Portland State Vanguard, April 2, 2013 by Portland State Vanguard

Imagine there’s no Facebook A dark tomorrow for the world’s favorite social network? opinion page 10

NEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ARTS & culture............ 6 OPINION........................ 10 ETC................................ 13 SPORTS........................ .. 14

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Portland State University Tuesday, April 2, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 47

Senate and judicial board clash continues

Oregon’s higher education leaders ponder change

Whitney Beyer associate news editor

The Associated Students of Portland State University student elections are just around the corner, but a continuing disagreement about whether orientations for prospective candidates should be mandatory may halt the elections process. A senate resolution introduced March 13 that overturned the judicial board’s previous ruling to remove mandatory orientations from the constitution was passed at a judicial board hearing during finals week on March 21. ASPSU Communications Director Anthony Stine said the resolution maintains that orientations will indeed be mandatory for prospective candidates, noting that to the best of his knowledge orientations have always been required. After the hearing, members of the ASPSU executive branch urged the judicial board to not object to the senate’s resolution in a collection of memorandums addressed to the justices, most of which cited senate support far beyond the necessary two-thirds majority. “[T]he mandatory orientations are the first steps in hiring someone for the whole year, where there will be meetings,” ASPSU Metropolitan Affairs Director Linda Hoppes wrote in her March 21 See ASPSU on page 2

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Emily Mclain, executive director of the Oregon Student Association, speaks at the Portland City Club’s Friday Forum.

Changes in structure and authority topped speakers’ agendas Kaela O’Brien Vanguard Staff

Major reforms to Oregon’s higher education model are under discussion, and the outcome will affect students, faculty and administration. On Friday, the recently appointed chancellor of the Oregon University System, Dr. Melody Rose, along with three other leaders, discussed issues now facing Oregon’s educators at the Portland City Club’s Friday Forum at the Governor Hotel. “Education is a crisis and, for the first time, adults are less educated

than their parents,” Rose said. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has put together a plan to address many of the problems he sees. His 40-40-20 plan, which aims to increase the number of Oregonians completing education beyond high school, has specific goals: that by the year 2025, 40 percent of Oregonians will have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, 40 percent will have completed their associate’s degree or another certificate and the remaining 20 percent will have their high school diplomas. Rose pointed out that there are other obstacles students face while trying to complete their education. “Today, the average student is poorer, borrowing more and

working harder,” Rose said, noting that student loan debt is now outpacing credit card debt. These factors have caused the normal length of college completion to stretch from four years to five and a half, she said. “The key is that we need to get more students through faster,” Rose said. “We have to start doing things differently to get better outcomes. Our system should reflect reality.” Among many options, Rose suggested an increase in the integration of online and hybrid classes as well as dual credit for proficiency, which would allow students to get some of their college work completed while in high school. Ben Cannon, Kitzhaber’s education adviser, also spoke Friday about

how best to prepare to meet goals set by 40-40-20. Cannon said two structural changes being discussed in the Legislature could go hand in hand with achieving those goals. Senate Bill 270 seeks to establish institutional boards at the University of Oregon, Portland State and possibly Oregon Health and Science University. “The institutional boards create more local autonomy and greater opportunity for student involvement and ownership at a campusspecific level,” Cannon said. Senate Bill 242 would allow for the creation of a single state board, See Higher ed on page 5

Fathers group brings families together PSU Dads Group launched Ravleen Kaur Vanguard Staff

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Joel Shempert and his daughter Niamh are regulars at the Dads Group, which meets weekly at the Resource Center for Students with Children.

Three-year-old Glory plays with a dollhouse in the Resource Center for Students with Children, a space that is bountiful with board games, blocks and toys. Her father, Erick Castillo, watches her from a sofa, beaming as she offers him a miniature toilet toy. Every week, a group of students who are fathers meets to touch base, network with their kids and relax. “There’s a huge demographic [of fathers] on campus. We want a push to tell the faculty that the demographics

are changing,” said Castillo, a father of two who is majoring in social sciences. In mid-March, the dads and their children took advantage of sunny skies and played outside. “And that’s one thing we were talking about, how there are differences in the way we grew up versus how kids are growing up [now, in terms of ] how much they get to play outside,” Castillo said. “We live in a fear-based society, but it is important to give kids an avenue to be outside.” Joel Shempert, an arts and letters major who regularly attends group meetings, concurred. “What I really want is for my daughter to have a community of kids to play with,” Shempert said. See DADS on page 5

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Zipcar brings all-electric vehicles to PSU campus

Meredith Meier

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Electric avenue, on Southwest Montgomery Street between Sixth Avenue and Broadway, will feature two all-electric Honda Fits for Zipcar members to use.

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Students and faculty looking for sustainable transportation now have a new option. Zipcar recently stationed two all-electric Honda Fits on the Portland State campus. Located in Parking Structure 1 near the Sixth Avenue entrance, the new Fits are available for reservation by Zipcar members who are 21 years of age or older at an hourly rate of $10.50. According to the company’s website, users can expect to go 45 to 55 miles on a full charge under normal driving conditions. Drivers aren’t on their own, though, should they need to recharge during their reservations. “We have also partnered with ECOtality’s network of Blink chargers, so that Zipcar members can use a card found in all our EVs to charge up at any Blink station throughout the greater

Portland area,” said Jennifer Matthews, a public relations associate at Zipcar. The charging card operates like a gas card, and Zipcar’s press release concerning the partnership said that the charging stations are capable of fully recharging the Fits “in less than three hours from a low charge indicator illumination point.” Roadside assistance is also available should a user ever become stranded, though the company’s approach to these situations errs on the side of prevention. “We’ve taken a number of measures to ensure members using our EVs are familiar with driving an electric vehicle,” Matthews said. This includes setting up an informational web page that walks users through the ins and outs of the new electric cars and culminates in a short quiz that users must pass before placing a reservation.

PSU was chosen by Zipcar to house the new EVs “because of the university’s leadership in environmentally conscious innovations, including [PSU’s] Electric Avenue automotive charging stations on campus,” according to a press release. “Having electric vehicles at PSU through Zipcar fits perfectly with our sustainability mission,” PSU President Wim Wiewel said in a press release. “It’s a clean transportation option that I think our students, faculty and staff are really going to appreciate.” The university agreed to house the cars on campus because of the fact that “75 percent of faculty, staff and students use alternative means [of transportation] to get to campus,” according to Scott Gallagher, PSU’s communications director. Alternative transportation, in this case, refers to any means of transportation other than one person driving one car.

