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Portland State University Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 | vol. 67 no. 13
Celebrating coming out
Debate heats up campus
QRC’s Outlist grows in its third year Mary Breaden Vanguard staff
Coming out is more popular than ever. In honor of National Coming Out Day on Thursday, Oct. 11, Portland State’s Queer Resource Center has launched the Outlist, now in its third year. The Outlist is a list of people who have identified themselves as supporters of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and intersex community—some as one or more of the aforementioned, others as allies of the under -represented group. The Outlist will be unveiled in the Park Blocks on NCOD as part of the Portland State of Mind event series. Last year, over 1,100 members of the PSU community signed the list, doubling the rate of participation from the list’s first year, 2010. As of last week, more than 1,200 people had signed the list. “Our list is too large to print in a school newspaper,” Cat McGraw, coordinator at the QRC, said with pride. Many universities have had Outlists in existence for much longer than PSU has, and McGraw said she saw the positive effects of an Outlist firsthand when she worked for the University of Oregon. In order to sign the Outlist, students, faculty, staff and alumni had to type in their names and their departments, as well as majors or job titles. Participants were also given the option to identify where they fall on the queer spectrum by checking a corresponding box. See outlist on page 4
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mayoral candidates Charlie Hales (left) and Jefferson Smith debate Portland issues on stage in Lincoln Hall. Most of the debate focused on issues affecting Portland at large.
Candidates face off at PSU Ravleen Kaur Vanguard Staff
Lincoln Hall opened its historic doors to the public on Monday evening for the first televised debate of the general mayoral election. Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith faced off at Portland State in a fastpaced debate, offering points of consensus and nuanced differences. “It’s a really awesome experience to have the candidates on campus,” sophomore Jessa Peary said. The event was broadcast live by KOIN Local 6.
The debate was moderated by station news anchor Jeff Gianola. Panelists included Associated Students of Portland State University President Tiffany Dollar, Portland Tribune reporter Steve Law and retired KOIN news anchor Mike Donahue. Although the majority of the debate was devoted to issues faced by the city at large, the topic of higher education surfaced from time to time. Dollar asked the candidates what they would do to increase job opportunities for recent college graduates, thousands of whom are out of work.
“Contrary to the Portlandia caricature, young people don’t come here to retire,” Hales said, explaining that he would work on creating a “climate of opportunity” through increasing access to credit and by building school/ business partnerships throughout the region. “What we’ve got to have is an economic plan that fits this century,” said Smith, who called for investment in schools and better workforce training. Both candidates vowed to focus on growing small business as a part of their strategy for job growth. Dollar also asked the candidates what they would do to ensure that students in Portland’s public school
system are college-ready. Smith advocated for state-wide funding increases and summer gap programs to promote work readiness. Hales declared that legislature has not done enough to address the issue. In addition to adequate funding, he called for middle-college programs that would allow high schoolers to take college courses. An issue that did not come up during the debate, the Education Urban Renewal Area, is one that directly implicates PSU. The plan, approved by the Portland City Council this May, would funnel increased See debate on page 4
Filipino talent hits the stage Kaibigan continues the tradition Katie Quick Vanguard staff
If singers, dancers and comedians aren’t enough to get you to go check out this weekend’s ShowKase from PSU’s Kaibigan club, maybe free dinner will do the trick. This Saturday, Oct. 13, PSU’s Kaibigan club is hosting its eighth annual ShowKase talent show in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom. Admission for students is free, and includes a Filipino dinner with lumpia (eggrolls), afritada (rice noodles) and more served before the show. Kaibigan, now celebrating its 10th year at PSU, recognizes Filipino-American
students on campus while providing cultural, educational, political and social activities. “We invite everyone—that’s why we do this,” said Aiman Al Khachi, the club’s publicity coordinator. While the event is focused on Filipino culture and participation, the event is open to the public, with the goal of drawing a bigger crowd each year. Last year, the club set an attendance record of at least 400. The first ShowKase brought in approximately 200 people and has grown significantly every year. The ShowKase is just what it sounds like: an opportunity for Filipino students affiliated with the club
to demonstrate their personal performance talents. The acts themselves are not focused on Filipino culture but are a demonstration from and celebration of Filipino students. The ShowKase also serves as a fundraiser for the PSU Filipino American Student Association Scholarship fund. “We get a lot of sponsors from the community,” said Kaibigan President Nikki Deleon. While there are funds raised with each ShowKase, the majority of funding for the scholarships comes from outside sponsors. “It’s planned entirely by new students, with new ideas and new themes every year,” Deleon said. Last See Kaibigan on page 3
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Cassandra Moore Vanguard staff
From his post under the sky bridge between Cramer Hall and Smith Memorial Student Union, a gentle, long-bearded newspaper seller blends into his surroundings as crowds of students rush from one class to the next. Richard Falconer has been homeless since the early ’80s, and has sold Street Roots at Portland State for 15 years. “He’s the nicest Street Roots vendor I’ve ever encountered. We’ve made eye contact for years—he always smiles, but I’ve never talked to him,” graduate student Austin Hudson said. “I guess all you have to do is stop and talk to someone, but everyone is so busy.” At his post on campus, Falconer listens to a small black radio to pass the long stretches of time between customers. He likes Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond and conservative news coverage. When they come around, Falconer chats at length with his customers and friends in the PSU community. He greets paper buyers with a nod; they
leave him looking both sorry and touched. The Street Roots vendor makes 75 cents per sale. Like anyone living on the streets, Falconer has had his share of indignities; thieves have robbed him and punks have hassled him. He said he can often dissuade hecklers by being nice to them. “Some people you run into, they’re not going to be able to understand you. They don’t like you because you don’t look like them,” Falconer said. “But I try to be a nice guy.” Falconer didn’t have the ambition to finish Jesuit High School in Tigard, and cites that as the reason social services got a hold of him as a teenager. “They threw me in a boy’s home,” Falconer recalled. “They said, ‘We’re going to put you in this little hole for while.’” His parents were separating at the time. After a year and a half, Falconer was fostered to a woman who abused him. The son of a truck driver and a train secretary, Falconer has been estranged from his
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family for more than 20 years. His parents are dead, and he has seen his younger brother, a train engineer, once in two decades. He does not know why his older sister does not contact him. “I can’t mend everything. I didn’t raise myself,” Falconer said. This time of year, with leaves falling in yellow beds in the Park Blocks, Falconer hopes to get an apartment for the winter. He has done it before, but that was more than a decade ago, when he was a street musician. “There is an obvious change in Richard when the weather gets gray,” said a former Aramark employee, Matthew Russell, who hopes his friend will find more permanent winter shelter. “[My happiest days] are just waking up in the morning,” Falconer said. “I’m not that safe. I worry about my health; it deteriorates. But I’m pretty geared up for [sleeping outside],” he said, deflecting sympathy. At the Street Roots office he is able to clean up, wash his hair and get drinking water. Falconer accepts individual handouts graciously—but not from government sources. He believes the cost is too high.
Andrew Morse Vanguard staff
An exploding whale, Freemasons, and former Gov. Barbara Roberts—what do these have in common? No, it’s not the latest apocalyptic conspiracy theory. They’re all part of Oregon history and were represented at Portland State’s Millar Library as part of the Oregon Archives Crawl. The annual event, organized by the Portland Area Archivists
and held Saturday, Oct. 6, is in its third year. According to PSU archivist Cris Paschild, the event is the first of its kind in the nation. This year’s theme was the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Oregon. PSU was one of four host sites, along the Archives Crawl, as it’s been every year. More than 20 area archives participated in this year’s event. Those with tables at PSU included the Portland Art Museum, Oregon Health and
Science University and the Oregon Jewish Museum. Representatives from each archive were eager to discuss what they had brought. PSU’s program highlighted items from the vaults of its Special Collections, including historical photos, film screenings, medieval manuscripts and old yearbooks. Kicking things off was an intense documentary titled The Seventh Day, chronicling the 1970 Vietnam War protest on campus. The week-long event, though staged for different reasons, dealt with logistical issues not dissimilar to the recent Occupy Portland movement. Another film offered rare, exclusive footage of a famous attempt to blow up a dead whale on the beach in Florence, Ore. that same year. The disturbing images were set to the echo-laden soundtrack of a humpback whale’s song. In general, the films focus on topics of local interest. “A lot of them have Portland as a subject,” Paschild said. Keeping with the theme, a display case was dedicated to figures like Roberts, Oregon State Sen. Avel Gordly, suffragist Abigail Scott Duniway and Oregon Supreme Court Justice Betty Roberts. All of these women helped establish precedents in Oregon law and governance. The documents came
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“Since my fondness for the government is so weak, I don’t want to go through the programs [they sponsor],” Falconer said. “It’s about integrity.” Falconer does not get food stamps and avoids soup kitchens.
If life were exactly the way he wanted it to be, he would just lie in the sun and relax. “I just wanted to be a middle-class family guy,” Falconer said.
from the Oregon Political Leadership Archive, one of the mainstays of Special Collections. At the heart of their efforts for this year’s Archives Crawl was the featured exhibit “Say We Are Here: Culture, Community and Activism Across Four Generations of Black Oregonians.” Drawing from the Verdell Burdine and Otto G. Rutherford Family Collection, the exhibit is based on processing and research by PSU students Marti Clemmons, Meg Langford, Jeanne Roedel and Tasha Triplett. They worked under the guidance of PSU history professor Patricia Schechter, whose work has included helping Gordly with her autobiography. Work on the project began last winter, shortly after Schechter and Paschild, with the encouragement of Gordly and the Black Studies Department, helped secure the collection for PSU’s stewardship. Schechter taught an archiving class and had about 13 students take an initial inventory of the collection. About six students continued working on it in spring term. A well-attended preview exhibit was held in March, after which Clemmons and Langford continued working with the collection over the summer. The end results—both the archiving work and the exhibit—have exceeded Schechter’s expectations.
