PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD
VOLUME 73 • ISSUE 19 • MARCH 5, 2019
CAMPUS POLICE KEEP GUNS WITH NEW SAFETY TRAINING
COVER PSU LEADERS PRIORITIZE STUDENT SUCCESS NEWS CONSULTANTS RELEASE CAMPUS SAFETY REVIEW OPINION DO NOT TOUCH BLACK WOMEN’S HAIR
CRIME BLOTTER
FEB. 26–March 3
CHLOE DYSART FEB. 26 Invasion of privacy
MARCH 1 Criminal Mischief
FEB. 28 Assistance rendered
MARCH 2 Criminal Mischief
CPSO took a report at approximately 3:20 p.m. that a unknown male used his iPhone to film them in the the fourth floor gender neutral bathroom. The person of interest was described as a white male, of thin build with a gold iPhone.
At approximately 8:50 a.m. CPSO responded to a report that a person had been hit by a male who was waving his arms on the corner of SW Harrison and SW 6th Ave. A faculty member stated the victim had gone into the College of Business but could not be found.
Harassment
At approximately 8:40 a.m. CPSO took a report that a student was hit in the back of the neck with a plastic water bottle when walking in the Urban Plaza. The investigation is open and pending.
CPSO responded to a report around 1:47 p.m. from a nonstudent that water balloons had been dropped onto their car outside Ondine on SW College St. No damage was found on the vehicle.
At approximately 12:40 p.m. CPSO arrested a person in University Pointe apartments for throwing water balloons out of their apartment window and onto a non-student’s car.
MARCH 3 Public Indecency
CPSO took a report at approximately 6:05 p.m. that there was an unknown male masturbating on the first floor of the Millar Library. The suspect left immediately.
CONTENTS COVER BY ROBBY DAY NEWS HILL TO HALL UNIVERSITY’S FINANCIAL FEARS
P. 3
GETTING THROUGH PSU
ITALEXIT, EUROPE’S NEW BREXIT
P. 11
AUSTRALIA FACING DOWN CLIMATE CHANGE
P. 11
P. 4–5
INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
ARTS & CULTURE ‘HOUSE OF PRICE’ MINI-FESTIVAL REMINDS VIEWERS TRUE MEANING OF HORROR
P. 12
P. 6
#DISARMPSU FILM FESTIVAL ADDRESS ISSUES OF VIOLENCE AND RACE P. 13
PAKISTAN-INDIA TENSIONS ON HIGH OVER KASHMIR
P. 7
COVER COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ANALYZES CAMPUS SAFETY
OPINION PLAYING IN PAIN
P. 14
P. 8–9
DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR
P. 15
INTERNATIONAL THE REFUGEE EXPERIENCE
P. 10
EVENTS CALENDAR
P. 16
P. 3
STAFF
ONLINE EDITOR Sangi Lama
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nada Sewidan
COPY CHIEF Hannah Welbourn
PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Bo Koering MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Emma Josephson
COPY EDITOR A.M. LaVey Ryan O’Connell
PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Savannah Quarum
Contributors Sabrina Achar-Winkels Alex Kirk Amen Sophie Concannon Chloe Dysart Shandi Hunt Maggie Lombard Richard Rigney Julianna Robidoux Kevin Shank
LEAD DESIGNER John Rojas
MANAGING EDITOR Marta Yousif NEWS EDITORS Chris May Anamika Vaughan INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Lukas Amsden ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Cervanté Pope OPINION EDITOR Taylar Rivers
DESIGNERS Robby Day Lisa Dorn Danielle Emeka DIS T RIBU TION & M A R K E TING DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGER Chris May
T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Damaris Dusciuc Long V. Nguyen Annie Ton A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher To contact Portland State Vanguard, email info@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 every Tuesday and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
NEWS
UNIVERSITY’S FINANCIAL FEARS FEB. 25–MARCH 2
STUDENTS, ADMIN VOICE CONCERNS OVER TUITION INCREASES IN TOWN HALL MEETING
SOPHIE CONCANNON
FEB. 25: REPORT REVEALS OVER 4,500 COMPLAINTS OF SEXUAL ABUSE AGAINST IMMIGRANT CHILDREN IN GOVERNMENT DETENTION FACILITIES A Justice Department report released by Rep. Ted Deutch, D–Florida, revealed an estimated 4,500 complaints over the course of four years about the sexual abuse of immigrant children being held in United States custody. The report came from documents from the Department of Health and Human Services with 178 of the allegations of sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by the adult staff at detention facilities. The Office of Refugee Resettlement said the agency received “859 complaints, the largest number of reports during any five-month span in the previous four years.” President Donald Trump enacted the family separation policy in March 2018, according to The New York Times.
FEB. 26: OREGON BECOMES FIRST IN NATION WITH STATEWIDE RENT CONTROL A bill to impose statewide mandatory rent control was signed by Gov. Kate Brown on Feb. 26, following up on her previous promise to sign the bill after it passed the Oregon Senate on Feb. 12. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler endorsed the bill on Jan. 17, and the bill passed the Oregon House 35-25 earlier this week. The bill will go into effect immediately since House Democrats say the “housing crisis constitutes an emergency,” according to The Associated Press. The bill will limit landlords to raising rent once a year and no more than 7 percent above the consumer price index, though new builders are exempt from the rent control law for up to 15 years.
FEB. 28: SENATE CONFIRMS ANDREW WHEELER AS NEW EPA CHIEF The Senate appointed Andrew Wheeler—a former coal lobbyist with a history of rolling back environmental regulations—as the new Environmental Protection Agency chief in a 52-47 vote. The Trump administration picked him as a replacement for Scott Pruitt, who resigned amid ethics investigations on July 5, 2018. Wheeler was acting EPA chief for the eight months after Pruitt resigned and has been criticized for both his lack of action on a large scale and his enthusiasm for repealing environmental regulations, according to The New York Times.
MARCH 2: SANCTUARY CITIES RECEIVING GRANTS DESPITE WHITE HOUSE THREATS Nearly 18 months after the Trump administration threatened to withhold grants from areas not cooperating with immigration services—areas containing sanctuary cities—29 of 30 areas have received or are being slated to receive the grant money. Oregon is the only area not cleared for the money, according to The RegisterGuard. In 2018, the State of Oregon sued former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker for the Justice Department grants. The lawsuit accused Whitaker of “impermissibly commandeering the resources of Oregon” by refusing to give money to the state.
VP OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION KEVIN REYNOLDS PRESENTS THE UNIVERSITY’S PLAN TO OVERCOME COST INCREASES IN FY19–20. JULIANNA ROBIDOUX/PSU VANGUARD JULIANNA ROBIDOUX The first in a series of four budget town hall meetings were held on Feb. 28 in the Native American Student Community Center to provide information to students and the public on tuition rates and the overall budget for the 2019–20 fiscal year. Presentations were made by Portland State President Rahmat Shoureshi, Vice President for Finance and Administration Kevin Reynolds and Associated Students of PSU President Luis Balderas-Villagrana. Reynolds outlined the tools PSU has in order to cover $18.6 million in expenditure increases, including $6–9 million in a combined increase of state funds and net tuition growth, a 1–1.5 percent reduction from current service level, a $2–4 million reduction in risk abatement, a $2–3 million refinement of salary and wage assumptions and $5 million in deficit spending. The upper limit for tuition increases this year is 14–18 percent. Last year the proposed tuition increase was 8.9 percent, while the actual increase was 5.45 percent. Shoureshi said the university’s goal is to make PSU more affordable with the help of financial aid. According to Shoureshi, 1,500 students currently receive full scholarships to PSU due to fundraising, and the goal is to double that number with even more fundraising efforts. Shoureshi urged the students in attendance to lobby for more state funding to the legislature in Salem. “You have a lot more power in front of the legislature than either me or the executive team,” Shoureshi said.
