VOLUME 77 • ISSUE 2 • JULY 6, 2022
IT'S GETTING HOT IN HERE PSU BRACES FOR EXTREME HEAT
OPINION
NEWS
ARTS & CULTURE
Roe v. Wade reversal: the Oregonian perspective P. 7
Portland summers are getting hotter P. 4-5
Portland Pedalpalooza bike festivals getting into gear P. 6
AT PSU L L A R O F N M U L O ORM C F T A L P N O I N I P O OPEN LIATION W/PSU ITOR • STATE NAME AND AFFI E ED ED AND CHOSEN BY TH TE AN AR GU T NO , ID PA COM • SUBMISSIONS ARE UN ITOR@PSUVANGUARD. ED TO NS IO IN OP D AN S ORIE • SEND THOUGHTS, ST
CONTENTS
COVER DESIGN BY WHITNEY MCPHIE COVER PHOTO BY CAMDEN BENESH
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS SEND US YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
P. 3
NEWS PORTLAND SUMMERS ARE GETTING HOTTER
P. 4-5
ARTS & CULTURE PEDALPALOOZA BIKE EVENTS RETURN TO PORTLAND
P. 6
OPINION LOCATION-BASED PRIVILEGE IS A TRAP
P. 7
STAFF EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF Tanner Todd MANAGING EDITOR Karisa Yuasa NEWS EDITOR Nick Gatlin MULTIMEDIA NEWS EDITOR Eric Shelby ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Kat Leon OPINION EDITOR Justin Cory
PHOTO EDITOR Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani ONLINE EDITOR Christopher Ward MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Olivia Lee COPY CHIEF Nova Johnson DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Tanner Todd CONTRIBUTORS Alex Aldridge Camden Benesh Jesse Ropers Isabel Zerr
PRODUCTION & DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Whitney McPhie
ADVISING & ACCOUNTING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood
DESIGNERS Leo Clark Mia Levy
STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Maria Dominguez
TECHNOLOGY & WEBSITE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Rae Fickle George Olson Sara Ray Tanner Todd
STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Vacant To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com
MISSION STATEMENT Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.
ABOUT Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Wednesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
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TANNER TODD After a month-long hiatus from publishing, the Portland State Vanguard is back—with an update! We will be reviving our “Letters to the Editor,” a recurring Opinion feature that publishes and spotlights voices from around PSU, as well as the larger community of Portland, Oregon. This is a section devoted to spotlighting the opinions and feelings of our readsers, rather than the writers and contributors in our newsroom, and we welcome submissions from anyone. We’re particularly interested in perspectives related to current Portland events and community issues, as well as circumstances that impact the Pacific Northwest overall. We’d also love to hear your thoughts on stories we’ve covered—if you have a strong opinion about something we’ve reported, write us! We’ll happily read your submissions. To share your letters for publishing consideration, email your thoughts to opinion@ psuvanguard.com with the heading LETTER TO THE EDITOR, followed by your subject line. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Sincerely, The Vanguard Editorial Staff
PORTLAND SUMMERS ARE GETTING HOTTER
STUDENTS IN THE URBAN PLAZA DURING HEAT WAVE. CAMDEN BENESH/PSU VANGUARD
WHY OREGON’S CLIMATE IS CHANGING, AND WHAT PSU PLANS TO DO ABOUT IT NICK GATLIN “Extreme heat,” “record-setting high temperatures,” “high heat risk”—these are not words one would expect to hear describing a Portland summer. However, this year they are apt descriptors of the kind of summer temperatures expected in the Pacific Northwest. On Saturday, June 25, the Portland area hit 90°F for the first time in 2022, and it’s unlikely to be the last time this season. According to Paul Loikith—meteorologist, climate scientist and Assistant Professor of Geography at Portland State—we should expect more record-breaking temperatures to come. “In general, Portland summers, like everywhere else on Earth, are getting warmer,” Loikith said. The climate is getting warmer around the world, he said, because of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere which trap heat on the Earth’s surface. Loikith and other climate specialists anticipate temperatures will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, with the effects of climate change predicted to remain for decades even if production of greenhouse gasses immediately ceased. The impact of climate warming can be seen not only in heat waves, but in cooler times as well. “Everything is getting warmer—not just hot days, but cold days too…cool summers won’t be as cool as they were,” Loikith said.
