Portland State Vanguard February 19, 2013 by Portland State Vanguard

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Portland State University Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 39

Salem eyes tuition equity Fire or

rehire? A renegotiation update on controversial aid distributor Higher One Isaac Hotchkiss Vanguard Staff

more likely to go to college,” she said. “It’s just a basic right that should be available to everyone.” Some opponents of the bill have claimed it will use much-needed taxpayer money or reduce access to students who are citizens already, but this is not the case, said PSU Student Senator Tia Gomez Zeller. “We have capacity for everyone,” she said of the Oregon University System. Because the bill would not extend student loan availability to the

Higher One’s Facebook page, despite having almost 65,000 “likes,” is full of vocal criticism. A recent post, in which Higher One asked fans what they considered the best Valentine’s Day gift, prompted a dozen people to respond that they’d like to finally get their refunds. Higher One is the controversial company behind Portland State’s PSUOne debit card/ID and PSU’s default distributor of student financial aid since 2004. It distributes aid to 6.2 million students nationwide. Its contract with PSU expires in October 2014, but the renegotiation process is already underway. Darin Matthews, formerly an adjunct faculty member in PSU’s School of Business Administration, was recently hired to oversee contracts and procurement at PSU and is overseeing the contract negotiation with Higher One. Matthews specializes in government contracting. Matthews provided a rough timeline for the renegotiation, explaining

See tuition on page 4

See Higher one on page 5

roughly 300 supporters of the tuition equity bill gathered on the Capitol steps to rally on Wednesday morning.

Bill would benefit young, educated immigrants Andrew Lawrence Vanguard Staff

Support is growing in Salem for tuition equity, an idea that would, for the first time in Oregon, grant access to in-state tuition to undocumented high school graduates who meet certain requirements. A House committee was slated to consider House Bill 2787 on Monday,

after several changes were made to the bill last week. At a rally in the capital Wednesday, hundreds of supporters gathered to push for swift passage of the bill. “We feel it’s an educational issue, not an immigration issue,” Associated Students of Portland State University President Tiffany Dollar said. She said more than 300 supporters were in attendance, including about 20 from Portland State. Already law in 13 states, including Washington, California and Texas, the bill would allow access to in-state

tuition rates to students who have attended school in the U.S. for at least five years (three of them at an Oregon high school), graduate from an Oregon high school and demonstrate they have, or will soon, apply for citizenship. Dollar said Oregon is one of a few states with a growing population of young people, the majority of whom are Latino, and that denying them access to these lower tuition rates is counterproductive. “College folks make more, they pay more taxes and their children are

Tea with TED Students meet and discuss TED Talks Kaela O’Brien Vanguard Staff

After meeting in the fall, two ambitious Portland State freshmen put their common passion for TED Talks to use by creating the student group Tea with TED. On Thursday, 20 to 30 students gathered in the Montgomery Court Residence Hall lounge to watch and discuss two TED Talks on water sustainability over snacks and tea. After freshmen Amber Smith and James Lopez met, it didn’t take long for them to realize they shared a love for the Internet videos known as TED Talks, which are filmed lectures on a variety of topics. The collective motto of these videos is, “ideas worth spreading.” The two students created the group, which aims to meet monthly so students can watch and discuss TED Talks on a particular subject. This month’s meeting discussed

water sustainability. Students from Take Back the Tap and EcoReps were also present. During the meeting, students viewed two talks: Capt. Charles Moore speaking on the “seas of plastic” and Anupam Mishra speaking on the “ancient ingenuity of water harvesting.” The first video is a talk by Moore highlighting the massive amounts of plastic that have been gathering for years in the oceans. Largely to blame is the excessive use of plastic packaging, especially in the form of liquid containers such as soda or water bottles, Moore explained. The video was followed by a group discussion focusing on students’ reactions and possible solutions. One student claimed the video made her feel like taking an environmental science class, while another said the video left him hungry for answers. See ted on page 5

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Amber Smith, left, a founder of Tea with TED, and EcoRep Emma Prichard attended the Thursday event.

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Provost to invest $3 million in cyber-based upgrades reTHINK PSU: Students have until Thursday to get involved

Provost Sona Andrews, vice president of Academic Affairs, is pioneering reTHINK PSU.

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PSU collected about $4.2 million in online fees and used $1.7 million to support techbased courses. The Provost’s Challenge is partly funded by $2.5 million not spent during the 2011–12 academic year, according to Andrews. Only a portion of collected fees are intended to fund future development. The remaining amount, $500,000, is coming from 2012–13 online fees. Support for developing and continuing online and hybrid courses and technology-based student resources comes from student-paid online learning fees. Two different fees constitute online fees: fully online classes and hybrid classes. Hybrid classes cost $30 per credit hour, and online classes cost $60 per credit hour, according to Susan Klees, the fiscal officer at Academic Affairs.

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During the 2011–12 academic year, 22,055 students enrolled in online classes, and 10,711 students enrolled in hybrid classes, according to Kathi Ketcheson, director at PSU’s Institutional Research and Planning office. That’s 32,766 students, which is more than half of the total number of students enrolled for at least one term in the summer, fall, winter or spring of 2011–12 (which was 42,109) according to the headcount statistics provided online by OIRP. If some of these proposals are implemented, students will spend more time with faculty because class elements like lectures will be uploaded and out of the way. Basic science labs are hoping to go online as well. “If content is online, then you have more interaction with students,” Andrews said. “They will spend more time with each other.” The aim is to fund a selection of the proposals and execute them quickly, within 18

months or less. Some of the programs are expected to take six to eight months to be finalized. Faculty members were encouraged to offer their best ideas for the challenge. “What faculty and staff will be able to do is [that] they will be able to move much more quickly at developing these new courses, these new ways of teaching, these new degree programs or putting existing programs online,” Andrews said. “We’re really trying to reduce the time it takes to earn a degree,” she added. Proposals are split into three parts: the acceleration challenge (online classes and degrees), reframing challenge (massive open online courses and transfer credits), and the inspiration challenge (online textbooks and advising). Each category will receive a portion of the $3 million award. All of the proposals are online, so anyone in the world can see them, but only PSU students and faculty can comment. Proposers are merging some of the concepts already

Here are two proposals. For many more, check out rethink.pdx.edu.

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Proposal 54: Online Academic Advising and Career Development Modules

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As part of the inspiration challenge, this project aims to make it easier for students to find a connection between their majors and possible careers. Integration into online student orientation will make it a known resource to new students. It may be used in introductory courses for certain majors. Perks: Resources for comparing majors to careers, finding internships and fulfilling advising requirements.

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Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies hosts lecture on transnational feminism Erik Mutzke

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Technological advancements are revamping higher education, and Portland State is next. The Provost’s Challenge, now underway, is set to accelerate the development of proposed technology-based changes to college programs and resources at PSU. Provost Sona Andrews, the vice president of Academic Affairs, has been at PSU for nearly seven months. She spearheaded the challenge, and is calling its first phase, a collaborative project among faculty and staff, reTHINK PSU. Students are invited to weigh in on more than 100 proposals online and have until Feb. 22 to do so. A $3 million budget will fund the proposals chosen by April 2013. “We have a lot of faculty and staff who want to be able to use technology, or put their courses online, and just don’t have the resources and the support to do it,” Andrews said. Online classes are in high demand at PSU. Roughly 77 percent of the students registered for classes at any given time enroll in online or hybrid classes. Money for the challenge is coming from online learning fees paid by students. During the 2011–12 academic year,

Proposal 111: PDX Open: Reducing Student Textbook Costs

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Melanie Mitchell, a PSU computer science professor, records online lectures for her massive open online course. Mitchell submitted a proposal to reTHINK PSU for an undergraduate MOOC cluster series at PSU.

Another inspiration challenge proposal focused on open textbooks. This is pretty self-explanatory—students will have access to online textbooks. Books would be accessible via multiple platforms (tablets, computers, et cetera), and can be printed via Print on Demand at the Portland State Bookstore if needed. Perks: Saves thousands of dollars normally spent on hard copies, reinforces sustainability theme at PSU and makes it easier to learn about courses in advance.

presented and revising them before the Feb. 22 deadline. “We would absolutely love [for], and I encourage students, tremendously, to look at the proposals and to provide comments,” Andrews said. “We will look at all of those comments, as will the people who are developing these proposals—they’re changing their proposals as people are commenting.” Victor Mena, academic affairs director for student government, witnessed 25 live presentations at the Winter Symposium. He said the Associated Students of Portland State University have decided to assign two ASPSU students to go over the proposals. The goal is to access them and then raise student interest. “We’re going to look at proposals and see which ones need to be merged,” Mena said. ASPSU is especially interested in the prospect of online advising, as introduced by inspiration challenge proposal number 54, “Online Academic Advising Course.” If selected, it will be part of online student orientation. Students would access career modules designed to explore fields of interest and be able to find internships. It will perhaps merge with its training equivalent, proposal number 88, “Faculty Advising Initiative.” “We’re talking [within ASPSU about] how advising is going,” Mena said. “Basically, these proposals change the way advising is done, [putting it] online.” Mena said if PSU wants to invest in its technological savviness, they need to match it with investment in better equipment for students. “Students can check out laptops at the library, but they’re, like, six years old,” Mena said. “The library isn’t [open] 24 hours, except during finals. Access to technology [for] all students is probably going to be one of the barriers.” To comment on the proposals, follow reTHINK PSU at rethink.pdx.edu.

barbara Jordan (1936-1996) represented Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives. A training this week aims to help more women earn leadership roles.

Workshop boosts women’s leadership opportunities Mary Breaden Vanguard staff

More than half of the women now in the United States Congress ran for student government office. This Wednesday, the Center for Women, Politics and Policy will seek to equalize the ratio of men to women in Congress by offering training on the nuts and bolts of running for office. Portland State is one of two universities in Oregon to offer an Elect-Her: Campus Women Win training through the American Association of University Women, an organization that seeks to empower women and girls.

“We feel that it’s a big honor to have this training here,” said Sunny Petit, the director of the CWPP. “We think that the tools from this training will help women who are interested in all kinds of organizing and community work.” The four-hour training will be held in room 238 of the Smith Memorial Student Union, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will include a free dinner and door prizes for attendees. Petit said that the women who attend the training should expect to take away skills that will help them to network with other women and also help them learn public speaking skills. “Long-term, we know there’s a strong correlation between student body governments and women in Congress,” Petit said. She mentioned that one of

CWPP’s proteges was a single mother who went on to run for student government at Portland State and then founded the Children’s Center in SMSU. This student, Petit said, demonstrated that women can use their own story to better their community. Petit hopes that these widespread efforts through the AAUW and 38 other colleges and universities across the country will decrease the gap between men and women in Congress. “We hope that this training will be a way for women to start getting involved in politics. Our hope is to offer this training every year,” Petit said. The training is free, and dinner will be provided. To RSVP or nominate another person, go to cwpp.pdx.edu/ electher.

