Portland State Vanguard, Vol. 73, Issue 20

PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

VOLUME 73 • ISSUE 20 • MARCH 12, 2019

COVER: CAMPUS SAFETY REPORT RAISES MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS • NEWS: MICHAEL STRICKLAND RETURNS TO CAMPUS FOLLOWING BAN • ARTS: CHERYL STRAYED’S ‘TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS’ BRINGS ADVICE TO LIFE

CRIME BLOTTER CHLOE DYSART

March 4–10

MARCH 4 Sexual Assault

At approximately 1 p.m. CPSO took a report about an incident of sexual assault that occurred on Feb. 1 and Feb. 21 in an east campus residence hall. The survivor requested the case be referred to the dean of student life.

Disorderly conduct

CPSO responded to the activation of two fire alarms at approximately 7:09 p.m. in Cramer and Lincoln Hall. An area check and inspection from Portland Fire Bureau determined there was no sign of smoke or flame.

MARCH 6 Disorderly conduct

At approximately 4:54 p.m. CPSO was dispatched to Lincoln Hall after a fire alarm was activated. A witness was able to identify a suspect who pulled the alarm, and a non-student was arrested for disorderly conduct.

MARCH 7 Civil Hold

At approximately 10:14 p.m. on SW 6th and Mill, CPSO located a nonstudent who was not able to care for themselves due to intoxication and transported them to a detox center.

MARCH 8 Trespass warning

CSPO issued an exclusion to a non-student at approximately 9:11 a.m. in the first floor cafeteria of Smith Memorial Student Union after receiving a report that the person had been masturbating.

Attempted robbery

At approximately 11:55 p.m. CPSO and Portland Police Bureau responded to a report of armed robbery in Parking Structure One. An area check was attempted but the suspect was not located. An interview with the victim identified the suspect as a white male, 40–50 years of age, in a black ski mask, all black clothing and holding a rifle. The case remains open and pending.

MARCH 10 Arson

CPSO and Portland Fire Bureau responded to a trash can fire at approximately 5:45 p.m. on SW 5th and Montgomery. The arson investigator was notified due to many incidents of arson in the downtown area.

CONTENTS COVER BY SAVANNAH QUARUM

NEWS INTERNATIONAL HILL TO HALL P. 3 ISRAEL OPENS ELECTIONS EARLY DUE TO ALLEGED CORRUPTION

REPORT EXPLORES RENOVATION OF SMSU P. 3 FAILED U.S.­–NORTH KOREA SUMMIT

P. 10 P. 11

SHOURESHI RESPONDS TO REPORTS ON ETHICAL ISSUES, STAFF MISTREATMENT

P. 4

ARTS & CULTURE GARBAGE DAY–‘THE BOXER’S OMEN’

P. 12

PROTESTERS SILENCE CONTROVERSIAL SPEAKER AT COLLEGE REPUBLICAN EVENT

P. 5

LIFE COMING TO FRUITION

P. 13

OPINION FATE OF THE FORESKIN

P. 14

THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO BE GAY

P. 15

EVENTS CALENDAR

P. 16

INTERNATIONAL BODY PARTS OF PEOPLE WITH ALBINISM USED FOR WITCHCRAFT

P. 6

THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD

P. 7

COVER CAMPUS COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO MARGOLIS HEALY REPORT

P. 8–9

STAFF

EDIT ORI A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nada Sewidan MANAGING EDITOR Marta Yousif NEWS EDITORS Chris May Anamika Vaughan INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Lukas Amsden ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Cervanté Pope OPINION EDITOR Taylar Rivers ONLINE EDITOR Sangi Lama

COPY CHIEF Hannah Welbourn COPY EDITOR Ryan O’Connell Contributors Alex Kirk Amen Madison Cecil Sophie Concannon Chloe Dysart Andrew Gaines Shandi Hunt Shayla Naswood Emily Price Marena Riggan Van Vanderwall Delaney White PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Bo Koering

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Emma Josephson PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Savannah Quarum LEAD DESIGNER John Rojas DESIGNERS Colin Davis 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

REPORT EXPLORES RENOVATION OF SMSU MARCH 5­–8 SOPHIE CONCANNON

MARCH 5: SCOTT GOTTLIEB RESIGNS AS FDA CHIEF Trump administration appointee Scott Gottlieb resigned as the head of the Food and Drug Administration. Gottlieb garnered bipartisan support for his strict regulatory legislation against tobacco and e-cigarettes, as well as his attempts to “speed up approval times for cheap generic medicines to increase competition and bring down drug prices,” according to The New York Times. The White House has supported Gottlieb’s efforts as FDA chief and did not ask him to resign. Despite Gottlieb’s apparent concerns about the opioid epidemic, in November of 2018 the FDA approved the drug Dsuvia—a new fentanyl painkiller “five to ten times more powerful than pharmaceutical fentanyl,” according to The Washington Post.

MARCH 6: WHEELER ENDORSES FAIR ARRESTS OF RIGHT-WING AGITATORS Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler acknowledged a disparity in arrests between left-wing and right-wing protestors. Following complaints of unfair treatment, Wheeler echoed earlier calls for the District Attorney to have a heavier hand in arresting right-wing agitators at events. Police and prosecutors told a mayoral representative they “couldn’t arrest or indict people involved in mutual combat”—a term for a consensual fight—according to Willamette Week, despite Oregon law officially banning any type of fighting.

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s office told Wheeler right-wing agitators involved in an incident recorded in October 2018 could face criminal prosecution, but a lack of victim cooperation has held back prosecution efforts.

MARCH 8: POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE SETTLES UNCOUNTED VOTES FROM MIDTERM ELECTION On Friday, the directors of Defend Oregon—a union-backed political action committee—agreed to disclose who handles ballots after 97 voters were disenfranchised during the 2018 midterm election. On Nov. 6, 2018, Defend Oregon failed to properly submit the ballots and was fined $94,750 for elections violations, according to Portland Tribune. The fine is to be reduced if Defend Oregon complies with newly enforced standards in handling ballots. In response to the incident, the Oregon Elections Division said, “the harm of not having a ballot counted… is more severe than any other violation of election law.”

MARCH 8: MANAFORT SENTENCED TO 47 MONTHS IN JAIL A judge widely perceived to be sympathetic to Paul Manafort handed the former Trump campaign chairman a sentence of nearly four years out of a possible 19-year prison sentence related to eight felony counts during a sentencing hearing. “[Manafort] is not before this court for anything having to do with collusion with the Russian government to influence this election,” Judge T.S. Ellis III said, according to The New York Times. Manafort will be sentenced for two additional counts of conspiracy directly related to Russian interference, facing a possible consecutive sentence of up to 10 years.

AUDIENCE MEMBER RESPONDS DURING LISTENING SESSION FOR SMSU RENOVATION. SHAYLA NASWOOD/PSU VANGUARD CHRIS MAY Portland State’s Smith Memorial Student Union could undergo a multimillion dollar facelift within the next two years—as long as students are willing to foot the bill.

Architecture and design firm Opsis Architecture held an info session on March 4 to discuss a study that will ultimately bring a design proposal forward to students and ask whether they are willing to undertake significant student fee increases to modernize SMSU’s aging infrastructure.

The price tag for this modernization could run as high as $90/term for all students over the next 20–30 years.

Many issues have been identified with SMSU over the years, including a lack of natural light, limited space availability and scheduling constraints, along with wayfinding issues and accessibility challenges.

