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NEWS
THE SEARCH FOR PSU’S NEXT PRESIDENT
EDITORIAL
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Tanner Todd
MANAGING EDITOR
Brad Le
NEWS EDITOR
Zoë Buhrmaster
NEWS CO-EDITOR
Philippa Massey
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
Kat Leon
OPINION EDITOR
Nick Gatlin
PHOTO EDITOR
Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani
ONLINE EDITOR
Christopher Ward
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Nova Johnson
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Nick Gatlin
CONTRIBUTORS
Alyssa Anderson
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Isabel Zerr
EXTERIOR FRONT COVER BY ZAHIRA ZUVUYA, BACK BY HANNA OBERLANDER INTERIOR LOVE & SEX GUIDE FRONT COVER BY CASEY LITCHFIELD, BACK BY WHITNEY MCPHIE
YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE VALENTINE’S DAY SO SERIOUSLY P. 13 SATIRE: THE OREGON LEGISLATURE MUST MANDATE REALISTIC PORNOGRAPHY P. 14 TRIANGLE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS ME & TAMMY P. 15 LOVE & SEX COMICS P. 16-17
ARTS & CULTURE
FIND IT AT 5TH: SPACE IS THE PLACE & THE LAST ANGEL OF HISTORY P. 19 LETTER TO THE EDITOR: TRENNA WILSON P. 20
OPINION
EDUCATION SHOULD BE FOR EVERYONE
P. 21
PRODUCTION & DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Whitney McPhie
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Camden Benesh
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TECHNOLOGY & WEBSITE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS
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COMICS
P. 22 EVENTS CALENDAR P. 23
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COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA
Reaz Mahmood
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Maria Dominguez
STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR
Rae Fickle
To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com
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ABOUT 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 Wednesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.
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We have revived our “Letters to the Editor,” a recurring Opinion feature that publishes and spotlights voices from around PSU, as well as the larger community of Portland, Oregon. This is a section devoted to spotlighting the opinions and feelings of our readsers, rather than the writers and contributors in our newsroom, and we welcome submissions from anyone. We’re particularly interested in perspectives related to current Portland events and community issues, as well as circumstances that impact the Pacific Northwest overall. We’d also love to hear your thoughts on stories we’ve covered—if you have a strong opinion about something we’ve reported, write us! We’ll happily read your submissions.
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Sincerely, The Vanguard Editorial Staff
This week, forums for the next Portland State presidential candidate search start, marking what could be the start of the end to the long search for PSU’s next president. The quest has been ongoing for years, since PSU’s last president resigned and before current President Stephen Percy stepped into the role. Since then, students have demanded more transparency and openness in electing the next administrative head of the school.
Even then, the subject has been contentious, with different students voicing a diverse slate of opinions on what they wanted to see the most out of the next president. In one of the first interviews this week, Nora Bandhauer, a student attendee, expressed her concern for how one of the candidates, Dr. Ann E. Cudd—the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor at the University of Pittsburgh—would preside over the school. Bandhauer asked how she would start, keep and maintain personal relationships with the student body.
Dr. Cudd responded by saying that she would be more visible on campus. The presidential candidate assured that she would want to keep meeting with students, going to events and acting as an accessible resource to the student body. For a student like Bandhauer, who mentioned that she hasn’t seen the school’s current president all year, Dr. Cudd’s response assuaged her concerns about the role of presidency.
Transparency is key to leading PSU, and Dr. Cudd has expressed that she is no stranger to it. She said that it will be held in high regard going forward if she is chosen as president. Dr. Cudd understands that there is a lot of work that needs to be done in terms of building trust between the administration and the community, of which she is open to various perspectives and will continue to hold open forums to meet and discuss issues in person.
Dr. Cudd emphasized her own experiences serving in large urban locations and working closely with undergrads, as well as her tenure as the Dean of Arts and Science at Boston University and Provost at the University of Pittsburgh, as good qualities to lead PSU. This has drawn approval from Melissa Appleyard, the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs in the School of Business at PSU, who was impressed with Dr. Cudd’s extensive experience, but who understands that PSU is a different institution than those that she came from.
“I was really impressed with her ability to go both big as far as her vision, but also really be sensitive to how our students are,” Appleyard said. “She has a keen sensitivity to our mission of social equity and racial equity.”
Indeed, Dr. Cudd has outlined plans to increase diversity at PSU and foster healthy relationships for existing situations within the school. Among her visions, Dr. Cudd seeks to teach empathy and cultural competency by means of designing courses to fill in gaps in high school education which would be presented as a free, one credit option. Another method would be to generate more peer-to-peer conversations or classroom talk, in which students are further encouraged to interact with one another.
One of the hardest questions that many have tried to answer is tackling declining enrollment at PSU, a headache that has been present for much of the current administration. However, Dr. Cudd’s background and outlined plan has given confidence to both Bandhauer and Appleyard.
“I really like how she didn’t shy away from the difficulties that we’re having now budget-wise and really had her anchor and growth rather than cost cutting,” Appleyard said. “I think as the incoming president, we need someone who has a really extensive network in higher ed as well as ties to the federal government and federal funding source to survive and grow and thrive as a university. She [Dr. Cudd] has an excellent background in terms of really understanding student success, how university works from provost experience and really being able to think about growth and not just cost cutting.”
Bandhauer shared a similar sentiment. “I like her need for a plan so that they don’t have to cut any of the current faculty or any of the current programs, because it’d be a shame to see the teachers and the programs that we currently have get cut instead of having more join us,” she said.
In the forum, Dr. Cudd mentioned that she has dealt with financial challenges before in her role as a provost, where the lack of funding caused programs to close at the University of Pittsburgh. She plans to attract more out of state students, in addition to creating a more attractive environment through multiple changes for local students in order to deal with declining enrollment.
But Dr. Cudd didn’t stop there—the presidential candidate also viewed Portland as ripe for social and economic change. She hoped that a change in PSU can also bring about a revitalization for the city, one which can further realize Portland’s progressive potential.
It’s been one year since Portland State implemented an actionable program to lead the campus forward in diversity and inclusion. There’s still more to be done, but Vice President of Global Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Ame Lambert noted that the one-year mark comes with a foot in the right direction.
“We have completed or initiated 44 of the 47 items on our checklist,” Dr. Lambert said. “We got an A which is exciting.”
Over 500 students and PSU employees came together in Oct. 2020 to discuss hopes and goals for greater inclusion on campus, sparked by the racial and social justice movement that had swept through Portland earlier that year. Together they dreamed up the Time to Act Plan for Equity & Racial Justice program, a three-year program that addresses equality on institutional, financial, communal and staffing levels, amongst others.
