VOLUME 76 • ISSUE 2 • APRIL 6, 2021
ASKING PSU PROFESSORS:
P. 8–9
NEWS Student fees P. 4
ARE SANCTIONS ENOUGH? ARTS & CULTURE Remembering Beverly Cleary P. 12
OPINION Demolish the filibuster P. 14–15
CONTENTS
COVER BY SAM GARCIA
NEWS COVID-19 UPDATE
P. 3
COVER ASKING THE QUESTION: ARE SANCTIONS ENOUGH?
P. 8–9
PSU IS REDUCING MANDATORY STUDENT FEES FOR THE SPRING ‘21 TERM
P. 4
INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY HOPES FOR WATER ON MARS DRIVES ROVERS AND RESEARCH FORWARD
P. 10–11
P. 5
INTERNATIONAL VATICAN INSISTS CHURCH CANNOT BLESS UNIONS BETWEEN PERSONS OF THE SAME SEX
ARTS & CULTURE STORIES FOR ALL THE ORDINARY PESTS
P. 12
P. 6
HOLDING ON TO THE MEMORIES
P. 13
BACK-AND-FORTH SANCTIONS ACCUSE CHINA OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
P. 7
OPINION MANUFACTURED GRIDLOCK
P. 14–15
EVENTS CALENDAR
P. 16
STAFF
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Justin Grinnell MANAGING EDITOR Nick Townsend NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Rachel Owen INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Karisa Yuasa SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Béla Kurzenhauser ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Morgan Troper
OPINION EDITOR Nick Gatlin
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Olivia Lee
STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher
ONLINE EDITOR Lily Hennings
PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sam Person
TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale
COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon CONTRIBUTORS Conor Carroll Nova Johnson Analisa Landeros Kat Leon Eric Shelby Sierra Still Mackenzie Streissguth PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Annie Schutz
DESIGNERS Farah Alkayed Sam Garcia Shannon Steed T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow Kahela Fickle George Olson A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood
To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com
MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.
A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
COVID-19 UPDATE CONOR CARROLL
TOTAL AT PSU AS OF APRIL 3: 46
Two February cases, three March cases Three new COVID-19 cases have been reported at Portland State since the beginning of March, holding PSU at 46 cases over the course of the pandemic. Two resident students and one non-resident student tested positive for COVID-19. Some potential on-campus exposures have been identified and have undergone testing and quarantine. PSU relies heavily on a self-reporting system for people who have tested positive or inconclusive and have been on campus within two weeks of a positive test. The self-reporting form can be found on PSU’s Coronavirus Response website.
TOTAL IN OREGON AS OF APRIL 4: 166, 882 CONFIRMED CASES; 2,392 DEATHS
Total Vaccinations as of April 4: 495,960 vaccines in progress, 761,133 fully vaccinated Beginning Monday, Oregon will increase COVID-19 vaccine accessibility to even more people, according to a KOIN report. According to the Oregon government website, over 70% of those vaccinated are white, with another 10% “unknown.” As part of Phase 1b, Group 7, frontline workers and all Oregonians with underlying health conditions are now eligible for the vaccine on April 5. At least 20 counties in the state are already offering Group 7 access to vaccines after submitting an application to move onto the next group, with Multnomah County the lone holdout until April 5. The state of Oregon lists Phase 1b, Group 7 as frontline workers as defined by the CDC, multigenerational household members and adults 16 and older with underlying health conditions. If you are eligible, you do not have to wait until Monday, April 5 to sign up. As of April 3, you can schedule an appointment throughout the state. At the time of the appointment, your second shot is scheduled. The vaccinations are free– though your insurance may be billed to assist in covering the cost of administering the shot.
TOTAL IN U.S. AS OF APRIL 4: 30.49 MILLION CASES; 553,681 DEATHS
Total vaccinations: 106 million received at least one dose; 61.4 million fully vaccinated Despite the applauded number of vaccinations taking place in the United States, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky last Monday said rebounding COVID-19 case counts gave her a sense of “impending doom” and warned the public to continue following public health precautions with more contagious strains of the virus taking hold. “Right now, I’m scared,” Walensky said at a briefing during which officials cautioned that the country is headed toward yet another wave with new cases edging past 30 million in the U.S. and deaths yet again averaging around 1,000 a day. Walensky mentioned a boost in public travel as a possible reason that cases are rising, and observed the more contagious variants may intensify the crisis if people don’t wear masks and follow other public safety guidelines.
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
NEWS
3
SAM GARCIA
PSU REDUCES MANDATORY STUDENT FEES FOR SPRING 21 TERM RACHEL OWEN In a University Communications email released on April 2, Portland State announced it will be reducing mandatory student fees by $39. This cut in fees is due to a lack of student presence on campus as the pandemic continues to take a toll on student life and on campus activities. The cuts are broken down by a 50% decrease in the student building fee, making it $19, and a reduction in the incidental fee to $20. These fee reductions will be applied to those taking eight or more credits and will be posted in student’s accounts a few days after the initial email. Meanwhile, full-time students will continue to pay the mandatory spring fees of $20 for the student building fee, $276 for the incidental fee, $168 for the student health fee and $44 for the recreation center fee for a total of $508. Cuts from these two fees will affect on campus organizations such as the Queer Resource Center, Cultural Resource Centers and
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on-campus childcare and student activities and groups. However, other student resources such as the Student Health and Counseling Center and Diversity and Multicultural Student Services will keep their current funding and will not be affected by these cuts. In response to these reductions, PSU invited students to attend a Student Fee and Tuition Town Hall from 12–2 p.m. on April 23. There, students will have the opportunity to ask panelists from the Board of Trustees and Student Financial Services any questions they have regarding student finances. The meeting will be hosted by the Student Fee Committee (SFC) and attended by PSU President Stephen Percy and Associated Students of Portland State University President Motutama Sipelii. According to Percy’s email, budget cuts for this term were decided by the SFC, a group of student representatives elected by the student body to make such decisions. The financial deci-
sions involved in this email were discussed in a meeting on Jan. 21, 2021. These fees are discussed and reviewed annually by such a committee. Because PSU enrollment has declined, these fee reductions have been contested since fall term of 2020. Enrollment decreases combined with lack of student presence on campus because of the pandemic have caused an absence in overall funding and need for on campus upkeep and funding of student groups. According to Director of Media and Public Relations Christina Williams, “the fee reductions have remained pretty constant for fall, winter and spring terms, reflecting a desire to reduce the fees for services that are not applicable during remote teaching and learning.” The link for the upcoming town hall is available in the student communications email as well as online on the PSU website.
