Portland State Vanguard Volume 77 Issue 37

OPEN OPINION PLATFORM COLUMN FOR ALL AT PSU

• STATE NAME AND AFFILIATION W/PSU

• SUBMISSIONS ARE UNPAID, NOT GUARANTEED AND CHOSEN BY THE EDITOR

• SEND THOUGHTS, STORIES AND OPINIONS TO EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM

CONTENTS

STAFF

EDITORIAL EDITOR IN CHIEF

Tanner Todd

MANAGING EDITOR

Brad Le

NEWS EDITOR

Zoë Buhrmaster

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Macie Harreld

SCIENCE & TECH

Kat Leon

SPORTS Laura Kowall

OPINION EDITOR

Nick Gatlin

PHOTO EDITOR

Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani

ONLINE EDITOR

Christopher Ward

COPY CHIEF

Nova Johnson

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

Nick Gatlin

CONTRIBUTORS

Isaiah Burns

Amber Finnegan

Ian McMeekan

LeeAnn Rooney

Milo Loza

Isabel Zerr

PRODUCTION & DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Whitney McPhie

DESIGNERS

Neo Clark

Casey Litchfield

Hanna Oberlander

Mia Waugh

Kelsey Zuberbuehler

Zahira Zuvuya

TECHNOLOGY & WEBSITE TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS

Rae Fickle

George Olson

Sara Ray

Tanner Todd

ADVISING & ACCOUNTING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA

Reaz Mahmood

STUDENT MEDIA 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 in print Wednesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.

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

EXTERIOR COVERS BY KELSEY ZUBERBUEHLER INTERIOR GUIDE COVERS BY WHITNEY McPHIE

VANGUARD IS HIRING! COPY CHIEF ONLINE EDITOR

SEND US YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

For more information, email editor@psuvanguard.com

HAVE A STRONG OPINION ABOUT CURRENT PORTLAND EVENTS? SHARE

TANNER TODD

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.

To share your letters for publishing consideration, email your thoughts to opinion@psuvanguard.com with the heading LETTER TO THE EDITOR, followed by your subject line.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

The Vanguard Editorial

Staff

MEET NEXT YEAR’S STUDENT POLITICIANS

THE 2022–2023 ASPSU ELECTIONS BRING IN A NEW STUDENT GOVERNMENT

ISAIAH BURNS

The ASPSU 2022–2023 Election results were announced on Wednesday, May 24, ushering in a new student body for the 2023–2024 academic year.

The election saw minor improvement in voter turnout compared to last year’s election. A total of 1,295 students cast votes, representing 8% of the student body, slightly more than last year’s ballot count of 1,286. In 2021, only 1,217 students turned out to vote.

The newly elected members include a new student body president and vice president, 11 new senators, and seven new Student Fee Committee members. Meet some of the new student body representatives below!

PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE

YOUSIF IBRAHIM (PRESIDENT)

PSU’s new student body president Yousif Ibrahim is an international policy and prelaw student with a minor in political science. He looks forward to further developing a strong connection between the student body and the student government. Black Student Union President Aisha Osman, Muslim Students Association President Maarij Quadri and Saudi Students Club President Khaled Alharbi all endorsed Ibrahim during his campaign for the presidency.

“Each year the government is only going to get better, and better and better,” Ibrahim said. “We will bring the best we can to ASPSU and the students.”

AHMAD ALYAJOURI (VICE PRESIDENT)

PSU’s student body vice president is computer science major Ahmad Alyajouri. Alyajouri said he is excited to meet a variety of new people, along with learning the ins and outs of how change happens at a university level. Alyajouri considers himself “no stranger to controversial ideas,” and says he has a courageous mindset when it comes to making change by venturing into the unknown. Black Student Union President Aisha Osman and Muslim Students Association President Maarij Quadri endorsed Alyajouri alongside Ibrahim.

“[I want to] put a face to student government, enact change and keep it real without all the fluff and BS of traditional ‘politics,’” Alyajouri said.

YOUSIF IBRAHIM (PRESIDENT). PHOTO COURTESY OF YOUSIF IBRAHIM AHMAD ALYAJOURI (VICE PRESIDENT). PHOTO COURTESY OF AHMAD ALYAJOURI

SENATE

ALEJANDRA NUNEZ-BARRAGAN

Alejandra Nunez-Barragan is a freshman computer science major here at PSU, and one of ASPSU’s new senators. Nunez-Barragan has served as a senator for the ASPSU before, partnered with working as the director of the multicultural affairs committee. She looks forward to seeing how the ASPSU will operate after the new structural changes Her goals involve increasing cross-communication between PSU and various clubs.

“All the Latino based groups [under the LSLC] all converse about each other’s events to make sure they don’t collide with each other… that would be really cool to do on a bigger scale with all the multicultural groups,” she said.

OBINNA OZIOKO

Obinna Ozioko is a geology student, in the second year of his PhD. He said he is excited to learn the inner dealings of the ASPSU as a senator. His hope, he said, is to get more students involved in student government and improve representation of international students.

“I wanted to see if I could bring a change, if I could find a way to integrate more international students in the government,” Ozioko said about running for senator.

TUCKER LUFT

Tucker Luft studies urban and public affairs with a minor in real estate development. Luft is looking forward to implementing recently passed constitutional changes that prioritize equity and communication between students and the student government.

“We’ve pretty much looked over every aspect of our previous constitution and changed everything… it’s going to be super exciting to see how that works,” he said.

ROWAN BEAN

Rowan Bean is a Sex, Gender, and Queer Studies major going through the pre-law program. Her senator platform touches on reformations related to food quality, price and accessibility at campus facilities.

“I’m a first year student, straight out of high school… I’ve been here for about a year, and I already see changes at PSU that I want to make,” Bean said.

STUDENT FEE COMMITTEE

CHUKWUDARU MICHAEL

Chukwudaru Michael is in her first year pursuing an MFA in creative writing, as she loves working with her imagination and creating new worlds. She is excited to work on the SFC because it will allow her to promote the cultural and physical development of students.

“[My goals are] to serve and represent,” she said.

LANIE STICKA

Lanie Sticka will be graduating with a degree in finance this year, beginning her MBA in the fall. Sticka is excited to accept the challenges that come with serving on the Student Fee Committee, such as declining enrollment and protecting student needs. Her goals are to develop policies that favor economics and sustainability and prioritize student needs.

“Taking on that challenge is going to be pretty critical and crucial for us students, and I’m excited,” Sticka said.

MORGAN MILLER-SPEARE

While Morgan Miller-Speare has experience working as a student leader in a resource center, this will be her first role as a representative in the ASPSU. Miller-Speare, a math major, hopes to take a deep dive into the decision-making processes behind the Student Fee Committee and improve upon them for the benefit of the student population.

“My objectives are to cultivate more of a connection between ASPSU and the student body, listen to students so we can continue to act with their best interests in mind, and ensure we are allocating funding in a sustainable, as well as equitable, way,” Miller-Speare said.

TUCKER LUFT. PHOTO COURTESY OF TUCKER LUFT

CHUKWUDARU MICHAEL. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHUKWUDARU MICHAEL

ALEJANDRA NUNEZ-BARRAGAN. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEJANDRA NUNEZ-BARRAGAN

LANIE STICKA. PHOTO COURTESY OF LANIE STICKA

ROWAN BEAN. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROWAN BEAN

OBINNA OZIOKO. PHOTO COURTESY OF OBINNA OZIOKO

AT THIS TIME: STUDENT SHOWCASE AT JSMA

FINAL THESIS PROJECTS CELEBRATING STUDENT CREATIVITY AND DIVERSITY

Currently on exhibit at The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) at Portland State is the 2023 BFA/MFA showcase, At This Time—an exhibition featuring the diverse works of 31 students in PSU’s School of Art + Design.

This event is the culmination of the final projects for students in the MFA Contemporary Art Practice—Studio Practice and Art + Social Practice—and BFA Art Practice programs. The title of the showcase reveals the link between each students’ work—that their art is a product of their present practice, rooted in the hereand-now of their own experiences, perspectives and techniques.

Free of any thematic constraint, each collection delves into its own world of cultural motifs—spanning from occultism, gender expression, the commodification of creativity, self-love, BDSM culture and American football.

The exhibition’s range of style, aesthetic and medium proves equally diverse. It is a rare occasion to encounter acrylic, watercolor, ceramic, woven wool, video installation, illustration and comic-making all within a few steps of each other.

At This Time is a celebration of students’ creativity and diverse artistic work. Five BFA students granted us a deeper look into their work and inspiration for this exhibition.

TAYA THY NGUYEN - VIETNAMESE CUISINE PALETTE

The starkly vivid color palettes of six perfectly square canvas paintings contrast against the eggshell wall they hang on. Each piece of this collection features an iconic Vietnamese culinary dish, after which the paintings are named. This includes Bánh Tét (savory sticky rice cakes), Mì Quảng (Turmeric Noodles), and Bánh Cam (fried sesame balls).

“As a Vietnamese artist, I want to share the culinary traditions of my homeland with the world, through my paintings,” Nguyen said. Nguyen explained that she would often photograph the dishes that she herself had prepared, and alongside photos from online, use these as references for her art.

Each dish tells a story—of seasons, of celebrations and of culture. The collection invokes an excitement for the potentiality of food as more than sustenance. Vietnamese Cuisine Palette is art that breeds art, from that which we take for granted as commonplace. “Creating this series was my way to capture my memories of Vietnam, and to share my feelings of homesickness with everyone,” Nguyen said.

