Portland State Vanguard February 7, 2013 by Portland State Vanguard

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Portland State University Portland State University Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 36

Education Students pitch top ideas in Korea reform on legislative agenda Institutional boards, tuition equity and Oregon Opportunity Grant discussed Isaac Hotchkiss Vanguard staff

The Oregon legislature opened for business on Monday, and Gov. John Kitzhaber is expected to implement sweeping educational reforms. The reforms are part of the Oregon 40-40-20 goal to see 40 percent of Oregonians with a four-year degree by 2025. Because of the weighty and unprecedented nature of the reforms, many Portland State and Oregon University System administrators are unsure exactly how this will happen or what the effects will be. The most important thing students need to know, according to University Communications Director Scott Gallagher, is that what happens in Salem affects them.

Institutional boards One issue that is sure to get play this year is that of institutional boards. Diane Saunders, communications director for OUS, provided some background. Because Oregon universities have received less funding from the legislature every budget cycle for several cycles, interactive ways were sought to solve the problems this created. In 2009, an idea was born: Let universities opt to have their own boards

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Santiago rodriguez, one of the three graduate mechanical and materials engineering students selected to complete in CORE 2013, tinkers with a data acquisition system—a piece of equipment integral to his team’s research. Rodriguez presented on the TrekHaus, a home that is 90 percent more efficient than the average home.

TrekHaus and wind turbine simulations earn gold and silver Duncan Ros Vanguard staff

Three graduate mechanical and materials engineering students returned to Portland victorious in the science of sustainability last week. Nicholas Hamilton, Jeff Lauck and Santiago Rodriguez where chosen to compete in CORE 2013, an international design contest held in Mokpo, South Korea. “We completely forgot about it,” said Rodriguez, who submitted the research with his schoolmates in December for consideration. “But we

found out our material was accepted and left 10 days later.” The trio presented research on wind turbine simulations and the TrekHaus, the first net-zero energy house in Oregon. The students were placed in the gold and silver categories by a panel of judges after competing against 65 teams from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Vietnam and the U.S. Hamilton presented on wind turbine simulations and Lauck and Rodriguez gave talks on the TrekHaus project. The TrekHaus—a project that has been a featured story on a KATU television news segment—is 90 percent more efficient than the average home. Phase change material—an energyefficient insulation—was the focus of

Lauck’s research, while Rodriguez focused on equipment efficiency within the household. “I think people in Korea and places like that are much more interested in sustainable practices because there are less resources to work with, especially electricity,” Rodriguez said. The majority of competing teams were undergraduate students from Korea, but exceptions were made for international students in graduate programs. The panel of judges consisted of numerous Korean professors, PSU professor David Sailor (who also served as the graduate students’ advisor) and a professor from Clarkson University in New York.

Other notable projects included a micro-scale hydroelectric generator, energy-saving technology for pumping systems and a machine that converts garbage into a hydrogen fuel cell—potentially capable of powering an electric car. “There was also this thing called an ‘anaerobic digester,’” Lauck said, laughing. The students have yet to publish their material but see the experience abroad as a way to gain valuable contacts and help support the reputation of sustainability at PSU. “It’s really good publicity for PSU and our advisors,” Rodriguez said. “A lot of international students come here, so it’s great for the university.”

New DMSS director expands definition of diversity CeCe Ridder brings pressing issues to light

Cece Ridder, the new Diversity and Multicultural Student Services director, began work in January.

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“I am many facets of many things, all to be celebrated,” said CeCe Ridder, the new executive director of PSU’s Diversity and Multicultural Student Services. This philosophy was solidified by her experiences as a multiracial person and is a vision she sees reflected at Portland State. “We all have culture, we all have aspects of who we are,” said Ridder, who began work in January. “I think people think you have to be a person

of color to plug in here, but that is so not true.” Just looking out of her office at the student support lab, Ridder sees students from a range of backgrounds—from first-generation college students to parents supporting families, from students seeking computer and learning support to students wanting to debate social equality. She sees homeless students, middle-class students, and students from urban and rural areas alike. “‘Diversity’ and ‘multicultural’ means everyone,” Ridder said.

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Portland State graduate Johnnie Ozimkowski remembers when his favorite bar, Paccini, closed, leaving a noticeable hole in the social scene on campus. In an attempt to fill the void, Ozimkowski and his friend Cory Eckberg did what any quick-thinking individuals would do in their situation: They opened up their own bar. The idea came to fruition in September 2012, when Gnarly Grey first opened its doors at Southwest 12th Avenue and Jefferson Street, near the north end of the Park Blocks. Its humble beginnings, however, do little to betray Ozimkowski and Eckberg’s vision of a laidback and relaxed environment for students. “Like all good ideas, it came to us over a couple of beers,” Ozimkowski said. “Cory and I were just playing with some numbers, and we decided we should just run with it.” Gnarly Grey’s business is growing steadily, they said, its operation described by Ozimkowski as a “political campaign.” Some flyers have been handed out, but the bar’s progress has been attributed more to word-of-mouth than expensive advertising. In order to be the next Paccini, Ozimkowski explained the focus must be redirected back through PSU. Ozimkowski, former chair

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of the Associated Students of Portland State University’s student fee committee, graduated with degrees in political science and economics last spring. His experience dealing with student groups in the university, coupled with Eckberg’s education in finance, helped the two realize that owning and operating a dining establishment just might be within their reach. It also encouraged Ozimkowski to attempt to connect Gnarly Grey back to the PSU community. In addition to fundraisers for student groups such as KPSU radio, Ozimkowski hopes to continue to give back to both the PSU community and local nonprofits. By working with nonprofit groups, Gnarly Grey can buy and sell kegs for a discounted price—rerouting money back to the nonprofits and giving students a place to grab a few post-class beers without breaking the bank. Gnarly Grey also strives to embody the university’s focus on sustainability, using handcut steaks bought from local farms and beer purchased from local breweries. All this, according to Ozimkowski and Eckberg, allows Gnarly Grey to operate a bit differently than your typical campus bar. “It really helps us to do a lot of things other bars won’t,” Eckberg said. “We probably have the cheapest beer in the downtown area.” “I would put our happy hour up against anyone else’s,” Ozimkowski added. A hamburger and a beer

Kaela O’Brien Vanguard Staff

The web portal myPSU is getting an overhaul. The site, my.pdx.edu, will have a new look and be more accessible to users starting today at 5 a.m. “We are really hoping it is beneficial and of use to students and faculty,” said PSU Director of Web Communications Kristin Boden-MacKay. The web address will remain my.pdx.edu, but expect to see a simpler format with larger fonts and easier-toaccess links. The simplification of the format is intended to make using the site’s resources easier as well as making it more accessible to handheld devices, BodenMacKay said.

The general style of the new site is consistent with the previous format. However, the site’s appearance is not the only change, she said. Because of outdated technology, myPSU is being transferred to the web-based interface Banweb, the current student information system. The system allows students to register for classes, look up grades and pay bills, among other functions. Faculty uses the system to administer courses, enter time sheets and track benefits. “There has always been a web interface called Banweb,” Boden-MacKay said. The myPSU portal software was in need of an upgrade after five years. “It was either make a huge investment in a program upgrade or move to a webbased platform,” BodenMacKay said. The upgrade would have cost millions, while the transfer to a web-based platform was free other than personnel cost, she explained. A team of members from PSU’s Office of Information

Portland State conserves energy, saves money Josh Kelety Vanguard staff

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Dave Coburn, ASPSU legislative director, maps out how education reforms could change the Oregon University System structure. Legislature from page 1 miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

Johnnie ozimkowski, PSU alumni and co-founder of Gnarly Grey, works behind the bar at the new campus hot spot. during Gnarly Grey’s happy hour runs about $7. Pool is always free, and specials like dollar-beer Mondays give students an affordable alternative to other establishments on or near campus. But Ozimkowski was quick to point out that establishing an enjoyable place for students to visit cannot be done with pricing alone. By choosing to exclude Keno, Gnarly Grey can host minors until 10 p.m.—imperative for bringing out college students and creating a familial environment that will help

bring the community closer together and connect it with the greater Portland metro area, they said. Blake Roberts first visited Gnarly Grey with his roommate, a PSU student. “For me it’s more than a bar, it’s a group of friends. It has an It’s Always Sunny vibe,” Roberts said, referencing the popular TV show on FX. But Gnarly Grey’s patrons are overwhelmingly PSU students—according to Ozimkowski, around 30 percent of cards run at Gnarly Grey are HigherOne debit cards.

And while Gnarly Grey has only been open for four months, Ozimkowski and Eckberg hope to use ties to the college community to deepen the sense of community in the area. Or, at the very least, to create a place where students can come up with an idea for the next Gnarly Grey. “I would love to be known as the bar where someone came up with the idea for a top 500 company,” Ozimkowski said. “We need places like that, where people can get together and realize ideas.”

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Gnarly Grey finds success near campus Bar owned and operated by former PSU students steadily growing

Many education issues are on the agenda in Salem of directors instead of being governed by the chancellor’s office. This would allow universities to make many of their own decisions and set their own tuition. This year there are proposals in several House and Senate bills to give Portland State its own institutional board. Proponents of the idea say it will allow the school to bring in more philanthropy funding, Saunders said. It would create the possibility for more scholarships and allow the school to move faster in real estate and construction projects. In short, it would allow PSU to run more autonomously. Smaller public universities such as Western Oregon University criticize the idea, saying it could create unnecessary overhead if each university were to create its own administrative structure. It could also force schools like WOU to compete rather than cooperate with larger schools, since they lack the political resources to create their own institutional boards. Either way, the question may be settled during this legislative session. The bottom line for students, said Associated Students of Portland State University representatives, is that a board could easily affect what tuition costs next year.

