FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 59
Event of the day Join the PSU Friends of History for a screening of World War II film Go For Broke. The film will be followed by a documentary and is free to attend. When: 7 p.m. Where: Cramer Hall, room 494
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INSIDE OPINION
SHAC and SHAB work to save students money and provide better coverage Stacy Austin Vanguard staff
This concludes our broadcast day PSU-TV deserves a chance to flourish PAGE 4
ARTS
Portland State’s voluntary student health insurance program is in a death spiral. At a Student Senate meeting held on Tuesday, several options were discussed, including pooling students from several Oregon universities and better educating students on the plans available. A presentation to the Senate on student health was led by Mary Beth Collins, executive director of the Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), Nick Walden Poublon, chair of the Student Health
Student health insurance is sick Advisory Board (SHAB), and Jessica Cole, assistant director of SHAC. PSU health insurance, currently underwritten by Aetna Life Insurance Company, provides two different plans: basic and supplemental. Walden Poublon explained that the basic plan is a “bare health insurance” and not for “catastrophic” injuries. The supplemental plan, which was previously called the extended plan, is preferred for “outside doctors and emergency room visits.” Walden Poublon explained that the supplemental plan offers
benefits students may have similarly experienced from their parents’ or employers’ health care plan. SHAB explained that since students who utilize the supplemental plan often need and seek expense health care, the insurance providers lose money each year, causing rates to increase or coverage in the plan to decrease, in order to stay affordable. Over time, it appears that fewer students enroll in the supplemental plan as prices increase, decreasing the pool of money available to students, which is why insurance providers lose money and are forced
to increase rates. This is the “death spiral,” Walden Poublon said. The challenge is to make the supplemental plan more affordable and attractive to students, so more will purchase it, thus creating a larger pool of money available for everyone’s health care. The board hires independent insurance consultants to get quotes from various insurance companies, and then negotiates the contract of each year’s health care plan. Walden Poublon explained that Aetna
SHAB continued on page nine
A look at terror outside and within New memoir by Nick Flynn is well written and jolting PAGE 5 Marinara as good as mamma’s The gift of pasta sauce that keeps on giving PAGE 6
Insurance assurance: ASPSU Senate listened to representatives from SHAB and SHAC about
All photos by Marni Cohen/Portland State Vanguard
the challenges facing student health insurance and possible fixes at Tuesday’s meeting. What would Whitman do? Oh Captain, My Captain sails the seas of serenity PAGE 7
NEWS Campus Connections News for students, by students PAGE 8
SPORTS
Some headway and some hurdles A progress report of three ASPSU Senate campaigns Tamara K. Kennedy Vanguard staff
ASL campaign
Mixed feelings Starting with this weekend’s road trip the Viks will be playing without Nelson PAGE 10
P.V. Jantz has worked since the 2008–09 school year as a student senator. The campaign he chose to work on was concerned with moving American Sign Language from the Hearing and Speech Department to the Foreign Language Department. He has succeeded in the first step of the plan. “On Dec. 17, 2009, Dean Marvin Kaiser [of the School of Liberal Arts] told me he made a decision to move ASL to the foreign language department and was working on a business model that will be implemented fall term 2010,” Jantz said. He said he wants to make it clear that this was not accomplished alone and that support has been overwhelming from both deaf and
hearing students and from people in the community. He initially failed while using traditional means to switch ASL to the Foreign Language Department, so he changed tactics to nontraditional means—Jantz held an ASL Comedy Night with ASPSU and other sponsors. About one week after holding the ASL Comedy Night event, where attendees were asked to submit e-mails to Kaiser, Jantz received a message from the dean. Kaiser noted his surprise at the number of e-mails he received, and then set up a meeting with Jantz. According to Jantz, Kaiser wanted to clarify that ASL’s departmental location at PSU was not a personal issue but a policy issue. “It was a policy issue but became a personal issue after being ignored,” Jantz said. After this contact, Jantz met with Kaiser on a monthly basis to discuss the issue. Kaiser put in a lot of personal work reading papers and speaking with the experts Jantz brought to him, including Steve Nail,
SENATE continued on page nine
Liana Shewey/Portland State Vanguard
ASPSU: Senator P.V. Jantz (top left), Senator Pakou Xiong (top right), Admin. Dir. Eddie
Hallman (bottom left), Senator pro tempore Daniel Lyons (bottom right).
Vanguard 2 | Opinion January 29, 2010
Sarah J. Christensen Editor-in-Chief Virginia Vickery News Editor Theodora Karatzas Arts & Culture Editor Richard D. Oxley Opinion Editor Robert Britt Sports Editor Shannon Vincent Production Manager Marni Cohen Photo Editor Zach Chastaine Online Editor Robert Seitzinger Copy Chief Robert Seitzinger Calendar Editor Jae Specht Advertising Manager William Prior Marketing Manager Judson Randall Adviser Ann Roman Advertising Adviser Illustrator Kira Meyrick Associate News Editor Amy Staples Production Assistants Bryan Morgan, Charles Cooper Williams Writers Stacy Austin, Will Blackford, Bianca Blankenship, Tyler Carter, Corrie Charnley, Meaghan Daniels, Sarah Esterman, Amy Fylan, Natalia Grozina, Patrick Guild, Rosemary Hanson, Steve Haske, Nadya Ighani, Carrie Johnston, Tamara K. Kennedy, Anita Kinney, Gogul Krishnan, J. Logue, James MacKenzie, Daniel Ostlund, Sharon Rhodes, Wendy Shortman, Catrice Stanley, Amy Staples, Nilesh Tendolkar, Robin Tinker, Vinh Tran, Katherine Vetrano, Allison Whited, Roger Whightman Photographers Aaron Leopold, Liana Shewey, Adam Wickham Copy Editors Noah Emmet, Amanda Gordon Advertising Sales Ana SanRoman, Wesley Van Der Veen Advertising Designer Shannon Vincent
Contact Editor-in-Chief 503-725-5691 editor@dailyvanguard.com Advertising Manager 503-725-5686 ads@dailyvanguard.com The Vanguard is chartered to publish four days a week as an independent student newspaper by the PSU Publications Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers, and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. One copy of the Vanguard is provided free of charge to all community members, additional copies or subcription issues may incur a 25 cent charge. The Vanguard is printed on 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper. Copyright © 2010 Portland State University Vanguard 1825 SW Broadway, Smith Memorial Student Union, Rm. S-26, Portland, Ore., 97201
OPINION Editorial
Letters
Dude, where’s my Senate? The Senate is the largest body within student government, ostensibly representative of the entire student population. Senators should regularly conduct campaigns on behalf of their constituencies, effectively communicate with students and network to achieve campaign goals. However, the 2009–10 Senate has, thus far, lacked cohesion and experienced far too much turnover to see its projects through. The ASPSU Web site only contains a seldom-updated list of senators, which includes pictures and biographical information, but no e-mail addresses or phone numbers, making them virtually unknown and unreachable. Senate leadership arbitrarily assigned constituencies at the beginning of the year, unrelated to the individual representative’s majors, interests or academic clusters. Every year, up to 22 students may be elected to the Senate, and the ASPSU president later appoints three. Those senators campaign on platforms for change related to their individual communities within the university. It’s impractical to think that at a school with over 27,000 students, many of whom are non-traditional, only 25 individuals can represent the interest of every community. To assign a liberal arts student the tasks of finding and then regularly checking in with engineering and computer science majors is counterproductive. The collective experiences and backgrounds of senators should not be ignored but instead be tapped to build coalitions and connect students to resources. Under this constituencybased model of leadership,
very little communication takes place between students and their representatives. This lack of accessibility also serves to perpetuate frustration and apathy felt by students who may want to enact change at PSU. Last year was the first in which senators were paid for their work and the only when a campaign-based model of conducting Senate business was followed. During that year, the Senate identified the key issues of concern to most students on campus and then formed committees to tackle those issues. The Senate is keenly aware of its current dysfunction. For several weeks, a block of time has been set aside at the bottom of the agenda to discuss the function and operation of the Senate and the ways in which its members want things to change. To their detriment, time for discussion continues to come up short because Senate meetings regularly start 20 to 30 minutes late due to a lack of quorum. Five people resigned from the Senate over winter break, leaving only 17 members, and 13 are needed to legally hold a meeting. Every week stand-in members, known as proxies, are called in so that the body can make quorum. However, those proxies can’t vote and have very little bearing on official discussions. As students, we pay for the senators’ monthly stipends and at the very least deserve to have the members of that body stay committed, show up to work on time and provide us with contact information. Only then can they go about the business of effectively representing the needs of students and enacting change on their behalf.
