VOLUME 74 • ISSUE 22 • MARCH 3, 2020
VETERANS RESOURCE CENTER:
CHANGE A MOVEMENT FOR
NEWS WOMXN’S MARCH RALLIES IN PSU PARK BLOCKS • OPINION THE TROUBLE WITH ELECTION TECHNOLOGY ARTS & CULTURE PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL MUST SEE FILMS
CRIME BLOTTER
Feb. 24–28
JUSTIN GRINNELL FEB. 24 Harassment/Student Conduct At 6:15 p.m. Campus Public Safety officers took a report from two Portland State students complaining about each other off campus.
FEB. 26 Drug Law Violation Referral At Broadway Residence Hall around 1:03 a.m., residence staff reported and referred two students who were under the legal age and in possession of “ganja.”
FEB. 25 Robbery A PSU student reported that an unknown male attempted to grab the phone they were holding from behind. The incident occured in Cramer Hall around 9:40 a.m.
FEB. 28 Bicycle Theft A PSU student reported the theft of their bicycle. The theft occurred near Lincoln Hall around 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Vandalism/Graffiti A PSU employee reported bias-related graffiti in the stairwell. The vandalism occurred sometime between Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 25 at 10 a.m.
CONTENTS COVER BY BRANDON PAHNISH NEWS HILL TO HALL
P. 3
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES PUSH BACK AGAINST BOLSONARO
P. 10
STUDENTS TALK CAMPUS SAFETY AND DIVERSITY AT PANEL EVENT
P. 4
WOMXN’S MARCH 2020 RALLIES IN PSU PARK BLOCKS
P. 5
ARTS & CULTURE A CONVERSATION WITH AUTHOR ANDER MONSON
P. 11
FILMS TO CATCH AT THE PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
P. 12
OPINION THE TROUBLE WITH ELECTION TECHNOLOGY
P. 13
THE RETURN OF THE PUMA
P. 14
HAVE YOU HEARD? THE MUSIC EDITION
P. 14
INTERNATIONAL CANADIAN FIRST NATIONS AND ALLIES PROTEST COASTAL GASLINK PIPELINE P. 6 CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO IMPACT STUDENTS
P. 7
FRENCH HEALTH MINISTER NAMED NEW MAYORAL CANDIDATE
P. 7
COVER VETERAN’S RESOURCE CENTER HIRES NEW DIRECTOR P.
8-9
INTERNATIONAL HANUA CITY SHOOTING LEAVES NINE DEAD
SPORTS SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
P. 15
P. 10
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 Christina Casanova Madison Cecil Ida Au Karina Dwijayanti Nick Gatlin Missi Jarrar Bela Kurzenhauser Emily Price Marshall Scheider Quinn Stoddard Ian Storey 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
FEB. 26–27 NICK GATLIN
FEB. 26: GOVERNOR BROWN AUTHORIZES $1.8 MILLION EMERGENCY LOAN FOR PENDLETON TO REPAIR FLOOD-DAMAGED LEVEE
According to the East Oregonian, Governor Kate Brown announced the state agency Business Oregon will award Pendleton $1.8 million from Oregon’s special public works fund for emergency repairs to the Zone 2 levee damaged by flooding earlier this month. The Oregonian reported a planned $12 million aid package has been delayed by the Republican walkout. The remaining funds would come from the general fund or from lottery revenue, which require legislative approval. AP News reported that other bills held up by the walkout include wildfire mitigation legislation, houselessness assistance and a compromise plan between environmentalists and the timber industry.
FEB. 26: UMATILLA COUNTY GATHERING SIGNATURES FOR SEPARATIST GROUP MOVE OREGON’S BORDER
The separatist group Move Oregon’s Border started gathering signatures in Umatilla County for a ballot initiative proposing that multiple rural Oregon counties merge with Idaho. The group has already gathered signatures in Josephine and Douglas Counties, according to The Oregonian. The group, whose full name is Move Oregon’s Border For a Greater Idaho, is dissatisfied with what they perceive as an urban, liberal Democratic supermajority in the state legislature that does not align with their values, NPR reported. KPIC News reported the group has planned a rally for March 7 in Roseburg.
Each episode we talk to professionals about different macro-topics that relate to ongoing events. Listen now to Situational Significance on
FEB. 27: OREGON HOUSE DEMOCRATS SUBPOENA REPUBLICANS TO COMPEL RETURN
The Oregonian reported that Democrats on the House Committee on Rules voted to subpoena House Republicans who walked out over Senate Bill 1530, the controversial cap-and-trade bill. The subpoena would require those Republicans to testify on the reasons for the boycott before the committee on March 5. House Speaker Tina Kotek stated to a news conference, “We feel this is within our legal right to ask our colleagues to come back and explain before a committee why they feel it’s okay for them to not do their job,” according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Kotek said at the conference that a private company has been hired to find the House Republicans who have walked out and serve them with the subpoenas, AP News reported.
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FEB. 27: STATE SEN. SHEMIA FAGAN BEGINS CAMPAIGN FOR OREGON SECRETARY OF STATE
Oregon State Senator Shemia Fagan, D–Portland, announced she will run for Oregon Secretary of State, OPB reported. According to The Oregonian, Fagan said the Republican walkout in the state legislature was “the tipping point” for her decision to run. The report notes that Fagan had hinted in recent weeks that she would run after former House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, D–Portland, dropped out earlier this month. Fagan will face State Sen. Mark Hass, D–Beaverton, and Jefferson County Education Service District board member Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the May primary, Willamette Week reported. She has been endorsed by former Secretary of State and former Governor Barbara Roberts.
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
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NEWS
STUDENTS DISCUSS CAMPUS SAFETY SOLUTIONS AT ASPSU TOWN HALL MISSI JARRAR On Feb. 27 Associated Students of Portland State University held a diversity town hall, bringing students together to discuss diversity, equity, campus safety and food and housing insecurities. Concerns expressed at the town hall focused on vehicle vandalisms and thefts in the PSU parking garages and building safety in the library, as well as the presence of houseless individuals on campus. According to ASPSU Student Life Director Motutama Sipelii: “In general, people [who live on campus] are complaining that campus is starting to feel not as safe as it used to be, because a lot of things are changing, especially an increase in the homeless population, and so we’re trying to find a middle ground [solution].” According to ASPSU, the Branford Price Millar Library has been at the center of most of the complaints in which students have been verbally accosted by houseless people. Many incidents included racial slurs, making students feel unsafe in the building. Students were also concerned regarding strong smells, and that the library is not as sanitary as it should be. “It’s a difficult problem,” Sipelii said. “We want to help [houseless] people, but we cannot do that at the expense of our own well-being.” Some ASPSU town hall panelists considered the houseless situation more of an issue for the city of Portland rather than the university. Others thought since PSU’s institutional mission is ‘Let Knowledge Serve the City,’ limiting access on campus, and at the library in particular, restricts knowledge and creates barriers.
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ASPSU STUDENT LIFE DIRECTOR MOTUTAMA SIPELII SPEAKS AT THE DIVERSITY FORUM EVENT. MISSI JARRAR/PSU VANGUARD “The issues, for me, tend to be on the campus edges,” PSU student Nicole Martinez said. “I don’t know if keycards [for campus building access] would actually stop anyone from getting in anywhere, because these buildings are pretty busy. As a woman I feel pretty safe on campus, but at night time I make sure to walk with other people. I try to stay aware of my surroundings.” PSU’s library includes research in partnership with other institutions, and the open use of the library makes keycard restricted access near impossible. According to Sipelii, there have been other movements to restrict building access to the library which have failed, so the discussion is ongoing. PSU graduate student Kari Goin said: “I personally don’t think [the houseless presence] is a problem. I think that people who are homeless can have a place that’s safe for a minute. This is a public institution, so we should be publicly available, but if it’s a response to a student need then that takes precedence.” “I don’t feel safe in the library because I’ve been harassed so many times,” said student Taylor Nichols. “When [the houseless] are harassing [people], no one kicks them out.” One suggested solution is to have a campus-sponsored social worker on call for non-students on campus with mental health issues. There are also resources sponsored by the city of Portland that can be called in the event that someone on campus is having a mental health emergency, so that the houseless receive assistance and a compassionate response, according to Sipelii.
