Special Section
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 69
Look inside for the Career Fair Guide 2010 When: 11 a.m. Where: SMSU, room 355
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INSIDE NEWS SFC leaving budget cushion Student groups should expect modest initial allocations PAGE 3
Employment looks
OPINION
All photos by Liana Shewey/Portland State Vanguard
Careers after college: Students with even just some college are more likely to be employed.
Rose festival bureaucracy New princess selection causes concern PAGE 4
For students in college, employment prospects are above average Amy Staples Vanguard staff
ARTS
More beer for the people Migration Brewing opens its doors Friday PAGE 9
A tribute to the West Portland State students’ new exhibit explores the influence of a region PAGE 9
Students staring down the barrel at graduation may have more reason to celebrate the recent unemployment numbers than they realize. The nation’s unemployment rate fell to 9.7 percent from 10 percent in January, signaling—hopefully— the beginning of an economic upturn. Multnomah County’s unemployment rate in December 2009 was 10.1 percent, slightly below the state’s average of 10.8 percent. The number of teenagers unable to find work is the most dismal.
folks with a high school diploma or equivalent, the rate is 10.1 percent. The rate decreases to 8.5 percent for people with some college or an associate’s degree and for those with bachelor’s degrees or higher the rate is 4.9 percent. Oregon has had an unemployment rate consistently above the national average since 1997. John Walker, economics professor and economics department historian, said, “In general, the economy is driven by the construction industry but we’re shifting out of that now. We haven’t found anything that grows faster than the economy.” He said Oregon has not attracted huge amounts of industry. It is costly to manufacture and ship items in Oregon because of its location. Intel is one of the few exceptions.
Career Center director retires Thompson has seen many improvements in student job search processes Tamara K. Kennedy Vanguard staff
A very classy burger joint A culinary super team provides quality without the attitude PAGE 10
According to the most recent statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment rates among teenagers ages 16 to 19 is 26.4 percent as of Feb. 5. More than one teen out of four is looking for work. However, students leaving college with at least a bachelor’s degree should have an easier time finding work. “It is a difficult market but we do know that unemployment for people holding a bachelor’s degree is about half that of the general population,” said Dee Thompson, director of the Career Center. The unemployment rate decreases dramatically with education. Nationally, the unemployment rate for people searching for work with less than a high school diploma or equivalent is 15.2 percent. For
promising
Times have changed since Dee Thompson, director of the Career Center, returned to school in 1981 to earn a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in counseling at Portland State. Thompson began working in the Career Center as a student and continued working there for 29 years, 10 years of which she spent as director. She will retire on March 19. “[Thompson’s] overseen the transition from a paper-based job application system to a state of the art internet jobs database,” said Mary Vance, Career Center counselor. When Thompson began at the center, students had to physically come into the office to access job postings, and large binders were kept on file for students to research company information. Thompson is glad that students have more opportunity to be
active participants in the career development process with the advent of the Internet. The downside can be the large volume of available information that student have to wade through to determine what is useful to them. “Using technology efficiently and effectively is important and talking with a [career] counselor is useful,” Thompson said. She considers the Career Center work a team effort and credits Louise A. Paradis, assistant director of the Career Center, as a major figure in designing the way the Web site looks today, Thompson said. According to Thompson, students’ résumés became more sophisticated after samples were posted on the Web site and students can search what can be done with their majors and even what kind of organizations hire in particular fields. Thompson feels the process of choosing a career and finding a job can be quite daunting and thinks the Career Center staff does an exceptional job of demystifying the career choice and job search processes for PSU students. During her time at PSU,
Walker believes that focusing on higher education would be integral in creating an economic turnaround in Oregon. “We’re one of the few states that spends more money on prisons than higher education,” he said. By putting more money into education the state could attract new talent and have an exportable commodity. There will be companies represented at the Career Fair for students who want to remain local after graduation. The Career Fair today, sponsored by the Career Center, is focusing on local employers, Thompson said. “[Though] unemployment is higher in Oregon, and the majority of students who graduate here don’t want to relocate,” she said.
To access job information, visit www.pdx.edu/careers. To access sustainability career information, www.pdx.edu/careers/careers-in-sustainability.
Thompson has been creative in partnering with organizations like Idealist (www.idealist.org) and in obtaining grants to increase services and resources for students during a time when the university was growing exponentially and funding was at a standstill or shrinking, Vance said. “[Thompson] was the driving force behind pursuing and receiving the Miller grant that is funding our sustainability initiatives this year. She understands how to navigate the complex PSU bureaucracy to get what she needs for students,” Vance said. The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation grant allowed the Career Center to hire Vance to help develop a Web site for students looking for careers in sustainability, Thompson said. Several years ago, Thompson began working with Idealist, and the group now holds one of their 20 annual nonprofit career fairs at PSU in addition to activities that
RETIRE continued on page two
Michael Pascual/Portland State Vanguard
Dee Thompson: Retiring after 29 years at the
Career Center.