In response, Alexander Read, member of PSU Student Union and ASPSU, said that it felt futile. “At this point as students we are unable to accept small changes,” Read said. Olivia Pace, senator at ASPSU and organizer with the PSUSU, said she was more pleased with this meeting than the tuition review advisory committee meetings she has attended. “This is the most I’ve seen the administration be pushed, and I felt like this was a much more productive conversation,” Pace said. Students also expressed frustration at Shoureshi’s reponses. “He’s very condescending,” Pace said. “I don’t feel like he has the student’s interests at heart.” “He doesn’t seem to be willing to communicate with students as much as we’d like,” Read said. Former ASPSU Interim President Zia Laboff said increasing tuition correlates directly with decreasing enrollment, contributing to the university’s financial fears. “The ludicracy of Reynolds talking about how we’re going to be bankrupt in two years if we adopt this plan, but the university is going to go bankrupt if they keep increasing tuition,” Laboff said. Reynolds said by mid-April, the university will know whether there will be a tuition increase and if so, by how much. The next student-based forum will take place from 5–6:50 p.m. on March 6 in SMSU 327/8.
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NEWS
GETTING THROUGH PSU UNIVERSITY PRIORITIZES STUDENT SUCCESS
SOPHIE CONCANNON, SHANDI HUNT, ANAMIKA VAUGHAN
Amid difficult conversations about educational priorities across the state, lawmakers and PSU administrators continue to emphasize student success. PSU EDUCATORS AND OTHER ACADEMIC PROFESSIONALS MEET TO DISCUSS STUDENT SUCCESS AT THE 2019 WINTER SYMPOSIUM. COURTESY OF OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
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NEWS Even as a multimillion dollar budget deficit looms over Portland State, administrators are betting they can attract $60 million from the state to improve student success and debt reduction. PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi has said on multiple occasions that student success is his number one priority. In a press conference in November 2018, Shoureshi defined student success along four lines: graduating with a degree, graduating on time, graduating with minimal debt and obtaining a good job after graduating that “deserves their skills and potential.” When asked how he came to this definition of student success, Shoureshi said it was “based on [his] own experience and what [he has] seen, and it was based on the discussions [he has] had with students.” “It doesn’t mean this is the only way or meaning of that, but I have to say that there are other elements why students are here that are important in being successful,” Shoureshi added. “There is the whole issue of food and housing security, because if we have students who are food insecure or don’t have proper housing, that’s impacting their success.” Gov. Kate Brown recently flat-funded all Oregon public universities going into the next biennium. Before allocating more money, she wants public universities to demonstrate a commitment to reducing debt for students.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND BUDGET BATTLE At a Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 10, Associate Vice President for Government Relations Kevin Neely presented to the Academic and Student Affairs Committee how the university plans to reduce debt through supporting student success. “I think a lot of the story that we want to tell the legislators is a story that we want to have realized on campus. We’ll do everything we can to control debt.” Neely said. When asked about the nature of the debt reduction, Neely said “an approach that might be more welcoming [to legislators] is student success.” The key elements of student success as described by Neely were emphasizing student-centered policy requests, accelerating the time it takes for students to obtain their degrees, increasing student persistence and supporting traditionally underrepresented students. This could be through improving advising services, experiential learning, collaboration with community colleges and exploring other student assistance services. “Those are our goals that emerged in our discussions in the trustee workgroup,” Neely said. “And they are goals that have been reinforced by the governor and the Higher Education Coordinating Committee.’” At a Portland City Club forum on Jan. 11, the state’s top legislators gathered to discuss their priorities for the coming year. Carl Wilson, the current Republic Senate minority leader, recently served as a member of the state’s Joint Interim Committee on Student Success, which traveled the state last year for nine months, speaking to stakeholders including children and their parents, retired teachers, current teachers, school board members and members of the public. When asked for his definition of student success, Wilson replied, “Right now we just define it as getting a kid through school. Initially it is getting them through the system.”
STUDENT GOVERNMENT The Associated Students of PSU President Luis BalderasVillagrana believes the administration “needs to change their goals on what student success is.” “In my experience, [student success] is students...not wondering where their next meal is going to come from and where they’re going to sleep,” Balderas-Villagrana said. “I think that’s a small part of what student success is at this university beyond other things.”
The key elements of student success as described by Neely were emphasizing student-centered policy requests, accelerating the time it takes for students to obtain their degrees, increasing student persistence and supporting traditionally “Right now we just define [student underrepresented success] as getting students. a kid through school. Initially it is getting them through the system.”
centage of students work at least one job, a quarter of students have children and from the 2017 admission data, nearly half of the students entering PSU “reported a sexual orientation other than straight,” according to Toppe. Through the collection of this data, programs and resources are created for targeted populations. Toppe identified four of the programs, also referred to as “Retention Interventions” by Student Affairs, are the C.A.R.E Team, University Housing and Residence Life, Services for Students with Children and the Queer Resource Center. Rachel Webb, senior instructor in the math and statistics department, presented the use of and active and adaptive learning model as a means of increasing student success in the classroom. This included the incorporation of active learning techniques with interactive software tools, like McGraw-Hill ALEKS and Realizeit. However, some students have said online learning programs can be problematic. Student Zoë Parker feels that these software tools are “a big experiment at the expense of the students.” “The faculty is really out of touch with this problem,” Parker said. She used Evia Learning, a $200 language-learning software, as an example. “I think Evia Learning is a good idea, but the actual program is problematic,” Parker said. “The reality of it is that it’s riddled with errors, bad links and confusing/conflicting information. $200 is a ridiculous price to pay for quizlet and some extra verbal clips that you can barely understand, or advance in the modules without clearing.”
ASPSU has been working on their own ways to define student success. The Legislative Affairs Committee has worked over the academic term to collect input from students to produce a “ten point plan” describing student success. “[The plan is] focused on student power, student success, student solidarity,” said Balderas-Villagrana. “Of course, student success is the most important thing about it. It talks about work, tuition, administration, culture, food, transportation and housing.” This ten-point plan is intended to be included in the constitutional revisions made by ASPSU for the 2019–2020 academic year and will be up for vote during the elections process next term.