Tuition equity Another hot-button issue for students will be tuition

equity proposals, according to ASPSU Communications Director Anthony Stine. He thinks this is the year the proposal will be approved by the Legislature after more than 10 years of consideration. Stine explained that the proposal will allow all students who graduate from an Oregon high school to pay in-state tuition. This is a big deal because it would allow undocumented immigrant students who have attended public secondary school in Oregon to also attend college. The Oregonian reported that there are already 100,000 undocumented immigrants living in Oregon, and the intent of the legislation is to help provide a path to citizenship. Stine said that there had been an issue with Republicans and Democrats disagreeing on this issue, but they had recently come together in the 2012 election. Stine also suspects that the proposal will increase college funding because it will bring in more students.

Oregon Opportunity Grant ASPSU Legislative Affairs Director Dave Coburn explained another pressing issue. Currently, eight out of 10 students who qualify for the Oregon Opportunity Grant aren’t receiving it, he said. This is because the state runs out of money for students who don’t apply early.

One proposal would make Oregon sell bonds to create a larger fund for the Oregon Opportunity Grant. It would have to be approved by the Oregon voters after the Legislature approved it. Coburn said this is a major priority for ASPSU, and that ASPSU is on the same page as the PSU administration. Another issue is approval of the state’s budget. Saunders said it will increase the amount of money higher education receives by 6.6 percent from the last budget. It’s still less than what higher education got back in 1999–2001, though, she said. “If we get less than the governor’s budget, tuition will cost more,” Saunders said. One of OUS’ biggest priorities, she added, is to help the Legislature approve the proposed amount, since the Legislature can make changes to the budget. The budget also creates an entirely new Department of Post-Secondary Education, with controversial new figure Rudy Crew in charge of the reorganized education structure. Crew will help to implement all the education reforms in Oregon and fulfill the Oregon 40-40-20 plan. The new budget will be implemented in July after the Legislature approves it. An important thing to remember about all of the educational reforms, Coburn said, is that no one entirely knows what this stuff means yet since much of it is new. “This legislative session is going to be interesting,” he said.

Changes to mypsu, such as larger fonts and more accessible links, were implemented today to improve usabilty.

Technology and Office of University Communications were in charge of making the technological shift. All the changes aim to make using PSU’s online resources less complicated and more user-friendly. But this is only the beginning of the changes to come

to PSU’s online student information system. “This is the initial roll out for the site and we will be able to add specific changes to further increase functionality for students,” BodenMacKay said. Other new features will include a screen on the home

page indicating important dates for students, such as the last day to withdraw from classes. Another plan is to simplify the login process to allow a user to log in once and remain logged in to all connecting sites such as D2L and email.

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From “lights off” reminder stickers to digital energy meters, Portland State is employing all sorts of techniques to use its resources more efficiently in buildings across campus. Streamlining preexisting facilities and designing new projects with the latest sustainable technology are just a few of the things the university is doing to keep up with its mission of sustainability. “This is a key focus of the university,” said Noel Mingo, the utilities manager for Facilities and Property Management. Mingo works at maintaining and upgrading current facilities. He and his department also coordinate with the Institute for Sustainable Solutions, Capital Projects and Construction and the Campus Planning Office on new building projects. PSU has a long history of actively promoting energy efficiency and environmentally friendly policies, Mingo said. In 1994 PSU began tracking commuters and commuting modes to provide data for the city. Later, in 2009 and 2010, PSU focused heavily on finding ways to make buildings and future projects more carbon-neutral. During fiscal year 2011–12, PSU reduced its energy consumption by 1.6 percent and its use of natural gas by 6.5 percent. Mingo attributed these decreases to the remodeling of

facilities and the adoption of more practical building operation times. The facilities department has rescheduled opening and closing hours to more accurately reflect actual class schedules, along with concentrating evening and weekend classes to just a few buildings. In February 2012, the number of buildings used for weekend and night classes was reduced from 21 to five, saving considerable amounts of capital and energy. A district heating and cooling loop also allows for more cost-effective energy. This network of underground pipes brings steam and cool water from a local plant to buildings across campus, reducing the need for in-house boilers. The loop was recently extended to Shattuck Hall, which is estimated will save 480,000 kilowatts annually. “We add things like economizers to boiler systems, replacing [old] boilers with more efficient boilers,” said Ron Blaj, the director of Capital Projects and Construction. Other energy- and climatesensitive efforts have been put into developing a Climate Action Plan—a comprehensive analysis of PSU’s energy needs and strategies to reduce carbon emissions while becoming more localized and sustainable. The plan’s implementation team, a group of advisors to the Campus Sustainability Office, put the report together in

hopes that the administration will respond accordingly. The target goals for the plan touch on everything from university-related air travel carbon emissions to production of solid wastes. By 2030, the university hopes to reduce total building energy use by 10 percent and decrease solid waste generation to 75 percent of 2008 levels. PSU President Wim Wiewel signed off on the plan on May 24, 2010, and the university has been working from its framework ever since. “Our administration has shown that they are committed to try and operate as efficiently as possible without impacting the academic learning experience,” Mingo said. The university is also adding a new LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building to its already expansive campus, alongside eight preexisting LEED buildings. The new facility, known as the Collaborative Life Sciences Building, will be located on the South Waterfront near Oregon Health and Science University. More energy-streamlining maintenance is being discussed, such as remodels of the business school building and Neuberger Hall. The capital requests for these projects have yet to be approved, however, and will be considered by the Oregon legislature later this year.

Lincoln Hall underwent a multimilliondollar renovation in 2008 that resulted in its LEED Gold certification in 2010. The building recieved LEED Platinum certification in 2011 after the installation of solar panels. jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFf

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Centers provide ‘home’ for a wide array of students “That’s the beauty and scope of what we do and what we can do.” Ridder is making sure her office is talking about pressing and sensitive issues—including undocumented students, mental health and advocacy. She will oversee the PSU Cultural Centers, retention services and high school outreach programs such as the Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound. DMSS provides academic and advising support to student populations whose access, retention and academic

success are challenged by both contemporary and historical inequities. But to many students, the centers simply provide a family. “We are a home to many people for multiple reasons, typically touching on pieces of students’ social identity or intersections of their identity,” Ridder said. Ridder hopes to build on DMSS’s many programs and culturally based centers. “I look forward to working with students, to have the critical conversations needed

on our campus to make this place as open and welcoming as it can be,” she said. Ridder’s involvement in orientation, the student ambassadors program and other forms of undergraduate leadership led her on the path to a master’s degree in college student personnel. She has a doctoral degree in higher education administration from the University of Texas at Austin. She also hopes to upgrade the office to match the university’s green standards. “We’d also like to go as paperless as possible from an environmental sustainability standpoint,” Ridder said. “There is always more work to be done,” she added. “It will and should never end.”

VANGUARD • Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 • News

Post office near campus relocates After 30 years, University Station closes its doors Ryan Voelker Vanguard staff

When its lease expired in January, the U.S. Postal Service moved out of its University Station building after decades of occupancy. After a two-year battle to negotiate new lease terms failed, the Postal Service decided to say goodbye to the city block on Southwest Broadway between Clay and Market streets. In the final days of January, the new Waterfront Station location opened for business. It’s now about six blocks further from the PSU campus, in the Southwest First Avenue and Main Street building. “It’s been a big change for a lot of folks,” said Ron

Anderson, customer relations coordinator with the Postal Service. “The post office was at University Station for almost 30 years.” Anderson disclosed that the post office experienced significant financial strain and the move was part of a strategic plan to survive. The new location is smaller and more economical. “Times change,” Anderson said. “The Postal Service originally moved to University Station because it was growing, but now post offices everywhere are having to consolidate.” Anderson said that job loss from the transition was minimal; approximately the same number of employees have been retained. Although it was announced six months ago, some students have been surprised by the change.

Erik Noh, a PSU student studying electrical engineering, was among the very last customers at University Station before the doors closed for good. “I had not heard at all about the move,” Noh shared. “Having the post office so close to campus has been really convenient.” Campus mail is now being routed from the new Waterfront Station. It is already fully operational and is the closest full-service post office for PSU students and faculty. The University Station building is owned by an overseas company based in Germany and is represented by local real estate brokers Ted Durant & Associates. The plan now appears to be to sell the property rather than lease it. Approximately six months ago, PSU was approached with an opportunity

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:

“How do you feel about your job prospects after graduation?” Gwen Shaw/Vanguard Staff

Jon Messman, 19, a freshman environmental studies major, knows that graduation is still a long way off, and with lots of ideas he’s not sure what exactly he wants to do. “It’s sort of in the gray area,” he said. “I’d like to do conservation policy and stuff like that, I’d like to do field work if I could get it, and maybe some city planning later on.”

Luke Mauer, 25, a graduate student in the Leadership for Sustainability Education program, feels that his views on what a job means has changed. “I feel that my studies have reoriented my mind as to what education and employment really are. I mean that I perhaps won’t seek a nine-to-five desk job,” Mauer said. “I will be deployed and engaged in my community but perhaps not get paid an hourly wage or salary. And I feel good about that.”

Kelsey Darling, 21, feels that her job prospects are really positive. “My major is speech and hearing sciences, and I know that’s an important field and we’ll always have jobs, whether it be in a school or a hospital,” Darling said.

Elton Cody, 20, a junior double-majoring in social sciences and arts and literacy, isn’t sure about his job prospects. “I don’t know, I think it’s going to be hard finding a job,” Cody said, “because I don’t really know what I want to do [with] my degree. I don’t know if work is really out there for people.”

