Portland State Vanguard, Volume 74, Issue 28

VOLUME 74 • ISSUE 28 • APRIL 21, 2020

ON REMOTE LEARNING: ‘DURING THIS PANDEMIC,

MY APPROACH TO SCHOOL HAS COMPLETELY SHIFTED’

NEWS ‘LIVING ON CAMPUS DURING THIS TIME IS REALLY WEIRD’ • OPINION VOTERS EYEING PARTISAN INDEPENDENCE ARTS & CULTURE PSU’S VIRTUAL ART MUSEUM

CONTENTS COVER BY JOHN ROJAS NEWS HILL TO HALL

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INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD

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SUMMER TERM 2020 TO BE HELD REMOTELY

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PSU’S ART MUSEUM MOVES EXHIBITS ONLINE

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ARTS & CULTURE QUARANTINE CUISINE

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OPINION HAVE YOU HEARD? THE STUCK AT HOME EDITION

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THE BENEFITS OF VOTING INDEPENDENT

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SPORTS PSU INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SHARE HOW COVID-19 HAS IMPACTED THEIR LIVES

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COMICS

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ASPSU PRESIDENT TAKES EXECUTIVE ACTION TO CREATE FINANCIAL RELIEF P. 4 STAYING AT HOME AT PSU

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INTERNATIONAL SAUDI-RUSSIA OIL WAR REACHES DEAL

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AFRICA SUFFERS AS LOCUST SWARM TREATMENT IS DELAYED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS

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COVER VIRTUAL CAMPUS

STAFF

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

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ONLINE EDITOR Annie Schutz COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon CONTRIBUTORS Madison Cecil Ida Ayu Dwijayanti Nick Gatlin Missi Jarrar Aidan Kennelley Evan Kotsonis Bela Kurzenhauser Emily Price Isabel Rekow Karisa Yuasa PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Alex Wittwer MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Owen Demetre

PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR John Rojas

A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood

LEAD DESIGNER Dana Townsend

STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher

DESIGNERS Brandon Pahnish Sam Person

STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale

DIS T RIBU TION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dylan Jefferies

To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com

T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow George Olson John Rojas

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

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

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

NEWS

SUMMER TERM 2020 TO BE HELD REMOTELY APRIL 8–16 MISSI JARRAR

APRIL 8: OREGON SCHOOLS TO REMAIN

CLOSED THROUGH THE YEAR

According to AP News, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced Oregon’s K-12 schools will remain closed through the academic year due to COVID-19, sending Oregon teachers and over 580,000 students to an online curriculum. Seniors who were on track with their classes will graduate on time, and Brown urged districts to work with seniors whose grades were not passing to earn the credits to graduate. Proms, graduation ceremonies and other year-end celebrations will be put on hold or held online. According to The Oregonian, students will not receive letter grades for their classes during the pandemic, and instead earn either a passing or incomplete grade.

APRIL 13: WASHINGTON, OREGON AND CALIFORNIA

CREATE PACT TO FIGHT COVID-19

Washington Governor Jay Inslee, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Oregon Governor Kate Brown said Monday they will work together to control the spread of COVID-19 and re-open their state economies, according to AP News. The states each have individual plans for re-opening, but have agreed to work together to make residents’ health a priority, as well as collectively acknowledging a series of broad principles that include consistent testing and contact tracing initiatives. Inslee said health leaders in the three states will focus on four goals: protecting vulnerable populations, ensuring adequate hospital capacity and personal protective equipment in order to care for the sick, mitigating non-direct COVID-19 health impacts and protecting the general public.

APRIL 14: OREGON GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES CRITERIA

TO RE-OPEN THE STATE’S ECONOMY

Oregon Governor Kate Brown said until she sees a decline in the rate of active cases of COVID-19 and the public health data suggests it’s safe, she won’t ease restrictions or re-open the state’s economy. According to OPB, Brown said on April 14 she wanted to ensure the state has adequate testing with sufficient tracing and isolation strategies, enough protective gear for health workers and enough hospital beds to treat a surge of COVID-19 cases. She also said the state is working to respond to the state’s most vulnerable populations, such as nursing home patients and the houseless. Brown indicated she might ease restrictions in certain parts of the state first and help businesses adopt new safety standards.

APRIL 16: OREGON GOVERNOR TO WAIVE

UNEMPLOYMENT WAITING WEEK

According to The Oregonian, Brown announced the state will waive the one-week waiting period for newly unemployed Oregonians, so they would start receiving checks soon after applying. The policy could provide more than $100 million in benefits to Oregonians unemployed due to COVID-19. Many states have eliminated the one-week waiting period due to a rescue package Congress approved last month. Once instated, the change will apply retroactively to people who have already filed for benefits. Currently, over 300,000 Oregonians are out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Oregonian.

JOHN ROJAS HANNA ANDERSON Portland State announced April 12 that inperson courses would continue to be suspended for the summer term. The decision was announced to faculty members in a letter from Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Susan Jeffords. For students, the decision was included in the Virtual Viking newsletter released the same day.

“We made the decision that summer term instruction will happen remotely after a great deal of deliberation, consulting with Oregon Health Authority and our best science advisers on the likely scenarios for the progression of the COVID-19 virus in the Portland area and across Oregon,” Jeffords stated. “Our priority has always been the safety and health of all of the members of the PSU community.”

The decision was made three weeks into spring term in order to give teachers time to prepare their courses for remote learning, and to ensure students can best prepare their schedule for the summer. More information will be provided for students once the summer course schedule is released on April 20.

“We also heard from students and faculty that having as much information as soon as possible is a priority,” Jeffords stated. “We wanted to make this announcement in a time frame that enabled students to plan effectively for how to spend summer term.”

The decision is the latest in the school’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. As of April 14, Oregon had 1,633 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 55 deaths, according to The New York Times. 420 of those cases are in Multnomah County.

The Pass/No Pass grading option for courses will also extend to next term. However, PSU has not yet decided how summer term’s student fees could be adjusted.

“As for fees for summer, we don’t have that information yet, but [we] will communicate it when we do,” stated Chris Broderick, associate vice president for university communications.

“No decision has been made about fall,” Jeffords stated. “We are waiting to learn more from OHA about a timeline and circumstances for resuming any face-to-face instruction, and we will be carefully considering our options.“

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NEWS

ASPSU PRESIDENT TAKES EXECUTIVE ACTION TO CREATE FINANCIAL RELIEF ISABEL REKOW In an attempt to alleviate the life-upending disruptions caused by COVID-19, the Associated Students of Portland State University passed a resolution advocating for in-person commencement and created an ad hoc committee for student financial relief on April 13.

Kyle Leslie-Christy, the president of ASPSU, created the committee to gather data on COVID-19’s financial impact on students and recommend solutions to university administration.