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
LANDER ON MARS. COURTESY OF FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS
WATER HOPES FOR
BÉLA KURZENHAUSER A new study conducted by the California Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) presented promising evidence that Mars contains a significant amount of water beneath its surface. This study challenges the long-held hypothesis that Mars’ oceans escaped the atmosphere billions of years ago as a result of dust storms and the planet’s low gravity. Caltech’s paper arrives at an exciting time for the red planet, with two rovers touching down this year and multiple international research projects aiming to learn more about the history and structure of Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor. According to Caltech, more than four billion years ago, Mars had enough water to cover the entire planet with an ocean upwards of 1,500 meters deep—enough water to fill half of Earth’s Atlantic Ocean. Just around a billion years later, all that water had disappeared, leaving the planet as dry as it appears to be today. Mars has a gravitational force about 2.6 times weaker (38%) than Earth’s, so scientists had long-theorized Mars’ vast oceans had been whisked off into outer space. However, Caltech proposes that anywhere from 30–99% of Mars’ water is trapped within minerals buried within the planet’s crust. Earth’s tectonic activity means water trapped in the crust eventually gets recycled into the atmosphere through processes such as condensation and volcanic eruptions. In comparison, Mars is tectonically inactive, so water that’s trapped in the crust stays in the crust. Hence, the water that once existed on Mars is still there, scattered beneath the surface of the planet, condensed into billions upon billions of hydrated minerals. “Atmospheric escape clearly had a role in water loss, but findings from the last decade of Mars missions have pointed to the fact that there was this huge reservoir of ancient hydrated minerals whose formation certainly decreased water availability over time,” said Bethany Ehlmann, associate director at Caltech’s Keck Institute for Space Studies, in a Caltech news post about the study. Astronomers and physicists have chased Mars’ water for decades, launching rover after rover in pursuit of the Red
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
ON MARS DRIVES ROVERS AND R E S E A R C H FO R WA R D
Planet’s missing moisture. Mars is not only the closest planet to Earth, but also the most habitable planet outside of our own. Its climate is temperate, and although the planet can reach the freezing lows of minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the planet is ripe for human exploration and provides hope for a second planet for mankind to live on in the not-so-distant future. Finding water on Mars would not only contribute to the habitability of the planet, but also inform us more about the history of life on the planet. Wherever water is, life follows. A single drop of water on Earth contains a kaleidoscope of diverse microorganisms, and discovering more information about the history of water on Mars could enlighten scientists on what kind of life forms used to or currently exist there. “The surface of Mars today is extremely dry, but there are lots of clues pointing to a much wetter past,” said astrobiologist Alberto Fairen to NASA. “Evidence for past water may be the clue to follow to find extinct life on Mars and if some of that water still persists on Mars today, then for sure the prospects to find extant life go up.” Mars also possesses a large amount of water frozen in its two polar ice caps, similar to Earth’s Antarctic and Arctic poles. Almost all of Mars’ water is frozen in ice due to the vast period of time the planet spends in sub-freezing temperatures during its orbit. Even if the water on Mars does not assist scientists in their pursuit to map the history of life on the planet, knowing more about its availability could greatly help future inhabitants of Mars. Although humans
are unlikely to touch down on Mars before the 2030s, such a manned mission is closer than it’s ever been, and the potential for long-term life on Mars is highly dependent on the sustainability of liquid water on the planet. The search for water on Mars isn’t just being conducted from the distance of our blue planet. The National Aeronautics and Space Association (NASA) successfully landed their fifth Mars rover, Perseverance, this past February, and China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) has their own mission, Tianwen-1, orbiting the red planet now. Although both projects are more focused on the topology and geological structure of Mars, they still aim to locate water and record data about its presence on the planet. Tianwen-1 is projected to land between May and June of this year, targeting the vast plain of Utopia Planitia as its landing spot—an area supposedly rich with a subterranean lake of ice. The United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter is also contributing to the effort, gathering data about the atmosphere and meteorology of Mars. Scientists have been searching for water on Mars for a long time—and they’re closer to finding it than ever before. “A fundamental question for [Curiosity] was whether Mars could have supported a habitable environment,” said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program in 2013. “From what we know now, the answer is yes.”
