VOLUME 78 • ISSUE 24 • FEBRUARY 22, 2024
SU P T A L L A R O F N OLUM C M R O F T A L P N O SU N OPINI
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FILIATION W/P • STATE NAME AND AF OSEN BY THE EDITOR CH D AN ED TE AN AR PAID, NOT GU COM • SUBMISSIONS ARE UN ITOR@PSUVANGUARD. ED TO NS IO IN OP D AN ORIES • SEND THOUGHTS, ST
CONTENTS
COVER DESIGN BY BRIANA CIERI
NEWS Helen Gordon Center waitlist reflects larger national problem Follow up on Jan. 26 Boeing protest SCIENCE & TECH Adapting to wildfires
P. 4-5 P. 6 P. 7
ARTS & CULTURE Labor of Love explores marginalized labor A&C events column
OPINION Children at work
P. 10
AND MORE... Comics Crossword Community & Wellness Resources: Updated Weekly
P. 11 P. 11 P. 12
P. 8-9 P. 9
STAFF EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF Kat Leon MANAGING EDITOR Tasha Sayre NEWS EDITOR Zoë Buhrmaster CO-NEWS EDITOR Alyssa Anderson ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Macie Harreld SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR Anish Kumar Arumugam OPINION EDITOR Cameron Rodriguez MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Josi Struck ONLINE AND PROMOTIONS EDITOR Alley Henrici DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Aishwarya Suresh COPY CHIEF Isabel Zerr CONTRIBUTORS Amber Finnegan Diana DeGroot Lilli Rudine Milo Loza Connor Clay Adriana Stanzione Isaiah Burns PRODUCTION & DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Briana Cieri
DESIGNERS Arianna Thomas Haley Hsu Abby Raymundo Parker Patnode TECHNOLOGY & WEBSITE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS George Olson Hongzu Pan Sara Ray ADVISING & ACCOUNTING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood SALP ACCOUNTANT Maria Dominguez STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Rae Fickle
To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com MISSION STATEMENT 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. 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 online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.
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PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
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HELEN GORDON CENTER WAITLIST REFLECTS LARGER NATIONAL PROBLEM ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD
FUNDS LIMIT DAYCARE CAPACITY AND COMPETITIVE TEACHER PAY ISAIAH BURNS Rain falls upon the playground outside the Helen Gordon Child Development Center. The pitter-patter of the raindrops is the only sound echoing through the building other than the construction noises from across the street. Inside the building, it’s even quieter—no shouts, screams, cries or laughter for the moment. Why? It’s nap time right now. But in a way, the silence relates to more than that fact. It harkens to an unfortunate situation in which the center has found itself in recent years. The Helen Gordon Center struggles with chronic understaffing, possibly due to a more extensive crisis hampering early education across the United States. The Helen Gordon Center currently holds a waitlist that numbers 67 families. Of these families, 40 are Portland State faculty or staff and 15 are PSU students. These numbers are reflective of a broader crisis which has been affecting Oregon, as well as the rest of the nation, where affordable childcare is inaccessible to many families, especially marginalized ones. According to the School of Social Work at PSU, the broader childcare crisis in Oregon has been marked by a supply and demand gap in childcare, with countless families stuck on waiting lists. This issue affects employment opportunities for families, which in turn has economic impacts.
THE CHILDCARE CRISIS AND PSU’S PRINCIPAL CHILDCARE CENTER
PSU founded the Helen Gordon Center more than 40 years ago, and it has acted as an integral part of the PSU system by caring for and educating thousands of children. Today, there are a total of 111 kids enrolled in the center, ranging in age from infants to preschoolers. The center is the principal childcare center for the PSU community, a role which became increasingly significant following the closure of the Associated Students of Portland State University (ASPSU) Children’s Center last fall. Kristie Kolesnikov is a PSU graduate program student and a staff member for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s office. She’s also the mother of a child previously enrolled in the ASPSU Center. However, after the closure, she was forced to
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seek childcare off-campus after finding that the Helen Gordon Center wasn’t a good fit for her unique situation. “It’s unfortunate that things ended up the way they did,” Kolesnikov stated. “ASPSU Children’s Center was key to my success as a student and employee. Without it, I don’t know how long I will stay at PSU. Not only have I lost a basic need in childcare… but I have also lost a part of my community.” Erin Burns—a teacher and the Staffing Coordinator at the Helen Gordon Center—pointed at the current staffing situation as one of the primary obstacles to running the center efficiently. “The biggest challenges that we face are one, our staffing model, and two, our rates of pay,” Burns said. “Right now, each classroom is staffed with two full-time, SEIU-classified teachers. The rest of the ratio is made up of student staff.” The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union which represents workers in education. This lack of sufficient staffing frequently leads to cutbacks in operations within the center. On Feb. 14, staff had to close down one of their classrooms, because there were not enough qualified teachers to keep it open. The next day, they would need to close another. When this happens, there is no room for the children, and the parents either need to keep them at home or find alternative care. In these scenarios, the families were given rebates. At the root of this staffing problem seems to be a lack of funds, according to Joanna Yoder, the center’s Administrative Coordinator. “Funding is definitely the fundamental piece to be able to attract good talent [and] good teachers who want to stay here,” Yoder said. “Turnover is not ideal in these positions. Consistency in the program and for the children is what we’re striving for.” According to both Burns and Yoder, the center suffers from a vicious cycle of understaffing, which leads to lower capacity for enrollment and less revenue, making it harder to hire and keep new staff. However, there are other factors besides a lack of funding that Burns and Yoder believed contribute to understaffing. In addition, they both cited the staffing model as limiting their ability to hire new qualified teachers.
