PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD
VOLUME 72 • ISSUE 14 • NOVEMBER 14, 2017
NEWS CAPTAIN SULLY SULLENBERGER PRESENTS AT SIMON BENSON AWARDS P. 3
PSU STEPS AWAY VAGUE COMMUNICATION SPARKS INSECURITY IN WAKE OF VIOLENT CRIMES NEAR CAMPUS
ARTS AND CULTURE PET STORES, ART GALLERIES, AND ADVICE P. 5 INTERNATIONAL PSU ALUM TALKS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA P. 14
FEATURED OPINION:
SOCIALISTS WANT YOU FOR THE REVOLUTION P. 10
CRIME BLOTTER NOV. 6–NOV. 12 NOV. 6 Most of a bicycle stolen Epler Residence Hall A Campus Public Safety officer was informed that despite a student securing a whole bicycle the night before, only the front tire and u-lock remained.
NOV. 9 Stabbing at Cheerful Tortoise Cheerful Tortoise A bar fight turned bloody when a resident of University Pointe stabbed a PSU student. The victim’s injuries don’t appear life threatening. For more, please see this week’s cover story.
Trash bandit Parking Structure 3 A Portland State student had their passenger window smashed open to enable a bandit to steal a wicker basket full of trash.
NOV. 11 Jocks shocked Men’s Football Locker Room Around 10 a.m., CPSO was informed that several lockers were burgled.
NOV. 7 Gunshots and death SW Park and SW 10th Gunshots brought the Campus Public Safety Office and Portland Police to the south side of the Vue Apartments. A person was found lying on the ground, hit by gunfire. The victim was taken to the hospital where they later died.
Purse stolen and recovered Parking Structure 1 A student vehicle’s passenger window was broken, and the culprit stole a purse from the vehicle. The victim found their purse in the stairwell with nothing missing from it.
Racist vandalism Ondine Residence Hall A PSU student and resident of Ondine reported a discovery of graffiti reading “KKK” on their door.
Warrant and a knife, maybe drugs Parking Structure 3 CPSO contacted a non-student who the officers allege appeared to be using drugs. The interaction revealed that the person had both a current warrant and a switchblade, leading to an arrest.
NOV. 8 Harasser arrested University Pointe CPSO responded to reports of residents in University Pointe being harassed. The suspect was located and arrested for public indecency, harassment, and disorderly conduct.
Grand theft auto? Parking Structure 3 A person was seen with a silver Audi A4 which had no plates and a covered VIN. The car later sped away. The Bureau of Emergency Communications later notified the CPSO that a silver Audi A4 was found in SW Portland.
Viking Voices is an open platform, rolling submission Op-Ed column open to all students, faculty, and staff of Portland State. Submit your thoughts, stories, and opinions to opinion@psuvanguard.com Please provide your name and major or affiliation with PSU. No submissions over 600 words. Submissions are voluntary, unpaid and not guaranteed to be published. All submissions will be reviewed and selected by the Vanguard Opinion Editor.
Minors into marijuana Parkway Residence Hall A resident assistant contacted CPSO about four nonstudents who were underage and smoking pot.
CONTENTS
FEATURED OPINION SOCIALISTS WANT YOU FOR THE REVOLUTION
P. 10–11
COVER PHOTO BY SILVIA CARDULLO, DESIGN BY ROBBY DAY NEWS PSU FETES DONORS AT LAVISH ANNUAL DINNER
P. 3
OPINION WHITE MEN CAN BE TERRORISTS TOO!
P. 13
ARTS & CULTURE PET STORES, ART GALLERIES AND ADVICE
P. 5–7
INTERNATIONAL PSU ALUM TALKS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
P. 14
COVER PSU STEPS AWAY
P. 8–9
ON & OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS NOV. 14–20
P. 15–16
STAFF
OPINION EDITOR Thomas Spölhof
EDIT ORI A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colleen Leary
ONLINE EDITOR Andrew D. Jankowski
MANAGING EDITOR Evan Smiley
COPY CHIEF Missy Hannen
NEWS EDITOR Alex-jon Earl
COPY EDITORS Harlie Hendrickson Jake Johnson Molly MacGilbert Jesika Westbrook
ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Alanna Madden INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Chris May ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Matthew Andrews
CONTRIBUTORS Parvathy Nambidi Annelise Pixler Anna Williams Claire Meyer Jake Johnson
PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Silvia Cardullo PHOTOGRAPHERS Chloe Buckingham Jess McFadden Brian McGloin Annelise Pixler Taylor Such MULTIMEDIA MANAGER Danielle Horn CR E ATI V E DIR EC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Shannon Kidd LEAD DESIGNERS Lydia Wojack-West Robby Day Aaron Ughoc
DESIGNERS Marika Van De Kamp Elena Kim Chloe Kendall DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGERS Andrew D. Jankowski Evan Smiley Colleen Leary A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANT Annie Ton
COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood To contact Vanguard staff members, visit psuvanguard. com/contact. To get involved and see current job openings, visit psuvanguard.com/jobs MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with a quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.
A BOU T Portland State Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print every Tuesday and online 24/7 at psuvanguard. com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.
NEWS
“SULLY” SULLENBERGER FEATURED AT PSU SIMON BENSON AWARDS ALANNA MADDEN Portland State’s 18th Annual Simon Benson Awards Dinner, held on Thursday, Nov. 9 at the Oregon Convention Center, featured keynote speaker Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III. Sullenberger is an American military veteran and retired commercial airline pilot who conducted an emergency plane landing on the Hudson River on Jan. 15, 2009. Sullenberger’s life has changed dramatically since US Airways Flight 1549, receiving mixed feedback for his decision to make an emergency landing when his plane hit a flock of Canadian geese shortly after taking off from LaGuardia Airport in New York. The collision dismantled the plane’s engines, leaving Sullenberger to make a series of important decisions within seconds. Sullenger landed Flight 1549 in the Hudson River without any functional mechanical assistance, saving the lives of all 155 passengers on board. Sullenberger has since been hailed a hero and was personally praised by former United States Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Obama made a point to call Sullenberger immediately after the landing, inviting him to the following week’s inauguration ceremony. Sullenberger accepted under the condition of bringing the entire flight crew and their families. Obama accepted Sullenberger’s terms and later joked with Sullenberger’s wife Lorraine, asking her, “You aren’t letting all this attention get
to his head are you?” Lorraine replied, “Mr. President, the world might think he’s a hero but he still snores!” Although Sullenberger understands why people call him a hero, he is reluctant to selfidentify and argues how the term hero is used too much. “When we overuse [hero] we dilute its meaning,” Sullenberger said. “We diminish what’s an important concept which I think, when it’s used appropriately, goes to the heart of what it means to be the best of being human. But it’s nice to be thought of that way.” Before the SBA began, Portland State Vanguard interviewed Capt. Sullenberger to discuss his connection to academic fundraising specifically, a stark difference from his leadership involvement in commercial aviation. “Well, I have children,” Sullenberger said. “That’s my connection. My wife and I have two daughters, who are now adults, and we’ve always been involved in education since they were in preschool.” Sullenberger explained how his piloting schedule allowed him to be very active in his children’s education early on, something he continued to do throughout their college education. “Of course, my mother was a first grade teacher for 25 years in a small Texas town where I grew up,” Sullenberger said. “So I think for all those reasons it was something that really mattered to us. We know how important education is, and it’s a way of leveraging one’s future and providing more possibilities.”
Over the last decade, Sullenberger has been an active advocate for commercial aviation safety practices and union worker rights, and testified before the U.S. House of Representatives to warn against airline hiring practices preferring less experienced pilots at inexpensive salaries. Vanguard asked Sullenberger how this dangerous business trend has carried over into the U.S. education system. “I think in every field we need to value important things… that make the most difference, save the most lives, and provide the most value to society,” Sullenberger said. “If we don’t, we won’t be able to attract the best and brightest, whether that’s in teaching or being a professional pilot. I think the markets alone don’t always work in the direction of public good. Certainly not for the long term.” PSU has a long-standing trend of hiring adjunct staff with short-term employment contracts and low-paying salaries, forcing many adjunct staff to work for multiple college institutions. Faculty unions have expressed concerns this practice compromises quality and focus of PSU’s education. This political and economic standard carries over into student welfare, with some students currently struggling to afford annual increases in tuition and cost of living in Portland. Vanguard asked Sullenberger if he had any advice for PSU students facing the educational, economic, and political uncertainties that have followed last year’s election.
CAPTAIN “SULLY” SULLENGEGER SAT DOWN WITH VANGUARD NOV. CHLOE BUCKINGHAM/PSU VANGUARD “I certainly do, and I share those concerns,” Sullenberger said. “I’m shocked. Disgusted. Angered. And very, very concerned. But that makes me more determined to do what I can to resist, to fight back, in every way I can [and] with every means of my disposal for as long as necessary.” “We must remain engaged,” Sullenberger continued. “As much as we want to turn off the news and not watch it, we have a civic duty to be informed of others and to make important decisions based on facts and not on fears, and certainly not on falsehoods. So I would say [to PSU] get involved, know the facts, and vote.” To find out more, check out additional coverage of the Simon Benson Awards and Sullenberger’s keynote presentation at psuvanguard.com.
HILL TO THE ‘HALL NOV. 7–14 ALEX-JON EARL
VIRGINIA NEARLY A WIPEOUT FOR REPUBLICANS
Republican candidates for the Virginia statehouse had a rough night on Tuesday, Nov. 7 when they lost numerous races up and down the ticket, including the muchwatched gubernatorial race. Dr. Ralph Northam won out by a margin of 8.9 percent over Republican Ed Gillespie and Libertarian Clifford Hyra. Other race milestones included the victory of transgender candidate Danica Roem who trounced Republican Bob Marshall in District 12. Marshall was the author of a contentious public accommodations bill targeting transgender Virginians. These victories bring Democrats within a hair of being able to manage redistricting for 2020.
