Portland State Vanguard, Volume 74 Issue 32

VOLUME 74 • ISSUE 32 • MAY 19, 2020

WHILE FURLOUGHED:

'I’LL STILL HAVE TO APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS' NEWS CHANGES TO TITLE IX • OPINION OREGON’S OPEN! SORTA • ARTS & CULTURE GETTING INVOLVED FROM HOME

CONTENTS COVER BY DANA TOWNSEND NEWS HILL TO HALL

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INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD

P. 10

THE NEW TITLE IX

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ARTS & CULTURE REMOTE VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES CONTINUES SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY THROUGH VIRTUAL CONVERSATIONS

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P. 11

QUARANTINE CUISINE

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INTERNATIONAL VENEZUELA BLOCKS INVASION, IMPLICATES U.S. CONTRACTORS, FORMER GREEN BERETS

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OPINION HAVE YOU HEARD? THE GRAND REOPENING EDITION!

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LG CHEM GAS LEAK SICKENS HUNDREDS IN SOUTHERN INDIA

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SPORTS IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON SPORTS UNEMPLOYMENT

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COVER ‘TEMPORARY WORKFORCE REDUCTIONS’

P. 8–9

COMICS

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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

ONLINE EDITOR Annie Schutz COPY CHIEF Sophie Concannon CONTRIBUTORS Madison Cecil Natalie Conway Nick Gatlin Missi Jarrar Aidan Kennelley Marshall Scheider Emma Wallace 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 Farah Alkayed Brandon Pahnish Sam Person

STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale

DIS T RIBU TION DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dylan Jefferies T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow George Olson John Rojas

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

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

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

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

NEWS

MAY 8–15 MISSI JARRAR

MAY 8: CHURCHES SUE GOVERNOR BROWN OVER

PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS

A group of churches are suing Oregon Governor Kate Brown, arguing her stay-at-home orders are unconstitutional, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. The lawsuit is being led by Common Sense for Oregon, a nonprofit led by former Republican candidate for governor Kevin Mannix. The basis for the suit argues emergency powers only last for 30 days and after that Brown would have needed legislative approval, which she never had. According to AP News, The Pacific Justice Institute, which is arguing the case for the plaintiffs, seeks to invalidate three orders, starting with Brown’s initial emergency declaration, signed on March 8.

MAY 11: OREGON AGENCIES PREPARE FOR 17%

BUDGET CUT

State agencies have been asked by Governor Brown to prepare for a 17% budget cut due to tax revenue shortfalls caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according to AP News. In a statement on May 11, Brown said the cuts depend on the need for additional federal funding to support state services, including the K-12 public school system. Brown expressed she was “gravely concerned” about the state’s ability to deliver basic services in the coming months. The next state revenue forecast for Oregon is May 20. Brown expects a $3 billion shortfall, according to The Oregonian. Brown has so far held off any systematic spending reductions, though a few agencies have implemented targeted cuts, layoffs and furloughs depending on the severity of their revenue declines.

MAY 14: LARGE PART OF THE STATE TO OPEN UNDER GOVERNOR

BROWN’S PHASE 1 Of Oregon’s 36 counties in the state, 31 reopened on May 14 in Governor Brown’s first planned phase affecting restaurants, bars, hair salons and many other businesses. According to AP News, Brown said she will continue to monitor testing rates, effectiveness of contact tracing and isolation of cases, hospitalization rates and other metrics that are required at this time. Brown rejected two county requests near Salem, Polk and Marion. Three counties in the Portland Metro area, the majority of the state’s population, did not request to reopen. According to OPB News, the majority of the counties to begin reopening are rural areas around the state. The phase 1 criteria include: counties must be able to show that COVID-19 infections are not climbing, they can test people for infections, trace the contacts of people who test positive and that there are enough hospital beds if COVID-19 begins to spread more rapidly.

MAY 15: BALLOT MEASURE ASKS OREGON TAXPAYERS TO

HELP HOUSELESS

According to AP News, taxpayers in the metropolitan area will be asked to approve $2.5 million to fight houselessness. The money will come from personal income and business profits, and be dispersed over a decade. The ballot measure will be the first in the nation since the pandemic to ask taxpayers for more money. Proponents of the bill feel taxes are needed now more than ever.

According to KPTV, nearly 40,000 people in the greater Portland area experienced an episode of houselessness and 105,000 households faced housing insecurity in a one-year period.

PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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NEWS

THE NEW TITLE IX CHANGES FROM BOTH FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES TO COME TO PSU

ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD

HANNA ANDERSON

“NO PERSON IN THE UNITED STATES SHALL, ON THE BASIS OF SEX, BE EXCLUDED FROM PARTICIPATION IN, BE DENIED THE BENEFITS OF, OR BE SUBJECTED TO DISCRIMINATION UNDER ANY EDUCATION PROGRAM OR ACTIVITY RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.” Title IX, under the Education Amendments Act of 1972, is one of the primary laws protecting students against gender discrimination in schools and universities—and against sexual misconduct, harrassment or assault.

On May 6, the United States Department of Education (DOE) released changes to Title IX regulations, narrowing definitions of sexual misconduct and broadening the requirements of cross examinations to be in person. The changes were announced to Portland State students the next day in an email announcement by Julie Caron, PSU’s Title IX coordinator and interim vice president for Global Diversity and Inclusion.

Currently, Title IX covers three primary types of sexual misconduct. The first is quid pro quo misconduct, where one person offers benefits or advantages in return for sexual favors. The act itself doesn’t need to happen to count as misconduct, only the offer, and remains relatively unchanged by the new regulations.

Title IX also covers all types of sexual assault, and the new regulations have broadened the definition to include dating violence, domestic violence and stalking, requiring all of it to be addressed by universities when they happen.