“They have accomplished something nothing short of extraordinary,” Schechter said. Clemmons, a senior history major, and Langford, a postbaccalaureate student, were both drawn to the project because of the handson experience it provided them. They were challenged and excited by the breadth and potential uses of the collection. “It’s a huge collection that keeps growing,” Langford said. She mentioned that one of their colleagues had already begun using documents from it to build a teaching curriculum. As for the exhibit, both students saw it as a pathway to exploring the collection’s contents at a deeper level: questions begetting questions, keeping scholars busy for years to come. Clemmons, who focused much of her efforts on researching documents related to the Elks and the Freemasons, liked the idea that the exhibit kept alive the memory of fading landmarks and other places she might see in her day-today life. “It feels like it could be your neighbor’s history,” Clemmons said. The exhibit will remain on display for the course of the current term. Information about Special Collections, including finding aids, can be found at library.pdx.edu/specialcollections.html.
NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS •• TUESDAY, TUESDAY, • Thursday, • TUESDAY, JANUARY JANUARY Oct. MAY24, 11, 17, 1, 2012 • VANGUARD
kaibigan from page 1
This year’s talent show features acts from other schools year the theme was based on Filipino colors; this year the theme is glow-in-the-dark. The two headliners this year are local Rex Navarrete, a well-known comedian in the Filipino community, and Seattle-based singer Shannon Lei. “We try every year to get Filipino talent as our headliner,” Deleon said. Previous headliners have included several “raptivists,” as Deleon describes them: rappers who use hip hop as a tool to send out messages about social justice and awareness. Jazz Espiritu, a singer/ songwriter from Bellingham, Wash., explains that this year’s ShowKase is a little different. Last year there was “only one member from outside the PSU community. There are more this year, so I’m really excited to be performing with lots of friends from the University of Washington. It’s going to be an awesome show.” “I’ve learned to hone in on my stage presence and to feel the crowd—and I love the PSU crowd,” Espiritu said. He also
speaks well of some of the other performers, including PSU student Haley Heyndrix, who he believes will “blow us all away.” Espiritu will also be selling his original music album, titled Reality EP, after the show. Keanu Corveau, the social chair for Kaibigan, explains that he’s excited for the ShowKase because “the event exposes a lot of local talent from the Portland area as well as those from the Northwest region.” Look for collaboration and performances from many others from around the Northwest Filipino community, including those who attend high school locally. “We try to make it fun for everyone,” Al Khachi said. You can get tickets at the PSU Box Office in SMSU. The event is held in the Smith Ballroom. Tickets for students are free with an ID; general admission is $10 in advance, $15 at the door. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served between 6 and 7 p.m., and the ShowKase begins at 7 p.m.
Simon Benson Awards Dinner sets new record Vanguard Staff
Portland State set a new record by raising over $1 million at its Diane Keaton-hosted Simon Benson Awards Dinner, an event held every fall to honor local philanthropists. More than 1,700 people were in attendance at the Oregon Convention Center on Tuesday, setting another record for the event. The dinner, now in its 13th year, brought in 20 percent more money than last year and nearly doubled the amount raised two years ago. Funds raised will benefit the Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund scholarship challenge grant and the Fund for PSU, an organization that supports scholarships, faculty research and new programs throughout the university. The recipients of this year’s Simon Benson Award were Arlene and Jordan Schnitzer and Irving Levin and Stephanie Fowler. The two families have given millions of dollars to a variety of causes in Portland and elsewhere. PSU also awarded its first-ever Alumni Achievement Award to Travis Knight, president and CEO of Laika Inc., the animation studio in Hillsboro that has produced films like Coraline and ParaNorman.
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Clipboards and questions
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Frustrating but effective Matt Ellis Vanguard staff
If you’re a student at Portland State, chances are, it’s happened to you. Your bus was late, ruining all hope for some pre-class coffee, and you’re practically running through the PSU Park Blocks to make it to class on time. Then you spot them, clipboard in hand. You try to avoid eye contact, but it just doesn’t work. You were caught by a canvasser. Because the Park Blocks are owned by the City of Portland, canvassers are free to operate without approval from the university. This has attracted everything from voter registration drives to independent organizations soliciting donations. While many may agree with the aims of the organizations they’re stopped by, the persistence of the canvassers can often drive students to ignore the message. “I was stopped outside Smith [Memorial Student Union] a while back by an organization whose message
I totally believed in,” junior Kenny Katz said. “But when she asked me for my credit card number, I kind of freaked.” Many have explored the tactics and motives behind some of the organizations employing canvassers—including a behind-the-scenes look published by the Portland Mercury last May—but canvassers themselves will tell you it takes a lot of patience and thick skin. “You really have to know how to take rejection well,” said Diana Bustos, a canvasser recently stationed outside Cramer Hall. “I had a guy just get up and walk away from me mid-conversation once. You have to turn it into a laughable moment.” With Bustos were five other red-clad employees of Grassroots Campaigns, a for-profit intermediary company that collects donations on behalf of nonprofits such as the Southern Poverty Law Center. But not all color-coordinated canvassers are looking for money. With election season upon us, and Oregon’s Oct. 16 voter registration deadline
approaching, the get-out-thevote campaign is in full swing. Associated Students of Portland State University, PSU’s student government, has been registering voters on campus all year, in an initiative dubbed Vote OR Vote. Although they wearing green shirts in an attempt to differentiate themselves from other canvassers, it doesn’t seem to make students more willing to stop and speak with them. Spenser McNett, clipboard coordinator for the ASPSU, recounted the frustration he saw from many students throughout a day of canvassing. “I had a guy tell me that he almost blew me off,” McNett said. “[H]e was sick of clipboards, and he felt he was just getting assaulted all the time.” With McNett was Komal Singh, another canvasser with ASPSU, who explained how oversaturated the campus can get at times. In addition to nonprofits and ASPSU are other get-outthe-vote campaigns, as well as the fluoride referendum petition currently gathering signatures.
As a university-sanctioned organization, ASPSU has the ability to add tabling and classroom presentations to their activities. This approach has brought them more than 4,000 newly registered voters by October of this year. “I actually used to canvas door-to-door, so I totally have empathy for what they all have to put up with,” said Courtney Veronneau, a campus organizer with ASPSU. Veronneau, however, focuses less on frustrations and instead lets ASPSU’s success embolden her. “A few days ago I registered a new voter who asked for an extra voter registration card for his wife, who had just become a U.S. citizen,” Veronneau said. “I was going around to classrooms a few days later, and they were both there—she turned in her card, and seemed so excited; a 30-something who gets to vote for the first time.” For Bustos, however, it is more about the moments she shared with those who took the time to listen to her. “I got a great hug today, actually. It totally made my day,” Bustos said. “You know, we don’t bite!”
New faculty profile: Shan Ba Gwen Shaw Vanguard Staff
For most students, taking the next step after graduation means saying goodbye to the university world for good; but for Shan Ba, the next step was onto another university campus. Ba received his bachelor’s degree in China, where he’s originally from, in 2007 before coming to the United States to pursue a doctorate in industrial engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
He completed his doctorate this summer and is now an assistant professor of statistics in the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Mathematics and Statistics. This term, Ba is teaching a graduate level statistics course titled “Bayesian Data Analysis,” a special type of statistics that focuses on both data and prior information. Ba said he’s very excited to be a teacher. “An important thing about teaching is not how smart I am or how knowledgeable I am, but to care how much the students
understand what I teach,” Ba said. “I’ve been a student for a lot of years and I’ve seen teachers who only care about themselves and their research, and then I’ve seen teachers who really care about the students. I prefer the last one.” During his first year of studying statistics as an undergrad, Ba felt he had no idea what he was doing, and his professors made him believe he wasn’t as good as he truly was. That all changed the next year, though; his pro-
fessors were more supportive and his classes felt more applied. He attributes the vast improvement in his undergraduate experience to his professors. Ba recognizes that statistics is typically a difficult class to grasp—especially for those outside of majors like engineering and math— but he encourages students to find a professor they like. He believes that if the class is taught correctly and supportively, any student can find statistics enjoyable.
kayla Nguyen/VANGUARD STAFF
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VANGUARD • Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 • News
DEBATE from page 1
Many voters at debate still undecided Every week, the Vanguard interviews members of the Portland State community in the Park Blocks and asks them a timely question.
This week’s question:
“What are your thoughts on University Pointe?” Senior communications major Alex Benton, 21, currently lives off campus but previously lived in a residence hall at another university. Her attitude toward on-campus housing is that it is unfair. “I think that on-campus housing is kind of a rip-off in general,” he said. “I went to Oregon State University for two years, and I lived in the dorms my freshman year, and it was ridiculous. It’s so much cheaper to live off campus.”
Sophomore architecture major Michael Ray, 48, isn’t particularly fond of the building’s architecture; he finds it dull. “I don’t know much about the interior of the building. I think the exterior is rather pedestrian and plain. It’s not really striking; I guess it’s the architecture of the day. It doesn’t strike me as a standout building,” he said.
Chemistry major Esteban Rodriguez, a 21-year-old junior, sees both positive and negative potential in University Pointe. “It seems like more on-campus housing is probably necessary, although more buildings for classrooms is probably more critical. It seems like it’s another source of revenue for the university, which could be a good or bad thing depending on how it’s used,” he said.
Sophomore pre-nursing student Ian Frank, 22, finds University Pointe overpriced and is aware that the cost is affecting its residents. “It’s incredibly overpriced and students aren’t really able to afford there really, so I’m not and most of my friends aren’t,” he said. “I did see a lot of signs up on campus of people trying to get out of their lease.”
