Portland State Vanguard May 16, 2013 by Portland State Vanguard

Vanguard ••Tuesday, Thursday, THURSDAY, Jan. Nov. MAY 31, 16, 8, 2013 2012 2013 • news • •news news

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NEWS

Game Club reboot welcomes all The PSU Game Club hopes to attract new members with casual environment Ashley Rask Vanguard staff

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Editor: Deeda Schroeder news@psuvanguard.com 503-725-3883

The revival of the Portland State Game Club, officially called the Gamers Republic of University Players, couldn’t have come at a better time as warmer weather approaches and students look for fun activities to participate in around campus. The club, which focuses on tabletop and role-playing games, hopes to welcome new members to a casual environment where they can bring their own games and meet new people. “It’s a safe way to kick back, meet new people, laugh and have a good time,” said Andrew Tarries, founder and former president of the club. Tabletop games include board games, card games, dice games and any other game you can play on a flat surface. A role-playing game—or RPG as it’s known in gaming circles— is a game in which players take on the role of a character in a fictional narrative. The club offers both general tabletop game nights and nights geared specifically toward RPGs. Regular game nights are held every Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Viking Food Court in Smith Memorial Student Union. The club’s RPG nights, called “Play Games, Tell Stories,” are held sporadically on

Wednesday nights from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. on the second floor of SMSU. “The RPG games are a little more involved…so we don’t do those as often [as] board game nights,” Tarries said. Both nights are open to anyone, including non-PSU students, of any experience level. “My priority with role-playing or storytelling games is to make it very welcoming for people that maybe don’t have a lot of experience,” Club Officer Joel Shempert said. “I want to make it very easy to drop in and feel that you don’t need to know a lot, make a big commitment or join a campaign; and then if people want to do it full time, that’s great.” Keeping the club casual and open to anyone is something that officers say is new since the club’s reformation. They would also like to expand to include different themed nights. Officer Griffon Jillson emphasized that members can pick games to play as well. “Anybody who shows up is welcome to suggest or bring a game,” Jillson said. Corvus D. Elrod, a “Play Games, Tell Stories” attendee, did just that. Elrod, the creator of the tabletop storytelling game Bhaloidam, brought his game to the RPG night for fellow attendees to try. The game was funded through Kickstarter, a website that helps users spread the word about their creative projects and receive funding for them. Elrod’s game features colorful gaming boards instead of character sheets and

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Bhaloidam is a board game created by Game Club member Corvus D. Elrod. necessarily try otherwise. “What I love about being a part of this group is that we are open to different games that we’ve never played before,” Tarries said. “I’d never done an RPG or storytelling game until these guys came along, and it was a lot of fun.” The club hopes to hold an event to officially announce the rebooting of their club

Despite losing funding last year, Chiron persists with voluteer help

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The Vanguard is published twice weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Publications Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers, and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. One copy of the Vanguard is provided free of charge to all community members, additional copies or subscription issues may incur a 25 cent charge.

encourages people to work together. “I don’t actually call it a roleplaying game, because you work collectively on the story and kind of share characters,” Elrod said. “There might be one…you’re most vested in— whose interests you represent—but you really have the ability to move other people’s principle characters in your narrative.” Elrod, who’s been gaming since high school, enjoys game nights because he’s able to view games from a completely different perspective. “What I like isn’t so much the games themselves, [but]… to look at other systems and see how they differ from what designs I do,” he said. “I like watching people utilize those systems in ways that, sometimes, the designers didn’t expect.” Along with trying out local independent games, members have the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of games they wouldn’t

teach out from page 1

Daniel Johnston, Riza Liu, Kayla Nguyen, Miles Sanguinetti, Corinna Scott, Adam Wickham

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all photos kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFf

Jenn dolan, left, Corvus D. Elrod, Morgan Shaunette and Michael Rude, all members of PSU’s Game Club, play Bhaloidam.

jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFf

Jordan martin joins the Discover Your Voice, Discover Your Medicine class. The Teach Out events are designed to allow participants to come and go at their leisure.

“We taught about kale and its many uses. We focused on the heartiness of the vegetable [and the fact] that it’s very nutritious and…can be cooked in a lot of different ways,” said Kelsey Hoffman, co-chair of the collective. Hoffman said “Kalelujah!” was a chance for the FAC to give PSU students a complete introduction to kale, as if they had bought it for the first time. “In that aspect we wanted to have samples and recipes for students,” Hoffman said. “But then we also wanted students to feel like they had this role in planting their own kale…and being able to see it grow from a seed to a plant.” The FAC has its roots in the Chiron Studies program, which grew out of a course called “Food Affairs: System, Society and Sustainability,” taught by Carolyn White. White, who now serves as a member of the Chiron Studies Committee, said the Teach Out was an idea generated by the committee. White said

the Teach Out serves the dual purpose of creating a public dialogue with students about what Chiron Studies does while raising awareness for the program’s current funding situation. White said Chiron Studies had its funding revoked last year. “Before that we had an operating budget that allowed us to compensate instructors for teaching and also fund the work of a Chiron Studies coordinator,” White said. “Since then we’ve lost funding to be able to support Chiron instructors and the coordinator,” White said. “In that way it makes it an entirely volunteer program [that’s] still collecting quite a huge profit for the university.” Rozzell Medina confirmed that he has been acting as Chiron Studies coordinator for the last five months without pay, primarily because of his passion for the program. Medina said that when he first got word that the funding

once they get a series of new games in. Until then, they encourage people to stop by and see what the club is about. “We’re a bunch of gamers, and we’re here to play games,” Tarries said. For more information on the PSU Game Club, visit their club page at orgsync. com/45342/chapter or contact them at gamers@pdx.edu.

for Chiron Studies had been pulled, it felt as though the proverbial rug had been pulled out from under him. “Every reason that they’ve given us has had to do with finances,” Medina said. “We don’t really see much logic in that. The memo we received from the former provost, Roy Koch, said that they are prioritizing regular instruction in a climate of budgetary constraint.” Medina said students pay just as much to take a Chiron Studies class as they would any other class. “So we don’t see how a program that is making tens of thousands of dollars a year for the university is not economically viable,” Medina said. Medina said that the Chiron Studies leadership will have a meeting on Thursday, May 16, and the program’s future funding is on the agenda. Medina remains hopeful. “With the Teach Out we wanted to do something really positive,” Medina said. “We wanted to give students an opportunity to come together in a unique way, because that’s what Chiron Studies is all about.”

NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS •• TUESDAY, •TUESDAY, THURSDAY, • TUESDAY, JANUARY JANUARY MAY MAY 16, 24, 17, 1, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD

Transitioning from the combat zone to campus life PSU to open new Veteran’s Resource Center this spring Ryan Voelker Vanguard staff

As many veterans transition to campus life after serving their country, Portland State aims to honor their sacrifices by providing a new Veteran’s Resource Center that is set to launch this spring. Returning to civilian life after serving in the military is a difficult transition in itself. Add to that the stresses of navigating class schedules, tuition and veteran benefits, and the prospect of entering academic life can seem an overwhelming task. The people behind the VRC intend to make that transition much smoother, and to help these veterans find long-term success. “More and more students are coming back to school because they have this benefit, and Portland State is a great location,” said Dean of Student Life Michele Toppe.

In addition to the VRC, Toppe oversees several other resource projects on campus, such as the Resource Center for Students with Children, the Queer Resource Center and the Women’s Resource Center. “We have a lot of veterans coming back as we’re ending things in Iraq. We have a high number now, and we expect that number will only go up,” she said. Toppe said the mission of the VRC is to promote a campus climate that fully integrates military community members into life at PSU. With programs and initiatives already in place, she pointed out that PSU has actually been a major advocate for veterans since the 1940s. The VRC will further build upon an established commitment to returning service members. “We already have personnel to help veterans figure out

how their benefits apply, and have all the paperwork processed to utilize their benefit,” Toppe said. “Viking Vets has been around for several years, but we haven’t had full-time staff like this yet.” The center will be part of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs. It will be staffed by a coordinator of Student Veterans Services, an assistant and student staff members and will include a peer mentor program. Toppe explained that the hiring process has begun for the coordinator position, and they are narrowing down a list from dozens of qualified candidates. “Our coordinator will help veteran students navigate all these systems, because they’re really complex,” she said. “There is a college success class that the coordinator is going to teach for the student veterans, and that class will include having folks come to give guidance around academic advising and career choices related to those academic choices.”

According to Toppe, the VRC staff will create and host new academic workshops focused on long-range academic planning and monitor academic performance to make sure student veterans are staying on track and getting help when needed. Funding for the VRC comes from the Associated Students of Portland State University student fee committee as well as from general funds. The VRC will be housed in Smith Memorial Student Union. The space will contain lounge areas for students to convene with amenities such as an Xbox and a couch that students can use for naps between classes. There will also be quiet spaces for studying and confidential conversations. “We are striving to create an open and inclusive space where everyone feels welcome. Even partners of veterans. We hope people will feel like this is a space they can be in and create a really positive community,” Toppe said. For Toppe, involvement with

courtesy of psu

Michele Toppe, dean of student life

the VRC has been a rewarding experience. She said that the veterans she has worked closely with have inspired her to make the resource center as supportive as possible. She also sees bringing veterans to PSU as beneficial for everybody since it brings a wealth of diverse experiences to civilian students.

“They’re really great at collaborating and caring about the community,” Toppe said. “They help students who haven’t had that military experience understand the world that we live in a little bit better. It really makes our campus a better place, and I appreciate the leadership that they bring.”

VANGUARD • THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 • News

Bike to PSU Challenge promotes alternative transportation, health

Crime Blotter for May 6–13 Stephanie Tshappat Vanguard staff

parked at the beginning of the day and the driver returning at the end of the day to find it severely damaged.

May 6 May 10 Exclusion order University Honors Building, north side

Exposer

Officer Shawn McKenzie contacted nonstudent Leroy Harlow with an open container of alcohol at 11:45 a.m. and issued Harlow an exclusion.

Smith Memorial Student Union Market

Theft Stephen Epler Residence Hall

Officer McKenzie took a report of a bike being stolen between 11 a.m. and 3:10 p.m.

At 4:25 p.m. Officer Murphy received a report of a male subject walking around naked. Officer Murphy was unable to locate the subject but descriptions of the subject and his tattoo are similar to those of the suspect who exposed himself to a faculty member on May 8. Arrest

all photos riza liu/VANGUARD STAFf

Theft

Engineering Building, south side

Parking Structure 3, fourth floor

Officer Chris Fischer took a report of a vehicle being broken into and clothing and a blanket stolen from it.

Officers Baker and Murphy contacted nonstudent William Peckham, who had a current exclusion and an open container of alcohol. Peckham was cited in lieu of arrest for criminal trespass II.

Theft

Arrest

Academic and Student Rec Center

Urban Plaza

At 8 p.m., Officer Fischer took a report from a student who said his ASRC locker was opened and his wallet and dorm keys were stolen.

