Challenging conventions
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Portland State University Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 | vol. 67 no. 9
More vets attend PSU New Viking Vets center opens Josh Kelety Vanguard staff
They’ve put down their flack jackets and night vision goggles, their helmets and M16 rifles. Now, they’re in classrooms studying and reading, being students. This year, more veterans than ever are attending Portland State. This fall, about 1,200 veterans are receiving GI Bill tuition benefits, up approximately 20 percent from last year. Additionally, there are at least 400 additional student vets who don’t show up on the books. The GI Bill was introduced in 1944 as a way for the federal government to give back to service men and women. If utilized within 15 years of their release from active duty, veterans can have their college tuition paid and receive a small stipend. Partly because of the attendance spike, veterans have a new space in Smith Memorial Student Union, where they can connect to the services and help they need to make their time as students successful. It’s a place mostly for social support, intended to help veterans make the transition to being students, said David Christensen, vice president of development for Viking Vets, the student veterans association. “A lot of times when veterans come back from service and are trying to reintegrate into the community, they See Vets on page 4
Growing food on campus Green-minded campus lacks organic garden Cassandra Moore Vanguard staff
Across the country, organic gardens are being worked into the campus landscape. In the Northwest alone, rows of veggies are tucked in a fiveacre plot at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. The Urban Farm at the University of Oregon is 1.5 acres. Looking farther, the urban garden at Kendall College in Chicago produces between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds of food per year, just a mile from one of Illinois’ busiest interstates. Though the Portland State Sustainability Leadership Center map marks seven campus gardens, most are not vegetable gardens—some have herbs or trellises of strawberries, but there is no urban farm here. While food grows on or near campus, why isn’t PSU following suit? The answer is complicated and involves space, logistics and safety. Now a patchwork of smaller projects yield a small harvest of food.
Some success Where an exit off I-405 snakes away from US-26 and heads behind Stephen Epler Residence Hall, a modest, blockwide swath of exposed earth looks like a mirage amid gray asphalt. Dug up in 2005 and 2011, respectively, the community garden and orchard at Southwest 12th Avenue and Montgomery Street is fenced and padlocked. The garden shed is nestled among trees growing under the belly of an interstate overpass. The 48 plots in the community garden are leased for free to on-campus
Corinna Scott/VANGUARD STAFF
The community garden at Southwest 12th Avenue and Montgomery Street lays barren.
residents. As of mid-September, some plots need weeding or have been abandoned. A few plots are bare—one sixby-four-foot bed coddles a single aloe vera plant. The orchard smells of hay and engine oil. Keith Nevison, a PSU environmental studies graduate, former garden liaison and principle creator of the orchard, said soil testing has confirmed the earth here is safe. But, “I’m cautious,” he said. “A lot of students want to grow a lot of edibles [on campus].” That is not always practical, Nevison explained. Aside from concerns with soil toxicity, the real
impediment is construction.
Natural and man-made barriers Even if the university had space for an organic garden, physical limitations exist, Nevison said. “You will dig down three or four inches and hit sheet metal, glass, brick and other construction debris.” To save money, he said, construction companies have buried their waste on campus and covered it with topsoil. While other urbanites might look to rooftops for veggie plots, in the Northwest garden roofs are tricky, he
Rising to the challenge Melody Rose starts work as Oregon University System’s vice chancellor for academic strategies Ravleen Kaur Vanguard staff
The first time Melody Rose ever stepped onto a college campus was on move-in day at the University of California, Santa Cruz. As a firstgeneration college student from a poor family in Los Angeles, the odds were stacked against her. Just last week, Rose became vice chancellor for academic strategies for the Oregon University System, and will work on issues that impact all seven OUS campuses.
Among her many responsibilities, Rose, Portland State’s former vice provost of academic affairs, will serve as a senior policy adviser to the chancellor, develop student success initiatives and help shape the direction of higher education in Oregon. Rose’s unique insights make her a great fit for the post, said George Pernsteiner, chancellor of OUS. “She brings knowledge of Oregon that comes from deep interactions with communities and leaders in this state for many years,” Pernsteiner said. “She has a record of scholarship needed to establish credibility with faculty at all our universities.” Rose has spent 17 years at PSU, rising from adjunct faculty member to chair of the political science department before serving as the university’s vice provost for academic affairs. As
vice provost, Rose led a revision of the honors program curriculum, led an update on the institutional accreditation process and integrated the PSU Center for Academic Excellence. During her time at PSU, she also founded the campus Center for Women, Politics and Policy. The center aims to train and inspire the next generation of women to increase their presence in public policy. “She has had a significant impact on the understanding of the role of women—past and present—in public life, and moreover has taken an active role in the development of future women leaders. Melody is a nationally regarded scholar on this topic,” said Roy Koch, former provost and vice president for academic affairs. Drawing on her own experience, Rose has a self-proclaimed passion
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for public education, and attributes her success to college; she attended at a time when the state of California was investing heavily in its public universities, making tuition for lower-income students affordable. “I wouldn’t be vice chancellor today if I didn’t have that opportunity,” Rose said.
explained. “Rooftops generally make terrible places to grow food because they get baked in the summer. And vegetables take incredible amounts of water.” Green roofs range from lightweight three-inch ground covers—like on the roof of the Montgomery Bike Garage— to human-accessible parks. The weight from a rooftop garden can exceed engineering limits, especially for older buildings. Add rainwater and an unstable roof will collapse. So buildings must be inspected before gardens can be installed. See Garden on page 2
The new vice chancellor believes optimism and collaboration are key in tackling the big issues that higher education faces. Among these is affordability. “Access to higher education is a cause near and dear to my heart,” said Rose. “I’m concerned about the enormous student debt out there. I am and will continue to be a vocal advocate for accessibility.” Rose also stressed the value of educational attainment. She will be instrumental in seeing through Oregon’s 40/40/20 Plan, an education goal that aims, by 2025, for 40 percent of Oregon adults to have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 40 percent to hold an associate’s degree or vocational certificate and 20 percent to have a high school diploma. “We face great opportunities as the education landscape changes in Oregon and in the country,” Pernsteiner said. “[Rose] has the See Melody on page 4
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Vanguard • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 • news
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garden from page 1
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Food-producing roofs may have a part in PSU’s future, said Ernest Tipton, PSU’s campus design and planning manager. “The vegetable garden idea is something I’ve been talking about with a lot of other people,” he said. “It’s really interesting.” In the future, Tipton believes PSU will design new buildings with garden-topped roofs and food-growing means built in. He declined to say how soon PSU intends to implement such designs, but said, “It is something that is on our radar, and there is very good possibility for it.”
Looking ahead The university launched a new project on Saturday when installation began on an intensive green roof—meaning it will allow human access, and the soil depth will be upwards of seven inches—on top of Cramer Hall. Only 5 percent of the 1,920 square foot green space will be edible, though, and access is limited. So while PSU has no rolling farmland, “We’re at or near the top of any [urban] university,” Nevison said. The goal at PSU, he said, is not to compete with richer colleges with better soil and more room, like Kendall College, but to have demonstration gardens that suggest why people should care, and how. Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy
Dilafruz Williams agrees: “[Campus gardens] are symbolic of what the university community cares about. If we grow these things on campus, students walking by will be curious and will get drawn in,” she said.
Benefits beyond food The positive effect of even a small garden is not just personal. The baby fruit trees in the community orchard are bioremediators—they pulltoxins out of the soil. Nevison also hopes the orchard will link PSU to nonprofits like Portland Fruit Tree Project. A partnership with PFTP would ensure the orchard harvest goes to a good cause—to supplement meals composed of mostly processed foods served at food banks downtown. The orchard site is also a lesson in urban reclamation. Leased from the Oregon Department of Transportation, the site was previously overgrown and littered with drug paraphernalia. Cleaned up, the land could be an education site where students learn proper tree care, and pruning and grafting techniques. The model is unique, said Heather Spalding, PSU’s sustainability leadership and outreach coordinator. Originally, the Food For Thought Café garden alongside the Smith Memorial Student Union wrapped around the building’s west side. According to Suzan
PSU Crime Blotter Heroin arrest: Sept. 12 8:21 p.m. Parking Structure 3
Larry Scoles was arrested in Parking Structure 3 next to the Helen Gordon Child Development Center for illegal trespassing and possession of heroin. David Baker was the CPSO officer on site. Fire alarm: Sept. 13, 8:26 a.m. Blumel Hall
A fire alarm in the Blumel Hall residence building showed activity on the eighth floor. An investigation by CPSO found the cause to be excessive airborne dust and debris from previous remodeling. Methamphetamine arrest: Sept. 14 5:24 p.m. Cramer Hall
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. The Vanguard is printed on 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper. ©2011 Portland State University Vanguard 1825 SW Broadway Smith Memorial Student Union, Rm. S-26 Portland OR, 97201
Aaron Johnson was arrested for possession of methamphetamine in a men’s restroom of Cramer Hall. David Baker was the CPSO officer who made the arrest. Unwanted laser pointer: Sept. 14
On-duty CPSO Officer Robert McCleary received a phone call from a Broadway Hall resident complaining about a laser light shining from a room in University Pointe. The laser annoyance lasted for roughly 30 seconds before it stopped, according to the Broadway Hall resident. General complaint: within the last two weeks
CPSO received complaints of a couple having sex in a women’s bathroom in Science Building 2, along with a suspicious-looking male leaving syringe wrappings in the room.
Wilson, the lead campus gardener, landscaping took over the space when students failed to keep it alive. “It is very typical of students to start projects and abandon them,” she said. Some students even take to renegade measures, starting guerrilla gardens that, by nature, are thrown into the soil and left to nature’s tending. Whether they throw out the seeds of vegetables, like tomatoes, or dogwood shrubs, “they don’t make sense. They are stuck at odds and ends, and we can’t leave them,” Wilson said.
A collision of needs While the university cannot grow all its food, and while students will start things they will not finish, the university has a unique responsibility to teach students about soil, food and human well-being, Williams said. “I was an elected official for eight years on the Portland School Board. One of the things I constantly brought to the discourse was the issue of sustainability. It’s just not something people are addressing—they’re not bringing it to the educational realm.” Williams authored the book Learning Gardens and Sustainability Education: Bring-
corinna scott/VANGUARD STAFF
food for thought café tends an edible garden between the Smith Memorial Student Union and Neuberger Hall.
ing Life to Schools and Schools to Life. She is the founding director of Learning Gardens Laboratory, a 12-acre garden education site and PSU partnership on Southeast 60th Avenue that hosts myriad capstone courses for PSU students. “The discourse of education is traditionally the
discourse of closing the education achievement gap,” Williams said. “The other discourse is about getting on the bandwagon of technology. Both are important. [But] I believe that the next frontier is [in the soil] right under our feet. We are not going to be able to eat computers.”
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Rehire one?