One of the most notable changes to Title IX is to the third type of sexual harassment defined by the regulation. Originally, the definition of sexual harassment included conduct that is

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“sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it adversely affects a student’s education or creates a hostile or abusive educational environment,” according to the DOE. However, under the new regulations, the definition has been narrowed to unwelcome conduct that is severe, pervasive and objectively offensive. Actions now need to qualify as all three in order to fall under Title IX. “In the past, we were looking for persistent or pervasive, and under Title IX, it needs to be all three, and it makes it difficult to address some conduct with that definition,” Caron said.

However, with a more narrow definition, the new regulations also require a more demanding investigative process.

Prior to the new Title IX changes, PSU used a single investigator model, with a single investigator working one on one with survivors, respondents and relevant witnesses. Interviews would be conducted with each person, and if enough evidence was found, the case would move on to review. Both the survivor and respondents had the chance to choose an advisor in their case and review the information gathered, but remain separate throughout the process.

“I have investigated some cases...I can’t do any investigations as the Title IX coordinator, but I have done some in the past,” Caron said. “One of the first things the student will say to me is, do I have to confront the faculty member I’m bringing the case against? And the answer is, not likely. Because in the investigative process, they’re never together in the same room.”

However, under the new regulations, the process will require a live hearing and cross examination.

“A lot of people are saying it’s getting more due process,” Caron said. “My concern with this process is, it’s creating much more of a court-like proceeding without having people trained as lawyers and judges. Will there be inequity in it, and also, will it create barriers to students being able to [or] being willing to bring something forward?”

The new Title IX regulations have also changed regarding incidents happening off-campus, requiring schools to address sexual misconduct during any school-related programs or activities, even if they are not on campus. Prior to the regulations, so long as the misconduct involved PSU students, PSU would address it regardless of its location.

Anticipating the new federal regulations, Oregon’s legislature passed H.B. 3415 in the 2019 regular session. The statewide regulations for all Oregon universities more closely resembled the previous Title IX rules, with a broader definition of sexual harassment.

“I was happy to see the state was passing a broader definition, but the feds could have said...in higher education, you have to apply the federal law, and those are the only areas of sexual harassment you can address,” Caron said. “They didn’t say that. Which means we can address conduct that doesn’t fall within Title IX.” The new state regulations also expand upon training obligations for employees whose work covers Title IX. “The state requirements are much more focused on making sure it’s trauma-informed, so that you understand the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual assault, that you understand cultural responsiveness,” Caron said. “That’s something...I feel we’re doing a pretty good job [with] here. We have advocates that not only are in the Women’s Resource Center that serve all genders, but we also have advocates in culturally specific areas too, so people can feel comfortable going to an advocate, based on who they would like to identify with.”

Moving forward, a decision on PSU’s processes amid the new regulations will need to be made. If misconduct falls under the definition of Title IX, it will need to go through the Title IX investigative process, including the live hearing. However, PSU can create a separate process for conduct that only falls under previous legislation, and use the single investigator model in handling those cases. Multiple processes using different definitions of conduct, however, could become more confusing.

The new rules, according to the DOE, must be implemented by August of this year.

“I do want students to know that as we’re moving forward with these processes, we will be looking for best practices, and we will be looking for how to be providing them traumainformed, but also be making sure that they’re equitable and not biased,” Caron said. “We are hoping students will still have the confidence in the process to be able to bring concerns forward.”

NEWS

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES CONTINUES SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY THROUGH VIRTUAL CONVERSATIONS MISSI JARRAR @ This Moment—a weekly webinar series—brings subject matter experts to faculty, staff and students via Zoom to discuss questions on various topics relating to COVID-19.

The free six-part series covers topics from the psychological perspectives of staying-in-place to matters of climate change during the pandemic, discussed by leading thinkers and researchers at Portland State. The series was created by Dr. Todd Rosenstiel, the associate dean for research and graduate programs for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) at PSU, and PSU communication manager Cristina Rojas. @ This Moment is scheduled each week on Thursdays at 4 p.m.

“After talking with students and faculty, we realized we weren’t doing enough to provide a space for the community to come together and talk about all the great scholarship and research that our faculty are engaged in,” Rosenstiel said about why the series began. “The faculty has been eager to participate.

Everyone understands how important it is to create community at this time. It’s a casual space where scholars can talk and take questions.”

The show is an hour long, in which Rosenstiel and three faculty guests from related departments talk about what they know and what they’re thinking in relation to the topic and the pandemic. For the last half of the event, panelists answer questions from audience members. @ This Moment’s May 7 episode was on the social aspects of COVID-19 and featured scholars Dr. Charlotte Fritz, an associate professor in industrial and organizational psychology and a faculty member within the Occupational Health Psychology Graduate Training Program at PSU, Dr. Dara Shifrer, a sociology professor and a research affiliate at Rice University's Houston Education Research Consortium and Dr. Cynthia Mohr, a professor of applied social psychology who studies the psychosocial influences on subjective well-being and physical health.

The panelists discussed work/life balance, stress and energy management during the pandemic crisis. Shifrer spoke about learning disabilities and how, for disadvantaged youths, the pandemic is particularly harmful. Fritz spoke about focusing on the positive aspects of our lives and how that focus can ease the stress many of us feel during this time.

“I wonder, looking forward, if we’re going to feel more stigma in public spaces based on how we’re interacting with others,” Shifrer said when asked about looking beyond COVID-19. “I’m curious about how this [pandemic] has been experienced in other countries which have different norms around social interaction.”

The May 14 episode dealt with climate change in the time of COVID-19 with guest speakers Dr. Paul Loikith, assistant professor of geography and Climate Science Lab director, Dr. Rose Graves, landscape ecologist and Dr. Sahan Dissanayake, assistant professor with research in environmental economics and natural resource economics.