“We like to encourage that any way we can,” Gallagher added, through initiatives like the installation of additional bike racks on campus and partnerships with the Portland Streetcar. “Younger people tend to be more willing to adopt that kind of technology.” “It also helps out students who live on campus,” of which there are about 3,000, Gallagher said, “who occasionally need a vehicle but don’t have a car.” While Zipcars, according to Matthews, are used for a variety of different reasons, “some of the most common trips are things like a run to Ikea, errands and even job interviews.” Overall, it’s a good match, according to Gallagher. “It’s good for the students, it’s good for [Zipcar], and it fits into our mission” of developing sustainable processes and practices, he said.

ASPSU from page 1

Conflict could hold up ASPSU election memorandum. “[I]f they cannot go to the first meeting to find out about the job…that is a red flag that they might not be as serious as we need them [to be].” Hoppes also wrote that support for orientations has been “unwavering in each session.” “I am deeply disappointed in the actions of [the board] for not heeding the input of those students most experienced in elections,” ASPSU President Tiffany Dollar said in a March 21 memorandum. “Unfortunately, it appears that [the board] would rather see no election than to respect the intentions of the senate,” Dollar said. While members of the senate pointed to their experiences participating in student elections, the judicial board, which serves as the elections board during election season, cited its experience running elections as reason to do away with the orientations. Judicial Board Chief Justice Aubrey Hoffman said the orientations are a waste of time and resources, and that they do little to prevent campaigns from turning unfriendly. Hoffman also expressed concern over the limited time the board has to prepare for the orientations, and said that the board is unable to move forward on orientation without the language from the senate. Stine said orientation dates are currently being decided, while Hoffman said she was told she would have the necessary information by Friday of dead week. Candidates are expected to submit their applications by Thursday, March 11.

Suspect in offensive touching case arrested Timothy Webster lodged in King County Jail

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Timothy Clayton Webster, 28, the suspect in Portland State’s offensive touching case that occurred Feb. 25, was arrested by police in Seattle on March 12 in an unrelated case. PSU’s Campus Public Safety Office updated the timely warning on March 15 to confirm that Webster was in custody. Webster is currently lodged in King County jail on three counts of first-degree criminal trespassing, two counts of burglary and one count of harassment. “Webster is scheduled to be arraigned…on the charges from the case in Seattle,” CPSO Sgt. Joe Schilling said.

The offensive touching case is still under investigation, and the warrant issued for Webster’s arrest on the charge of sex abuse in the third degree is still outstanding, Schilling said. “[CPSO] Detective Matt Horton went to Seattle and interviewed Webster in [regard] to the sex abuse case. That information has been forwarded to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office to be reviewed,” Schilling said. “The victim does want to prosecute, and we’re doing everything we can to move forward with the case.” The original timely warning said that on Feb. 25 a female student reported being subjected to offensive touching on the north side of the Engineering Building, located at 1930 SW Fourth Ave. The victim reported that a man came up to her and asked

if she had a dollar. While the victim was reaching for the money, the suspect restrained her and rubbed against her while making sexually suggestive comments. Webster was named as the suspect in the case on March 7. He has been issued several exclusion orders from PSU and arrested by CPSO several times. Additional information and updates about timely warnings are available on the PSU CPSO website, located at pdx.edu/cpso. CPSO also reminds students that support services are available for anyone impacted by this incident from the Women’s Resource Center at 503-725-5672, Employee Assistance Program at 1-866-7501327 and the Center for Student Health and Counseling at 503-725-2800.

Activism, social justice events fill campus calendar PSU’s La Casa Latina and other student groups organize Cesar Chavez Week Ashley Rask Vanguard Staff

This month, students have a chance to take part in Portland State’s first Cesar Chavez Week. The week of events will celebrate the Latin American civil rights activist and social justice. Put on by La Casa Latina and other student groups, the events are being held to reach out to not only the Latino community at PSU, but all of the student body. “We wanted to do something for the community,” said Emanuel Magana, program coordinator for La Casa Latina. “We thought a lot about what we wanted to do—what we wanted people get out of the week.” The planning for Cesar Chavez Week began at the end of February by a committee made up mainly of students. The committee planned events starting April 8 and ending April 13 to help educate students about social justice, the Latino community and, of course, Cesar Chavez. “People may have heard the name Cesar Chavez before but [do] not know who he is or what he’s done,” Magana said. Listed below are the events being held during Cesar Chavez Week, from the official press release.

April 8: Cesar Chavez— His Life, His Work From 1–2 p.m. in the Multicultural Center (Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228) there will be a workshop on Cesar Chavez held by Professor Roberto De Anda from the Chicano/Latino Studies Program.

Lecture series offers look at juvenile justice, mentoring School of Social Work educates the community Turner Lobey Vanguard Staff

Cesar Chavez, a labor leader and civil rights activist, helped found what is now the United Farm Workers Union. This event is sponsored by the Associated Students of Portland State University Multicultural Affairs.

April 9: Cesar Chavez Birthday Party From 1–2:30 p.m. in Parkway North, SMSU, is an event where people in the community can socialize while participating in traditional Latin American games and festivities and learning about Chavez. This event is sponsored by Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan.

April 10: Tim Wise Keynote and Reception From 6–8 p.m. at the Stott Center, guest speaker Tim Wise will be giving a lecture on being a white ally and advocate. Wise is a notable antiracism speaker. From 8–9 p.m., in the Multicultural Center, students will be able to meet with speaker Tim Wise.

April 11: Community Fair From 1:30–3:30 p.m. in the Multicultural Center, several organizations from on and off campus will be available for students and people in the community to discuss ways to be involved in the community, as well as resources that they can access.

April 12: Art Through Social Justice From noon–1:30 p.m. in La Casa Latina, SMSU 229, both PSU and Portland Community College students will be exhibiting art that highlights Latino and Chicano culture.

April 13: Migrant Housing Tour From 9 a.m.–3 p.m., students will be able to take a tour of the migrant housing community in Woodburn in order to show students how they can get involved and lend a hand in supporting these communities. This event is sponsored by the Food Action Committee.

