THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2010 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 103
Event of the day Have you chosen your Senior Capstone course yet? If not, come to the Capstone fair this afternoon where you can meet with Capstone instructors and learn about Capstone courses for this summer and the next academic year When: 11 a.m. Where: SMSU, rooms 327–329
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INSIDE Arts
Oregon Supreme Court to visit PSU Attorneys will present oral arguments before justices, audience can ask questions
Sisterhood and a trail of broken dreams The Gray Sisters successfully presents a saga of family drama PAGE 4
Finding intrigue in simplicity Two Northwest artists share gallery space to exhibit their newest work PAGE 4
Only the tip of the iceberg Aan releases the first official album tonight at Holocene PAGE 5
Sports Our new cricket club Cricket club approved, bringing the world’s second most popular game to PSU PAGE 6 From the court to the field
Senior basketball player Julius Thomas takes a shot at the football field PAGE 6
Corie Charnley Vanguard staff
For the first time in Portland State’s history, the Oregon Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments on campus as part of its public outreach program. “The Oregon Supreme Court does what they call a traveling road show,” said Andrew Bridge, president of PSU’s chapter of the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, Alpha Phi Sigma, and co-chair of Pi Sigma Alpha, PSU’s chapter of the national Political Science Honor Society. The oral arguments that will be heard consist of four pending criminal cases that have been condensed into two sessions, according to Ashley McClain, president of PSU’s Pre-Law Society. “This is part of the Court’s outreach efforts to demystify the work that the highest court does,” she said. During the oral arguments, the prosecution and defense attorneys will present the cases to the justices. In turn, the justices will respond with questions to each of the attorneys, according to Bridge. “The justices have actually been gracious enough to allow audience members to ask them questions,”
he said. “They will answer questions about their line of reasoning and points of interest in law.” Bridge was informed about the program after Robert Durham, an associate justice of the OSC, spoke to the Political Science Honor Society in December. He then reached out to McClain about the possibility of such an event happening at PSU. McClain expressed interest, and the event ultimately became a collaboration between the PLS, the Criminal Justice Honor Society and the Political Science Honor Society, according to Bridge. Though this is the first time the OSC will hear oral arguments at PSU, it has visited other universities in the Oregon University System, McClain said. “It will be a great opportunity, not just for law students, but for all students who want to see how the OSC operates,” she said. While working out the technicalities of the event, Bridge and McClain met challenges when reserving rooms. As a result, they contacted student Christopher Proudfoot and ASPSU President-Elect Katie Markey. “We took care of the technicalities and made sure that all of the requirements were met,” Markey said. “But [Bridge and McClain] put all of the really hard work into it.” According to Proudfoot, who is also a member of the Smith Memorial Student Union Advisory Board,
the special requirements included a secure room and a space for the justices to speak in private. Markey, who takes office in June, hopes that she can help bring the OSC back to campus next year. “I would love to see [the Court] come back,” she said. “I will lend as much support as possible.” The justices will hear the first set of cases at 9 a.m., in room 327 Smith Memorial Student Union, but visitors are encouraged to arrive
at 8:30 a.m. Once the first session begins, audience members will not be allowed in-and-out access until the break. The second set of cases will be heard at 10:30 a.m. Chief Justice Paul De Muniz, an alumnus of PSU, will be present at the event, according to Bridge. “I am really excited and I’m hoping that we have a huge turnout,” McClain said. Information about the cases can be found at www.ccjhonors.com.
Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard
Students bringing OSC to PSU: Ashley McClain and Andrew Bridge worked to bring the historic event.
Faculty members receive pay restoration AAUP bargaining agreement restores faculty salary to 2009 level Amy Staples Vanguard staff
After five months of receiving pay decreases, the PSU faculty have had their 2009 salaries restored. The American Association of University Professors is the faculty union at PSU that negotiated the contract change; 97 percent of voters voted in favor of ratifying the agreement that restored the salaries. Michele Gamburd, vice president of collective bargaining for AAUP and a professor of anthropology, said members were notified on April 20. “The PSU-AAUP bargaining team is pleased that we were able, at the bargaining table, to get salaries restored as of April 1 to their September 2009 levels,” Gamburd said. Wording in the original contract left the door open for either party—AAUP, PSU or PSU’s administration—to request reopening the contract by March 31, 2010 to revisit faculty pay. Gamburd said that PSU wanted to bargain with a worst-case financial situation in mind in
case Measures 66 and 67 did not pass, or if there was no increase in enrollment. Though they ultimately passed, "If those measures failed we would have had a second round of cuts,” Gamburd said. The university does not allow for enrollment increases to be considered for bargaining, according to Gamburd. It creates a cushion for the university to consider the worst financial outlook. Faculty members received pay cuts because, in early 2009, Oregon’s dismal state budget forced all state agencies to make budget cuts. According to Phil Lesch, executive director of AAUP at PSU, Governor Ted Kulongoski asked all state employees to decrease their budgets by 4.6 percent. “Bargaining agencies across the state took a cut,” Lesch said. The Letter of Agreement 4 in the AAUP Collective Bargaining Agreement for Sept. 1, 2009 to Aug. 31, 2011 states that, in the event of better-than-projected financial conditions at PSU, faculty salaries will be restored to 2009 levels. Because there has been a 7 percent increase in enrollment, the university has roughly $7 million that was not accounted for in the budget. According to Gamburd, a 1 percent
increase in enrollment translates to about $1 million. Once enrollment increases over 3.6 percent, 30 percent of anything over that automatically goes to financial aid. In addition to the faculty pay “snap back,” the reopener agreement also allocates $1 million to several venues on campus that improve working conditions and university welfare, Gamburd said. “We are currently finalizing details on how to disburse these funds,” she said. “We finished bargaining in September but it takes a while to ratify the agreement.” Once faculty members voted, human resources had to work out the payroll details. As a result, faculty pay decreases began Nov. 1 and continued until April 1, according to Gamburd. “The administration was very firm that faculty not receive a raise at a time when so many people are out of work,” she said. Some faculty members who are not part of AAUP are also returning to 2009 salaries, including department chairs, according to Gamburd. However, deans and other executives above department chairs are not being restored to 2009 levels. Next year PSU-AAUP and the administration will begin negotiations for the 2011–13 contract.