Sarah J. Christensen, Editor-in-Chief | Virginia Vickery, News Editor Theodora Karatzas, Arts & Culture Editor | Richard D. Oxley, Opinion Editor Robert Britt, Sports Editor | Marni Cohen, Photo Editor Shannon Vincent, Production Manager | Zach Chastaine, Online Editor Robert Seitzinger, Copy Chief
Supremely disappointed
The ASPSU stance
The unjust and inept ruling by the Republican-controlled United States Supreme Court concerning the limits on corporate political spending a ruling that overturned the laws that bars corporations from using their money to sway federal elections and ruled companies have a free-speech right to spend as much as they want to persuade voters to elect or defeat candidates for congress and the White House is lunacy. First, a corporation is not a living soul and cannot feel touch, smell, see, hear or taste. Voting in the United States is based on oneperson one vote. The individuals that work for a corporation may have numerous political affiliations and preferences not necessary the same as the CEO or the Corporate Board who have sole authority to spend the corporate money as they see fit. The voters lose out by this unwise and in my opinion asinine so-called “protected speech” for the corporations. This current Republican United States Supreme Court by this ruling is setting a bizarre ruling and a radical vision of the 1st Amendment. In giving corporations this unjust and fallacy role in the electoral process by treating corporate political spending as protected speech makes a mockery of the American way of life and further shows just how much the current Court and the Republican Party with the help and support of their comrades have eroded and subverted the constitution and have placed our Representative government and the American way of life into the hands of the corporate fascist elite and powerful. The American people in my opinion seem to be oblivious to the fact that these Republicans are hell bent on destroying and captivating the American people as pawns for their own greedy selfish pleasures and desires by taking the American way of life into the age old axiom of corporatism, fascism and despotism. —William Alford Perry
Dear Editor, Thank you for highlighting the voter education forum concerning ballot Measures 66 and 67. With the Jan. 26 election coming up, ASPSU is rallying to inform students about the effects of a yes vote and a no vote to the measures. We are doing this through passing out informational voter guides as well as going from classroom to classroom, providing ballot measure presentations. The main point of our campaign is to get students involved in the voting process because the outcome of this special election will affect the affordability of their education. This vote will determine the decision to keep millions of already allocated funds. On another note, in the Vanguard issued on Jan. 14, it mentioned the actions of the Senate and the creation of a task force used to investigate the release of the Frohnmayer report. ASPSU has recently taken a stance on the Frohnmeyer report and its restructuring. At this time, ASPSU disagrees with the findings of the Frohnmeyer Report and sees no benefits for the students. If PSU became a public corporation, the university’s funding will become student-based with no guarantee on limiting tuition increases. Students will become consumers of an educational product rather than individuals pursuing unique career goals to serve society. In the end, the main goal of ASPSU is to assure that the wellbeing of the students is the top priority in this restructuring project. —Kay Montalbo
VikingVoice
What are your thoughts on President Obama’s State of the Union speech? Ewan Kummeo Master’s student, mathematics
What do ya think?
“It’s sort of like an advertisement. The man’s a great speaker. I am extremely skeptical of a lot of directions the country is going in…he was trying to get us all to feel OK about what’s happening…it was very much like the campaign trail, he can speak in great generalities, but you try to unpack them, there is not a lot there.”
Matt Simmons Master’s student, sustainability education
State of the Union
“Obama said all of the right things, but I no longer have any belief in his ability to follow through. After the last year of watching the Democrats utterly fail to do anything, him included…a lot of pretty words but until such time that something comes of it, I’m pretty skeptical and pretty disillusioned in general with the Democratic Party.”
President Obama addressed Congress and the nation Wednesday night explaining where America stood in our modern climate, and where he wanted to take the nation. One year into his presidency, the president has received mixed reviews from his involvement with the bank bailout to the ongoing health care reform. Many were eager to hear his response to his job performance as well as to listen to what the administration has planned for the future of the country. Everything from taxes, the military and the economy was discussed, garnering as much applause as it did silent stares. A joke or two was even cracked from time to time. What do you think? What is your impression after listening to, or reading, the state of the union? Is Obama doing well or should he step up his game? How did the state of the union affect your view of our president and our country? Write a letter to the editor and tell us what you think. E-mail opinion@dailyvanguard.com and make your voice heard!
Daniell Purkey Junior, political science “I thought a lot of stuff that Obama was saying was pork, fluff. Saying nobody liked the bank bail out, but he didn’t want to do what was popular, he wanted to do what was necessary. And I thought, it’s not popular because maybe it’s not necessary. And of course he’s not going to address that and he didn’t. I think there are a lot of people telling him what to do and he’s trying to do it and not upset the public, and I am curious to see what happens in the next few months.”
Alex Kern Junior, natural sciences “Honestly, it was a lot more articulate than the Bush ones were…I liked what he had to say, it was a really good commercial, but I really will wait for the action to see if they follow through. Nothing really surprised me. I’m very excited about the gays in the military thing, because that is something that I think should have been addressed since 1982. I think that was the only extremely brave thing.”
Something bugging you? Poor management is a pest Meaghan Daniels Vanguard staff
Being a college student is not easy—between balancing a social life with academics, professors who think you are taking only their class and dealing with friends and family, college is tough. So one would think that returning home would be a nice break from the stress. And it can be, if you do not live in Park Plaza. Student residents in Park Plaza have more to worry about than the average college student. They are concerned about relentless pests that have been plaguing their homes for months. And the term pests do not just apply to bedbugs. The management is causing more problems than solutions. In this particular case, the management acted poorly, and its residents suffered. Many Portland State students are upset about a recurring bedbug infestation in Park Plaza. And they have every right to be angry. In August, tenants were notified of a pest inspection. After the supposed inspection had taken
place in early September, many occupants noticed bitemarks on themselves. It appears that Park Plaza experienced a common problem when ridding pests such as bedbugs: fumigation. Fumigation does not get rid of bedbugs as many people might think. It simply makes them spread out into other units and parts of the building. In the case of Park Plaza, the owners only fumigated individual apartments based on complaints of bedbugs. The only way to completely be rid of the bedbugs would be to fumigate the entirety of the building. However, bedbugs seem to be the least of these student residents’ worries. The bedbugs keep coming back and it appears to be due to poor management within Park Plaza. “From the time that I was living there it ruined my life. I had insomnia, nightmares, disrupted studies. I dropped a class and still don’t have my wardrobe back, it’s sitting at Park Plaza in plastic bags,” said Melissa Ward, student and former Park Plaza resident. Another PSU student was interviewed and the first thing that came out of Kris Thomason’s mouth was,
“First off, I’m very happy to report that I moved over the weekend. I hope to never get within a 50-foot radius of Park Plaza ever again!” The costs of damages have been detrimental. Thomason had to spend approximately $1,000 in moving and treating her stuff to escape the dreaded bugs. Although management paid for the two treatments Thomason received during her residency, she still spent money kenneling her cat, renting a car and doing all the laundry in preparation for the treatment. After the ineffectiveness of the treatment, Thomason told management she could not afford for the unit to be treated a third time, hoping that management would somehow help her out with the extra costs. Clearly, it was not her fault the treatment was ineffective after two tries. What she received instead of reimbursement were the cruel words of the management, telling her that instead of removing her cat from the unit during treatment, she could leave her cat in a carrier in the living room while they sprayed the bedroom.
If suggesting to a tenant that leaving their cat in a 410-squarefoot apartment while it was being sprayed does not show the total lack of respect and human decency management has toward residents, I am not sure what does. Ward and Thomason escaped Park Plaza, but many tenants still remain and there are future residents who need to be aware of the problem. As in any business, if customers are exposed to harm and damage that the business was aware of, that is unethical. So what can management at Park Plaza do? Before anyone moves in or signs a lease, management needs to let them know of the risks and harm the infestation of bed bugs has caused. Ultimately it appears that management took the cheap route by simply fumigating single units when they should have been working on the entire building. They need to put in some effort and research the best ways to get rid of these pests before they put more college students in debt and cause more harm. Park Plaza should learn from this incident—if not, they may find their units empty.