Vanguard 2 | News February 17, 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 Corie Charnley Production Assistants Bryan Morgan, Charles Cooper Williams Post-production Assistant Adiana Lizarraga Writers Stacy Austin, Will Blackford, Bianca Blankenship, Meaghan Daniels, Sarah Esterman, Amy Fylan, Natalia Grozina, Patrick Guild, Joe Hannan, Rosemary Hanson, Steve Haske, Nadya Ighani, Carrie Johnston, Sara M. Kemple, Tamara K. Kennedy, Anita Kinney, Gogul Krishnan, J. Logue, James MacKenzie, Daniel Ostlund, Sharon E. Rhodes, Wendy Shortman, Catrice Stanley, Amy Staples, Nilesh Tendolkar, Robin Tinker, Vinh Tran, Katherine Vetrano, Allison Whited, Roger Whightman Photographers Aaron Leopold, Michael Pascual, 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
NEWS SFC leaving budget cushion
Student groups should expect modest initial allocations Stacy Austin Vanguard staff
The Student Fee Committee is currently wrapping up the initial budget allocation process for the 2010–11 academic year, and the results will be available for student groups to view online today. The total initial allocation is about $400,000 less than the total amount initially requested by student groups. “This will likely change after appeals but we wanted to leave a cushion,” said Student Fee Committee Chair Johnnie Ozimkowski. Student groups have a week from tomorrow to sign up for an appeal of the initial budget allocation at the Student Activities and Leadership Programs office. Domanic Thomas, SALP assistant director, said “there will be ‘cuts’ or differences in asks to allocations by the boatloads in the next few weeks.” Thomas understands that the SFC will be reviewing the budget to get a “$14.5 million ask down by at least $2 million. Otherwise, the fee would go up another $15 to $20 [per] term [and] student.” He said, “Mathematically, there is no way everyone can get what they want without the student fee rising.” Ozimkowski is confident about the allocations being made this year. He feels that this year’s group is much different than last year’s. “Last year, there was a blackand-white imaginary dichotomy of us-versus-them, students-versusadministration,” Ozimkowski said. That has not been Ozimkowski’s
experience at PSU. He feels that employees work here because they want to and because they want students to succeed. Ozimkowski said in the past, groups could ask for anything and they were consistently given what they asked for, “if not more.” The student fee allocation was not on a sustainable path. According to Ozimkowski, this caused a “split between people using and paying for services.” He aims to serve more of the 28,000-plus PSU students, and “serve a wider array of people being taxed for these services…[and] increase access to all students instead of some students.” Ozimkowski said he aims to be transparent and for the SFC to remain viewpoint neutral when making allocation decisions to keep the student fee low. Thomas said, “[This year’s SFC] philosophy is to focus the use of student fee dollars to create an impact and focus programming [and] services here on campus.” He applauds this year’s SFC. “This group has greater understanding of the long term,” Thomas said. The group has been making tough decisions, in the hopes that the budget will be more sustainable in the future, he said. There is virtually no training for the SFC. “We [train] students for one month before they make their first decision—sometimes not even that,” he said. The legal aspects and
accounting information that the SFC has to understand and implement can be difficult, and Thomas says it is different for each student, based on personal goals and causes. His advice to the members is to look at the big picture and “understand ramifications of all your decisions.”
Aaron Leopold/Portland State Vanguard
Johnnie Ozimkowski: Student Fee Committee chair feels confident about intial allocations.
RETIRE |
from page one
Professional Development Center expands Career help Center expands current programs, introduces new programs and certificates Stacy Austin Vanguard staff
The Professional Development Center is expanding, according to a recent news release. Shelly Carlton, Marketing manager for the School of Extended Studies, explained a few of the expansions. “The new digital marketing strategies certificate is all about social media, search engine marketing, and online branding. The marketing certificate is a great way to build a marketing plan for those who need a refresher, or full knowledge on how to bring a product or service to market,” Carlton explained. The new sustainable design and development certificate offers learning in green building and design, LEED, and solar and wind power. “The IT and Six Sigma programs are expanding their offerings to keep up with technology and the need for identifying process improvement,” she said. The center has 16 program areas to assist those that are job seeking or wishing to obtain further job training. Topics include information technology, project management and healthcare management. Carlton said that the center receives no state funding and is
a self-supported program that accepts payments at the time of registration. Credit-overlay courses also may be eligible for financial aid. The center’s staff encourages students to register for these courses. “These courses offer timely business skills such as project management, business writing, and search engine marketing, which students may need in addition to a more traditional degree program,” Carlton said. Carlton also explained that goals of the PDC include “[giving] people education at the speed of business [and making] them more effective in their jobs.” They have also added the five-month Leadership and Management Program. According to its Web site, LAMP has been aiding with leadership development at Hewlett-Packard for 25 years. It is based off of the successfully led program at the University of California, San Diego. The next training is available Sept. 7, and includes two modules. The next semiannual information session is on Feb. 24. Presentations will begin at 5:45 p.m. An instructor will be talking about necessary communication skills needed for project management. Afterward, program managers will be available to discuss the center’s programs and courses. You can register at www.pdc. pdx.edu/infosession or request more information at www.pdc. pdx.edu/about/request.php.
In general, Thomas has seen the current year’s SFC group communicate very well. Sometimes they “disagree [with each other] vehemently” but he stressed that it’s OK to disagree as long as they keep in mind how they treat each other and the info they use when they disagree.
help students understand the kind of careers available in the nonprofit sector, she said. “Dee is known all across campus for her service to students, generosity of spirit, graciousness and good humor. I have been honored to work with her as a colleague, mentor, supervisor and friend,” Paradis said. If Thompson could change one thing about PSU, it would be to have more resources that better serve students, although she praises Student Affairs for doing a lot with very little funding, Thompson said. Thompson will miss students and their amazing stories and considers it a privilege to be a career counselor and to work with the unique population of students at PSU and help them on their journey. “The thing I’ll miss the most is my colleagues at the university,” Thompson said. Terri Bennett, a recruiting coordinator who has worked with Thompson for over 20 years, said, “I have always appreciated Dee for the respect she gives the staff at the Career Center, and that respect is mutual by all of us. We will miss her terribly, but wish her a very happy retirement.” Every spring, Thompson spends time relaxing at a spa that includes daily hikes in the southern Utah red rocks by Zion National Park. Her plans are to continue this after retirement, Thompson said. “I am going to take some time off to relax and see what my next
Making the most of the Career Fair According to Thompson, the most important thing a student needs to do at a career fair is to introduce themselves to representatives from different organizations and talk about their majors and interests. “Resist the temptation to pick up literature and walk away,” Thompson said. Questions to ask - What is your hiring process? - What are some typical entrylevel positions? - Do you have internships available? - What might a typical job title be for someone with my degree? Consider coming back later if there is a long line of students waiting to speak with a representative.
adventure will be,” Thompson said. Vance said Thompson leaves a legacy of professionalism and service to her colleagues, the university community and countless PSU students. “[I] can’t imagine anything better than counseling students about their career choice,” Thompson said.