It was a just coincidence that associate professor Robyn Rodriguez, from the University of California, Davis, came to Portland State to deliver a lecture on feminism on the same day and around the same time that participants in the One Billion Rising movement marched from the Park Blocks into downtown for the empowerment of women. On Thursday, the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies program, with the help of co-sponsors from the Portland Center for Public Humanities, the Department of Sociology, the Anthropology Department and the Child and Family Studies Program hosted Rodriguez for a discussion of her research on transnational feminism through the perspective of Filipina migrant domestic workers. At the core of her lecture, Rodriguez sought to map and rephrase feminist topographies with the striking example of women migrant workers. About 45 people gathered to hear Rodriguez’ third lecture at PSU addressing feminism from a particular international lens. “The Philippines is one of

the top labor-sending and remittance-earning countries in the world,” Rodriguez said. Through the export of lowwage, gendered labor, 5,000 men and women leave the Philippines every day to work in more than 200 locations around the world. Because of this dispersal, we see new responses, Rodriguez explained. Migrant women workers have organized themselves into coalitions to fight for their rights, she said. Rodriguez is closely associated with the International Migrants Alliance and witnessed its preformation late in 2006, a time when the U.S. faced major immigrant mobilizations. IMA is made up of 108 grassroots migrant organizations across 25 countries, and its goals are to provide foreign workers with a voice to speak for themselves and a mode for empowerment. “The events organized by IMA are ways that migrant workers can share experiences and make sense of the way they face injustice,” Rodriguez said. Through these sorts of organizations, she explained how migrant women workers are recharting the world on their own terms, with their own voices.

women speak out: A Thursday lecture by Robyn Rodriguez explored transnational feminism and migrant workers.

Rodriguez also works with Migrante International, an organization that helps to link and provide support to Filipino migrant workers. The organization focuses on host countries, where women face harsh conditions and inequalities in the work environment, and simultaneously addresses the Filipino government and its policy of exporting workers. Her most recent book, Migrants for Export: How the Philippine State Brokers Labor to the World, was published in 2010 and focuses directly on the Philippines’ state engaging in this process of exporting workers. “My purpose is to decenter how we think about immigration and immigrant rights,” Rodriguez said. “Much of the conversation is confined to the U.S. It’s important for us to take a step back and see sights and forms of activism beyond our vantage point in the U.S., where women migrants are remapping and making connections between one another in the context in which they work and the context from which they came.” Sally McWilliams, chair of the women’s studies program, explained how this lecture was important for the department’s goal to expand the curriculum and broaden students’ understanding beyond second-wave feminism. “We have two new courses being offered this spring, and next year [we’ll] be offering a class on gender, race and food justice,” McWilliams said. “We are really trying to expand the conversation of women’s studies at PSU. We want to enhance our students’ understanding of feminist and social justice issues across the globe, and professor Rodriguez speaks directly to that.”

Melody Rose steps into chancellor role Mary Breaden Vanguard staff

melody rose is now the vice chancellor of Academic Stategies for the Oregon University System.

On March 2, Dr. Melody Rose will become the first woman chancellor since the Oregon University System’s first chancellor was selected in 1931. Rose will be assuming the duties of interim chancellor, replacing the current chancellor, George Pernsteiner, who resigned at the end of January. “I’m deeply honored to be asked to serve in this capacity, and I look forward to working with this staff and stakeholders,” Rose said. She’ll fill the spot until the Oregon State Board of Higher Education is able to select a permanent replacement. Rose was first brought into the OUS as the vice chancellor of academic strategies in August 2012, but at Portland State

she is more widely known for her work within the political science department and as the vice provost for Academic Programs and Instruction. “Some of the things I did at PSU around hybrid learning allowed students to find ways to learn that suit their complicated lives. Access to online education is critical to those populations,” Rose said. Rose is eager for the OUS to take advantage of the opportunities that online education offers the nontraditional student. Goals for the OUS would include expanding the nontraditional student’s access to education, she said. “I want to make sure that students have access to those opportunities.” In 2004, Rose founded the Center for Women, Politics and Policy and National Education

for Women’s Leadership Oregon through PSU. Both of these institutions seek to provide young women with leadership training to encourage them to become more involved in seeking public office. She has also written several books and academic articles on the subject of women in politics. Rose said that her time spent founding the CWPP would “never have come into being if not for a very diverse set of passionate stakeholders.” From that experience, Rose said, she learned a great deal that she will take with her into her position as interim chancellor. Student success and achievement will be a very important part of Rose’s work as interim chancellor, she said. Modern-day education involves a great many innovative

learning platforms, Rose said, that students in her generation didn’t have access to. Regarding the discussions of education in last week’s State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, Rose said that the president and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan both place great importance on an “education continuum” that the OUS shares. “Higher education success depends on early learning in K–12 education,” Rose said, adding that providing opportunities for students transitioning to college is among her top priorities. Pernsteiner, who had held the position of chancellor since 2004, will continue to collect his salary and vacation time until his contract expires in the summer of 2014.

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From Iran, women’s words sing Students and faculty gather to remember Iranian women in literature Turner Lobey Vanguard Staff

Students and faculty members came together over coffee and lunch to take part in discussion and discovery in the Middle East Studies Center on Thursday. Attendees were presented with a lecture about women authors in Iran and their trajectory through history from Dick Davis, a professor of Persian and chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Ohio State University. Davis is an author, translator and editor. He has published more than 20 books and translations from Italian and Persian. Davis’ lecture took the audience from the ninth century to today and discussed female writers who, in many cases, history has completely forgotten. “Persian literature really begins in the ninth century,” Davis said. “All the people in the beginning were poets. Not to say there wasn’t prose. Most of [the writers] whom are remembered and revered are verse writers.” One of the first prominent poets was Rabe’eh Qozdari.

“She was the first woman poet history is aware of,” Davis said. “Early poetry tends to be quite happy. Rabe’eh is the exception. That anger was unique…it is now a constant theme.” Scholars do not know exactly when Qozdari wrote, but she did so from what is now Northern Afghanistan. She specialized in short poems that were filled with rage about injustice. Many of her poems have been lost to time. “Jahan Malek Khatun is the only poet who lived in the medieval centuries whose complete manuscripts have come down to us,” Davis said. Khatun’s poems were not widely released during her lifetime. The only published exposure she had was in death, when her works were briefly discussed in a biography. She was then virtually forgotten until 1955, when her poems were published and finally released. “She is one of the greatest premodern poets,” Davis said. “Her love poems are very charming.” Between that and the 14th century and the 19th century, women’s work faded, Davis said. “It begins to revive again in the 19th century, partly because of outside influence. It shifts with Western influence,” he added. Another influential poet

was Alam Taj. “She’s one of the most interesting poets I know of, and she is virtually unknown,” Davis said. Taj was known as a child prodigy of poetry, but she only published one poem in her lifetime. She entered into a marriage controlled by her husband, who forbade her from writing poetry. In one instance she was caught, and her works were burned. She was forced to write in secret and hid her poetry throughout her house. They weren’t found until her death. Because of this, her poems have been incredibly hard to come by, Davis said. “Most people haven’t read her poems,” he said. “I had to have a friend Xerox me a copy of some of [them].” In modern times, one of the most famous Iranian women authors is Fattaneh Haj Seyed Javadi. She’s an “extremely controversial writer, but not in the way you’d think,” Davis said. Her book, the title of which roughly translates to The Morning After, has created much controversy among readers, he said. “Intellectuals in Iran hate it. Its message is extremely conservative.” The book tells the tale of a woman who rebels against her wealthy family by marrying a poor carpenter. The story that follows explores her grief and heartbreak in

the wake of her decision. It attacks cross-class marriage, and intellectuals are very opposed to that message, Davis said. Most of the poems and stories Davis shared were long forgotten by history and are only now being made available to the public. Audiences can now read and appreciate the stories through new translations and publications. The lecture, hosted by the Middle East Studies

Center and the Millar Library, is part of a series titled Lunch & Learn. “The Middle East Studies Center’s monthly brown-bag Lunch & Learn series provides an opportunity for the campus community to learn more about the Middle East through informal presentations and discussions with scholars and experts,” said Elisheva Cohen, outreach coordinator for the center. “These conversations provide

a forum for the community to engage in thoughtful dialogue about the region, ask questions and share their opinions.” The next lecture in the series is titled “The Arab Spring and Women’s Political Rights: Gain or Loss?” and will take place Thursday, March 7. The presentation will feature a lecture by Taghrid Khuri, adjunct faculty for the international studies and women’s studies programs at PSU.

Crime Blotter for Feb. 8–15 Vanguard Staff

911 Hang-up call, Feb. 10 Parkway Apartments

At 3:59 a.m., Officer Robert McCleary responded to a 911 hang-up call from a Parkway resident. Upon arrival at the apartment, the student who made the call said that she had been in a verbal argument with her boyfriend. He wanted to pack up all his things and leave while she didn’t want him to. Exclusion order, Feb. 11 Extended Studies Building parking lot

Oregon Legislators are considering a bill that would allow non-documented students to pay in-state tuition rates.

At 10:24 a.m., Officer Brenton Chose and Officer Shawn McKenzie contacted nonstudent Billy Blaney for being intoxicated and wandering around the lot with a bag full of beer. Blaney was issued an exclusion order. Dumpster diving, Feb. 12

affected students, no tax money would be used. This school year, a PSU student taking 12 credits at in-state rates pays $2,125 per quarter, while the out-of-state rate would push the cost to $6,181, an increase of more than 190 percent. “I know a lot of people who want to go but can’t afford it,” said ASPSU Multicultural Affairs Director Yesenia Silvia-Hernandez. “It will just bring more money to the state; it’s going to be a really good investment.” A similar bill passed the Oregon State Senate in 2011 but died in the House committee. This time around, though, both houses are controlled by Democrats, who

have previously shown more support for tuition equity, and the governor, also a Democrat, is a vocal supporter of the bill. Many other business, community and educational leaders also support the bill, according to a press release from the Oregon Student Association, including PSU President Wim Wiewel. Another cause contributing to the growing awareness and support of the issue is the increasing advocacy of those most affected, Gomez Zeller said. “Now we have something we didn’t have before: people not afraid to say they’re undocumented, [to say] ‘I’m going to fight.’” A kickoff event was held

by ASPSU on campus on Jan. 30, with student supporters creating some heart-shaped agitprop. “We delivered 2,000 handmade valentines to all 90 legislators,” Dollar said. Students who want to get involved can make a difference by emailing their legislators expressing their support for the bill, which should come to a vote near the end of this month, she said. In the end, Dollar said, what’s really important is the people affected, as moving testimony at the capitol on Wednesday showed. “It takes a lot of courage to speak out,” she said. “Even some of the legislators cried. It really puts it in perspective.”