With the new term just kicking off, the School of Social Work at Portland State is lining up the first in a series of monthly presentations for spring quarter. The first presentation is a lecture by Dr. Juan Sanchez, the president and CEO of Southwest Key Programs. On April 11, Sanchez, who has 25 years of juvenile justice reform experience, will present a lecture titled “Where’s the Justice in Juvenile Justice?” The presentation will discuss the treatment of poor youth and kids of color in the criminal justice system. “This unjust treatment creates a grim and devastating reality: broken youth, families and communities. These factors can result in unjust sentencing and unnecessary confinement when youth might be effectively diverted into communitybased programs,” said Michelle Clinch, an online learning specialist in the SSW. A subsequent event will be hosted on April 17 by Dr. Thomas Keller, director of the Center of Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research, director of the Summer Institute on Youth Mentoring and professor in the SSW. His presentation, “Promoting Effective Youth Mentoring Relationships,” will focus on the relationship between youth mentors and mentees,

and will examine new research and various practices attributed to successful mentoring and improving youth outcomes. “I am very interested in creating linkages between the research and practice communities in the field of youth mentoring,” Keller said. “I believe the topic of my presentation is important because mentoring is widely promoted as a strategy for supporting young people. Most programs rely on

“These events allow us to highlight the work of our outstanding faculty and provide an opportunity to share current research and best practices with students and community members.” Michelle Clinch, Online learning specialist

community volunteers with good intentions but perhaps limited experience,” he said. “Research is beginning to show us what factors contribute to more positive mentoring experiences that also achieve greater results in terms of youth outcomes. There are many ways that programs can incorporate this knowledge into their program models and services,

including the way they train and support their mentors.” The lectures are part of the school’s Continuing Education program, whose mission statement, according to the program’s website, is “to meet the ongoing needs of the social work and other helping professions for highquality, community-informed learning experiences that promote social justice, equity and social change; foster learning communities; engage in collaborative community relationships; and support culturally and linguistically responsive service systems.” The department hosts workshops, like these events, which creates environments where people can gather and share ideas. “I think that the Continuing Education offerings in the School of Social Work are valuable because they provide an opportunity for local professionals to learn about new ideas and research that is meaningful for their work. They get to consider different perspectives and approaches that they could use in providing services,” Keller said. “These events allow us to highlight the work of our outstanding faculty and provide an opportunity to share current research and best practices with students and community members,” Clinch said. More information on these and upcoming events can be found on the SSW website at pdx.edu/ssw.

Student awakened by stranger Broadway resident startled by man in her dorm room Stephanie Tshappat Vanguard Staff

On Monday, March 25, Portland State’s Campus Public Safety Office received a report that an unknown man entered an occupied dormitory room in the Broadway Housing Building at approximately 5 a.m. The man was described as an adult white male with a thin build who looked to be “college-age,” which could range from 19–35 years old,

and was not a transient. He was wearing a white beaniestyle hat, a dark coat, light-colored trousers and Toms shoes. The timely warning released by CPSO reminded students and residents of the dormitories to be aware of their surroundings, pay attention to people in the residence halls, prevent unauthorized people from following them into the dormitories and keep doors closed and locked. Sgt. Joe Schilling of CPSO reiterated the importance of

students being mindful of their surroundings and observant of what’s going on around them—and asking for help if they are in a situation where they don’t feel safe. “Any time of the day or night, students should be aware of their surroundings and need to know they can call 911 or CPSO if they are concerned for their safety or uncomfortable in a situation,” Schilling said. “This includes keeping doors latched and locked for their own safety and security and paying attention to those simple safety issues.” Students are advised to contact CPSO’s emergency line

at 503-725-4404 to report the presence of anyone believed to be in the dorms without permission or any suspicious activity. Even if you are hesitant to call, do it anyway, Schilling said. “Be aware of your surroundings, and if you see something that seems a little out of place, call us,” he said. “If you see someone walking up and down the hallway checking doorknobs, don’t assume they’re looking for a friend. Call us and we can contact the subject and get the situation figured out safely.” Schilling said a similar incident occurred over winter

break in Broadway but that the incidents are unrelated. The timely warning also encouraged residents of the dorms who are concerned about this incident or any other related issue to contact University Housing and Residence Life at 503-725-4370. CPSO will post updates and further information about this incident on their website at pdx.edu/cpso. If students have any nonemergency concerns regarding campus safety, they are advised to contact CPSO at 503-725-4407. As always, support services are available for anyone who

feels affected by this incident at the Women’s Resource Center and the Center for Student Health and Counseling.

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Students launch their own businesses Club’s support of all types of ventures helped two students become finalists in Angel Oregon state competition

One of many problems students face after graduation is finding a job. What if there were a way you could start building a business while you’re still in school, creating a job that could begin before you even graduate? The Portland State Entrepreneurship Club is achieving just that. “You do go to school to get a job, everyone thinks that,” member Ryan Jenson said. “But you can also go to school to create a job.” The PSU E-Club, as members call it, launched in spring of last year. The club focuses on creating a supportive network for students to generate business ideas, and offering advice for those who don’t know where to start or how to grow their business. PSU E-Club President Nick Simms wants to change the way students look at entrepreneurship. “We try to spread entrepreneurship in all aspects of the university,” Simms said. “We want to get the average student to think outside the box— instead of the complacency of ‘we’re going to school to get a job,’ we want students to create their own path.” Simms and other officers want to create a new entrepreneurship culture in the long run. “We’re not all about finding students that want to start businesses,” Simms said. “We’re trying to really educate a lot of these students as well, letting them know there’s more out there than what they’re doing.” PSU is an ideal hub for entrepreneurship, with the community in Portland growing at a rapid pace, Jenson said: “The entrepreneurship community is exploding here.”

Jenson said the E-Club has members from all sorts of backgrounds, from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science to business marketing, web development, English and more. No matter what you’re studying, the club has advice to give and resources to offer, its members said. “We’re able to iterate quickly too, because we have so many perspectives,” Jenson said. “We want to provide [students] with something, so they can take that and grow in their business [or] community.” Students aren’t limited in the type of organization or company they start. “It’s not just straight-up business. There’s the nonprofit, there’s the social impact, there’s all that stuff,” Jenson said. The E-Club has already helped produce two innovative corporations that will be competing at Angel Oregon

“[Y]ou can also go to school to create a job." Ryan Jenson, PSU E-Club member

2013, an annual investor conference put on by the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. The conference will be held on April 17 at the Governor Hotel. The competition is made up of two tiers, composed of a launch stage and a concept stage. The launch-stage companies compete for investments pooled by a group of investors. “The prize is usually around $300,000,” Jenson said. The companies competing in the concept stage mainly compete for exposure at the

Stephanie Tshappat Vanguard Staff

March 11 Warrant Arrest Southwest Fifth Avenue and Montgomery Street

Officer Shawn McKenzie and Officer Brenton Chose contacted nonstudent Michael Morris, who has two outstanding misdemeanor warrants. Morris was arrested for those warrants as well as criminal trespass II.