Officers Baker and Murphy contacted nonstudent Michael Hordeman, who had a current exclusion for trespassing. Hordeman was cited in lieu of arrest for criminal trespass II.

May 7

Trinh Youngman, a senior music performance major, is participating in the Bike to PSU Challenge this month.

Participants can win prizes by logging bike trips to campus Coby Hutzler Vanguard Staff

Those looking for a reason to start commuting by bike this spring can stop looking and start riding during this month’s Bike to PSU Challenge. Open to students and staff, the challenge lasts through the end of May and offers competitors a chance to prove their mettle by logging their trips and competing for weekly and monthly prizes as well as “fame and glory,” according to the Bike to PSU website. The formula behind the challenge relies on tracking how many of a participant’s trips to campus are made by bike. The resulting percentage is also tracked, and each trip logged acts as a ticket for the competition’s weekly raffles. “We like to reward the folks that go for 100 percent,” said

Ian Stude, the transportation operations manager for the university’s Transportation and Parking Services department. Those with longer commutes are eligible for mileagebased awards as well. Riders can compete on their own, but participants are encouraged to start or join a team of four to 10 riders. “The team structure helps drive a healthy competition between groups on campus,” while acting as a support network, said Clint Culpepper, supervisor at the Bike Hub, PSU’s on-campus bicycle shop. “The [team] captains are the glue,” Stude continued, adding that “people really get into the captain role.” Different riders and teams can challenge each other through the competition’s website. “It’s probably the best possible version of peer pressure,” Stude said. There are currently more than 1,100 riders registered,

and more than 900 of them have logged a trip through the challenge’s website. More than 120 teams are currently participating. “Our participation level is just slightly ahead of this time last year,” Stude said, “but we’re hoping to see another growth spurt this week.” Stude’s advice to potential participants is blunt. “Sign up,” he said. In the past, riders who have joined the challenge usually continue getting to PSU on their bikes. “We see two habits,” Culpepper said, adding that newer riders usually add bike commuting to their range of transportation options and that those with more experience often begin getting around primarily by bike. The last day of the challenge is Friday, May 31, and overall individual and team awards will be handed out at a celebration event on Tuesday, June 4. Those with questions can stop by the Bike Hub or visit biketopsu.com.

Arrest Theft

Engineering Building, south side

Ondine Residence Hall parking lot

Officers Brenton Chose and Buck contacted nonstudent Brian Lankford, who had a current exclusion, at 11:13 p.m. Lankford was cited in lieu of arrest for criminal trespass II.

Officer McKenzie and Officer Brian Rominger received a report at 1:54 p.m. from a student who said that sometime between 5 p.m. on May 6 and 8:45 a.m. on May 7, the driver’s-side window of his vehicle was pushed down and a large amount of change and a pocket knife were taken.

Arrest Theft

University Honors Building, north side

Blackstone Residence Hall basement

Officers Rominger and McKenzie contacted nonstudent James Moore, who was lying in the grass near the honors building with his hands in his pants. Moore was issued an exclusion order. Moore returned to the same location at 3:30 p.m., was arrested for criminal trespass and taken to the Multnomah County Detention Center.

At 11:08 a.m., Officer Nichola Higbee received a report of a children’s copilot bicycle trailer being stolen sometime between April 29 and May 7. May 8 Theft Native American Student and Community Center

Theft

Officer Higbee received a report of a purse and three textbooks stolen out of a car at 8:47 a.m.

Officer Murphy received a report from nonstudent Sujittra Kitalreewan, who had left her iPad and backpack unattended from 2 to 3 p.m., during which time they were stolen.

Arrest

Millar Library, fourth floor

University Honors Building, north side

Officers David Baker and Denae Murphy contacted nonstudents Donald Shearer and Mark Sutton, who had open containers of alcohol at 3:34 p.m. Shearer had a current exclusion order and was cited in lieu of arrest for criminal trespass. Sutton was issued an exclusion order. Public Indecency Science Research and Teaching Center, south side

Officers Jon Buck, Baker and Murphy received a report at 7:54 p.m. from a faculty member that an unknown male subject exposed himself to her. The subject asked the victim to take a picture of his tattoo with his smart phone and when the victim looked up from the phone the subject dropped his shorts down, revealing his erect penis, and then began to slide his hand up and down on his penis. The victim set the phone down and walked away. The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, about 5’7” and 200 pounds, with brown hair, a thick brown beard and a big, black, square tattoo near the pelvic region of his right hip. He was wearing a t-shirt and tan cargo shorts. Hit and Run Fourth Avenue Building

Signs placed near bike racks on campus inform bikers and passersby of the Bike to PSU Challenge.

May 11

Officer Murphy received a report of a vehicle being

Exclusion Southwest Mill Street and Sixth Avenue

Officers Buck and Murphy observed nonstudent Lisa Aragon wandering in traffic against a green light at Southwest Sixth Avenue at 10:04 p.m. Aragon then stumbled to the Urban Plaza. Aragon was too intoxicated to care for herself and was voluntarily transported to detox. Aragon was issued an exclusion order because of an open container of alcohol found on her person. Theft Engineering Building, computer lab 88-09

At 9:45 p.m., Officers Brian Chose, Peter Ward, Jared Schuurmans and Fischer responded to a theft report from a student who said her iPhone was stolen. May 12 Arrest Smith Memorial Student Union

At 9:29 a.m., officers McKenzie and Rominger contacted nonstudent Franklin Thomas Howard, who had a current exclusion order and two outstanding warrants. Howard was arrested on those warrants and criminal trespass, and was taken to the Multnomah County Detention Center.

NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS •• TUESDAY, •TUESDAY, THURSDAY, • TUESDAY, JANUARY JANUARY MAY MAY 16, 24, 17, 1, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD

tuition hike from page 1

Dwindling state funds for higher education blamed for proposed increase The universities arrive at an operating cost that is sent to OUS’ Chancellor’s Office, which analyzes any proposed increases in tuition or fees. That number changes hands again before going to the Finance Committee for a final reevaluation before being submitted for final approval from the board, Saunders said. Increases like these can be crucial to maintain quality on campuses at a time when state funding isn’t sufficient, she said. “The OUS receives less funding than it did in 1999. And we have 34,000 more students now.” In 1999, state funding for higher education was $755 million. A report for the 2011– 13 school years shows that number has dropped to $688 million. Less funding has to stretch to support a system with more than 101,000 students, Saunders said. “This is the bottom line of the problem,” Saunders said. “The [state funding] number has been going down as enrollment goes in the other direction.” The concern over lack of financial support from the state was echoed by PSU President Wim Wiewel.

“The state has not increased funding for higher education. The governor has proposed an increase, which would be the first time since I’ve come to Oregon. It doesn’t even begin to make up the amount of money we’ve lost over the last five years…We’ve had to replace that with tuition increases, which have had the affect of pricing people out of

“The OUS receives less funding than it did in 1999. And we have 34,000 more students now.” Diane Saunders, Director of communication, Oregon University System

the market,” Wiewel said in an interview with Portland Business Journal. The ever-rising tuition costs and competition for limited financial aid is resulting in rising debt for the student, Saunders said. “We’re seeing that students have to borrow more than in the past. We don’t have enough financial aid to go around to all the students who need it,” she said.

This burden of debt is felt by many, including Andrew Echeverria, an incoming transfer student starting at PSU in the fall. “It doesn’t make me second-guess going to school, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There’s nothing I can do about it. Things are expensive and I’m going to have debt when I’m done,” Echeverria said. “Debt sometimes worries me. Schooling is continuing to get more and more expensive, but debt is the norm for our generation now. There’s not really a way around it,” Echeverria continued. Students will have a chance to share thoughts and concerns about the increase before a final decision is made. The State Board of Higher Education’s finance committee will meet on May 24, from 9 a.m. into the afternoon. Students can then directly present their cases to OUS board members. “None of these decisions are easy ones, so it’s an opportunity for students to share their input,” Saunders said. “And the board wants to hear from as many people as possible.” Student testimony is timelimited and will be prioritized by campus representatives. The meeting will be held at PSU’s Academic and Student Rec Center, 1800 SW Sixth Ave., Suite 515.

Every week, the Vanguard interviews members of the Portland State community in the Park Blocks and asks them a timely question.

This week’s question:

“What are your plans this summer?” Austin Maggs Vanguard Staff

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Lal Horan, 22, a linguistics graduate student, will travel to Israel, where she volunteers at a coexistence camp for Arab and Jewish children every summer. After that, she plans to travel to Sweden to visit her roommate for vacation. “Israel’s a great experience. It’s great working with kids in coexistence,” Horan said. “And I’ve never been to Sweden.”

Ismael Padin, 21, an engineering senior, will be in New York for a construction engineering internship. He also plans to finish his last year of school in New York. “It isn’t my first internship, but it’s my first internship related to what I’m studying,” Padin said. “I’ll have my own apartment that I’m going to hold onto for the next year. It’s going to be good.”

Kauri Voss, 22, the marketing coordinator for PSU Dining Services, will divide her time between planning dining service events for the next school year and reuniting with her band Evoli. Voss categorizes her band in a genre she calls power folk. “[The name is] ‘I love’ backwards. It’s like Led Zeppelin mixed with The Cranberries, Fleetwood Mac and Bob Dylan all at the same time,” Voss said. “They’re the most fun to play and to listen to.”

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VANGUARD ••TThursday, THURSDAY, uesday, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, Jan. JANUARY OCTOBER Nov. MAY FEBRUARY JANUARY 31, 16, 8, 2013 2012 10, 25, 2013 26, •2, 2012 2011 ARTS •2012 •ARTS ARTS ••&•OPINION OPINION CULTURE &ARTS &CULTURE CULTURE & CULTURE

ARTS & CULTURE

EDITOR: Louie Opatz ARTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5694

Indistinguishable from magic Truly a triumph for gentleman scientists everywhere Brandon Staley Vanguard Staff