Rebekkah Brainerd, a 19-year-old senior political science major, thinks University Pointe has a lot of extra features to offer, but she still has mixed feelings. “I thought about going into it, but I couldn’t necessarily afford that. It sounds like more classrooms, which I’m sort of ambivalent about. It doesn’t necessarily affect me, but it sounds like there’s a lot of cool new features and so forth,” she said.
outlist from page 1
List ‘incredibly empowering’ While no one else sees the raw data of that identification from the Outlist’s form, McGraw said it is “incredibly empowering” for people to have the ability to identify themselves. McGraw also emphasized that NCOD offers members of Portland State’s LGBTQ community an opportunity to rally together and kick off the school year. “It’s the first thing that queer students can organize around,” McGraw said. “It’s a really neat way to get
people talking to each other and to gather support for community.” Beyond the PSU campus, Logan Lynn, public relations and innovations manager at Q Center, a nonprofit that supports Portland’s LGBTQ community, voiced approval for the Outlist. “Any kind of visibility or outreach is an important part of the landscape of keeping queer people safe,” Lynn said. He also described NCOD as “an ally-building opportunity” and a way
to provide a safe space for people who want to come out. Sabrina McCoy, a member of Portland State’s QRC staff and the designer of this year’s Outlist, had good things to say about her second year on the list. “It’s an incredibly uplifting experience to see people on this campus to be proud of who they are and proud to be identified,” McCoy said. “I’m proud to be a part of the QRC and the Outlist.” To view the complete outlist online, visit pdx/edu/ cla s/p ro fi le/psu s- ou tl ist. The list will also be printed on a poster and hung in the QRC office.
funding into the area with the goal of improving blighted areas and fostering economic growth. Although PSU President Wim Wiewel lauded the plan in his opening remarks, neither of the candidates sounded a ringing endorsement of it when questioned by the Vanguard after the debate. “I’m a waffler on the issue,” Smith said. “There are some conditions in there that I support—others, not so much. So I would say I’m kind of in favor.” Hales expressed similar reservations when asked about the plan. “I want to ramp down the urban renewal plans across the city. I think that right now there are too many,” Hales said. “But they’re certainly planning on doing good things,” he added. Many in the auditorium had not yet decided who to vote for. “I’m on the fence, and I’m looking to be swayed,” Portland resident Dana Gantz said. “I hope to hear something that will differentiate the candidates,” said Casey Campbell, academic advisor for psychology at PSU. When asked by the panel to outline their differences,
the candidates referenced their pasts. “I understand Portland’s weird form of government,” Hales, a former city commissioner, said, alluding to what he described as his experience in getting things done on a nuts-and-bolts level. Smith, who would be the first mayor from East Portland if elected, offered what he called a new perspective: “We need someone who sees the whole picture” of Portland, Smith said, vowing to bring often-neglected parts of the city into the fold. When asked to question his opponent, Hales pressed Smith on the strength of his commitment to gun control, while Smith suggested that Hales had not done enough for parks and streets in areas like East Portland. Both candidates are proponents of fluoridated water, both are strongly opposed to coal trains running through North Portland and both support a tax that would fund the arts in public schools, though Smith called for a progressive—rather than fixed—tax on the measure. From homelessness to transportation priorities to police reform, the candidates
miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFF
swept through a vast range of issues, offering a variety of ideas and solutions. Still, some found the debate to be decisive, finding that the elusive difference came down to the candidates’ demeanor. “Smith was warmer, and there was less beating around the bush from him,” said Jacob McIntyre, a Mount Hood Community College student. Peary agreed: “They were diametrically opposed—literally, in their seating positions,” she said. “Hales was very poised; very proper politician. Smith was less politic.” Others remained undecided. “After the debate, I’m still on the fence,” Gantz said, laughing. “But I feel more informed about their positions.” A video of the debate is available online at koinlocal6.com.
NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS •• TUESDAY, TUESDAY, • Thursday, • TUESDAY, JANUARY JANUARY Oct. MAY24, 11, 17, 1, 2012 • VANGUARD
Getting there, staying dry Katie Quick Vanguard staff
Within weeks, or possibly days, Portland will once again become a damp and rainy city. It’s simply inevitable. But when these rainy days strike, how does one stay dry while traveling from one end of campus to the other? Listed below are just a few ways to do it. #1: Neuberger Hall > Smith Memorial Student Union > Cramer Hall > Lincoln Hall: the sky route
Corinna scott/VANGUARD STAFF
When you find yourself on the higher floors of any of these buildings, you can easily walk from one to another within the comfort of heat and walls. Between each building is a covered sky bridge connecting the floors, creating one superlong hallway. The windows are a nice touch, too, so you can see what you’re missing outside. The hallway stretching from the fourth floor of SMSU to the third floor of Cramer contains a seating lounge that is fairly underused. This
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hallway stretches through all four buildings, allowing you to go straight through without having to change floors, or— most importantly—get wet. #2: Neuberger Hall > Smith Memorial Student Union > Cramer Hall: the basement route
As the title suggests, this route travels through the basements of these buildings. Sabine Lefkowitz, a junior, said she appreciates the basement route because “my clothes don’t get wet, so that’s nice. And I feel less depressed when I’m not in the rain.” While you can easily access these three buildings without being exposed whatsoever to the weather, you don’t get any sunlight with this route, either. #3: Sky bridges located on Broadway at Montgomery and Harrison streets: under the bridge route
Walking on these particular bridges will certainly expose you to the elements, but if you walk under them you can gain some extra coverage for about a block or so, so long as the wind isn’t blowing too forcefully. You’ll still have to put on a coat to stay warm, but at least your chances of staying dry are better. #4: Neuberger Hall > Smith Memorial Student Union > Cramer Hall: main floor route
coutesy of pdx.edu
Another route to take is through the first floor of Neuberger Hall through SMSU to Cramer Hall, though this route is, admittedly, not so handicap-friendly. You will walk inside and outside, but at least the route is fully covered. One other tip you can keep in mind to lessen your exposure to the rain: Know all of the door entryways to the buildings housing your classrooms so that you don’t have to make an unnecessary mad dash when the rain starts pouring down.
Unfortunately, if any of your classes extend to buildings beyond the main row along Broadway, there aren’t really any routes to take to remain completely dry. Francis McBride, supervising architect for PSU, said that, other than the main strip of passageways, “you pretty much have to go outside and go building-to-building.” But this is Portland, so investing in an umbrella or a raincoat is always a good insurance policy.
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VANGUARD •• Thursday, THURSDAY,OCTOBER TUESDAY, JANUARY Oct. FEBRUARY JANUARY 11, 2012 10, 25, 26, 2, 2012 2011 •2012 ARTS •• •OPINION OPINION &ARTS CULTURE & CULTURE
ARTS & CULTURE
EDITOR: Louie Opatz ARTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5694
A dreamlike war story Guy Maddin’s surreal Archangel arrives at 5th Avenue Cinema Breana Harris Vanguard Staff
This review comes with a disclaimer: I am not a “film lover.” Just kidding, put down the pitchforks—of course I love film. But I grew out of being a film snob long ago, and I am just as happy being called a “movie buff.” I believe that entertainment is not a bad word: I love all genres of film, I don’t have lofty opinions about camera angles and I’ve only ever used the word vision ironically. I’m also constantly wary of the “Emperor’s New Clothes syndrome” in films—where something is presented in such a pretentious way that “film lovers” are obligated to like it. It is easy to look at Guy Maddin’s grainy blackand-white film Archangel (1991), which is playing this weekend at PSU’s 5th Avenue Cinema, and dismiss it as such a film. But while it may ultimately have a message, Archangel also depend on the audience’s ability to give up trying to understand it. And that’s a compliment. Maddin, an experimental Canadian filmmaker who also directed Keyhole (2011), is often compared to David Lynch, though his work may be even more distinct. It draws on the look and feel of early silent movies to evoke a certain atmosphere. Archangel is his second feature, and though the film is steeped in surrealism, it is actually based on a little-known piece of history. At the end of World War I and the height of the Bolshevik revolution, soldiers from several different countries, including Britain, America, France and Canada, were stationed at the remote Arctic outpost of Archangel, in Russia.
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Unaware that the war had ended, the soldiers there continued fighting. The hero of the film is a Canadian soldier named John Boles (Kyle McCulloch), a onelegged man who inexplicably begins the story clutching the ashes of his dead lover, Iris. He stays with a local family in Archangel and meets Veronkha (Kathy Marykuca), who looks exactly like Iris, and who is busy avoiding her supposed husband Philbin (Ari Cohen), a philandering amnesiac soldier who constantly believes it is their wedding night. Indeed, amnesia seems to affect everyone in Archangel, and the loss of identity and reality is a persistent theme. If this sounds like a lyrical fairy tale, beware— the film is also, at times, a grotesque satire of war and the wartime mentality. That may sound heavy-handed, but it is presented in such a morbidly humorous way that you can’t help but
admire the originality. Everyone is delirious and happy to be fighting and dying for no reason—ideas like love, country and bravery become the film’s inside jokes. Somewhat shocking scenes—the beating of the young boy Geza (David Falkenburg) in Doles’ adopted family, or what happens to Geza’s “coward” father—are presented with a macabre sense of tongue-in-cheek. The visuals are definitely striking, considering what a small film it really is. Maddin uses every available technique to convey the dreamlike atmosphere of the story: From the shadows of distorted fields to the disembodied voices of the actors, Maddin proves that, even without the benefit of modern technology, the smallest choice can tell a story just as effectively (or more so) than a film with hundreds of millions of dollars behind it. It’s also a credit to the cleverness of Maddin’s script
that, even among the oddities of this world, there is a clear sense of each character’s personality—if not their motivations. Archangel is not a film trying to beat you over the head with its own intelligence—it’s way too weird for that. Like Maddin’s work in general, it may be divisive, and the arguments over whether it’s brilliant or ridiculous are enough to recommend it. There’s so much to admire, whether or not you enjoy the film—and I still haven’t decided whether I did. But the fact that it was made with virtually no money, using homemade props, yet still boasts finely drawn characters and an unmistakable mood, is quite impressive. Still, as much as I want to say otherwise, Archangel often falls into the category of films you admire more than like. Though I might be wary of pretentiousness in film, I also believe that the failure of an original film is a lot better than the success of a cookie-cutter one. And by all accounts, Archangel is no failure. Maddin has created and produced his own work since the late ’80s, including documentaries and shorts. His most recent short film is part of an interactive exhibit at the art gallery in his hometown of Winnipeg, Canada, where he has a passionate following to this day. Maddin’s early work in Archangel is a great gateway to the oeuvre of a filmmaker who might inspire you. I’m not sure that he inspires me, but I can’t help but respect him. He does have a vision, after all.
