Portland State Vanguard, Volume 74, Issue 23

VOLUME 74 • ISSUE 23 • MARCH 10, 2020

SIX BUSINESSES COMPETE FOR STUDENTS’ ATTENTION

NEWS STUDENT SAFETY AMBASSADORS AT PSU • INTERNATIONAL SCOTLAND TO OFFER FREE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS ARTS & CULTURE PORTLAND DINING MONTH AROUND CAMPUS

CRIME BLOTTER

March 2–8

HANNA ANDERSON MARCH 2 Liquor Law Violation At approximately 9:25 a.m., residence staff reported a Portland State student for possessing alcohol under the legal age in Ondine Residence Hall.

MARCH 7 Fire Alarm, Disorderly Conduct, and Interfering with a Police Officer A non-student was seen pulling the fire alarm in 5th Avenue Cinema, with no smoke or flames in the building at approximately 8:22 p.m.

MARCH 3 Vandalism A PSU student reported damage to their vehicle in Blumel Residence Hall parking at 8:32 a.m.

MARCH 8 Criminal Trespass Arrest At approximately 7:56 a.m., a non-student received a citation for criminal trespass after being found sleeping on the skybridge connected to Fariborz Maseeh Hall

Harassment and Trespass Campus Public Safety officers responded to a non-student in Millar Library yelling biased remarks at two PSU students, at 4:58 p.m.

MARCH 5 Robbery At about 7:20 p.m, a non-student stole several items from the University Market in Smith Memorial Student Union and pushed a PSU student in their attempt to leave.

Trespass, Warrant, and Interfering with a Police Officer CPSO arrested a non-student at 4:47 p.m. for trespassing in Millar Library, as well as warrants and interfering with a police officer.

CONTENTS COVER BY DANA TOWNSEND NEWS HILL TO HALL

P. 3

GIBSON STEPS DOWN, LESLIE-CHRISTY STEPS UP

P. 4

‘BOGHOSSIAN EXPLOSION’ HITS SMITH

U.S. CONDUCTS AIR RAID AGAINST TALIBAN DAYS AFTER REDUCTION OF VIOLENCE DEAL

P. 11

P. 5

ARTS & CULTURE WHERE TO GO DURING PORTLAND DINING MONTH

P. 12

THE NEXT PHASE IN CAMPUS SAFETY

P. 6–7

NADIA MURAD’S CALL TO ACTION AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING

P. 13

COVER SCENES FROM THE BOBA STRUGGLE AT PSU

P. 8–9

OPINION CYBERTRUCK 2077: ELON MUSK EMBRACES DYSTOPIA WITH NEW TRUCK

P. 14

INTERNATIONAL SCOTLAND BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY TO PROVIDE FREE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS P. 10

SPORTS THE BEST IS STILL AHEAD FOR PSU SOFTBALL

P. 15

ELECTION BLUNDER TRIGGERS PROTESTS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

EVENTS CALENDAR

P. 16

STAFF

EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Dylan Jefferies MANAGING EDITOR Anthony Montes NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Justin Grinnell INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Chloe Dysart SPORTS EDITOR Rich Rigney ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Nick Townsend OPINION EDITOR AJ Earl

ONLINE EDITOR Annie Schutz COPY CHIEF Hannah Welbourn COPY EDITOR Sophie Concannon CONTRIBUTORS Jordan Cagle Madison Cecil Ida Ayu Karina Dwijayanti Adira Freigeist Missi Jarrar Anson Jones Emily Price Marshall Scheider Quinn Stoddard Ian Storey Emma Wallace

P. 11

PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Alex Wittwer MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Owen Demetre PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR John Rojas LEAD DESIGNER Dana Townsend DESIGNERS Brandon Pahnish Sam Person DIS T RIBU TION & M A R K E TING DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGER Dylan Jefferies

T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow George Olson John Rojas A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com

MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.

A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.

NEWS

MARCH 3–5 MISSI JARRAR

MARCH 3: GOVERNOR BROWN PREPARES FOR CORONAVIRUS MANAGEMENT IN OREGON

Oregon Governor Kate Brown spoke with Vice President Mike Pence on what Oregon is doing to combat the recent coronavirus outbreak. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, she requested 400,000 respirator masks, gowns and gloves, disposable protective suits and up to 100 ventilators, as well as increased flexibility on criteria for testing for the COVID-19 virus. There are concerns about whether rural hospitals in Oregon are prepared to handle an outbreak of the virus. According to AP News, concerns center around staffing shortages in the event that rural hospitals are forced to operate at a consistently higher volume due to the virus.

Each episode we talk to professionals about different topics that relate to ongoing events.

MARCH 5: DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES BUTTIGIEG, KLOBUCHAR, WARREN AND BLOOMBERG DROP OUT

Listen now to Situational Significance on

Following the ending of Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign, Senator Amy Klobuchar ended her bid for the Democratic presidential election. The same day, Klobuchar endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden at a campaign rally, CNN News reported. Senator Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the Democratic presidential race after low poll support following Super Tuesday, according to The Oregonian. After a successful beginning, the former frontrunner failed to win any states on Super Tuesday. Warren has yet to announce any endorsements. Michael Bloomberg ended his presidential race after unfavorable Super Tuesday results, according to The New York Times. The former mayor of New York City backed former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential race.

Spotify

Google Play

Apple Podcasts

Pocket Casts

MARCH 5: OREGON LEGISLATIVE SHORT SESSION ENDS AFTER GOP WALKOUT

Oregon’s fifth short legislative session ended early amid a walkout by Republicans, leaving many bills on the congressional floor. The unanswered bills include flood aid to eastern Oregon, assistance for the houseless and changes to wildfire fighting policy, according to OPB. The 2020 legislative session closed without the cap and trade bill, which prompted the Republican walkout. According to AP News, Republican Senate Leader Herman Baertschiger Jr. said his party would only return to vote on emergency budget bills. House Democrats announced they would be calling the Emergency Board and ask Governor Kate Brown for executive action on the climate bill, according to a press release from the Oregon House Democrats. In response to the short session, Brown announced she would take executive action to lower greenhouse gas emissions similar to the cap and trade bill, OPB reported.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

3

NEWS

GIBSON STEPS DOWN, LESLIE-CHRISTY STEPS UP ASPSU PRESIDENT RESIGNS CITING STRESS, LACK OF SUPPORT, STRUCTURAL ISSUES HANNA ANDERSON After nearly three terms in the position, Violet Gibson stepped down as president of the Associated Students of Portland State.

With her resignation, Kyle Leslie-Christy, Gibson’s former competitor in the 2019 ASPSU elections and current vice president, now takes on the role.

The decision was originally announced at a Feb. 28 executive meeting with ASPSU’s committee directors. According to LeslieChristy, Gibson texted him before the meeting, notifying him that she and Tristin Crum, the executive director, would be resigning—she would address it during both the day’s meeting and at senate the following Monday.

“I didn’t know that I was going to be running [the meeting], but that’s eventually what happened.” Leslie-Christy said.

Having resigned completely from ASPSU, Gibson went on to address the executive committee during the meeting’s public comment.

According to the meeting’s official minutes: “[I decided] after the last [Leadership Core] meeting.” Gibson said, “We had L-Core on Monday. Wednesday I did an entire pros and cons list.

Thursday I realized that there is so much that I can take. I need to understand my limits.”

Gibson and Crum’s resignations were later announced to the rest of ASPSU’s members at Monday’s March 2 senate meeting.