A Higher One update Isaac Hotchkiss Vanguard staff
Portland State’s Higher One contract won’t be up for renewal until October 2014, but renewal discussions will start this January. You may recognize Higher One as the company behind the debit and identity cards issued to all students, and used in the optional free checking account for financial aid disbursals. Higher One is a national third-party financial aid distributor providing service to 830 schools and 6.2 million students. They’ve also been in the news recently: They were ordered last month to pay back $11 million in illegal fees to 60,000 account holders, according to a Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation press release. At PSU, the company has been scrutinized since they began distributing financial aid in 2004. In 2009, after student protests, PSU was able to get the company to eliminate 50-cent transaction fees for all debit purchases. Students will again have opportunities to share their feelings about the company and its services during the renewal process next year, said Sandra Burris, executive director of PSU Finance and Administration. A feedback process for renegotiation will involve student focus groups and student government input, and perhaps a survey of the entire student body. Burris made it clear that the students will know when it comes time for contract renewal. “We’re still 18 months out,” Burris said. “But we really want to make sure it’s the right thing.”
Digging into the latest Higher One headlines An Aug. 11 FDIC ruling determined that Higher One had been illegally charging students multiple non-sufficient fund fees per overdraft, as well as timing the fees in a way that encouraged accounts to be continuously overdrawn and cause fees to keep accruing. The restitution was ordered from 2008 “to such time as Higher One ceased charging the fees in question,” according to an FDIC press release. Shoba Lemoine, spokesperson for Higher One, said the student population at PSU shouldn’t be expecting to see any credits, since they already disbursed them to account holders long ago. “We’re a service reviewed by regulators,” Lemoine said. She explained that these special cases with refunds
referred to less than 1 percent of delinquent accounts, and that PSU’s 2009 contract had eliminated deceptive fees. Lemoine justified her company’s service, stating that electronic distribution is environmentally friendly, and that having a Higher One checking account saves students the time of standing in long lines for a check. It also eliminates a transfer delay of two to three days when students transfer aid to their own third-party bank accounts.
Criticism for ‘siphoning’ U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a national nonprofit, is one of Higher One’s most vocal and well-organized critics. In a 40-page report titled The Campus Debit Card Trap, U.S. PIRG stated that 80 percent of the company’s revenue comes from fees charged to its checking account holders. “Banks should be banned from siphoning,” said Rich Williams, author of the study. Lemoine disputed the report’s claim. “That stat is wrong,” she said, explaining that just under 50 percent of Higher One’s revenue is derived from fees. “We’re a public company; you can go through our financials,” Lemoine said. “U.S. PIRG didn’t know how to read them.” Williams responded that Higher One and similar companies operate in a very opaque manner, and that the figures are disputable from very technical standpoints. “Part of it is interchange fees,” he admitted, which are fees paid among banks to each other. But Williams stressed that it was not the revenue percentages or the recent FDIC
Block Talk
Every week, the Vanguard asks people around the South Park Blocks a question of the week.
regulation that had his group so outraged. “It’s the fact that they are finding new and innovative ways to market to college students,” he said. “I don’t know anyone who would really bank with HO out of free will.” “If 70 to 80 percent of students are selecting Higher One, it is either because they’re the best, or they do it in predatory ways.” Williams was outraged that Higher One forces a two to three day delay for direct deposit to third party banks, and two to three week delays for paper check disbursal. Students choose Higher One because it’s the quickest and easiest way to get their money, and that under the financial crunch of college they often need it as quickly as possible, he said. Back at PSU, Burris is doubtful that a Higher One checking account is substantially worse than a third-party account. “I’d really have to see them lined up side by side,” she said. PSU Director of Communications Scott Gallagher said in a previous interview with the Vanguard that the university is saving $400,000–500,000 per year by using the service, as well as making aid disbursal more convenient for students. U.S. PIRG concluded in its report that debit programs can be a benefit to students if structured properly. They recommended that administration negotiate deals that are more transparent, and that students “complain often and loudly to administration and off-campus watchdogs if they encounter a problem.” Expect more reporting from the Vanguard as we move closer to the renegotiation process in January.
PSU professor engages audience through new medium Jan Haaken sees filmmaking as an extension of her fieldwork Matt Ellis Vanguard staff
Academic fieldwork typically debuts in wordy scientific journals that hold little appeal for most, but Portland State Professor Jan Haaken, a clinical psychologist, has found a way to engage a broader audience through. Haaken, an accomplished
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filmmaker, began screening her films during her time as a Fulbright scholar at Durham University. What she found was a medium much more conducive to discourse, discussion and debate. “A lot of reading is a solitary act, but when you watch a
Austin Maggs Vanguard Staff
It was recently announced that the City of Portland will add fluoride to public water by 2014 unless the vote is overturned.
How do you feel about fluoride being added to our water supply? “I think that from where I’m from, the water quality in general is much better. In Arizona, once the water gets [there], it’s not as good, so you can’t really drink as much water out of the faucet. So you get a lot more mountain water,” said 23-year-old senior psychology major Ashley Dennis. “So, fluoride: I’m not super concerned about it, considering where I’m from. There’s a lot more things in the water that would hurt you, but given it’s a problem to have too much. I’m grateful to have cleaner water being up here.” Satish Jhawar, a 22-year-old freshman economics major, expressed opposition to water fluoridation. “It causes deadly illnesses—like it destroys the gum site in the teeth and causes a lot of troubles—so we can’t intake food properly, which causes biological organs inside the body to get harmed.”
“Personally, I do not have a problem with fluoride being in the water, because I don’t think it’s actually going to really affect people very much,” said 23-year-old Postsecondary Adult and Continuing Education graduate student Paul Braun. “I don’t know enough about the protests or the dislike enough to know why people don’t like it, but for me it’s not a problem.”
Kristen Carangi is a 23-year-old sophomore sociology major from Philadelphia, a city that fluoridates its water supply. She said, “From what I understand, it has benefits for dental health, and they give you fluoride treatments at the dentist. And growing up, I never had a cavity and never had any real tooth problems, so I sort of support it because I think it serves a viable social function.”
“I think if they put fluoride in the water, it’s probably for a benefit,” said 18-year-old freshman biology major Donovan Odom. “I’m from the desert and it’s really hard to get water out there, so they put fluoride in our water out in Southern California—and, I mean, it’s not really a big deal if you think about it.”
All photos austin maggs/VANGUARD STAFF
film, it becomes a community event,” Haaken said. For her latest film, Mind Zone: Therapists Behind the Front Lines, Haaken turned the lens toward the hidden casualties of war in the human consciousness. Haaken was granted special access to the 113th Army Combat Stress Control Detachment, a unit sent to treat soldiers for psychological stress in the field of battle rather than at home after they’ve been deployed. The goal is to address post-traumatic stress disorder at its source, and perhaps deal with it as it arises. Dr. Johanna Brenner, a colleague of Haaken’s and an advisor on Mind Zone,
explained the distinction of Haaken’s work: “What makes her films different from the mainstream documentary are that she complicates rather than simplifies.” In addition to Mind Zone, Haaken’s body of work includes Guilty Except for Insanity, a film that explores the implications of the insanity plea, and Queens of Heart, a profile of the owner of the longest-surviving drag club in the United States, located here in Portland. Because Haaken’s films directly involve her professional work, she distances herself from the typically exclusive filmmaking techniques
used by other filmmakers. In waddition to contributions from colleagues like Brenner, Haaken enlists PSU students to help bring her films to fruition. But for Haaken, who views her filmmaking less as an artistic endeavor and more as a different tool in her professional career, it always comes back to her first role, as a psychologist. “I don’t think it’s realistic or even desirable to aspire to commercially distributed documentaries, where only a small amount of films are even completed and, from those, only a small percentage make their way into distribution,” Haaken said.
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VANGUARD • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 • News
Vets from page 1
Chief of Staff Paul Polsin and Jered Sundquist, a veteran and PSU student, in the new Viking Vets office.
Unemployment brings vets back to school don’t necessarily feel like they belong, or that it’s home anymore,” Christensen said. Allen Roberts, a U.S. Air Force veteran, works as a veteran certifications officer in Neuberger Hall. He thinks the uptick can be traced to downsizing in the military’s overseas operations. More than 2 million military personnel served on active duty in the last 10 years, and these veterans are now returning. “Troops are coming home and they are finding it hard to find decent jobs,” Roberts said. The unemployment rate for Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans was 9.5 percent as of June 2012. Viking Vets was started six years ago by a group of PSU student veterans looking to build support for this demographic. The new Viking Vets office is located in SMSU 401, the space that used to house Queer Resource Center.
Kayla Nguyen/VANGUARD STAFF
PSU: a hub for community service Volunteer options abound at urban campus Mary Breaden Vanguard staff
Emblazoned in gold letters on the Montgomery Street pedestrian bridge on campus is the slogan “Let Knowledge Serve the City.” Portland State’s proximity to downtown, reputable College of Urban and Public Affairs, and senior capstone project all contribute to making the school a dynamic source for community service. Sona Andrews, Portland State’s newly hired provost and vice president for academic affairs, said many urban universities show a high level of commitment to service, and PSU is no exception. “We recognize that everything that students learn does not take place in the classroom,” Andrews said. “Community service develops a great sense of civic responsibility.” Andrews added that the backgrounds of PSU students, many of whom grew up in the city, make them particularly rooted to their community. Student Activities and Leadership Programs is an effort to foster such attachments. According to Jessica Conley, program coordinator at Student Leaders for Service, which aligns itself with SALP, the student-led organization
provides an introduction to community engagement. She cited several events that SLS has created, such as the Viking Days of Service— where students congregate on the PSU campus and go on volunteer trips—as being great ways to navigate both the school and the city. On campus, several student support services, such as the Queer Resource Center and the Women’s Resource Center, also provide ways for students to connect through service. “[Volunteers] come from all backgrounds: black, white, gay, straight, transgender,” said Jayvin Jordan, volunteer coordinator for the QRC. “They really help get things done.” The QRC provides academic success classes that help queer students achieve success in higher education. “Volunteers are what make the place go,” said Bridge D’Urso, director of the WRC. Volunteers operate the front desk and plan events and projects for the center. They can even receive credit for various service contributions. PSU’s ethic of community service is inherent in its senior capstone project, a mandatory requirement for most undergraduate students. Seanna Kerrigan, capstone program director, said her dis-
sertation’s research into the impact of capstones suggests the program gives students “a sense that problems aren’t too big and overwhelming that one person can’t make a difference.” She also said requiring students to complete academic coursework in correlation with service in the community can provide a greater sense of confidence in career options.