The second video, a lecture led by Anupam Mishra, centered on environmentally friendly forms of water harvesting. Mishra provided examples of sustainable engineering that have allowed for a water harvesting system to function for centuries in the deserts of India. The successful system was created by a group of local

men, in comparison to a government funded water-harvesting project also mentioned in the talk, which failed. After watching this video, rather than discussing it as a large group, the students broke into smaller groups of around five or six students to share their opinions and reactions. Many felt that the passion

and knowledge behind local movements was priceless, while others maintained that it will take major change funded by large companies or the government to reach a higher frequency of sustainable practices. While students discussed these subjects, they snacked on the sustainable food provided.

kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFf

Josh Kelety

Group has hosted four events, plans more activities

Dick Davis, a guest speaker from Ohio State University, lectures about Iranian women writers on Thursday.

Tuition from page 1

Students storm Capitol with 2,000 valentines

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Broadway Residence Hall

At 7:48 a.m., Officer Chose contacted nonstudent Robert Kramer, who was searching through a dumpster on the north side of the building. Kramer was issued a verbal warning. Bike theft, Feb. 13 Ondine Residence Hall

At 3:45 p.m., Officer Michael Anderson took a bike theft report from a student. The bike was of BMX style and secured near Ondine with a u-lock. Disturbance, Feb. 14 Stott Center

At an unspecified time, Officer Chris Fischer responded to a report from Stott Center staff of a student being upset and causing a disturbance at a sporting event. Upon arrival it was found that the student was upset because the student had been asked to move from the reserved seating to the regular seating. Vehicle break-in, Feb. 14 University Center Building

At 9:30 p.m., Officer Fischer took a report from a student who said his vehicle was broken into and his jackets and tools were stolen.

all photos miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

james lopez, co-founder of Tea with TED, participates in a group discussion about the video.

All of the food, except for a single bag of popcorn, was either purchased in bulk or in another way that made it possible for no plastic to be used. Also available was an assortment of teas. The event was co-sponsored by two other student groups. EcoReps is a group of student leaders trained to promote environmentally and socially responsible behavior in residence halls, whose goals include reducing water usage. Also present was the student group Take Back the Tap, which specifically focuses on decreasing the use of disposable water bottles. “They are awful. Unsustainable. Ridiculous,” representative Emma Prichard said. “Our goal is to ban bottled water on campus.” Take Back the Tap started the campaign responsible for the installation of more than 10 bottle-filling stations located on campus. Because Tea with TED was started after the annual student group budgets were allocated, all events are based on donations and sponsorship, Smith said. “Next year we will receive funding, and hopefully then we can have a better facility,” she said. “We have discussed getting a conference table

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Students gather to watch a TED lecture about sustainable water harvesting on Thursday. with paper so that students can take notes or even doodle during the videos.” The group has hosted four events since fall. Previous topics have included gender roles and linguistics. “We are open to suggestions for TED Talks,” Smith said. She also noted that education and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer rights are next on the agenda. “Our main goal and hope is that soon our discussion will motivate action,” she said.

“That way we will be making the change we see discussed in TED Talks.” For more information, you can find Tea with TED at PSU on Facebook. To get involved with Take Back the Tap, join their meetings on Fridays at noon at the Green Space in the Smith Memorial Student Union basement, next door to Food For Thought Cafe. Future events include the “Tap That” event on March 1, at which there will be testing for water quality and taste.

higher one from page 1

Despite service complaints, Higher One saves PSU money that a significant early step is for the Associated Students of Portland State University senate to consider contract options at its March meeting. In April 2014, Higher One will be notified whether the current contract will be renewed or terminated. Matthews already has opinions about what Higher One could improve. “I think they could do better with service delivery,” he said. Matthews says the next step in the process will be for PSU to consider the senate’s recommendations on the matter in March. “I’m looking forward to their next meeting,” Matthews said. Marlon Holmes, vice president of ASPSU, is a member of the committee working on the Higher One research. Holmes is unsure whether there is a better option than Higher One for distribution of aid to the student body. PSU has actually negotiated one of the best contracts with Higher One in the nation, Holmes said. It eliminated many of the fees that Higher One still has in place with other schools, he explained. This is because of the actions of previous student governments. In 2009, the last time the contract was renegotiated, predatory fees were eliminated after students organized boycotts and initiated feedback. Right now the committee doesn’t offer any definitive statements, but the student senate will formally consider contract options in March.

Darin Matthews speaks at the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing in August. “We want to leave a recommendation for the next group of student senators,” Holmes said. “I know it seems like a hard company to deal with,” Holmes said. “When you look at it, we really do have a good contract with Higher One.” Holmes pointed out that it’s not an easy or smooth process distributing aid to nearly 20,000 students, no matter how you look at it. Higher One is frequently in the news for shady business practices. In August 2012, Higher One was ordered by

the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to pay back $11 million in illegal fees charged to students nationwide. Last week, the University of Montana student newspaper, the Montana Kaimin, reported that a federal investigation had been launched into Higher One’s practices at the school. Scott Gallagher, director of communications at PSU, previously told the Vanguard that PSU saves $400,000– 500,000 per year by using Higher One’s services to distribute aid.

Arts Arts&&Culture Culture ••T Tuesday, uesday, Feb. Jan. 31, 19, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD ••TThursday, Tuesday, uesday, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, Jan. Feb. JANUARY OCTOBER Nov. FEBRUARY JANUARY 31, 19,8, 2013 2013 2012 10, 25, 26, •2, 2012 2011 •ARTS •2012 ARTS ARTS ••&•OPINION & OPINION CULTURE &ARTS CULTURE CULTURE & CULTURE

ARTS & CULTURE

EDITOR: Louie Opatz ARTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM 503-725-5694

Hero worship from coast to coast California X isn’t shy about its influences Nicholas Kula Vanguard staff

For those of us over 30, the feeling of musical obsolescence is one we know all too well: It’s a jarring experience to survive enough years on this planet to witness the first rehashing of the music you grew up with. Those of us born in the early ’80s first checked for gray hair when synth-pop got big again. Unfortunately, we’re about to do it again. Those of you in your early 20s, however, are about to experience this firsthand, if you haven’t already in the last year. The generation gap between our two groups will be closed, and the cycle can begin with the next generation. I’m talking about grungy early-to-mid-’90s alternative rock music. Bands like Hum and Superdrag are the latest influences in the music industry’s rehash-fest, which has recently been reflected in bands like Yuck, Tame Impala and more. Enter California X. The band is composed of three men from Amherst, Mass., and they do the Hum thing while also infringing on the territory of Fu Manchu, Dinosaur Jr. and the wave of fuzzed-out stoner bands that logically followed alternative rock back in its golden age. If you’re not familiar with any of California X’s predecessors, the brief primer is that all feature smoothed-out fuzz riffs—and I do mean

Faux-fu: East coast trio proudly wear their influences (most notably, Fu Manchu) on their denim jackets. riffs—with a guy that just kind of softly yells over the top of the mess. Cymbals and drums form heavy, dense puddles of groove that are the mortar between the driving basslines and giant riffs. Indeed, the band sounds so much like Fu Manchu that it almost feels like I’m reviewing King of the Road—but I digress. If you couldn’t get enough Fu back in the band’s heyday, or were just too young to ever get into them, California X is probably a good bet. Songs like “Spider X” sound straight out of the Fu Manchu playbook, and might confuse even the hardest-headed van-dwelling Fu fan out there. Not only is the playing very similar,

but California X’s vocalist, Lemmy, employs a similar sense of melody and delivery. The record even has that hyper-compressed mastering feel, and the band relies on fadeouts to close out a few songs. All signs point to the record hedging as close to the original material as possible. Keep in mind that this type of blatant worship isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Bands like Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats completely nail the Black-Sabbath-worship thing outright, and their records are a joy to listen to. The point at which California X leaves me scratching my head is when they decide to stray from the Fu-print and carve out their own niche of fuzzed-out pop metal—a move that falls a little short. Take the record’s last track, “Mummy,” for instance. The track sounds like it’s straight out of a corny, slacker coming-of-age flick from Fu Manchu’s golden years—think Reality Bites. This is less like the good parts of Fu Manchu that we all remember—airbrushed wizards and metric tons of weed—and more like a bunch of silly footage of long-haired, flannel-clad teenagers throwing up on the Tilt-A-Whirl and aimlessly running around on train tracks in the woods. It might sound cool if you lived during that time period or actually did that stuff, but otherwise it sounds like ham-fisted nostalgia-for-sale. Structurally, the album is a mess, with a closing song opening the record and vice versa. Two track titles share similar names even though they appear consecutively. The album’s

order also feels generally off. After repeated listening, you can probably think of five different (and better) arrangements of the songs. However, when California X is on, it’s on. The aforementioned “Spider X” and the album’s opener, “Sucker,” are incredible hard rock tracks, worthy of inclusion in Fu Manchu’s lengthy, smoky oeuvre. While the second track, “Curse of the Nightmare,” is close, it isn’t quite there, even though the cut has some of the sludgiest, chunkiest riffing ever laid to mylar. “Lemmy’s World” contains one of the best melodies I’ve heard on a rock record in recent memory. Perhaps the most maddening aspect of the record is the inconsistency of the production: The guitars on one track sound like they have a wildly different compression effect applied to them compared to the next. And since the guitars are the primary focus of a band whose bread and butter is riffs, this is at best bothersome and at worst disorienting. Headphone listeners will notice the inconsistencies right away, as I did, but those listeners who check out California X through a stereo might not mind as much. Once you experience the record with headphones, however, the compression ratios will be the only thing you hear. Despite these gripes, most of the record is enjoyable enough to table complaints until the end of the album, rather than letting them loose on the fly. Nothing is too overwhelming, except the compression issues (which you might not even notice). Really, the sum of all the little things doesn’t remotely ruin California X’s raw riffage. Give the record a shot, and when you’re done with it, file it right next to your Fu Manchu wax. Scott Hill would probably be OK with that.

California X California X Don Giovanni Records

Two nights of ancient Asian instruments

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: From left, Dr. Ai-Soon Seong, Dr. Hynn Su Chung and Dr. Hyun OK Moon, all of Korea’s Chonnam National University, rehearse their instruments in this photo. All three will perform together at PSU this weekend.