In the executive order which created the committee, LeslieChristy stated “the solutions the committee proposes will aim to offset the financial burdens and barriers students may be facing because of COVID-19.”

Leslie-Christy used executive action in order to form the committee as quickly as possible.

“It was the only way other than going through the two-week resolution process,” Leslie-Christy said. “Just as we voted with this commencement resolution today...time was of the essence to get this group together.”

The commencement resolution, titled “A Voice in Commencement,” formally requests for PSU to provide the option of a graduation ceremony at a later date. It also calls on the university to “create a formal process for students to give input and help decide how their commencement will be celebrated.”

If the Senate had not suspended the rules, it would not have been able to vote on the commencement resolution until April 27. ASPSU did not want to wait until halfway through term to pass the resolution, as students will be making plans for virtual commencement, which is currently their only option.

The financial relief committee will identify which resources students need the most and work to make them more accessible. It will consider how to allocate federal stimulus funds.

Additionally, according to Leslie-Christy, students may not know about pre-existing resources such as hardship funds and student success funds. He plans to propose a centralization of various financial aid services to university administration.

“From my perspective, they’ve been very willing in recent weeks to listen to students and are very interested in what we want and what we would like to see changed,” Leslie-Christy said.

ASPSU has already begun collecting data for the committee to use. It emailed a survey to all students on April 16 to gather information on the disruptions COVID-19 has caused in their education and finances. The survey asked students about their experiences relating to remote learning, financial and food security, housing and commencement. It also asked for input on how PSU can better support students.

Although the committee will primarily include members of student government, ASPSU encouraged students to apply to become voting members on the committee. ASPSU is no longer accepting applications. The committee will meet from 5–6:30 p.m. every Thursday and the meetings will be live-streamed on ASPSU’s Facebook page.

JOHN ROJAS

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ASPSU virtual polls are open at elections.aspsu.pdx.edu until April 29.

NEWS

STAYING AT HOME AT PSU LIFE FOR STUDENTS LIVING ON CAMPUS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC KARISA YUASA As 95% of the United States’ population is currently under a type of stay-at-home directive, many people are figuring out how to balance school and work with the family dynamics in their homes. What about the students who call Portland State home?

Although many of the 1,800 students originally living on campus returned home to complete a fully remote spring 2020 term, approximately 650 students remain in PSU’s residence halls—more than in any other university in Oregon, according to Executive Director of University Housing and Residence Life Mike Walsh.

When schools across the country shut down housing options or required students to apply and be approved to stay only under certain circumstances, as the University of Portland opted to do, PSU decided to keep all residence halls open for any student needing or wanting to stay.

“This is home for a bunch of people, and we are going to stay open for them,” Walsh said. “I don’t know how any school could in

good conscience close an entire residence hall system.”

Since PSU allowed any student living on campus to remain on campus if they wished, the reasons for remaining on campus varied from student to student.

“I decided to stay on campus this term because I work in Portland at a law firm, and would be unable to do my job from anywhere else,” said Jessa Greene, an out-of-state student from California living in Montgomery Residence Hall.

“Moving off-campus would have meant giving up my position as an LCA,” said Sandhya Gunarathne, a student who has worked as a learning community assistant since the beginning of the academic year. “Though I wasn’t sure how many residents would stay, I wanted to be available to those who were.”

With the amount of students that have left, life has changed for those who remain.

“Living on campus during this time is really weird,” Greene said. “This is my second year living on campus and I’m definitely not used to all the quietness.”

“It’s definitely different living on campus,” said Fiona Pelkie, an out-of-state student from Washington living in Ondine Residence Hall.

“There are no longer the social aspects of the typical college experience I had, like the dining hall having seating where you can talk to people, the library being open late for study groups, floor hangouts or events put on by RAs and LCAs.” Outside of Housing, closures and adjusted hours for the few nonresidential buildings that remain open have impacted the daily routines of students on campus.

“I think the biggest change as a student leader was going from seeing people at all hours of the day to only seeing others virtually for a couple of hours a week,” Gunarathne said. “The only time I leave my dorm is when I get takeout from the dining hall, so the only people I’ve been talking to in real life have been dining staff.”

“I prefer to study in the evenings, or late at night, and the library closing at 7 p.m. every weekday definitely meant readjusting my schedule and reorganizing my study space in my dorm,” Pelkie said.

AN OPEN WINDOW ALONG THE FACADE OF BLACKSTONE RESIDENCE HALL. ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD

“During normal times, the way I usually de-stress is by swimming,” Greene said. “So you can imagine that these uncertain times I would need a way to de-stress. Having the rec center closed is also making it a little more difficult to find a good way to get exercise, because I’m not someone who enjoys running.”

The Montgomery Service Desk suspended its package services on March 16, and has only allowed pickup of medical supplies since, limiting what mail residents can receive.

“With UHRL closing all package services, I’m not able to get any packages that may be sent to me either through online shopping, my family sending care packages and even anything for my birthday next month,” Greene said.

Although adjusting to the new reality of daily life on campus has created change in student’s lives, not all of it has been negative.

“I like living on campus still despite the emptiness of the buildings and the park blocks,” Pelkie said. “I feel like I now have more quiet time, and can be more centered and focused.”

“I do like having my own room and privacy and the streets are a lot quieter with more people staying inside,” said Sriyani Gunarathne, a PSU student who decided to stay on campus with their sibling, Sandhya Gunarathne, to avoid putting their family at home at risk.

UHRL has also taken extra measures to facilitate social distancing and increase cleanliness for students remaining on campus, from moving students to single spaces and hiring more people to clean shared spaces.

“Anyone who hadn’t moved out and still had a roommate was moved into their own room to promote social distancing,” Sriyani Gunarathne said. “The dining hall is all togo with wrapped food and limited options.

The elevators and lobbies have signs warning about crowding and such.”

Due to social distancing requirements, many of the traditional ways of interacting in residence halls have become impossible, but the student leaders that decided to remain on campus are working to find new ways to interact with their remaining residents.

“I think that my RA and LCA have done a really good job of making the floor still feel like it’s a community by communicating with us,” Pelkie said.

“LCAs have also been doing virtual programming, which looks like weekly emails from us talking about various resources and ways to stay connected,” Sandhya Gunarathne said. “We can’t offer free food or swag as we’ve done for past programs, but I like to think residents feel less alone when they receive those weekly emails from us.”

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INTERNATIONAL

SAUDI-RUSSIA OIL WAR REACHES DEAL IDA AYU DWIJAYANTI

Saudi Arabia and Russia reached an agreement on April 12 to resolve the oil war that led to the severe drop in oil stocks.

This comes despite a warning from an official from Saudi Arabia’s department of energy earlier, warning there was no talk of a deal, according to Reuters.

Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed to lead a 23-nation coalition in massive oil production cuts after a long feud and a drop in demand due to the coronavirus crisis, which devastated oil prices. Mexico jeopardized that final pact when it exited the talks after more than 11 hours of negotiations.

BBC reported oil prices have been plunging due to coronavirus lockdowns—which includes grounding planes, halting travels and putting a brake on industries across the globe.

A tentative agreement to cut oil production by 10% compared to what was being produced before the pandemic was reached by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies.

Fortune reported for the past months, Saudi Arabia had pumped every barrel for sale at lower prices, which some speculated was to punish Russia for the rejection of supporting OPEC output cuts in early March. Both countries have now agreed on reducing daily production by millions of barrels.

Martijn Rats, an oil analyst at Morgan Stanley, said “The OPEC agreement will not prevent sharp inventory builds in coming months, and near-term oil prices in the physical market will likely remain under pressure.”

Oil prices fell despite the OPEC nearing agreements, as even a combined reduction of 15 million barrels per day would be too little to stabilize the market according to

Reuters. Furthermore, the agreement was also dependent on Mexico’s cooperation.

G20 oil ministers held conferences in order to finalize the draft agreement on April 17. “This is a time for all nations to seriously examine what each can do to correct the supply/demand imbalance," said United States Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette to BBC. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also said “[U.S.] President Trump said the United States committed to reducing by 250,000 [barrels], on top of what it was going to do for Mexico in order to compensate,” as it was meant to help Mexico contribute to a global reduction.

Trump suggested the country might make cuts on April 1. He tweeted, “Having been involved in the negotiations, to put it mildly, the number that OPEC+ is looking to cut is 20 Million Barrels a day, not the 10 Million that is generally being reported. If anything near this happens, and the World gets back to business from the Covid 19.....”

In past years, many critics of fracking were worried because American oil companies have switched to hydraulic fracturing, which would have long-term effects of groundwater contamination. U.S. industry members also expressed skepticism towards the U.S. role in OPEC’s decision in decreasing oil production.

Frank Macchiarola, a senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, said “our view is simple. Quotas are bad,” and “There’s no reason during this time to try to imitate OPEC,” according to Fortune.

Fortune reported the U.S. shale industry is a prominent victim due to the pandemic, since drillers in Texas and other states rely on American energy industry, which creates millions of jobs and is the world’s largest producer. Fearing that there would be job losses in Texas and other oil-rich states in the U.S., Trump convinced both Saudi monarch and Putin to end hostilities, as it could hurt re-election prospects.

American shale oil is more expensive to produce, and needs the cost of crude oil to be almost 14 times the cost of production to create a profit, according to Al Jazeera. The stock market has also suffered, with ExxonMobil losing more than 12%, and Chevron shares falling more than 15%.

The Chief Energy Correspondent at Bloomberg News, Javier Blas, tweeted a video of Trump criticizing OPEC. “I hated OPEC,” Trump said. “You know the truth? I hated it—because it was a fix. But somewhere along the line, that broke down.”

The tectonic shift in global oil politics caused the leaders of the world’s three largest producers to dictate global petroleum supply. Daniel Yergin, an oil historian, said in Fortune despite Trump being critical towards OPEC, he “is the one who put it together.” Yergin said, “Of all the deals he’s done in his life, this has to be the biggest.”

IEA reported global expenditure by exploration and production companies in 2020 is predicted to drop by around 32% compared to 2019. It will drop to $335 billion, which is the lowest for 13 years. The reduction of financial resources has an impact on the ability of oil industries for a clean energy transition.

THE OIL TANKER VARZUGA AS SEEN IN ARKHANGELSK, NORTHERN DVINA RIVER ON JULY 18, 2018.

ALEX MALEV/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

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INTERNATIONAL

AFRICA SUFFERS AS LOCUST SWARM TREATMENT IS DELAYED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS

A LOCUST SWARM IN THE OUTSKIRTS OF EILAT, ISRAEL. TAKEN ON NOV. 20, 2004.

NIV SINGER/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

EMILY PRICE Desert locust swarms in East Africa have continued as flight delays caused by coronavirus restrictions prevent necessary deliveries of pesticides, which the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has called “an unprecedented threat.”

Due to unusual weather patterns in recent years, fields have attracted high locust numbers in countries eastward of Yemen, and the numbers are growing. Scientists estimate cyclones in the Indian Ocean in 2018 brought warm air, creating the perfect environment for locusts’ breeding grounds.

“This is not the first time that East Africa has seen locust upsurges approach this scale,” stated Keith Cressman, senior locust forecaster at the U.N. FAO, to the Los Angeles Times. “But the size of the current situation is unprecedented in recent memory.”

“None of the affected countries in East Africa are usual frontline areas for locust infestations, so they had none of the available systems and tools in place,” Cressman stated. “We’re now speeding to make easy-to-use versions of those tools for countries like Kenya, South Sudan and Somalia—tools that can be used by field officers regardless of whether they’ve been trained in locust control or not.”

The FAO website states the areas most affected are Kenya, southern Ethiopia and Somalia. However, there is fear the swarms could spread to Uganda, South Sudan and the rest of Ethiopia.

The swarms are the worst Africa has seen in 25 years, according to CNN. "This current invasion of desert locust is significantly larger in magnitude and scale than previously experienced in Kenya and across East Africa," said Dr. Stephen Njoka, director general of desert locust control organization, to CNN. In Jan. 2020, locust swarms damaged 100% of staple crops in Somalia, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States. 30% of pastureland was lost in Kenya, and crops were destroyed in South Sudan. Somalia has already declared a national emergency over locust swarms, but has been occupied with a civil war for nearly three decades.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, international borders have been on strict lockdown since the outbreak, which has reduced cargo flights and production of supplies in Europe and Asia.

Reuters reported in Nairobi, Africa, Africans will struggle to produce and maintain agriculture with delayed deliveries.

“If we fail in the current [regional] control operations, because of lack of pesticides, then we could see 4 million more people struggle to feed their families,” Cyril Ferrand of the FAO said to Reuters.

From 2019’s invasion, the swarm has given birth to a second wave, targeting the season’s new crops. At the current rate, pes-

ticide stocks will run out and there will be no hope in controlling swarms and saving crops.

“If we don’t have pesticides, our planes cannot fly and people cannot spray, and if we are not able to control these swarms, we will have big damage to crops,” Ferrand said.

In addition to crops, locust swarms will affect animal agriculture, another crucial source of income and food for families.

In just one day, a swarm is capable of consuming enough food to feed 35,000 people. These swarms stretch over 30 miles, which is equivalent to 250 football fields or 150 million locusts.

The New Humanitarian projected this new generation of locusts will be a “20-fold increase on their parents’ numbers,” potentially a 500% multiplication.