“Some of the things I would highlight are securing the additional resources, both internal and external, to expand our outreach and access in a variety of ways,” Dr. Lambert said. “To be able to expand our student support for students with lowest assistance rates. I would say that we have implemented surveys for students and employees, we’ve launched our leadership academy, so high performing high potential leaders, and we completed the third cohort of our intercultural program..these are some of the highlights that I would issue.”
The four incomplete boxes on the Time to Act checklist point out the difficulties that the program had in the first year in engaging with students, along with a hiring freeze resulting from the budgetary impact of low enrollment. With a new assistant vice president of student success, Dr. Erica Wagner, as of last fall, Dr. Lambert said she expects to see student engagement rise in the upcoming year.
The program’s goals center on student and employee success and equity, along with campus climate and intergroup relations, education, scholarship and service; and leadership and infrastructure. In a report by PSU on the project, President Stephen Percy said he had high hopes for what the next two years will bring.
“This work is not easy and the results won’t always translate neatly into boxes checked,” President Percy said. “We’ve
resolved to continue to learn and grow together and to center the voices and experiences of our BIPOC community members throughout the process. We also acknowledge that we will need to consistently evaluate, learn and adapt along the way.” For those looking to get involved in the program, or have questions regarding diversity, equity and inclusion on campus, Dr. Lambert asks you to reach out to her and the diversity team at diversity@pdx.edu.
As the frequency and severity of natural disasters, human-made crises and other emergencies continue to increase, it is important now more than ever for communities to be prepared. In response, Portland State offers an Emergency Management and Community Resilience non-degree professional certificate—a program that provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to help communities prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies, making them an essential part of building resilient communities. In this article, we will take a closer look at what an emergency management program entails.
Portland State Vanguard spoke to Dr. Brianne Suldovsky, Assistant Professor of Science, Risk and Environmental Communication in the communication department of PSU, who studies public perception of science. “We created it [the program] several years ago… the goal of the program is to bring all of these disciplines that are risk-disaster relevant together because as you know, climate change is very complex, environmental risks are complex and responding to them thus is very hard,” Suldovsky said. “And it’s hard to do it with just a single disciplinary perspective. You have a mix of like, social science, biophysical science… geography, hydrology, air quality… there are like all these sciences from social to biophysical sciences that are relevant for how we prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. And so the program is to kind of bring all those disciplines together and train people—it’s a graduate program so it trains people at the master’s level to have this interdisciplinary perspective on how to increase community resilience in the face of environmental emergencies.”
Vanguard asked Suldovsky about how the program came to be. “In the initial conversation, Stephen Percy wasn’t president yet—it was before he became president,” Suldovsky said. “He was a big champion of the concept and then our department got brought in, Dr. Lauren Frank and I in communication got brought in for that risk communication piece… so Stephen Percy was a big reason why it got started and was successful for sure.”
Vanguard also asked if there are any other similar programs at other institutions. “I think it’s the first,” Suldovsky said. “At least in the United States… Interdisciplinary programs generally are really rare. Most students, if you’re getting a degree—undergraduate degree or graduate degree, you’re doing it in one field… so this is really unique and truly is interdisciplinary. Students are taking classes from comm, they’re taking classes from anthropology, they’re taking classes from public health— all these different disciplines that students get to take classes from to earn their degree, which is incredibly unique. It’s the only one I’m aware of, at least in the U.S.”
The program is brand new, but is ongoing. “Last year was our first year of our first cohort… the first kind of batch of students that are earning their degrees in EMCR will graduate soon this year,” Suldovsky said.
The program took a while to prepare, and did face some challenges during that process. “It took a couple years to get it going,” Suldovsky said. “But I believe we started really putting it all together in 2018… the biggest challenge is getting a bunch of disciplines together to solve a problem or to create something.”
Suldovsky said that one of the program’s greatest strengths— its interdisciplinary nature—was also one of its greatest challenges in putting it together.
“It’s always a challenge, because each discipline has its own language, its own views on disasters,” Suldovsky said. “We’re
all kind of existing in our own tiny little disciplinary bubbles… even something that seems really simple, like ‘how do you define resilience?’ is like different for every single discipline, and so when you’re combining all those perspectives and trying to create a cohesive program… it can be challenging.”
Vanguard asked Suldovsky why she thought the program would be worthwhile to PSU students.
“To me the biggest selling point is like, disasters are something none of us can avoid—I mean, I think [COVID-19] has certainly really taught us that,” Suldovsky said. “Even global scale, local scale, whatever the case may be, we face risks and hazards all of the time, from flooding, to climate change, to extreme heat, to wildfire smoke—I mean even just in Portland, in the last three years I can think of like five things
that we’ve had to deal with in like the natural hazards realm.”
“On an individual level, the ‘so-what-who-cares?’ is having a better understanding of how hazards and disasters work in communities and personally knowing how they work can help you be more prepared, certainly,” Suldovsky said. “How can we equip our communities to be more resilient and to be able to kind of not only prepare for disasters but go through them and bounce back from them—in the response and recovery phase of disasters, how can we help our communities be more resilient?” Suldovsky described the program as “helping communities respond to scary things.”
“We can save people’s lives, we can make sure that the hazards we know that we cannot avoid don’t end up doing more damage than they have to,” she said.
PSU FILM ALUM DISCUSSES HER CAREER
Writing horror film scripts from a feminist perspective with plenty of blood and carnage is not something anyone can do, but Hannah May Cumming is doing it in ‘70s retro style. Satirizing stereotypes of people of color, LGBTQ+ people and women is what makes her films both shocking in general and popular among her fan base. This is not for the faint of heart, but for Cumming it comes easy because horror is her first love. Cumming is reclaiming the ‘70s horror genre in the name of women.
Cumming is a writer, director and co-founder of Monstrous Femme Films—taking ‘70s campy horror films and giving them a feminist perspective with a sociopolitical message. Cumming graduated from Portland State’s film school in 2020. Her first film, Fanatico (2018), was in the neo-giallo genre and was a joint project with Sam Schrader, another PSU alumni. Her second film, Camp Calypso (2019), was a summer camp creative featurette. However, it was Baby Fever (2021), her ‘70s prom night prochoice body horror film co-written with Alex Hartwig, which put Cumming on the map.
Cumming was influenced in her early childhood by the retro vibe of the ‘70s. “Living in Liverpool definitely influenced my love of retro design and fashion, like being raised on the Beatles,” she said. “My grandma was, like, young in the ‘60s in Liverpool, and so that’s just always been an influential part of my film fashion sense and design.”
Cumming began filming with a flip-video camera when she was nine years old, bored, living in Oklahoma and trying to keep herself busy and creative. “Yeah, I lived in Oklahoma,” she said. “We moved there when I was five, and there’s not a lot to do there. And it was kinda the beginning of YouTube as well. So I got a flip-video camera and just spent my days outside making videos with my friends. And then, when we moved to Portland, it felt like maybe it could actually be a real career path for me because there is an industry here.”
