STAFF
EDITORIAL
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Isaiah Burns
MANAGING EDITOR
Tasha Sayre
NEWS EDITOR
Noah Carandanis
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Sarah Applin
SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR
Anish Kumar Arumugam
OPINION EDITOR
JJ Christensen MULTIMEDIA
Sergio Cervantes
SOCIAL MEDIA
Liam Schmitt
COPY CHIEF
Lilli Rudine
ONLINE EDITOR
Tayma Miguel
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Vaishnavi Srinath
CONTRIBUTORS
Henry Danford
Vaishnavi Srinath
Benjamin Wenck
Milo Loza
PRODUCTION & DESIGN
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Briana Cieri
DESIGNERS
Abigail Green
Abby Raymundo
Parker Patnode
Arianna Thomas
Jenelle De Leon
Haley Hsu
Devin Singh
ADVISING & ACCOUNTING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA
Reaz Mahmood
SALP ACCOUNTANT
Maria Dominguez
STUDENT MEDIA TECH ADVISOR
Rae Fickle
STUDENT MEDIA TECH DEVELOPER
Kaylee Hynes
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 online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.
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THE SURPRISING GREEK LIFE ON THE PARK BLOCKS
PSU’S FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES NAVIGATE BEING ‘GREEK” AT A COMMUTER SCHOOL
NOAH CARANDANIS
Portland State University (PSU) is known for its diverse student population, commuter campus character and accessible education. PSU is seen as a distinct university within the larger landscape of higher education in Oregon— particularly due to its location in the heart of downtown. Yet one surprising overlap it has with the other large state universities in Oregon is that a Greek life community can be found here on the Park Blocks.
While not having the same footprint on campus as those at University of Oregon or Oregon State University, PSU has a handful of fraternities and sororities on campus that provide a social outlet for students from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Being situated in downtown Portland on a commuter campus presents unique challenges and opportunities to Greek organizations. PSU Vanguard spoke with the Theta Epsilon chapter of the fraternity Kappa Sigma along with the Delta Omicron chapter of the sorority Alpha Chi Omega.
Jo Do is the president of PSU’s Alpha Chi Omega chapter which debuted at PSU in 1961. She leads 22 sorority members—a massive jump from the total of six members just a few years ago.
“Because we’re a lot smaller it’s less intimidating and I feel like it’s easier to find community in that sense just because you know everybody,” Do said. “Whereas schools where Greek life is bigger or more popular you don’t know exactly who is living in your house in that instance … I know every person in this group in some capacity and it makes for more intimate relationships.”
This intimate community helped Do break out of her shell
and realize her potential as a leader. She did not initially set out to be a sorority member and came into contact with Alpha Chi Omega by going to an on campus event with a friend. The stereotypes of a sorority girl have not come to fruition in Do’s experience.
“I would say [it’s] not what you would expect… it’s pretty chill, easygoing and definitely a place where people can just be themselves and [celebrate] everyone’s uniqueness,” Do said. “In my head, the idea of a sorority girl was not what I was seeing… These girls looked like myself and the people that I grew up with and I was friends with.”
Each organization has their own philanthropic emphasis that they center events around. For Alpha Chi Omega they focus on domestic violence awareness through fundraising money for Rose Haven (a day shelter and community center) or events that teach people about healthy relationships, according to Do.
The PSU chapter of Kappa Sigma has also been on the Park Blocks since the 60s, coming to PSU in 1964 according to Uri Avila, the Vice President of PSU’s chapter.
“I didn’t even think about going to college at all, that was never my priority,” Avila said. “Until my day one friends were all going and I [decided] I’ll give it a try. I decided to move on campus [and] one of my roommates told me ‘hey do you want to go to an event? Want to check out these fraternities?’… I really actually mess with these guys… and they invited me to join the fraternity.”
The fraternity provided a community that helped Avila persevere through school and make connections during his
time at PSU. Currently there are 20 members in their Kappa Sigma chapter.