Student staff at the center are paid $15.45–16.20 hourly, depending on how long they’ve worked there. Assistant lead teachers are paid $15.59–19.72, and fully-licensed lead teachers make $16.71–24.83. Erin Burn—Teacher and Staffing Coordinator at the Helen Gordon Center—pointed at the current staffing situation as one of the primary obstacles to running the center efficiently. “The biggest challenges that we face are one, our staffing model, and two, our rates of pay,” Burns said. “Right now, each classroom is staffed with two full-time, SEIU-classified teachers. The rest of the ratio is made up of student staff.” Many childcare centers are funded by Preschool for All (PFA), a Multnomah County measure passed in 2020 that aims to grant universal access to preschool. Early Head Start (EHS) is another program dedicated to providing accessible early education to those in need. Locations funded by these programs offer a minimum salary of $28.11 per hour for employees with bachelor’s degrees. According to the most recent status update from Multnomah County, the PFA program has funded 82 preschool programs across the county, totaling nearly 1,400 spots for children. Most staff members at the center possess either a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and the center has a partnership with EHS. The majority of funds, however, come from the university and are allocated to the center by the Student Fee Committee (SFC). As such, the university’s current financial limits and how they’re being used prevent the center from raising wages for their employees. This means some teachers work in association with the EHS program without receiving the typically associated pay. “Right now, a big portion of our budget comes from the student fee committee,” Yoder said. “They are really supportive of hiring students and student employment… It’s great that we can hire students, but that creates an imbalance.”
LICENSING
The hiring process for a childcare center differs from that of a coffee shop, grocery store or fast-food restaurant. While the lat-
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
ZOË BUHRMASTER/PSU VANGUARD
The Helen Gordon Center, with their current waitlist of 67 families, highlights the deepening crisis of inaccessible affordable childcare across the nation impacting Portland State’s faculty, staff and students ter positions may be looking for anyone over the age of 16 with a little free time, a preschool has to be much pickier. Comprehensive licensing procedures and steep education and experience requirements considerably narrow the pool of potential employees. The Helen Gordon Center is a licensed childcare facility, which means it is required to follow all procedures of the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care. Under this system, there are three different classifications for teachers, each with different responsibilities. Two of these levels fall under the category of teacher aides, meaning they cannot be in charge of a classroom by themselves for any prolonged period of time. To become a fully-licensed teacher, employees must have at least 750 hours of teaching experience or possess an associate’s degree in at least one of five specific majors related to early childhood education. Alternatively, teachers can become qualified if they have received a state or nationally-recognized certification to do so, such as a Child Development Associate certification. At the center, in total, there are 19 fully-qualified teachers, 11 higher-level aides and 56 lower-level aides. Another factor that makes it easier to hire teacher-aide positions is that the center’s funding comes from the SFC. There is a strong motivation from the SFC for the center to hire students. According to Burns, who’s worked for the center since 2003, they used to hire a lot more students who were already on track to become early childhood teachers. These were students majoring in child development, special education, early childhood education and other related fields. These hires would most often end up qualifying for promotion as they continued to work at the facility while completing their education. Unfortunately, they receive very few applications from students in those fields these days. “When the pandemic hit, a lot of programs moved to remote and online learning,” Burns said. “Today, the College of Education still does a majority of their classes remotely. So we’ve seen a decrease in those students applying for jobs, because they’re no longer here on campus. Why would you come downtown to work if you live in Beaverton and are taking school remotely?”