Vanguard News | 3 February 17, 2010
News Editor: Virginia Vickery 503-725-5690 news@dailyvanguard.com
SFC initial deliberations nearing conclusion Alan Brown/Portland State Vanguard
Oregon Sustainability Center becoming reality Large-scale sustainable building project to break ground this spring Sara M. Kemple Vanguard staff
In 2015, Oregonians will see a whole new kind of high-rise, the Oregon Sustainability Center. The center will be a 200,000-plus square-foot, mixed-use high-rise building located on Southwest Market Street between Southwest Fourth and Fifth avenues and will be a regional hub for sustainability. It will be located on one of Portland State’s most transited blocks. “The Portland area is the leader on green issues, and this building will help us keep that edge,” said Mayor Sam Adams, who is working with Gov. Ted Kulongoski to fund the project. The OSC, expected to break ground this spring, is a collaborative project that will serve as a hub for environmental practices, education and research. Noelle Studer-Spevak, sustainability coordinator for Finance and Adminstration, said “It is a beacon for sustainability, and will be the national center for green jobs.” There will be new energy-efficient building designs, new services and
brand new products for a green future. The bottom floor of the building will serve as an exhibition center, displaying various green innovations, and will launch self-guided tours for government officials worldwide. Surrounding the center will be a lush garden of trees and plant life to highlight the architectural and environmental components. Visitors to the center will get a sensory trip through a forest of thin wood columns and elevated walkways, and a mix of Oregon components such as steel, wood and glass. Not only will the center produce 100 percent of its energy, it will be capable of reusing its own water sources. It is expected to have zero energy consumption and not leave a carbon footprint. The roof will be entirely made of solar panels, shaped in a teardrop. The teardrop shape is meant to look like a leaf falling off of a tree toward Earth. The roof itself will cover half a city block. The solar panels will absorb all of the sunlight that hits them, making 40 percent of the buildings energy, according to www.aiaarchitechts.com. Since solar panels are not enough to generate the necessary energy, efficient heating and cooling systems will be present throughout the whole structure. The building is designed after a
flower or tree that contorts and changes shape to fit nature’s changes and varying angles of the sun. To have this structure work, tenants have had to agree that they would be comfortable with cooler temperatures in the winter and warmer temperatures in the summer, unlike other office buildings in Portland. The center will meet the rigorous Cascadia Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge, and will be the largest “living” building of its size. The Living Building Challenge is a new green certification program that sets forth all of the green standards in the industry. It is the strictest sustainability certification that exists, requiring that buildings have net-zero energy use. Liz Hopkins, program and operations manager for the Portland Sustainability Institute, said that “the OSC will unite business with research, and will serve as a more permanent home for sustainability.” The funding for this project was assumed to cost a total of $120 million. Due to a lack of funds in the Oregon University System, it was brought down to a budget of $90 million, as reported in the Oregonian. It will be 11 stories tall, rather than 12, and will have thinner walls. The Portland Streetcar will be rerouted to run through the
OSC, costing another $5 million. The OSC project was initially jumpstarted by Kulongoski, who put forth $80 million in bonds toward the project. The Oregon Legislature then approved the project, allowing work to commence. If the project receives help by donations from foundations, grants, stimulus money and donated building materials, its overall costs would be lower. Tenants and universities that decide to have classes in the OSC will help repay the bonds back to the state over time. “We can’t afford not to build it,” Adams said. The OSC’s design team consists of local development firm Gerding Edlen, as well as local groups GBD Architects and SERA Architects. The building will not be entirely net zero if its tenants do not maintain it properly. Like all major building challenges, this is a group project that will take the effort and determination of its collaborators. “We just kind of squeezed hard on it until we figured out how we could do it. Now, we’re confident we’re [within] striking distance,” said Dennis Wilde, principal with the Gerding Edlen development team, as reported by the Oregonian. Wilde has more than 20 years of experience in urban planning and design and he hopes to help bring this building to fruition.
Alan Brown/Portland State Vanguard
Michael Pascual/Portland State Vanguard
Sustainable building: Ground will be broken on the project this spring.
OSC at PSU: To be located between Southwest Fourth and Fifth Avenues on Market Street.
Want to be a news writer for the Vanguard? Apply at SMSU S-26
Every year, student groups must apply to the Student Fee Committee branch of the Associated Students of Portland State University for funding for the next year. The yearlong process consists of initial requests from groups, deliberations, appeals and final allocations of money to each student group. The 2009–10 committee of seven members and a chair has been meeting with students groups since January to determine their initial allocations. SFC Chair Johnnie Ozimkowski has notified groups that they expect deliberations to be done today and for student groups to have access to them online for review. Budgets can be reviewed by accessing www.sa.pdx.edu/ budgets.
Vanguard 4 | Opinion February 17, 2010
Opinion Editor: Richard D. Oxley 503-725-5692 opinion@dailyvanguard.com
Rose Parade The Rose Parade and its princesses have been a Portland tradition for over 100 years. Over time, high school girls have competed to represent their school on the Rose Festival Court. But there have been some changes to the selection process in recent time. Here is this year’s process Applications must have be completed and mailed with a recommendation letter and official high school transcript by last December. Once notified of their eligibility by Jan. 8, the candidate must attend one of three orientation sessions to inform them of the judging and selecting process and their duties and responsibilities if selected for the Rose Festival Court. The first judging to select five girls from each school, and five girls to represent the Metro slot, was Feb. 6. The girls give a memorized one-minute speech, which incorporates the year’s theme, as well as answer an impromptu question in an interview session.