Students were particularly concerned about safety in the PSU parking garages, where some students said houseless people are often found loitering or sleeping on the garage’s stairs where they leave trash and biomaterial. Some students did not feel safe entering the garages alone at night and preferred to travel together in groups when going home after dark. “In the parking garages, there’s no safety whatsoever,” PSU student Thomas Perkins said. Some students also said it was hard to avoid the garages after dark. Many students use the parking garages because they do not live on campus, making the garages part of many students’ commutes. Students mentioned avoiding the stairs in particular, which are usually abandoned, closed in and have inefficient lighting. However, there is no other way to access upper floors. Students are also concerned not just with theft, but also with property damage. “Three of my team members’ cars were broken into in one term,” PSU student Phoebe Longwell said. “And students have a hard time paying to fix their cars on top of the price of parking.” Students suggested solutions such as security cameras in the parking garages, and considered security cameras to be a deterrent of this vandalism in particular. Some questioned the open access of those garages altogether. Other possible solutions were working closely with the parking office. Students suggested if the parking office had a shared financial obligation for the safety of property, it would encourage a commitment to students and student property safety.
NEWS
WOMXN’S
MARCH
2020 PORTLAND WOMXN’S MARCH ARRIVES IN PSU’S PARK BLOCKS, RALLYING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS ANOTHER YEAR
AT THE WOMXN'S MARCH, DEMONSTRATORS WERE JOINED BY CAESAR THE "NO DRAMA LLAMA" AS THEY TOOK TO THE STREETS. EMMA WALLACE/PSU VANGUARD
HANNA ANDERSON With March comes Women’s History Month—and with that comes Portland’s Womxn’s March to the Park Blocks. The event, which took place on March 1, started with a rally in the heart of Portland State’s campus, featuring a handful of speakers and hundreds of attendees. Once the speeches had wrapped, the event took to the streets, from Montgomery to Salmon St, until returning just outside the Smith Memorial Student Union. The theme for 2020: “Remember and Rise.” “[We’ve] got to remember whose shoulders we’re standing on, whose land it is we’re standing on,” said Della Rae, the director of the Womxn’s March, “And we need to think about what it means to rise [and] come together. And the only way out of this is if we do it together, and that’s all part of the rising.” Portland’s event is as unique as the city it marches in. It started as part of the national Women’s March movement, responding to the inauguration of President Donald Trump. The Womxn’s March has since set itself apart, making multiple changes for a more inclusive event. Moving the march to March allows it to coincide with Women’s History Month. The name itself, in particular, was changed to include more than cisgender women. “Understanding gender fluidity is the way forward, and the x is the way to make sure that that is represented. It’s a piece to bring people together,” Rae said. The Womxn’s March has also distanced themselves from the “pink pussy” hats that the national movement became known for, for the same reason as the name. At the previous march in 2019, attendees were asked to remove them, and they were sparsely seen in this year’s crowd. There were numerous community activists speaking at the rally, including Renee Mitchell, a former journalist with The Oregonian nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize. “So now, in my 50s, when women falsely believe that this time in their lives has less significance, I have come to the point where I have chosen to risk my significance by pouring it into young people,” Mitcheel said. “Young women who, like me, have felt unheard, unseen and live in fear of catching on fire.” Also speaking was Deborah Maytubee Denton, who founded Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women USA, to protect and support the indigenous women who would go missing with little help from governments and institutions. “There [are] none of us that’re going to let this thing go on and not raise hell,” she said. “The mothers and the grandmoth-
ers are gonna tear this institution down, that has oppressed all women for so long.” Two singers performed at the event: Audrey Lewis and Maine Wynne, who both sang on the experiences that women face today. “I’m not gonna let go of the fearless girl that I used to be. And I’m not gonna lay down and let this world take over me,” Wynne sang. Carrie Cantrell, a poet, also performed on stage. “Anybody can write about what is important and how anybody can talk about rights, but the way they do so is what you forget to ask for,” she said in her poem. Hundreds of women of all ages were in attendance for the rally and subsequent march. A small group of women dressed as Wonder Woman walked the rally encouraging women to vote. One woman came dressed in the bright red robes from The Handmaid’s Tale, while another sign lamented, “This episode of Handmaid’s Tale sucks!” Peyton Jones and Madeline Einson, two local high schoolers at the event, sported signs supporting better healthcare and empowering women. “I think it’s important to support women, because we’re all in this together,” Einson said. “We’re all in the same boat, we all need to be lifting each other up.” “We want to support other girls and make it so that girls feel supported growing up,” Jones said. The march took off from the Park Blocks at around 1:45 p.m. Even for those who didn’t see the crowd filling 10th avenue and Broadway, they made sure they were heard. Returning between Smith and Cramer by 2:15, the group chanted, “This is what democracy looks like!” The crowd was as energetic as they began, losing little momentum through their march. Looking towards the future of the Womxn’s March, Rae emphasized the continued need for diverse leadership and organizations and how especially important it is for women to work together. “What we better see is more women specifically saying ‘I stand here with [her], with my sister.’ Because when women get together and women trust one another, that’s where the real change happens.” Rae said, “So that’s what I’m looking for. Just women really getting behind these initiatives and movements that are helping other women and owning it.”
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INTERNATIONAL
CANADIAN FIRST NATIONS AND ALLIES PROTEST COASTAL GASLINK PIPELINE MARSHALL SCHEIDER
Train service across Canada has come to a halt this month amid Indigenous-led protests against the Coastal GasLink pipeline. The 416-mile pipeline, which is slated to cut across tribal lands of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in what is known today as British Columbia, has drawn sharp criticism from Indigenous leaders and their allies across Canada. The pipeline project has been in the works since 2012, but the present resistance movement reflects broader issues of Indigenous sovereignty, recognition and self-determination in Canada. Wet’suwet’en land defenders have been resisting the TC Energy-backed pipeline for years, but protests escalated in Jan. 2020 when Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began raiding Wet’suwet’en camps. The armed raids on Wet’suwet’en ancestral lands ended with 28 arrests, according to a report in VICE News. “We’re only here because of a continued denial of our sovereignty, our governing systems and our land rights,” said Indigenous Attorney Pamela Palmater in a recent interview with The Real News Network, an independent news network based in Baltimore, MD. “That’s the only reason why we keep having these flashpoints.” Resistance to the GasLink Pipeline has not been limited to the Wet’suwet’en camps, nor was it forestalled by the recent RCMP raids. Protests in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en have been taking place across Canada since early February. Other First Nations, allies and environmentalists have erected barricades on major Canadian rail lines. According to AP News, Canadian Via Rail has cancelled over 530 trains and laid off over 1,000 employees since the protests began.
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Solidarity protests have also disrupted legislative sessions in British Columbia. The economic impact of the protests has put pressure on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resolve the escalating conflict. “The situation is unacceptable and untenable,” Trudeau said in a press conference last week. “The barricades need to come down now.” Trudeau campaigned on the promise to push for reconciliation with Indigenous First Nations and expand green energy production. However, his administration has drawn repeated criticism from Indigenous groups and environmentalists for supporting controversial energy and extraction initiatives such as the Keystone XL pipeline in 2016 and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in 2019. “We heard Mr. Trudeau talking about the inconvenience Canada has suffered,” Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Woos Frank Alec said in a press conference on Feb. 21, referring to Trudeau’s criticism of the protests. “However, there is a difference between inconvenience and injustice.” Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs contested the legal status of the pipeline and stated the pipeline will harm the ecosystem as well as sites which are culturally significant to the Wet’suwet’en people, who have called the area home for thousands of years. Some elected leaders of the Wet’suwet’en have supported the pipeline, leading to confusion in reporting on the issue. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that Coastal GasLink announced they signed community and project agreements with 20 First Nations band councils, including the Wet’suwet’en.