Internationally renowned East Asian musicians to perform on campus Melinda Guillén Vanguard Staff

Forward thinking McSweeney’s publisher Eli Horowitz speaks at debut Transmit Culture event Mike Diallo Vanguard Staff

It’s probably safe to say that you’re aware of a few places on campus where you can find the writing of fellow Portland State students— hell, you’re reading one such publication right now. The clamorous refrain of “Print is dead!” has become so ubiquitous as to be cliche, and though it’s continually been disproven, the phrase does address a vital concern in the publishing world: In a market fractured and ultimately transformed by new media, how do you reach your readers? That is one of the questions that PSU’s graduate publishing program and its studentrun publishing house, Ooligan Press, hope to anwer with this Thursday’s event, the debut installment of the Transmit Culture: A Series of Conversations about Publishing lecture series. Transmit Culture seeks to address an overall stagnation in readership by cultivating an awareness of the present state of the publishing industry and looking forward to new ideas and solutions in publishing and marketing. Doors will open for the series’ first guest, former McSweeney’s co-publisher Eli Horowitz, at 6:30 p.m. An opening reception inviting guests to mingle and enjoy refreshments will be followed by the discussion at 7:30 p.m.

Courtesy of Ooligan press

publishing guru Eli Horowitz will discuss the future of publishing with PSU professor Paul Collins this week on campus. Ooligan Press graduate students Sarah Soards and Lorna Nakell are confident that Horowitz’s involvement exemplifies the department’s commitment to forward thinking. Horowitz’s conversation with PSU writing professor and acclaimed nonfiction author Paul Collins will feature a freeform structure to allow a wide variety topics to emerge. “It’s basically going to be a Q-and-A between Ian and Paul about what they’ve done and how the publishing world is changing,”

Soards said. “And, to be honest, we’re not really sure what’s going to be talked about, and that’s really exciting. It’s going to be a big surprise.” “And then it’s going to be opened up to the audience to ask questions,” Nakell added, highlighting the point of the series. After the event, the audience will be able to apply the concepts to their own work. Nakell conceived of the series after noticing a lack of communication between readers, the industry and even her classmates in other departments at PSU. She saw an opportunity to get people into the classroom to share and discuss alternative methods—an idea that the department eventually threw its weight behind. “We needed to connect more to the community, and see how the publishing world [is] changing,” Nakell said. “And to…get feedback on our publishing practices.” Publishing students eagerly anticipate Horowitz’s arrival since his answers and insights may provide clues about the next era of publishing, which students can then apply to their own career choices. “The exciting thing about Eli is that he’s gone from a pretty structured publishing house to…his own company with [fellow ex-McSweeney’s employees Chris Ying and Russell Quinn],” Soards said. “So that’ll be something really important, seeing Eli’s transference from something so structured to something that he’s completely built up from the ground. How we can take some of those elements that he’s put into his company and adopt them as our own?” Horowitz spent eight years at McSweeney’s, the acclaimed San Francisco-based publishing house founded by publishing cult icon Dave Eggers, where he was a managing editor and then publisher. The experience gave Horowitz a familiarity with the industry few ever have a chance at, as well as opportunities to work with literary

stars like Michael Chabon and Nick Hornby. Now, Horowitz applies that knowledge to his own digital publishing firm, Ying, Horowitz & Quinn, which experiments with technological storytelling. His involvement in the event comes at a time when Ooligan Press students, as well as many other publishing houses, are examining their own processes for new media and other emerging types of communication. Has it become so important to take back control of the presses? “Publishing is shaping the way we look at things right now, the way we think and speak,” Nakell said. And for every tidbit of added understanding, more questions arise for publishers. “How do we deal with this new wave of communication? And how do we still be a part of it and also grow and transform, while still being true to our mission statement and still…making these innovative pieces of art?” Soards asked. Soards and Nakell are aware, of course, that most of these quandaries won’t be answered in a single evening, but the discussion and questions posed at the event are vital and well worth hashing out. After all, if publishing can really shape lives, as Nakell says, I’d sure like to know the answer to Soards’ question. “How do we move forward?”

PSU’s Master of Writing: Book Publishing program and Ooligan Press present Transmit Culture: A Series of Conversations about Publishing Featuring Eli Horowitz and Paul Collins Thursday, Feb. 21 Doors 6:30 p.m., lecture 7:30 p.m. Artists Repertory Theatre 1515 SW Morrison St. Free and open to the public

The ancient Korean gayageum is well-known throughout its native land, but its recognition does not frequently stretch overseas. Masters of this stringed instrument allow their fingers to move furiously, effectively, but calmly along each thread, owning the sounds that follow thereafter. Next week, however, this Korean antiquity and its musicians will grace the Portland State community with a debut performance. On Feb. 21, the Department of Music and the Institute for Asian Studies will host three South Korean musicians: Dr. Hyun Su Chung, composer; Dr. Hyun Ok Moon, pianist; and Dr. AiSoon Seong, gayageum performer, will all play for members of PSU and greater Portland. The event is not just a performance by three renowned international musicians performing together for the first time, nor is it simply a rare occasion of a piano and gayageum performing together: The PSU event marks the world premiere of Chung’s most recent work. Katherine Morrow, program administrator for the institute, put the event in a larger perspective: “This concert fits into kind of a larger program series—that is, the February focus on Korea coordinated by the Institute for Asian Studies,” she said. “It also fits into the East Asian Performance Series, which is coordinated by the Department of Music.” The concert is the result of several confluent factors: Moon reached out to PSU professors Julia Lee and Dr. Wynn Kiyama; the Department of Music wanted to increase knowledge of Asian performance; and the Institute for Asian Studies thought the event was timely because of a Korean screen restoration underway at the Portland Art Museum. Chonnam National University in South Korea, which funded the musicians and their travels, proved to be a great resource for both the music department and the institute. Morrow explained the desire to further all aspects of Korean knowledge at PSU.

“We want to introduce the campus and greater Portland community to Korean music as well as highlight Korean culture,” she said. “There is greater interest at PSU for Korean culture. We’ve noticed enrollment growth in Korean language classes, and Korean pop culture is becoming more known in the U.S., so it provides a perfect opportunity to showcase more of Korea.” The night will kick off with Seong performing a few pieces of traditional Korean music on the gayageum. Thereafter, she will stay onstage, and Moon will join her in a gayageum-and-piano ensemble with music composed by Chung. To conclude the night Lee will join the two artists in a gayageum-and-piano “four hands” performance, in which two people will play the piano simultaneously. Chung composed this work as well. Lee described the emotions evoked by playing with these musicians in such a unique experience. “I don’t know what’s going to happen because it’s the first time that I will have ever heard the gayageum and the piano played together,” she said. “Gayageum is a tiny instrument compared to the piano. I feel very excited, curious and, well, everything, about the sonority that it will produce. “It’s a really rare opportunity to hear a Korean traditional instrument,” Lee continued. “It will be a wonderful experience and a new project to combine [a] Korean traditional instrument with Western instruments. I hope the audience will enjoy it and come and experience it with us.” For those who can’t make Thursday night’s performance, there’s no need to fret: This event is two-fold. The night after the concert, PSU will also host three artists performing on different zithers, ancient instruments from around Asia. Morrow however, encourages curious music fans to attend both. “It is a very rare and special opportunity to hear Korean music performed live in Portland, especially that of the gayageum instrument,” she said. “I’m only aware of concerts like this that occur in Portland every 5 years, so it really is a special treat. This type of concert normally would have expensive tickets but, due to the support of Chonnam University, we’re able to bring them here for free— so it’s accessible to anybody with an interest in Korea.”

courtesy of psu institute for asian studies

Gayageum style: World-renowned musician Dr. Ai-Soon Seong performs on the gayageum, an ancient Korean stringed instrument.

Melanie Cope Vanguard staff

Music lovers and arts revelers: Come prepared for a new experience and a musical event unlike any other. Portland State’s music department will host a night of music from all different parts of East Asia, titled “From Asia to Zither.” The concert’s three featured instruments are the Korean gayageum, the Chinese guzheng and the Japanese koto. All are zithers, or instruments from the ancient world. “Never before have I heard all three on one stage,” said Dr. Julia Lee, an adjunct professor of piano in the PSU music department. The sounds these three instruments make are very different, and the pieces that will be performed on the zithers range in variation, as well—from ancient traditional songs to contemporary pieces that require more modern and complicated techniques. Generally speaking, “There is not much communication between Chinese and Korean zither players,” said Ruisi Li, the evening’s guzheng performer, who is also being admitted to Portland State’s music department. “While these stringed instruments are related, they have each developed unique bodies of repertoire and performance techniques,” added Dr. Wynn Kiyama, assistant professor of musicology and ethnomusicology at Portland State. “It is unusual to hear these instruments on the same program, and I think the audience will appreciate both the similarities and differences.” The concert on Friday is a collaborative effort between the Institute for Asian Studies and the university’s music department. Dr. Ai-Soon Seong, who has performed all over the world, including England, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, Canada and her native Korea, will play first, demonstrating her mastery of and passion for the gayageum. Seong is a professor of Korean music at Chonnam National University in South Korea. Among other numerous honors, she was the Grand Prize Winner for the stringed instrument section at the KBS Korean Music Competition in 1999. Li, who won the National Competition for Young Artists in China in 2002, will be playing the second zither, the Chinese guzheng, which Li has been playing for almost a decade. Li, who is also a member of China Nationalities Orchestra Society, said that part of

her “endeavor as an artist is to promote the communication between Chinese music and Western music.” One of the pieces that Li will play is “Missing in the Spring.” This piece was a “turning point and milestone in guzheng history,” Li said, because it combines a traditional work with new techniques. “The composition of the music was inspired by a poem written during the Tang Dynasty by the most famous poet in China’s history, Li Bai.” The song is “about a young lady missing her husband, who is forced into the army far away. He must go to the north of China while she remains in the south. It is a very emotional piece,” Li said. Li selected these songs because of both their natural and human resonance. “I want to show that this music depicts both nature and the inner emotion of people,” Li said. Mitsuki Dazai, a local performer who graduated from Japan’s renowned Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, will play the final zither of the evening, the Japanese koto. Dazai was featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Art Beat TV program and recently released her new album, Far Away: Romances for Koto, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The free concert is a tremendous chance to see and hear unique Eastern instruments that most Westerners will never experience. Katherine Morrow, the program administrator for the Institute for Asian Studies, reiterated how unique a treat the concert is for attendees. “The opportunity to come and hear the three different types of zithers from East Asia is an incredibly rare opportunity,” she said.