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Waterfront station, located in the Southwest First Avenue and Main Street building, is the new Postal Service location.

to make an offer to purchase the property. The university declined. “The primary reason is the land downtown is very expensive and it did not seem an appropriate investment,” said Dan Zalkow, executive director of PSU’s Campus Planning, Construction and Real Estate. “We would have considered it if there [were] an expansion plan that made sense,” he added. Zalkow explained that the building’s poor physical condition was also a major factor in the university passing on the purchase of the property.

According to Zalkow, PSU may attempt to acquire the property at some point, but there are no plans for the near future. He said that PSU already owns a few sites with development potential. Anderson said that the search for a new location was challenging, as there were many prerequisites to be considered. Input was sought through community forums to take public opinion into account. Requirements for the new post office included central location, street level access and an affordable lease. Waterfront Station fit the bill.

Anderson said he’s optimistic about the new location, but admits it is difficult right now to predict just how successful it will be. “It’s closer to the downtown core business area but obviously farther from the university, which used the station extensively,” Anderson said. “We hope the relocation will be beneficial and better represent the downtown area.” What will become of University Station is limited to speculation. For now it sits empty as the history from years of service echoes within its walls.

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Personal stories in public readings 2 authors to read nonfiction work at PSU Jeoffry Ray Vanguard staff

From frank discourse about sex to Buddhist women to touching personal journeys, authors Sallie Tisdale and Gregory Martin touch on subjects that run the gamut. Next week, they’ll be sharing just a bit of it with students at Portland State. Tisdale and Martin are coming to the university to read from their respective works on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Their readings are part of the creative writing program’s ongoing Visiting Writers Reading Series. The writers will read brief passages and field questions from attending listeners. Tisdale generally prefers to keep her readings brief and to the point, and was still in the process of deciding which of her works to present. “I’m thinking of reading an older piece, but I don’t know quite yet,” she said. “I won’t make any promises, probably not until the last 10 minutes!” Martin, for his part, seemed set on reading from his newest release, Stories for Boys (Hawthorne Books, 2012). The book reflects on family struggles Martin faced after his father acknowledged his homosexuality. “Stories for Boys tells the story about my relationship with my father,” Martin said. “He came out of the closet after a 39-year marriage to my mother, and everything was a big surprise for everyone in the family. It’s a story about learning who my father is. It’s also about sharing a story about the changing relationships within my family.”

“The best advice I can give is this: Read some, write a lot and don’t do what people tell you. Break the rules. Know the rules, so you can break them. But don’t let anyone box you in.” Sally Tisdale Author

Martin, an English professor at the University of New Mexico, has now published two books in addition to numerous essays. Martin works primarily in the nonfiction realm: His previous (also self-reflective) work, Mountain City (North Point Press, 2001), looks back on life in the dying mining town of the same name. “Both books are about family, but there’s a lot of difference in the way they are told,” Martin said. “Mountain City is about a place. At one time, people thought it would become a major American city, but by the time I’m depicting in the book, there are basically 31 people living there, most of [whom] are my family.” Martin also pointed out differences in the tone of each work. “The second book is much more raw, personal and emotional,” he said. “It’s very different in terms of how I characterize myself. I was just a boy during the events in Mountain City.” Though the two authors haven’t worked together and will present their works separately, Martin said he’s been exposed to Tisdale’s work. He’s even recently included her writing in his class assignments. “I loved them so much when I read her work that I had to include them in my course,” Martin said. “It was fabulous to find out I would be reading with her. I had already had her essay in the class syllabus.” Tisdale, like Martin, is a prolific nonfiction writer. With seven book releases and a number of published essays, Tisdale’s work spans

a range of subjects, from food to the Pacific Northwest to sex philosophy. Her most recent book, Women of the Way (HarperCollins 2006), studies women Buddhist masters through history. Though the content of her work varies widely, Tisdale pointed out a common thread in her writing: an interest in morally ambiguous subjects. “I’ve always been interested in ambiguity,” she said. “I’m interested in things that don’t have clear solutions—and most things really don’t. I’m also interested in the limits of nonfiction. There are some great stories out there. I’m also interested in science.” Tisdale is nearing completion on several projects, including an upcoming piece about headaches, and an ongoing series for The New York Times Magazine titled “Reinventing the Toilet.” The latter work, she noted, is an investigative piece based on her time doing volunteer work in Uganda. “It’s really about sanitation, and the global disaster of the lack of sanitation,” she said. “It’s really a much more acute and serious problem than people realize. There are so many people out there with absolutely no means of sanitation. I’m also interested in the ambivalence surrounding that issue.” Tisdale also noted an upcoming rerelease of her 1994 book, Talk Dirty to Me: An Intimate Philosophy of Sex (Doubleday). Talk Dirty to Me explores the breadth of the sexual conversation, and the rerelease will include an update and a new introduction. The additional content will illustrate changes in the sexual tone in America since the original publication date. Tisdale cited the safe sex lectures and seminars provided by some of the women she’d initially interviewed as just one example of the cultural shift. “It’s been 20 years since I wrote the book, and we’ve opened up a lot to sexuality as a society,” she said. “But I’m not convinced we’re more healthy about it. But it’s been fun catching up with some of these people after so long.” Tisdale acknowledged that she has several other projects in the works, but offered neither hints nor details about their content. Martin, however, seemed happy to take time off after his recent release. “I’m trying to let myself enjoy this book and let it unfold, before worrying about jumping onto the next project,” he said. “A lot of writers have the problem of moving on too fast. They’re trying to battle with that inner selfloathing, and I’m trying to avoid that. I think I’ve got a little bit of time.” Asked what advice they might offer to students interested in the serious pursuit of writing, both offered some insight based on experience. “The thing I would say is: Don’t censor yourself at the front end,” Martin said. “Don’t make those kinds of decisions until you have the pages written. You can always go back and decide what you want to share, and what you don’t. But if you censor yourself at the beginning, you may censor things that you should share.” Tisdale delivered pointed and frank advice with a touch of rebelliousness. “The best advice I can give is this: Read some, write a lot and don’t do what people tell you,” she said. “Break the rules. Know the rules, so you can break them well. But don’t let anyone box you in.”

PSU’s MFA in Creative Writing program presents A Visiting Writers Reading featuring Sallie Tisdale and Gregory Martin Tuesday, Feb. 12, 7 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 296 Free and open to the public

NONFICTION Author Greg Martin will read at Portland State next Tuesday, along with fellow nonfiction writer Sallie Tisdale. The reading is a part of the creative writing MFA’s Visiting Writers Series.

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Arts Arts && Culture Culture •• Thursday, Thursday,Jan. Feb.17, 7, 2013 • VANGUARD VANGUARD

The Portland International Film Festival kicks off today

Sharing Secrets onstage PSU alumnus uses education to entertain

I’ll never tell: PSU alumns Devin Harkness brings his audienceassisted improv show Portland Secrets to The Brody Theater.

RaChelle Schmidt Vanguard staff

The 36th annual iteration of PDX’s premier film festival begins tonight Tristan Cooper Vanguard staff

After 35 years, the Portland International Film Festival is still going strong and shows no signs of stopping. Hosted by the Northwest Film Center, last year’s event attracted more than 35,000 moviegoers to theaters around Portland, showcasing a vast array of films from dozens of countries. Nick Bruno, the center’s public relations and marketing assistant, doesn’t see the fest shrinking any time soon.

“[W]e just keep growing it,” Bruno said. “There are additional people [who] keep showing up every year and are so surprised that something of this size and magnitude is happening in the Portland metro area.” In total, 93 feature films and 43 shorts from 44 different countries will screen at different venues across the city, including Fox Tower, Regal Cinemas at Lloyd Center and the film center’s own Whitsell Auditorium. Attendees can expect a wide variety of movies, from powerful dramas to dry comedies to unique animated films. Those looking for a common theme among the scheduled films might have a hard time finding it. “I think it’s not so much about drawing a thread through all the films as much as it is trying to find as much diversity as possible,” Bruno said of the selection process. Though PIFF casts a wide net that covers an entire world’s

worth of foreign releases, one of the festival’s most anticipated and provocative films is homegrown. Alien Boy: the Life and Death of James Chasse is a documentary about a man who struggled with mental illness and the controversy surrounding his accidental death at the hands of three Portland police officers in 2006. After more than six years, the incident still haunts Portlanders. With the national conversation about mental health care at its zenith, Alien Boy should prove to be a fascinating and harrowing watch. The festival starts tonight with the Spanish film Blancanieves at the Newmark Theatre and runs through Feb. 23. Screenings will be held daily at locations around the Portland metro area. A full schedule is available at nwfilm.org/festivals/piff. The Vanguard highlighted three films that festival attendees can catch on PIFF’s opening weekend.

The Sapphires (2012); Australia

Neighbouring Sounds (2012); Brazil

The Painting (2011); France

Friday, Feb. 8, 6 p.m. NWFC’s Whitsell Auditorium (934 SW Salmon St.) Sunday, Feb. 10, 5 p.m. Cinemagic Theater (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd.)

Saturday, Feb. 9, 8:45 p.m. Regal Lloyd Center 10 (1510 NE Multnomah St.)

Saturday, Feb. 9, 8:45 p.m. Cinemagic Theater (2021 SE Hawthorne Blvd.)