JASON HARGROVE/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS The Wet’suwet’en elected band council leaders derive their authority from the band council system, established by the Canadian federal government through the Indian Act of 1876. The Indian Act deprived First Nations of the right to practice traditional forms of self-governance, imposing the band council system as a replacement. The Indian Act has been described by the Assembly of First Nations as an apartheid law, and it violates First Nation Peoples’ right to self-determination, according to a 2010 UN special report. Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, who are annually appointed by the community in traditional feast ceremonies, dispute the authority of the band council system, saying band council leaders lack legitimate jurisdictional rights to bargain with Coastal GasLink. “We are here to protect these lands for all the future generations that depend on them,” said Dr. Karla Tait, a Wet’suwet’en leader and clinical director of the healing center at Unist’ot’en Camp in a video posted on Facebook earlier this month. “We are making this stand peacefully, unarmed, with our hearts open and our minds clear. We know that we are taking a stance that is just, that is moral, that is in keeping with our laws and traditions.” While Trudeau calls on protesters to dismantle the barricades, tensions remain high across Canada. Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have said they will call off the blockades if RCMP troops and Coastal GasLink workers withdraw from their territory. It remains uncertain if Trudeau can formulate a solution conciliatory to the opposed interests of Indigenous land defenders and environmentalists and the fossil fuel industry.
INTERNATIONAL
CORONAVIRUS CONTINUES TO IMPACT STUDENTS EMILY PRICE
Situation reports by the World Health Organization state the coronavirus has recently spread worldwide, causing widespread panic. The spread of the disease, also known as COVID-19, has not only had an effect on the world, but also in local communities, including Portland State. Christina Luther, an international student advisor at PSU, confirmed there are currently 213 students enrolled from China, five of whom are from Wuhan. Luther said students “have [said] that their parents have not worked for more than a month now because of the restrictions on movement, particularly in Wuhan, but also elsewhere around China.” Recent quarantines have restricted Chinese residents from leaving their homes to work, which the students are feeling immediate impact from. “They are not being paid, so the students studying here are struggling financially,” Luther said. “Their parents are often their sole source of financial support.” An international student from China told Luther their family works in rice and fish farming, and because of speculation surrounding fish and sourcing the virus, the fish market is suffering
as a consequence. Additionally, travel restrictions are preventing farmers from crucial times of the year for harvesting. Luther said students are worried for the well-being of their loved ones back home and the health of their families. She encourages “any students who are experiencing any harassment, or who are worried and just need someone to talk to about their experience to reach out to our office or to the Counseling Center at SHAC.” “It’s hard to help if we don’t know who needs help,” Luther said. Nearly 80,000 confirmed cases of the virus are in China, and there have been recent outbreaks listing from Korea, Iran and Italy, according to the World Health Organization. Basic procedures can be found on the WHO website, including misconceptions and prevention. There is currently no vaccine present to prevent COVID-19. PSU’s Office of International Affairs has offered any support since January to students impacted by the outbreak. The Power of International Education organization has opened emergency funding for universities to nominate students for support during the upcoming spring term. Four PSU students have been nominated by the department.
A MAN WEARING A CONTAINMENT SUIT IN URUMQI, XINJIANG, CHINA AWAITS THE ARRIVAL OF AN INFECTED PATIENT. COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
FRENCH HEALTH MINISTER NAMED NEW MAYORAL CANDIDATE IDA AU KARINA DWIJAYANTI
AGNÉS BUZYN SPEAKS AT AN EVENT TAILORED TOWARDS AUTISM RESEARCH. COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
French Health Minister AgnÉs Buzyn was named as a new candidate of the Paris mayoral race by French President Emmanuel Macron after Benjamin Griveaux’s withdrawal from the race. France 24 reported Griveaux dropping out of the race was caused by the leak of a sexual video. Controversial Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky has taken responsibility for the spread of the video. Pavlensky is a Russian artist best known for works of performance art, including nailing his scrotum to the ground in Moscow’s Red Square and setting fire to doors at the headquarters of Russia’s state security agency and the Bank of France, according to Reuters. With the world experiencing the spread of coronavirus, the Presidential Élysée Palace is in need of a new health minister replacement with Buzyn currently running for the mayoral office. Social media users have been vocal about this decision, with one user tweeting “French Health Minister #Buzyn has just announced she will replace #Griveaux as candidate of Macron’s party for #ParisMayor. Critics say that with the world scrambling to contain the #coronavirus epidemic, this is hardly a good time for the country’s top health official to quit.” “Things have changed in France in terms of the relationship between the media and politics nowadays,” said Dr. Anabelle Dolidon, who teaches courses in French language and literature and is the coordinator of the First-Year French language program at Portland State. “And yet, there is still a general distrust for too much spectacle about the private life of politicians, which is seen by the French as somewhat vulgar or “uncivilized.” Reuters also reported Griveaux was forced to resign after sending sexual images to a woman after they were spread online by Pavlensky and his girlfriend, who French media claimed was the recipient of Grivaux’s texts. Grivaux did not dispute that he sent
the messages, nor did he dispute the identity of the individual masturbating in the video in question, which Pavlensky claims to be Grivaux. Pavlensky and his girlfriend were arrested over possible charges of public violation. French politicians from all camps denounced the leak of private materials because many thought it was an unacceptable Americanisation of politics in France. In France, politicians’ private lives have long been considered off limits. One of those French politicians was Alexis Corbiére, a senior member of radical left-wing party France Insoumise. “I do not like this Americanization of political life in which politicians come and apologize because they have a mistress, we don’t care,” Corbiére told CNN. The current mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo also expressed the same opinion of “Americanization of politics in France.” Hidalgo, who is running for re-election, said. “This is not worthy of the democratic debate we should be having” referring to Griveaux’s scandal. “Much of American politics runs on ‘moral values’ that puzzles the French because they do not correspond to their view of what is moral,” Dolidon said. She gave an example of how American politicians claim to have family values, yet don’t provide maternity leave for parents. Regarding Griveaux’s scandal, Dolidon said, “It seems, as he was running on a platform defending ‘family values’ while having affairs. This is hypocrisy and people won’t have it anymore.” Reuters reported the incident marks a new low for Macron in his effort to give his party, En Marche, a positive appeal to the people, because the party has suffered from defections in parliament and has failed to maintain discipline. A senior figure in the party stated: “It will go badly for En Marche, because that’s the election in which the political program is the least important,” according to Reuters.
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COVER
VETERANS
RESOURCE CENTER
NEW DIRECTOR
WALTER GHANT DISCUSSES BRINGING INCLUSIVITY TO THE VRC QUINN STODDARD Walter Ghant, the new Veterans Resource Center director at Portland State, wants to bring fresh ideas and inclusivity to the VRC. A United States Air Force veteran and selfdescribed “lifelong learner,” Ghant began his role as VRC director in fall of 2019 and has since brought his goals for creating a stable resource center and fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment. Students can find the VRC as well as Ghant’s office on the fourth floor of the Smith Memorial Student Union building in room 401. “PSU was founded as an extension college for veterans following World War II,” Ghant said in an interview about the university’s history. “Most people don’t know that. Culture and society shifted after World War II into the ‘50s and the ‘60s. The background kind of got pushed aside for PSU just because the voices of the anti-military [protests] were larger than the presence of veterans on the campus.” Joseph Brower, a computer science major, spoke of his own experience at the VRC, having utilized the center since 2017. “There was a great sense of community there and a good sense of involvement between all the students,” Brower said. “[Sometimes] it seemed to be too tight-knit of a community and didn’t reach out to most of the other veterans. Then it went through a phase of just being just messed with and kind of fell apart. There was minimal interaction and involvement with students, even staff.” Under Ghant, the center is aiming to regain a sense of stability that is reflective of the VRC’s vision statement: “to cultivate an environment within the VRC that is inclusive and engaging for student veterans, active duty members, dependents, women, non-veterans, LGBTQ and people of various racial/ethnic compositions and abilities.”