“It is better to begin negotiations in 2011 from this position than from a position of ongoing salary reductions,” Gamburd said. Bargaining will begin in March 2011, where both the AAUP and the administration will open articles for discussion, she said. “If [the article that dictates faculty salary] gets opened, and presumably it will,” Gamburd said, “then we will discuss compensation issues in light of the Oregon state budget, enrollment growth and other campus budgetary considerations.”
How will the $1 million be disbursed? The reopener agreement allocated $1 million to: - $400,000 one-time support to the library - $200,000 toward computing (computers and software) - $200,000 toward faculty travel - $200,000 toward professional development
Vanguard 2 | News May 6, 2010
NEWS
Sarah J. Christensen Editor-in-Chief Virginia Vickery News Editor Theodora Karatzas Arts & Culture Editor Richard D. Oxley Opinion Editor Robert Britt Sports Editor Bryan Morgan Production Manager Marni Cohen Photo Editor Zach Chastaine Online Editor Kristin Pugmire Copy Chief Kristin Pugmire 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 Stephanie Case, Justin Flood, Shannon Vincent Post-production Assistant Adiana Lazarraga Contributors Stacy Austin, Will Blackford, Bianca Blankenship, Leah Bodenhamer, Meaghan Daniels, Sarah Engels, Sarah Esterman, Amy Fylan, Courtney Graham, Natalia Grozina, Patrick Guild, Joe Hannan, Rosemary Hanson, Steve Haske, Nadya Ighani, Carrie Johnston, Sara M. Kemple, Tamara K. Kennedy, J. Logue, James MacKenzie, Natalie McClintock, Daniel Ostlund, Sharon Rhodes, Tanya Shiffer, Wendy Shortman, Robert Seitzinger, Catrice Stanley, Amy Staples, Nilesh Tendolkar, Robin Tinker, Vinh Tran, Andrea Vedder, Katherine Vetrano, Allison Whited, Roger Wightman Photographers Drew Martig, Michael Pascual, Liana Shewey, Adam Wickham Copy Editors Noah Emmet, Amanda Gordon Advertising Sales Sam Gressett, Iris Meyers, Ana SanRoman, Wesley Van Der Veen Advertising Designer Beth Hansen Distributor Cody Bakken 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
ISA to host a night celebrating and exploring urban India Sharon Rhodes Vanguard staff
Celebrate the traditions and modernity of India this Saturday at 6 p.m. with the Indian Student Association, which will host Sanskriti—its annual Indian culture night—in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom. The theme of the event this year is “Urban India” and will include a dinner with foods from different regions of India, a show with dances, a live music performance and an informal dance with a disc jockey. The night will center around the “great blend of the old and new” found in India’s cities, said Tanya Jajodia, the president of the Indian Student Association and a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering. The name of the event, Sanskriti, is a Hindi word meaning tradition. Jajodia said the ISA hopes that this year’s Sanskriti will give attendees a sense of the massive changes India has undergone in the past six decades as well as the ancient culture that still plays a large part in the everyday lives of modern India. Preetham D. Shivaram, the vice president of the ISA and a graduate student in computer science, said, “As we all know, India [has] a long history and a rich culture which we have maintained [until] now.” Recently, the process of urbanization has begun to transform India. Although 40 million of India’s urban dwellers live in slums, urbanization has also effected a number of positive changes, according to the Population Reference Bureau. Shivaram said, “Urbanization
Sanskriti
Photo courtesy of Mário Pires
Music and dancing: Sitar music will be played as part of a live performance.
is changing the Indian society not only in [the] economic shift,” which has accompanied India’s huge successes in sectors like information technology, “but also in social ways.” The massive metropolitan centers of India—like Mumbai, Kolkata (the Bengal spelling of Calcutta) and Delhi—contain great diversity, Jajodia said. The sheer sizes of India’s mega-cities compounds the effects of
diversity: approximately 16.4 million people inhabited Greater Mumbai as of the 2001 Indian Census, Kolkata housed 13.4 million and Delhi had a population of 12.9 million, according to the Population Reference Bureau. These mega-cities, Jajodia said, “symbolize globalization in a big way...people with different faiths, beliefs and traditions, social status [are] all together, working with one another.”
In spite of these changes, Shivaram said, “We still preserve the heritage, we have our gods that we worship, traditions that we follow, festivals that we celebrate and rituals that are still being practiced.” In short, “Urban India is something where modernity and technology meet culture and tradition,” Shivaram said. According to Jajodia, Sanskriti will open with a dinner consisting of foods from various regions of India, including one special dish from the southern part of the country, and several from the north. During dinner, classical and instrumental Indian music will be played. After dinner, around 7 p.m., there will be a short presentation on India followed by both classical and contemporary dances. “We’ve got a lot of dances,” Jajodia said. Also as part of the show, there will be a live tabla, sitar and guitar performance. According to Shivaram, Emidio Cantalupo, will play the sitar, an Indian string instrument not unlike a long-necked guitar. Saikiran Madhusudhan will play the tabla, an Indian hand drum, and Andrew Snyder will play the guitar. Then a fashion show, featuring modern and traditional clothing on both male and female models will conclude the evening’s formal events. Following the fashion show, around 10 p.m., a disc jockey will play dance songs, including some Bollywood hits.
Those interested can buy tickets at the box office in SMSU, students with I.D. pay $8, children 10 and under pay $6 and the general public pays $12.