OTHER STATES: ALSO A GOOD NIGHT FOR DEMOCRATS
In New Jersey, Democrat Philip Murphy outperformed Kim Guadagno 55-42 in the race to replace Governor Chris Christie. New York saw a constitutional convention fail to materialize on a 83-16 vote and Bill de Blasio trounce Nicole Malliotakis 66-27 to retain the mayorship of NYC. In Washington State, control of the senate shifted after Democrat Manka Dhingra defeated Jinyoung Lee Englund 55-45, ending several years of split control of the state’s legislature.
JUDGE NOMINEE SHOWS LITTLE EXPERIENCE IN RESUME
The Senate Judiciary Committee gave its nod to a federal court nominee with only a
few years of legal experience and no judicial experience. “I have not tried a case,” stated the nominee Brett Talley’s statement to the committee. Democrats on the committee were understandably confused by the nomination, especially in light of American Bar Association ratings calling Talley not qualified.
TRUMP SAYS PUTIN DENIED ELECTION INTERFERENCE, PUTIN DENIES DENIAL
While on his international tour, Trump claims during his meeting with Russian President
Vladimir Putin, he was told that absolutely no interference occurred on behalf of Russia. In response, the Kremlin put out a statement stating that no such conversation took place.
THIS WEEK AT PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL
Taser surplus, Wednesday Nov. 15, 9:30 a.m. The Portland Police Bureau doesn’t have any use for its old stock of Taser, so it’s getting rid of them. There are certain limitations as to who can buy them, but who knows; maybe you can?
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
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NEWS
PROTESTERS COME TOGETHER IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND FOR THE MILLION MASK MARCH ANNELISE PIXLER
Several dozen protesters gathered at 5 p.m., Sun., Nov. 5 at the Salmon Street Fountain for the Million Mask March, an annual protest that stands for the fight against corruption in politics, demilitarization, police brutality and equal rights. “I would like to see a complete reconstruction of our government,” said a protester that goes by the pseudonym Winter. “I’m not an anarchist, but I do believe that revolution is necessary to give the changes we need. Everyone deserves the basic necessities in life: access to food and water and shelter and the ability to be happy.” Although many of the protesters are selfidentified anarchists, some like Winter aren’t. Instead, Winter feels it’s necessary to fight for those who can’t fight and be a voice for those who don’t have one. Winter also stated she believes no matter who you are, there should be access to the basic necessities of life, but the system needs to change in order for that to happen. There was a theme of revolution present throughout the protest. Those who were honoring Guy Fawkes’ legacy felt that if he and other members of the Gunpowder Plot were able to do something about their unjust government, then they could too by taking the streets and fighting for their beliefs. Protesters recited a few chants, one of which was, “What’s up, fuck the police, don’t violate my freedom of speech.” With this chant repeated throughout a small group of
protesters, the message was loud and clear: these protesters want to see change made to the corrupt police system. “Police brutality in Portland...people are afraid and that’s all the more reason to be out here, but it’s also a good reason not to come out because we are a targeted group, and there’s no reason to put yourself in harm’s way,” said Winter. “But I mean, if you’ve been looking around our city, there’s [sic] riot cops who are on standby right now and we’re on a sidewalk.” These protesters wanted to show police they aren’t backing down and aren’t going to shy away, even though it could potentially be a dangerous situation. For a Portland Community College student that goes by the pseudonym Cherry Garcia, the purpose of this protest was to fight everything they oppose. “It means bringing together the community against what we all stand against, which is fascism in all forms,” said Garcia. Garcia went on to say that they were against sexism, racism and all things fascist and that’s the reason they were out there today. The Guy Fawkes mask, associated with the Anonymous movement, has become an iconic symbol for the Million Mask March. The mask symbolizes solidarity for those who wear it. “Solidarity for those who can’t be named and that can’t be out here,” said a protester that went by the pseudonym of Mold.
PROTESTERS AT THE MILLION MASK MARCH GATHERED AT 5 P.M., SUN., NOV. 5 AT THE SALMON STREET FOUNTAIN. ANNELISE PIXLER/PSU VANGUARD The protesters made their way to Jamison Square in the Pearl District within down- The protesters made it very clear they were town Portland, where one of the members a peaceful protest, and they wanted to make gave a speech addressing social issues they the police listen. want to see change. Most issues addressed by Although this protest meant different this speaker focused around the government’s things for each protester, there was an unreluctance to work in favor of the people and derlying theme of injustice in our governminority groups. ment and police forces that these protesters Overall, the protest was peaceful and most ev- want to rebel against. ery member wanted to share the message of “I would like to tell everybody to keep comequality, equal rights, and to stop these structural ing out because we’re making a difference,” influences that are continuing to oppress certain Winter said. “There’s a reason why there are demographics. There were no violent alterca- riot cops: because they’re afraid of us and tions with police during this particular protest. they should be.”
MISCONDUCT CLAIMS SHAKE UP ALABAMA U.S. SENATE RACE ALEX-JON EARL Disclaimer: This story includes discussion of a sensitive nature related to alleged inappropriate conduct between an adult and a minor. Alabama Senate Candidate Roy Moore is the target of allegations that he had inappropriate sexual contact with a then-14-year-old girl when he was 32. In a months-long investigation by Stephanie McCrummen, Beth Reinhard and Alice Crites of The Washington Post, the alleged victim Leigh Corfman states that Moore met her outside a custody hearing and later took her back to his place where he initiated sexual contact, but not intercourse. Moore denies the allegations, repeatedly calling them “fake news” in interviews. He is using the newfound attention as part of fundraising efforts. Meanwhile, other evidence of Moore’s propensities have come forth. According to CNN Senior National Correspondent Alexander Marquardt, a former assistant district attorney that worked in the same space as Moore stated, “[i]t was common knowledge that [Moore] dated high school girls.”
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Moore has enjoyed a comfortable lead in the polls and numerous high-profile endorsements, but as the allegations gain steam those endorsements have been melting away. Among those rebuking Moore are potential Senate colleagues like Utah Senator Mike Lee and Montana Senator Steve Daines. Other politicians have weighed in as well, with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney stating, “[i]nnocent until proven guilty is for criminal convictions, not elections. I believe Leigh Corfman,” adding that Moore should drop out. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) also added his voice demanding Moore leave the race. Such a move would change the dynamics of the race dramatically, and Democratic candidate Doug Jones would likely become the instant frontrunner. This possibility has led some GOP officials in Alabama to look to rescheduling the race, but Governor Kay Ivey said she had no plan to do so. The Alabama special election is still scheduled to be held Dec. 12.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
ALABAMA SENATE CANDIDATE ROY MOORE HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONTACT. COURTESY OF USER BIBLEWIZARD THROUGH WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
ARTS & CULTURE NEWS
IN SEARCH OF THE MIRACULOUS JESS MCFADDEN
This summer, Portland State painting instructor and Bachelor of Fine Arts Coordinator Tia Factor led 10 students from the School of Art and Design on a trip to Berlin through the study-abroad program. They learned about the fall and rise of Berlin while exploring the city and meeting artists who work there. Upon returning, the students were challenged to interpret what they learned into artwork for a show, which ran from Oct. 4–27 in PSU’s Littman Gallery. Walking through the gallery, I enjoyed trying to piece together visual representations of the artists’ memories to feel like I had seen Berlin, too. Although each perspective was unique, experimental and industrial elements brought the work together for a cohesive show. It seems this group must have traveled a great deal by foot because they really got into street aesthetics. Hector Ornelas painted shapes he found in graffiti, while Karl Freitag collected the remains of posters he saw plastered around the city. Danielle Caramagna incorporated industrial materials like concrete into her paint pours, and mimicked marks she’d seen with spray paint. To see dirty walls imitated with such admiration made me wonder what we’re not appreciating while caught up in our busy lives. Zoe Naimo’s painting on a giant unstretched canvas extending out onto the floor suggested we might widen our perceptions of where beauty lives and what art is.
According to BFA student Jay Kathrens, some of the best parts of studying art in Berlin were unexpected lessons. “If you isolate yourself, you won’t grow as much as a person,” he said. “Especially as an artist, it’s important to expand your frame of reference and see what’s out there. It’s our job to look, and to really see things. In Berlin, as it is in the BFA program, the biggest thing we’re getting is perspective on, later in life, how to be an artist. How to interact with artists and curators. We’re learning how things actually get done.” For this show, Kathrens displayed a large collection of photographs from the trip. Melissa McGhie covered the widest range of media in the show: a giant found-object sculpture of a boat, three paintings and a sound installation. McGhie recorded noises of the city and people around her in Berlin and layered them on top of each other to create a generally peaceful, ambient sound collage. Instead of playing the piece over speakers for everyone in the gallery to hear at once, she decided to play it through headphones, expressing the loneliness of memory, surrounded by people who do not share the same experiences. Much of her work centered around sociopolitical themes, particularly regarding transportation and water in the city. Factor reflected warmly on the Berlin trip and gallery show. “I think the show was really valuable because it helped the students synthesize their experiences in Berlin,” she said. “If these were art history students, they might process what they
SCHOOL OF ART & DESIGN BFA STUDENTS PRESENT ART INSPIRED BY BERLIN TRIP. JESS MCFADDEN/PSU VANGUARD had learned by writing about it; but since these are fine art and design students, creating art is a more effective way to process what they’ve learned. It also provided one more chance to meet as a group and reflect on Berlin together.” The Littman Gallery, located in Smith Memorial Student Union, is one of many places on campus where students and the public can see innovative and experimental art shows throughout the year. Many of this show’s participants will have BFA openings throughout the year.