NADIA BELOV - ALL TOGETHER NOW

Nadia Belov’s four-piece textile collection—featuring pink and orange ruffles, crocheted flowers and slippers reminiscent of the iconic Troll doll—will reignite the stifled whims of one’s inner child.

Despite the free-spirited nature of Belov’s textile collection, it is firmly rooted in opposition against the exploitative nature of textile capitalism. All Together Now is “a reaction to, and a rejection of the garment industry and how terrible it is,” Belov said.

Belov’s practice opposes the abuse of garment workers, and the general wastefulness that accompanies mainstream textile production. “Every single thing, even my sewing machine, was either gifted to me by my grandma, or found at the bins, or clothes that people gave me that they didn’t want,” they said. Belov mentioned upcycling a range of materials, from discarded curtains to scraps from Oregon Ballet Theatre’s costume shop.

All Together Now renounces the harm sustained by fashion institutions, while also proposing an alternative form of expression, celebration and authenticity. Belov describes the collection as “a hug to my younger self, like an, ‘I see you. I love you. Here’s a fairy dress that you probably wanted to wear when you were a little kid.’”

MACIE HARRELD

NADIA BELOV AND THEIR COLLECTION ALL TOGETHER NOW. MACIE HARRELD/PSU VANGUARD

GEORGIA / GEORGE BRYANT BESIDE THEIR SENSORY CLOAK AND BELT SKIRT, IN THE COLLECTION COOL THINGS FOR COOL PEOPLE. MACIE HARRELD/PSU VANGUARD

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM SCHUYLER NEFCY’S COMIC FRACTURES. COURTESY OF SCHUYLER NEFCY

This collection decenters the male gaze, embraces hyperfemininity and demonstrates the freedom of dressing purely for oneself. Bevlov described the work as “an exploration of gender expression, queerness and just joy in general.”

GEORGIA/GEORGE BRYANT - COOL THINGS FOR COOL PEOPLE

Georgia/George Bryant is another pioneering textile artist featured in this exhibition. Their garments and textiles are centered around fulfilling specific personal or accessibility needs.

This collection includes a computer bag with a particular contrastive pattern designed to increase visibility for people with color blindness or other visual impairments, a chest binder that unzips to release pressure and a grounding ball that crinkles and rattles for people who have dissociative disorders.

Additionally, Bryant created a “sensory cloak for people who can feel overstimulated,” as they explained. “The shoulders and hood are weighted so it gives that compression hug feeling, and the hood is weighted and really big so it can block out the environment if someone needs to block everything out and take a breather.”

Bryant personally designed, sustainably sourced and created each piece themself. Inspired by the needs of their own friends and family and developed by extensive community outreach and interviewing, their work caters to those that the mainstream textile industry so often overlooks.

“I saw from my own loved ones that there was this gap that the clothing industry was not filling, and I like to sew, and I really like to give gifts, so I wanted to fill that gap myself,” Bryant said. Bryant currently accepts commission work on their website, to design garments by special request.

SCHUYLER NEFCY - FRACTURES: COMPLETE WORKS

Illustrator, writer and comic designer Schuyler Nefcy showcases the intricate design process behind the production of their full-scale fantasy comic. This includes script-writing, storyboarding, character design, worldbuilding and watercolor illustration.

“I really love doing visual storytelling,” Nefcy said. “And I specifically wanted to do illustration stuff because illustrative work is not really accepted in galleries currently.”

Aside from the panels and the text, Nefcy illustrated the entirety of the comic using watercolor—including the line work. The work’s elaborate imagery is accompanied by meticulous clothing design spanning across various historical eras. Nefcy also expressed an interest in diversifying their characters’ gender expression.

The plot follows a young boy stuck in a reincarnation cycle, in a setting that works to invert a traditional religious narrative in the afterlife.Themes such as processing grief, the subjectivity of good and evil and the effects of an unwillingness to compromise are prominent in the work.

Nefcy explains that Fractures finds inspiration in walking through the gray area. It’s about “what happens when there’s not a vindictive villain,” they said. “There’s not a willful decisive villain, because in this case it’s a kid that doesn’t know what’s happening.”

ALEJANDRO D. PONCE - TRUE LOVE: PART I

The key word of Alejandro D. Ponce’s 13-minute video installation is amatonormativity, a term coined by Elizabeth Brake, which Ponce defines as a belief system that claims: “everyone in the world is looking for the same thing in a relationship, and basically benefits from the same thing—that being a long-term, monogamous, role-centric relationship.”

True Love is a short, black-and-white arthouse film that rejects this assumption. It is “a revolt against the status quo of how we, in any kind of relationship, love each other,” Ponce said.

The plot revolves around Void, performed by Jeydon Griffiths, and her personal evolution in response to the constraining dynamics of a role-centric, heteronormative relationship. “I wanted to show at its core that this status quo… is inherently toxic,” Ponce said. “It does not work—even for the people it is meant to work for.”

Ponce’s directive choices feature abstract masks, conceptual camerawork and symbolic dance sequences in the nude, choreographed and executed by Griffiths. The first of these is filmed all in one shot, in a vacant PSU art studio.

“This film also uses a lot of aesthetics from BDSM culture,” Ponce said. “A lot of people look at BDSM and think it is simply sexual when in reality, the tenets of BDSM are very different from that.” Ponce explains that BDSM culture is grounded in consent, empathy and trust—the antithesis of amatonormativity.

This video installation is the first part in a series that will be four connected films. Each of these will “delve into different aspects of relationships and how people love,” Ponce said.

True Love: Part I functions to deconstruct the harmful systems perpetuated by a dominant patriarchal culture, and inspires viewers to relate the depicted themes to their own capacity for giving and receiving love. “Anyone could really look at it and think back on a past relationship, how they might have acted in a relationship, and be like ‘I can see myself in this film,’” Ponce said.

At This Time will be on view in JSMA until June 10. Entrance is free and open to the public.

NADIA BELOV AND THEIR COLLECTION ALL TOGETHER NOW. MACIE HARRELD/PSU VANGUARD

TRUE LOVE: PART I, DIRECTED BY ALEJANDRO PONCE. MACIE HARRELD/PSU VANGUARD

COMPUTER BAG FROM THE COLLECTION COOL THINGS FOR COOL PEOPLE. COURTESY OF GEORGIA / GEORGE BRYANT

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM SCHUYLER NEFCY’S COMIC FRACTURES. MACIE HARRELD/PSU VANGUARD

FIND IT AT 5TH: DOG STAR MAN & STUDENT MOVIE SHORT

THE INTIMATE ART OF PHYSICAL FILM

This week at 5th Avenue Cinema—Oregon’s only student-run theater—curators have chosen to screen Dog Star Man , along with a short physical film collection created by Portland State students!

Stan Brakhage’s Dog Star Man is an experimental, silent, five-part series that defies conventional storytelling norms. The first segment, Prelude (1961), is followed by four parts, the last of which was released in 1964.

Praised for its non-narrative structure, the production exemplifies the interconnectedness of all forms of life, with montages of nature, man, animal and cosmic images. Through Brakhage’s unique camera work and editing techniques, Dog Star Man proves to be an engaging experience that transcends traditional cinema and invites viewers to explore human perception.

Cadie Godula chose this week’s screening of Dog Star Man She is currently the longest standing member of 5th Avenue Cinema, but she will be leaving the theater when she graduates at the end of this term.

“This is a rare showing of something in 16mm,” Godula said. The cinema tries to favor physical films like 35mm, but 16mm is a rare treat! “The 16mm film that was played here was Murder and Murder last spring.”

Preceding Dog Star Man will be the premier of a collaborative short film, made up of small reels scratched and colored by PSU students. The showing is a culmination of a year’s work—a process which 5th Avenue Cinema has supported by organizing events where students can craft these reels.

Each reel is only a few seconds long, so even when they’re connected together into one piece, “we won’t have enough to have it as a feature screening,” Godula said. “So I wanted to pair it with Dog Star Man.”

“I obviously wanted to show these films because the people who made them haven’t been able to see them in motion yet, which is necessary in the whole process of making films,” she said. “It’s also showing people that if they’re into this, people make whole features out of this stuff!”

Godula hoped that students will be inspired by seeing their own work on the screen, followed by similar work done professionally. “Dog Star Man was pretty much made in the same way that the students made those,” Godula said. “It’s a mixture of photographic footage mixed with handmade painted and scratched film.”

“I first encountered the film [Dog Star Man] a handful of years ago,” Godula said. She wasn’t sure about watching an hour-long, abstract silent film. “It’s difficult to watch films like these on a laptop or just at home,” she said. “You kind of have to get in a different mindset to really watch it and not expect a usual narrative.”

Godula explained that all of Brakhage’s work lacks a narrative. “In this one, there is kind of a narrative, but you have to build it yourself—if you want it,” she said.

She shared Brakhage’s own explanation: all of his work is about birth, sex and death. “I think it comes through pretty clearly in this one,” she said, as abstract as the film may be. “He had intention with what he was doing—with the brushstrokes and scratches and things like that—but it’s hard to watch and understand exactly what it was about and his intention.”

“I think it’s gorgeous—a compelling film,” Godula said. She pointed out how well the parts of the film blend together and how beautiful the shots of forestry look when scratched and painted over. “As someone who not only likes watching this stuff—but making it—it makes me want to do it more!”

Godula chose a 16mm film because she is currently heavily into that medium of filmmaking. Dreams was shown earlier in the term in 35mm, but it’s not quite the same as 16mm. “16mm is a

smaller gauge,” Godula explained. “There is a significant, noticeable grain with 16mm and, generally, it is not as clear as 35mm.”