“The beginning of the year was definitely really challenging for me...Hearing some of the things that came through my L-Core were really challenging for me,” Gibson explained. “And I feel like, with the lack of support, I definitely just wasn’t able to do it. Psychologically I couldn’t be your president, emotionally I couldn’t do it.”

“I think being in politics takes some kind of armor for people to have. And I’m one of these people who just, I want to make people happy. I want everybody to have a good time, and I guess in politics, that can’t always necessarily be the case.”

Gibson also talked about misconceptions surrounding the presidential position in ASPSU. “I think people don’t understand that as student body president, you don’t have as much power as people think,” she explained.

“Everyone thinks you have this administrative power. But in all honesty, all I can really do is just report up to the president [of the university].”

Gibson went on to accept questions from senate members and attendees and cited multiple reasons for her resignation, including a lack of support in her role, stress outside of ASPSU and a toxic environment within the organization.

Nicholas Lahusen, the academic affairs director, had asked, “If the organization was so toxic, why stay a part of it for five years?”

4

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

FORMER ASPSU PRESIDENT VIOLET GIBSON DELIVERS HER RESIGNATION TO HER PEERS. EMMA WALLACE/PSU VANGUARD “I thought I could change it,” Gibson responded. “I thought I could make it better. And every single year, I came into this thinking, I can do better. I can make change. I just need more power.

And I can do it. I couldn’t.”

Joshua Childs, the university affairs director, questioned if structural issues were to blame, following multiple absences by Gibson in previous meetings.

“Considering the last month to two months, especially this term, of just absence in the office, and I take issue with presenting it as a whole structural problem,” he said.

“For the most part, my understanding of my job was to go to meetings and to make sure you all were achieving to the best of your ability,” Gibson responded. “I was always in the building. I don’t think I had the capacity to be in the office, and, I guess, to an extent, cope with that.”

“I think another place where I did mess up is not necessarily understanding the full aspect of the social role of this job...

But you’re right, I do need to take accountability for not being there,” Gibson said.

At the time of publication, Gibson did not respond for comment.

Following the resignations, multiple positions were appointed at the same senate meeting: Lahusen replaced Crum as executive staff director, Madeline Frisk replaced Lahusen as academic affairs director and Alexandra Modjeski replaced Leslie-Christy as vice president. Leslie-Christy became the new student body president.

“I was kind of surprised,” Leslie-Christy said about Gibson’s resignation. “I had wanted her to kind of stick it out. But after hearing her reasons for wanting to resign, it kind of made sense.”

Leslie-Christy started this year in ASPSU as the publicity director. After student government’s previous vice president resigned, he was appointed to the position by a vote from ASPSU senate at their Oct. 28 meeting. With Gibson’s resignation, Leslie-Christy filled her role without a vote required by the senate.

“I’m gonna be honest—I’m nervous. I’m excited. I’m jovial. I’m very forward thinking right now,” Leslie-Christy said about his new position. “I have a lot on my shoulders, and I have a lot of ability to delegate those responsibilities to other people and help others develop their own skills. And I feel like that’s what a good leader does, being able to step up and step back.”

His first goal: to create a more clear vision of ASPSU’s goals for the rest of the year.

Leslie-Christy listed a number of issues which would be important for ASPSU to focus on, including sustainability and environmental justice on campus, increased food security and affordable housing for students, and finding more ways to bring resource centers and student groups together.

“My vision for ASPSU is very community oriented,” he said.

“It’s oriented as engagement within our own community and... within the Portland State community.”

After finishing Gibson’s term, Leslie-Christy won’t be finished—he plans to run for student body president in the upcoming spring elections.

“There’s a lot of ways that people want to be involved,” he said, “and there’s a lot of ways that we kind of just continue to work in our own little circles, in our own offices, in our own individual spaces, but there’s also a lot of opportunity for us to collaborate.”

NEWS

‘BOGHOSSIAN EXPLOSION’ HITS SMITH FREETHINKERS OF PSU, PETER BOGHOSSIAN HOLD ‘REVERSE Q&A’ ON SOCIAL JUSTICE

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR PETER BOGHOSSIAN'S EVENT FOCUSED ON STUDENT STORIES RATHER THAN HIS OWN EXPERIENCES. JUSTIN GRINNELL/PSU VANGUARD ANSON JONES When Peter Boghossian announced via Twitter that he would be debating social justice at Portland State, one follower simply replied, “Brave man.”

Boghossian, an assistant professor of philosophy at PSU, is no stranger to controversy. In 2017, a team of authors—Boghossian and colleagues James Lindsay and Helen Pluckrose—attempted to defraud academic journals by submitting intentionally faulty papers regarding gender, race and sexuality with hopes to be published. Formally titled the “Grievance Studies” affair, the event eventually took shape as “Sokal Squared,” a nod to similar work done by Alan Sokal 10 years prior. Yet this event, co-hosted by the Freethinkers of PSU, was much more civil than anticipated.

The discussion, formatted as a reverse Q&A, took place in Smith Memorial Student Union from 6–7:30 p.m. The floor was initially opened up to current PSU students, both graduate and undergraduate, but the discussion quickly roped in students and professors from years past as well. Topics ranged from the #MeToo movement to issues of houselessness, and eventually even landed on Colin Kaepernick.

“Personally, I wish we were able to get more students with a perspective that wasn’t negative towards social justice,” said Blake Horner, a PSU student and Freethinkers representative.

“I was really looking forward to that, and I tried to market [the event] so we got those different perspectives. I still think the conversation was productive.”

“We engaged the students, and that’s all I cared about,” Horner said.

When Boghossian first entered the room, accompanied by a police officer, some were initially concerned it was a sign of a tense event ahead.

“I posted about the event on Twitter. We put up posters which were destroyed,” Boghossian said. Expecting to simply invite students to share their stories and experiences regarding social justice, the philosophy professor said he was not disappointed.

“I’m just glad that we got to listen to people.”

The evening began with an invitation for students to tell their story in front of the room. After a brief pause, a volunteer grabbed the mic and began the conversation. The first speaker spoke of her disdain for feminism. The next spoke about veterans and his experience with the G.I. bill. Topics varied from drug counseling to discrimination. One student spoke of his disdain for Facebook after being ostracized and called a nazi online.

Ben Gonzales, a student at PSU and a leader of the Portland State Psychedelics Club, said he drew great benefit from the event.

“I’m all for creating discussion and trying to get people with different points of view to join,” Gonzales said. His only recommendation for future events like this was structure. “It took a second for the night to get rolling. I like the idea and spirit of it, but I felt like it could have been prepared a bit better.”

While most students described a particular event or experience, one former student spoke about their history with social

justice overseas. They said they had been outside of the country multiple times and had recently discovered that social justice was nonexistent in underdeveloped countries, because citizens were too concerned with surviving on a day-to-day basis to worry about these other issues. The student explained this was the reason social justice was a form of entitlement.

“We have an institution that is run by an ideology,” Boghossian said. “One that has no evidence for it and actually has evidence against it.”

For Boghossian, evidence holds incredible weight but is typically misinterpreted.

“Asking someone for evidence is not a microaggression. It’s not causing anyone trauma. In an academic sense, it is someone’s duty when they want to implement a policy to provide evidence for those claims. Evidence is the key.”

The Freethinkers of PSU have weekly discussions on Fridays addressing a wide array of topics, not all concerning social justice, and hope to provide future events for interested students.