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD
CONVERSATION FOR SOLUTIONS
PSU President Ann Cudd recently took part in a Portland Central City Task Force meeting which aims to revitalize Portland in the wake of its most prominent troubles from the past decade. In a blog post written by Cudd reporting on the committee meeting, she stated one of the principal goals as “expanding access to childcare by removing barriers and providing incentives to establish facilities in the central city.” “It makes us hopeful that President Cudd is so passionate about early childhood education,” Burns said. “So we’re optimistic that
maybe people in those powerful positions on campus can make those decisions in terms of funding that can support us a little more.” Overall, Burns and Yoder both hoped for a shift in how people view early childhood education. “In my personal belief, [early childhood educators] are the people who are building the foundation for these children for the rest of their lives,” Yoder said. “I think some changes need to come from a systemic point of view that values early childhood education to the extent that we value all other levels of education in our country.”
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FOLLOW UP ON JAN. 26 BOEING PROTEST BOARD ASKS FOR DIALOGUE, STUDENTS FRUSTRATED BY SEVEN-YEAR INACTION ALYSSA ANDERSON The protest held at the Board of Trustees meeting at the Academic and Student Recreation Center on Jan. 26 continues to be a topic of conversation throughout the Portland State campus. A previous article and video from Portland State Vanguard reported and showed how, at the beginning of the meeting, members of PSU Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights (PSU-SUPER) and their supporters entered the meeting room with a bullhorn and began chanting for PSU to cut its ties with the multi-billion dollar weapons manufacturing company, Boeing. This demonstration disrupted the meeting and forced board members and other participants to leave the room escorted by Campus Public Safety Office (CPSO) officers and resume the meeting over Zoom, with some members reconvening on the sixth floor of the Richard & Maurine Neuberger Center. When protesters learned of the new meeting location, they moved to continue their demonstration outside the meeting room. As board members were leaving the building parking lot in their vehicles, protesters attempted to block them, which resulted in CPSO officers pushing and shoving protesters out of the way. The earlier Vanguard article chronicled the experiences of the protesters, but Board Chair Benjamin Berry provided a written statement to Vanguard where he shared his experience at the protest on Jan. 26. “As a board, we encourage the community to share their thoughts and concerns with us either through outreach to the Board of Trustees’ office or during the public comment period at our full board meetings,” Berry stated. “However, the path chosen by those individuals who participated in the January 26 protest did not allow for conversation to occur. Our meeting — which had to be adjourned and reconvened online when the board could not conduct business — was again met with a group of protesters convening in RMNC on the 6th floor. Although we concluded the meeting and some of our business, it was not without property damage, traumatized students and staff, and a missed opportunity to have a productive conversation on a matter of importance to the PSU community.” Pictures captured by Vanguard reporters on the day of the protest showed some of the damage to the building, which included several “Free Palestine” and “Cut ties with Boeing” stickers on the walls and some writing on the walls echoing the same sentiments. However, the board provided additional pictures showing multiple dents to walls and several areas currently being repainted. During Berry’s time on the board, he said the topic of divestment from Boeing has come to his attention three times. According to Berry, the first time he was made aware of this was through public comment at an Oct. 2023 board meeting; then through Associated Students of PSU (ASPSU) President Yousif Ibrahim at a Nov. 2023 Academic and Student Affairs Committee
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meeting; and, lastly, at the Jan. 26 board meeting that resulted in the protest. “While I respect that there may be instances where this has come up elsewhere, I assure you that, as a board, we do listen to the campus community’s concerns, experiences, and thoughts,” Berry stated. “As the Board Chair, I encourage you to participate in conversations and share your thoughts and experiences with us. However, disruption of business, property damage, and putting community members at risk is not a way to approach conversations.” According to a statement provided by Shams Mahmoud, a student and PSU-SUPER member, PSU community members have been asking the board to cut ties with Boeing for eight years and have consistently been ignored. “The PSU administration has chosen to attack students, staff, and community as we utilize our first amendment rights to tell them we don’t want our institution to be supporting or profiting off of the genocide of the Palestinian people,” Mahmoud stated. “The PSU community has been asking the Board of Trustees to cut ties with Boeing and divest from all weapons manufacturers for eight years but they have completely ignored us and other struggles on campus such as the Disarm campaign and issues with faculty and workers unions.” In addition to the instances Berry described, previous Vanguard reporting indicated that, in both 2016 and 2021, ASPSU passed a resolution calling for PSU to sever connections with organizations which profit from human rights violations against Palestinians, like Boeing. In 2021, ASPSU called on the PSU administration to cut ties with Boeing specifically. A Dec. 2023 report from Amnesty International said that U.S.-made munitions from Boeing were directly responsible for the deaths of 43 Palestinian civilians—including 19 children—in two airstrikes in Gaza in Oct. 2023. According to this report, there were no military targets at or near the locations of the airstrikes. As of Feb. 16, 2024, nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and almost 69,000 have been injured by Israel’s continued genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza. A Nov. 2023 Vanguard article cited PSU’s Global Supply Chain Management undergraduate program. “PSU is one of only 13 Boeing supply chain focused universities, meaning that Boeing recruits PSU supply chain students every fall term,” the article stated. The article also cited a press conference which Vanguard held with PSU President Ann Cudd, who explained that hundreds of PSU alums now work for Boeing and have donated money to dedicate a classroom in the business school. “It’s evident that they are not interested in hearing the needs of the community by their outward rejection of meeting any of our asks,” Mahmoud stated. “They believe it will go away with time—they have said as much—but students, staff, and community are fed up and will continue to protest any ties to the genocidal zionist regime.”