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Ghant himself is a Portland native, born at Emanuel Hospital—now called Legacy hospital—and has deep roots in the community: “I [am] a part of a family of AfricanAmericans who occupied Mississippi, Alberta and Williams Avenue, pre-gentrification.” Enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1984 as a communications specialist in crypto-analysis—analyzing and decoding encrypted messages—he served one four-year enlistment before his honorable discharge from the military. “I ended up going in a different direction, more in the area of philosophy and faith and that kind of thing,” Ghant said speaking of his time after military service. “I became more idealistic on what I wanted to do with my life as opposed to just business. I wanted to find a purpose for life so I chose that as opposed to the private sector.” He later moved to Washington, D.C. to attend Howard University, where he earned a master’s degree. “I ended up staying in the D.C. area for 25 years,” Ghant said. “[I] did a combination of work with the government, [and] doing a lot of consulting around community development. [I] worked in higher [education] for about fifteen years as well.” Returning home to Portland, Ghant worked in a similar leadership position before the VRC director at PSU: “I was at the Portland Community College for two years in a similar position [working at] both student conduct and the Veterans Resource Center, which was very interesting work,” Ghant said. Transitioning to PSU, Ghant noted a distinct difference between the institutions. “We have more resources at PSU for this position,” Ghant said. “Which then provides for the possibility of an expansion in terms of both programming and additional professional staff.”
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“Part of my reasoning is that we have a lot more veterans here, roughly 800, so there’s a larger need that exists here,” Ghant said of his impetus for moving to PSU. “It was the next step of working with veterans to be at a director level.” As a veteran, Ghant also understands the difficulty in transitioning from military to civilian life: “There are a lot more resources available for veterans to successfully transition, but unless they know what those resources are then a lot of time veterans just go in alone.” After a period of instability and a lack of leadership in the VRC, Ghant established three defined goals to overcome these issues. The first goal is to ensure a continued sense of stability in the center for those who use it. Ghant’s second goal is for the VRC to stand as a place of inclusivity. For Ghant, the best way to do this is to show the community that veterans are just like everybody else. “Most people don’t really know the depth of experience that military veterans have,” Ghant said. “There can be this perception of veterans that is monolithic and we’re not at all. We are very diverse across identities. I want to make sure that the PSU community is well represented in this space that is not just for veterans, but for any student.” The third goal Ghant discussed is identifying additional revenue to ensure the success of student veterans and events hosted by the VRC such as the open bowling nights held from 5–7 p.m. in the SMSU basement every other Thursday. Since leaving the military, Ghant has earned a bachelor’s and four master’s degrees without acquiring any student debt and he understands money is always a priority for college students. “I found a way to do my education that did not cost me a dime, and I’m happy to share that with people when they ask,” Ghant said. The
VRC director is also interested in helping current students earn their degree in the most affordable way possible. In just a short time as director, Ghant has already hired 12 work-study students and an office specialist who will become part of the VRC staff in the coming weeks, as well as reestablished a student advisory board. “In addition to that, we’ve done some great collaborations already with the Queer Resource Center and the Women’s Resource Center on different levels,” Ghant said. In the works is a Peer Advisor for Veteran Education program which will function as a veteran mentorship program and an upgrade to the social media aspect of the center. Isaiah Perez—a communications and computer science major—spoke of how he has helped spread a new message about the community.
COVER
EMMA WALLACE/PSU VANGUARD “I’ve always had a love for social media and communication, and [I’m] passionate about the VRC,” Perez said. “Walt and I are trying to present ourselves and the veterans of PSU as people that aren’t killers, people that aren’t full of hate. We’re just like everyone.” Perez also discussed the videos he created to showcase the VRC. “I’ve made four videos, and we are doing one quick video a week updating people about what the VRC is, where [students] can find us, who to ask questions about the resources we have,” Perez said. Focusing on change, Ghant spoke of his ultimate goal for the VRC. “I would love to make more students—whether they are veteran students or [not]—a part of what we’re doing here. I really think about what we’re
doing as a mild movement. A movement for change. Change in perspective and action. I invite all students to be a part of that.”
HISTORY OF VETERANS AT PSU
The country at the end of World War II found itself reeling from multiple factors: dealing with the horrors of war, the fast approaching end to the industrial boom the war brought and an influx of returning veterans, according to Oregonencyclopedia.org, a project of the Oregon Historical Society. Stephen Epler—a veteran returning from the war—became a veterans counselor for the Oregon General Extension Division. Epler suggested opening an institution for higher education to accommodate the new veterans and to make use of the government money brought in from the G.I. Bill—a bill approved in 1944 to en-
sure paid education for veterans who fulfilled their term of service honorably. Epler’s center became the Vanport Extension Center, opening in 1946 in Vanport City as a temporary educational institution to take the burden off other colleges in the area. The initial class consisted of only 220 students, 94% being veterans. Since its opening, the VEC lauded itself as being open to anyone, however, while the enrollment of women grew from 74 in 1946 to 283 in 1949, minority enrollment increased by only 10 students between 1948 and 1950. In May of 1948, the Columbia River flood decimated the shipbuilding community, putting nearly 18,000 residents’ homes underwater. The VEC was destroyed in the flood as well, reopening in June of that year at Grant High School for the ensuing summer session. After relocating again, the VEC found a more
permanent home in an abandoned Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation building in the St. John’s neighborhood. Oregon legislature passed House Bill 215, making the center an official two-year institution. After a final transition, the location of the VEC found its permanent residence in Portland’s south Park Blocks in 1952. The center became a four-year institution in 1955, changing its name to Portland State College then finally changing to Portland State University in 1968 following the approval of doctoral programs as a part of the institutions curriculum. Today, PSU has hundreds of degree programs, covers multiple city blocks and has thousands of enrolled students. The school has multiple resource centers for students of various backgrounds including the VRC.
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INTERNATIONAL
HANUA CITY SHOOTING LEAVES NINE DEAD
COURTESY OF AP IMAGES
CHRISTINA CASANOVA At approximately 10 p.m., a shooter opened fire in Hanua City in Germany at a midnight shisha bar, leaving nine dead. The attacker reportedly then traveled 1.5 miles to the next location. Shortly after, the suspect opened fire at the Arena Bar & Cafe west of the center in the Kesselstadt district. Later that night, police launched a full manhunt to find the suspect at his home near the Arena Bar & Cafe. Authorities walked into his house to discover him dead alongside his 72-year-old mother. German media identified the suspect to be 43-year-old Tobias R. Upon investigation it was found that Tobias had a firearm licence, and was known to have practiced at the gun club twice or three times a week. Authorities said they had found a document on his home page filled with “obscure thoughts and absurd conspiracy theories” that “pointed to deeply racist views,” according to Reuters. Authorities have been investigating a video he posted a few days before the shooting, in which he expresses his right wing conspiracy theories. Media also said that he left a letter of confession. “What we know so far is that there is definitely a xenophobic motive,” Hesse Interior Minister Peter Beuth said to BBC. “Whether there are claims of responsibility or documents, that’s still being investigated.” The victims have not been named, although authorities say that they were all aged 21–44 and included both foreign-born and German citizens. Among the dead were “several victims of Kurdish
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES PUSH BACK AGAINST BOLSONARO KARISA YUASA
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro faced backlash after announcing a bill earlier in February 2020 that would allow development on indigenous lands. The initiative bill would open Indigenous lands to commercial agriculture, mining, ranching and tourism for the first time since they were banned in the country’s 1988 constitution. Indigenous leaders have called this bill a political project of “genocide, ethnicity and ecocide.” The bill includes a credit line intended to support Indigenous farmers who have established soy plantations on their reservations. According to Reuters, Bolsonaro said the credit line will allow Indigenous farmers to buy seed, fertilizer and machinery for the plantations, even though these plantations are illegal on Indigenous lands. Bolsonaro believes this credit line will also aid Indigenous communities by decreasing poverty and integrating them into society. “Together we will integrate these citizens and value all Brazilians,” Bolsonaro stated in a tweet on Jan. 2. There are 690 recognized territories for Indigenous populations in Brazil that cover approximately 13% of Brazil’s land mass. These territories are home to approximately 900,000 Indigenous people from 305 tribes. The bill will give Indigenous communities veto rights for mining practices. However, actions taken for energy exploration such as hydroelectric or thermoelectric plants only require the government to consult communities first. “It is not enough for the land to be rich if the people living in it
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are poor,” said Ônyx Lorenzoni, the president’s chief of staff at a ceremony celebrating Bolsonaro’s 400th day in office according to AP News. “Brazilian tribes will have the right to choose, like any citizen, how its wealth will be managed.” The introduction of this bill comes following a 2019 survey that found “86% of Brazilians disagree with the permission for mineral exploration companies to enter indigenous lands.” “Bolsonaro is clearly trying to create division between us, but the majority of us are represented here and are against the bill,” said Sonia Guajajara, head of the Coalition of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB). Indigenous communities from around the country have been speaking out against the commercial use of Indigenous lands since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019. “[APIB] comes to the public to express its vehement rejection of the displays of visceral hate and racism that the Bolsonaro government has, since its first day of government, routinely and publicly expressed against the indigenous peoples,” the APIB stated in a response to the bill on their website. This is not the first time Bolsonaro has pushed for policy regarding Indigenous people in Brazil. In 2018, following his election, Bolsonaro said, “As far as I am concerned, there is no more demarcation of indigenous land.” In March 2019, Bolsonaro attempted to pass another bill that would have allowed mining on Indigenous lands. The new bill followed the Brazilian government’s decision to name Ricardo Lopes Dias, a former evangelical missionary, to
origin,” said the Kon-Med association of Kurds in Germany. Authorities believe there is a clear motive behind the acts, considering the locations the shooter targeted. Shisha bars are places where people gather to smoke tobacco from a hookah pipe. Traditionally, these bars are found in Middle Eastern and Asian countries. Claus Schmidt, who runs the SV Diana BergenEnkheim shooting club that the perpetrator was part of, told Reuters: “He was totally inconspicuous,” he continued, “There was not a hint of racism or hatred toward foreigners, not even an awkward joke. He was always friendly.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken out against the attacks. “Racism is a poison,” she stated to BBC news. “Hate is a poison and this poison exists in our society and is already to blame for many crimes.” In June 2019, Walter Lübcke, president of the Kassel District, was shot in the head in his home. Reports say he was targeted for his open support of Merkel’s open-door policy toward migrants and refugees. Alongside with the recent shooting, German police rounded up 12 right-wing extremists with intentions of attacking a mosque, according to Time. “If the suspicion is confirmed, the gruesome act in Hanau is the third extreme right-wing murder attack in Germany in a year,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. “Right-wing terrorism has again become a threat to our country. There is absolutely nothing to put into perspective.”