HOW UNIVERSITY ART GALLERIES FAIL THEIR STUDENTS
ZACH WHITWORTH
If your university has a visual arts program, I would bet there is at least one art gallery on campus. Portland State has six. While art students might be aware of some, they might not know all of them. But what if you aren’t an art student? Do you know about the galleries on your campus? Do you visit them? Why or why not? At schools across the country, many students either don’t know about their campus art galleries or don’t visit them. Students might wander into a gallery out of curiosity if they happen to find themselves nearby, but the majority tend to walk past or not even be in the vicinity. This is often a result of gallery locations: many universities have their art spaces tucked away out of sight. Even when galleries are visible, student attendance is often low. Disconnection and lack of relevance contribute to feelings of apathy toward these spaces. One of the major dilemmas is the tendency to create sequestered, insular environments, a trait common to academic departments and student galleries alike. The enclosed and intense nature of art programs can leave art students discouraged from interacting with students outside their department. Art curricula emphasize an art-world oriented discourse, with students prioritizing art for other artists or collectors over art for the public. Art tends to be made for the art crowd. University galleries follow suit, developing and advertising shows primarily to and for art people. Selected artworks and their associated statements might go totally
over viewers’ heads unless they’ve taken the art classes to understand the works’ artspeak, formal elements, concepts or historical context. Galleries don’t usually seek methods to make outsiders feel encouraged or welcomed. The entire nature of art galleries can throw people off and alienate them. It’s like being a vegetarian and going to a non-vegetarian restaurant. Sure, the management might say they want vegetarians to visit their restaurant, but unless they augment their menu, they won’t get many vegetarian customers. Visiting a gallery may not even feel like it’s worth anything to students. Who has the time for it, right? When student galleries don’t appear to offer you anything of value, it’s hard to find the motivation to spend time in one. A lot of folks find art irrelevant and totally separate from their lives, especially contemporary art. Why seek out art galleries, even the ones on your own campus, if you don’t expect art to do anything for you? University galleries may also show the work of local artists and may even prefer work from outside the school over student art. This can leave both art majors and other students out in the cold, and can be particularly prevalent in spaces that take pride in functioning like a professional gallery. In practice, this is a means to attract wealthy attention from the community. Disconnection is the big word here: University galleries and students are disconnected from each other. Students have no reason to visit their local galleries; galleries don’t give them an incentive. It’s no wonder students
AARON UGHOC don’t actively look for campus galleries—they may expect disappointment and a stale experience. How can we change this relationship between galleries and students?
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
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ARTS & CULTURE
SELLWOOD PET SUPPLY DELIVERS THE PURR-FECT ADOPTION & SUPPLY CENTER FOR CATS AND DOGS CASSIE DUNCANSON
SEYMOUR THE 12-YEAR-OLD CAT HAS BEEN THE STORE CAT AND UP FOR ADOPTION SINCE JUNE. COURTESY OF AMY WALTERS Sellwood Pet Supply is located in the heart of Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood, a quick drive or bike from the SE Park Street Orange Line MAX Station. It has been my go-to for the past nine months—ever since I adopted my dog, Otter. It always carries his kibble, and I can always find a cheap (or not-so cheap) toy with which to spoil him. The staff is always friendly and available to answer questions about its products, or give a recommendation for good dog parks. Sellwood Pet Supply provides the area with supplies
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for dogs, cats and other small animals, and utilizes a variety of local vendors. It also hosts independent dog trainers and a multitude of events throughout the year. It prides itself not only on being involved in the community, but also on its ability to give back to its neighbors. For Halloween, it opened to trick-ortreaters: adults, children and canines alike. It even sold last-minute costumes. For the holidays, the store will be involved in Decemberville as a part of Sellwood/Westmoreland Business Alliance’s celebration of community and lo-
cal businesses. It will have a photo booth for families and pets. I recently spoke with Amy Walters, owner of Sellwood Pet Supply. “Our main focus is on pet nutrition and wellness,” Walters said. It stocks products which fall on the good-better-best scale, meaning you can find high quality food for your pet while not breaking the bank. Sellwood Pet Supply also “aims to educate people on nutrition because there’s so much misinformation out there.” In addition to staying stocked up on a variety of quality products, the store
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
frequently holds adoption events on weekends in partnership with several different rescue operations in Portland. “A lot are foster-based. It lets potential adopters have a space to meet with the animals,” Walters said. Ultimately, the store aims to show its appreciation to its community. Nail trimming on Saturdays; sidewalk sales; seasonal products. It is an active part of the neighborhood which frequently goes above and beyond. Speaking of adoption, Seymour the 12-year-old cat has been the store cat and up for adoption since
June. “Seymour is a really easy-going, social, friendly, spry 12-year-old cat,” said Deanna Lukes, adoption coordinator for Sellwood Pet Supply. “He just wants to chill and sit on your lap.” He is already accustomed to sitting at the office’s desk while staff members work; could he maybe help you with your homework? He has a smoker’s meow, and is okay with other mellow dogs and cats. Seymour is litterbox trained, has house manners, and would be at ease in an apartment. “He’s super sweet and loveable,” Lukes said. “He’s just an old man who has a lot of years left.”
Any cat adopted out of the store requires a $50 adoption fee and comes with a spay/neuter, updated vaccinations, FeLV/ FIV test, a wellness check health exam, a microchip and a pet license. Seymour does have a couple of conditions due to his age. He has a heart murmur and a benign cyst on his head, but neither of these require any medication. “His needs are really simple, and it’s very easy to accommodate him,” Lukes said. Stop by Sellwood Pet Supply and visit Seymour, or pick up a few things for your own pets.
ADVICE
JESS MCFADDEN D ear Jessandra, Modern society is too complex. I want to be a responsible and engaged citizen, but I don’t feel like I’ll ever understand enough about politics and history to positively contribute to the informed, collective decision making democracy requires. If I watch Netflix while the world burns instead, am I a bad person? Your friend, Ben Lazy Dear Ben, If I said watching Netflix with all your free time and ignoring the world around you made you a bad person, that would be letting you off the hook WAY too easily. How many times have you and I and every other person allowed ourselves to slip into complacency by telling ourselves we’re not good enough to make a difference? Too many times, Ben! Too many. This is a very complicated subject, and everyone is different. If you’re asking me the meaning of life, all I can really do is hand you a mirror and a journal. What is the responsibility of one person, in exchange for all that person has received and consumed? Allow me to hand you a mirror and a journal. What’s the use of attempting anything, when we’re all just going to die anyway? Once again, mirror and a journal. Is anyone really informed enough to contribute positively to democracy? Is democracy the reason why the world is burning? Am I a bad person? I wouldn’t trust someone who claims to have all the answers. Some questions don’t seem to have decisive answers. But see? Isn’t it better to take the play-dough out and squeeze it than it would be to leave it in the tube? (I won’t make a joke about watching The Tube since Netflix is online.) Here’s the thing, Ben: Nobody’s perfect. Nobody can change or fix everything. However, everyone has the ability and responsibility to help change or fix something. Instead
of focusing on what isn’t possible, focus on what is possible and attainable. If you’re currently stuck on the couch, how about starting with some Netflix documentaries? Personally, when I get bogged down with self-doubt and defeatist attitudes, it helps to learn about people who have made a difference, especially when it comes to issues of injustice and corruption. Positive change is not something that simply happens. Do you ever think about why Black people aren’t openly segregated the way they were in the 20th century? Regular people made personal sacrifices, looked for new solutions and worked hard as a community to create change. Did the Little Rock Nine try to fix every single problem in the world at once? Of course not. They focused on the most pressing issue at hand and took it upon themselves to change it. Did the teenagers who made up the Little Rock Nine “understand enough about politics and history to positively contribute to the informed, collective decision making democracy requires?” They clearly knew enough, despite any doubts or concerns they may have felt at the time. Those nine students paved the way for decades of positive change to come. I know shit gets overwhelming, dude! You’re not a bad person. Your predicament is pretty normal. Instead of starting out with a mission to heal the world, start with the goal of healing yourself. The more you become able to recognize your own value, the easier it will be to see where your strengths, specialties and instincts are most useful. How can you help your local community? If you were a bad person, you wouldn’t be asking if it’s wrong to kill time. So practice killing less time! What are you good at? What do you like to do? How can you use those things to make a positive difference to someone, somewhere? Tomorrow’s a new day. Mirror and a journal.
DO YOU NEED ADVICE? Jessandra would love to answer your questions about life, relationships, personal problems, or pretty much whatever! She may not be a professional, but at least she’ll tell you the truth. Send your requests for advice to arts@psuvanguard.com with the subject line “Jessandra” and hopefully she’ll get back to you soon!
You can do it!
MARIKA VAN DE KAMP
Jessandra
RT E V D A O WANT T
T? N E V E SE AN
I
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COVER
PSU STEPS AWAY
VAGUE COMMUNICATION SPARKS INSECURITY IN WAKE OF VIOLENT CRIMES NEAR CAMPUS COLLEEN LEARY AND ANNA WILLIAMS
CAMPUS PUBLIC SAFETY AND PORTLAND POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDED TO A FATAL SHOOTING THAT LEFT ONE PERSON DEAD JUST BEFORE 1 A.M. ON NOV. 7. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED OUTSIDE VUE APT BUILDING, STEPS AWAY FROM THE PSU PARK BLOCKS. BRIAN MCGLOIN/PSU VANGUARD After a young father was killed on Nov. 7 just feet away from the Portland State campus, PSU’s Campus Public Safety Office told students there was no ongoing threat to the campus community. Two days later, a PSU student was stabbed in front of the nearby Cheerful Tortoise Sports Bar. Again, Portland Police Bureau and PSU’s CPSO said there was no impending threat to campus. But students, so far, have not felt so reassured. “I’m not that scared, but that’s because I was here,” said Crystal Romero, a PSU student who witnessed the Nov. 7 homicide. Romero lives in the Montgomery Residence Hall, a PSU student housing building whose north-facing windows overlook the plaza where 21-year-old Diego Tejeda-Manzo was shot and killed. “The rest of the campus on the other hand, only got the email [from CPSO] that said, ‘Hey, there was a shooting and someone died. P.S. You’re safe,’” Romero continued. “That’s all they know. You basically just threw a sack over their head in the dark and they can’t see. And they don’t know what’s happening and they’re terrified.” “It’s hard to know what the right messaging is because people are impacted so differently,” said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Student Life Michele Toppe. Just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 7, Tejeda-Manzo was shot and killed in front of the Vue Apartments building, just across a narrow one-way road from the PSU Park Blocks at 1717 SW Park Ave and Montgomery. The Vue Apartments houses some students, though it is privately-owned and operated and not technically on PSU campus. Students said they witnessed an argument between TejedaManzo and several other people before he was shot. Witnesses said one or more suspects then fled the scene. Romero said she thought the shooter escaped by running through campus.