The group focuses on tackling issues involving freedom of inquiry and student acceptance.

“Our schedule all depends on what the students care about and what they want to see and discuss,” Blake Horner said of the upcoming schedule for the student group.

Those interested in the group should contact freethinkers@pdx. edu or follow their Twitter account, @PSUFreeThinkers.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

5

NEWS

THE NEXT PHASE IN CAMPUS SAFETY

FOUR STUDENT SAFETY AMBASSADORS COMPLETE TRAINING AND TOUR CAMPUS

QUINN STODDARD Touring Portland State's campus, the first group of student safety ambassadors fulfill their main goal: ensuring the safety and comfort of students on campus.

The student safety ambassadors—a facet of the new safety plan enacted by PSU President Stephen Percy in October of 2019, over a year after the death of Jason Washington on June 29, 2018—are also tasked with duties that range from conducting building checks, ensuring student spaces are used properly, maintaining a smoke-free campus and being liaisons between students and campus safety if requested.

The hiring of student safety ambassadors was accompanied by the hiring of two police officers and three more public safety officers.

“We’ve hired four [student safety ambassadors],” said Chief Joe Schilling, director of campus public safety. “The reason we’ve started with four is so we can get them trained and work-

6

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

ASEEL ALATTABI AND LIAM COLE BEGIN THEIR SHIFT ON CAMPUS, WALKING BETWEEN CRAMER HALL AND SMITH MEMORIAL STUDENT UNION. ERIK KOLICS/PSU VANGUARD ing.” Hiring small groups of ambassadors at a time allows for campus safety to ensure adequate training, Schilling said.

According to PSU’s Pacific Sentinel, the safety ambassadors have completed “one month of training that covers CPR certification, CPSO policy and procedure orientation and four hours of de-escalation instruction from Campus Police Officer Peter Ward” and have begun walking alongside the student body. While some training was conducted inside a classroom or online, most was on the job.

“There's a lot of training being provided for them whether it's online or [someone] we brought in, but [it is] basically in-the-field training,” said Lt. Craig Whitten, a campus public safety officer of 29 years and direct supervisor of the student safety ambassadors.

Besides a bright yellow work vest, a radio, a satchel containing a school map and other informational booklets, safety ambassadors remain in plain clothes in lieu of a uniform. “I think

the uniform makes them look more [like] police,” Whitten said. “They are students. They're amongst their peers so why not dress like your peers?”

The ambassadors have learned how to recognize an opioid overdose and carry Narcan—an opioid overdose reversal agent. Schilling plans for the ambassadors to carry tourniquets in the future, according to The Pacific Sentinel.

“They're students first,” Whitten said about his focus for the safety ambassadors. “As in their priority when they’re here is their education. [Secondarily] they're providing a service to the community and [CPSO].”

Flexibility is important, as the ambassadors are still students and, therefore, their hours are based around their class schedules. “Right now, they're working about five hours a shift, four days a week,” Whitten said. “[We] try to limit that based on their schooling, so generally 20 hours.”

NEWS This initial training period is only the start though, as Whitten went on to discuss future training for student ambassadors. “It's an ongoing process, you know, they're out walking around and interacting with the community,” Whitten said.

“Things come up, there are questions. It's ongoing training.”

The four student ambassadors typically operate in groups of two. Members of these groups rotate, ensuring students work with different people, and they complete their duties and checks in every building on campus. Aseel Alattabi and Liam Cole—two of the safety ambassadors—shared their experiences working together to help improve their community.

Both Alattabi and Cole spoke about their individual reasons for taking on the position.

Being a criminal justice major, Cole mentioned how the experience he is getting walking around and interacting with the community has been invaluable: “I thought it'd be really cool to get to see behind the scenes and work with campus police and public safety. We spent a lot of time kind of partnering with campus safety to see what they do on a daily basis and how they operate.”

Alattabi—who also works as a mentor for new international students—talked about helping the community: “I saw a job called safety ambassador, which is basically helping the whole community. I decided ‘yeah I’ll just do it.’”

“Every shift is relatively similar,” Cole said. “We come into the public safety office where we get our gear, make sure the radios work, then we go check in with the dispatcher.”

After ensuring their equipment is working, the ambassadors huddle with Whitten in preparation for their shift. “[Whitten] will come and talk to us for a couple minutes and check in with us,” Cole said. “He will ask things like: Do we need anything?

Is there any issue with the shift today? If not he will tell us the events going on like there's a concert in Lincoln or there's a basketball game in Smith, [after that] we'll roll out.”

Moving around campus, the safety ambassadors first move through each building on campus, inspecting every floor.

In each building, they ensure no doors which should be locked—such as the student study rooms in Millar Library— are left open. But when they’re not conducting their tour, the safety ambassadors also provide a friendly face in case a student needs to talk.

“Sometimes we'll run into students and friends,” Cole said.

[We] say hello and tell them what we do, like a general run down or [say] ‘oh, I saw you last week. What's up?’”

Alattabi spoke of the initial attention the safety ambassadors received, but it has since waned after touring around campus: “At the start people were staring at us because they didn’t know what we were actually doing,” Alattabi said. “It’s been a while now so people know [about us] better.”

Alongside providing friendly conversation or informing about the campus, the student safety ambassadors are available for students to bring up any concerns they may have. “We listened to a student and [learned] they had asthma,” Cole said regarding a student’s concern about smoking on campus. “As they were

leaving Cramer, they walked into a cloud of smoke and were concerned it was a smoke-free campus. We let them express their concerns to us and [we said] we're gonna pass it on to the appropriate people. If they want, we can take their name and email and get in touch directly with campus public safety. They can also be anonymous. We're not required to say [names].”

Another important facet of the safety ambassadors job is to attend events around campus and assist attendees. “There was a Middle-Eastern culture night in the [Smith] ballroom where there was a safety briefing for Muslim women walking around campus with a hijab,” Cole said. Alattabi and Cole acted as liaisons between CPSO and the event organizer—a member of the International Students club.

As the five-hour shift ends, the ambassadors head back to the CPSO office. “We'll talk to Craig and tell him about the day and if we have any student concerns,” Cole said. “If we had any dealings with public safety, like us reporting stuff to them [then] going into more detail.”

With the introduction of four safety ambassadors—and three more ambassadors on the way—Whitten stressed the main point for them: “Sometimes, students may not want to ask a question of a police officer in uniform or a public safety officer. They can seek out the safety ambassador. They are out there to answer questions and provide assistance.”

More information about the ambassadors and President Percy’s safety plan can be found on the PSU website.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

7

COVER

SCENES FROM THE BOBA STRUGGLE AT PSU SIX BUSINESSES COMPETE FOR STUDENTS’ AT TENTION

EMMA WALLACE/PSU VANGUARD

NICK TOWNSEND Bubble tea, a drink of Taiwanese origin, has made significant inroads with young Americans in recent years. Bubble tea vendors in Portland are betting their businesses on bobahungry Portland State students—but is there enough demand to sustain the quantity of bubble tea available on PSU campus?

As of March 2020, six businesses on PSU campus serve bubble tea: Best Baguette, Bubble N Tea, Chit Chat Cafe, Ding Tea, Jong Can and Little Bear Coffee and Milk Tea. Bubble tea places tend to open near college campuses, where international student populations can serve as a gateway to a larger market. The thinking is: “Asian students will introduce the culture to their non-Asian friends—and it works,” Derrick Fang of Ten Ren Tea told The New York Times in 2017.