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS head a department responsible for protecting uncontacted and recently contacted tribes. “Devoid of any experience in indigenous policy, this new appointment at Funai [the Brazilian Public Foundation for Indigenous People] represents yet another act against indigenous rights,” stated Indigenistas Associados (INA), an association of civil servants from Funai in an open letter. “The risks of contact are of contamination by disease, as often happened in the past,” said Marcio Santilli, former Funai president, to AP News. “And in the case of evangelism, there is the risk of attacking their ethnic identity.” “The Bolsonaro government’s direct hit has now come upon the peoples in voluntary isolation, imposing their perverse ideology of integration and assimilation with the appointment of Missionary Ricardo Lopes,” Guajajara stated in a tweet. These policies mimic worldwide historic patterns of claiming indigenous lands by non-indigenous individuals. “The privatization and ownership of land is a colonial mindset,” said Nia Williamson, a Portland State student majoring in Indigenous Nations Studies. “The separation of people and land was and continues to be a tactic of genocide against Indigenous peoples. Disguising them as policies or bills just further enables this.” “Our relationships to the lands reflect our relationships to our people,” Williamson said. “The balance of taking care of and being taken care of has been devastated by colonialism, and you can look no further than out a window to see that.”
ARTS & CULTURE
A CONVERSATION WITH
ANDER MONSON IAN STOREY
Judging by the cover, Gnome Stories looks like a light literary affair. Simple pictures rest atop six panels, each a different bright pastel. It says, slice of life, maybe a story or two about gnomes. That’s the cover, but the contents are anything but. Monson’s stories wrestle with grief and the mystery of life’s bigger questions. Though, there are absurd and comic moments that take the edge of some of the challenging possibilities they pose. The author is Ander Monson, from northern Michigan, professor of literature at University of Arizona and author of eight books. He toured the country reading from his two recently published books, Gnome Stories, a collection of fictional short stories and I Will Take The Answer, a collection of essays from Monson’s real life. For such an established writer with a blue check mark on his social media accounts, he is tremendously personal. Thoughtful but unpretentious, our conversation covers Joyce’s impenetrable Finnegan’s Wake to Schwarzenegger’s gleefully accessible Predator. I’m curious, particularly with the first couple of stories, where do you get the guts to write something so honest? Especially to the point that it might upset readers? I never thought not to do it. They are messed up, but they’re also kind of comical. One thing I like, George Saunders is a good example, where you’re laughing along and you end up in a fairly disturbing place that there’s not an obvious way out of. I like that effect—I don’t think I would do a story that has fairly dark content that doesn’t have that aspect of humor to it. I write things in fiction that I wouldn’t write in nonfiction. I try to edit certain aspects of it, not for readers’ comfort, but I want the experience to be a pleasurable one, not just a disturbing one…both [are] fine.
COURTESY OF GRAYWOLF PRESS
There are important traumatic events in these short stories that aren’t mentioned. How come? It’s part of the craft—I think that mystery is really important. There are certain things that aren’t resolvable. It creates an unstable backdrop for the story. In every first-person narrative there’s an element of, is this completely reliable? It creates a sneaking feeling in the story. I’m a reader that likes to do some work. I don’t want to be told what everything means, I want to do some meaning making, and all the media that I like leaves me space to do that. It’s one of the only techniques I believe in as a reader…It’s like in Lovecraft. There’s all these unnameable things. That’s why the
movies suck! When you see the Thing it becomes kind of stupid. I want to give the reader enough space and enough material to come to their own conclusions. It presents a question to the reader that could be Occam’s razor or the worst thing you’ve ever imagined. It’s very human. We put faith in a lot of people we shouldn’t have put faith in. Why do we do that? Because there’s something in us that wants to believe that they are this kind of person. I guess that’s another kind of unreliability. It questions some of the trust we have in ourselves. A reoccurring symbol throughout the stories is pornography, what’s the deal with that? These are lonely characters who are on their own in various ways. Pornography can be its own little pit that a lot of people can get stuck in. Doesn’t mean it’s bad. It can be a labyrinth. Pornography to me is like finding your Dad’s Hustlers…a quaint idea, really. Now, you make one wrong click and you’re in furry land! There’s something about adult DVD stores today that are very quaint, almost charming. I mean, I’m not going in, but there is something very familiar and pleasant about that. It’s like an old technology. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers? You need to find a way to entertain yourself…because the kinds of validation you get in the world are very minor and few and far between. In my writing there are a lot of inside jokes based on conversations with my friends. Most of it is for everyone, but some of it is like a fun joke for me or like five friends. In a way I’m writing it for my friend Paul. This sense of pleasure that when he reads it he will recognize it and be entertained by it...if you can write like that and to people that matter for you, the external part doesn’t matter so much. And of course you’ve just got to grind. All of these stories started out terrible. It all sucks until it doesn’t. Occasionally you get lucky and the 100th story you write comes out clean, but it’s because you practiced. A lot of what I’ve done has been to build communities where I didn’t see a community. You make a space for like-minded people. If you do it honestly, that makes a big difference and people see that. It’s true, you create spaces and make relationships and share each other’s works. Sometimes being a literary citizen, is what it takes to build spaces for art that you love. If you can do that honestly, I think that’s really very valuable.
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ARTS & CULTURE
SIX FILMS TO CATCH AT THIS YEAR’S PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL BELA KURZENHAUSER With March arriving, we approach yet another year of the Portland International Film Festival. This year’s lineup contains a slate of foreign releases, regional premieres, as well as a handful of world premieres for local Oregon-made films. With every film at the festival fighting for your tickets, it can be helpful to have a guide for some specific must-see films. Here are 6 of the most notable films to look forward to at this year’s festival.