OPINION Rose Festival bureaucracy New princess selection causes concern Amy Fylan Vanguard staff
For over 100 years, the Portland Rose Festival has been a timehonored tradition in our city. Parades, carnivals, Royal Rosarians and all other events alike, contribute to this long-standing celebration. On Jan. 13, the Rose Festival was voted and named as Portland’s official festival by the Portland City Council—as it should be for being a community celebration as long as it has been. For high school students, it provides a connection with their community through the participation of their school’s Rose Festival Princess. Sadly, this year, this community connection for students has been endangered. Last year, the Rose Festival announced a few major changes. Among them was that a 15th seat was going to be added to the court. Along with the traditional 14 Portland schools holding a permanent position on the court (for now), 28 additional schools from surrounding areas will compete for the added slot, which they are calling the “Metro Princess.” Due to contributions and participation these schools have made in years past to the Rose Festival, it was felt that there was a need to have the schools represented on the court. This year, if any of Portland’s
Guest Opinion
The second judging is Feb. 20, to select a princess out of a court of five where they will give a threeminute memorized speech and another impromptu interview session. Schools may have their own assembly with a student vote to be counted toward the Feb. 20 decision, but the assembly must be done before then. The selected princess will be announced in March at each school’s scheduled announcement day.
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.
14 schools fail to produce five candidates for princess, their school will be permanently cast in the Metro pool for princess, a controversial move. Previously, girls would apply to be selected for their school’s court and after meeting all of the requirements—for the elected princess will receive a scholarship toward their higher education— they would prepare a speech, which corresponds with the year’s selected theme. Then a panel of judges would travel from school to school and select the girls to compete for their school’s Rose Princess Court. Some years, all of the girls who applied would be selected and others, only a few. The selected girls would then present their speech and answer impromptu questions in front of their student body and the students would vote for their representative in the Rose Festival. Now, a new step in the process has been introduced, which removes the importance of the student vote. (see the Rose Princess judging process on the left of this page) The student vote is now counted as an eighth vote in the panel’s judging for the princess. This means if the other judges vote another way, the students’ vote is completely disregarded and carries no weight. The student-body vote for their school’s princess was taken out of the deciding factor to get rid of a popularity vote. Former Parkrose High School Rose Festival Princess Margaret Drew is concerned by this change.
The art of loving what you do
Tyree Harris Daily Emerald staff
As broke college students, there isn’t a lot we won’t do for cash. From cleaning up after our peers at the EMU to standing for tedious hours at the mercy of a grocery scanning mecha-lord at Safeway (like me)—you name it, we’d probably do it. It’s not often we find students who can actually say that they love what they do to pay their bills. So when I discovered that one of my past classmates had found something she loved, though shunned by many, I was delighted by the rarity and began interviewing her. She prefers to remain anonymous, however, so we will call her by her alter ego, “Victory.” Victory, 19, anxiously walked into the shady-looking brick building scattered with poles, seats and nude women. Having made it this far and having already purchased the signature 5-inch stripper heels, she had no intentions of turning back. She boldly sat down, answered some questions and filled out a few forms. Before she knew it, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk was playing, and she was shyly disrobing
her pink and black undergarments for an audience of two. She remembers thinking “I really have no idea what I’m doing,” as she was giving a lap dance—but whatever she did worked out well. In her first night as an exotic dancer, working from 4 p.m. to 3 a.m., Victory raked in more than $200. “That night was surreal,” she recalled. With four months of experience under her belt, Victory is now nothing short of an artist. Exotic dancing is physically demanding; it takes serious talent to do the tricks they pull off— and there are a ton of them. “Every move has a different name—it’s like skateboarding,” she said. Victory spoke of several maneuvers, including the Inverted Helicopter, the Superman, the Gemini and the Wizard of Oz. She can do a lot of these tricks, and she has even purchased a stripper pole at her house to practice on. “I just work really, really hard,” she said. She estimates her income to be a whopping $2,500 a month (Hell, for $2,500 a month, I might even break out the man-thong and fireman’s hat. Name suggestions anyone?)
“I really think that this change is hurting the Rose Festival by taking the spirit away from the schools,” Drew said. “And the honor away from the princess knowing that they chose her.” Darlene Poirier and Connie Rader are the Rose Festival coordinators at Parkrose High School. They say for the most part, the change regarding the five-court rule happened to ensure schools’ cooperation in the program. Not every school has a good track record of girls who want to participate in the program, which is why each school is required to have five qualified girls on a school’s court. “I feel this aspect of the screening process is a little extreme and will be submitting a few alternatives to the [Rose Festival] board to consider,” Poirier said about the five-girl rule. “It is not fair to punish future courts because the current year couldn’t produce five qualifying candidates.” Changes to tradition are always a little harder to accept, especially when the tradition is as close to your heart as the Rose Festival is to so many here in Portland. This recent alteration to the selection process,
though, damages the importance of the student body a princess is meant to represent. This event is more than a simple parade where girls stand around looking pretty. Before the parade is a progression where school pride and student involvement plays a key role in their community. Let’s not threaten this involvement. Give back the influence high school students deserve.