The Daily Cut Your world in brief
5 women stop man accused of Maine campus stabbing BANGOR, Maine (AP)—Five female students, including one who’d recently completed a self-defense class, jumped to the aid of a fellow student, grabbing her knife-wielding attacker and holding him until police officers arrived at Husson University, officials said Wednesday. Jesse Hladik put her new skills to work when she lunged for the hand holding a knife, while fellow students grabbed the man’s other limbs and wrestled him to the ground. Hladik, 21, of Buckfield, said she knew the pressure points to make him drop the knife, thanks to the class. “It was really scary, but I’m glad we got involved,” said student Heather Mann, 18, of Rochester, N.H. “Because I really think he would have killed her.” Officers responding to the report of a domestic fight at 7:40 a.m. arrived to find 45-year-old Horst Wolk of Bangor subdued on the pavement. A campus officer cuffed him, and city police hauled him away. John Michaud, professor of legal studies, heard the commotion and saw a pile of people on the
pavement, while more women stood by, ready to jump in, if necessary. “I was very impressed by the students,” Michaud said. “How many times do you hear about people walking by incidents like this? These young ladies weren’t going to walk by this incident.” He said the young women disarmed the suspect and “had the situation well in hand.” Wolk has been charged with attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault, aggravated assault and violating a protection order, said Bangor Police Sgt. Paul Edwards. He remained jailed Wednesday afternoon on $25,000 bail. There was no indication whether he had an attorney. The incident unfolded in a parking lot next to Husson’s O’Donnell Commons. Wolk, who isn’t a student, rammed the victim’s vehicle after she pulled into a parking space at 7:40 a.m., then jumped out of his vehicle with a knife in his hand, said Julie Green, Husson spokeswoman. The injured woman, who was not identified, was treated at a local hospital and released.
Edwards said officers generally don’t want bystanders to put themselves in harm’s way. “We would never recommend getting involved to the point where you might get hurt yourself and become a second victim. But am I proud of what they did? Of course I am. Am I glad they did it? Yeah. I’m happy because the outcome was good,” Edwards said. Hladik said she realized the importance of self defense. “Not that the situation is going to happen again here, but it is so much better to know what I was doing, to make a little plan in a couple of seconds before doing something because I can’t imagine being one of the girls without training and not knowing what to do,” she said. “I think that is bravery because they had never fought...they had no idea what to do and they still stepped in.”
Reed students say legalize drugs to end violence PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)—Some Reed College students believe the way to end drug violence in Mexico is to legalize
drugs and strip cartels of their profits. The students plan a Cinco de Mayo demonstration with 2,000 Mexican flags on the Portland campus Wednesday to symbolize the lives lost in drug violence.
NYC bomb suspect had MBA from Conn. university HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)—Officials at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut say the man suspected of parking a car bomb in Times Square earned computer and business degrees there. School officials say Faisal Shahzad (FY’-sul shah-ZAHD’) graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer applications and information systems in 2000 and later returned to earn a master’s of business administration in 2005. University spokeswoman Leslie Geary says Shahzad was a transfer student from Southeastern University in Washington, D.C., which lost its accreditation last year. She says the University of Bridgeport has notified federal homeland security officials and the FBI about Shahzad’s attendance at the college.
Behind the Acronym: OIA
Vanguard News | 3 May 6, 2010
News Editor: Virginia Vickery 503-725-5690 news@dailyvanguard.com
PSU Diversity Awards On Wednesday, May 12, Portland State will host the sixth annual PSU Diversity Awards. The Diversity Action Council will recognize one faculty member, one staff member, one undergraduate student and one graduate student who exemplify the President’s Diversity Initiative.
Liana Shewey/Portland State Vanguard
Office of International Affairs: Located in East Hall on SW Hall St., the office handles the travel, visits and other affairs of thousands of students.
Office of International Affairs Tamara K. Kennedy Vanguard staff
Thousands of students travel to dozens of countries every year thanks to the coordination efforts of the Office of International Affairs, which has several units that, for example, deal with international studies, international students and students that study abroad. Two of the largest OIA programs work with students who are coming in as international students and students who study abroad. The study abroad program works with consortiums of universities such as the Oregon University System, the Council on International Educational Exchanges and Northwest Study Abroad. More than 100 study abroad programs are offered in about 40 countries, according to Judy Van Dyck, director of International Student and Scholar Services. “Without the consortia, PSU’s study abroad programs would be very limited,” Van Dyck said.
The OIA and Scholar Services are made up of 1,750 international students from almost 100 countries, according to Van Dyck. This office offers cultural programs, immigration services advising and collaborates with admissions for international students. Scholar services also works with more than 100 scholars and researchers who come to PSU to work on grants, write books or collaborate on academic projects, said Van Dyck. Ron Witczak, assistant vice provost and director of education abroad, said he is excited about the growth in international studies at PSU since he came to the university in 1995. Witczak cites exponential growth in international opportunities for the PSU student population and the active engagement of faculty who take students all over the world. These programs include international capstones that satisfy the senior requirement for many students. Another unit of the OIA, the Middle East Studies Center,
celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009. The MESC does community outreach to help educate and inform the public on cultural and political subjects within the international studies department, according to Van Dyck. “The MESC provides information, guidance and assistance with the often challenging process of selecting and applying to a study abroad program in a Middle Eastern country,” according to the MESC website. Another unit of the OIA is the Confucius Institute that has been operating at PSU for roughly three years and is supported by the Chinese government. It has several sites around the U.S. that teach Americans about China through community outreach, language classes, celebrations and visiting speakers, according to Van Dyck. A big event for the OIA is international night on May 14 at PSU. Around 1,000 people are expected for the event that allows students to see what international PSU is all about, according to Van Dyck.