Of the three films highlighted here, Neighbouring Sounds is the only one that’s still under my skin. Something about this quiet, understated portrayal of an upscale neighborhood in Recife, Brazil burrowed inside me without my consent or knowledge. It certainly wasn’t the plot, as there’s not much of one to speak of: A new security team moves into a nice neighborhood where the worst thing that happens is a car break-in. The thief is kind enough to remove the window and place it next to the vehicle. Though the new guards seem to make the streets a safer place, there’s no escaping the droning, dreadful feeling that builds throughout the film. We see the neighborhood through the eyes of a stressed-out housewife, a bored real estate agent with ties to a powerful local family, the security men on the ground and various servants and family members. Neighbouring Sounds’ conflicts are mostly domestic, from the incessant late-night barking of a nearby dog to people comparing the sizes of delivered flat-screen TVs. Relations between the servants and their employers seem amiable, at least on the surface. Prosperous as this community may be, its foundations are seeded with anxiety. Citizens of the middle class hold a meeting about what to do with the lazy doorman, complete with incriminating but humiliating video of the working-class man sleeping on the job shot and compiled by a grinning child. The area thief, a bored and well-off 20-something, grills the security team about an anonymous phone call threatening to end his petty crime spree. These normal human situations range from tepid to truly tense: Several of these moments have crept out from the back of my mind since I first saw the film. Though Sounds is quite beautiful in an ordinary way, the audio is what you’ll take home with you. The constant whirr of a buzz saw, the rhythmic and aimless yelps of a family pet, the deafening rumble of a washing machine and some rare musical cues all serve to build a palpable uneasiness that becomes almost unbearable toward the end of the film. The sound design alone is enough to make Sounds feel like something unspeakably awful is just about to happen at any given moment. Neighbouring Sounds is a film that itches at you in bed at night. Try scratching it, and it’ll only itch more.

There are a few animated films at PIFF, but none look quite as striking as The Painting. Though the characters are rendered in 3D, each of the brightly colored pastel people are crafted in such a way as to look almost as two-dimensional as the paint-brushed backgrounds that surround them. The effect is startling and works wonders in hiding the low animation quality typical of a low-budget feature. The Painting takes Toy Story’s inanimate-to-life motif and applies it to artwork: Characters live and breathe inside every portrait and landscape. We begin in an unfinished painting, where the partly rendered characters, known as Halfies, live in shame below a castle inhabited by the phonetic Allduns. The fully painted look down upon anyone incomplete, whether it’s an uncolored face or a blank patch on a dress; the pencildrawn Sketchies are even more reviled. Of course, love blooms between two citizens of the disparate classes, as the Alldun Ramo and the Halfie Claire play the story’s Romeo and Juliet. A somewhat trite beginning takes an imaginative turn when several characters leap out of the painting and into the real world. They explore and even talk to other paintings in search of The Painter, the one who could complete the painting and restore balance among Allduns, Halfies and Sketchies. What starts as a star-crossed romance evolves into a quest for meaning as the film unfurls in unexpected ways. By the end of the film, we have new questions and perhaps even a new protagonist. The Painting should be great for any brave kids precocious enough to read subtitles. Some parents might want to know that the film features an impressionistic portrait of a nude woman as one of its characters (though a violent but bloodless scene in the first few minutes is potentially more traumatizing).

Arguably one of the most crowd-pleasing films of the festival, The Sapphires takes on the traditional musical girl-group movie (see: Dreamgirls) and gives it some substantial tweaks. Taking place in Australia in the late 1960s, The Sapphires, which is based on a true story, follows a handful of young Aboriginal women struggling to succeed in a world that still seems 95 percent racist. Instead of taking their soul group act on the road, slowly gaining recognition across the nation and going all the way to the Billboard charts, the group of four and their manager sign up to perform as part of the USO Tour. Most of the film takes place in Vietnam. It’s a unique setting for the genre: Even if you’ve seen every musical rise-to-fame movie out there, the location provides scenes that would be impossible except in that particular time and place. Race plays a large role, and the true story behind the “lost generation” of kidnapped Aboriginal children might shock unaware American audiences. These elements are the most interesting things the movie has going for it, but they always take a backseat when The Sapphires take the stage. Outside of one or two particularly relevant and heartfelt performances, there’s an odd disconnect whenever the film screeches to a halt to deliver a spunky song and dance routine. Though the musical numbers are competent, The Sapphires shines brightest in its performances. Chris O’Dowd in particular will likely be a favorite. American audiences know him best as the wry cop/boyfriend in 2011’s hit Bridesmaids. O’Dowd is even better here as the group’s manager, bringing levity to the film while maintaining a redemptive undertone that stretches the role beyond mere comic relief. The four women in the titular group deliver admirable turns as well: At one point they are categorized, Spice Girls-style (The Sexy One, The Dance Captain, et cetera), but it’s to the movie’s credit that each of them are distinct enough to be memorable in her own right. The Sapphires is probably one of the most conventional films at PIFF this year. In the end, serious but broad topics like war, race and the sins of the past are glossed over with a feel-good glaze. Most of it is sweet, but there’s something disconcerting about the aftertaste.

The Northwest Film Center presents The 36th annual Portland International Film Festival Feb. 7–23 $11 general admission per film, $10 students For more info go to nwfilm.org/festivals/piff

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Would you be willing to have your deepest, darkest secret acted out on stage? What if the secret played out anonymously? Would you be able to watch? Portland State alumnus Devin Harkness is hoping that you can—and will. This Saturday, Harkness will bring his show Portland Secrets, which uses audience members’ personal secrets as the basis for improv sketches and scenes, to Northwest Portland’s Brody Theater. Harkness is directing the show, the first of its kind in Portland. He holds a master’s degree in counseling from PSU and works as an elementary and middle school counselor by day; by night, he is a regular member of the Brody Theater ensemble. Harkness feels that this show allows him to bridge the gap between his counseling life and his theater life. “I listen to people’s secrets all day,” Harkness said. In his day job, however, confidentiality is of the utmost importance, and Harkness would never reveal a client’s secrets. Harkness points out that while many people carry secrets they would never want to reveal publicly, most people would like to find a way to unburden themselves of the heavy weight of those secrets. Harkness hopes that this show can provide the opportunity for the catharsis that people need. “People are able to give a voice to their secret, even if it’s anonymously, by submitting it to this show,” Harkness said. “Then we are able to explore that secret, and obviously our exploration is our own thing, and not this person’s reality, but there are some elements of connection there.”

For Harkness, this connection is one of the primary goals of the show. The show will employ many familiar improvisational techniques while incorporating preselected secrets. The selections will be a mix of the lighthearted and the serious. There is one element, however, that you will not find in your standard improv show: the Truth Chair. In the spirit of full and equal disclosure, each of the actors will take a turn in the Truth Chair onstage and will reveal their own personal secrets, which can also be used to inspire creativity and improvisation. Having the actors reveal their own secrets will not only add to the show, but will build a sense of trust between the actors and audience that will

create a more open and inspired experience. “My belief is that there should be no rules in improv—anything can happen at any time,” Harkness said. “I encourage my performers to respect these secrets by treating them with reverence. People are telling us things that are private and personal, and yet they are willing to reveal this, trusting that we will do right by it, and that we will treat it in a respectful way. “That doesn’t mean that the things we do won’t be funny,” Harkness said, but “it’s not going to be laughing at this person. It will be revealing truths about the way people are, which is usually hilarious.” Cast member Michael DeMaria echoed Harkness’ views about the importance of respect

in a show like Portland Secrets. “The big mantra of American improv has always been ‘truth in comedy,’” DeMaria said. “We don’t want to make fun of people who are unburdening themselves.” As an improv artist who has worked across the U.S. and Canada, DeMaria believes that Portland is a great city in which to perform a show like this. “The style here is much more nuanced than some other cities,” DeMaria said. Unlike the improv in other, more populous cities like Chicago or New York, “the Northwest is really narrative-based, so you do get that emotional charge in it,” DeMaria said. That emotional charge is one of the elements Harkness is eager to explore. Because the show will be working with real secrets and real situations, it has the potential to go much deeper and will call on the performers to allow themselves to become more emotionally vulnerable. While Secrets may be new to Portland audiences, it is based on a format originally performed at The Hideout Theater in Austin, Texas, aptly titled Austin Secrets. Just like its Austin counterpart, Portland Secrets takes its lead from such true-tolife confessional projects as This American Life, PostSecret, Mortified and BedPost Confessions. Harkness’ ultimate wish for Secrets is twofold: The improv professional in him is hoping that this show will entertain Portland audiences by providing them with a singular, compelling theater experience, while the professional counselor in him “would like the audience to leave the theater feeling inspired to be more open and more honest, and allowing other people to be more open and honest,” he said.