Ashley Rask Vanguard Staff

Crime Blotter for March 11–14

Burglary Ondine Residence Hall

A student reported to officers David Baker and Brian Rominger that a laptop and an envelope containing important documents was stolen sometime between March 8 and March 11. Exclusion Parking Structure 3

Officers Baker and Rominger contacted nonstudent Kyle Creed, who was found smoking marijuana in Parking Structure 3. Creed was issued an exclusion order. Arrest East side of Academic and Student Rec Center

At 6:59 p.m., officers Baker and Rominger contacted nonstudent Steven Stewart. Stewart had a felony warrant and was arrested on the charge of attempted unlawful possession of heroin. Trespass arrest Millar Library

At 11:16 p.m., Officer Baker contacted nonstudent John Baker, who had removed his shoes and pants and was sleeping on the floor of the library. Baker had a current exclusion order and was arrested for criminal trespass II. March 12 Exclusion order kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFF

Ryan Jenson, left, E-Club President Nick Simms, Treasurer Heber Miguel and Vice President Enoch Aggrey at the Club's weekly meeting.

conference. The companies don’t exactly have revenue, but they have an idea. They also may have access to some funding if investors agree to contribute. Jenson and another E-Club member, Heber Miguel, will be competing as finalists in the concept stage with their corporations. “The big thing is exposure to investors,” Miguel said. “At the conference, there are 300 to 500 investors, media, entrepreneurs and businesspeople, so there’s a lot of exposure.” The competition is made up of various businesses from all over the Northwest. “There were about 25 teams to start out with for the concept stage, and now it’s down to five or six,” Miguel said. Miguel’s corporation, Green Innovations Inc., takes waste oils and recycles them into clean diesel fuel. They’ve also begun taking plastics and tires

to recycle as well. “The processor that they’ve created—you put the waste through and it comes out the other end,” Simms said. “They plan to revolutionize the fuel industry.” The company started about a year and a half ago with a towing company that had seven trucks operating at the same time. “The increase of fuel really decreased our profit margins,” Miguel said. “We were looking for other alternatives and my partner—he’s an engineer— developed this system [that] cut our fuel expense by 63 percent, which is huge savings.” Miguel also noted that their fuel is being sold for $1.99 per gallon. Right now, Green Innovations is looking to pair up with a Fortune 500 company in Portland. “We’ve been sitting down and having meetings with

them,” he said. “Hopefully we can get that done before the competition.” Jenson is also competing in Angel Oregon 2013 with his corporation, HoneyComb, that focuses on precision agriculture. The corporation is made up of three people, with Jenson as CEO. “Precision agriculture is kind of like: You image the field, and then you are able to tell crop health and allocate resources precisely rather than wasting them,” Jenson said. “So you save water, use less pesticide and use less fertilizer.” HoneyComb does all of this by using unmanned aircraft (aka drones). Jenson explains that the big opportunity is its civilian use. “Most of it’s been military,” Jenson said. “But the civilian use is projected to be about $90 billion over the next 10 years.” Oregon State University is trying to develop a similar

program, and there’s an additional proposal for a test site in Eastern Oregon. “We’re basically taking that technology, combining it with some other technology and agriculture and revolutionizing what’s called remote sensing and precision agriculture,” Jenson said. Simms notes that Angel Oregon 2013 is the OEN’s biggest event of the year and that the PSU E-Club can help students build startups of all types. The PSU E-Club meets every Thursday from 4–5:30 p.m. in the Fourth Avenue Building, room 155. They also hold a monthly event called Faces of Success, a speaker series where a different successful Portland entrepreneur shares his story each month. To find out more about the PSU E-Club visit facebook.com/ pdx.eclub or psueclub.org.

Higher ed from page 1

Oregon Student Association doesn’t support institutional boards called the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, that would serve as the connection between all of Oregon’s universities and community colleges. This board would “ensure a holistic approach and a heavy student focus,” Cannon said. Emily McLain, executive director of the Oregon Student Association, spoke at the forum. She said that the OSA does not support of the creation of institutional boards, but she did voice some support for the creation of a statewide department. “A statewide system is better and does not result as often in universities having to compete for resources,” McLain said, explaining that only major universities were interested in the institutional board idea. “Don’t let big institutions get all of the attention.” While McLain generally supports a statewide

system like the HECC, she expressed concern for the shrinking number of student representatives. “Currently, there are two students on board; now, with the new proposal, there would be only one,” McLain said. Speaker Heather Conroy, the executive director of the Service Employees International Union, also had some issues with the representation on the proposed board. Because most of the money for higher education comes from public funds, the public not only deserves a voice, but “we want one,” she said. McLain and Conroy agreed that the OUS doesn’t need the decentralization that would come from creating institutional boards. “Decentralization equals more money for administration,” Conroy said.

Conroy also noted that while the ratio of administration to students has been rising, the ratio of faculty to students has been decreasing. The proposals, Conroy explained, “are less about streamlining and more about shielding the decision-makers.” Another worry is the everrising cost of tuition, McLain said. While she was relieved to hear that there has been a yearly 5 percent increase cap put on tuition, she thinks there is still not enough being done. Tuition costs will double in 15 years under the annual 5 percent increase. Students themselves had a few suggestions, McLain added. Keeping tuition affordable and increasing both student and faculty seats were the most popular suggestions, she said. “Sixty-eight percent of students graduate with debt, and the average student loan payment is $250 a month, which for many is half the price of their rent,” McLain said. “The main issues are debt and affordability.”

Millar Library

At 1:37 a.m., Officer Baker contacted nonstudent Shane Thomas in the basement of the library. Thomas refused to leave and had an empty cup smelling of alcohol. Thomas was issued an exclusion order. March 13 Marijuana Arrest Broadway Housing Building

At 5:39 p.m., officers Baker and Rominger and Sgt. Michael Anderson responded to Broadway for a marijuana complaint. A student admitted to transporting small quantities of pot from Vancouver, Wash., to campus to sell to students. The student was arrested for unlawful delivery of marijuana. Exclusion order Millar Library

Officers Baker and Rominger contacted nonstudent Owen Washington, who was snoring loudly and had a very strong and objectionable odor. Washington was issued an exclusion order. Narcotics Parking Structure 3

At 9:46 a.m., Officer Chose located a small black box in the northwest stairwell of the parking structure that contained heroin and unknown pills. It was seized and marked for destruction. Suspicious circumstances Broadway Housing Building

Sgt. Anderson took a report from a female student who stated she found a male subject in the fourth floor laundry room of the Broadway building sniffing her underwear on March 3. The victim said the subject had a bushy brown beard and a raspy voice and was about 5-foot-11-inches. It is unknown if he was a student.