As a PSU film student, Cumming was very involved with the program. She worked in the film office for three years, and she credited her creative and enlightened writing style to the program’s emphasis on film theory.
Cumming especially enjoyed working with Mark Berrettini and Kristin Hole, two of her favorite PSU professors. Hole introduced Cumming to the feminist film perspective, which inspired much
of her work. She incorporates this and her love of horror in her filmmaking. “I took a film feminism class with Kristen Hole, and that changed a lot for me and guided me into filmmaking,” Cumming said. “I’ve loved the horror genre, like, my whole life. That has been my favorite genre of film since I was a kid.”
During her career, inspired by her passion and fueled by the PSU film program, Cumming decided to do a feminist remake of the ‘70s misogynistic films she loved, reclaim them and add a sexually empowering perspective. “[‘70s horror films are] very misogynistic films, so we’re redoing them because I love them,” Cumming said. “The style is amazing. The music is amazing—the lighting. But I think that the representation of women in them is very questionable.” Moreover, it was the recent horror film, Get Out, which inspired Cumming to embrace the political reality and proclaim the statement of her work. “I think that when I started looking at the horror films that I’d loved for my whole life through the feminist lens, I started realizing that they’re a lot deeper than I took them for at first watch,” Cumming said. “When Get Out came out in 2018, that movie really inspired me to look at the horror genre differently.”
Cumming gained experience in the film production industry in 2017 while working as a director’s assistant alongside Jacob Chase on the Portland-produced series Girl in the Woods. They shot all around Oregon, in places like Camp Namanu and Vernonia. Cumming observed Chase as he would capture pre-visuals on his phone, edit and then see what the scene would look like before shooting. “I learned about the importance of prepping and the importance of storyboarding,” Cumming explained. “He’s very organized. He’s very prepared. So I think that I did that right before I did Baby Fever, and I took a lot of stuff I learned from him and applied it to preparing for Baby Fever.”
The writing for Baby Fever occurred during the COVID-19 lockdown and was a Zoom-based co-writing experience between Cumming and Hartwig. “We were Zooming every day, and we had an outline for what we wanted the film to be and what we wanted each scene to be,” Cumming said. “And then, we would each write a version of the same scene separately, send it to each other, critique each other’s scene, pull what we liked from either
scene, and then write a combined scene. We fought a lot. We’re best friends, though, but also, I think it’s important to fight and debate, and if you really believe in it, stand up.”
This is how Baby Fever was born. Baby Fever takes place in 1972, a year before Roe v. Wade, and the film premiered just four days after Roe v. Wade was overturned—poignant timing.
“It pulls from the ‘70s pregnancy horror and reflects the sociopolitical tension of the time,” Cumming explained. “So there were a lot of pregnancy themed horror films in the ‘70s because of Roe v. Wade. I had been feeling the anxiety around abortion rights the last few years, and that’s what I was channeling into this script, but we try to have a very serious message behind it as well—the message is choice. If you force a person to have a baby when they don’t want it, it’s not a baby, it’s a parasite, it’s an unwanted thing using you as a host in your body.”
The film follows the wanna-be prom queen, Donna (Helena Berens), who falls in love with school football star, Trip (Louis Llewellyn), and after having sex with Trip she finds herself carrying an unwanted parasite. If you like blood, gore and surprises, you are in for a treat.
When asked what Cumming would like her viewers to take away from her films, she replied, “All of my films deal with feminine rage. I think women are never allowed to be angry, or they are bitches, right? And they’re never allowed to be sad, or they’re too emotional. And I think that the main message of all of my films is to feel empowered in your emotions and feel valid in your anger because the world is not a kind place to women and to queer people. So I think that I just wanna create a space where people can feel seen and heard and validated in their pain.”
Cumming is currently working on a story about a local Oregon haunt, the Enchanted Forest in Turner, Oregon, and a feature version of Baby Fever Baby Fever is on the short film festival circuit and doing very well. It premiered at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California for Screamfest, and went on to show in Brooklyn, NY; Manhattan, NY; and Manchester, England, where it won Best Short Film-Grimmfest in 2022. You can catch Baby Fever on Feb. 25 at the McMinnville Short Film Festival and Make Believe Seattle Film Festival March 23–26.
Boutique sex shops join the struggle against stigma
P. 10-11
WHY SO SERIOUS?
P. 13
SATIRE: The public deserves realistic porn
P. 14
The United States is progressively shifting in the way individuals view sex and pleasure. Whether it be through the sexual revolution or the development of sex shops, there is an attempt to push for positivity surrounding sex for pleasure as a form of sexual liberation.
Yet even in 2023, many still find themselves ashamed and embarrassed when it comes to discussing personal pleasure. It’s the same shame that pushes people to subconsciously hide their face and avoid eye contact when entering a sex store. There is a negative stigma surrounding sex stores and personal pleasure that is often left unspoken.
To address this, many of today’s sex stores have shifted towards educational and inclusivityfocused “sex boutiques.” SheBop and Lovers are
two such shops in the Portland metro area. The self-identified boutiques emphasize education, cleanliness and an inclusive environment. Previously, stores solely operated as a location to purchase sex toys and gag gifts, while they did very little in terms of removing the stigma around sexual pleasure or providing any education materials.
“The welcoming environment and the [lack of] stigma was the reason that I wanted to work here,” one Lovers employee said when asked why they wanted to work at a sex boutique. “Lovers is different from other sex stores. Our windows aren’t darkened and I think that makes it different and more welcoming than trashier stores that add to the negativity around sexual pleasure.”
According to Women’s Health , a magazine that focuses on informing and empowering readers, “sex shop employees are sharp, open-minded, and ready to help you upgrade your sex life.” Sex shop employees who are employed by educational-based sex boutiques are often trained to help with removing the shame and judgment associated with shopping in an adult store.
As shown by the quoted Lovers employee, some of those who work in sex shops also often want to be a part of the change from judgment and negativity to fully embracing sexual pleasure and pushing the shame away. SheBop, which has two Portland locations, totes a similar message.
Since 2009, SheBop has been one of the
biggest advocates for embracing sexual pleasure and reducing the stigma. The store hosts guided Zoom events and sessions on various topics from sex and pleasure, to how to better discuss STIs with one’s partner.
In addition, at SheBop there are similar items to Lovers. These include assorted sex toys, lube and contraceptives including dental dams and condoms, but there is also a different approach to the educational aspect. This boutique has a large selection of books that cover all forms of sexual approach.
In the reading section are books for LGBTQ+ individuals, different kinks, BDSM and books on self-care. The shop’s goal is to take it a step further by having books that can be useful for everyone.
