VOLUME 74 • ISSUE 24 • MARCH 17, 2020
BLIC U P U: SMS ATE? S NEW R PRIV LTURE RE O U U & C L CULT S T E AR ANC AR AND C D FE ON HE BEY PINION G IN T REAK O UTB THIN LOA IRUS O NAV O R CO
CRIME BLOTTER
March 9–12
JUSTIN GRINNELL MARCH 9 Vandalism Around 10:30 p.m. at Lincoln Hall, a mirror was found damaged in the restroom. Vandalizer potentially has seven years of bad luck. Drug Law Violation Referral Residence staff reported and referred two students who were under the legal age and in possession of “reefer.” The report and referral occurred at Broadway Residence Hall at 12:22 a.m. MARCH 10 Vandalism Around 11:58 a.m., Campus Public Safety officers responded to graffitti. It was unclear in the report how CPSO felt about it.
MARCH 11 Theft At 9:45 CPSO responded to a shoplift. The shoplift occurred around 9:40 a.m. MARCH 12 Theft Around 4:30 p.m. a non-student reported property taken. The incident occured at the Karl Miller Center. Attempted Theft A PSU employee reported a non-student attempted to take a lanyard. The attempted theft occurred at Harder House around 5 a.m.
CONTENTS COVER BY DANA TOWNSEND NEWS HILL TO HALL
P. 3
ARTS & CULTURE CANCEL CULTURE: WHAT HAS IT DONE?
P. 12
SMSU HITS CROSSROADS
P. 4–5
A CAFE FOR COMMUNITY
P. 12
PSU AEROSPACE SOCIETY COMPETES IN COLLEGIATE SPACE RACE
P. 6
RAUCOUS, GRINDHOUSE PUPPETEER HORROR
P. 13
INTERNATIONAL BACKLASH AGAINST CITIZEN LAW LEAVES 53 DEAD IN RIOTS
P. 7
OPINION FEAR AND LOATHING IN THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
P. 14
COVER COVID-19 PUSHES COURSES ONLINE
P. 8–9
SPORTS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON SPORTS
P. 15
INTERNATIONAL TURKEY AND SYRIA REACH CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT
P. 10
35,000 MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES REMAIN AT GREECE-TURKEY BORDER
P. 10
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 Madison Cecil Bruna Cucolo Ida Ayu Karina Dwijayanti Felipe Flores Nick Gatlin Bela Kurzenhauser Anna Leclerc Emily Price Emma Wallace Karisa Yuasa
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 10–13 NICK GATLIN
MARCH 10: GOVERNOR BROWN TAKES EXECUTIVE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed an executive order on March 10 intended to curb greenhouse emissions in the state, according to OPB. The 14-page order sets a goal to reduce Oregon’s greenhouse emissions to 45% below 1990 levels by 2035 and 80% by 2050. The order also directs state agencies to update state energy efficiency standards, alter building codes to conform to stricter energy standards and reduce food waste, OPB reported. According to AP News, the order also includes a mandate to set and enforce caps on pollution from industry and transportation fuels. The order does not create a marketplace for companies to buy emissions credits, which was included in Senate Bill 1530, according to Willamette Week. The governor’s executive action comes after the Republican walkout caused S.B. 1530 to expire when the legislative session ended.
MARCH 11: GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES RESTRICTIONS ON MASS GATHERINGS
On March 11, Governor Brown announced a four-week statewide ban on any gatherings of more than 250 people, in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus, according to AP News. In a news conference with other state and local officials on March 12, she clarified that the ban only applies to “organized events,” not “stores, shopping centers or schools,” The Oregonian reported.
MARCH 12: PORTLAND MAYOR TED WHEELER DECLARES CORONAVIRUS STATE OF EMERGENCY
Mayor Wheeler announced a state of emergency for the City of Portland on March 12, The Oregonian reported. The order would allow city authorities to order evacuations, restrict large gatherings, set citywide curfews, regulate the sale of some items and institute rent control, according to The Oregonian. According to Portland Tribune, emergency winter shelters in the city will stay open to provide housing to the houseless, and water service will not be disconnected for any Portland residents unable to pay their service bills.
MARCH 12: GOVERNOR ORDERS PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO CLOSE THROUGH MARCH 31
In a directive billed as an “extended spring break,” Governor Brown ordered all Oregon K-12 public schools to close starting March 16, through the end of the month, The Oregonian reported. Brown had previously been reluctant to shut schools, but said in a statement school employees, parents and students found it “impossible to functionally operate schools due to workforce issues and student absences,” according to OPB. The announcement comes after two school districts, Tigard-Tualatin and Lake Oswego, decided to close on their own, according to Portland Tribune.
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MARCH 13: PPB TO REDUCE IN-PERSON RESPONSES TO CALLS
Citing coronavirus concerns, the Portland Police Bureau will reduce the number of in-person responses to some non-life-threatening calls, instead directing officers to contact the caller by phone, KGW reported. The policy is meant to reduce officers’ exposure to the virus and to ensure that many officers do not become infected at once, according to The Oregonian. The PPB clarified in an update posted to their website that crimes like thefts in progress, burglaries, welfare checks and other emergency calls will receive an in-person response, and detectives will continue to investigate crimes. They also encourage the community to report crimes online if they can to free up emergency call lines.
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
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NEWS
SMSU HITS CROSSROADS A CHANGE IN POLICY COULD DECIDE IF BUILDING REMAINS PUBLIC
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PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
NEWS FELIPE FLORES A controversy of compassion is measuring student, faculty and community members’ commitment to unconditional inclusion. Portland State’s Office of General Counsel (OGC), is proposing to change the Use of Buildings Grounds and Services Policy at Smith Memorial Student Union. With its downtown position and proximity to most TriMet transit lines, SMSU’s interior is often filled with a mix between the public and the student body. The building is currently accessible to students and staff from 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday– Saturday, though its hours became more restricted to the public in Fall 2019. The latest proposal would add SMSU to a list of non-public areas on campus, which is typically associated with classrooms, faculty offices and laboratories and allows university administration to restrict some, or even all, areas of the building to students, employees and other guests. PSU’s 50-acre campus currently consists of 55 owned, operated and leased structures, but few in its building list are truly public. Typically, a PSU ID card is used to gain electronic door access—in some cases, you may also need a separate access card or key to access interior doors. While the policy plan as a whole is still being evaluated as part of a greater Administrative Policy Development Process, its 21-day public comment and response stage closed on March 9. PSU’s administration will now consider if any public comment responses are warranted or if they will be responding with any parallel policy plan changes. Once solidified, the policy then goes to the University Policy Committee for final review. If approved, it will be sent to PSU President Stephen Percy’s desk for signature and addition to the PSU policy library. Restricting SMSU’s building hours for the public, however, also restricts the houseless population who often use the student union as a sanctuary from the elements outside. Dr. Marisa Zapata, the director of PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, voiced concern over the possible policy change. “If approved, the closure will send the unfortunate message that even in our most prized gathering space, all are not welcome,” Zapata said. However, struggling to make distinctions between which spaces are public—which are generally open and accessible, and which spaces are private, spaces reserved for personal use or a specific group—is a part of everyday life for many who live and work in Portland. In these instances, spatial diagrams provide a framework for how a person functionally relates to the space they’re in. These diagrams are used by architects, developers and school administrations to catalog the sequence of a building’s spaces, or limitations between public versus private spaces that develop from its elements. PSU’s proposed policy has a similar purpose, stating, “This policy provides general guidelines for the use of space, distinguishing between spaces that are open to the general public… and others using campus services.”