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
5
VATICAN INSISTS CHURCH CANNOT BLESS UNIONS BETWEEN PERSONS OF THE SAME SEX
THE VATICAN ON GOOD FRIDAY. ANGELO CARCONI/AP PHOTO HANNA ANDERSON The Vatican announced on March 15 Catholic priests cannot bless same sex marriages, insisting such unions are still considered sinful. The announcement came specifically from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the arm of the Catholic church charged with upholding and promoting the faith’s rules. The declaration by the CDF proposes the question, “Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?” and answers with one word: negative. That answer is followed by a two-page explanation. The question doesn’t come from a specific source, but acknowledges a push from progressive Catholics in the wider community and their congregations towards welcoming the queer community into their churches. In the United States in particular, 61% of Catholics support same-sex marriage, according to the Pew Research Center. Some churches, such as the local St. Andrew’s church, explicitly state their support and welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community on their website. Pope Francis even voiced his support of same-sex couples in a documentary from fall 2020. However, in the wake of the recent declaration, the CDF has stated Pope Francis was informed of and gave his permission for the statement to be published, according to The New York Times. The statement from the CDF is considerably more tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community than the church at large has been throughout its history, while continuing to condemn queer sexuality as sinful. According to the document and, by extension, the Catholic faith, marriage must be between a man and a woman—and have
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the capacity to create life—to be considered a marriage by the church. Any union outside of that definition—regardless of if the relationship is “stable,” according to the announcement—is to be considered “not licit” and undeserving of the church’s blessing. Marriage, in Catholicism, is a sacrament—one of seven sacred acts considered to bring Catholics closer to God. They are not all required for all Catholics—in fact, they can’t all be completed by all Catholics, as some are mutually exclusive. The announcement cites the sanctity of the sacraments in explaining their decision. A sacrament must adhere wholeheartedly to the word of God to be considered so, and according to the CDF, same-sex unions are “not ordered to the Creator’s plan.” “The declaration of the unlawfulness of blessings of unions between persons of the same sex is not therefore, and is not intended to be, a form of unjust discrimination,” the CDF states, “but rather a reminder of the truth of the liturgical rite and of the very nature of the sacramentals, as the Church understands them.” Francis has, at this point, said nothing specifically regarding the CDF’s statement. In October 2020, Francis previously made global news when the documentary “Francesco” was released and revealed Francis’s explicit support of same-sex civil unions, according to AP News. “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family,” Francis said in the documentary. “They are children of God. You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”
On March 24, Francis also appointed Juan Carlos Cruz, an out gay man, survivor of abuse and advocate for survivors of clerical abuse, to the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors. “I am very grateful to Pope Francis for trusting me with this appointment,” Cruz tweeted. “I deeply appreciate it. This renews my commitment to continue working to end the scourge of abuse and for so many survivors who still do not have justice.” However, the Pope’s words didn’t change Church teachings, and hardly clarified the role of LGBTQ+ parishioners in a religion where a large portion of members continue to protest even their existence. Sources from the Vatican—who have remained anonymous— have suspected that an address from Francis shortly after the CDF’s announcement may have alluded to it, according to America Media. In his address, he stressed, “sowing seeds of love, not with fleeting words but through concrete, simple and courageous examples; not with theoretical condemnations, but with gestures of love.” A clear definition of doctrine is particularly necessary in Catholicism, a religion defined by its adherence to the Pope and Vatican. Catholics dissenting from the Vatican is the origin of many specifically Protestant denominations, such as Lutheranism. Yet, queer Catholics continue to exist, pray, worship and marry, whether with or without a single sacrament or the church’s blessing—assuring this question of their role in the church will not end with the CDF’s “negative.”
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
BACK-AND-FORTH SANCTIONS ACCUSE CHINA OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS MUSLIM UIGHURS. COURTESY OF BBC
KARISA YUASA China placed sanctions on several British politicians on March 26, following the move of the United Kingdom to join the European Union and other countries in sanctioning Chinese officials for alleged human rights violations, according to AP News. The Chinese government is accused of detaining Muslim Uighur people in mass detention centers in the Xinjiang region. “We, the Foreign Ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom, and the United States Secretary of State, are united in our deep and ongoing concern regarding China’s human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang,” reads a joint statement from March 22. “China’s extensive program of repression includes severe restrictions on religious freedoms, the use of forced labour, mass detention in internment camps, forced sterilisations, and the concerted destruction of Uyghur heritage.” On March 17, the EU decided to place sanctions on Chinese officials, which were approved by foreign ministers on March 22. These were the first sanctions the EU has evoked on China since an arms embargo following the 1989 Tiananmen Square Crackdown, according to Reuters. The 11 individuals and entities on the EU’s list faced travel bans and asset freezes.
On the day the EU sanctions were approved, the U.S., United Kingdom and Canada announced similar sanctions on Chinese officials in Xinjiang. “Acting together sends the clearest possible signal that the international community is united in its condemnation of China’s human rights violations in Xinjiang and the need for Beijing to end its discriminatory and oppressive practices in the region,” the U.K.’s foreign ministry said. China reacted by placing sanctions on 10 EU citizens the same day, denying all accusations of abuse, according to Deutsche Welle. Officials said the sanctions were due to “gross interference” in internal affairs and “flagrantly violating international law.” “As long as China commits genocide on the Uyghurs, I will not remain silent,” wrote Dutch lawmaker Sjoerd Sjoerdsma—who was placed on China’s sanction list—on Twitter. “These sanctions are proof that China is susceptible to outside pressure. I hope my European colleagues will seize this moment to speak out as well.” “I learned that I am targeted by Chinese sanctions, banished from Chinese territory (as well as all my family!) And forbidden from any contact with official institutions and Chinese companies in my defense of the Uyghur people: it is my legion of honor. #FreeUyghurs,” Raphael Glucksmann, a member of European Parliament, wrote in French on Twitter.
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
China later placed sanctions on nine Britons, including lawmakers that “maliciously spread lies and disinformation,” according to Reuters. “China does not stir up trouble, but China is not afraid when others do,” said Yang Xiaoguang, China’s charge d’affaires in London, at a news conference. “China is not the first to shoot, neither will we be passive and submissive to threats from the outside. Today’s world is not the world of 120 years ago. The Chinese people will not be bullied.” The sanctions bar the nine individuals and their immediate families from entering any Chinese territory. In addition, the ministry of foreign affairs announced that “their property in China will be frozen, and Chinese citizens and institutions will be prohibited from doing business with them,” according to Deutsche Welle. “China is firmly determined to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests, and warns the U.K. side not to go further down the wrong path,” the Chinese ministry said, according to Reuters. “Otherwise, China will resolutely make further reactions.” Other countries have also released statements on the matter. “New Zealand and Australia welcome the measures announced overnight by Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States,” wrote New Zealand Minister of
Foreign Affairs Nanaia Mahuta and Australia Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Marise Payne in a joint statement. “We share these countries’ deep concerns, which are held across the New Zealand and Australian communities.Today we underscore the importance of transparency and accountability, and reiterate our call on China to grant meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for United Nations experts, and other independent observers.” Of those that received sanctions, some British members of Parliament have been outspoken with their criticism of the actions of the Chinese government. “Britain puts sanctions on individuals who violate the human rights of Chinese citizens, wrote sanctioned British Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat on Twitter. “China puts sanctions on individuals who defend the human rights of Chinese citizens. The contrast is clear.” “It’s our duty to call out the Chinese Govt’s human rights abuse in #HongKong & the genocide of the #Uyghurs,” sanctioned Member of Parliament Ian Duncan Smith tweeted. “Those of us who live free lives under the rule of law must speak for those who have no voice. If that brings the anger of China down on me, I’ll wear that badge of honour.”