Vanguard Opinion | 3 January 29, 2010
Opinion Editor: Richard D. Oxley 503-725-5692 opinion@dailyvanguard.com
On this day in history 1845 The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe is first published. 1861 Becoming the 34th state in the union. Carry on my wayward son! 1921 Washington and Oregon are bombarded by a hurricane. Yeah, that actually happened. 1933 President of Germany, von Hindenburg appoints Hitler as chancellor. Whoops. 1952 Tommy Ramone of the Ramones is born. 1964 Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove hits movie screens across America. 1970 Actress heather Graham is born. 1980 Jason James Richter, that kid from Free Willy is born in Medford, Ore. 1989 First female bishop is appointed to the Episcopal church. —todayinhistory.com
Vanguard 4 |4Opinion | News February January Month Day, 23, 13, 29, 2009 2010
Conspiracy theory of the week
This concludes our broadcast day PSU-TV deserves a chance to flourish Will Blackford Vanguard staff
The Moon Landing In 1969, American astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong bravely put down their lander module on the moon. Armstrong then became the first human to set foot on the moon’s surface and gave us the famous quote, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But the historic moon landing has been since disputed by a small group of skeptics. Some believe that the hoax was staged as a means to stick it to communist Russia, while others believe it was meant to distract the American public from the controversial Vietnam War. Many claim inconsistencies, such as there being no stars in any of the pictures or crosshairs of photographs appearing to be behind objects.
Portland State’s PSU-TV has recently been denied access to their primary form of exposure— the televisions in Smith Memorial Student Union and Neuberger Hall. The university should be working to ensure that PSU-TV, which provides media experience to students, has the chance to operate effectively. PSU-TV has been bringing us news stories and video clips about Portland State happenings and other relevant news since December 2008. In the same vein as news publications such as the Vanguard, PSU-TV is an essential component in providing film and communications majors with realworld experience. Despite their role, the station does not seem to be getting the exposure or recognition they deserve as a PSU institution. PSU-TV was denied posting content on the TVs scattered around SMSU and its cafeteria, their main platform. The Office of Information Technology (OIT), the department in charge of the televisions, cited server problems as the reason for the denial. PSU-TV’s program manager John Miller said that he noticed significant frame rate problems with the TVs that affected the quality of their broadcasts in the weeks leading up to the denial. Basically, the video formats
There are also accusations that even though the astronauts were able to make footprints on the ground, no blast crater was ever created by the lunar module. And most famously, the American flag planted into the ground of the moon appears to flap in the breeze. But as we all know, there is not wind on the moon, since there is no atmosphere. Many books have been printed on the conspiracy, and critics have spoken widely on the subject, including former NASA astronauts. Could one of the greatest momments in history have been the greatest hoax in history?
Letters to the editor are gladly accepted and should be no longer than 300 words in length. Submissions may be edited for brevity and vulgarity. E-mail letters to opinion@ dailyvanguard.com.
between OIT and PSU-TV aren’t very compatible. The issues are certainly accidental, yet may be indicative of the administration’s attitude towards the under-appreciated and under-exposed station. We at the Vanguard enjoy the exposure we get from the many newspaper bins scattered all around the campus. PSU-TV has lost their most valuable source of exposure and they’re still growing and seeking recognition on campus. Assignment editor Suzanne Watson called SMSU an invaluable resource for exposure and grabbing people’s attention. That resource has now been indefinitely denied to the station with no specific timeline on
when a fix, if any, is going to happen. PSU-TV has been exploring the possibility of buying up some of the TVs themselves, doing away with the servers altogether or using DVD players, but budget is an issue. Lack of exposure isn’t the only issue created by OIT’s server problems. PSU-TV has recently tried to join the PSU Publications Board, which almost every other PSU media outlet is a part of. This would provide the station with more support and opportunities for collaboration and recognition as an official and worthy Portland State institution. They were denied entry. Senior reporter Lucila Epple believes the recent problems with the OIT servers and SMSU TVs may
have played a part in said denial. I, for one, am inclined to agree, and the implications are cause for concern. PSU-TV is expected to develop recognition through experience and exposure, yet the tools for gaining any have been denied to them. So to get on the board they need exposure, but to get exposure they need to have the resources of the board? This is not the recipe for creating a successful student organization, an organization that is valuable to many students at PSU. Student media groups have been an important part of the college experience for decades and are deserving of attention and a fair shot at success. Miller said in an interview that PSU-TV “deserves the opportunity for exposure, support and growth.” Part of getting those things involves access to workable and reliable equipment, as well as reasonable endorsement from the university and its organizations. With the manner in which Oregon’s universities are set up, certain universities offer different programs than others—this is why PSU has no journalism program. And while interests in various areas of study may be high, students don’t have access to them. What we do have are student groups. Groups such as KPSU offer radiobroadcast experience, and the Spectator offers magazine experience. PSU-TV deserves the chance to prosper as other student media groups have. And the PSU community should offer them as much support as they need.
Illustration by Kira Meyrick
The
NA T I ONA L with Richard D. Oxley Supreme legistation Many of you may not have noticed it. After all, it happened so fast in the midst of last week’s Massachusetts election, the ongoing health care debate and NBC’s Tonight Show mega-blunder. But last week, a mortal wound was delivered to our political system, a wound that threatens our democracy, and could possibly destroy it. The United States Supreme Court ruled that corporations have the ability to contribute to political campaigns through unlimited advertising. In other words, a corporation can directly spend all the money it wants on ads for political candidates, or even on ads opposing candidates. They cannot, however, contribute this money directly to a campaign. There are mountains of issues the ruling concerns, one being that this may be legislating from the bench— because it is. The law was passed not by our elected officials, but by an unelected branch of government not meant to create law. As it now stands, corporations and unions have the legal ability to enter our political and democratic process, purchasing a level of influence never before seen, and taking our democracy a long way
from a country “by the people, for the people.” This particular verdict came in response to a case brought by Citizens United, a group who filmed an anti-Hillary Clinton film, but was prevented from releasing it during her run for the democratic presidential nomination. Citizens United took the Federal Elections Commission to court over the issue. Instead of ruling on this particular case, the Supreme Court went beyond the usual function of their branch and turned legal perception of corporations and unions on its head. “We are going to see now a inundation of special interest money into political campaigns,” said Sen. John McCain on Face the Nation Sunday. “I think this diminishes the influence of average citizens” With this development, parts of McCain’s Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 that he crafted along with Sen. Russell Feingold have been voided, such as provisions limiting the influence of money in politics. “I think that there is going to be, over time, a backlash,” McCain said. “...When you see the amounts of union and corporate money that is going to go into political campaigns.” Some views of the decision
have been positive, such as those presented by David Primo, associate professor of political science at the University of Rochester. “There are real First Amendment concerns here,” Primo said in an online video. “It seems unreasonable for the congress to tell people how and when they can petition their government.” But this really isn’t about freedom of speech. This verdict doesn’t affect the American peoples’ right to free speech. It does highlight a longstanding debate about what corporations really are. For some time now they have been viewed as legal persons, no different from you and I. Primo’s statements seem to support the idea that corporations are no different than people, and therefore deserve constitutional rights meant for American citizens. However, corporations have evolved into an entity far different and more powerful than us mere mortals. They can amass monetary might in ways most humans could never do in their lifetimes. Though corporations may end, they also have the ability to exist beyond human generations. And they can assemble entire departments dedicated to influence or lobby our political system. Now, that power is even greater.
Giving power over our government to entities that aren’t U.S. citizens or even human defeats the goal our American experiment attempts to achieve—a free country. Paul A. Burkett, New Hampshire attorney, is one such person who sees the concern posed. Dealing with tax law, Burkett is familiar with the realm of business and this decision’s implications. “If we are concerned about the involvement of foreign individuals in U.S. elections…then those same concerns should apply to foreign corporations. But that’s what the court has taken off the table,” Burkett said. “It is difficult to define what nationality that corporation has... Does it matter if a U.K. company owned by a U.S. citizen, or a U.S. corporation owned by a U.K. citizen?” Where do we draw the line? Can a U.S. subsidiary of a foreign company spend massive amounts of money meant to influence an election? In the end, our democracy is at stake and there is a growing plague of money mixing with politics. If corporations can cherry pick political candidates to spend money on, those candidates may unfairly be swayed in favor of those corporations, moving their presence further away from their constituents.