Not all students are open to the experience. “I’m indifferent about [bubble tea]...because the tapioca becomes overwhelming when there’s a lot of it,” PSU student Olivia McBride said.

Invented in the 1990s in Taiwan when a tea vendor allegedly poured tapioca pudding balls into their tea and found the sensory experience pleasant, bubble tea has taken a foothold in the American beverage industry in recent years, especially among millennials. Bubble tea is incredibly customizable and, like coffee, can be served hot or cold with a range of sweetness.

This makes it marketable to a broad range of consumers. But what distinguishes it from other tea or coffee beverages is the tapioca pearls.

“BUBBLE N TEA IS MY FAVORITE ON CAMPUS RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE THE BEVERAGES ARE SHORT, STOUT AND SWEET, LIKE ME.” – MADI ALEXANDER

8

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

Tapioca pearls—also referred to as boba, another name for the beverage itself—about the size of frozen peas are boiled until soft and chewy and then soaked in a sugar syrup, which gives bubble tea its distinctive sweetness. The boba pearls sit in the bottom of the plastic cup and are sucked up through a fat straw that is punctured through the plastic film lid of the cup. Other toppings available at many boba places include fruit jelly, red bean and milk foam.

One of the oldest bubble tea locations on PSU campus is Chit Chat Cafe, on the corner of 6th and SW Hall. Chit Chat opened in 2005, but current owners Alex Cheng and family took over two years later in 2007. Before taking over the cafe from another family of Taiwanese immigrants, the family operated a small store in the Pearl District near the downtown Portland post office.

“THE TAPIOCA BECOMES OVERWHELMING…” – OLIVIA MCBRIDE “My wife wanted a store where we could do bubble tea, coffee, bagels, maybe some Taiwanese food...so we moved [across town],” said Alex Cheng. At the time, Chit Chat Cafe was one of the only places on PSU campus serving bubble tea, but the market has shifted significantly in the 15 years since the family took over the space. Cheng expressed confidence about the future of the business regardless.

“Recently, because we offer traditional Taiwanese food and improved our bubble tea ingredients, I think we’re doing well.

We have confidence that we can beat any other bubble tea store in the area.”

Several months ago, Chit Chat shifted from using powdered teas and flavorings to using fresh brewed leaf teas. Cheng admits that the shift was due to market forces.

“Now, most bubble tea places do it this way. If we don’t change, the customer can tell the difference.”

As one of the most established bubble tea places on campus, Chit Chat has loyal supporters in the student body.

“I like Chit Chat because they have a lot more flavors to choose from than most places,” PSU student Ally Kelly said.

Students also expressed concern about Chit Chat’s future on PSU campus.

“I like Chit Chat because it’s the place I’ve heard the most about,” PSU student Cassidy Moore said. “Some friends also told me that the newer, fancier places are starting to run it out of business. [I’m] just trying to support small mom-andpop shops.”

Despite this, new bubble tea locations on PSU campus have appeared rapidly in recent months. The newest opening is Ding Tea on SW College, the first Ding Tea franchise to open in downtown Portland.

Ding Tea is a Taiwanese franchise with over a thousand locations globally and over a hundred in the United States. It licenses its brand and recipes to individual franchises. Ding Tea “I’M JUST TRYING TO SUPPORT SMALL MOM-AND-POP SHOPS” – CASSIDY MOORE shops are known for their golden boba, special toppings like crystal boba, cheese foam and for using cocktail shakers to preshake the boba before serving it to the customer.

COVER The franchise location was opened by Brian Jiang and his wife, both of whom are PSU alums. Jiang attended PSU in the class of 2005 and studied business.

“During those school years I just wanted a good bubble tea but all the ones around campus used powders, they weren’t even really tea.”

After graduating from PSU, Jiang worked in banking in Portland for 12 years. Frustrated by the long hours of his job, Jiang and his wife began scouting locations for a potential bubble tea franchise. When the space on SW College opened last year, the family took the leap.

“We were very lucky to find this location after a year,” Jiang said, “so I quit my job, cashed out my 401k and here we are.”

One block east of Ding Tea resides the bubble tea capital of PSU campus. Bubble N Tea, Jong Can and Chit Chat all reside on one block in the center of PSU, sharing the plot with Cheerful Tortoise, Thai Spice Kitchen and Hot Lips Pizza.

Bubble N Tea is the newest tenant of the three bubble tea vendors on the block. With one other location in Beaverton, frequently rated among the best bubble tea in the area, Bubble N Tea’s product is distinguished from other bubble teas by its cups and its relatively limited selection. Regardless of which of the six milk tea flavors a customer orders, it comes in a massive, squat cup that takes two hands to hold. The cups, along with their limited selections, make Bubble N Tea one of the most distinctive bubble tea options on campus.

Other bubble tea vendors distinguish themselves through venue. Little Bear Coffee and Milk Tea is a food cart operating out of the popular 4th and Hall food cart row, and the only bubble tea vendor on PSU campus serving out of a cart. Little Bear’s position alongside other food carts across from the PSU engineering building makes it a popular choice for students in between classes.

Not all students form strong opinions on particular bubble tea locations. “‘I don’t have a specific place,” PSU student Aakanksha Rane said. “None of them stand out to me. It feels like the same product in different packaging.”

Nevertheless, boba vendors on campus are at odds to distinguish their product and attract PSU students to the squishy, slimy tapioca balls that form the basis of their empire.

VANGUARD EDITORS TRIED ORIGINAL MILK TEA WITH TAPIOCA FROM ALL SIX LOCATIONS ON CAMPUS. THEY EVALUATED THE BOBA BASED ON INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCE TOWARDS TEA FLAVOR, SWEETNESS AND BOBA TEXTURE. PARTICIPATING EDITORS RANKED EACH DRINK OUT OF 10. THE SCORES REFLECT THE INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCES OF VANGUARD STAFF AND ARE NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF ANY PARTICULAR ESTABLISHMENT.

DANA TOWNSEND

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

9

INTERNATIONAL

SCOTLAND BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY TO PROVIDE FREE MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS IDA AYU KARINA DWIJAYANTI

Scottish Parliament passed a bill on March 3 that would provide free menstrual products to all. Scotland is the first country to pass a law mandating free menstrual products and is expected to be the first country to end “period poverty” according to The New York Times.

Previously, Scotland made menstrual products available to all students in high schools and universities and was the first country to do so in 2018.

Period poverty is defined as the choice many people who experience menstruation have between the cost of period products and other daily necessities. Lunette, a menstrual cup company, reported 1 million people cannot afford menstrual products.

In the United States, thousands of students lack the resources to manage basic menstrual hygiene and often see their education suffer as a consequence, as one in four teens have reported skipping school due to a lack of access to menstrual products, according to CNN. Erica Bestpitch, director of Portland State’s Women’s Resource Center said Scotland’s passage of the law marks progress toward destigmatizing menstruation.

“It’s a move toward more equitable reproductive support, and I’m glad they are finding ways to implement a sustainable solution.”

Bestpitch also said that in some of the buildings at PSU, free menstrual products are provided in the restrooms, such as the Student Health and Counseling Center, along with the Women’s Resource Center and the Queer Resource Center.

Monica Lennon, the lawmaker who drafted the proposal of the bill, stated to The New York Times, “Individuals who have had their own lived experience of period poverty and know what it is like not to have access to products when they need them.”

The bill would provide tampons and sanitary pads at public places such as community centers, youth clubs and pharmacies, according to Reuters.