“I have 1,200 students and I can only get 49 in our space,” said Casey Curry, the new director of the Veteran’s Resource Center.

This will be the third study in 10 years on potential renovations to SMSU. In 2013, the Associated Students of Portland State University Student Fee Committee set aside $150,000 to produce the Smith 2020 Report, which looked at student needs, renovation costs and a set of conceptual designs for a range of different projects.

During ASPSU’s 2016 elections, a referendum to renovate SMSU based on that report failed to pass.

Students currently have very little say in how space is allocated in SMSU, but if student financing of the renovations were to move forward, all space housing nonstudent-centered organizations would open up and the administration of the building would shift to a studentcontrolled model.

What “student-controlled” ultimately looks like has yet to be determined, said Jason Franklin, director of campus planning and design at PSU. Why SMSU is not

already student-controlled was not addressed during the info session.

On March 13, a steering committee consisting of campus planning staff, a student government representative and Opsis employees will decide on a single renovation plan that will be included in a survey scheduled to go out in May. The cheapest option is estimated to cost $37–38 million and would update aging systems, complete deferred maintenance and include accessibility upgrades.

The most ambitious project is estimated to cost $110– 120 million and would see a total renovation of SMSU, including a removal of the mezzanine level and an addition of two floors in the NE quadrant.

In all cases, any innovations and new construction would be financed through an increase to student fees.

During construction, which is estimated to take 18–20 months, SMSU would remain partially occupied.

“I’m not saying if we did renovate it that [SMSU] would be a pleasant place to be,” Franklin said, “but it is less expensive to do it that way.”

If students get on board with the proposed plan, PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi and the Board of Trustees would still have to sign off on any proposed fee increases. Depending on what financing is available, student fees might not increase until the building renovations are finished.

When asked if any research had been done on impacts to students facing financial hardships or transfer students who might not be around to see the completed renovations, ASPSU University Affairs Director Emily Korte said those issues were concerns but no “extensive research” had been done.

A Smith Modernization Open House is scheduled from Noon–3 p.m. on April 3 in SMSU 101.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

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NEWS

SHOURESHI RESPONDS TO REPORT ON ETHICAL ISSUES, STAFF MISTREATMENT ‘OREGONIAN’ ARTICLE CONTAINS ERRORS AND MISLEADING COMMENTS, SAYS PRESIDENT CHRIS MAY Portland State President Rahmat Shoureshi responded on March 4 to an Oregonian report on ethical issues and staff mistreatment within the president’s office, sending a letter to staff and faculty in which the president claimed the article contained “errors and misleading comments.”

Students were not sent the letter, said PSU Director of Media and Public Relations Kenny Ma, because “we have not gotten any questions from them so far.”

The letter did not elaborate on specific examples of errors or misleading comments, but Shoureshi’s letter stated “the Board of Trustees has wisely undertaken a full review of the facts, and I am committed to cooperating fully with this effort.”

The Board has not issued a public response following the allegations and refused to answer any questions during a special Board meeting on March 7.

“We have serious concerns about your ability to be successful at PSU,” stated a Nov. 14 letter to Shoureshi from PSU Board of Trustees chair Gale Castillo.

“We’re not going to discuss any of this today,” Castillo said when asked about the extent to which all Board members were aware of the issues with the president and whether any student leaders or representatives were informed of the Board’s actions.

Among the allegations included in the report are claims that Shoureshi “bullied and degraded employees,”—primarily women—used PSU money for personal gain, violated state ethics rules and exposed the university to significant financial risk via new initiatives and financial partnerships.

After demanding an increase to his monthly housing stipend—raising his total compensation to over $720,000—Shoureshi then became involved in the sale of a PSU-owned mansion he originally declined to live in for free.

University lawyers intervened after determining Shoureshi’s involvement posed a conflict of interest, according to The Oregonian, and directed him to recuse himself from any negotiations that could affect his compensation package as a public employee.

After receiving the Board’s Nov. 14 letter, which included an ultimatum to resign or agree to a “performance plan” that included executive coaching, Shoureshi opted for the latter.

One of Shoureshi’s executive assistants had been instructed to source electronic components from China to be used in a “smart shoe” technology research project. University lawyers notified Shoureshi that he could not use

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PSU money or staff time to advance research begun at his former employer.

The research continued to be conducted at the New York Institute of Technology, but Shoureshi had authorized the purchase of components with PSU funds, according to The Oregonian.

Shoureshi’s full letter is included below.

Dear PSU Community, I am writing to PSU faculty and staff members to express my strong, continuing commitment to the values and mission of Portland State University.

Since joining PSU, I have enjoyed countless conversations with students and with campus and civic leaders. I have come away impressed with PSU’s contributions to this community and its potential for greatness. PSU’s stakeholders are eager to see us take the kinds of bold and innovative actions that will create more academic, research and career opportunities necessary to prepare our students for meaningful and prosperous lives. Oregonians are looking to PSU to use our academic resources to create a more sustainable, equitable and healthy community and planet.

I share this commitment to letting knowledge serve, and I believe that a great, diverse urban university should play a leading role in addressing pressing issues such as homelessness, economic development and sustainability. I believe that I am in complete alignment with the Board of Trustees on an agenda that has so far resulted in the creation of the PSU CO-OP program, two research centers of excellence, increased engagement with PSU alumni and enhanced relationships with donors and business leaders.

Our campus truly does bristle with energy and ambition, as Jeff Manning reported in his article in the Sunday Oregonian. Unfortunately, his article also contained errors and misleading comments. The Board of Trustees has wisely undertaken a full review of the facts, and I am committed to cooperating fully with this effort.

I plan to continue to update the Board of Trustees on the steps our dedicated faculty and staff are undertaking to support the mission and values of PSU. I look forward to working closely with the Board on our dynamic and innovative initiatives to improve opportunities for PSU students and create a more equitable and sustainable university for generations to come.

Warm regards, Rahmat Shoureshi President

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

PRESIDENT SHOURESHI ANSWERS QUESTIONS DURING THE QUARTERLY PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PSU STUDENT MEDIA. BO KOERING/ PSU VANGUARD

NEWS

PROTESTERS SILENCE CONTROVERSIAL SPEAKER AT COLLEGE REPUBLICANS EVENT

PROTESTER INTERRUPTS EVENT WITH COWBELL. SOPHIE CONCANNON/PSU VANGUARD SOPHIE CONCANNON After being invited back to Portland State’s campus following a two-year ban for drawing his gun on protesters, conservative blogger Michael Strickland received a less-thanwarm welcome.

A March 5 College Republicans event hosting Strickland was quickly derailed by protesters from the Cascadian Resistance and the Anonymous Underground Activist group after a protester identifying as Sawyer Bohannon started ringing a cowbell every time Strickland tried to speak.

“You pointed a gun at me two years ago,” Bohannon said.

“I didn’t touch you, and you pointed a gun at me. I’m just exercising my First Amendment rights.”

Strickland did not have an opportunity to speak during the event’s scheduled time, and PSU Conferences and Events agreed to extend the event by half an hour. Once Bohannon departed, the event resumed as planned, according to College Republicans President Philip Arola.

Two years ago, Portland Community College and PSU banned Strickland from their campuses for a July 2018 incident where Strickland pointed a gun at a group of protesters during a Black Lives Matter protest. Strickland was arrested and found guilty of 21 counts — “10 counts of unlawful use of a weapon, 10 counts of menacing and one count of second-degree disorderly conduct” according to The Oregonian. Strickland is currently in the process of appealing the ruling.