OIA events International Coffee Hour held in SMSU 228 every Wednesday afternoon from 3:30–5:30 p.m. International night Theme: Break the wall, embrace the world May 14, 2010 Dinner: 5–7 p.m. at Parkway North Show: 7–9 p.m. at SMSU Ballroom Tickets on sale at the PSU box office $8 for students, before May 7, after May 7 the price is $10 $10 for non-students before May 7, after May 7 they are $12 Speaker Beate Sirota Gordonan American who helped Japan write its new constitution May 18, 2010 6 p.m. SMSU Ballroom Free
Vanguard music guide 2010 Coming soon
According to PSU’s website, the President’s Diversity Initiative focuses on the following areas: -Enhancing the institutional environment, curriculum and scholarship -Increasing numbers of students from under-represented groups -Increasing numbers of persons from under-represented groups in faculty, staff and administration -Strengthening connections with diverse communities in the region. The Diversity Action Plan was written in by the DAC in 2001, following the recommendations made in the 1999 Report of the Commission on Campus Climate and Life, according to PSU’s website. The awards ceremony will be in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom from 3–6:30 p.m.
—pdx.edu/events
Vanguard 4 | Arts & Culture May 6, 2010
ARTS & CULTURE
Arts Editor: Theodora Karatzas 503-725-5694 arts@dailyvanguard.com
Big, fat list of shows: Thursday’s live music lineup The Woolen Men, And And And, Archers The Artistery, 7:30 p.m., $6, all ages Delta! Bravo, Science Heroes Ash St. Saloon, 9:30 p.m., $5, 21+ Transient, Organized Sports, Arterial Spray Branx, 9 p.m., $5, 21+ Southerly, Super XX Man, The Soft Tags Doug Fir, 9 p.m., $6, 21+ Blood Beach, Mattress, Magic Johnson Ella Street Social Club, 9 p.m., $5, 21+ The Ponys, Disappears, Meth Teeth Holocene, 8 p.m., $6, 21+ Grouper, Eluvium Holocene, 9 p.m., $10, 21+ The Pink Snowflakes, Silverhawk The Knife Shop, 10 p.m., $4, 21+ Heroes and Villains, Comedian Kyle Harbert, The Chair Project The Know, 8:30 p.m., free, 21+
The Gray Sisters successfully presents a saga of family drama Natalie McClintock Vanguard staff
Third Rail’s production of The Gray Sisters, written by Craig Wright and directed by Slayden Scott Yarbrough, is all about girls and the endless drama they have with their fathers. Four women, all sisters, deal with abuse, disappointment, death and family secrets in four monologues that span the 90-minute show. There is no intermission, but once the ball gets rolling the break isn’t needed, and the seemingly long show passes in the blink of an eye. It is a rough start, however. The weakest character of the bunch, Sarah a.k.a. Pokey (played by Stephanie Gaslin), sits in a car, having a conversation with her father who is not really there. The strange conversation that ensues can be incredibly hard to follow because the replies she gets from her father are responded to, but never voiced. That, and it’s distracting when any character can’t pin down their own age. Pokey jumps between being an excited 12-year-old talking about the Indigo Girls and a bitter, rebellious college student who talks to her father about smoking pot and
The last monologue from the oldest sister is Dina (Gretchen Corbett), the reclusive horror author who pens wickedly disturbing novels. She, Anya and Pam are all full-blooded sisters from their mother’s first marriage to a man called Preacher Gray, who died presumably around the time Dina was just finishing up high school. Dina talks to her absent father about her mother’s death, her sister’s divorce and how she blames herself for the atrocities suffered by her sisters. This monologue, in a show seething with bitter depression and explosive anger, is comforting, bittersweet and offers the audience a form of closure. This show is thought-provoking and incredibly emotional. Third Rail has a winner with this one, especially since the show was written for this troupe. Though it ends on a fairly high note in relation to the rest of the drama that ensues, it is not a play for the weak at heart. Here’s to hoping the performances, like fine wine, only improve with time.
The Gray Sisters Third Rail Productions 121 SW Salmon St $29
All photos courtesy of Owen Carey/3rd Rail Repertory Theatre
Greg Laswell, Jimmy Gnecco, Brian Wright Mississippi Studios, 9 p.m., $12 advance, $15 door, 21+
Finding intrigue in simplicity
Soap Collectors, Your Canvas, Felecia and the Dinosaur and more The Parlour, 8 p.m., donations welcome, all ages Title Tracks, Blunt Mechanic, Incredible Yacht Control Rotture, 9 p.m., $8, 21+ Haley Bonar, The Lower 48 The Woods, 9 p.m., $12, 21+
having sex “23 times” with some director named Fabio. Granted, it is inferred by the audience that she was talking about sex, never implicitly stated. Luckily, the show gets better. While Pokey was touch-and-go at best, the rest of the sisters seem to improve exponentially throughout the show, each better than the last. We discover that something happened between Pokey’s father, Dale, and her older half-sister Anya (played by Valerie Stevens). Pam, played by Maureen Porter, reveals to their mother that Dale sexually abused Anya when they were both teenagers, right after Pokey was born, in a conversation that is set six months after his suicide that may or may not have been fueled by belated guilt. It is Stevens’ portrayal of Anya that ends up stealing the show. Anya’s monologue begins with her terrible husband asking for a divorce and walking out on her, leaving her broken on the floor. She then realizes that her oldest son, Evan, has heard the whole thing and she is forced to explain to him her abuse at the hands of her step-father, as her husband has already told him everything without her knowledge. She begins her moment in the spotlight a colorless, broken woman and grows to be more vibrant under the audience’s watch. It is wonderful to see this kind of change in a character, especially without another visible character as a catalyst.