5th Avenue Cinema presents Archangel (1991) October 12 and 13 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. October 14 at 3 p.m. Free for students, $3 general
‘A Night of Love’: groovin’ for women’s reproductive rights The Love Loungers to play Planned Parenthood benefit Stefanie Thornton Vanguard staff
A night of soulful and artful music, dancing and cheap craft beer, all within walking distance of
Portland State—and it’s for a great cause? Next Thursday, Oct. 18, local band The Love Loungers will play a benefit concert for Planned Parenthood, titled “A Night of Love,” at Backspace Café. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the first 50
The love loungers kick out the jams to benefit the local Planned Parenthood.
guests will get goody bags: and, yes, there will be condoms. Pints from local breweries Lompoc and Laurelwood will also be available for $3. The Love Loungers are a relatively new name to the Portland music scene, but Rose Finn, the band’s public relations and event coordinator, feels that their high-energy show isn’t to be missed. “I rarely see bands that can get people going, and this band gets people pumped,” Finn said. The Love Loungers describe themselves as a “band of sharp-dressing 20-somethings [that] deliver high energy, crystal clear, sophisticated, grooving, ‘get up and dance’ hip-hop,” according to the band’s website. “We are making our own kind of music. It is the next evolution of hip-hop and soul, with the energy of rock ’n’ roll and the youthfulness of punk,” said Ini Akpan, The Love Loungers’ front man. “We are definitely a new style—we call it groove-hop.” The Love Loungers have placed an emphasis not only on musical innovation, but on being responsible community members. Last year, the band visited local schools to speak with students; they called it “revenge of the band nerds.” Akpan said he wanted students to know that it is “cool to be involved in music.” A sliding scale donation of $5 to $10 will go to Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette. Finn said fundraising for Planned Parenthood was a natural evolution. “I had this idea to connect [the band] to a bigger
cause. They are recording their first album and trying to sort out their identity,” Finn said. “They are all about love—I thought their music was a really good fit.” PPCW is the largest nonprofit family planning and reproductive rights organization in Oregon and Southwest Washington. The organization serves more than 60,000 women, men and teens each year, 89 percent of whom are low-income, and 72 percent of whom are between the ages of 18 and 29. Donations raised through events like this are critical to the success of PPCW. “We provide $2 million worth of uncompensated health care. The only reason we are able to do that is because of the contributions we receive from donors,” said Liz Delapoer, PPCW’s director of marketing and communications. “Our mission is to make sure everyone has access to quality healthcare.” “I think this is pretty timely, right before an election,” Finn said. “We are looking at a scary future. It is time to stand up.”
The Love Loungers present A Night of Love Benefiting Planned Parenthood Thursday, Oct. 18 Doors at 8 p.m. Backspace Café 115 NW Fifth Ave. $5–10 donation at the door
Arts & Culture • Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 • VANGUARD
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Environmental destruction: deleted PSU and Free Geek screen documentary Terra Blight Becca Cotton and Louie Opatz Vanguard Staff
What happens to that iPod Nano you replaced? That bulky television set rendered obsolete by the newest LED-screen model? If you’ve ever been curious about where your “e-waste” ends up, the documentary Terra Blight will shed some light on this mystery. And the truth can sometimes hurt. Last Tuesday, Terra Blight’s director, Isaac Brown, and producer, Ana Habib, presented their film at PSU’s Urban Center Building to a crowd of several dozen. The screening, presented by Portland State Campus Sustainability Office and Environmental Club as well as local nonprofit Free Geek, offered a glimpse at the consequences of rapid technological advancement. The film follows the life cycle of electronics, from cradle to grave. The film begins and ends at an electronics dump site in Ghana, and the torched, blighted landscape provides the film’s backdrop. At the dumpsite we meet Isaiah Attah, a young child who, along with many other boys, spends his weekends scavenging for the copper and iron trapped inside old computer monitors and televisions. The boys often work barefoot, exposing themselves to the lead that seeps out of the obsolete machines and to the shattered glass littered across the ground. Brown juxtaposes Attah’s precarious scavenging with Geoff Goetz, a sales manager at CompUSA who stands on the sales floor in front of dozens of shiny new computers.
Using computers “is like taking a drink of water,” Goetz says without a hint of irony. “People don’t even think about it.” Goetz’s proclamation works as an organizing theme for the film: We don’t think about computers, even as we spend eight hours in front of one at work and unwind in front of one afterward. The film uses this technique—backtracking from a computer’s final resting place in Ghana to the site of its mindless consumption by Westerners—often, to great effect. Terra Blight’s most conspicuous example of our collective disregard for accumulating e-waste occurs annually in Houston, Tex., at the world’s biggest LAN (short for local area network) party, QuakeCon. We watch as an electrician must equip a convention center with enough Internet to topple small governments—the density of cords in this one room is terrifying. After the film, Brown discussed the inclusion of QuakeCon, explaining that he felt it illustrated the need for our culture to “keep up with the Joneses,” as one QuakeCon attendee put it. While it is easy to marvel at the progression of technology and forget about last year’s models in the excitement of acquiring the newest upgrade, Terra Blight makes a convincing argument for responsible use and disposal of electronic devices. “Our message is not, in any way, antitechnology. We love technology; we used computers and electronics to make the film,” Habib said. “Technology is an accomplishment to celebrate. We want to help inspire a different approach so future generations can continue to enjoy and use technology while not consuming too many natural resources, because there are only so many left.”
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The onus for much of the colossal amounts of e-waste in dump sites in places like Ghana falls on the U.S. government. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that permits the shipment of electronic waste to other countries—which are, invariably, developing nations like Ghana, Taiwan or Vietnam. By highlighting the failures of our nation and government to deal with this growing problem (electronic waste is America’s fastest-growing waste stream), Terra Blight draws a line in the sand. The way forward, both the film and the panel indicated, is through true e-waste recycling—the kind of work that Free Geek does. This is ultimately the message of the film: Yes, the situation is dire, especially for metal
scavengers like Isaiah Attah; but change can come from this denuded landscape. It is only through grassroots political action that governments will change. The screening at PSU was a part of what Brown called the film’s “awareness tour,” and those interested in seeing the film can catch Terra Blight on Nov. 8 in Seattle, Wash., the next stop on the film’s tour. Terra Blight’s distribution rights were recently purchased after its debut at the Slamdance Film Festival in January. Those interested in learning more about the film are invited to “like” it on Facebook—hopefully from a computer that will end up reused or recycled and not in a landfill.
Morimoto’s model
TV producer discusses Iron Chef ’s influence on television Melinda Guillén Vanguard Staff
“There are only three countries in the world that truly exert global influence at the level of popular culture,” said Ken Ruoff, director of the Center for Japanese Studies at PSU. “One is the United Kingdom, another is the U.S., but curiously enough, the third one is Japan.” On Oct. 18, the center will hold a free lecture focused on the influence of Japanese television programming on the United States. Brant Reiter, television producer and senior manager at Fujisankei Communications International, will discuss both the impact Japanese shows have had worldwide and how the shows have been adapted for specific cultures. His lecture, titled “The Global Reach of Japanese Popular Culture and the Influence of Iron Chef on American TV Programming,” will address the many aspects of programming. “Iron Chef is just one example of the many ways that Japanese popular culture is influential worldwide,” Ruoff said. “It’s no exaggeration that the Iron Chef has spawned a new generation of cooking shows which are entirely derived from it.” Ruoff emphasized the importance of Iron Chef as the first show to combine competition with cooking; it had never been done before. Now, he explained, there are a variety of spin-offs here in the U.S., from Cupcake Wars to Hell’s Kitchen, all of which owe tribute to the Japanese original. “Iron Chef was entirely original. To have competitive cooking matches and to have an announcer give a play-by-play, people were just stunned,” Ruoff said. “In a way, many Ameri-
cans may not even be entirely familiar with the cultural impact. There’s a whole bunch of shows that date back to this Japanese show which was so clever and revolutionary in its own way.” Reiter explains that Iron Chef is just the tip of the iceberg of Japan’s influential media. Many shows America has adapted as their own derive from this and many other countries. This process, called “formatting,” takes local versions of different shows from around the world and reformats them to fit easily in other parts of the world, giving local meaning to the show in any specific country. “A lot of really popular shows that people don’t even realize started in Japan—shows like America’s Funniest Home Videos, Shark Tank and shows on MTV—you wouldn’t know that they’re Japanese shows,” Reiter said. “There are huge American TV shows that originated from other countries. American Idol came from England. Big Brother came from the Netherlands. International formats are a staple in American programming.” Not only will Reiter be speaking about the impact Japanese culture has had on individual television programs, he will also analyze the topic from a broader, professional perspective. Having worked in the television production business for roughly 30 years, this is his area of expertise. “I’m going to give them information that they just can’t find on Wikipedia—a television programming insider’s experience,” he said. “I’m going to show people our actual sales materials that they can use to conceptualize and sell a format and how it’s done. If anyone is interested at all in the business of television I think I can give some pretty good insights.” These insights, according to Ruoff, are important not only in the sense of understanding the business of television, but also because of the knowledge it will impart about the increasing connectedness between culture and market.
