Big Bird and binders full of women Given his reelection campaign, does Obama deserve to win? opinion page 10
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Portland Portland State State University University Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012 | vol. 67 no. 19
What’s the CPSO proposes campus police force deal with voting? Everything students need to know about casting their ballots Erik Mutzke Vanguard staff
For those who will have the pleasure of voting for the first time in this year’s general election on Nov. 6, here is a primer on the procedure. And for all of those veteran voters, here is a refresher. Several options exist for learning about candidates and issues on the ballot. An essential guide for student voters can be found in the Associated Students of Portland State University’s nonpartisan guide to candidates and issues affecting students in the Portland metro area. Pick up a copy from the ASPSU office, located in room 117 of Smith Memorial Student Union. Multnomah County publishes a voter’s guide, accessible online at web.multco.us/elections/may2012-primary-election-online-votersguide-0. While you might be familiar with some of the presidential candidates, you may not know them all: • Barack Obama and Joe Biden—Democratic • Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan— Republican • Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala— Green • Rocky Anderson and Luis Rodriguez—Progressive • Will Christensen and Kenneth Gibbs—Constitution See VOTING on page 2
ASPSU Senate expresses concerns Isaac Hotchkiss Vanguard staff
On a dark, rainy Tuesday, the Associated Students of Portland State University senate convened. The hottest topic on the agenda: the Campus Public Safety Office. During the meeting, CPSO presented its case to the senate for creating a campus police force, a proposed conversion of some of its force to “sworn” police officers, who must undergo a 16-week police academy training. While PSU administration shows early support for the idea, the school’s student government has concerns about the program’s potential costs and about arming the officers with guns. The change would give CPSO officers the same enforcement powers as sworn police, beefing up the
current enforcement model, which CPSO says is inadequate. Currently, CPSO operates with 14 officers, the same number it has had since 1974. CPSO Chief Phillip Zerzan said the current demands on his staff can, at times, outweigh their abilities. There are large gaps in police services that CPSO needs the Portland Police Bureau to fill— including serving warrants, mental health holds and community caretaking. For the 29,000 students at PSU, PPB only has two officers assigned to cover the campus, Zerzan said. Zerzan argued that the function of campus safety is fundamentally different than a police response, but that his officers currently lack the authority to respond to all types of situations. With a campus police force, he argued, PSU would benefit from a more sensitive response. He described a situation in which
All Photos Riza LIU/VANGUARD STAFf
Top: Phillip Zerzan, CPSO chief, discusses the importance of having university policemen. BOTTOM: Michael Collins, an APSU senator, discusses concerns student grovernment has about proposed changes to campus security. one of his officers spent two hours with a student who had a history of mental health problems. The officer helped the student navigate the paperwork and structure of the Center for Student Health and Counseling to get the help that they needed. “The cops wouldn’t do that,” he said.
Monica Rimai, vice president of the Office of Finance and Administration, was on hand to make comments. She echoed Zerzan’s sentiment that officers’ functions could be expanded with more authority. See CPSO on page 4
My culture is not a costume Students discuss impact of culturally insensitive Halloween costumes Ravleen Kaur Vanguard staff
Courtesy of PSU MULTICULTURAL CENTER
Students gather in the Multicultural Center for Monday’s event.
A George Washington costume paired with a Native American headdress. Saudi Arabian garb labeled a “terrorist costume.” An alien mask and orange jumpsuit sold at Target as an “illegal alien” costume. At what point does a Halloween costume cross the line? That’s what students gathered in the Multicultural Center to discuss on Monday in an event called My Culture is Not a Costume, sponsored by PSU’s La Casa Latina and the center.
Through Socratic-method discussions and personal storytelling, the small group tackled the viewpoints regarding Halloween costumes that attempt to depict—in varying degrees of acceptability—another culture. Some said that a costume worn in the spirit of good fun may not intend to offend a cultural or ethnic group. “What we have to look at is both intent and effect,” said Cynthia Gomez, director of PSU’s Department of Cultural Centers. “We don’t live in caves—we are constantly interacting with others and have to be aware of that.” The My Culture is Not a Costume campaign was launched at Ohio University last year and has since gone viral across college campuses as
students of various ethnic backgrounds have shared their stories. An Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese heritage, often sees costumes playing on Asian stereotypes. “I see people dressed up as rice paddy workers, or right off a boat,” Nguyen said. “But my family came to the United States by boat and faced extreme hardships. I find that costume offensive.” Costumes that reduce an entire way of life to a caricature can hurt in profound ways, as many participants in the group expressed. “Growing up, I was taught to respect the Native American headdress. To see it mocked hurts,” one man said. See COSTUMES on page 3