Previously having owned a fraternity house on Harrison street (which was sold by the organization), the fraternity has a “live out” on Sherman street a block away from the campus.
“We’re really big on just community. This is a commuter school, guys don’t come here to [party],” said Antonio Veaudry, the PSU Kappa Sigma Chapter President. “We are trying to make it a community that will have your back. We try to invest our time and resources into programs that we believe they give back to the campus of our specific university.”
Currently the fraternity’s philanthropic partnership is with the Cupcake Girls, an organization dedicated to providing support to sex workers and providing resources to victims of sex trafficking.
Although the Animal House image of fraternities brings up a host of stereotypes, Veaudry emphasized that Kappa Sigma at PSU is not living up to Greek life’s worst tropes.
“We know about all the negative connotations that come with being a fraternity,” Veaudry said. “We’re here to combat that and we’re here to prove to the world that we’re not like that.”
With PSU’s commuter school culture at times providing a chilling effect on socialization on campus, Greek organizations can provide a sense of community for students during their time downtown.
“Our goal is to have the best college experience possible, get the best education possible and really just create a brotherhood that will last a lifetime,” Veaudry said.
COURTESY OF ANTONIO VEAUDRY
Members of Kappa Sigma faternity pose for a picture.
SEEING TRIPLES
A PHENOMENON TO WATCH AS WINTER APPROACHES
ANISH ARUMUGAM & VAISHNAVI SRINATH
One morning while out for a jog, I noticed something strange in the sky—two radiant patches of light hovering beside the rising sun, shimmering like a second pair of suns on either side. I rubbed my eyes, thinking they might be playing tricks on me, but the lights didn’t waver.
That was when I realized: this wasn’t an illusion—it was an atmospheric phenomenon called a sundog. These luminous spots are no supernatural occurrence but rather a stunning atmospheric phenomenon.
Seen mostly at sunrise or sunset, sundogs are like nature’s own light show, created through the interaction of sunlight with ice crystals high up in the atmosphere. Their appearance has captured human imagination for centuries, serving as symbols in art, myth and even weather prediction.
A sundog (or “parhelion,” Greek for “beside the sun”) is a patch of sunlight that appears on either side of the sun, typically at a 22-degree angle. Often, they appear in pairs, forming rainbow-like spots that hug the sun’s sides when it’s low on the horizon.
Dr. Andrew Rice, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics at PSU, explained the essentials of this phenomenon.
“Sundogs are a sub-occurrence of halos, forming from the refraction of light through small ice crystals high in the atmosphere,” he said. “They typically appear on the 22-degree arc, at horizontal positions, and are best seen when the sun is near the horizon.”
Sundogs aren’t just an occasional, localized wonder, either. “These conditions are quite common throughout the world,” Dr. Rice said.
The reason we don’t see sundogs every day, he explained, is that they require specific conditions in the atmosphere that are more common in winter.
Though they resemble rainbows, sundogs are a different kind of optical phenomenon. Dr. Christopher Butenhoff, a PSU physics professor, explained that while rainbows are formed from sunlight interacting with raindrops, sun-
dogs come from sunlight refracting through ice crystals.
“The main difference is that rainbows result from the reflection and refraction of sunlight in raindrops—liquid water—while sundogs and halos are produced by refraction through ice crystals,” he said.
When light passes through ice crystals, the difference in the refraction angles produces an arc-like effect. “The minimum deflection angle for light passing through these crystals is 22 degrees,” Dr. Rice noted, “which is why sundogs appear specifically at that angle from the sun.” These ice crystals act almost like tiny prisms, bending light in a way that projects these spots of colored light on either side of the sun.
It all starts with cirrus clouds—those high, wispy clouds you often see on clear days. At altitudes of 15,000 to 30,000 feet, temperatures are frigid and these clouds consist mostly of ice crystals. The shape of these crystals is crucial for forming sundogs.
“Sundogs form from plate-like hexagonal ice crystals that resemble the cross-section of a pencil,” Dr. Butenhoff explained. “Light enters the ice crystals and is doubly refracted at both the entrance and exit surfaces.”