The bill passed through Scottish Parliament with 112 votes in favor, none against and one abstention. Despite the overwhelming support, some lawmakers warned the legislation that the bill may face some obstacles before officially becoming law, including the price tag of approximately $31 million per year.

“Period poverty is a very real challenge facing many girls in the UK,” said United Kingdom Campaign Manager at Plan International UK Lucy Russell, “and it’s devastating to hear of the impact it is having on girls’ lives, their ability to be themselves, and their self-esteem.”

According to the statistics by Plan International, a UK-based children’s charity, 10% of the female population have been unable to afford sanitary products, 15% have struggled to afford sanitary products and 14% have had to ask or borrow sanitary products from a friend due to affordability issues.

Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, had the same view regarding period poverty and stigma in the U.K., according to The New York Times.

“Period poverty is an issue that affects women and girls across the UK, with more than a quarter having missed work or school because they couldn’t afford or didn’t have access to menstrual products.”

The New York Times also reported laws in several states in the U.S. now mandate access to menstrual products in correctional facilities, shelters, and schools. In the House of Representatives, Grace Meng, D–NY, has introduced two bills; one aims to make periods more affordable while the second aims to require manufacturers to disclose ingredients in their menstrual products.

According to NPR, although several states have tried to outlaw taxes on menstrual products, none have succeeded, despite items like chapstick, viagra and shampoo being exempt from sales tax.

Lawmakers hope that the passage of the Scottish Bill will help to destigmatize menstruation, a topic in which 48% of girls aged 14–21 in the UK are embarrassed to talk about, according to Plan International.

Member of Parliament Neil Findlay noted the “barrier of inability to discuss such serious issues about our health and well-being in the media or in public without embarrassment, reticence and discomfort.”

“Providing menstrual products is more of a reproductive justice and reproductive health issue than toilet paper rolls,” Bestpitch said.

On YouTube, celebrity Amber Rose starred in a “Period’s Equity” video to promote the destigmatizing of menstruation as well as bringing awareness to the tax. Rose is seen stroking a diamond pendant and opens the charm to reveal a single tampon.

“Where else would you keep something 36 states tax as a luxury?” she asked Global Citizen reported menstrual health is not just a women’s issue globally; over 2.3 billion people live without basic sanitation services, especially in developing countries. The prevention of using facilities and resources that provide menstrual hygiene, affects those with special needs and disabilities, as well as those who live in conflict-affected areas or the aftermath of natural disasters, disproportionately.

DANA TOWNSEND

10

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

INTERNATIONAL

ELECTION BLUNDER U.S. CONDUCTS TRIGGERS PROTESTS IN AIR RAID AGAINST DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TALIBAN DAYS

AFTER REDUCTION OF VIOLENCE DEAL

PROTESTERS GATHER OUTSIDE THE ELECTORATE IN DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ON FEB. 20, 2020.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS MARSHALL SCHEIDER Protests erupted in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo last month after a Feb. 16 municipal election was suddenly cancelled due to technical difficulties. The election was suspended by officials four hours after voting began due to alleged issues with electronic voting technology.

Within hours, protesters filled the streets of Santo Domingo carrying signs calling for “democracy” and “punishment for the corrupt.” Many protesters say that the alleged technical difficulties mask an attempt by the Dominican Liberation Party to maintain its power against the will of the people, according to a recent report by independent news outlet Democracy Now! Many protesters expressed distrust towards the PLD, which has—with the exception of a brief period from 2000–2004—held uninterrupted power in the Dominican Republic since 1996. The New York Times reported one of the key issues with electronic voting which triggered the election suspension on Feb. 16 was the absence of parties other than the PLD on electronic ballots.

The island nation’s modern history shows the fluctuation of democratic institutions and dictatorial rule. From 1930 to 1961 the Dominican Republic was governed by military dictatorship under Gen. Raphael Trujillo, who received training from the U.S. Marines in the 1910s. The U.S. military occupied the Dominican Republic from 1916 to 1924.

Following a U.S.–backed coup d’état and second military occupation in 1965 and 1966, Joaqín Balaguer was installed as president, serving off and on in that role until the mid-1990s, when the PLD came to power. Under Balaguer’s U.S.backed regime, some 11,000 Dominicans were tortured, killed or disappeared.

“People are already seeing the connection between [Balaguer’s] time in the presidency and how long the PLD has been in

power and how they have crushed the opposition,” said Amanda Alcántara, a DominicanAmerican journalist, in a recent interview with Democracy Now! “People see [the suspended election] as an attempt at sabotage,” she said. “This is the first time in 18 years, or the first time at least in a decade, that the PLD is no longer ahead in the polls, when instead, it’s the opposition party.”

The recent voting snafu has raised questions concerning government spending and wealth distribution, issues which have historically brought Dominicans into the streets en masse. In 2017, a bribery case involving top Dominican officials triggered a wave of protests in which tens of thousands of Dominicans voiced dissatisfaction with government misconduct. The electronic voting machines used in the Feb. 2020 election cost the Dominican government some 19 million dollars.

This has caused outrage, as more than a third of the population in the Domincan Republic live on $1.25 (USD) per day or less, and nearly 20% live in even more extreme poverty.

Dominican election officials announced they will be returning to paper ballot voting in upcoming elections and have called upon the Organization of American States (OAS) to perform a “complete and binding” audit of all election results, according to The New York Times.

Election officials rescheduled the suspended election for March 15 and plan to use paper ballots to prevent further issues reports TeleSUR. Questions remain unanswered about the nature and extent of the blunder. With a national presidential election coming in May, many are putting pressure on election officials to establish sound voting procedures and restore public trust.

“The government has no other choice but to hold fair elections,” Alcantara said. “If the elections are not fair and if they’re not transparent, which is what the people are demanding, I think the protests are just going to continue.”

IN THIS 2014 PHOTO, U.S. AND BRITISH FORCES MAKE A FINAL EXIT FROM CAMP BASTION, AN AIR BASE RECENTLY ATTACKED ON MARCH 4, 2020.

STAFF SGT. JOHN JACKSON/U.S. MARINE CORPS

EMILY PRICE

The United States conducted an air raid against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan on March 4, less than a week after a reduction of violence deal was signed. Negotiations for a peace agreement were set to begin on March 10.

On March 4, U.S. Forces Afghanistan Spokesperson Colonel Sonny Legget tweeted, “The U.S. conducted an air strike on March 4 against Taliban fighters in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand, who were actively attacking an ANDSF [Afghan National Defence and Security Forces] checkpoint,” specifying it was a “defensive strike,” according to Al Jazeera.

James G. Stravrids, a retired American admiral and former top commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said, “The real key to whether Afghanistan avoids falling into an even longer civil war is the degree to which the United States and NATO are willing to fund and train the Afghan security forces over the long term, when Vietnam collapsed and the helicopters were lifting off the roof of the U.S. Embassy, it was the result of funding being stopped,” according to The New York Times.

REDUCTION IN VIOLENCE DEAL

On Feb. 26, the U.S. signed a treaty with the Taliban to begin the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, receding U.S intelligence interest from the 18-year war. In exchange, the Taliban agreed to proceed efforts on counterterrorism and start negotiations with Afghan troops, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The deal was set to happen over a seven-day period and would involve a decrease in the presence of U.S. troops from 12,000 to approximately 8,600, according to NPR. Ally troops were also expected to decrease their presence.