“I am disappointed by [PSU’s] decision to pursue closing the student union to the public,” Zapata said. “Symbolically, student union buildings are meant to be gathering places on campus. To make SMSU a “non-public” building runs counter to the university’s commitment to creating a welcoming space.” PSU’s website states, “[Our mission is to] serve and sustain a vibrant urban region through our creativity, collective knowledge, and expertise,” and “[Our Values include a belief that] everyone should be treated with integrity and respect.” However, to some students, restricting the hours of SMSU betrays this statement by excluding the houseless community. “[A] faculty member [recently] looked at me and saw the motivated and driven student I have become after being here at PSU for three and a half years,” India Wynne, a former Associated Students of PSU member said. “I was asked…to share [the link regarding PSU’s public comment forum on the Smith Memorial policy change] as the faculty member…assumed what side of this debate I would fall on.” “What [they] failed to [realize], is that four and a half years ago, I was houseless,” Wynn said. “Like many of my fellow students, I was that person wanting someone to let me in from the cold... Had strangers not shown me kindness…I definitely wouldn’t be the person I am today.” SMSU is a four-story, 220, 435 square-foot campus building at PSU. Located on SW Broadway, Smith houses a myriad of occupants ranging from ASPSU to student media. Along with this policy change, ASPSU is seeking input from the PSU student body to see if they are interested in supporting a student-funded SMSU renovation project. This inquiry will evaluate different renovation options according to student needs, and will determine both project cost estimates and if associated student fees will need to increase. A student survey will be distributed on May 6 to determine if PSU students are supportive of a SMSU renovation, financed through an increase in student fees, at any level. If support is found, in both the PSU student body and the Board of Trustees, the project could begin construction in 2022 at the earliest. Almost every part of the student union has seen a slew of policy changes over the years, down to its name. From 1958–1968 it was labeled College Center; during 1960– 1969, it was branded with some iteration of Library or Library East. It was labeled Smith Memorial Center in 1969. In 2001, the Smith Advisory Board solicited President Bernstine to make a building name change. It would take the better part of a year to get the approval. This coincided with a series of major renovation and seismic improvement projects so resources were already in place that would make a name change financially viable. Ultimately it took the moniker of Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU) as its signature, highlighting that the building changes names during “significant times of change.” This “nonpublic” policy change coupled with the student-financed proposed renovation project could qualify as a “significant time of change.” While PSU could decide on the policy within the next couple of months, public interest from both sides of the aisle will continue to rise until this situation is resolved.
“IF APPROVED, THE CLOSURE WILL SEND THE UNFORTUNATE MESSAGE THAT EVEN IN OUR MOST PRIZED GATHERING SPACE, ALL ARE NOT WELCOME” –DR. MARISA ZAPATA
OPPOSITE: EMMA WALLACE/PSU VANGUARD
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
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NEWS
PORTLAND STATE AEROSPACE SOCIETY COMPETES IN COLLEGIATE SPACE RACE
JUSTIN GRINNELL
cleaner, is more reusable and generates more thrust when compared to the solid fuel engines of typical amateur rockets. Integrating the liquid fuel engine is no easy task. “There's a lot of steps, I mean it's literal rocket science,” Joslyn said. One step in the process, as well as a major event for PSAS, is testing the engine. "What you do is hot fire test it,” Joslyn explained. “So you run the whole system like it would in a rocket and make sure that you're getting the thrust that you need [and] make sure that you're getting the correct readings from your data back." As PSU does not have an appropriate location on campus to test the engine, the hot fire test will take place at the same location as the LV3.1 launch, but in May of this year. "When you actually hot fire test, your engine could explode and send shrapnel everywhere, fire could come out of where it shouldn't, there's so many things that could go wrong,” Joslyn said. “That's kind of what makes it fun." Due to the potentially volatile nature of hot fire testing a rocket engine, safety is a primary concern for PSAS. The group plans to establish a 300-foot safe distance and is looking to use blast shields at the test site. "There's a lot of things that can go wrong like, pardon my French, but an absolute fuck-ton of things can go wrong,” Joslyn said. “Because you're dealing with these highly flammable materials.” The final project of the three that are funneling into the liquid fuel rocket is OreSat—the first satellite built in Oregon. "It's a tiny cubesat, about 10-by-10-by-20 centimeters, which is what's called a 2U cubesat,” said David Lay, electrical systems intern for OreSat and electrical engineering lead for PSAS. "’U’ is a standard unit that's defined by the cubesat standard." The plan is for OreSat to be passed along from PSAS to NASA in January 2021 then flown up to the International Space Station (ISS) in April of the same year, where it will ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING STUDENT JENNIFER JORDAN DEMONSTRATES HER CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROJECT: THE FUEL DELIVERY SYSTEM be ejected from one of the WHICH REGULATES THE AMOUNT OF FUEL TO BE INJECTED DURING THE ROCKET'S LAUNCH PHASE. ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD space station's airlocks.