However, being part of the sex-positive community does not remove all of the stigma. There is still judgment within the group of those vying for the embrace of sexual pleasure, and that is often directed toward those who are kink-friendly.
This begs the question: why do we kink shame?
If being sex-positive includes an inclusive environment that supports those who want to push back against the negative stigma around sex, how is it that some of these same individuals are also open to criticizing those who participate in kink culture?
An article published by Psychology Today regarding kink shaming states that “false narratives are continuously pushed regarding the kink community.” These narratives often
highlight kink culture as dirty, dangerous and abnormal to the point where people are publicly shamed for their likes.
These negative narratives are based on assumptions made about kink culture. These assumptions often conclude that there’s always a link to trauma, those who participate cannot have normal sex, they are mentally ill or that their relationships are inherently violent or abusive in some way.
When asked about kink shaming and culture, the aforementioned Lovers employee offered some internal perspective. “We offer some items that are seen as being more kink related, like handcuffs and nipple clamps,” they said. “As long as it’s consensual, I don’t think kinks are wrong at all and I think
shaming them takes us away from trying to create an inclusive environment.”
From the point of view of these new age sex boutiques and their employees, it appears as though the biggest obstacle is the societal perception of sexual pleasure and its intolerance for openness surrounding the subject. Their goal seems to be debunking this negativity and working to create a more positive atmosphere surrounding the idea of sexual pleasure, kink culture and sex shops as a whole.
As of 2023, however, there is a move toward removing negative stigma surrounding sexual pleasure, and sex boutiques are getting more attention—and so is the idea of education surrounding sex.
Each Valentine’s Day, besides considerations about cute cards, flower arrangements and date scheduling, stands the supreme ruler of the language of love: food. If “the way you make an omelet reveals your character,” as Anthony Bourdain says, the way you cook Valentine’s Day dinner reveals a great deal about how you express affection.
The only trouble is: what exactly do you cook? That depends, of course, on the person or persons you’re cooking for—but we can find some guidance in the traditional foods of the holiday, with a little help from major media outlets.
You’ve probably heard of most of the foods typically associated with Valentine’s Day, and therefore with love generally as well: wine, which one assumes has more to do with its alcohol content than anything else; strawberries, a traditional symbol of Venus; and chocolate, which isn’t really traditional at all but rather the vanguard of Richard Cadbury’s plot to commercialize the holiday in 1861. This isn’t much help. Wine, strawberries and chocolate are great, sure, but a satisfying dinner they do not make. So, let’s turn to the guardians of American cultural life for guidance: the mainstream food news media.
In a turn likely to make the President’s Council of Economic Advisers have a fit, large media outlets like The New York Times and Good Housekeeping have recommended that their
readers decline from eating out this Valentine’s Day—in a time when a dozen eggs cost, on average, $4.25, it makes sense to keep costs down by turning down fancy dinner reservations and cooking in, even for Valentine’s Day.
The New York Times, to their credit, have offered a recipe list so soporific and middle-of-the-road it’s sure to make their loyal readers reservedly hop for joy. Spaghetti carbonara, Steak Diane, French onion soup—these are the safest choices, to be sure.
The BBC provides a similar list, replete with such standard fare as steak with a peppercorn sauce, carbonara (again!), and “quick & easy cocktails.” The one slightly adventurous recipe on the list, Dauphinoise potatoes, loses points for the fact that it’s essentially just potatoes and cream—delicious, but hardly impressive.
Shouldn’t food on Feb. 14 have a little more… pizazz?
For example, in medieval Europe, young women were encouraged to eat bizarre foods on Valentine’s Day, such as roasted hedgehog, in the hope that digestion of such oddities would cause them to dream of their future husband. Putting aside the heteronormativity and possible animal cruelty inherent in this practice, we should consider that maybe they had a point. I, for one, think we should return to a culinary tradition that puts a little more spice into romantic life. What’s stopping us from putting haggis back on the menu?
In all seriousness, cooking food for someone is a profound expression of love, and the formulaic nature of “Valentine’s Day recipes” has made the whole process a bit… sterile.
To quote Anthony Bourdain again: “The Italians and Spanish, the Chinese and Vietnamese see food as part of a larger, more essential and pleasurable part of daily life. Not as an experience to be collected or bragged about—or as a ritual like filling up a car—but as something else that gives pleasure, like sex or music, or a good nap in the afternoon.”
This Valentine’s Day, resist the urge to make the standard meal, or even to go to a standard restaurant with a standard V-Day menu. If you go out, try to find someplace you’ve never been before, someplace you wouldn’t normally go—make it an adventure to discover something new together. If you stay in to cook, make something that’s meaningful to you and/or your partner: a recipe from childhood, a dish you’ve always wanted to try, a meal you can really share.
And if you’re cooking alone this Valentine’s Day, don’t fear. Put as much effort into it as you would making dinner for someone else. Be a hopeless romantic for yourself. Make that multi-course dinner. Get that fancy wine (but maybe don’t drink it all on your own). Have a friend or a few over, and test out new recipes on them. Who knows? Maybe roasted hedgehog really is that good.
Valentine’s Day is a day that is celebrated worldwide as a day of love, affection and romance. It is a time when people express their love and appreciation for one another through gestures, gifts and messages. It is a time where love—or should I say commercialization— is in the air.
Today, companies are capitalizing on the holiday under the charade of love, deluding the public to buy products bundled up in red and pink packaging. Americans are willing to spend an exorbitant amount of money to display their feelings and affection to their loved ones. According to a survey report from the National Retail Federation, Americans are expected to collectively spend an estimated $26 billion this year. Although originally focused on giving thoughtful, meaningful gifts as expressions of fondness and love, the commercialization of St. Valentine’s has turned
it into rituals of obligatory operations. In order to fulfill society’s expectations, individuals seem to have no choice—people rush to buy gifts, cards, chocolates and other items to show their love and affection for their loved ones. However, this consumerism has also led to a loss of the true meaning of the holiday. Obviously, the commercialization of Valentine’s Day has led to the creation of unrealistic expectations. The media and advertising industry present a picture-perfect image of the holiday, portraying it as a time when couples should exchange grandiose gifts and go on luxurious dates. This puts a lot of pressure on many people, which can lead to disappointment, frustration and even feelings of inadequacy. It can also put a significant financial strain on people who feel obligated to spend money on gifts, cards and other items to show their love and appreciation.
The commercialization of Valentine’s Day has also led to a lack of originality and creativity. Retailers and companies take advantage of the holiday to sell generic, massproduced gifts like chocolates, flowers and stuffed Teddy Bears, which can often feel dispassionate and lacking in thoughtfulness. This can lead to a loss of the personal touch that is so important in relationships, and can detract from the true meaning of the holiday. If you look at rows and aisles of red stuffed animals and chocolates from a dystopian lens, you’ll see just how brainwashed and robotic everyone has been programmed to be on holidays such as this.