The Taliban has been vague in their process to release prisoners and whether they will take action to safeguard women’s rights as promised in a treaty made back in September.

After signing the agreement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said to the Military Times it was an agreement of a “significant and nationwide” reduction in violence throughout Afghanistan.

There have been concerns whether the Taliban and Afgan government would be able to come to an agreement once the U.S. recedes from the area. al-Qaida terrorist group leaders remain in Pakistan and could return to Afghanistan.

“No one wants to end endless wars more than those who have experienced them first hand and understand the price of them,” said David H. Petraeus, a former top American military commander in Afghanistan and C.I.A. director to The New York Times. “That said, we need to end them the right way, or as we have learned in the past, we may have to return to them.”

There is also concern whether the international community outside of the U.S. would continue to finance the Afghan government after a peace deal is made.

With a new horizon, the “future of their country resides in their hands, not ours,” Pompeo said to The Wall Street Journal.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

11

ARTS & CULTURE

WHERE TO GO DURING PORTLAND DINING MONTH

EXPLORE NEW OPTIONS IN PSU’S OWN BACKYARD JORDAN CAGLE The city of Portland offers some of the most interesting culinary experiences in the nation. However, the top restaurants are often out of most people’s price range.

Every March, restaurants in Portland offer three-course meals at a more reasonable price of $33 a meal. For every reservation made, Travel Portland will donate to the Oregon Food Bank. Five restaurants can take you around the world while staying just a short distance from campus.

AMERICAN - HIGGINS

PAN-ASIAN - SAUCEBOX

FRENCH - BISTRO AGNES

MIDDLE EASTERN AL-AMIR LEBANESE RESTAURANT

SOUTH AMERICA - LECHON

Bistro Agnes offers a decadent meal that is distinctly French.

The duck rillettes on grilled bread with orange marmalade and truffled walnut and celery salad is the starter. The roasted pork belly with French lentil ragout, frisee and honeycrisp apple for the main course is the standout, but don’t be afraid of the chicken confit with roasted cauliflower, anchovy, lemon and chicken jus. Anchovy can be intimidating, but it is worth a try.

Malted chocolate mousse with creme chantilly and puffed pastry for dessert, and wine pairings are available. A pescetarian option is as good as you are going to get with this menu.

This American restaurant prides itself on being authentically Northwest and offering strong vegetarian options. Higgins is a very intimate, upscale space with low lighting and a courteous waitstaff. The first course features either a roasted beet and chicory salad with lemon olive vinaigrette and garlic crumbs, or, tosini prosciutto with fruit mostarda (from a local farm), endive and extra virgin olive oil. The main course is a close match between the grilled lamb merguez sausage with couscous, harissa and roasted root vegetable, or, acquerello risotto with leeks, carrots, preserved lemons with spicy provolone.

For dessert the option is simple: pave of dark chocolate with Oregon honeycomb.

Al-Amir’s menu is a great introduction to Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisine. The first course offers different combinations of hummus with baba ghanooj, tabouleh, dolmas and falafel. For the main course there’s a choice of kabobs, a lamb shank or a vegetarian khudar of sauteed cauliflower, zucchini and carrot topped with garlic sauce and tahini sauce. It is hard to go wrong with the Baklava for dessert. They offer Lebanese beer and wine to go with the meal as well.

This restaurant offers three different choices for the first and second course, including vegetarian options. The first course offers three different options: the spicy sesame tofu with chiu chow emulsion and fried carrots seems to be the standout, but the steak satay with garlic soy marinade, spicy peanut sauce and thai herb salad is a close second. The Korean ribs with sweet hoisin sauce, peanuts, pickled cucumber and jasmine rice is an intriguing choice for the main course. For dessert, caramelized pear rangoon with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon sugar, or, chocolate tart with coconut ganache, raspberry sauce and almond whip.

The most diverse menu in terms of options for the first and second course, all of them delicious. The first and second course offer either vegetarian or non-vegetarian routes through the menu.

The vegetarian path includes baocito with miso mushrooms, pickled slaw, steam bun and Peruvian-Chinese BBQ sauce, and vegetable ceviche with hearts of palm, tomato cucumber, aji lime amarillo and cilantro. For the second course on the vegetarian journey, arepa with avocado puree, chickpeas, kale, melted peppers, fried egg and aji verde, or chaufu with fried rice, heirloom cauliflower, peas, basil cilantro and soy-lime teriyaki. Key lime pie with raspberry for dessert, a perfect palate cleanser.

DANA TOWNSEND

12

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

ARTS & CULTURE OPINION

NADIA MURAD’S CALL TO ACTION AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING ADIRA FREIGEIST

NOBEL LAUREATE NADIA MURAD DISCUSES THE EFFECTS OF GENOCIDE BY ISIS ON THE YAZIDI’S AT USIP. COURTESY OF U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE

Nadia Murad, a Yazidi survivor of genocide, spoke out about systematic genocide and the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

As a Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 2018 and the United Nation’s first Goodwill Ambassador for human trafficking, Murad calls on people around the world to act. Speaking at a World Oregon event at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on March 4, she asserted that “collectively, as a global community, we must commit to change… to actively seek change, because it is the responsibility of all of us, not just some of us.”

The Yazidi people, an ethnic and religious minority in Iraq, were a peaceful community of farmers and poor families cultivating the land for others in their village with limited access to education, water and electricity. “We didn’t have too much independence, but we were happy with what we had and [we] lived a life with dignity,” Murad said.

On Aug. 3, 2014, ISIS interrupted that peace when they stormed Kocho in the Sinjar District of Iraq, committing genocide on Yazidis because they would not convert to Islam. The Yazidi men were murdered and put into mass graves, while the boys under age 14 were taken to military camps. More than 1000 women and children were abducted to be sexually abused and used as slaves, according to Murad.

Murad was eventually able to escape to a refugee camp and was offered asylum in Germany.

She lost her mother, six of her brothers and two nieces in the massacre. Nineteen of her nieces will grow up without their fathers. Murad’s story is only one of many experienced by Yazidi families who are still feeling the lasting effects of what happened six years after the genocide.

Murad spoke of the support—and lack thereof—from the United States government.

While she has worked with the U.S. to provide security in Sinjar, in 2018, only five Yazidi refugees were granted U.S. asylum, with the number increasing to 20 in 2019.

Murad asked the audience “what it will take for a more welcome approach to refugees [in the United States].” When asked what she would say to others wanting to help, her response was “for people here, with access to education and the freedom to speak, [to] be a

voice for the voiceless…for those that cannot speak for themselves.”

Murad said that she “has tried hard not to be the face of the cause, because it’s not one specific cause…[I planned] to deliver a message and not be the face, which turned out to be the case, but not [her] choice.”

She has since begun focusing on projects to redevelop Sinjar. She created Nadia’s Initiative to raise money for schools, medical clinics, temples and wash (water, sanitation and hygiene) services with local partners and support from France, Belgium and other countries.

Shannon Doyle, a high school student who attended the event, was grateful to hear Murad’s story.

“I often attend literary arts events with the English department at the [high school] and was excited when my mom bought the World Oregon packet of events,” Doyle said. She added that this was the first one she was able to attend, and she enjoyed the event.

When Murad was asked what she would say to survivors of sexual violence to help them move through the trauma, she said, “It is a difficult one, to deliver that message…I lived with my sister for the past few years, I have never heard her story, and she was taken too.”

She said that survivors deserve to “feel safe, not taken advantage of, feel respected and heard because some have difficult stories and it is not easy to talk about them publicly.”