ALLEY HENRICI/PSU VANGUARD CPSO officers intervened between board members, who were in their car, and the protesters, who were blocking them, with officers displaying aggression toward the protesters
COURTESY OF PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY Images, recently provided by PSU, depict multiple dents and areas undergoing repainting as reportedly due to the protesters
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
ADAPTING TO WILDFIRES IMPORTANCE OF INTERDISCIPLINARY ENGAGEMENT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ANISH ARUMUGAM The untamed ferocity of wildfires has long been a force of nature, shaping landscapes and ecosystems in both destructive and transformative ways. Once flames move across forests and leave trails of charred remnants, it often triggers complex conversations about the interplay between ecological resilience, human intervention and the need for unique, interdisciplinary engagement to adapt to the intensifying danger of wildfires. Wildfires are a natural occurrence in Oregon’s forests, especially in the state’s dry forests where periodic burns are necessary to maintain overall forest health. Many plants and trees have adapted to wildfires, and some species can’t survive without them. For example, a lodgepole pine needs heat from wildfires for its cones to open and release seeds. In Central and Eastern Oregon, periodic low-intensity wildfires burn smaller trees and brush away, fostering the regrowth of new trees and plants. Dr. Andrés Holz—an Associate Professor at Portland State and expert in forests and wildfire ecology—spoke about the diverse ecosystems within the state. “It really depends [on] where in Oregon [you are],” he said. “We have at least maybe three or four types of ecosystems, and each of them functions very differently than others.” There are two general types of forest fires— those that depend on fuel amount and those that rely on warmer conditions. The weather conditions in Central and Eastern Oregon are warm and dry. Despite the scarcity of fuel, fires historically burn frequently—typically occurring every 10–15 years. However, the story changes on the western side of the Cascade Range, where there is abundant fuel but fires are more controlled by the humidity. Fire suppression and climate change have impacted the climate and, thus, wildfires. Historically, Indigenous peoples managed the land through controlled, low-intensity burns. “Low-intensity fires on the landscape help reduce buildup of combustible debris and return nutrients to the soil, while also protecting the canopy overhead,” stated an article from the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. In the drier forests of Oregon, fire suppression has led to denser growth, intensifying the impact of wildfires when they occur. Fires in these abnormally dense woods are more damaging than the frequent, low-intensity wildfires, because there is more fuel on the ground and less space between trees. Leaving dry brush and bushes uncut creates ladder fuel, which fires can use to climb to the forest
canopy, possibly burning every tree in the region. “In dry forests—especially low and mid-elevation where fires were very common—[fuels] had massive implications,” Holz said. Holz emphasized the need for collective efforts. “Those forests that were very sparse and open became denser and closer,” he said. “So, now we face a challenging and combined effect of denser forests, due to fire suppression, and warmer and longer fire seasons, due to climate change.” Discussing strategies to mitigate the impact of wildfires, Holz emphasized the need for collective efforts. “In terms of mitigation, there’s not much we can do besides stop emitting greenhouse gasses,” he said. However, he highlighted the importance of adaptation, focusing on working closely with land managers to understand their scientific needs. “One framework that is useful is the socalled… ‘Resist-Accept-Direct framework,’ which provides a guideline for making informed decisions to restore, adapt or manage ecosystems based on the severity and frequency of fires,” Holz said. “The RAD (Resist-Accept-Direct) decision framework has emerged over the past decade as a simple tool that captures the entire decision space for responding to ecosystems facing the potential for rapid, irreversible ecological change,” stated the Natural Resource Report. “Fires are more a human issue,” Holz said. “It’s more in the psychology of people than in the ecology of ecosystems where we truly need to make progress. We need to agree on policies that help managers and bring ecosystems into a more resilient state.” As we navigate through the complexities of wildfires and their ecological repercussions, art emerges as a unique and powerful medium to communicate and resonate with diverse audiences. Tim Hecox, Experience Director at the World Forestry Center, talked about the organization’s unique approach to engaging the public on wildfire awareness. “We’re using art as a new engagement opportunity for the public to delve into conversations about forest issues like wildfires,” he said. “We want to show that wildfires impact everyone, regardless of their background or field of study.” In exploring wildfires and ecological dynamics, the World Forestry Center’s art installation, “State of the Forest,” has taken center stage. Crafted by Artist Suze Woolf, the installation captures the aftermath of wildfires using watercolors, fabrics and a unique layering technique. Author and Wildland Firefighter Lorena Williams contributed perspectives on each
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
ANISH ARUMUGAM/PSU VANGUARD
Artist Suze Woolf captures the unusual beauty of the fire-carved snags, known as totems, from all over western North America. The exhibit employs art to provide the public with a fresh opportunity to explore discussions surrounding wildfires
tree portrait from a range of emotional, scientific, fictional, poetic and prosaic points of view. “The way the charred wood and the light interact is truly beautiful,” Hecox said. “When you walk by, it creates a video-like experience, surpassing what you can capture in photos.” The intersection of art, science and forestry provides a unique lens that contributes to public engagement and enhances our understanding of the complex challenges posed by forest fires.