Melody from page 1
New vice chancellor hopes to make educational transitions easier perspective, knowledge and judgment to help us take advantage of these opportunities so that we can make real progress toward meeting the state’s ambitious 40/40/20 education goals.” Part of Rose’s vision is to ensure that vulnerable students don’t fall through the cracks. She wants to work toward more fluid transitions between high schools, community colleges and universities. “We often lose students at those junctures,” Rose said. “Breaking down the borders between educational sectors is essential.”
Rose sees a seamless relationship between her work at PSU and her responsibilities with OUS. Her focus will continue to remain on the student experience. As vice chancellor, Rose’s first step will be to build relationships with her constituents, who range from students to faculty to business leaders who seek out well-educated graduates to hire. Rose will extend her outreach by visiting the OUS campuses she is less familiar with. “Overall, we need to find interesting, innovative ways to make the student expe-
Hot off the presses Per Henningsgaard appointed director of Ooligan Press and graduate publishing program Shanna Cranston Vanguard staff
After a long search, Portland State’s publishing program has found a new leader. Per Henningsgaard, who has a long history in the publishing industry, is the new director of publishing for Ooligan Press, the university’s trade press and publishing program. “I’m thrilled to be joining Ooligan Press and the publishing program at PSU,” Henningsgaard said. “The achievements of both belie
their relative youth, and I look forward to building on this foundation to make Portland State University a top destination for students all across the country who are interested in entering the field, as well as publishers seeking new talent.” Henningsgaard believes a stronger relationship between the publishing program and the Department of English at PSU is needed to better leverage the expertise that resides in the English department. He hopes to raise the public profile of Ooligan Press in order to secure a more solid financial footing. “Per’s background in the study of regional publishing will be a huge boon to the program’s curriculum,” said Abbey Gaterud, Ooligan’s
assistant publisher and advisor. “As a regional program at a state university, the program and Ooligan Press place a high value on the study and promotion of the literature and ideas of our region, time and place.” Ooligan Press is a trade publishing house run by students in the Department of English’s book publishing master’s program, where they can apply the skills they have learned in the classroom to the real world. According to Leerom Medovoi, Department of English chair, the graduate publishing program prepares students for future careers in the field and engages citizenship within printing communities. “What’s exciting about the program is that students
rience richer,” Rose said. “With the advent of free online education, students today have enormous access to information, and we need to figure out how to acknowledge this knowledge and make sure we are delivering quality education.” Tackling challenges that face the nation as a whole will also be a part of Rose’s work and advocacy. Rose, who serves under a contract that is renewable in 2014, said of her new position: “There are so many things on the table. I’m excited and honored.”
don’t only learn how to publish books, but also about the art, history, culture and politics of books, so they can become thoughtful and active shapers of our culture’s future,” Medovoi said. Any student can apply for the graduate publishing program, but Henningsgaard said students who are not sure if publishing is their calling can take classes even if their area of study is not related to publishing. Ooligan was founded in 2001 and has since published 30 titles in fiction, nonfiction and poetry that are distributed internationally. Ooligan Press accepts manuscript submissions and hosts many public events, such as book launches and the Write to Publish conference throughout the year. Visit ooligan.pdx.edu for more information.
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CPSO gears up for new school year Sgt. Michael anderson, a PSU Campus Public Safety officer, keeps an eye on campus during patrol.
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Getting to know your student government: part one Many faces, different roles Austin Maggs Vanguard staff
As important as they are, there’s more to student government at Portland State than the president and vice president of the Associate Students of Portland State University. Here are a few of the other student government leaders you should know. Part two of this series will be published soon.
Anthony Stine
Communications director
Amber Kelsall Drew Martig/VANGUARD STAFF
Operations director
No major crimes reported over the summer Andrew Morse Vanguard staff
While crime on campus was minimal over the summer, the Campus Public Safety Office is taking extra precautions to increase campus security for the upcoming year. Having fewer students on campus during the summer made it easier to identify external threats, according to CPSO Chief Phillip Zerzan. He said the majority of arrests made were for individuals not affiliated with Portland State. As the school year begins, however, CPSO’s overall goal is to make everyone on campus feel safer and be safer, with a visible presence and preventative measures. In addition to patrolling on foot and by car, CPSO officers have increased the use of bicycles. “[Biking] is absolutely the best way to get around,” said Sgt. Joe Schilling, a veteran
of the Portland Police Bureau and one of the first officers to conduct bicycle patrols in the late 1980s. The bicycles help officers blend into their surroundings and give them the advantage of seeing over people in large crowds. Around campus, Transportation and Parking Services has posted CPSO’s number and other safety advice on placards in the stairwells of all major parking garages. Students are urged to call for an officer to escort them to their cars if they are parked on PSU property and feel unsafe. Parking Structure 3 had previously seen an increase in break-ins because of low visibility in some areas, but after CPSO replaced burned out light bulbs, that increase came to a halt, Zerzan said. Internal public safety issues like alcohol- and drug-related offenses typically come from residence halls or misused public spaces after hours. CPSO will continue to direct students
to the appropriate campus resource centers for help. “University policing has become increasingly complex,” Zerzan said. Regardless of PSU’s growth in recent years, CPSO’s safety model reflects a smaller campus community. Zerzan would like to see a fully functional police department on campus, one that follows nationwide best practices. The number of students living on campus is up because of the new University Pointe housing complex, but statutory authority limits CPSO to property owned by PSU, which means they will not be responsible for patrolling its grounds. Despite the limitation, CPSO hopes to treat the building like part of the campus community in a more direct manner, Zerzan explained.
Miles Sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFF
As operations director, Amber Kelsall is responsible for many logistical jobs, such as making plans for traveling retreats and running the ASPSU student pantry. Kelsall, a senior political science major, describes herself as a non-traditional student because of her nineyear absence from school. She returned to her studies last summer to help lower her student debt of $18,000. Her personal experience with financial struggle has led her to be particularly focused on providing assistance to students through the food pantry. “A student that can eat is a student who can stay healthy and focus,” Kelsall said. One of Kelsall’s main goals for the year is to get refrigeration installed in the food pantry by becoming part of the Oregon Food Bank, which could potentially provide funding for the project.
Rosa Martinez
Legislative affairs director
Miles Sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFF
Rosa Martinez started her ASPSU career as an intern for Tiffany Dollar, the previous legislative affairs director and current ASPSU president,
before she applied for the position herself. The job allows Martinez to plan lobby efforts with other student organizations like the Oregon Student Association. “I have started a plan and my biggest thing is that I really want to have input from the university and from other students and student groups, so I will be reaching out to them soon.” Martinez has lofty goals for the upcoming school year: She hopes to get tuition equity to pass, as well as organize with OSA and other universities to get back the 3.5 percent budget cut made last year.
Victor Mena
Academic affairs director
Miles Sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFF
When ASPSU’s Communications Director Anthony Stine graduated from high school, he didn’t believe college was necessary. Stine reconsidered after numerous failed attempts at manual labor, including one two-day stint at a woodshop in which he destroyed thousands of dollars worth of materials while training for the job. Stine changed his mind about college in 2002, leading to his enrollment at Portland Community College. Currently, he is a doctoral student in PSU’s political science program. Stine wants to see more people involved on campus and plans to achieve this by inperson outreach to students, as well as more work with the resource center than last year. “I want to work more with some of the more activist student groups on campus—the ones who aren’t interested in the kinds of things that student government is—so we can all work together,” Stine said.
Miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFF
ASPSU’s Academic Affairs Director Victor Mena doesn’t just face the challenge of a new position, he also faces challenge of not being an official United States citizen. Born in Mexico and raised in Oregon, Mena didn’t discover he was undocumented until he was 19. He is now enrolled at PSU to help earn his citizenship. Before Mena took charge of the new academic affairs director position, he began his ASPSU career as multicultural affairs director last year. Mena’s current position requires him to collect textbooks for PSU classes to place on reserve in the library, facilitate proposals for library projects, look for alternate funding in all departments and attend Oregon Education Investment Board meetings.
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VANGUARD •• Thursday, THURSDAY,OCTOBER TUESDAY, JANUARY Sept. FEBRUARY JANUARY 27,10, 25, 2012 26, 2, 2012 2011 2012 • ARTS •• •OPINION OPINION ARTS & CULTURE & CULTURE
ARTS & CULTURE
EDITOR: Louie Opatz ARTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5694
Challenging conventions Prolific poetics professor Charles Bernstein to read at PSU Jeoffry Ray Vanguard Staff
Charles Bernstein, the “postmodern jester of American poesy,” will bring his idiosyncratic and playful poetry to Portland State, with the help of the English department’s creative writing master’s program. Bernstein will read selected poems from his approximately 40 books, including the career-spanning All the Whiskey in Heaven and the forthcoming Recalculating. Currently a professor of poetics and poetry at the University of Pennsylvania, Bernstein has had an expansive career in literature and language. Bernstein cofounded and coedited L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Magazine, a publication that promoted avant-garde poetry and writing. Bernstein spoke with the Vanguard’s Jeoffry Ray about art, language and poetry in the digital age before his upcoming visit to PSU. Vanguard: How did your interest in writing begin? Charles Bernstein: I grew up on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. We were the first generation to grow up with a television in our rooms. In my early years I got into visual arts and music, concerts and jazz clubs. But my interests always centered on verbal language and thinking of verbal language as a sort of medium of “stuff ” to work with, like a sculptor would work with a material or a painter with paint, rather than thinking of poetry in a conventional sense. I had this verbal stream going on in the back of my head, all the time; different cascading formations of words shaping themselves as I read heavily through philosophy and literature. As I entered into college, I was involved with the antiwar movement and the counterculture that was developing in New York and elsewhere at the time. In college I studied philosophy, with a special interest in Wittgenstein. At that time, I was interested in thinking about poetry in a philosophical context and about how language as a medium or substance affects and reflects reality, perception and our ideas of who we are. I was very involved in theater, too. All of those sorts of avant-garde, performance works, and all of those things combined led me on a course of writing essays…which brings us to today. VG: You were involved in publishing L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Magazine and the Language Poetry movement, years ago. Would you be interested in explaining a little about it? CB: I edited L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Magazine with Bruce Andrews from 1978 to 1981. We wanted to have a forum for discussing formal, conceptual, performative and ideological perspectives on poetry. It was a journal of poetics. We also had people writing essays in nontraditional and nonexpository forms. But nonetheless, they were essays, addressing poetics. That magazine was one of a number of forums through which Language Poetry emerged. VG: Can you explain a little about Language Poetry, to give people a little context for it, versus other more traditional forms? CB: I tend to like to say that Language Poetry does not exist, and I now tend to speak about the expanded field of language.
VG: Can you talk a little about your own writing, and the inspirations through which you work?