'Marona’s Fantastic Tale' Anca Damian France/Romania/Belgium
'First Cow' Kelly Reichardt
'Clementine' Lara Jean Gallagher
Oregon
Oscilloscope
One of the primary goals of the Portland International Film Festival is to promote locally made films from Oregon directors. One of this year’s notable highlights is Lara Jean Gallagher’s Clementine—a psychological thriller meets coming-of-age lesbian romance—straight out of the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. Starring breakout star Otmara Marrero (Start-Up) and Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, Sharp Objects), the film is a Pacific Northwest-set drama about a woman, Karen (Marrero), who breaks into a lakeside cabin and gets discovered by the ex-girlfriend of the cabin’s previous owner, Lana (Sweeney). Serving as the opening film for PIFF, Clementine is sure to be one of the most talked-about films throughout the festival. March 6 7:15 p.m. @ Whitsell Auditorium March 14 8:45 p.m. @ Cinema 21
Oregon
A24
Minimalist slice-of-life director Kelly Reichardt has spent most of the past 14 years of her career building her reputation as the Oregonian director. With the exception of 2016’s Certain Women, all of her last six films have been shot and set in Oregon, following working-class members throughout all periods of history from the Oregon Trail (Meek’s Cutoff ) to modernday Oregon (Wendy and Lucy). First Cow represents Reichardt’s return to both Oregon and to the 19th century, chronicling two fur trappers in the west who steal milk from the first cow to arrive in Oregon on a nearby estate. This milk grants them both opportunity as well as danger, threatening their quaint livelihoods. It’s reminiscent of Reichardt’s Old Joy, a heartful portrait of male friendship set in the rural farmland of Oregon. First Cow is PIFF’s closing weekend centerpiece, hot off the trails of its premieres at the New York and Telluride film festivals, as well as an appearance in competition at this year’s Berlinale. March 13 8:30 p.m. @ Cinema 21
GKids
True “adult” animation is rare—that is, to explore truly human themes through the medium of animation is rarely seen in a genre full of franchise sequels and films intended for younger audiences. Marona’s Fantastic Tale is one of the most heartfelt animated films in recent years, recounting the entire life of a dog and the story of her owners at the moment of her death. Although not a wholly original idea, Romanian director Anca Damian utilizes this perspective to tell not just the story of a life of a dog, but the life of humans too and the story of the universe itself. It’s part Terrence Malick, part Tomm Moore and part Hayao Miyazaki, mixing philosophy and spirituality with piercing animation that further blends multiple art styles together throughout its story. Hauntingly gorgeous and painfully bittersweet, Marona’s Fantastic Tale is another triumph for foreign-language animation. March 7 3 p.m. @ Cinema 21 March 14 12:30 p.m. @ Cinema 21
BRANDON PAHNISH
'To the Ends of the Earth' Kiyoshi Kurosawa
'Frank and Zed' 'The Climb’
Michael Angelo Covino
Jesse Blanchard Oregon Puppetcore
United States
Sony Pictures Classics
Michael Angelo Covino’s The Climb has been touring the festival circuit for the past year, appearing at Sundance, SXSW, Cannes, Telluride and Toronto, drawing incredible acclaim at all. The Climb has mostly been noted for its small scope yet strong execution—Covino and his friend/co-writer Kyle Marvin play the lead roles in the film. It’s reminiscent of Jim Cummings’ 2018 film Thunder Road which Cummings solely directed, wrote, scored and starred in. The core strength of the film relies on its high production quality, with many scenes being staged as a single take, elevating the appearance of the film to a level of professionalism not common in debut filmmaking. March 6 7 p.m. @ Cinema 21
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Frank and Zed devolves into utter chaos within the span of its last half-hour—eyeballs torn out and chewed up, bones jutting out of legs, disemboweled guts hanging out of windows, and heads flying throughout the halls of a castle eroded by the elements. This may sound absolutely horrifying rather than gleefully comedic, but the action is performed entirely by puppets. It’s Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal with a splash of Ferrell & Reilly’s Step-Brothers, with the dry and cantankerous comedy of the Muppets’ Statler and Waldorf. It’s a playful mashup of classic fantasy with the monster movie genre-film, all blended up with gloriously gratuitous puppet violence. The incredible puppet design and stellar physical sets make Frank and Zed a must-see at PIFF. March 8 8:30 p.m. @ Cinema 21
Japan/Uzbekistan/Qatar
KimStim
Although Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa gained heavy acclaim for his horror/crime thrillers Cure and Pulse, he has spent most of his recent years melding that human horror with sincere storytelling. This results in somewhat terrifying and anxiety-inducing, yet sincere films, such as To the Ends of the Earth. Kurosawa’s film follows the career of a Japanese travel writer, Yoko (Atsuko Maeda), far away to Uzbekistan, to create a travel guide for the country. The film was commissioned to celebrate 25 years of unity and peace between Japan and Uzbekistan and, as such, feels incredibly celebratory of both cultures. It’s comfortable, but also examines the dissociation of being in a foreign country, not speaking the local language— stuck in a limbo of loneliness despite being surrounded by the business of the world around you. Longtime collaborator Akiko Ashizawa provides warmth and color to the film with beautiful cinematography, making this a must-see on the big screen at the festival. March 12 8:30 p.m. @ Cinema 21 March 15 5:45 p.m. @ Cinema 2
OPINION
THE TROUBLE WITH ELECTION TECHNOLOGY BELA KURZENHAUSER
The Iowa caucuses are usually seen as pretty grand events for their part in presidential elections. They’re the first nominating caucuses for both Democratic and Republican party primaries and represent an incredibly important achievement for whichever lucky candidate scores the most delegates. Both caucuses are also private, limited only to registered members of their respective parties. Buzz was high heading into the 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucus, especially with a new mobile app titled IowaRecorder that was commissioned to track results. What followed the voting, however, was utter chaos. Approximately 100 districts reported corrupted and incorrect information. The phone lines to the Democratic National Committee were packed with 4chan trolls attempting to slow the progress of the caucus and the outcome of one district was decided with a coin toss, of all things. While many of these issues can be attributed to the terrible dysfunction and disorganization of the DNC, the IowaRecorder app had many people scratching their heads over one particular question—what is the role that technology should assume, if any role at all, in United States elections? “I, like pretty much everybody else in the elections integrity space, especially in security and national security threats, want paper ballots,” said Joe Kiniry, project lead of Free & Fair, a spin-off of local software company Galois, dedicated specifically to the integrity and security of national voting systems. “Paper is familiar, indelible evidence of the outcome of the election,” Kiniry said. “The reason it’s great is because we’ve been voting on paper for now, what is it, 200 years?” The public plea for a return to widespread paper ballots has certainly gained much traction over the last several years. We know that the Russian government heavily interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, possibly and probably skewing the outcomes of the election. Phishing, leaked DNC emails, cyberattacks and WikiLeaks all played an important role in this interference, pushing favor onto the Trump campaign by smearing the campaigns of both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. Although election technology has been fairly suspect for the last few elections—the smoking gun of the technology vs. paper debate can be inarguably traced back to Bush v. Gore—the 2016 election fully illuminated these issues to an extremity that we have rarely seen before. Paper is indelible. It is permanent, factual, the most secure form of data and protection. You cannot steal millions of pieces of paper from a thousand miles away. However, there is a great deal of impracticality in paper, specifically in regards to the U.S. electoral system. In most countries, elections are simple. You vote for one politician in one race, and whoever ends up with the most votes wins. The U.S. is drastically different, however—ballots feature several different races, each with varying amounts of candidates to choose from with the electoral college specifically twisting the simplistic popular vote into a mess of gerrymandering and property politics. Ballot types are influenced by everything under the moon, from counties and districts to registered political parties.