Strickland’s two-year campus ban at PSU ended in July of 2018.

PCC banned Strickland for life. “The two-year exclusion has been past practice by Portland State University’s Campus Public Safety Office for at least 23 years,” said PSU Director of Media Relations Kenny Ma. As part of Strickland’s sentence, the judge banned him from owning guns, covering political events and posting recorded content on his YouTube channel, LaughingAtLiberals. He was sentenced to three years’ parole and 40 days in jail.

Strickland claimed at the event he has a First Amendment rights violation case because the judge’s order stopped him from recording political content. Arola said the group invited Strickland to speak at their event because he had a “long history of documenting these kinds of events [and] rallies that go on in Portland...he was a valuable voice silenced by the court system.”

Arola characterized the restrictions placed on Strickland as an exceptional case. “It’s obviously very common for felons to lose their firearm rights, but very rare to lose their First Amendment rights.”

Social media platforms have introduced myriad legal issues for courts to work through, with the Supreme Court ruling in 2017 that access to the “public square” social media represents is constitutionally protected by the First Amendment.

Though access to social media is constitutionally protected, Strickland’s situation is one of many cases where ex-convicts

on parole have limitations placed on heir communications and conduct as part of their conditional release.

When confronted at his event about the 2016 incident, Strickland said, “I would have shot those protesters. I was ready to shoot, because I was trained to shoot.”

“I was ready to shoot the ones that I interpreted as direct threats to me,” Strickland said in response to protesters who questioned his qualifications to determine when it was appropriate to shoot unarmed protesters.

A member of the Anonymous Underground Activist group later claimed in an email that “[Strickland is] not knowledgeable, let alone responsible enough to handle or carry a firearm in public.”

“No one in the crowd was armed, within arm’s length or a threatening distance…he drew his weapon on protesters that were about 15 feet away,” the e-mail continued.

Strickland has consistently clashed with protesters at politically-charged events.

The judge’s decision to forbid Strickland to record—and to raise bail to $250,000—was based off of District Attorney Kate Molina’s argument alleging Strickland sent “possibly racebased threats” to an attendee at a Portland vigil for the Pulse shooting victims in 2016. “[The attendee] screamed his phone number into my camera and encouraged people to call him …he filed a false police report,” Strickland said during the College Republicans event, denying the harassment accusations.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

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INTERNATIONAL

BODY PARTS OF PEOPLE WITH ALBINISM USED FOR WITCHCRAFT EMILY PRICE Malawi is offering a reward of $7,000 for any information regarding abductions and attacks on people with albinism. The reward comes ahead of elections after the killing of Yasin Phiri triggered public outcry over government inaction.

Phiri was killed on New Year’s Day in front of his young son. According to local media, his arms were hacked off along with his private parts, and his teeth were removed. Albino bones are believed to be made of gold dust and are used as an ingredient in witchcraft.

In rural Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, belief in witchcraft is widespread, and it is commonly believed the body parts of people with albinism can increase an individual’s wealth. The body of a person with albinism can fetch up to $75,000 U.S. on the black market.

Albinism is a genetically inherited disorder that results in the partial absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes. The condition is more common in sub-Saharan Africa where 1 in 5,000 people have albinism. Malawi has a population of 16.5 million and an estimated 10,000 of them have albinism.

Human rights groups such as Under the Same Sun have noticed a trend in deaths of people with albinism increasing during elections, noting that the individuals purchasing the potion for good luck tend to be wealthy and educated.

“Every election period brings with it a new cycle of killings. In between we have smaller elections translating to more abductions, more killings,” said Amir Manentoa, a retired judge and human rights activist.

“We see an increase of witchcraft and the use of human body parts, particularly albino body parts, in the run-up to the general elections,” said Manentoa, who for decades has been a prominent figure in the campaign for the rights of people living with albinism.

Few arrests have been made against attackers and witchdoctors and not a single buyer has been arrested or convicted. “Police

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are failing to uncover the syndicate behind the killings,” said civil rights group Malawi Human Rights Defender. Malawians are wondering why the government is frustrating efforts to deal with the albino killings.”

Bonfice Massah, the national coordinator of Association of Persons with albinism in Malawi stated that the government’s refusal to prosecute suspects accused in Albino related crimes has left a persecuted community of 10,000 in fear.

“We face a high risk of attack and we have seen government commitment in words, but not in action,” Massah said in an interview with Southern Times.

Last year in commemoration of International Albinism Awareness Day, Malawi announced a national action plan to ensure the security of people with albinism. The plan has an estimated budget of 3.1 billion Malawian kwacha and centers on the safety of people with albinism, support for victims of attack, civic education, community building and raising awareness.

Edge Kanyongolo, an associate professor of law at the University of Malawi, blames the attacks on the failing economy. “The attacks on persons with albinism are a manifestation of a larger problem...people don’t have options to earn money,” Kanyongolo said in an interview with Al Jazeera. “This then drives them to be so desperate and, as some would say—so irrational—as to think that getting the body parts of a type of person and so on, may make you rich.”

According to the International Labour Organization, two out of every 5 Malawians of age are unemployed and the currency has dropped by almost 50 percent with inflation more than 20 percent since the collapse of the tobacco market in 2012.

“This witchcraft belief is taking us to a bad place,” said Anas Aremeyaw Anas, an undercover investigator who arrested a witchdoctor responsible for the attack of an 11-year-old boy. “We’re going to kill each other for no reason.”

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

A CHILD WITH ALBINISM IN MALAWI. COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

INTERNATIONAL

THIS WEEK

around the

WORLD March 3–10

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March 3

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VENEZUELA

The German Ambassador to Venezuela Daniel Kriener was declared persona non grata and told on March 3 to leave the country within 48 hours. According to Deutsche Welle, Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry accused Kriener of repeatedly “[interfering] in the country’s internal affairs” due to his support for opposition leader and self-proclaimed President Juan Guaidó. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was quoted by the German news outlet saying, “this is an incomprehensible decision that aggravates the situation and does not contribute to de-escalation. Our, Europe’s, support for Juan Guaidó is unbroken.”

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March 6

U.S.–MEXICO BORDER

NBC 7 reported leaked documents they obtained through a Homeland Security source proving the existence of a United States secret database containing information of activists and journalists reporting on the caravan of migrants and asylum seekers along the U.S.–Mexico border. Following speculation from journalists who reported extensive inspections and scrutiny by U.S. Customs

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and Border Protection, the leaked documents show the government agency used the database to collect information on specific journalists, with alerts placed on some passports and denial of entry into Mexico for at least two photojournalists.

The American Civil Liberties Union responded to the report, stating, “the conduct of the U.S. government in retaliating against journalists and activists at the border is disturbing and unacceptable. We’re exploring all available options to hold it accountable.”

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March 8

TURKEY

Despite a ban on protests issued ahead of a planned demonstration, thousands of people, the majority of whom were women, gathered in the streets of Istanbul to march in celebration of International Women’s Day. According to Middle East Eye, many carried signs or waved purple flags while people chanted slogans such as “Jin, Jiyaz, Azadi” (Kurdish for “Woman, Life, Freedom”), while Al Jazeera reported demonstrators carrying banners reading “Feminist revolt against male violence and poverty” and chanting slogans such as “We are not silent, we are not scared, we are not obeying.” After demonstra-

tors assembled at Taksim Square, hundreds of riot police descended on the scene blocking protesters from advancing while firing tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. A police officer who wished to remain anonymous told Middle East Eye the intervention was planned long before the protest, while another said security measures were taken due to the praising of a jailed separatist leader.