That was an exhilarating movement outside of a personal composition. In later years, I collaborated with composers writing libretti, as in the visual arts. Mostly I’ve collaborated with my wife, Susan Bee, on a set of books. We’ve made a number of verbal/visual collaborations. I’ve also done collaborations of that kind with Richard Tuttle, Mimi Grosse and Amy Fillmin.
most dramatically affected by sound reproduction, radio and sound recording. The new media of the Web has actually made accessible the archive of sound recordCB: In my work, I tend to use many differing of poetry in just the last 10 years, even ent structures and forms. Rather than having though it’s long existed. Al Filreis and I, in a book that is composed of a single style, a 2005, started an archive called PennSound, lot of my books seem like group shows or pawhich is the largest digital archive of poetry rades of different approaches to writing. I’ve recordings in the world. really been doing that for a long time, so a lot Thousands of sound files of hundreds of poets are all available for free and can be downloaded as MP3s. It’s made available a In Utopia crucial aspect of poetry via sound recording that had previously In utopia they don’t got no rules and Prime Minister Cameron’s “criminality pure and been hard to come simple” is reserved for politicians just like him. In utopia the monkey lies down with the by. So that’s just one rhinoceros and the ghosts haunt the ghosts leaving everyone else to fends for themself. In example of how the utopia, you lose the battles and you lose the war too but it bothers you less. In utopia no poet’s performance and recital of their one tells nobody nothin’, but I gotta tell you this. In utopia the plans are ornament and work becomes availexpectations dissolve into whim. In utopia, here is a pivot. In utopia, love goes for the ride able through the new but eros’s at the wheel. In utopia, the words sing the songs while the singers listen. In media.
utopia, 1 plus 2 does not equal 2 plus 1. In utopia, I and you is not the same as you and me. In utopia, we won’t occupy Wall Street, we are Wall Street. It utopia, all that is solid congeals, all that melts liquefies, all that is air vanishes into the late afternoon fog. editorial note: sic: fends
VG: Which of your works would you recommend to interested students as an introduction to your work?
Charles Bernstein Forthcoming in Recalculating (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2013)
of my books are composed in this way, with oft-conflicting tones and radically diverged forms. At the heart of the activity is trying to make work in which the tone is its own entity and speaks for itself, rather than my speaking through it. So I’m not representing my voice or my speaking in the poem, nor directly conveying my feelings as a biographical individual outside the poem. Nor am I describing anything that exists in a fixed, factual way outside the poem, as you might have in a snapshot or a photograph. The poem creates its own world and its own reality, and the sound shape and rhythm that’s created in the work move together in a fluid field to create an experience. VG: Beyond your writing background, I understand you’ve also worked across other fields, such as music and the visual arts. Would you like to talk a little about those experiences? CB: I’ve been interested in collaboration right from the first. One of the things that was sort of the hallmark of what we were doing in the ’70s around the magazine was to question what exactly was the relation of the individual self to a poem, and to what degree did a poem express a self, or present a person who already existed. Or did poems actually explore what self and voice were? So the movement was from “voice” to “voicing,” and to make it plural. Collaboration is very interesting because you’re creating something that is a product of more than your own thinking and judgment. The big collaboration that I did in the early ’80s was called L E G E N D, which I did with four friends. It was a huge work of multiple parts, in which we collaborated in every two or three, and then one that all five of us did.
VG: In terms of the modern information age, how do you feel poetry is evolving and being received in this age of texts, Twitter and iPads? CB: A lot of my writing in my newest work, Attack of the Difficult Poems, deals with the relation of new media to poetry. I think one thing poetry can do is be on the forefront of exploring all possibilities of new media. Rather than answer the question thinking something big happened 15 years ago, I think the larger frame is that, since the 19th century, there has been a transformation in language reproduction that’s
CB: I’d be happy to answer that question, sure. [Laughs.] I would say that probably the best thing to start with would be the selected poems All the Whiskey in Heaven, which came out a few years ago through Farrar, Straus and Giroux in an easily available book. It tried to create an overall experience, from beginning to end, of my work from 1975 to 2010.
Portland State’s creative writing program presents A reading by Charles Bernstein Monday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 236 Free and open to the public
Arts & Culture • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 • VANGUARD
All-ages show White Bird Dance celebrates 15th anniversary downtown Louie Opatz Vanguard Staff
Raquel Valdes (above) and Heidi Hitsit (below) practice their dance moves. Jamie Benson (bottom) instructs scores of amateur dancers.
“Working with nonprofessionals is very refreshing. With professionals, we get very serious about dancing, so we kind of lose what we loved about dance after all these years.”
“I’m a young 72,” said Lourdes Markley, a student at Portland State’s Senior Adult Learning Center, by way of introduction. Markley was taking a brief break during a practice for White Bird Dance’s performance of Sylvain Émard’s Le Grand Continental, which Markley and approximately 159 other nonprofessional community members will perform this Sunday at Pioneer Courthouse Square. Markley’s daughter had told her about the performance, and the septuagenarian’s interest was piqued for a reason echoed by most of the dancers present. “It’s all ages and all races.” Le Grand’s emphasis on a heterogeneous, nonprofessional dance group also attracted Paul King—who founded White Bird with Walter Jaffe and serves as the company’s president—to the project. “We’re calling it a celebration of Portland’s diversity,” King said. The Portland debut of Le Grand will also be a celebration of White Bird’s 15th anniversary. In honor of the studio’s 15th year, “we wanted to do something special for the community,” King said. “It’s a ‘thank you’ from White Bird.” Le Grand Continental is the brainchild of Sylvain Émard, a world-renowned Montreal choreographer. Though Émard usually choreographs routines for his much smaller professional dance company, Sylvain Émard Danse, Le Grand emerged from much humbler beginnings. “I’ve always been fascinated by line dancing because that’s how I started dancing as a kid,” Émard said. “I wanted to do something with line dancing but to do it with ‘normal,’ nonprofessional people—the people who normally do line dancing.” Approximately 80 nonprofessional dancers showed up at BodyVox in Northwest Portland on a recent Saturday afternoon to rehearse Émard’s intricate line dance. The two-hour session was a “movement clinic,” in dance parlance—a voluntary brush up for any dancer who wanted to refine his or her moves.
As the dancers rehearsed, Vipul Sagar sat nearby, watching the action from the sidelines. Sagar was watching his “wife, kid, a neighbor and [the neighbor’s] whole family,” he said. “I know eight people in this.” Sagar wasn’t performing in Le Grand because “they practice too late for me,” he said. “They even go for ice cream afterwards.” King also highlighted the heavy time commitment of the dancers involved. “We’re going into our 10th week of rehearsals,” King said. The dancers had not only been attending mandatory biweekly rehearsals and the voluntary movement clinics; they also “have been organizing their own rehearsals,” King said. “And videos,” Sagar interjected. His 10-yearold daughter—one of the event’s youngest participants—had been logging long hours practicing her dance moves to the videos provided online. “If we could all be as good as the kids,” King said. “They teach the mommies at home,” Sagar said. As Sagar and King watched quietly from the edge of the practice space, Émard called for the dancers to take a short break—a break well earned after an hour of vigorous rehearsal. One of the dancers relaxing during the break was Dr. Priya Kapoor, a PSU communications professor and one of four PSU professors dancing in the performance this weekend. Kapoor has always loved dance, though with work, kids and the rest of life’s vagaries, she hasn’t danced regularly in nearly 10 years. “This was my way back into dance,” Kapoor said. “There’s a real acceptance of different age groups and cultures, and that attracted me.” Kapoor had previously taken an African dance and a samba class at PSU and, along with some colleagues, hopes to revive the dance program at PSU. (Though a minor in dance is still available, the program has been cut drastically: The World Cultures and Dance Program, for example, offered courses in Latin and Afro-Cuban dance and was defunded in the fall of 2007 because of budget constraints.) “There were tenured professors in dance— it was actually a fairly well-known program,”
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Kapoor said. “There’s a core group of faculty trying to bring dance back to Portland State.” The other PSU professors dancing in Le Grand are Dr. Mary King, professor of economics, Dr. Veronica Dujon, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Jacqueline Temple, a professor in the Graduate School of Education. Kapoor, King, Dujon, Temple and the rest of the amateur dancers are supported by Émard’s professional dance staff: four rehearsal assistants and a rehearsal director, Jamie Benson. Benson, who grew up in Albany, Oregon, worked with Émard on the New York performance of Le Grand, which was its American debut. After hearing that White Bird was bringing Le Grand to Portland, Benson knew he wanted to get involved—especially if he could cajole his twin brother and his mother into performing. Benson was successful in convincing his family to dance, and they have reaped unexpected benefits. “My mother’s losing weight, and my twin brother’s meeting girls, which is great for him,” Benson said. “So everybody’s getting something out of it.” What Benson gets out of it is the satisfaction that comes from working with amateur dancers. “What’s cool about this is that they’re nonprofessional,” Benson said. “Dance becomes a common denominator for all these people of very different backgrounds.” Benson weaves in and out of the line formations of dancers as they practice. He offers tweaks and makes suggestions, complementing Émard’s spirited instruction. “This is a fun dance, right?” Benson asked theatrically after he saw a few too many frowns in the crowd. “I wasn’t sure!” “Carolyn’s taking pictures” Émard said, referring to Carolyn Campbell, a dancer who was now snapping photographs due to an injury. “You want to be in the picture, and you won’t be in it if you’re not smiling.” Émard relishes the relaxed atmosphere and palpable enthusiasm of amateur dancers. “Working with nonprofessionals is very refreshing,” Émard said. “With professionals, we get very serious about dancing, so we kind of lose what we loved about dance after all these years.” “They remind you why you love dance,” Émard said.
White Bird Dance presents Le Grand Continental by Sylvain Émard Sunday, Sept. 30, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Pioneer Courthouse Square Free and open to the public.