PSU’s Department of Music and Institute for Asian Studies present “Reworked: New Compositions for gayageum and Piano” Thursday, Feb. 21, 7:30 p.m. PSU Lincoln Recital Hall Free and open to the public

“From Asia to Zither,” an East Asian Zither Concert Friday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m. PSU Lincoln Recital Hall Free and open to the public

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Reimagining a Golden Age classic PSU alumna directs Spanish-language play RaChelle Schmidt Vanguard Staff

Miracle Theater’s production of La Celestina opened last Friday to a sold-out house and an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the crowd. The mood was festive and excited as the audience settled in to watch the poetic, romantic, often-hilarious but ultimately heartbreaking story of a young nobleman, Calisto, who falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Melibea. When Melibea spurns the young man, he ill-advisedly turns to Celestina, the local procuress and former prostitute, to help him win the heart of the young woman. The enlistment of Celestina inspires a succession of misdeeds by many of the characters in the play and ultimately leads to tragedy. Directed by Portland State alumna Christy Drogosch, the play is performed in Spanish with English subtitles and will be running through February at the theater in inner Southeast Portland. The action in La Celestina is fast-paced and entertaining. For non-Spanish-speakers, the pace of the show can make it difficult at times to follow the subtitles, particularly in the first few scenes when the characters are being introduced and the plot is being established, but by about the middle of the first half one has a pretty clear understanding of the action. Despite the language difference, audience members are better able to follow the action if they don’t rely on the subtitles. “I don’t speak Spanish,” audience member Minerva Sanchez said, “but I really thought that the way that they acted it out was great. It really helped me to understand what was going on.” The play is an adaptation of the classic, late15th century Spanish novel of the same name,

found in translation: Actors Carlos Alexis Cruz and Bibiana Lorenzi Johnston perform in a scene from the Spanishlanguage play La Celestina, playing at the Miracle Theatre this month. written by Fernando de Rojas. This production was adapted by Raquel Carrio and further modified for the stage by Drogosch. Drogosch, who graduated from PSU with a triple bachelor’s degree in theater arts, Spanish, and arts and letters, is very familiar with the novel and its setting. She was attracted to the idea of directing the play because of the challenges inherent within the piece. It can be very difficult to translate a piece that was written to be read, such as a novel, into a piece that is meant to be performed. There was also the issue of the length: In a novel, much more time is spent laying out the

story, while in a play the story must be told quickly. “Obviously, we didn’t do the whole novel,” Drogosch said. But the original translations that she received had taken the script down to 15 scenes and a prologue, which left nearly two-thirds of the story untold. However, Drogosch was able to take some liberties with the script by creating movement pieces as well as introducing the character Trovador, who acts as the narrator of the story. Trovador, played wonderfully by Carlos Alexis Cruz, is a cross between a jester and

a Greek chorus. The character, who is not in the novel, has been a new experiment in the show. Originally written to appear only at the beginning and end of the show, the role was rewritten to have him appear throughout, supporting the action and providing comic interludes. Cruz clearly has a lot of fun with the role and admitted he improvises quite a bit. He acknowledged that for English speakers it can be challenging when an actor strays from the script, but having that kind of freedom to create in the moment keeps the show alive and interesting. “I think this show is going to keep evolving, and what people see now is going to progress and be different,” he said. Bibiana Lorenzo Johnston is outstanding as the anciently decrepit yet masterfully shrewd Celestina, while Nurys Herrera and Juan Antonio Martinez are hilariously naughty as the two servants whose greed and lust for one another is their ultimate downfall. They are well-suited for their roles as the young lovers Rafael Miguel and Siumara Samayoa, and are delightful to watch. Ultimately, the beauty of La Celestina comes from the way in which it tells a story that is relevant to any time period. The issues that the characters in this play deal with—love, greed and honesty—are as true today as they were when Rojas wrote the original novel. This production offers a wonderful look into the so-called Golden Age of classic Spanish literature, boldly realized and enlivened onstage.

The Miracle Theater presents La Celestina Thursday, Feb. 7, to Saturday, March 2 Thursdays–Saturdays 8 p.m. Sundays 2 p.m. 525 SE Stark Tickets: $17–24 Available at the box office (425 SE Sixth Ave.) or milagro.org

Out of the office and on the front lines PSU professor presents documentary about psychology in war zones Robin Crowell Vanguard Staff

Underused, overused or misunderstood—psychology on the front lines of modern warfare elicits several ethical considerations. PSU Professor Emeritus Dr. Janice Haaken taught in the department of psychology for 30 years before retiring to focus on documentary filmmaking projects. Mind Zone: Therapists Behind the Front Lines is the latest of these projects, and it focuses on several controversial issues facing psychologists and therapists today. The film is intended to bring the dilemmas surrounding mental health care for soldiers in the throes of war to the forefront and to increase understanding of the use and misuse of psychological principles within the context of warfare, according to the website. “There’s a double ethical dilemma that I pursue with this film,” Haaken said. “From the very start, I went with the problem of how [therapists] can ethically treat trauma conditions associated with war and put [soldiers] back in the very conditions that caused that trauma.” Embedded with the 113th Army Combat Stress Control detachment in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Haaken tackles several

Adam Wickham/VANGUARD STAFf

Filmmaker and professor Dr. Janice Haaken sits in Southwest Portland’s First Unitarian Church, where her film Mind Zone will screen this week. psychological issues that date back to World War I and World War II in Mind Zone. “We know, certainly since World War II, everyday people can be caught in the machinery of institutions, in ways that they participate in something, that is quite destructive,” Haaken said. “I was interested in therapists, whether

they saw this as an ethical dilemma; to see how they understood that work, the pressures they were under. It was an empirical question for me as well: Is there an ethical way to do this? The film tries to answer that question.” Other ethical considerations revolve around the film’s subjects and Haaken’s role in the filmmaking process. “The other ethical dilemma is my own: Am I being honest and fair with participants in exposing something that I may consider unethical?” Haaken asked. “It’s open to opinion whether it is or not. Do I have obligations to the participants in pursuing a question of such moral import? How do I portray them? “It’s very serious business. I hope that people will think more about the role of therapists and the illusions and sometimes delusions we have about managing war in this country,” Haaken said. While the film itself engages several controversial matters, Haaken divvied up portions of the project to graduate students in the field. PSU student Mariel Stadick was engaged with the project as a research assistant, along with Ryan Abbott, Megan Cobb, Darryl James, Tessa Palmer and William Rector. “Working on this project was a great opportunity to see how psychology is connected to issues in other fields, such as politics, government, documentary analysis and activism,” Stadick said in an e-mail. “The tradition of critical psychology that this project utilized turns a reflective eye on the field of psychology itself, and considers both progressive and regressive aspects of its presence in the military.

“I think audiences will find a more nuanced consideration of ethical dilemmas surrounding mental health and the military than what is represented in mainstream news sources,” Stadick said. “The film asks viewers to sit with a level of ambiguity that is usually more realistic, if less comforting, than black-andwhite interpretations of the psychological impacts of war.” Haaken believes that employing the skills of graduate students within the department is another way of expanding academic discourse beyond simple, surface-level work. “A lot of big research teams have these big grants, where teams of people produce the findings of the study. But often those teams are the lower-level people enlisted to do pretty menial work, you know—data entry,” Haaken said. “A lot of big research teams reach a certain level to enlist participation in a creative way. I wouldn’t want to overwork that point. “I think all of my colleagues in my psychology department who have research teams really look for creative ways [of ] enlisting participation,” Haaken said.

PSU Professor Emeritus Dr. Janice Haaken presents Mind Zone: Therapists Behind the Front Lines as part of the Rethinking Psychiatry Film Festival Thursday, Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m. At First Unitarian Church 1011 SW 12th Ave. Admission is $5–15

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OPINiON • Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• Tuesday, THURSDAY, Feb. NOVEMBER 19, 2013 10, • OPINiON 2011 • SPORTS

OPINION

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

Should I get a dog?

Say goodbye to the Internet as you know it

Consider these factors before getting a pooch Ms. Fudge’s Sweet Nothings Stephanie Fudge-Bernard

Karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

Papal conclave should elect a gay black Muslim woman Celibate white Catholic men have proven organizationally and ideologically incompetent Deeply Thought Thoughts Ryan S. Cunningham

ope Benedict XVI’s decision to step down from the helm of the Holy See at the end of this month has puzzled many. Indeed, no pope had resigned since the antipope-and-bubonic-plagueafflicted 15th century. The pontiff’s Feb. 11 announcement came as a shock even to his own spokesman. After all, why should a swingingly single octogenarian at the very pinnacle of his professional field deliberately forfeit the sword of infallible decree regarding matters of Catholic doctrine? A guy could have a lot of fun with that sword. Were I him, I’d immediately declare that the Host be replaced with bacon and the wine with Old Crow in the celebration of the Eucharist. This would indubitably up the church’s youth appeal. Maybe the pope is right to cut his losses while he can. The soles of his crimson, tailormade pope shoes must be worn through from the sex abuse scandals, ill-timed verbal faux pas regarding Islam and massive decline of popular piety in the West. Benedict’s headlong flight into a monastery seems the eminently rational decision. But, more importantly, the looming pontifical vacancy creates an opportunity to reform the rotting anachronism that is the Roman Catholic Church. In the face of the above challenges, the College of Cardinals can well choose to throw off the church’s stiff-starched stole to expose to the tingling breeze of modernity the Catholic

hierarchy’s shriveled, unused underparts. That is, if they seize the moment and elect a gay black Muslim woman as the new bishop of Rome. Why a gay black Muslim woman? As the previous two millennia of Western history have adequately demonstrated, the rule of a celibate white Catholic man proves pretty dismal. We needn’t delve deep into centuries of church history to prove this point: Take the eight-year papacy of Benedict XVI. Afflicted by the diabolical germs of modernity and materialism, Catholic worship has declined precipitously in the West, especially among the young. But a little-recognized contributing factor to this decline has been the public image of the pope himself. A pinkish Bavarian gnome who affects a love of Mozart and a plodding rhythm of speechification, Benedict is one manifestly boring-ass theological authority. Countering this, a fresh injection of a gay black Muslim woman’s outward flamboyance and rhythmic sensibility into the papacy would stimulate some positive buzz on TMZ. Furthermore, the current pope lacks the basic competence to run the world’s largest international Ponzi scheme. A head-in-the-stars theologian who spends all his time writing encyclicals on love, lambasting the “dictatorship of relativism” and promoting the revival of the Latin Mass, Benedict never possessed the managerial prowess to keep the denarii rolling into the ecclesiastical coffers. A

more worldly and engaged individual as pope, one who’s been down and learned to hustle on the margins—like, say, a gay black Muslim woman—would steer the papal ship of state back toward gilded seas of luxury. Then there’s the issue of a moribund Catholic ideology. The conservative Benedict has steered Catholicism away from the reformist impulse of the Second Vatican Council, and church doctrine is at the margins of educated opinion. Condoms—sin! Homosexuality—sin! Material self-fulfillment and your weekend kayaking expedition—most unpardonable sin! Surely a gay black Muslim woman pope, drawing upon a vast pan-ideological corpus, will be able to erect the limp, dusty catechism. Lastly, a gay black Muslim woman pope would significantly expand the church’s natural identity-politics constituency. Consider this most illuminating statistical analysis: If we assume that half of the earth’s population is female, 30 percent is Muslim, 20 percent is black and a further 10 percent is homosexual, the new pope would have the ear of a whopping 110 percent of humanity! By my own estimate, this figure is fully 17 percentage points greater than that commanded by Oprah Winfrey. So, Catholics, do not lament the reign of Benedict’s passing into history. The time for white celibate Catholic men is well past, but there are far greater bounties awaiting you under a different kind of leadership. By investing a gay black Muslim woman with the papal tiara, the Roman Catholic Church cannot but gain more adherents than there are human beings.