She pointed out how the visual aesthetics are not only dependent on the width of the frame, but also the date of production— a modern 16mm film will be clearer than an older one, and can be mistaken for 35mm. “With older films, I think you can definitely tell—at least I can tell,” she said.

Godula prefers physical film over digital film because it is a much more intimate engagement. “All art-making can be a personal experience, but I think with this kind of stuff it can be very intensely personal in some capacities,” she said.

It is far more difficult to edit physical film than digital because it needs to be scanned in order to be played on a computer, or would otherwise require something like the large editing table that can be seen in the 5th Avenue Cinema lobby. “If you don’t have a table top view thing, you can’t really watch what you’ve made unless you digitize it,” she said. In most cases with physical film, “you don’t know what it looks like when it moves, only as it’s still.”

16mm is a format that Godula has been working with more and more in her own filmmaking. A recent film she made, Shrunken Heads, was brought to life with the help of PSU’s Sonic Arts & Music Production ensemble in winter of last year. “It was a cool experience,” she said. “They did semi-improvised music along with semi-prepared music.” The interaction was part of a class that was able to provide such an incredible opportunity.

“After I graduate, I’m hoping to make more things,” Godula said. “I just want movies to look like paintings, essentially—I just want weird little short movies.”

Students can catch Dog Star Man this weekend for free at 5th Avenue. Showings are at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with a 3 p.m. screening on Sunday.

MILO LOZA

DOG STAR MAN. COURTESY OF 5TH AVENUE CINEMA

The Get Outside Guide

Oregon Renaissance Faire Kilts, chainmaille and Celtic celebration

HARRELD

During the first three weekends of June, in the wooded fairgrounds of Canby’s Clackamas County Event Center, hundreds of artists, merchants and performers will come together for the Oregon Renaissance Faire.

The faire is a creative experience for all ages, inspired by the culture of 16th century Scotland. Each weekend aligns with a particular renaissance theme, from fairytales to pirates to Celtic celebration.

Among the many musical performances, theatrical dramas and varied stunt artists will be Samantha Rose Owings as the Mistress of Melody, Celtic harpist and singer; Knights of the Realm, competitive jousters and swordsmen; and Ignition Fire Troupe, a fire breathing, fire dancing martial arts group.

Merchant goods across wildly different specialties and mediums will be available, such as Celtic hair beads, ceramic mobiles, taxidermy jewelry and bejeweled flower crowns. As for food, all the best of typical faire fare meets Northwest European cuisine, with dishes like cornish pasties, crepes and pretzels.

Performers, organizers and attendees are all encouraged to dress for the occasion, may that be a whimsical cosplay or traditional Celtic attire. If you find your closet scarce of kilts or cloaks, not to worry—the ORF will host plenty of vendors selling renaissance-themed clothing and accessories.

Molly Whitaker, artist and owner of Mythica Metalworks, is one of them. Whitaker’s craft is chainmaille, an ancient art consisting of interlocking metallic rings to form a mesh, historically purposed as protective body armor. “You’re taking different sizes of circles and you’re weaving them together,”

Whitaker explained. “Almost like you’re knitting with fabric or with fiber—but you’re knitting with metal.”

Whitaker fashions ornate jewelry, headpieces and cosplay accessories through chainmaille. “You can create all kinds of beautiful intricate shapes that way, and I incorporate gemstones and crystals and other things into my jewelry as well with the chainmaille techniques,” she said.

Whitaker is one of many creatives traveling from out of state to attend the Oregon Renaissance Faire. This event is a unique opportunity to support independent artists and small business owners who have devoted so much energy and time to develop their products and community platforms. “I make everything by hand,” Whitaker said. “I do all of it myself, every step of the way—design, fabrication—I do graphic design work and branding work and setup work… so it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s also really fun and rewarding to be the owner of a creative business.”

Additionally, cultural festivals offer an alternative to increasingly expensive physical storefronts. For many small businesses, maintaining a physical location is simply not sustainable, but ORF allows for a more accessible mode of traditional commerce.

“Since the pandemic, we dropped the store altogether,” J.T. Centonze, founder of Off Kilter Kilts, explained in reference to his previous storefront. “It wasn’t supporting itself. But the events are still really lucrative, and we’re still able to liberate the masses from the tyranny of pants.”

Off Kilter Kilts is another vendor taking part in this year’s Renaissance faire. “We like to say that ‘anywhere there’s outdoor drinking there’s kilts and anywhere there’s kilts there’s

outdoor drinking,’” Centonze said.

Centonze pointed out that although the conception of the modern kilt did not actually come about until after the European Renaissance period, “people associate it [the kilt] with the Renaissance faire because it’s still a historical garment to a lot of people.”

It would seem that the garment is not truly obsolete though, as Off Kilter Kilts demonstrates the kilt’s renaissance of its own. “We have a growing community of people who are every day kilters,” Centonze said. “I haven’t worn a pair of pants in over a decade. I’ve converted a number of people to 7 / 365 kilting because it just makes way more sense.”

Off Kilter Kilts markets kilts, tartans, belts and accessories to people of all ages, genders and identities. “The modern version of the kilt is really open to the world,” Centonze explained. “We have a saying that ‘you don’t have to be Scottish to be comfortable.’”

So too is the Oregon Renaissance Faire an experience open to everyone. “Until you experience it, you’re not always sure, like would a Ren Faire be something that I would enjoy?” Whitaker said. “But I think it’s a lot more than what people realize.”

“The nice thing about the renaissance faires is that there is definitely an element of historical interest there…of this idea of a historical reenactment,” she said. “But they have evolved and developed into something that is just enthusiasm for a lot of traditional craftspeople and their work.”

Tickets for the Oregon Renaissance Faire are $25 for general admission, and free for kids under 13. Tickets are not sold at the door, and must be bought in advance.

MACIE

ZAHIRA ZUVUYA

HANNA OBERLANDER

CASEY LITCHFIELD

What your campus outdoor spot says about your summer drink order

A scientific guide to your beverage type

Summer’s coming, and that means sunny afternoons spent relaxing outside, preferably with an iced beverage in hand. We all have our preferences, but have you ever wondered why you like your specific drink order? Thankfully, advances in personality science have allowed us to determine with an exceedingly low margin of error what your beverage type is based on where you prefer to sit on a hot summer day.

Park Block Benches— Iced Black Coffee

You’re normal. You like normal things. What’s your favorite band, someone asks? The Beatles, of course. “No,” you say, “I wouldn’t like to sit on the grass—there are perfectly good benches right here, literally made for us to sit on.” Being normal is cool and fine and good, as well as any other normal-sounding adjectives. The world needs normal people, after all. Go enjoy your normal drink and read your normal book and do all your normal things. Adventure isn’t for everyone.

Shattuck Meditation Corner—Iced Green Tea

You meditate—or you wish you meditated. Just sitting here makes you feel a little healthier, a little more present-minded. You probably had a Buddhism phase in high school, and you might have even stuck with it.

You insist to everyone you meet that, no, you don’t feel like you’re better than everyone else. Mhm. Sure, bud. Keep saying it until you believe it.

Any Rooftop Garden—Aperol Spritz

How’s the view from up there? It’s a little gratifying to watch everyone from above, scurrying off to their classes and jobs and obligations, isn’t it? You don’t have to worry about any of that, of course. Not up there. Everyone just looks so small from up that high.

The gardens are on top of certain buildings—the Karl Miller Center, the Rec Center, etc.—but none of that matters to you. Like a Venetian duke surveying your domain, the petty concerns of campus politics don’t concern you. It’s all yours, anyway.

Dormitory Parking Lots—Pabst Blue Ribbon Tall Boy

Wow, you’re really going through it, huh? It’s been a hard term—no, scratch that. It’s been a hard year. Sometimes you’ve just gotta sit in the back of a pickup truck eating a Chipotle burrito and drinking a Pabst Blue Ribbon over the rainwater drain like a New Jersey rat.

Honestly, I can’t even make a joke about this one. Whatever you’re going through, I hope it gets better soon. One word of advice, though— maybe try drinking some water?

SMSU/Cramer Hall Benches— Large Cold Brew Coffee, No Ice

You’re a workhorse. Sit down? You can’t even take a few minutes to rest between classes without risking your GPA slipping past the point of no return. You decided to take 21 credits because “it’ll get everything done faster,” and God bless you for that. You have to stay close to your classes, so naturally the only place to sit down is literally right outside the door.

Are… are you alright? I don’t want to tell you how to live your life, but it might be nice to just stop for a second and smell the flowers. Nobody’s grading you on this.

Lovejoy Fountain—Milk Tea, Extra Boba

You’re probably an engineering student, or you decided to get lunch at one of the 4th Avenue food carts—God knows nobody else comes to this part of campus. Either way, you’ve rightly discovered that this fountain is the best place to sit in the area, so good perception there. This place just has a boba vibe to it. Please don’t ask me to explain further.

Park Blocks, On The Grass—Iced Matcha Latte

Oh, look how cute you are with your little picnic blanket laid out under that tree! If “touch moss” was a person, it would be you. You’re probably a fan of Mary Oliver, or you would be if you haven’t read her yet somehow. You tell your friends and family how you like to be “close to the earth” five or six times a week, conservatively speaking.

Be honest—how many times have you accidentally laid down in dog shit?

PSU Urban Center—Literally Any Starbucks Drink

This is a nice, central location with plenty of sun, open space and pretty places to sit. It’s right next to the streetcar, so you can go from here to almost anywhere; it’s next to the Rec Center, so it’s convenient to go to work out; and it’s close to plenty of food, including a pretty good pizza place.

But I think we all know the real reason you come here: that Starbucks is just too tempting. I mean, where else are you going to get your Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Starbucks Refresher?