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However, before a suspect was arrested and before TejedaManzo was identified, CPSO sent an email to the PSU community which said, “There is no ongoing threat or involvement to the campus community and the victim in this incident is not affiliated with [PSU].” Representatives from the offices of the Dean of Student Life, Center for Student Health and Counseling and University Housing & Residence Life met with students they believed had been directly affected by the fatal shooting. The DOSL office also met with a group of international students with close association to the Vue Apartments, providing information about CPS resources. Romero said she hopes PSU officials’ communication and response in the future is more clear and timely in the wake of future traumatic events on or near campus. She plans to work with the university on improving these procedures. “In the future, that should be common sense,” Romero said. “If something traumatic happens on or near your campus and students are affected by it. You need to be prepared to address the situation. And they’re just brushing it under the rug like it’s not happening. And that’s ridiculous. I think they’re just hoping it’ll just go away. But the problem is for people like me who are really affected by it, it’s not just going to go away.” Portland State Vanguard requested additional information throughout the week, though the response was slow-coming. With no more details coming forward before the Nov. 9 stabbing, students brought forth speculations to Vanguard about rumors of gang violence and retaliation on campus. Chris Burley, Portland Police Bureau Public Information Officer discredited rumors connecting the Nov. 9 Cheerful Tortoise stabbing and the Nov. 7 fatal shooting. “They are absolutely not related,” Burley confirmed. “And they are absolutely not gang-related.”
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
Interim CPSO Lieutenant Joseph Schilling told Vanguard authorities determined Tejeda-Manzo was not associated with campus because campus police may have been privy to information not yet released to the public. A GoFundMe campaign established in Tejeda-Manzo’s memory said he leaves behind a toddler son. The memorial campaign sets a goal of $10,000 and reads, “[Tejeda-Manzo] was only 21 [years] old. Please help us by raising funds to help his son and family during this time.” “[Students] wanted to have a memorial, and the memorial keeps getting removed because they’re putting it on the Vue [Apartments] property, and the Vue is not on campus,” Toppe said. “Someone died,” Romero said. “There’s no memorial.” Romero said she spoke to a CPS officer who told her the businesses below the Vue implied they didn’t want to negatively affect business with a reminder of the recent shooting, so they painted over the memorial. “I would like this community to wake the fuck up and talk to each other,” Romero said. “Communicate what’s going on and, especially, I think it’s very important to remember who we lost. He was a person. He had a family.” Burley said after the investigators gathered evidence and spoke to witnesses, PPB was able to determine there was no longer a threat to campus. He explained that crimes do not usually happen between strangers, so because Tejeda-Manzo had no connection to campus, the suspect should not have been a danger to students. Schilling agreed. “There wasn’t a nexus to campus to begin with,” Schilling said. “So we weren’t dealing with students on campus, so the fact that those folks had left means that the ongoing threat would not be to campus folks.”
COVER
A STUDENT WAS STABBED BY FORMER STUDENT OUTSIDE CHEERFUL TORTOISE ON NOV. 9. ANDREW D. JANKOWSKI/PSU VANGUARD However, Schilling added that had a similar violent crime occurred in a dorm or in a student building, “just because the bad guys are gone then it doesn’t necessarily mean it wouldn’t be a threat, simply because there is a nexus to the university.” But two days later, when a PSU student was stabbed on the sidewalk, CPSO did not tell the campus community the suspect was indeed associated with PSU, and reports had been made about his behavior in the past. Shawntavious Henderson, 27, was a resident of University Pointe, though not a current a PSU student. “[Henderson is] not currently enrolled,” Toppe said, “and has not been for quite some time.” University Pointe, is privately-owned and operated by Texas-based company American Campus Communities. The building houses mostly students, but student status is not a requirement to live there. Additionally, Schilling confirmed Henderson has been reported to CPSO at least twice in the past. A person on Facebook claiming to be Henderson’s roommate alleged Henderson had threatened other apartment residents in the past, even pulling out a knife on more than one occasion. This person has not yet
responded to a request for comment. Without looking at the reports, Schilling could not immediately confirm whether any actions had been taken following the reports about Henderson. Romero said she believes reassuring students and hearing out their concerns is part of CPSO’s duties. “Really I think at this point, all we’re asking [CPSO] is to do their job. Two parts: make the campus safe. Good job. Or you can make the campus feel safe, which involves communicating and talking to people, reassuring them and answering their questions, and they’re doing the opposite of that.” A campus-wide email from Toppe and Associate Vice President Isaac Dixon directed students affected by the shooting to the Women’s Resource Center and the SHAC. Schilling said CPSO depends on these kinds of services to spread information and address student concerns. “When there are specific questions that those entities get, [CPSO] has always interacted well with them in the past of being able to get the correct answer back to them.” Schilling could not confirm whether any resource center or University Communications, despite Vanguard’s attempts for interviews, had reached out to CPSO or re-
ceived any clarifying information about the shooting or stabbing incidents. Toppe said some perceived breakdowns in communication may be the result of PPB and CPSO officers’ use of specific language related to law enforcement standards. “There’s some technical language being used [in communication with the public],” Toppe said. “It doesn’t translate to people who don’t do this work all the time in the way it is intended.” “There’s a lot of people in my dorm who basically witnessed the thing or heard gunshots go off who are feeling pretty sketched out,” added a student and witness to the shooting who wished to remain anonymous for personal safety concerns. “I got, like, PTSD from this now.” Vanguard’s reporting is ongoing. Visit psuvanguard.com for additional coverage of these events and for access to PSU resources for those experiencing hardship after this week’s events. Members of the PSU community wish to honor Tejeda-Manzo’s life and are asking for loved ones to share information and memories on his behalf. Anyone seeking to speak in his memory are asked to contact Vanguard at editor@psuvanguard.com
PORTLAND POLICE WORK TO CLEAR CRIME SCENE AFTER THE NOV. 7 SHOOTING. TAYLOR SUCH/PSU VANGUARD
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
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OPINION
SOCIALISM: YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION SOCIALISM IS POPULAR AMONG MILLENNIALS AND MEMBERS OF MARGINALIZED GROUPS. BUT ARE THOSE CHAMPIONING THE REVOLUTION TRANSPARENT? THOMAS SPÖLHOF Socialism is back. Today, more young people in the United States express positive opinions of the socialist ideology than ever before. An October 2016 YouGov poll identified 53 percent of voters aged 18–29 hold favorable views toward the Marxist concept. Coincidentally, 2017 marks the exact centenary of the October Revolution—the 1917 Russian workers’ revolt that ushered in the Soviet Union. But socialism? The Red Scare? The same YouGov poll showed only 25 percent of U.S. adults altogether view socialism favorably. For many older Americans, mere mention of the term conjures images of Soviet-era workers in coveralls and do-rags carrying pipe wrenches in a gray dystopia. Or is this the hip socialism of pop culture iconography with handsome mustachioed Cuban revolutionaries in tilted berets? Is this the socialism America feared so deeply during the Cold War? The short answer is no: The movement under current construction is brand new, and the end goal is nothing short of total societal revolution. The longer answer is more complicated because a hard and fast definition of socialism is so difficult to pin down. This is not your father’s socialism.
YOU TELL ME IT’S THE INSTITUTION
For millennials, the pre-1989 demonization of all things red doesn’t exist. And why would it? Millennials are direct witnesses to the failures of capitalism. Many saw their parents lose homes to foreclosure in the early 2000s as result of predatory capitalist lending schemes, or they’ve seen friends and family graduate college buried in student loan debt. They’ve witnessed an explosion of homelessness, pharmaceutical industry-induced addiction, emergence of
bold-faced racist ideologies, and an entire palette of social maladies engulf their so-called American dream. Adding fuel to fire, millennials are inheritors of the worst disparity of wealth since economists began tracking income. Data from a 2017 Oregon Department of Revenue report states, “In 1980, the average income of the highest-earning 1 in 1,000 taxpayers was 26 times that of the Oregonian in the middle of the income ladder. By 2015, it was 126 times larger.” When adjusted for inflation, that’s the widest gap in income inequality ever recorded. With this in mind, it’s not hard to understand why younger, idealistic voters would disregard fears of past generations and consider alternative solutions for imposing equality into society. But how, exactly, a socialist makeover would work and what it would look like remain unclear. The issue manifests locally with ubiquitous campus group, the Portland State International Socialists Organization.