SYMPOSIUM ON SUCCESS
–Carl Wilson, Republic Senate Minority Leader
During the Winter Symposium 2019 on Student Success, held Feb. 28, Michele Toppe, the associate vice president of student affairs explained that using data to best serve the students is a key goal in the student success initiative. “The latest strategic plan for Portland State for 2016 to 2020...emphasizes the importance of student success and...is named as the first priority in the [plan],” Toppe said. Some of the strategies included in the plan are: improving academic success with inclusion, respect and affirmation of all students, advance student retention and preparing for academic and career success. The average age of a student at PSU is 27, a very high per-
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INTERNATIONAL
THIS WEEK
around the
WORLD Feb. 24–March 3
2 3 5
4
6 4 1
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Feb. 26–March 2
HANOI, VIETNAM
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un arrived in the capital of Vietnam on Feb. 26 ahead of the 2019 North Korea–U.S. Hanoi Summit, which began on Feb. 27. According to Al Jazeera, the summit ended on Feb. 28 with no agreement reached due to an inability to find a mutual compromise on sanctions relief. Kim allegedly remarked he would discontinue testing rockets and other nuclear weapons, and Trump stated papers were ready to be signed but he preferred to continue negotiations. In order to ease tensions in the aftermath of the failed summit, defense secretaries of South Korea and the U.S. announced on March 2 the decision to end the large-scale joint military exercises known as Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, which North Korea sees largely as a provocation of military offense. 2
Feb. 28
BELARUS
While laying the foundation for the construction of a new apartment complex, workers made the chance discovery of the remains of over 700 people at a former Jewish ghetto in the city of Brest near the Polish-Belarusian border. According to Deutsche Welle, the ghet-
6
to was created in 1941 under Nazi Germany to house over 18,000 people. Unearthing the mass grave was taken over by military personnel, with unit leader Dmitry Kaminsky reporting some skulls had bullet holes and that the remains would be transferred to local authorities for reburial. It’s unclear whether construction will continue at the site once all the remains have been found, and local historian Irina Lavroskaya is pushing for the creation of a memorial. 3
Feb. 28
GENEVA
The UN Human Rights Council published its report “The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the 2018 Gaza Protests,” which concluded Israel lacked justification for its use of force during the protests along the GazaIsrael border. The commission had “reasonable grounds to believe that during the Great March of Return, Israeli soldiers committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law” and that “some of those violations may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.” The investigation also concluded unarmed protesters numbering over 6,000 were shot by military snipers and that 183 were killed by live ammunition, 35 of which were children. According to Haaretz, the UN has recommended Israel impose individual sanctions on those identified as responsible by
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the commission. However, several Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have denounced the report, claiming bias and “an obsessive hatred for Israel.” 4
Feb. 28–March 1
D.C.; SAUDI ARABIA
The U.S. Department of State issued a statement “offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to the identification or location in any country of al-Qaida key leader Hamza bin Laden” on Feb. 28 through their Rewards for Justice Program. Hamza bin Laden, son of former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, has been wanted since early 2017 when the State Department designated him a “global terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224.” However, it’s unclear why the reward is being issued now. According to Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia announced the following day on March 1 of the decision to strip Hamza bin Laden of his citizenship with the kingdom. It’s unknown if he holds other citizenship. 5
March 2
MILAN, ITALY
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets denouncing the policies of the national government including the current Prime Min-
ister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing party, the Northern League. According to Deutsche Welle, protesters marched through the streets behind a banner with the slogan “Prima le Persone,” meaning “people first,” an apparent rebuttal to Matteo’s anti-immigrant slogan “Prima gli Italiani, meaning “Italians first.” According to Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, the protest was a “powerful political testimonial that Italy is not just the country that is currently being described.” BBC reported some 200,000 people came out to protest, according to organizers. 6
Ongoing
ALGERIA
Bangladeshi special forces opened fire on a suspect who attempted to hijack a plane flying from the capital of Dhaka to Dubai of the United Arab Emirates. According to eye witness accounts reported by Deutsche Welle, the man fired a gun twice after the plane took off while claiming he had a bomb, after which the Biman Bangladeshi aircraft made an emergency landing at the Shah Amanat International Airport in the city of Chattogram. Special forces then stormed the aircraft, at which point they wounded the suspect when he resisted arrest. All 150 passengers on board were evacuated safely. However, the suspect died later from his wounds.
INTERNATIONAL
PAKISTAN-INDIA TENSIONS ON HIGH OVER KASHMIR
EVERY NIGHT AT THE WAGAH BORDER POST BETWEEN PAKISTAN AND INDIA, SOLDIERS FROM BOTH COUNTRIES MEET IN THE BEATING RETREAT CEREMONY. COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS SABRINA ACHCAR-WINKELS Pakistan and India are on the brink of war after aerial clashes last week saw to the downing of two Indian fighter pilots. India carried out strikes against militant bases inside Pakistan territory in response to the Feb. 14 suicide bombing that claimed the lives of 42 Indian paramilitary police in Indian-controlled Kashmir. In response, Islamabad launched its own attack across the Line of Control, the de facto border between the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region, resulting in the capture of a downed Indian air force pilot. Pakistan handed over downed Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman in an effort to de-escalate tensions with its nuclear rival. In a gesture of peace, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the release of Varthaman and made clear his intention to diffuse the situation with India. Islamabad released a video showing Wing Commander Varthaman drinking chai saying “the tea is wonderful” and that his captors were “thorough gentlemen.” India filed a complaint calling the video a “vulgar display” as reported by The Guardian. Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed took credit for the attack, releasing a video showing 19-year-old
suicide bomber and aspiring cleric Adil Ahmed Dar. In the video Dar declares, “By the time this video reaches you, I will be in Heaven,” and “your oppression fuels our jihad.” Dar was mourned by his father, a fabric seller. “He was a very responsible boy, He would help out his mother, he take care of daily affairs at home.” According to Indian news site Scroll, Dar was behind “the deadliest attack by militants on security forces in Kashmir’s three-decade-long militancy.” Just days after the attack, India’s Home Ministry withdrew security detail from four Kashmiri separatists leaders. The controversial move is expected to increase regional tensions, according to analysts and pro-Indian political leaders. “In view of the recent terror attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Lethpora village in Pulwama, the government of India has emphasized the need to immediately review the wastage of police resources in providing unnecessary security to a large number of non-government persons, particularly relevant in the context of security provided to separatists and their sympathizers,” the order said, according to Al Jazeera.
Rajnath Singh, India’s home minister, said separatist leaders are “getting funds from Pakistan and its snooping agency [InterServices Intelligence],” according to Tehran Times. All security and vehicles provided are to be withdrawn by March 3. “Some elements in Jammu and Kashmir have links with the ISI and terrorist organizations,” he said after reviewing security following the attack. “Their security should be reviewed.” India banned Jamaat e Islami—a Kashmir-based Islamist political party at the heart of the conflict—for five years on Feb. 25, accusing the group of supporting militancy in the region. Pakistan and India have fought three wars over Jammu and Kashmir since Pakistan’s independence in 1947. Kashmir is a Himalayan region claimed by both countries and administered by India with heavy military presence. Separatist insurgency and militant activity began in 1989 after the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly was largely viewed as rigged. Pakistan’s army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor told reporters in Rawalpindi, “We have no intention to initiate war, but we will respond with full force to full spectrum threat that would surprise you,” according to Reuters. “Don’t mess with Pakistan.”
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T
COVER
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ANALYZES CAMPUS SAFETY VANGUARD NEWS TEAM Margolis Healy released its Public Safety Management Study and Safety and Security Program Assessment on Feb. 22, which discussed issues regarding disarmament, CPSO staffing changes, houselessness and mental health. The campus public safety review came in response to the fatal shooting of Black Navy veteran Jason Washington by campus police officers James Dewey and Shawn McKenzie on the morning of June 29, 2018. In a Sept. 13, 2018 response to the decision by a Multnomah County grand jury decision not to indict CPSO officers for Washington’s death, Portland State President Rahmat
Shoureshi described the review as “a road map for updating and modifying campus safety policies and procedures, such as Campus Public Safety Office staffing and resources, officer training, and our relationship with local law enforcement.” Over three weeks, consultants from Margolis Healy met with different stakeholders on campus, distributed an anonymous online survey with questions about campus safety and convened nine listening forums on Oct. 30, 31 and Nov. 1. During one of the listening forums the report’s authors identified a recurring theme of “an overall feeling of an-
ger, mistrust and frustration among the campus community with the forum and assessment process,” and that “[the campus community] is concerned that those in authority will not listen to the concerns of the community.” The report also noted the significant financial investment required to implement many of its recommendations, stating “the university may not be in a position to realize the recommendations related to maintaining a sworn and armed police department,” and “it may be impossible to implement the higher priority recommendations in a timely fashion.”
The Margolis Healy report investigated the original decision to arm CPSO and found the university’s process to create an armed police force was “deliberate and well informed.” The report claims the university understood and respected the anti-arming perspective and fully considered the opinions of campus members opposed to having an armed police force. The report further states that due to campus crime and PSU not being able to partner with other police agencies, “the [Special Committee on Campus Public Safety] believed it had only one viable option for ensuring access to sworn and armed officers—establishing its own campus police department.” The report includes a list of five alternatives for maintaining campus safety.
meeting held on Oct. 27, 2014.