But not all crystals produce sundogs. The ice crystals must be aligned with their flat sides parallel to the ground. In windy conditions, the crystals will tumble, leading to halos rather than distinct sundogs. On calmer days, however, the crystals can settle into a more stable orientation, allowing sundogs to appear.
When asked about the exact mechanics of sundog formation, Dr. Rice elaborated on the process. “Ice crystals, when cold and dry, align themselves horizontally as they fall, with their flat, hexagonal faces parallel to the ground. This orientation acts as prisms, refracting light into two spots at 22 degrees on either side of the sun.”
While the right type of cloud is essential for sundogs, the time of day also plays a significant role. Sundogs are brightest and most easily seen when the sun is near the horizon. “The sun tends to be low on the horizon to see sundogs, as the
viewer, ice particles and sun are all aligned in the same plane,” Dr. Rice explained.
When the sun is higher in the sky, the angle of sunlight doesn’t interact with ice crystals in the same way, making sundogs less likely to form.
Dr. Butenhoff added, “Sundogs are typically brightest when the sun is near the horizon, due to the relative orientation between sunlight and ice crystals.” The specific alignment of sunlight with the crystals is more likely to occur when the sun is lower, as at dawn or dusk, enhancing the refraction needed to create sundogs.
Sundogs can appear almost anywhere given the right conditions, but they’re most common in regions that frequently have high cirrus clouds and cold weather. This is why sundogs are often associated with winter months and are more frequently seen at mid-to-high latitudes, like northern Europe, Canada and parts of the northern US.
“Colder climates tend to favor halos and sundogs,” Dr. Rice noted. “I’ve seen some spectacular photos from Nordic countries and Alaska, but they are seen all over.”
Dr. Butenhoff mentioned that mid-to-high latitudes during winter provide ideal conditions for sundogs, as these regions experience colder and more moist atmospheres, which produce more ice-crystal clouds. However, because the ice crystals need calm conditions to align in stable orientations, very windy areas might see fewer sundogs.
With climate change on many minds, it’s natural to wonder whether warming temperatures might reduce sundog appearances or shift where they are seen.
While Dr. Rice explained that climate change doesn’t directly impact the conditions that produce sundogs, Dr. Butenhoff noted that shifts in temperature and moisture levels could potentially affect where and how often we see them. “Climate may dry and warm the atmosphere in some locations, but it may also moisten it in others,” he said. “The warming atmosphere may cause sundogs to migrate to higher latitudes.”
Geologist Sheila Alfsen, an adjunct professor
at PSU, shared a similar view. “Climate changes will affect sundogs because of changing atmospheric conditions,” she said, though it’s challenging to predict exactly how.
She noted, “Our sun doesn’t send heat to Earth; it sends visible light and some ultraviolet light, which is converted to infrared when it hits the Earth’s surface and is then trapped by greenhouse gasses.”
Sundogs have been a source of fascination for centuries. In ancient Greek culture, they were thought to be omens and indicators of coming storms.
“I have read that the ancient Greeks used them as a forecasting tool, with the term ‘parhelion’ coming from the Greek word,” Dr. Rice noted. Sundogs’ appearance as additional “suns” in the sky has also led them to be seen as supernatural signs.
Although sundogs don’t seem to predict the weather in any magical way, they can be an indicator of changing weather patterns. “High cirrus clouds are sometimes an early sign of an approaching front, which can bring rain or snow,” Dr. Rice explained.
Dr. Butenhoff also noted that early cultures might have viewed sundogs as omens, “Maybe signs of either a good or bad harvest or weather to come. Imagine what you might have thought before science!”
So, the next time you’re outside on a cold day, take a look toward the sun. If you’re lucky, you might see one or even two glowing patches of light—nature’s own dazzling display. Sundogs may look otherworldly, but they’re simply a result of sunlight interacting with ice crystals in just the right way.