YOU SAY YOU GOT A REAL SOLUTION
“Want to build a better world?” the fliers read. “Join the Socialists! Solidarity!” They’re hung everywhere on campus—fliers inviting curious passersby to weekly meetings of the PSU ISO. Better-world building sounds like a worthwhile endeavor; however, attending ISO weekly meetings presents a befuddling dichotomy: the urgency of recruiting new adherents to the movement and ousting the present, failing capitalist system; yet attempts at gaining an understanding of said movement are met with suspicion. For example, before entering an ISO meeting, a door checker asked, “How did you hear about us? Why have you come here?” Upon entering, another ISO member stated,“We don’t allow
cameras or recording at our events.” The member expressed concern that photos could lead to doxxing, the process of exposing individuals’ private information as means of harassment or humiliation by people opposed to the ISO. The guarded approach is puzzling, yet the impassioned appeal is strong: “Our generation is being presented with a stark choice,” said keynote speaker and ISO member Nico Judd at a recent meeting. “With the planet in peril and social crisis in every corner of the world, we have to ask ourselves what we are going to settle for: socialism or barbarism.” Judd’s speech voiced the fears of entire communities of targeted peoples: women, immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQ community—groups of people who have seen firsthand the effects of unchecked capitalism and have experienced discrimination run wild since the election of Donald Trump. “The crisis we face is not getting any better, and the political class in control is neither willing nor able to find a solution,” Judd continued. “We need a revolution. We need to train a new generation of revolutionaries like the ones we saw emerge in the ‘60s and ‘70s here in America who can help advance the struggle...We are the change that we’ve been waiting for.” At a subsequent meeting, PSU assistant professor of philosophy Colin Patrick spoke, peppering his monologue with glimpses of humor and esoteric references to the Russian Revolution. He described a post-revolutionary world in which people would be free to develop their full potential, a dream he described as impossible under the oppression of capitalism. Patrick also acknowledged the uphill struggle of the movement.
CHLOE KENDALL
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OPINION “It’s easy to feel isolated and powerless as a revolutionary socialist,” he said. “It’s easy to feel a sense of futility against the most ruthless and powerful capitalist system. But you need to remember that when you move as a socialist, when you go out on a demonstration or a rally, when you contribute to the work of organizing, when you say, ‘fuck no’ to this entire system and everything that’s built on top of it...whether you realize it or not, and whether they’ve heard of you or not, you have comrades all over the world who stand in solidarity with you.” And solidarity provides a comforting element in the fragmented, polarized U.S. of today. Many participants at ISO meetings refer to each other as comrades. Many among the audience respond audibly to ISO speakers with “Mmm hmm” and “That’s right.” At one point, Patrick addressed the issue of suspicion within the movement. “As my comrade Nico once pointed out, if you have a serious objection to something we’re doing and you keep it to yourself out of deference or politeness, you are not helping but hurting the organization,” Patrick said. Yet when moderators open the floor to questions about details of the revolution and the order to follow, those questions remain unanswered. Both supporters and skeptics raise questions, and alternative socialists state conflicting opinions with the ISO’s declarations. ISO panelists accept questions, appear to jot them down, then move on to the next speaker. “I wanted to get an understanding of the basics of how their group would run things after the revolution,” said Sean Bambic, a graphic design major at PSU who attended a presentation. “I just wanted to know what their basic institutions will look like. It’s giving people hope, but I think it’s a false hope. The appeal to fear is a similar tactic to Trump’s campaign.” Follow up attempts at clarification with ISO representatives have been ducked and dodged; responses to email and Facebook inquiries remain unanswered; repeated attempts at clarity of the socialist movement are met with silence. The PSU ISO maintains a strong presence among activist action on and around campus. The group presents an emotionally charged message, and the allure of potentially eliminating the worst of society’s problems in the U.S. is powerful. It’s an amalgamation of impassioned appeal, historical nostalgia and paranoia. The PSU ISO wants nothing less than a total societal revolution, but it doesn’t want to communicate how it proposes to do it.
WE’D ALL LOVE TO SEE THE PLAN
One of the challenges in articulating a clear strategy for the socialist revolution lies with the public’s vague understanding of what, exactly, socialism means. In simplest terms, socialism is an economic and political ideology that emphasizes collective equality as its goal—in direct opposition to capitalism, where profit and competition are key. Historically, in a socialist economy the means of production are owned collectively by the people, and many agencies and businesses are controlled by the state. Two German political philosophers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, penned
the tenets of the concept in The Communist Manifesto in 1848, and socialism was born. “The first thing to know about the term socialism is that it means many different things to many different people,” said Melody Valdini, professor of political science at PSU. “It’s used by a lot of different people, so it’s not the kind of word you can say and have everybody know what you’re talking about. Theoretically, when you get into the purest forms of socialism, the state will fall away, and it would be the community that would own the means of production. But we’ve never seen that in reality.”
“ Sometimes people will say, ‘I
want socialism, but I also want my iPhone and Starbucks’ and all this other good, cheap stuff that we get lots of choices for, and you can’t have both.”
—Melody Valdini, professor of political science at PSU
Common misconceptions regarding the existence of socialism abound. Many proponents of the revolution point to Canada and the Nordic countries as examples of socialist success, but Valdini explained the important distinctions between myth and reality. “Canada is still a fully capitalist country, they just have a more state-driven welfare system than we do,” Valdini said. “Not in terms of checks to poor people, but societal welfare— bigger safety nets than the U.S. That’s not socialism. They are taxed, but it’s not as severe as you think it is. The government pays for so much that their expenses are lower.” Valdini also cited other countries with large safety nets, like Sweden, where citizens pay higher taxes but don’t have to worry about paying for health care, education, or child care. Those who can pay higher taxes do, and those who can’t don’t have to. Everyone still gets the safety nets. “[The Nordic countries] are more focused on collective equality, but socialism is really about the government owning the land and means of production, the businesses. That’s not how it works in Canada or the Nordic countries at all,” Valdini said. The problem with the socialist image, Valdini explained, is whenever Democrats have pushed ideas for larger safety nets in the U.S., Republicans know they can easily vilify socialism and label any propositions as such, scaring voters into disallowing their implementation. “Socialism has its costs and benefits like any other ideology,” Valdini said. “It’s a good answer to some problems. It could solve the problem of intense poverty or shockingly high income inequality. On the other hand, capitalism brings the benefits of innovation through competition. It’s one of the reasons we are such a big, rich country. There is no easy answer. Both come with big costs and big benefits.” Regarding nostalgic reminiscence of the Russian Revolution of a century ago, many of those who’ve experienced socialism do not espouse its return.
“There are those who remember [socialism] fondly in light of how it was ingrained into every part of their life and gave them a sense of purpose, drive, ambition and being part of something bigger than themselves,” said PSU graduate student of political science Viktoriya Voloshina, who has family in former Soviet lands today. “However, my professor said it best: Marx is best read as a critique against the capitalism of his day that indeed had very little or no rules and regulations. However, his blinders to the importance of the middle class, and the importance of private property and earned gains, puts him to the sidelines of well-respected thinkers.” Indeed, a variety of local factions recall the 1917 October Revolution today with great sentimentality, commemorating the event and other socialist-sympathetic topics on and around the PSU campus. The PSU ISO hosted its annual Pacific Northwest Marxism Conference titled “Socialism or Barbarism: The Urgency of Fighting for a New World” on Nov. 4 in Smith Memorial Student Union, and the group International Youth and Students for Social Equality sponsored a presentation called “Why Study the Russian Revolution?” on Nov. 7 in the Urban Center. Socialist Alternative Portland hosted a “Russian Revolution Centennial Party and Fundraiser” on Nov. 11, and the PSU Graduate Employees Union presents the raised fist of solidarity as its logo. PSU is awash in the socialist movement. But until the revolution arrives, what’s a good comrade to do?
WE ALL WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Anyone truly serious about leveling the economic disparity in the U.S. has to first take an honest inventory of where they place their own hard-earned dollars and how many luxuries they are willing to give up. “Sometimes people will say, ‘I want socialism, but I also want my iPhone and Starbucks’ and all this other good, cheap stuff that we get lots of choices for, and you can’t have both,” Valdini said. “So if you’re interested in socialism, start at the individual level. Start looking at your money as a way of contributing to inequality.” Buying cheap products made in factories where the workers have low, unlivable wages perpetuates income inequality. It’s false to say these are evil companies when we make the conscious choice to buy from them. “Rather than calling for a group revolution in a capitalist country, the way to begin to change things is to speak with your wallet, to be very aware of where your money goes every time you buy something, every time you pay a bill,” Valdini said. “Start making the connection between the economy and how our choices as individuals are keeping the economy alive and creating income inequality.” The emergence of socialism as a popular alternative among millennials and marginalized groups represents the failure of unrestrained capitalism to care for its own. However, important distinctions must be made regarding the general public’s delusions between socialism as an equalizing economic factor and better use of societal safety nets around the world. If local socialist organizations are sincere in their search for a new wave of revolutionaries, fired up to take capitalism down and instill a new, egalitarian system of equity for all, they must be able to provide transparency in their revolutionary plans and how socialism will fill the resulting void in governance. If there is anything the people don’t need, it’s replacing one form of barbarism with another.