Aerial spraying is the only effective way to control a locust outbreak, and has been done since the 1960s in Uganda. Helicopters that typically surveil locust swarms have been immobilized due to COVID-19, and some counties already lacked the resources to carry out large enough operations.

The FAO secured $111 million in funding towards fighting the swarm, but is $40 million short. The FAO plans to introduce drone and satellite surveillance in Kenya as part of a new plan to help monitor and predict the location of the swarms, while abiding by COVID-19 restrictions.

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COVER

VIRTUAL CAMPUS

PSU STUDENTS AND FACULTY ON ADJUSTING TO REMOTE LEARNING AIDAN KENNELLEY “Zoom is relatively new for me, so figuring that out was hard at first,” said Justin Hocking, a professor in the creative writing department at Portland State. “The first day of the memoir course, I accidentally left one student in the waiting room for about 15 minutes, which was horribly embarrassing. It’s also pretty strange to deliver a lecture without the normal physical cues from students—it can feel a bit more isolating and anxiety-provoking than I expected.”

COVID-19 has impacted daily lifestyles all over the world, and for PSU students, faculty and staff, there is no exception. On March 18, PSU announced it was moving all spring term classes online, and this decision has reshaped the approach to education from professors and students alike.

STUDENTS ADJUST TO A NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

For Quin Hanson, a jazz performance major, online learning has fundamentally altered his approach to school.

“It hasn’t affected me in terms of degree progress, but my lifestyle has definitely taken a shift,” Hanson stated. “It’s much easier for me to have a built-in physical structure and a class to show up to. Online school, while giving a lot of the same physical content, seems to be so much less motivating and somehow proves to be a greater challenge to work ethic.”

“In music school, the in-person connection is the basis for your schooling,” Hanson stated.

“Showing up to create and perform with other peers and faculty is valued as the top priority and focus. Right now, we just don’t have that. My biggest challenge is staying motivated.”

Caitlyn Sparkman, a graphic design student, said the shift to remote learning has heavily impacted the graphic design department.

“Spring term is usually the busiest event season for the design program, with portfolio shows, design week open houses and guest lectures,” Sparkman said. “We’re now having to turn on a dime and create solutions to simulate these online. Everyone is tired and stressed, but I’m thankful the design department faculty and students are some of the most positive and supportive people I know.”

Sparkman also expressed concerns over holding the department’s end of the year portfolio show, an event where many professional connections are made.

“The most significant adjustment for me comes in my capstone class,” said Raed Chalati, a business finance major. “Normally, the class would split into groups that would work with

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a business owner. Since everything is online now, meeting with our client and understanding what he or she wants has become a lot more difficult. Each client seems to be stressed out and is showing signs of leaving our group, which would be challenging.”

Some students have easily adapted to remote learning, seeing some real benefits for their academic lives.

“I personally like the online class platform, as it’s convenient and I already like working from home for my job,” said Prithvi Chauhan, a business administration major. “The only real difference is that my roommates are home all the time with me, which can be entertaining, but also overwhelming.”

“During this pandemic, my approach to school has completely shifted,” said Nic Caipa, a business finance major. “I was initially scheduled to take three lecture-based courses and one online course. As the situation evolved, I knew I had to re-adjust my plan for the term. Due to circumstances caused by the virus, I decided to take a lighter workload. But even with that, I was struggling to apply myself. This struggle, paired with a lack of income from losing my job, forced my decision to drop my classes altogether this term.”

Zach Retzl, a graphic design major and musician in the local music scene, has seen his lifestyle shift in various ways.

“My biggest challenge has been the significant drop in musical activity,” Retzl said. “Before quarantine started, I was regularly performing and practicing with a multitude of projects.

Now, I find myself with an abundance of extra time, which is also related to no longer regularly commuting around our wonderful city. Before this I was living my school life deadline to deadline, but now I find myself chipping away at the work at a more manageable pace.”

FACULTY REACTIONS TO REMOTE CLASSES

Faculty from a variety of departments have experienced different sets of challenges. “This quarter I am teaching my first graduate-level book publishing for writers course, which we’ve had to adapt quite a bit,” said Hocking. “The original curriculum involved several field trips, to the Independent Publishing Resource Center and elsewhere, which obviously had to be cancelled. We also planned to do quite a bit of hands-on book making, but we’re shifting our focus more toward digital book design.”

In the physical education department, teachers have found it increasingly difficult to prop-

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erly conduct workouts. PSU yoga instructor Amy Duncan has made creative adjustments assisting her students virtually.

“I am teaching the same program—the lyengar method of yoga—but adjusting each week to the needs of the students,” Duncan stated. “At PSU, the school provided the students with mats, [blankets], blocks and straps. In their home, students do not necessarily have these items so I have asked them to improvise.”

“Without in-person, face-to-face interactions, it has been hard to read the room and to see how students are feeling about the material,” said Tom Fisher, an English professor at PSU. “The real challenge is cultivating and maintaining meaningful relationships. Online discussions undermine opportunities for students to form real working relationships with each other when they’re not able to interact in person.”

Fisher has sought to adjust his curriculum to address the current socio-political moment.

“I’ve decided to teach Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year,” Fisher said. “It’s a personal account of the great plague of London in 1665. That was a plague that disproportionately affected and hurt poor people. I’m asking my students to think not about the biological contours of pandemics, but to think about the political consequences of them. I want everyone to think about how these situations make visible the inequity of our systems and institutions.”

HOPES, FEARS AND UNCERTAINTIES

While the current remote academic environment appears hard to navigate, some see it as an opportunity for positive change.

Chauhan believes online classes offer an opportunity for the university to refine online school resources and programs. “I just hope PSU adjusts tuition rates to reflect this shift to online classes,” Chauhan said.

“If this thing continues into fall term, PSU will have a lot of adjusting to do,” Caipa said. “I hope they’ll be able to use this time to reevaluate and improve how they conduct online courses.”

Chalati thinks the current remote learning setup could refine a virtual infrastructure for the university to use when the university is forced to close due to inclement weather.

“Online learning reduces barriers for some students—those living with certain disabilities, for example, who might prefer distance learning,” Hocking said. “Of course, it creates barriers for others, like those without internet access or homes. My hope is that the university and students will continue to innovate and adapt in unexpected ways.”

For Sparkman, the topic of accessibility has also weighed heavily on her mind.

“My hope for the future of PSU learning is that things will be much more engaging and hands on for in-person classes,” Sparkman said. “This pandemic has exposed a lot of accessibility issues, and the university should work harder to accommodate students in the future. If social distancing continues through the next academic year, it would be nice to see lowered tuition rates that reflect the university not being able to provide 100% of the learning experience expected of it.”

Others are fearful of the long-term impacts of the current remote learning setup.

“My fear is that this will accelerate a permanent push to online education,” Fisher said.