Three current projects at Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS) funnel into one ambitious goal: building a liquid fuel rocket capable of soaring to the edge of space—100 kilometers above Earth’s surface. Tool boxes, red countdown timers, clocks set to different time zones, a workbench with satellite components and a wall of rockets surround an oval conference table. The PSAS room—located in the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science building—is a cross between an engineer's workshop and NASA control room. PSAS members utilize the space to work on a new carbon fiber airframe, a liquid fuel rocket engine and Oregon’s first satellite as they compete in Base 11—a collegiate space race where the first team to launch a liquid fuel rocket to the edge of space wins a million dollars. Each PSAS rocket is called a launch vehicle (LV) and is given a numeric value for every new iteration. The current rocket is LV 3.1. "LV0 was just an off the shelf rocket kit that Andrew [Greenberg]—our faculty advisor— and a couple other people started PSAS with,” said PSAS member Jean-Pierre Pillay. “After that it went to LV1 and then LV2, LV2.1, LV2.1.3 as small iterations are made.” As the vehicle manager for LV3.1, Pillay works
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with the rocket’s carbon airframe and any documentation associated with it. Improvements were recently made to strengthen the coupling rings—the metal bands holding the modules that comprise the rocket’s airframe together— which was a result of the launch of the previous rocket iteration. "In 2018, PSAS flew LV3.0 [which] underwent a random unscheduled disassembly,” Pillay said. “Meaning it snapped in half in the air.” PSAS plans to launch LV3.1 on April 25 in Brothers, Oregon and expects LV3.1 will have an apogee of about 35,000 feet. “We're getting this rocket ready so that we can scale it up larger and use the same manufacturing process for our liquid fuel rocket," Pillay said about LV3.1’s purpose. The larger rocket with a liquid fuel engine, called LV4, is scaled up from LV3.1’s six inch diameter to an 11 inch diameter and is the same rocket PSAS hopes will reach the edge of space. Alongside LV3.1, PSAS is developing the liquid fuel rocket engine that will eventually power LV4. Since it is still in development, the engine is mounted to a test stand and will use the combination of liquid oxygen and isopropyl alcohol as fuel to create thrust. According to Kathleen Joslyn, the liquid fuel rocket engine manager for PSAS, a liquid fuel engine burns
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
Andrew Greenberg, faculty advisor for PSAS, explained in an interview that “the electronic systems that [they] built for the rockets are very satellite-like” with batteries, processors and communications gears which led to the creation of OreSat. A primary mission of OreSat is STEM outreach. High school students are able to build hand-held ground stations that can interact with the tiny satellite’s camera. "What they do is point it up and when we do a fly by overhead with our satellite we turn the satellite towards them and we downlink a live video feed of them from space,” Lay explained. “So we call it the 400 kilometer selfie-stick." Depending on what height it is ejected from the ISS, OreSat is projected to have a lifespan of about 9–12 months before it is burnt up as it deorbits. "There are, I'm gonna say, a dozen big rocket teams in the United States,” said Andrew Greenberg, faculty advisor for PSAS. “I don't know where to rank us, but we're in that dozen.” Despite their place among the top rocket teams in the U.S., PSAS does not receive any funding from PSU, relying on fundraising and crowdfunding for revenue. PSAS is, therefore, struggling to compete against universities with more established rocketry programs. "We're really well known, but we have zero budget compared to [University of Southern California] which has literally $60,000 to play with every year...given to them by USC,” Greenberg said. “Michigan's got like three or four labs that funnel money into their rocketry program." "And we're on a shoestring, we're at like $10,000 a year or something like that. We're kinda scrappy in that PSU way. We're doing a lot with very little.” PSAS recently held a fundraising event on Feb. 27 with PSU Interim President Percy and some members of the Board of Trustees in attendance, but the group was only able to raise $1,750. Greenberg also shared his doubts that PSAS will win Base 11: "We are not going to win... USC probably does have hundreds of thousands of dollars just invested in their rocket for this prize. Whichever team wins is essentially going to be the team that buys it. Which is ok, that's fine." While being the first team to launch a liquid fuel rocket 100 kilometers is unlikely, the dedicated members of PSAS are undeterred and continue their passion for rocketry. As Greenberg said near the end of the interview: "But also, by the way, space is cool, so let's build rockets."
INTERNATIONAL
BACKLASH AGAINST CITIZEN LAW LEAVES 53 DEAD IN RIOTS
EMILY PRICE
Riots in New Delhi, India have led to 53 people killed and more than 200 injured in response to the introduction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new citizenship law. India’s Citizenship Amendment Act, passed in December 2019, grants citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who came to India before December 2014 from Bangladesh, Pakistan or Afghanistan. The new law purposely excludes Muslims from neighboring countries, and has been criticized for undermining India’s traditions by imposing Hindu nationalism. The violent unrest began Feb. 23 in New Dehli after weeks of peaceful sit-ins. The government responded to the peaceful protests by calling troops, shutting down the internet, and imposing curfews according to The New York Times. Further violence erupted after an announcement by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party warned Muslims to stop the sit-ins, or they would face consequences by BJP supporters. Protests escalated throughout parts of Delhi, including Karawal Nagar, Seelampur, Maujpur, Bhajanpura, Vijay Park, Jafrabad, Chandbagh, Mustafabad and Yamuna Vihar. From the most recent reports, 53 people have been declared dead and 200 injured, with both Hindu and Muslim victims. Public and private properties have been destroyed, including homes, shops and mosques. Hindu mobs approached men in the streets and demanded they show their ID cards or forced their pants down to see if they were circumcised. According to an interview from The Guardian, Musharraf, a 30-year-old Muslim man, was killed in his home with wife and children in northeast Delhi when a mob of around 30 men broke in armed with iron rods, knives and chains. “His wife was calling the police but they did not come,” Musharraf ’s brother-in law Shakir said. “Everyone got into the beds to hide but the men covered everything with kerosene and shouted: ‘Will you come out or do you want us to burn you alive?’” Musharraf was dragged from his bed into the streets and was beaten to death. Journalists in India were also impacted by the violence. One was shot and survived, and another had their teeth knocked out. According to Al Jazeera, these attacks on reporters are acts of censorship during a critical zunder BJP Hindu nationalist-led government. A photographer for the Times of India newspaper was approached by a group demanding to know whether they were Hindu or Muslim. “I folded my hands and pleaded with them to let me go, saying I was a lowly photographer,” the photographer said to Al Jazeera.
A STRAY DOG STANDS IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE NEW DEHLI RIOTS THAT LEFT DOZENS DEAD AND HUNDREDS OF BUSINESSES DESTROYED. HEMANT BANSWAL/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
WHAT IS BEING DONE?
According to Al Jazeera, police have been forced to look the other way as mobs destroyed property and attacked Muslims. The police and government have denied these allegations. The interim president, Sonia Gandhi, has criticised the federal and local governments for being “mute spectators. Gandhi called Home Minister Amit Shah to demand immediate resignation, as Shah supported the citizenship law. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed “great concern” for the lack of action by the Indian government against the violence. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom also condemned the incidents. USCIRF chair, Tony Perkins stated the US should “urge the Indian government to take serious efforts to protect Muslims and others targeted by mob violence.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
The violence has since subsided, but hundreds of wounded are still filing into hospitals, which have reported a lack of support from the government. Hospitals are overwhelmed by the lack of staff and available supplies to assist the wounded. NPR visited a dentist, and the only medical professional of a small hospital after the riots erupted. “We had 60 to 70 healthy families take refuge here last week, fleeing violence outside, Ikram, a dentist at the hospital, said to NPR.
“We didn’t have enough beds. The dead bodies, we had to lay them out on the floor. For the first 24 hours, we got no help from the government.” Segregation between groups is predicted to continue after the riots, according to human rights expert Miloon Kothari. Thousands of Indians are taking arms against their neighbors as authorities have reported more than 600 complaints and detained nearly 2,000 suspects. 14% of India’s population are Muslim, while 80% are Hindu. Divisions widened when Narendra Modi was elected prime minister in 2014. The BJP believes India should be a Hindu country which has been accused of fostering hate against Muslims and other minorities. BJP has denied any allegations of bias against India’s 180 million Muslim population. Modi called for calm on Twitter that the law “does not affect any citizen of India of any religion” and “the need of the hour is for all of us to work together.’’ Critics and Indian citizens are worried for the future of India, but understand that it was a time coming. “We’re chasing a failed dream,’’ Political Commentator Yogendra Yadav said to The New York Times. University student Waqar Azam said to The New York Times, “What is happening to Indian Muslims today did not happen overnight, if we don’t protest against it now, we will end up living like slaves.”