Two Northwest artists share gallery space to exhibit their newest work Roger Wightman Vanguard staff
Two talented Washington artists will be setting up shop at the Elizabeth Leach Gallery for the month, exhibiting their newest body of work. Barbara Sternberger’s new exhibit titled Musing is a collection of oil paintings that detail the beauty of movement and the endless possibility that exists within our actions. Pilgrimage is the unveiling of Seattle artist Claire Cowie’s new exhibit, which is possibly her most personal—an artistic rendering of her life’s journey thus far. Both artists bring a lot to the table and have loads of talent to back it up. Sternberger and Cowie have exhibited work around the country and have gained artist notoriety
worthy of, at the very least, a quick visit to see their most recent projects. Sternberger’s abstract oil paintings are not clear at first glance, seemingly an awkward conglomeration of colors mixing into each other—the message becoming evident only once you read the title and look a little deeper. As a lecturer at Western Washington University, Sternberger clearly understands the technicalities behind her craft. Her strokes are smooth and the objects clear but only as the end result. At first, the process for Sternberger begins as a cathartic sort of rhythm between her and the canvas—neither one is totally sure of what will come next. Eventually something does and that is the result we see. Many of the paintings have a similar muted backdrop with bright colors being used for all the important stuff. In “Gust” the protagonist of the canvas seemingly huddles towards the bottom while a giant ruckus clearly ensues above. We’ve all had to go on our own personal journeys—some hard, some easy—but a journey nonetheless. For Cowie, that journey has woven its way through the lives of people, places, nature and many of the things that we all can pick out as part of our own journey. Cowie’s hip style of art is alluring to most—unique
enough to bring in a member from the outside world and technical enough for an art student to still walk away impressed. Cowie’s subjects are things that have influenced her, like her grandmother, a burning church and a dead rat. As a child we take for granted the simple and obvious bits of advice bestowed upon us like “be nice,” but for Cowie and all of us as we age, we begin to recognize the true value of preaching such a virtue. In a way that resembles aged vintage art, Cowie’s bubbly watercolors of her grandmother provide hues of gratitude for the help she gave along the way. A portrait of Ganesh bordered by an elephant frame sends a similar message. Both artists’ work is uniquely their own, but the challenge that we as the viewer are mutually encouraged to do is discover something that doesn’t exist at the surface.
Musing and Pilgrimage 417 NW Ninth Ave Tue-Sat, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Runs through May 29 Opening party May 6, 6 p.m.-9 p.m. All photos courtesy of Elizabeth Leach Gallery
Vanguard Arts & Culture | 5 May 6, 2010
Only the tip of the iceberg Photo courtesy of Infinite Front Records
Aan releases the first official album tonight at Holocene Leah Bodenhamer Vanguard staff
Aan’s first official release, I Could Be Girl For You, consists of five compositions ranging from wobbly and sort of drunken slowness to ecstatic explosions of high-powered energy textured with mock endings and extremely pleasing vocal harmonies. Upon sliding the disk into a player, one’s curiosity is magnified and paralleled by the noise coming from it. A wandering guitar riff with some sort of desolate hospital beeping and fuzzy background noise snowballs into an explosion of quickened snare slaps and the shouting of a voice reminiscent of the intensity of old school Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. It breaks down again, a quiet melting of that guitar in question, only to erupt once more and come to an end abruptly. Bud Wilson, founder of Aan, is sort of like a modern Wagner in the sense that he recognizes the positive consequences of radical dynamics. “I think a lot about live performance,” Wilson said. “I want people to have to pay attention. I don’t really have intentions as far
as creating a mood—I don’t want to make people feel bad—I just want them to feel something. I want to challenge them.” The second track, “Heart is an Ocean,” begins with a pop-driven bounce that gives way to a catchy, yet melodramatic vocal melody. Though Wilson says his battle with lyrics is the hardest, the words in this song are particularly riveting in places such as “Your heart beats like an ocean, it pounds on and on and on” and “You’re stitching a blanket made of blood and dust and bombs and skin.” All of these lyrics ride over a lone-range whistle and echoey synth sounds. This one also breaks down so far that just when you think it’s coming to its end, the guitar fading out softly and emotionally, it jumps back at you like an arched-back cat, blowing complacency right through your head. When Wilson left his cattle-driving folks in Idaho and found himself in Portland, engaging in a whole new musical game, he quickly realized that he wanted more than a slot as a member of a bar band. Amor Ad Nauseam was originally Wilson’s outlet for sappy and angry heartthrob songs, though over time the name was simplified to AAN, swift and unpretentious, along with the eventual addition of band members. In 2008 Wilson finally
Photo courtesy of Leah McCormick
Photo courtesy of Infinite Front Records
Aan: Bud Wilson's wavering voice and wailing guitar mesh with a riveting stage presence.
secured his two sidekicks, Reese Lawhon and Mica Rapstine, both of whom are brilliant musicians and enable the full-fledged live experience. “Toy” is like a telephonic seraph, though there are not as many dynamic changes in this one. This is where the listener first experiences the harmonies of both Wilson and Rapstine, the latter known for his incredibly high falsetto. The effect brings clarity to an otherwise distant and muted sound held together by crispy electronic beats. Between tracks three and four is a snippet of some faraway jam, dancing in wordless vocals and fantastic acoustic guitar. The longest song on the album, “For Marble,” sounds like Christmas and water and open doorways—it’s like three songs in one, connected gracefully by a melancholic web. The final piece is a shadowy echo of
birds and loneliness. Appropriately titled “Sunday,” the song carries like a memory of better days, of some snowcapped peak through slide guitar and a phantom orchestra. Overall the album is a complex gathering of human emotion, unique in its delivery and well worth the listen. Tonight’s show will be the first of many—the first non self-released album release show and the first stop on an entire West Coast tour. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Wilson.
Aan Holocene 1001 SE Morrison Tonight, 8:30 p.m. 21+, $6
Photo courtesy of Leah McCormick
Tomorrow at the NW Film Center Uncle Vanya Andrei Konchalovsky, USSR, 1970 “Chekhov’s masterwork about the breakdown of a family held together by a tissue of lies and self-deceptions is brought to stunning life in Konchalovsky’s brilliant adaptation. Astrov (Sergei Bondarchuk), a retired professor, returns to the estate that he inherited from his now-deceased first wife with his new, much younger wife Yelena (Irina Miroshnichenko) in tow. The estate is still managed by his former brother-in-law, Vanya (Innokenti Smoktunovsky), a man who has learned to sublimate all his personal desires and dreams. The delicate balance that defines the world of this fading clan is decidedly upset by the arrival of Yelena, and once broken, that balance will prove impossible to restore.” 7 p.m. All screenings are in Whitsell Auditorium, 1218 SW Park Ave. Free with PSU student I.D. —nwfilm.org
Vanguard 6 | Sports May 6, 2010
SPORTS
Sports Editor: Robert Britt 503-725-4538 sports@dailyvanguard.com
The major differences between baseball and cricket —You can’t strike out.