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March 8

JERUSALEM

that surrounded them and sought to prevent the Women of the Wall, at any cost, from exercising their right to pray at the Western Wall according to their custom.” In response, police accused Women of the Wall members of deliberately escalating the situation with the Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators, while Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman told reporters the organization needed to be “kicked out.”

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In celebration of International Women’s Day and their 30th anniversary as an organization, the Israeli-based women’s rights group Women of the Wall organized a special prayer service at the Western Wall. The service was disrupted after thousands of Ultra-Orthodox protesters descended on the scene. Women of the Wall fights for the right of women to pray at the Western Wall, a Jewish holy site built of limestone that was once a part of the Second Jewish Temple.

The Times of Israel reported members of the women’s rights group were shoved and pushed to the ground by the Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators. The organization has accused Israeli police of negligence in their response, claiming they “abandoned the Women of the Wall to the mercy of the bullying behavior of the angry mob

March 10

ETHIOPIA

Minutes after taking off from the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 flight ET 302 en route to Nairobi, Kenya crashed, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew members on board. According to Ethiopian Airlines’ CEO Tewolde Gebremarian via Deutsche Welle, the plane had only been in operation for less than a year with no known technical problems. The pilot had requested to turn back after reporting difficulties with the plane. Al Jazeera reported the plane lost contact with air traffic control just six minutes after takeoff. Passengers from 35 different countries were on board, with 32 from Kenya, 18 from Canada, nine from Ethiopia and eight each from the U.S., China and Italy, while at least a dozen were affiliated with the UN.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

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COVER

‘I’LL BE AROUND UNTIL THE GUNS ARE PUT DOWN’ CAMPUS COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO MARGOLIS HEALY REPORT

ANAMIKA VAUGHAN Hundreds of members of the Portland State community voiced their frustration and critiques regarding the Margolis Healy report recommendation to retain armed PSU officers.

The community responded at a special Board of Trustees meeting on March 7 in the Smith Student Memorial Union Ballroom as a result of the campus public safety report.

Comments were directed at the Board and at members of Margolis Healy, who also attended the meeting to present and answer questions about the report.

Board Chair Gale Castillo has said that a final decision will be made in May or June and that PSU will form a campus safety committee made up of students, faculty and staff. This committee will do outreach across campus to gather responses to the report from the PSU community to inform the Board.

ARMAMENT AND ALTERNATIVES The most controversial recommendation in Margolis Healy report was to retain armed campus police officers. Though the report also recommended the university change how armed officers are deployed, such as having their primary focus on dangerous situations and to increase the presence of nonsworn officers, many students and faculty felt that this decision did not represent the wishes of the PSU community to disarm campus police.

“You’re upset there is a wedge between students and campus police; you created this wedge,” said student Olivia Pace, senator for the Associated Students of PSU and member of PSU Student Union. “You created a police force in direct defiance of a community that you should be accountable to, but of course you’re not accountable to us. You cannot continue to

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empower security on our campus to use violence to solve these problems. It is not working.”

Student Board member Antonio Leiva asked members of Margolis Healy why they made the recommendation to retain armed officers when “the majority of people” wanted to disarm.

“I don’t want to quibble about the majority or not the majority,” replied Steven Healy, chief executive officer of Margolis Healy. “The majority of the respondents of the survey, representing 14 percent of your community, oppose armament. So I think it’s important to be accurate about that—52 percent of 14 percent of the folks in your campus community oppose arming.”

Healy also explained the highest risk of disarming campus police is being unable to respond in a timely manner to a potentially violent situation.“Relying on the local police to respond to your campus where they don’t know your campus... we believe that creates a significant delay,” he said.

In addition, Portland Police Bureau has said it is not interested in providing security for PSU campus as they are experiencing challenges with staffing already, according to Ronnell Higgins, senior associate at Margolis Healy and chief of police at Yale University.

Healy added there should be more training and focus on the non-sworn officers and to develop training for those officers comparable to the level of training provided for sworn officers.

Board member Maude Hines inquired about the recommendations regarding non-lethal weapons.

“We didn’t make any recommendations about non-lethal weapons,” Healy said. “I think embedded within the recommendations [about alternatives] we talked about whether folks would continue to have batons and [pepper spray].”

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

PSU student Kaitlyn Dey, member of PSUSU, presented a counter-proposal to the Board, which included disarming and disbanding the campus public safety office and investing in non-police alternatives, such as de-escalation and bystander intervention programs.

“We do not want law enforcement to be replaced with more law enforcement,” Dey said. “In fact, we believe this was a fundamental problem with Margolis Healy report. Margolis Healy is made up of former law enforcement officials, which means they are always going to give us law enforcement alternatives.”

JASON WASHINGTON While Jason Washington’s death was not investigated by Margolis Healy, it was still the focal point of many testimonies given by members of the public as they responded to Margolis Healy’s recommendation to retain armed campus police.

Dozens of Disarm PSU student activists attended the meeting holding signs reminding members of the Board of the fatal incident. Andre Washington, brother of Jason Washington and PSU alumnus, participated in public comment. Washington’s wife and three daughters also attended the meeting.

Andre brought up his problem with the use of the term “21st century policing” in the report, a task force initiative born under the Obama administration after the fatal shooting of a black man in Ferguson, Mo., by police officers.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police defines 21st century policing as “best practices designed to help agencies promote effective crime reduction while building

COVER

MEMBERS OF PORTLAND STATE STUDENT UNION AND RELATIVES OF JASON WASHINGTON DENOUNCE THE STATEMENT MADE BY PSU STUDENT ON THE MARGOLIS HEALY REPORT BEFORE SHE LEFT. BO KOERING/ PSU VANGUARD

public trust and safeguarding officer well-being.”

“When you use language like 21st century policing, it has everything to do with Jason Washington,” Andre said.

The report recommended 21st century policing training to all department members and states that the task force initiative “continues to serve as a blueprint for strengthening community policing and building substantive and sustainable collaboration between the police and the public they serve.”

“Disarm CPSO immediately,” Andre said. “One life, Jason Washington’s life, was enough, actually it was too much...I’ll be around until the guns are put down.”

Another student used Washington’s death to support armament of campus police during her statement to the Board.

After describing her own understanding of the incident, the student said “long story short, there’s a drunk guy with a gun who is not following orders, and in my opinion that’s a very scary situation, especially on a college campus. All of this is entirely disregarded when disarm PSU claims that Jason Washington was unjustifiably shot at.”

The testimony was cut short by an outcry from both the family and student activists, who shouted over her, telling her to stop and breaking into a chant of “disarm PSU, disarm PSU.” Castillo requested the student be given a chance to finish her comment.

“She’s saying he deserved it,” said one of Washington’s daughters. “[She was] just telling me that my dad deserved it.”

The student ended her testimony short and exited the ballroom. Another student attempted to use Washington’s death to support armament at the end of the public comment section, but was also silenced by student activists.

HOUSELESSNESS

REPORT CRITIQUES

Several community members took issue with how houseless communities were characterized in the report, which refers to the houseless and houselessness around 108 times.

Associate Professor Greg Townley, director of the Homeless Research and Action Collaborative on campus, said that HRAC is deeply concerned with the report. “[HRAC] voiced concerns of research methodology in the report, and the reports reinforcement of erroneous and damaging misinformation about individuals experiencing homelessness,” Townley said.