Keep an eye out in winter, especially at dawn or dusk, when the sun is low, and the sky is clear. Remember that seeing sundogs requires a bit of luck and just the right alignment of atmospheric conditions. When you see them, you’re witnessing something that has intrigued people for thousands of years—an ephemeral, yet timeless phenomenon that connects physics, art and mythology, all in one glance.
PARKER PATNODE/PSU VANGUARD
AI: Art + Emotion, by Chelle Parks, aims to show "how artists commmunicate their methodologies and solutions to the public at large."
AI + DESIGN
AI SPARKS INTERESTS, CHALLENGING DESIGN BOUNDARIES
SARAH APPLIN
Within the modern world, our technology evolves at an unprecedented pace. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as both a revolutionary tool and a polarizing force within the design world. As a society, it is essential to understand how these technologies impact our daily lives as more and more, they further infiltrate development of innovation and tradition.
The Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design presents the exhibit, AI + Design: Student Exhibition.
Isabel Bo-Linn, Assistant Professor of Art + Art History + Design, teaches the special-topics course, AI + Design.
“This course introduced students to the fundamental principles and techniques of AI as it pertains to the disciplines of art and design,” Bo-Linn said. “Students explored topics related to the implementation, impact, ethics and collaborative opportunities of AI and its various forms.”
Bo-Linn conceived the course upon observing student interest in AI and its future role within the field of design, creating the space for conversation and exploration around AI in design.
“Students began the course with a variety of perspectives and opinions on AI. Some were fearful, some mistrustful, some excited and some a mix of things,” Bo-Linn said. “Through our hands-on explorations of AI in use, specifically generative AI in use, students discovered the ‘magic’ behind AI was not actually very magical.”
Tom Hines, Professor of Interaction Design in the Graphic Design program at PSU describes how AI has impacted the design community.
“... [AI] has opened a lot of doors for people to be able to create things without having a budget to pay for professional creators or to have to learn skills that might take years to master,” Hines said.
Featured in the exhibit is the project, Orchid Resonance, a cowritten story created by Quinn Richards and AI.
“[Richards] outlined the story, wrote the story, and served as creative director and editor for the image production and design of her book,” Hines explained. “AI was more of a junior designer, taking direction. Another student, Patrick Tebbs made a video educating viewers about destructive climate change impacts of AI and Heather Sutherland also made a video addressing bias in AI.”
Hines emphasizes the dedication to the craft that Graphic Design students at PSU commit to.
“Our students go through four years of schooling before they get a graphic design degree…” he said. “Anyone can ask for AI to get that result just by giving a good prompt….There’s something to be said for struggling with working through a problem and understanding the problem by doing things the hard way and doing
things the way that don’t work out successfully.”
Failing can aid in the process of understanding the boundaries of both craft and skill.
“AI can be a really big crutch, potentially,” Hines said. “It can be something that people learn to rely on and get good results, but might not necessarily help you build the pathways in your mind, might not help get you the muscle memory to be able to figure out how to solve problems that it maybe can’t overcome or to develop the skills necessary to do something more advanced and complex…that maybe AI just won’t be able to work well with…” Using AI as a crutch to “excel” in the moment may hinder learning necessary skills for many processes. The intention behind the usage of AI plays a primary role in the ethics behind the usage of the technology.
Hines emphasized the indescribable intention and impact that may come from. According to Hines, there are some areas where AI could be considered appropriate as an aid for traditional, human art.
“It depends on the level and depth in which we utilize it,” he said. “If we are using it to enhance certain things or to expand an image to fill some spaces, to make it a little bit bigger or to make it so we can enlarge it without looking pixel-y, it does seem like the original intent of the creator is still going to be coming through.”
BRIANA CIERI/PSU VANGUARD
However, he is sure to mention many instances where the ethics of AI usage are questionable.
“There’s a lot of generative AI that’s being used to create things from basic prompts…” Hines said. “Did the person who created the prompt create that piece, or was this based on potentially thousands or tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of artists whose work was incorporated into this giant ball of inspiration that will never be attributed properly? So it’s hard to say where one thing ends, where one thing begins, what that spectrum looks like, where it’s appropriate and where it’s inappropriate to use.”