ARTS & CULTURE
A look at terror outside and within New memoir by Nick Flynn is well written and jolting Wendy Shortman Vanguard staff
The Ticking is the Bomb by Nick Flynn is a bone-chilling memoir that takes an honest look at post-9/11 America, the pressure of becoming a father after a troubled childhood and the hardships of being able to love and be loved by someone else. Flynn talks extensively about the issue of torture in his own memoir, comparing it to other aspects of his own life. The author was appalled—like the rest of the world—by the pictures that surfaced from Abu Grayb prison in Iraq, photos of American guards and soldiers torturing and mocking Iraqi prisoners. After going to Istanbul and being present as some of these Iraqi soldiers are interviewed, Flynn hears the other side of what went on at the prison—the side that most Americans didn’t hear. But Flynn has his own terror within, stemming from a childhood that has caused repercussions in his adult life. Flynn’s mother, who eventually commits suicide, provides him with a love that was always just past his grasp. Dealing with her own struggles of being a single mother, providing for her family by working day and night shifts, and looking for love in the wrong places, Flynn’s mother tried to hold on. Flynn’s prose
suggests little resentment but a sincere sadness, as if a part of him is missing to this day. Then there’s Flynn’s father, who comes and goes but mostly goes. Working with homeless shelters, Flynn sometimes sees his father, an alcoholic and often a homeless, lost man. When Flynn does see his estranged father, he is telling long, elaborate stories that could be true, but probably aren’t factual. One story includes being tortured in a Federal Prison, which turns out to perhaps be true, but there’s no way to tell now. Flynn seems to be quite altered by his life experiences and uses them to explain this urge he has to move around—not to settle on land, but stay on water, as he put it. The metaphor may have to do with his love for swimming in natural lakes and ponds, the feeling of being underwater or the fact that his mother’s ashes were sprinkled into the ocean. Flynn seems to have trouble with his relationships, dating and admittedly loving two different women, Anna and Inez. Following other serious relationships, including one with an Italian playwright, he seems unable to settle with one person. But when he meets Inez, things seem to change quite quickly, and she is the woman who bears his first child. For most of the book, we learn of Flynn’s struggles and perhaps terror with the thought of having a child.
Vanguard Arts & Culture | 5 January 29, 2010
Arts Editor: Theodora Karatzas 503-725-5694 arts@dailyvanguard.com
Friday night’s alright for a fight (or just checking out some awesome live music) Drats!!!, Mongoloid Village, Shakin’ Babies Bring on the industrialfunk-punk tonight! Drats!!! serves up some seriously weird-butbouncy tunes with a warbly, funkadelic sound that intermixes with some very punklike vocals and heavy drumming. Add in some weird New Wave synths and the occasional operatic chorus, and these guys have pretty much all the music genres covered. Berbati’s Pan 9:30 p.m., $5, 21+ The Cribs, Jemina Pearl Photo courtesy of John Lucas
Nick Flynn: Coming to Powell’s tonight to speak about his new book The Ticking is the Bomb.
He’s scared he won’t have that “moment” everyone seems to have when holding their first child—the moment where they’re settled, and will stay with that baby, because of an unconditional love. After all that he has been through, he still has a fear, a terror inside. Flynn’s prose is wise and serious, with a hopeful undertone that leaves you in awe at the end of each chapter. His writing is fluid, and he finds ways to interconnect ideas
for the reader to ponder. You’ll find yourself thinking of Flynn’s story for days after putting the book down.
Reading with Nick Flynn Powell’s City of Books 1005 W Burnside St. Tonight, 7:30 p.m.
British band The Cribs follow the same kind of peppy poprock that bands like Bloc Party have been successfully pulling off for the last five years or so. Catchy hooks, killer bass and semiintelligible lyrics that never seem to matter in the long run make for more of a listening experience than just a concert. Granted, the band doesn’t possess an immense amount of death, but their music is fun and who can say no to fun? Wonder Ballroom 9 p.m., $15, 21+
New folk in town
Oh Captain My Captain, Tango Alpha Tango, The Very Foundation See article on Page 7.
Folk duo Shook Twins move to Portland Bianca Blankenship Vanguard staff
If there’s any question about whether or not Shook Twins are actually twins, it’s answered upon meeting them. Equally giggly and always finishing one another’s sentences, the only difference between these two 25-year-old folk singers might be that they play different instruments. With their forces combined , they pack a serious dose of cheery indie-folk music. Less than two months ago, Laurie and Katelyn Shook moved to Portland from a small town in Idaho where they had spent most of their lives. Now they’re ready to branch out into the local music scene, seek out an independent record label and find inspiration around the city. It’s quite a change from what they were experiencing in Idaho. “We were pretty much the only band in town,” Laurie said. The duo has been singing in choir since grade school, but they didn’t pick up instruments until the
age of 20. They played their first gig five years ago in a small Virginia town. “It was terrible!” Katelyn said. But Shook Twins have come far since then. Their music used to be more poppy and, as both sisters agreed, “cheesy” and “fluffy.” Now they mix mellow guitar riffs with lots of looping and a plethora of instruments. Their light, gorgeous voices in harmony are what stand out and make them worth a listen. They label their music “progressive folk” and laugh at the term, though it’s the only genre that could account for so much looping and beat-boxing in a folk band. “We’re both rhythm players,” Laurie said. “Neither of us shred. We’re forcing ourselves to shred a little more.” Katelyn and Laurie are thinking of joining with more musicians— they once toured for a year and a half with a larger backup band—and they shouldn’t have much trouble making it work, considering how versatile they are. Besides playing banjo, guitar, ocarina and slide and beat boxing, Laurie just picked up the mandolin and glockenspiel. Katelyn plays guitar and some slide and banjo.
The Woods, 9 p.m., $5, 21+ Yob, Witch Mountain, Trees
Photo courtesy of John Lucas
Shook Twins: Two lovely ladies bringing pretty folk music to their new home in Portland.
Some cello gave their last album, You Can Have the Rest, a rich, atmospheric quality, and they hope to find a cellist to work with again, as well as a drummer so they don’t have to rely on looped drumbeats. While it’s the first time the Shook twins have lived in Portland, they’ve played in the area plenty of times in the past few years. They’ve toured with Mason Jennings and last year they played on the main stage at the Oregon Country Fair. After they finish their current tour around the western states, they look forward to cranking out more songs and finding a record label in Portland. They don’t plan to leave any time soon.
“It feels really right [to be in Portland],” Katelyn said. “I feel like we’re really expanding in our music and practicing because we have so much time on our hands.” “We are just constantly inspired by everything [in Portland],” Laurie said. Hopefully, that inspiration will help these two to create even greater folk music.
Shook Twins East Burn 1800 E Burnside St. Tonight, 8 p.m. Free, all ages
Metal music and Eugene are two things that most people tend to avoid. Fortunately, Yob is changing the image of both. Not only do these guys remind us that Eugene isn’t just a hippy Mecca, they’re also an excellent example of metal music done right. With a touch of the psychedelic and perfect about the darkness, Yob is shredding their way into the hearts of Portland slowly but surely. Joined by local metal heads Witch Mountain and Trees, this is one night that’s sure to get heads banging and faces melting. Rotture, 9 p.m., $13, 21+
Vanguard 6 | Arts & Culture February January 20, 29, 2009 2010
New albums out on Feb. 2: The Album Leaf A Chorus of Storytellers [Sub Pop] Alexander Tucker Grey Onion [Latitudes] Blind Man’s Colour Wooden Blankets [Kanine] The Brunettes Paper Dolls [Lil’ Chief] FM Belfast How to Make Friends [Kimi] Malakai Ugly Side of Love [Domino] Mavis Mavis [!K7] Midlake The Courage of Others [Bella Union] Mount Eerie Black Wooden [Latitudes] Pierced Arrows Descending Shadows [Vice] Priestess Prior to the Fire [Tee Pee] Skullflower Strange Keys to Untune Gods [Neurot] The Smith Westerns/ Magic Kids Split 7” [Fat Possum] The Soft Pack The Soft Pack [Kemado] Toro Y Moi Causers of This [Carpark] U.S. Girls Go Grey [Siltbreeze] Various Artists Bob Blank: The Blank Generation: Blank Tapes 1975-1985 [Strut] We Are Wolves Invisible Violence [Dare to Care] —pitchfork.com
Marinara as good as mamma’s The gift of pasta sauce that keeps on giving Katherine Vetrano Vanguard staff
It all started in Naples, Italy. The Spaniards arrived from the New World with a delicious, scarletcolored gift: the tomato. Marinara sauce, whose name derives from the Italian word for “of the sea,” marino, is a gift that has kept on giving, all the way to present day in your kitchen. Although it may feel like the easier option to reach for premade, jarred pasta sauces that cost $3 at
the grocery store, cooking marinara yourself is as easy as one, two, three. Armed with a can of crushed tomatoes, some pantry staples and your favorite vegetables, the results will have you saying no grazie to Prego. On the moneysaving side, you can use your homemade marinara for dozens of meal options. This sauce is wonderful on top of pasta with sliced fresh basil, under mozzarella on your homemade pizza or as the base of a meat or cream sauce. Or, if the mood strikes you, you can use the breakfast recipe below, adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe in her book, Everyday Italian.