“As a result, it could expedite the adjunctification of faculty because it is easier to have adjuncts teach online. But the optimist in me says that this current situation will solidify an argument for the positive outcomes of faceto-face learning.”

Hanson is worried that online learning may cause academic standards to drift lower as the school moves further away from an in-person learning environment.

The uncertainty of the current moment has led to a great deal of speculation on just how long remote learning may continue. As a result, in many cases students and faculty are expecting the worst but hoping for the best.

“I think that [PSU] Interim President Steve Percy got this one right—remote learning should continue through summer term,” Duncan said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to enjoy summer here in Oregon. Then, we pray there is no recurrence of the coronavirus in the fall.”

“Thinking positively, we could be easing back into regular life by the fall,” Sparkman said.

“Realistically, it will probably be far longer with the government’s low testing rates, lack of [personal protective equipment] for medical staff and those ignoring social distancing guidelines. The uncertainty of it all is giving me more anxiety than anything right now.”

“There is a real uncertainty to all of this, which can be frightening, but at least we’re all in it together,” Retzl said. “If this was happening solely in a distant country, then we’d have seen Americans spread awareness on social media for probably a week or two, at which point everyone would forget about it. But it’s happening here, for an unknown amount of time, and the effect it’s having on the world cannot be ignored.”

COVER

English professor Jessie Herrada-Nance gives a lecture to her class through Zoom.

Evan Kotsonis/PSU Vanguard

WITH VIRTUAL LEARNING COMES VIRTUAL GRADUATION

Outside of the classroom, social distancing guidelines have altered on-campus gatherings and social events, affecting student groups in a variety of ways. On March 26, the university announced it was moving spring graduation online. This decision has incited an intense debate about online ceremonies.

Some students believe a virtual graduation is acceptable.

“I will not be here after spring 2020 and wouldn’t be interested in coming back for a postponed ceremony,” Chauhan said.

“However, I wouldn’t be opposed to having an optional ceremony at a later date.”

“I know it means a lot to many, but personally the idea of finishing school and then coming back at some point down the road to walk seems more depressing to me than doing a virtual commencement,” Retzl said. “I’m down for whatever, but I don’t need to attend a crowded ceremonial act to successfully celebrate graduation.”

Duncan believes the decision should be deferred to students.

“Graduating seniors should vote for what they want,” Duncan stated. “They have worked hard all of these years and if they want a ceremony, even delayed, they should have it.”

“PSU should postpone the ceremony,” Caipa said. “While some students might find a virtual graduation is an adequate way to celebrate one’s journey of getting a degree, I disagree. These seniors graduating have dedicated countless hours to their programs and

have paid tens of thousands of dollars to the university in order to get that degree. Further, the university needs to remember these ceremonies aren’t just for the graduates. They’re also for the family and friends of those graduates.”

“I would give anything for graduation to be postponed,” Sparkman said. “I woke up to that email announcing an online commencement and immediately started a petition which now has over 2,000 signatures to postpone. I don’t care if it’s a year from now, I want to walk. So many PSU students, like myself, are the first in their families to earn a degree. My career and education are some of the most cherished things in my life. Portland State has the resources to do something for the class of 2020 instead of sweeping us out with a Powerpoint.”

PSU Vanguard •APRIL 21, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

9

INTERNATIONAL

THIS WEEK 3

around the

WORLD

April 14–18

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6

5

2

4

1

April 14

CHINA

Officials approved two COVID-19 vaccines to begin early-stage human trials. The two vaccines, developed by Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech and the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, are joining a third vaccine, developed by China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences, in human trials.

The World Health Organization issued a statement on April 13 reporting the spread of COVID-19 could not be effectively stopped without a vaccine, but the move to human trials has been questioned by some professionals. “Normally with vaccines you start off with small animals and then move to primates and then to humans,” said John Nicholls, a clinical professor of pathology at the University of Hong Kong to Al Jazeera.

“It seems that with this one they have gone straight to humans, which is a very bold decision.” Modena, a United States-based drug development company, has also moved to begin human trials with a COVID-19 vaccine.

2

April 15

NIGERIA

The Nigerian National Human Rights Commission issued a report claiming the organization had received “105 complaints of incidents of human rights violations per-

10

petrated by security forces,” according to Al Jazeera. The NHRC reported these claims came from 24 of Nigeria’s 36 states and accused the army of killing at least two people.

As of April 15, the COVID-19 death toll in Nigeria was up to 12 people out of 407 total confirmed cases, while security forces have been responsible for the extrajudicial killing of at least 18 individuals. The NHRC and Nigerian civilians have accused authorities of “excessive or disproportionate use of force, abuse of power, corruption and non-adherence to national and international laws, best practices and rules of engagement.”

3

April 16

JERUSALEM

A Jordanian council of clerics shut down the 35-acre al-Asqa mosque compound through the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which is set to begin on April 23. According to Reuters, the al-Asqa mosque compound is the third-holiest site in Islam. The council said the decision was “painful,” but “in line with legal fatwas [clerical opinions] and medical advice,” according to Middle East Eye. Religious workers will still be allowed onto the compound, but Muslims have been asked to perform Ramadan prayers from their homes to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Jerusalem is home to the Western

PSU Vanguard • APRIL 21, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

Hall, a holy site in Judaism, as well as the Christian holy site known as The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Western Hall was closed for Passover, and The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was closed to the public for the first time in over 700 years for Lent, Palm Sunday and Easter.

4

April 17

LILONGWE, MALAWI

Justice Kenyatta Nyirenda of the High Court of Malawi temporarily blocked a 21-day countrywide lockdown that was set to begin on April 18 in response to widespread protests and a request filed by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition. The HRDC and protesters argued the lockdown, which will close large markets and street vendors while limiting smaller markets’ hours, will disproportionately impact poor individuals who rely on the income from these markets to survive.

Health rights activists claimed the lockdown could lead to significant food shortages and child malnutrition if the government does not accompany the lockdown with some form of economic support package. “Since the injunction obtained is a temporary relief pending judicial review, our expectation is that our civil society and the courts will be guided by the law and what is in the best interest of Malawians when the matter finally comes for a hearing

and determination,” said presidential press secretary Mgeme Kalilani in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.

5

April 17

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s administration announced a ban on cremating unidentified or unclaimed bodies of COVID-19 victims, and instead required the remains be buried in individual graves separate from those who died of other causes. The new policy is aligned with the Law of the Forced Disappearance and Search of Persons, which, according to TeleSUR reads “corpses or remains of persons whose identity is unknown or have not been claimed, cannot be cremated, destroyed or disintegrated, or disposed of their belongings.”

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April 18

CAIRO, EGYPT

Egyptian officials added 13 people to the country’s terrorism list, according to Al Jazeera. Among those added to the list were Zyad Elelaimy, a prominent leader in the 2011 overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak, and popular activist Ramy Shaath; both were charged with joining a terrorist group and were arrested in 2019. The announcement in the country’s official gazette reported the “placement on the terrorism list will be for a period of five years.”