The panelists discussed the outcomes of social distancing on climate change, economics and the future value of nature, and whether global warming is driving the pandemic. Graves expounded on the Oregon cap and trade bill from the perspective of environmental science and all of the panelists spoke about the challenges of continuing their research at this time.

“It’s not necessarily good for climate change,” Loikith said on the effects of quarantine on climate change. “Short-term reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases really isn’t on a

DR. TODD ROSENSTIEL HOSTS THE WEEKLY WEBINAR @ THIS MOMENT THROUGH FACEBOOK. ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD

scale that is very meaningful for climate change. The earth takes a while to adjust to temperature. This sort of short-term reduction would find it difficult to show up in the data.”

As for those who attend the webinars: “I would guess a third are faculty, a third students, and another third community,” Rosenstiel said. “There are alumni and friends of the college and people working for the metro who are interested in what we’re doing and they’re watching too. We want to invite students along. We want to give students the opportunity to understand the way scholars are thinking about this time. We think that’s important.”

The first live episode had almost 200 viewers and regularly @ This Moment has had 100–150 views per episode. On the PSU site hosting the videos, Rosenstiel said the program had over a thousand views this week and around 800 views last week. The videos are also being archived in PSU’s research library as part of their growing historical record of the era of COVID-19.

“It’s possible there will be more episodes, but we’re focusing on this term for now,” Rosenstiel said. “I think we’re realizing that this is a platform which seems to work and so I think the question is, once we look beyond these COVID times, might we continue to sustain something like this? I think this is opening up a new kind of engagement and recognition about our college faculty to a broader audience. It’s been successful. I think we will consider doing this in the future.”

Past recorded episodes can be viewed on the CLAS Facebook page or on the PSU website. The upcoming May 21 topic is pandemics in history. It will feature panelists Natan Meir, a Jewish Studies scholar, Friedrich Schuler, a historian who recently published a history on the Quarantine Station at the mouth of the Columbia River and Gina Greco, a professor of French interested in medieval literature. Registration for future events can be found on PSU’s website.

PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

5

INTERNATIONAL

VENEZUELA BLOCKS INVASION, IMPLICATES U.S. CONTRACTORS, FORMER GREEN BERETS

JUAN GUAIDÓ, OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED AS THE LEADER OF VENEZUELA BY THE U.S., AT THE STATE OF THE UNION ON FEB. 4, 2020.

D. MYLES CULLEN/THE WHITE HOUSE MARSHALL SCHEIDER Venezuelan authorities blocked an invasion of Caracas on May 2, prompting a flurry of news stories in a media cycle dominated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Tensions continue to mount in Venezuela amid the pandemic and tightening United States sanctions, while president Nicolás Maduro’s government remains embroiled in a power struggle with its U.S.-backed opposition.

The recent invasion, which has been linked to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó and the U.S.-based security company Silvercorp USA, opens a new chapter in the Venezuelan government’s nearly 18-month struggle against Guaidó’s bid for power. Yet in authorizing the failed invasion, Guaidó may have sabotaged his own credibility, even among those Venezuelans hostile to Maduro, according to Reuters.

Last September, Venezuelan dissidents, defectors and opposition fighters began to organize in neighboring Colombia.

They planned to lead a 300-man assault on the Venezuelan capital in the following November, with the aim of capturing Maduro and seizing power, according to Vox. Their hope was in addition to receiving U.S. military assistance, a large percentage of the Venezuelan military would defect, joining the rebels rather than resisting the assault.

But by the time it had concluded, the recent invasion had become an object of mockery among many experts and reporters.

“The whole thing was so ridiculous that it would never work,” a retired Navy SEAL told Vox on May 11. New York Magazine called the operation a “Stupid Bay of Pigs,” highlighting its similiarity to the infamous failed U.S. invasion of Cuba in 1961.

But what made this invasion, titled Operation Gedeon by Silvercorp USA, such a blunder?

On May 2, a fishing boat containing several dozen Venezuelan rebels entered Venezuelan waters north of Caracas. Barely armed, the boat was quickly intercepted by Venezuelan authorities. In a brief skirmish with security forces, eight of the

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rebels were killed and two were arrested, according to a report from independent news outlet Bellingcat.

Later the same day, a video surfaced on Twitter showing former U.S. Green Beret Jordan Goudreau—now head of the Florida-based private security company Silvercorp USA—taking credit for the “amphibious raid.”

Goudreau, who is joined in the video by Javier Quintero Nieto, a former member of Venezuela’s National Guard, implied that the invasion would be ongoing. Soon after the first video surfaced, Goudreau appeared on Venezuelan television. In a lengthy interview, Goudreau said he acted under contract with opposition leader Guaidó.

The next day, another fishing boat was intercepted off of Venezuela’s coast, and more arrests were made. What continues to baffle experts and reporters is a small band of Venezuelan rebels and two ex-Special Forces commandos were expected to invade Caracas by boat and capture Maduro—barely armed—all while Goudreau advertised the operation to the world via Twitter.

Among those arrested by Venezuelan authorities were two former U.S. Green Berets. Airan Berry and Luke Denman—current employees of Silvercorp USA—are being held in Venezuela on charges of terrorism, arms trafficking and conspiracy, according to The Washington Post.

According to Maduro, the failed coup was orchestrated by the U.S. government in concert with Venezuelan opposition.

While the Trump administration has long supported Guaidó, and has threatened military intervention in Venezuela in the past, U.S. officials have denied Maduro’s allegation concerning the recent invasion, saying that Goudreau and Silvercorp USA acted without U.S. government knowledge or authorization.

Yet Goudreau says he worked security for rallies held by U.S. President Donald Trump, a connection which led Maduro and others to implicate Trump. This claim, too, is denied by the Trump administration.

So, how did Goudreau, an ex-Green Beret and the head of a Florida-based security company, end up coordinating with a group of Venezuelan rebels to lead an assault on Caracas?