All Photos Daniel Johnston/VANGUARD STAFF
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VANGUARD • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 • Arts & Culture
Architecture for the homeless Students and professors create solutions to combat youth homelessness Jeoffry Ray Vanguard staff
Homelessness is an ongoing and visible issue in Portland, and the youth are no exception. But Portland State’s master’s program in architecture is trying its hand at helping out. Professors and graduate students are applying design principles to the issue of youth homelessness and working together to kickstart new innovations and social solutions throughout the broader community. After nearly a year of research and development, the graduate program is bringing an exhibition to the community that will display its findings and proposals. Titled Rethinking Shelter, the exhibit will show as part of Mercy Corps’ ongoing Design with the Other 90 Percent: Cities event. The exhibit will also include a lecture by visiting professor and architect Teddy Cruz on Friday, Oct. 5. “There are some traditional ways to deal with homelessness that are very powerful, like building housing, but there needs to be more innovation to address the problem, because the problem’s growing, and it’s more complex than just housing,” said Sergio Palleroni, associate professor in the Department of Architecture. “It’s also getting harder to finance housing, because the federal government is giving less funding for housing.” The exhibit, Palleroni explained, will feature research by graduate students on the issues underlying youth homelessness, as well as the local laws and funding mechanisms currently used to address them. From this research, the students sought to draft proposals for alternate, design-based solutions tailored
COURTESY OF PSU Department of Architecture
Architectural proposals that combat the issue of youth homelessness are on display at Mercy Corps. to the needs of both the affected homeless and the city itself. “We took on this challenge by working with Outside In, an amazing nonprofit organization addressing teenage homelessness,” Palleroni said. “They helped us look at how we could get funding through the normal funding streams, the regulations of the city. From there, we began to explore innovative ways that housing could be created. Ways that couldn’t be imagined otherwise.” As an example, Palleroni pointed to a proposal that suggested adapting Portland’s food cart pods for living purposes. “The carts are small enough that they could qualify as temporary housing under city ordinance, so people could trade out their housing through Craigslist,” he said. “As soon as you found a job and got established, you could transfer the title of it to somebody else.” The exhibition is the culmination of nearly
a year of work by the graduate students, who spent the bulk of the previous winter term in research before drafting their final proposals. The proposals were then polished for professional presentation over the course of the summer term. “It was a really good studio,” said Lindley Bynum, an architecture graduate student involved with the working process. “We got to understand the bureaucracy around homelessness, how many programs are out there, what’s working and what’s not working. We did an analysis on what could be done differently. We all came up with proposals for [what] funding solutions for housing for homeless youth would look like.” Bynum worked with 13 other students to research and develop the ideas during the previous year. Their work, she explained, helped to inform the processes preceding the architectural role.
“I think the most interesting thing was that we were looking more at what leads up to the need for architecture, and what sort of social funding streams are necessary to create new types of architecture,” Bynum said. “It was interesting looking at the more experiential things that inform our designs, like funding streams and social structures, analyzing the resources available and how you capitalize on those.” Over the next few weeks, those proposals will be seen by the public. The professors have also invited the professional design community to critique the work. In the long run, Palleroni and Cruz hope that some of the work presented can be further refined for eventual implementation by interested groups, such as Outside In. “The design community will join us for a Saturday and spend an entire day designing and thinking about how could the work be employed,” Palleroni said. “We’ll have a series of ideas that we can then exhibit for the next ten days, and we’ll have a debate during Design Week [Portland], an evening where we will discuss with the whole community how design can contribute toward the future of the city.” According to Palleroni, the Rethinking Shelter exhibit is an important example of how Portland State can interact with the greater community in bringing new ideas to approach traditional problems. “At PSU, we’re sponsoring a fundamental debate in our society to help the society imagine new possibilities,” he said. “It’s a great role for PSU to be in, to be a sort of forum for change.”
PSU’s architecture master’s program presents Rethinking Shelter, an exhibition of graduate student work with Prof. Sergio Palleroni and special guest Prof. Teddy Cruz Oct. 1–13 Mercy Corps Action Center, ACEH Room 28 SW First Ave. Events listing at mercycorps.org
Request for relevance: denied Green Day releases album that your stereo may refuse to play Nicholas Kula Vanguard staff
Green Day is a band that spans generations. It’s no easy feat for a group to stay commercially viable as long as Green Day has. But about four albums ago, many listeners across these generations started thinking the same thing: “I can’t believe this band is still around.” This is a wise sentiment. Green Day’s last couple of records were a hair above abysmal, a fact underscored by the band’s numerous Grammy awards. However, it is this year’s ¡Uno! that truly exemplifies Green Day’s ability to prolong the questioning of its continuance. A true testament to a band’s potential Grammy fodder is the record label’s ability to pick out the two most bowel-wrenchingly awful songs on the record and sell them as singles, then pick a third single to satisfy longtime fans. ¡Uno! follows this formula with zero deviation. “Oh Love” does double duty as the album’s first single and the last track on the album. Of course the last song is the blue-collar anthem. On my first listen through, I was actually worried that there wouldn’t be a corny, Springsteenaping ¡Uno! cut on the record, but the made-forradio guitar rectified that before frontman Billie Joe Armstrong uttered a syllable. The band is tight, there’s a guitar solo, and sure, Armstrong’s got chops—but rather than
subtly interjecting the blue-collar message throughout the album, “Oh Love” just rubs your face in it, as if to legitimize the dreck on this record. What kind of dreck, you ask? The second single from ¡Uno! is “Kill the DJ.” It’s as bad as it sounds. Really. Armstrong told critics that the song, true to its name, is the most “dance-friendly” cut Green Day has ever laid down. Believe it—it certainly sounds like no other Green Day song ever. Imagine if Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” had been out even longer than eight years and its sound was even more dated. Now add some liberally sprinkled swearing and four more choruses. You’re there. Take a look around: Do you like what you see? Admittedly, the third single, “Let Yourself Go,” has some plums—just like the formula states. Even though Green Day is donkey-chasing the record company’s proverbial suspended carrot, if every track on ¡Uno! sounded like “Let Yourself Go,” the headline would have been about Green Day being “back,” or some such nonsense. This throwback to classic Green Day circle pit-generators like “Jaded” or “409 in Your Coffeemaker” is welcome out of context, but within an entire record that sounds nothing like it, the track seems contrived. As a single piece of music from start to finish, the album doesn’t hold up well. The hills and valleys are too numerous and drastic to really enjoy as one recording. “Kill the DJ” follows directly after “Let Yourself Go”; the experience is like being set on fire and then extinguished with dry ice—the extremes are too close together and the shift too radical to really gel with the listener.
There is certainly one degree of uniformity on ¡Uno!—at the exact midway point, right after “Kill the DJ” beats you up and leaves you bruised and whimpering, “Fell for You” comes along and kicks you in the ribs. That’s right, the halfway point of ¡Uno! finds Green Day at its mom-rockin’ worst. The rest of the record drags on like a drunken uncle, leaving the listener to deal with the many phases of embarrassment. “Sweet 16” is as ham-fisted as it sounds, a Wheatus B-side complete with the appropriate inspirational vocals. The record is also rife with Huey Lewis and the News-esque choruses, lead-off track “Nuclear Family” included. On “Troublemaker,” Green Day just admits that it is sneaking glances at Huey’s playbook—the song sounds like a particularly corn-laden cut from Huey’s Sports sessions. “Troublemaker” plays like a thirdrate throwaway take of “The Heart of Rock and Roll,” except it’s not about America, it’s about Armstrong entertaining thoughts on being— you guessed it—a troublemaker. In fact, “Troublemaker” is a perfect analogue to the current state of Green Day’s career. Gone is the punk attitude; Armstrong and company now have to fantasize about what it’s like to be badasses through the power of song. American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman would be so proud of this melding of troublemaking and Huey Lewis. Disappointingly, ¡Uno! sounds like Green Day can’t decide whether or not they want to spend the rest of their lives wooing VH1-addicted housewives in wood-paneled PT Cruisers or seasoned punk vets in leather jackets adorned with yellowed Descendents patches.
Upon the conclusion of ¡Uno!, one thing is glaringly clear: What edge the band ever had has turned into a pillow fight from an ’80s slumber party movie. It literally embarrasses me to have ever liked this band, to have ever tried to convince my mom to play Dookie in her minivan on out-of-town trips. Moreover, ¡Uno! made me realize that under my mother’s guise of hatred for wildly colored hair, she was right about these turkeys from the get-go. Guys and gals, your mom was right the whole time. About music. Think about that for a while.
COURTESY OF reprise records
¡Uno! Green Day Reprise Records Out Sept. 25
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VANGUARD •• Thursday, THURSDAY, Sept. NOVEMBER 27, 2012 10,•2011 OPINiON • SPORTS
OPINION
EDITOR: Meredith Meier OPINION@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5692
This, Too, is Meaningless
Keeping Portland’s teeth weird Portlanders fight for their right to cavities
Benjamin Ricker
I
f the speed with which city commissioners pressed their plan to add fluoride to our drinking water seems fishy to you, you aren’t alone. Under the pretense of improving the metro area’s pitiful dental health, city council members voted earlier this month to tinker with Portland’s drinking water. Prior to the vote, commissioners acknowledged the heated controversy surrounding fluoridation but approved it nonetheless. Framing it as a public health issue, they said it was their job as elected leaders to “do the right thing.”
Fluoride in the drinking water will help underage and underprivileged Portlanders the most, they insisted. So they fast-tracked their plan to have the fluoridation process up and running within two years. City commissioners defended their decision, saying they were swinging the bat for underserved communities. Oral hygiene is an individual’s responsibility, they admitted, but what about those who lack the education or the resources? Superior to more targeted approaches like adding fluoride to the drinking water at public schools (which have shown to be ineffective), fluoridating Portland’s drinking water will strengthen teeth and prevent cavities across the metro area. Their pleas failed to penetrate the opposition’s righteous anger. With thumbs down, the angry mob that crowded City Hall on the day of the controversial vote hurled invectives at officials for unanimously
A Woman’s Right
Condom sense There’s nothing ‘tacky’ about it
Shilpa Esther Trivedi
S
everal years ago the rapper will.i.am was asked what single item a woman he was interested in could possess that would convince him they were incompatible. His response? “If she had condoms in her house, that would just fuckin’ throw me off. That’s just tacky.” This still infuriates me. I firmly believe that being prepared and protecting yourself from harm is not “tacky,” it’s common sense. Unfortunately, will.i.am is only one of many celebrities who feel the need to dispense sex advice that perpetuates
harmful stereotypes. No one, be it politician, celebrity or random guy on the street, is qualified to speak for another person’s sexual practices. I’m more concerned about a growing negative public attitude toward demonstrating sexual responsibility and contraception. So many of us are careful to hide from others that we’re sexually active beings. Everyone has the right to keep their sex life private, but nobody should ever be made to feel embarrassed to admit they are sexually active. Shaming women for engaging in safe sex practices ought to be unacceptable. I’ve been handing out condoms (and dental dams) in Portland for the past six years. Some people bound toward me, happy to grab a handful and share all sorts of private information about their sex lives, but others slink by the table several times before reaching into a
agreeing to tamper with the city’s water supply. The opposition to fluoridation comes in three flavors: There are those who cherish the purity of Portland’s drinking water and hate to see it messed with. Some reject the preponderance of scientific evidence showing that the right amount of fluoride in drinking water is enormously beneficial and virtually harmless. They disdain peer-reviewed studies that uphold fluoridation, calling it “corporate science.” And there are those who, leery of government overreach, cringe at this abuse of power by city officials, wondering what it all means. “Public Water/Public Vote,” their signs read. Opponents to fluoridation are grateful to live in a city with some of the best drinking water in the nation and are willing to fight to protect it: Immediately following the vote, the anti-fluoride camp filed for referendum.
bowl and slipping a condom into their pocket, hoping I won’t see them. I’ve amassed dozens of stories concerning condom distribution—everywhere from college campuses, street fairs, major events and fleet week— and I’m still amazed by how many people associate carrying condoms with something negative. Some see carrying condoms around as, oddly enough, indicative of irresponsible behavior. From years of working for pro-choice organizations I can testify that whether you personally like using condoms or not, the underlying fact is that many people need condoms and often don’t have them readily accessible when the need arises. Unfortunately, the problem is worse than this. A negative attitude toward condom usage has potentially perilous real-world consequences. Studies show that some cities have significantly lowered their rates of HIV transmission by encouraging needle exchange programs and distributing millions of condoms. However, police in these cities have been seizing condoms and using them as evidence of prostitution, making alleged sex workers more hesitant to carry them. Evidence suggests that these sex workers now engage in increased amounts
Karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFF
If you’ve ever had visitors staying with you from out of town, you’ve probably heard them praise the quality of our drinking water. Portland’s crystalline water runs sweet and pure, flowing from the Bull Run Watershed to your kitchen and bathroom fixtures by naturally occurring forces of gravity. It is chlorinated, though, with a touch of ammonia added to fix the chlorine solution. Aside from chlorine and ammonia, adding enough fluoride to bring the levels at Bull Run up to .7 parts per million—all water has some naturally occurring fluoride in it, but usually not enough to strengthen tooth enamel—will be the first additive introduced to our pristine drinking water.