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OPINION
GENDER STUDIES SHOULD BE A REQUIREMENT FOR ALL MAJORS The Take by Claire Meyer Behold an alarming statistic: According to the office for Institutional Research and Planning, of the 115 gender-based courses or courses with the word “woman” in the title offered at Portland State, only 17 percent of the students attending are male or male-identifying students. This means there is a ratio of one man to every four women or female-identifying students. However, if you’ve ever taken a gender studies course at PSU, you would know that this statistic is accurate and perhaps even understates the true status quo: In a class of approximately 35 women there will usually be two or three men. Though there are other genders along the spectrum taking these courses, there is a distinct lack of masculine identities involved. This is a huge problem because, ironically, in a society where women are often ignored, we need more men to spread the word since they’re actually listened to. This isn’t to say the current gender studies courses aren’t important because the audience is primarily women. Yet, especially in such a progressive place like Portland, it sometimes feels like those classes are just preaching to the choir. In order to bridge the gap, PSU should require all students to take at least one gender studies class. Even though many men might be apprehensive about this suggestion, they fail to realize gender studies are about them, too. “There’s an idea that gender is only about women,” said PSU gender queer studies assistant professor Eddy Alvarez Jr., suggesting a reason that may account for a common societal
failure to take feminism seriously. “If you think about feminism in terms of intersectionality and in terms of interlocking systems of oppression, they realize it’s also about them. For example, when I teach about men of color being imprisoned at disproportionate rates, that’s a feminist issue.” This is one of the various reasons gender studies classes should be a requirement for all students: In an academic setting, not only would they be made to think about feminism, they’re made to think about feminism’s nuances and intersectionality. When students aren’t educated academically about feminism, they’re forced to go elsewhere to find out what feminism is. “There’s men’s studies classes, too, and those are worthwhile as well,” said associate professor Kim Williams, who teaches a course called Women in Politics. According to Williams, men’s studies classes “would still touch on a number of the issues that we’re touching on, just in a slightly different way. These classes teach about masculinity and how it gets formed, and how men are socialized to become who they are. So perhaps men would feel more comfortable in that type of class.” These types of classes would not only benefit society, but also the men taking them. They could help men think about issues relating to their lives that they may have never considered before. “I think they’re able to see that these expectations they take as normal are hurting them, too—are hurting their relationships, are hurting their sense of self,” Alvarez said. “There’s high suicide rates among men.” It’s clear gender studies encompasses dire issues that shape people’s lives on a daily basis, subconsciously or consciously. Yet
gender studies is often only taken as an elective or a schedule filler, probably because people fail to realize how relevant and practical these classes are. Alvarez claimed gender studies help students understand a multitude of experiences. “Another thing that’s important is to see how taking gender studies courses will help you in your career,” Alvarez said. “A lot more careers out there are expecting people to have this intersectional knowledge and to be able to work with diverse populations.” It’s interesting that general education requirements include science, math, and humanities credits for all students regardless of their major, though they may not use most of the knowledge they gain in those classes. Learning about feminism and other cultural critiques would benefit every individual and society, but there are no enforced requirements. At least one gender studies course should be part of degree requirements at PSU. It’s not like these life-altering issues are being taught in high school, so they have to be implemented in the educational curriculum somewhere. This is not to say that any one ideology should be forced on students. Everyone is free to disagree with what they hear. However, in an academic setting, students would have to at least listen to what the professor has to say. It would be a good way to push people to see things through a different scope. Many men realize the importance of taking classes that deal with scientific issues such as global warming. While they aren’t exactly sexist, when it comes to feminism they don’t seem to care enough to invest academic time into it. When are men going to start treating feminism like the dire issue it is? The change should start in the classroom.
LYDIA WOJACK-WEST
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OPINION
WHITE MEN CAN BE TERRORISTS TOO IT’S TIME TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND IDENTIFY THE REPETITIVE PROFILE OF MASS SHOOTERS IN THE UNITED STATES
The Jake Johnson Experience by Jake Johnson Sandy Hook, Charleston, Las Vegas, Umpqua, Sutherland Springs, and so on. The emotional wounds have hardly begun to heal from the last mass shooting when the next one takes place. People in this country are dying because hateful, calloused individuals are collecting arsenals of weapons and slaughtering their fellow citizens. After every shooting, calls for gun reform are rebuked as being insensitive to the victims and those affected by these horrific acts of violence whose deaths “should not be politicized.” Thoughts and prayers are sent. Republicans in Congress tell us nothing could have been done to prevent the murders from happening. Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan said Texas church shooter Devin Kelley shouldn’t have had the ability to purchase firearms, and the existing laws should have been enforced. However, even if the laws that are in place had been enforced, it would still not have been enough. Most incidents of domestic violence aren’t reported, and even if they were, violent men still wouldn’t be prevented from purchasing guns. If an individual is prevented from owning a gun, are we going to follow through and confiscate the guns they already hold? Domestic terrorism committed by white, middle-aged men is not being taken seriously or called what it is. This is a problem that demands attention, and we as a country are failing the victims of violence by not even trying to figure out how to prevent these tragedies from happening over and over again.
MASS SHOOTINGS ROOTED IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Over 50 percent of mass shooters have histories of domestic violence. Paul Ryan is right that there are laws that try to make it more difficult for people with violent pasts who’ve committed domestic abuse to get guns. The Air Force failed to follow Pentagon protocol that would have prevented Devin Kelley from purchasing guns, but someone just forgot to file the paperwork. Will the Air Force be held responsible for the deaths of 26 people in Sutherland Springs? Probably not. Stop passing the blame, and start taking responsibility. The laws Paul Ryan refers to are not effective, nor is the enforcement of them. Boyfriends and stalkers are not included in the domestic abusers that would be excluded from gun ownership. A bill was introduced in 2015 to help correct this problem but has literally gone nowhere. Even if all of these violent men were entered into a database, claiming they would have been prevented from owning a gun by background checks is bullshit. Some 22 percent of people undergo no background checks when purchasing a gun. Let’s be generous and say this study is incorrect. Even if 50 percent of people didn’t have a background check when acquiring a gun, that’s still a one in two chance that if you want to own a gun to murder a bunch of people, you can. This means if you were a violent person who is a part of this database but just tried a few places and a couple dealers at a gun show, you’d probably end up owning your very own AR-15 in no time.
AARON UGHOC
TAKE THEIR GUNS AWAY
People with violent histories not only need to be prevented from buying guns but also need to have their guns taken away. In 41 states, there are no requirements for domestic abusers to turn in previously purchased guns. You might not be able to buy that shiny new AR-15, but you can keep the shotguns and pistols you’ve already bought. Paul Ryan is either smart by excluding these facts, or he is a fool who refuses to look into the actual policies that currently exist. Trump claimed Sutherland Springs was not a guns situation when it absolutely was. Loopholes and mistakes will keep happening if people are not being held accountable for their failure to address these issues. Republican voters need to hold their officials accountable for failing to be honest with them about what gun laws exist and how dismal the enforcement practices in place are. Democrats have been pushing for gun reform, but Republicans won’t sit at the table to talk about it. No one is trying to steal a peaceful person’s guns, but we don’t want the violent Kelleys, Mateens, Paddocks and Roofs to have them.
GOOD GUY WITH A GUN NOT ENOUGH
The neverending argument that good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns is foolish. The good guys didn’t show up in Las Vegas until 500 people had been injured and another 58 were killed. The good guys were only able to step in after Kelley had killed 26 and wounded 20 others. The good guys aren’t stopping these deaths from happening, and relying on them to be able to step in after dozens of
people have been shot is not a morally responsible strategy. I don’t want a good guy with a gun to save my life after my family has been murdered. I don’t want my family to be murdered in the first place.
TAKE WHITE TERRORISTS SERIOUSLY
Christopher Estes is a white man who planted a bomb at an airport and may see only 10 years in prison. Harlem Suarez, a Cuban-American, got a terrorism charge and life in prison after the FBI pushed him into purchasing the fake bomb that his indictment called a weapon of mass destruction. We respond differently to different types of terrorism, but we need to take them all seriously. A live bomb at an airport is worse than a fake one, right? When a Muslim from Uzbekistan drove a truck onto a bike path and killed eight people, it was called a terrorist incident, and Trump vowed to step up extreme vetting to prevent ISIS from coming to the U.S. But when a white man killed 26 people in a church, the country has basically vowed to not doing anything to prevent it from happening again. When Omar Mateen killed 50 people at a gay nightclub and pledged allegiance to foreign terrorists, we took it seriously. When Dylan Roof wrote a racist manifesto, we refused to look at white supremacy a source of terrorism. We need to stop insulting the dead by refusing to believe that terrorists can be homegrown; white men can obviously be domestic terrorists, too. We need to make the same effort to prevent the Paddocks, Roofs, and Kelleys as we do the Mateens, Suarezes, and Saipovs.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
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INTERNATIONAL
AFROCENTRIC TECH STARTUP BATTLES BRAIN DRAIN, BOLSTERS BOOTSTRAPPERS PARVATHY NAMBIDI
Princesse Likayi is a Portland State alumna and chief operations officer of Talent2Africa, a recruiting platform for the African diaspora. Likayi pitched her startup idea to a global audience at TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield, a competition held on Oct. 11 in Nairobi, Kenya. Her startup was shortlisted as one of 15 African startups among 800 applicants from the continent competing for $25,000 and the opportunity to present at the finals. Portland State Vanguard caught up with Likayi over Skype to discuss the competition results and find out the next steps for the up-and-coming global entrepreneur. “Though we couldn’t make it to the finals, it was great to be around other startups,” Likayi said. “From the competitors, we learned to write clever business plans and present them in a short span of time.” Currently Likayi and her team are working on version two of Talent2Africa as a Software as a Service project. As a Congolese-American, Likayi takes pride in helping African entrepreneurs find footholds in global business. She will be heading to Nigeria in December for her next project with Green Africa Airlines. “My first love has always been social justice,” she said. “I try to carry the spirit of representing minority entrepreneurs wherever I go. I work with a conscious and sustainable motto, and carry those principles with me wherever I work.” One of the major issues faced by African entrepreneurs is getting investors outside the continent to invest in them,
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according to Likayi. “Even after getting funding, or a white executive member or CEO, [these companies] have to overcome a slew of discriminations,” she said . Likayi has been working with African enterprisers for the past four years, serving as a link in tech space bringing people together for a common goal. “Launching a startup is not easy,” she said. “You are bootstrapping everything, and you have to constantly reassure yourself and be extremely confident.” Despite the stresses of entrepreneurship, Likayi is happy to lend young businessmen of the continent her skills and network. She emphasized the importance of having a platform for African businesspeople. “African companies have willingness to hire talent from within the continent, but they lack resources,” she explained. “The global recruitment platforms have less space for minorities. We talk about talent gap, brain drain and the phenomenon of smart Africans leaving the country without actually knowing the gravity of the situation.” Likayi said she feels startups can help fill the void by building African-centric technologies to solve some of these issues, and strongly believes in the ability of entrepreneurs in Africa to bring about compelling changes among the people of the continent. “Startups can build powerful technologies and infrastructure that can change transportation, education, health and recruitment processes,” she said. “This process makes it easier
for the Africans within the continent to find jobs, and motivates the African global diaspora to return home.” Reflecting on her time at PSU, Likayi said her education in the United States has made her more attractive to African entrepreneurs. But she said she feels her mindset is also important. “I kind of deviated from the traditional path that my classmates took.” For most of her classmates studying international development, that path led them to the nonprofit sector. “I was not very confident in the [nonprofit] sector’s ability to create effective change,” she said. “I wanted to work more on the economic development side, associating with more people on the ground.” While at PSU, Likayi was also an active organizer of events for the Association of African Students. “We really brought conversation about what it is like to be an African. We tried to get rid of the stereotypical stigma that Africans are primitive.” She said she fondly remembers her circle as a cosmopolitan gang. “We were ambitious and a bit naive. We wanted to change fast, and later realized that it takes time to bring about a change.” Likayi’s sister Naomi is a sophomore at PSU studying art practice. She dreams of being a character animator in the future and said she admires her sister’s accomplishments. “I am extremely proud about my sister’s latest achievement. She is versatile, and more importantly has always stayed connected to her roots. Her love for Africa and the people there is reflected in her work.”