INTERNATIONAL
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SAM GARCIA
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COVER
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
ASKING THE QUESTION:
ARE SANCTIONS ENOUGH?
WHEN AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES COMMIT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, THEY’RE OFTEN MET WITH SANCTIONS—AND ONLY SANCTIONS CONOR CARROLL
THE QUESTION
In February 2020, the International Bar Association (IBA) released a report entitled “Report on the Use of Targeted Sanctions to Protect Journalists.” It was drafted by Dr. Amal Clooney, a renowned lawyer and human rights activist. According to the Executive Summary of this 2020 report, “abuses of media freedom around the world are stifling speech and shredding the very fabric of democracies...annual reports on democracy record that media freedom has been deteriorating around the world over the past decade in open societies and authoritarian states alike. “Of all the indicators that go into defining a liberal democracy, freedom of expression and the media are the areas under the most severe attack by governments around the world.” In its 2021 analysis, the international watchdog group Freedom Watch stated, “the impact of the long-term democratic decline has become increasingly global in nature, broad enough to be felt by those living under the cruelest dictatorships, as well as by citizens of long-standing democracies. Nearly 75% of the world’s population lived in a country that faced [democratic] deterioration last year.” In Russia, President Vladimir Putin’s government has been consistently rated one the lowest on Freedom Watch’s “Freedom in the World Report” for many years. The “report card” that Freedom Watch issues on a yearly basis is a one out of 100 score, based on political freedoms and civil rights, like free and fair elections and protection of dissent. Russia’s 2021 “score” was 20 out of 100. Other non-democratic nations have received similar scores—China received a score of 9, while Saudi Arabia was awarded a score of 7 out of 100. The Biden administration recently disclosed an Office for the Director of International intelligence (ODNI) report on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, regarding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, confirming that the Saudi Government, specifically the Crown Prince Mohummad bin Salman, were directly responsible for Khashoggi’s death. The Biden administration has issued sanctions and warnings to the Saudi government, but continues to participate economically and diplomatically with the Kingdom of Saud unabated. This manner of punishment on the world stage is common among resource-rich, diplomatic partners of the U.S.
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
and other western democracies, and some experts wonder if this is sufficient to combat such violence and anti-democratic action. Several professors at Portland State weighed in on the issue of whether sanctions are enough to curb these assaults on democracy, and what the nature of their use means in a political context.
THE RESPONSES
From Professor Gerry Sussman, Ph.D., who bridges urban and international studies through a joint faculty position with the Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning and the International and Global Studies Program: “As I see it, there are many forms of sanctions, and they’ve been practiced for a long time, with varying levels of success. The sanctions used against Japan in 1940—oil and metals cutoffs—led to the attack on Pearl Harbor and the Pacific War. The sanctions used against the apartheid regime in South Africa, on the other hand, were quite effective in bringing down that racist regime,” Sussman said. “Currently, the [United States] is using sanctions against many countries, some 30 countries in total, either the whole country or persons in those countries. For the most part, they do not seem to be working to force changes that the U.S. is seeking...It’s quite interesting how public officials decry the rebellion that took place on the Capitol in January, yet look the other way when US foreign policy is deliberately promoting rebellion in other countries, including those that have had democratic elections,” Sussman continued. “If one believes in international law, then sanctions imposed without provocation, i.e., used as interventionist tools, are illegal. The U.N. Charter calls for respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and self-determination of all nations, which the U.S. in the postwar era has never respected. Saudi Arabia is a case of a brutal dictatorship, yet the U.S. supports it completely out of a sense of ‘national interest,’ without any real consideration of human rights. The same could be said about the human rights abuses in other allied states that the U.S. chooses to ignore.” From Professor Leopoldo Rodriguez, an associate professor at PSU affiliated with International Development Studies, Latin American Studies and the Economic Department:
“U.S. foreign policy responds to geopolitical interests, not to human rights or democratic principles. Sanctions come in many forms and vary greatly in intensity. Severe sanctions are often imposed on nations that do not conform to U.S. interests, such as Venezuela or Iran, while less democratic regimes such as Saudi Arabia literally get away with murder,” Rodriguez said. “So, [this is] the wrong question because sanctions never seek to stop authoritarian regimes. They are meant to prop up vital geopolitical interests around the world. A highly visible assassination took place under the directions of the Saudi prince and all that comes out of it is a minor slap on the wrist for his henchmen.” “Such a response is basically a declaration that the Saudi government can continue to act with full impunity as far as the U.S. is concerned. I do not need to explain why Saudi Arabia is a key geopolitical asset for the U.S.,” Rodriguez said. From Shawn Smallman, a professor of International Studies with a Ph.D.: “This is an interesting question. While sanctions are an important tool, alone they are not enough to prevent the murder or kidnapping of dissidents. For example, many Russian dissidents and oligarchs have moved to Britain. In two cases— Litvinenko in 2006 and Sergei V. Skripal in 2018—dissidents were poisoned by Russian agents.” “The British investigation was very thorough, and the guilt of particular Russian agents was clearly established. In the aftermath, Russian individuals were sanctioned, but this has not greatly changed Russian behavior,” Smallman said. “Similarly, after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea in Ukraine, Russia faced significant U.S. and EU sanctions. Such sanctions, however, cannot change behavior when a regime believes that its survival is threatened, or key national interests are at stake.” “We have seen proof of this with the Navalny case. Sanctions do, however, raise the cost so that regimes are less likely to carry out such murders or actions. Sanctions are much more effective when done in concert with allies, and when accompanied by other tools of diplomacy,” Smallman said. Economic and otherwise, sanctions are often popular methods of punishing or holding responsible those countries that refuse to adhere to democratic norms. So, If the question “do sanctions work” is not the right one, what question is?