He also explained that the report is misleading because it uses percentages of respondents instead of the actual number of respondents from the survey.

“This can serve to misrepresent the magnitude of the concerned among a very small subgroup,” Townley said. “From the respondents, 14.2 percent reported feeling unsafe on campus, 10.6 percent of these respondents felt unsafe because of [houseless]/non-students in the buildings and classrooms. This corresponds to 61 respondents: a mere one percent of the 4,145 who were surveyed.”

He also criticized the way in which the report “conflates [houselessness] with drug use and criminality,” and cites a recent report from the National Coalition for the Homeless which said that homeless individuals are far more likely to be victims of violent crime.

“It is erroneous and damaging to make assumptions about people’s housing status based on their behaviors,” Townley said.

Student Benjamin Donlon, member of Right 2 Survive, also took issue with how both the report and the university has tackled the issue of houselessness.

Many members of the public took issue with the social science methodology used by Margolis Healy while collecting data from community members, particularly with the survey.

Several faculty members specifically took issue with a “double-barreled” question on the survey which asked whether or not respondents supported trained, armed campus police officers.

“This casts major doubt on the validity of this question and the accuracy of the responses to the question,” Townley said. “Follow-up comments show the respondents had answered affirmatively to questions based on their support of having trained officers without necessarily advocating for them to be armed officers.”

“This brings into question the central conclusion of the report,” he said.

Assistant Professor Megan Horst for urban studies and planning pointed out the lack of “robust analysis of the respondents,” such as whether students lived on campus, commuted or only took classes online.

Marisa Zapata, professor of urban planning, said “some of the findings contradict one another, such as saying that PSU should be innovative or saying that campus safety lacks a coherent strategy. How can you recommend an entity maintaining lethal weapons of force when they lack a coherent policing strategy?”

Zapata also found it important to “not allow the Margolis Healy report to function as a driver of the conversation, rather it should be put into the cacophony of voices and reports and data already available on campus.”

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

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INTERNATIONAL

ISRAEL OPENS ELECTIONS EARLY DUE TO ALLEGED CORRUPTION ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, WAS HONORED BY HUDSON INSTITUTE WITH THE HERMAN KAHN AWARD, 2016. COURTESY OF HUDSON INSTITUTE MARENA RIGGAN Due in large part to criminal allegations of corruption against current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israelis will go to the polls on April 9 to elect a new Knesset, the national legislature of Israel.

Based on early opinion polls, Haaretz reported the Likud Party may take a majority of the 120 parliamentary seats, in which case Netanyahu will serve a fifth term in office. However, the recent decision by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to indict Netanyahu on the charges mid-campaign have thrown a wrench in the outcome.

WHY THE EARLY ELECTIONS? Israel’s general elections should be held in the month of Heshvan, which sits somewhere between the months of late September and early November in the Gregorian calendar.

However, due to the recent political turbulence, Netanyahu dissolved the Knesset in December 2018 while calling for early elections.

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Political disputes became apparent in November when the now former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman resigned from his post due to disagreement over Netanyahu’s decision to sign a truce with Hamas. Subsequently, Liberman’s party Yisrael Beiteinu left its coalition with Netanyahu’s Likud, leaving the ruling party with only a slight majority in the Knesset.

Additionally, the prosecution recommended indictment in mid-December of two of three cases brought by the police: Case 2000 and Case 4000.

According to The Economist, police have been investigating Netanyahu and his wife Sara—who is already on trial—for bribery, fraud and breach of trust since 2016. Case 2000 alleges Netanyahu influenced a newspaper to have more favorable coverage of himself in exchange for curbing the outlet’s competitor. Case 4000 alleges Netanyahu intervened in telecom giant Bezeq in order to have more favorable coverage as well.

An additional case, Case 1000, alleges Netanyahu received illegal gifts in various forms such as champagne, Cuban cigars and jewelry, with the total worth equivalent to over $270,000.

WHICH PARTIES ARE RUNNING? The 2019 elections are seeing a number of new parties vying for seats in the Knesset, as well as smaller parties creating coalitions in order to fulfill the necessary thresholds. New parties include the green Zionist Hosen Y’Israel, liberal Telem, welfare reform Gesher and the right-wing Hayamin Hehadesh.

Ultra-Orthodox parties include Shas and the United Torah Judaism, while returning parties of the right-wing include Yisrael Beiteinu and Habayit Hayehudi. Israel’s original party, the Labor Party, is socialist democratic, as is the green party Meretz, with the center-left including the parties Kulanu and Yesh Atid.

While the party Ra’am-Balad, one of two main Arab parties which represents Israel’s approximately 20 percent Arab population, won seats in the most recent Knesset, they will not appear in the 2019 elections after Israel banned them from running. Conversely, the Central Elections Committee voted on March 6 to allow the party Otzma Yehudit—who are widely regarded as an extremist group—to run.

INTERNATIONAL

FAILED U.S.–NORTH KOREA SUMMIT

SAVANNAH QUARUM

MADISON CECIL Hanoi, Vietnam hosted a summit between North Korea and the United States on Feb. 27–28, at which President Donald Trump met with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea and negotiate lifting U.S. sanctions.

Last June, the two leaders held historic talks in Singapore after a year of exchanging threats and insults. The first summit was hailed as an unprecedented success which led to Trump’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

This year, however, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement on Feb. 28, “No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future.”

Despite Trump’s statement last year that conflict between the U.S. and North Korea “will soon end,” he said on Thursday, “speed is not that important to me. I very

much appreciate no testing of nuclear rockets, missiles, any of it—very much appreciate it.”

The summit concluded in miscommunication and misunderstanding between the two countries, according to NBC News. Trump went into the summit with the intent to completely denuclearize North Korea in exchange for lifting U.S. sanctions on North Korea. Kim maintains he was aiming for partial removal of U.S. sanctions of North Korea. Trump claimed Kim was demanding for the complete removal of the sanctions in return for the closing of the Yongbyon nuclear complex, rather than a complete nuclear disarmament.

The U.S.–North Korea summit has become a source of conflict between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats such as Senator Ben Cardin believe conversations with North Korea about denuclearization should stop now.

Cardin told Al Jazeera, “we have now had two summits and we’ve gotten no declaration of their nuclear program or commitment that’s meaningful.”

Republicans stated that they believe conversations with North Korea will benefit the U.S. and American interests in the long run. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, told Al Jazeera, “We are not looking at partial denuclearization. We are looking at complete denuclearization in return for security guarantees and economic assistance so we are not going to relieve sanctions at the beginning. We’ve tried that before.”

Politico reported, “time is not on [Trump’s] side if he still hopes to put a stop to North Korea’s nuclear weapons ambitions after the collapse of his summit with [Kim],” especially with Trump beginning to prepare to run for reelection in 2020. Despite Trump’s growing to-do list, North Korea remains a priority.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

GARBAGE DAY YOU HAVE TO SEE ‘THE BOXER’S OMEN’ TO BELIEVE IT, BUT YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN’T SEE ‘THE BOXER’S OMEN’ ANDREW GAINES About halfway through Kuei ChihHung’s 1983 fever dream The Boxer’s Omen, an evil wizard eats a bunch of animal guts, pukes them up, eats the gut-puke again then spits it out and uses the mess to cast an evil spell.