SAUDI ARABIA: LEBANON’S PM RESIGNS, RIYADH-BOUND MISSILE INTERCEPTED
Citing threats to his life and condemning Iranian meddling in Lebanese affairs, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri abruptly announced his resignation in a speech from Riyadh. Hariri has yet to return to Lebanon, prompting questions from the Lebanese government, while Saudi officials maintain Hariri is under protection from potential assassination attempts. A ballistic missile fired from Yemen was intercepted by Saudi Arabia en route to its capital later in the day, further ratcheting regional tensions after Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister described the incident as an act of war by Iran.
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SAUDI ARABIA: SAUDI ELITES SWEPT UP IN ANTI-CORRUPTION CAMPAIGN
Billionaires, princes, senior ministers and over two dozen other Saudi elites were detained at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh after a royal decree called for their arrest and ignited an ongoing anti-corruption campaign. Several top officials were sacked, including the head of the National Guard. The purge, which has seen over 200 people detained, is widely regarded as a power play by the current heir to the Saudi throne, Mohammed bin Salman.
Nov. 4–Nov. 10 Chris May
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WORLDWIDE: TROVE OF LEAKED FINANCIAL DOCS EXPOSE GLOBAL TAX HAVENS
Offshore law firms and other entities leaked 13.4 million documents, prompting an investigation by nearly 100 media organizations implicating the Queen of England, a top Trump administration official, Apple, Reed College, and countless other celebrities, corporations and wealthy elites around the world in shady tax-evasion practices. The documents, dubbed the Paradise Papers, are the fifth major leak of financial documents in the last four years, second in size only to last year’s Panama Papers.
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WORLDWIDE: SYRIA JOINS PARIS AGREEMENT, LEAVING U.S. ALONE IN OPPOSITION
Syria announced it would join the Paris climate agreement during talks at a United Nations climate conference in Bonn, Germany, leaving the U.S. as the only country opposed to the global pact. Syria, which has been decimated by an ongoing civil war and is currently under European and U.S. sanctions, has had difficulty sending representatives abroad to negotiate and sign the deal.
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PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
Events Nov. 14–Nov. 20
Matthew Andrews & Andrew D. Jankowski
OFF CAMPUS FEATURED EVENT
THURSDAY, NOV. 16
FRIDAY, NOV. 17
SUNDAY, NOV. 19
CABARET DANTE’S, STAR 2ND ANNUAL THEATER, TONIC METALESQUE FESTIVAL LOUNGE NOV. 16–18 $10–104, 21+ Over two dozen burlesque dancers from across the country convene to celebrate their love of heavy metal, Satan and femme sexuality. Some will be performing with live metal bands, others will be dancing with fire or swinging through the air. Check back for our review.
DRAG QUEENS MISSION THEATER DINNER CABARET $30, 21+ 6 P.M. McMenamins’ first-ever dinner cabaret offers a three-course dinner, the songbook of Donna Summers and the humor of Poison Waters.
COMEDY 6:30 P.M. ILANA GLAZER & REVOLUTION HALL PHOEBE ROBINSON $25–100, ALL AGES The Broad City actress and consultant, respectively, come to Portland on their YQY Comedy Tour.
LECTURE OREGON JEWISH THE SECOND COMING MUSEUM OF THE KKK $5–8, ALL AGES 2 P.M. Historian Linda Gordon discusses the legacy of the Ku Klux Klan in American politics, tracing their history from almost a century ago in the 1920s to the present day.
TUESDAY, NOV. 14 FILM 5 P.M. FATAL ATTRACTION MISSION THEATER (1987) $3–4, ALL AGES Trivia: our editor-in-chief gets compared to Glenn Close’s aesthetics in this movie a lot. Fatal Attraction turns 30 this year. METAL ROSELAND THEATER GWAR, GHOUL $20, ALL AGES 6:30 P.M. The monstrous and theatrical metal band comes to Portland on their Blood of the Gods tour. FILM (THROUGH NOV. 16) THE KILLING OF A HOLLYWOOD THEATRE SACRED DEER (2017) $7–9, ALL AGES 7 P.M. / 9:30 P.M. Although we previously indicated The Killing of a Sacred Deer was only at Cinema 21 for one night, the screenings have since extended and expanded over to the Hollywood. FILM 7:30 P.M. FATAL FLYING HOLLYWOOD THEATRE GUILLOTINE (1977) $7–9, ALL AGES From the copy: “A young student (Carter Wong) is out for revenge for his mother’s death, while a group of Shaolin monks search for a kung fu manual.” Fatal Flying Guillotine screens for its 40th birthday.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 FILM HOLLYWOOD THEATRE SHORTBUS (2006) $7–9, ALL AGES 7:30 P.M. This drama-comedy makes the argument to make space for realistic depictions of sex in cinema outside of porn and the avant garde. INDIE ROCK 8 P.M. GUANTANAMO MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS BAYWATCH $12–14, ALL AGES The Portland surf-punk band has toured nationally and received love from publications like NPR and Paste. They return home in support of their new album Desert Center.
FILM 7 P.M. PAINT YOUR WAGON HOLLYWOOD THEATRE (1969) $5, ALL AGES Not quite sure why Hollywood Theatre is billing this as Paint Your Wagon’s 50th anniversary, but we won’t argue with the ridiculously sweet raffle they enter you into when you attend this screening. POST-PUNK KILLINGSWORTH 1919, FATAL JEST DYNASTY 8 P.M. FREE, 21+ Tribute/cover bands for Bauhaus and Killing Joke play before the Post-Punk Discotheque dance party. COMEDY 8 P.M. QUINCY JONES & SIREN THEATER FRIENDS $10, ALL AGES Not to be confused with the music legend, the L.A./Seattle comedian is joined by Riley Fox, Kevin Johnston, Thomas Lundy, Alex Avery, Anthony Robinson and host Zane Thomas. PUNK 8 P.M. BATTLEME, ACID THE KNOW TONGUE, THE FURIES $8, 21+ Battleme comes to Portland in support of their new album Cult Psychotica. INDIE POP 8:30 P.M. LEO ISLO, ELLIS PINK, HOLOCENE SMALL SKIES $8, 21+ Don’t miss Ellis Pink’s final performance! You can hear Leo Islo for free at Portland State’s Live @ Lunch concert series, which is great if you’re underage and can’t make it to this show. ANCE PARTY NYX / BLACK BOOK COMPACT: FEMME 4 $5 (FREE W/ FEMME DONATION), 21+ 10 P.M. Donate new, unopened makeup to the Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center, see femme-positive drag performances and hear music celebrating women. THEATER 9 P.M. AL GORE MEMORIAL BODYVOX HIGH SCHOOL $10, ALL AGES Aaron Ross’ one-man show about 10 characters at an ultra-liberal high school.
FILM (SCREENING NOV. 19) THE TERMINATOR MISSION THEATER (1984) $11, 21+ 8:45 P.M. Sunday is the all-ages Terminator screening. Tonight’s the night to sip a Schwarzeneggerinspired cocktail.
SATURDAY, NOV. 18 CABARET 6:15 P.M. NAUGHTY BIT BIT HOUSE SALOON BURLESQUE $15–20, 21+ San Francisco’s award-winning Frankie Fictitious dazzles in Portland, supported by local burlesque dancers Valerie Veils, Olatsa Assassin, Sugar Kane, Nina Nightshade, Wanda Bones, Vanity Thorn and emcee Vera Mysteria. LAUNCH PARTY BOOKS WITH PICTURES MISS ANTHOLOGY FREE, ALL AGES 7 P.M. The femme-P.O.C.-centric graphic novel/ zine collective celebrates the release of a new collection of essays, illustrations and comics from 15 artists. ELECTRONIC MUSIC 8 P.M. BRANDY GRAY, BEN LEAVEN COMMUNITY MILSTEIN, SOLAR DRIFT, $5–15, ALL AGES EVAC Live experimental, ambient electronic music from local artists. METAL 8 P.M. CANNIBAL CORPSE, HAWTHORNE THEATRE POWER TRIP, $25, ALL AGES GATECREEPER The controversial death metal headliners, celebrating 30 years together in 2018, tour in support of their new album Red Before Black. DANCE PARTY BOSSANOVA BEARRACUDA BALLROOM 9 P.M. $8–12, 21+ Go enjoy the gay bear dance party featuring lasers, sweat and sexy go-gos, sponsored by Growlr.
FILM CINEMA 21 MONTEREY POP (1968) $7–10, ALL AGES 6:45 P.M. The classic concert movie turns 50 next year. Oregon State University professor Jon Lewis and Grammy Museum executive director Robert Santelli will be on hand to introduce the film, talk about its significance and exhibit rare archival footage from the Grammy Museum. NOT CHURCH 7:30 P.M. OVERCOMING CREATIVE GUILDER CHALLENGES THROUGH $25–30, ALL AGES ASTROLOGY Vanishing Point Yoga and Deep Sea Astrology present a workshop for how to use your astrological chart to break through creative blocks and challenges.