COVER
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THIS WEEK
around the
WORLD
Mar. 28–Apr. 2
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PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
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March 28
MAKASSAR, INDONESIA
At least 20 people were wounded when two suicide bombers detonated outside of a packed Catholic cathedral on Palm Sunday, according to AP News. Police announced late Sunday they believed one of the attackers was associated with Jemaah Anshorut Daulah or J.A.D., the extremist group accused of carrying out other bombings in 2019 and multiple church attacks in 2018. “The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack that took place at Makassar Church in Makassar,” stated United Nations Security Council President Linda Thomas-Greenfield in a press statement. “The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.” 2
March 28
GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS
Officials discovered 185 baby tortoises in a suitcase headed to Mainland Ecuador, according to The New York Times. The baby tortoises were found wrapped in plastic in a red suitcase. According to Al Jazeera, Nixon Alejandro was arrested on the charge of a crime against wild flora and fauna, which can carry a three-year sentence. “No second thought is given to these people who do so much harm to society, the environment, health and the ecosystem, we will apply the full weight of the law,” Ecuador’s
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
Minister of Environment Marcelo Mata said. “And as Ecuador’s main environmental body, we will be ready to collaborate with prosecutors and other authorities.” 10 of the tortoises were found dead and five more died the following day. 3
March 30
GERMANY
German health officials announced that use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine would be restricted to those under 60 years old following unusual blood clots being found in those that have received the shot, according to AP News. “In sum, it’s about weighing the risk of a side effect that is statistically small, but needs to be taken seriously, and the risk of falling ill with [COVID-19],” said Health Minister Jens Spahn. Germany’s vaccine regulator, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, announced it had registered 31 cases of the rare blood clot in the brain, nine of which led to deaths, according to Al Jazeera. With the new restriction, people under 60 are able to receive the vaccine, however only after a doctor’s recommendation following a risk analysis conversation. 4
March 31
LIBYA
Following Libya’s new unity government taking office in early March, western Libyan authorities have released 105 military leader loyalists who are believed to have surrendered peacefully in 2019. The unity government was established to replace
the two rival administrations that had ruled in east and west Libya. According to Reuters, the move to release the prisoners from Khalifa Haftar’s eastern-based Libyan National Army was made to solidify the ceasefire efforts started in October. “The development is a symbol of goodwill so that Libyans can turn the page and move towards bringing the country together after years of division, as we move towards coming elections,” said Malik Traina, a reporter for Al Jazeera. Although the agreement led to a ceasefire between the two major groups, on the local level, many areas are controlled by armed groups that control the country’s oil wealth. 5
April 2
HUALIEN COUNTY, TAIWAN
At least 51 people died after a train carrying over 400 passengers hit a truck and derailed, according to AP News. The train came off its tracks while entering a tunnel heading from the capital of Taipei to the city of Taitung, after hitting a truck that slid off of a nearby road. “People just fell all over each other, on top of one another,” a survivor told a local news channel, as reported by Reuters. “It was terrifying. There were whole families there.” Emergency rescuers were sent to aid survivors after the crash. “In response to a train derailment in Hualien, Taiwan, our emergency services have been fully mobilized to rescue & assist the passengers & railway staff affected,” wrote Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Twitter. “We will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety in the wake of this heartbreaking incident.”
INTERNATIONAL
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STORIES FOR ALL THE ORDINARY PESTS REMEMBERING BEVERLY CLEARY, PORTLAND’S LITERARY ICON
ANALISA LANDEROS Book lovers in Portland and beyond expressed their condolences and shared fond memories following the death of beloved author Beverly Cleary. The writer of over 40 bestselling children’s and young adult books died at age 104 on March 25 in Carmel, California, according to a press release from Cleary’s publisher, HarperCollins. Cleary, a long-time Oregon resident, was born in McMinnville and spent her early years on a farm in Yamhill. Her family then moved to Northeast Portland, where she would live into adulthood. Her suburban neighborhood would eventually serve as the backdrop for the adventures of Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby and dozens of other iconic figures in children’s literature. “I think children want to read about normal, everyday kids,” Cleary said in a 1999 interview with NPR. “That’s what I wanted to read about when I was growing up.” She recounted how interactions with children while working as a librarian prompted her to become a writer. Cleary was bothered by the lack of light-hearted and realistic children’s stories on shelves—books about them doing ordinary activities such as attending school and playing games with friends. “Authors back then thought their characters needed to go to sea or have big adventures,” Cleary said in a 100th birthday interview with Publisher’s Weekly. “Well, most kids don’t have adventures, but they still lead interesting lives.” Children
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wanted fiction to be more grounded in reality, so Cleary decided she’d try to write it herself. Her first book, Henry Huggins, is a sliceof-life novel about a third-grade boy and a mischievous stray puppy named Ribsy, who develop a close bond. The book debuted in 1950 and was warmly received by young readers, leading to five more installments being published. As popular as Henry was becoming, readers also showed strong interest in a side character in his universe: a bold, energetic girl named Ramona Quimby. Beezus and Ramona hit shelves in 1955 and the spin-off series soon took on a life of its own, spanning a total of eight books. It was later adapted into a TV series and film, garnering a large international following. Ramona Quimby became arguably Cleary’s most recognizable literary protagonist. In centering coming-of-age stories around an exuberant girl doing ordinary things, Cleary struck particular resonance with readers, and taught them it was okay to stand out. She created a character who is often the loudest person in the room, and always ready for anything—to quote Ramona The Pest, “[Ramona] was not a slowpoke grownup. She was a girl who could not wait. Life was so interesting that she had to find out what happened next.” Ramona marches to the beat of her own drum, but that doesn’t mean she’s indifferent to what other people think of her, and she still experiences insecurity. The reader witnesses