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For Portlanders, that could mean getting used to 90°F June days and more frequent instances of extreme heat. “It’s very clear that the climate will continue to get warmer globally, and that will have a local effect as well.” Although events like last year’s “heat dome” and its devastating death toll serve as a reminder to prepare for the worst in times of extreme heat, Loikith said that events like it are a “huge outlier” that should not be expected to regularly occur. However, it’s certain that last year’s heat was more severe than it would have been without global warming. In preparation for heat illness prevention, PSU has provided guidance for students and employees on campus. On June 24, University Housing and Residence Life sent out an email to students living on campus consisting of actions students can take to manage heat. “This summer, we can expect to experience occasional heat waves,” the email stated. “We wanted to provide you with some resources to help you stay cool and safe.” Some of the suggested measures are to drink plenty of water, wear loose and lightweight clothing and go to places with air conditioning. Air conditioning proves to be a challenging issue for students living in PSU residence halls. The 2021–2022 Housing Handbook provided
by UHRL states that “[PSU] residence halls do not have air conditioning. Air Conditioners are not permitted in the Residence Halls.” Instead, residents may use evaporative coolers that conform to UHRL guidelines, including a requirement for an “automatic shut-off” and a restriction on any vents or window adaptations. Multnomah County did not opt to open cooling centers to the public during the heat wave last weekend, saying that temperatures did not reach high enough levels to warrant such a move. Echoing the same guidance as UHRL, the county said that Portlanders concerned about the heat should seek out public places that have cooling, such as libraries or malls. For Portland State employees, the PSU Environmental Health & Safety Department (EHS) has developed a Heat Illness Prevention Program (HIPP) for departments to protect against heat illness. According to EHS Director Jeffrey Rook, establishing such a plan “has been an item on [Oregon Occupational Safety and Health’s] list for a number of years.” Rook stated that heat illness prevention was made a temporary rule last year, and this year Oregon OSHA formalized directions for employers like PSU to establish rest breaks and other counteractive measures.
“In most cases, PSU has already had mechanisms in place to protect people working outside,” Rook said. PSU’s website states that HIPP applies “when any PSU employee performs work activities and the heat index equals or exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit.” All PSU employees are required to complete HIPP training, provided online through Canvas. According to Rook, the training encompasses the recognition of heat illness symptoms, measures for employees to take to prevent heat illness and how to measure the heat index—the temperature a human body feels relative to the air temperature. “It’s a little more complicated than just looking at a thermometer,” Rook said. Each PSU department must “develop, implement and maintain a work-site specific” plan, according to the EHS site. University-wide preventative measures mandated by the plan include access to shade and drinking water when the heat index reaches 80°F, and mandatory rest periods when the heat index exceeds 90°F. Rook stated that in the case of an extreme heat event that threatens PSU’s operational stability—like 2021’s heat dome—the PSU Incident Management Team would step in to make decisions about opening cooling centers, reducing university services or closing buildings.
PSU Vanguard • JULY 6, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
HOW TO DEAL WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES With temperatures rising across Oregon this summer, it’s important to recognize the risk that extreme heat entails and act to keep yourself and others safe. Courtesy of PSU University Housing and Residence Life, here are a few tips to deal with high temperatures.
Find cool places, such as another PSU building.
Drink plenty of water, as well as nonalcoholic and decaffeinated fluids.
Slow down. Reduce or reschedule strenuous activities until the heat of the day has passed.
Visit a family member or neighbor with air conditioning, or go to the nearest public library, shopping mall or other cooled space.
Block the sun. Close your blinds in the morning and don’t open them again until the evening.
Stay out of the sun. Sunburn interferes with the skin’s ability to cool.
Take a cool bath or shower. Cold water can help cool an overheated body.
Limit exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest.
Avoid hot foods and heavy meals.
Use sunscreen with SPF15+ when going outside.
Dress for the weather. Wear a widebrimmed hat and loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing to reflect heat and sunlight.
PSU Vanguard • JULY 6, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
Stay informed and learn how to prevent, recognize and treat heatrelated illnesses.
NEWS
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PEDALPALOOZA
BIKE EVENTS RETURN TO PORTLAND
The group has organized a revival of mass in-person biking CAMDEN BENESH How does a bike-centric city get its gears in gear? For many people in Portland, Oregon, the answer is a mass bike ride put on by Pedalpalooza. Portland residents have likely heard of Pedalpalooza by now, or at least their most common events like the big Kickoff Parade or the Naked Bike Ride. The organization—which puts together group bike rides—started its events this year in June, and will continue through August with daily volunteer-led free bike rides. Meghan Sinnott—one of the organizers of Pedalpalooza—said that the wheels of the organization got rolling in 2002 while she was writing her thesis on bicycle subcultures. She said their first breakout event at the time was called Bike Summer, and it became the blueprint for future events. “The first Bike Summer…was an itinerant festival that would go from city to city hosting these bike events,” Sinnot said. “Portland loved it so dang much that we hosted a mini Bike Summer the next year, and then just kept it going, and then we made it bigger and bigger and it turned out Portlanders love a good bike event.” With the introduction of the Summer Bike Festival and such positive feedback from the community, Shift 2 Bikes was born. Shift’s mission statement states, “As a loose-knit and informal bunch of bike-loving folks, we ask for no membership, nor dues, only a shared passion for the bicycle in all its glory: as toy, as transportation, as a tool for social and environmental change!”