When asked the question of how to create a stronger sense of tolerance and teach peace, she used ISIS as an example: “If we look at ISIS’ success in spreading their ideology, why can’t we, with access to more resources, promote tolerance like ISIS spreads hate?” she said.

Yousra Fathi offered her opinion on Murad’s answer, saying that “when people are suffering and impoverished, it is much easier for terrorist groups like ISIS to persuade them to join their cause.”

For ISIS to be brought to justice and held accountable for the genocide of the Yazidi people, Murad said, “They must be prosecuted in an international court, and not in Iraq.”

Murad’s words for the future are simple and clear: “Our homes, and our dreams were destroyed…never again.”

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

13

OPINION

ELON MUSK EMBRACES DYSTOPIA WITH NEW TRUCK

JOHN ROJAS

IAN STOREY Tesla’s controversial Cybertruck attempts to solve the issue of climate change with something akin to a war machine, which raises the question: is Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk’s vision of a greener future utopian or dystopian?

The Cybertruck has been compared to something out of a video game. Where the competition appeals to power fantasies common in cinema, Tesla’s new aesthetic appeals to the kind of power fantasy found in video games.

It’s not hard to imagine the car in action. It sails like a polygon from the screen of a retro arcade cabinet or the obelisk from 2001. The simple, smooth, reflective wedge careens through the city, frictionless. There is a purity about its quiet, electric, power. As it speeds along, unobstructed—like so many other car commercials— the crisp vision does not celebrate the beauty of a green Utopia. Instead, it says, “If you get in the way, this is going to do some serious damage.”

No matter how you spin it, the subtext is clear: “protect yourself.” With that comes an assumption of fear and other paranoid phenomenon. Implicit in that is “from who” or “what?”

Here we are focused on a consumer product, and in this way, Elon Musk is arming people

14

with the world’s most powerful vehicle yet. The SUV, so popular in ‘90s and ‘00s has been likened to a tank. The Hummer, once a military standard vehicle, even traveled overseas from wars abroad to protect the American people from the conflicts at home.

The Cybertruck, with its indestructible windows and sledgehammer-proof metal, raises the bar. In the early 2000s, the conversation would end here with the Cybertruck as yet another manifestation of American fear and the desire for security in the face of 9/11. Make no mistake, the Cybertruck is a part of that legacy and all of its sinister roots, but in 2020, it finds itself in a new global context that cannot be ignored.

In the age of climate change, all of the above plays out at an emotional level. Tesla attempts to deconstruct the narrative of climate change and reconstruct it as a war to fight. Musk noticed that not only are people intellectually occupied with the threat of climate catastrophe, but they feel threatened by it as well. His response is to literally fight the threat with a product that is both powerful and green, tapping into the extreme ends of hope and fear. In this way the Cybertruck’s design both

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

exacerbates fear and inspires the consumer with the confidence to deal with it.

The difficulty is, Musk’s new product acts as something like a pacifier; it distracts the consumer from the root problems of the automobile. Of the two things at play—climate change and power—Tesla attempts to brute force the first with the second. This solution doesn’t address the root problem nor the myriad other problems associated with urban living and cars and in fact, makes many of them worse. Congestion still rules the tempo of the city, parking spaces proliferate and streets are still not safe for people to walk in.

To the city, nothing has changed.

The Cybertruck is yet another automobile that governs its designs and layouts. While Musk’s solution “arms” us against climate change, imagine such a truck in the hands of outlaws or the police: With the Cybertruck’s superior speed, power and protection, could it be the next military vehicle? Could it become a standard in police departments across the country? After all, there is a lot of money to be made in any of these scenarios and all further the cause of climate change.

The conversation changes when one considers the possibilities of a city with no cars versus one that conforms to them. In the face of such philosophizing, the sturdy cybertruck deflates and joins its flaccid brethren that lazily maintain the status quo.

So what is the culmination of the cybertruck? Where is this indestructible speeding obelisk pointed? Towards utopia or dystopia?

The future proposed by Tesla is benevolent in the sense that it seeks to make an emissionless future, and in that way, Musk strides towards utopia. But he does so without naivety and eviscerates the delusion imbued in other pickup trucks. Just like the futurists before him, the bright promise of tomorrow will come at bleak all consuming speed. But it has its limits.

To demolish and expose their faltering competition, Tesla had to embrace brawn and embody it in its extreme. This may paint a picture of a greener world but also a more violent one.

Tesla’s new message is more desperate than ever, “whatever it takes,” and while the destination is sunny, the company’s way of getting there is anything but.

SPORTS

THE BEST IS STILL AHEAD FOR PSU SOFTBALL MATCHUP WITH TEAM USA COULD BE TURNING POINT AS VIKINGS PREPARE FOR CONFERENCE PLAY

SENIOR TAYLER GUNESCH GETS ON BASE FOR THE VIKINGS IN A GAME AGAINST NORTHERN COLORADO. COURTESY OF GOVIKS

RICH RIGNEY Adversity—that’s what has characterized the season for Portland State softball up to this point. Despite having what head coach Meadow McWhorter calls “the most talented team” PSU softball has seen in several years, that talent hasn’t translated into the win column with much consistency through the team’s first 20 games.

Early season struggles have not discouraged this Vikings team, however. There is a belief held throughout the team that the best is yet to come, and the goal remains the same.

“Our number one goal is to be Big Sky regular-season champs, qualify for the tournament and win the tournament—make it to regionals,” McWhorter said. “That is a unanimous goal amongst all of these girls.” The Vikings will have the opportunity to see how they stack up against the best when they face the USA Olympic softball team on March 17.

For a team with so much talent, the challenge has been finding that consistency and learning to play together.

“Our record is deceiving because we’ve really only been beaten maybe two to three times,” McWhorter said. “The rest of our losses have been more us beating ourselves and not playing clean softball.”

“This is by far—I’d say probably in the last eight years— the most talented team we’ve had here at Portland State,” McWhorter said. “For the first time in several years, our strength is in all three roles of the game; whether that be pitching, defense or offense. But I’d say one of the challenges then has been playing consistently, playing good softball every game.”

The Vikings have shown flashes of greatness, including a dominant 13-2 win over Western Michigan in the season opener, but maintaining that success in all three phases has been difficult.

“One of our goals right now is really getting this team to fire on all three cylinders—all three aspects of the game,” McWhorter said. “That’s our number one challenge right now is just all playing great on the same day.”

“We’ve had some ups and downs already this season, which I think is why we’ve grown closer,” senior outfielder Tayler Gunesch said. “Just facing that adversity has brought us closer, because we have to figure out how to get through it together.”

Getting through it together seems to be the collective mindset of the team. Senior infielder Darian Lindsey believes the team’s challenges have only deepened their bond.

“The adversity we’ve faced and the struggles we’ve been going through lately—because we haven’t had a winning record—I feel like that’s brought us a lot closer together.

Because it’s just a matter of being cohesive as a team and figuring it out.”

A conference championship is still the goal for PSU, but it’s a long season, and the players understand that success comes gradually.

“As a team, our end goal is definitely to win Big Sky, but we’re more focused on game by game and not looking too far ahead,” Gunesch said. “We’re just taking it pitch by pitch,

game by game, and we’ll see what happens.”

If there were ever a way to measure where the team stands and what their potential might be, the upcoming matchup with the USA Olympic softball team seems as good as any.

“We’ll be tested against the best players in the world, not even just our country, but in the world,” McWhorter said.