DISARMAMENT An external consultant recommended the university retain its armed police force amid a majority of students, faculty and staff supporting disarmament of Portland State police officers. Margolis Healy’s assessment concluded PSU should not disarm campus public safety officers. A primary reason cited in the report is based on the fact that other universities have an armed police force, so PSU should too, according to the firm. “Having immediate access to its own armed officers is the standard amongst its peers and in the State of Oregon,” the report stated. It goes on to state having armed officers is the “standard of care” in legal proceedings, implying PSU could be considered liable in court if they do not have armed officers. Less than a week after the report was released, Oregon Congressman Diego Hernandez and the Oregon Student Association announced a bill to disarm campus police at both PSU and University of Oregon based on outcry from students at both campuses. “This bill is about making students at our university campuses safer,” Hernandez stated in a press release. “The fact of the matter is students at both campuses have said time and time again they do not want armed police on their campus.” Kenny Ma, PSU’s director of media relations, said the university should be able to follow its own process without a mandate from the legislature. “It’s important that the legislatively established public university boards of trustees be authorized to establish the policies they believe are best to ensure the safety of everyone on PSU’s campus,” Ma told Oregon Public Broadcasting. Administrators have no immediate plans to implement any of the 151 recommendations included in the report, including those involving armed campus police. PSU’s Board of Trustees will meet from 9 a.m. to noon on March 7 in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom to discuss the report with representatives from Margolis Healy. The meeting will be open to the public. According to the report, 52 percent of students, faculty, staff and community members surveyed by Margolis Healy said PSU should not have armed officers on campus. Follow-up comments to the survey cited institutionalized racism in the justice system and on-going oppression of people of color as reasons for armed officers making campus less safe. One survey respondent stated, “You can never train someone ‘enough’ to be able to protect marginalized people if they are armed. People of color, trans people and immigrants are put at great physical and emotional risk as long as these officers are LISA DORN armed. They killed an innocent black man on this campus. That should be reason enough.”
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1. RETAIN SWORN OFFICERS, BUT DO NOT EQUIP THEM WITH LETHAL FORCE WEAPONS This option has the most support from campus members. The report lists the disadvantages of this option—officer safety, reliance on PPB, difficulty recruiting and retaining officers and potential collective bargaining implications.
2. RETURN TO A DEPARTMENT STAFFED EXCLUSIVELY WITH NON-SWORN CAMPUS SAFETY OFFICERS
5. MAINTAIN A CAMPUS POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH BOTH SWORN POLICE OFFICERS AND CAMPUS PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS (THE HYBRID MODEL) This model argues CPSO should maintain a 50/50 balance of sworn officers who are armed and non-sworn, unarmed officers. This was the original intent when PSU decided to arm officers, but the report found that “...it appears that the department has steadily moved away from hiring non-sworn officers in lieu of sworn members.’
HOW DO YOU FEEL AOUT HAVING TRAINED AND ARMED* UNIVERSITY POLICE OFFICERS ON THE PSU CAMPUS? PSU SHOULD NOT HAVE ARMED OFFICERS ON CAMPUS BLANK NO OPINION PSU SHOULD HAVE ARMED OFFICERS ON CAMPUS
This option would be amenable to and supported by the majority of campus members, according to the report. The main disadvantages listed are reliance on PPB for response to violent crime and PSU’s lack of oversight for the actions of the PPB.
*Responses to this question may have been influenced by the fact that it asked respondents to reflect on two issues at the same time, both “trained” and “armed.” (Margolis Healy report, P .5)
3. CONTRACT FOR PRIVATE SECURITY OFFICERS
HOW SAFE DO YOU FEEL ON THE PSU CAMPUS?
The report explores the advantages and disadvantages of hiring both armed and unarmed private security but concludes that “PSU would also lose its ability to build and maintain a campus safety department that is reflective and responsive to the specific needs of the PSU community.”
4. CONTRACT FOR POLICE SERVICES WITH THE PORTLAND POLICE BUREAU, THE OREGON STATE POLICE OR THE OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY (OHSU) This option is dismissed outright based on the previous studies that led to the creation of the armed force. PPB, OSP and OHSU are not willing to provide officers to support PSU according to the Special Committee on Campus Public Safety
REASONABLY SAFE* VERY SAFE UNSAFE BLANK
*The “unsafe” answer choice was probably interpreted by participants as “very unsafe” and thus “reasonably safe” became the catch-all middle option. (Margolis Healy Report, P .148)
COVER
ORGANIZATIONAL AND STAFFING CHANGES FOR CPSO The Margolis Healy report recommends filling or creating over 30 new or vacant positions, including filling vital absences such as police lieutenant and creating new oversight positions. The report also suggests increasing the power of PSU’s oversight committee to better deal with the university’s needs. According to the report, the University Public Safety Oversight Committee should form a subcommittee to articulate how “the [Campus Public Safety Office] carries out its responsibilities” and plans around its mission and core values. This committee should report directly to the university president, who in turn should report to the Board of Trustees. Luis Balderas-Villagrana, Associated Students of PSU president and a member of UPSOC, said he was in support of expanding the role of the committee, but also expressed concerns about whether the recommendations will lead to meaningful change or oversight. “Is it just looking at some reports from CPSO?” Balderas-Villagrana said. “Is it actually doing anything? Having more people on a committee doesn't necessarily make it better.” At PSU, UPSOC can currently review and make recommendations regarding “policies and procedures adopted by CPSO.” Margolis Healy recommends the language be amended so UPSOC can directly initiate policy and procedure recommendations based on CPSO’s tactics and use of force. CPSO would also be required to share substantial changes to policies and procedures at least 30 days before implementation. The report recommends making UPSOC a fully functioning oversight committee as to determine available resources as well as the needs of PSU and campus community. Margolis Healy recommends PSU consider a student engagement subcommittee with open forums to listen to student concerns and determine how “CPSO is engaging with the campus community.”
PSU should also consider significant enhancements to the UPSOC website to provide more pertinent information to the campus community, according to the report. Margolis Healy recommends updating the UPSOC page with a mission statement, CPSO training types and lists, CPSO involvement calendars and a citizen complaint form specifically to be overseen by UPSOC and not CPSO. Margolis Healy recommends an external, independent monitor be employed for two to three years to oversee implementation of the recommendations in the report. The staff recommendations also include an overhaul of middle-level management and first-line supervision within CPSO. The position for police lieutenant has been vacant since June 2018, a role serving as “second-incommand of CPSO,” according to the report. The vacant Police Lieutenant position should be filled to assume responsibility for “operational aspects of the department, such as patrol, investigations and the field training position.” Margolis Healy also suggests creating a second lieutenant’s position for training and internal affairs and a third lieutenant’s position for the campus liaison unit. The report states staffing is deficient of about 20 frontline officers and suggests creating two new sergeant’s positions as frontline supervisors, as well as creating over 22 additional non-sworn positions to fill the need of unsworn officers and staff at CPSO. Additionally, the firm suggests CPSO designate a manager for physical security, responsible for the “oversight and coordination of all physical security efforts” such as campus protection and key-card entry access. It also recommends PSU form a multi-disciplinary “security work group” with members from CPSO, OIT and Housing and Residence Life, among others, chaired by the manager for physical security.
MENTAL HEALTH One recurring issue addressed in the report concerns how campus security could better interact with people who have a mental illness or are experiencing a mental health crisis. The report stated law enforcement “must be equipped to interact with people in mental health crisis without resorting to unnecessary or excessive force.” After a 2012 Department of Justice investigation found that Portland police used excessive force against people with mental illness, the Portland Police Bureau agreed to a settlement in 2014 requiring PBB to enact a laundry list of reforms around how the department interacted with individuals who had or were perceived to have mental illnesses. Margolis Healy echoed many of the DOJ recommendations, including changes to oversight boards, trainings and internal policies. One reform made to the PPB that could be implemented at PSU is a Behavioral Health Response Team, which entails a group of officers trained to respond to mental health crisis calls. PPB Officer Josh Silverman, who is part of the behavioral health response team, said the goal of the team is to assess whether an individual has a chronic problem or is a safety risk. “We prioritize the safety risk over the chronic problems,” Silverman said, “but try to head them off before things escalate even further.”
TRAINING
Along with the behavioral health response team, it is also recommended that officers receive campus-specific training covering deescalation techniques and crisis intervention.