According to Vox, the operation was organized by Clíver Alcalá, a former Venezeulan general who was recently indicted on “narco-terrorism” charges by the U.S. government and is now being held in U.S. custody. Alcalá, a defector and longtime critic of Maduro, said in March 2020 he had a contract with Guidó to carry out an invasion and oust Maduro.

Alcalá had been organizing guerilla forces in Colombia with the intention of carrying out the coup. He met Goudreau at a benefit concert for Guaidó in 2019, according to Vox. After briefing Goudreau on his operations in Colombia, Alcalá enlisted the former Green Beret’s help in organizing rebel forces.

Goudreau sought funding for the operation from J.J. Rendón, a right-wing Venezuelan political consultant based in Miami. A contract was drafted between Rendón, Goudreau and Guaidó in October 2019.

That contract fell apart, however, after Goudreau began acting “erratically,” Rendón told Vox. With limited funding, Alcalá’s poorly-equipped guerrilla forces hardly appeared ready to carry out the paramilitary invasion any of the organizers had originally envisioned. Despite Goudreau’s involvement, or perhaps because of it, the invasion which was finally carried out from May 2–4 was a failure.

In the aftermath, Maduro has received a boost, drumming up support and condemning U.S. militarism. Guaidó remains on the defensive, denying his involvement in the failed coup despite his signature appearing on the contract published by The Washington Post last week.

While the precise effects of this latest chapter in the power struggle remain uncertain, the saga of Venezuela’s oppositional politics continues to unfold, with no end in sight.

INTERNATIONAL

LG CHEM GAS LEAK SICKENS HUNDREDS IN SOUTHERN INDIA

CHLOE DYSART A gas leak in the Southern Indian town of Visakhapatnam from an LG Chem plant on May 7 has killed 12 and caused approximately 800 to be hospitalized, according to Reuters.

Government investigators believe the leak was a result of a clogged cooling system which led to an increase in temperature of the storage tank.

The LG plant makes polystyrene products used in manufacturing products such as electric fan blades, cups, cutlery and containers for cosmetic products. The United Nations reported these substances can cause cancer and neurological damage, as well as reproductive issues that may go unnoticed for years after exposure.

The factory was in the process of reopening, after being shut down due to government orders surrounding COVID-19.

The leak occurred during the night, causing many people to breathe in the fumes as they slept. Around midnight, police began to notify residents to move out of their homes. According to Reuters, people within a 5-kilometer radius were being evacuated out of the area because of renewed emissions from the plant.

“There was utter confusion and panic. People were unable to breathe, they were gasping for air. Those who were trying to

AN OFFICER WITH NATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE FORCE AT THE SITE OF THE VIZAG GAS LEAK ON MAY 12, 2020. COURTESY OF NATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE FORCE escape collapsed on the roads—kids, women and all,” Kumar Reddy, a local resident, told The Guardian.

Footage released the next day showed residents passed out in the street as they suffered from reported rashes, breathing problems and sores.

Director General of the National Disaster Response Force Shri Pradhan said the leak is now under control at the plant.

"The gas leakage has been stopped and the quantities should now be more manageable and we should be able to evacuate people to safety," Pradhan said to local news outlet NDTV. Baskut Tuncak, U.N. Special Rapporteur on hazardous substances and wastes, drew parallels to the Bhopal disaster of 1984, when a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, released approximately 30 tons of toxic methyl isocyanate. The leak was reported to have killed up to 16,000 people and is often remembered as the world's worst industrial disaster. Toxic material remains in the area to this day, often causing birth defects.

“I urge Indian and South Korean authorities, and the businesses implicated, to avoid the same mistakes and abuse of judicial procedures that have denied justice to the victims

of the Bhopal disaster, who are still suffering to this day,” Tuncak said.

Indian police authorities have since filed a complaint against the management of LG Chem, citing counts of negligence and culpable homicide. The full police investigation names potential charges such as negligent handling of poisonous substances and causing hurt and endangering public life, according to Reuters.

According to Al Jazeera, the Seoul-based LG Chem company has declined to comment on potential charges, but put out a statement addressing the leak.

"There was not a second leak and LG Chem has asked the police to evacuate residents as a precautionary measure as there are concerns that tank temperatures could rise. We are taking necessary measures, including putting water into the tank," the statement read.

Tuncak welcomed a potential investigation and charges against the company, saying the incident “illustrates the range of human rights infringements brought by our rampant consumption and production of plastics.”

PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

7

COVER

SHERI PITCHER, ACCOUNTANT FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS, IN HER GARDEN FOLLOWING THE PSU LAYOFFS. EMMA WALLACE/PSU VANGUARD

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COVER

AIDAN KENNELLEY “I was expecting the layoffs, and suspected I might be on the list because I am a part-time employee,” said Sheri Pitcher, an accountant for Student Activities and Leadership Programs at Portland State. “I felt somewhat prepared for this, but there are always challenges with a life-altering change.”

In an email to the PSU community on May 1, Interim President Stephen Percy announced temporary workforce reductions.

“Today, we notified 106 employees of changes in their employment status,” Percy stated. “The reductions include departments across the university, but particularly impact our auxiliary services. It is our sincere hope that these reductions are short lived, and the employees are able to return to their regular work no later than September 27.”

Percy stated the university has been working with PSU’s chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) to develop a new PSU Extended Benefits Program. The program will allow those placed on leave without pay to access their core healthcare benefits. Optional life, short or long-term disability can be continued, but will not be covered.

“Once it became apparent that cuts in personnel were being considered [by the university], our union went directly into negotiations for an alternative to layoffs and within a short time secured a Letter of Agreement from PSU granting Leave Without Pay status with an Extended Benefits Program,” an official statement from SEIU Local 089, the union’s PSU chapter, read. “Highly paid university administrators, coaches and executives must share the responsibility of these cuts. Layoffs, furloughs and workshare programs directed at low wage workers should be a last resort.”