In the recently released video game Don’t Starve you play the character Wilson, a gentleman scientist who wakes up stranded in a strange land inhabited by monsters. Your goal is threefold, the first of which is obvious: to not starve. After that you’ll have to pay mind to your health and sanity, both of which will gradually drain over the course of the game. You’ll need to forage for food and use Wilson’s intellect to build crafting machines in order to survive. But Don’t Starve isn’t just about you blissfully running around an alien countryside, collecting berries and making “the science.” Eventually night comes, and with it an unsettling darkness that seems, at first, to creep too close to your campfire. As the days pass the seasons shift for the worse. It’s getting colder and the berries aren’t growing like they once did. Your sanity is beginning to deplete more rapidly and the shadows around the fire are nightly pushing deeper into the protective ring of light. You see hungry eyes in the black abyss. You’ll soon begin to hear the voices. You can prevent this, but it isn’t easy. To fend off the night and its unsavory influences you’ll need to build. Fire is of the utmost importance, but it’s also a fickle beast. Build your campfire too strong and too close to a forest, and you’re in for a light show that will also burn you to death. But let’s take a step back. To get that firewood in the first place, you’re going to need to chop down some trees. You don’t have an ax, so you’ll have to make one from raw materials. As you accumulate more raw materials, you might find you want to expand your building

potential to better your mastery of this strange world. Various crafting machines, both scientifically and magically oriented, can serve that purpose if you can find the time and materials to build them. The days are short and the key to success in Don’t Starve is balancing your daylight hours. As a former Minecraft player, much of this came naturally to me, as the basic process of survival doesn’t differ much between the two games. But if you haven’t already hopped on the open-world survival game zeitgeist by now, the first few hours might put you off. It would be completely reasonable for a new player to wander off on the first day, gleefully chasing turkeys and rabbits, only to discover he is woefully unprepared for the night. Don’t Starve gives little in the way of a tutorial. The game remaining relatively mum on its mechanics will be frustrating for some, but for others the process of discovery will be rewarding. While dying after having survived for 18 days will seem like a waste of time at first, it’s worth it to push through. There’s a bit more behind the curtain. Death is part of the game and, in fact, failure yields reward. The longer you survive in each life the more XP (experience points) you gain, allowing you to level up and unlock new characters. Each unlocked character has their unique pitfalls and boons that I wouldn’t possibly consider spoiling. Your XP and the levels you gain are unique in that they are the only things that carry over or accumulate between deaths. You lose all collected items upon death, adding a rogue-like element that is rarely enforced to such a degree within the genre. With each death you gain something far more valuable than XP or items, though: you gain knowledge. Knowledge is perhaps the true currency in Don’t Starve, as knowing something as simple

Visualizing quality short films 5th Avenue Cinema hosts its annual film festival Tess Anderson Vanguard Staff

PSU’s 5th Avenue Cinema, located conveniently on campus, is well known for its weekly showings of classic, modern and independent films for all the community to enjoy at extraordinarily low prices. Why part ways with a Jackson to see yet another generic superhero movie shown in nauseating 3-D? This Saturday, the student-run establishment will dedicate a few hours to showing off potential future Oscar winners in their annual Visuals Film Festival. You can take Mr. Jackson out to the movies and watch local filmmakers show off their blossoming talent in 15 minutes or less. The festival’s been around for more than a decade, showcasing the works of students, faculty and community members. Filmmakers may produce short films pertaining to the topic of their choosing. The only films that aren’t included are those of the pornographic variety. Other than that, the sky is the limit. Film festivals are the epitome of cinema: A nonstop schedule of movies made by people who legitimately care about their art’s content. They allow people to be introduced to and experience deeper and more stimulating film culture outside of what mainstream Hollywood deems fit for public consumption.

Not only that, festivals get filmmakers’ work out there, and can get them a more genuine response than that of friends who say, “Yeah, I liked it.” According to 5th Avenue Cinema Coordinator (and Vanguard writer) Matt Ellis, this year’s submissions have mostly been from student filmmakers, when in previous years there had been more contributions from community members and local filmmakers. The festival will make for an excellent opportunity to see the artistic inner workings of your Portland State peers. Though there are the weekly regulars, mostly composed of students, the festival is simply another way to bring in a broader scope of audience—regulars, friends of filmmakers, amateur film enthusiasts, et cetera. Following the screenings, the audience will vote on their personal favorite, at which point they will be awarded free pizza for supporting local artists. While folks are noshing on a slice, the film committee will vote on the staff ’s favorite film, an honor that will be awarded the same evening. After everything has been checked and double-checked, there will be two awards given out, one for the audience favorite and one for the staff favorite. Winners will receive passes to a local theater or art house. Previous

A Hatchet and An Outhouse: Wilson, the fearless hero of Don’t Starve, has to navigate spiders and starvation in the new video game from Klei. as how to get charcoal, a key material in specific crafting recipes, can completely change the way you play the game the next time around. Anyone familiar with developer Klei’s previous games, such as Shank and Mark of the Ninja, will know that the studio is no slouch in the visuals department. Don’t Starve has a two-dimensional cut-out look that is reserved and defined, reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas or The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy-era Tim Burton illustrations. That said, it’s not unreasonable to feel that more could be done visually with such a rich concept. There are moments when the barren nature of the world you are exploring works to the game’s advantage, but there are other times when the landscapes begin to feel repetitive. Portland weather has been temperamental lately. One week it’s all sun and lying sleepily in the Park Blocks, and the next it’s the gloom and rain that we should all be used to by now.

winners have received prizes including movie passes and a lower-level yearlong membership to the Hollywood Theatre and Northwest Film Center. The 5th Avenue Cinema is staffed primarily by Portland State’s Film Committee. They are the ones who choose the incredibly diverse lineup of movies that are shown every term. Visuals is the only film festival that’s put on directly by the cinema right now, and Ellis said that while the committee is hoping to include more events in its schedule similar to this one, there is currently a lack of funds to do so. The cinema prides itself on being a nonprofit. As mentioned earlier, tickets and popcorn are free for PSU students and only three dollars for community members. Sure, there are countless amusing activities happening on campus at any point in time. But 5th Avenue Cinema’s Visuals Film Festival is free and features local artists and original work from other PSU students. Ellis warned that this a popular event here on campus and seats in the theater tend to fill up fast. He advised any prospective attendees to get there early and claim their territory. Once settled, enjoy the popcorn, pizza and student-helmed short films on the big screen.

Don’t Starve is the kind of game you can lose hours to on a rainy day, if only to marvel at the bizarre and alluring art style and dig deep into the game’s myriad mechanics. Klei is also continuously updating the game: As of this writing, the next slated major update will reportedly include caves. I don’t know what those caves will have in them, only that I will happily spelunk them and very likely freak out in the dark some more. Don’t Starve was a slow burn for me, but I’m hooked.

Klei Entertainment presents Don’t Starve Avaliable on PC, Steam, standalone via developer’s website, Chrome Web Store $14.99

Now hiring Designers for the summer

5th Avenue Cinema presents Visuals Film Festival Saturday, May 17, 7 p.m. 510 SW Hall St. Free and open to the public

APPLY ONLINE AT PSUVANGUARD.COM

Arts Arts & Culture & Culture • THURSDAY, •Tuesday,MAY Jan.16, 31, 2013 • VANGUARD

Google searches turn dreamers into designers Saturday night marked Portland Sewing’s celebration of new and up-and-coming design talent Caroline McGowan Vanguard Staff

Lights, cameras and rows of fashion-hungry Portlanders packed into White Horse Studios Saturday night for the Fashion Forward show, Portland Sewing’s year-end celebration. Rows of white chairs were filled and overflowing onlookers peered over a second-story balcony to catch a glimpse of the fall 2013 looks that strutted, turned and posed for crouching photographers. Portland Sewing, a sewing and apparel design studio that’s operated out of Northeast Portland the past 11 years, hosted the annual event and was responsible for the skills and talent behind the designs. Rewind 10 months to August of last year, when a handful of hopefuls were hand selected for this very Fashion Forward program. The opportunity afforded the chosen few aspiring designers months of intense hours of instruction from industry professionals and a chance to showcase a collection of their own designs for friends, family, the public and even local buyers in May. Each designer was unique in his or her approach to creating a fall 2013 ready-to-wear line, and each collection boasted around five or six different looks. A noticeable amount of knits, polyester, hoods and relaxed structures embodied the true Portland spirit as the models “worked it” down the aisles of watching eyes. Men and women both got their time in the spotlight, and at the end of each of the eight

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Portland via mongolia: Fashion Forward designer Lisha Xie is inspired by her Mongolian heritage, which she displayed in her collection at last weekend’s show.

collections the designers emerged beaming from behind the curtain. The minutes-long showcase of months-long labor is an apt encapsulation of the grueling design process. Joshua Buck, a 31- (or, in his charming words, “30-wonderful,”) year-old Portlander with a splash of turquoise hair, was the brains behind his menswear collection, “Chicago Harper.” “The part I struggle with the most is mixing creativity and commerce—creating something that feels nice and fresh and is also something people want to buy,” Buck said. “The most fun part is after the final fitting, cutting the final fabric and seeing it come to life.” Buck’s designs can be found at Radish Underground—and he’s not the only designer with a presence around town. Lisa Silveira has shown her collection,

“Wandering Muse,” around town for the last year. She was part of last year’s Fashion Forward show, the Pink Carpet Project Fashion Show and, most recently, the Fade to Light event. As her models were busy showing off her hard work, Silveira emerged from behind the curtain to help a couple of models remove their outerwear and then assisted them as they flipped and turned their garments into newly fashioned looks made of the same item of clothing. One example is a dress that was unzipped in the back, turned around and donned as a mid-thigh-length jacket. No indecency for audience members, of course, as the cool-weather-ready look was complete with leggings and a tank underneath. Silveira’s look caters well to the on-the-go Portlander and was clearly inspired by knitwear and an emphasis on versatility.

Inspiration is different for every designer, and for some it is very personal. Designer Lisha Xie was born in China and chose to honor that in her clothing. “I was born in Mongolia, and this is a Mongolian inspiration,” Xie said. When asked how she discovered Portland Sewing, she simply said online. She wasn’t the only designer who credited the Internet with helping her find the design school. Gupse Spasaro, a 26-year-old resident of the Pearl District, had always admired her mom’s and grandma’s sewing growing up, so she googled “sewing, Portland” and found herself at the Portland Sewing website. Now she’s a full-fledged designer, with a line of dresses called “Undeniable” aimed at 20-to-30year-old women. Spasaro described the line as “comfortable and sexy with simple pieces.” Portland is rising on the fashion scene: The iconic hit TV show Portlandia put idiosyncratic Portland style on the mainstream map, and already the Rose City has boasted several success stories on the Bravo design series Project Runway. It is the mission of Portland Sewing founder Sharon Blair to foster Portland’s growth as a fashion-forward city. “We will make Portland a center for the fashion industry—one designer at a time!” Blair said emphatically from the stage—a declaration that was met with applause at the close of the wellreceived show. If the fashion curious keep Googling sewing resources in Portland, then Blair may very well continue to see the benefits of her efforts. Applications for the 2013–14 Portland Sewing Fashion Forward Program are available to anyone with a passion for fashion and will be accepted this summer. Portland Sewing is predominantly a sewing studio with classes open to any and all who wish to learn more about sewing and design. More information can be found at portland sewing.com.