Pettygrove Park—Specialty Iced Coffee

You like to go off the beaten path, and you make sure to let everyone know it. You spend a concerning amount of time hanging out in dog parks, even though you don’t have a dog. If someone asks your favorite film, you’ll start listing off half a dozen European art film directors before pivoting into a mini-lecture about the virtue of reading subtitles versus watching dubs. You’re definitely a regular at your favorite coffee shop, and you make a point of ordering a new, quirky drink every time—we’re talking Rose Water Cold Brews, Pistachio Lattes, Orange Peel Mochas, etc. For what it’s worth, I think that all those jokes everyone makes about it are in bad taste. Your drink orders are definitely not obnoxious and looking for attention—don’t listen to them.

NICK GATLIN

THE PSU URBAN CENTER, FOR LOVERS OF STARBUCKS AND OTHER NATIONAL CHAIN STORES. NICK GATLIN/PSU VANGUARD

THE CRAMER/SMITH BENCHES, FOR THE STUDIOUS AND STRESSED. NICK GATLIN/PSU VANGUARD

Need a hot day family getaway?

Try Sauvie Island

The island has plenty of family-friendly activities

IAN MCMEEKAN

Imagine this: it’s a hot summer day, and you want to take your family somewhere fun to play in the sun. But there are so many places you can go that your options seem endless, and you’re left unable to decide. There must be someplace family-friendly you can go that’s not too far from Portland, you think. That’s when it hits you—you can take a drive to Sauvie Island. With so many family-friendly activities, Sauvie Island is one of the best places to visit in the Portland metro area on a hot day. One activity for you and your family to partake in is visiting one of the many U-pick farms across the island, such as Bella Organic Farm. Even though they are more well-known for fall events such as their corn maze or pumpkin picking, they have other events in the summer. In fact, during the warmer part of the year, did you know they host a “free and open-every-day bouncy house? Or how about the goats and pigs outback that love to be visited by little farmers and berry pickers?” as reported by Liz Overson of Tiny Beans. That’s not all they have in the summer months, either—they also “host Farm Dinners and a coupla weekend family-friendly concerts like Blueberries & Blues midsummer or the annual Labor Day Weekend Blackberries & Bluegrass multiday jamfest,” Liz Overson reported.

Speaking of great U-pick farms on Sauvie Island, another that is a great place to go with the family on hot summer days is Topaz Farms. Other than their pumpkin picking in the fall, they also have great berry picking in the summer and are open from “June through the first week of November, the farm boasts…a barnyard petting zoo and fields of U-pick berries make for sweet memories,” and “hosts a weekly summer concert series,” reported Brian Barker of Travel Portland.

Speaking of things for the kids, Topaz Farms also has the Sauvie Island Center. This activity center is located on the southwestern side of the island, and is open from mid-May to late November. This center is a great place to take kids on a hot day because there are always fun things to do. Just a few of the fun activities that this activity center offers are “school field trips, summer camps, and opportunities for kids and their parents to dig in and learn about food, farming, and the land together as a family,” as stated on the Sauvie Island Center website.

One of these opportunities that both kids and parents will be able to explore are family farm days. Here, you will have the chance to join with other families and staff “for a lovely spring day in the garden! Families can move freely in this self-guided adventure through the garden,” according to the center’s site. “We will have a variety of stations set up and staffed with leaders to help guide you through each activity.” This event is for all ages, and runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a suggested donation of $5 to $15 per family.

However, Sauvie Island doesn’t just have U-pick farms to help you spend time with the family on those hot summer days. This island getaway also has a great family-friendly beach for the whole family to take a swim in the sun—Walton Beach. It’s a wonderful place for sunbathing as well as swimming, and it’s perfect for building sand castles or flying a kite on more windy summer days. “About 20 miles from downtown Portland, Walton Beach on Sauvie Island is a family-friendly beach on the Columbia River,” as reported by Swim Guide. “Columbia Riverkeeper volunteers monitor water quality at this beach from June–September.” This means you don’t need to worry about you or your family swimming in polluted water.

When you want to take your family somewhere on a hot day, be sure to think of Sauvie Island. Between the U-pick farms with family friendly activities and the great swimming areas at Walton Beach, Sauvie Island is the perfect place to go to cool off and have fun with the family.

BELLA’S FARM ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

BELLA’S FARM ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

FAMILY AT BELLA’S FARM PETTING ZOO ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

GOATS AT BELLA’S FARM PETTING ZOO ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

PIG AT BELLA’S FARM PETTING ZOO ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

GOATS AT BELLA’S FARM PETTING ZOO ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

GOATS AT BELLA’S FARM PETTING ZOO ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

GOATS AT BELLA’S FARM PETTING ZOO ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

GOATS AT BELLA’S FARM PETTING ZOO ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

BELLA’S FARM STORE ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

BELLA’S FARM STORE ON SAUVIE ISLAND. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

Get outside for a safe bike ride

Has PBoT done enough to make our city safe for bike riding?

LEEANN ROONEY

Portland has apparently been “named a ‘platinum’ bicycle-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists—its highest rating,” according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s fact sheet about bicycles in Portland. Moreover, “385 miles of bikeways are on the ground in Portland,” but does this make it safe enough to get on that mechanical device with two wheels, a handlebar and a frame, and peddle out into the great unknown of downtown Portland?

Dylan Rivera, Public Information Officer and Spokesperson for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBoT) described Portland as a safe and friendly city to bike in. “Portland is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the United States,” he said. “It’s, generally, [in] the last 20 years…the highest rates of bike commuting of any city in North America. And, over a number of generations, we’ve built among the largest bikeway networks in North America.”

Kinkade Bell, Portland State student and employee of BikeHub, said that “distracted drivers” are his highest safety concern when bike riding.

PSU student Emma Hedayati had similar concerns. “I’ve heard a lot about students getting hit by cars,” she said. “When, like during the crosswalks and stuff. So that would be one of my main safety concerns when it comes to bike [riding] is like with the crosswalk.”

Caitlin Jacobson, PSU student of the College of Civil Engineering and president-elect of the

American Society of Civil Engineers student group, commutes by bike or motorcycle and described herself as an “on-again-off-again bike commuter” due to a sprained foot. She typically bikes 50 or more miles per week.

Jacobson said her biggest bike safety concern is “driver awareness.”

Rivera says that, yes, “car traffic” is the highest concern for bike riders when it comes to bike safety. He also mentioned additional risks. “People need to be mindful of various objects in the roadway, like the maintenance covers that are metal circles in the street and can be bumpy or slick when they’re wet,” he said. “Leaves

sometimes can make a street a little slick, but for the most part, biking is a very comfortable, safe, fun [and] easy activity for people to enjoy.”

Rivera described the support programs and infrastructure that create a safe bike-riding city. “We’ve got infrastructure that supports biking and makes it safer than most American

BIKER ON THE WATERFRONT. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

cities,” he said. “We have education programs like Safe Routes to School, and [we are] continuing workshops and Sunday parkways events that educate people of all ages about the joys of biking and how to bike safely. We’ve got enforcement, with the Portland police bureau, and we have cameras that are enforcing speed limits on some [of the] high crash streets. That’s all intended to help create a culture of safety in our city where people understand that they need to slow down.”

You may have noticed that many streets in the city of Portland have a 20 miles per hour speed limit, which is much safer for bikers. “We’ve taken a lot of steps to make our streets safer,” Rivera said. “Including changing state law to enable us, as a city, to reduce the speed limit on more than 70% of city streets to 20 miles per hour. So that greatly improves safety and comfort for everyone, especially people who are biking [in] mixed traffic in and among vehicle traffic.”

Some of the traffic safety measures used in Portland include a diverter. Rivera explained that a diverter “allows people biking to go through the intersection, but forces motor vehicle traffic to turn and not go straight through the intersection…we find them to be very effective.”

Another notable bike rider safety improvement found on Portland roadways are the parking-protected bike lanes. “If you think of Broadway—the configuration is you have a sidewalk, and then you have a bike lane, and then you have on-street parking for cars, and

then you have the travel lane…those parked cars are separating, they’re protecting people who are biking from the moving automobile traffic,” Rivera described.

Some of these parking-protected bike lanes are near PSU. “We have 29 miles of protected bike lanes,” Rivera said. “A good example of that is Better Naito [Forever] downtown, which is not far from PSU, and also the protected bike lane on Southwest Broadway by PSU…in the last year, we have extended that all the way from the Broadway Bridge to PSU.”

PSU student Jacobson appreciates Portland’s bike-friendly infrastructure. “I really like Portland,” Jacobson said. “I really appreciate the greenways and a lot of the infrastructure that has been put into and invested into Portland... and keeping bikes protected behind a parking lane is really important.”

On the other hand, community member Uriah Johnson commented that his most considerable concern regarding bike infrastructure is “a general lack of allocated lanes and avenues for bicyclists.”

Moreover, PBoT is not responsible for one of the most concerning things for bike riders, which according to PSU student Holden Kersey, is “debris and…leaves, sticks, and rocks and things. Just trash and…hitting those things.”

PBoT is responsible for the paving of roadways, and this was another concern of Kersey’s.

“So the actual paving of the roads is sometimes too hazardous for a bike,” he said.

Kersey did not have the option to drive a car

since he does not have a license or a car, so despite his fear of riding, this was his mode of transportation to and from work each day.

Student and IT employee Mohammed Al Rawahi described his accident due to a bump in the bike lane. “[Be]cause one time, I’m riding not a bike, [but] a scooter [across] one of the bridges and I fell because I was speeding and there was something like a bump,” he said. “And I, like, hurt myself.” Mohammed no longer bikes much in Portland.