The sauce Ingredients 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes 1 onion, chopped 1 clove of garlic, finely minced 1/4 cup of olive oil 1 bay leaf 1 cup of sliced mushrooms or any vegetable you prefer (try chopped carrots, celery, bell peppers or other crunchy vegetable) Dash of salt Dash of pepper Method In a medium or large saucepan, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, around six minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Sauté until cooked down, about eight minutes. Add canned tomatoes and let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes, or until it’s the consistency of your liking. Remove bay leaf and enjoy!
Photos courtesy of stockxchg
Saucey: Skip the store-bought marinara and make your own with a lineup of surprisingly cheap
and customizable ingredients.
The following recipe can be used with your homemade marinara or the from-the-jar stuff if that’s the only option you have access to. This recipe works perfectly for a tasty, late-morning brunch. If Saturday night wasn’t good to you and your poor liver,
it can also act as a wonderful recovery for a hangover. Don’t let the simplicity of this recipe fool you, this meal will not only leave you full, the taste will leave you feeling like a professional chef. To share with a friend, double the recipe.
Breakfast ala Italia Serves one Ingredients 1 slice of crusty Italian bread or sourdough 2 teaspoons of olive oil 1 garlic clove 1 egg 1 tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan 1/4 cup of homemade marinara 1 dash of love Method Crack egg in olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Cover and cook for three minutes, or until desired firmness is achieved. Microwave leftover marinara for 45 seconds and toast bread slices. Hold spatula over egg in skillet, and drizzle remaining pan oil onto finished toast. Rub garlic clove over toast, sprinkle with Parmesan. Top toast with heated marinara sauce, egg and a little more Parmesan.
Vanguard Arts & Culture | 7 February29, January 20,2010 13, 2009
Literary great Salinger dead
After 91 years of life, four published books and dozens of short stories, Jerome David “J.D.” Salinger passed away due to natural causes at his home in Cornish, N.H.
Photo courtesy of Oh Captain, My Captain
Oh Captain, My Captain: With this band, taking things down a notch proved to be a good move.
What would Whitman do? Oh Captain, My Captain sails the seas of serenity Mark Johnston Vanguard staff
Oh Captain, My Captain used to rock. They used to have dueling guitars, pounding drums and booming riffs. But then frontman Jesse Bettis decided he didn’t want to rock so hard anymore. He wanted to tone things down and experiment in textures and spacey ambience. Some members left, some stayed, but Bettis remained undaunted. With a new crew, new songs and a freshly pressed EP, Oh Captain, My Captain look forward to gently caressing your face with their smooth sounds of fury. While the band has only been around for about five years, Bettis had been actively playing music for the better part of a decade. After playing around in high school bands and not going anywhere, he started
Oh Captain and embarked on a few local tours. But in 2007 he started noticing a shift. “Throughout 2007, everybody was just in the middle of pursuing other musical interests, talking about starting new bands by the end of the summer and quitting our band,” Bettis said. “Our drummer moved on, [keyboardist] Matthan [Minster] had his other band— people had other things to do. The new songs were stylistically different and weren’t as rockin’ and loud, so adapting them to the band became problematic. But it was a drama-free and natural breakup, and as soon as it occurred we then promptly reassembled with a new lineup.” Luckily, their fans were receptive to the new sound. “People were really responsive to our new sound, so we built it up around a more textured, softer approach,” Bettis said. “People that saw the new lineup really seemed to like it. It was a whole lot different.
They thought it was a lot more exciting to experience.” The transition for the band went smoothly as well, he said, “Because it was an organic experience that took place over several months— the transition to the new sound was very easy.” With the group’s current lineup of Bettis, Michael Kitson doing vocals and percussion, bassist Seth Mankoski, drummer Daniel Hunt and Minster on keyboards and vocals, the group has a committed and talented group. That wasn’t always the plan though. “My idea was to initially assemble a rotating cast until everything was set,” Bettis said. “But it immediately clicked with the guys, it was excited and fun, and we just decided to roll with it.” The band is embarking on a short West Coast tour to support the release of their new self-titled EP. “Starting Thursday we’re doing a mini-tour from Seattle to San Fran
and back,” Bettis said. “The rockin’ Oh Captain went out on two small tours but this is the first tour for the lighter, softer captain.” The group’s EP is in short supply, but it’s finding its way around. “We did a short run of our EP, ” Bettis said. “We pre-released a few on Thursday and will have copies at the show this weekend. We’re going on a suggested donation, but anyone that likes us can get one. We just want to get the music out.” No big plans to take over the world. No major record labels behind them. Oh Captain, My Captain are just looking to stay afloat. “Currently we’re just tackling the nuts and bolts, we have a few friends doing some stuff for us through a local PR firm,” Bettis said. “Our main goal right now is to get this EP done, go on tour, and not go broke in the process.”
Oh Captain, My Captain The Woods 6637 SE Milwaukie Ave Sat, 8 p.m. $5 21+
Salinger was a notorious recluse and hadn’t given a public interview since 1980. He also hadn’t published any original work since the 1965 novella titled “Hapworth 16, 1924” that ran in The New Yorker. His most widely known work was Catcher in the Rye, whose protagonist Holden Caulfield is arguably the most influential teenage-angst figure in literary history. Scores of writers have taken cues from the disillusioned, sardonic character that not even Salinger would clearly define: “The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it.” That passage appeared in the original jacket cover for Catcher, but it was unattributed and Salinger never confirmed writing it. Salinger didn’t spend all his time pointing out “goddamn phonies” however. His short-story collections Franny and Zooey and Nine Stories are works that came after his seminal novel, and both are also worth reading if you haven’t already. Salinger may be gone, but his work will live forever. Farewell, sonny.
Sublime softness
Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose make a superb pair Robert Seitzinger Vanguard staff
Photo courtesy of Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose
Bridge Carols: New work from Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose out Feb. 12.
What happens when a breathyvocaled, folksy songstress collaborates with a master soundscape builder? Eight tracks of lovely, subtle music, as proven on Bridge Carols. Laura Gibson, who hails from Coquille (one of those 4,000-citizen towns in Oregon you’ve likely heard of but never visited), employs her saccharine, comforting voice throughout this album to great effect. She has collaborated with myriad artists, including Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy, so working with ambient artist extraordinaire Ethan Rose was a stroke of genius. Rose produces some dulcet tones on Bridge Carols that could make a PCP-raging hobo calm down. Throw Gibson’s voice atop the serene instrumentation, and you’ll feel like you’re back in preschool listening to the teacher read a story before naptime.
The aural capacity of this album is large—perhaps it’s because I’m an Oregon native, but these tracks take my imagination right back onto my safety blanket and into my pajamas-with-booties worn when my preschool teacher read naptime stories over the soft trickling of rain on the windows. Music that can inspire that sort of relaxation is not to be missed. The duo will play at the Holocene on Feb. 12, when the album is set to be released. It’s likely to be a comfortable evening conducive to a glass of wine and, weather permitting, a stroll through a Portland nocturne with your date as you revel in the lovely, soft vibe of the evening.
Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose Bridge Carols Holocene Music Release show: Holocene 1001 SE Morrison St. Feb. 12, 7 p.m. $7 21+
Vanguard 88||News News Month JanuaryDay, 29, 2009 2010
News Editor: Virginia Vickery 503-725-5690 news@dailyvanguard.com
Corrections The election results in yesterday’s paper were from Multnomah County and were not the final election results. The Vanguard regrets the error. The stipend reduction that was listed in yesterday’s paper was incorrect. Senators will receive $160 per month, not $150. The Vanguard regrets the error.
NEWS NEWS briefs Soul Food Dinner Saturday
Black History Month kicks off tomorrow with the Fifth Annual Soul Food Dinner in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Titled “African American Diaries,” this year’s dinner features performances by students and a special guest speaker, former Portland Trail Blazer Terry Porter. The event is free and open to all. Dementro “Debo” Powell, area coordinator for Residence Life, has been presenting the dinner since its inception in 2005. “The [Soul Food Dinner] is about
41.1 million Black residents live in the United States as of July 2008. That is 13.5 percent of the total population. By 2050, the U.S. Census projects 65.7 million Black residents, or 15 percent of the total population.
The menu this year includes fried and barbecued chicken, collard greens, tofu ribs and traditional sides and desserts. Powell admits it is hard to cater to vegetarians since vegetarian culture is not widespread in the South. “I’ve been trying every year to have those who are vegan or vegetarian enjoy the same experience as far as food goes by making some few alterations,” he said. This year the event will also be collecting money for Haiti relief efforts. Without student involvement, Powell said, the event would not be the same. Nicole Morris, Anson Morris and Clarke Anne McGibben are students he singled out, as well as Residence Life staff, that he said make
the night a “tremendous event.” It’s sponsored by Residence Life, the Multicultural Center, the Residence Housing Association and the Office of International Students.
Blood Drive
PSU and the American Red Cross are giving students an opportunity to help others and feel good about themselves in the process. The blood drive is Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the SMSU Ballroom and runs until Wednesday. Sign up online at www.givelife. org or call 503-528-5603 and specify Portland State’s drive. Email Gwyn Ashcom at gwy-n@pdx.edu with questions.
CAMPUS CONNECTIONS
Black History Month Founded in 1926, Black history was once celebrated for a single week in February by American historian Carter G. Woodson. The event was expanded in 1976 into Black History Month.
family, culture and diversity and is a casual event,” he said. “My vision is and always has been to introduce African American culture to students here at Portland State.” He said he started the event because he wanted to share his culture. Raised in Pittsburgh by parents from the South, he said, “I have family down South and my upbringing was instilled with the Southern way of living, eating and thinking to where I identify solely of the Southern lifestyle.” When the event first began, it was held in the Broadway Building lobby area and 200 people attended. Since then, it has grown and “evolved from Broadway second floor lobby to the Science Building 2 lobby to Hoffmann Hall to, currently, the Smith Ballroom.”
News for students, by students
While Dems reform health plan, so do Oregon universities Public universities across Oregon are considering mandating health insurance as a condition of enrollment for students. The Oregon University System has been conducting surveys on the status of health insurance coverage among students. According to the studies, 30 percent of Oregon students do not have health insurance coverage, but 54 percent of respondents said they would
support a universal plan. “Overall, students are pretty supportive of the plan, according to the survey,” said George Voss, associate director of administrative services for Student Health Services. The plan would cost around $1,900 a year per student, although in the survey students responded that they could only afford $1,350 a year for health coverage. “Financial aid should be able to cover some of the costs,” Voss said. According to the survey, 75 percent of respondents said they would be
BIKE CO-OP
unlikely to continue with school if they had medical expenses amounting to around $25,000. “There are still problems around the current voluntary aspect of the plan,” Voss said. There is also the issue that mandatory health insurance coverage could discourage some students from enrolling at OSU and instead cause them decide on a school that has no such mandate. “There are concerns that it could effect enrollment numbers,” said Phillip Histand, director of SHS.
“The reality is that they may shy away to a university that does not have a mandatory plan.” The specifics of the plan have yet to be worked out, such as who would be required to have the health insurance plan in terms of student status. As of now, administration is looking at requiring it for anyone enrolled for at least six credits, but students would have the option of opting out of the OSU plan. —Rebeccca Johnson, Daily Barometer
crimeBlotter
Oregon has one of the lowest populations of Black residents. Out of 72,647 people, 3,421,399 report to be Black or Black in combination with another race.
(Times and dates are when incidents were reported.)
Theft, theft and more theft... 1/12/10
1/19/10
Parking Structure 1 — 12:19 p.m. Suspect vehicle hits victims and drives away
Mill and Park Street — 3:00 p.m. Warrant arrest
1/14/10 Peter Stott Center — 12:44 a.m. Unlawful Possession of Heroin George C Hoffman Hall — 7:13 p.m. Theft of bicycle rear wheel Harder House — 11:33 p.m. Trespass of real property, subject refused to leave university property
1/16/10 SMSU — 9:41 p.m. Criminal Trespass II
3:20 p.m. Theft of personal property
1/21/10 SW Sixth Ave — 2:40 p.m. Theft from locker room Thoroughfares — 4:57 p.m. Victim’s lock to locker was cut and property stolen Millar Library — 6:54 p.m. Criminal Trespass II School of Extended Studies — 11:19 p.m. Suspect arrested for offensive littering
1/23/10 1/17/10 SMSU Grounds — 2:44 p.m. Criminal Trespass II SMSU Grounds — 2:44 p.m. Destruction of property Liana Shewey/Portland State Vanguard
The PSU Bicycle Cooperative is an on-campus bicycle repair shop serving the PSU community, located in a new space on the corner of Southwest Fifth Avenue and Harrison Street, near the new rec center. Hours: Mon to Fri, noon to 5 p.m. Web site: bikeshop.pdx.edu Phone: 503-725-9006 E-mail: bikeshop@pdx.edu
SMSU — 2:44 p.m. Unlawful Possession of Heroin
Sixth Avenue Deli — 1:38 a.m. Suspects arrested for Criminal Mischief II and Unlawful Possession of Graffiti Implement
1/26/10 Broadway Housing — 2:50 a.m. Male found trespassing in the Broadway Housing Building
—Information from Campus Public Safety Office campus crime log—
SHAB |
from page one
Hard-waiver health insurance policy is an option ultimately provided PSU students with better coverage for less money. He was clear that the current plan with Aetna is merely a Band-Aid solution that is not sustainable and is on borrowed time. If the past is any indication of what to expect in the future, few students will utilize the optional supplemental plan, causing the insurance company to lose money and then increase rates or decrease coverage. SHAB is also in communication with Oregon State University and University of Oregon about the possibility of pooling students at all three campuses to buy a mandatory hard-waiver health care plan as a group. This could lower insurance costs for all three schools, Walden Poublon said. A mandatory hard-waiver health insurance policy would require students to be covered by a comprehensive health insurance plan that would be a part of students’ tuition and fees. Students may be excluded from the plan if they have comparable health insurance through a parent or employer. This would prevent students who already have health insurance outside of the school from paying a mandatory health fee each term— essentially “opting out.” Another benefit is that students could have access to better health insurance that could be paid by financial aid. Other schools have successfully adopted hard-waiver programs. Aetna Student Health has implemented hard-waiver programs
at approximately 80 institutions, including Boston College, Clemson University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, Miami University and the University of Pennsylvania. Using a mandatory hard-waiver health insurance policy with OSU and UO would create a much larger pool of students that would drastically drive down the cost of insurance per term for students. The board hopes to end age banding—the practice of charging older students substantially more for health insurance—which would be very beneficial to PSU’s traditionally older student population. The board also hopes to have a plan that both domestic and international students can share. While domestic students must have
the basic PSU health insurance to remain enrolled at the university, international students are subject to additional requirements set by the federal government. In particular, international students with J-1 visa status are required by law to maintain health insurance at federally guided minimum levels throughout their studies or face the loss of legal status. Walden Poublon believes this is an “exciting” time, because he feels that the “national health care debate has been rubbing off on students” and there is a renewed interested in student health at PSU. He’s also concerned that college students are falling out of the national debate, because the public “assumes they are healthy or covered by their parents’ insurance.”