MONDAY, NOV. 20 SPORTS VETERANS MEMORIAL PSU VIKINGS VS. UTAH COLISEUM STATE $5–19, ALL AGES 7 P.M. PSU Men’s Basketball takes on Utah State Auggies. Can’t attend in person? GoViks.com has options to watch the game remotely. FILM 7:30 P.M. FAST TIMES AT HOLLYWOOD THEATRE RIDGEMONT HIGH $7–9, ALL AGES (1982) “All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.” FILM (1984) STRANGLER VS. 9:30 P.M. STRANGLER (DAVITELJ CENTURY PROTIV DAVITELJA) FREE, 21+ This dark Yugoslav comedy is about a bumbling Serbian serial killer, the incompetent police who investigate him, and the band who wrote a song inspired by him (that the killer in turn listens to and is obsessed with).
INDIE ROCK 9:30 P.M. THUNDERPUSSY, MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS BLACKWATER $12–14, 21+ HOLYLIGHT The Seattle high-energy rockers tour in support of their new single Speed Queen.
PSU Vanguard • NOVEMBER 14, 2017 • psuvanguard.com
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Events Nov. 14–Nov. 20
Matthew Andrews & Andrew D. Jankowski
ON CAMPUS FEATURED EVENT CONTEMPORARY LINCOLN DANCE PERFORMANCE HALL OCD LOVE $25–36, ALL AGES NOV. 16–18 White Bird presents L-E-V (Hebrew for “heart”), an Israeli dance company, performing new work by Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar about conflicts common in love and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
TUESDAY, NOV. 14 SHOPPING (THROUGH NOV. 16) ENGLISH DEPARTMENT NEUBERGER 407 BOOK SALE $1+, ALL AGES, 11 A.M. Buy books from Ooligan Press, Portland State’s acclaimed graduate publishing program, along with books from the department’s collection as it moves from Neuberger Hall to Stratford for the upcoming renovations. ELECTRONIC MUSIC PARKWAY NORTH LEO ISLO FREE, ALL AGES NOON Though you can catch him at Holocene on Thursday, anyone under 21 will definitely want to catch this free show for the Live @ Lunch Concert series, which will be in the Park Blocks if weather permits. WORKSHOP 1 P.M. LANDLORD-TENANT SMSU 294 ISSUES FREE, ALL AGES Attorney Troy Pickard and Student Legal Services help navigate your relationship with your landlord (or tenants, if you’re a landlord going back to school). FILM PARKWAY NORTH WASTED! (2017) FREE, ALL AGES 4 P.M. Learn the sickening true story of how much food gets wasted each year while people still starve to death, and learn why it keeps happening. JAZZ THE OLD CHURCH THE BAYLOR PROJECT $25–30, ALL AGES 7 P.M. Jean and Marcus Baylor are a married couple affiliated with the Grammy award-winning quartet the Yellowjackets, and tour in support of their project’s new album The Journey.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 CHAMBER MUSIC NOON CASCADIA CHAMBER THE OLD CHURCH ENSEMBLE FREE, ALL AGES Violinist Elizabeth Doty, cellist Tom Graves and pianist Hannah Brewer perform Mozart, Rachmaninov and Turina for The Old Church’s Lunchtime Free Concert series.
WORKSHOP OFFICE OF ACADEMIC DEALING WITH INNOVATION DIFFICULT SITUATIONS FREE, ALL AGES 1 P.M. Julie Caron and Yesenia Gutierrez lead students through the processes of reporting issues related sexual harassment, discrimination and more pertaining to Title IX in the classroom and on and off campus. FILM WHITSELL AUDITORIUM JACKSON (2016) $6–9, ALL AGES 7 P.M. Maisie Crow’s documentary about populations affected by efforts to ban abortion in areas like Jackson, Miss. THEATER BOILER ROOM THEATER VICTIMS OF DUTY $6–15, ALL AGES (THROUGH NOV. 18) 7:30 P.M. When a detective investigating a crime arrives at Choubert and Madeline’s apartment, the investigation exposes “a bizarre landscape of Choubert’s hidden memories and desires.”
THURSDAY, NOV. 16 CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCE HALL THE EARTHLY FEMME #75 NOON FREE, ALL AGES LINCOLN PSU composers, including Renee FavandSee, Lisa Marsh, and School of Music director Bonnie Miksch, present new works. FAMILY SMSU 238 HARVEST FEAST FREE, ALL AGES 4 P.M. Students with children are encouraged to RSVP their whole families for a potluck with the PSU Resource Center for Students with Children. Visit the official posting on the pdx.edu events calendar for RSVP link. FILM 7 P.M. AN EVENING WITH WHITSELL AUDITORIUM RUTH HAYES $6–9, ALL AGES The Olympia-based animator and artist has works in the Museum of Modern Art’s library and will show some of them in a curated collection of her experimental films.
FRIDAY, NOV. 17 FITNESS CAMPUS REC CENTER LGBTQ SPLASH MOB FREE, ALL AGES 5 P.M. Non-binary, gender-fluid, transgender and ally swim party. FILM 5:30 P.M. SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS WHITSELL AUDITORIUM (1941) $5, ALL AGES While this screening of Sullivan’s Travels doesn’t have the director’s living relatives in attendance, it is closer to campus than two weeks ago, and slightly cheaper.
FILM 5TH AVENUE CINEMA PAPRIKA (2006) $4–5 (FREE W/PSU ID), SCREENING NOV. 18–19 ALL AGES. 7 P.M. Satoshi Kon’s final anime film explores a world where doctors use dream therapy to relieve their patients’ pain and explore the inner workings of their minds. CHAMBER MUSIC CECILE LICAD 7:30 P.M.
LINCOLN PERFORMANCE HALL #75 $10–25, ALL AGES Critically-acclaimed New York-based pianist performs American and European works before giving a weekend of masterclasses. FILM WHITSELL AUDITORIUM IRMA VEP (1996) $6–9, ALL AGES 8 P.M. This cult French art film follows Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung doing a Jennifer Tilly as Jennifer Tilly, as the remake of a vampire classic she’s filming suddenly changes directors mid-production. INDIE ROCK 8 P.M. HAWKTAIL, THERE IS NO THE OLD CHURCH MOUNTAIN $12–15, ALL AGES Hawktail is something of an Americana supergroup, made of other bands like Punch Brothers, David Rawlings, Crooked Still, and Prairie Home Companion. It was previously called Haas Kowert Tice.
SATURDAY, NOV. 18 FILM WHITSELL AUDITORIUM SPIRITED AWAY (2001) $5–9, ALL AGES 2 P.M. Aside from 5th Avenue Cinema’s free screening last spring, Spirited Away hasn’t screened near campus in three years. FILM 8 P.M. THE STORY OF TEMPLE WHITSELL AUDITORIUM DRAKE (1933) $5–9, ALL AGES This ever-controversial film about a woman who “enjoys leaving men wanting more” reads even weirder in the fallout from “the Weinstein Effect.” The Story of Temple Drake turns 85 next year. OPERA THE OLD CHURCH PORTLAND CONCERT $20 ($10 W/STUDENT OPERA GALA ID), ALL AGES 8 P.M. Artistic Director Lance Inouye leads baritones Todd Thomas and Michael Redding, bassbaritone Damien Geter, soprano Kimberly Giordano, and mezzo-soprano Beth Madsen Bradford in performances of Vivaldi, Offenbach, Gounod and more. FILM 9 P.M. TETSUO: THE IRON MAN WHITSELL AUDITORIUM (1989) $5–9, ALL AGES Japanese low-budget ‘80s sci-fi body horror at its finest.
SUNDAY, NOV. 19 FILM WHITSELL AUDITORIUM CORALINE (2009) $5–9, ALL AGES 2 P.M. This LAIKA Studios adaption of the Neil Gaiman story, directed by Henry Selick (Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach) and starring Dakota Fanning as the eponymous heroine, screens with Selick’s short animated film Moongirl (2005). FILM 4 P.M. AMERICAN MADNESS WHITSELL AUDITORIUM (1932) $5–9, ALL AGES This 85-year-old pre-Hayes Code movie shows a Depression-era bank fraud scheme with a love triangle. CHAMBER MUSIC LINCOLN PSU PERCUSSION AND PERFORMANCE HALL MARIMBA ENSEMBLE #75 7 P.M. FREE, ALL AGES PSU Percussion and Marimba Ensemble perform standards and new works in a free weekend concert. FILM WHITSELL AUDITORIUM WORKING GIRLS (1931) $5–9, ALL AGES 7 P.M. While on the surface about two sisters (Dorothy Hall and Judith Wood) who move to New York from the Midwest, Working Girls was one of the earliest movies directed by a lesbian filmmaker. Not to be confused with Working Girl, or the ‘80s film of the same name. SINGER-SONGWRITER BRASHER & HER TRIO JESSA CAMPBELL, 7 P.M. ASHLEY XTINA, MAIAH THE OLD CHURCH WYNN, RACHEL $13–15, ALL AGES Jessa Campbell plays in support of her new E.P. Great Grey Owl, while Ashley Xtina plays her final show under this name. Part of the #WomenCrush Music concert series.
MONDAY, NOV. 20 LECTURE PARSONS GALLERY LINDA GORDON FREE, ALL AGES 3 P.M. Linda Gordon repeats her presentation The 1920s KKK in Oregon and America’s Rightwing Populist Tradition, based on her book The Second Coming of the KKK: The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s and the American Political Tradition. FILM WHITSELL AUDITORIUM CASA DE LAVA (1994) $5–9, ALL AGES 7 P.M. This zombie movie set on a series of islands off of West Africa’s Cape Verde is less George A. Romero and more White Zombie.