Swing and miss as much as you like.
—There’s no foul territory. Hit the ball anywhere you like. Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard
—The pitcher is
allowed to bounce the ball on the ground before it reaches the batter.
—There are no walks. If you get hit by a pitch, tough.
—If you hit the ball, you only have to run if you think it’s safe to do so. Otherwise, stay where you are and take another pitch. —If you reach home plate and score a run, don’t go back to the dugout. Stay there to face the next pitch. Or keep running on to first again if you wish.
Our new cricket club Cricket Club approved, bringing the world’s second most popular game to PSU Nilesh Tendolkar Vanguard staff
English poet Lord Alfred Tennyson is quoted as saying that the sport of cricket transcends mere efficiency. “There is something called the spirit of cricket, which cannot be defined,” he said.
—When you get out, no matter what base you’re on, the next batter comes in to replace you where you were.
FROM THE COURT TO THE FIELD
—The bases are
always loaded.
—If you hit a home run, that’s four runs. But don’t bother actually running the bases, since that’s pointless. Just stay where you are.
Senior basketball player Julius Thomas takes a shot at the football field
—Take the gloves
off the fielders.
—Reduce the number of bases from four to two.
—Replace each base
with three upright wooden poles in a row, 28 inches high, with the outermost two sitting nine inches apart.
—When batting, you are out if the pitcher hits the poles with a pitch, or if you get in the way and he hits you. —Nilesh Tendolkar
In cricket, bowlers—the equivalent to pitchers—usually bounce the ball on the pitch before it reaches the batsman. This gives them a lot more variety in attacking the batsman and trying to either stop him from scoring runs or to get him out. Unlike baseball, the bowlers in cricket aren’t allowed to bend their elbows when releasing the ball and the fielders make their catches without gloves. “After we have practice sessions going on in full swing, we would like to concentrate on building a cricket team to represent Portland State in collegiate cricket tournaments and also participate in the Northwest Cricket League, Oregon Cricket League and other regional cricket leagues.” Nutulapati said. The Oregon Cricket League organizes three types of tournaments every season, each based on a different style of play. Once interest, enrollment and resources begin coming into the PSU Cricket Club, Nutulapati said there are plans to encourage players to learn the different formats of the game to field specific teams for each. “Having three teams that are [each] specialized in one specific format brings in a professional approach to the club and we are looking forward for that,” Nutulapati said. The Cricket Club is open to all PSU students, and the club’s organizers welcome interest and inquiries. A club fee of $10 is required to utilize the club accessories and gear. For more information, contact recclubs@pdx.edu or visit www.pdx.edu/recreation/rec-clubs.
Burton said he is going to work with Thomas “about his willingness to block and about playing big.” It’s going to take a lot for the athlete that hasn’t played football in seven years to come into the college level, but Thomas is ready for the challenge. He said he is serious about playing fall-ball and that, “This is a great opportunity, and I really enjoy playing the sport.” By NCAA rules, student-athletes are allowed five years of eligibility. They can play a red-shirt season
for a sport, meaning they practice with the team but do not play, and then four regular seasons of that sport. Because Thomas was a true freshman four years ago, meaning he did not red shirt, he now has one year left in which he is eligible for a different sport other than basketball. In the end, having Thomas on the football field is what Geving called “a win-win situation for both teams.”
Rosemary Hanson
—Once you’re out, you can’t bat again in the same inning.
Cricket, often referred to as the gentlemen’s game, is the second most played game in the world after soccer, and it is now going to be played at Portland State. Last month, the Rec Clubs Council officially added cricket to its arsenal of clubs. First originating in England, cricket is wildly popular in parts of the globe ranging from Australia and New Zealand to the Caribbean Islands. Baseball, America’s pastime, was even based on cricket. “I was surprised to see that there was no cricket club at Portland State,” club president and graduate student Kashyap
Nutulapati said. “It is such a popular global sport. It is an interesting fact that many universities have cricket as a part of their recreation program, and many students are interested in playing the sport. That was the driving force that led us to form a club and familiarize the sport to the Portland State community.” There are various forms of cricket ranging from test matches that are played for up to five days, to 50-over and 20-over versions, which do not last for more than a day. “Initially, we will be playing 20-over matches at the Stott Field,” said club treasurer Rajeev Indiranagaraju. “Longer versions of the game are out of the question right now due to technical and logistical problems.” Unlike baseball, runs are much easier to score in cricket. The average score for one inning of a test match is about 320 runs because in cricket, batsmen are much harder to get out. In six hours of play one can expect to see an average of roughly eight batsmen get out. Batsmen are not obligated to hit the ball if they don’t want to, and there is no penalty if they swing and miss. In cricket, the batsmen can choose when to run, and usually only do so when they are certain they can complete the run safely. There is no foul territory, so batsmen can hit the ball in any direction, which means the fielders have a much wider area to cover. Again, this makes it easier to score runs and harder to get batsmen out.
Vanguard staff Aaron Leopold/Portland State Vanguard
Julius Thomas finished out his last year of basketball eligibility this year, but decided not to end his sports career. The senior basketball forward is currently playing spring football as a tight end and has hopes to hit the field in the regular fall season. As a two-time Big Sky Conference All-Tournament basketball player, Thomas has had to start anew on the football field. The transition is almost like being a freshman again, he said. “I’m learning things that they (the team’s leaders) learned in high school, and I’m looking to those leaders that are out there.” This is quite a departure from the senior leadership he portrayed on the court, but basketball head coach Tyler Geving said it will just take time for him to get more comfortable on the field. “He has to show that this is something that is important to him,” Geving said. “The harder he works and the more time he puts into it, I think, he will start to show his leadership qualities.”