Aaron Leopold/Portland State Vanguard
During the Senate meeting, someone asked what would happen to PSU health insurance if health care reform passes in Congress. Collins replied, “[That] may help students that want to waive out of a mandatory hard-waiver health care plan…still, no one knows what will occur on the national plan.” SHAB and SHAC are not waiting to see what happens. They are continuing to gather feedback from students. Any future plans will have to be approved by the Office of Finance and Administration. Walden Poublon says he has three main goals. His first goal is education. He said he wants to continue to educate students about the health benefits available. He has gone to classrooms to discuss the health benefits, and was surprised by the student interest. Many students have contacted him after class to ask questions. Also, a series of open forums have been held, at which students have voiced their concerns and learned about services offered by SHAC. His second goal is to provide health care at a cheaper, sustainable rate. His third and final goal is to have as many students insured as possible. Walden Poublon said this is a personal cause for him, as he has been very sick while attending school. “Some students have to make the choice between health and school. Meal or education,” he said. “[It’s an] impossible choice to make.”
SHAB: Walden Poublon and Collins peak to the Senate about insurance options.
SENATE |
Food pantry saw growth while connectivity faltered
Food pantry campaign “The ASPSU food pantry campaign that was adopted mid-way through fall term is in the beginning stages,” said Senator Selina Poulson. The food pantry campaign aims to provide food for hungry students in a shame-free environment, according to Poulson. Portland State has “a high need with a low income base,” Poulson said. According to Eddie Hallman, ASPSU administrative director, six barrels of food collected at the ASL Comedy Night event last fall have since been distributed. Poulson is tossing around the idea of storing food in the reuse room of Cramer Hall or in some storage space at Phi Delta Theta. Senators are also working with professors to give extra credit for food donations.
Senate connectivity campaign “The campaign completely fizzled,” said former Senator Wael Elasady. According to Elasady, the senate connectivity campaign has three main aspects: 1. To create more communication between ASPSU staff and students by creating a space in Parkway North. The space would have five tables—one for ASPSU and four for student groups, along with an open microphone time in the staging area managed by student senators. 2. To connect student senate with faculty senate by meeting on a quarterly basis or by committee to communicate shared interests. 3. To connect to community organizations doing similar work. “The first two or three weeks were pretty successful in fall term,” Elasady said, when he spoke of the first aspect of the campaign in Parkway North in SMSU. He conducted a small marketing and outreach campaign, letting student groups know the area was available on a first come, first serve basis, but he didn’t have enough time to devote to promoting and managing the space. “The idea began to disintegrate when senators were asked to do one hour a week on the project,” Elasady said. He did not have enough time to devote to promoting and managing the Parkway North portion of the campaign, which could require
about 20 hours a week, Elasady said. He recently took a job fundraising and conducting citizen outreach for state environmental organizations like Oregon Public Interest Group and Environment Oregon and that he had to lighten his load by quitting the Senate. “The student senate was the place I was least able to be effective and create social change that affects students,” Elasady said. He questioned the priorities of
State of the Union Remarks “Our Constitution declares that from time to time, the President shall give to Congress information about the state of our union. For 220 years, our leaders have fulfilled this duty. They’ve done so during periods of prosperity and tranquility. And they’ve done so in the midst of war and depression, at moments of great strife and great struggle.” “It’s tempting to look back on these moments and assume that our progress was inevitableóthat America was always destined to succeed. But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run, and the Allies first landed at Omaha Beach, victory was very much in doubt.” “When the market crashed on Black Tuesday, and civil rights marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday, the future was anything but certain. These were the times that tested the courage of our convictions, and the strength of our union.” “And despite all our divisions and disagreements, our hesitations and our fears, America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation, as one people.”
from page one
a certified interpreter and seminar speaker, and Margery McGee, an expert in disability studies. “The message I got from [Kaiser] was that he wanted to do it right the first time,” Jantz said. His next step is to try to establish a deaf culture class “just like any other foreign language, there needs to be a class on the cultural aspect,” Jantz said. He is also interested in pursuing the possibility of a deaf interpreting program or at the very least, an ASL minor. Jantz said that this campaign is not about him or about being deaf. “It was about community and cultural equality and awareness of minority groups,” Jantz said.
Vanguard News | 9 January 29, 2010
ASPSU in the discussion of cuts to senator stipends and mentioned that the SFC spends millions on the Athletics Department. The inability to have higher stipend dollars is “destructive to student ability to maintain their power and their voice on campus,” he said. Elasady was elected as a senator in June 2009. He resigned Tuesday, Jan. 12, by e-mail before the nightly Senate meeting.
“Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history’s call.” —whitehouse.gov
Vanguard 10 | Sports January 29, 2010
Sports Editor: Robert Britt 503-725-4538 sports@dailyvanguard.com
Most common college mascots 1. Eagles (64) 2. Tigers (46) 3. Bulldogs (40) 4. Lions (37) 5. Wildcats (33)
SPORTS
Mixed feelings
6. Warriors (32) t7. Cougars (31) t7. Panthers (31) 9. Crusaders (30) 10. Pioneers (27) 11. Knights (24) t12. Bears (21) t12. Falcons (21)
Starting with this weekend’s road trip the Viks will be playing without Nelson J. Logue
Vanguard staff
The Portland State men’s basketball team heads north today to take on Eastern Washington, just two days after the release of disappointing news. On Wednesday, it was announced that senior center Phil Nelson—one of their best defenders as well as an important part of the offense—is out for the season with a foot injury. With no time to regroup, the Vikings have been reeling as of late and will look to their bench to fill the enormous hole left in the absence of Nelson. It should ease the Viks’ nerves as they head into Reese Court to know that Eastern Washington is in the midst of a painful four-game losing streak. Led by freshman guard Glen Dean, the Eagles share a lot of similarities with Portland State and should be ready for the Vikings’ style of play. Averaging just less
14. Saints (20)
than 12 points per game and just over 15 points per game against Big Sky opponents, Dean will definitely be the player the Vikings key in on defensively. The stat to watch for the game will likely be Eastern Washington’s field goal percentage. While the Eagles are ranked last in the Big Sky offensively, Portland State is last in the conference in field goal defense, which means one will have to consider the Viks’ propensity for allowing .500 shooting nights. Despite each team’s underwhelming record, both are toptier teams in the conference—with Eastern Washington coming off a recent win on the road against a surprisingly good Montana State team. If the Vikings want to make a move in the conference and rise in the rankings, tomorrow will be the night to do it. With Northern Colorado playing both Montana State and Montana, and Weber State playing Montana this weekend, there will be plenty of chances to close the gap between the top teams. Tip-off is at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash. Listen to the game live on 800 AM, KPDQ.
Players to watch:
15. Cardinals (19) t16. Hawks (18)
Portland State Dominic Waters Senior, guard
t16. Rams (18) 18. Vikings (17)
t19. Golden Eagles (16) t19. Spartans (16) —ESPN Sports Almanac
33 minutes per game .504 field goal shooting .463 three-point shooting 44 rebounds 93 assists 371 points
PSU Athletics
Eastern Washington Glen Dean
Freshman, guard 29.1 minutes per game .459 field goal shooting .451 three-point shooting 53 rebounds 84 assists 250 points
EWU Athletics
Jamie Jones: Portland State looks to jump up in the Big Sky standings after last week’s losses.
Back to Emerald City Indoor track teams race to Seattle for the UW Invitational Nadya Ighani Vanguard staff
After last weekend’s last-second change of plans, the Portland State indoor track and field teams are ready to get back into the groove of conference competition this weekend at the UW Invitational in Seattle, Wash., starting today and running through tomorrow. The Vikings were scheduled to compete at Northern Arizona’s Friday Night Challenge, but due to a winter snowstorm that blanketed much of Arizona and Nevada last week, instead competed at the UNLV All-Comers Meet in Las Vegas. Although the scores and times of the meet did not count toward qualifying for the conference championship next month, the Portland State teams still posted some new season records.