Hedayati commented on the issues around the PSU campus and the lack of safe bike zones and safe locations for bike riders. “PSU campus, not as much since it’s so many areas where there are so many streets [for car traffic] rather than just bike locations,” she said. “The only thing I would suggest, like bike safety-wise, would be around this general area where the park is. [Because] you can’t take the cars in the park areas.”

PBoT is doing a lot to create a safe bike riding experience for Portlanders. “Over time, as we are making our streets safer through adding protected bike lanes, upgrading our neighborhood greenways to reduce the motor vehicle traffic on them, reducing speed limits for automobile traffic, and making our intersections safer through road design improvements, and educating the public about the need to drive more slowly,” Rivera said. “Over time, we think we’ll see some change in those numbers, and the traffic deaths should reduce.”

Bell, a BikeHub employee, explained that

the most important thing a rider can do to keep safe is to be mindful of traffic. “[The car] driver either doesn’t see you or doesn’t care about you!” he said.

“Make sure you have a bike that is comfortable for you, that meets your needs,” Rivera said. Rivera recommended finding neighborhood greenways, practicing riding your bike, getting comfortable with it, interacting with minimal traffic and familiarizing yourself with biking on a city street.

Rivera described the benefits of taking a slower pace to life and riding a bike rather than a car. “When people incorporate biking into their daily needs, they see health benefits,” he said. “There’s a measure of happiness and neighborhood connectivity because you’re moving slower. You’re experiencing the neighborhood and our city streets in a more tangible way—at a slower pace where you can experience, see, feel and hear your neighborhood in a much more enjoyable way than if you’re locked up inside a car.”

Jacobson said that one should “ be a defensive rider. I try and keep my head on a swivel. That being said, I also wear all the safety gear. I wear a bright helmet. I have a DayGlo orange backpack cover if it’s raining. I have my lights on.”

Johnson also shared some bike safety tips: “wear [a] helmet, be alert and don’t put in headphones.” These are all things to keep in mind while enjoying that safe bike ride in and around Portland. So get outside and have a safe ride.

BIKER ON THE WATERFRONT. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

Trek Portland Hollywood Pride Ride

June 25, NE Portland, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.

Summer Transportation Camp for Oregon High Schoolers at PSU

August 6–11, a week-long summer camp that is free and open to any Oregon student entering the 9–12 grades

Portland’s World Naked Bike Ride

August 12, Portland; no inhibitions? Then this is for you.

IBPI Workshop in Bikeway Design

August 21–25, PSU; This workshop is designed for transportation engineers, urban planners, advocates, policymakers, municipal staff and other transportation professionals interested in nurturing cycling in their communities.

Trackers Portland

August 29–September 2, 4617 SE Milwaukie Ave Portland; campers master riding bikes and discover a new world of independence and freedom.

Southwest Portland Sunday Parkways

September 10, SW Portland, two-mile multimodal familyfriendly ride.

AVID4Adventure

Extended Day Mountain Biking Camp in Portland, OR for second to seventh grade kids.

Ladies, Let’s Ride Sundays

9:30 am Sundays, location TBA, great starter ride. Camps and workshops.

MilePost35

Adult bike camp (21+), dates coming soon, located at the base of Mt. Hood in beautiful Sandy, Oregon. Enjoy three days of camping and shuttle bike laps and safely learn those tricks you’ve always wanted to do on their airbag jump.

Get outside with PSU’s Rec Center Summer

fun while achieving #goals

Every year the summer brings about new opportunities to try out that one thing that you’ve been needing sunshine to do. Well folks, that time has arrived. Whether you’re a newbie or a complete pro, the Portland State Campus Recreation Center has things that will provide you with a good time while trying new outdoor activities.

The Rec Center organizes outdoor events and activities to engage students, faculty, staff and the community in outdoor recreational and fitness pursuits. Each year they organize events like outdoor adventures, intramural sports leagues, outdoor fitness classes, community runs and walks and even offer outdoor equipment rentals. Over time, the Rec Center has continued to adapt and evolve to meet the changing needs and interests of our university’s community and remains a good resource for those wanting to try new things.

When it comes to gear rentals, the Rec Center provides a wide range of outdoor gear for you and your friends to rent in order to get outside, for activities such as: backpacking and camping, climbing and mountaineering, skiing and snowshoeing, rafting, kayaking or paddle boarding. If you visit their website, they provide the very reasonable prices that they will rent you the equipment at. “Rent gear at affordable rates for your own outdoor adventures,” Outdoor Programs mentions on their website. “Take advantage of the Outdoor Programs deals on gear for every season.”

For example, if you needed to rent a tent that fits you and two other friends, you could do so by spending $15 on a four-day

rental. Perhaps you need a stove to cook you and said friends a nice meal in the middle of the wilderness—the Rec Center will provide you one for $6 for four days.

Has the new live-action The Little Mermaid movie given you the urge to act out your fantasy of becoming a mermaid? Why not try out paddleboarding on the river for $40 a day? They even offer rentals on live vests and water shoes, to make sure you look like a pro.

During the summer break, between June 16–26 from 10 a.m.–7 p.m., they will offer a rental special where you can rent gear for 11 days for the price of four days. But of course, supplies are limited.

A little wary about trying an outdoor activity for the first time? Then you can head to their YouTube page, Portland State Campus Rec, and watch outdoor workshop videos that were produced during the pandemic. There are tips and tricks for things like climbing sports, hiking spots, water activities and trail running. There’s even more basic necessities, like fire-building, tying knots, managing tarps and being able to identify plants that might be harmful in the wild.

Once you’ve rented all the gear you need and have learned which plants to stay away from, you can join members of the Rec Center throughout the month of July doing things like a University Falls Hike, stand-up paddleboarding on Vancouver Lake, or a faculty and staff softball tournament.

On Saturday, July 8, the day hike up University Falls takes place, where you join a crew through the Tillamook Forest to enjoy views of 55-foot cascading waterfalls. The trail is ap-

proximately 7.8 miles and has an elevation gain of just over 1,600 feet. They are calling this the perfect hike for intermediate hikers and beginners who are looking for a challenge! The sign up deadline for this hike is July 5 and you can do so in the Outdoor Programs office at 505 SW Harris Street.

If you are interested in a slower-paced activity, you should join the center for paddleboarding at Vancouver Lake. Starting in Vancouver Lake Regional Park, the water tour takes you past the local beauty of our flora and fauna with a break for lunch on Turtle Island. This is happening on July 15 at 8 a.m.

The last summer outdoor event the Rec Center has to offer is the free faculty and staff softball tournament happening on campus on the Peter Scott Field. On Thursday, July 27, you can join your friends in watching our beloved professors and PSU staff duke it out in a two game tournament.

In addition to the pre-planned trips they have to offer, the Outdoor Program at PSU is there to help you organize your own day hike or paddle on the water with a group of your friends or family. To do so, you can contact Chris Bullard for more information. Spending time outside in the summer in the PNW allows individuals to enjoy the region’s stunning landscapes, engage in a wide range of outdoor activities, improve physical and mental well-being and participate in community events while developing a greater appreciation for the serene beauty around us. For additional information and more activities for the future, be sure to visit the Rec Center’s website at www.pdx.edu/recreation.

LAURA KOWALL

ACADEMIC STUDENT AND RECREATION CENTER. ALBERTO ALONSO PUJAZON BOGANI/PSU VANGUARD

GET READY FOR

FESTIVAL SEASON

WARM WEATHER USHERS IN ECCENTRIC EVENTS IN THE PNW

Summer’s warm weather brings with it festival season— twilight evenings in grassy fields with a light breeze (one can only hope), sounds of music drifting through the air, an ice cold drink in hand, surrounded by strangers and friends alike. Oregon is home to over 15 music festivals—not including the slew of events at Washington’s Gorge Amphitheater, a five-hour drive away from the Portland State campus.

Under the fringes of this broad umbrella sit an eccentric band of community-oriented gatherings. Some such events include SOAK, Portland’s regional Burning Man offshoot held May 25–29; the Oregon Country Fair, held July 7–9; and the Tectonic SHIFT Festival, held July 20–24, to name a few. Despite being often hailed as a “festival,” however, Burning Man and its regional affiliated burns avoid using the term, opting instead for titles such as “event” and “gathering in a temporary city” which evoke its focus on community.

The Oregon Country Fair, commonly called OCF, uses similar language. In its mission statement, OCF states its goal is to “create events and experiences that nourish the spirit, explore living artfully and authentically on earth, and transform culture in magical, joyous and healthy ways.” Later on in the “About” page, it takes its place as an “annual three-day festival.”

Tectonic SHIFT Festival, held in Oregon’s Grass Valley, proudly wears its title of festival. Though it is not officially affiliated with Burning Man, many of its key ideologies are rooted

in Burning Man ethos, including decommodification, a culture of free self-expression and an addendum to Burning Man’s 10 Principles titled the 11th principle: Consent!

It begs the question—is there any difference between clearly labeled festivals and these “gatherings?”

The distinct noticeable variance between Burning Man and other closely related festivals is the effort to transform the foundational values and principles into sustainable, year-round communities. The nonprofit Burning Man Project not only supports the temporary Black Rock City in Nevada, but provides support in the form of grants, education and connection year-round to the organization’s regional burns in over 40 U.S. states and 35 countries.

Many of these regional burns operate with a nonprofit base. Portland’s regional SOAK is made possible and fiscally supported by nonprofit Precipitation Northwest, which helps organize local beach and park cleanups and community clothing swaps, and assists in the local Burners without Borders chapter. Burners without Borders focuses on a variety of projects, from disaster relief, to supporting toy drives for children of Ukraine, to conservation bee projects.