Though she spends nights raking in dollar bills and performing insane pole maneuvers, Victory takes the form of a math and reading tutor and aspiring digital arts major at the University by day. She doesn’t know exactly where digital arts will take her—she just does what she loves. “It’s kinda badass,” she said regarding her seductive alter ego. “It’s like being Superman.” Nobody knew about her secret identity until her roommates grew suspicious of her always coming home late. When she finally told them, they were OK with it, so she’s been a bit more open about it — even telling her mother recently. “It’s like being gay and coming out,” she said. Though she enjoys what she does, there are times when she doesn’t feel right: nights where men would try to short her money, nights where 40-year-olds would perpetually pursue a date with her and nights riddled with creepy regulars who make her feel uncomfortable. Not only can it be discomforting, but stripping also puts her under some heavy stereotypes and misconceptions. It’s easy to see how exotic dancing perpetuates misogyny, but Victory says that you can be both a stripper and a feminist. Yeah, I know, it sounds ridiculous. On her first day working, a customer resembling the Big Lebowski, with his hair in a smooth ponytail, made Victory feel a lot more comfortable about her job when he told her that no matter what, she is in control. To Victory, it’s not about being at the mercy of the male—it’s
about her doing whatever she is comfortable with to get them to pay her money for it. If she doesn’t like the way a man is treating her, or if he gets too touchy-feely, she can stop at any point. In fact, there are some strippers at her place who don’t even get naked. A group of churchgoers came into her club on Valentine’s Day handing dancers flowers and telling them that Jesus forgives them for their sins. They felt bad for the dancers. Some don’t feel bad—they just get mad. Seeing these women as used, forced into their situations, or synonymous with prostitutes, her job title might leave her susceptible to offensive names such as whore or slut. “[Women] are contributing to the recycling of sexism by calling girls sluts,” Victory said on the subject. She’s had girls who knew she was a stripper see her at parties and commend her for being capable of showing her body in that fashion. Say what you want about her job, but she loves what she does and that’s what matters. As I sleepily bash products into plastic bags, rehashing the same lines over and over, I often imagine being paid to do something I love instead. But most of us don’t get that luxury until we graduate, and many of us never will. Yet we will continue to assault people like Victory, who are fortunate enough to do something they enjoy—and we will call her dumb for keeping a job she loves—because it is a social taboo. “I made $500 one night, and $350 the night before. If that makes me dumb, whatever,” she said. *This article originally appeared in the Daily Emerald. It appears here in its original form.
Illustration by Kira Meyrick/Portland State Vanguard
Sponsored by the
22nd Annual Career Infor mation Day
Wed, Feb 17 SMSU M O O R L L A B 3 p .m. 11 a.m.
nd CAREER DAY
INSIDE: MAP OF BOOTHS Special Advertising Section Cover ART Bryan Morgan GRAPHIC DESIGNER Charles Cooper Williams ADVERTISING DESIGNER Shannon Vincent
Today, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. SMSU Ballroom, room 355
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ADT Security, Inc. Albertina Kerr Centers Biotronik / Micro Systems Engineering, Inc. Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Cintas Corporation Clackamas County College Pro Painters College Works Painting Comcast Corporation discover-e Legal, LLC Electro Scientific Industries (ESI) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Federal Bureau of Prisons Federated Mutual Insurance First Investors Corporation FM Global Frito-Lay Inc. Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. Hertz Corporation
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InsideTrack Intel Corporation KeyBank Oregon KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8 KPFF Consulting Engineers MassMutual McAfee, Inc. Metro Multifamily Housing Association Multnomah County Mutual of Omaha Netflix, Inc. North Star Resource Group Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Oregon Child Development Coalition Oregon Department of Revenue Oregon National Guard Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division Pacific Capital Resource Group, Inc. Pacific Interpreters, Inc. Pacific Power / PacifiCorp Playworks
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Portland General Electric (PGE) Rite Aid Corporation SAIF Corporation Sherwin-Williams Company State Farm Insurance Tektronix, Inc. Toys R Us, Inc. Trillium Family Services US Army US Army Corps of Engineers Hydroelectric Design Center US Bank US Bureau of Land Management US Geological Survey (USGS) US Marine Corps Officer Programs US Navy US Peace Corps US Social Security Administration USDA Forest Service Verizon Wireless Vestas American Wind Technology, Inc. Walgreens
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ARTS & CULTURE Migration Brewing opens its doors Friday Bianca Blankenship
More beer for the people
Vanguard staff
While some Portlanders pride themselves on being born-andraised in this city, many have moved here from elsewhere, attracted to all that this city has to offer. The name of a new craft brewery opening Friday pays tribute to this Portland trend: Migration Brewing. “Portland’s such a migratory town,” said Migration Brewing coowner and Portland State alumnus Colin Rath. “It’s very much a destination. It has one of the worst job economies in the country but people are still flooding here.” A new addition to the Laurelhurst neighborhood, Migration Brewing will host a soft opening Friday and a grand opening will follow in March. As of Friday, the brewery will be open to the public. In the first few months, expect to see the four owners at the brewery almost every day. Co-owners Rath, Mike Branes and brothers McKean and Eric Banzer-Lausberg are, as of now, the brewery’s only employees and they’re looking forward to meeting the public. This brew-happy quartet started putting Migration together one and a half years ago. While working at Lucky Labrador Brewing, Branes started brewing his own beer at home, using the name Dead End Brewing. Rath joined him and the two occasionally threw block parties with local bands at Branes’ Southeast Portland abode. The idea grew from there. Charlie Frye of Metalcraft Fabrication, LLC, built Migration’s brewing system. It’s the first system he’s put together himself, a fact that the owners mentioned with pride. Because he’s waiting for some paperwork from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to go through, Branes won’t be able to brew on site for another month. In the meantime, the New Old Lompoc Brewery is letting him use its brewing facilities and Migration’s
Portland State students’ new exhibit explores the influence of a region Roger Wightman Vanguard staff
Normally, a trinket tells very little. It lies nearly invisible as the masses trample over it or brush past its worthlessness. A trinket can be anything—an old shoe, a leaf or a family portrait found in a thrift store, and the only common thread being that it’s been discarded. Among the bevy of artists within Portland is a pair of trinket collectors and craft makers that are on a mission to tell the story of the West by using artifacts collected and made by only the simplest means possible. Nicole Lavelle and Sarah Baugh’s collaboration is properly titled West. It is among only a small handful of exhibitions to be hosted by a relatively new art space on North Mississippi called Land. Land had its start in October 2009, with big-name Pacific Northwest artists like Nikki McClure and Trish Grantham filling the upstairs exhibition room with their newest work. The owners of online art store www.buyolympia.com opened up the gallery and retail store after their move from Olympia, Wash., to Portland. The gallery has seemingly
Vanguard Arts & Culture | 9 February 17, 2010
Arts Editor: Theodora Karatzas 503-725-5694 arts@dailyvanguard.com
Lent begins today Lent is a period of the Christian liturgical year leading up to Easter. It is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection.