FOLLOWING IN FOOTSTEPS OF PPB REFORMS
According the report, CPSO officers already receive some form of training around mental health and crisis intervention. However, the language used in the report leaves an unclear picture regarding the extent or frequency of such training. “The department is in the process of providing or has provided its officers” bi-weekly one hour sessions with PSU mental health professionals at Student Health and Counseling to discuss recent mental health calls for service. SHAC told Vanguard those meetings are only happening once a month, and did not have a log of the dates and times of those meetings. CPSO did not respond to a request for comment on logs or records of CPSO officer meetings with SHAC to discuss mental health issues.
CPSO POLICY
While the report states CPSO’s policy around dealing with mental health crises “places a strong value upon de-escalation of situations,” it does not refer to training requirements for current officers or new hires to manage individuals dealing with mental health crises. The policy referred to in the report is not available online, and CPSO did not respond to requests regarding the content of the Margolis Healy recommendations.
HOUSELESSNESS AND SAFETY Compared to nearly a dozen other reports by Margolis Healy on campus safety, PSU’s report is the only one with mentions of homeless people as “non-affiliates,” revealing the unique issue posed by houseless communities on urban campuses. The report includes 108 mentions of the words “homeless,” ”homelessness,” “houseless,” “unhoused” and “transient,” and includes several recommendations centered around the way campus community members and police interact with houseless individuals. The report recommended establishing a unit of officers paired with certified mental health professionals to respond to calls involving houseless individuals or those
who are suspected of intoxication. Margolis Healy also recommended for that unit to partner with the School of Social Work, the university’s Homeless Research Action Collaborative and the City of Portland Joint Office of Homeless Services. The report also recommends CPSO continue collaborating with the Portland Police Bureau on matters connected to houselessness. Voices from the community were also included in the report, with some mentioning houseless people utilizing the buildings for a variety of reasons, including “shooting heroin” which “undermines the university’s fundamental obligation to provide a reasonably safe environment for its
members.” Other respondents expressed concerns about how CPSO interacts with the houseless population. Margolis Healy found PSU has an inconsistent application of security measures and lacks clear policy, documentation and standardization of management of the school’s physical security program. To mitigate this security risk, the firm recommended an access/visitor strategy to permit non-affiliates the use of the campus when appropriate, refuse access for illegitimate uses. Attendees of the Margolis Healy forums were deliberate of their expectation that the university uses innovative practices and “invest in addressing the root causes of houselessness in [Portland],” while not depending on the CPSO for incidents involving houseless people.
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INTERNATIONAL
THE REFUGEE EXPERIENCE EMILY PRICE Across the globe, refugees are facing seemingly impossible challenges for security and safety, and in some places more than others.
HUNGARY At the Hungarian border, border control has been refusing to provide food for asylum seekers for as long as a week. Their applications have been denied and seekers are awaiting potential entry, according to Al Jazeera. The Hungarian government has long campaigned against migration, viewing it as a threat to “Christian Europe.” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has faced increasing criticism over these restrictions. Currently, an Asylum Act and Fundamental Law allows detention in two transit zones at the border of Serbia but carry no clear regulation concerning food provision. “This disregard for people’s wellbeing smacks of a cynical move to force people to give up their asylum claims and leave Hungary,” stated Lydia Gall, the Eastern European Union and Balkans researcher at Human Rights Watch.
MEDITERRANEAN Recent reports by the United Nations Refugee Agency found nearly 140,000 people arrived in Greece, Italy and Spain hoping for asylum since 2018, 11,000 of whom are children. In addition, The Red Cross estimates around 300,000 unaccompanied child migrants are at high risk of sexual violence during transit, reporting “[child migrants] are at very high risk of being assaulted, sexually abused, raped, trafficked into sexual exploitation or forced into ‘survival sex’ when traveling alone.”
AFRICA Along with sexual violence, children from sub-Saharan Africa face discrimination and racism after escaping abuse and violence at home, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Statistics by UNICEF report almost 40 percent of child refugees are girls aged 14–24 who are forced to leave their home country, 44 percent of which travel alone. “In Niger, we see young girls from Nigeria who sold themselves for sex for as low as $3,” IFRC President Francesco Rocca told Al
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Jazeera. “In Central America, there’s violence that drives them out. It creates a very, very difficult environment for them to live in.” “If there isn’t enough protection in the country of destination, there is a very high risk of being exploited and exposed to the violence,” Laurence Chandy, director of data and research and policy for UNICEF said to Al Jazeera.
CANADA A fire broke out in Halifax, Canada, killing seven Syrian refugee children in a family home. Their parents are currently receiving intensive care in a nearby hospital. The family fled to Canada as refugees from Raqqa, Syria in 2017. The children have been identified as Abdullah, Rana, Hala, Mohammed, Rola and Ahmed. The community in support of the family has put together a GoFundMe campaign.
POLAND In Warsaw, Poland, Al Jazeera interviewed Kazik, a 61-year old man who built his own garden at a refugee center where he fostered a welcoming friendship amongst the community. Kazik arrived in 2016 from the border city of Brest, Belarus with thousands of other refugees. Poland became the first country in the EU to ask for international protection from the horde of refugees. During the peak of the crisis, many families camped out at the central train station in Brest making daily attempts to reach Poland, yet hundreds were denied at the border. Madina, a 36-year old Chechen refugee along with her three children spent months in Brest, which borders Poland, before they were allowed entry into Poland after 17 attempts. Three years later, Madina and her family are still waiting for their papers. However, the family reports finding friendship and acceptance in the refugee community. Kazik recalls Chechen boys helping him build birdhouses while the women prepared traditional Chechen food. “I started believing in people,” said Kazik, who does not accept money for his work. “I saw their joy, the smiles on their faces and the painted birdhouses. It was incredible.” For those still living in refugee centers, limited by space and opportunity, community has
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 5, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
JOHN ROJAS
INTERNATIONAL
ITALEXIT, EUROPE’S AUSTRALIA FACING NEW BREXIT DOWN CLIMATE CHANGE
RIGHT, ITALIAN FIVE STAR MOVEMENT LEADER LUIGI DI MAIO. COURTESY OF FLICKR NATIONAL DAY OF CLIMATE ACTION IN MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA, NOV. 2013. COURTESY OF FLICKR
MADISON CECIL Italy has recently been questioning whether or not to leave the EU. After Brexit rocked the political scene in Europe for several years, an “Italexit” could be on the horizon. “The omens are quite good for the Italians, and, of course, it’s not going to be announced in advance that they will leave the Euro, but leave the Euro I think they will do. And it will be in their best interest to do so,” said British businessman Jim Mellon, according to Express. Mellon believes one of the major causes of Italy contemplating leaving the EU is the European Central Bank. Currently, Italy’s national debt is over $2.5 trillion. Mellon told CNBC, “There is no way the ECB can contain the Italian situation if it carries on as it is. We know if the [Italian government bonds] got above 4 percent and yield— and they’re not that far away from it—then Italy really has no option but to leave the Euro and take some drastic action.” When the country drafted their annual budget proposal, the Italian government attempted to increase their budget deficit to 2.4 percent. The move goes against EU regulations in place to protect what is called the “Eurozone,” an area made up of 19 countries in the EU which use the euro as their currency. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini agreed with Mellon, warning the EU against interfering with Italy’s 2019 budget. “We have a right to work, a right to health, a right to education, a right to pension,” Salvini said. The Deputy Prime Minister called on the citizens of Italy to stand by their government in a live Facebook video. “In Brussels, they have noth-
ing else to do but send us disapproving letters, threatening letters, telling us to change our budget plan, not to change our pension law. Telling us not to reduce taxation but to actually add more.” “Nothing and nobody, no big or small letter will make us backtrack. Italy will no longer be a slave and will no longer kneel down.” In November 2018, the EU threatened Italy, promising to fine the country unless the proposed budget changed to follow the EU’s guidelines. An agreement between the two parties was not reached until Dec. 19, resulting in Italy’s leaders agreeing to the terms of the EU. The compromise saw the reduction of the Italian budget by billions of dollars, and “did so in the face of costly penalties and potentially debilitating economic punishment,” according to The New York Times. “Those who are now ruling the EU have not been getting what the European people are really feeling,” said Ignazio Carraro, adviser to Luigi Di Maio, leader of the Five Star Movement. “In fact, they are heading in the opposite direction to what the people want. Their behavior and messages they continue to send out are exactly what the people have rejected.” In line with Carraro’s statement, Daniela Boni, a retired bank and government employee, told Al Jazeera, “I think Italy should leave the EU as well. I support Brexit, and I think [the UK] did well by keeping out of the Eurozone. We should look after our own borders and our own affairs.”