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
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COVID-19 PUSHES COURSES ON
SPRING TERM WILL BE TAUGHT REMOTELY TO STOP THE SPREAD OF THE NOVEL CORONAVIR HANNA ANDERSON Portland State will hold all courses either remotely or not at all starting spring term, joining the community-wide effort to curb the COVID-19 outbreak. The decision was first announced in an email from PSU Interim President Stephen Percy, one amid a near-daily slew of updates by the university to ensure students are informed. Campus offices will remain open, but PSU is urging campus events and gatherings to be held remotely whenever possible. The plans for teaching classes remotely will then be reevaluated in mid-April, with future guidance from health officials. “The threat of [COVID-19] is presenting daunting challenges for all of us,” Percy stated. “We are committed to making decisions that promote the success and well-being of our campus community and growing concerns across Oregon.” In another email update sent to university students and staff, Percy released a video message, listing PSU’s priorities in responding to the outbreak: protecting the health and wellbeing of PSU’s community, maintaining instruction so that students’ academic progress isn’t disrupted and being a responsible community partner in helping to stop COVID-19. Previously, PSU planned to follow interim recommendations released by the Oregon Health Association on March 8, which urged schools not to close campuses where there were no confirmed cases of the virus, and to “consider all alternatives before closing a school, college or university in the event that a COVID-19 case is detected among students or staff.” However, as of March 11, The World Health Organization has officially named COVID-19 a pandemic. Since then, Oregon Governor Kate Brown has banned any public gathering in the state of over 250 people, and the next day, ordered the closure of all public schools until March 31. “PSU, UO [University of Oregon] and OSU [Oregon State University] all decided this week to offer all classes remotely,” stated Chris Broderick, the associate vice president for university communications. “After state and local health officials and Gov. Brown made clear that the threat of the coronavirus spreading has grown and avoiding close in-person interactions reduces the risk of students and faculty contracting the virus.” UO and OSU also decided to offer all spring courses remotely on Wednesday, taking similar preventative measures as PSU.
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PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
These include suspending all nonessential university travel, canceling events of over 50 attendees and requiring that all winter term finals be taken remotely as well. Among the departments preparing for and implementing changes in response to COVID-19 is the Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC), the closest health clinic for many students, especially those living in on-campus housing. “There’s a lot of anxiety,” said Mark Bajorek, the director and a physician at SHAC, “There’s a lot of people with good intentions wanting to make sure they protect friends and families that are vulnerable. There are students that have medical concerns and want to make sure that they stay healthy and can complete their studies.“ As part of their response, SHAC implemented a new screening process for everyone entering their office: as soon as someone walks through the clinic’s doors, they are greeted by a clinician ready with a thermometer and questions about their symptoms. “We started screening people for temperatures and then talking to them about their exposure factors, and if they had a cough and a fever,” Bajorek explained. “And if they did have a fever, we’re routing them to a different entrance so we don’t spread any virus through the clinic.” Other departments, such as Campus Rec, have opted to close entirely until further notice. While there are still many unknowns surrounding the novel coronavirus, what is known is how easily COVID-19 spreads from person to person. In these cases, where there is little known of the virus itself and a vaccine is not available before it becomes an outbreak, the only and most effective way of slowing the spread of the disease is to prevent people from getting it in the first place, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). “I think that’s the most important part of this virus is that it’s easily transmissible—every virus has the capacity to cause damage,” said Carlos Crespo, the vice provost and professor with OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. “This specific virus is very dangerous for a community, because it spreads easily between community members.” The CDC strongly recommends social distancing as an important step to limiting the spread of COVID-19, where individuals
stay at least six feet apart from one another, and ev 50 people are either canceled or postponed. “At the end of the day, what we want is humans close contact with each other,” Crespo said. However, for many students, there are as many un garding COVID-19 and the school’s response. In pa the anxieties felt by student workers, who are con fewer hours working for the university may dram pact their ability to pay for their tuition. “I’m kind of a little anxious,” explained Phay Kyaw dent and student worker. “I mean, if the school is like, will we be open? If we’re not open, I won’t be a If I won’t be able to work, yeah, I can survive this this continues on, I might run out of money in my b to use to pay for my tuition.” “What I get from income from the school, most of goes to my rent,” said Nayeli Naranjo, who work Game Room and Portland State Professional Sound my other job off campus is [that] I work for venues.. venues are shut down for the next 30 days. So, yeah ally have any work for the next month.” “I’m fortunate enough that I don’t have to pay fo cause I have Four Years Free...But I am worrying abo rent, because I don’t know if I will have enough mone Other students are simply worried how remote l affect their class experience. “I’m kind of bummed that we don’t have class weeks in the spring term, because I don’t get to see and it’s going to be hard to have to do everything o Ivy Clark, a PSU student. Her friend, William Britto “There is a lack of face-to-face interaction, and [ kind of a feeling of isolation,” Britton said. “We’re to be socially distant when it comes to staying hom its benefits, but also, it’s a little bit frightening bec thing’s shutting down.” Students who are relatively young will generally ier time fighting milder symptoms of the disease, c higher risk groups such as the elderly, according to B students who are immunosuppressed—at a highe periencing worse symptoms if they are exposed to
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class for like two to see my friends hing online,” said Britton, agreed. and [there’s] just We’re encouraged g home. So it has ng because every-
rally have an easase, compared to ng to Bajorek. For higher risk of exsed to the virus—
waiting for the school to hold classes remotely couldn’t come quickly enough. “I have to be very proactive with my healthcare,” said Nicholas Lahusen, a PSU student who is immunosuppressed due to medication. “[The outbreak] has made me have to be quarantined at home an extra week, and it’s made me have to communicate with my professors online, which is not what I signed up for when I wanted to take my classes, but if that’s what I got to do, that’s what I got to do.” “Unless people who are immunosuppressed are giving you the information, there’s no way that you would know. And once you do know, it’s pretty much just a matter of being a little bit more proactive with your hand sanitizer, coughing in your sleeve, not spitting on people when you talk.” As a global pandemic, no one person will be able to stop the spread of COVID -19; however, there are still steps that every person can take that, together, can slow the novel coronavirus down. The first step for individuals to combat COVID-19 is to keep your hands clean and wash them often, according to the CDC. Use hand sanitizer where sinks aren’t available, and avoid touching your face. Social distancing remains an important tool to reduce exposing healthy individuals to the virus, whether it is first prompted by an organization cancelling events or a university hosting its courses remotely. This is especially important to remember once finals end and spring break begins, when many students have planned to be especially social. “Really, this will be the time to be thinking, maybe I won’t visit my grandparents over spring break, or I should be thoughtful about exposing other people in my life that are 65 and older,” Bajorek said. “Hang in there. Wash your hands...cover your cough. Think about, try to work on social distancing.” “It’s hard to be socially distant because, as animals, we’re very social. And we depend on social interaction. And we need social support, we need to build community,” Crespo said. So while it may be impossible for an individual to stop COVID-19 in their community, a community that comes together to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus is exactly what doctors around the world have ordered.