“I think it’ll test our grit and our ability to be resilient. You already know that toe-to-toe, you’re playing the best. A lot of these girls get to play their idols.”

“You ask any of them and they’ll all talk about what an honor it is to be able to have this opportunity,” McWhorter said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The significance of the game has not been lost on the players.

“It’s a privilege just to be able to play the team,” Lindsey said. “To play against those girls and be able to say you were on the field with them, I think that’s really exciting.”

Gunesch shared Lindsey’s appreciation for the moment.

“It’s definitely a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Gunesch said. “Not every team gets to play that high-level kind of team.

I’m just looking forward to the experience.”

McWhorter spoke on the importance of appreciating what a privilege it is to play in this game.

“Yes it’s an unbelievable moment to be a part of, but really savor it, be in the moment. Just take a moment to look around and recognize where you are and what opportunity you have before you.”

But McWhorter doesn’t want her players approaching Team USA as an opponent larger than life.

“Just remember, you know what? They put on their shoes the same way we do. They put on their uniform the same way we do, and we’ve got nothing to lose.”

Facing off with a high-caliber opponent like Team USA can give the Vikings a valuable confidence boost heading into their conference schedule.

“I think our team will be able to hold our own against the Olympic team,” Gunesch said. “I think that will really help us going into conference, just knowing that if we’re able to compete with that high-level team, we can compete with anyone else in our conference.”

McWhorter believes being forced to play up to the skill level of an experienced opponent like Team USA will help the Vikings realize their full potential.

“Recognizing the challenge before us and just rising to that challenge. I think that, more than anything, will be what prepares us for conference. Knowing that no matter the opponent and no matter how big the challenge, knowing that we can rise.”

It’s been an uphill battle for the Vikings thus far, but the struggles they faced early on should only make them a stronger and more battle-tested team as the season progresses.

“We’ve talked a lot about adversity and what we’re facing,” McWhorter said. “Our challenges right now will become our strengths, and it’s going to pay off when we get to conference.”

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 10, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

15

Jordan Cagle

MARCH 10–16 MUSIC

FILM & THEATRE

MARGOT VOORHIES THOMPSON, BETTY MERKEN RUSSO LEE GALLERY 11 A.M.–5:30 P.M. FREE Russo Lee’s March exhibition features two artists both focusing around minimalist views.

LA FONDA, SMALL FIELD, BIBLIOTEKA THE LIQUOR STORE 9 P.M. $8–10 Cheap cover for some great music.

‘THUNDERBOLT IN MY EYE’ WHITSELL AUDITORIUM 6 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENT A coming of age love story written and directed by Portland natives.

GRANDPOOBEAR’S SPEEDRUN SESSIONS GROUND KONTROL 5 P.M. FREE Come out and watch renowned speedrunner David ‘GrandPOOBear’ Hunt.

CAPTURE THE FLAG NINE GALLERY NOON–5 P.M. FREE Installation from artist Bill Will.

A BOWIE CELEBRATION: BOWIE ALUMNI PLAY DIAMOND DOGS & ZIGGY STARDUST CRYSTAL BALLROOM 8 P.M. $35–40 Celebrate the legend David Bowie.

‘IT MUST BE HEAVEN’ CINEMA 21 6 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENT Elia Suleiman’s film is a collection of vignettes exploring contemporary culture and the growing gap between the haves and the have–nots.

THINK & DRINK: RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE ALBERTA ROSE THEATRE 7 P.M. $15

FREQUENCIES OF OPACITY UPFOR GALLERY 11 A.M.–6 P.M. FREE New works from artist Daniell Roney.

SOOVIN KIM: UNACCOMPANIED BACH THE OLD CHURCH 7:30 P.M. $10–62.50 • 21+ Soovin Kim, the Chamber Music Northwest Artistic Director Designee, brings Bach’s solo works to the Old Church.

‘VITALINA VARELA’ OMSI 6 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENT This Portugese film following a woman who travels to lisband for her husband’s funeral, who she hasn’t seen for 25 years.

MANDARIN CONVERSATION AT THE CHINESE GARDEN LAN SU CHINESE GARDEN 1 P.M. $13 GENERAL ADMISSION / $10 STUDENTS A program highlighting vocal inflection to improve conversational chinese skills.

FUTURE TIMELIKE INFINITY CARNATION CONTEMPORARY NOON–5 P.M. FREE Group exhibition curated by Michael Endo.

SUGARRAY RAYFORD JACK LONDON REVUE 9 P.M. $20–25 • 21+ Grammy nominated Sugarray Rayford comes to the Jack London Revue.

‘FIRST COW’ CINEMA 21 8:30 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENTS An Oregon film following a talented cook on the Oregon trail who finds true connection with a chinese immigrant.

CIDER GARAGE SALE PORTLAND CIDER HOUSE NOON–10 P.M. FREE • 21+ One weekend only sale on ciders.

DANIEL DUFORD, ARVIE SMITH JORDAN SCHNITZER MUSEUM OF ART 10 A.M.–5 P.M. FREE A series of works from two different artists exploring privilege in American society.

EVAN GIIA DOUG FIR LOUNGE 9 P.M. $12–15 • 21+ Up-and-coming Brooklyn based artist EVAN GIIA incorporates her opera roots into her alt-pop sound.

‘CLEMENTINE’ CINEMA 21 8:45 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENTS Debut narrative feature by Oregon filmmaker Lara Jean Gallagher. Winner of the Best Narrative film at the Bend Film Festival.

OREGON CHEESE FESTIVAL ROGUE CREAMERY AND CRATER IRON BUILDING 11 A.M.–5 P.M. $15+ The Rogue Creamy hosts a full weekend of tastings, master classes, four-and-five course dinners, drinks, goodies, and more.

SUN MAR 15

CITY MORGUE HAWTHORNE THEATRE 8 P.M. $17.50–$20 That grimy $uicideBoy$ sound comes to the Hawthorne Theatre with the up-and-coming duo City Morgue.

CITY MORGUE HAWTHORNE THEATRE 8 P.M. $17.50–$20 That grimy $uicideBoy$ sound comes to the Hawthorne Theatre with the up-and-coming duo City Morgue.

‘HOME IN THE WOODS’ OMSI 6 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENTS An experimental documentary using only nature and his immediate surroundings from filmmaker Brandon Wilson.

KELLS ST. PATRICK’S IRISH FESTIVAL KELLS IRISH PUB NOON $30 • 21+ It’s that time of year again.

MON MAR 16

ART FLORA ARCHITECTURE: EXPLORING THE STRUCTURE OF PLANTS MULTNOMAH ARTS CENTER 9 A.M.–9:30 P.M. FREE A series of new works by artist David Cohen.

KUNG PAO CHICKENS LAURELTHIRST PUBLIC HOUSE 9 P.M. FREE • 21+ Weekly dose of jazz.

‘DOSED’ CINEMA 21 7 P.M. $13 Presented by the Oregon Psilocybin Society and Portland Psychedelic Society. This is a special event to raise awareness about the future of psilocybin mushrooms.

KARAOKE NIGHT AT VALENTINES VALENTINES 9 P.M. • 21+ FREE Show them what you got.

TUE MAR 10

ART

COMMUNITY

WED MAR 11

Oregon Futures Lab Executive Director Ana del Rocio and Gresham City Councillor Eddy Morales answer questions about running for office.

THU MAR 12 FRI MAR 13 SAT MAR 14