DADS from page 1

Students with children can feel isolated on campus, advocates say A couple of parent groups regularly meet in the resource center. “We want families to connect,” said Chenae Garcia, a program specialist at the center. “A lot of students who have children feel isolated on campus.” The center plans events for parents and children, offers financial grants and features a donation-based clothing closet. Parent groups discuss the unique stresses of being both a student and caregiver. In many cases, older parents offer life advice to first-time parents who feel overwhelmed. “It’s a pretty relaxed, informal

format,” Garcia said. “I can do a quick walk-by to use the printer or study while my daughter plays,” Castillo said. “And this even gives us a chance to play together.” Last year, a group of fathers on campus began discussing the idea of starting a dads’ group. They joined a book group led by a student taking a senior capstone course that focused on raising healthy children. The topics that arose during discussions—everything from television’s effect on kids to sleeping patterns—prompted the idea of launching a separate group.

Marijuana violation Broadway Housing Building

At 3:40 p.m., officers Baker and Rominger and Sgt. Anderson contacted a student on suspected marijuana possession. A pipe and Mason jar containing marijuana were seized.

Portland State students are collecting food to fill the shelves of the student-run food pantry for spring term The pantry in Smith Memorial Student Union stocks donated nonperishable food and personal items such as deodorant and toothpaste. The shelves are often nearly empty, because the food goes out as fast as it comes in. To encourage donations, the Associated Students of Portland State University, KPSU, the Portland State Vanguard and the Viking Gameroom are hosting free, unlimited bowling, pool and games for faculty, staff and students in exchange for a suggested donation of two food items or $3. The food drive will be held Thursday, April 4, from noon–4 p.m. The public can drop off donations in the ASPSU office (Smith 117) or at the pantry (open noon–2 p.m. Monday–Friday in Smith 325). miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf Kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFF

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Erick Castillo and his daughter Glory in the Resource Center for Students with Children, where a group of student fathers meet weekly.

Castillo pointed to the unique challenges of attending an urban university with a small child in tow. “Smoking on campus is an issue,” Castillo said. “There are so many kids here, even with the smoke-free corridor, kids will be like, ‘What’s that smell?’” Other times, Castillo faces hectic situations where local school districts’ in-service days leave him scrambling to find child care. “That’s another thing the group can do, we can arrange babysitting,” Castillo said. Shempert, who is not his daughter’s primary caregiver but wants to be more involved, finds it difficult to arrange child care during his classes. “Trying to get even a couple of days of child care is hard,” said Shempert, whose daughter is on a wait list for child care. “Sometimes I feel like emailing my professors, but I don’t want to play the daughter card,” Shempert said, laughing. But many instructors are understanding of nontraditional students, Castillo said. Some even allow students to bring their children to class. “I brought my son to my ‘Teaching Elementary School Math’ class,” Castillo said. “He was busy taking notes on what the professor was teaching!” “We’re in the process of getting things up and running. There’s been a good response, and now we’re just trying to find a mutual time to meet,” Castillo said. For information on joining the group, contact the Resource Center for Students with Children at 503-725-9878 or visit their office in the Smith Memorial Student Union, suite 462 (fourth floor). Check out their website at pdx.edu/ students-with-children.

Arts Arts&&Culture Culture• •T Tuesday, uesday,April Jan. 31, 2, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD ••TThursday, Tuesday, uesday, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, Jan. April JANUARY OCTOBER Nov. FEBRUARY JANUARY 31, 2, 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

A helping hand

Playing the hand you’re dealt

Women’s Resource Center screens abortionrights film Vera Drake

Artists Repertory Theatre presents D.L. Coburn’s The Gin Game

Louie Opatz Vanguard Staff

Roe v. Wade is 40 years old and the United States still struggles to talk rationally about women’s reproductive rights. In one of the most prominent (and dubious) recent attempts, former Missouri legislator Todd Akin (in)famously stated that, in cases of “legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down” (the “whole thing” here being pregnancy)—and then stuck around long enough to garner 39 percent of the vote in his 2012 U.S. Senate bid. When it comes to abortion, assumptions are made, aspersions are cast, lines are drawn. But rarely do we, as participants in this often-vitriolic campaign, stand back to ruminate on the moral burden placed on the shoulders of those who carry out these operations—who “help these women out,” as the titular character of Mike Leigh’s 2004 film, Vera Drake, would put it. The Women’s Resource Center’s Reproductive Justice Action Team is screening Vera Drake tomorrow on campus. The action team works “to support the rights of people to make their own decisions about their own reproductive and sexual health,” according to its website, and the group has certainly selected a pertinent and provoking film. Set in London in 1950, Vera Drake tells the story of a family doing its best to survive—and hopefully thrive—in post-war England. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Drakes, the matriarch, Vera, has been “helping women out” by providing them with illegal, in-home abortions for years. Vera (played by the remarkable Imelda Staunton) is “as good as gold,” a “diamond,” and has “a heart of gold,” according to various characters in Leigh’s film. And, as the story gets

going, we see they’re right. The short, matterof-fact early scenes—Vera fluffing a dying man’s pillow, Vera fixing a hungry neighbor something to eat, Vera dusting the piano—provide a distinct picture of our heroine in her element: hard at work. As these early scenes of selfless domesticity roll on, Staunton reveals Vera bit by bit, giving us a glimpse of the depth of her character and the true, deep goodness of her heart. Leigh (Another Year, Happy-Go-Lucky) juxtaposes Vera’s days as a domestic worker with scenes of her immediate family making their daily bread. Her husband, Stan, works side by side with his brother Frank at an auto body shop in town, while the couple’s grown children contribute to the household, daughter Ethel in a menial assembly line job and son Sid as a tailor. The cumulative effect of these scenes reveals itself when, after the camera has peered into everyone’s workday, Leigh turns the lens on Vera, who has just been let into a house by a meek, terrified teenage girl. Vera attempts to set the frazzled girl’s mind at ease. “First thing we have to do is put the kettle on,” Vera tells her sweetly. (Mrs. Drake has a near-religious belief in the restorative effects of a good cup of tea.) Vera instructs the teen to grab a towel, take her “knickers off” and “pop [her] bottom on the bed” while Vera fetches her some tea. Vera tries to relax the girl, telling her “I’m here to help, and that’s what I’m going to do.” As the girl tries to get comfortable, Vera inserts a Higginson syringe “down there” (as she refers to the female anatomy) and begins handpumping a water solution inside the woman, telling her that “when you feel full, we’ll stop.” These gentle reassurances of her desire to help typify Vera’s view of the illegal act she commits day after day. Be it an exhausted mother of seven with a deadbeat husband, an unfaithful wife or a poor Caribbean immigrant, Vera thinks every woman deserves her help—that every woman deserves a measure of control.