DANA TOWNSEND
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INTERNATIONAL
TURKEY AND SYRIA REACH CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT
SYRIAN PROTESTERS IN MARSEILLES, FRANCE HOLD UP SIGNS DECRYING THE ATTACKS AND FIGHTING THAT HAS DAMAGED THE IDLIB REGION FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS. JEANNE MENJOULET/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS IDA AYU KARINA DWIJAYANTI Turkey and Russia agreed to a ceasefire deal on March 12 in Syria’s Idlib region to contain a conflict which has displaced nearly a million people in three months, according to Reuters. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped that the ceasefire deal with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan would lead to a halt of military action in Syria’s last major rebel occupation in the country. “I express hope that these agreements will serve as a good basis for a cessation of military activity in the Idlib de-escalation zone [and] stop the suffering of the peaceful population and the growing humanitarian crisis,” Putin said. “We will work together to supply aid for the Syrians in need,” Erdogan told reporters, adding that Turkey retained the right “to respond to all (Syrian) regime attacks in the field.” Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in Syria’s nine-year conflict, with Moscow supporting President Bashar al-Assad and Turkey backing rebel groups. Several previous deals to end the fighting in Idlib have collapsed which sparked what the United Nations stated might be the worst humanitarian crisis yet in a war.
IDLIB
The Idlib province of Syria is divided among powers such as Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, Turkish militants, Kurdish forces, Syrian government, Jihadist forces and Syrian rebels. According to BBC, the area was meant to be a “de-escalation zone” acting as a buffer between Russian and Turkish control. Fighting has continued in the zone, and the previous deal in 2018 between the two countries has been violated.
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Financial Times reported that although an agreement by both Russia and Turkey has brought some days of peace to the province, in the towns and villages of Syria, few civilians thought that the peace will last. The fighting in the province has killed around 60 Turkish troops, and approximately 16 civilians were killed when Russian air strikes hit a gathering of displaced people near the town of Maarrat Misrin, according to Reuters.
REFUGEE CRISIS
Erdogan has faced criticism after sending troops into the province, yet promising protection for civilians who want to return to the area. There are reports of a rising anger in Turkey because of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in the country. According to Human Rights First, the United States should lead a global effort to protect Syrian refugee families, as over 7 million Syrian civilians are still displaced within the country in need of humanitarian assistance, the largest refugee crisis since World War II. Since the Trump administration has been in office, refugee numbers have drastically reduced and the U.S. government has imposed new security vetting procedures on refugees before they can be admitted to the country, leaving many refugees in dangerous situations for prolonged periods. According to the American Immigration Council, in 2017, the U.S. settled the fewest refugees in the world. In that same year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that suspended the entire U.S. refugee program for 120 days, and the administration indefinitely suspended the entry of Syrian refugees into the country.
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
35,000 MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES REMAIN AT GREECETURKEY BORDER
FRONTEX, A TRANS-NATIONAL EUROPEAN BORDER AGENCY, DEPLOYS SECURITY FORCES TO THE EVROS LAND BORDER. COURTESY OF GREEK GOVERNMENT KARISA YUASA Tensions continue to increase as 35,000 migrants and refugees remain stuck in the Turkish border zone of the GreeceTurkey border. Turkey has been pushing to allow the displaced to apply for asylum in Greece in order to give them access to the European Union, breaking a 2016 agreement which states that all migrants crossing into Greece from Turkey will be sent back to Turkey. The agreement, made after the surge of migrants in 2015, was due to Greece’s inability to care for the large influx of people. Turkey agreed to lower and regulate migration on its Greek border in exchange for funding to compensate for that. Turkey previously stated that the amount of aid that the EU has provided is insufficient. In late February, Turkey was disappointed by the amount of aid the EU agreed to provide for their conflict with Syria when Syria killed at least 50 Turkish soldiers. On Feb. 29, following the rising tension and Syrian incident, Turkey decided to open its border with Greece. Turkey has faced backlash from Greece and the rest of the EU for using these migrants for political means. “While the [EU] Council acknowledges the increased migratory burden and risks Turkey is facing on its territory and the substantial efforts it has made in hosting 3.7 million migrants and refugees, it strongly rejects Turkey’s use of migratory pressure for political purposes,” the EU Council said in a statement on March 4. “The events at the Greek-Turkish border clearly point to politically motivated pressure on the EU’s external border,” said Ursula von der Leyen, one of the presidents of the European Commission and Council, as reported by The Guardian.
In response, the EU has provided Greece with funding and additional aid to continue to halt the surge of migrants. The Greek government announced that from Feb. 29–March 5 “its forces have prevented the illegal entry of 34,778 people and arrested 244,” according to BBC. Greece continues to be unable to care for the new migrants as their already existing migrant camps are not in acceptable condition. According to The Guardian, the EU has recently agreed to “rehouse up to 1500 child refugees” due to “deteriorating conditions.” The migrants who are seeking refuge are mostly Afghan, Pakistani, Syrian, and West African migrants and are now stranded at the border. On March 5, Turkey announced that they will be sending 1,000 police officers to the border to “halt the pushback of migrants into Turkey” according to BBC. This comes after police on the Greek side of the border forcefully pushed back on migrants hoping to benefit from the newly open border. According to The New York Times, the day Turkey announced the open borders, the migrants were faced with riot police armed with batons, shields, masks and tear gas. Many are uncertain of what the future holds in regards to whether they will be permitted to enter the EU or not. “We will stay here for months,” said Ahmad al-Sadeq, a Syrian migrant who was able to cross the border but was quickly sent back according to Reuters. “We hope that public pressure will grow and force the Greek government to change its mind.” “The situation requires some heart, not tear gas and fences,” al-Sadeq said.