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“I think that this particular topic speaks first and foremost that we live in a globalized hybrid world. Taking for example these cooking shows, which act as if they were American but have been derived from the Iron Chef model,” Ruoff said. “They move through the world with tremendous rapidity, so it just speaks to an increasingly globalized world in the area of culture, not just in the area of economics and finance.”
The Center for Japanese Studies presents The Global Reach of Japanese Popular Culture and the Influence of Iron Chef on American TV Programming: A lecture by Brant Reiter Thursday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m. PSU Multicultural Center, Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228 Free and open to the public
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VANGUARD •• Thursday, THURSDAY,OCTOBER TUESDAY, JANUARY Oct. FEBRUARY JANUARY 11, 2012 10, 25, 26, 2, 2012 2011 •2012 ARTS •• •OPINION OPINION & ARTS CULTURE & CULTURE
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VANGUARD •• Thursday, THURSDAY, Oct. NOVEMBER 11, 201210, • 2011 OPINiON • SPORTS
OPINION
EDITOR: Meredith Meier OPINION@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5692
Everywhere and Here Eva-Jeanette Rawlins
Senate race interrupted by war chants Politics reveals the ugly truth about stereotypes
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couple weeks ago, a national headline made many of us wonder if we hadn’t all been transported back 100-plus years. Staffers for Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts were captured on video making “‘tomahawk gestures’ and chanting Indian war whoops,” at a campaign rally, according to CBS News. This was an intended mockery of the senator’s Democratic challenger, Elizabeth Warren, and her claim to Native American roots. Just when we think we’re making some progress. This was the icing on the cake. In this particular race, Warren’s claim to Native American heritage has been front and center—a heritage Brown consistently accuses her of falsely claiming in order to benefit her career. She has been routinely
asked to provide proof of her ancestry even though there’s no indication it bears any relevance to her professional or educational success. The fact that a candidate’s heritage has become the main talking point of a senatorial campaign reveals we’ve hit a new low. I suppose it shouldn’t be a surprise, though, since calls for the president to prove his citizenship still echo loudly in many parts of the U.S. However, in Warren’s case, when we’d expect a universal outcry against such explicit displays of racism, it seems even that is too much to ask for. A few days after the story broke, National Public Radio broadcasted a segment with a panel discussing the incident. One of the guests, Neil Minkoff, an apparently educated man—health care consultant and contributor to
That’s What’s the Matter Kevin Rackham
Obama’s student debt reform Income-based repayment falls short of hype
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uring the Democratic National Convention, Bill Clinton exhorted everyone to tell voters about President Obama’s student loan reform. Then Samuel L. Jackson joined the fray, lauding it in his new ad for Obama that went viral in the last week. I was slightly confused both times because it felt like I was missing something. Where was this big solution that had supposedly happened? I finally did my research, and I have to say I’m pretty disappointed. The main measure they’re promoting seems to be the income-based repayment plan
Obama passed in 2010. Incomebased repayment is a step in the right direction, without question. But it’s just not a very big one. Under this plan, certain people would qualify to have their monthly payments on federal student loans capped at 10 percent of their income. To qualify, a debtor has to have a low income and a high interest rate. The White House’s website says 1.6 million people will qualify for IBR this year. That’s way too small a number to brag about when we have 1.7 million people graduating every year.
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National Review—offered his wisdom on the matter. In response to a question about whether the staffers’ actions were racist, he argued, “They weren’t trying to demean Indians. It wasn’t racist; it was just stupid.” He then said that imitating the war cry has been such a common practice at sports events over the years that it doesn’t hold much meaning any more. So glad he enlightened us. A fellow panelist then asked him: If the situation were slightly different—if Warren had instead claimed African American descent
and members of Brown’s staff had arrived to a rally in blackface, would he consider that racist? There was a pregnant pause before Minkoff hastily rethought his position. The sad thing is that his immediate reaction was to suggest that as long as they didn’t “mean” to be offensive, they weren’t. And he’s not alone in his opinion. Perhaps the words of Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation Bill John Baker can put things in perspective. He said of the staffers’ mockery, “[It is] offensive and downright racist. It is those types of actions that
perpetuate negative stereotypes and continue to minimize and degrade all native peoples.” This is one more example of how the systemic nature of racism creeps into every part of our society—politics, sports, entertainment, schools, everywhere—and subsequently makes it almost imperceptible. We live in a society that accepts this as the norm and continually perpetuates a onedimensional representation of Native Americans and then suggests it’s not offensive. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian author, said it best: “The single story creates
stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” Our country is a land of millions and millions of stories—full, rich, diverse and ultimately human stories. The longer we allow and retell a single narrative of any group of people, in the political arena or otherwise, the poorer and less dignified we remain. There is room for infinitely more commendatory expressions of who we are as a nation, and it’s in pursuing those that we will find our riches.
It’s hard to find more statistics on the program because it has a stunningly bad problem with publicity, but what I can find isn’t impressive. There are currently 972,000 people in the program, which is only 2.6 percent of all borrowers, and it’s been around since 2009. Another 2 or 3 million more could apply. But this is such a small number when you look at the scale of America’s student debt problem. Until this year, it wasn’t even required for lending banks to mention the program to students who were struggling to make repayments. Capping repayments at 10 percent is a good idea, but the government is still making reactive—rather than proactive—laws about student debt. The total amount of student loan debt in the nation is more than $1 trillion, higher than the total amount of credit card debt. But Congress and the president still neglect to look at the problem in a way that would solve it or seriously alleviate it. We need programs that will reduce payments but, more than that, we need programs that will prevent people from accumulating that debt in the first place. The average student shouldn’t graduate with over $20,000 in debt, but accepting federal
student aid is more or less a given these days. For a lot of people, myself included, federal student aid isn’t enough to cover everything. This is supposed to be a public education system, but students are still left to cover the cost of attendance. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act is the other student debt reform enacted under Obama’s administration. It extended the maximum number of available Pell grants and ended the federal backing of
private loans. But that was back in 2010. The administration hasn’t made meaningful progress on student debt in years, and in the meantime students lost their interest-free six-month grace period on repayment after graduation, and grad students lost their access to subsidized Stafford loans. Obama’s administration has lost a lot of progress on student debt as well, and income-based repayment doesn’t come close to making up for it. It’s a growing
problem, and it’s gone too long without being properly addressed. Clinton made us some big promises, like, “No one will ever have to drop out of college again for fear they can’t repay their debt,” and: “This will change the future for young Americans.” Samuel L. Jackson said it was going to save me thousands of bucks. These evaluations simply don’t meet the reality of the situation. We need a bigger solution than this, and we need it soon.
OPINiON • Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 • VANGUARD
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What’s the Big Idea? Ryan DeLaureal
Get up close Live performances keep us human in an era defined by machines
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owadays it’s easier than ever to forget there’s a real world out there. What with the daily routine of work, home and school, we spend 75 percent of our waking lives as slaves to our careers and futures, and much of the other 25 percent glued to some screen or other. We have our TVs, iPads, movies, laptops, video games and smartphones. What else do we need? With so many distractions it seems there’s less time than ever for the people we love, the books we’ve been meaning to read and the friends we never see. Much less for those people who pass like shadows through our periphery as we go about the daily grind.
There was once a world before text messages, before blogs, before the Internet, when people came together— gathered, if you will—in real life. When live actors performed pieces of dramatic entertainment before expectant audiences, playing on each subtle whim of the crowd; performers left crowded rooms hanging in suspense with their every move; audiences shared, along with the conductor and the orchestra, in the epic climax of a symphony. No two performances were the same. All in real life. Conventional wisdom tells us that this world has been lost—that it’s a quaint relic of an idyllic past. We must
The Emphatic Observer Rabia Newton
Portland State gets its 15 minutes And it’s about time!
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ortland State has received some muchdeserved international recognition in recent months. We were featured in the revered (though somewhat glorified) Princeton Review book The Best 377 Colleges, 2013 Edition. US News & World Report not only placed us on its list of growing schools but also ranked our institution among the top 10 “up-and-coming” universities nationwide. To top it off, Ashoka, an organization dedicated to identifying and funding social entrepreneurship, recently designated PSU as a Changemaker Campus because of its focus on education as a means of social change. We’re one of only 19 universities on
the list and the sole member from the Pacific Northwest. I’m quite aware that, in reality, these fancy titles mean little to nothing. They may draw some transient attention to the university, but it won’t be lasting or even meaningful. Still, I can’t help but be a little bit happy for good ol’ PSU. After all, she deserves some praise, especially given the tendency in the local scene—and even on campus—to undervalue this school as an institution of learning. Don’t forget, we’re mainly a commuter college. PSU is the largest Oregon university (and a public one at that), and is frequently compared to neighboring
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concerned with the next meal to help the underprivileged. The show is your first step on the way to repentance. For there is nothing more human than sharing in the intimacy and, yes, even the mistakes of a live performance. It’s the mistakes, after all, that keep life interesting.
embrace the waves of the future. We must blog. But performance is an art that will never truly die, and there is still a place in this world where these magical things happen. It is called the concert. No matter what new inventions threaten to unseat the sanctity of live music, it will always be the most direct, the most engulfing, the most essential of experiences. A live performance is something that cannot be duplicated, not by an iPod, not in CGI and certainly not on a screen.
What’s most essential about the live performance is that it keeps us human in a time that’s defined by gadgets and technological advancement. Living and breathing together, the energies of the crowd stimulate the band, and the band in turn stimulates the crowd. At a concert there is a relationship between the performers and the audience that’s only possible face-to-face. Those perfect live moments are the ones you remember, the ones you take pictures
of, the ones that make life worth living. Live performances capture all that and more. They capture the very essence of the human spirit. So the next time you’re debating whether to pay $20 for a ticket to a show, just think: You’ll be paying the rent for your favorite band and, more importantly, you’ll be humanizing a world that too often works on smoke, mirrors and machinery. A world that too often falls into the fatal day-to-day drudgery of forgetting to tip the waitress, too
What do you think? Is it better to see the band live or stream it on the Internet? Vote online at psuvanguard.com. Results will be posted next Tuesday!