Radiation rock Radiation City cement reputation as Portland band on the rise with vibrant new release Blake Hickman Vanguard Staff

My initial spin of Animals in the Median, the sophomore album by Portland’s Radiation City, happened in the early morning hours after what was, I’ll be honest, a probably-too-late spring evening out downtown the night before. As I was driving through Multnomah Village, taking note of the long lines of Portlanders also looking for the panacea of a greasy breakfast and mimosa pairing, I found my spirits buoyed almost immediately by the summer-barbecue quality of the lead off track, “Zombies.” “So Long,” the next track, continued the good vibes with an indelible chorus, swirling surf guitar and vintage organ flourishes. Animals in the Median is a focused effort from a band with a lot of disparate qualities. Radiation City’s most recent effort is anchored by drummer Randy Bemrose, whose kinetic style gives the band the ability to blend styles ranging from straight-ahead indie rock to more diverse, almost bossa nova-like, rhythms on tracks like “Foreign Bodies” and “Food.” The band gets much of its signature sound from dual female vocals, evident in haunting fashion on the ethereal track “Wary Eyes.” Radiation City is just the latest in a long list of bands (see Typhoon and Y La Bamba) from Portland label Tender Loving Empire to

create a national buzz with solid yet inspired songwriting. Interestingly enough, each of the TLE bands seem to share the ability to blend sounds from various genres, pair them with sincere and earnest vocals and lyrics and employ a variety of multi-instrumentalists. The quality and popularity of their acts has helped make the Tender Loving Empire label something of a tastemaker among Portland music fans. I strongly suggest picking up their annual compilation, affordable and always a good snapshot of what’s going on in the Portland music scene in a given year. I remember picking up Typhoon’s debut LP Hunger and Thirst at the Tender Loving Empire storefront (at 412 SW 10th Ave.) shortly after its 2010 release, and it would have seemed inconceivable at the time to hear that they would be performing on the Late Show with David Letterman less than two years later. It’s not hard to imagine Radiation City enjoying the same kind of success in the years to come. The winner of Willamette Week’s Best New Band prize in 2012, Radiation City has been covered by outlets ranging from Time magazine to NPR to Daytrotter.com. In Animals in the Median, the band has refined its signature sound with delicate layers of harmonies, multiple instruments and lush string arrangements set against distinct pop sensibilities. Even more importantly, Animals documents a band at the peak of its powers and demonstrating significant growth since their first two releases— they display more inventive song structures and an even greater variety of musical textures. Animals is a record with a great deal of range, both musically and emotionally.

Radiation City’s new album Animals in the Median comes out on Tuesday. The band will celebrate with an in-store show at Music Millenium.

I began this review with a description of just how exuberant the one-two punch of “Zombies” and “So Long” is as a listening experience, so it only seems fitting to conclude with a description of the meditative closing track, “Call Me.” Built around a simple, understated guitar riff, “Call Me” begins to evolve as the lead vocal emerges accompanied by more guitar tracks and a hypnotic synthesizer riff. The track ends as it began, with a lone vocal track and simple guitar riff, and fades out into a soundscape of frogs evocative of a relaxing summer evening spent outdoors. “Call Me” is an excellent closer to the welldrawn emotional arc that makes Animals an engaging listening experience as a whole, as opposed to being just another album with only a handful of tracks that warrant repeat listens.

Animals in the Median will be officially released on May 21 and should be considered essential listening for all serious Portland music fans. Those looking to catch a glimpse of Radiation City’s glowingly reviewed live act can catch a free in-store performance at Music Millenium on Tuesday, May 21.

Radiation City Animals in the Median Tender Loving Empire Free in-store appearance at Music Millenium Tuesday, May 21, 7 p.m. 3158 E Burnside St.

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LGBTQ onscreen Queer documentary film festival brings community, filmmakers to PDX theaters Jeoffry Ray Vanguard Staff

QDoc, Portland’s all-documentary queer film festival, rolls out this evening with an assortment of films ranging from the emotional to the just plain fun. And if they hurry and register, students under 23 have a chance to get into the screenings of their choice for free. The seventh annual QDoc Film Festival opens tonight at McMenamins Bagdad Theater on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard with a reception and a screening of director Jeffrey Schwarz’s I Am Divine before moving to McMenamins Kennedy School Theater for screenings throughout the weekend. Festival co-director and filmmaker David Weissman is no stranger to the documentary. His own works, The Cockettes (2002) and We Were Here (2011), have garnered critical acclaim in their own right. But he pointed to fellow festival co-director Russ Gage as the film festival’s starting point. In addition to organizing QDoc, Gage has spent years organizing festivals for Portland’s Northwest Film Center. “Russ had the brilliant idea of an all-queer, all-documentary festival,” Weissman said. “There’s really nothing like it out there. It’s for people [who] want real substance.” Weissman also pointed to the selection process, noting that QDoc’s annual curation of documentaries leads to a lineup that offers something for everyone. “We scope out what’s out there in a given year,” he said. “We do our own scouting, and we ask some filmmakers to send us screeners. We try to have as broad a range of material as possible.” The festival’s scope is wide, with films touching on many aspects of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. Friday

Divine diva: Jeffrey Schwarz’s documentary on film star and John Waters muse Divine will open Portland’s Qdoc Film Festival, held at the Bagdad Theater and Kennedy School this weekend. offering Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An Ecosexual Love Story (2013) tells the personal story of activists Beth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle as they struggle against mountaintop-removal mining in Stephens’ West Virginia birthplace. Festival opener I Am Divine tells the story of the notorious drag queen and actor who came to fame in a host of John Waters films like Pink Flamingos (1972) and Hairspray (1988). “This film offers an incredible amount of fun, but also an important cultural icon,” Weissman said. “Waters and Divine both have an extensive fan base, so we’re hoping to reach out to them as well.” Other films reach a larger scale, touching on the larger cultural struggles going on across the globe as members of the LGBTQ community strive for acceptance. Deb Tullman and Shaun Kadlec’s 2013 film Born This Way tells the story of an LGBTQ community struggling to survive and find acceptance in the intensely homophobic nation of Cameroon, where homosexuality is currently illegal and punishable by five years’ imprisonment. Co-director Tullman, who will attend the QDoc screening, explained that it was the community’s

courageous activism that drove her and Kadlec to travel to Cameroon and film. “These stories about the people who were really active really drew us in,” she said. “Their courage was simply phenomenal. As documentary filmmakers, we found their story intriguing.” In order to film, the directors explained to authorities that they intended to film a documentary about AIDS. On the streets, they were forced to conceal their activities and film in secrecy. But within the safety of a local HIV/AIDS clinic, the filmmakers found a sanctuary for not only their own work but also for the LGBTQ community at large. “There’s…a big green gate, and behind that gate people can be who they really are,” Tullman said. “In this common place, everyone has come together for an outstanding level of support. Here, everyone gets it.” Tullman acknowledged the difficulty and fear of the filming but pointed out that it wasn’t even close to the risk felt daily by members of Cameroon’s LGBTQ community. “Not only could we get in trouble, but if [authorities] got a hold of the footage, it would be

hard evidence of what the people were doing,” Tullman said. “Risk was happening on a number of levels. For me, it was difficult to feel the gravity of what we were doing. But they were courageous. They were tired of hiding and wanted to tell their story.” But, despite the hardship, Tullman was moved by the strength and unity of the people whose stories they captured. “One thing we tried to get at was the sense of community, of like minds coming together,” she said. “The collective social energy that comes out of that gives people strength to open up to family, to authorities and to others.” Tullman will introduce her film and will also be available to take questions after the screening. This format is common to most of the films, many of which have directors and subjects in attendance. Weissman explained that it’s an important aspect of the QDoc experience. “Part of our objective was we really wanted to give a sense of community,” he said. “It will be a great opportunity for people to sit down and talk with the filmmakers. The filmmakers love being there, too. Because these are documentaries, they get a special sort of attention by telling real stories.” Weissman said that QDoc has something for anyone who’s interested, and he suggested people consider trying out films that seem outside of their personal experience. “I always think it’s great for people to choose the films that don’t seem similar to their own experience. Young straight guys should go see a film about old lesbians. Look at the less obvious choices, because all of the films are great.”

QDoc: Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival Thursday, May 16, at McMenamins Bagdad Theater Friday, May 17, to Sunday, May 19, at McMenamins Kennedy School Theater Tickets for film only: $10 general, $8 students and seniors Tickets for film and opening night reception: $25 Festival pass: $75, includes all screenings and opening night party Advance tickets and complete film information available at queerdocfest.org Free youth tickets available by email RSVP to qdocyouth@gmail.com

Simmered summer tortilla soup Sunshine in a bowl Kat Audick

Ingredients

Vanguard Staff

After what has felt like a thousand days of gray, the sunshine has finally returned to Portland. Summer break and graduation are just around the corner, and it’s time to whip out some of our favorite backyard party recipes. This simmered summer tortilla soup is a true crowd-pleaser and easy to make despite its complex flavor profile. On a hot day, the first thing we want to reach for is cold food, but frostier food actually causes our bodies to react by raising our internal temperature to compensate, making us feel hotter. So dig into the spice this summer, and you’ll find you experience much cooler results—isn’t science grand? If you’re short on time or don’t want to heat up your house with an oven, skip toasting the tortillas yourself and reach for a bag of crispy corn tortilla strips from the market. Want to make this dish vegetarian? Replace the chicken with an extra can of black beans and one can of garbanzo beans. For a cool kick, top with sour cream.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes until it begins to soften. Add garlic, poblano and jalepeno peppers and saute

2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Poblano or Anaheim pepper, seeded and diced 1 or 2 jalepenos, seeded, deveined and finely diced 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained (try Rotel) 1 (15-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained 4 cups chicken broth 2 medium chicken breasts, whole 1 cup corn kernels, canned or fresh Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper 2 tbsp lime juice 1/2 cup sharp cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, shredded 1/2 cup cilantro leaves 1 avocado, pitted and sliced 4 corn tortillas, sliced into small strips Cooking spray Sriracha (optional)

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another 2 minutes. Add cumin, cayenne, paprika, oregano, diced tomatoes with chilies (undrained), black beans and chicken broth, then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and add whole chicken breasts and corn. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes until chicken has cooked through. While chicken cooks, place corn tortilla strips on a pan and coat lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 12 minutes,

stirring once during baking, until strips are crisped. Remove breasts carefully with a slotted spoon and set aside until cool enough to handle and shred with a fork. Return shredded chicken to pot and add salt and pepper to taste, lime juice and 1/4 cup cilantro leaves. Serve garnished with shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro leaves, tortilla strips and Sriracha hot sauce as desired.

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VANGUARD •• THURSDAY, THURSDAY, MAY NOVEMBER 16, 2013 10,• 2011 OPINiON • SPORTS

OPINION

EDITOR: Meredith Meier OPINION@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5692

Education’s green light Swift changes could be coming, but are we ready? One Step Off Emily Lakehomer

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The golden bicycle PSU is soaring as a national leader of bicycle-friendly universities Ms. Fudge’s Sweet Nothings Stephanie Fudge-Bernard

ortland State just received the title of Gold Bicycle Friendly University from the League of American Bicyclists, a national advocacy group that promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation. While Portland is frequently being celebrated as a leading bicycling city, it’s great for PSU to receive honors like these to help bring positive exposure as we all graduate into the workforce. The league, which has a current membership of 300,000 affiliated cyclists, focuses on a handful of categories that are used to decide whether a college should be ranked as platinum, gold, silver or bronze. member. The organization cutely calls these criteria their “five E’s.” The first of the five E’s is engineering, focusing on what’s been built on and incorporated into a campus to promote cycling; things like bicycle lanes, street policies and innovative bicycle accommodation. The bicycle lane on Southwest Broadway is a key example that probably boosted PSU’s ratings. The league also focuses on education by attempting to determine how much information on bicycling safety is available to cyclists and motorists. Educating individuals on the correct use of pathways and sharing space with other modes of transportation is considered, and somehow Portland, despite all of the illegal sidewalk cycling and red-light pedaling we see from far too many bicyclists, impressed the judges, earning the city a platinum ranking.

