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Barometer The Daily
ThursdAY, May 30, 2013 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY CORVALLIS, OREGON 97331
DAILYBAROMETER.COM
Boyd returned to OSU after being drafted, wants to win title
VOLUME CXVI, NUMBER 145
A quarrel with global warming n
jackie seus
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Victoria Redman and Brett Deedon are sworn in as ASOSU vice president and president.
ASOSU inaugurates executive officials, reviews year n
Brett Deedon, Victoria Redman assume new positions as ASOSU president, vice president By Don Iler
The Daily Barometer
The Associated Students of Oregon State University inaugurated a new president and vice president during a joint session of congress Wednesday night. Brett Deedon and Victoria Redman will now serve as president and vice president, along with Thomas Bancroft, who will serve as speaker of the house. The evening saw farewell speeches from outgoing leaders, the swearing in of new officials and addresses from the incoming president and vice president. During his address, Deedon said that task force directors had not yet been hired and the positions would be reviewed over the summer. Task force directors are typically hired before the end of spring term, and include many different positions, from veteran’s affairs to queer affairs. Earlier in the term, several senators introduced legislation into the senate to consolidate several task force director positions into one position. The legislation met opposition and was moved into a committee for further deliberation. Deedon said the purpose of the review will be to make sure students know what is happening and what effects these positions have. “We are getting to the question of, why student government?” Deedon said. In her speech, Redman alluded to some differences in opinion from this past year in student government that helped her grow as a leader. “I step forward into the position ready to make mistakes,” Redman said. In addition to the swearing in of the executive cabinet and congress, the outgoing leaders also spoke. Jacob Vandever, the outgoing speaker of the house, styled his speech in the manner of “yeas and nays,” the weekly Friday editorial feature in The Daily Barometer. “Nay to the speaker of the house having a bad track record running for higher office,” Vandever said. Both Vandever and his predecessor, Drew Hatlen, had unsuccessful runs for ASOSU president. Vandever will be serving in a newly created position in ASOSU next year, the assistant to the advocate. Dan Cushing, former ASOSU vice president, said he felt ASOSU was not a government in the traditional sense. “We are less about making laws around here than we are about making change,” Cushing said. Amelia Harris, the outgoing president, listed her administration’s accomplishments, citing the successful voter registration drive, lobbying efforts to get the tuition equity law passed at the state legislature and other efforts. The ASOSU president and vice president serve in their positions for one year. Don Iler, editor-in-chief On Twitter @Doniler news@dailybarometer.com
Eli Meyer studies how coral react to environmental shifts with the tanks in his lab By McKinley Smith The Daily Barometer
Eli Meyer is filling fish tanks with brightly colored corals. The newly hired zoology professor hopes to understand why reefs across the globe are disappearing, leaving underwater wastelands where vibrant corals once flourished. He wants to know how these fragile creatures respond to global warming. “Something like 30 percent of corals are gone, and there’s an overall decline of corals worldwide,” Meyer said. Meyer thinks the answer might rest in the tiny creatures’ genes. But, before he could analyze the corals’ DNA, he had to find specimens for his lab. “It’s a really daunting prospect,” Meyer said. “They give you an empty room, and you have to fill it.” However, tanks already fill his small lab in the basement of Cordley Hall. Water churns in the tanks to simulate the motion of the currents. The temperature holds stable just above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, simulating May temperatures in a tropical zone. Lights shine into the tanks to simulate moonlight — the glow that drives coral reproduction. A webcam allows Meyer to monitor
ko pholsena
| THE DAILY BAROMETER
Dr. Eli Meyer works in a laboratory in Cordley Hall to study select corals’ temperature tolerance, which is monitored day and night. the process from the comfort of his house. Meyer gets samples wherever he can, some were bought online and
others came from SeaWorld. Two spe- Florida Keys. Coral evokes the image of the beaucies, which Meyer said will soon be declared endangered, came from a tiful branching structures that make sea wall pegged for demolition in the See MEYER | page 2
Blumenauer tours OSU, discusses agriculture n
U.S. Representative for Oregon Earl Blumenauer talks about farm bills, potential of OSU’s agricultural sciences By Kate Virden The Daily Barometer
Corn stalks are a familiar sight when driving through the Oregon countryside, and are often seen quivering in the wind with a promise of a delicious crop. Since 1996, District 3 Representative Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., has advocated for agricultural advances. On Wednesday, Blumenauer held an open discussion about the 2013 Farm Bill in the LaSells Stewart Center’s Agriculture Room. The small room held about 30 people, ranging from professors to graduate and undergraduate students ready to hear Blumenauer’s words. Farm Bills are legislative pieces that are changed every five years. The bills focus on more than just farmers and vegetables, but also nutrition for the underprivileged. The discussion with Blumenauer
focused on corn and the necessity to combine feedlots to cut expenses. “I am very interested in what a Farm Bill would look like at [Oregon State University] and the capacity it could impact,” Blumenauer said. A Farm Bill at OSU has high potential, according to Dan Arp, the dean of agricultural sciences at OSU. He explained that within the Farm Bill there are certain titles, and the one that would most impact OSU is the research title. “It is critical to the research and work that goes on here at OSU,” Arp said. Arp highlighted that the Farm Bill would grant OSU $50 million. Other titles within the 2013 Farm Bill include: feeding the Midwest, specialty crops initiatives, organic foods and a beginning farmers and ranchers program. Before speaking to the small audience in LaSells, Blumenauer took a tour of the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, where he was able to see an OSU research facility firsthand. “Our tsunami, or approach to agriculture, is getting
back to basics,” Blumenauer said. The goals he has for Oregon in the 2013 Farm Bill include: maximizing value in smaller scale operations, the opportunity for sustainability and using less pesticides, and to give customers what they want, which, according to Blumenauer, is humanely treated animals and often organic crops. “Twinkies cost less than corn as a result of subsidies,” Blumenauer said. Blumenauer took note of the research at OSU and commented on how he is on the side of innovation. The representative was impressed by the amount of students who went to his discussion as well. “A surprising number of youth are interested in a career with agriculture,” he said. Blumenauer’s prescription to get back to basics includes more transparency between producer and consumer. “People will pay more for quality products if they know where it comes from,” he said. Kate Virden, news reporter news@dailybarometer.com
A visual storyteller’s adventure of a lifetime n
Daniel Cespedes carries a diversity of interests, leading him to pursue a unique major By Marissa Solini
SPecial to The Daily Barometer
Daniel Cespedes had just finished playing a tune on his bagpipe outside on a sunny Monday when a man crossed the street toward him carrying a six-pack of beer with his Rottweiler in tow. The man approached Cespedes, gave him a firm handshake and said, “I heard you playing the bagpipes from across the street, and it was so wonderful that I went to the grocery store and bought a six-pack of beer so I could give you one.” Cespedes, 21, has many such encounters. After all, he has a unique
life — ranging from his one-of-a-kind major at Oregon State University, to his musical instrument of choice to his plans for this summer. Cespedes is currently a junior at OSU majoring in visual storytelling, a self-created major through the liberal studies program. “I submitted my theme for visual storytelling last fall and it got approved,” Cespedes said. “I developed this plan to kind of bridge the gap between what I was doing in the past, [new media communications] stuff and art stuff.” With help from his experience as a photographer and videographer, Cespedes was one of two people in the country chosen to be 2013 Outdoor Youth Ambassadors for the See CESPEDES | page 2
courtesy of marissa solini
| CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Daniel Cespedes, besides creating his own major in visual storytelling, also plays the bagpipes.