was getting the first club meeting started,” Hill said. “I didn’t know where to start. … I was also uncertain about the huge leadership role, since I have never been a facilitator that carries all the responsibility.” The role of president came with an onslaught of responsibilities, such as creating a new constitution, reserving a room for the meetings, member recruitment and deciding the best day and time for weekly meetings. “It doesn’t sound like much, but not knowing what I was doing made it ...
harder,” Hill said. The club’s weekly gatherings will include watching Spanish movies, telenovelas and reading current events to familiarize themselves with Latin cultures. In the future, Hill wants to collaborate with other language clubs and plan cultural potlucks. “Basically, have a little study abroad when you can’t go out of the country,” Hill said. They also have plans to get involved within the community by tutoring students in elementary or middle schools who need help with their Spanish. At this juncture, the group’s top priority is to get the word out. The members are working together to accomplish this with fliers, professor support and their Facebook page. Hill does admit that plans for the
Ausman finds perfect match at OSU Sports, page 5
future are “up in the air,” but she’s certain about what she wants the members to get out of the club. “Be an overall better Spanish speaker with more outside knowledge about Spanish-speaking cultures,” Hill said. “And get an experience outside of the classroom.” Kimberly Weston, a senior majoring in public health, joined the club to improve her conversation skills. In fall 2012, Weston studied abroad in Chile through OSU’s Chillan program. It was an experience that inspired her to join the club. “It increased my passion for Spanish,” Weston said. “Not to sound cliche, but it helped me to see the world in a different way.” The Spanish club is designed for students with past experiences that are similar to Weston’s time in Chile and for
those with future Spanish pursuits. Avery Sorensen, a junior majoring in history, plans to study in Salamanca, Spain, through the study abroad organization, Academic Programs International, in June. “I really want to be fluent in Spanish, and I think this club will keep it in my brain when I’m not in class,” Sorensen said. Moving forward, Hill looks to provide a space for students, much like Sorensen and Weston, to pursue Spanish and Spanish-speaking cultures. “I’m hoping it will be a major club on campus and supply the needed resources for students learning Spanish or even those who are native speakers,” Hill said. Ria Rankine Greek and clubs reporter managing@dailybarometer.com
Dr. Sex discusses hypothetical scenarios
Forum, page 7