After reading that, you may have a better idea of whether you should see The Boxer’s Omen. If that scene sounds awful and repellent, I don’t blame you. But, if it sounds insane and goofy, you’re probably in the target audience for the film.

The Hong Kong horror film was produced by the Shaw Brothers, who are arguably the biggest name in Hong Kong film history.

Shaw Brothers Studio produced over 1,000 films from the 1950s to the 1980s. The majority of them are very good martial arts flicks, but The Boxer’s Omen was part of a small subgenre of gross-out horror films to come from the company over the course of a few years—other films in this area include the loosely connected 1981 film Bewitched and the 1983 Seeding of a Ghost, which involves exactly as much necrophilia as you may expect from the title.

The plot of The Boxer’s Omen exists, I guess.

Though it feels like two scripts got mashed together at once. Our hero is a boxer whose brother, also a boxer, gets horribly crippled in a bout with a Thai fighter. How badly does he get injured, you ask? Well, the doctors explain to the protagonist that his “neck ribs” are shattered, which is probably pretty bad.

Anyway, the brother whose neck ribs are still intact goes to Thailand to seek revenge and is almost immediately recruited by an order of Buddhist monks to help them fight an order of evil black magic-practicing wizards.

The previous plot point with the evil Thai guy, seemingly forgotten, is picked up again in a later scene, but it ultimately has zero importance to the plot except as an excuse for the protagonist to go to Thailand.

Once the evil wizards appear, they completely take over as the movie spends painfully long stretches of time showing their rituals and spells in excruciating detail. This is where the vomit eating and stuff comes in, making it one of those films where you should win a t-shirt if you can watch it all the way through without puking yourself. I had seen it years ago, so I was slightly more prepared for the showing at the Hollywood Theatre than if I had gone in blind, but I can’t say I didn’t dry heave during some scenes.

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The biggest set piece of the film is a magic battle where our hero, now a monk in training, must face off against one of the magicians in a one-on-one duel. The evil wizard spends a minute or two casting a gross spell and our hero counters it, casts his own spell and they go back and forth like that for some time. Crocodile skulls come to life, two separate flying sev-

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

ered heads come into play, the aforementioned vomit eating occurs and the fakest bats you have ever seen in a movie are summoned.

The final act of the movie goes slightly less hard on the gross-out magic in favor of a trip to Tibet to steal some magic ashes, but it’s all highly entertaining—again, assuming you think any of the stuff I’ve described sounds entertaining.

The special effects range from upsettingly real to comically fake, and it lends even more anarchic spirit to a film that’s already incredibly unpredictable. If you’re a fan of nutso horror or the weirder side of the Hong Kong golden age, I can’t recommend this movie enough. To more sane viewers with weaker stomachs, I cannot tell you more to stay away.

LISA DORN

ARTS & CULTURE

LIFE COMING TO FRUITION

‘TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS’ AT PORTLAND CENTER STAGE

LEFT TO RIGHT, BRIAN MICHAEL SMITH AND DANA GREEN ACTING OUT A SCENE IN ‘TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS’ AT THE ARMORY. PHOTO BY PATRICK WEISHAMPEL/PORTLAND CENTER STAGE AT THE ARMORY VAN VANDERWALL Portland Center Stage’s production of Tiny Beautiful Things, Nia Vardalos’ adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book of the same name, opened March 1.

The book, published a few months after the release of her acclaimed memoir Wild, is a collection of advice columns Strayed wrote pseudonymously for The Rumpus’ “Dear Sugar” online advice column from 2010– 2012. Dana Green portrays Sugar/Cheryl for the PCS production. Leif Norby, Lisa Renee Pitts and Brian Michael Smith receive billing as “Letter Writers 1, 2 and 3,” but they each play many characters and composite characters over the course of the 80-minute show.

In a speech given during a VIP dinner preceding the performance, Strayed spoke about her experiences writing the “Dear Sugar” columns while revising successive drafts of Wild.

“It is one of the most surreal experiences of my life to see these beautiful actors bring to life the words I wrote in my house in SE Portland,” Strayed said. “I hope that tonight you see yourself and a little of the beauty that surrounds us.”

Regarding the advice she gave, Strayed said she strove not to tell people what to do but to let them know that “it’s going to be okay.” Although she wrote the columns without meeting the letter writers in real

life, the play sees the letter writers interacting with Sugar’s character.

The play operates as a series of moments rather than distinct scenes demarcated by changes of lights and scenery. Periods of group conversation, including a segment when all the letter writers and Sugar make sandwiches at the countertop, punctuate moments when Sugar addresses a single letter writer. At other times a single letter writer and Sugar sit on a couch, including one memorable scene in which Pitts loudly eats from a bag of potato chips while depicting a letter writer who describes himself as “not a smart man.”

While the sequencing of letters seems to have an ineffable intuitive logic, there is not a plot other than the subtle lighting changes between moments and Sugar’s use of a prop laundry basket to indicate a sense of place more than time.

“By putting it in Sugar’s house,” said director Rose Riordan, “it also represents all of their houses. They’re all together in the middle of the night as Sugar writes the responses.”

It may seem hard to keep up with since each of the actors play varied roles as men, women and children. “We play the gamut,” Riordan said. “It’s right there in the language and the body.” With a subtle change in vocal tone and very deliberate and stiff move-

ments of the body, Pitts embodies an elderly man at one point. At another point, Smith portrays a school-age letter writer, which he does through rapid speech and broad, animated bodily movement.

All three expressed admiration for the wisdom expounded by Strayed in the guise of Sugar. “She is incredibly intelligent,” Riordan said. “She never tries to make herself seem cool. She always feels very relatable. She is just really insightful.”

“And brave,” Norby added.

Through the Sugar persona, Strayed uses personal experience as teaching parables; some of these events, such as described in the answer to the ‘WTF’ letter writer, are particularly harrowing. However, these always lead to a redemptive lesson. “There was purpose in the pain,” Pitts said. “She found or made the purpose in the pain.”

Readers of the book will recognize all of the letters in the stage adaptation. The famous “WTF” letter, voiced by Norby, acts as a recurring motif until Sugar’s response at about the halfway point. The letter from “Living Dead Dad,” also read by Norby, acts as the climactic segment of the play. During this moment, Sugar and the letter writer sit at the kitchen table as the daylight outside the house’s win-

dows slowly dims to nighttime. “Living Dead Dad” slowly walks offstage and there is a brief pause before Smith enacts a humorous letter as a counterpoint.

Some letters, such as the young woman asking about an arrangement with a wealthy man, receive very brief treatment in montagelike sequences of volleys of questions and answers. Some pieces in the book, such as the one in which Sugar writes that “it will never be ok that our mothers are dead” and letters from struggling aspirant writers are not part of the stage version.

“It’s very moving, seeing how your life has come to fruition,” Strayed said. “And it’s not over yet.”

She is currently at work on another book, though she could only disclose that it is a memoir. So what should people take away from this production? Without hesitation Riordan answers, “Comfort.”

“You’re not alone,” Riordan responded, adding that “you feel like you’re constantly slapped in the face with illumination.”

“Everyone should come,” Riordan said.

“That’s a must,” Pitts said.

Tiny Beautiful Things continues through March 31 at The Armory at Portland Center Stage.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

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OPINION

FATE OF THE FORESKIN

CIRCUMCISION IN THE U.S. IS FOUNDED UPON IMPRACTICAL MEDICAL CLAIMS DELANEY WHITE Even though it’s been a longstanding practice in the United States and around the world, male circumcision is not as harmless as it seems.