Geving and head football coach Nigel Burton agree that they are excited to have him part of the program. Both coaches agree that a lot of his physicality from basketball will transfer to Thomas’ new football career. “Obviously he is in good shape,” Burton said. “Basketball is an explosive game and him being able to get out of his stance and go zero to sixty has transferred really well for him…There’s not a lot of 6-foot-6-inch guys that can run like he can.” According to Geving, another element that Thomas brought to the table is his jumping ability. Burton also noted Thomas’ rebounding ability is something that will help him on the field. Although some of his physical attributes may have transferred, the two games are far from similar. “Football is a sport that is much more regimented on positions,” Thomas said. “You have an assignment and you have to execute that assignment. The new coaches are doing a good job of letting me know what is expected of me.”
Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard
Julius Thomas: The senior traded in his basketball shoes for football cleats over the spring.
etc.
Vanguard Etc. | 7 May 6, 2010
CALENDAR
The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 500 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Release Thursday, May 06, 2010
Today Edited by Will Shortz Across 1 Talks little 6 Short chest, for muscles 10 Funny co-star in “Barbraʼs Girl” 14 Washingtonʼs Sound ___ 15 Main contents of the Spanish 16 Clothing court 17 Like the clues in all the words in this puzzle 19 The Terrible ___ 20 As a grasshopper prepares 21 Food process 23 Faith without a person 26 Years of plenty 27 Fine with choked sand 28 Date for many a place 29 Visitor space
30 Drive off the top? 31 “___ Dies” 34 Music backdrop of “The Sound” 35 Alley ___ 38 General program for a future, maybe: Abbr. 39 Of kind society 41 Supply nursery 42 Faces sulky 44 Places small American flags for 46 Mouse ___ 47 Old like some painted cars 49 Cleared home at the plate? 50 Tool fencing 51 Union in the European capital 52 Channel game 53 Like the clues in all the words in this puzzle
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE G O B A D
A S Y L A
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58 Some served veterans there: Abbr. 59 Cry ___ 60 Brief blowup, in “Big” 61 Opening China? 62 Example, for boxers 63 For one square Down 1 Revival of a cause, briefly 2 Cry of partner 3 Respect of Eastern title 4 Of a colony member 5 Having a sound grating 6 Show part of a game 7 With spurs on 8 Go on to signal 9 Low on the side 10 Craft paper 11 Like the clues in all the words in this puzzle 12 In lower rank 13 Letters for checks 18 In a split way 22 Cooler drink 23 Stern violinist 24 Wafer ___ 25 Like the clues in all the words in this puzzle 26 Attitude with singers 28 Secret thieves of slang
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Tools to Manage Stress in Uncertain Times 11:30 a.m. SMSU, room 296 This presentation focuses on promoting an understanding of stress and its effects on the mind, body and behavior. Additionally, strategies will be taught which help to effectively manage personal stressors
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Guitar Area Noon The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave. This performance, as part of the Performance Attendance Recital Series, will feature students, faculty, community and professional musicians
Puzzle by Lee Glickstein
30 Worker routine
43 Heaven, not in here 32 Half of a musical 45 A dreary poet second upon midnight, 33 City steel in once Europe 46 Off tee 36 Drivers of love 47 Fountain ___ 37 Judges of written 48 “When Flower works ___ Knighthood” (1922 film) 40 Part of drain
49 Opportunities to speak so 51 Does partner for 54 Light sky, maybe 55 Traffic group that may stop: Abbr. 56 To know one way 57 Offering G.P.S.
Friday
For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Todayʼs puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.
Read the Vanguard
Book Reading and Signing: James McCommons 3:30 p.m. PSU Urban Center McCommons is the author of Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service—A Year Spent Riding Across America. He will give a short reading and presentation about the book, followed by a book signing 5th Avenue French Film Festival 2010 7:30 p.m. 5th Avenue Cinema, 510 SW Hall This is the last weekend of the film festival, so get out and see some free movies before it’s over! This Friday’s film is Un Secret, directed by Claude Miller
Saturday
KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. ©2010 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by UFS, Inc. www.kenken.com
● 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.
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Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.
It’s pretty
5-6-10
To place an event: Contact vgcalendar@ gmail.com or pick up a calendar request form at the Vanguard advertising office, SMSU, room 115.
Your Ad Here Call the Vanguard 503.725.5686
Making Strides For Breast Cancer Walk 9:30 a.m. Rose Quarter Commons, 1 North Center Court St. PSU Campus Rec is putting together a team for this non-competitive walk. To register and join the team or just to donate to the cause, visit main.acsevents. org/site/TR?fr_ id=25975&pg=entry. To join the team, enter the team name “PSU Campus Rec”
Vanguard
POP CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE TEXAN TRANSPLANTS Photo courtesy of Mia Misyuk
Blood Beach is received into the local music community with open arms Scott Ostlund Vanguard staff
Texas and Oregon couldn’t be more different. Whether classified by size, weather, sports, politics or diversity the two regions are separated by a series of social and cultural dichotomies. But even the strongest differences between the antonymous states haven’t kept the Portland indie trio Blood Beach from finding a passion and local northwest flavor in their new home of Portland. The band features Shane Wright on guitar and vocals, Camella Weedon on saxophone, mandolin, theremin and drone and Cody Seals on drums and vocals. Wright, who initially performed solo after his trek to Oregon, says Portland has more support not only between local bands, but also from the community in general. “Camella and I actually moved up here together with the intent of starting a new band,” Wright said. “It wasn’t until Cody moved up... that we really got going as a band because for a while I was playing solo shows. Last September was when we really started getting things going.” Seals and Wright played music together in Texas, which made
Seals an obvious fit for the band once they got connected again in Portland. Portland has been good for Blood Beach, which has found an array of local bands that influence and support the group including Mattress and Magic Johnson, who will also be performing with the band tonight at Ella Street Social Club. “The community itself seems very supportive not necessarily just the bands...neighbors and stuff here, if you are having a house venue, are more supportive,” Wright said. “When you tell people you are in a band, [they] are more supportive than they would be in Texas. And I think the house show circuit and stuff like that is so cool and such a good thing for being in a band. A theme often uttered by Portland bands, the supportive music community has given Blood Beach motivation as they look forward to tonight’s show and beyond. Blood Beach hopes to begin producing music, as they have yet to release anything to the public. On the band’s MySpace page there are three tracks produced in Wright’s home studio. With that in mind, Wright says there are many differences between the currently posted tracks and many of the songs performed in a live Blood Beach performance. “Those songs that we have on [MySpace] right now are just home recorded, demo type songs,” Wright said. “They actually I guess are kind of different from our live show. Our live show is more indicative of what future recordings will be like...I think our best songs haven’t been recorded yet.”