Encouragement also plays a large part in the decision whether a campus is bicyclefriendly. If a school promotes bicycling by, say, having a month-long bicycle challenge, it gets kudos. Other incentive programs and organized campus rides also help boost a school in the rankings. A fourth factor the league uses when determining whether a college has earned a gold or the epic platinum—membership is enforcement. The organization asks questions about how bicycle theft is prevented, what local law enforcement policies are and if the college is supporting campaigns to help cyclists and motorists safely share driving space. The final “E” considered is evaluation and planning. Much like it sounds, this is an evaluation on whether a college’s programs for increasing bicycle commuting are actually working and what the school’s plans are for future improvement. Whether those are good criteria for establishing which are the most cycle-friendly universities, it got PSU placed in the gold membership category. The only university to rank higher than us was Stanford University—with its fancy amenities like locker room showers for cyclists and access to an epic bike station called the Palo Alto. More important is how we beat out other prestigious colleges like Harvard and Cambridge with our awesomeness. We’ve even rolled over local competitors like the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, though why should they care about sustainable commuting choices when

there’s money to throw at more important things like football? Of course, the real joy should come from setting a great example and getting other colleges to be as bicyclefriendly as we are, but it’s still nice to know that PSU is at the top of the list for some things. We’ve actually grown a considerable amount over the past decade. Students who regularly bicycle to PSU has increased from an impressive 6 percent in 2005 to a whopping 12 percent in 2012, according to The Oregonian. While that number seems small, it’s incredible that so many students choose to meet their transportation needs in the wettest and sweatiest way possible in order to save the world, one pedal at a time. Our school has done a tremendous job of pushing the appeal of commuting by bicycle. Back to that whole monthlong bicycle challenge: It’s probably worth noting that PSU is actually currently in the middle of its Bike to PSU Challenge. Students can sign up and join a movement that tracks riders who are actively logging their trips, including how many miles they’ve logged, how much carbon dioxide has been saved and how many calories they’ve burned. Impressive programs like these have played a huge part in developing PSU into an innovative place for forwardthinking, sustainable people, and they’re a great pick-meup on those days when you just want to start hurling textbooks and screaming about the outrageous cost of tuition. Our university might not do everything right, or even do most things OK, but it does sustainability like a pro.

f you use social media in any way, chances are you’ve probably noticed a particular recent trend: The Great Gatsby. Now, as much as I’d like to write one, this isn’t an expose of Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of the great American novel. Or a commentary on why some people shouldn’t discount the film just because they say, “It was my favorite book in high school. I am so special for reading it in high school, you can’t possibly understand.” No, what this is about is education standards. Like almost every Portland State student, I went to public high school and took four years of English classes before making my merry way to university. I, like many people, also read Gatsby in high school. Chances are you read it as well. That’s all right. It’s an important book, but there’s really no need to act like reading makes you a better person than anyone else. OK, now that that’s out of the way, back to education. Recently, Oregon signed on to increase the level of teaching in reading, writing and math. Planned to go into effect in 2014, this change in curriculum will cover K–12 schools. That sounds great, right? Oregon and the 43 other states anticipating this change will be part of an effort to better prepare kids for both college and “the real world.” However, as The Oregonian reported, “barely one-fourth of U.S. teachers say they have the tools and preparation to make sure students meet the new expectations.”

That’s a little disconcerting. These new expectations, titled Common Core State Standards, “will require students to read challenging works of fiction and nonfiction and write sophisticated analyses, including of science and history,” according to The Oregonian. This is happening because Oregon leaders believe nationwide universal standards will ensure a particular brand of higher education that will put the U.S. on a more even playing field in the international community. The U.S. is significantly lacking in its primary education programs, so what better solution than to actually start caring about and prioritizing education? Remember those awful standardized tests that everyone had to take in order to graduate high school? Well, those will still be around. The Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, or OAKS exam, is just being replaced with two different tests. One is the Smarter Balanced Assessment. From the name, you could guesstimate that the test is balanced and mindful of the fact that not every student comes from the same school district, background, et cetera. It’s hard to tell since it isn’t yet the standard, but it seems like the test mainly consists of multiple-choice, short-answer and essay questions. So, not too different from what we’re already used to. While the idea of completely changing the education

system is alluring in many ways, it’s also a very important and lengthy process. That the state wants to have all these new changes implemented by next year is almost a pipe dream. Oregon is a lot bigger than just Portland and Eugene, and the state has many different school districts, all with different focuses. Raising standards is a good start, however. The whole Gatsby craze of the past few weeks has caused a bigger jump in sales of Fitzgerald’s novel than ever before, so obviously people are interested in reading the classics. If we raise standards and make English classes more challenging and focused on analysis, students will be introduced to the classics earlier on. This will help them gain understanding of symbolism, metaphors, et cetera, and how these literary techniques are applicable to real life. When it comes down to it, implementing new standards is important; in fact, it’s probably one of the best things we can do for students right now (aside from well, abolishing student debt, but y’know). Not only will this prepare kids for college, it’ll also give them a broader and more analytical perspective of the world around them. While radically changing the system would be optimal, the economy isn’t in the shape to provide educators with the tools and funds they need to make it work in our current system. Let’s hope this implementation isn’t just pretty words hiding an ugly truth, otherwise we could just be screwing over future generations of learners—and no one wants that, right?

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OPINiON • THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 • VANGUARD

The Terror of the West Case of the Brothers Tsarnaev heralds the end of security Deeply Thought Thoughts Ryan S. Cunningham

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A thousand reasons Clothing giants should step up, not step out Everywhere and Here Eva-Jeanette Rawlins

ight people were reported dead last week after a fire ravaged a clothing factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, according to USA Today. This is the most recent incident to hit the country and its garment industry after last month’s factory collapse, in which 1,000 people died. There have been questions about the safety of workers in these factories for years— you’d think that such a massive loss of life would end any doubt of the need for changes. If the response of The Walt Disney Co. is any indication, we’ll have to keep on hoping. The company announced it’s pulling its textile production out of Bangladesh. So now, on top of the unimaginable tragic loss of life, the country could face a possible long-term economic collapse. Some see Disney’s move as just the beginning of a massive withdrawal of large Western companies in a “too much liability—hit the road, Jack” scenario. In an interview with The New York Times, Mohammad Fazlul Azim, a member of the Bangladesh Parliament, expressed concern at the implications of such a situation: “The whole nation should not be made to suffer…This industry is very important to us. Fourteen million families depend on this.” The garment business makes up the bulk of Bangladesh’s export industry, bringing in more than $18 billion a year, according to The New York Times. With millions of its citizens living in poverty, Bangladesh can’t afford to lose this critical part of its

economy. However, most of the major Western players are remaining mute on the issue, hoping we’ll forget they have their greedy fingers wrapped around Bangladeshi spools of yarn. Galen Weston, the chairman of Loblaw, a major Canadian brand that produces the Joe Fresh line, spoke out about the disaster and the need for his and fellow companies to be part of the solution. Few retailers have echoed his urgency, though. “I’m troubled by the deafening silence from other apparel retailers on this issue,” he told The New York Times. There’s nothing unusual about the silence. Large Western companies have successfully remained unaccountable for their overseas practices for years. They’ve consistently gone into developing countries and paid their workers peanuts while providing them with minimum levels of job security and safety in order to sell us clothes at fabulously marked-down prices. Then, when things get inconvenient, they slip out the back door. If you asked a panel of CEOs if the first rule of success in business is to take care of their employees, they would nod emphatically and talk up their employee-appreciation programs as if they’d discovered the concept themselves. I suppose what makes it so convenient is that, “technically,” the Bangladeshis aren’t “employees.” No doubt they are “contracted laborers” or something of the sort. There’s always some convenient technicality or loophole involved.

If ever there was a time for company owners to show a semblance of humanity, it is now. If they have any sense of what is honorable and just, they will take this opportunity to invest in the long-term safety of the factories they use and the people who make it possible for them to even make their clothes. Labor advocates have created a compensation fund for the victims of the tragedy and their families, but retail giants like Wal-Mart and Gap have “balked at embracing” it due to concerns over its “binding legal commitments,” The New York Times reported. If 1,000 of their employees died here in America, there’d be no concerns over “legal commitments”—or if there were, they’d be over whether the CEOs themselves would end up in jail. High-level executives would be fired left, right and center, and the storm of devastating press would be addressed immediately with commitments to making things right, no matter the cost. The only reason they can get away with it now is that, to them, Bangladeshi men, women and children don’t have faces, names or families. They have ID numbers, unit counts and performance ratings. Perhaps Gap or Wal-Mart CEOs should look at the newspaper picture of Reshma, the young woman who was pulled alive from the wreckage after 17 days. Oh, wait, they can’t. She disappeared from the headlines long ago. Maybe one day these millionaires will understand that treating people with dignity and humanity is not only just and honorable, it also makes good business sense. But until then, we have a thousand reasons not to buy their clothes.