INTERNATIONAL
THIS WEEK
around the
WORLD
March 8–13
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March 8
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
Social activist Jorge Macana was shot multiple times before dying from his injuries in his home. Many public shops in the area surrounding his home were closed during the weekend following the activist’s murder out of respect for him and his family. Macana was a prominent activist who strongly advocated for the replacement of coca plant production with the production of sacha inchi palm oil, as well as the construction of a road connecting the rural population of Playa Rica with main roads. He was the 54th social activist to be killed in 2020 in Colombia, according to TeleSUR. 2
March 9
KINTAMPO, GHANA
At least 35 people were killed after two buses collided on a road and burst into flames. Authorities fear the death toll could rise, as six of those who were injured in the accident are in critical condition. Only one person escaped with no injuries. According to News24, of the 35 victims, 27 were “burnt beyond recognition.” “What we know per preliminary investigation is that the driver of the bigger bus
veered off his lane and collided head-on with the smaller one,” Frances Adjei Brobey of the Kintampo police’s motor traffic unit said in a statement. Road accidents in Ghana are relatively common with an average six road-related deaths per day. 3
March 10
IJARA, KENYA
Kenyan authorities announced that two rare white giraffes were found killed. The two giraffes were an adult female and her sevenmonth-old calf. According to Al Jazeera, the killing left only one white giraffe in the area, the male child of the killed adult female. The giraffes had a condition known as leucism, which results in the partial loss of pigmentation in the skin, and lived on the Ishaqbini Hirola Community Conservancy located in northeastern Kenya. Activists discovered the skeletal remains of the giraffes, but the poachers responsible for the act have not yet been identified. “This is a very sad day for the community of Ijara and Kenya as a whole,” Mohammed Ahmednoor, manager of the conservancy, told The New York Times in a statement. “We are the only community in the world who are custodians of the white giraffe.”
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March 11
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN
A United States-made F-16 fighter jet crashed in the Shakarparian Hills park in Pakistan’s capital during a rehearsal for the upcoming annual military parade scheduled to take place on March 23. There were no casualties reported on the ground, but the pilot of the aircraft, Wing Commander Noman Akram, died in the accident. Akram was a highly-decorated pilot in the Pakistani Air Force and was given an award in October 2019 for best marksman. According to a statement made by the Pakistani Air Force, “a board of inquiry has been ordered by Air Headquarters to determine the cause of the accident.” The military parade is held annually to celebrate the separation of India and Pakistan. 5
March 12
LILONGWE, MALAWI
A magistrate court released three anti-government activists on bail after they were arrested for planning protests against the current President of Malawi, Peter Mutharika. The three activists were all members of the Human Rights Defenders Coalition and their arrests were condemned by HRDC member Charles Kajol-
weka as “unlawful and orchestrated by partisan politics,” according to Al Jazeera. HDRC vice chairman Gift Trapence and member Macdonald Sembereka were arrested on March 11, and HDRC chairperson Timothy Mtambo turned himself into police on March 10. “We condemn it in the strongest of terms possible and would like to call for their unconditional release,” Kajolweka said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera. 6
March 13
ANKARA, TURKEY
Three human traffickers were convicted of “killing with eventual intent,” and sentenced to 125 years each for the drowning of five refugees in 2015. The drownings occurred after a dingy carrying 14 people capsized. One of the victims was two-year-old Aylan Kurdi, whose body later washed up onto the shore of Turkey and quickly became a symbol of the refugee crisis across international newspapers and other media outlets, according to The New York Times. Aylan’s five-year-old brother and mother also died in the accident, along with two other passengers. The three defendants were convicted on March 13 after their final hearing on March 11.
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ARTS & CULTURE
CANCEL CULTURE: WHAT HAS IT DONE? PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PANEL DISCUSSES POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF CANCEL CULTURE ANNA LECLERC
RAJENDRA ROY, CELESTE BARTOS CHIEF CURATOR OF FILM AT THE MODERN MUSEUM OF ART AND PANELIST ON THE EFFECTS OF CANCEL CULTURE. COURTESY OF PETER ROSS
Swift Agency hosted an event on March 8 titled “Beyond Cancel Culture,” an event where several panelists discussed the setbacks and benefits of creating art during an era of “cancel culture.” The event was sponsored by Portland International Film Festival and Oregon Public Broadcasting. “Cancel Culture” refers to the act of “canceling” someone or something, usually a celebrity or type of media that has made problematic, ignorant, or even hateful statements or decisions. Canceling involves no longer supporting or promoting whatever is deemed to be problematic. The panelists at the event included Claudia Meza, co-host of OPB’s State of Wonder weekly radio show, who moderated the panel. Another panelist was Rajendra Roy, an honoree of the Cinema Unbound award and the Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film at the Modern Museum of Art (MoMA). Also on the panel was Micah Vanderhoof, the theater manager and programmer at Northwest Film Center. To cancel someone/something has turned into a huge debacle of whether or not something is problematic and is a factor that people in creative fields are deeply invested in. If enough people voice their opinion, cancel culture has the power to end institutions. “Cancel culture” is now becoming a lens to look at that companies look through when deciding what content to produce. The first question was how the panelists take cancel culture into consideration when working. Both agreed that giving their audiences context before presenting something is crucial when dealing with the past in the arts and culture world.
Vanderhoof mentioned that researching the topic being presented is absolutely necessary when giving it meaning. Roy essentially said that MoMA is the “guardian of cinema history.” Most of the questions surrounding cancel culture were answered in relation to film, which both panelists had an extensive background in. The general consensus was that when a film becomes problematic, it’s okay and sometimes necessary to cancel it. Also mentioned was that, despite certain industries having a newfound fear of being canceled, it is an opportunity to look critically at the work that’s being produced, and ask if it’s going to engage the audience in a positive way. Roy explained that engaging with demographics that go to the movies the most—especially marginalized communities—is important to making the stories being told appealing to them. When it was time for Q&A, an audience member asked about the canon, or the collection of art works that have become accepted as standards by critics. The canon can limit who is represented in art and create barriers to new artists having their work seen. Roy said that cancel culture provides a way to “obliterate the canon” and rework the traditional ways to present and talk about art. Roy gave an example of MoMA reestablishing their exhibits and how that led to Yale cancelling their intro level arts classes, because the pieces they were discussing in class were no longer on display at the museum. The panel ended with its audience members reconsidering their previous points of view on the impact of cancel culture. The audience was reminded to always research what’s popular and why supporting something or not supporting something can mean.