As we grapple with the challenges of increasingly severe wildfires, it becomes evident that education and engagement are vital to fostering adaptation for the human mind and, subsequently, our ecology. Wildfires are not just ecological events, but complex phenomena which demand collective awareness and understanding. It is crucial to recognize the interdisciplinary nature of these issues and work collaboratively towards sustainable solutions.
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JSMA AT PSU PRESENTS: LABOR OF LOVE ACKNOWLEDGING INVISIBLE LABOR THROUGH ART “Labor of Love” highlight stories that we often don’t see, are unable to see or refuse to see, in relation to stigmatized or marginalized labor sectors
ADRIANA STANZIONE A large mural framed by neon light and sculpted roses at the gallery entrance of Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State (JSMA at PSU) immediately draws the eye. Underneath a bright open sign, a couple of old photos—which look straight out of a family photo album—are on display amid the otherwise alluringly synthetic scene. Labor of Love is currently on view at JSMA at PSU, an exhibition showcasing the works of numerous local and national contemporary artists. Labor of Love aims to feature and expose the unacknowledged or unappreciated labor practices of marginalized or underprivileged people. It includes a wide range of art mediums, including sculpture, painting, print work, video art and found art. Los-Angeles-based Artists Patrick Martinez and Jay Lynn Gomez titled their piece “Labor of Love,” much like the exhibition was for them. “Something I find really beautiful about this [piece] is that you can tell that the neon is fading the images,” said Anna Kienberger, JSMA at PSU’s Program and Outreach Coordinator. “A visitor made a great observation that, with time, it’s going to fade even more with the neon, kind of representing that over time, it will become more and more hidden.” Gomez has a few paintings displayed throughout the exhibition. One of these pieces depicts a reclining woman—seemingly a maid or cleaner—resting on a bed in an all too familiar composition. The imagery resembles the goddess Venus as portrayed in the sixteenthcentury oil painting “Venus of Urbino” by the Italian Renaissance painter Titian. Similarly, French painter Édouard Manet’s “Olympia” is a nineteenth-century painting known for replicating Titian’s “Venus of Urbino.” However, instead of a goddess, Manet depicts a sex worker in that exact reclining position. By referencing these historically iconic paintings, Gomez is, in a way, questioning who exactly is allowed representation in the art world. Gomez’s work displayed in Labor of Love centers essential workers rarely seen in these painting styles. These subjects represent the millions of unseen and uncelebrated workers, often suppressed in the media and thus often hidden from our collective consciousness. “The museum director saw [Gomez’s] artwork, and that prompted her to think about invisible labor and how there could be
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an exhibition that completely highlights and amplifies that,” Kienberger said. The figures in Gomez’s paintings are faceless, perhaps symbolic of invisibility and unrecognized laborers who work in underpaid or socially unrespectable jobs. The works displayed in Labor of Love emphasize a particular human factor: personal and intimate connections between labor and family, labor and community and labor and culture. “A lot of the artists are speaking from specific experiences with family members who performed labor that perhaps went unseen or unnoticed or undervalued,” said Candice Bancheri, the Luce Foundation Curator of Academic Programs at JSMA at PSU. “What’s really great about this show is that the curator really took all these angles of looking at labor in different ways, but the throughline with all of these works is that they’re very human centered,” Bancheri said. This sentiment is evident in the work of Charlene Liu, a multidisciplinary artist and Professor of Art and Printmaking at the University of Oregon. On display in Labor of Love is Liu’s piece, “China Palace,” a multi-media homage to Liu’s family and their family-run restaurant. Using prints, cardboard, paper, ink and paint, Liu included photos of her mother working in the kitchen, old family photos and segments of the restaurant’s menu. This piece speaks particularly to the emotional labor involved in the family unit, how labor brings family members together in a sense of purpose and pride, working towards a common goal—a joint effort. In the service industry, these types of nurturing and generational practices often go ignored. “Sometimes we only see the byproduct of that work, and [here] we’re reminded of who exactly is performing that work,” said Bancheri. “You could just tell [Liu’s mother] put her heart and soul into this restaurant,” said Bancheri, who met Liu’s mother. “Her passion for her work was not just representative of how her business could thrive, but how her family would thrive in a new environment.” While Labor of Love contains representations, stories and perspectives of many different artists and life experiences, the individual elements of each piece are all interconnected.