Reed College and the University of Oregon, both of which have managed to garner much greater public respect. As a high-achieving student, I’m frequently questioned for my decision to attend PSU. I could’ve gone pretty much anywhere, yet I chose a large, underfunded state school—a choice some can’t seem to wrap their heads around. I’ve never regretted my decision, but I have grown tired of justifying it. I hope this recent attention helps underscore what I’ve always known to be true: It would be a mistake to overlook PSU. We have an award-winning general education program,
PSU shouldn’t stop striving to better itself as an institution, but let’s take a look at what it’s doing right—because, from where I’m standing, PSU has a lot to be proud of. Let’s remember that prestigious institutions hire teachers who can publish, but can’t always teach. Let’s appreciate that PSU’s diverse student body broadens our learning experience and makes it more meaningful. And let’s be grateful that we can receive such a rarified education without necessarily burying ourselves (and our families) in a mountain of debt. PSU was my perfect choice. It gave me the Russian Flagship Program—one of only
implement PSU’s model of interdisciplinary education, which has made me a better student and allowed me to find my place in academia— and perhaps a future career in education. I found my place at PSU. And for those of you who
haven’t yet, I encourage you to look for it. Get involved. Learn about your school. Find your niche—because, I swear, it’s out there. I simply ask everyone to take these recent accolades seriously, because we haven’t gotten them for nothing.
I found my place at PSU. And for those of you who haven’t yet, I encourage you to look for it. Get involved. Learn about your school. Find your niche—because, I swear, it’s out there.
University Studies, which has been imitated by other academic institutions nationwide, including Harvard. There’s Ooligan Press, an asset that makes PSU’s publishing program a formidable opponent in the small-press game. Plus, keeping in tune with the curriculum’s sustainable focus, PSU offers many innovative programs, like its Graduate Certificate in Sustainability.
four such government-funded programs nationwide—and the University Studies Peer Mentor Program, both of which have made my experience here truly remarkable. For the past three or so years, I’ve been able to enjoy the best in academics from a wide range of teachers I trust and respect. And I get to enjoy working with students and faculty to help
Got something to say? Give us your two cents at psuvanguard.com/opinion
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VANGUARD • Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 • Opinion
Art of the Possible Joseph Kendzierski
Voter fraud Is it really a problem?
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oter fraud and the push to pass and implement voter identification laws before the upcoming presidential election has received little attention over the past few months, yet its outcome has the potential to dramatically change the face of U.S. politics. It’s not a necessarily malicious beast but, rather, can be benign and clothed with the best of intentions. However benign, the question remains: Is voter fraud really such a big problem? The facts tell us no, it’s not. Voter ID measures were first codified into law with the Help America Vote Act in October 2002. It was written largely in response to the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election, which was mired in allegations of widespread voter fraud. This law
established the requirement that all first-time voters present a valid photo ID when registering to vote. In 2006, Indiana became the first state to pass strict photo ID voter laws. And after a two-year battle, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law based on the timeline of the law’s passing. It originally passed three years before the 2008 presidential election, allowing ample time for voters to get the necessary identification. Now, over 30 states have either put such laws into place or passed similar laws tightening identification requirements. The New York Times conducted an analysis of voter fraud cases from 2002–5 and found there were only 86 convictions out of the 120 cases filed by the U.S. Justice Department. Most of
these cases stemmed from incorrectly filled out registration forms or from a misunderstanding of voting qualifications. The perceived threat that there was a widespread conspiracy of voter impersonation or vote buying led to the idea that implementing strict voter ID laws was a necessary measure. However, only 10 out of the alleged 2,068 election fraud cases filed with U.S. courts since 2000 were for voter impersonation. That’s roughly one for every 15 million voters. This hardly constitutes a problem. Since the facts show that widespread voter fraud and voter impersonation isn’t actually a problem, why are so many states passing stricter identification laws? One answer lies in the voters that these laws exclude. The Brennan Center for Justice estimated that approximately 11 percent of eligible voters don’t have the required identification. However, these voters also self-identified that they were unlikely to vote in the upcoming election. So saying that these eligible voters are going to be turned away from voting is counterproductive. And just how many voters would be turned away? A study by research firm
Reuters/Ipsos found that 1 percent of voters who identified that they intended to vote lacked the proper ID. Using numbers from the 2010 census, this means that approximately 2 million out of the 207 million eligible voters would be unable to vote because they lacked ID. This may not seem like a very big margin, but it could make all the difference in certain electoral districts. Which could explain why both sides of the aisle are pushing for tighter rules. Some might say that this is just a political maneuver to try and influence the upcoming election in favor of the right. Others might say that such laws are meant to ensure the integrity of the election system and ensure that the voice of the people is heard. Both are somewhat correct. To say that some legislators aren’t attempting to sway the election in their favor would be naive, but it would be even more cynical to say that there aren’t legislators truly trying to protect the election from fraud. Either way, we as a community should do everything in our power to ensure that the integrity of the election is upheld and that any eligible voter who wants to vote isn’t turned away.
Online comments The story doesn’t stop when the print hits the page. Don’t like something you read in the Vanguard? Want us to cover a story? Do you feel there’s more to be said? You have the opportunity to praise us or rip us apart here at the Vanguard. Post a comment online or write us a letter. Tell us what you think. Here are some online highlights from psuvanguard.com.
“Election countdown” Kat Oct. 1, 2012 I walked by four different “Vote or Vote” organizers today, making eye contact and saying hello, without even being asked about my registration. Having student fees go to this crap is stupid enough, but to do it without even registering folks? Why am I paying ASPSU to stand on the corner of the smoking shelter and not even engage people?
“Armed campus police?” Adam Oct. 9, 2012 I think Police is totally needed with today’s issues downtown. I have met several of the PSU Officers as they have walked around and think they are so sweet and truly do care about protecting us, I can’t believe they get no training unless they become actual cops. I think they need it. Michael Thomas Oct. 9, 2012 As the article points out, PSU seems to be the odd one out related to campus law enforcement as anyone that’s been to a large state school outside of Oregon before can attest to. I’m curious to see what data ASPSU has to support their critique.
ETC. • Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 • VANGUARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Erick Bengel EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5691
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ETC.
UPCOMING EVENTS Thursday, Oct. 11
Campus Celebration 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Various locations on PSU campus
Portland State of Mind presents an all-day celebration that spans a large portion of the Portland State campus. A few of the events include dodgeball, laser tag and a scavenger hunt. This event is free to attend.
Coming Out Celebration and Resource Fair 11 a.m.–1 p.m. PSU Park Blocks
The Queer Resource Center offers a day of refreshments, entertainment and resources to help celebrate those who are members or supporters of the LGBT community on campus. This event is free to attend.
Friday, Oct. 12
PSU Weekend Keynote Speaker Lara Logan 7:30–9 p.m. Lincoln Hall Auditorium 1620 SW Park Ave.
CBS News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan will be a keynote speaker for Portland State of Mind at PSU. Logan began her career with a focus on war correspondence, and she continues to report on today’s current issues and conduct powerful interviews.
General public: $35. University and college faculty and staff: $25 (to be purchased at PSU Box Office with ID starting Oct. 1). Students: $5 (to be purchased at PSU Box Office with ID starting Oct. 8).
Portland Bike Share: How Will Bike Share Work in the Nation’s Most Bike Friendly City? 12–1 p.m. Distance Learning Center Wing of the Urban Center, room 204 506 SW Mill St.
Steve Hoyt-McBeth, a project manager in the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Active Transportation Division, comes to Portland State to explain how one of the fastest growing forms of public transportation, bike sharing, will work in Portland.
Women’s Soccer: PSU vs. Idaho State 3–5 p.m. Hillsboro Stadium 4450 NW 229th Ave.
The Portland State women’s soccer team takes on the Idaho State Bengals. This event is free for students with valid PSU ID and $8 for adults or $6 for youth. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the PSU Box Office at 503-725-3307.
Saturday, Oct. 13
Rock Secrets Revealed Seminar
10:30–11:30 a.m. Lincoln Hall, second floor 1620 SW Park Ave.
Bestselling author Kent Hartman uncovers the secret history of rock and roll music in the early ’60s and ’70s and introduces you to the Wrecking Crew, the band responsible for really playing the music on the records of some of rock’s most famous groups. You can register for seminars online at pdx.edu/alumni/ psu-weekend-event-registration or by calling the PSU Box Office at 503-725-3307.
Gender and the 2012 Election 10:30–11:30 a.m. Lincoln Hall, second floor 1620 SW Park Ave.
In this seminar, female presence in politics will be discussed, both in Oregon and across the United States, with a focus on the upcoming presidential election. You can register for seminars online at pdx. edu/alumni/psu-weekend-eventregistration or by calling the PSU Box Office at 503-725-3307.
Wordstock 9 a.m. Oregon Convention Center 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The first day of the two-day Wordstock Festival and book fair begins! Come enjoy a wide variety of activities ranging from author readings and signings to panels and workshops on literature and writing.
COURTESY OF Scout Books
Wordstock, a two-day festival and book fair, begins Saturday, Oct. 19. Enjoy author readings, signings and writing workshops!
Tickets are $7 at the door. For more information visit wordstockfestival.com.
Monday, Oct. 15
performance is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, Oct. 17
PSU Blood Drive
Toking Risks…What’s The Hit on Marijuana?
11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom, room 351 1825 SW Broadway
4 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 236 1825 SW Broadway
Portland State teams up with the American Red Cross to conduct a blood drive and help save lives. Volunteers will receive a free Qudoba burrito in thanks for their donation. Please make an appointment to donate by contacting Gwyn Ashcom at gwyn@pdx.edu.
Two local legal experts explain all that you need to know about various laws and your rights regarding marijuana, and discuss discourse for medical use as well as university policies.