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ARTS & CULTURE
BIKE RIDERS UNWIND AT WILSHIRE PARK AFTER JULY 3 PUPPERPALOOZA RIDE. CAMDEN BENESH/PSU VANGUARD Portland was a blank canvas for Shift to color with collaboration and ways to connect with the community. Sinnott said this was part of why she got involved in bike organizations in the first place. “I got involved [with Shift] mostly just because I was not really sure what I needed to attend to learn about Portland’s bicycle subcultures, but I was fascinated at the time with this heavy overlap with the bicycle world and the DIY culture, like building their own bikes,” Sinnott said. “Then this bizarre overtone of clown antics and basically this idea of turning the world upside down on its head, like men dressing like women and adults riding kid bikes. You know, just questioning everything and trying new worlds on for size.” The organization’s first events, Breakfast on the Bridges and the Multnomah County Bike Ride, were major hits out the gate. “Our first events were like…hosting breakfast on the bridges, which was like serving coffee to people as they commuted to work,” Sinnott said. “Things like the Multnomah County Bike Fair, which was a place for people to go get free helmets or free bikes and watch people tall bike joust or do whatever stupid stuff people were doing then.” Setting up a ride on the Shift calendar is easy and accessible— anyone interested in participating can start and lead a ride with a few clicks and cohesive planning. Sinnott recommended that anyone scheduling a ride do some research in advance in order to ensure an enjoyable event.
“To lead a ride, it is free, and it is shockingly easy to do, and honestly you don’t even need to ride a bicycle to lead a ride,” Sinnott said. “You don’t even have to be a cyclist or an avid cyclist...the more diversity we have for ride leaders, the more magical the rides will be.” For people who don’t feel like the strongest riders, Meghan recommends rides called Family Friends. These rides are often on a loop, allowing individuals to go at their own pace and not feel intimidated. Sinnott also spoke about her goals and aspirations for what she wants Pedalpalooza to grow into going forward. “I’m hoping that Pedalpalooza continues to expand to farther reaches of the Portland Metro Area,” she said. “We have some great ride leaders who are trying to get the event out to Tigard or Beaverton. I’m also actively working to diversify not only attendees but ride leaders, advertising in The Skanner and Asian Reporter and liaising with local BIPOC in the Pacific Northwest—that’s huge for me, and I’m also hoping to bring the age down in Pedalpalooza.” Sinnott said that organizing a community event like Pedalpalooza that brings people together is essential in these challenging times. “Pedalpalooza not only brings good feelings and friendships, but for some people Pedalpalooza is summer,” she said. “For them, summer is not here until the Pedalpalooza kickoff ride. It’s a great way to meet people [and] discover your city. I sure hope that this concept gets populated in other cities and especially with people who are attending PSU.”
PSU Vanguard • JULY 6, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
LOCATION-BASED PRIVILEGE IS A TRAP AN INJUSTICE TO ONE IS A CONCERN FOR ALL
LEO CLARK
ALEX ALDRIDGE I was anticipating the announcement of the decision all week, but despite constantly checking my phone in an obsessive and stressful manner, I was still shocked to see the news on the morning of June 24 about the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. I never once believed the decision would prove to be anything different than what was leaked to the public back in May, but the official ruling that morning was something which I, like so many around the country, struggled to process. While the leak of the decision back in May was followed by protests and marches in Portland, I was disheartened to see a lack of numbers on the streets. Were people waiting for the official decision? Did they think those in SCOTUS would change their mind? If anyone has been paying attention to the broken, corrupt and farcical government that we have, especially in recent years, then none of this should have been a surprise. Though others may have a more optimistic outlook regarding our institutions, it has been my belief that this outlook represents a more delusional and privileged position than anything, facilitating a pathway towards apathy and the inaction which comes along with it. While we here in Oregon have the benefit of some of the strongest state laws which protect abortion, I implore Portlanders to fight and protest just as hard as those who are fighting in states where abortion is now banned and states that are moving to ban abortion in the coming days and weeks. While activists and Portlanders admirably show out time and time again, the fight for bodily autonomy shouldn’t depend on where one falls in between invisible lines drawn on a map. While some may want to dunk on those opposed to abortion by flaunting the state’s rights argument back into the faces of conservatives, these socially constructed laws can always be changed and manipulated to oppress based off their hierarchical structure. The overturning of Roe V. Wade is a patriarchal attack on bodily autonomy, and the rationale used to overturn this decision could lead to further decisions which challenge previous rulings.
While Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion that we shouldn’t worry about any other assaults on our rights, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion questioning three previous SCOTUS decisions, threatening our rights to contraceptive access, same-sex marriage and freedom from being arrested for certain consensual sex acts between adults. To take Justice Alito for his word that no other previous rulings are under threat would be a naive belief based on ignorance. While this court has already eroded Indigenous rights by increasing states’ rights over tribal land as well as weakened our Miranda rights, major decisions regarding climate change and immigration have also just been decided, resulting in the further erosion of environmental protections and immigrant rights. While I have a copious amount of criticism for a Republican party which is aiming to turn back time by passing regressive policies and pushing for a theocracy, the Democratic party has been completely inept in many different ways. While Republicans have been unified in playing the long game, the Democrats have allowed regressive legislation to pass while lying to supporters and their more progressive colleagues alike by blaming voter turnout, Sen. Bernie Sanders, calls to defund the police or whatever it is that they decide is to blame, as long as it is not themselves. As a candidate in 2007, former President Barack Obama said codifying Roe v. Wade into law would be the first thing he did in office, and despite having 60 Democratic senators and majority in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 to 2011, his promise never came to fruition. It was only shortly after he was inaugurated in 2009 with full Democratic control of the U.S. Congress when he then said that codifying abortion rights was not a legislative priority. Even though this feels like some cruel joke, none of it is humorous. As a country we are left with a Republican party that is effectively reversing progress and making their own rules, and a Democratic party which cares more about saying what they will do for their constituents rather than taking the actions necessary to deliver. The response from many Democrats has
PSU Vanguard • JULY 6, 2022 • psuvanguard.com
been predictably terrible and insensitive. From sending out mass emails to solicit donations, to using the SCOTUS decision as a midterm pitch, their inability to do anything effective shows why people aren’t energized when the lesser of two evils party is woefully uninspiring. The Democratic party can say that they are fighting for our rights all they want, but while Republicans are actively stripping away rights, the Democrats are nowhere to be seen. The fact that Democratic representatives gathered on the U.S. Capitol steps to sing “God Bless America” after the decision was announced should be proof enough to show how out of touch they are. President Joe Biden just nominated an antiabortion lawyer to a lifetime federal judge position to appease Sen. Mitch McMconnell, though it is not a surprise from the man who proudly talks about his days working across the aisle with segregationists. The one thing Democrats are good at doing is co-opting any progressive or mildly radical movement and running it into the ground. Don’t worry though, the next blue wave will be different, you’ll see. Speaking of our broken electoral system and voting, while we here in Oregon are relatively privileged when it comes to voting rights and access compared to other states, millions of people living in the United States are not allowed to vote due to racist and restrictive voter ID laws, prior convictions, purged voting rolls and all the other obstacles intentionally placed to prevent people from voting. Considering the U.S.’s gerrymandering, closures of polling stations, long lines in many places around the country and the fact that around only a third of our country is having a big say in what is happening to the entire populace, it is no wonder that a huge number of people decide to either not vote or not even register to vote to begin with. It might sound counterintuitive to point this all out while I am saying that voting is an illusion of a person having any meaningful say in our corrupt government, but the sooner people realize our institutions and government are a joke, the sooner people will realize we need to act accordingly and explore more
options other than casting a ballot and patting yourself on the back with that sticker. Vote your heart out, but if that is all that you are doing then you might as well put a bumper sticker on your car and call it a day. So what can we do here in Portland while those in other states are losing rights and autonomy over their bodies at a faster rate? For a lot of things, I will leave it up to your imagination. Mainstream discourse on past movements often neglects to mention the radical flanks of those movements which pushed progress forward into producing any meaningful change. If the president, others in government, or the police tell you the methods they prefer you to protest, chances are that those methods are mostly useless and ineffective in making change. For those who want to publicly state that you will host your home to out of state travelers, be aware that you will open yourself up to attacks from the enormous number of far-right groups who live in the Northwest. Be proactive but be smart about it. Look to the established abortion funds and networks which have experience doing this—especially if you want to help those travelling from out of state. When someone says democracy is under threat, they are failing to see we aren’t living in a democracy in the first place. When we have to choose between a party destroying our autonomy and a party that cares more about performative politics and lying to constituents, our system is already broken. A country started by men and built off of slavery on lands stolen through genocide was always going to be a country based off of patriarchy and white supremacy. Pro-choice is pro-abortion, and pro-abortion means actually fighting against the hierarchal structures that want control over your bodily autonomy. Don’t let the Portland bubble prevent you from aiding in the struggles elsewhere. Rather than waiting to act until you are personally under threat, defend those around you that are currently suffering and are under attack from the fascist creep and Christian reconstructionists’ push towards a theocracy.
OPINION
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