nfortunately for all of the struggling college students out there, puppies will always be cute, even when the bank account is busy being empty. We see a fluffy canine prancing on the sidewalk and can barely contain ourselves from reaching out to ruffle its furriness. However much we’d like to bring Sparky home after looking into those big, sad eyes, getting a new companion is a decision that should never be spontaneous. Dogs have a habit of coming with their own frustrations: heartache and financial upheaval. Really, the easy part is buying the dog. Saving up a finite amount of money is relatively easy to do, especially if you plan on visiting the Humane Society for an adult cuddle-buddy to bring home. It’s all the unexpected, unplanned and absolutely unfathomable costs that later arise which will ultimately kick you in the pants. Puppies are especially prone to surprising owners with these hidden fees. If you’re not looking to have a sprayer or aggressive dog, you probably want to get the beast spayed or neutered. Veterinarians are also excellent at explaining how your fur-ball is likely to die horrifically if you don’t pay for an assortment of tests and feed your new little darling the highest-quality food.

Then there’s training the dang thing. Oh sure, you don’t need training courses, you can train your own dog. After all, you vaguely remember teaching your childhood pet to roll over and could even get her to stay if you held out a treat. Alas, much like children, dogs will always be individually unique, and you usually don’t want to wait until yours has developed an irreversible barking problem before paying for some basic training classes. These can cost anywhere from an easy $25 to hundreds of dollars for behavior correction. Again, these are all pretty predictable costs. It gets trickier if you fell in love with a pal that likes to eat whatever it finds on the ground. A trip to an emergency pet hospital will usually cost at least a couple hundred dollars, just to get in and out; add to that any medication or treatment and your pet’s medical care can suddenly be in the thousands. Many prospective dog owners disregard these possible costs, or assume it won’t ever happen to them. This leads to even more trouble if a dog does get sick and there isn’t anything budgeted to pay off sudden debt, or worse, to not have the extra few hundred dollars it takes to save your best friend’s life.

An easy way to potentially cut thousands of dollars of costs by paying for a puppy is to get an adult dog, especially if you go somewhere like the Oregon Humane Society. Even then, random expenses can come up for any dog. Perhaps after an unusually long day you come home to find that your lovable friend has panicked and eaten your door frame. Or maybe it just acted out and peed on your couch. Either way, it doesn’t take a dog much time to cause tremendous amounts of damage. Even dog toys are expensive, and you’re going to need the nice ones if you get a chewer. Holes to hide food in, scores of squeakers and bizarre shapes characterize a variety of dog toys that your dog may eat in two hours or never even find interesting in the first place. The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association estimates that you’ll spend more than $1,000 a year on your new pal, but other sources estimates that it’s more like $1,100–3,500. That’s $90–290 a month you might easily pay for a new friend. Still, dogs are great companions to keep you warm during the treacherous nights of “dead week.” Anyone thinking of dressing up a sweater in new-pet hair should research local vet costs, save up some collateral and consider getting an adult dog.

Corinna Scott/VANGUARD STAFf

Cybersecurity sacrifices privacy That’s What’s the Matter Kevin Rackham

T Riza Liu/VANGUARD STAFf

What’s in a name? Icelandic girl sues for her identity Everywhere and Here Eva-Jeanette Rawlins

15-year-old Icelandic girl is suing to keep her own name. Blaer, meaning “light breeze,” is apparently not acceptable, according to the Icelandic government. Why? Because the word “takes a masculine article” and is therefore not one of the 1,853 female names that parents can choose from when naming their girls, according to an Associated Press report. Yes, it’s true—Iceland has a name bank. There is one strictly uniform account of female and male names from which parents are allowed to withdraw—no exceptions. Blaer’s mother found this out the hard way when the state issued her daughter a passport with the name “Stulka,” or “girl.” So now Blaer is suing for the right to be known by her name and not her gender. Undoubtedly, this is a traumatic experience for the 15-year-old, but you can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. When you consider the recent story of a baby who was named Hashtag (though it was never confirmed as legitimate), “light breeze” seems heavenly in comparison. You might think Iceland is just a strange country with some very outlandish naming practices (probably had something to do with its economic collapse in 2008), but it’s not alone. At least five other countries, including

Germany, Denmark and Sweden, have restrictions on what a child can be named. In Germany, you must be able to tell the gender of the baby by its first name, ABC News reported. In Sweden, the name cannot cause “offense or discomfort to the one using it.” Our celebrities would have a horrible time over there. Sadly, Beyonce wouldn’t have been allowed a Blue Ivy, or Gwyneth Paltrow her little Apple. And Frank Zappa’s lucky kids, Dweezil and Moon Unit, would have been stuck with something normal like, well, anything but their actual names! Having a name registry would be unheard of over here. Yet, as ridiculous as it might sound, is it really that bad an idea? With names getting weirder and weirder by the year, who’s looking out for the innocent little bundles of joy who’ll soon be crying from all the bullying their names will garner them? It’d be kind of nice to know that my mother couldn’t call me Facebook or Like—oh, snap, someone already thought of that. With the freedom that comes with all our rights, sometimes I wonder if it’d be such a bad thing if we had fewer choices—if the world would end if we had to choose a name from a list. Would we feel robbed? Sometimes I wonder if our inexhaustible emphasis on our “rights”

hasn’t made us the insatiable consumers we’re always complaining we’ve become. There’s something strangely comforting about a country’s desire to protect children from ridiculous parents. We could use more of that. It’s not just that, though: Icelandic naming conventions determine that people are known by their first names— last names aren’t passed down within the family. For example, if you’re a girl and your father’s name is Peter, your last name would be Petersdottir—Peter’s daughter—and if you were a boy it would be Petersson— Peter’s son. Further, the phone book lists people by their first names, and according to the Associated Press report, even the President, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, is known as simply Olafur. Some might mourn the loss of a lineage, and yet, on the other hand, the power that has historically been associated with rich and powerful family names would be gone. A Rockefeller wouldn’t be relevant just for being a Rockefeller—or a Kardashian, for that matter. On the one hand, it’s only a little ridiculous that a girl should have to sue to choose her name. On the other hand, it’s just as ridiculous for a kid to have to explain why her parents named her Hashtag (and to do so within 140 characters or less). There’s a lot to be said for moderation, and sometimes I think fewer choices would do us a world of good. Just ask the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

he year 2012 saw a series of fights for the freedom and openness of the Internet. SOPA, PIPA, CISPA and the WCIT treaty all failed. But it’s a new year, and the fight will never be over. If these acronyms mean nothing to you, well, that’s even more proof that this is a fight that is almost impossible to win. SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) were House and Senate bills, respectively, concerning piracy and copyright that would have given corporations and organizations like the Recording Industry Association of America all kinds of power to control and censor content on the Internet. CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) would have allowed the U.S. government a cybersecurity exception to all kinds of online privacy laws, and the WCIT (World Congress on International Telecommunications) treaty would have instated a governance board to oversee much of the Internet’s framework. The WCIT treaty was so bad that a 397–0 resolution against was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. All of these acts, if passed, would’ve chipped away at the openness that makes the Internet what it is, and they all happened within a few months of each other. Each time, Google mobilized people, Reddit got rabid about freedom of speech and enough attention was

drawn to these measures that they’ve gone by the wayside. This isn’t going to stop, though, and people are going to get tired of trying to stop it. Right now, there’s a lot of pressure on Congress and the United Nations to tighten control of the Internet. Last week, around the same time that President Barack Obama signed an executive order dealing with cybersecurity, the Senate reintroduced CISPA. This concern for security is absolutely valid, as U.S. businesses and agencies run into more frequent problems with foreign hackers. Action is going to be taken, whether or not the Internet wants it to happen. So maybe it’s time to stop fighting it. Obama’s executive order specified that the cybersecurity measures shouldn’t affect privacy or civil rights, but an executive order can only do so much. A lot depends on this new version of CISPA being better than the last one, without the ominous clauses about companies turning over data to the government. If it’s bad, it probably won’t pass this year, either. But what about next year, and the year after that? This issue isn’t going to go away. What should be happening, rather than blackout days and boycotts, is a concerted effort to put forth new legislation. I am more than certain that at least one of the 7 million people who signed Google’s petition against SOPA is capable of drafting a bill and finding influential

sponsors for it. The answer to fighting these intrusive new proposals is to counter them with ones that will fulfill the same need without infringing on privacy and personal rights. At the same time, people need to realize that most of their privacy is gone, and what’s left is being slowly stripped away. Facebook keeps your data forever and hates to give it out, and your smartphone collects data about you no matter who made it. This isn’t just true of the online world; TriMet just announced that its next series of buses will have video and audio recording equipment onboard. Privacy seems to be the price we pay for technological development and ease of use. There will always be people who use burner phones for everything and hide all of their online activity behind a wall of proxies and virtual private networks, but for the majority of people, privacy is disappearing faster and faster. The problem with Internet privacy doesn’t lie with the government, or at least not entirely, but rather the companies we use online. If you’re truly outraged with the rise of strict laws and the invasion of privacy, your best bet is to put away that cell phone, delete your Facebook account and never go back. Don’t forget to stop shopping at Amazon and every other online retailer. Don’t use Gmail, either—not even your student account provided by the school. Internet freedom is important, but there isn’t all that much damage left to do. All we can do is hope to find the best solution.

Jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFf

ETC. ETC. •• Thursday, Tuesday, Feb. Nov.19, 8, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD • Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 • Opinion

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

2013 New Year: Casino Night

Online comments

6–9 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, third floor ballroom 1825 SW Broadway

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. “Wherefore art thou, serendipity?” Vol. 67 No. 36 Anita Break Feb. 10 This article made me want to ditch my phone. Thank you.

Miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

Wranglin’ and rhymin’ Cowboy poetry is a thing, and you should check it out One Step Off Emily Lakehomer

n case you don’t already know this from my previous columns, I like words. Language is a really neat thing, and because of its constant evolution it never stays the same for long. (Except apostrophe rules—those don’t change, so please stop pretending they don’t exist.) Within the last few years, the literary scene has traversed away from the broad, public face of the major publishing houses toward independent presses and self-publishing instead. With this, a number of notable quarterlies and serializations have sprung up (some names I’d like to drop are Shabby Doll House and Muumuu House, but countless others exist as well). I’m a proponent of nearly any kind of independent publishing or literature, mainly because that’s where you’ll find the most raw and real work. A few weeks ago, I discovered a new subgenre of poetry: cowboy poetry. Because I spent my formative years in a town in which there were “cowboys” (I use quotations because the cowboys from my high school seemed more concerned with who drove the biggest truck or who had the best chewing tobacco than with ranch life) and many of them were less-than-desirable company, I had a few doubts about the craft. However, after doing some research and reading a little bit of this “cowboy poetry,” I was pleasantly surprised. Generally speaking, cowboy poetry is written through the eyes of ranch hands, “buckaroos” and the like. The poems vary in length but contain traditional poetic devices like rhyme, meter and line breaks, and all provide reference to, as The Oregonian calls it, “old Western traditions as well as

the challenges of modern-day ranching.” Despite that most of the poetry we’re familiar with was written by men—I dare you to think of one female poet you read in high school, aside from Emily Dickinson—we like to assign feminine voices to poetry. That isn’t the case within the cowboy poetry community. Here, most of the writers are men, and therefore nearly all the poetry is automatically considered masculine. Given the subject matter, that’s really—and sadly, I suppose—not the case. More recently, however, a growing number of women have been participating in cowboy poetry. The Oregonian recently profiled one poet, Jessica Hedges, who at only 24 is already going to Nevada to perform at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Hedges spends a majority of her time working on a ranch in Burns, Ore., with her husband, taking care of their son and writing her poetry. She also just published her second poetry CD, Buckaroo Woman, Unconfined. What sets Hedges’ poems apart from the male-dominated scene is that she interweaves themes of femininity into stanzas detailing ranch life and cattle-wrangling. Her subjects include “the pain of losing a beloved horse, to the strength and beauty of a buckaroo woman, to the annoyance of suiting up in full winter gear, then realizing you need to relieve your bladder.” This particular poetry scene gets smaller every year, as new generations move away from the ranching and cowboy lifestyle. While this is a product of the times, it’s also a disheartening fact that this scene, so honest and hardworking, is dwindling.

Fear not, though; as The Oregonian said, “the lifestyle’s presence in American folklore is as strong as ever.” While the poetry might not be doing much to save the lifestyle itself, it’s “brought attention to the occupation and helped preserve the traditions.” Whatever your preferred poetry tastes might be, give some of this Western-infused writing a shot—you might like what you find. Cowboy poetry readings mirror traditional poetry slams in that everything is recited from memory. Some of Hedges’ work is available online, including recorded performances. In the videos, she stands confident in her full rancher uniform and recites really beautiful poetry about the lifestyle she leads. What’s so nice, and a bit surprising, about the poetry, is how easily the reader or listener can identify with the poems, even if he didn’t grow up on a ranch or have any prior knowledge of the cowboy lifestyle. While cowboy poetry doesn’t exactly fit into the more contemporary form of say, slam poetry, or even the mutually inclusive and exclusive “alt lit” community, it retains the essence of poetry as a beautiful art that we can share with one another, and it doesn’t have to be about namedropping or whose metaphor is longer. The beautiful thing about poetry is its transference and accessibility; this isn’t Ezra Pound, after all. For some of Jessica’s poetry, check out her website: jessicahedgescowboypoetry. com. For now, here’s an excerpt from Buckaroo Woman, Unconfined:

There ain’t much I ask for from God and this old world Always been a pretty easy keeper so I guess Never been one for dresses or ballet slippers that twirled I’ve just tried to live by the motto that more is less.

“Continued punishment” Vol. 67 No. 36 Rudy101 Feb. 12 Strauss was not “sentenced” to 14 years in an institutuion. He was put there indefinately or until he no longer posed a threat to society. Who else can the State do this kind of public notification on? The answer is, anyone they want that is required to register. But you are correct for stating the obvious that a person required to register under an unlimited public notification cannot re-integrate into society. That is why I will not register under the laws of the State. The outcome is only a loss of safety and/ or security and has no protection for the community.

Celebrate the Taiwanese New Year at Portland State by attending a casino night at the Smith Memorial Student Union. Admission is free for students with valid ID and $5 for the general FREE public.

“Ineloquently said” Vol. 67 No. 38

Mozart’s Requiem: PSU Choirs and Symphony Orchestra

Colin Feb. 14 Fuck that!

7:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church 1838 SW Jefferson St.

Come watch more than 200 talented members of the Portland State student body come together to perform this stunning work of classical music. Tickets are $15 for the general public and $7 for students and can be purchased at the PSU Box Office by visiting pdx.edu/boxoffice.

“Community weighs policing alternatives” Vol. 67 No. 38 Eamon Feb. 14 It scares me how completely out of touch with the reality of the world these people are. The so-called “answer” to the question of an active shooter was absolutely ridiculous. What would the possibility of a “shootout” be the alternative to? Easy answer: the continued killing of innocent people. So yes, a possible “shootout” would definitely be preferred when that is the alternative. However, an actual “shootout”, based on past active shooter incidents, is very unlikely to even happen. These people would prefer a slaughter of students and staff and that is unbelievable. This naivety, while I guess it shouldn’t, really surprises me. I have trouble believing people can be this absorbed in their own make-believe world.

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COURTESY OF dr.Jan Haaken phd

Mind Zone: Be one of the first to witness a documentary that details the struggles of therapists behind the front lines.

Saturday, Feb. 23 Tuesday, Feb. 19

Five-Week Advanced Class Series: Wheel Building Noon–1 p.m. PSU Bike Hub 1818 SW Sixth Ave.

The PSU Bike Hub offers the final class in a five-week series on understanding your bike and how to make repairs on it. This installment focuses on wheel building. Class is free for Bike Hub members and $25 for nonmembers. For more information, visit the PSU Bike Hub webpage at pdx.edu/bikehub/home.

Faitheist 6 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, third floor ballroom 1825 SW Broadway

Faitheist is the new book by Chris Stedman, detailing his transformation from born-again Evangelical worshipper to coming out as a gay man, his shift to atheism and working with interfaith groups on issues of social justice. Stedman will give a free lecture at PSU to talk about his book and the subjects within it. FREE

Give us your two cents at psuvanguard.com

Portland’s Pyongyang City Screen: A Panoramic View of Life in 19th-Century Korea 6:30 p.m. Portland Art Museum, Mark Building, Fields Ballroom 1219 SW Park Ave.

Hyongjeong Kim Han, associate curator of Korean art at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, comes to the Portland Art Museum to discuss a very rare piece of art that was gifted to the museum by the Oregon Korea Foundation. Space is limited, so please reserve your spot by visiting portlandartmuseum.org. FREE

Wednesday, Feb. 20

It’s Getting Better: Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Going 4 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 333 1825 SW Broadway

You are invited to the Smith Memorial Student Union for a community discussion about how laws have changed over the years in the U.S. regarding LGBTQ rights, and what this means for American society as a whole. Refreshments will be FREE provided.

Come to Lincoln Hall for a recital featuring four different performers that will provide insight into Korean FREE culture through music.

Electoral Politics in Tunisia: A Panel Discussion

PSU French Club Winter Student Body Social

7 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 296 1825 SW Broadway

4–6 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 326 1825 SW Broadway

Courtesy of the Middle East Studies Center, Portland State will host a discussion on Tunisian politics and the first post-transition election after the ratification of the country’s FREE constitution.

The French Club invites you to a night of French culture with French music, free food and plenty of information on what exactly the club has to offer to the FREE Portland State community.

Thursday, Feb. 21

Transmit Culture: A Series of Conversations About Publishing 6:30 p.m. Artists Repertory Theatre 1515 SW Morrison St.

As part of the Transmit Culture series, this event will focus on the publishing industry and feature guest speaker Eli Horowitz, former managing editor and publisher at McSweeney’s. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5–10. For more information, visit ooligan. pdx.edu. FREE

Mind Zone: Therapists Behind the Front Lines 7 p.m. First Unitarian Church 1011 SW 12th Ave.,

Mind Zone: Therapists Behind the Front Lines is a documentary film that is truly one of a kind. It documents the struggles of therapists working with troops on the front lines as well as in the U.S., and the attempt to keep soldiers mentally healthy both during and after deployment. A suggested donation of $5–20 will be accepted but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

East Asian Performance Series: A Korean Music Concert 7:30 p.m. Lincoln Performance Hall, room 75 1620 SW Park Ave.

Friday, Feb. 22

Write to Publish: Write What You Know 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Native American Student and Community Center 710 SW Jackson St.

Write to Publish is a writing conference with a focus on demystifying the publishing industry. This year, the specific focus will be on publishing nonfiction and memoir and will feature special guest authors including Floyd Skloot, Kristian Williams and Lidia Yuknavitch. PSU students and alumni can attend the conference with discounted admission. For prices and to purchase tickets, visit pdx.edu/boxoffice.

ETC.

Peace through Women Symposium 3 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, third floor ballroom 1825 SW Broadway

This symposium is designed to shed light on the impact women have made on the world through the attempt to spread peace. The event will include keynote speaker Gov. Barbara Roberts. Breakfast, lunch and ice cream after the last speaker are included in the registration fee of $15 (for students) or $35 (for nonstudents). To register and for more information, visit portlandrotaract.org.

Monday, Feb. 25

U.S. Peace Corps Information Session 6–7:30 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 238 1825 SW Broadway

If you have ever been interested in joining the Peace Corps, or just finding out what the organization is all about, this information session can provide you with the answers to FREE your questions.

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

SPORTS ETC. •• Tuesday, TUESDAY,Feb. Nov.19, 6, 2012 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• Tuesday, TUESDAY, Feb. JANUARY 19, 2013 10, 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.