Circumcision is common practice in the U.S., but there are numerous consequences that come along with it. There is very little relevant research that justifies circumcision, so why is it still happening? The practice has gone from a once religious meaning to something that most everyone partakes in.

However, with adverse medical implications, circumcision is an unnecessary procedure.

In the early 1900s, male circumcision became commonplace despite no clear religious ties. Another reasoning behind the spike in popularity of circumcision in the U.S. was the fear of masturbation. John Harvey Kellogg championed not only a bland and fibrous breakfast, but also circumcision as the cure for masturbation in the late 1800s.

In 1870, Dr. Lewis Sayre began preaching circumcision as the fix-all for a variety of male medical issues, from paralysis to epilepsy, even mental illnesses. None of these, though, were cured by circumcision. Similarly, female circumcisions and clitordectomies were used to treat ailments. This fell out of fashion in the U.S. quickly—male circumcision, however, stuck around.

This was the first time the American Medical Association took anyone seriously; Sayre had been a well-respected, high-ranking official in the New York medical field for quite some time, and the medical community took his findings completely at face value.

The medical field has claimed circumcision is cleaner for the penis. In the early 1900s, during the height of germ awareness, doctors and surgeons claimed that by performing the procedure on an infant, many diseases could be prevented. Professors at College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University in Australia, combated this idea. Their research revealed that circumcision has been loosely linked to reduced rates of HIV transmission and genital herpes.

Medical procedures are not an easy decision. When considering surgery of any kind the patient or parent in this case should be fully informed of all the consequences. There are no probable benefits that make circumcision a necessity. A choice of this magnitude that will affect the life of a child well into adulthood should not be based on impractical claims.

Even doctors who support circumcisions, such as Douglas S. Diekema from the American Association of Pediatrics, said “health benefits are not great enough to recommend routine circumcision for all newborn males.”

Despite murky medical reasoning and Puritan-era sexual fear, circumcision rates for American males is still 81 percent, according to the Center for Disease Control. It’s even split along race lines, as an overwhelming 91 percent of white men are circumcised, while 76 percent of African-American and 44 percent of Hispanic men are circumcised.

The argument that is commonly used in support of circumcision is that there doesn’t seem to be much harm involved in the procedure. Unfortunately their claims are incorrect and not fully vetted.

There are a lot of myths about circumcision that many Americans brush off without thinking about it. Some of the most significant myths are that the infant either won’t feel the pain of the surgery or that anesthesia is always used. Circumcision is separating the foreskin from the penis itself, which is similar to separating the tissue that holds fingernails to their nail beds. There’s going to be pain involved; there’s no way around that.

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JOHN ROJAS Circumcisions on infant males can still be performed without anesthesia. According to the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, HealthPartners Medical Group in Minnesota, only 45 percent of doctors use any at all, and only 25 percent of obstetricians—who perform 70 percent of these surgeries—use it. Even still, the dorsal penile nerve block that is typically used does not block all of the babies’ pain.

This is a pain that a child will remember for the rest of their life. They may not remember the exact event, but many studies have found that the pain of circumcision causes the baby’s brain to rewire and become much more sensitive to pain. Research conducted by the Department of Pediatrics at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and the Pain Neurobiology Laboratory at Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute revealed that circumcision is also linked to post-traumatic stress disorder and problems with intimacy. A study conducted by the Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children

in Toronto, Canada found that when a circumcised child was brought back for routine vaccinations, they cried more and had more perceived pain with the event.

No rightful parent wishes pain on their child, but circumcision is just that. The intense pain that comes along with the removal of foreskin is more than a pinch, it is an excruciating experience. For a procedure that holds no necessity, the possible trauma caused by it is entirely avoidable.

Circumcision in the U.S. is declining according to a study by the CDC, and it should be. Inflicting a painful surgery with no real medical benefit on unanesthetized infants is unethical and shouldn’t be commonplace in our hospitals.

Body autonomy is something many people fight for, and this instance should be no different. Having the power to make any and all decisions regarding one’s body is a right that everyone deserves. Infants do not have the capacity to choose what pacifier they want let alone decide the fate of their foreskin.

OPINION

THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY TO BE GAY

QUEER COMMUNITY SHOULDN’T JUDGE OTHER QUEERS’ LABELS TAYLAR RIVERS The LGBTQ+ is a marginalized community that in times of animosity cannot turn against itself. Self-identity and labels are not up for debate. Queer people must be careful to not enforce standards on anyone else’s queerness.

Due to changing labels and self-claimed identities, the community is expanding every day. Not all identities are widely understood and, even though awareness is increasing, there is still an opposition to self-labeling. Groups within the LGBTQ+ community cannot police the identity of others because queerness does not come with rules or standards.

People within the queer community have long found peace with assigning themselves a label. Labels are descriptive and not prescriptive. They describe your identity—not prescribe who you are attracted to. The owner of the label dictates its meaning, not anyone else.

A mainstream example of policing identities is the constant criticism that pop-singer Halsey faces regarding her bisexual identity. In an article published by Buzzfeed, the LGBTQ+ editor for the publication wrote a piece that discredited Halsey’s identity, referencing performances where

she dances or interacts with primarily male dancers, and has publicly dated other male artists. The editor insinuates that Halsey is not rightfully expressing her gayness. Though this is a high-profile example, this sort of dictating of personal identity and labels by other LGBTQ+ members is counteractive to the inclusivity the community should uphold.

In the journey of discovering your queer identity, there is a sense of isolation because your feelings are different than the heterosexual norm. Finding your group becomes the goal of this journey. But even after finding others that may identify within the same label, it does not mean that each of you hold the exact same feelings toward that label.

Assigning yourself a label means gaining the vocabulary to identify yourself at a time where you can’t or don’t want to explain yourself.

Shel Pomerantz, Queeries program coordinator part of Portland State’s Queer Resource Center, expressed their thoughts on why labels are important, how

DANIELLE EMEKA

to respect the identity of others and talked about the work they are doing in educating both members of the LGBTQ+ and allies.

On why they use labels Shel said, “personally, I use labels for a variety of reasons. It’s easier to gain purchase in articulating your legitimacy if you have the vocabulary to explain it. For example, using the identity label of asexual lets me articulate an absence of sexual attraction as opposed to celibacy (the choice to abstain from sexual activity) or aromanticism (not experiencing romantic attraction or desire).”

It is impossible to know what a label means to someone.

“They can also denote a cultural or political orientation, or help one to find community with other people who share that cultural or political orientation or who share similar desires, struggles and/or unique characteristics,” Shel said.

Often people criticize how frequent someone may change their label. This idea negates the reality that labels are not meant to box in your identity but to assign a vocabulary to it.

“If someone changes their self-description, it doesn’t mean they were “faking it” before—it either means they have changed as a person, which is natural as we grow, or that they have learned more about the world and/or themself and have adapted their language to reflect that,” Shel said.

An important thing to remember is that when someone reveals themselves to you, it is not up for debate.

“The words we use to describe ourselves might mean different things to different people, and we recognize and celebrate that there is no universal narrative for any identity,” they said. “We also recognize that personal experiences aren’t up for debate, offering people the baseline respect of believing what they say about themselves.”

In Portland, there have been recent attacks targeting people in the queer community. At the height of violence, differences must be put aside. Shel emphasized the value of uplifting individuals within the community instead of holding judgement against them.