It is important to remember that Valentine’s Day is about showing love and appreciation for one another, rather than spending money and buying gifts. Simple gestures, such as spending quality time together, expressing
affection and appreciation, and being there for each other, can be much more meaningful and memorable than any gift. For a holiday that often falls short to what people expect it to be, society’s unhealthy expectations of the “day of love” still have a grip on people, causing toxic comparisons and making it difficult to live up to in real life, consequently having a negative impact on people’s mental health and well-being.
It is important to remember that the holiday should be about celebrating love and affection, rather than succumbing to societal pressures and expectations. Couples and individuals can create their own traditions and celebrate the holiday in a way that is meaningful and genuine to them. It’s not worth compressing all the love and gratitude you want to show a loved one to cram into one day—so don’t take Valentine’s Day so seriously.
“Unlike real life, no one is ugly in porn,” an anonymous Portland sex shop worker—who we’ll refer to as Johnny— told Portland State Vanguard. Everyone who has had firsthand experience in this area can attest to the fact that pornography is ultimately a fantasy, a distorted view of what sex really is. However, pornography is still consumed regularly by people who are inexperienced as well as those who are experienced—as a result, the unrealistic expectations propagated by pornography of what sex will be like can often lead to miscommunication in the bedroom. Thus, the Oregon Legislative Assembly ought to pass a law mandating that all pornography produced in the state of Oregon must depict sex more realistically, with a standardized set of guidelines.
“There is definitely a big porn culture in sex shops,” Johnny said. “In fact, I’d say that customers who are purchasing our products are often inspired by pornography. Like kids who see something interesting for the first time, you probably won’t know what kind of unusual—and often gimmicky—things we sell unless you’ve seen it somewhere. They learn by watching.” Accordingly, it’s important to reduce unrealistic expectations in our no-pants parties. Pornography’s main shortcoming in representing intimacy is that it fails to show the awkward parts of our private moments. “The reality is that teenagers are learning
just as much from porn as they are in sex ed,” Johnny said. “Might as well demand that porn is more realistic.” One might ask what exactly constitutes an accurate portrayal of sex. “There should be a checklist,” Johnny suggested. “Porn sets shouldn’t have to fulfill all of them but at least a few of them need to be checked off the list… I suggest that among the ideas, porn from now on needs to include interruptions from children. That’s the biggest missing component, really. Next we should include pets in the background of the set. A dog or a cat licking the actors here or there is fine. That would really capture the awkwardness of real sex.”
It’s clear that pornography fails to capture the accuracy of intimacy in the act of passion—but one of pornography’s biggest shortcomings is its failure to educate our youths about the fallout of what happens after the deed is done. “Porn never prepared me for the sheer awkwardness of what to do after we are done,” Johnny said. “Do I stay the night and make pancakes for my partner in the morning or do I just leave? Should I just be silent and relaxed or should I make small talk? What should I say? ‘Did you have fun?’ or ‘That was good.’ Moreover, porn failed to teach me about the psychological effects when we are done. Sometimes I’m just like ‘why am I here?’ or ‘why do I suddenly just have this clear train of thought?’”
It is these questions the Oregon legislature must consider. If we are to prepare our children for the real world, we must also teach them about the consequences of their actions—therefore, the legislature should mandate that all porn must illustrate the dilemmas that participants face in the aftermath of their exercise.
The biggest problem with pornography, however, is its depiction of scenarios that are wholly unrealistic. “The pizza guy is your friend—he’s just not that not that kind of friend,” Johnny jokingly said. “Frankly, porn needs to stop portraying all sex as passionate or gratifying. I’d kill to see a scene where one of the partners just has a cold and is passive or just leaves in the middle of the scene to go feed the cat or something. But the biggest misconception is that sex is supposed to be fun. It’s not at all fun. Porn shows that sex is gratifying, that it brings orgasms—that’s never happened to me, nor to my partners—ever.”
“It is my hope that Oregon should actively pursue this agenda and make a law already,” Johnny concluded. With continued optimism, Oregon can finally take a step in the right direction to make porn more transparent, and to exploit its potential as a resource for sexual education. Oregon ought to be the nation’s leader in teaching our children the harsh truths of sex. In reality, the “beast with two backs,” to paraphrase Thomas Hobbes, is too often nasty, brutish and short.
On April 6, 1998, country icon Tammy Wynette passed away in her sleep at the young age of 55. Wynette lived a complex life, with four divorces and four children. However, her soulful vocals and ability to tell a story through song cemented her position as a country music icon. Me & Tammy, an original play written by Triangle Productions’ founder and owner Donald Horn, is occurring in NE Portland until Feb. 18.
The show opens on the eve of Wynette’s death in the dressing room of distraught Tammy Wynette drag impersonator John, played by Jeremy Anderson-Sloan. John, unsure of whether or not he has the heart to perform as Wynette while grieving the death of his idol, is greeted by a shocking visitor—the ghost of Tammy Wynette, played by Danielle Valentine.
What ensues is a tender, music-filled conversation where Wynette tells John the real story of her life—the story of an ambitious, loving young woman with a persevering gift for expressing deep emotions through song.
“I really got to know Tammy Wynette, who I didn’t know a ton about before starting the show,” Anderson-Sloan said. “I really realized that everyone has their own story.”
During the play, Wynette talks about how her hit songs “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” and “Stand by Your Man” were widely misinterpreted. While the feminist movement harshly criticized “Stand by Your Man” for purportedly encouraging women to remain submissive to their husbands, Wynette explains to John that it was merely a love song—a love song she wrote in just 15 minutes. “She says, ‘I know why I sang it,’” Horn said. “‘It wasn’t because I wanted a hit—it was because this song had meaning behind it.’ That means a lot to me because we’ve all got a past that we try to cover up, and we’ve all got stories we don’t want to tell.”
Wynette regales John with her own version of her storied life, which sheds light on the persevering spirit at the heart of her success. From her childhood picking cotton in rural Mississippi to her rollercoaster marriage to her third husband, fellow singer and eventual collaborator George Jones, Wynette’s version of events contrasts the tragic picture painted by the media.
Instead, Wynette’s side of her story gives a glimpse into the strength and resilient attitude that allowed her to succeed and likely pushed her to leave several marriages, even if the social taboos surrounding divorce at the time made that tricky. Despite her immense success, she never forgot her roots—she even kept a crystal bowl full of cotton in her dressing room as a reminder of where she began. “I’m impressed because I would not have been nearly as bold as she was,” Valentine said. “Like being willing to leave your husband in a time where [women] didn’t leave their husbands. That was a really big deal back then.”