KEVIN SHANK In an unprecedented court case in Sydney, Australia over a new coal mine, the court ruled against the mine on Feb. 8, referencing climate change and carbon emissions as a consequence. The ruling marks a first for climate change holding precedence over politics and economy in Australia. Australia, among other Oceanic nations, has experienced first hand the effects of climate change, from the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef to changes in drought patterns. New fluctuations in weather events are also forcing the continent to confront the issue of climate change. According to U.S. News and World Report, “The court’s position stood against Australia’s most lucrative export, coal, showing how heavily worries over the impact of global warming are weighing on both the public and policymakers.” News site Climate Liability quoted the judge in the case and reiterated that he used specific language regarding how the mine will “contribute to climate change.” The Australian government set up a website through the Department of the Environment, Bureau of Meteorology to highlight the impact climate change will have on Australians. The continent has seen a 1 degree Celsius rise in average temperatures since the first recordings dating back to 1900.
Australia is naturally an arid country with already pronounced climates. The majority of the population lives in coastal areas threatened by rising sea levels due to global temperature rise and loss of sea ice at the north and south poles. The state of Queensland has experienced extreme climate variability including a seven-year drought, followed by floods “so vast that they are creating their own weather,” according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Up to 300,000 cattle died in the floods, jeopardizing the local and global economic viability of the region. According to the The Washington Post, “Australia’s economy relies heavily on its cattle herds, the majority of which are raised in Queensland.” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged $2 billion to a climate change initiative focused on reducing carbon emissions. The Climate Solutions Fund aims at reducing Australia’s emissions by 26–28 percent by 2030, a commitment made at the Paris climate agreement. The Southern Hemisphere is experiencing climate change at a faster rate than the Northern Hemisphere due to a variety of factors. In the face of rising sea levels, island nations have been especially vocal in criticizing the United States and European nations not experiencing the same extremes of weather events.
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ARTS & CULTURE
‘HOUSE OF PRICE’ MINIFESTIVAL REMINDS VIEWERS TRUE MEANING OF HORROR CERVANTÉ POPE Horror’s originators, as actors and directors, captured the core of conceptual fear in a simplistic, yet entirely unorthodox manner for the era. One of those pioneers was Vincent Price, the old school actor who, over the course of 51 years, became the considerable face of the genre through his roles in films like 1939’s Tower of London, 1954’s The Mad Magician, 1963’s The Haunted Palace and of course, his narrative role in Michael Jackson’s famed 1983 classic “Thriller,” among others. With a legacy as extensive as his, association with such a character surely comes with assumptions and expectations, especially if that association is familial. Those presumptions, however, were refuted in some way or another over two days at the Hollywood Theatre’s sold-out “House of Price” mini-festival, where Price’s daughter Victoria Price was in attendance. Each night, following screenings of The House on Haunted Hill and House of Wax respectively, Price opened up a bit about herself and her father during Q -and-A sessions. One thing she shared got both gasps and giggles from the crowd—she’s not really a fan of horror. “I don’t like being scared, but my dad always used to say ‘horror is a place where you can go into the dark and face your fears and have a catharsis, and it helps you deal with the real horrors of the world,’” Price said. “I understand that now. Nothing we can see on screen is as truly horrible as what we’re seeing in the world.”
you can’t even imagine them happening, so in a way, it’s facing something much more horrific but so unrealistic that it’s not horrific at all,” Price said. “It gives you this way of feeling all these things and thinking ‘I can face this.’” It’s not just sociopolitical turmoil that leads people to things that go bump in the night. Price also feels horror movies are a place for outsiders to be welcomed into a community more suited for outcasts and misfits, of which she in a way considers herself. “Horror draws to it people who feel in one way or another like they don’t fit into this supposedly perfect world we live in,” she said. “That, I totally get, because I’ve felt like I don’t fit in, either. I didn’t feel like I was normal, I feel like we’re all just in the business of being normal.”
Price spoke about the joy she felt at House of Price, which was because of her father, and no matter how different they may be, she carries on his legacy proudly, and Vincent Price fans thank her for it. “Here am I, this kid who loved her dad, and I get to hear these stories about people who loved him as much as I did,” Price said. “Of course differently, but just as much. I mean, how cool is that? He really was one of the brightest lights I’ve ever met and I thought all adults were going to be like him. Most adults really aren’t, but I feel like getting to carry that light forward is unbelievable, especially on a Saturday night 67 years after these movies came out to 350 people who just love him. That’s a gift.”
“HORROR IS A PLACE YOU CAN GO INTO THE DARK AND FACE YOUR FEARS.” –VICTORIA PRICE, DAUGHTER OF HORROR PIONEER VINCENT PRICE She’s right—for many, horror flicks are an escape from a fairly tragic reality. Her father got his start in scary movies during World War II, when people needed a distraction. In that regard, not much has changed considering our current climate, but the world horror movies transport us to is one where outlandish eccentricity ends up being easier to handle than the real world. “The things you see in these movies are so over the top that
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SCULPTURE OF VINCENT PRICE AS HENRY JARROD IN ‘HOUSE OF WAX,’ BY ARTIST CLAY SAYRE, AT WOLF’S MUSEUM OF MYSTERY. COURTESY OF FLICKR
ARTS & CULTURE
#DISARM PSU FILM FESTIVAL ADDRESSES ISSUES OF VIOLENCE AND RACE
SIGN DISPLAYING STARTING TIMES OF THE DISARM PSU FILM FESTIVAL. BO KOERING/PSU VANGUARD MAGGIE LOMBARD #DisarmPSU Film Festival, hosted by the Portland State University Student Union, was a three-day long event of films, lectures and workshops that focused on the roots of resistance, especially on campus. From all the history that was offered, those roots run deep. The lectures and workshops were mainly spearheaded by Portland State students and staff. Faculty members Dr. Lisa Bates of the School of Urban Studies and Planning gave a lecture on PSU’s current struggles within the context of the festival’s prog ramming, and Dr. Ho’esta Mo’e’hahne of the indigenous nations studies department lectured on anti-indigenous violence and colonialism. Students from the PSUSU led “Grassroots Organizing Workshop,” focusing on a history of student struggles from Portland to South Africa, as well as a history of the PSUSU and the tactics they employ to spread their message of promoting student autonomy. Mason Mimi Yadira, Ari Dato and Olivia Pace discussed the mechanisms of demonstration and protesting that students employ today and how they have drawn inspiration from historical protests around the world. They talked about protests in Montreal, France and South Africa, and how the PSUSU was formed in 2012 by students inspired by those Montreal protesters who fought against a sudden and unjustifiably high tuition hike in their universities. Tactics discussed included tabling,
sit-ins and die-ins, online activism, rallies and strikes—especially strikes that encouraged students to leave classes for the day and attend a meeting or gathering. No matter who was speaking, attendees were listening. “Dr. Ho’esta Mo’e’hahne’s lecture on indigenous resistance was the most popular,” said one of the organizers, Kaitlyn Dey, who also noted that the film about Standing Rock’s response to police activity was well received. The festival organizers were the driving force of the #DisarmPSU movement, having tried to get the film festival in full swing since the fall 2018 quarter. When asked about the difficulties of planning this event, Dey explained they faced less pushback from the university than they were used to. The only real hassle, according to Dey, was contacting all of the directors to ensure that they could air the films. This posed a real challenge, considering many of the films were small and dated. The first showing of the festival, for example, was a collage of archived footage of PSU protests of the 1970s. Another film was produced entirely by PSU students in 1970—with contributions from the 1970 Vanguard team—that were difficult to seek out today. That particular film, entitled Seventh Day, was striking to watch from the perspective of a current PSU student. Seeing footage of Lincoln Hall, Parkmill, Broadway and the Park
Blocks obscured by the flickering grain of black and white film, stirred up feelings of a strange familiarity—like a forgotten nostalgia for the campus we walk on every day. The most striking part, however, was seeing the footage of these spaces being crowded with student demonstrators and peaceful marching. Arms linked and peace signs flashing, they sung “We Shall Overcome” while grinning at the camera. The film then goes into showing scenes of Portland police tackling protesters with their backs turned, kicking fallen students, ramming protesters into a first aid tent and more vicious actions that perfectly encapsulated a student’s protest sign: “NON-VIOLENCE? TELL THAT TO THE POLICE.” How long until our campus looks the same? How long until the current student body is marching to City Hall, just as they did in 1970, to protest the issues that concern us today? The programming of the festival kept those questions in mind and presented attendees with options and opinions on how to proceed. Going forward, the PSUSU hopes that #DisarmPSU attendees were inspired enough to get involved with the union’s plans. The organization plans to attend the PSU Board of Trustees meeting on March 7 and speak out about the militarization of campus police. The public is welcome to attend, and they hope to see some familiar and inspired faces from the festival showing up in support.