DANA TOWSNEND The result is “you end up with not just a million pieces of paper [to count], but a million pieces of paper that came from 111 different PDF [files],” Kiniry said. Even with a hundred volunteers, even with a thousand volunteers for each polling place, there is no feasible way to count all of those ballots within the span of hours, or even days; it’s estimated that a hundred volunteers could take up to several months to count a million ballots. This is horrifying—the U.S. has commandeered itself into an inescapable hell of insecurity where our only option is to face the obvious and eventual corruption that leaks into our political world. Is it possible to still vote with paper? Sure. Oregon is still clinging onto the strength of paper ballots, granting the state an incredible amount of security in all of its elections. In addition, voting is all done through the mail, so the fear of interference is much smaller than in other states. Most states still allow people to request paper ballots for smaller elections, such as caucuses. Will we be able to eventually gain secure election technology? Absolutely. Kiniry & Galois’ Free & Fair project is breaking new bounds with security. A secure system is most
certainly possible, as most other “secure” systems such as the IowaRecorder were made by inexperienced development teams on shoestring budgets supported in part by funding from the Buttigieg, Biden and Gillibrand campaigns. Unfortunately, most of the damage committed by Russian interference in 2016 wasn’t hacking, but rather trolling. In the age of connection and internetworks, misinformation spreads quickly. Smear campaigns are easier to pull off now than they were ever, and it’s impossible to differentiate between true tales and fake news. It’s undeniably true that the outcome of this year’s 2020 presidential election will heavily influence security talks for the next few years, whether we continue to see more interference or a cleaner election. If you want to protect yourself, always try to get a paper ballot if possible. Oregon doesn’t support electronic ballots at all, nor does it even support voting booths. And if you ever move out of state, many states will still allow you to use paper ballots. Remember: paper is physical, physical is private and private is secure.
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OPINION
THE RETURN OF
THE PUMA
OPPOSITION TO SANDERS CREATES OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRUMP
DANA TOWSNEND
AJ EARL The election of Donald Trump in 2016 led to the rise of the so-called #resistance, a suggestion that a unified front would stand against him in 2020. It’s been argued that this election would be a once-in-a-generation face-off between the Trump rump of the GOP and a broad coalition of political interest groups, marginalized communities and right-of-center never-Trumpers. This idea, however, has quickly gained an asterisk as we race toward November. Whether or not Senator Bernie Sanders wins the nomination this year, his candidacy has resurrected a phenomenon that bristled party loyalists and passive supporters alike: the PUMA. Originally meaning “Party Unity My Ass,” PUMA—or People United Means Action organization—was a loose coalition of supporters of former Senator Hillary Clinton. Their opposition to the aggressive “Obama Boys,” who championed the Former President in his first campaign against Clinton was a core grievance that manifested in eventual total opposition to the two-term commander in chief. If past is prologue, then it should be no surprise that the more vehement supporters of the candidacies of Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Mike Bloomberg, Amy Klobuchar and others would likewise be prepared to throw away their vote if Sanders were nominated. It’s certainly true that Sanders himself has a large agglomeration of supporters who would never support a Democrat otherwise, but the growing rump of never-Sanders voters, hashtag #neverbernie, is an echoing squeak of past rat-fucking. Beyond mere angst over the loss of their preferred candidate, the AntiSanders Squad has made overtures toward both blank tops of tickets and third parties, supposed heresies in Democratic circles. So what happens if the PUMA catches the rat? An election where marginal Democrats, hardline centrists and ur-liberals throw the vote away to lead Trump to victory will not be seen as a failure of Democrats, but rather, of Sanders. His rhetoric was di-
visive, his approach too harsh, too critical of capitalism. It isn’t about defeating Trump, but rather resuscitating a wheezing post-1980s liberalism that tacked hard right into Nixonian politics in order to hold fast against a fictive conservative monolith. Never mind that the defeat of George HW Bush occurred amid fears of liberal destruction of cities. Former-President Clinton ran on a platform of “Yes, Democrats destroyed our country, but I’ll fix it,” dooming millions to the loss of their social safety net while enriching the financially set. Once again, however, Democrats are set to demand a fastidious, hardline liberalism that embraces capitalism and demands blood oaths against anything resembling socialism. Among these PAYGO PUMAs there is little to suggest a good faith belief in social good and welfare, merely a Gilded Age Social Darwinism tempered with a smidge of sneering attacks on wokeness and protest here and there. Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos are lionized in ways that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Angela Davis were; the latter’s appeals to shared wealth and warnings against moderation in the face of tax-averse centrism are no longer part of the Democratic Party’s canon in many corners of the political arena. If Bernie wins the nomination, does that mean he’ll be dragged down by blue in tooth and claw Democratic Party purists? Perhaps not; as with 2008, it’s very possible that the sound and fury will pass like a fart in a gale leaving only a few fringe characters like the Palin-boosting post-2008 subset that is now floating in the sticky albumen of Sanders Contraism. It’s also equally likely that adequate numbers will give comfort to Trump in the form of a blank top of the ticket or by merely staying home. This is all dependent upon how far the self-styled purists of the party will go to prove to voters, regardless of the results of the primary, that Sanders is not welcome. Does this PUMA still have claws?
HAVE YOU HEARD?
THE MUSIC EDITION
DANA TOWNSEND
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AJ EARL
Heyyyy, have you heard that Lady Gaga has new music out now? In a flashback to her disco stick era, “Stupid Love” is a rolicking adventure through longing and regret. If sound could be defined by the direction it points, every note in “Stupid Love” seems to be moving in the same direction with cycling backbeats overlaid with hi-hats, arrow-tipped synth beats and cute distorted backing vocals. Five stars, or whatever. Speaking of flashback music, Rage Against the Machine is playing Moda Center this April. I’m sure it will be hard to find fans of anti-authoritarian nu-metal in our sleepy city, but they will probably manage pretty well. Speaking of bands that were popular in the ‘90s, Alien Ant Farm and Eve 6 are playing Dante’s a few nights later. A smaller venue means they’re just trying to ensure their best fans can get up close and personal, right? Unless you love blood, make sure you stay out of the splash zone during Eve 6’s amazing performance of “Inside Out,” complete with live blender action! Oh hey, did you know that Portland State has a robust music department? If you’re a fan of, say, Esperanza Spalding (a notable PSU alum), you’ll be happy to know that the tradition of producing great concerts is ongoing here at PSU. It’s probably not a surprise, but alongside the art department’s awesome line-up of plays, there are frequent musical performances. If you, like Esperanza
Spalding, are all about that bass, then you should check out the department’s calendar! Dear Esperanza Spalding, I am very sorry for the bad pun. Hearts and admiration, a PSU peer. Okay, moving on, I’ve just got word that no real physical tender hearts will be thrown into blenders and spun round into a beautiful oblivion at the Eve 6 concert. Now that I’m through with that, we have more concert announcements. You might have heard that the Queen of Pop, Mistress Music, Doyenne of Dance herself will be gracing Portland with her greatest hits. Yes, you guessed right, Janet Jackson is going to be in Portland on Aug. 20! And if you didn’t guess that Queen of Pop refers to Miss Jackson, maybe because she’s not an ambitious blond, then you should reassess your life choices. Sorry, I’m still listening to Lady Gaga, gimme a second here. Finally, have you heard that the deaf and hard of hearing are increasingly able to experience music? Beyond just the vibrance of highly animated sign language interpreters, technology has now stepped in to give those who feel more than hear a chance to get to know the magic of song. Devices like the SubPac and Cymatic Lighting system allow deaf and hard of hearing music fans to experience music in a new and engrossing way. Accessible music! I love it!
SPORTS
SPORTS
SPOTLIGHT MEN’S BASKETBALL
SAL NUHU BRYAN CARTER/PSU VANGUARD
CURRENT RECORD 16-14 BREAKOUT PLAYER SAL NUHU OVERVIEW Portland State men’s basketball appears to be back on track after injuries plagued the Vikings throughout the early part of the season—seniors Matt Hauser and Sal Nuhu missed a combined 14 games for the Vikings this season. Currently riding a four game winning streak, the Vikings’ biggest win of the season came earlier this year in an 88-81 win over Big Sky conference-leading Montana. Junior Holland Woods scored a career-high 39 points and set a Big Sky conference record for free throws made in a game without a miss, going 21-21. Sal Nuhu has been a force for the Vikings this year when healthy. Nuhu has six doubledoubles on the season and currently leads the Big Sky in blocks per game (2.2). The Vikings’ next game will be against Northern Arizona at the Viking Pavilion on March 5.