ADRIANA STANZIONE/PSU VANGUARD
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
Regardless of the medium they use, each artist’s work tells a story contributing to the show’s overarching theme. These stories highlight what we don’t see, are unable to see or refuse to see. This includes class inequality, systematic racism, the exploitation of marginalized people and the immigrant experience in a post-capitalist United States. “When you step back from them, they really have this visual collective power to them that can kind of obscure their individual power,” said Bancheri in relation to the exhibition as a whole. Near the museum entrance, there is also an interactive element of the exhibition. There is a small table set-up with bright pink note cards and pens, inviting visitors to contribute to a wall of notes hung with written examples of labor they’ve seen go unrecognized or underappreciated. Visitors themselves—PSU faculty, students and their family members, essential workers
and service workers—have shared stories of unrecognized or undervalued labor, a collective yet personal acknowledgment of what Labor of Love aims to promote. “When I work with students I ask them, ‘Do you consider your work as a student [to be] labor?” Bancheri said. “Most of them say yes. They work very hard at their studies… Then my next question is, ‘Do you get paid to be a student?’ ‘No. ‘‘Are you paying someone else to be a student?’ ‘Yeah.’ So we see our definitions of labor—how we value that work, and how we determine what labor is worthy of recognition, fair compensation, safe working conditions and other basic legal protections—really has a huge impact on how we not only see ourselves, but how we see others.” Many sectors of labor—critical to the functioning of society, cities like Portland and institutions like PSU—continue to be exploited and underappreciated, even deemed irrelevant or frowned upon. Labor of Love serves as a reminder to acknowledge these harmful views
on stigmatized workforces, acknowledging the privileges abused and inequalities suffered throughout the labor market. “All art has the potential to inspire change, but what’s unique about this exhibition is that it’s dealing with a topic that is pertinent to [most of ] us—how it impacts our sense of self, how we value the work we do, the work our parents do…” Bancheri said. These ideas and discourses are often overlooked. With assignments, relationships and other personal obligations taking up the vast majority of student’s time and attention, exhibitions such as these remind the PSU community that sharing and discussing stories of hidden labor is, in itself, an act of empathy and love. Labor of Love is free and open to the public through Apr. 26. Among other programming events detailed on JSMA at PSU’s website, a panel discussion involving the artists and curator of the exhibition, Alexander Terry, will take place on Mar. 7.