o each age its own Terror. The ancient Egyptians succumbed to the predations of the obscure Sea Peoples; the Greeks just managed, by naval ingenuity, to stave off the overwhelming might of the Persian Empire; for centuries the Romans stood shaky watch against the cross-border incursions of beer-swilling hairy blond Germanic barbarians. So too did Viking raiders scare medieval Irish monks completely shitless. The sweeping conquests of the Mongol horde left an indelible mark on the national psychologies of Russia, China and India. And, to this day, Latin American leaders live in paranoid awe—for good reason—of the yanqui Monroe Doctrine militaryintervention bogeyman. There will always be the threat of the Other. But in this monopolar age of the West and the Rest, the Other is not a people, nor an army, nor even a shadowy, conspiratorial international organization. Our Other is an ideology. And an ideology, no matter how specious or ill-conceived, cannot be killed. This is the lesson of last month’s Boston Marathon bombings. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the attack’s suspected perpetrators, seem to have conceived, planned and executed their operation without any assistance from a larger terrorist organization. The attack was admittedly an amateurish and low-tech affair: The bombs were assembled from such easily obtainable components

as pressure cookers, fireworks and construction nails. The suspects barely put any thought into escaping capture. All the worse. Two half-competent globaljihad neophytes managed to kill three, maim more than 200 and send a suburb of Boston into complete lockdown for nearly 24 hours. And for what? The Tsarnaevs set fire to themselves and the city of Boston to broadcast just one message: Modern life, secular culture, global capitalism, the United States of America— we do not like you. But irrespective of the role elder brother Tamerlan’s radical Islamic beliefs played in the attack, this bulletin does not pertain in any way to Islam or any other religious practice. It’s simply the Excluded’s expression of roiling anger. It is an ideology of Opposition, the anti-Everything. The Brothers Tsarnaev are anarchist crustpunks without the patched jeans and heroin. It would be premature to psychoanalyze the Tsarnaevs, and Tamerlan took his motives to the grave. But the brothers’ decision to partake in an act of mass terror aligns them with this global expression of limitless rage. So long as the West is wealthy, peaceful and prosperous, and the Rest are poor, war-torn and downtrodden, there will be those who lash out at this inequality and attempt to violently destroy the prevailing global political and economic paradigm. Transportation Security Administration checkpoints and 24-hour aerial drone surveillance ain’t going to stop them. Neither will the national

surveillance apparatus: Tamerlan was ignored by both the FBI and the CIA when the Russian secret police fingered him as a possible Islamic radical in 2011. Nor will a massive military show of force cow the omnipresent opposition. As a point of fact, Dzhokhar Tsarvaev stated that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were significant motivating factors behind the attack. And it’d be virtually impossible to stop another soft-target attack such as the one in Boston. Who’s going to tolerate the authorities cordoning off an entire 26.2-mile marathon street course? Or police frisks on every street corner? So unless the Western world collapses under the weight of economic calamity or internecine violence and pulls down in its undertow its cultural signatures of capitalism, secularism and scientific rationalism, we will need to get used to the idea that bad shit will happen. In all likelihood, worse shit than the April 15 bombings. So consider this question, Americans: What does security mean to you? Two-and-a-half kids, a dog and a house in the suburbs? A six-figure job tied to a 401k and excellent health insurance? A network of concrete tunnels underneath your home accessible only by a hidden trapdoor in the cellar, booby-trapped against intruders and stocked with a 10 years’ cache of beef jerky, Heinz baked beans and 5.56 mm ammunition? Or is security merely a peace of mind, the fuzzy blanket of living safe in the knowledge that you won’t be maimed or killed by perfect strangers in a public place for no apparent reason? Not so much to ask. But it’s long gone. All that’s left is Terror.

VANGUARD • THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 • Opinion

8=D

Is America ready?

The army that never sleeps This, Too, Is Meaningless Benjamin Ricker

cribbled in a hurry on almost every advertisement in almost every New York City subway station are drawings of penises. Hovering, disembodied, they aim into the open, smiling mouths of oblivious supermodels, music legends and movie stars. But for the two conjoined circles drawn at one end to indicate testicles, the amorphous shapes would be otherwise unrecognizable as penises. Comic raindrops that sometimes fall from the business end might signify urine, but probably not. Penis graffiti, in one form or another, has existed around the world for millennia. Nobody’s sure why ancient peoples living 6,000 years ago in what is now Sweden sculpted phalluses from stone. Archeologists recently brushed the dirt off of similar carvings at an Israeli site. Only weeks ago NASA leaked images sent from its Mars rover that depict what’s clearly a monstrous penis drawing pressed into ironrich Martian soil by the rover’s own wheels. Nowhere else but in New York, though, can the term “epidemic” appropriately describe the amazing proliferation of penis graffiti. Armies of illustrators must work in shifts to keep NYC’s underground so thoroughly decorated with fresh penises. I moved to New York the year radio stations played OutKast’s hit single “Hey Ya!” too much. I arrived at Penn Station in autumn, carrying only a backpack; I wasn’t certain I wanted to stay long. First impressions of Manhattan are, for many, formed underground—where penis drawings are everywhere. Stupid kids, I first thought. The anonymous penis illustrators are just ugly, likeminded preteens armed with shoplifted backpacks full of shoplifted paint markers. This stealth army, I assumed, hates women. Probably they can’t love, and what little they know about sex, I guessed, must come to these broken individuals from watching too much too-violent pornography. Their kind of penises are cudgels, really, more than sex organs. To aim them like flying arrows at the faces of America’s sweethearts is just a grade-school-level debasement tactic not worth wondering about. Every turgid creation is intended to disrupt the quiet psychological well-being of middle-class straphangers.

Forcing nervous parents to explain these weird hieroglyphs to innocent children gives the illustrator a thrill. Tainting the New York Experience for heartland tourists traveling by rail between Ground Zero and Times Square, I supposed, feeds a bottomless well of sick pleasure for the misfit army. Within days of arriving I began to grasp the magnitude of New York’s penis graffiti problem. I dreamed up thousands and thousands of scrawny, wall-eyed, identicallooking boy children who, with bad skin, thick unibrows and buckteeth so wide-set you could push a nickel between them, chuckled deeply at perverted jokes that repeated ad infinitum in their otherwise empty heads. Maybe a sorcerer in Washington Heights brought one of these dolts to life back in the ’90s or something. And then, frustrated at not being able to keep it from tagging penises everywhere, the sorcerer chopped his homunculus into thousands of pieces with an axe. The magic being strong in this moron, each bloody scrap and bone shard gave rise to one wholly new, out-of-control idiot. Before long I became desensitized to the sweeping penis-graffiti infection. I commuted daily on a 7 train from Sunnyside Gardens to Midtown, where I transferred to an uptown 4, 5 or 6 on my way to work. Presumably I was flanked the whole way by dick drawings, but I was blind to them. Even the ads themselves became invisible to the conscious parts of my mind. A poster of, say, Ashton Kutcher’s beautiful face struck me as odd without a cartoonishly enormous dick tattooed on his cheek, dripping whatever onto the front of his shirt. Something’s missing, I might have thought to myself as I spotted a newly replaced Mama Mia! poster that the Penis Illustrators Army hadn’t gotten to yet—but what? Across Manhattan, in boardrooms near the clouds at the top of glassy high-rises, a different kind of army—more sophisticated and better funded—works tirelessly. More than 100 ad agencies (who, together, hire more than 16,000 ad men) scrum for attention in the New York area alone. According to a 2012 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New York is home to some of the highest-paid

ad executives in the world. As a result, New Yorkers contend with more ads than most people. Big companies spend billions every year putting ads in your way. According to Brooke Kosofsky Glassberg’s 2005 article “New Ad City,” companies pay $44,000 monthly to post ads in 200 of the city’s 468 subway stations. To push that same product inside the train itself, it takes another monthly payment of $44,000 for just one quarter of the available intrain ad space. On any given block New Yorkers are likely to see at least a dozen different ads. Irwin Sheftel, who works with the New York billboard company Van Wagner Outdoor Advertising, told Glassberg that visitors to Times Square face “dozens and dozens” of paid advertisements. Sheftel himself “wouldn’t begin to know how to quantify the density of ads in [New York City].” And, with a flick of the wrist, a single PIA guerilla spoils a $100,000 message. After a year of living there I came to terms with the fact that I didn’t have a future in the city. I worked full-time in an Upper East Side bakery selling pastries that, on what I was making, I could never have afforded. After paying rent, I had enough left over for pizza and metro cards. In terms of getting by, I suspected that most New Yorkers lived in similarly leaky, precarious conditions. Beset, like everyone else, by fixed white smiles, clear eyes and perennially youthful celebrity flesh, I began to reconsider my initial judgment of the PIA. Popular TV shows about comfortable people, like Two and a Half Men, said nothing to me about my life. Upcoming releases I’d never see, like Love Actually, poured salt in wounds kept raw by minimum-wage futurelessness. Judging from their long stares, hunched shoulders and sickly pallor, fellow 7-line commuters didn’t know innocent Christmastime laughter, either. Corporate tone-deafness brought the lewd products of the PIA’s childish work back into focus for me. Maybe my initial assessment had been unfair. Maybe the PIA is human after all. There might even be women or elderly soldiers in the army of penis illustrators—after all, anyone can join. The minimum physical requirement is that recruits be able to wield a Sharpie, strike hard and fade away without a trace. There is no minimum intelligence quotient. And had I stayed in New York much longer, I may even have enlisted.

Ready or not, Jason Collins lights the path for gay professional athletes to come out A Critical Glance Adam E. Bushen

his past week, professional basketball player Jason Collins announced to the world that he is gay. He told Sports Illustrated, “No one wants to live in fear. I’ve always been scared of saying the wrong thing. I don’t sleep well. I never have. But each time I tell another person, I feel stronger and sleep a little more soundly.” Collins became the first and only active professional male athlete in the U.S. to openly admit that he is gay. I applaud his openness and bravery. I’m no sports journalist and have never been “behind the scenes,” but I can imagine that a professional basketball, football, baseball or hockey team’s locker room is not the most friendly environment for homosexuals, or the most conducive for coming out. Think about the stereotypical professional athlete. What comes to my mind is an overly arrogant, egotistical, narcissistic guy overflowing with testosterone and unchecked machismo. Additionally, locker rooms are environments that tend to be very homophobic—the type of place where terms like “gay” and “faggot” are used as emasculating insults. Of all possible work environments, professional sports may be one of the most difficult in which to be openly gay. It’s difficult to come out under any circumstances, but

what Collins did by coming out in such a potentially homophobic environment is a true demonstration of courage. Trailblazers are often marked by this characteristic. I’m unsure if this will be a watershed moment, to be followed by every gay athlete coming out, but Collins set a precedence. He has proven that you can come out and be welcomed, as many in the sporting world (as well as President Barack Obama) have done for Collins. But it’s the reaction of the masses that causes reservations. Like the professional athletes they worship, I don’t normally think of sports fans as the most progressive of people. Collins will receive hate mail, death threats and unpardonable insults in one form or another. Twitter bullies have probably already done their best. Collins likely knew this before making his announcement. Fortunately, a man big enough to come out and shed the veneer that made him fit in but feel unfulfilled won’t be too disconcerted by the little people in the world who will ignorantly hate. I want to go back to Collins’ original quote. While the testosterone-filled locker rooms of professional sports may create this kind of discomfort for a gay individual, this isn’t the only situation in which coming out is terrifying. The quality of life Collins experienced

before his groundbreaking announcement is one that we shouldn’t condemn anyone to. Progress has been made, but there’s still work to be done. No one should live a life defined by fear and insecurity. There’ll always be Biblewavers and homophobes, but our goal as a society should be to allow everyone to exist comfortably in his or her own skin. We need to create environments in which people can simply be true to themselves, and we need to accept these individuals for who they are. We like to think of our nation as a melting pot. We were a country founded by immigrants and we thrived because of tolerance—even if it was at times reluctant tolerance. The strength of a community, even one as small as Portland State, benefits from diversity. If we can create an environment in which no one is forced to conceal his or her true self and can be openly expressive, everyone will benefit. While PSU has done an excellent job of creating a community of tolerance, our nation as a whole has a lot of work to do. America might not be quite ready for openly gay professional athletes. However, because of Jason Collins’ actions, someday soon we will be—and it will make life less difficult for everyone (including the more-than-a-few pro athletes I suspect are currently in the closet). But we shouldn’t focus on whether we’re ready; we should simply get ready and prepare a welcoming environment.