The scientific debate troubles most Portlanders. A layman myself, I’m at sea when two opposing forces claim that “the science” is on their side. Few of us are expert enough to criticize the studies that warring factions employ to support their own claims and refute the opposition’s. Fortunately, in this case, the sidelines offer a clear view of the action. The anti-fluoride camp is free to dismiss the American Medical Association, the American Dental Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Research Council and the American Public Health Association (to name just a few from a long list of organizations that endorse
water fluoridation), but only as conspiracy theorists. If, between the lines, you perceive a government conspiracy, you are in good company. In the ’50s, when water fluoridation was new, paranoiacs smelled a communist plot to subvert American free will. But, before you tear through Pioneer Square screaming, Charlton Heston-style, that fluoride will make zombies of us all, remember that city commissioners drink the same water that flows from your taps at home. If they are in fact out to get you and this is their plan, then you know they are after you with a rabid yen because they are poisoning themselves and their loved ones in the process.
Daniel johnston/VANGUARD STAFF
of unprotected sex. Recent legislation introduced by public health workers and some state lawmakers to combat this trend has been largely unsuccessful. Whether you believe sex work ought to be legal or illegal, nothing positive can come of sex workers who fear carrying condoms. Similarly, many convenience stores keep condoms under lock and key, ostensibly to prevent theft. This
decreases the amount of condoms purchased and occasionally shames the purchaser. While I always tell people never to steal condoms because it only perpetuates this problem, I’d much rather those who really can’t afford to pay for condoms or are embarrassed to purchase them at the register still have access. Luckily for Portland State students, there are quite a few places to get free condoms on
campus: the Center for Student Health and Counseling, the Queer Resource Center, the Women’s Resource Center and your dorm’s resident adviser. There are also many other resources in the greater Portland community. I urge you to take advantage of your ability to access these services (and other preventative reproductive health care services) now. There’s nothing to be ashamed about.
OPINiON • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 • VANGUARD
Truth’s First Victim
The same side Insider shootings in Afghanistan threaten the mission
Adam Salazar
N
early 7,000 miles away from us, in Afghanistan, a disturbing trend has taken root. Afghan military and police officers are turning their weapons on their NATO and American trainers. The so called “green-on-blue” shootings have claimed the lives of 51 coalition soldiers this year, and a total of 114 lives since 2008, according to the Long War Journal, a news blog from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. In a conflict that has already lasted more than a decade, this series of violent episodes clearly underscores the importance of our mission to destabilize terrorist organizations and leave in place a well-trained military. Because of the shootings, U.S. military commanders have suspended training 1,000 members of the Afghan
local police in order to re-vet current officers. The NATOled International Security Assistance Force also indefinitely suspended Afghan and coalition joint patrols, and operations for units smaller than 800-strong battalions. This is clearly a wise move. NATO commanders estimate that only 10 percent of these attacks result from enemy infiltration, while the rest are attributed to cultural differences and personal conflicts. The latter of the two causes must be addressed aggressively in order to prevent further bloodshed. With so many cultural differences between the Middle East and the West, it’s paramount for soldiers on both sides to approach each other with open minds and an understanding that they are all working toward the same goal. However, both sides are in desperate need of work. A report entitled “A Crisis of Trust and Cultural Incompatibility,” by Jeffrey Bordin, U.S. political and military behavioral scientist, reveals results of interviews with soldiers on both sides in order to elucidate the root causes of these cultural conflicts. Problems U.S. soldiers had
with their Afghan counterparts included heavy drug use, theft, poor treatment of women and children and low morale. Afghan soldiers were equally put off by American swearing, immodesty, bullying, and cultural insensitivity and ignorance. Many of these issues are systemic and need to be addressed further up the totem pole, but others can be curbed by enhanced training in cultural sensitivity, which the study found soldiers lacked. Furthermore, when surveyed, U.S. soldiers said they were dissatisfied with the amount of training they received regarding how to adequately train Afghan personnel. That is the main stratagem for accomplishing our mission, and its absence can only push our intended goals further out of reach. Military commanders need to thoroughly reexamine their tactics if there is ever a chance for the mission to be completed. How can this conflict possibly affect us, mere college students so far removed from all of this carnage? As we progress and situate ourselves in the world after our studies, we carry with us numerous markings of our identity. One of the most important is our citizenship. When we make our marks in the world and proclaim ourselves Americans, we need to wear that badge with pride instead of shame. We are attempting to do real good in an extremely volatile region, and this series of attacks needs to be addressed by acknowledging the shortcomings of both sides.
The Emphatic Observer
Falling behind: a response to President Wiewel Let’s ask for more, not less
I
Rabia Newton
n a recent Oregonian oped piece, Portland State President Wim Wiewel asked to what extent the United States educational
system should be emulating the academic rigor typical of places like South Korea and Singapore—countries that long ago surpassed the U.S. in terms of test scores and number of degrees earned. In his article, Wiewel arrives at the conclusion that such an intense cultural concentration on scholastic success may be detrimental to creativity and critical, independent thinking. Plus, it’s just plain stressful. He instead favors the more laid-back U.S. style of
instruction that allows for “the freedom to pursue one’s interests, to be non-goal-oriented, indeed to do nothing at all.” Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for creativity and independence, especially in education. I worry, though, that Wiewel is simply buying into a broader cultural tendency to devalue academics. Just look at the sickeningly deep educational budget cuts of the past decade. Or, for that matter, pay close attention to the current presi-
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e’re all aware of the ever-increasing rise in tuition. On top of a lousy economic backdrop and the government cutting education funding like crazy, many of us scramble to figure out how to pay for school. If you have a deficit in your financial aid package but turning tricks or selling dope isn’t exactly your thing, you might benefit from taking advantage of the Federal WorkStudy Program. The program places students in on-campus positions, providing students with an income as well as assisting underfunded departments. To qualify, a student must have an estimated family contribution of less than $10,000 per year, a GPA of 2.5 or higher and be available at least 10 hours per week.
“I love my work-study job,” said sophomore Keakalina Lindsay, who works as an accounting clerk in the specialized accounting services department. “I’m learning a lot and it’s in the field I am majoring in.” Students benefit immensely by gaining valuable relevant work experience sought by real-world employers. They also have a chance to earn the money they need to pay tuition costs without having to take out additional student loans. There’s also the potential, in certain departments, to network and establish connections with realworld employers. The program faces problems, though, and it’s consistent with the complaints we hear about everything else: lack of funds. At a school of nearly 30,000 students—half of whom receive financial aid—positions are limited. Other students must either take out more loans or find jobs in the private sector to supplement their incomes. Recipients have a set amount of funds they can earn each year, and the hours they work each week are based on that sum. Typically, the yearly award is around
$3,000. For example, if you were awarded $1,000, over the 30 weeks in a school year you could only expect to earn $33 a week. Fund availability—as well as the student’s needs—determine the award. Students can make up for budget deficits, but the program also gives them an avenue to earn it. While there’s nothing wrong with grants and scholarships, workstudy allows you to earn your money, which future employers will appreciate. Working while going to school shows the ability to prioritize and multitask. Work-study isn’t all about the students; the program also helps those who employ students. University departments pay a 50 percent maximum of the student employee’s wages, while the fed pays the rest. Employers pay about $5 an hour for the same work a non-student would do at $30 an hour, which in turn allows these underfunded employers and nonprofits to hire more staff. Placement isn’t limited to on-campus jobs. Students can be placed in local government departments, nonprofit organizations or private forprofit organizations. Essentially, they’re cheap, educated labor working in asymbiotic relationship with the Fed and the employer. All parties involved benefit in some way from the program. I’d still like to see more of the easily abused grant funding going toward providing employment opportunities for students. Give them a chance to earn their money, gain essential work experience and provide services to the school and the community. If you are one of the lucky few to receive work-study funds, take advantage of it. It might not be much, but you’ll get more out of it than just a paycheck.
dential race. How often do we hear Obama or Romney devoting serious time and consideration to the issue of education reform? Not nearly often enough, I say. Education in this country is, at best, not a priority. At worst, it’s systematically devalued. Those of us who choose to devote serious time to academics are labeled “nerds” or “geeks.” Athletes and actors are worshipped while scientists and inventors are often relegated to obscurity. In our society of supposed freethinkers, scholastic achievement simply isn’t cool, culturally speaking. Like Wiewel, we may point to the freedom our lax educational system has given us to become creative, independent visionaries, to think outside the box and to push the boundaries of our knowledge. But are we using these abstract, poorly formed cultural ideals to help justify our failings? Because we are, for all intents and purposes, failing.
Approximately 25 percent of American high school students will drop out before graduation. And according to a 2003 study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, one in seven American adults possesses such poor reading skills as to be considered functionally illiterate. Despite disheartening statistics like these, the U.S. government still spends only 5.5 percent of its annual GDP on education, which places us 44th worldwide in education expenditures. For a country as economically and politically developed as ours, such figures are simply unacceptable. I’m not saying we should go to the extreme described by Wiewel in his piece. We shouldn’t emulate South Korea, or any other country for that matter. We do need to recognize that the U.S. educational system has fallen behind and that by de-emphasizing the already de-emphasized, we may just
be shooting ourselves in the academic foot. We need to teach our students to be adaptable, to problem solve, to become the kind of innovative thinkers who might just be able to save the planet one day— because it really does need saving. Without a rigorous education, where exactly are they going to acquire these skills? We need to give future generations the tools necessary to cope with the uncertain, dynamic world we’re handing off to them. We need to push our students harder. We need to find a balance between independence and rigor. And, perhaps most importantly, we need to stop believing that academia and creativity are somehow mutually exclusive. I’m not calling Wiewel out, and I urge everyone to read his piece. But when it comes to education in this country, I encourage you to ask for more, not less.