All photos courtesy of Colin Rath/Migration Brewery
beer will be served from kegs. The first beer he expects to release is Migration Pale Ale. As far as beer is concerned, Branes isn’t focusing on a particular style. He prefers to cover a wide array of beers. He and the other owners aren’t keen to follow the hops-heavy trend that Portland craft brewers often subscribe to. “Mike wants to keep it traditional,” Rath said. “We’re going to try to keep it as mellow beers, unique beers…it’s going to be a wide variety.” Until Migration starts brewing in-house, they will be hosting beers from local breweries like Lompoc, Lucky Lab, Pelican and Ninkasi. They want to keep the beers relatively local, looking no further than Washington and northern California. They also plan to source local farms and food producers for their menu, which will consist of soups, salads and sandwiches. The neighborhood has been receptive so far. The brewery appears to be a welcome addition to an area that includes other bars and breweries like LaurelThirst Public
House, Screendoor and The Goodfoot. Migration isn’t hoping to draw any Migration Brewing particular crowd—rather, they hope soft opening to bring different crowds together. They envision a pub with a sense of community, filled with people of all 2828 NE Glisan St. ages and from all walks of life. Fri, Feb. 19 In a city that drools over the 21+ terms “community” and “craft brewing,” Migration should be off to a good start. They look forward to opening up the patio for warmer days in spring and summer. “Our mentality is organic growth,” McKean BanzerLausberg said. As they approach their grand opening in March, the owners will be feeling their way around the business, making connections in the community and making Migration Migration: The crew behind this new brewery. known.
A tribute to the West gotten off to a great start, temporarily housing the work of both well-known artists and those just emerging onto the Portland art scene. West is rugged from the start, as an old wooden plank with an arrow points you up the stairs to the exhibition room. Wood is in heavy use, nailed to the wall in random order or used to dangle a drawing created on unbleached paper. Nature is everywhere, whether as pinecones, pebbles or leaves, the influence of the forest is there. Lavelle and Baugh are seniors at Portland State studying graphic design. Both hail from the West but were born outside of Oregon. “When we came together to plan the show, we were trying to think of a topic or starting point that interested both of us and allowed enough freedom within it to work in whatever mediums or manners we wished,” Lavelle said. Lavelle and Baugh shared interests in things such as the natural world, exploring, folk art, collecting and their own personal mythologies.
“It just so happened that all of those things related intensely to the locales in which we grew up and explored as children and now as adults,” Lavelle said. “Many of those places were right here in the West.” The collaged walls are reminiscent of childhood as well as a tribute to a lifestyle and the adventurous spirit in all of us. Part dedication and part soul searching, the artifacts remind you of the place that was and the place that is. From arrowheads to penny stamps, these are memorabilia of a life lived. Four words penciled in graphing paper, “Dusty Sunburn, Piney Summer,” seem to capture an entire season. Lavelle describes the exhibit as a way of documenting and exploring their thoughts and feelings about the West both as a destination and an arrival. Remaining true to the Western spirit, the items feel old and dusty, and yet hauntingly familiar at the same time. Whether you’re from the west or a new arrival, West will remind you of the journey made or the life lived in this place that we call home.
West, A multimedia collaboration by Nicole Lavelle and Sarah Baugh Land 3925 N Mississippi Ave. Thu through Sat 10 a.m to 6 p.m. Sun 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. Runs through Feb. 28
In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians often choose to give up something or do volunteer work, allowing them to focus on God. The Tearfund campaign is calling for people to “ditch iPods, abstain from meat and eat by candlelight” to minimize their carbon footprint. “It’s difficult to see how our energyhungry lifestyles cause suffering for people around the world we may never meet, but the Lord invites us to walk humbly,” according to the Tearfund Web site. Tearfund even suggests different activities to focus on for each day of the fast. On Day 27, for instance, it recommends that people cook thinner pasta than usual, because it cooks faster. On Day 20, it recommends the faithful should bar the TV, iPod, computer and mobile phone. “It’s the poorest people in developing countries, who have done the least to cause climate change, being hit hardest by its devastating consequences. It is all of our responsibility to help reverse this injustice,” said Rev. Richard Chartres. “The Carbon Fast’s simple daily actions are not only fun, but an opportunity to demonstrate the love of God in a practical way while reducing your carbon emissions and everyone can take part,” according to the Web site. The idea is that at the end of Lent, participants should calculate their energy savings and send the money to the less well off. The call comes as Irish bookmaker Paddy Power releases a list of the most popular Lenten abstentions. While chocolate tops the list, Twitter and Facebook come in fourth and fifth.
All photos courtesy of Pat Castaldo/Flickr
West: A collection of artfully arranged
trinkets that explore personal mythologies.