Nonetheless, this mentality of turning festival culture into sustainable communities is not solely owned by Burning Man. The Oregon Country Fair operates year-round as a philanthropic 501(c)(3), distributing grants in areas of emergency relief funding, youth-centered projects in the local community and non-

profits specializing in environmental protection.

Tera “Supernova” Zarra is performing at OCF this summer as Supernova the Strongwoman, marking 10 years of performing on and off for the fair, in addition to other festivals and renaissance fairs. For her, the joy of performing is magnified through the connections she’s made with other people in the fair circuit, along with the ones she makes with her audiences.

“With the nature of challenges that we face, you see who has your back,” Zarra said in reference to a sardonic skeleton puppet performer she’s now close friends with. “Some of these places where you’re out in the woods, people really come together in support of each other.”

On the page of the local Portland regional burn, SOAK, in the FAQ page under “What does SOAK mean?”, the website responds: “Depends on who you ask. We encourage you to believe whatever story you enjoy best.”

This lack of defining the regional burn’s title word—or potential acronym, depending on who you talk to—aptly portrays the atmosphere of community-centric festivals, which highlight self-expression, immediacy and general joviality, among others. To this point, as you make plans to partake in your particular flavor of festival this summer, consider taking a broad look at the motifs behind festival culture and how they might transform your day-to-day routine. And most importantly, don’t sweat the verbiage.

ZOË BUHRMASTER

HANNA OBERLANDER

For more outdoorsy content, visit psuvanguard.com and follow us on instagram: @psuvanguard.

JUNE 7

EVENTS CALENDAR

JUNE 7–JUNE 13

MILO LOZA

ART MUSIC FILM/THEATER COMMUNITY

CREATING WONDER GALLERY SHOW OTCA GALLERY

1 P.M.

FREE

AWE-INSPIRING ART ACROSS VARIOUS MEDIUMS THAT TRANSPORTS VIEWERS TO MAGICAL WORLDS.

THURS JUN 8

BEBE REXHA

MCMENAMINS CRYSTAL BALLROOM

6:30 P.M.

$40+

SINGER WITH A POWERFUL VOICE AND CAPTIVATING PERFORMANCES.

FRI JUN 9 SAT JUN 10

SOUND ART INSTALLATION

LINCOLN HALL BOILER ROOM MIDNIGHT

FREE

IMMERSIVE SONIC EXPERIENCE CREATED BY SAMP PROGRAM’S SOUND ART CLASS, ENHANCED WITH CAPTIVATING LIGHTING.

GETTING STARTED WITH PROCREATE APPLE PIONEER PLACE

1:30 P.M.

FREE

LEARN TO TRACE AND SKETCH PORTRAITS USING IPAD PRO AND PROCREATE APP. PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS.

BLACK ARTISTS OF OREGON PORTLAND ART MUSEUM

10 A.M.

$25

SHOWCASING THE UNDERREPRESENTED WORK OF TALENTED BLACK ARTISTS BASED IN OREGON.

DREAMY COASTAL TIDES BOTTLE & BOTTEGA

3 P.M.

$44

JUN 11 MON JUN 12

LEARN TO PAINT A SUNNY COAST WITH INSTRUCTION FROM AN ARTIST.

TUES JUN 13

PORTLAND SET DANCING

SELLWOOD COMMUNITY HOUSE

10:15 A.M.

$15

GET CREATIVE AND MESSY AT OUR INSTRUCTOR-LED TODDLER ART CLASS.

NOON CONCERT SERIES

LINCOLN RECITAL HALL

12 P.M. FREE ENGAGING WEEKLY CONCERTS SHOWCASING STUDENT RESEARCH PROJECTS AND DIVERSE MUSICAL PERFORMANCES.

OPEN STUDIO 6520 N SALEM AVE, PORTLAND, OR 97203

4:45 P.M.

$20

STUDIO SESSIONS TO EXPLORE AND CREATE MUSIC, WITH SUPPORT FROM ARTISTS.

SEAL KELLER AUDITORIUM

8 P.M.

$80+

BRITISH SINGER-SONGWRITER WITH A SOULFUL VOICE, KNOWN FOR SONGS LIKE “KISS FROM A ROSE."

THE OREGON SYMPHONY ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL

2 P.M.

$54

ACCLAIMED ORCHESTRA CAPTIVATING AUDIENCES WITH POWERFUL PERFORMANCES AND A DIVERSE REPERTOIRE OF CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC.

AB-SOUL

HAWTHORNE THEATRE

8 P.M.

$26

VERSATILE RAPPER WITH INTROSPECTIVE LYRICS AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING CONCEPTS TOLD IN A UNIQUE HIP-HOP STYLE.

PORTLAND HORROR FILM FESTIVAL HOLLYWOOD THEATRE

6:30 P.M.

$20–180

EIGHTH ANNUAL FESTIVAL, FEATURING DIVERSE GLOBAL HORROR SHORTS AND FEATURES AT ICONIC LOCAL THEATERS.

KYLE KINANE HELIUM COMEDY CLUB

8 P.M.

$32

A BEARDED, WHISKEY-LOVING COMIC WITH A DISTINCTIVE VOICE, UNMATCHED STORYTELLING PROWESS AND UNRULY CHARM.

MADE IN PORTLAND NEWMARK THEATER

7:30 P.M.

$25+

A COLLABORATIVE EXPLORATION OF THE CITY’S ESSENCE THROUGH CHOREOGRAPHERS AND IMMERSIVE THEATER.

2023 PORTLAND’S FUNNIEST PRELIMINARY ROUND HELIUM COMEDY CLUB

3 P.M.

$15

WATCH COMEDIANS COMPETE FOR THE TITLE, VOTED BY AUDIENCE.

DOG STAR MAN

5TH AVENUE CINEMA

3 P.M.

STUDENTS: FREE

GENERAL: $7

AN EXPERIMENTAL FILM, SHOWN ALONGSIDE FILMS MADE BY PSU STUDENTS.

COMEDY OPEN MIC CHEERFUL TORTOISE 9 P.M. FREE FIVE-MINUTE SETS WITH A FEATURE COMEDIAN. SIGN-UPS AT 8:30 P.M.

MONETIZE YOUR DIGITAL ILLUSTRATIONS 6520 N SALEM AVE, PORTLAND, OR 97203

3:45 P.M.

$25

A CLASS TEACHING ART CREATION, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND ONLINE PROMOTION.

SPRING ROSE SHOW LLOYD CENTER 10 A.M. FREE

A CENTURY-OLD TRADITION SHOWCASING OVER 4,000 BLOOMS, INVITING PARTICIPANTS NATIONWIDE.

ROSE FESTIVAL CITY FAIR TOM MCCALL WATERFRONT PARK 12 P.M.

$12–20

ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD AND RIDES ALONG THE WILLAMETTE RIVER IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND.

GRAND FLORAL PARADE MEMORIAL COLISEUM ONE CENTER COURT 10 A.M.

FREE

A CHERISHED TRADITION WITH FLORAL FLOATS, BANDS, DANCERS AND MORE.

PORTLAND MARKET OF THE BEAST REDD EAST EVENT SPACE 1 P.M.

$5

A TRAVELING AND VIRTUAL DARK ART MARKET FOR THE WEIRD, WILD, OCCULT AND OBSCURE.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT WORKSHOP FEED THE MASS 6 P.M.

FREE

EXPLORE THE HARMONIOUS CONNECTION BETWEEN FOOD AND LAND WHILE ENJOYING A SPECIALLY CRAFTED MEAL.

SPRING BLOOMS IN PORTLAND MERCANTILE PORTLAND

1 P.M.

$15

BOO JOHNSON’S VIBRANT PAINTINGS

CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF PORTLAND’S FLORAL BEAUTY

PARKER MILLSAP MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS & BAR

8 P.M.

$20

AN ARTIST BLENDING AMERICANA, BLUES AND ROCK WITH SOULFUL VOCALS AND CAPTIVATING SONGWRITING.

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MY JOURNEY AT THE IDEATHON: THE POWER OF INTERDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE EVENTS

EXPLORING AI TOOLS, SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATIVE CREATION

Science can sometimes feel inaccessible, but considering its importance in our lives, it is logical that we strive to improve its accessibility. Science events serve as a means to bridge the gap between scientific concepts and lay audiences. They allow individuals to engage tangibly with complex topics, fostering interaction and exploration in often fun and exciting ways.

The now-past Ideathon event was an example of how science events can be engaging and informative, providing a hands-on learning experience. Moreover, this event was unique in that it stressed the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to science and found that “interdisciplinarity sparked creativity that no one domain could achieve on its own,” as the compassionate computing lab team stated.

In my experience, this was very true—the interaction between the different disciplines allowed for different perspectives and strengths to add to the project.

The student participants spanned nine different disciplines—computer science, communication, creative writing, mechanical engineering, engineering and technology, management, finance, world languages, data analysis and English. Each person brought a new dimension to the process.

The project’s goal was to develop a way to communicate climate change issues to people in Oregon. When exploring what this would look like, Dr. Kathi Inman Berens pointed out, from her perspective as a mentor for the event and with her discipline being English, the importance of recognizing the audience we were writing for to make our message appealing to said audience.

In the panel discussion we had toward the end, Dr. Berens pointed out that when discussing climate change, it is essential to include both fear and, more importantly, and often overlooked, hope. “Ideally, we build stories and have a lot of emotional variabilities,” Dr. Berens said.

She pointed out the power of storytelling and how one person’s action toward creating an ecologically friendly narrative can spark scientific curiosity in another and lead to a chain reaction of people taking action toward sustainability on a larger scale. “A story can be contagious,” Dr. Berens said. “We can’t underestimate the good work you’re doing, even with small things.”