her frustration over family and friends calling her a “pest” when expressing their annoyance with her. And we see Ramona learn to embrace aspects of her personality that aren’t always appreciated or understood. As stated in Ramona The Pest, “people who called her a pest did not understand that a littler person sometimes had to be a bit noisier and a little bit more stubborn in order to be noticed at all.” The nuance Cleary portrayed in her stories was what the students in her library were looking for. Among the books that followed both Henry and Ramona’s series were a trilogy starring a talking, motorcycle-riding rodent named Ralph S. Mouse, several young adult novels and two memoirs, A Girl From Yamhill and My Own Two Feet, documenting Cleary’s life from childhood through young adulthood as well as the beginning of her writing career. Cleary’s works have sold over 85 million copies worldwide, according to HarperCollins, and have been translated into 29 languages. For decades, Cleary’s influence on “kidlit” has been recognized and celebrated. Her alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley, named a residential hall after her. The University of Washington, where Cleary received a second bachelor’s degree in library science, created the Beverly Cleary Endowed Chair for Children and Youth Services in honor of her work as a writer and librarian. She also received the university’s most esteemed honor given to graduates, the Alumna Summa Laude Dignatus Award. In 2000, she was named a Library of Congress Living Legend. 11 years later, HarperCollins launched Drop Everything
A LETTER TO BEVERLY CLEARY. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD And Read (DEAR) Day on April 12, Cleary’s birthday, to encourage silent sustained reading initiatives in schools. She has also, unsurprisingly, encouraged generations of authors to pursue storytelling, including Judy Blume and Kate DiCamillo among the writers who have cited Cleary and her work as inspiration for their own careers. Cleary’s books were effective in bringing Portland to life for kids who didn’t live here and perhaps haven’t ever visited. Conversely, Cleary’s books also had a big impact on generations of children who grew up in Portland, particularly the city’s Northeast quadrant. Bronze statues of Henry Huggins, Henry’s dog Ribsy and Ramona Quimby have stood in the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children in Grant Park since the monument’s dedication in 1995. A few blocks away, the Hollywood Library displays the Beverly Cleary Neighborhood Map, where all of the real-life places featured in her books are laid out. The pinpointed locations readers can tour include Cleary’s elementary school, formerly known as Fernwood Grammar School and renamed after the author in 2008, as well as her characters’ home streets—Klickitat included. Multnomah County Central Library in downtown Portland, where the author briefly worked as an intern, holds their children’s section in the Beverly Cleary Children’s Library. Cleary aimed to depict ordinary children in her books, and her success in achieving that goal in her life’s work is clear. For decades, the kids of Klickitat have taught readers to embrace their inner pest and be themselves unapologetically. And they’ll carry their stories with them for years to come.
STATUE OF RAMONA QUIMBY. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
HOLDING ON TO THE MEMORIES
KAT LEON
After 75 years of sparking creativity in the hearts and minds of children, Portlanders will be saying goodbye to another community landmark, the Portland Children’s Museum. The pandemic has created financial hardship for individuals and small businesses everywhere. According to an email from the Children’s Museum staff, “[The Children’s Museum is] not alone in facing this unprecedented operational distress. We know from the Association of Children’s Museums that most are facing substantial losses. Public support from the CARES Act and other sources have not been enough to make up for the losses.” However, despite this somber reality, the community can still hold on to the precious memories made at the Children’s Museum and the joy it sparked, igniting a spirit of creativity and play for future generations. In 1946, Dorothea Lensch founded “Junior Museum and Adventure House,’’ which would morph into the Portland Children’s Museum. Lensch served the city of Portland as Director of Recreation from 1937–73. She worked to establish influential programs that encouraged creative expression and play in an educational context, and was a firm believer that recreation was a crucial aspect of a healthy community. Lensch also advocated for underserved communities and created programs designed to support families who experienced financial difficulties
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
and children with special needs. Lensch’s legacy was a pivotal cornerstone to the mission of the Portland Children’s Museum. Programs and exhibits that have filled the halls at the Children’s Museum have changed over the years, but have always encouraged children to explore the very best parts of themselves. Initially, the Museum included history exhibits, arts and crafts classes and even a pet-lending library. However, in the 1970s, as the world learned more about child psychology, the Museum shifted its focus to a more hands-on approach. The Museum changed locations twice to accommodate the community’s interests. In 2001, it relocated to its current location, the old Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) building in Washington Park. Since moving to the Washington Park location, the Children’s Museum has welcomed over 4.8 million visitors. Many people return to the museum as parents and grandparents, and the museum has had a lasting impact on generation after generation of children. The Opal School, an affiliate of the Children’s Museum, chartered by the Portland Public School disatrict, is also closing after its 20 years of fostering an environment of “creativity, curiosity and the wonder of learning.” Since it opened in 2001, the Opal School’s mission was to “strength[en] public education by provoking fresh ideas concerning environments where creativ-
THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM CLOSES AFTER 75 YEARS OF SERVICE SAVE PCM AND OPAL SCHOOL SIGN. ERIC SHELBY/PSU VANGUARD ity, imagination and the wonder of learning thrive.” This K-5 school used the Reggio Emilia approach to teach children in more hands-on and creative ways than the traditional school system. The Emilia approach at its core emphasizes the importance of tactile learning. Children become their own guide for their education, exploring what interests them and taking their learning at an intuitive pace. In a message on the Children’s Museum website, David Peterson, the Chair of the Museum’s Board of Directors, formally announced the closure. “Due to new cleaning protocols, state guidelines limiting capacity, and the need to refill 48 staff positions due to layoffs, opening the Museum’s doors to the public would result in an insurmountable financial deficit.” When contacting the Museum for comment about steps taken to keep it open, a spokesperson told Vanguard that, “The Museum reached out to the community and stakeholders throughout the pandemic, including a number of fundraising appeals. The losses were simply too much to come back from.” The Museum would not clarify as to the extent of their fundraising efforts and outreach, but the decision has come as a shock to many individuals in the community. There is no doubt that Portlanders will feel the loss of the Children’s Museum and Opal School for years to come.