Thursday, Oct. 18
The Fun Run Club 1 p.m. Native American Student and Community Center 710 SW Jackson St.
Join Healing Feathers every Monday and Thursday for a jog around campus. Attendees are asked to come prepared in appropriate jogging attire, though no previous jogging experience is required. Contact Stephen Printup with any questions at stephen.printup@ gmail.com.
Tuesday, Oct. 16
Lunch and Learn: Arab Israeli Conflict and Cooperation: The Question of Water 12 p.m. East Hall, room 109 632 SW Hall St.
The Middle Eastern Studies Center presents a talk dealing with conflict and cooperation between Israelis and Arabs in regard to water sources in the Middle East. Bring your lunch and come listen to a lecture from an expert in the field.
Zumba Fitness 5:30–6:30 p.m. Native American Student and Community Center 710 SW Jackson St.
No experience is necessary to come to the Native Center and try out a free zumba fitness class on Oct. 16. All ages and genders are welcome to attend.
Moliere’s The Miser 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Studio Theater, Lincoln Hall 1620 SW Park Ave.
Geisslers Hofcomoedianten, a theater company featuring actors from various theaters across Prague in the Czech Republic, presents a story with a common theme but a unique twist. Admission to this
The Global Reach of Japanese Popular Culture: The Influence of Iron Chef on American TV Programming 7 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228 1825 SW Broadway
The PSU Center for Japanese Studies presents Brant Reiter, senior manager of production and development at Fujisankei Communications International, for a look at how Japanese cooking shows have gained popularity on American television networks. This event is free and open to the public.
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VANGUARD •• Thursday, TUESDAY, JANUARY Oct. 11, 2012 10, 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.
SPORTS
EDITOR: CORY MIMMS SPORTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-4538
Wild card blues Gino Cerruti Vanguard staff
COURTESY OF theyfb.com
The long con, part II: stick and move Mayweather wasting opportunity to define career Marco España Vanguard staff
Those who follow boxing will be quick to remind you that no matter how dire the situation may seem, a fight can change with a single swing. “A puncher’s chance” is the phrase most often thrown about as some poor soul wobbles in a reverse diagonal with his white trunks stained red, through 10 rounds, unable to connect with the heavy right hand that could nevertheless arrive at any moment. The sentiment is absolutely correct. But there is another axiom, which states, “All things being equal, in a fight between a boxer and a puncher, pick the boxer every time.” It is this concept that defines what the sport, when practiced at its highest level, was truly meant to demonstrate, and it is the principal reason that Floyd Mayweather will take into his next fight a record of 43 wins without a single loss. It is not, however, the only reason. In a business that depends as much on a fighter’s mar-
ketability as his capability, Mayweather has maximized his potential in both regards. After spending the first half of his career piling up victories while never quite managing to infiltrate the mainstream, Mayweather began his transformation from a slick and successful gym rat to the default villain in every bout in which he takes part. Just how much this antagonistic public persona reflects the true nature of the routinely controversial champion is a question for which there is no sufficiently convincing answer. It is the sort of question that likely can never be answered with any measure of certainty, and at this point, it is no longer particularly relevant. What matters is that, regardless of the contributing factors that led the boxer to his official conversion from “Pretty Boy Floyd” to “Money Mayweather,” the return on his investment was immediate and undeniable. He is now among the highest-earning American ath-
letes, and one of the only two names recognizable to anyone outside of boxing’s diminishing sphere of influence. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native is a pay-per-view star all on his own, the automatic A side of any event that bears his name. And even if many people tune in only to root for him to lose, that’s just fine by him. Mayweather figured out long ago that it ultimately makes no difference—they’ve still bought the ticket. Simply providing the counterpoint in a manufactured good vs. evil promotional setup is not enough to build a career on, though, and so Mayweather has gone to great lengths to ensure that his spotless ring record is as much the focus of his ongoing marketing campaign as the sneering and contemptuous sound bites he provides on cue. He wastes no opportunity to bombard his potential customers with the slogan “43 and 0,” and many would say that he has done a bit too much to guarantee that the loss column remains unblemished. This is where plans for a long-awaited and endlessly speculated-on showdown
This is the first year that the Major League Baseball playoff race expanded to four wild card teams reaching the postseason—two from each league set to play a single game against each other. The announcement in 2011 by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig was met with a wide range of emotions from fans—some angry that their beloved sport was being robbed of its traditional roots and others elated that their team had a better shot at competing in the playoffs. Personally, I felt neither ecstatic nor bitter but apprehensive—I believed that if one game is the deciding factor for a team to reach the Division Series, the result would force the game’s bad calls and errors to instantly become historic among the fans of the losing side, and overshadow the tremendous season they had to get to the wild card. Unfortunately, my intuition was right. Oct. 5, 2012, is a day that Rangers and Braves fans would like to forget. For one, they lost their respective wild card games and took a backseat in the postseason showdown this year. Each felt the pang of defeat in completely different ways, however. The Rangers and the entire state of Texas (save for Houston—well, most parts of Houston, after a presumed Astros fanbase exodus) succumbed to the chilling effects of disappointment after being number one in the American League West division for the majority of the regular season and then being booted to the wild card by the A’s, only to lose to the Orioles despite a home-field advantage. Throughout the season, the Rangers were favored to ride off into that sweet
with Manny Pacquiao hits the first real snag, and it is the most frustrating aspect of the entire ordeal, because let’s be clear: It cannot be adequately argued by anyone who watches boxing on a regular basis that Mayweather is not the most talented boxer alive. If one were to construct a boxer from scratch, tossing in all the attributes necessary for long-term survival in a fastidiously regulated but fundamentally barbaric trade, the chances are good that he would look a whole lot like Mayweather. He is more purely gifted, more technically proficient and more disciplined than anyone else on the planet currently holding a license to beat other men senseless. Like Pacquiao, Mayweather has no serious threat at welterweight. The problem is that he has never really allowed himself to be threatened. While Pacquiao made his name first by steamrolling through the deepest generation of Mexican fighters in history and later by taking on bigger, more dangerous opponents who were at or near the peaks of their careers, Mayweather has few high-profile scalps on his resume who could be said to
World Series sunset with power hitter Josh Hamilton and pitching ace Yu Darvish blazing a trail of talent and intimidation. It was a surprise, then, that the Rangers— a team of considerable skill and experience—would fall to teams with rookies (the A’s) and a history of collectively hitting with a low on-base percentage (the Orioles). Such a loss is not only disappointing, it’s disillusioning; Rangers fans will most likely disregard Hamilton’s fourhome-run game in favor of lamenting his errors and strikeouts during the crucial games with the A’s and the Orioles, and they have the wild card game to thank for that. Then, we have the Braves-Cardinals wild card game, or as it will most likely be remembered by Braves fans, “The Reason the Living Room Table Was Flipped.” During the eighth inning, with the Braves down by four, left field umpire Sam Holbrook called Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons out under the infield fly rule, even though the ball landed a considerable distance away from the dirt. Without the call, the Braves would have had the opportunity to score a run or two and close in on the Cardinals’ lead. Instead, the players ran into the dugout for cover as Braves fans rained beer cans onto the field in a fit of communal anguish. Truthfully, the Braves did play an extremely poor defensive game, but undoubtedly the fans will retrospectively bemoan the terrible call. Additionally, and more significantly, the call will take precedence over the last game of 19-year Braves veteran Chipper Jones’ career. No matter how you look at it, his legacy will end in a sea of debris, all thanks to the wild card blues.
have been in their primes when he defeated them. Apart from a dominant performance against the late Diego Corrales back in 2001 and a tougher-than-expected decision against a resurgent Miguel Cotto in May, Mayweather cannot begin to lay claim to the same level of competition as his contemporaries. There are plenty of big names to be found in his past fights, but they were, almost without exception, either coming up (sometimes significantly) in weight to collect the biggest paycheck of their careers, or much closer to the end of their days as professional fighters than Mayweather would ever admit. Pacquiao, of course, was supposed to be the great exception, the only sanctioned boxer with any chance of troubling the five-division champion. The Filipino’s tireless attack, awkward movements, fast hands and knockout power are considered to be the only conceivable antidote to Mayweather’s unmatched reflexes and extraordinary defense and adaptability. Pacquiao’s record—losses and all—also speaks for itself, albeit in a completely different way. If ever there were a chance
to settle the pound-for-pound argument once and for all, and bring boxing back into the conversation for all those fans who long ago disowned it, this is it. It would be the most difficult test, and by far the biggest win, of either fighter’s career. And despite all that, if the two stepped into the ring tomorrow, Mayweather would undoubtedly be the odds-on betting favorite—just as he would have been at any time since the notion of a Pacquiao fight was first proposed. Even a loss would thrust Mayweather into the mainstream consciousness in a way he could never possibly achieve otherwise. And a victory—however close or disputed—would be the single defining element of his career, one that elevated him from his status as the most talented boxer alive to one of the greatest boxers who ever lived. It’s the sort of distinction Mayweather adamantly refuses to make when assessing his own legacy, and it certainly hasn’t done much to stifle his wages up to this point. It will be up to him to decide whether or not that is enough. To read “The long con, part one: business as usual,” visit psuvanguard.com
SPORTS • Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 • VANGUARD
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The women’s soccer team is on a hot streak. Their next three games are at Hillsboro Stadium. ALL PHOTOS KARL KUCHS/VANGUARD STAFF
Soccer shutout The Vikings have not allowed a goal in their last four games Alex Moore Vanguard staff
In the last four games the Portland State Vikings women’s soccer team has played, zero goals have been scored on them. PSU soccer has outscored their opponents 9-0 and, going even further back, the Vikings have only let two
goals in their net in conference play this season. Now well past the halfway point in the season, Portland State stands at 4-1-1 in conference play, with three home games left on the Big Sky schedule. Even with the success as of late, head coach Laura Schott and the Vikings know the success this year
Get out and bike PSU cycling hosts events year-round Travis Kremer Vanguard staff
Whether you’re interested in competitive racing or simply enjoy riding your bike, PSU Cycling has a place for you. The club has been around since 2004, and along with competing in local events year-round, they organize group rides on a regular basis. “I think that it’s important for people to know that we’re open to any skill level,” club President Colin Ross said. Ross stressed that there are also distinct social benefits to joining. Whether it’s having people with whom to ride and train, to argue the finer points of competitive racing, or to discuss good routes and rides
in Portland, the members of PSU Cycling consider being involved in the club just as important as competing in races. This is exemplified in the club’s adoption of a “No Drop Rule,” which means that they schedule periodic stops during rides to make sure every member is able to keep up and no one is left behind. There are also what Ross describes as the official perks of joining PSU Cycling: Perks like travel and lodging at out-oftown races and financial coverage of entry fees. Members of the racing team also have access to a coach and training program. The team competes in the Northwest Collegiate Cycling Conference and Oregon Bicycle
will be gauged based on results after the season is over, not in the middle. “The year so far has had ups and downs, as any year, but overall we are excited and optimistic about what we are doing and what’s to come,” Schott said. “We can’t make a final evaluation of the year until the year is complete.” Last weekend, the Vikings played two conference games on the road. The women started in northern Arizona, where they drew 0-0. Portland State outshot the Lumberjacks, but
Racing Association events, traveling across Washington and as far as Montana at least once a year. “[It’s] a good opportunity to get out and meet other people, see other places,” Ross said. The team typically begins training in the fall, with more advanced rides and workshops taking place in the winter as they prep for the spring racing season. At 10 a.m. on Saturdays, the members of PSU’s Cycling club and University Cycling Team gather for their weekly ride. They meet in front of the PSU Bike Hub, located next to the Southbound MAX stop on the corner of Southwest Sixth Avenue and Harrison Street. I asked Ross if there was anything else he wanted people to know about PSU Cycling. “Yes,” he replied. “It’s fun.” More information about PSU Cycling can be found at cycling.pdx.edu. Students interested in joining can email cycling@pdx.edu.