Professor Bo-Linn highlights concerns for the use of AI- “The unethical market of stolen art and design currently being used to train the AI systems..,” and “the ownership/authorship issue as it relates to AI art that is produced – who owns the right to those images and what is the ethical stance on commercial profit? Many moving pieces and a lot to keep our eyes on at the moment.”
As a result, within the special topics course, Bo-Linn, “...adamantly encouraged and reinforced literacy skills, critical thinking skills, and social/ethical considerations within AI. We engaged in discussions about training bias, unethical uses of AI, copyright, authorship, ownership, climate change, surveillance.... and many other related topics.”
Within the course, as students submitted images to AI, students relied on their own designs or public domain images in order to “develop clear approaches for the responsible use of AI in our design practices and in our everyday lives.” AI has the potential to be used as a tool for enhancement of work or, “visualizing conceptual ideas, speculative ideas (like designing speculative futures or futures-based worldbuilding). Simultaneously, there is tremendous potential for harm to the craft. Some of that is out of our control as this technology is still very much connected to Big Tech...” BoLinn emphasizes.
Hines says that the internet and markets have been flooded with AI content in recent years, creating challenges for traditional creators to stand out, build audiences and establish their voice.
Nevertheless, Hines describes that as the human brain is so complex and can attach meaning to so many past experiences, both personal and collective, not only as a broad society but also as a school, as a class or as a town. This process of thought, Hines argues, AI can never completely replicate.
Bo-Linn echoes this sentiment for the students in the special course. Often, AI could not adequately capture what the students envisioned. Bo-Linn says, “Students found aspects of AI to be frustrating, clumsy, often incorrect and occasionally humorous. I think working with AI allowed the students to face the emerging technology that is becoming increasingly inevitable in our design software, and develop a firmer, more critical perspective of the technology.” Students revised the work that was generated through abode, photoshop and other art foundations to fully create their desired product.
In a design landscape driven by relentless technological advancement, the use of AI can overshadow not only the foundational crafts, but also forms of the community and connectivity that has made design innovation possible. Hines says, “We might be letting certain muscles atrophy. We might be making it so that if we were to try to go about and do this in a non-AI focused way, making something might be really hard…We’re creating new kinds of relationships with AI and with each other. Without being able to work with the tools that we had in the past, I think we are eventually going to find that we are limited in other new ways.”
While the technological advancement of AI offers new possibilities, it is a source of fear and worry about the future of art and design. Hines says, “I think one of the fortunate sides to our human brains is that we have a natural prevalence to appreciate things made by other people, that there’s the humanity of things that we connect to. Even if AI could mimic that somewhat, I still think that we find value in certain things being made by hand or being made from a person that we can see a face and attach a name to.”
AI can resemble the mystique of “magic” however, Hines continues, “I do think that there’s always going to be a place for people making things in an audience for people wanting things made by people.”
AI + Design: Student Exhibition will be facilitated in the Spring of 2025 by Professor Bo-Linn through the Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design.
A tv screen featuring some of the work at the exhibit.
"Finding Home," by Grace Lnu, a cookbook that heavily features AI-generated content.
The cookbook draws from Lnu's nostalgic tastes, aiming to evoke the theme of "home through taste."
BRIANA CIERI/PSU VANGUARD
THE OTHER RED WAVE
WHY PROGRESSIVE
CANDIDATES
WON WHERE KAMALA HARRIS LOST
To many, the Election results on the fifth came as a shock. Donald Trump will be the 47th President of the United States of America. Not only did he sweep aside the democrats in every single swing state, he also won the popular vote by – at the time of writing – about three million.
This is undoubtedly a massive upset. Joe Biden, the incumbent President, won his election handily. He received 74 more electoral votes and won the popular vote. Furthermore, a Republican hasn’t won the popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004
These numbers, however, leave out what I think are key parts of the story. Donald Trump did not expand his popular vote count very far beyond what he won in 2020. It seems like instead of voters breaking for Trump, many Democrats were undermotivated and stayed home. The Harris-Walz campaign ran one of the most right wing Democratic campaigns in recent memory.