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OPINION
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
NUFACTURED
RIDLOCK
THE SENATE FILIBUSTER IS THE GREATEST IMPEDIMENT TO PRODEMOCRACY LEGISLATION, AND IT MUST BE ABOLISHED
CONOR CARROLL The seminal political film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, directed by Frank Capra in 1939, is one of the greatest representations of parliamentary procedure within the United States Congress, albeit dramatized, and it represents what the filibuster has to do with the overall legislative process. The film is about newly appointed U.S. Senator Jefferson Smith, who fights against a corrupt political system. The film was somewhat controversial when it was first released, though it was successful at the box office and it made lead James Stewart a major star at the time. It was also loosely based on the life of Montana Senator Burton Wheeler, who underwent a similar experience when he was investigating the Warren Harding administration. One of the aspects of the movie most intriguing to politicos is Smith’s dramatic filibuster, where he bellows to his fellow politicians about fairness, corruption and democracy. The scene certainly intended to convey an alleged necessity for minority obstruction, a “man of the people” filibuster and democracy’s need for it. Despite the heroics from Smith, the filibuster doesn’t really work that way. Thanks to continued polarization, the Senate in its current iteration is objectively a failure, having provided very little substantive legislation for the average American citizen in the last 50 years. The filibuster must be abolished with all speed if any legislation intended to help the people will be passed. The filibuster, as it stands today, is born of white supremacist ideation, creates gridlock in otherwise day-to-day legislation, and increases polarization within government at large. This was not always necessarily the case.
A BRIEF HISTORY The history of the filibuster as today’s scholars define it began somewhat accidentally in the 1800s, with a rather famous murderer and politician named Aaron Burr. In 1805, Vice President Aaron Burr laid out a series of suggestions for restructuring congressional rules for the sake of simplicity. One proposition was that both chambers eliminate something called the “previous question” motion, which permitted a simple majority to end the debate on a topic and force a vote. The Senate took Burr’s advice; the House did not. At the time, neither Burr nor anyone else thought that scrapping the previous question rule would create a 60-vote threshold for passing legislation through the Senate, which was a concept that the Constitution’s framers overtly rejected. In fact, the case for getting rid of the previous question rule was more or less that it was redundant. “It was a simple housekeeping matter,” wrote
Molly Reynolds, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “The Senate was using the motion infrequently and had other motions available to it that did the same thing.” It took decades until anybody recognized its absence, meaning that any senator could talk about anything they desired, for as long as they wanted; thus, the filibuster was born. The first known filibuster happened in 1841 over an issue of patronage. The minority Democrats sought to force the majority Whigs to utilize their preferred printers to produce the Congressional Globe, a forerunner to today’s Congressional Record. Months later, a more consequential filibuster arose as Senator John C. Calhoun (D-SC) tried to block the formation of a national bank. At that point in history, it’s not clear that the filibuster was strictly viewed as necessarily racist by the standards of the time. It is clear, however, that pro-slavery senators such as Calhoun of South Carolina utilized the filibuster to protect southern pro-slavery interests. What is not especially controversial among scholars is that the current filibuster is inextricably bound up with the Jim Crow era. “It’s been a tool used overwhelmingly by racists,” said Professor Kevin Kruse, a historian of American politics and race relations at Princeton University. According to a report entitled “The Impact of the Filibuster on Federal Policymaking” created by the Center for American Progress, “from the late 1920s through the 1960s, the filibuster was primarily used by Southern senators to block legislation that would have protected civil rights—anti-lynching bills; bills prohibiting poll taxes; and bills prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, and voting. These anticivil rights filibusters were often justified with “inflated rhetoric about an alleged Senate tradition of respecting minority rights and the value of extended debate on issues of great importance.” In 1917, the Senate resolved to reform the filibuster by adding a provision allowing twothirds of senators to vote on a “cloture” motion which would end the disruption of an individual senator who just won’t stop talking, according to a Brookings Institute analysis. This procedural amendment, called Rule 22, was intended to make filibustering more difficult. It had a contradictory effect: it was now probable that a minority of senators could block any bills by voting down cloture motions. This is how the filibuster works today, albeit now with a “three-fifths threshold for cloture” instead of the original two-thirds after a 1975 reform. While much of the Senate’s business now involves the filing of cloture motions, there are some significant exemptions. One comprises nominations to executive branch appointments and federal judgeships on which, thanks to two procedural alterations implemented in
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
2013 and 2017 respectively, only a simple majority is necessary to end debate. The second involves certain types of legislation for which Congress has previously written into law special procedures that limit the amount of time for debate. Because there is a specified amount of time for debate in these cases, there is no need to use cloture to cut off debate. Perhaps the best known and most consequential example of these are special budget rules known as the budget reconciliation process, which allow a simple majority to adopt certain bills addressing entitlement spending and revenue provisions, prohibiting a filibuster.