SPORTS

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

Portland State falls to Thunderbirds Vikings drop another road game against southern Utah Rosemary Hanson Vanguard Staff

A four-game road trip got off to a rocky start for the Portland State women’s basketball team with a loss to the Southern Utah University Thunderbirds on Thursday. The 83-60 defeat dropped the Vikings

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to 11-13 overall and 5-10 in conference. “I call myself an optimist, and that’s what I have to be,” head coach Sherri Murrell said in a release. “At no time do I want to lose by 20 points, but there is a bright spot in this. Younger players are going to get some good playing time, and our injured players are going to come back and come back stronger.” The Vikings were without

junior forward Angela Misa, who has been a key inside presence for the squad all season. Misa will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury suffered during the game against California State University, Sacramento last weekend. The Vikings were outscored in the paint 40-22 in Thursday’s game. Along with Misa, the team is also still missing senior guard Karley Lampman and junior guard Kate Lanz, both out with injuries. PSU has turned to its bench for help during this difficult stretch. Senior guard Courtney VanBrocklin had 20 points, and junior guard Allison Greene chipped in 14 points with 6 rebounds against the Thunderbirds, but their efforts were in vain. PSU came out strong in the early going and held a couple of brief leads,

but after the Thunderbirds tied the score at 13-all, they took control and never looked back. The home team went on a 24-4 run and raced into halftime with a 22-point lead. The second half was as hard on the Vikings as the first. The team came out determined to make a dent in the Thunderbird advantage, but never got closer than 15 points. Southern Utah led by as many as 29, keeping their foot on the gas throughout and routing the visiting squad. PSU currently occupies the ninth spot in the Big Sky standings. They are just half a game ahead of the University of North Dakota, which holds a comfortable lead over winless Weber State. The Vikings will need to move up to seventh place in order to be eligible for the Big Sky tournament next month.

Men’s basketball shares the love Six Vikings reach double-figures in win Bryan Zinschlag Vanguard Staff

miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

Courtney vanbrocklin had another solid scoring night on Thursday, but the Vikings fell to Southern Utah 83-60.

The rise and fall of an athletic icon Oscar Pistorius and the hard lessons of sports entertainment

daniel johnston/VANGUARD STAFf

michael harthun notched a season-high 19 points in a solid win for PSU basketball.

Portland State’s men’s basketball team snapped an eight-game losing streak on Valentine’s Day last week, handily beating the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah University 90-69. Six Vikings players, including all five starters, scored at least 10 points in an upset of one of the Big Sky Conference’s top teams. The Vikings avenged a 13-point road loss to the Thunderbirds just a few weeks ago. Michael Harthun, who scored a season-high 19 points and added 5 rebounds and 4 assists, led the team to the victory. Renado Parker contributed 16 points and collected a team-high eight rebounds, and forward Michael Harvey came off the bench and

had ahuge impact, scoring 13 points in just 16 minutes of action. Harvey provided a jolt of energy and drew contact every chance he could get, earning 10 free-throw attempts and sinking nine of them. The senior was one of the many Vikings who came together to execute the strategy designed by their coaching staff. “We told our guys that was part of the game plan offensively…they foul a lot,” head coach Tyler Geving said after the game. “They put you on the line, so you have to make your free throws.” PSU finished the game 31-of-35 at the line, including a perfect 24of-24 in the second half. Southern Utah entered the game ranked third in the Big Sky. The Thunderbirds have relied all season on the performances of seniors Jackson Stevenett and Damon Heuir, two of the conference’s top scorers; they combined for 40 points in a home win over the Vikings in

late January. But on Thursday, the Vikings shut down Southern Utah’s offense, holding their opponents to 33 percent shooting from the field and just 22 percent from 3-point range. Stevenett and Heuir again contributed 40 points to the effort but could not overcome a healthy Parker and the balanced Vikings attack. PSU played with a sense of urgency, and rightfully so. After losing eight straight games, their defeat of Southern Utah brought them to 4-11 in the Big Sky with five conference games remaining in the regular season. They’ll need to win all five just to have a chance at one of the seven conference playoff tournament spots. With the Vikings the healthiest they have been all year, it will be exciting to see if they can make a late-season run. They’ll play next on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. in a nonconference game against the University of California, Riverside.

Drew Lazzara Vanguard Staff

I’m fascinated by the way our society interprets sports. While almost entirely frivolous, sports are critical to our cultural identity and understanding. Fans and nonfans alike are constantly negotiating this balance, figuring out how much time, energy and passion to devote to something so trivial yet so clearly, so strangely important. As someone who writes about sports on a weekly basis, this tension is probably my favorite thing to think about. Professional sport is entertainment, so it is fueled by billions of dollars of incentive in order to make our relationship with athletics more personally and culturally significant. Whether their individual motives are sinister, it does behoove athletes, owners, coaches and the sports media to deepen our connection, to see sports as a valuable lens through which to perceive our lives. I think that probably 89 percent of this is crap—pure manipulation designed to convince us that sports somehow teach us something about who we are. You can see through the facade when two juicedup freaks like Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa bomb an inconceivable number of home runs and no one makes a peep, or when Lance Armstrong wins seven consecutive Tours de France, competing in the world’s most notoriously dirty sport, and is painted as a hero. And you can see it in the relative silence that has followed the case of Oscar Pistorius, the South African track star who ran in last summer’s Olympics despite being a

Tough weekend for PSU tennis

adam wickam/VANGUARD STAFf

abhinav mishra and the Vikings had a difficult outing against their Big Sky rivals over the last weekend.

oscar pistorius was charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, last week. The South African sprinter was part of his country’s Olympic team at the London Games over the summer competing in the 400-meter and 4x100 meter relay events.

Vikings drop matches to conference foes Matt Deems Vanguard Staff

double-amputee. He became an international inspiration and a national hero in his home country. Pistorius was arrested last week for the murder of his girlfriend following what appears to be a history of domestic abuse. Presented with a genuine opportunity to probe the connection between society and sport, the American media has been oddly quiet, passive and noncritical in the wake of his arrest. That’s how you know they are full of it. I want to clarify. I am not interested in some story about

the mental and emotional makeup of an athlete, or some trumped-up nonsense about the perils of fame that plague athletes of Pistorius’ stature. Those concepts aren’t any more about sport and society than LeBron’s MVP candidacy. Those are invented things that don’t teach us anything about ourselves. What I am talking about is that, though murders and abuses happen every day in alarming numbers, their reality tends not to register with us unless we know someone involved personally. They

become abstract horrors. But we know Oscar Pistorius. We knew OJ Simpson. They are personal to us in a way that can fuel a real discussion about important issues. We should be talking about these things all the time, anyway; tragedies like this offer a rare opportunity to drive the discussion home. As a sports fan, my reaction to Pistorius’ arrest was one of sadness and disbelief at the utter waste of it all. I am ashamed to admit, though, that when I hear of similar stories on the news, violence

that happens to my neighbors in my own city, I don’t give it a second thought. I change the channel. I doubt I’m alone. And that’s where our complicated relationship with sports can truly have meaning and impact. That’s where this frivolous entertainment really can be a prism through which we see ourselves. The sports media complex has a great deal at stake in the business of heroes and villains, positioning these men and women as special, larger-than-life, exceptional. But Oscar Pistorius is just

an ordinary man that found himself, as an athlete, in an extraordinary situation. He is a man that, like many men in our society, seems to have abused his girlfriend over a period of time before ultimately killing her. And Reeva Steenkamp, like so many women, suffered a tragic death at the hands of her abuser. It wasn’t their exceptionalism that put them in this horrible place. Unfortunately, they are just like so many of us. And that is something we need to talk about.

The Portland State women’s tennis team lost in a clash with the Montana State University Bobcats on Saturday, falling 4-3 at home. The Vikings started off on the right foot with the No. 3 doubles team of Mandy Mallen and Marti Pellicano blowing by the Bobcats with an 8-1 victory. The No. 2 doubles team of Marina Todd and Megan Govi was also rolling to what looked like an easy win, sweeping the first seven games of their match, but in a surprising turn of

events the Bobcats fought back and took the next seven games, bringing the match into a tiebreaker. Todd and Govi were able to rally in the tiebreaker to win the match 8-7 (7-3). The Viking’s No. 1 doubles team of Daria Burobina and Kelsey Frey did not fare as well, losing their match 8-5 to the Bobcats duo of Daria Burobina and Kelsey Frey. After winning two of the three doubles matches, the Vikings were looking to maintain their momentum, but Montana State came on strong, winning the number one, two, three and four singles matches to clinch the conference victory. The Vikings now move into a long stretch of Big Sky play,

with the next five matches coming against conference opponents. Also on Saturday, the men’s tennis team was on the road in Pocatello for a matchup with Idaho State University. The Vikings were largely overpowered by the Bengals’ attack and took another conference loss, 6-1. Brent Wheeler was the bright spot for the team, winning his singles match with a commanding performance, 6-2, 6-3. Both Viking squads are at home this weekend with matches scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 23. The women will take on Idaho State at 10 a.m., while the men face the University of Idaho Vandals at 6 p.m. in a nonconference matchup.

VANGUARD •TTuesday, uesday, Jan. Feb.31, 19,2013 2013• •SPORTS SPORTS

Sun shining on the Winterhawks Portland fights through fatigue, delayed start for season sweep of Vancouver

Thursday, Feb. 14

Women’s basketball @ Southern Utah

Vikings

Top performers Courtney VanBrocklin: 20 points, 5 assists

Zach Bigalke Vanguard Staff

On Friday night, the Portland Winterhawks fell at Veterans Memorial Coliseum 6-2 to the Tri-City Americans. Taking the ice less than 24 hours later for an afternoon start against the Vancouver Giants, the Winterhawks spotted the visitors a two-goal lead before coming back to win 4-3 on a Brendan Leipsic goal less than a minute into overtime. Four different Winterhawks scored in the victory, including WHL leaders Leipsic and Nicolas Petan. After being shut out against Tri-City, each scored his 41st goal of the season. “We’re really good friends off the ice,” Leipsic said after the game, brushing off any notion of a competition with his linemate for the scoring title. “Whatever happens with the point situation happens, but the main thing is that we’re working hard and helping the team get some wins.” The start of the contest was delayed by half an hour as sunlight flooded through the windows of Veterans Memorial Coliseum, creating a glare on the ice surface. Once the game finally commenced, the Giants attacked the home side from the opening faceoff. Just 2:16 into the game, Vancouver center Carter Popoff took a pass from defenseman Arvin Atwal in the neutral zone and streaked unchallenged and unassisted