Portland Secrets Saturday, Feb. 9, 16 and 23 at 9:30 p.m. Brody Theater 16 NW Broadway Tickets: $8, available at brodytheater.com/secrets

A world without borders White Bird Dance presents Israeli dance by US company Melinda GuillÉn Vanguard staff

They leap in the air, feet moving in fast motion as they follow the rhythm of the legs before landing softly on the hard surface. They twirl, swan-like arm movements filling the air, fingers interlocked in one continuous movement until signaled to break. They dance. In celebration of the 35th anniversary of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Portland’s White Bird Dance organization will bring the contemporary dance group to the City of Roses once more. Next Wednesday, White Bird will host Illinois-based Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Israeli dancers Ohad Naharin and Sharon Eyal choreographed the performance, which showcases contemporary Israeli choreography, according to a press release. Paul King, co-founder and president of White Bird, explains the motives behind the themed event. “We do not have an Israeli company [performing] this year,” he said. “It seemed like a very good idea to us to put together an all-Israeli program with a very much American dance company.” The Hubbard troupe will be performing Eyal’s “Too Beaucoup” and Naharin’s “Three

I wanna dance with somebody: The Hubbard Street Dance Chicago dance company celebrates its 35th anniversary with a performance at Portland’s Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. to Max.” Though they are featured in the same event, both choreographers have different styles of dance and attire and of conveying a mood. “Naharin’s work is more stripped down, and his costuming is more basic: They wear different colored T-shirts and dark leggings. It’s very simple,” King said. “When you look at Eyal’s work and the piece that’s going to be on it, the

dancers look otherworldly—they look like aliens. They powder their faces, they even have white wigs on, and she has her dancers wear contact lenses so they look like they’re from outer space. It’s going to be a fascinating comparison between the two choreographers and the work in the program.” White Bird last hosted Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2010. White Bird co-founder Walter

Jaffe explained the reasoning behind bringing the group back to Portland and what an audience can expect from the performers themselves. “This is a very elite group of dancers, who are very professional, from all over the world,” he said. “They’re at the highest level; you’re going to see a lot of amazing artistry and very refined work by [the] dancers. They’re at the very top level of their form and in their rank.” This will mark the fifth performance White Bird has held so far this year. Both King and Jaffe are pleased with the company’s season thus far. “I’m feeling very good about this season,” Jaffe said. “We have a lot coming up. The next few weeks are basically nonstop dance for us, and it’s hard to choose what we’re most excited about because, it sounds a little cliche, but we’re excited about everything.” King hopes to honor White Bird’s anniversary season by reaching out to as many fans, both new and old, as possible. “In our 15th anniversary we were hoping to visit old friends and go places in this journey with our amazing audience,” King said. “We have 1,500 subscribers and a 70 percent renewal rate. We have a very loyal following so we want to lead, stimulate and engage them.”

White Bird Dance presents Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Wednesday, Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall 1037 SW Broadway Tickets: $26–64, available at whitebird.org

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OPINiON • Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• Thursday, THURSDAY, Feb. NOVEMBER 7, 2013 10, • OPINiON 2011 • SPORTS

OPINION

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

Ignore the bad rep

Packing the classrooms

Portland State’s SHAC receives national accreditation

Closing schools to balance enrollment creates poor learning environments

One Step Off Emily Lakehomer

A Critical Glance Adam E. Bushen

ecently, more than 250 people gathered at Jefferson High School to attend a listening session regarding potential school closures in Portland’s North and Northeast communities. Board members and the superintendent labeled the move an attempt to balance the student populations within individual schools and allow for a wider range of educational programs to be made available to more students. The idea is that, because smaller schools are more difficult to staff, better providing educational programs means closing schools and placing students in schools that already offer the programs. Supposedly this would save money and provide a better education. Woodlawn and Vernon elemenatry schools were mentioned for possible closure. The Ockley Green school could potentially be merged indefinitely with Chief Joseph Elementary. Opponents claim that the closures will cause more instability in the region. Some claim the measure is racist, as it will affect schools with low-income and minority students the most. While this proposal may allow the district to provide a wider array of educational programs, packing more students and teachers into fewer schools isn’t going to provide a better learning or teaching environment. Part of the reason private schools are so expensive is their lower student-to-teacher ratios,

which allow for more oneon-one interaction. Lower ratios mean that each student has a better opportunity to be heard and to have specific questions answered. Also, lower student-to-teacher ratios allow for stronger in-class relationships—teachers can learn more about the students’ individual learning styles. It allows teachers to better understand the students’ needs. Placing students in a situation in which teachers will only notice progress by the grades they give doesn’t constitute a healthy learning environment. A student’s progress needs to be recognized through interaction, and this is far less likely to occur if the teacher’s attention is spread too thin. A teacher’s job becomes more arduous as the workload increases and there are more students to control. Not only is it more difficult for teachers to do their jobs effectively when they have more students to teach, grade and mentor, it also becomes more difficult to challenge those students. Larger classes tend to have work that requires far less critical thinking. Homework and tests become the type of evaluations that require the least amount of grading time. Again, the amount of time spent on an individual student is diminished. Filling in a circle on a multiple-choice exam reveals very little about a student’s progress. A “right or wrong” approach isn’t the best way to evaluate students,

and with increased enrollment, this becomes the standard method. What bothers me most is the way that our nation views education in general. Education, from elementary school to university, is continually underfunded. “Budget cuts” has been a yearly theme for far too long. Call me idealistic, but the population’s education should be the highest priority of any nation. Federal spending in the U.S. tells us just where education is placed on the list of priorities. In 2012, 3 percent of the nation’s budget was spent on education. In contrast, 25 percent of the budget was spent on defense. To help illustrate this difference, according to knowdrones.com, one MQ-9 Reaper drone costs $28 million; one weapon load is an additional $320,000. An average salary for a teacher in Oregon, according to nea.org, is an estimated $57,348, so the cost of one fully equipped drone could cover the salary of roughly 494 Oregon teachers. We need to invest in the intellectual growth and development of our youth and provide outlets for everyone to receive an education at a reasonable cost. Putting districts in a “make schools cost-effective” predicament will never allow for the best education. If we reversed defense funding and education funding, problems such as the potential closures in North and Northeast Portland wouldn’t arise. As a nation, we need to change the way our decisionmakers view the value of education. They say money talks; apparently, our youth and our future aren’t part of the discussion.

B © ed yourdon/flickr.com

Wherefore art thou, serendipity? Happy accidents don’t happen anymore Everywhere and Here Eva-Jeanette Rawlins

ome say social media is making us less social and more isolated from each other; others say the opposite. Both groups can point to data and experience to support their claims. Recently, though, I watched a Dateline NBC program about this very topic, and it got me thinking not so much about the social trends in media, but of a word that seems to be disappearing from our collective consciousness: serendipity. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “the faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident,” and after watching the show, I realized how little happenstance there is these days. The program was about four 20-something California women who were challenged to two weeks of “no digital communication.” They had to lock their smart phones, tablets, e-readers, laptops—the works—into a sparkly pink suitcase, banned from even looking at them. Dateline cameras followed them around, capturing their predictable groans of “no phone, no life,” and “I feel like I have no idea what’s going on in the world,” and, of course, the fears that they were “dying a slow social death.” OK, so it proved they were addicted to their technology. No surprise there. But aside from their realizations that sans smart phones they actually “talked to each

other,” two of their experiences made me question whether it was serendipity that was dying the slow death. The first was when the women were given instructions to drive from Hermosa Beach to Runyon Canyon Park in the Hollywood Hills equipped with—wait for it—a map. As you can imagine, there were some…uh…difficulties. When the navigator suggested they “take this squiggly line,” I had some severe doubts. It was then that they made an unconventional decision. They stopped to ask for directions. What made it significant was that they happened to stop at a flower shop to ask for help, and then, directions in hand, piled back into the car, but with something else in their hands. A huge bouquet of gorgeous flowers. That’s what I call a happy and unexpected discovery. A ride from point A to point B yielded a magical moment of beauty that, with their eyes glued to a screen, they would never have noticed. Now some might say that if they wanted flowers, there are any number of apps that would have directed them to the right place. But the point is, they didn’t know they wanted flowers until the fragrance was right under their noses. It was a surprising twist to their day, and as they breathed in the scent appreciatively, I thought: It’s the sweet, unexpected,

spontaneous things in life that just seem to smell better. Later, when one of the women went to a bar to meet a friend, the show’s producers told her friend to arrive an hour late; thus, she sat alone and unoccupied. As she waited, with no mobile device to keep her company, she became more and more agitated and at one point said to the camera, “I may be having a panic attack.” Unable to handle sitting by herself, she went to the bar and did something completely out of character—she struck up conversations with real live people whom she didn’t know. Within minutes she was engaged in conversation, and after a while the bartender came over and asked for her number. Since she didn’t have her phone on her, he wrote his digits on a napkin. Sigh. On a napkin. For all you hopeless romantics, when was the last time someone slipped you a phone number on a napkin? Had she stayed at her table texting, tweeting and Tumblring, this magical albeit sappy oldHollywood scene would have been replaced by a few irritated messages about friends who stand friends up and some status updates about how bored she was. A professor once told me to go to the library to look for books and articles instead of searching for them online. Apparently, we never know what discoveries lie on a library’s shelves. I didn’t know if I could be bothered. But now I wonder if every time I choose to wander instead of web-surf, perhaps serendipity can be recaptured.

alancing student life with keeping yourself healthy is no easy task. Luckily for us Portland State students, the Center for Student Health and Counseling exists. While it’s been rightfully criticized in the past for long wait-times and fees for uninsured students, SHAC does do a lot of good and provides relatively quick and helpful service to PSU’s large student population. Since transferring to PSU in 2011, I’ve never used the services provided at SHAC; until recently, that is. Prior to this year, I’ve never been sick to the point that I felt SHAC’s services were necessary. Then, suddenly, I started feeling flu-like symptoms and near-constant fatigue. Most professors start lowering your grades if you miss a certain number of classes per term, so I still attended my daily classes, which in retrospect probably wasn’t the smartest idea. At one point my ears popped, and then one eardrum never “unpopped.” Prior to this I had a lot of reservations about going to SHAC. I’d heard that immediate care was a near impossibility, and that the quality of care received by my peers was less than stellar. But after waking up to a near-complete loss of hearing in my left ear I decided it was time to suck it up and see a doctor at SHAC. Upon arrival I was able to see both a nurse and a physician right away. They were able to check me out quickly and thoroughly, as well as prescribe me antibiotics to

fight what seemed to be an ear infection of sorts coupled with the flu. Apart from attending my Friday morning French class (a lot of fun when you can only hear out of one ear and your voice is almost nonexistent), I’ve been bedridden and working on feeling better. I’m still waiting for my hearing to fully return, but I’m still very happy with and thankful for the health services so readily available to me and every other student at PSU.