—www.tgdaily.com, www.wikipedia.com
Vanguard 10 | Arts & Culture February 17, 2010
Celebrity news is not news! Kevin Smith is a fatty fat fat…uh, duh? MTV reports that Kevin Smith was ejected from a Southwest Airlines flight for being too heavy, and that he has since devoted his Twitter feed and other online media to vilifying the airline far and wide. He was quoted as saying that he usually buys two seats because he doesn’t like to sit near people, not because of his bovine body. The unavailability of an extra seat in this case led to his ejection. Southwest Airlines has been rude to thickset passengers before, and Smith being removed from a flight due to being a scale-buster is not the sort of thing we need to devote time and coverage to. Still, fuck you Southwest…I’m going with JetBlue from now on. A pit bull in lipstick takes on Peter Griffin Sarah Palin, presidential candidate turned FOX News talking head, took offense to the animated and oftcontroversial comedy Family Guy. Chris took a girl with Down syndrome on a date, and Palin responded with a Facebook campaign of anger, as she felt the episode insults her son, who has the disorder. People need to stop paying attention to this dolt. She could spell the end of Seth MacFarlane if he isn’t careful…that said, I look forward to what the show does to react to Palin’s whining. —Robert Seitzinger
Foster Burger: Taking the tired, old hamburger of our youth and classing it up with snazzy condiments and cool cocktails.
All photos courtesy of Shaina S./yelp.com
A very classy burger joint Foster Burger
A culinary super team provides quality without the attitude Katherine Vetrano Vanguard staff
From a culinary dream team of Daniel Mondok (formerly of Sel Gris), Kurt Huffman (Ping, Gruner and Whisky Soda Lounge) and The Oregonian’s 2009 Food Star of the Year Andy Ricker (Pok Pok, Ping and Whisky Soda Lounge), a Portland diner can only expect great things. Foster Burger delivers on quality, but perhaps not the kind you would expect. The restaurant, located in Southeast Portland, combats the qualities of stuffy food culture that can often be found in critically acclaimed Portland restaurants. The interior is somewhat of a hybrid between a rock venue and a family restaurant, with band flyers papering the walls, the Ramones singing on the stereo and homey, wood-paneled booths. The friendly service staff and a backyard BBQ are familiar and genuine, with each burger wrapped in checkered paper sitting in a plastic basket. There isn’t a haughty attitude in sight.
The Vanguard
“People have been like, ‘why are there only two wines on the menu?’” Mondok said. “But we’re not here for selfrighteous food critics. We’re just here to be an affordable burger joint with good quality food.” This mindset is developed well, and while looking at their one-page menu, it is evident that Foster Burger values quality over quantity. For those who are into no-fuss classics, The Foster Burger, as well as the other burgers on the menu, is made of hand-ground organic beef and can be accompanied by all the usual suspects: cheddar, bacon or a farm-fresh fried egg. Vegetarians can join the party with a vegan and gluten-free patty, and the more adventurous are offered the Kiwi Burger, a lamb burger with pickled beets and a fried egg. Never had a homemade pickle? Each burger is topped with these tangy and crunchy treats, as well as Foster Sauce made with dijon,
cornichons and mayo. Along with each humungous burger comes a heaping side of fries that have a crispy exterior and a soft center. In addition to the simplistic menu offered is a chalkboard of seasonal specials that help the chefs flex their more refined culinary muscles. Recently available was a plate of crisped fries dressed in Parmesan and truffle oil, accompanied by a squid-ink aioli for $8. With a menu that rarely goes over $11, it’s easy to see why, by 6 p.m., the restaurant is already packed with people from all walks of life. Foster Burger doesn’t forget the smaller mouths, either. They have their own version of the kids’ meal, with a smaller burger and portion of fries, as well as kid cocktails such as a Shirley Temple or a Roy Rogers. Lents is a neighborhood that inhabits more than just the 20-something crowd and Mondok and his partners haven’t forgotten that fact.
5339 SE Foster Rd. Mon, Thu and Fri, 5 to 10 p.m. Sat and Sun, noon to 10 p.m. 503-775-2077 “This is a really diverse neighborhood with all kinds of ethnicities and young couples,” Mondok said. “They deserve something affordable with good quality, especially now when the economy sucks.” With burgers everywhere on the culinary map, one might wonder what sets this particular burger joint apart. Mondok has heard every comparison, from Burgerville to McMenamins. “While I appreciate what McMenamins is doing, their service and food suck,” Mondok said. “The only thing we do have in common is something they achieve well, and that’s approachability.” Walking into Foster Burger, diners can find a plate with nuts and water in the opening room to feed ravenous appetites while waiting. It is touches like this that prove the restaurant might be about more than the three categories Mondok defines Foster Burger to be—beer, rock ’n’ roll and burgers. Perhaps, there’s a little bit of heart too.
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Edited by Will Shortz Across 1 Sailing ship 11 Early education 15 Edward James Olmosʼs directorial debut, 1992 16 Split fish? 17 Frames that take shape? 18 Scroogeʼs nephew 19 Media ___ 20 “Gotcha!” 21 Vocal quality 23 Cleared 25 Like some noisy cats 27 Hitch 28 One whoʼs hitched, in Hidalgo 30 Cause of rage against the machine? 31 Homer Simpsonʼs dad
32 Indiana and others 34 Schmo 35 Pretend 38 Acupuncturistʼs energy 39 Sunburn remedies 40 “Universe Symphony” composer 41 Sequoias, e.g. 43 Something to move with 44 Homer Simpsonʼs mom 45 Chinese cuisine style 49 Stretcher fetcher, briefly 50 Social instability 52 “House of Dracula” director ___ C. Kenton 53 Mocking fun 55 Siege of ___ (opening of the Third Crusade)
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46 Like some fears 47 Senectitude 48 Viewer drawer 51 Words of empathy 54 Near ___ 56 Must-have toy of 1996 60 Gracklelike bird 61 V-mail handler
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Anthropology Student Association Game Night 4 p.m. Cramer Hall, room 41 Free event with refreshments and games such as Pictionary and Scattergories Snowshoe Day Hike Noon Academic Student Recreation Center, room 101 $28 registration fee Deadline for signing up to go snowshoeing with fellow students PSUMUN Movie Night 6 p.m. SMSU, room 333 Free film screenings by the PSU Model United Nations
Thursday QRC: “A Discourse on Asexuality” Noon Cramer Hall, room 263 Free presentation and Q-and-A session on asexual gender identification
Friday Viking Fest 2010 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. SMSU Ballroom $5 and a food donation Alpha Kappa Psi event featuring live music and a raffle More information available at www. pdxakpsi.org
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● Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.