PSU Vanguard • MARCH 5, 2019 • psuvanguard.com
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OPINION
PLAYING IN PAIN
SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD PRIORITIZE PAIN MANAGEMENT EDUCATION
JOHN ROJAS RICH RIGNEY Pain management in sports is a growing problem that exists in college and will continue into the professional arena. The issue of pain management among professional athletes and former pros is making headlines. Take for example the federal lawsuit filed against the NFL by former players alleging the violation of federal drug laws by team doctors. The mishandling of pain management has been an issue in the NFL for years, with a study revealing 52 percent of retired players using opioids during their NFL career and 71 percent of those players reporting misuse. What’s not being talked about nearly enough is the struggle of college athletes. Students who compete at the college level face the same challenges of pain management but often lack adequate information and guidance. A study by Indiana University comparing former college athletes to non-athletes found that the athletes were nearly twice as likely to suffer from chronic injuries, which leads athletes to become more susceptible to pain medication misuse and abuse. In a recent conversation with three college athletes about their experiences with pain management, they revealed coaches aren’t addressing it properly. More often than not, players are left to fend for themselves, and the domino effect of pain management can be costly. There are resources available to these players, but the emphasis seems to be on preventing injuries rather than dealing with the pain associated with injury in sports. “They told us all the work we had put in wouldn’t mean anything if we get hurt and that the best way to avoid getting hurt was to utilize our recovery options,” one student player said. “Doing things like foam rolling, hot tubbing, cold tubbing, stretching, cupping, stem and massages.” What seems to be the issue is the lack of conversation surrounding pain management when—not if—an injury occurs.
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When asked, each athlete confirmed that coaches hadn’t addressed pain management. “There isn’t really a conversation about long-term management,” one student player said. Another said he asked about long-term management in front of his coach and doctor, but “they both ducked the question and made it seem as if it wasn’t a big deal.” If the issue isn’t being addressed by coaches, how are these athletes coping with the pain? “Lots of my teammates smoke marijuana,” one student athlete said. This statement was echoed by the others. “Many athletes, including myself, turn to weed because they feel like no one is really looking out for their pain levels.” Another player said, “I know some who choose to smoke marijuana…I also have teammates who take pain killers or drink alcohol. It can vary from one end of the spectrum to the other.” So what is the cost of pain management? All the athletes said the insurance provided by their school covers most but not all of their expenses. “If I had made the decision to get surgery on my shoulder that would have been on me and my family to pay for,” one athlete said. As for the educational cost, players mentioned missing school and, in some cases, having to drop a class. “I wasn’t able to finish one of my classes due to the amount of school I had to miss,” another athlete added. “It definitely does affect your school work because sometimes you’re not even allowed to attend class for days at a time.” Perhaps costliest of all is the emotional toll of pain and pain management. “[The coaches] pretty much kicked me to the curb,” one player said. “They didn’t address the mental burden the injury would have, and I got extremely depressed.” They further added, “Some of my coaches would jokingly
flick me shit that I was faking the injury.” Another athlete expressed the feeling of futility when dealing with pain: “At that point, your body is in a lot of pain from trying to repair itself…it seems no matter what you take or do, it won’t improve the situation at the moment.” The pain incurred and the lack of response and support from coaches changed the way some of these athletes feel about playing college sports. Their responses varied. As one athlete put it, “I made the choice to compete at the college level and I knew coming into it that injury is possible.” “My personal experience with how the coaches handled my injury really turned me off from the sport I thought I loved so much,” another player said. “ I felt like they were so quick to give up on me after I destroyed my body playing for them.” “Every day I wake up with a pain that reminds me what I’m doing is not for everyone and it’s not ever going to be easy,” one student athlete said. “Looking back at everything I know now about injuries and the pain, I wouldn’t have changed anything about it. It all happened for a reason and I’m still healthy…for the most part.” Pain is an unavoidable aspect of college and pro sports. The change will come when schools and coaches educate and support their players when it comes to pain management. Signing a contract agreeing to continue your love of sports with an organization does not give them the right to ignore your body. If organizations put as much time and concern into the well-being of their players as they put into how much money they are going to make off the players, then and only then will there be a rightful balance. The students who spoke with Vanguard requested their identities remain confidential out of fear of potential retaliation from the athletics department.
OPINION
DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR BLACK WOMEN’S HAIR REPRESENTS BLACK COMMUNITY, IDENTITY
MOXXY ROGERS Black women do not serve to cater to your curiosity. Instead of violating someone’s personal space by touching their hair, maybe find absolutely anything else to do. Time and time again, Black women have endured the fiending hands reaching for their natural hair. This pestering and offensive reality should be no more—there is too much historical significance, representation of community and identity and not to mention, personal boundaries to allow for these actions. The expression of Black identity through iconic hairstyles dates all the way back to ancient Egypt. Many of the most popular Black hairstyles, such as dreadlocks, box braids and fade ups, can be found in hieroglyphics, drawings and engravings from thousands of years ago. These same hairstyles remain relevant in today’s modern hair scene among the Black community. It comes as no surprise some people might find such a great fascination with its mere existence that the only way to possibly comprehend it is to immediately touch it. However, don’t do it. Hair is something the Black community has taken pride in for many years and has even been used as a means of communication. During the Atlantic Slave Trade, enslaved
DANIELLE EMEKA Africans used cornrows—a style in which the hair is braided very close to the scalp—to transfer and create maps to help other slaves escape the plantations of their masters. Used as an act of active resistance, hairstyles for the Black community were more than just the look for the day—it was a means of survival. There is an understanding as a Black woman that hair is a part of identity, and whatever style it may be in is a direct reflection of personal expression not meant for unconsented touching. Though asking for permission to touch a Black person’s hair still perpetuates ideas of a petting zoo, it is a better alternative to the encroaching hands that invade the personal space and ownership of a Black woman’s crown. In response to having her hair constantly touched without her permission, Momo Pixel created Hair Nah!, an interactive game that allows the player to customize a Black character who swats away unwanted white hands from touching her hair. A Black art director at Wieden+Kennedy, one of the largest independently owned advertising agencies in the world and headquartered in Portland, Pixel copublished the game with the agency back in November 2017. In an interview with On She Goes, Pixel explained what she hoped would come out of creating this video game.
“I’m hoping to push the conversation further,” Pixel said. “Because I don’t know how many times Black people can keep telling folks to stop touching our hair and in how many different mediums before they get it. The moment someone mentions my hair, I grab it to claim ownership.” Pixel went on to comment about her personal experience with unwanted hands in her hair. “I’ll be walking, and a woman will reach her hands into my head,” she said. “I’m in the checkout line, and the cashier will reach across to caress my braids. I shudder thinking about it. It’s so creepy.” If there’s anything to take from Pixel’s game, it’s that everyone should respect each other’s boundaries. Touching someone else’s hair without permission is an invasion of personal space, and maybe playing the game will reveal how offensive these behaviors actually are. Game or not, respecting the personal space of others should go without saying. Being amazed or intrigued by the many hairstyles of Black women is your personal business, but the moment you act on your desire without consent then it becomes an issue. A good rule of thumb is to assume that most Black women, stranger or friend, will benefit from you keeping your hands to yourself.