Under the benefits program, “Program participants will start an unpaid leave of absence with the university starting on May 16, 2020 and extending through the earlier of the date on which you are recalled to service at PSU or September 27, 2020 at which point any employees who remain on leave without pay will be laid off,” the website states.

“Our current number of classified employees in the Extended Benefits Program is just over 100,” stated Thuy Huyen, president of SEIU Local 089. “ We are currently reaching out to all of them to make sure they have a clear understanding of the Letter of Agreement, and are connected to programs and benefits that

they need in order to maintain a sustainable outcome over this upcoming summer term.”

Although the reductions were announced on May 1, employees affected were unable to apply for unemployment benefits until May 16, the start of the new pay period.

“I am fortunate that my husband still has a job, so that helps my situation,” Pitcher said. “But I’ll still have to apply for unemployment benefits.”

The temporary workforce reductions mostly impacted the employees in the university’s auxiliary services—those which are not funded by the general education budget. This includes employees from the Academic and Student Recreation Center, Athletics, Childcare Services, Facilities and the University Place Hotel. According to Associate Vice President of University Communications Christopher Broderick, no instructional faculty have been placed on leave without pay.

CHILDCARE SERVICES

COVID-19 and the recent temporary workforce reductions have heavily impacted childcare services on campus. All childcare services have been closed and employees in those departments have been working remotely since March 18.

As a result of the recent workforce reductions, three professional staff members from Little Vikings and Baby Vikings Childcare Centers have been placed on leave without pay.

Before the university’s recent decision, these employees were working remotely.

“Staff who were placed on leave without pay kept close contact with our student employees assuring them there was work to be done at our center,” said Marisol Barce, director of Little Vikings Child Care Center. “Student employees have been providing activities for the Services for Students With Children COVID resource site, virtual teacher play dates and communications with parents about future reopenings.”

Prior to the workforce reductions, the three employees placed on leave without pay had been providing important work for child care services, such as supervising student staff, communicating with families and collaborating with other

departments to support student parents. These employees would also occasionally go to campus to prepare supplies such as diapers, clothing and art supplies for the pantry.

Kacy Lentz, director of Baby Vikings Child Care Center, said her department and Little Vikings Child Care serve up to 200 children per term. The current workforce reductions have leadership within the department concerned about a lack of personnel and resources needed to continue assisting families.

“Since the childcare centers have closed due to COVID-19, parents have been seeking community from these staff members,” Lentz said. “It will be a huge loss to the student parent community to not be able to engage with the directors and teachers from their child’s school. These children enjoyed seeing the teachers on Zoom meetings and interacting with other children through these methods. The student parents are already limited on what they are able to do with their children in these uncertain times, and now they have a loss of their community.”

“The work that myself, my co-director and our office specialist have will now be divided up and handed to professional staff at the [Services for Students with Children],” Barce said.

“The increase in work for them will undoubtedly affect how they can focus on supporting parents and their children.

Student parents have had a great deal of added stress since our child care centers closed. Students with children are having to balance remote classes, remote work and family life all on their own.”

These temporary workforce reductions come on the heels of the augmented strategic hiring freeze instituted by the university on March 26. The goals of this hiring freeze are to respond to reductions in tuition revenue from projected declines in enrollment in the 2020–21 academic year and to manage “unknown declines in auxiliary revenues, and possible tuition revenues, as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.”

The combination of the temporary workforce reductions and the hiring freeze will impact both the personal lives of furloughed employees and the quality of campus services.

“This is a very unfortunate event, and children and parents alike will suffer,” Lentz said.

PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

9

INTERNATIONAL

THIS WEEK

around the

WORLD

May 11–17

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5 6 2

3

1

May 11–12

SCHEVENINGEN, THE NETHERLANDS

At least six surfers went missing on May 11 after getting stuck in high winds, foamy waters and stormy seas. The Dutch Coast Guard began a search and rescue operation soon after the surfers went missing and recovered three survivors and two bodies. Two of the survivors later died due to injuries, and the coast guard reported seeing one additional body floating out to sea. The Dutch Coast Guard fears the number of victims is higher than the five bodies they recovered, as they found more surfboards than bodies. They asked locals to reach out if they recognized any of the recovered boards in an attempt to identify any additional victims. The five known victims included professional open-water swimmers, lifeguards and swim instructors.

May 12 2

GUINEA

Protests over COVID-19 lockdown measures left five dead in Coyah and one dead in Dubreka. The protests reportedly began over roadblocks established by security forces in an attempt to limit traffic in and out of the capital city. Guinea has seen at least 2,998 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and is one of the most affected African countries. The Guinea government has also implemented curfews, closed country borders, banned all public gatherings and mandated the wearing of face coverings, according to Al Jazeera.

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May 15

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

A raid carried out by the BOPE, an elite Brazilian police unit, in the Complexo do Alemão neighborhood left 10 dead after multiple clashes between the police and residents. Authorities reported the raid was an attempt to capture one of the leading drug traffickers in the area, but did not identify the suspect. The suspect was killed in the raid. Police exchanged gunfire with residents for an extended period of time before confiscating dozens of high-powered weapons and grenades.

Residents criticized the police raid as a violation of rights, and authorities announced homicide detectives would be investigating the incident. “Within and outside the context of a pandemic, we demand that public security authorities respect human rights while policing,” Amnesty International’s Brazilian office tweeted after the incident, according to Voice of America.

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May 16

PARIS, FRANCE

Félicien Kabuga, one of the most wanted fugitives of the 1994 Rwandan genocide that left at least 800,000 dead, was arrested in a rented house with his children, who were protecting Kabuga at the time of his arrest. Kabuga was one of the richest men in Rwanda at the time of the genocide and has been accused of acting as the main financier and logistical supporter of the genocide, as well as creating the Interahamwe militia, which carried out many of the killings.