ARTS & CULTURE

PSU’S ART MUSEUM MOVES EXHIBITS ONLINE

JSMA’S GRAND OPENING HELD AT PSU ON NOV. 7, 2019.

ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD

NICK TOWNSEND The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art opened on Portland State campus on Nov. 7, 2019. The space remained open for less than six months before being forced to close along with the rest of PSU campus. The JSMA now faces the challenge of making art accessible in the digital world and accessing a student body that only had six months to recognize the museum as an institution on campus.

In an Instagram post on March 13, the museum announced it would officially close its doors to the public until further notice.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the opening reception for the museum’s second series of exhibitions, displaying works from Arvie Smith and Daniel Duford.

Duford’s exhibit John Brown’s Vision on the Scaffold and Smith’s exhibit 2 Up and 2 Back ll wove together themes of racism, oppression and social justice. Duford and Smith were both scheduled for multiple artist talks at the museum in April and May of 2020. Their exhibits now sit on display in the empty JSMA, unable to be seen except from the sidewalk outside the gallery.

A month after being forced to close, the museum is resuming operations in a new format. “We are putting the museum up online,” said Alexandra Rosa Miller Garcia Henrick, lead student associate at the JSMA. “The current exhibit is available virtually. We are taking steps to make sure that art can still be available to students.”

The online exhibit went up on April 14, displaying the full collections of both Duford and Smith’s exhibits, with individual in-

troductions and rich descriptions for each work, typical of what one would find on a placard in a physical museum.

Although incapable of capturing the feeling of an in-person exhibit, the website allows students and other visitors to briefly immerse themselves in the works of Duford and Smith. Duford’s exhibit John Brown’s Vision on the Scaffold remains visually striking and profound even in its digital incarnation. The collection centers on John Brown, a white radical abolitionist in the years preceding the Civil War who was hanged for crimes connected to planning a slave insurrection.

“Folklore and myth seep into this telling,” Duford wrote in the introduction. “Stories are alive, they are promiscuous.

They slip the borders. John Brown’s Vision on the Scaffold is steeped in American history and storytelling. I created a series of portraits of the people around John Brown as if they were my sitters.”

The collection features an extensive cast of characters from the period, including Brown, Harriet Tubman, Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson and Frederick Douglass. The exhibit is accompanied by a series of essays, available in PDF format on the exhibit’s web page.

The museum is exploring additional ways to promote engagement with the exhibits.

“We’ve had a lot of communication with [the artists],” Henrick said. We’re going to be doing virtual interviews with the artists,

as well as virtual storytelling so they can talk about narrative storytelling within their works. We’re working on getting that filmed professionally while still respecting social distancing.”

The second exhibit, Arvie Smith’s 2 Up and 2 Back ll, is a follow-up to an exhibit the artist debuted at the Disjecta Contemporary Arts Center in late 2019. It, like Duford’s work, focuses on race, oppression and perhaps a kind of reclamation. Smith introduces his own work in a provocative statement on the webpage.

“As a Black artist in America, the source for my paintings, my work, comes from media, advertising, pop culture, history, and persistent denigrations and public discourse,” Smith wrote. “I base my paintings on the concept of race and the normalization of social inequities born solely out of privilege based on skin tone.”

Smith’s work is radiant and colorful. It shouts at the viewer, demanding attention. “Smith is a painter whose images emanate from the acute antennae of community hearsay, upto-the- minute news, and American history,” curator Linda Tesner wrote in a description of Smith’s Boys Night Out. His work is rife with racial trauma, new and old, documenting lynching and murders from across America.

It remains unknown when the museum, along with the rest of society, will be able to resume normal operations. However, the portfolio of online resources and skills the museum is building in this period will surely serve it well in the future.

PSU Vanguard • APRIL 21, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

QUARANTINE

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THE TIME YOU HAVE NOW NICK GATLIN We’ve all been socially isolating for a while now, and considering the scale of this pandemic, we’ll all be at home for a while longer. What better time to cook the things you never had time for before? I’m talking stock, sourdough starter, no-knead bread—all that good stuff. All these recipes take a few hours, days or even months, and you start to become attached to them after a while. They can be your friends while all your real friends are stuck at home. I’ve started dreaming about my sourdough starter. Please send help.

HOMEMADE STOCK

Ingredients: Literally anything and everything

Stock is one of the easiest things anyone can make, and it amazes me that more people don’t make it themselves. The only real barrier to cooking a great stock is time, and God knows we all have enough of that nowadays.

Your first step is to save any and all cooking scraps you might have. Onion skins? Chicken bones? Carrot roots? Throw them all in the freezer. These will be the base of your stock.

I’ve used old fennel roots, dried mushrooms and the ends of celery for stock before. The truth is, you can really use anything you want.

If you make your stock entirely out of scraps, it technically costs $0!

Once you’ve got your scraps, cut into large pieces if necessary and throw them in a big pot of water. Bring it to a boil. At this point, you can also add any whole spices you like, such as black peppercorns, cumin seeds or ginger slices. Take note of the aromatics you add, as this will determine what you can use your final stock for. Once it boils, skim off any scum off the top and lower it to a simmer at the lowest temperature possible. The choice is yours; you can simmer it for a few hours, a day or multiple days. The longer you simmer it, the more rich and intense the flavor will be. If you want it to be really intense, simmer your stock in a covered Dutch oven or any other heavybottomed, covered pot for up to 3 days. That’s how ramen chefs make their tonkotsu broth— the end result is a delicious, almost creamy soup broth.

Once your stock is done, you can use it right away, put it in the fridge or freeze it. I like to reduce a slow-simmered broth like this until it’s thick, almost like a glaze, and freeze it in an ice cube tray. Once it freezes, you have your own homemade bouillon cubes that are infinitely better than anything you could buy in a store.

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SOURDOUGH STARTER Ingredients: Flour Water Time

If you bake anything that needs yeast, you’ve probably noticed that there’s little to be found on the shelves. Thankfully, now we’re all home, we can make our own. Sourdough starter is how everyone baked bread before the invention of modern commercial yeast, and you can cultivate your own wild yeast with nothing more than flour, water and time.

First, mix together equal parts flour and water in a clear container—preferably glass, like a mason jar. It doesn’t matter what flour you use, as long as it’s unbleached; however, I recommend using whole wheat for the first few feedings so the yeast has more to eat. I highly recommend you use a scale to measure your ingredients. If you don’t have one, try to eyeball a thick consistency, a little thicker than lumpy pancake batter. The next day, depending on how much mixture you have in your container, discard half and feed it again with equal parts flour and water. From then on, for the next week or so, discard half of your mixture and feed it with equal parts flour and water every single day. You might see some bubbles and signs of life during the week or you might not.