A CAFE FOR THE
COMMUNITY FAVELA BRAZILIAN CAFE INVITES ALL INTO ITS DOORS BRUNA CUCOLO AND NICK TOWNSEND A place where food is not just sold but the experience is what draws people in, this cafe is a reason to bring all kinds of people together no matter their background. A small cafe on the southeast side of Portland is the place not only to eat but to also interact with others. Favela Brazilian Cafe opened in August 2019, offering Brazilian-sourced coffee, juices and smoothies. Food options include “sanduíches,” and salgadinhos, meaning snacks such as pão de queijo (cheese bread), coxinha (chicken cone), all of which are popular foods in Brazil. Also served is Brazilian beer and saquerinha—a well-known alcoholic drink in Brazil. Owners Rodrigo and Dunya De Souza, from São Paulo, Brazil, opened Favela “to have peo-
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BRUNA CUCOLO/PSU VANGUARD ple over” and celebrate life no matter who you are. “We don’t sell Brazilian coffee or food; we sell Brazilian experience.” De Souza said that the cafe has a welcoming atmosphere that makes people want to be there. The cafe’s name adds to the experience that De Souza wants from the place. He explained that the word “favela” is a negative term in Brazil. The word is associated with slums, violence and drugs. Rodrigo said that he lived near a favela and would play soccer there. He noted that the people are actually very hard working, real people and “only 5, max 10% are the ones that do the bad things.” The restaurant, though, has become a place within its community. The cafe serves as a place for people to feel that “they are part of
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a bigger community and not Brazilian, but a community where people come and actually ask each other’s name, and not just buy a coffee and leave,” De Souza said. De Souza noted that the cafe is “an excuse to have people connect with each other using Brazilian culture as a glue.” In the eight years that De Souza has lived in Portland, he has organized many Brazilian community events from carnivals to festivals. He had “felt a lack of a place where people could gather.” There was no way to know how many Brazilians live in Portland, so he wanted to create a place where people from all backgrounds could hang out. Rather than a full restaurant, De Souza designed his business as a “lanchonete,” or
a place to converse and meet over drinks and food. Music is also an important aspect to the café. MPB (música popular brasileira) and pagode are examples of what one could hear while trying Brazilian food and drinks. These factors all play into De Souzas’ vision of building an original Brazilian cafe in Portland. The cafe also holds events, including movie nights, live music events and more to create a bigger community around the business. “Here is a place for people to taste, to experience from the food to music and everything,” De Souza said. Customers are satisfied not only from the food but also from visiting a unique cafe that takes them to a different culture they may not have encountered before.
ARTS & CULTURE OPINION
RAUCOUS, GRINDHOUSE PUPPETEER HORROR BELA KURZENHAUSER
Think ‘The Muppets’ directed by Quentin Tarantino, and you’re close to visualizing the blood-soaked puppet extravaganza of Frank and Zed. Frank and Zed is possibly the most unique and fresh film to come out of this year’s tragically cut-short Portland International Film Festival. Across its short 90-minute runtime, the film tells the story of a monster bromance between a Frankenstein-like abomination and a disheveled zombie abandoned by their creator. Told entirely through puppets— the first puppet-only film since Peter Jackson’s 1989 Meet the Feebles!—director Jesse Blanchard and his crew utilize this medium to the best of its capability. Sardonic humor is supported equally-well by unique puppet designs, evoking the exaggerated features of Jim Henson’s puppets for Statler and Waldorf. The fantastic world expressed through Blanchard’s creative story is brought to life with luscious production design and magnificent sets. Topping it all off, a brilliant dosage of practical violence elevates the film with a certain level of stylism that you wouldn’t normally see in a puppet-led film. The film follows Frank, a semi-intelligent jigsaw puzzle of various human body parts, and Zed, a feral but entirely inept zombie. The two live in a castle, separated from the nearby kingdom by a vast expanse of woods. Years prior, their shadowy master was slain by the warriors of the village, setting off a curse that threatened their entire population. There’s an incredible contrast displayed between these two worlds—the King’s council sits and plots, planning devious political sabotage and using innocent civilians as bait, while the occupants of the village await in fear of the approaching curse. Meanwhile, Frank and Zed live a brainless, day-to-day routine. Frank hunts to provide for Zed, and Zed recharges Frank with the castle’s elaborate electrical apparatus. There’s an endearing bromance between the two characters, weaved through the story as snippets of Zed’s tragic history are revealed. This balance and separation between the two worlds is shattered when the King and his advisors plan to deliberately trigger the curse to accrue power. The abandoned woods start to be occupied by misled villagers, trespassing into Frank’s hunting grounds, where he mistakes them as threats to his existence. Their peace and tranquility shudders to a halt as the two factions war against each other. Amidst this, the communication between Frank and Zed snaps as the two become isolated over each other’s actions. Making a film with a setting as expansive as that of Frank and Zed is a challenge no matter where you’re based as a filmmaker. The
film has been in the works since 2015, when IndieWire covered Blanchard’s initial pitch for the film early in its stages of development. Since then, the film completed production, ran a successful Kickstarter campaign clocking in at $22,000—measly for most film production, but gigantic for an unknown team of filmmakers—and managed to finally deliver the film to the 43rd Portland International Film Festival. The usage of puppets allows the film to escape the pitfalls that normally endanger debut films such as the low-budget look, poor sound quality and amateur cinematography. As a matter of fact, Frank and Zed relishes in its own inexpertise. It embraces its campiness, throwing out all logic in its third act in favor of a final half-hour of glorious, visceral violence.
Seeing dozens of puppets get horrifyingly massacred in an incredibly imaginative amount of ways is quite a sight. Frank and Zed isn’t afraid of not having a clean ending. The audience doesn’t need a resolution to a story that is fantastic enough already. It’s a film that’s wholeheartedly fun and doesn’t try to be anything else. It indulges in its genre tropes and wears inspirations of The Dark Crystal and Meet the Feebles on its sleeve. It’s satirically hilarious and viscerally violent, and maintains a pace throughout that prevents the story from ever sxtalling or feeling boring. It’s certainly an achievement, both for being the first puppet film in 30 years, but also for being itself. Frank and Zed is a cry of passion and charm, the kind that could only come from a filmmaker who feels true passion for his craft.