● The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given
operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.
● Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.
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ART WEDNESDAY
Vanguard Arts & Culture | 12 February 17, 2010
Weekend box office: Top 10 highestgrossing films for the weekend of Feb. 12–15 1. Valentine’s Day Weekend gross: $63,135,312 Gross to date: $63,135,312
God help us!
Towering inferno: Get ready to decend into hell with this mediocre retelling of a classic story.
The Dante’s Inferno anime is a violent and mostly pointless mess Steve Haske Vanguard staff
When I first heard that EA was adapting Dante’s Inferno into a videogame, I knew there was going to be trouble. If the game had been, say, an adventure game or some other endeavor that required at least a little thought, I might be a little more sympathetic. But the development team had something a little cruder in mind. Basically, they took the idea of Dante—the poet forced to wander with Virgil through the nine levels of Hell and whose most aggressive response to the horrors he witnessed in Hell was to shed tears and wish them eternal torment— and remade him as a blood-soaked warrior of the crusades, dripping with the guilt of some pretty outlandish sins. Naturally, the anime film release in conjunction with the Inferno game follows suit, taking an Animatrix-style multi-director look at Dante’s trip through Hell in various art styles (which, by the way, makes for pretty inconsistent viewing). As you might imagine, very little of Alighieri’s original poem remains within the slashfirst, ask-questions-later approach the film takes. Dante himself, aside from being a warrior rather than a poet (“Can you believe that in my youth I wanted to be a poet? But I all I ever knew was violence!” Dante laments to Virgil at one point) has got a seriously fucked-up case of PTSD, after committing adultery and meaningless bloodshed during his time fighting in the holy wars. He’s not a very likeable character for almost all of the film’s 88-minute running time. I mean, for Christ’s sake, the man mercilessly slaughters an entire cell full of heretic captives because he’s tired of being on guard duty. Unlike the temperance, and, I don’t know, intelligenc, Alighieri gave his persona in the original poem, this Dante is entirely corruptible and an idiot. God knows why he would want to sleep with common whores when the blonde bombshell Beatrice is waiting for him back home in
Florence, either, particularly since he seems just as likely to kill or release any heretic prisoner he’s supposed to be guarding. But that’s hardly the most offensive thing about this slapdash adaptation of Inferno. Beatrice, as it turns out, is the reason that Dante is rushing to Hell in the first place. Yep, you guessed it—she’s a damsel in distress, and she bargained her soul with Lucifer, apparently, in order to ensure Dante’s safe return home from the Crusades. The liberties don’t stop there. As if it weren’t enough to turn Inferno into a goddamn love story, Dante finds his parents in the depths of Hell as well. During his brief time in the fourth circle (Greed), Dante confronts his father, a fat, hulking monster with fish gills that has also made a bargain with Lucifer (what is with Dante’s family making deals with the devil?). His mother committed suicide. Up until this point in the film I was borderline entertained, if a bit annoyed with Dante’s penchant for melodrama. But when it was revealed the Dante’s father was a gluttonous, abusive man who beat the shit out of his wife because he suspected her of stealing a few lousy gold coins from him, I kind of abandoned all of whatever hope I had yet remaining. And for someone that’s suffering so much guilt, Dante is able to commit patricide pretty easily. And later he stabs someone in the eye with a cross just because they’re mocking him. Violence is usually Dante’s modus operandi, actually. When Charon denies him passage, Dante’s reply is to roar with rage and tear through Charon’s skull with a scythe. The violence as depicted in the original poem is oddly uneven, however. There are plenty of graphic scenes (gotta love a good vaginal impaling) but a lot of the more poetic—and gruesome— devices of eternal torture Alighieri dreamt up are strangely absent. I guess it’s hard not to expect that a lot of the details of Hell are glossed over when you’ve only got an hour and a half to thunder through all nine circles, fight Lucifer and call it a day, but isn’t Hell what the Inferno is all about? As it stands, most circles of Hell get between seven and 10 minutes of exposure each.
All photos courtesy of EA Games
Aside from that, the animation styles vary wildly and jarringly change without much warning. Some of the styles are far prettier than others, and the principal characters’ looks can differ pretty significantly. I wish they would’ve just picked a style and stuck with it, as was the case with EA’s Dead Space anime tie-in, Downfall. There’s a few decent parts about this animated Inferno: the story, as much as it is a rape and pillage job of the original literary source material, is told with a surprisingly decent amount of exposition, and the voice work is generally pretty well done, in that European fantasy epic, almost-Middle-English-butnot-quite sort of way. If you’re looking for a crass defilement of Dante’s Inferno, I’d say skip the movie and just play the game (as far as God of War clones go, it’s at least well done). If you’re looking for something with a little more substance, however, just do yourself a favor and read the goddamn book.
2. Peter Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Weekend gross: $38,661,634 Gross to date: $38,661,634 3. The Wolfman Weekend gross: $35,555,065 Gross to date: $35,555,065 4. Avatar Weekend gross: $27,782,849 Gross to date: $666,388,502 5. Dear John Weekend gross: $18,200,188 Gross to date: $56,077,760 6. Tooth Fairy Weekend gross: $8,005,767 Gross to date: $43,934,502 7. From Paris with Love Weekend gross: $6,352,780 Gross to date: $17,465,570 8. Edge of Darkness Weekend gross: $5,570,476 Gross to date: $37,054,157
Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic Anchor Bay Entertainment 88 minutes Blu-ray, DVD
9. Crazy Heart Weekend gross: $4,982,062 Gross to date: $17,509,037 10. When in Rome Weekend gross: $4,277,925 Gross to date: $26,875,654 —boxofficemojo.com