SHAC does the best it can with its current staff and services, and obviously that’s paying off.

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care recently accredited SHAC. This is the highest level of accreditation a university health care center can attain. This particular accreditation means that SHAC is “committed to providing high-quality care and that it has demonstrated its commitment by achieving AAAHC Standards.”

The AAAHC doesn’t accredit every care center, either. Patients of accredited health centers must be “treated with respect, consideration and dignity,” and “must be provided with complete information concerning their diagnosis, evaluation, treatment and prognosis.” Having now experienced firsthand what it’s like to be a student receiving care from a university health center, I can attest to that last part. I’ve gone to urgent care at Oregon Health and Science University before, and I received very good service; however, I much preferred what I got at SHAC. The nurse who aided me even educated me on how I should treat my antibiotic usage while adhering to a vegan diet. While it’s unknown whether this new accreditation will affect funding, I can only imagine that it will boost the chances of SHAC expanding its staff and the services it provides. When it comes right down to it, student health care centers are just that: health centers. They aren’t hospitals providing surgery or invasive treatments. SHAC does the best it can with its current staff and services, and obviously that’s paying off. If there’s been any recent criticism of long wait-times and shorthandedness, just remember that SHAC is providing basic health care and treatment to almost 30,000 students. That doesn’t come without a handful of stress and problems. Let’s hope SHAC keeps doing a good job and that my hearing eventually comes back.

Oregon: last state standing without antichoice laws New Mexico bill demonstrates how ridiculous abortion restrictions have become A Woman’s Right Shilpa Esther Trivedi

or several years I’ve watched as numerous pieces of legislation across the country deprived women of the fundamental right to make their own health care decisions. There have been a lot of nonsensical bills introduced, some of which actively seek to harm women. On Jan. 24, however, I woke up to discover what might honestly be the most asinine piece of legislation I’ve seen in a while: New Mexico House Bill 206. Introduced by Republican state representative Cathrynn Brown, the bill would effectively charge any rape or incest survivor in New Mexico who chooses to terminate a pregnancy resulting from a rape with a third-degree felony for tampering with evidence. This carries a sentence of up to three years. According to Brown, the bill is intended to punish a rapist who may attempt to conceal evidence of the crime by forcing a survivor to obtain an abortion. In Brown’s own words, “New Mexico needs to strengthen its laws to deter sex offenders…we can help protect women across our state.” The bill’s language clearly doesn’t protect women. Instead, doctors who performed abortions, parents who helped their minor children have an abortion and women who had legal medical abortions following rape would all be charged with a felony. This law wouldn’t actually deter a rapist from committing a sexual assault, and it’s glaringly unconstitutional. Additionally, the very idea of charging anyone who has obtained or who aids in providing an abortion with tampering

with evidence is faulty, because there’s nothing that would prevent law enforcement from obtaining the evidence. DNA can be obtained regardless of whether a survivor who ends up pregnant as a result of a rape chooses to have an abortion. It’s actually riskier for the survivor’s health to attempt to obtain DNA from a fetus that will be carried to term than it is to do so after an abortion. In many cases the paternity DNA test is conducted after birth, while obtaining DNA during an abortion occurs much sooner. Only a few hours after news of this bill got out, Brown realized she wasn’t winning any awards for her efforts to “protect women.” She removed all contact information from her website and added language to her personal webpage saying that the bill would not charge “victims.” But! The bill’s language clearly states: “Tampering with evidence shall include procuring or facilitating an abortion, or compelling or coercing another to obtain an abortion of a fetus that is the result of criminal sexual penetration or incest with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime” and that “whoever commits tampering with evidence shall be punished.” There’s nothing to ensure that a rape survivor won’t be prosecuted. It’s hard to believe Brown, and though she promised that women who choose abortion wouldn’t be arrested, the law would still charge doctors who performed abortions. When Brown publicly acknowledged that the information on her website wasn’t backed by the language within the bill itself, she claimed this was the

fault of the “bill drafter,” who apparently quit his job while writing the bill. To translate, Brown didn’t actually know exactly what was in her bill before introducing it. Once she “realized” what was in her bill, she reworded it. It now reads: “A person who commits sexual penetration or incest and who procures an abortion of a fetus resulting from the crime with the intent to destroy evidence of the crime is guilty of tampering with evidence, prohibiting prosecution of the mother of the fetus… In no circumstance shall the mother of the fetus be charged.” I’m not sure I’m happy with this slightly improved version. First of all, it isn’t necessary legislation, and I still suspect that Brown’s motives are more about preventing women from having the option of abortion than about preventing rape. Does Brown really think that a rapist forcing a survivor into a hospital or abortion clinic won’t garner some attention from medical professionals? I’m irritated that Brown’s idiotic idea has actually become a bill, and I’m perturbed she thought her constituents would react well to it. It reflects a political climate in which Republicans introduce legislation that’s inconsistent or counterintuitive at best, and truly offensive and harmful at worst. Moving forward, I’d like to see legislators from all parties make some attempt to consider what legislation that actually helps women should look like. We’re lucky that here in Oregon we don’t have laws placing huge burdens on women attempting to obtain abortions, but that could change. We need to do all we can to ensure that Oregon remains the last state standing.

ETC. ETC. •• Thursday, Thursday,Nov. Feb. 8, 7, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD • Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 • Opinion

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Erick Bengel EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5691

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. Post a comment online or write us a letter. Tell us what you think. Here are some online highlights from psuvanguard.com. “A game of chicken” Vol. 67 No. 33

“Getting tested at home” Vol. 67 No. 34

Ann Feb. 4 We live in a world that is out of control. The points made in this article emphasize that even more. If I am expected to live within a budget and make sacrifices to do so, then so should my government. Our representatives need to do their jobs!

Steve Feb. 2 Though I might not got to the extend of testing out each partner, it is a good idea to get tested for any one who is sexually active — https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=75eoBaUye-Y

Continued punishment Penance persists beyond the justice system Conversation Nation Megan Hall

he media outcry that a homeless, high-risk convicted sex offender had relocated to downtown Portland caused a community response that drove the man out of town. Shunning a person after he’s completed his sentence may constitute a type of punishment that exists beyond the justice system, and one that prevents him from reintegrating into society. On Jan. 11, I got an email from a friend with a link to a news report warning about a homeless convicted sex offender Gordon Michael Strauss, who had recently registered in my neighborhood. Later in the day I got a text message from someone else. Then a Facebook message. And then another one. Then another email. A former teacher of mine at Lincoln High School forwarded me the email sent out to parents warning them of the same man. Apparently, similar messages were sent out to the parents of students at St. Mary’s Academy and the Metropolitan Learning Center. The news went viral. The police officer interviewed on local news channels about Strauss’ release said she would “print [Strauss’ picture] out, and have it in my pocket, and learn it like the back of my hand and, quite frankly, if you see the man, go the other way.” She profiled his “typical attack.” She said his pattern of behavior indicated that there was “no indication…that he is going to stop.” The spread of information of Strauss’ relocation to my neighborhood happened very quickly, and there was no downplaying of the possibility that he could reoffend. Strauss registered “at the corner of Northwest Ninth

Avenue and Lovejoy Street,” according to the police. And while my first thought was that he was registered at the building on that street corner, I recalled that he was homeless and that there’s very little on that particular street corner; also, there aren’t any shelters. Oregon law differs from many other states in that it allows sex offenders to register without a permanent domicile. In fact, he’s in compliance of the law if he sleeps anywhere within a seven to 10 block radius of where he’s registered. Furthermore, Oregon only requires registered sex offenders to check in yearly (in contrast, Seattle requires weekly check-ins). There are more than 300 homeless registered sex offenders living in Portland. All 50 states enforce some variation of Megan’s Law, which requires convicted sex offenders to register with police and requires public notification of information pertaining to those sex offenders. This is what led to the media releasing Strauss’ name and information about his location. On Jan. 18, Strauss took his name off the registry in Portland so he could relocate back to Seattle, apparently to be closer to his family. However, this news garnered only a fraction of the press his registration did. He informed police that all the attention about his release was the reason he’d decided to leave the city. In effect, the flood of attention had pushed him out. A 2008 study by the New Jersey Department of Corrections found that, in New Jersey, Megan’s Law has had almost no effect on

anything, really. According to the report, “Megan’s Law has had no effect on time to first rearrest for known sex offenders and has not reduced sexual reoffending. Neither has it had an impact on the type of sexual reoffense or first-time sexual offense. The study also found that the law had not reduced the number of victims of sexual offenses.” What about what just happened with Strauss in Portland? It appears that the sheer amount of media attention is responsible for driving Strauss out of town, but that’s directly tied to the release of information on his whereabouts. While I am certainly glad Strauss no longer lives in my area, I cannot help but wonder about the effects of shunning him further. The police make it seem as if he’s only on the street until his next offense puts him back in an institution. For someone like Strauss, reintegration into society may never be possible. Strauss was sentenced to 14 years in an institution for sexual psychopaths after his most recent offense, and he completed that sentence. Yet on his release a new type of punishment exists, one that prevents him from reintegrating into society. As a society we have decided that serious sexual offenses almost ensure that you can’t successfully reincorporate into a community, regardless of whether it’s actually possible to do so in practice. Megan’s Law, according to the New Jersey Department of Corrections, may not cause any drastic changes in criminal behavior, but if these last weeks are any proof, they certainly raise community awareness. Perhaps even to the point of perpetuating a punishment that reaches far beyond the confines of a corrections facility.

“Is anti-gun legislation effective?” Vol. 67 No. 27 Steve Feb 2. Nice article. We talked about gun laws on my KPSU radio show recently. Check it out! http://nowingradio.com/2013/01/27/18-doesgun-control-work/

Got something to say?