DANA TOWNSEND
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
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OPINION
BRANDON PAHNISH BELA KURZENHAUSER In the wake of a pandemic, everyone panics. Aggression, terror, fear and loathing spread as everyone rushes to protect themselves from an invisible bogeyman, sparing no mercy or altruism for others doing the same. Supermarkets become dog-eat-dog worlds where customers become gladiators over packages of hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Everybody looks for a comforting scapegoat: someone, something, or somewhere to blame. While mass media and gossip propagate the spread of misinformation, quarantine and isolation fail to nullify the civil and economic collapse of population. But at the heart of the coronavirus outbreak, something much more dangerous than COVID-19 flourishes—discrimination. At the end of December 2019, Chinese researchers reported several cases of what turned out to be COVID-19 (also known as SARS-CoV-2). Initial epidemiology reports linked the outbreak to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market located in China’s Wuhan Province. The virus has zoonotic origins—it originates from spreading from animals to humans, usually through cross-contamination (bubonic plague and swine flu are two infamous zoonotic diseases). Unfortunately, given the highly infective nature of the virus, the damage was already done by the time authorities noticed. Carriers of the virus flew back to their home countries or infected other hosts on the mainland. The name COVID-19 was coined by the World Health Organization and stands for
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Coronavirus Disease 2019. The WHO, given its worldwide authority, avoids linking the titles of diseases and pandemics to specific ethnic groups or regions to prevent stigmatizing those groups or regions. Panic and fearmongering surround pandemics, and discrimination is a massive contributor to that fearmongering. The HIV/ AIDS epidemic was responsible for much homophobia, partially due to its original horrifying name—the “Gay-Related Immune Deficiency” disease, or GRID for short. Initial reports on COVID-19 referred to it as the “Wuhan virus,” which not only is viciously incorrect given the worldwide reach of the virus, but also incredibly harmful to Chinese and East/Southeast-Asian people. Discrimination and anti-Asian sentiment spread like wildfire, appearing especially prominent in European countries as well as the United States, Canada, and Australia (three of the most predominantly-white countries outside of Europe). It doesn’t help that the U.S. government is helping to propagate and spread this xenophobia. The Trump Administration has willingly fostered xenophobia over the last three years and continues to do so, especially in the recent weeks and days. Republican Party House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy mislabeled COVID-19 as the “Chinese coronavirus,” with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo using the much more common but still incorrect “Wuhan coronavirus.” President Donald Trump himself called it a “foreign virus” during the March 11 live Oval
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 17, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
Office speech on the pandemic then deflected blame onto the European Union for “failing to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China.” These types of racial microaggressions only help to fuel the virus that is racism. The origin of the virus doesn’t matter, as the outcome of the pandemic remains the same. As it stands, China is doing a much better job at quarantining and isolating the virus than the U.S. or almost any other country in the world does. One could say that the current situation would be much worse if the virus had originated in the U.S. due to the government’s massive ineptitude at handling the situation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is reportedly detaining illegal immigrants at hospitals even amid the pandemic. The Federal Reserve chose to inject a whopping $1.5 trillion into the stock market rather than investing in widespread coronavirus testing—which would cost much less. It is clear that Trump and the U.S. government are prioritizing bailing out their wallets and targeting marginalized people over protecting the safety of not only their nation but also the entire world. How are people being affected by the discrimination perpetuated by the pandemic? Asian-Americans have been hit particularly hard—Business Insider reported that New York’s Chinatown businesses are losing up to 50% of their business. Stock images of Asian citizens wearing face masks have become the
commonly-used header images for articles covering new cases. The NY Post came under heavy fire for using an image of an Asian man walking through Queens as the header for an article about a woman who had flown back to Manhattan from Iran. An Asian man on a Brooklyn subway was sprayed with Febreze by another man who aggressively screamed and cursed at him. Suffice to say that, in the midst of the pandemic, people are not acting with any sense of rationality or kindness. Just two weeks ago, the U.S. had enough cases you could count them a few pairs of hands. Today, there are over a thousand. In the next month, tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands will have been infected with COVID-19. This is not a foreign virus or a regional virus. Italy has reported tens of thousands of cases themselves and have easily had one of the most disastrously high fatality rates out of any country themselves, but do people avoid pizzerias and Italian restaurants? The coronavirus has succeeded in weeding out the worst in people, bringing to light hatred, racism, discrimination, fear and selfishness. In this time of great danger and unsureness, we must remain kind to others. Even if you are “healthy” and “safe,” remember that there are others out there who aren’t as well-equipped to handle this disease. Whether it’s age, immunocompromisation, asthma or lack of healthcare availability, not everyone is fortunate enough to get the help they need.
SPORTS
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON SPORTS RAPID PROGRESSION OF CORONAVIRUS BRINGS WORLD OF SPORTS TO HALT
RICH RIGNEY
On Jan. 21, the first known case of coronavirus in the United States was discovered in Washington state. By March 13, the NBA, NHL, PGA, NFL, XFL, MLS, NCAA, FIFA and several other organizations had all delayed or canceled games and events, with many leagues suspending their seasons indefinitely as a precautionary response to the spread of the coronavirus. The rapid rate at which these developments have transpired and progressed across sports is something few, if any, anticipated. A week ago, the idea of professional sporting events being played without fans seemed laughable. But with new information and policy changes emerging nearly every hour, what comes next is unknown. What would have seemed an impossibility just a few days ago is now a reality, and it has raised a number of questions regarding the future of sports. What happens to those senior athletes who were in the middle of or entering into their final season of collegiate sports? For players who have spent days, months and years dedicating themselves to their sport and the chance of making a championship run—only to have it taken away at the last moment—is there anything that can be done to amend this lost opportunity? For senior Sabrina Ionescu, point guard for the University of Oregon women’s basketball team and potential number one overall pick in next year’s WNBA draft, this final season was all about “unfinished business.” The NCAA championship that eluded Ionescu through the team’s first three seasons was within reach as they prepared for the 2020 NCAA tournament. Now, for Ionescu, along with so many other seniors whose prolific college careers have been cut short, the unfinished business will remain just that—unfinished. And what about the senior athletes who never even had the chance for their final season to begin? With the NCAA canceling all winter and spring championship competition, and many athletic conferences—including the Big Sky conference—electing to suspend all spring sports indefinitely, what can be done for the senior athletes whose seasons ended before they ever began? University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma joined a growing number of voices advocating for college seniors to be granted an additional year of athletic eligibility in order to make up for the seasons that have been cut
short or canceled. The NCAA announced on March 13 that it will grant another year of eligibility to “student-athletes who have participated in spring sports,” but a number of questions remain surrounding how this will impact financial aid for each athletic program. The unfortunate reality is that for many college athletes, this season was their only shot. Within the realm of professional sports, the revenue lost for these industries as a result of canceling games and suspending seasons will have a ripple effect for years to come, influencing contracts, salary caps and even league champions years down the road. ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski described the NBA as “a league that is paralyzed” following the indefinite suspension of their season. While league commissioners and franchise owners are in disarray attempting to address these sudden changes, the group that is perhaps hit hardest by the fallout of the coronavirus is the hourly workers who rely on their income from working in and around arenas to get by. The widespread cancellation of sporting events worldwide is unprecedented. As such, there was little to no preexisting protocol to address the needs of those who depend on hourly wages from sports arenas and franchises to survive. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was at the forefront of this discussion when news broke March 11 that the NBA would be suspending the remainder of its season. In an interview broadcast during what would become the final NBA game of the season—played between the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks—Cuban said, “I reached out to the folks at the arena and our folks at the Mavs to find out what it would cost to support, financially support, people who aren’t going to be able to come to work.” “We’ve already started the process of having a program in place. I don’t have any details to give, but it’s certainly something that’s important to me.” NBA players have already begun pledging support out of their own pockets. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love pledged $100,000 to aid arena workers displaced by the NBA’s cancellation of the season. “My hope is that others will step up,” Love stated. New Orleans
Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson made a similar gesture, offering to cover the salaries of Pelicans’ arena workers for 30 days. Throughout history, sports have served as an outlet and an escape for so many, they’ve brought people together in a way few other things can. Now, it is precisely that coalescent quality of sports that necessitates their discontinuance. The recent developments within sports leagues across the world have come as a shock and disappointment to many. However, it is a necessary sacrifice in order to ensure the safety of the athletes, their families, league employees and fans across the globe as the coronavirus remains a threat to public safety. As it stands now, the coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13. It is unclear what the timetable will be for sports to return to their normal scheduling and how the continuation of each league’s season will proceed. These are truly uncharted territories being entered within the world of sports. One can only hope that a return to normalcy exists in the not too distant future.
DANA TOWNSEND
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DANA TOWNSEND