Authorities hope Kabuga’s trial will answer several questions about the 1994 genocide that remain unanswered today, including how much planning went into the event. “It is historical on many levels,” Rwandan justice minister Johnston Busingye said in a statement, according to The New York Times. “You can run, but you cannot hide. It can’t be forever.”

PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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May 16

TRIPOLI, LIBYA

The bombing of a shelter for displaced people left seven civilians, including a 5-year-old boy, dead and an additional 17 injured. Emergency services evacuated the shelter and relocated those who were staying there to other shelters around the city. Libyan government officials believe the attack was carried out by Khalifa Haftar’s eastern-based forces, who attempted to seize power in 2018 and have continued their campaign despite international criticism and COVID-19 lockdown measures. “This year so far there have now been 17 attacks on field hospitals, ambulances, healthcare workers and medical supplies—further decimating the country’s already struggling health system,” Tom Garofalo, Libya director of the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement, according to The Middle East Eye. 6

May 17

INDIA

The Indian government extended a nationwide lockdown until at least May 31 as Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and other major cities struggle to contain the COVID-19. India has seen over 90,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and approximately 2,872 deaths as a result. Air, rail and metro travel as well as schools, hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping malls and movie theaters will remain shut down until the end of May, but some areas may begin to reopen at the discretion of district authorities under new lockdown extension measures. Rural manufacturing and farming resumed with new regulations on May 4 in the interest of the national economy, according to Al Jazeera.

ARTS & CULTURE

REMOTE VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

NATALIE CONWAY With a completely remote spring and summer term, most Portland State students are spending a lot of time studying at home. It’s easy to feel powerless amid all this uncertainty, but virtual volunteering is the perfect way to channel your frustration into creating a positive impact. Check out these virtual volunteer opportunities that allow you to take action while social distancing.

VIRTUAL TUTORING WRITING LETTERS TO SENIORS

Whether you’re living at home right now or still on campus, many are feeling the effects of being separated from friends and loved ones. For seniors living in isolation right now, loneliness can be hard to handle. This next volunteer option is the easiest to do from home—and you have the opportunity to brighten someone’s day. Check out East Side Elders or Love for the Elderly for more information about how to write uplifting letters to lonely seniors.

As college students, many of us are familiar with the difficulties of adapting to remote learning. K-12 students around the country are trying to learn amid an unprecedented shift in our public school system. If you are passionate about teaching and education, or just want to help a fellow student, consider online tutoring.

Multiple organizations, including upchieve.org, offer opportunities to virtually tutor students and help them achieve success.

SEWING MASKS

Considering the high need for cloth face masks to help stop the spread of disease, sewing masks is one of the most impactful ways to volunteer. Even if you’re not a skilled sewer, making masks is easy with the help of the Center for Disease Control’s instructions and pattern, which can be found on its website.

Take a look at findthemasks.com for a great resource that lists organizations in need of homemade mask donations. If you want to focus on helping local hospitals and clinics, Find The Masks lists several locations that are accepting homemade masks, including Recovery Works NW and CODA, Inc.

JOHN ROJAS

RAISING VOTER TURNOUT CRISIS TEXT COUNSELING

Living through a pandemic isn’t easy—which is why mental health services are more important than ever before. Becoming a crisis text line counselor can be a very rewarding way to make a real impact in the lives of people who are struggling. After a brief online training, you can gain the skills to counsel people in need over text. Go to crisistextline.org to learn how to help people with only your phone and an internet connection.

Social distancing undoubtedly raises new challenges for voter turnout, but you can still encourage your community to get involved from home. If you’re passionate about politics, consider helping increase voter turnout virtually through a nonpartisan organization like turnoutnation.org. Whether you are interested in virtual canvassing, tech consulting or creative projects, Turnout Nation offers opportunities for you to use your strengths to inspire political change.

PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

Quarantine Cuisine

ARTS & CULTURE

C a r b c i t y, b a b y !

NICK GATLIN It’s day %&@* of quarantine. Protein and fiber have left my diet, replaced by nothing but sweet, sweet carbohydrates.

Bread. Pasta. Rice. All of it. But to be honest, I’m getting pretty tired of eating nothing but ice cream and potato chips. It makes me feel greasy and unkempt, like a stereotype of a housebound gamer. Thank god I haven’t developed a taste for Mountain Dew. I’m still not going to give up carbs, of course. What is this, a health-food column? But there’s something to be said for jazzing up your food intake every once in a while. These are some of the recipes I’ve developed for injecting a little sophistication and style into my diet during quarantine.

Garlicky, Rosemary Smashed Potatoes ingredients

1 pound Yukon Gold or fingerling potatoes (go for waxy, not starchy) Olive oil Garlic

Onion powder Thyme Rosemary (fresh if available, but dried is fine)

Potato chips are wonderful, I know. But sometimes you just want the taste of a fresh potato—a crispy, crusty bite on the outside with a creamy interior. The secret to that texture, as with all roasted potatoes, is to parboil them.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place your potatoes in a pot with enough cold water to submerge, then turn the heat on NICK GATLIN medium-high and bring to a boil. Let simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, but not quite falling apart.

Fish your potatoes out of the water and let them dry. Once they are, arrange them on a large sheet pan in a single layer.

Give them room! Then, using the bottom of a cup or some other flat masher, smash the potatoes into the pan. They should flare out a little, and the whole pan should be covered with potato surface area. That increase in surface area, combined with all the little cracks and ridges you just made, are what make these potatoes so incredibly crispy.

Generously coat your potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and your other spices and herbs. You can choose to use fresh chopped garlic or garlic powder—fresh garlic will give you a more pungent taste, but watch out for it burning in the oven.

Garlic powder will taste a little more like garlic bread.