Junior Karene King ran a seasonbest time of 7.5 seconds in the 60-meter dash in Las Vegas, and freshman Nate Lightner clocked in at 50.15 seconds in the 400-meter to set a new season best of his own. This weekend marks the second of three meets this season that the Vikings will participate in at Dempsey Indoor, the home field for the Huskies. The last time Portland State was in Seattle three studentathletes qualified: freshman high jumper Jeff Borgerson, sophomore distance runner Tony Crisofulli in the 800-meter and junior shot putter Adrianne Davis. Borgerson qualified with a 6-foot-5-inch leap, Crisofulli clocked in at 1 minute, 53.3 seconds in the 800m and Davis threw for 43 feet, 9 inches. On top of qualifying 10 studentathletes for the Big Sky Indoor Championship on Feb. 26–27, the Viks have made some impressions in the record books. Crisofulli placed sixth in his flight but became the third fastest
photos by Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard
in the school’s record book. He also was less than a second shy of breaking the school record for 1000-meter. Crisofulli’s 1:53.03 in the 800m gives him the status of top-performing athlete in the conference, and he is only 2.53 seconds short of NCAA standards. Sophomore Joenisha Vinson also made history by clocking an 8.79 in the 60-meter hurdles to earn third place in the Portland State record book.
Head coach Ronnye Harrison said he is looking for great results from Hannah Johnson, Vinson and Nick Trubachik. Harrison also talked about looking out for the long distance program—they should be qualifying more long-distance athletes. Up next for the Viks is the New Balance College Invitational in New York City, one of the leading indoor track events in the country.
Photo courtesy of PSU Athletics
Cool runnings: Sophomore distance runner Peter Tran looks to qualify for conference this week in Seattle.
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SPORTS EXTRA Battle of the best Women’s basketball team to host top-ranked Eastern Washington this weekend Rosemary Hanson Vanguard staff
On Saturday, the second-place Vikings take on top-ranked Eastern Washington Eagles at 2 p.m. Early in the season, Portland State took the lead in non-conference action by winning their first seven games, but Eastern Washington took the next 11 of 13 to claim top position. This matchup will post several of the top players in the Big Sky Conference against each other. A look at the Viks The Vikings are 5–2 in Big Sky action and 11–9 overall. They are coming off a stellar weekend at home after sweeping Weber State and Idaho State—two wins that brought Portland State up in standings to their current perch at second place. Senior guard Claire Faucher had an impressive game against Weber State where she put up 17 points and eight assists. She already joined the 1,000-point club earlier in the season and is now closing in on a second mark—she needs just six more boards to get to the 500-rebound club. Off the bench, sophomore guard Eryn Jones came out strong by posting 17 points against Weber State, and against Idaho State
freshman guard Nichole Jackson hustled to bring the Vikings within two of the Bengals. Last weekend was a surprising one for Portland State in rebounds. A team that generally struggles on the boards, they did much better than usual over the weekend when they outrebounded both the Wildcats and the Bengals by 13 and 16, respectively. The goal is simple for Sunday’s matchup, said junior guard-forward Kelly Marchant: “We just want another win.” A look at the Eagles The Eagles are undefeated in Big Sky play this season and 13–6 overall. They were only predicted to finish seventh in preseason polls, but have since proved themselves otherwise. Eastern Washington comes off of a win against Weber State last weekend, which places the Eagles’ thus-far 7–0 conference record in the school’s record books—beating their previous best of 6–0 in 1984–85. Junior guard Kyla Evans put up 24 points against Weber State, beating her previous 22-point mark. The week prior to that performance, she was named Big Sky Player of the Week for her 17.5 points-per-game average over the weekend. In two games, she shot .526 from the field and was perfect from the free-throw line. The Eagles are a team of unified playing. They are one of the highestscoring teams in the conference, but only have one player that has a double-digit average—forward Julie Piper—and over the season
This weekend in Portland State sports Friday Indoor track and field UW Invitational Where: Seattle, Wash. When: 3 p.m. Men’s tennis at U. of Portland Where: LouisianaPacific Tennis Center When: 5 p.m. Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard
Home stretch: The women’s basketball team continues the race for first place at home tonight.
they have had seven different players lead the team in points. This weekend will be the second time the Eagles have gone up against a No. 2 team. Last week, they beat then-second-ranked Idaho State, 70–60. Past matchups The top two teams are both working to be the best. In the past, Portland State has held off Eastern Washington in six of the last seven meetings and last season the Vikings beat the Eagles by double digits in both matchups.
Portland State’s Faucher and Eastern Washington’s Piper have had solid performances when pitted against each other. Faucher averaged 11.8 points, 7.8 assists and 4.5 rebounds. Piper went for 10 points and 7.3 rebounds, though in the last game between the schools Piper was held to only three points. Where to watch Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., Saturday at the Stott Center. The game can also be followed via Live Stats on www.goviks.com.
Portland State’s probable starting lineup No. 4 22 10 20 33
Player Pos. Ht. Yr. Erin Yankus F 6–2 Sr. Kelli Valentine F 5–11 Jr. Claire Faucher G 5–9 Sr. Kelly Marchant G 5–10 Jr. Lexi Bishop G 5–8 Jr.
Men’s first serve, women’s second chance Junior Chris Rice will be leading the Viks this season after a 15–8 overall record in 2009 saw him named to the Second-Team All-Big Sky. Portland State’s doubles pair of juniors Jeff Cero and Alex VanDerschelden had a 3–3 record in the Big Sky in 2009. Scouting the Pilots
Photo courtesy of PSU Athletics
The Pilots started their season on the wrong foot after two successive losses to Washington and UC Irvine. In their previous matchup against the Vikings at home in 2009, Portland ran away as 7–0 victors. “Portland is strong, but our guys are looking forward to the match,” Parrott said.
All-star ace: Junior Chris Rice leads the men’s tennis team in its season opener this weekend.
Scouting the Bearcats
Men’s tennis kicks off the 2010 season and women’s team seeks redemption Nilesh Tendolkar Vanguard staff
The Portland State men’s tennis team kicks off of the 2010 season today with a match against crosstown rivals from the University of Portland followed by a clash against Willamette University on Saturday. The game against the UP Pilots is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. at the Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center in Portland, and the match against the Willamette Bearcats begins at 6 p.m. at the Irvington Club. Meanwhile, the Viking women’s tennis team looks to redeem itself
against Colorado State and Northern Colorado after losing the first two matches last weekend. The match against Colorado State is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Saturday in Boulder, and Sunday’s match against Northern Colorado kicks off at 9 a.m. in Greeley.
In their previous head to head clash against Willamette back in 2001, Portland State had to endure yet another 0–7 whitewash at the hands of the Bearcats. “Willamette will be a good match, but we feel good about that one,” Parrott said.
Scouting the Portland State women The women’s team, which was picked to finish eighth in the conference, went down 0–7 to Eastern Washington and Oregon last weekend. Portland State had to default on two singles and one doubles match against Oregon after two of their transfers were not cleared to play by the NCAA. “The girls played well versus Eastern Washington and Oregon,” Parrott said. “And we are waiting for Marti Pellicano and Emily McClaran to be declared eligible to compete.” Scouting the Rams Colorado State lost their opening game this season against 49thranked Denver. The Rams went head on against the Vikings last in 2002 and won that match, 7–0. Scouting the Bears The match against Portland State will open the season for Northern Colorado. In last year’s conference game, they won 7–0 against the Vikings.
Scouting the Portland State men The Vikings were picked to finish seventh out of the nine teams in the Big Sky Conference in the coaches’ poll after last year’s overall record of 9–14 and 2–6 record in conference play. “We are healthy and have the additions of Sean Eberle, Matt Erickson and Zach Lubek which will make us stronger than last year,” second-year head coach Brian Parrott said.
Vanguard Sports | 12 January 29, 2010
Weekend Tennis Men’s team: 1 p.m., Fri at 6 p.m., Sat vs.
Portland Willamette
Women’s team: 5 p.m., Sat at 9 a.m., Sun at
Colorado State Northern Colorado
Saturday Indoor track and field UW Invitational Where: Seattle, Wash. When: 9 a.m. Women’s basketball vs. Eastern Washington Where: Stott Center When: 2 p.m. Women’s tennis at Colorado State Where: Boulder, Colo. When: 5 p.m. Men’s tennis vs. Willamette Where: Irvington Club When: 6 p.m. Men’s basketball at Eastern Washington Where: Cheney, Wash. When: 7 p.m.
Sunday Women’s tennis at Northern Colorado Where: Greeley, Colo When: 9 a.m.