Sans the Salt
Working hard or hardly working? Federal work-study: more than just a paycheck
Alyck Horton
W
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VANGUARD • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 • Opinion
Vanguard editorial:
Baa Baa Black Sheep
The right to education Pell grants play valuable role in higher education
Terry GaskillBarsness
F
ew things inspire more contentious debate than the topic of government responsibility for education. Some people hold that higher education is a privilege, while others believe it’s the responsibility of any government to provide the means of gaining knowledge to its citizens. The Federal Pell Grant Program, established to aid those with serious financial need in paying for college, is one way the government chose to relieve the burden of funding education from “vulnerable citizens.” Eligibility for the program comes from the determination of a “low-income” status. Specifically, parents or recipients of a Pell grant should have an annual income rate of $50,000 or less per year, but most grants are “awarded to students with total family income which is equal to or less than $20,000,” according to the foundation’s website. The College Board estimates
that most four-year public universities average a yearly cost of attendance around $17,000. This makes attending college a significant burden for people without means, because the vast majority of their income would go to fund one expense, leaving little available for emergency costs or unexpected expenditures. Some congressional members believe the way the program currently functions belittles its original intent. Claims of grant abuse have led some GOP politicians to call for cuts, dismissing Pell grants as wasteful welfare spending. Additionally, critics argue that underprivileged students may discover that, even with government aid, they can’t keep up with the rising cost of tuition. This indicates a problem with Pell grants, because recipients may not commit to completing their education. For program opponents, this is enough to eliminate the program altogether. However, recognition of a problem within a program is not grounds for immediately dismantling the entire aid system. Instead, we should focus on the program’s intended goals and its ability to achieve them. Economic downturn has led to increasing poverty levels, yet tuition rates at public universities are on the rise. As a result, more people than ever before qualify for need-based financial aid. Pell grants are meant to lev-
el the playing field for students with little or no expected family contribution toward tuition costs. With a grant, the student isn’t unjustly burdened with the high cost of attending college and can focus on being a good student. The program isn’t meant to offset the imbalance of tuition hikes run amok. If politicians are serious about improving the function of our education system, they will focus on cutting tuition tax breaks for wealthy families. They’ll explore the Obama plan to reward colleges according to their ability to provide reduced tuition rates. The Pell Grant Program’s condition is a clear indicator of America’s economic health, as well as a measure of our nation’s commitment to education. It allows us to gauge our ability as a nation to ensure no citizen falls prey to poverty. If Pell grants were eliminated, lower-income college students would be less able to function at the same level as affluent students, giving unnecessary advantages to already privileged individuals. This only serves to perpetuate class-based distinctions among subgroups within the American population. Unfortunately, opponents of the Pell program only see dollar signs.
Award Year
Pell grant recipients
2011–2012 2010–2011 2009–2010 2008–2009 0
2000 4000 6000
8000 10,000 12,000
# of Students
Our mission is to serve Tuition. Higher One. The Education Urban Renewal Area. New health insurance. Increased philanthropy and grants for sustainability research and initiatives, social change, and scientific and technological advancements. Notable recognition of Portland State by national enterprises like The Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report. And in November we’ve got the national presidential election and the mayoral election here in Portland. These are just a few of the topics we at the Vanguard plan to cover. Big things are happening this year, and if you haven’t heard about it, you will. We will continue to report on PSU, local, national and international news and events. We will continue to uncover noteworthy developments and news relevant to students. We take responsibility for our coverage and welcome feedback. The Vanguard is your tool, and it’s our job to serve you, the readers.
We will do this not only in print, but also through an increased online presence: Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Our website, psuvanguard.com, has undergone significant changes and will provide up-to-date information and breaking news. You, the readers, and we, the Vanguard staff, are agents of change, and our contributions to our education will affect everyone who follows us. By students, for students. It’s our mission.
Vanguard Mission Statement: The Vanguard’s mission is to serve our readership with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. We are a dynamic student collaboration that enriches the PSU community. — Vanguard editorial staff: Erick Bengel, Deeda Schroeder, Louie Opatz, Meredith Meier and Cory Mimms
Correction to the Sept. 25 opinion section: In the column “A change for the better,” the Vanguard incorrectly printed that the Portland State Bookstore is under new ownership. The bookstore has been, and continues to be, a nonprofit, independently owned organization.
ETC. • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 • VANGUARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Erick Bengel EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5691
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ETC.
UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, Sept. 27
Party in the Park 11 a.m.–3 p.m. South Park Blocks
This Thursday is the 22nd annual Party in the Park. The event offers free food, entertainment and plenty of information for any students new or returning to the Portland State campus. It will also present students with opportunities to become involved with or collect information regarding various student groups.
Taiwanese Student Association Welcome Party 6–9 p.m. The Viking Gameroom (Smith basement)
The Taiwanese Student Association is throwing it’s fall term welcome party for students who are new to PSU. This is a great chance to meet people from all over the world and make connections, as well as explore what the TSA is all about. Free food, games and music will be provided for those in attendance.
Team KPFF Stormwater Bingo Ride 5:30 p.m. ride; 6:30 p.m. after-party Director Park bike racks Southwest Park and Yamhill Street
KPFF Consulting Engineers offers a guided bike tour of Portland’s sustainable stormwater facilities.
Along with the ride, there will be a bingo challenge and free snacks. Riders and non-riders are welcome, and also invited to an after-party at the Lucky Lab, located at Northwest 19th Avenue and Quimby Street. The ride is free, and all ages are encouraged to attend.
Architecture and Design Festival Opening Night Party 6:30 p.m. Center for Architecture 403 NW 11th Ave.
The Portland Architecture and Design Festival opens Sept. 27 with a party that offers a preview of the many events the festival has to offer. Admission is $5 at the door or in advance. Visit 2012aiapdxmeeting. eventbrite.com to register.
Friday, Sept. 28
Free Admission to Portland Art Museum 5–8 p.m. Portland Art Museum 1219 SW Park Ave.
On the fourth Friday of every month, the Portland Art Museum offers free admission to guests looking to take a tour.
Battlehooch with Lord Master, Cerdo, Opposition Party 9 p.m. Kenton Club 2025 N Kilpatrick St.
Battlehooch is an avant rock/pop group from San Francisco with an experimental sound. Come to the Kenton Club to see what promises to be a unique show, where the band will perform new tracks from its upcoming album, and catch three other bands at the same show. Admission is free and 21+.
PSU Film Rally 7:30 p.m. Fifth Avenue Cinema, in the Cinema 90 theater 510 SW Hall St.
Fifth Avenue Cinema hosts an evening of topics on Portland State’s growing film community and a chance for prospective (and current) film students to connect and learn what opportunities are offered at PSU.
Saturday, Sept. 29
Jai Ho Bollywood Retro Costume Dance Party 9 p.m. Holocene 1001 SE Morrison St.
dance lessons, free henna, live performances and a costume contest for the best retro outfits. The first 50 ladies to attend receive free admission, otherwise the event is $5 at the door before 10 p.m. and $10 after. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at sept29retro.eventbrite.com. This event is 21+.
2012 Fun on Foster 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Southeast Foster Road between 49th Avenue and 93rd Avenue
2012 Fun on Foster offers a variety of events, all taking place on one street—from vendors to food carts to live music and auctions that benefit various charities. You will find art for sale and activities for all ages. This event is to open to everyone.
Portland Museum of Modern Art Opening 7–9 p.m. Mississippi Records 5202 N Mississippi Ave
The Portland Museum of Modern Art celebrates its opening in the Mississippi Records compound Sept. 29 with a showcase of fake record covers from around the world. The show is free and open for all ages.
Jai Ho is a Bollywood dance party
The New York Times Syndication Sales with a retro themeCorporation that happens 620 Eighth Avenue, New N.Y. once aYork, month. The 10018 event features For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 The New York Times Syndication Sales For Thursday, September 27,Corporation 2012
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2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Pioneer Courthouse Square 701 SW 6th Ave.
The Le Grand Continental dance performance is a 30-minute contemporary line dance. You may attend the dance for free on Sept. 30 at Pioneer Courthouse Square. All ages are welcome. For more information visit whitebird.org/continental.
Monday, Oct. 1
Blitz NFL Bingo Every Monday night during NFL football Blitz 99W 10935 SW 68th Pkwy.
Blitz 99W hosts a bingo game every Monday night based on plays made during NFL football games. Each winner receives a gift card worth $5, and black winners receive a gift card worth $20. The game is free and 21+. For more information visit blitzbarpdx.webs.com.
Wednesday, Oct. 3
7 p.m. Cruzroom 2338 NE Alberta St.
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Le Grand Continental Dance Performance
Brick or Block Lego Tournament
620 Eighth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 For Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Edited by Will Shortz
Sunday, Sept. 30
The Cruzroom is set to host a tournament of champions in lego building. Teams of two to six people are invited to come and test their skills building lego masterpieces in timed matches. Champions go on to a final round, and prizes are awarded. This event is 21+ and free for participants, but there are limited slots, so arrive early. Visit shanrockstrivia.com for more information.
Thursday, Oct. 4
Tutankhamun’s Last Secret by Nicholas Reeves 7:30–9 p.m. PSU Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 238
Nicholas Reeves is scheduled to come to PSU to discuss secrets, myths and misconceptions regarding one of Egypt’s most well-known historical figures. This event is free and open to all ages.
Study Abroad Fair 11 a.m.–2 p.m. PSU Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom, Room 335
The PSU Education Abroad program is hosting a fair to answer questions about how financial aid and scholarships work with study abroad programs, and to offer information about degree requirements as well as the types of programs available and where they are located. The first 100 students to arrive at the fair will receive a free travel guidebook, and all students in attendance can enter to win free international airfare. This event is free and open to all PSU students.
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VANGUARD •• Thursday, TUESDAY, JANUARY Sept. 27,10, 2012 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.
SPORTS
EDITOR: CORY MIMMS SPORTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-4538
Thunderbirds strike at Jeld-Wen Portland State loses its first Big Sky game
Hard Loss: Kieran McDonagh tries to drive the ball through Thunderbird defense at Jeld-Wen Field Saturday. The Vikings lost 49-42.