ETC. ETC.••THURSDAY, Thursday,MAY Nov.16, 8, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Erick Bengel EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5691

learn to tango. Bring a partner or come alone for free dance from 8 p.m. to midnight. All skill levels are welcome, including beginners and a lesson will be offered from 7–8 p.m. for those who would like to learn the steps. Admission is $8 per person. 21+

2013 Mark Gurevitch Memorial Lecture 5 p.m. Business Administration Building, room 190 631 SW Harrison St.

sanskriti: Learn something about Indian culture or celebrate what you already know while enjoying a variety of food and performances at Portland State’s India Culture Night 2013. The festival takes place Saturday, May 18, at 5p.m. in the SMSU third floor ballroom. Free for PSU students.

Thursday, May 16

Saturday, May 18

QDoc Queer Documentary Film Festival

Preparing Yourself for the Real World

8 p.m. McMenamins Bagdad Theater 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd.

1–5 p.m. Academic and Student Rec Center lobby 1800 SW Sixth Ave.

Opening night of QDoc, the Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival, begins at the Bagdad with the film I Am Divine, a documentary about a drag superstar. The festival continues through the weekend and location and prices vary. For more information, visit queerdocfest.org.

Not sure what you are going to do after graduation? This event can help. You will be able to hear from Portland State alumni who have made it in the real world and gain information about how to find a job, deal with insurance, employee benefits and more. There will be information tables, workshops and a FREE closing reception.

Friday, May 17

Grad Student Library Workshop Series: Literature Review Research 10 a.m.–noon Millar Library, room 160 1875 SW Park Ave.

This session is meant for grad students who want to learn some tips and tricks for conducting effective and comprehensive literature review research. Knowledge like this can assist students in forming a thesis or putting together a dissertation or FREE grant proposal.

Arrivederci, Portland! 7:30 p.m. St. Stephen’s Catholic Church 1112 SE 41st Ave.

The Portland State Chamber Choir will be holding a benefit concert to help them raise money for their upcoming trip to Italy, where they will be competing in the 52nd annual Seghizzi International Choral Singing Competition, one of the oldest and most prestigious competitions of its kind. The PSU Chamber Choir is the first American choir to be invited to compete in years. Tickets are available at the PSU Box Office or by visiting pdx.edu/boxoffice.

Sanskriti: India Culture Night 2013 5 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, third floor ballroom 1825 SW Broadway

This festival celebrates Indian culture with a number of performances that range from traditional dance, music and skits to food, a DJ and standup comedy. Admission is $10 for the general public, $6 for children 12 and under and free for Portland State students with a valid FREE student ID.

Sunday, May 19

Fourth Annual Kenton Street Fair 10 a.m. North Denver Avenue between Schofield Street and Willis Boulevard

The Kenton neighborhood is a historic area of Portland that holds a street fair annually aimed at promoting local growth and a sustainable future. The event will feature retail and food vendors as well as skating lessons and other forms of entertainment that are fun for the whole family. All ages are welcome and admission is free to this event. FREE

’80s Video Dance Attack 8 p.m. Crystal Ballroom 1332 W Burnside St.

Come to the Crystal on a Friday night and dance to favorite hits from the ’80s while music videos are displayed on multiple screens; ’80s attire is encouraged but not required. Admission is $6. 21+

Monday, May 20

Bicycle Maintenance 101 Noon–1 p.m. PSU Bike Hub 1818 SW Sixth Ave.

If you are a bike owner or enthusiast

the PSU Bike Hub offers you the chance to learn about the art of maintaining a bicycle. With subjects like proper methods of lubricating your drivetrain, adjusting your brakes and properly maintaining your tires, the Bike Hub will make sure you know how to take care of your bike. Participants are free to bring their own bicycles to learn exactly how they FREE should be cared for.

Tuesday, May 21

Tuesday Night Tango 7 p.m. class, 8 p.m. open dance Bossanova Ballroom 722 E Burnside St.

On Tuesday nights the Bossanova Ballroom offers you the chance to

Portland State welcomes professor Anton Zeilinger from the University of Vienna to lecture on some of the fundamentals of quantum physics and then focus on photons and their relation to field of quantum information. The lecture will present recent experiments on long-distance quantum teleportation and other exciting developments in the world FREE of physics.

Wednesday, May 22

The Portland Women’s Movement, Part 3—Building: Fighting for Ideas and Dollars

ETC.

Performance Attendance Recital Series Noon Lincoln Hall, room 75 1620 SW Park Ave.

Lincoln Hall hosts the Performance Attendance Recital Series, where you are invited to attend performances during the lunch hour for free. Each performance has a different theme, and they run through the term. May 23 will feature vocal performers from FREE Portland State.

Net Impact Energy Efficiency Month Lecture Series: Transformation 4:15 p.m. Business Administration Building, room 190 615 SW Harrison St.

Scott Lewis of Brightworks will be the guest speaker for a lecture that is part of a month-long series on energy efficiency. He will answer the question: How do organizations influence their culture to adopt energy efficient behavior? A happy hour reception FREE will follow the lecture.

Beyond Words: Language(s) and Learning Mathematics

7–8:30 p.m. College of Urban and Public Affairs floor gallery 506 SW Mill St.

6:30–7:30 p.m. College of Urban and Public Affairs, room 303 506 SW Mill St.

This event features four panelists who are leaders in the field of women’s studies. The discussion will be based on how to organize and find funding to make sure that important programs are funded and included in educational institutions. Portland State’s women’s studies program is FREE used as an example of this.

Professor Judit Moschkovich from the University of California, Santa Cruz, is a noted author and speaker. She will be at Portland State to offer ideas about alternative forms of knowledge in relation to the conFREE struction of mathematics.

Thursday, May 23

= on PSU campus FREE = free of charge FREE = open to the public 21+ = 21 and over

VANGUARD •• THURSDAY, TUESDAY, JANUARY MAY 16, 10, 2013 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.

SPORTS

EDITOR: MARCO ESPAñA SPORTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-4538

Basement Notes: The albatross contract How a big payday can hobble a career Zach Bigalke Vanguard staff

Watching Mac Carruth and the Portland Winterhawks finish off the Edmonton Oil Kings to become WHL champions on Sunday, I started to think about the potential professional futures of these young players. And as I considered the possibilities of the long, fruitful NHL careers ahead of the skaters who had just claimed the Ed Chynoweth Cup, I finally found something to appreciate about the most recent lockout in the NHL. At least Carruth will never have to suffer the fate of Roberto Luongo in Vancouver. Thanks to the cap on the length of contracts that was settled in the belated collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and the players’ association this year, none of the guys graduating from junior hockey to the pros will have to endure the

shackles of an inflexible commitment to a franchise. Nearly dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline this season, Luongo instead found himself tethered to the Canucks through another underachieving playoff run. The three-time Vezina Trophy finalist and backstop for Canada’s 2010 Olympic gold medal-winning squad was once again supplanted by Cory Schneider—the starter for the Canucks as Vancouver was swept in the first round by San Jose. Though Schneider got the nod for Vancouver in the postseason just as he did in last year’s opening-round loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Luongo, 34 years old and in his 14th season, has been proving all year that he is still better than the starters on at least a dozen NHL teams. But the reason that Luongo hasn’t managed to gain a fresh start is not his receding statistical production or his chokes of postseasons past; it is the 12-year, $64-million albatross currently hanging heavily

around his neck. Unable to get into a rhythm as he split time with Schneider over the past two years, Luongo now can only wait and hope that a deal closes this offseason to restore him to a more regular workload in another city. He may be disappointed once again, because any team that picks up his contract will have to work around the NHL’s salary cap, which is locked in at $64.3 million next season. Luongo’s contract, designed to exploit loopholes in the previous collective bargaining agreement, means that the franchise that ultimately adds him to its lineup is forced to dump a twelfth of the total budget on one position. It’s the kind of situation that the NBA wanted to avoid when they added an amnesty clause to their new CBA after last year’s lockout. It is the reason why no contract is guaranteed in the NFL. In the salary cap era, it is often in the best interest of a player to not chase the highest possible compensation

Roberto Luongo is making a good living these days, but he often does it sitting on the bench.

for their services if they wish to retain the maximum freedom of movement. After all, an eight-figure payout can all too soon become the encumbrance that prevents the athlete from achieving

the full measure of success at the professional level. So, while I hope that Carruth, Ty Rattie, Seth Jones and the rest of the Winterhawks go on to earn themselves a comfortable living at the next level, I just

hope it isn’t too comfortable. It’s hard to make that next save, score that next goal, hoist that next trophy and earn that next contract if your current deal keeps you from getting out onto the ice at all.

SPORTS ETC. • THURSDAY, • TUESDAY,MAY Nov.16, 6, 2012 2013 • VANGUARD

13 15

Timber’s offense comes alive in win over Chivas USA Portland continues its climb up MLS standings Matt Deems Vanguard staff

The Portland Timbers welcomed Chivas USA to Jeld-Wen Field on Mother’s Day for a sold-out MLS Western Conference bout. The Timbers were hungry for a win after being held to draws in their last two matches. Portland’s frontline was back to normal with Ryan Johnson and Rodney Wallace in the starting lineup, while Chivas USA was playing without 2012 MLS all-star goalkeeper Dan Kennedy and midfielder Carlos Alvarez. The Timbers Army seemed to be on their best behavior when the Chivas USA squad came out onto the field, perhaps partly out of respect for the mothers in attendance. The referees called the game fairly tight, whistling several fouls in the early going. Portland maintained their focus, however, and were rewarded

in the 34th minute. Donovan Ricketts fired a long counter that was collected by Ryan Johnson, who sent a pass over to a streaking Wallace. The midfielder netted a goal that was greeted by celebratory green smoke at Jeld-Wen. Wallace gave much of the credit for his goal to head coach Caleb Porter. “Caleb gives you the confidence to go out there and express yourself as a player,” Wallace said. “He tells you not to hold back and [to] do the dirty work as well, and just play free.” The Timbers held possession for 67.4 percent of the first half and benefitted from an impressive 84.3 percent passing accuracy. Portland also attempted 12 shots compared to just two by Chivas. The opening stages of the second half were generally uneventful, until the 70th minute when Diego Valeri found himself unmarked and scored Portland’s second of the night off an assist from Wallace. The Timbers then began to bring in their backup players, substituting Kalif Alhassan and Ben Zemanski for Darlington Nagbe and Jack Jewsbury, respectively. In the 92nd minute, Will Johnson, still angry

after Chivas’ Mario De Luna shoved Wallace and then a ball boy on the sideline just a few minutes earlier, caught a pass from Alhassan and scored on a screamer to the left corner to provide the final score. With the win, Portland improved to 4-1-6 and jumped up into the second spot in the Western Conference standings. Coach Porter was businesslike after the win. “We continue to be on a very good path towards our ultimate goal—nothing more, nothing less,” Porter said. “If we continue to have good work and training like we have been, it’ll show up in the game. It’s been a good third of the season and we have made a lot of progress, and we’re in good position, points-wise, but it’s a very tight race in this conference. “We’re not where we want to be yet,” Porter added. “We could be even better.” The Timbers now head north for a Saturday matchup with the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. The official viewing party will be held at the Thirsty Lion Pub and Grill on Southwest Second venue.

karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

rodney wallace, right, provided Portland’s first goal against Chivas USA, later setting up Diego Valeri for another score in the Timbers’ 3–0 victory.