THE ARGUMENTS For the majority of American history, filibusters were uncommon. There is not an exact count of how many filibusters are actually initiated, partly due to the fact that it is often unclear if one is even being attempted. Sometimes, the warning is unofficial, even anonymous—an attempt to halt legislation from being considered on the floor at all. The count of the cloture votes, then, is the only way to record how often the majority tries to end a filibuster. The data on cloture votes indicates two inescapable conclusions: The Senate does not pass as much meaningful legislation as it did 50 years ago and beyond, and that the filibuster is a serious candidate for the most obstructive aspect of legislation in all of Congress. For instance, according to a report from the Brennan Center for Justice, “from 1917 to 1970, the Senate took 49 votes to break filibusters. Total. That is fewer than one each year. Since 2010, it has taken, on average, more than 80 votes each year to end filibusters,” Furthermore, the cloture process consumes more than 30 hours of Senate floor time, according to the U.S. Senate’s official website. Even if a cloture vote is successful—which they often are not— the simple act of voting to stop constant filibusters freezes the majority from producing legislation action of import. The minority hijacks the majority’s time, even if the vote eventually passes unanimously. It’s an act of artifice and immaturity that minority parties use to ensure less gets done. In the 2019–20 Congressional schedule, there were more than 260 cloture votes taken—a new record, according to the Senate’s own data. The filibuster has transformed the Senate from an institution that requires a majority into one that requires an increasingly rare supermajority, making any kind of real action near impossible. Defenders of the filibuster insist the Senate is intended to be a “cooling saucer,” insulating
the passage of bills from the passions and vagaries of the moment. This is true about the institution as a whole. That’s why each state receives equal representation, making the Senate the most undemocratic legislative chamber in any advanced democracy on earth. It’s why senators were originally chosen by state legislatures, not directly by voters. It’s why Senate elections are staggered, with only a third of the body facing the voting public in any given cycle. That’s why senators serve six-year terms—four years longer than members of the House, and two years longer than the president. It also means that they can receive lower poll ratings than their House or executive compatriots, and still remain in office. Even the (sadly ironic) debate that the filibuster protects minorities has racist and unfair undertones, considering the history of what the “minority” really is in terms of the legislative process. Throughout the 20th century, the filibuster was chiefly utilized to protect the tyranny of the majority over the minority. Filibusters were rare in the midcentury Senate, but when they happened, it was primarily for one purpose: making it easy to preserve racial subjugation in the South and throughout the country. The framers never wanted a supermajority. Take Alexander Hamilton’s “Federalist 22,” where he displayed less than subtle disdain for the need of 60 votes in the Senate: “The necessity of unanimity in public bodies, or of something approaching towards it, has been founded upon a supposition that it would contribute to security. Its real operation is to embarrass the administration, to destroy the energy of government and to substitute the pleasure, caprice or artifices of an insignificant, turbulent or corrupt junta, to the regular deliberations and decisions of a respectable majority.” The filibuster is nowhere in the Constitution, and it has nothing to do with producing effective legislation. In our current system, one could argue that the filibuster in fact imbalances the notion of a three-institution government. For instance, with no legislation being passed, pressure is placed upon the president and the executive branch to stretch the power of things like executive orders. The judicial branch then declares these actions unconstitutional, all the while citizens suffer. The Founding Fathers, with all their flaws, did at least envision a deliberative government capable of effective and productive competition among institutions, and a true system of checks and balances, not the mutant form of bicameralism present today. The filibuster has no place in American governance. It is the enemy of all legislation intended to help the people and protect those who need it most.
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EVENTS CALENDAR
WED APR 7
TUE APR 6
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DINOSAURS REVEALED
Look out at over 40 acres of blooming tulips during peak blooming season at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, located in Woodburn. Tickets must be purchased online and social distancing measures will be in place.
“Journey back 250 million years to prehistoric North America! Get up close and personal with more than 25 life-size dinosaurs, two authentic massive full body dinosaur skeletons, dozens of real fossils, and more.”
ISAKA SHAMSUD-DIN: ROCK OF AGES
LORA WEBB NICHOLS: PHOTOGRAPHS MODE, PHOTOGRAPHS COLLECTED
Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm 9 a.m. $60 Ongoing through May 2
Portland Art Museum 10 a.m. $17–20 Ongoing through August 1
“Isaka Shamsud-Din: Rock of Ages is an intimate exhibition celebrating the Portland artist’s masterful paintings, rich in a narrative combining personal stories and folklore. Shamsud-Din’s paintings also celebrate and honor individuals by capturing portraits. Tightly composed and with a vibrancy of color, the works invite viewers to be among these individuals and warm settings. The exhibition is titled after Shamsud-Din’s painting of his father, Rock of Ages (1976), the museum’s most recent acquisition of the artist’s work.”
SAT APR 10
FRI APR 9
MIXTAPE REVIVAL
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Oaks Amusement Park 7 p.m. $49 per vehicle 21+ Ongoing through April 16
“Throw it back with the OG hits of the 80s and 90s played live on stage by the coolest retro band in Oregon, The Hair Jordans, while you rock out in the safety of your own car!”
OMSI 10 a.m. $8–12 Ongoing through September 6
Blue Sky Gallery 12 noon Free Ongoing through May 1; in-person exhibit available by appointment
“Lora Webb Nichols: Photographs Made, Photographs Collected presents a selection of images curated from the photography archive of this Wyoming homesteader and photographer. Lora Webb Nichols (1883-1962) created and collected approximately 24,000 negatives over the course of her lifetime in the mining town of Encampment. The images chronicle the domestic, social, and economic aspects of the sparsely populated frontier of south-central Wyoming.”
NURSES FOR BLACK LIVES VIGIL Pioneer Courthouse Square 10 a.m. Free
Portland nurses will honor the life of George Floyd with a silent vigil every Friday morning.
CARCHELLA PDX
SOARING - LAVAUN BENAVIDEZ-HEASTER MEMORIAL SHOW
“The best of the local music scene is showcased at this weekly live concert series enjoyed from the safety of your own vehicle. The show starts off with acoustic music, interviews, and more, then the drive-in gets rocking with a performance by a special headliner band!”
“Lavaun Benavidez-Heaster was a legally blind paper collage artist and a cherished member of the Alberta Street Gallery community. A longtime advocate for others with disabilities, she was a champion for accessibility. Embracing her Indigenous heritage and Ladina culture through her art, she created vibrant, touchable work and guided the gallery toward greater diversity. Lavaun died of cancer in November 2020 having planned this show to benefit the gallery she so loved.”
Oaks Park 6 p.m. $59 per vehicle
EVENTS
Alberta Street Gallery 11 a.m. Free
PSU Vanguard • APRIL 6, 2021 • psuvanguard.com