“It’s especially important to be responsive to our community members who hold multiple marginalized identities,” they said. “We stand to learn a lot by centering those of us who face multiple axes of oppression, and by uplifting our most marginalized community members, we avoid perpetuating the very systems that we are burdened by.”

No one is gayer than another. No one is queerer than another. The spectrum of queerness is horizontal, not vertical. As a marginalized community it is important that we respect everyone’s journey in discovering their queer identity. At the end of it all, there is no right way to be gay, and no one has the authority to say otherwise.

PSU Vanguard • MARCH 12, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

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Cervanté Pope

MARCH 12–18 ART

MUSIC

FILM & THEATRE

COMMUNITY

TUE MAR 12 WED MAR 13 THU MAR 14 FRI MAR 15 SAT MAR 16 SUN MAR 17 MON MAR 18

“IMMERSE” STEPHANIE CHEFAS PROJECT TUE–FRI: NOON–6 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 22 • FREE Yellena James uses multiple layers of resin to create grandiose pieces that channel “chimerical landscapes.”

CHASMS, COOL FLOWERS, BLOOM OFFERING THE LIQUOR STORE 9 P.M. • $8 • 21+ LA duo Chasms make the moody electro-shoegaze you want to glumly dance to.

SHORT CUTS | 42ND PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL NORTHWEST FILM CENTER TUE–FRI: 6 P.M., SAT: 2:30 P.M., SUN: 3 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 21 • $9–55

BAD ART NIGHT ETC EATERY

ALBINA QUEENS PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT INDEPENDENT VIEWING THE OLD CHURCH CONCERT HALL TUE–FRI: 11 A.M.–3 P.M., THROUGH MARCH 29 • FREE A beautiful display of black femininity, displayed in its many different forms.

2ND ANNUAL LOCAL ROOTS SONGWRITER STORYTELLING NIGHT ALBERTA STREET PUB 7:30 P.M. • $7 Songs are pretty much sonic narratives, and they’ve each got an origin story behind them. Usually, they’re interesting. Hear them told live.

‘WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE’ ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL 8 P.M. • $27.50–32.50 The beloved spooky podcast is doing another live taping, this time supported by some music from Dreamboy.

MARCH ECOLOGY CLUB: WILDLIFE TRACKING BARK 8:30 A.M.–6:30 P.M. • FREE

“YOURS/MINE/OURS” STUMPTOWN COFFEE 2 MON–FRI: 6 A.M.–7 P.M., SAT–SUN: 7 A.M.–7 P.M. • FREE Nicole Williford created this new collection of pieces based on the personal history of her and her family, incorporating old photographs into the mix.

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ROCK #3 WHITE OWL SOCIAL CLUB 8 P.M.–12 A.M. • $10 SUGGESTED DONATION Through the power of art and cash flow, let’s counteract government treatment of Planned Parenthood by coming out and supporting this show. Everything made goes to the nonprofit.

‘WOLF PLAY’ ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE 7:30 P.M. THROUGH APRIL 7, SEE WEBSITE FOR ALTERNATE SHOWINGS • $30 WITH STUDENT ID Self-described as both “messy” and “funny,” this play is about a couple who un-adopts a kid who thinks he’s a wolf… hmm.

WOMEN IN THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY SMITH MEMORIAL STUDENT UNION 6:30–8:30 P.M. • FREE Learn about the history of these strong women without even having to leave campus.

“WHERE DID YOU SLEEP LAST NIGHT?” NATIONALE MON & TUE: NOON–5 P.M., THU–SUN: NOON–6 P.M. THROUGH APRIL 23 • FREE Shohei Takasaki’s newest collection of super colorful works.

LÁGOON, TIGERS ON OPIUM, ASH EATER HAWTHORNE HIDEAWAY 9 P.M. • $5 • 21+ Three bands giving harsh heaviness on the cheap. Yes, please.

“100 YEAR PLAN” DISJECTA 8 P.M. • $15 Bailey Hikawa and Scotty Wagner are Emotional.Store, and this “live cinema experience” of theirs mixes comedy, video, storytelling and live performance creatively.

MUSIC MILLENNIUM’S IN-STORE 50TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY MUSIC MILLENNIUM 3 P.M. • FREE

“ELEANOR” CHARLES A. HARTMAN FINE ART 11 A.M–6 P.M. • FREE It’s the last day to catch photographer Harry Callahan’s most famous works, featuring his wife Eleanor and his daughter Barbara as models.

CREATURE TO CREATURE, SAD HORSE, DRESS FORMS THE WORLD FAMOUS KENTON CLUB 9 P.M. • FREE • 21+ Where punk meets catchy indie rock.

‘UNDINE’ THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY TO HEAVEN THU–SAT: 8 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 23 • $15–25 A French story about a mermaid who tries to get a soul by marrying a knight, as adapted by Speculative Drama and Susurrations.

BUFFALO EXCHANGE 45TH ANNIVERSARY POP-UP SHOP BUFFALO EXCHANGE (SOUTHWEST) 10 A.M., THROUGH MARCH 17 • FREE

FUTURE TRIBES + CAR CRASHED ONE GRAND GALLERY WED–SAT: NOON–6 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 31 • FREE Niek Pulles created this dual exhibition based on an extreme interest with costumes and cars.

COASTLANDS, !MINDPARADE RONTOMS 9 P.M. • FREE • 21+ The instrumental post-rock of Coastlands will put you in a dreamy haze.

‘ORDINARY DEVOTIONS’ PERFORMANCE WORKS NORTHWEST WED–SAT: 8 P.M., SUN: 5 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 23 • $12–16 With only 28 seats available per show, Linda Austin’s latest work deals with the progression of the body as it ages through life.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY BINGO THE SIREN THEATER 11 A.M. • $5 Bingo with a St. Paddy’s Day twist.

The entry fee gets you three cards to play, plus enjoy the comedy performances and chilled mimosas.

“BETWEEN THE HEDGEROW” HERE/THERE SAT–SUN: NOON–4 P.M. THROUGH APRIL 18 • FREE This group exhibition explores the relationship between human beings and trees.

BARONESS, DEAFHEAVEN, ZEAL & ARDOR THE ROSELAND THEATER 7:30 P.M. • $27.50–30 Southern sludge from Baroness and metal-gaze from Deafheaven to melt your face off.

‘LĒR’ SHOE BOX THEATER THU–SUN: 7:30 P.M. & SUN MARCH 31: 2 P.M. THROUGH MARCH 31 • $18 A reimagining of the King Lear tale that turns it into a horror, without the ghosts and goblins.

CLASSIC ‘SIMPSONS’ TRIVIA WHITE OWL SOCIAL CLUB 7 P.M. EVERY THIRD MONDAY • FREE Show off your immense Simpsons knowledge with other Simpsons lovers.

More than 140 short films and documentaries will screen over the course of this week. So many choices, so little time, but try your hardest to catch them all.

6–9 P.M. • $15

You literally come here and make whatever you want—good or bad—and get 10 percent off of food at the eatery. Oh, and there’s a silent vote for the best piece for a special prize. Worth it.

Every second Wednesday, Cascadia Wild invites nature lovers out for wildlife tracking, species identification and fresh air.

Stop by here to celebrate with some free cake and refreshments before checking out their 50th-anniversary show at the Aladdin Theater that night.

For their 45th anniversary, the downtown and southeast Hawthorne locations of Buffalo Exchange are having a two-day pop-up shop party with curated vintage pieces, snacks and swag.