FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2010 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 81
Special Section Look inside for the Vanguard 2010 Bar Guide, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and spring break!
81 Issue 12 March 2010
BAR E GUID
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INSIDE OPINION
all the th sshaking? shaking? haking? Impeachment What’s with with all What’s th bogged down Pacific Northwest earthquake hazards Amy Staples Vanguard staff
Support Supportland! Rewards card to stimulate local economy PAGE 2
ARTS
A read for the hopeless romantic Former Vanguard editor Owen R. Smith releases debut work of fiction PAGE 5 Wild dogs in the city streets Urban Iditarod madness ensues this weekend PAGE 6
The Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti was hard to miss, but in the aftermath of the tragedy, the American media may have ignored several earthquakes that followed. Though experts say the actual number of earthquakes is not increasing, with every passing year the likelihood of a massive earthquake in the Pacific Northwest increases. February saw four large quakes: a 6.9-magnitude quake in the ChinaRussia-North Korea border region, a 7.0 in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan and an 8.8 in Chile that was followed by a 6.9-magnitude aftershock. This list does not include the thousands of smaller earthquakes that happen every week. March has seen a few already as well. Chile, for a second time, Vanuatu and Indonesia have had significant earthquakes this month. What does it all mean? Not much, say experts. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, large-magnitude earthquakes have actually decreased in recent decades. More earthquakes are known about since the ability to record earthquakes has increased in the last few decades.
Just because we know about the seismic events doesn’t mean they weren’t occurring all along. Also, more people are at risk for being in an earthquake as the population increases. “We’re really concerned about the big one, a subduction zone [earthquake] that will break from Northern California up to British Columbia. What is the analogy? Chile. That was a subduction zone earthquake,” said Scott Burns, a geology professor at Portland State. The story of the Cascadia subduction zone was first told in the 2005 book, The Orphan Tsunami, by Brian Atwater. In it, Atwater describes the work done in the United States and in Japan to unlock the story of an unexplained tsunami experienced by Japan in the year 1700. The 900-mile subduction zone is located 50 miles from the coast. It runs from Arcata, Calif. to Vancouver, British Columbia. “We have three sources of earthquakes,” Burns said. “We have movement along the faults in North America where the North American plate is moving to the west. The largest quakes we get there are about magnitude 6.5. The Portland Hills Fault is one of those and it runs right behind PSU.” Another source of earthquakes is the Juan de Fuca plate along the West Coast.
“The largest we get there is magnitude 7.3,” Burns said. “Where the two plates are locking, where the Juan de Fuca plate is going under North America, we get up to 9.0.” Things people can do to be prepared at home include caching water safe for drinking, knowing where the natural gas turn-off device is in your home and strapping your water heater in so it doesn’t fall over. “This is earthquake country and we need to be prepared,” he said. Geology Professor Ken Cruikshank said that when he lived in California, he kept a pair of shoes and gloves next to his bed. “If an earthquake happens in the middle of the night, many injuries are sustained from crawling through broken glass to get out of the house,” he said. Cruikshank said that everything known about the Cascadia subduction zone is from the geologic record. “Anything we have is what we’ve gleaned from the historical records. Even with that orphan tsunami, we’re still assuming that it was [the North American plate] that produced the one that arrived in Japan. It’s likely but it was 300 years ago,” he said. According to Cruikshank, the Chilean earthquake was expected because the convergence rate is much faster than the North American plate. “They’re getting magnitude eights every couple of centuries,” he said.
Mission accomplished? Green Zone attempts to tell a truer story of the Iraq war PAGE 7
NEWS TRIO honors students Event held to honor student success in the program PAGE 8 SFC budget presented to ASPSU Student Senate has until end of March to consider budget PAGE 8
SPORTS
Our faults: Graphics explaining the location of Pacific Northwest fault zones.
Student grant money restored Oregon Legislature approved $9.7 million increase for OOG Vinh Tran Vanguard staff
Vikings advance to semifinals Portland State defeats Idaho State in first round of the conference tournament PAGE 10
Photos courtesy of U.S. Geological Society
The Oregon Legislature approved a $9.7 million increase in funding for the Oregon Opportunity Grant at this year’s special legislative session. The OOG is Oregon’s only need-based grant. The amount will restore the previous year’s cut to the OOG and maintain the program for the next year. The first $4.7 million will go into restoring the cuts that the legislature made at the 2009 session. In 2009, the Legislature also
approved $9.7 million in total funding for the OOG, which was down $11.8 million, or 10.8 percent, over the amount approved for the prior biennium, according to the Legislative Fiscal Office. Emily McLain, legislative director for the Oregon Student Association, said the increase in funding is a huge victory for students and the OSA, which had been lobbying the legislature since the beginning of this year’s session. McLain said that in 2009, students who were eligible to receive the OOG received a cut of $120 per term for full-time students and $60 for part-time students. In 2009, there were 99,507 students eligible for the OOG, but only 43,164 received the award, according to the OSA Commission.
“We’ve seen a higher number of applicants for the OOG and the $9.7 million hasn’t been enough,” McLain said. “It’s very difficult for some students who see their funding cut in the middle of the year.” McLain said the OSA lobbied for $110 million for the OOG in 2009, but that was not possible during the recession. In addition to the $9.7 million, the legislature also fixed the language of the program so that more part-time students can qualify for the fund, according to ASPSU Vice President Ed Hallman. “OOG can prioritize students who are full time over those who are part time, so the legislature changed it so that the two are treated more equally,” Hallman said.
Proceedings against SFC member to continue in Ombuds Office Corie Charnley Vanguard staff
The impeachment proceedings against a Student Fee Committee member will continue in the Ombuds Office after the decision by the Student Senate was overturned by the Judicial Board. The Student Senate didn’t have enough votes to overrule the board’s decision. The Senate’s decision to impeach SFC member Ron Lee was overruled by the J-Board during its review of the process because the Senate failed to follow through on its decision to send certified letters summoning the concerned parties to its meeting. The impeachment process will now go to the university’s Ombuds Office, where mediation will take place. If the mediation fails, the decision to impeach Lee will remain valid, said J-Board Chair Brad Vehafric. On Tuesday, March 2, the Senate voted to impeach Lee after he accused Pre-Law Society President Ashley McClain of financial mismanagement. Lee was not present at the hearing. Lee refused to participate in the impeachment process, though he was given an opportunity to offer rebuttal at last Tuesday’s Student Senate meeting. Lee is willing to participate in outside mediation, Vehafric said. “The purpose of the mediation is to reach a decision which can be agreed upon,” Vehafric said. He also said the Senate needs to focus on other tasks, including the upcoming ASPSU elections and the approval of the SFC budget. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Senate failed to pass the three-fourths majority vote needed to overturn the J-Board’s ruling and reinstate its previous decision. McClain encouraged them to overturn the J-Board’s decision to bring the impeachment to the Ombud’s office. “For the most part, I understand that Ron doesn’t recognize this process, but as a member of [the] SFC, as a member of ASPSU…he has to recognize it. The SFC is a branch of the Senate,” McClain said. Senator P. V. Jantz was elected to attend the mediation talks on behalf of the Senate, alongside Vehafric and J-Board Justice Casey Payseno, who will represent ASPSU. McClain will also be invited to attend. “We’ve given [Lee] a chance, [the Senate has] already spoken…I received a request to be here today. Ron received the same request. I’m here, I was here [at the last meeting], I’m ready to proceed,” she said. The mediation talks have yet to be scheduled. However, Vehafric expressed his hopes that a final decision will be made by the first Senate meeting of spring term.