Five Week Advanced Class Series: Wheel Theory

Monday, Feb. 11

Beyond Zionism: A New Paradigm for Peace in Palestine

Holocene provides the perfect opportunity for a Valentine’s Day date with its “l’ve Got a Hole in My Soul” Ball Feb. 14 at 9 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 7

25th Annual All Majors Career Fair 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, third floor ballroom 1825 SW Broadway

Representatives from more than 60 different organizations will be in attendance at the 25th annual All Majors Career Fair. Come explore opportunities for future careers, internships or volunteer work that will help get your foot in the door. For more information FREE visit pdx.edu/careers.

Women Writers of Iran: Past and Present

Give us your two cents at psuvanguard.com

Urban Tellers

Urban Tellers is a collection of real people telling the tales of their real life experiences. Tickets are $10–15. For more information visit portlandstorytheater.com. 21+

Dan Moyle/Flickr.com

Bob Drewes Feb. 1 Now this one, I beg to disagree.

in more than 45 different countries. Free food and fun prizes will be feaFREE tured at this event.

7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show Hipbone Studio, #104 1847 E Burnside St.

“11 minutes of sound and fury” Vol. 67 No. 35 © universal/getty images

entering the keyword Chinese New Year Cultural Fair, then using the discount code 2013CNYF.

Rec Center with your student ID to compete in a free throw, three-point FREE shooting and dunk contest.

Friday, Feb. 8

Great Decision Series: China in Africa Noon–1 p.m. Shattuck Hall Annex 1914 SW Park Ave.

Bruce Gilley, a PSU professor of political science, will both pose and offer answers to important questions surrounding China’s involvement in Africa and how this affects the United States in this lecture in ShatFREE tuck Hall.

Noon–1 p.m. East Hall, room 109 632 SW Hall St.

Lecture: Four Performing Techniques in Chinese Opera

Bring your lunch and come to learn at this free lecture with Dick Davis, professor of Persian and chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Ohio State University, who will lead a discussion about the current and past FREE women writers of Iran.

4–5:30 p.m. School of Business Administration 631 SW Harrison St.

Archaeology First Thursdays: Tom Connolly 4 p.m. Cramer Hall, room 41 1721 SW Broadway

Professor Tom Connolly from the University of Oregon will be hosted in Cramer Hall for a talk about the 1864 treaty that formed the Klamath Reservation and the history of Beatty Gap as well as archaeology related to FREE the area.

Philosophy Club Winter 2013 Kickoff Meeting 5–7 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 327 1825 SW Broadway

Join fellow philosophy enthusiasts for the kickoff meeting of the Philosophy Club for winter term. This meeting with consist of an informal discussion based on a philosophical question chosen by the group. FREE

Basketball Skills Challenge 7–10 p.m. Academic Student and Rec Center 1800 SW Sixth Ave.

If you want an opportunity to show off your basketball skills come to the

This workshop held at the School of Business Administration will focus on the four performing techniques of Chinese opera: singing, reciting, symbolic moves and combat. Performers will demonstrate each technique, with a special emphasis on combat, and also talk about specific makeup and face-painting represenFREE tative of the genre.

China Night 2013 5:30–9:45 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, third floor ballroom 1825 SW Broadway

Celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Snake at Portland State’s China Night 2013. Enjoy dinner and a look at how the Chinese celebrate the new FREE year. Free with PSU ID.

Saturday, Feb. 9

Chinese New Year Cultural Fair 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Oregon Convention Center 777 NE Martin Luther King Blvd.

The Chinese New Year Cultural Fair helps to bring Chinese culture to Portland with a variety of food, informational booths and performances by professional dancers, musicians and acrobats. Admission is $8 and tickets can be purchased by visiting ticketswest.com and

7 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 327/8 1825 SW Broadway

Miko Peled, an Israeli writer and activist living in San Diego, will be at Portland State to talk about his new book, The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine, a story about the Israeli-Palestinian struggle from both a national and personal perFREE spective.

Tuesday, Feb. 12

Education Abroad Fair 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 296/8 1825 SW Broadway

If you are interested in completing a portion of your education in another country the Education Abroad Fair can help provide the information you need on more than 120 short-term, long-term and internship programs

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

The PSU Bike Hub offers the fourth class in a five-week series on understanding your bike and how to make repairs on it. The fourth class in the series is about wheel theory. Classes are free for Bike Hub members and $25 for nonmembers. For more information visit the PSU Bike Hub webpage at pdx.edu/bikehub/home.

Wednesday, Feb. 13

ETC.

Ethan Sperry, director of choral activities at PSU, will perform a choral piece in Lincoln Hall as a part of the Performance Attendance Recital FREE Series.

Transnational Feminist Perspectives from Migrant Women Workers 2–3:30 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 294 1825 SW Broadway

Robyn Magalit Rodriguez, associate professor in the Department of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis, will discuss ongoing research on different forms of Philippine migrant transnationalism, particularly the activism of Filipina migrant domesFREE tic workers.

From Combat to Coming Home: Social Worker’s Primer

I’ve Got a Hole in My Soul Portland Valentine’s Day Ball

3:45–7 p.m. Academic Student and Rec Center 1800 SW Sixth Ave.

9 p.m. Holocene 1001 SE Morrison St.

As part of the Culture and Conversation series, three different workshops are offered as part of one event geared toward shedding light on the military culture of both male and female service members. For full information and to register to attend any of these workshops visit pdx.edu/ssw/sswce.

Enjoy a soulful atmosphere and romantic decorations at Holocene for Valentine’s Day. This event is $5 for admission. For more information visit holocene.org. 21+

Thursday, Feb. 14

Performance Attendance Recital Series: Ethan Sperry Noon–1:30 p.m. Lincoln Hall, room 75 1620 SW Park Ave.

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

VANGUARD •• Thursday, TUESDAY, JANUARY Feb. 7, 2013 10, 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.

SPORTS

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

The phenom lives in Baltimore Joe Flacco comes through in postseason Gino Cerruti Vanguard staff

If you picked up Sports Illustrated or skimmed through the sports section of a major newspaper in the two weeks leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, chances are good you came across an article fawning over San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. It wasn’t a surprise to read accolades like “savior,” “wunderkind” and “phenom” thrown around by reporters in anticipation of the biggest game of the year. What did surprise me was how readily these writers awarded such highfalutin praise to a second-year (and, during the first half of the season, second-string) quarterback. Niners fans were another story. I was not living in San Francisco during the Kaepernick pandemonium, but I read about it in great detail—loaves of bread painted to resemble his tattooed arms, people actually tattooing his face on their bodies and, of course, “Kaepernicking,” the quarterback’s bicep-kissing

celebration imitated by practically everyone with an allegiance to the Red and Gold. I can’t blame them for praising the man who led the team to its first Super Bowl appearance in 18 years. And it’s not as if he hasn’t proven himself to be a great player. But Kaepernick became a mythological superhero before he even had a chance to finish one complete season. Even worse, a large part of the attention paid to Kaepernick over the past few weeks seemed to come at the expense of the postseason’s real superstar— Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. Lost amid all the hype about Kaepernick, Flacco may have just had the greatest run of any quarterback in NFL postseason history. He threw for 11 touchdowns with zero interceptions and more than 1,000 yards in four games, numbers comparable to the storied playoff runs of Aaron Rodgers and Joe Montana. But his stats tell only part of the story. Flacco’s clutch performance game after game is a marvel to watch. Passes across the body connect with receivers deep downfield, near-sack short tosses somehow lead to 30-yard gains and his ability to evade the defensive rush is the first step on the way to the spotlight-stealing catches of Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. Even with all

of his success, the media has barely touched Flacco’s story, and I highly doubt any fans got his mug tatted on their backs. There just isn’t much to discuss about him outside of football. Flacco’s own father confessed that his son is “as dull as he is portrayed in the media.” He doesn’t have a personal victory celebration and he certainly hasn’t tried to trademark one—I’m looking at you, Kaepernick—which doesn’t give fans much to work with. Instead, they turn to players with more interesting stories like now-retired linebacker Ray Lewis or Kaepernick. Drew Lazzara recently wrote a Between the Horns article about Flacco that stated, “there isn’t a myth to make… there’s barely a story to tell.” I agree that Flacco isn’t bubbling with charisma, but that’s not exactly a bad thing. Fans are obsessed with mythicizing their favorite athletes and, as we’ve seen in the case of Kaepernick, legends are created before anything legendary even occurs, which casts a false light on their achievements. It’s the manifestation of the public’s insatiable appetite for the complete package: a dynamic, infallible savior. Flacco may never see himself described as such, but the truth has already been recorded in the ledger, and that’s all that matters.

Blazers win ugly Portland beats Minnesota despite late collapse Alex Moore Vanguard staff

Trail Blazers fans let out a collective sigh of relief on Monday night, as Portland blew a 19-point lead over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center but held on to win in overtime. Portland started off their six-game road trip with a much-needed win against their division rivals. Though it doesn’t seem likely that the Timberwolves will be making a push for the playoffs this year, the win was a crucial one for the Blazers, who have not had much success away from the Rose Garden Arena this year. With the all-star break approaching, the team could use a little momentum at the midway point of the season. Portland managed to come out of Minneapolis with the victory Monday night, but the team did everything they could to give it away. The Blazers committed a season-high 28 turnovers, the most by a Blazers team since 1989. The sloppy play culminated in a 40-point fourth quarter for the Timberwolves, allowing the home team to fight their way

wesley matthews had 22 points in the overtime victory. back into the game. Down the stretch, Minnesota had multiple chances to tie but failed to convert. Former Blazer Dante Cunningham’s game-winning attempt at the buzzer missed the mark, sending the game into overtime. Before that disastrous fourth, Portland managed three quarters of excellent basketball. LaMarcus Aldridge had a huge game, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and Wesley Matthews, playing on an injured ankle, contributed 22 points and five assists. Minnesota has dealt with injuries all season, with star forward Kevin Love missing large amounts of game time and point guard Ricky Rubio

slowly recovering from last year’s season-ending injury. Even without those two key players in the lineup consistently, the Wolves still looked like they had a chance at making the playoffs early in the season, before Love went down for the second time with a hand injury. Since then, Minnesota has gradually dropped in the standings, and they are currently the only Northwest Division team not in contention for a postseason spot. The Blazers now move on to Dallas to face a Mavericks squad that Portland beat last week in a game that came down to the last shot. If Portland wants to take that next step toward the playoffs, the next few games will be critical.