Rachelle Schmidt Vanguard Staff

Keep calm and watch your head: The authorities hustle Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) off to jail in a scene from Mike Leigh's 2004 film. Leigh’s understated direction carries the film along steadily, though as seasoned filmgoers we’re smart enough to know that Mrs. Drake will not simply continue performing illegal abortions apace until the credits roll—the end, happily ever after. Vera’s reckoning comes after complications arise from one of her procedures, putting a teenage girl in the hospital on the brink of death. The police eventually trace the source of the girl’s hospitalization—the “procured miscarriage”—back to Vera and come knocking. As her dark secrets come to light and her family deals with the fallout, Leigh uses these fraught moments to limn his characters,’ well, characters. Vera’s son Sid can barely contain his contempt for what he calls his mother’s “dirty” work, while the stoic Stan (in a tremendous performance by Phil Davis) forgives her, telling Sid that “God knows she’s going to get punished enough for what she’s done.” The revelation of Vera’s crimes cedes some of the spotlight to the supporting cast, and Davis and Daniel Mays’ Sid take the opportunity and deliver, deepening our understanding of them. But Vera’s comeuppance also exposes the twodimensionality of some of the supporting cast

and the film’s uneven story. Ethel, for example, is given ample screen time and a couple big plot points but by film’s end is still nothing more than a cipher, a prop in the back of the shot. And as the arc of Leigh’s film becomes clear, it’s hard not to wonder what happened to all those other potential story lines that were introduced and then abandoned. Though the story hints early on that it may directly tackle the upstairs/downstairs dynamic and its attendant social class issues, race and other meaty topics, it discards many of these. Leigh leaves an awful lot of loose ends. Fortunately, Staunton’s tour-de-force performance (she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar) remedies Vera Drake’s inconsistencies, and it is Vera, always helpful, doting and kind, who gives this film its heart and soul—forcing us to ask questions and confront issues that are just as relevant 60 years later.

The WRC's Reproductive Justice Action Team presents Vera Drake Wednesday, April 3, 6 p.m. Women's Resource Center Lounge Free and open to the public

Blackened blues The Flight of Sleipnir’s Saga effortlessly spans genres Nicholas Kula Vanguard Staff

What would you expect from a band named after a decidedly metal piece of Scandinavian mythology? Metal? Of course. But that’s not all that lies beneath the surface of Saga, The Flight of Sleipnir’s newest record. In fact, the album title is the most apt descriptor of the record. A band named after Odin’s eightlegged horse doesn’t exactly conjure up the contents of the record: bluesy folk metal. That’s right, folk metal! There’s a band out there named after a flying, eight-legged horse that isn’t balls-out screaming and metal posturing. While that is somewhat surprising, it isn’t as shocking as the fact that the band hails from Colorado. More shocking still is that Saga’s incredible synthesis of musical genres is the work of just two people—David Csicsely and Clayton Cushman. Spread across 12 tracks, Saga is some of the most mature musicianship one can expect to find under the entire metal umbrella. While some tracks have the requisite screams and plodding riffs, there really isn’t enough of just one thing to truly pin down Sleipnir’s craft in fewer than 20 words or so. Saga is a truly appropriate title, as the odyssey whisks the listener through genuine smoky blues sessions, piercing black metal vocals and stunningly delicate acoustic guitar work, all with a deft cohesion not normally seen in metallic outsider jaunts. And while all of these elements by themselves aren’t too strange, finding them on one

metal record is. Yet somehow the tincture seems strangely familiar and warm. That’s right, warmth on a metal record. Building on the curveball nature of Saga are the incredibly misleading opening and closing tracks. I’ve listened to hundreds of metal records in my day, and when a metal band has a relatively short opening track called “Prologue” and a matching closer titled “Epilogue,” that normally means a few minutes of spooky sounds—not a semi-uptempo classic metal jam or a crushing post-black metal jam, respectively. Right away the conventions are history, and Sleipnir invites you to simply enjoy what is in store. Interestingly, the first few tracks seem like one long acoustic buildup to some seriously punishing metal, albeit split into separate movements. It feels like Sleipnir thought of some simple “whydidn’t-I-think-of-that?” ways to switch things up, to great success. Nothing on the record is at any point expected. The real beauty of Saga is that while the record is bathed in blues riffs and progressions, it never sounds likes metal guys trying their hand at blues, which is all too often the case. In fact, it sounds like quite the opposite, like old bluesmen putting together a metal record, and that tone keeps the always fresh. In fact, the record is so bluesy at times that fans of darker blues rock a la David Eugene Edwards/ Wovenhand would find a lot to like on this record, even if metal isn’t their bag. Tracks two and six, “Reaffirmation” and “Judgment,” feature heavy blues riffing and solos that wouldn’t sound out of place on any number of ash-stained blues records. Curiously, though Sleipnir’s bag of tricks is ripe with blues and folk tendencies, the structuring of the tracks is still very metal.

Backstabbin' blues metal: The Flight of Sleipnir releases Saga, a bluesand folk-influenced metal record, on Eyes Like Snow Records.

On the sun porch, amid the discarded debris of empty boxes, Christmas wreaths and luggage brought in but never brought out, Weller and Fosnia, neighbors at the “home for the aged,” meet for the first time, each seeking refuge from a visitor’s day that doesn’t include them. They strike up a game of gin—and an unlikely friendship. Director Joanne Johnson was not sure what to expect from D.L. Coburn’s The Gin Game when she first encountered it. Often, plays that are centered on older characters tend to be little more than romantic fluff. To her surprise, Johnson found the piece to be brilliantly structured. “The play is a very insightful and moving exploration of the development of a relationship between two elderly people who are in a home for the aged,” Johnson said. “They are there because of illness and also because they have no money, no family and nowhere else to go.” The gin game is a metaphor for life at any age: We use all kinds of gameplay as we navigate our way through our world. The question is, what are you going to do with the hand that you are dealt? You can become enraged, toss the cards and refuse to play, or you can accept the cards that have turned up and find the best way to make them work. For these two characters, at least at the beginning of the play, there is a sense that the deck is stacked against them. Each has a history of divorce, family estrangement and financial troubles. They are in a place that they don’t want to be. By meeting, they are given the option to create a fulfilling relationship. But like any relationship, after the courtship and honeymoon stage, they also have to deal with challenges, conflicts and disappointments. The Gin Game asks, How will you choose to live your life, especially at the end? Are you always going to be saddled with your old disappointments and failures, or are you going to spend each day trying to grow and enjoy life as best you can?