Trust in your starter and believe it will work.

Just keep feeding it every day.

Around the end of the week, depending on lots of factors—how warm your house is, the type of flour you use, etc.—your starter should be bubbling and alive. To test it, feed it one more time and leave it for a few hours. Put a rubber band around the top of your starter and wait. If it doubles or triples in size from where it started, congrats! You have a live sourdough starter! For advice on what to bake with it, I’ll leave it to the experts. Just remember to feed it every day like a pet. Eventually you might get attached to it, like I have with Jack Sour. Yeah, I named my starter. Don’t judge me.

COLD BREW COFFEE / SUN TEA Ingredients: Coffee or tea Water

The best way to use up old, slightly stale coffee is by making your own cold brew. I’ve found myself in a situation where all my coffee is less than fresh, but I’m too scared to go out and buy more, so I’ve turned to cold brew. In a

PSU Vanguard • APRIL 21, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

ACTIVE SOURDOUGH STARTER IN A GLASS MASON JAR. NICK GATLIN/PSU VANGUARD gigantic mason jar, I fill the filter with ground coffee and then fill the jar with water. Wait 24–48 hours, and bam! Cold brew!

If you don’t have a cold brew filter and a comically large mason jar like me, never fear—a French press works perfectly. Just pour in your coffee—more than you think you need—and your water and let it sit in the fridge. One to two days later, plunge down the filter and pour out your delicious, smooth, slightly sweet homemade cold brew.

For sun tea, it’s basically the same thing.

The only difference is instead of putting it in the fridge, you just leave it in the sun—on your

porch, your windowsill or wherever you can get good sunlight for most of the day. Put some loose leaf tea or tea bags in a French press, leave it out until the water turns the color of tea and enjoy.

Most of us never have enough time to cook, so why not take advantage of all this time stuck at home? The nice thing about these recipes is they only take five minutes of effort or less, and then a whole bunch of waiting around. You can just set it and forget it.

Believe me, having homemade sourdough, cold brew and soup stock is one of the greatest pleasures known to humankind.

OPINION

HAVE YOU HEARD: AJ EARL At somewhere around week three of sheltering in place, or whatever we’re calling it these days, I began to have bad insomnia. Now, when you have a traumatic brain injury, this is pretty common. In fact, it should probably be a non-issue. Except, for me, it’s been because I’m having the same pattern of dreams. In these, I’m yelling into my pillow angrily at some interruption of my sleep, from birds tweeting too loudly to my husband playing certain musicians too loud. I typically wake up and try to figure out if it was really true, that I could speak, and, finding I’m unable, sit up in an annoyed fog. Thankfully, this gives me a lot of time to think about things, and we all know thinking too much during a crisis is the best way to deal! Anyway…

Have you heard of all the creative ways folks are covering their faces, now that it’s essentially recommended nationwide? To be clear, covering your face has limited efficacy when it comes to catching COVID-19, but when it’s transmission, these face coverings are often the best way to keep your various personal aerosols from escaping. In general, these face masks are practical and basic—just a bandana, fashionable scarf or carefully sewn fabric, as a recent NPR article detailed. Other masks seen in the wild have ranged from fursuits to classic plague doctor garb.

Were you aware although pets don’t appear to be susceptible to COVID-19 in general, there has been a dramatic decline in pet adoptions? This is largely due to the closure of shelters and implementation of strict social distancing at others, but in general, it seems people stuck at home are still not ready to admit that a new pet might help cure the pandemic blues. At the Oregon Humane Society, their adoption teams will call you and do all the typical screening for you—all you need to do is find a pet with the personality you’re seeking. Cat Adoption Team, which provides all the cats for the newly reopened—and promptly closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic—Purrington’s Cat Café, and the Pixie Project, provides contactless cat and dog adoption.

In other news, while you’re impulse-buying out of extreme boredom, consider donating to one or two of the many fundraisers going on right now. You could donate to United Way’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund, the Oregon Food Bank, the Oregon Community Foundation or any of the numerous funds listed at the Funders for LGBTQ Issues page.

I’m sure you’ve bought video games during this period of extreme boredom, and as a result I want to help you find friends for Switch, Xbox, Steam and PS4. Send me an email at opinion@psuvanguard.com with your gamer tags and IDs and whatever alias you’d like to use, and I’ll share them in a HYH edition in the next couple of weeks!

Hey, grad students! I’m sure you’re tired of the roadblocks to research at this point—I am definitely exhausted by now—but let’s take this time to get all our things in order. First up, a lot of us should consider extending our time to degree by at least a term. This might be a difficult decision, but the reduced stress will be helpful, I promise. Second, perhaps it’s time to consider alternate assignments for this term if you aren’t graduating just yet. Finally, don’t be afraid of medical leave. The protection offered by this status is immensely helpful when you’re unable to continue now but anticipate a future return.

One last thing, y’all. I’ve discussed arts and crafts at length in this article in the past, but considering the potential for an extended isolation period, now might be the time for not just new arts and crafts but teaching and sharing your skills with others. Consider using live broadcasting or videos, podcasts or even simple sketching or written instructions to get your skills out there. Furthermore, ensure that when you share the lessons of others you are being extremely careful to credit the originator. Likewise, please watermark any produced lessons. When you’ve got that up and running, if you’re a Portland State student, please feel free to let us know here at Vanguard.

THE STUCK AT HOME EDITION

DANA TOWNSEND

PSU Vanguard • APRIL 21, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

13

OPINION

THE BENEFITS

OF BEING A

REGISTERED

INDEPENDENT BELA KURZENHAUSER When Senator Bernie Sanders dropped out of the 2020 United States Presidential Race on April 8, the fallout was palpable, especially among those who identify as independent. Many of Sanders’ supporters felt his chances at the presidency had been smeared and interfered with by liberal media and fellow former Democratic presidential candidates. Sanders had been pegged by many Democratic voters as too socialist, loud and abrasive, along with many other words. Sanders suspending his campaign additionally meant Joe Biden would be the Democratic candidate for the 2020 election—though not officially, as Sanders is still on the primary ballots, but is unlikely to secure votes.

In the wake of sexual assault allegations against Biden by former aide Tara Reade, many on the left rallied against Biden being the Democratic candidate. After Sanders’ suspension, online forums and social media exploded with political disagreement. With the 2020 election, we have begun to see more than two parties. We no longer have left and right, blue and red, Democrats and conservatives, but rather three parties, with progressives and socialists forming their own sphere.

When many people expressed distaste toward voting for Biden over Trump, choosing instead to withhold their vote or vote third party, they were met with a barrage of Democratic supporters repeating the same phrase: Vote blue no matter who. When voters in 2016 were surveyed on why they supported their specific candidate, Clinton or Trump, most responded with the same answer: “I don’t like either, but I’m voting for the lesser evil.”