All of the groups recognized the importance of storytelling in their projects. For example, my group did a play that discussed the importance of sustainable farming with our audience being rural Oregonians, specifically those who did not believe in climate change. The storytelling element was crucial, as this approach aimed to share a powerful story and encourage others to share the message with their friends.

Another group made a graphic novel, again tapping into that sharing of a powerful message on a mass scale to impact a more extensive number of people to take protective climate action.

Dr. Brianne Suldovsky—from her perspective as a mentor for the event and with her discipline being science communication—added to the sentiment of making a message appealing to specific audiences by pointing out the different groups that you can segment your audience into based on their feelings on climate change.

This ranged from alarmed, to very concerned about climate change, to dismissive—those who do not believe climate change is happening. For each group, there are preferred ways to reach them and messages and appeals that are more successful.

My group focused on those dismissive of climate change by making our play’s messaging about the economic benefits of sustainable farming and not mentioning climate

change or related terms that immediately make it an argument over values.

For this group, it is imperative to focus on the benefits of actions that counter climate change without trying to convince them of it because that will make them resistant to your message.

Another group also focused on those skeptical about climate change. It approached this by making a chatbot to which farmers could ask questions, and the answers would provide ecology and economically-friendly solutions to their concerns. The end goal of this chatbot would be to use farmers already implementing these solutions to train the AI and make it an AI tool made by farmers for farmers.

In the panel discussion, the mentors and leaders of the event discussed the issues they perceived in communication around climate change. Dr. Ameeta Agrawal—Computer Science Assistant Professor at PSU and one of the event facilitators—pointed out that it can be challenging to engage with climate change action because “there is a tension there between what you really want to do and what you can do versus what really has an impact.”

A couple of different arguments came up that expanded on this point. First, it is hard to feel we can impact climate change when the people with the most significant impact often fail to act. “What we need is systemic-level change,” Dr. Suldovsky said. “We need politicians and corporations and people who are in power, who create the systems we use to actually act.”

However, we should also take action ourselves. However, fear of what is often labeled as out of our control or an inevitable disaster is counterintuitive and often stunts action. “When we communicate about risks, the threat is a piece of it,” Dr. Suldovsky said. “But if we leave it there, people don’t know what to do with that. And then people don’t act because they’re controlling their

KAT LEON

DR. KATHI INMAN BERENS, DR. BRIANNE SULDOVSKY AND DR. AMEETA AGRAWAL USING THE IMAGE-GENERATING AI TOOL MIDJOURNY ON MAY 13 (2023). COURTESY OF COMPASSIONATE COMPUTING (COCO) LAB

fear instead of controlling the threat.”

Instead of focusing on the fear or what we cannot control, it is essential to focus on what we have control over, what we can impact and our power to spread a message to a larger audience. The power of storytelling is part of that, as pointed out by Dr. Berens.

Moreover, it is important to focus on “tangible things [people] can do, and steps they can take that actually have an impact on the world and on the climate,” as Dr. Suldovsky said.

The focus on climate change was only part of the event. Another element of this event was to explore the role of AI tools in assisting with human creation and problem-solving. This also opened up a lot of debate on the appropriate use of AI tools and what this meant for future job prospects for the creatives in the room.

In exploring the art-generating AI tool Midjourney, Dr. Berens was struck by how efficiently and well the AI could generate images. “Wow, that’s a very expensive photo shoot gone,” she said. “Which is also to say, how many different people? That’s an art designer. It’s a person who manages the location. It’s all the lighting people. It’s the photographers. That’s a whole class of people who won’t have any say. And I’m not saying roll back time. I’m not saying that we’re Luddites. But there are human consequences that we do need to calibrate when we think about these things.”

While some AI creators are trying to slow development to allow regulators time to catch up in many ways, the cat is out of the bag. We are already years behind where we should be in regulating this, specifically in ensuring that the AI does not plagiarize other artists’ work—and people have already started using AI to generate images for book covers and the like.

“The problem is that legal remedies are much slower,” Dr. Berens said. “Computers are superhuman. They’re much, much faster than we can experientially understand, and so a legal remedy is going to take so much longer. All those book covers are going to be done and published before there’s a legal remedy.”

Further, when asked about the implications of AI in science, there is a big question mark as to whether or not scientific information created by AI is trusted more or not in the eyes of the public. “I can imagine if you’re not familiar with the tool, you might say, a computer’s more unbiased,” Dr. Suldovsky said. “I actually trust this information more because it does not have these same kinds of human flaws. But I think if you know a lot about the program, you actually trust it less. Because you go, I know what’s going on behind the scenes. I know how this text is generated, and I know that it gets things wrong.”

Many likely do not consider that these AI tools still learned from biased creators and that bias shows. While participants worked in our groups, the mentors and group facilitators ran a mini-experiment using Midjourney to test its bias.

They asked it to give them a picture of a scientist with no specifications other than that, and all four images it produced were white, older and male. Next, they asked it to produce several versions of a scientist, and almost every time, it produced the same biased response.

“Then we asked for a millennial scientist, and then we asked for a Gen Z scientist,” Dr. Suldovsky said. “Apparently, that’s when women came into play, when we said Gen Z scientist. Until then, it was all men.”

They did the same for what a professor looked like according

to the AI, and the results were similar. “We asked, what does a tenured professor look like? Which [was] also a white man,” Dr. Berens said. “Then we searched what does an adjunct professor look like? And of the four options, it was three guys and an owl.”

As a student exploring these AI systems in many different ways, it made me think a lot about their implications in academia. For example, there are concerns over how students use them and how this changes the way universities might address plagiarism or integrate these new tools.

Dr. Agrawal pointed out that in the computer science department, students are definitely using these tools to enhance their work. “Somewhere halfway through the class, we actually did that ChatGPT assignment where everybody started using it actively,” Dr. Agrawal said. “Then, the paper reviews that came after that experiment and assignment were drastically different than what most students had written before.”

I began to wonder how this could impact academic writing and the potential for falsified data, but there seems not to be too much alarm about that. “In terms of technical writing and scientific writing, because you know that the current models of early 2023 are far from perfect, and as long as you’re trained to look for any inconsistencies, you will be able to tell that this is probably not written by a human,” Dr. Agrawal said.

This is why hands-on, interdisciplinary science events are so useful for society in addressing these important issues. They serve as platforms for knowledge exchange and inspire collective efforts toward advancement and innovation. Science events play a vital role in addressing complex challenges and shaping a better future by fostering collaboration and shared learning.

DR. BRIANNE SULDOVSKY, DR. AMEETA AGRAWAL, DR. KATHI INMAN BERENS AND KAUSHAMBI GUJRAL (LEFT TO RIGHT) DURING IDEATHON PANEL DISCUSSION ON MAY 13 (2023). COURTESY OF COMPASSIONATE COMPUTING (COCO) LAB

PEOPLE PREPARING THEIR IDEATHON PRESENTATIONS ON MAY 13 (2023). COURTESY OF COMPASSIONATE COMPUTING (COCO) LAB

PREPARING TO BREAK OUT INTO GROUPS FOR IDEATHON EVENT ON MAY 13 (2023). COURTESY OF COMPASSIONATE COMPUTING (COCO) LAB

PSU’S SOFTBALL TEAM WRAPS UP A SUCCESSFUL SEASON

A LOOK AT THE VIKINGS' ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS YEAR

In a thrilling culmination of the season, the Portland State Vikings softball team concluded their 2023 campaign with a whirlwind of excitement and determination. Battling their way through fierce competition and demonstrating resilience, the Vikings showcased their prowess on the diamond, leaving the team eager to head into the next season. With the final pitch thrown and the dust settled on another exhilarating year of ball, it is time to recap on the performance of the Vikings this season.

Led by their passionate coaches and a roster of talent up and down the lineup, our softball squad left it all out on the field, showcasing their skills, resilience and unwavering determination. Fresh after the team’s accomplishments, Portland State Vanguard had the opportunity to sit down with coach Meadow McWhorter to relive the highs, lows and everything in between that defined another season of Portland softball in the books.

Entering her seventh season as the head coach of the softball program, Coach McWhorter had plenty of good things to say about the team, but highlighted their performances at the plate.

“Our offense had some really powerful moments throughout the season,” Coach McWhorter said when speaking on what made the team successful. “And there were some key wins where it was hitters in the 5-9 spot that

LAURA KOWALL

THE VIKINGS HONOR SENIOR OLIVIA DEAN (1) PRIOR TO THEIR FINAL HOME GAME AGAINST SACRAMENTO STATE ON SATURDAY, APRIL 22. COURTESY OF SCOTT LARSON

were carrying the weight of that game,” as well as other games where the top of the line up were the breadwinners. “We were manufacturing runs from all cylinders.”

With their overall win record at 18-27 by the end of the season, the team went 7-5 at home, providing evidence that home field advantage really does matter when you have such a travelheavy first part of the season. “We are on the road for the first five weekends of the season, typically,” Coach McWhorter shared, dubbing the team the Road Warriors. Even though the athletes and coaches are used to the grind of traveling, it can still take a lot out of a team because it usually means only one day of rest during away game weeks. Mondays are that day to rest, then Tuesdays and Wednesdays are dedicated to practice, and with softball being a sport of series, they head out on Thursdays to get ready to play Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays before heading home. “It can be pretty mentally taxing,” Coach McWhorter said about the continuous back-to-back road trips.

While every season seems to produce a few special key moments that are shared around the dinner table like folklore, this year’s moment came early. On Feb. 19, the lady Vikings won in walk-off fashion against DePaul University to secure the head coach’s 100th win here at PSU.