The boldest and, eventually, most lucrative decision of Wynette’s career was also a controversial one. In 1966, newly-divorced Wynette moved herself and her three young daughters to Nashville with the hopes of making it big in the music industry. This risky decision resulted in a deal with Epic Records, which marked the beginning of her immense success. Even when Wynette was topping the charts, she struggled with missing out on aspects of her daughters’ lives—a sentiment Wynette explored in her heartbreaking song “Dear Daughters.”
“Juggling being a parent with a career, that’s something I can relate to,” Valentine said. “Do I do what I really love, or be with who I really love right now? That can be a little tough sometimes.” Horn hopes all attendees get a message that matters from their productions. “I don’t want to put on a show just because it’s a hit someplace else,” Horn said. “I want heart in a show. I want it to matter.” With drag being such a hot topic among right-wing politicians in the media these days, it is curious that Horn chose to do a play starring a drag impersonator. However, Horn is unbothered by the potential media attention.
“Drag has been around since day one in the theater community,” Horn said. “I thought it would be interesting to tell this story differently. Why not have somebody who doesn’t know [Tammy Wynette] very well, or thinks he knows her, get to know her more?”
Horn, who has written plays about a wide array of cultural figures from Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding to Billy Holiday, said he keeps returning to telling the stories of strong people who have been misunderstood and misrepresented for a long time. Horn wrote a show about Tammy Wynette not only because he was fascinated with her as a misunderstood cultural figure but because of the richness of the storytelling in her music. Though it was a tricky endeavor, Horn said he chose to strip Wynette’s vocals from her original tracks and use those for the play to honor her even further. Though Valentine beautifully performs several of Wynette’s most memorable songs, the fact that she is singing against Wynette’s original tracks makes the play a much more intimate affair.
From her first experience at Triangle Productions, Portland resident Nancy Conrad was hooked on their impactful storytelling and poignant productions. The first show Conrad attended was, she said, a one-man show about a young man who passed away. Conrad said the play was so well-done, and it captured the feelings of grief so well that she has made it a point to try to attend every show since then. “I discovered this place just about four years ago, but I try to come to every play now,” Conrad said. “I’ve never been to a play [here] that wasn’t worthwhile.”
And that is what they hope you take away—as Horn said, “I want people to walk away [from a show] going ‘oh wow, I didn’t know that!’ or ‘I enjoyed that so much, I want to come back!’”
This week at 5th Avenue Cinema—Portland’s only studentrun theater—our film curators have chosen to screen a double feature, free for students! The staff of 5th Avenue Cinema usually display one film each weekend. However, two staff members chose a film to program this week: Space is the Place and The Last Angel of History . Space is the Place is a science fiction musical film that explores the life and musical career of Sun Ra, a jazz composer known for his futuristic and cosmic music. The 1974 film follows Ra’s journey to find a new home for the Black community and his belief that space is the key to their liberation and salvation.
The film uses Afrofuturism to offer a unique perspective on the future of humanity and the role that music plays in it. Director John Coney presents an imaginative story with amazing visuals and Sun Ra’s music and teachings. The film provides a fascinating look into the life and work of this innovative and influential artist and a glimpse into the world of jazz, spirituality and science fiction. The film was chosen for screening by 5th Avenue staff member Cadie Godula. “It’s a fantastic movie of its time,” Godula said. “We’ve been looking for it for like a year to program!” She talked about how difficult this film was to obtain for a long time, as you had to email the producer directly. “5th Ave played it back in 2009, so I was like, ‘oh great, we’ll get it the guy’—but his email didn’t work right,” she said. They were relieved when they finally procured Space is the Place through the Janus Films distributor.
Godula described the film as similar to other album-based rock films from the 1970s. She is a fan of watching real musicians play instruments in films. “There’s a scene where Sun Ra and his orchestra are playing this show, and it’s very, very cool to watch,” she said. “To see the different angles up close of him fucking jamming out with everybody!”
In Space is the Place, we watch Sun Ra play an alien trying to help Black people escape to another planet. Although the film is considered a musical directed at fans of Sun Ra, it has a deeper and more complex narrative. “Similar to The Last Angel of History, there are many issues of equality brought up throughout the film,” she said. “We wanted to spotlight Afrofuturism.”
Following Space is the Place , 5th Avenue will project The Last Angel of History . The 1996 science fiction documentary is about the influence of Afrofuturism on culture and technology. The short film features interviews with prominent Afrofuturist artists and explores how the intersection of technology and culture affects the way we see the future. The film also touches on themes such as colonialism, identity and race, and their impact on the Afrofuturist movement. Overall, The Last Angel of History provides a unique perspective on Afrofuturism and its impact and role in shaping our music, art and literature.
The Last Angel of History was chosen for screening by 5th Avenue staff member Sam Chavez-Perez. “We thought it would be a good companion to Space is the Place,” he said. “We wanted to have films that speak to the Black experience, and this one is pretty heady, but I feel like it is incredibly rewarding—especially if you don’t just watch it once.” According to him, this movie can generate significant meaning if you spend time with it.
“ Space is the Place is discussed in The Last Angel of History as well as Sun Ra,” Chavez-Perez said. “So by having viewers engage with Space is the Place first and then watch The Last Angel of History , they can kind of rework their understanding of the film and put it within a specific tradition they know the context of.” Viewers will benefit from watching both films in the order that 5th Avenue Cinema shows them. “Even though they are different films, I feel like they enhance one another when viewed together,” Chavez-Perez added.
According to Chavez-Perez, The Last Angel of History consists of a narrative structure interspersed with interviews. One of his favorite parts of the film was when someone said, “The line between social reality and science fiction is an optical illusion.” He complimented the dialogue throughout the film but highlighted this specific quote. “When I heard that, my brain was melting,” he said. “Forget my third eye— my fourth eye was opened with that one!”
This film reexamines history through Afrofuturism to acknowledge the technological and cultural advancements made by the African community. “We live in the U.S., so we have these ideas that are proliferated about Africa which are very negative and dehumanizing,” ChavezPerez said. “The work that Afrofuturism does is incredibly restorative.” He argued that the film rewrites history to give Black people the proper credit for advances that they have made with technology.
“When I was watching this film, I felt my own opinions start to be changed,” Chavez-Perez said. During his research on Afrofuturism, Chavez-Perez learned that some Black people say they have experienced the end of the world. “Instead of that being something that is deeply pessimistic, it leads to a new understanding of our current reality from which we can then develop proper cultural and political actions,” Chavez-Perez said. “[The film] is really just for anyone who wishes to think critically about very uncomfortable truths and also has an interest in how technology and music can push culture and civilization.”
Students can watch Space is the Place and The Last Angel of History at the 5th Avenue Cinema for free. The double feature can be seen Friday or Saturday at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. or Sunday at 3 p.m.