Place the pan in the oven for about 20–25 minutes, or until the potatoes are noticeably browned and crisp. These smashed potatoes are an easy substitute for mashed potatoes, potato chips or just to eat on their own. And don’t just use garlic and rosemary—you can use whatever spices you have on hand—I’ve used Old Bay and mushroom powder before, and it still turned

out great. Or you can try Bon Appetit chef Priya Krishna’s “Indian-ish” potatoes with sour cream and chaat masala. This recipe works with everything. Trust me, once you try potatoes this way, you’ll never make regular roasted potatoes again.

Homemade French Onion Dip ingredients

16 ounces sour cream 4 large yellow or sweet onions Apple cider vinegar

Sugar Garlic powder (optional) Olive oil

Smashed potatoes are great, but maybe you really do just want some greasy, store-bought potato chips. No homemade potato can compete with Ruffles. But are you going to eat it with some boring old dip from the grocery store? No! You can do better than that. With minimal effort and lots of unattended time, you can make a French onion dip infinitely better than anything you can buy.

Roughly dice four large onions. Optionally, you could cut them into quarter-moons if you like bigger chunks of onion in your dip.

Set a medium saucepan on low heat—seriously, the lowest you can possibly get—and start to sauté your onions in a little bit of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt. The onions will seem like they’re way too big to fit in the pan. Don’t worry—they’ll cook down.

Sprinkle a little sugar, around a teaspoon or two, on the onions. This will help with browning and caramelization. Then, caramelize the onions, which basically means cooking them on super low heat for hours and hours. You can basically set it and forget it. Just make sure to stir them occasionally and make sure they don’t stick to the bottom and burn. Once they’ve heavily reduced in size and taken on a deep brown color—in my experience, 4–8 hours—splash a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar on them and let it boil down. Once that’s reduced, turn off the heat and transfer the onions to a heat-proof container, ideally the one you’ll make your dip in.

Once the onions are cool, dump the whole container of sour cream in there with them and mix it all around. Once it’s incorporated, add salt and pepper to taste, and optionally mix in some garlic powder if you like that kind of thing. I do.

I guarantee this will be the best French onion dip you’ve ever had. You will be ruined for store-bought dip for the rest of your life once you discover the wonders of fresh, homemade caramelized onions. And if you really want to take it up a notch, use cultured sour cream—the good European stuff. It truly is the food of the gods. Ambrosia.

The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie ingredients

2 sticks butter

2 cups granulated sugar Blackstrap molasses 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk Baking soda

Vanilla extract or paste Bread flour 8 ounces baking chocolate (bar or wafers, not chips) Flaky salt

What is the perfect chocolate chip cookie? I have spent my life in search of the answer to this question. I have discovered that the perfect cookie is huge, chewy on the inside, slightly crisp on top, with gooey chopped chocolate and bursts of flaky salt.

NICK GATLIN This is a matter of opinion, of course. Some people like small, crunchy, crumbly cookies with little uniform chocolate chips.

Those people are wrong.

To start, heat 2 sticks of butter in a saucepan on medium-low, stirring constantly until they melt. If you can find it, use fancy Kerrygold cultured butter. It makes a difference. Then lower the heat to low and wait for the butter to foam, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning. Once the foam starts to recede and the butter turns a light gold, take it off the heat and transfer it to your mixing bowl. Make sure to transfer it before it turns deep brown, because the carryover heat will burn it if you’re not careful.

Here’s my controversial opinion—I never use brown sugar. As Adam Ragusea, YouTube chef, demonstrated, brown sugar is literally just white sugar and molasses. I already have both of those in my pantry. Why would I buy a third product that, in addition to being the exact same thing, will clump up and get incredibly hard if it’s exposed to air?

Mix the brown butter, after it’s cooled for a bit, with 2 cups of white sugar and about 3 or 4 tablespoons of good-quality blackstrap molasses. Don’t measure it—it’ll stick to the spoon and you’ll lose half of it. Then, add 2 eggs, plus 1 yolk. The extra yolk gives the cookie an amazing gooey, rich texture without adding too much moisture. Mix in the baking soda, vanilla and a little fine salt.

I never measure my flour. I shoot for the texture I want, which is kind of shiny-looking without being too sticky. Add enough flour so your dough won’t stick to your hands, but still looks relatively soft. I use bread flour in this recipe, because I find that the extra protein gives the cookie the chewiest texture. You can use all-purpose flour if that’s all you have.

Finally, mix in 8 ounces of roughly chopped chocolate, or chocolate wafers if you have them. I usually use semi-sweet or darker, and never use chocolate chips. They’re too small and uniform for my taste. I like some big pieces, some small pieces, and little chocolate flakes all throughout the cookie.

Put the dough in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes—because you’re using melted butter, the cookies will spread too much in the oven otherwise. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. When the dough is chilled, shape them into little hockey pucks and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle some coarse, flaky salt over the top—that’s why we went easy on the salt earlier. Bake for about 10–12 minutes, or until they look just cooked. We want these to be gooey and even a little undercooked in the middle.

I have spent years developing this recipe. I sometimes wake up at 2 a.m. thinking about this cookie. It is the most wonderful cookie I have ever had, and I beg you to try to make it yourself during this quarantine. I think I’m going to make some for myself right now.

PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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HAVE YOU HEARD: THE OPINION

AJ EARL

At some point during this crisis I sort of forgot things were generally closed around the state; malls, theaters, that sort of thing made sense, but I also forgot even small shops were typically closed. Just us and the local burger joint, I suppose. As of May 15, however, a lot of things opened up, but not the malls, theaters and that sort of thing. Smaller shops, bookstores, places where social distancing was a lot easier than the line outside the cinnamon roll shop. It’s a start, but it’s one that will need to be carefully watched. We don’t know exactly where we are in this pandemic, but a quick dip back into panic is likely if we aren’t careful. So, wash your hands.