“Well, it was our 100th win,” Coach McWhorter said when asked about what it was like to accomplish such a thing. “I don’t feel like I won those games, everybody that suited up and put on a Viking uniform won those games.” Not only did she get to humbly celebrate with the team that got her into the triple digit win club, she sent texts and communicated with players who had already graduated and asked them to join in on the celebration.

Another key moment in the ‘23 season came towards the end, when pitcher Olivia Grey threw her first career no-hitter on May 11 in a 13-0 win over Montana State U. Recording seven strikeouts, Grey retired 15 of the 16 batters she faced that day, only losing one to an infield error that kept her from being perfect.

In addition to all the great effort the team put in as a whole, Emily Johansen had yet another powerful year for the Vikings at the plate. Ending the season with a .344 batting average and an on-base percentage of .460, Johansen walked off the field with several honors. In early May, she was named to the third AllPacific Region team, which is voted on by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. But the honors don’t stop there. Johansen also was named Big Sky Player of the Year, which is the first time an athlete at PSU has been given that. Because of the pandemic and there being no 2020 season, Johansen is eligible to play for one more year through an athletic loophole that’s been dubbed “redshirt.”

One thing that seemed to be prevalent as Coach McWhorter was retracing the journey her and her team had just been on is that past, present and future players on Coach McWhorter’s teams are all family. It is typical for groups of people who spend lots of time with one another to get close, but there just seems to be some magic that is created in that dugout. And time is ticking away for seven of the players that will be entering their senior year at PSU for the next season in 2024—“it’s a bittersweet place to be.” Not only has she had the pleasure of being these women’s coaches during their time at PSU, Coach McWhorter mentioned that a lot of the players she has been with since they were freshmen in high school and said that it has been fun to watch them grow into gritty athletes.

There tends to be a cycle when it comes to the softball roster and having a mass exodus of graduates, but Coach McWhorter feels optimistic in their recruitment strategies so far, with two freshman additions joining for the 2024 season. But it does mean that there are sad farewells at the end of the season.

This year, Coach McWhorter and her team had to say a bittersweet goodbye to a player that changed the program, Olivia “Juice” Dean. Dean joined the team in fall of 2020, but of course did not get any playing time as the team didn’t actually report that year. “The moment she stepped into this program she changed it,” Coach McWhorter said. “Energy, leadership and an unbelievable character who shows up for her people and radiates positive energy.” Dean ended her redshirt senior year with a .353 batting average in her 150 at-bats. Even though she is leaving big shoes to fill, Coach McWhorter is positive Dean left a little “juice” behind for the remaining players to hold onto and carry with them.

Although the cracks of the bats and the snaps of the gloves have ended for this season, the success of this year indicates that the Vikings softball team has much to look forward to while they rest and prepare for the 2024 season.

NEVEAH SMITH (00) JUMPING FOR JOY AFTER A DOMINATING WIN AGAINST PACIFIC ON MARCH 28. COURTESY OF SCOTT LARSON

OLIVIA GREY (11) STRIDES TOWARD HOME TO DELIVER A PITCH AT NORTHERN COLORADO ON APRIL 29. COURTESY OF SCOTT LARSON

THE VIKINGS HONOR SENIOR OLIVIA DEAN (1) PRIOR TO THEIR FINAL HOME GAME AGAINST SACRAMENTO STATE ON SATURDAY, APRIL 22. COURTESY OF SCOTT LARSON

PSU NEEDS A PLAN

ChatGPT and other generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools appear to be on track to reshape the landscape of higher education, and universities across the country are scrambling to adjust to the changes that are coming. Portland State isn’t immune to the challenges—and opportunities—that AI tools like ChatGPT will bring, and it’s imperative for the university to formulate a plan to deal with those eventualities now, rather than later when they may become too overwhelming to handle.

When incoming President Ann Cudd takes over this summer, university policy regarding generative AI will be one of the most pressing issues on the docket. It’s time to give the problem the attention it deserves—we need to figure out what the guidelines are going to be as soon as possible.

First, what is ChatGPT? A GPT, or Generative Pre-trained Transformer, is essentially an algorithm that can create new data on the basis of data it takes in, according to Time ChatGPT is one of those models, introduced by the company OpenAI.

I’m no computer scientist, so here’s a basic—and likely over-simplified—explanation of what ChatGPT does, and why universities are so scared of it. ChatGPT can take prompts from users, like “write me an essay on the significance of the Spanish Civil War” and use information collected from vari -

ous sources to generate a product based on that prompt. It can do a lot more than that, too, but that’s about as in-depth as I’m able to go on the technological aspects.

The possibility of students using ChatGPT to write entire essays has caused a panic, understandably, among faculty and staff at many universities. Vice reports that there’s a growing divide between those who see ChatGPT and other AI tools as an easy method for committing plagiarism, and those who view them more like a “convenient research assistant and nothing more.”

Currently, there’s an alarming lack of clarity in PSU policy on ChatGPT and similar tools. For example, the Dean of Student Life’s webpage on “Academic Misconduct” doesn’t explicitly mention AI anywhere in its explanation of the policy. It states that “academic misconduct” may include “submitting for credit work done by someone else,” which includes plagiarism and failure to cite sources—something that could certainly be applied to an essay written entirely by ChatGPT.

However, it’s that “could” that’s the problem. I can read that policy and infer that if I simply gave ChatGPT an essay prompt and turned in the paper it churned out, that would be a clear example of plagiarism. But where’s the line? If I give ChatGPT the same prompt, but go through each paragraph of the essay it generates and rewrite them in my own

words, is that still plagiarism? If I use ChatGPT to generate a structure for my essay, which I then write myself, is that acceptable? What if I ask ChatGPT to summarize a selection of research materials for me, and I then use those summaries to write my essay?

Also, it’s worth noting that the current academic misconduct policy is based on human-to-human interactions—the plagiarism policy prohibits students from submitting work done by someone else, but not necessarily something else.

These may seem like nitpicks, and maybe they are, but it’s better to be over-prepared rather than under-prepared—and with something as unpredictable as the future of machine learning, the time is fast approaching when obscure edge cases might become the new normal.

Of course, this isn’t only a problem for PSU, but for universities across the United States and elsewhere—and the consequences of approaching generative AI tools from a place of fear can be disastrous.

Take, for example, the response to ChatGPT from one university in Texas. In May, a professor at Texas A&M University-Commerce falsely accused an entire class of using ChatGPT to write their essay assignments, temporarily denying the students their diplomas and threatening their graduation status, according to Rolling Stone The university

NICK GATLIN

later gave a statement walking back the move, stating they were “investigating the incident and developing policies to address the use or misuse of AI technology in the classroom.”

More frighteningly, the University of Texas and Texas State University systems won a legal battle in April when the Texas Supreme Court ruled six to two that the universities can revoke degrees from students after graduation if they determine the degree was obtained through academic misconduct, according to Inside Higher Ed. With the unclear boundaries around the use of ChatGPT, what precedent does this set?

As a student, I am terrified of using ChatGPT or similar tools in any of my assignments, even when they might be genuinely helpful. I would guess many students feel the same way—and that’s a shame. Generative AI, for all its dangers, has the potential to be a revolutionary new technology if we approach it with curiosity rather than fear.

There needs to be clearer lines around good-faith use of AI technology in classrooms. Just as students should be aware of exactly what constitutes academic misconduct with AI tools, students shouldn’t be afraid to exploit the possibilities of generative AI. If we don’t encourage the adoption of AI in positive ways, we’re going to end up cutting off a valuable and exciting new avenue for academic exploration.

For example, The University of North Texas Center for

Learning Experimentation, Application and Research, housed in their Division of Digital Strategy and Innovation, has this to say on their page, Positive Uses for ChatGPT in the Higher Education Classroom: “ChatGPT can be used as a tool for creativity as well as an accommodation, and teaching approaches can utilize it to innovate teaching and learning.” They imagine AI being used in “writing assignments in which students actively analyze the tool’s strengths and limitations,” AI-assisted draft editing, automated text-to-speech or speech-to-text accommodations for students with auditory or visual impairments and more.

It seems that there are a few practical options for PSU to take on AI tools going forward. The first is to just ignore it and hope the problem resolves itself—not the most practicable solution.

The second option is to ban the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI altogether. This might be doable, and it may even be attractive for the university administration as a relatively messfree solution. However, this would be a mistake—trying to hold back the tide of technological advancement has never worked in the past, and PSU would risk falling behind as AI becomes more commonplace in the world.

The third option, and the one I believe to be the most reasonable, is to come to some kind of accommodation with AI in the classroom. Nobody really knows what that means yet, but it seems clear that AI is here to stay—the least we can do is find

a way to make the most of it.

PSU President Stephen Percy said about ChatGPT in his latest press conference, “The Provost has convened a committee because it’s sort of in the academic realm, and they’re looking at that…I think they’re just beginning to figure out what the guidelines are for that.”

Once Percy hands over the role to Cudd in August, I hope that she will take up the issue as one of the first priorities of her new term. Cudd’s experience as Provost for the University of Pittsburgh should give her hands-on experience with these thorny questions of academic integrity and exploration, and a matter as delicate as this needs an experienced hand.

PSU, as an urban research university in the heart of the largest city in Oregon, has a unique opportunity to become a leader in the state on how universities approach AI moving forward. In this moment, there’s no better way for PSU to live up to its motto, “Let Knowledge Serve the City,” than to tackle ChatGPT head-on and become a model for universities across the state. The time is now to put the reins on generative AI, and to harness it for our own good.

NEO CLARK