She removed support for single payer healthcare from her platform, she supported fracking, on trans issues she was unclear on her stances protecting gender affirming medical care, she stated that America should have the “most lethal fighting force in the world,” she supported a restrictionist border bill and offered a full throated defense of Israel while ignoring pleas by Palestinian and Arab-Americans. She isolated and pushed away almost every marginalized group the Democrats usually campaign on protecting, and as such they did not vote for her.
Bernie Sanders, who won his race that night by 35 points, said it best in his own scalding postmortem
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them. First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the
American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”
Donald Trump’s base did not get larger, Kamala Harris’ got smaller.
This is in contrast to many other stories that played out quietly that same election night across the country. On local city councils and state senates, progressive Democrats and self avowed democratic socialists—some running with the endorsement of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—won races, ousted incumbents and generally outperformed expectations.
Here in Portland, elections for the 12 city council seats saw 98 candidates running on a variety of platforms. Of those who won, five ran on far-left political platforms. Three of those –Mitch Green, Sameer Kanal and Koyama Lane – are currently members of the Portland DSA. According to the Portland DSA’s voter guide, Mitch Green is a mainstay of DSA organizing in the city. He has a long history of support for
workers rights issues in the city. I first met him while he was showing support for a PSU-AAUP rally recently.
Furthermore, six candidates who won were endorsed by the Northwest Labor Council, a body headed by the AFL-CIO (the largest trade union federation in the United States.)
Candidates endorsed by the Portland Police Association (PPA), on the other hand, didn’t make the cut. For example, the PPA endorsed two candidates for District 1 – Terrence Hayes and Loretta Smith. Terrence’s priorities on his website denote a very pro-business, tough on crime candidate with a focus on fear mongering specifically about violent crime rates and vandalism. He wore his endorsement from the PPA on his sleeve, putting it on the front page on his website.
He lost his campaign.
Loretta Smith did win, but she also ran a much more moderate campaign with a more robust list of policy suggestions. Instead of her policy
J.J. CHRISTENSEN
HALEY HSU/PSU VANGUARD
page being made up almost entirely of pro-police talking points, she mentions an interest to “Strengthen public safety” in between her sections on affordable housing and lowering grocery costs. She ran on bread and butter issues and also had the good sense to tuck her police endorsement away on her website.
Furthermore, progressive pushes against certain candidates in the city played a critical role in who won and who didn’t. Mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez caught the ire of progressive forces in the city who banded together in the Don’t Rank Rene campaign. Rene came into the election while under investigation by the state, after using tax dollars to hire a PR firm to clean up his image (famously editing his Wikipedia article). His political action committee, ED300, had garnered controversy for pouring money into anti-LGBT and anti-abortion parent groups.
He was polling at around 23% in October, highest of the pack, but after the push by Don’t Rank Rene and other groups, he lost the election to a much less evil Keith Wilson.
This progressive wave flowed into other local elections across the country as well. Ignoring traditionally blue states where DSA endorsed candidates made headway, such as in the Los Angeles elections, DSA members and DSA endorsed candidates wrestled control of local government seats across the nation in traditionally red areas.
Gabriel Sanchez of Georgia, both a member of and endorsed by the DSA, won a seat in the State House. He beat his Republican opponent by 26 points, and he won the race on a platform of Universal Healthcare, a 20 dollar an hour
minimum wage, lifting the state’s ban on gender affirming healthcare and affordable housing.
JP Lyninger of Louisville, Kentucky, who wrote on his campaign website that “the time for a democratic socialist Louisville is here” won his election to city council. He slid into home unopposed after winning the Democratic primary for the district. I guess no Republican felt that they could beat his winning combination of unabashed socialism and a truly beautiful mustache.