Dear Editor:
The Portland State Food Pantry appreciates your staff’s desire to support us in our work. I regret I was unavailable for the interview Nick Gatlin [Portland State Vanguard’s Opinion Editor] requested for his editorial last week, which meant he was working with quotes and information that were outdated and easy to misinterpret when reprinted out of context. I appreciated his responsiveness when I reached out to correct some details and respond to his opinion. I want to clarify the Pantry’s current state, discuss the support we receive and need, and return the focus to our fellow students by sharing how to use the Pantry.
Many students are struggling to meet their basic needs, especially with rising food costs and recent changes to SNAP benefits. We want to be clear: We’ve got you.
We are here for you because we are supported by PSU. The Student Fee Committee consistently provides the funds we request for operating expenses. The PSU Foundation helps us keep our food supply consistent. The Smith Memorial Student Union team is highly responsive to our frequently-changing business needs. Student Activities and Leadership Programs tirelessly supports our student leaders in our passion for our mission. Campus Planning is helping us with our need for space. At every meeting I attend, I see people reaching for their favorite tools to help us. In a little over a decade, countless people have shepherded the Pantry from a single shelf to a robust student-operated service that is on course to provide PSU students with about a million dollars worth of support, if not more, in the coming year.
By the first week of the fall term, we were seeing patronage similar to prepandemic numbers—because enrollment has declined, this means we’re serving a larger percentage of PSU Students than ever before. As of Feb. 8 we have averaged 116 students per day in winter term, or one about every 2.5 minutes, each one invited to take as much food as they can use. This is an all-time high and an increase of about 25% over the fall term.
The Pantry has long needed a larger space—our growth and changes from our suppliers add urgency to this situation. As soon as we have a space that allows us to receive food by the pallet and students by the dozen, we expect to expand our shopping hours and food supply without increasing our operating expenses. As of today, I am pleased with the steps being made toward this goal. Nick Gatlin’s suggestion that the Space Allocation Committee move faster doesn’t help us— they have a process which should be followed and the Pantry currently has not submitted any requests that they can act upon.
The need, as Nick Gatlin noted last week, is huge. To recap: a 2019 survey revealed that nearly 50% of PSU students had experienced some form of food insecurity in the prior month, which is almost 20% higher than the national average for four-year institutions. Almost 9% of PSU students also reported experiencing an average of six days in that month in which they had not eaten at all. Recent hunger studies suggest the situation is worse now than in 2019. This means that every day 350–400 PSU students are probably trying to learn despite empty stomachs, among more than 10,000 per month who struggle to feed themselves well.
The Pantry’s impact is also huge. The food we provide equates to about as many meals as those served by Victor’s Dining Center. We bring over 5,000 pounds of food into Smith each week, with another several thousand through our monthly
Sincerely,
Trenna Wilson BA Candidate in History & Pantry General Manager pantry@pdx.edu
Free Food Market. That million dollars worth of food I mentioned above is also not deducted from students’ financial aid. We expect that we bring students to Smith and to campus who might not come otherwise, and that after a visit to the Pantry (where they often acquire about $30–50 worth of food), they are better equipped to spend money on tuition and their other needs. I believe we are a critical component in combating declining enrollment and an important player in the campus economy.
Could we use more support? Of course. We are one of many vital services on campus, each of whom could use more support. I disagree, however, with any implication that we are fundamentally unsupported at PSU. The Pantry also wants to be part of a vibrant campus community that has accommodations like the bowling alley, whom we enjoy having as a neighbor. I continue asking, “isn’t this an emergency?” People keep responding, “Yes; how can I help?”
Community members, here is how you can help: You can visit our website to donate a few dollars to help us fill in the gaps in Oregon Food Bank’s available food, or share our resources with students who could use it. You can share that the Pantry team are students as well as professionals with decades of combined experience in small business management, grocery, entrepreneurship and social services. You can use whatever communication methods are at your disposal to remind students often that we exist. If you already mention the Pantry, ask us to support you in providing accurate, current information. Professors can visit www.basicneedsstatement.com and copy and paste information about us and other campus resources into your syllabi. Everyone should do everything they can to assure students that these struggles are nothing to be ashamed of, and there is no reason to go through them alone.
Students, you can depend upon us to offer highly nutritious supplemental groceries every day classes are in session, and during finals weeks. Just drop in with your student ID and take what you can use (the limit signs are gone!). It truly is that simple. We encourage you to visit the Pantry before shopping for your other groceries and to look for creative ways to use our most consistently offered ingredients, like dried beans, masa and fresh produce. Almost all of the food we offer is selected by the Oregon Food Bank or is donated surplus from local businesses. We receive food several times per day and restock all day. On the second Monday of each month the main Pantry is closed so we can host a community-wide Free Food Market behind Shattuck Hall. Oregon Food Bank selects the food for this event and favors fresh items. Information about these events and other free food sources in your area is on our website at www.psufp.com
If you are one of the many campus entities who support the Pantry, thank you. If you are a student and you eat food, we’d be proud to help you finish what you’ve started here at PSU.
College tuition rates have soared in recent decades—a staggering 175% increase for in-state tuition at public universities over the past 20 years, according to U.S. News & World Report. This has occurred for many reasons, including state funding cuts, expanding administrative staff and increased construction and facility costs. Yet this tuition hike locks many students from lowincome families out of higher education. If tuition was lower—or free—these families would be able to get their children into college. College should be affordable for everyone, and we must find ways to bring the costs of higher education down in order to expand opportunity to all potential students.
Even with in-state tuition rates at public universities, college can be prohibitively expensive. “Average 2021-2022 annual tuition for public, four-year colleges was $10,740 for state residents, and $27,560 for out-of-state residents,” according to Business Insider. The average undergraduate student, in that same period, took out $6,470 in student loans.
At our own university, 2022 and 2023 resident undergraduates at Portland State must pay, for an average 15 credits per term, $9,602 in tuition; resident graduates attending our university must pay $17,018 in tuition and fees. Nonresident undergraduates and graduates pay even more—$28,502 and $25,190 respectively, according to PSU’s “By the Numbers” annual fact sheet. Lowering tuition would make the process of entering college much fairer. The current system of entering college is biased against low-
income students—yes, transcripts and the like are an important part of admission considerations, but tuition is too. This is especially important now, as “the average median family income declined 2.9% between 2019 and 2020…over the past 30 years, income inequality has been increasing,” as reported by Carolyn Morris of Earnest.com Many students’ transcripts are even withheld because they do not have enough money to pay for tuition. “A spokesman for UMass Boston, which has 9,848 students, graduates and former students who… can’t get their transcripts because they owe money, said only that the university withholds transcripts for unpaid balances in any amount,” according to the Hechinger Report. Low-income students do not deserve to have their transcripts withheld simply because they can not afford to pay the high amounts of tuition. High tuition costs force students to apply for loans, which put them in debt they can not afford. This is illustrated by the fact that “over 60% of all college graduates receive their diplomas from public institutions according to the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities…[in which] a 2020 study from the College Board found that their exorbitant prices have caused the average graduate to saddle $27,000 in debt,” wrote Ethan Kuhstoss of The Commonwealth Times This puts students on a path where they need to worry more about paying off debt than pursuing a fulfilling career.