One mo’ gin: Artists Reportory Theatre’s The Gin Game tackles aging, life, death and, of course, gin rummy. The play was written in 1976 and first appeared on Broadway in 1977, starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn. In the last 36 years, the play has been produced numerous times around the world, including a film and a television adaptation. The Gin Game has also garnered multiple awards, including four Tony awards for the original Broadway production and the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1978. Despite its age, the play’s message is universal and timeless. It is very apt as our country’s baby boomers age and the senior population grows. There has also been a change in family structure: Families are not necessarily expected to personally care for aging relatives the way they once were, and we are seeing the number of residents in long-term care facilities continue to grow. The play stars current Artistic Director for Artists Rep Allen Nause, who is retiring at the

end of this season, and Vana O’Brien, a founding member of the Resident Acting Company at Artists Rep. Surprisingly, this production marks the first time that the two veteran actors perform together in an Artists Rep production. “I am tremendously excited and honored to finally work with Vana onstage at Artists Rep in a play we both love,” Nause said in an email. Johnson, Nause and O’Brien have a long artistic history together, and for the director, it has been wonderful to be able to work with actors of Nause’s and O’Brien’s caliber. “They are both incredibly smart people,” Johnson said, “who are very dedicated and hardworking.” Johnson laughingly pointed out that, between the three of them, they have about 150 years of theater experience. This combined experience was put to excellent use when the cast and crew

had to deal with an unexpected challenge: actually playing gin onstage. Throughout the course of the play, the two characters play 15 different hands of gin rummy. The wrangling of all the different games and getting the cards to stay in sync with the lines in the script required a very precise form of choreography. Sometimes the script says that you have a nine card when you are actually holding a three, so what are you going to do? In theater, as in life, you simply play the hand you are dealt.

Artists Repertory Theatre presents The Gin Game April 2–28, Tuesday–Sunday 1515 SW Morrison St. $36 general admission, $20 student admission For showtimes or tickets, contact 503-241-1278 or visit artistsrep.org

Emerald pie A delicious pizza with all your favorite green fixins

be sure that your crust is as even as possible, about 1/4-inch thick. For an extra kick of flavor and protein, try a variation of this recipe by adding slices of cooked chicken apple sausage.

Kat Audick Vanguard staff

“Reverence” still feels very much like a black metal track despite swimming in spiraling acoustic guitar and other general folksiness. The drumming is still very much provided by a metalhead, the pedigree oozing from each slightly overplayed fill and roll. Let me be clear, though: The full-bore metal parts present on Saga have almost no equal in the metal realm. Each jagged shard of darkness peeled from the skeleton of Sleipnir is some of the choicest metal around. Going back to “Judgment,” there is a passage about two-thirds through that might be the heaviest metal’s seen in years. Cushman, the vocalist whose tortured screams really take the record to new heights, pushes the heavy parts into the heaviness red zone. His is a scream so blackened and scalding that you might

forget about all that blues stuff. While the album also touches on doom, Kyuss-inspired stoner rock, post-rock and even ’50s musique concrete, at its core Saga is an incredible experimental crossbreed of metal and blues that never seeks to do anything but entertain. If you like your blues blackened, or are curious about what that sounds like, heed my words: Saga is worth every cent.

The Flight of Sleipnir Saga Eyes Like Snow Records Out now

This pizza makes for some mean, green, delicious cuisine. It’s perfect for a pizza party with friends—just encourage your guests to bring their own dough and ingredients for a funky culinary adventure. This pie makes a quick and elegant dinner for two, or, if you’re dining alone, save the extra slices for lunch-on-the-go all week. If you’re short on time or lack a blender, the pesto sauce can be easily replaced with any prepared, store-bought pesto. Many recipes suggest flouring the pan before kneading out your dough. However, most store-bought dough is elastic and buttery enough that it spreads out better on a nonfloured pan (but still won’t stick when it’s cooked and crisp). If you don’t have a round pizza pan, no worries: a baking pan of any shape will do. Just

Ingredients 3 cups basil leaves 3 cloves garlic 1/3 cup parmesan cheese 1/2 cup olive oil 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter 2 shallots, minced 1 lb prepared pizza dough 1 1/2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1 tsp dried oregano 1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped 1 cup arugula 1 tomato, seeded and chopped Salt and pepper

karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a blender or food processor, blend basil, garlic, parmesan and 1/2 cup olive oil. Add additional olive oil and blend if sauce is not smooth enough. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside. In a small pan, saute shallots in butter for 4 minutes until translucent, then remove to a plate. Stretch pizza dough with your hands and press it

flatly into the corners of a 12-inch round pizza tin. Spread and distribute pesto sauce onto dough with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with shredded Monterey jack cheese, then top with feta cheese, oregano, artichoke hearts, arugula and shallots. Bake 8 to 15 minutes until crust is crispy and cheese has melted. Remove from oven and let cool 4 minutes. Top with freshly chopped tomato and salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

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The Wild West dies with a whimper

“What’d you say about angelina?” Casey Affleck and Brad Pitt star as the titular characters in Andrew Dominik’s 2007 film, The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford, playing this week at PSU’s 5th Avenue Cinema.

5th Avenue Cinema presents Jesse James Breana Harris Vanguard staff

When I was a kid, my dad practically forced me to watch Lonesome Dove. I was convinced that a 10-hour miniseries about two old men on horses would be slow torture, but it actually inspired my lifelong love of the Western. I have a lot of arguments with other film fans about this. It is a peculiar kind of genre, both remarkably easy and uniquely difficult to define. Not everybody can see the appeal of these stories, but why else have they been so popular for so long? Andrew Dominik’s 2007 film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a modern revisionist Western that chronicles the last days of one of the West’s most famous outlaws, played by Brad Pitt.