There is also Rashida Tlaib, of Michigan’s 12th congressional district. In the House of Representatives, she was the first PalestinianAmerican elected to the House in 2019 and has won her successive campaigns for re-election consistently since then. She is a member of the DSA, she has their endorsement, and uses her position in the house to push for a social justice oriented platform
And let’s not limit ourselves to only those under the DSA umbrella. Democrats in states lost by Kamala Harris on the presidential level won on the state and national level. Many of these Democrats ran on what was the standard, liberal or progressive platform. They didn’t make the same, overt pivot to the right that Kamala Harris made, even if some did stand by it and support it.
Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, a state Trump won by around 2 points, is a lesbian woman who won re-election to her seat on the Senate. She defeated her Republican challenger Eric Hovde who’s hawkish foreign policy platform and fentanyl fearmongering contrasted with Tammy who chose to focus on bread and butter issues in the Rust Belt like bolstering do-
mestic manufacturing and lowering the cost of prescription drugs
Just a skip across the Great Lakes, in Michigan, Elissa Slotkin from Michigan beat her Republican challenger. She focused on similar issues to Tammy, but also focused some attention on expanding access to healthcare; an issue that Kamala retreated from.
This story repeats itself in North Carolina who elected a Democratic Governor, in Nevada who elected another Democrat woman to the Senate and in Delaware who elected the first trans woman to the Senate: Sarah McBride.
Let’s be clear on what the lesson is here: retreating from popular progressive policies on the border, on trans issues, on protecting labor and on healthcare makes for a losing platform. By running the most conservative Democratic campaign in recent memory, Kamala Harris deflated her supporters and many of them simply decided to stay home. She reinforced the popular refrain that there is no fundamental difference between the Democrats and the Republicans.
On top of that, the left gained ground in places the Democrats didn’t look or court. Establishment Dems who didn’t follow the push to the right held their ground. Kamala Harris tore down a winning coalition of oppressed people looking to, at the very least, maintain their rights and replaced it with a coalition of B-to-C list Republicans and border town sheriffs. She lost, and those people who want their rights to be maintained looked elsewhere and found candidates they respected and who filled those gaps.
Those candidates won.
Local A&C Events
MILO LOZA
Shafty: Portland’s Tribute to Phish
The Get Down
Nov. 26, 9 p.m.
$20
Celebrating Phish’s music with live performances.
Drinksgiving Bash
Barrel Room Portland Nov. 27, 9 p.m.
$15
Pre-Thanksgiving party featuring a live DJ set from hip-hop artist STRIZZO.
Oregon Turkeython
Cook Park, Tigard
Nov. 28, 8 a.m.
$35
Thanksgiving morning 5K run and kids race.
Midnight Mic
Funhouse Lounge
Nov. 29, Midnight Free
Stand up comedy open mic, featuring local comedians until closing time.
THE BIRDS in 35mm
Hollywood Theatre
Nov. 30, 2 p.m.
$10
Screening of Hitchcock’s 1963 classic film in its original format.
Diva Drag Brunch
Swan Dive
Dec. 1, 11 a.m.
$20
Drag, burlesque, acrobatics and live singing performances.
Comedy Open Mic
Cheerful Tortoise Dec. 2, 9 p.m. Free
Comedy on campus, with sign ups at 8:30 p.m. and a feature comedian at 10 p.m.
BORN ISOPOD
ARIANNA THOMAS/PSU VANGUARD
DEVIN SINGH/PSU VANGUARD
ABIGAIL GREEN/PSU VANGUARD
VANGUARD CROSSWORD
Answers in stories
Answers for 11/18
Last week’s answers:
1) Journals, 2) Noggin, 3) Beehive, 4) Camellia, 5) Maine, 6) Hops, 7) Beer, 7 (down) Brewing 8) STEM
Across organizations like fraternities and sororities. Sorority at PSU focused on domestic violence awareness.
trans woman elected to U.S. Senate.
Socialist organization backing progressive candidates, acronym.
Atmospheric phenomenon resembling extra suns.