SAM ROBERTS
MEN’S TENNIS
CURRENT RECORD 4-3 BREAKOUT PLAYER SAM ROBERTS OVERVIEW Portland State men’s tennis is in the midst of a four-game winning streak after going 4-1 in the month of February. Currently undefeated (2-0) in conference play, the Vikings’ biggest win this season came on Feb. 22 in a 4-3 upset victory over Northern Arizona, the favorite to win the Big Sky conference. Junior Sam Roberts has won his last four matches to improve to 6-5 on the season. The Vikings’ next match will be March 7 when they travel to take on Montana State.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
DESIRAE HANSEN BRYAN CARTER/PSU VANGUARD
CURRENT RECORD 13-15 BREAKOUT PLAYER DESIRAE HANSEN OVERVIEW Portland State women’s basketball put an end to their seven game losing streak on Feb. 29 with an 88-63 win over Weber State. The win coincided with two milestones for the Vikings that day, as lone senior Jordan Stotler was honored before the game for Senior Day, and junior Kylie Jimenez surpassed 1,000 points for her career, becoming the 19th player in PSU history to do so. Sophomore Desirae Hansen has been on a tear for PSU the past few games, combining for 46 points over her last two games and reaching double figures in each of the previous nine. The Vikings earned a big win earlier this season when they put an end to Northern Arizona’s five game winning streak with a 66-54 victory at the Pavilion. The Vikings next game will be a rematch with Northern Arizona when they travel to face the Lumberjacks on March 4.
JACINTA MILENKOSKI, ESZTER ZADOR
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOVIKS
WOMEN’S TENNIS
RICH RIGNEY
PHOTO COURTESY OF GOVIKS
CURRENT RECORD 3-6 BREAKOUT PLAYERS JACINTA MILENKOSKI & ESZTER ZADOR OVERVIEW It’s been a tale of two seasons for Portland State’s women’s tennis team. With a 7-0 win over Whitman College on Feb. 22, the Vikings improved to 3-1 on the season when playing at home. With their 7-0 loss to Eastern Washington Mar. 1, the Vikings fell to 0-5 on the season in road games. Picking up wins on the road has been a challenge for PSU this season, but one bright spot has been the doubles pairing of sophomore Jacinta Milenkoski and senior Eszter Zador. The pair have earned a team-best five wins on the season as a duo, dropping only three matches up to this point. The Vikings’ next match will be March 7 when they travel to the Vancouver Tennis Center—where all PSU home tennis matches are held—for a matchup with Idaho State.
OLIVIA GREY PHOTO COURTESY OF GOVIKS
SOFTBALL
CURRENT RECORD 5-15 BREAKOUT PLAYER OLIVIA GREY OVERVIEW Portland State softball has spent the early chapter of the season participating in various tournaments. The Vikings have faced a number of stout opponents in tournament play thus far, earning five wins through the first four tournaments they’ve participated in. The Vikings opened the 2020 season with an impressive 13-2 win against Western Michigan. Freshman pitcher Olivia Grey has been the Vikings’ ace this season, starting a team-high seven games for PSU and allowing a team-low 3.79 earned run average. Grey also leads all PSU pitchers with 44 strikeouts on the season. The Vikings’ next head off to Eugene to participate in the Oregon Invite on March 7, where their first game will be against Loyola Marymount.
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 3, 2020 • psuvanguard.com
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Jordan Cagle
MARCH 3–9
TUE MAR 3 WED MAR 4 THU MAR 5 FRI MAR 6 SAT MAR 7 SUN MAR 8 MON MAR 9
ART
MUSIC
FILM & THEATRE
COMMUNITY
PAINT NITE: THE ORIGINAL PAINT AND SIP PARTY RED LION HOTEL ON THE RIVER 6:30–8:30 P.M. $30 • 21+ Sip some drinks and paint the night away.
LA RIVERA, SAM COOPER WHITE EAGLE 8 P.M. $5–10 • 21+ A release party for La Rivera’s most recent single, “Pastor Jim.”
‘THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME’ PORTLAND CENTER STAGE 7:30 P.M. $25–85 A 15-year-old boy on the autism spectrum tries to solve the crime he has been accused of.
CRITICAL CONVERSATION WITH TANYA GERSH OREGON JEWISH MUSEUM 7–8 P.M. $10 GENERAL ADMISSION Tanya Gersh, the victim of a harassment campaign organized by a major neo-Nazi website, discusses how she combatted this hate crime and combatting hate in the future.
FALLING GREEN PDX CONTEMPORARY ART 11 A.M.–6 P.M. FREE Opening night for a collection of works from Portland-based artist Barbara Stafford focusing on the notions of light and memory.
PEPPER, KASH’D OUT, THE ELOVATORS WONDER BALLROOM 8 P.M. $22.50 Some smooth reggae-rock to get you through the week.
NERD NIGHT KIT KAT CLUB 10:45 P.M. $1 • 21+ A recurring sci-fi/fantasy burlesque night.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY HALL 9:30 A.M. FREE Weekly dose of encouragement to get involved.
BUILDING POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS IN PORTLAND: A COMMUNITY FORUM SMITH MEMORIAL STUDENT UNION 7–8:30 P.M. FREE A night to figure out how Portland artists and art organizations can be more effective in shaping art policies.
THE MUSIC OF CREAM ALADDIN THEATER 8 P.M. $35 The sons of Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton’s nephew Will Johns bring you Disraeli Gears.
‘EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH’ SHOEBOX THEATER $10–20 7:30 P.M. A story of the ways the fashion industry affects the women participating within it over generations.
MULTNOMAH COUNTY LIBRARY EVERYBODY READS 2020 ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL 7:30–9 P.M. $15–65 An evening with Tommy Orange discussing his debut novel.
WHAT WE SEE AND WHAT WE KNOW HOLDING CONTEMPORARY NOON–5 P.M. FREE Photography from Leslie Hickey and drawings by Erin Murray focused on both real and imaginary interiors.
TODOROKI TOMOHIRO GALLERY 903 10 A.M.–5:30 P.M. FREE A collection of works created by Japanese artist Todoroki Tomogiro inspired by Picasso’s works on china dishes.
FUNERAL FOR EXPECTATIONS PERFORMANCE WORKS NORTHWEST 7:30 P.M. $12 A highly involved performance piece in which artist Julia Brandenberger asks you to partake in the funeral of expectation.
COMMUNITY POLICE COLLABORATIVE PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU NORTH PRECINCT COMMUNITY ROOM 10 A.M.–11:30 P.M. FREE Interact with the police on how to bring peace to our community.
SPIRITS KNOWN AND UNKNOWN GALLERY 114 NOON–6 P.M. FREE An exhibition of new works from new Gallery member Don Bailey, as well as works from guest artists Lillian Pitt and Annette Jackson.
THE WINDOW SMASHING JOB CREATORS TWILIGHT CAFE & BAR 8 P.M. $10 • 21+ The Window Smashing Job Creators are joined by Beggars Canyon, Lightin Luke and Jesse Payne.
‘FIRE WILL COME’ CINEMAGIC 6 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENTS Spanish film following an arsonist released from prison who makes his way home to try and start over.
PSU FARMERS MARKET SOUTH PARK BLOCKS 8:30 A.M.–2 P.M. UP TO YOU Come check out some local products.
MASTERS OF APPROPRIATION BLUE SKY GALLERY NOON—5 P.M. FREE Work from John Baldessari highlighting his ironic use of found photography.
E-40, TOO $HORT, MACK 10 ROSELAND THEATER 8 P.M. $50 Still going strong.
‘A WHITE, WHITE DAY’ CINEMA 21 6 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENTS An icelandic story of a police chief who is struggling after the death of his wife.
PORTLAND MAYORAL CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FORUM REVOLUTION HALL 7 P.M. $10 (SUGGESTED DONATION) Portland mayoral candidates will debate climate change and the ways this city can combat such a large problem.
THE UNKNOWN ARTIST PNCA 9 A.M.—5 P.M. FREE A series of works from Mami Takahashi, Asztalos Zsolt, Cannupa Hanska Luger and Revital Cohen & Tuur van Balen. Curated by artist Lucy Cotter.
DIM WIT, CRYOGEYSER, SOUR WIDOWS, SURFER ROSIE BLACK WATER BAR 8 P.M. $6—10 Some indie rock on a Monday night.
STATE FUNERAL OMSI 5:30 P.M. $14 GENERAL ADMISSION / $12 STUDENTS A series of images and different videos in black and white and color surrounding the death of Joseph Stalin.
KARAOKE NIGHT AT VALENTINES VALENTINES 9 P.M. FREE Show them what you got.