There is something inherently problematic about voting for a candidate that doesn’t back policies you support, expresses behavior that you find inappropriate or undesirable and may not even support your existence solely because of the party they belong to. The concept of a bipartisan system is flawed. The spectrum of political opinions is far too diverse and wide-ranging to be isolated to two groups that essentially represent the same issues, goals and policies.

Bernie Sanders was a Democrat in name only. He didn’t represent the ideologies and policies of the Democratic party, but rather pushed an agenda that aligned with the Green Party’s socialist and lower-class-first initiative. If he didn’t belong in the Democratic race, then why was he there? Because people won’t vote for the third party.

Progressives and independents are told a vote for the third

party is a vote for Trump, or any other Republican or majority candidate.

Voting has become a toxic act where people are told, “if you don’t vote for our candidate, you don’t belong to our party.” Why should people have to vote for someone they don’t believe in and don’t support? Why should they have to vote for anyone? Is voting worth trading your moral or ethical stance for? There’s a reason why more and more people have shifted over to being registered as an independent voter in the wake of the last several elections. A wave of disappointment washed over democratic voters after Al Gore won the candidacy in 2000, and again in 2016 with Clinton, and it’s happening again with Biden this year.

There’s multiple benefits to being registered as an independent. First off, you don’t have to be pressured by one party or another to vote a specific way. You can feel free to vote for a third-party candidate without the guilt of betraying your party. You can feel free to have your own political opinions and views that aren’t dictated and determined by a conglomerate of politicians. You don’t have to receive junk mail. When the holidays roll around and your relatives ask who you voted for, you can smugly say “I voted green,” or something along those lines, and watch their jaws hit the floor.

The concept that not voting is a vote for the other candidate is largely untrue. Statistically, it doesn’t even make sense. Politics is more than just beating the other candidate. It’s about making change. People looked up to Sanders because he advocated change. You shouldn’t be goaded into voting for someone who you don’t believe supports your politics. Politics are not black and white— elections shouldn’t just be about blue versus red, left versus right, Democrats versus Republicans—but about how much we as people are willing to put forward change in this country. While it’s true change happens slowly, we can make that change by being willing to stand up for the working lower class.

You can vote for whoever you want to. Nobody’s stopping you. But you can also vote for nobody, because, again, nobody’s stopping you. Politics is about choice, change and personal opinion. It shouldn’t be about party allegiance.

You might find your opinions were a lot different than you thought, or that maybe, you just don’t care as much as you felt you needed to.

DANA TOWNSEND

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PSU Vanguard • APRIL 21, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

SPORTS

PSU INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SHARE HOW COVID-19 HAS DISRUPTED THEIR LIVES INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ATHLETES ADDRESS NCAA CANCELLATIONS, FALLOUT RICH RIGNEY Portland State student athletes previously responded to the NCAA’s decision on eligibility for spring sport athletes and shared how the changes have had an impact on their lives. Many of those same athletes offered their perspective specifically as an international student and addressed how the cancellations, adjustments to eligibility and border lockdowns have affected their plans for the future.

The following are selected responses from PSU international student athletes.

As an international student, how have these cancellations or the subsequent travel bans being implemented had an impact on your personal life?

Gerda Upeniece • Junior, women’s tennis: I’m from Riga, Latvia, and just like in the majority of European countries, my country’s borders are closed. I’m currently staying at PSU and waiting for the next repatriation flight back home. I’m still living on campus, and I have all the needed resources and access. For now, I’m learning how to keep myself busy and positive. One big takeaway that this pandemic is teaching us is that tomorrow isn’t promised, so we have to enjoy and live our life on the fullest.

Nina Nikitovic • Junior, women’s tennis: Being an international student in this kind of situation was especially hard. I had to make a decision in less than 15 minutes if I should buy a ticket to go back home. My country was closing its borders, and I caught the last flight. It was not an easy decision that I had to make, especially as everyone was advising us to stay and not go back home. Hopefully, I will be able to return back in the fall, [but] as it comes to now I have no idea what is going to happen.

Valerie Hernandez • Senior, golf: I bought the ticket to go back home the day before, which I never thought was going to happen. Not because the season was being canceled but because borders were closing in the next couple of days. At this time, you don’t really know what’s a good decision or not because you don’t really know what’s going to happen. Decisions from governments, schools and teams are being made daily, which is not convenient for anyone, but we have to be patient. Today, I still don’t know when I will be able to go back to the [United States], which is a bit worrying for me, and not knowing when things will go back to normal.

Eszter Zador Senior, women’s tennis: I was not planning on going home anyway until June. However, seeing my friends go home and me staying in the states by myself without my loved ones makes me sad sometimes.

However, the fact that my family is safe makes me happy, and I communicate with them almost every day.

Sam Roberts • Junior, men’s tennis: Since our season has been canceled for the rest of the year my family and I decided that it was best for me to go back home [in the U.K.] for the next 5-6 months until school resumes in September, assuming everything has gone back to normal by then.

Otto Holtari Junior, men’s tennis: Once we first heard that the season was canceled, we were encouraged that we should not return to our home countries yet because there is no guarantee that we can come back in September if the President decides to keep the borders closed. In a week from that, almost all of my international friends from here and other schools had gone home. So, I don’t really think it has affected my situation because I have

a good apartment here where I can stay, and I can still go back home whenever I choose to.

Ruchae Walton • Redshirt junior, women’s basketball: As an international [student] I had to make the decision to fly back home to the U.K. as quickly as possible. It was a little chaotic trying to find flights and pack because I did not know exactly how long I would be at home for. I hope to get back to the U.S. soon so my team and I can get back to work in preparation for the upcoming season.

Jacinta Milenkoski • Sophomore, women’s tennis: As Australia stopped 90% of [its] flights, I had to quickly make a decision on whether I wanted to come home or not during finals week, which I decided to do. Currently, I can only fly back to the U.S. for emergency reasons, so depending on how the pandemic is during the fall will impact my ability to return to the U.S. How might these changes be affecting your future here at PSU? Hernandez: Fortunately, I was able to go back home since they gave a four-day notice of closing borders. However, that’s not the first thing I wanted to do, especially being this my senior year. At this moment, they are extending our lockdown and I’m not sure how long it will be or if it will be the last. Not knowing when I will return to PSU is stressful and not knowing what will happen for me in the next year too, since I have to make a decision sooner or later.

Roberts: I am currently back home. I don’t think that it will have an impact on my ability to return back to PSU. However, I can’t say that with 100% certainty because there is a possibility that, come fall term, I won’t be allowed back into the U.S. Personally, I don’t think that will happen though.

BRANDON PAHNISH

PSU Vanguard • APRIL 21, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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COMICS

DANA TOWNSEND

DANA TOWNSEND