NBA playoffs heating up Teams face new challenges in second round Gino Cerruti Vanguard staff

Outside of the Milwaukee Bucks getting steamrolled by the Miami Heat, the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs was full of surprises. The San Antonio Spurs dominated the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers in four consecutive double-digit wins, a sweep that ended with Dwight Howard being ejected and Laker fans reconsidering buying season tickets for next year. The Memphis Grizzlies lost their first two games to the Pacific Division-winning Los Angeles Clippers, then went on a tear and won four straight to deny all-stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin a spot in the second round. One of the biggest upsets was the Golden State Warriors’ remarkable triumph over the Denver Nuggets in six games, mostly thanks to Sports Illustrated cover boy Stephen Curry’s accuracy beyond the arc. The conference semifinals have been no different in terms

of astounding moments. Coming off their success over the Bucks, the Heat dropped their first game against the injuryladen Chicago Bulls—a team playing without Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and, of course, Derrick Rose. The Bulls seem to prefer to play with tenacity and raw aggression rather than rely on their stars, racking up quite a few technical fouls in the process during the playoffs. They’ve been a thorn in the Heat’s side since the regular season—Chicago was the team that ended Miami’s 27-game winning streak. But LeBron and company are not the type to be pushed around, and even without Dwyane Wade’s normally stellar play as of late, they’ve answered the Bulls’ aggro-tactics with pure, often overwhelming talent. One of the most exciting series in this round has been the Spurs against the Warriors— or, as it should be dubbed, “old vs. new.” The San Antonio roster is largely composed of veterans, including Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and

©ap

the confrence semifinals are underway in the 2013 NBA playoffs, with the field now whittled down to eight on the road to the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Tony Parker (who, at 30, is the youngest of the three). All three have retained their aptitude for clutch plays, and each has been key to the Spurs’ run this postseason. However, they’re not the young bucks they were 10 years ago, and during the fourth quarter have frequently looked a bit gassed. The Warriors, on the other

hand, are their polar opposite. Aside from injured power forward David Lee and a few others, Golden State’s lineup mainly features players under 30. This allows coach Mark Jackson to give hot players less bench time to rest (or, in the case of Steph Curry in Game 1 of the series, no rest at all).

But while energy and enthusiasm are crucial in the playoffs, they don’t automatically equal success. Golden State’s inexperience has been on full display the past few games—most notably in Game 1 against the Spurs, when the Warriors, up by 16 in the fourth quarter, allowed the Spurs to go on an 18-2

run with four minutes left, eventually losing the game in double overtime. The question is, will vigor or experience weigh out in the end? Or, more importantly, how will your team’s strengths in this round match up against a better opponent in the next? The answer is almost never easily predicted. Stay tuned.

VANGUARD •TTHURSDAY, uesday, Jan. MAY 31, 16, 20132013 • SPORTS • SPORTS

Old time hockey! Ty Rattie’s hat trick propels Winterhawks to WHL championship Zach Bigalke Vanguard staff

After two straight years of coming tantalizingly close to winning the WHL championship only to be thwarted at the final hurdle each time, the Portland Winterhawks reached the summit at last on Sunday. Missing out on a prime opportunity to finish off the Edmonton Oil Kings at the Rose Garden Arena in Game 5 on Friday, Portland traveled north to Rexall Place, the site of the Winterhawks’ heartbreak in Game 7 of the finals last year. This time, Portland was able to fight through the noise and a dangerous Edmonton squad to claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup in a 5-1 victory. In doing so, Portland booked its first trip to the Memorial Cup since 1998. Ty Rattie, the Winterhawks’ right winger and alternate captain, picked the least likely of moments to emerge as the catalyst for Portland’s coronation. Falling behind early on a Travis Ewanyk goal that caromed off Portland defenseman Derrick Pouliot’s skate and past goalie Mac Carruth just 1:04 into the contest, the Winterhawks faced another potential setback when Chase De Leo was hit with a fourminute double minor penalty for high-sticking Edmonton center Henrik Samuelsson. But instead of going on the defensive to try and kill Edmonton’s power play, Rattie

took the occasion to catch the home team off guard. Portland’s standout winger tied the game a minute into the penalty kill. Nicolas Petan raced out ahead of the backpedaling Oil Kings power play unit, corralling the puck behind goalie Laurent Brossoit’s net. Wrapping around, he served up the puck to Rattie right in front of the net, and Rattie calmly snapped a one-timer past Brossoit’s outstretched glove with 15:32 remaining in the period. The goal was Rattie’s 48th career playoff marker, pushing him past former Medicine Hat forward Mark Pederson for sole possession of the WHL postseason goals record. Less than three minutes later, Rattie added to his record with a second shorthanded goal on the same penalty kill. Pouliot fed Petan with an outlet pass and Rattie stayed onside as he streaked along the right wing. Petan then slid the puck over to Rattie, who wrapped around the net and shoveled the puck in faster than Brossoit could cover the post. The lead would hold at 2-1 as the two teams went in for the first intermission. “[Edmonton] came out to an early start with that lucky goal there,” Rattie said. “It was big for us to get a couple goals and kind of set the pace for the game.” Coming back from the break, the Winterhawks continued to bombard Brossoit with shots. Portland broke through four minutes into the second period as Oliver Bjorkstrand extended the lead for Portland. Moving through traffic, Bjorkstrand snatched up a Ty Wotherspoon pass

Upcoming Thursday, May 16

NWSL

vs. Thorns vs. Sky Blue FC Jeld-Wen Field 7:30 p.m. Forecast: high of 65 degrees, partly cloudy

Friday, May 17

Softball NCAA Seattle Regional Seattle, Wash.

the ed chynoweth cup came back to Portland for the first time since 1998, as the Winterhawks took down Edmonton in five games.

from the right face-off circle and sent the puck past Brossoit before the beleaguered goalie could even track it through the bodies blocking his vision. Then, with 6:35 remaining in the period, Rattie completed his hat trick and put the game effectively out of reach. Streaking into the offensive zone, Petan once again found his winger in front of the crease with a perfect tape-totape pass. Settling the puck, Rattie switched to his backhand before shooting over the sprawled netminder to stretch the lead to 4-1 at the second intermission. Asked about the threegoal night that would make him the first player in WHL history to score 50 postseason goals in a career, Rattie’s analysis was simple: “My dad told me before the game that big-time players step up in big-time games,” he said. Edmonton would get several more scoring opportunities in the third period, but Carruth proved impenetrable in net after giving up the early

goal. The Winterhawks veteran finished with 26 saves on 27 shots in the win. Hoping for a miracle to get the series back to the Rose Garden for a deciding Game 7, Edmonton head coach Derek Laxdal pulled Brossoit for an extra attacker in the waning moments of the third period, and Taylor Leier took the opportunity to deposit a fifth goal for Portland into the empty net with 39 seconds remaining, putting an exclamation point on the victory. The game provided another prime example of how the Winterhawks have responded to adversity all season. Losing head coach and general manager Mike Johnston to a season-long suspension as part of the unprecedented sanctions levied against the team for impermissible player benefits, the Winterhawks could easily have folded up the season and prepared for 2014. Instead, they went out and topped their efforts of the last two years, claiming home ice throughout the playoffs with a league-record

29 regular-season road wins under acting head coach Travis Green, eventually coming through with the victory that had eluded them in the recent past. “It means a lot,” Green said after the game. “It’s been a tough year. We’ve got a guy in Portland right now we dearly miss, and I give our team a lot of credit. I give Mike a lot of credit. He’s instilled a lot of things in these young men, and I give the team a lot of credit for being able to carry on and not miss a beat. It was a great series. We had to play well to beat Edmonton, and we did.” The Winterhawks begin their quest for the third Memorial Cup in franchise history when they take on the Halifax Mooseheads on Saturday afternoon. The four-team tournament comprises the champions of the WHL, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League, plus a host team, for the top honors in North American junior hockey. The tournament runs May 17–26.

Thorns streaking through early season NWSL’s top team remains unbeaten in 2013 Alex Moore Vanguard staff

It’s safe to say that the Portland Thorns are off to a solid start in the first year of the National Women’s Soccer League. More than a month into their inaugural campaign, the team hasn’t lost yet. The NWSL leaders continued their unbeaten streak on Sunday, taking down the Chicago Red Stars 2-0 on the road. Portland got goals from Alex Morgan and Allie Long in the win, both of which came in the first half, and the defense took care of the rest as Chicago was unable to find an answer to the Thorns’ balanced attack.

The win wrapped up a three-game road trip for Portland and marked the team’s fourth victory in a row after starting off the season with a draw against FC Kansas City. The Thorns outscored their opponents 6-1 during the trip, with Morgan recording points in all three games. Morgan’s goal came just three minutes into the contest, as the forward received a pass from Nikki Marshall and raced toward the left side of the goal to boot a shot around Red Star goalkeeper Erin McLeod. Long added to the Portland lead in the 35th minute, scoring her first goal of the season off an assist from Nikki Washington. Chicago was fortunate not to go into halftime with a three-goal deficit after forward Christine Sinclair netted

what looked to be her third goal of the year, beating the Stars defense and firing a shot right past McLeod. The ball bounced off the top post and onto the goal line, but it was ruled not to have crossed the line and play continued. The score remained at 2-0 going into the locker room, but Chicago fared no better in the second half as Thorns goalie Karina LeBlanc held her ground and Portland left with the victory. The team now returns to Jeld-Wen Field, where they will begin a two-game home stand against Sky Blue FC tonight at 7:30 p.m. After that, Portland hosts the Washington Spirit on Sunday at 2 p.m. before getting back on the road for a matchup with the Seattle Reign next week.

Vikings vs. Washington Husky Softball Stadium 6 p.m. Forecast: high of 65 degrees, few showers

Saturday, May 18

Softball NCAA Seattle Regional Seattle, Wash.

vs. TBD Vikings vs. TBD Husky Softball Stadium Forecast: high of 62 degrees, showers

WHL Memorial Cup Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

vs. Winterhawks vs. Halifax Credit Union Centre 4 p.m.

MLS

@ Timbers @ Vancouver BC Place 4 p.m. Forecast: high of 58 degrees, showers

Sunday, May 19

NWSL

vs. Thorns vs. Washington Jeld-Wen Field 2 p.m. Forecast: high of 66 degrees, partly cloudy

MLB

alex morgan, left, scored an early goal for Portland to lead the team to its fourth consecutive win.

Seattle @ Cleveland Progressive Field 10:05 a.m. Forecast: high of 75 degrees, isolated thunderstorms