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Cervanté Pope
MARCH 5–11 ART
MUSIC
“IT’S NOT ANY HOUSE YOU KNOW: NEW MYTHS FOR A CHANGING PLANET” PDX CONTEMPORARY ART TUE–SAT: 11 A.M.–6 P.M., THROUGH MARCH 31 • FREE
PORTLAND MARDI GRAS DAY PARADE N. MISSISSIPPI AVE. & N. HUMBOLDT ST.
CHERRY GLAZERR, PALEHOUND WONDER BALLROOM 8:30 P.M. • $15–20 Hear vocalist Clementine Creevy belt out catchy, grunge-punk tracks about periods and other aspects of female adolescence.
CHURCH OF FILM: ‘BLACK WAVES’ CLINTON STREET THEATER 8 P.M. • $5–8 SUGGESTED DONATION A compilation of Yugoslavian filmmakers’ short films in response to Titoism, which birthed the Black Wave cinematic movement.
ANTIFASCIST COURT SUPPORT MULTNOMAH COUNTY COURTHOUSE 8:30 A.M.–4 P.M. • FREE
“TAKE ME TO A PLACE I’VE NEVER BEEN BEFORE” MULTNOMAH ARTS CENTER MON–FRI: 9 A.M.–9:30 P.M., SAT AND SUN: 9 A.M.–5 P.M. • FREE
SIDNEY GISH, THE SHIVAS MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS 9 P.M. • $10–12 Gish touts “anti-folk” tracks with funny titles like “I’m Filled with Steak, and Cannot Dance” and “I Eat Salads Now,” but we swear she sings about more than just food.
‘MADE TO DANCE IN BURNING BUILDINGS’ SHAKING THE TREE THEATRE THU–SUN: 7:30 P.M., SUN: 2 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 16 • $10–30
“ART IN THE AGE OF MASS INCARCERATION” LEWIS & CLARK LAW SCHOOL 7–9 P.M. • FREE
“AND NOW, SQUARE THE TREES” FOURTEEN30 CONTEMPORARY TUE–SAT: 10 A.M.–5 P.M., THROUGH APRIL 27 • FREE This new collection of work by Sidony O’Neal may or may not actually have to do with trees.
JAMES BLAKE THE ROSELAND 9 P.M. • $39.50–49.50 For sad kids only. Bring a tissue.
‘POINT BREAK’ LIVE FUNHOUSE LOUNGE THU–SAT: 7 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 30 • $18–25 A live adaptation of the ‘90s Keanu Reeves “classic” that will probably be better than the movie itself.
“RADICAL SHABBAT: ANTI-SEMITISM VS. ANTI-ZIONISM” KARL MILLER CENTER 6:30 P.M. • FREE
“THE WATERS OF MARCH–SPRING” AUGEN GALLERY DESOTO TUE–SAT: 11 A.M.–5:30 P.M. AND BY APPOINTMENT, THROUGH MARCH 31 • FREE Rita Robillard’s newest collection is centered around water in different forms.
“LET’S DANCE: A BENEFIT FOR GROWING GARDENS” BARRIO (IN THE PORTLAND MERCADO) 9 P.M. • DONATION BASED
‘THE LEGEND OF ROCK PAPER SCISSORS’ WINNINGSTAD THEATRE SAT: 2 P.M., 5 P.M. SUN: 11 A.M., 2 P.M. THROUGH APRIL 14 • $15–32 If you were ever wondering where the hell this game came from, here’s its history carried out through song.
“SOCIAL JUSTICE SATURDAY” WOODLAWN MULTICULTURAL IMPACT COLLECTIVE 11 A.M.–1 P.M. • FREE Every second Saturday, Don’t Shoot Portland is asking community members to join them in identifying issues within the community and strategizing to solve them.
29TH ANNUAL “BUCKMAN ART SHOW & SELL” BUCKMAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 11 A.M. • $2–5 SUGGESTED DONATION Over 100 local vendors and artists will be sharing their crafts, as well as some student art, performances, face painting and food. All proceeds go to the school’s art program.
U SCO, THE NEW TRUST, CALYX, BEACH PARTY TURN! TURN! TURN! 8 P.M. • $8, 21+ Progressive math rock meets free jazz through local trio U Sco, for an interesting blend of noise.
‘STRAIGHT’ THE SANCTUARY AT SANDY PLAZA THU–SAT: 7:30 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 23 $15–35 Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola stage this play on sexual identity, fidelity and “equality.”
“GET IT ON PAPER: 20 YEARS OF ‘STREET ROOTS’ OPENING RECEPTION” COLLINS GALLERY AT MULTNOMAH COUNTY CENTRAL LIBRARY (DOWNTOWN) 2–4 P.M. • FREE
“ECHO” PACIFIC NORTHWEST COLLEGE OF ART MON–FRI: 9 A.M.–5 P.M. • FREE Artists Joe Feddersen debuts his series of works using ancient and contemporary glyphs based on pop culture.
ADIA VICTORIA, DICK STUSSO, EZZA ROSE DOUG FIR LOUNGE 9 P.M. • $13–15, 21+ Adia Victoria’s gothic blues/Americana takes you by surprise in the best way.
‘LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX’ JACK LONDON REVUE 7 P.M. • $5 Comedians and authors join together to have “the talk,” in a much funnier way than your parents ever had it with you.
REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE ACTION TEAM MEETING WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER 4 P.M. EVERY MONDAY • FREE If you’re down to fight for reproductive rights, join the action team to learn how to do so.
TUE MAR 5
RASHOMON LIVING ROOM THEATRE 3 P.M., 7 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 7 $11 ($8 WITH STUDENT ID)
MON MAR 11
LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO THE ALADDIN THEATER 7:30 P.M. • $35
COMMUNITY
SUN MAR 10
“FORTY BY FORTY: PAINTINGS FROM MOTHER WINTER” POWELL’S CITY OF BOOKS (DOWNTOWN) 9 A.M.–11 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 31 • FREE
FILM & THEATRE
To celebrate the start of Women’s History Month, this exhibition coincides with the release of Sophia Shalmiyev’s lyrical memoir Mother Winter, about starting a new life in the Pacific Northwest after escaping the Soviet Union.
WED MAR 6
Works by Jacques Flèchemuller, based on Spencer Beebe’s book on conservation titled Cache.
THU MAR 7
Dianne Jean Erickson taps into the imagery of her consciousness through these mixed media paintings.
They’re honestly so much more than Graceland, and the unity they’ve brought to South Africa throughout the years is virtuous.
FRI MAR 8 SAT MAR 9
DJ Small Skies will be spinning new wave and ‘80s tunes for the benefit of the Growing Gardens’ Home Gardens Program, which brings access and education on fresh food to those in need.
Rashomon goes through the same strange, tragic story, graphically told from four different perspectives.
Inspired by Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls and based on a true story, this amalgam of dance, theater and poetry comes with a trigger warning—it deals heavily with sexual abuse.
7 P.M. • FREE
Fat Tuesday done Portland-style. Should be interesting.
Frontline Solidarity is looking to build strength in numbers outside the courthouse for the first day of trials against proclaimed anti-fascist water protector Cozcacuhuatli Chicome.
The closing event of the school’s annual “Week Against Mass Incarceration” showcases art from people who have been or are currently incarcerated, as well as artists, readings and a presentation on Measure 11.
Deconstruct the differences between these two movements and their portrayal in the media at this monthly potluck dinner. Bring a dish!
Some of the paper’s vendors, supporters and leadership will be here discussing and celebrating two decades worth of history for this important publication.