After tonight’s show Blood Beach will take time to consider producing some tracks and possibly looking for a bass player. The band briefly incorporated bass into its act and Wright said he thinks the addition allowed the band to be more energetic on stage. “We don’t have any shows lined up after this,” Wright said. “We might take that time to find a new bass player, because I did like having the dynamic of that.” According to Wright, adding the element of a bassist will allow the band to rely less on looping and layering and more on a full comprehensive band sound. Tonight, Blood Beach will be joined at Ella Street Social Club by Mattress and Magic Johnson. This is the time to check out Blood Beach, as it is a matter of time until shows and albums make them a local highlight of Portland indie music.
Blood Beach Ella Street Social Club 714 SW 20th Place Tonight, 8 p.m. $5 All ages
Wendy Shortman Vanguard staff
Like most of us earth-conscious Northwesterners, Kurt Hoelting recently decided to re-evaluate his carbon footprint. After watching Al Gore’s popular film An Inconvenient Truth in 2006, Hoelting began thinking of lifestyle changes that could reduce his environmental impact. Unlike some of us who have made small choices that reduce our footprint—every little bit does count—Hoelting began his
Foals: Total Life Forever (Transgressive/Warner) (UK release) The National: High Violet (4AD) (UK release) Optimo: Fabric 52 (Fabric) (UK release)
Adam Green: Musik for a Play (Contraphonic) CocoRosie: Grey Oceans (Sub Pop) The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards (Third Man/ Warner Bros.) (U.S. release) Photo courtesy of Robert Allen Weller
Gayngs: Relayted (Jagjaguwar) (U.S. release) Holy Fuck: Latin (Young Turks/XL) Indian Jewelry: Totaled (We Are Free) Japandroids: No Singles (Polyvinyl) Keane: Night Train (Cherrytree/Interscope) Kris Kristofferson: Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends: The Publishing Demos 1968–72 (Light in the Attic) Male Bonding: Nothing Hurts (Sub Pop)
HOM E
One man’s hiatus changes his view on his own environment
The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards (Third Man/ Warner Bros.) (UK release)
May 11
REDISCOVERING
All photos courtesy of Da Capo Press
Out soon: New music to look forward to next week May 10
Photo courtesy of Mia Misyuk
yearlong earth-friendly pilgrimage after seeing the film, and never looked back. “Making these changes was much easier then I thought it was going to be,” Hoelting said. “Once I made the decision to do it, my life has been much richer and satisfying as a result.” After taking an online survey, Hoelting came to realize that the way he was living didn’t necessarily align with his environmental beliefs. Hoelting utilized jet travel frequently for work, and used his car often. Hoelting planned a year of using alternative transportation, primarily his bicycle, a kayak and his own two feet. It was not an easy feat for Hoelting, as he lives in a rural area five miles away from a metropolitan area with public transportation. At the age of 58 when he began his journey, the now 60-year-old ended up surprising himself with the physical things he was able to do. “I was able to re-engage with the things I put down when I was younger,” Hoelting said. “I gained a lot of confidence and strength.”
Vanguard Arts & Culture | 8 May 6, 2010
In The Circumference of Home, Hoelting talks about the way that he began thinking differently about his surroundings, and learned just how much he had been taking advantage of his environment in the process. “The geography around my home that had felt like it was shrinking suddenly started to expand as I moved through it at a slower pace,” Hoelting said. “As a result, I rediscovered a lot of the richness of my own place that had gotten hidden in the fog.” After taking his hiatus, Hoelting went back to using his car—an environmentally-friendly hybrid—and made adjustments like taking the train for long trips instead of jet travel. “The current challenge is maintaining as many lifestyle choices as I can,” Hoelting said. “I use my car now as little as possible, and continue to use my bike and take public transportation whenever it’s a reasonable option.” Hoelting sees a difference in his attitude now about what constitutes as a “reasonable
option” for transportation. His journey was less about quitting those environmentally harmful forms cold turkey, but reducing his use and breaking his addiction of using his car. His decision wasn’t based on an intention to write a book, but rather his own enlightenment. The book was just a perk of his personal success. “Writing the book was its own wonderful adventure,” Hoelting said. “Having the opportunity, and being able to reflect more deeply on what I’ve learned, made writing the book its own adventure.”
Reading with Kurt Hoelting Powell’s Books on Hawthorne 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Tonight, 7:30 p.m. Free
The National: High Violet (4AD) (U.S. release) Phosphorescent: Here’s to Taking It Easy (Dead Oceans) Sage Francis: Li(f)e (Anti-) Sleigh Bells: Treats (NEET/Mom + Pop) Tender Trap: Do You Wanna Boyfriend 7” (Slumberland) Thee Oh Sees: Warm Slime (In The Red) UNKLE: Where Did the Night Fall (Surrender All) Various Artists: Next Stop…Soweto: Soul, Funk & Organ Grooves From the Townships 1969–1976 (Strut) Woods: At Echo Lake (Woodsist) Zs: New Slaves (Social Registery) —pitchfork.com