Some low-income high school graduates decide not to pursue their desired schools because of the threat of student debt. “For youths from low-income households, getting a college degree
is like being caught in a Catch-22 situation,” wrote the staff of Study International. “You need a degree to escape poverty, but getting a degree also means getting into tuition fee debt, which in turn drags this group further down the income bracket.” This contributes to a ripple effect across educational institutions. “More than two-thirds of students whose families are in the lowest quintile of income attend two-year institutions or less,” according to a report from the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunities in Higher Education. “Just four percent of such students attend highly competitive four-year institutions.”
Injustices like these are why we need to press those in control of tuition rates to lower costs. College should be affordable to everyone. “The United States Constitution doesn’t explicitly guarantee a right to public education,” Janine Bowen reported in an interview with North Carolina State University Professor Jenn Ayscue. However, “that doesn’t mean that it can’t help ensure that all students are able to access an equal educational experience,” Bowen wrote— that’s all the more reason to fight for a right to higher education.
In truth, “even though education is not directly addressed in the Constitution, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment has been applied to educational issues,” as Bowen stated. If college is only available for the middle or upper class of U.S. society, that goes against the promise of equal opportunity which undergirds our education system. It’s time to make higher education truly equal, and that starts with the economics of tuition.
HIGH TUITION RATES UNFAIRLY TARGET LOWINCOME STUDENTSWHITNEY MCPHIE
WED 2/15
THURS 2/16
MILO LOZA
SONGS FOR MY VALENTINE THE OLD CHURCH CONCERT HALL
12 P.M.
FREE
A LUNCHTIME CONCERT FEATURING MULTIPLE ARTISTS
PORTLAND JAZZ FESTIVAL PORTLAND, OR TIMES VARY
PRICES VARY
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NICKODEMUS JACK LONDON REVUE
11 P.M.
2/17
$42
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2/18
$25
TOURING DJ/PRODUCER BLENDS GLOBAL FUSION AND CLUB BEATS IN THEIR MUSIC
I AM JACK LONDON REVUE
8 P.M.
$25+
A GROUNDBREAKING JAZZ DUO REFLECTING AND EXPLORING NEW SOUNDS
2/19
2/20 TUES 2/21
LAKE VIEW BOTTLE & BOTTEGA
6 P.M.
$40
LEARN TO PAINT ALONG WITH OTHERS, USING INSTRUCTION FROM AN ARTIST
YO LA TENGO WONDER BALLROOM
8:30 P.M.
$32.50
INDIE BAND KNOWN FOR NOISE-ROCK AND MELODIC POP
ANNA MIEKE MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
9 P.M.
$16
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HIATUS KAIYOTE + BUTCHER BROWN ARLENE SCHNITZER HALL
8 P.M.
$49+
HIATUS KAIYOTE AND BUTCHER BROWN BOTH INFUSE ELEMENTS OF JAZZ WITH DIVERSE MUSICAL STYLES
ASTRO LAUGHS STAR THEATER
4 P.M.
FREE
COMEDY OPEN MIC WITH FIVE-MINUTE SETS, HOSTED BY BRYAN WITHAWHY
NW BLACK COMEDY FESTIVAL CURIOUS COMEDY THEATER
7 P.M.
$175
A COMEDY FESTIVAL OVER MULTIPLE DAYS, FEATURING BLACK COMEDIANS FROM ALL AROUND THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
THE MAD ONES COHO THEATRE
7:30 P.M.
$12+ IN THIS CHILDREN’S PLAY, SAMANTHA BROWN REVISITS THE PAST, TORN BETWEEN EXPECTATIONS AND AN UNKNOWN FUTURE
FREE DOUBLE FEATURE!
5TH AVENUE CINEMA
6 & 8:30 P.M.
STUDENTS: FREE
GENERAL: $6
ON CAMPUS THEATER SCREENING SPACE IS THE PLACE AND THE LAST ANGEL OF HISTORY
LA SYLPHIDE KELLER AUDITORIUM
2 P.M.
$30+
ROMANTIC BALLET WITH MAGIC, LOVE AND TRAGEDY, FEATURING THE OBT ORCHESTRA
COMEDY OPEN MIC THE CHEERFUL TORTOISE
9 P.M. FREE LOCAL COMEDIANS GATHER AT THE PSU BAR AND PRACTICE JOKES, WITH FIVE-MINUTE SETS
MEMPHIS JOOKIN’ NEWMARK THEATRE
7:30 P.M.
$30+ THIS PERFORMANCE SHOWCASES RAW, REAL STREET DANCE STYLE BORN IN MEMPHIS, TN
FOOD AS MEDICINE
2220 SW 1ST AVE
6 P.M.
$200+
LEARN SIMPLE TECHNIQUES FOR SELECTING AND COOKING NUTRITIOUS WHOLE FOODS
TRIVIA NIGHT
LAURELWOOD BREWING CO.
7:30 P.M.
FREE FORM A TEAM AND WIN PRIZES THROUGH TRIVIA
VALENTANGO
DOUBLETREE BY HILTON PORTLAND
9 P.M.
$35+
THE LONGEST RUNNING AND LARGEST TANGO FESTIVAL IN NORTH AMERICA, FEATURING LIVE MUSIC AND PROFESSIONAL CLASSES
WINE SESSIONS
VINO VERITAS
1 P.M.
$39
FIND COLLECTIBLE WINES FOR GOOD VALUE, WITH A FOCUS ON RHONE VALLEY MEETING FOR WORSHIP
ENCOREPRENEUR CAFE
11:45 A.M. FREE
A PEACEFUL GATHERING OF INDIVIDUALS SEEKING CONNECTION WITH THE DIVINE THROUGH SILENT CONTEMPLATION
BEGINNER RUG TUFTING WORKSHOP
PAISLEY STUDIOS
10 A.M.
$200
A FOUR TO FIVE HOUR BEGINNER FRIENDLY COURSE ON THE BASICS OF USING A CUT PILE TUFTING GUN
INDOOR PLAY PARK
SELLWOOD COMMUNITY HOUSE
6:15 P.M.
$7
BRING FRIENDS AND A BALL FOR AN OPEN COURT. 21+