Local A&C Events MILO LOZA
Portland’s Pettiest Drag Show Escape Bar & Grill Feb. 23, 9 p.m. $15 Enjoy some of your favorite local drag performers
Jurassic Park in Concert
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m. $61+ Experience Jurassic Park on a big screen with the Oregon Symphony performing the iconic score live
Sinferno Cabaret
Dante’s Feb. 25, 10 p.m. $20 A sinful circus of burlesque, fire dancing, DJs and debauchery
Walla Walla Wine on Tour
The Redd on Salmon Feb. 26, 11:30 a.m. Free An exclusive trade and media tasting to discover exciting wines
Across 110th Street
Hollywood Theatre Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m. $12 The Grindhouse Film Festival presents a rare 35mm print of this 1972 overlooked crime classic
Fall Out Boy ADRIANA STANZIONE/PSU VANGUARD “China Palace” by Charlene Liu addresses the ways in which service industry jobs are often unappreciated and undervalued. The pieces are a multi-media homage to Liu’s family and family-run restaurant
Moda Center Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m. $56+ Pop-punk veterans blend emo angst with theatrical flair, creating catchy anthems
Grouplove
McMenamins Crystal Ballroom Feb. 29, 8 p.m. $52 Upbeat indie rockers mix sunshine vibes with playful lyricism and genre-bending energy
In an interactive element of the exhibition, visitors share stories of unrecognized or undervalued labor, a collective yet personal acknowledgment of what Labor of Love aims to promote
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
ARTS & CULTURE
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CHILDREN AT WORK CHILD LABOR IS ON THE RISE AGAIN IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
HALEY HSU
CONNOR CLAY Children should never have to do a grown-up’s job. However, unfortunately, this is not a reality even in the twentyfirst century. According to the European Union, 152 million children between the ages of 5–17 are being deprived of a normal childhood due to forced labor, 73 million of them having to do hazardous work that often results in illness, permanent physical or psychological disability and even death—22,000 thousand deaths per year, in fact. This isn’t a flashback to the Industrial Revolution, as one might surmise. These numbers describe the global situation in this current decade, in which the United States sadly shares a role. Living in a modernized, first-world country can make it easy to overlook how many serious problems were everywhere in society a century ago and are still around today, and child labor is no exception. It was common practice in the early 1900s for children to work jobs that frequently resulted in injury, illness or dismemberment, usually only being paid pennies for their toiling, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Naturally, there were many jobs much safer than those found in mines, mills and factories, but even the work on farms and in-home workshops, for example, was enough to make children prefer school over home life. The distinction between help around the house and labor may have been viewed as irrelevant for the sake of survival in those days, but it is nonetheless an incredibly important one. For those unaware, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 spared children under 14 years old from most of the more severe or dan-
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OPINION
gerous jobs. However, this act left the entire agricultural sector remarkably untouched, essentially holding the door open for children of all ages to continue working on farms today. Legality does not equate to virtue, of course, as is proven by the fact that serious injury is still customary in these jobs. Every year in the U.S., approximately 115 children are killed in the course of farm work, and nearly 12,000 children experience a non-life-threatening injury of some kind, according to the National Center for Farmworker Health. It isn’t only agriculture that violates human rights in this way. Multiple fast food companies, such as McDonald’s, Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts, were found last year to be guilty of similar— though admittedly far less tragic—infractions, according to the Washington Post. In one case, Packers Sanitation Services was forced to pay $1.5 million in fines after it was found out that the company had employed over 100 minors to work in facilities housing dangerous pieces of machinery, such as bone saws and cattle head splitters. Many of the children’s parents were also punished for their negligence. What further compounds all this inhumanity is the pitiful truth that the children working these jobs have no real say in anything—not in what kind of work they do, nor whether they have to do it. The federal voting age has been 18 years old since 1971, although labor among children under 18 substantially outdates this. The fact that taxes are still taken out of everyone’s earnings regardless of age directly deprives these children of U.S. Founding Father Patrick Henry’s demand for “no taxation without representation.”
Even if this weren’t an issue, many children are often forced to dedicate themselves to working these jobs due to poverty. Rising costs of living, increased inequality and COVID-19, among many factors in the U.S., have forced children into the workforce at increasing rates to provide their families with extra income, according to University of Rhode Island Professor of Political Science Brendan Mark. The option should always be on the table for kids to be kids, which the current economy prevents for many families. The obvious next step is to enforce the right for children to express their opinions or adjust wages to where the economy supports a livable wage, lowering the need for children to work. Some states, however, are actively working to hinder progress made on this front. Arkansas, Iowa, New Jersey and New Hampshire unbelievably opted to loosen restrictions on child labor back in the summer of 2023 under the pretense of allowing younger adults the chance to “gain experience in the workforce even earlier in life,” according to U.S. News & World Report. One solution many younger people are coming to that covers all of the aforementioned problems is not to have children. This dilemma of deciding between bringing children into a world where they would need to work and not having them all together is one reason for our country’s declining birthrate. Although our political system is difficult to work with, given how little it functions like a representative democracy, we must express collective dissatisfaction and demand change. Child labor laws must be enforced, and wages must be increased to ensure no child is forced into work.