Tennis team hits the court connor gilmore returns for his final season on the Portland State tennis squad.

stratton gilmore scored the only win for the Vikings on Monday against UC Davis.

Vikings get ready for George Fox Matt Deems Vanguard staff

The Portland State tennis team has just begun a new campaign. The Vikings gained a good deal of experience in a tune-up match against the University of Oregon Ducks to open the season, even though they left without a win. Antoine Bechmann played number one singles versus Oregon native and Cleveland High School product Alex Rovello in what turned out to be a competitive contest. Bechmann was able to break

Rovello’s serve a few times and give the former No. 1 Pacific Northwest USTA junior tennis player a tougher-thanexpected match. The Vikings next faced Gonzaga University in a match that yielded both a doubles and singles victory but ended with another mark in the loss column. They then moved on to face Division III Willamette University. Portland State won the match with relative ease, but Bechmann was upset at number one singles by Joshua Wong along the way. The fine-tuning seemed to pay off, when the Vikings met the Seattle University

Redhawks and pulled out a close match, winning 4-3. The following day, the Vikings suited back up for their first conference match of the year against the Montana State University Bobcats at home. Bechmann had an intriguing number one singles match, going down 1-6 in the first set, winning the second in a tiebreaker and then going on to win the match tiebreaker 10-7. Connor Gilmore also pulled out a three-set win at number four singles, but the Vikings lost 4-3. After a loss to the University of California, Davis on Monday, PSU is set to take on the up-and-coming Division

III George Fox University this coming Saturday. This match is slated as a tune-up for the Vikings, but the Bruins have been slowly proving themselves in the four years since coach Neal Ninteman took over. They have improved each year and are looking to gain some more experience from their match against the Vikings. Justin McClain, a returning junior for the Bruins, is quickly rising in his conference. “Against a D-I program like PSU, nobody expects much out of us,” McClain said. “We go in with nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

George Fox is ready for the challenge. “We don’t really [make] any special preparations for a team like PSU,” McClain said. “Neal has his routine and we stick to it. The

team confidence level going into the season is very high. We are going to work hard and give everything we have got in every match we play, especially against a team like PSU.”

VANGUARD •TThursday, uesday, Jan. Feb. 31, 7, 2013 2013• •SPORTS SPORTS

Inaugural softball season underway Viking squad prepares for Big Sky competition

Rosemary Hanson Vanguard staff

karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFF

anna bertrand winds up for the Vikings. The senior pitcher will be a key component of the team’s success this year.

The Portland State women’s softball season begins tonight in the team’s first year of competition as part of the Big Sky conference. After dominating the Pacific Coast Softball Conference division in years past, Viking softball is favored in preseason polls to win the conference title. This season’s schedule has the team away for nearly a month and a half of nonconference play, including competition against nationally ranked teams. The Vikings head to the Kajikawa Classic first for a six-game stretch. Portland State will come into the 2013 season off two consecutive NCAA tournament bids. Returning to the squad is senior pitcher Anna Bertrand, 2012’s unanimous PCSC Mountain Division Pitcher of the Year. Bertrand compiled a 23-13 record last season with a 1.79 ERA. “Anna is vital to our success,” head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk said. “How her performance goes will determine how the team performance goes. She has

high expectations for herself.” Last season, the Vikings suffered from offensive inconsistency, a problem they have worked hard to correct. “This year is a little bit of a different look,” Echo-Hawk said. “We’re a little bit more of a powerful offense—we have a couple kids [who] add power throughout the course of the game.” Along with Bertrand, Portland State has three other seniors coming back to fill leadership roles: second baseman Carly McEachran, left fielder Sadie Lopez and pinch hitter Alexa Morales. McEachran was second on the team in runs last season, with 21. “They’ve been there,” EchoHawk said. “They’ve been in the championship almost all of their years here. They know what to expect and what to do, and the younger people on the team are really buying into this idea.” Echo-Hawk also noted that the depth at every position is encouraging, and not only from the senior players. “This is the most talented group since I’ve been here,” she said. “If one person isn’t going to get it done, someone will step in, which is a good way to raise the level of the play.”

Though the Vikings are making a big move from the PCSC into the Big Sky, their competitors are not unfamiliar to the squad. The new seventeam conference will include Portland State, the University of North Dakota, Southern Utah University, Idaho State University, the University of Northern Colorado, Weber State University and California State University, Sacramento. The only schools that Portland State did not previously play against in the PCSC are Big Sky newcomers North Dakota and Southern Utah. Before the Vikings can move on to conference play, however, they have a stacked lineup of games through mid-March. “We play six weeks in a row,” Echo-Hawk said. “The kids are really excited to see what they can do against these nationally ranked teams.” The Vikings will get started at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, hosted by Arizona State University. The first game is scheduled for 4 p.m. today against San Jose State University, followed by a matchup with 2012 Mountain West runner-up Boise State University on Friday at 9 a.m. The full schedule and live stats can be found at goviks.com.

Basement Notes: Fanhood Love/hate relationships in a free-agent world Zach Bigalke Vanguard staff

“You know, I used to hate Parkman when he was with the A’s. It’s amazing how a new uniform can change your attitude about a guy.” When legendary movie play-by-play announcer Harry Doyle (played by real-life announcing legend Bob Uecker) uttered these words in Major League II, he put a voice to the feelings espoused by many sports fans. Our greatest rivals become fan favorites as soon as they don our home team’s colors, and our sports heroes become persona, non grata, as soon as they take their talents to another city.

die-hards take it personally when an icon jumps ship for another city.

I am as guilty of this as any other fanatic out there. Born a Cheesehead, my 14-year-old self revered Brett Favre as the savior of the Green Bay Packers when he led the team to a long-sought Super Bowl XXXI victory. Had you told me at that moment that I would come to loathe Favre in my adulthood, I would not have been able to fathom the possibility. Fast-forward to 2008, when Favre engineered his departure from Wisconsin for a stint with the New York Jets. As difficult as the move was, it wasn’t nearly as painful as what transpired the following offseason, when the gunslinger from Kiln, Miss. signed with the division-rival Minnesota Vikings in 2009. In doing so, he erased nearly all of the goodwill accrued over 16 seasons in Green Bay. From a lifetime of idolatry by the Packer faithful to Public Enemy No. 1, Favre perfectly illustrates the phenomenon of our fickle fanhood. Every die-hard has a story similar to the Favre saga. Red Sox fans can point to a steady stream of Fenway Park favorites who eventually wound up as Yankees. The world’s top soccer stars roam from team to team, racking up exorbitant transfer fees as mercenaries for hire. Even in a sport like hockey, where a working-class ethos prevails, there are far more players whose careers play out like Wayne Gretzky (four teams in 20 years) than like Mario Lemieux or Steve Yzerman, who played their entire careers in one city and remain legends in Pittsburgh and Detroit, respectively, to this day. While we would hardly lambaste a colleague for relocating to a better job opportunity, we act like jilted lovers when “our” players exercise their freedom of movement. A simple change of the team name on the front of a jersey severely alters our view of the name emblazoned across the shoulders. Lavish praise quickly morphs into harsh words—sometimes even devolving into death threats— as former disciples struggle to cope with the loss. What triggers such a virulent response? As fans, we invest a tremendous amount of time, energy and money into rooting for our favorite teams. Franchises provide a link between eras for a city, a shared history in which our pride is vicariously won or lost on the field of competition. The players are our proxies in this struggle, and when they switch allegiances their defection almost feels treasonous. But we must always remember that this investment comes with no guarantee beyond that day’s performance—today’s hero can easily become tomorrow’s villain. Look no further than Jack Parkman, who didn’t even last with the Cleveland Indians for the entirety of a 105-minute movie.

Upcoming Thursday, Feb. 7

Women’s basketball

vs. Vikings vs. Northern Arizona Peter Stott Center 7:30 p.m.

men’s basketball

@ Vikings @ Northern Arizona J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome 5:35 p.m.

Softball Kajikawa Classic Tempe, Ariz. 4 p.m. Forcast: High of 74 degrees, sunny

Friday, Feb. 8

women’s Tennis

@ Vikings @ University of Portland Louisiana-Pacific Tennis Center 11 a.m.

NBA

@ Blazers @ Houston Toyota Center 5 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 9

Track and Field Husky Classic Seattle, Wash. 9 a.m. BSU Team Challenge Boise, Idaho 10 a.m.

Women’s Basketball

vs. Vikings vs.Sacramento State Peter Stott Center 2 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

@ Vikings @ Sacramento State The Nest at Colberg Court 7:05 p.m.

men’s Tennis

vs. Vikings vs. George Fox Club Green Meadows 4 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 11

Women’s golf The Gold Rush Yorba Linda, Calif. Forecast: High of 64 degrees, sunny