Down:
1. PSU Professor cautions about AI's impact on design.
2. 47th U.S. President
3. Fraternity supporting sex-trafficking survivors.
5. Project co-written by Quinn Richards and AI.
6. Greek term meaning “beside the sun.”
8. Formed from the refraction of light through small ice crystals high in the atmosphere.
10. Patrick Tebbs showcased this flaw of AI through a video.
7. Sorority at PSU focused on domestic violence awareness.
9. First trans woman elected to U.S. Senate.
11. Socialist organization backing progressive candidates, acronym.
12. Atmospheric phenomenon resembling extra suns.
MILO LOZA
Community & Wellness Resources UPDATED WEEKLY
By Milo Loza
Happening Soon
Crafting for the Holidays w/ MBSA & JSU
SMSU 296/298
Nov. 25, 4 p.m.
Free for Students
Holiday crafts for Hanukkah and Christmas with hot chocolate and sweet treats.
Jazz Combo Nights
Lincoln Recital Hall
Nov. 25, 7 p.m.
Jazz and contemporary music performed and composed by PSU students and faculty.
Live at Lunch
SMSU Parkway North
Nov. 26, 12 p.m.
Free for Students
Live music performances at lunchtime on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Game Night Friendsgiving
Native American Student Community Center
Nov. 26, 4 p.m.
Free for Students
Games and gift exchanges, along with a potluck,to connect and relax together.
The Gift of the Magi
Lincoln Hall Studio Theater
Nov. 30, 7 p.m.
Free for Students
Enjoy a heartwarming chamber opera based on O. Henry’s timeless holiday story.
The Taste of Things
5th Avenue Cinema
Dec. 1, 3 p.m.
Free for Students
A chef cooks for his lover to win her heart.
Resources
PSU Basic Needs Hub
SMSU Suite 435
Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Free for students
Helps students access resources such as funds, food, housing, employment, childcare and health support.
PSU Food Pantry
SMSU Basement
Tues 10:30–4:30 p.m., Wed 9–1:30 p.m., Thur 12–5:30 p.m. and Fri 10:30–5:30 p.m. Free for students
Access to free groceries in a welcoming, equitable, trauma-informed way. Must be enrolled in at least one credit for summer or fall.
SMART Recovery Meetings
University Center Building 340 E Times vary Free
In peer recovery, students with shared experiences connect to reduce stigma and build a campus recovery community.
SHAC Weekly Online Parent Support Group
Online
Thursdays 11 a.m. Free
Come together as parents in a relaxed setting to support each other, share ideas, collaborate and commiserate.
Women’s Resource Center
Online
Mon–Fri, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free
Confidential advocacy services to students who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, violence and stalking.
Oregon Energy Fund
Varying Locations
Mon–Fri, hours vary Free
Provides energy bill assistance to low-income Oregonians to support household stability.
Wellness
SHAC Mind Spa
UCB Suite 310
Mon–Fri (by appointment)
Free for students
Solo space to experience biofeedback, light therapy, meditation, massages, relaxation and more. Must be enrolled in at least five credits for summer or fall.
Opioid Overdose Reversal Training
SHAC, Suite 340E
Mon 10–12 p.m. & Fri 2–3 p.m.
Free for students
Pick up free opioid overdose reversal medication and get a 10-minute training on how to use it.
Mindful Meanderings
Listen on Spotify
Available 24/7
Free
PSU-produced podcast about being mindful while outside, practicing gratitude, finding joy and being in the moment.
Wellness & Health Action Team
Follow on Instagram
Available 24/7
Free
WHAT is a group of peers who educate on health topics specific to PSU students.
Outdoor Workshop Wednesdays
Watch on YouTube
Available 24/7
Free
PSU Campus Recreation Center staff videos about topics ranging from Leave No Trace and plant identification to hiking spots and land acknowledgments.
BORP Online Fitness Studio
Watch on Zoom
Mon–Sat, hours vary
Free
Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program’s (BORP) virtual exercise classes for people with physical disabilities.