Have you heard about Mount Saint Helens? No, it’s not erupting again, but it did almost exactly 40 years ago. After weeks of rumbling and warning, it finally erupted on May 18, 1980. With a volcanic explosivity index rating of 5, it was the largest eruption in the continental United States in decades. It killed 57 people, many of whom were caught in the choking dust and rock that followed the blast.

It’s a surprise it didn’t kill more, however, as angry groups of homeowners in the area attempted to force Washington to reopen the area, resulting in some of them being able to return home and back into the danger zone right before the eruption. There’s a lesson there, I think.

Oh, have you been keeping track of the saga of the murder hornet? Evidently, bees have little trouble holding their own against the gigantic stinging nightmaresmade-real. In some places, they even gather up all their forces and swoop in on the hornet, smothering it. Furthermore, there really isn’t anything murderous about them. They might be pests to a large extent, but they are otherwise not fatal to humans unless you fall into a giant nest or something.

Quick reminder to vote if you haven’t already. Oregon ballots are due Tuesday, May 19. Drop your ballots in a downtown ballot box or elsewhere. There isn’t a lot to say about this election, except to note there is a District Attorney’s race in Multnomah County, along with local measures galore for Oregonians. Make it a point to get your ballot in on time, or, if you’re reading this after the election, go and mark down the next local election for your neck of the woods. But honestly, I think you should read this article when it’s hot off the press!

Finally, between online commencements, final presentations via Zoom and other adaptations expected of students, there hasn’t really been a chance for a lot of pausing and reflection. If you haven’t heard of the importance of stress management, or you know about it but don’t know how to accomplish it, take some time today to explore your options in this important bit of personal mental health hygiene. Stretches at your seat, petting animals, looking at the stars at night, whatever tickles your stay-at-home fancy, it’s all good. Just make sure you put some time into it this week.

GRAND REOPENING EDITION

DANA TOWNSEND

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PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

SPORTS

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON SPORTS UNEMPLOYMENT UPDATE ON WORKERS WHO LOST JOBS FOLLOWING SPORTS CANCELLATIONS RICH RIGNEY When COVID-19 brought about the suspension of all major U.S. sports, it created a number of uncertainties. Will there be an NBA champion this year? Is the NFL season going to begin at the same time? Will we still have the NCAA basketball tournaments? For the thousands of workers employed by sports venues and teams, the question was much different: Where is my income going to come from?

While some of these questions have been answered and several teams have begun to pledge financial support to their respective employees, many workers—specifically those employed by third-party vendors—have not seen a penny. For those who have seen compensation, it is often not enough to make ends meet.

Substantial loss in revenue across sports leagues has contributed to layoffs, furloughs and indefinite suspensions of employment throughout the sporting world, with projections anticipating far greater loss if cancellations continue for many more months.

The topic of compensation is complicated by the fact that support funds have varied on a team-by-team and city-by-city basis.

While some cities and leagues were forced to respond immediately—whether due to population density or their sport being in season—others have had to play catch up.

Major League Baseball reached an agreement on March 17, with each MLB team paying $1 million toward ballpark workers who have lost employment due to the COVID-19 hiatus. Major League Soccer proposed a salary reduction to its players on May 11 that included a 20% pay cut across the board in an effort to reduce expenses and reallocate funds.

Beginning on May 22, the NFL will implement reductions in salary for managers and executives making more than $100,000. The reductions range from 5–15% and are dependent on the position of the employee. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has also announced that he will forego his salary—which could have reached up to $40 million—for the upcoming season.

Some players and owners have taken it upon themselves to assist workers impacted by the loss of sports, while other teams have joined forces to support their community.

The Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and LA

BRANDON PAHNISH

Kings have teamed up with their home arena, STAPLES Center, to fund lost wages through the end of the NBA and NHL season.

A complete list of the efforts being made by individual NBA teams and players can be found online.

While contributions have been made throughout various sports teams and leagues, there are no minimum requirements or guidelines as of now to determine the manner in which these contributions must be made. How much money is received and who qualifies for compensation has varied across sports leagues.

A survey conducted by USA Today of all NBA, NHL and MLB teams found significant variation in how financial assistance is provided to game-day workers. Of the 91 teams surveyed, only 29 said they were paying workers employed by third-party vendors who aren’t on the team or venue’s payroll.

Many third-party contractors who work concessions, cleaning or security at sports venues have not been offered any compensation because they are not on the venues’ payroll. Other

third-party contractors said they reached out to their vendors in the hopes they would continue paying gameday employees but have not received any confirmation.

According to team and union officials, the number of game-day workers present to staff an MLB, NBA or NHL game on any given day can range from 400 to more than 1,000, depending on crowd capacity, size of venue, and the team’s financial standing.

With such a high turnover rate in employees at each game—few employees work every game of a team’s season—teams have estimated there are thousands of game day employees working a venue over the course of a season. Many of these workers are employed part-time at multiple venues, and some work other jobs.

Some have pointed to billionaire owners, multi-million dollar facilities and local funding as reason enough for the teams to be responsible for financially compensating their employees—whether or not they are employed by third-party contractors.

Others, however, have pointed to Americans’ vulnerability to financial catastrophe as an indication of the inherent flaws present within society, arguing that a person’s ability to survive a pandemic should not be dependent on their employer.

How long America continues without sports will determine the severity of the financial repercussions faced by those workers who have been left unemployed by the pandemic.

As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci said when discussing the possible timetable for a return to NFL football: “The virus will make the decision for us.”

Decisions made and damage done cannot be undone, but the opportunity to implement positive change and updates to future policies remains.

Perhaps the best thing to come from this pandemic will be the impetus it has brought upon the U.S. to take a good look in the mirror and reevaluate its priorities and ability to respond to a pandemic.

PSU Vanguard • MAY 19, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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DANA TOWNSEND