Alex Moore Vanguard staff
The Vikings took all of 1:36 to score their first touchdown in Big Sky play against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, who have never played in a Big Sky conference game before, but the rest of the game didn’t go as well. Portland State dominated the first quarter with a lead as large as 18 points. But the next three quarters were controlled by the Thunderbirds, who fought back, took the lead and stopped Vikings quarterback Kieran McDonagh at the goal line as time expired, winning the game 49-42. “I thought I got it,” McDonagh said. “But every guy is going to say that. I think I was pretty close.” Offense wasn’t the problem for Portland State, as they put up 587 yards. However, the Vikings had four turnovers, and the Thunderbirds capitalized
on them. Southern Utah scored 17 of their 49 points as a result of PSU mistakes. “Turnovers didn’t go our way,” senior linebacker Ian Sluss said. “Little things didn’t go our way. When you give up 49 points, it’s not your day.” At halftime, Portland State’s lead had been cut down to just eight points. To start the second half, Josh Smith of Southern Utah ran back the Vikings kickoff for a 95-yard touchdown. The Thunderbirds went for two to tie up the game, and converted. For the rest of the third quarter, the game went back and forth. PSU would take the lead, and then the Thunderbirds would tie it up. That changed with 8:06 left in the game, with the score tied at 42. Quarterback Brad Sorensen and the Thunderbirds put together a 6:31 drive that ended with full-
Jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFF
back Lavell Ika scoring on a oneyard touchdown run. PSU was left with 1:35. The Vikings quickly went to work, and found themselves on the two-yard line with 18 seconds on the clock. Southern Utah’s defense stopped McDonagh’s passing game, so the freshman quarterback went for the sneak
as time expired. The referees signaled that he didn’t make the end zone, and the game ended with cheers from the Thunderbird fans filling JeldWen Field. “Coach just called my number, and I tried to get in there,” McDonagh said. “Apparently I fell short.”
McDonagh finished the game with 270 yards passing and 52 yards rushing. Sophomore Shaquille Richard had a big game with 93 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Sluss had 12 tackles and an interception. The Thunderbirds were led by Sorensen, who completed 27 of his 36 passes for
311 yards and four touchdowns. The Vikings will travel to Flagstaff, Ariz. to play Northern Arizona University in their second Big Sky game this Saturday. The Lumberjacks are ranked 22nd, with an overall record of 3-1.
Autumn ambling
On the rise
Walktober challenges PSU to stretch its legs
Men’s soccer looks to win games and win fans
Maya Seaman Vanguard Staff
Fall in Portland is a beautiful thing. The air is crisp, the trees are blushing, the returning rain is momentarily regarded as pleasant and the sun, while setting a little earlier each night, still lingers long enough for an after-dinner stroll. In order to take advantage of this seasonal magic hour, the Academic and Student Rec Center is once again hosting Walktober, its month-long pedestrian promotional event that celebrates October as National Walking Month. From Oct. 1–31, the Rec Center will invite the Portland State community to saunter, stroll, hike and explore Portland on foot. “Walktober is a program designed to get people outdoors during the fall and meeting other PSU students interested in getting outdoors,” said Amy Cashman, the Rec Center’s Walktober intern. The challenge also encourages people to embrace healthy living by adding walking to their daily routines. By registering for Walktober, participants can log hours spent walking for the entire month. It’s free to join, and people can operate as individuals or as a competitive team of four or more. Past competitions have seen whole residence halls pitted against one another and
department faculty trying to outwalk an opposing department. Prizes are awarded based on the average number of hours logged by a team on the Walktober website. Walktober will also include guided tours throughout the city, with stops at some of Portland’s most beautiful fall destinations. Every Monday will feature a “Walk of the Week,” starting at 11 a.m. in front of the Rec Center. This year’s tours will include strolling to the Farmers Market on the South Park Blocks, wandering along the waterfront and walking to Terwilliger Park. A new walk that the Rec Center’s Fitness and Health Promotions Coordinator Erin Bransford is particularly excited about is the Starbucks walk. Created by Cashman, this walk will include stops at a multitude of Starbucks locations around campus, where participants will be served free samples of Starbucks’ fall items. “We’ve got a lot of fun walks planned,” Cashman said. This also includes a trek designed by the Rec Center’s adventurous Outdoor Program staff. To encourage participants to stay on track, the Walktober organizers will be offering incentives throughout the month, including several mini-compe-
titions. For example, Walktober participants can post pictures taken while on their walks on the website’s “Walking Wall.” “Each week we’ll have campus rec staff vote on which photo they like and they will win a prize,” Bransford said. “We want to keep people engaged.” Prizes include walk-centric gear like socks, pedometers and strobe lights, something that every Portland pedestrian should own for those early winter nights. The Walktober kickoff party will be held at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Oct. 1. The first 30 participants to arrive at the upper entrance of the Rec Center (by Café Yumm) will win free socks. And if you can’t make any of the guided walks, don’t worry; maps and information regarding all Walktober happenings will be emailed to participants, so you can explore the city at your leisure. Registration is open now and closes Oct. 8. Participation is limited to 250 people, so register soon! To register and view the event schedule, visit pdx.walktober.com. If you are interested in leading a guided walk, have suggestions for routes or would like more information, email Amy Cashman at acashman@pdx.edu.
Rosemary Hanson
club play: Corey Lewis is a Midfielder for the Men’s Soccoer club. The team plays Southern Oregon at Stott Field Oct. 6.
Vanguard staff
The Portland State men’s soccer club recently completed tryouts, and they now prepare for their first match. The team competes at the club level, meaning they travel and face other universities’ club teams and not varsity teams. While winning on the field is the key in practice, winning over a fan base is the team’s behind-the-scenes goal. Club President Zach Kanner has made outreach the goal of his presidency and hopes that the work will lead to Portland State students attending the on-campus matches at Peter Stott Field. “We’d really love for people to come out and support us,” Kanner said. “OSU and U of O get a lot of support for their club teams, so it’d be awesome to rival them.” Head coach Jamey Berg said that although they play at club level, the team’s performance should attract future fans. “To get people interested we need to play an interesting style, to play an exciting style of play—some teams play a defensive style, just trying to win games, and I think we will play a much more technical style,” Berg said. The team will have nearly
Karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFF
three full weeks of practice prior to their match against Southern Oregon, and their drive and focus is obvious. “Southern Oregon’s a lot bigger than we are; they’re tall. Something we’re going to try and work on is possession. They can’t use their size to an advantage if they don’t have contact with the ball,” Kanner said. Berg said that the team also needs to focus on athleticism, but while the talent is there, the team had less time to prepare for the season and will need to commit to ensure they are match-ready.
After placing fourth out of six teams last year, Kanner said this team is looking stronger than in seasons past: “I think this team can contend.” While the official season is now just in the fall term, the club’s most prominent season was spring 2010, when the Capital Coed Soccer League played two official seasons annually. They face Southern Oregon at Stott Field Oct. 6 at 3 p.m.
16
VANGUARD • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 • SPORTS
Upcoming Thursday, Sept. 27
VOLLEYBALL vs. Vikings (4-0) vs. Eastern Washington Peter Stott Center 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 28
vs. WOMEN’S SOCCER Vikings (1-1) vs University of Montana (1-0-1) Hillsboro Stadium 1 p.m. Forecast: High of 77 degrees, partly cloudy
Saturday, Sept. 29
VOLLEYBALL Karl Kuchs/VANGUARD STAFF
Winning: PSU’s women’s soccer team won their first conference game Sunday. They are now 1-1 in conference and 3-6-1 overall.
Victory on the road Vikings soccer improves in North Dakota
Alex Moore Vanguard staff
The Portland State women’s soccer team beat North Dakota 3-1 to earn their first conference victory of the season Sunday, recovering from their loss to the University of Northern Colorado last week.
This evened up their conference record to 1-1. The Bears had an own goal early in the second half, but sophomore Kayla Henningsen and senior Amanda Howie were responsible for the other two. North Dakota scored first
in the match, but it was all Vikings from there. Three goals is a big improvement from the loss to Northern Colorado, when the Vikings failed to score despite putting up more shots than their opponent. Portland State plays at home this weekend in two conference games, one against the University of Montana and the second against Eastern Washington University. Both games will be at Hillsboro Stadium.
Vikings (4-0) vs. Southern Utah University (3-1) Peter Stott Center 7 p.m.
Women’s soccer schedule Sept. 28, 1 p.m. vs. Montana Sept. 30, 1 p.m. vs. Eastern Washington Oct. 5, 6 p.m. @ Northern Arizona Oct. 7, 9 a.m. @ Southern Utah Oct. 12, 3 p.m. vs. Idaho State
Kristin Henno placed 10th in the WSU Cougar Cup this week, finishing the tournament six over par 220 and leading to her being named the Big Sky Conference golfer of the week. Overall, the Vikings placed 7th out of 14 teams. Britney Yada tied for 16th and A Ram Choi for 40th. Earlier this month, the golf team started the season by placing 12th overall at the Oregon State Invitational at Trysting Tree Golf Club. Leading the team there was Choi with five under par, placing 12th overall. Henno tied for 41st and Yada for 50th. Head coach Kathleen Takaishi was disappointed in their season start. “It was good to get a
few competitive rounds in to see what our weaknesses are,” she said. Along with the addition of a few new players, the team is building on Yada’s experience. Yada led Portland State’s team during the last three years. In the 2011–12 school year, she was awarded 1st team All-Big Sky Conference, All-Big Sky Conference Tournament and Big Sky Conference golfer of the week. “Britney has had a successful career at Portland State. She holds the PSU career scoring average with 76.04, 54 hole tournament scoring record with 6 under par 210, and tied the 18-hole scoring record with a 67. She has been named to the first team All-Big Sky Conference team all three
vs.
CROSS COUNTRY Willamette Invitational Bush’s Pasture Park, Salem 9:30 a.m. Forecast: High of 73 degrees, partly cloudy
Kristin Henno named Big Sky golfer of the week Vanguard Staff
FOOTBALL
Vikings (0-1) @ Northern Arizona (1-0) J.L. Walkup Skydome 2 p.m. Forecast: High of 67 degrees, partly cloudy
Vikings golf improves Crystal Gardner
vs.
Ups and downs: A Ram Choi began the season strong but tied for 40th in the Cougar Cup. Kristin Henno leapt to 10th.
Sunday, Sept. 30
WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Vikings (1-1-0) vs. Eastern Washington University (1-1-0) Hillsboro Stadium 1 p.m. Forecast: High of 73 degrees, partly cloudy
Monday, Oct. 1-2 COURTESY OF Goviks.com
years,” Takaishi said. Choi, a transfer from Washington, shined at her first appearance on the PSU team by tying a school record. “A Ram had a great summer,” Takaishi said. “She competed in the LPGA Canadian Open.”
The next few months will set the stage for the Big Sky Classic, and Portland State hosts the upcoming 3rd Annual Rose City Collegiate Oct. 1–2 at Langdon Farms Golf Club. This is just the beginning of the year for these ladies. They
have the opportunity to bring another title home to PSU, and Takaishi is encouraging them. “Our team goal every year is to win the Big Sky Conference Championship. I believe we have the depth in our lineup to do that this year,” she said.
GOLF Rose City Collegate Hosted by Portland State Langdon Farms Golf Club, Aurora