couldn’t get the ball past NAU goalkeeper Lauren Weaver. Senior Megan Martin and sophomore Daniela Solis led the team with four shots each. “NAU is one of the hardest places to play in our conference—maybe in the country,” Schott said. “All things considered, we did a lot of things well on defense and offense. Obviously we wanted to get the game winner, but overall we had a good performance.” After Arizona, the Vikings traveled to Utah, where they took on Southern Utah Uni-
versity. Portland State took control in the 24th minute with a goal by sophomore Torie Morris. Senior Amanda Dutra assisted the goal, her first of two in the game. Dutra now has 15 assists in her career, a new Portland State record. The Vikings went on to win the game 3-0. Schott has a lot of praise for her players after a successful weekend on the road and a shutout streak that has stretched to four games. “When a soccer team plays very well it is a testament to all of the players,” Schott said. “I can start with our goalkeeping, who has been outstanding. So has our back line, but then our midfield, specifically senior midfielders Dutra,
Howie and Megan, have been playing very well. Up front we are getting contributions from many, and that’s what makes our team effective.” Portland State has three Big Sky games left in the home stands. The Vikings will play Idaho State University, Weber State University and California State University, Sacramento on Oct. 12, 14 and 19, respectively. All games are at Hillsboro Stadium. “We set realistic but high goals and we believe we can achieve them,” Schott said. “The upcoming games will be competitive, especially, because they are very important. Both teams have been doing some great things, and we look forward to the challenge.”
Promote a healthy lifestyle Women’s X classes build a community of women through activity Crystal Gardner Vangaurd staff
Portland State has implemented a series of womenonly Group X classes this fall at the Academic and Student Rec Center. This comes as a result of high demand from students in prior terms. The new classes supplement the regularly scheduled classes, adding some extra options for women who would like to participate. Many different reasons, such as religion, self-image and privacy, prompted the
demand for women-only classes, but health was a major one. “We want to promote a sense of community and to encourage women to come and enjoy themselves while working out, to be healthy and get them active in an environment where they are comfortable,” Program Coordinator Jen Armbruster said. Classes are offered on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and Fridays at 1:15 p.m. This term, the class exercise is rotating.
Yoga, Zumba and boot camps are just a few of the classes offered. Each class has a certified teacher, and all windows and viewing areas are curtained off. With this system in place, all participants must arrive early and obtain a timesensitive pass. Once a class has begun, no one is permitted to enter the room. So far, the classes are a success, and many women are using this resource as a way to expand their exercise routines.
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VANGUARD • Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012 • SPORTS
Undefeated PSU volleyball hits the road Vikings take on Bengals and Wildcats Rosemary Hanson Vanguard staff
Vikings volleyball take its talents on the road this weekend as they face the Idaho State Bengals and the Weber State Wildcats. The Vikings, 8-0 in conference, have made a serious showing for themselves in recent play. They have held the honor of Big Sky player of the week for the last three weeks, adding junior setter Garyn Schlatter to the list last week. The team hopes to take their momentum, strong serving and solid game to the numbertwo-ranked Bengals and the 1-7 Wildcats. Last weekend the Vikings found their sweet spot on their home floor, winning by sweeps against both the University of Northern Colorado and the University of North Dakota.
They found solace in hitting percentages and serving, outhitting both of the weekend’s opponents and serving more aces in both matches. Even when the opponents made late comebacks, the Vikings were able to stay in system and play a point-by-point set to complete the sweeps. Head coach Michael Seemann said that their goal is “keeping our foot on the gas pedal.” The Viks have a deep roster and are led by Schlatter at setter and junior Jaklyn Wheeler, senior Megan Ellis and junior Aubrey Mitchell at outside hitter. The serving success has come largely at the hands of sophomore libero Kasi Clark and junior outside hitter Kaeli Patton. The Vikings’ first opponents this weekend, the Bengals, have seen similar recent success and
Upcoming games Friday, Oct. 12
VOLLEYBALL vs.
have yet to lose on their home court. Last weekend the team beat the University of California, Sacramento, and swept Weber State. The Bengals offense is led by sophomore Tressa Lyman and senior Breanne Van Every, but it doesn’t stop with these outside hitters. The Bengals boast four players with double-doubles in their match against Sacramento. Saturday’s opponent, Weber State, has struggled to find success in the Big Sky this season. The team’s sole conference win was against Montana—a team that also sits at 1-7 in conference. They are coming into Saturday off a three-match losing streak, though they will face lastranked Eastern Washington University on Friday prior to the match against the Vikings. The Wildcats saw success early on in their latest match
Vikings (8-0) vs. Idaho State University (7-1) Pocatello, Idaho 6 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 13
Volleyball vs. against Sacramento. They won the opening two sets before the Hornets pulled ahead to a 3-1 match victory. The Wildcats are led by red shirt freshman Rebecca Fuchs, who grabbed her fourth doubledouble of the season against the Hornets. With two vastly different opponents on the horizon, the Vikings will need to continue to play their game as they head from the comfort of home. Wheeler said the goal for the
Karl Kuchs/VANGUARD STAFF
weekend is simple: “We just need to keep the momentum with us. That’s all we have to focus on.” Both matches are slated for 6 p.m. Live stats can be found on goviks.com.
Vikings (8-0) @ Weber State University (7-1) Ogden, Utah 6 p.m.
Soccer vs. Vikings (4-1-1) vs. Idaho State (2-1-2-1) Hillsboro Stadium 3 p.m. Forecast: High of 60 degrees, showers
Saturday, Oct. 13
Cross country Warner Pacific Open Lent’s Park 10 a.m.
Forecast: High of 59 degrees, showers
Softball
(exhibition games)
vs.
Vikings vs. Clackamas Community College Delta Park 12 p.m.
vs.
Corinna Scott/VANGUARD STAFF
Vikings vs. Concordia University Delta Park 2 p.m. Forecast: High of 59 degrees, showers
Into the spin Ultimate Frisbee club prepares to host tournament Bryan Zinschlag Vanguard staff
Portland State’s Ultimate Frisbee club will begin their tournament season Oct. 20 at Peter W. Stott Community Field, where they will host multiple other clubs. Tournaments
consist of men’s and women’s divisions; practices are coed. With less than a month to prepare, they have gotten down to business. As the club holds its first practices of the fall, a flock of new players listens to instructions from coaches and
returning players. This is a welcome sight for a team dealing with a lot of turnover thanks to graduation and injury. Earlier in the year the practices focused on fundamentals, from different types of throws to offensive formations. For those unfamiliar with ultimate frisbee, the game features field dimensions and rules similar to both soccer and football. The team on offense can pass the disc in any direction as they work toward the opponent’s end zone. While ultimate frisbee is a club sport and is open to anyone, there is
more to it than meets the eye. “I think people sort of knock it off as a very relaxed sport,” club Vice President Peter Pham said. “When it gets down to it, I think the throwing and the strategy is very technical.” Offensive formations organize the space on the field so that certain players (cutters) can find open space to receive a pass from those who begin a possession with the disc (handlers). Defensive strategies usually aim to leave one side of the field open for the opposing team while closing off the other. Ideally, this corrals the
cutters, eliminating space and forcing turnovers. As with most sports, turnovers create opportunities for big plays. Ultimate practices take place at Stott Field on Mondays and Fridays from 4–5:30 p.m. The club also reserves the field for community pick-up games on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at noon. “A lot of people seem to be interested. I see a lot of hard work, and more importantly everyone’s having a lot of fun,” Pham said. Those interested can visit psu.pdxultimate.org.
Sunday, Oct. 14
SOCCER vs. Vikings (4-1-1) vs. Weber State(1-8-0) Hillsboro Stadium 3 p.m Forecast: High of 62 degrees, showers