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
VANGUARD CROSSWORD Answers in stories
2/22/24
MILO LOZA
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Across:
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1. L and at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 4. This group of people should never have to do a grown-up job, even though there are over 150 million of them doing so
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6. The current exhibit at PSU’s art gallery, showcasing the works of numerous local and national contemporary artists, three words 8. Group which advocates for Palestinian rights at PSU, acronym 9. The art gallery at PSU, housed in Fariborz Maseeh Hall, acronym
Answers from 2/15 1) Children, 2) women, 3) housing, 4) Intuit, 5) dipoles, 6) Blackwater, 7) against, 8D) chaff, 8A) climate change, 9) ONDA, 10) Kanopy, 11) food, 12) pantry
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10. T he _____ crisis in Oregon has countless families stuck on waiting lists, affecting parental employment opportunities 11. A force of nature, shaping landscapes and ecosystems in both destructive and transformative ways
Down:
7 8 9
2. A labor union which represents workers in education, acronym 3. The peoples who manage the land through controlled, lowintensity fires to reduce buildup of combustible debris and return nutrients to the soil 5. This is an issue which causes kids to enter the workforce early in their life 7. These professionals at the Helen Gordon Child Development Center are paid near minimum wage, despite their crucial role
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Across 1. Land at the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 4. This group of people should never have to do a grown up job, even though there is over 150 million of them doing so. 6. The current exhibit at PSU’s art gallery, showcasing the works of numerous local and national contemporary artists. 8. Group that advocates for Palestinian rights at PSU. 9. The art gallery at PSU, housed in Fariborz Maseeh Hall. Acronym. 10. The _____ crisis in Oregon has countless families stuck on waiting lists, affecting parental employment opportunities. 11. A force of nature, shaping landscapes and ecosystems in both destructive and transformative ways.
Down 2. A labor union which represents workers in education. Acronym. 3. These people managed the land through controlled low-intensity fires to reduce buildup of combustibl debris and return nutrients to the soil. 5. This is an issue that causes kids to enter the workforce early in their life. 7. These professionals at the Helen Gordon Child Development Center are paid near minimum wage, despite their crucial role.
ARIANNA THOMAS
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com
CROSSWORD & COMIC
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Community & Wellness Resources UPDATED WEEKLY By Milo Loza
Happening Soon Fun Family Friday Viking Gameroom Feb. 23, 4:30 p.m. Free for students
Resources
Wellness
PSU Basic Needs Hub
SHAC Mind Spa
SMSU Suite 435 Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Free for students
UCB Suite 310 Mon–Fri (by appointment) Free for students
Helps students access resources such as funds, food, housing, employment, childcare and health support.
Solo space to experience biofeedback, light therapy, meditation, massages, relaxation and more. Must be enrolled in at least five credits for summer or fall.
Bring your family to the Viking Gameroom for free bowling and pizza
PSU Food Pantry
Board Game Night
1704 SW Broadway (temporary location) Tues–Thur, 12–4 p.m. Free for students
SMSU Cafeteria Feb. 23, 3 p.m. Free for students Hang out with the weekly group, play games and make friends
This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection 5th Avenue Cinema Feb. 25, 3 p.m. Free for students A defiant widow fights displacement, igniting the village’s spirit for survival
Marshall: The Thurgood Marshall Story SMSU Pan African Commons Feb. 29, 4 p.m. Free for students Join the Pre-Law Society for a film about the first Black supreme court justice
Trivia Night Rogue Hall Feb. 29, 6:30 p.m. Free for students The Biology Investigation and Outreach Club hosts a night of science-themed trivia on campus
Measure for Measure Lincoln Performance Hall Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m. $6 for students Theater Professor Karin Magaldi directs Aditi Brennan Kapil’s translation of Shakespeare’s play
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RESOURCES
Access to free groceries in a welcoming, equitable, trauma-informed way. Must be enrolled in at least one credit for summer or fall.
Opioid Overdose Reversal Training SHAC, Suite 340E Mon 10–12 p.m. & Fri 2–3 p.m. Free for students Pick up free opioid overdose reversal medication and get a 10-minute training on how to use it
SMART recovery meetings
Mindful Meanderings
University Center Building 340 E Times vary Free
Listen on Spotify Available 24/7 Free
In peer recovery, students with shared experiences connect to reduce stigma and build a campus recovery community.
PSU-produced podcast about being mindful while outside, practicing gratitude, finding joy and being in the moment
SHAC weekly online parent support group Online Thursdays 11 a.m. Free Come together as parents in a relaxed setting to support each other, share ideas, collaborate and commiserate
Women’s Resource Center Online Mon–Fri, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free Confidential advocacy services to students who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, violence and stalking
Oregon Energy Fund Varying Locations Mon–Fri, hours vary Free
Telus Health Student Support Download on App Store or Google Play Available 24/7 Free Connecting students with free, confidential mental health and wellbeing support
Outdoor Workshop Wednesdays Watch on Youtube Available 24/7 Free PSU Campus Recreation Center staff videos about topics ranging from Leave No Trace and plant identification to hiking spots and land acknowledgments
BORP online fitness studio Watch on Zoom Mon–Sat, hours vary Free Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program’s (BORP) virtual exercise classes for people with physical disabilities
Provides energy bill assistance to low-income Oregonians to support household stability
PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 22, 2024 • psuvanguard.com