If you’re not familiar with the term, revisionist Westerns are exactly what you’d imagine they are—attempts to deconstruct the archetypes of pre-World War II Western films and novels. In revisionist Westerns, the cowboys aren’t always heroes and the Native Americans aren’t always savages. Women can be more than either schoolmarms or prostitutes. Stories are told with cynical realism instead of misplaced romanticism. Ironically, the 1949 film I Shot Jesse James is widely regarded as the first revisionist Western. The further in time we get from the Old West, the more our fascination with this period shifts and changes. Dominik’s unique outlook feels both incredibly modern and meticulously authentic, and there are a lot of good things to say about it. Pitt’s James is in his 30s, living in Missouri with his wife and children in the twilight of his outlaw career. While planning a train robbery with what’s left of his gang, he meets Robert

Ford, a squirrelly, 19-year-old sycophant, masterfully played by Casey Affleck. Ford’s older brother Charley (Sam Rockwell) is already part of the gang, and the younger Ford brother idolizes Jesse James from the period’s dime novels, which told romantic versions of his adventures. But the real-life outlaws don’t see Bob Ford as gunslinger material. The celebrity of Jesse James is a central theme of the story, though I think drawing parallels between the outlaw’s fame and the modern glorification of infamy is kind of a cheap way to look at it. Of course, Jesse tells Bob early on that the novels he’s read since he was a little boy are all lies. But is America glorifying evil? Or is the truth more complex? Pitt’s incredible, slow-burning performance paints Jesse James as a complicated figure— sinister and violent, pragmatic and fiercely intelligent, charismatic and good-humored. The film never shies away from the stark reality that James has committed ugly deeds and is now immersed in a paranoid downward spiral. Yet, by the end of the film, you’re drawn to the idea that Jesse James was an admirable figure. Affleck is also excellent. As Bob Ford, a socalled nobody who is routinely mocked by his older brother for his childlike devotion to James, he seems torn between idolizing his hero and resenting the fact that he idolizes him. Jesse, to his great credit, understands this perfectly: “Do you want to be like me, or do you want to be me?” he asks Bob. Whether you know anything about the history, the verbose, descriptive title lets you know how this story is going to end. I was vaguely expecting Bob’s betrayal of Jesse James to be painted as something heroic—ironically, not cowardly at all—and that the moral of the film would be society’s worship of the wrong man. I was pleasantly surprised to be so pleasantly surprised. The Assassination of Jesse James is steeped in reality, from Roger Deakins’ stunning cinematography to the authentic dialogue of Dominik’s script. It seems to question why exactly Jesse James has become a legend, with festivals and historic sites devoted to him to this day.

In one of the film’s best scenes, Bob tells Jesse over the dinner table about how he used to keep a list of all the similarities between them, like height and eye color. Yet Bob’s acute lack of the undefinable specialness that made Jesse so legendary is his downfall. He will never be Jesse James. But should he really want to be? I always struggle to explain to people why they should love Westerns. The fact that filmmakers can’t get enough of this period in American history is fascinating to me. There’s a lawlessness to these stories that draws people in: The bad guys are not always bad, and the good guys are not always good. I think what I love about this genre is the gray moral area in which it operates; Westerns have a way of painting the wholeness of the human experience. While there is a lot to admire about this movie, sometimes the directing gets in the way of everything else. At two hours and 40 minutes, it’s entirely too long and meanders too often. The bloated running time—combined with the excessive voiceovers—often make the film feel pretentious, especially at the end, where Affleck’s performance is truncated by the need to rush through things with narration. There is not much action in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. It’s a slow-moving character study, unique among Westerns of its time. And yet the film’s themes and questions speak to the nature of the genre itself. The modern Western can be about redefining good and evil, and there’s no better time to do that then when the sun sets on America’s most infamous outlaw.

5th Avenue Cinema presents The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 510 SW Hall St. Friday–Saturday, April 5–6, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sunday, April 7, 3 p.m. $3 general admission, PSU students free

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OPINiON • Tuesday, April 2, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• Tuesday, THURSDAY, April NOVEMBER 2, 2013 10, • OPINiON 2011 • SPORTS

OPINION

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

karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFF

Spring fever and sunshine

P(ushover)-Town Northwestern niceness threatens the Portland dream

It’s difficult to stay focused this time of year, but here’s how Ms. Fudge’s Sweet Nothings Stephanie Fudge-Bernard

Imagine there’s no Facebook A dark tomorrow for the world’s favorite social network? This, Too, is Meaningless Benjamin Ricker

acebook, the wind seems to whisper, isn’t cool anymore. Upstarts like Snapchat and Tumblr—websites that appeal more to today’s youth— are seizing coveted turf from the world’s biggest social network. In its annual company report, released this February, Facebook acknowledged having trouble luring teens into its net. Around the same time, the Pew Research Center published the results of its study, “Coming and Going on Facebook,” which suggests that grown-ups, too, are disenchanted. Adult users, wising up and realizing Facebook is mainly an irritant, take long vacations from the site or board up their pages once and for all, the study shows. Then, just when the sky over its Menlo Park offices couldn’t get darker, Facebook’s director of product, Blake Ross, announced his departure from the company. In his farewell letter, Ross said he began to doubt Facebook’s future after reading a Forbes article in which teens dissed the social media behemoth, calling it “uncool.” The year of the snake has not been gentle with Facebook. Facebook’s race is run, analysts speculate. The thrill, after nearly 10 years, is gone, they say, as more of us display symptoms of “Facebook fatigue.” Giddy conjecture as to how the site’s fading “coolness” changes the game is spreading like a rash. The temptation to agree with techie fortune-tellers who say Facebook has begun

its initial, flailing descent is hard to resist. On the ground it certainly seems that the social media giant is losing its sheen. It’s not unusual anymore to hear people grumble about Facebook. But letting the supposed decline of Facebook’s “cool” tell the whole story feels somehow deficient.

First and foremost, Facebook is a corporation, and is therefore, by chain rule, incapable of cool.

To begin with, Facebook isn’t “cool.” Not only that, but Facebook can’t be cool. “Cool” is a tricky colloquialism to nail down but, in the end, you often come up with something like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s definition of pornography: “I know it when I see it.” But I think the controversy over Facebook’s “cool” was settled for us last May when Mark Zuckerberg took his brainchild public. First and foremost, Facebook is a corporation, and is therefore, by chain rule, incapable of cool. Separate the website from Facebook’s corporate, profitmaximizing lizard brain, and

you’re left with something like an empty warehouse in cyberspace. Facebook lets users do all the work by decorating a small, whitewashed, virtual cubicle with stuff the user likes. Without us, there isn’t much Facebook to speak of. The website at the center of Facebook Inc. is no more cool than a blank canvas. The “cool” debate is a red herring. Commentators attacking Facebook’s “coolness” are really questioning the site’s popularity, but the two are hardly synonyms. Think back to high school: Were the popular kids cool? Coolness notwithstanding, we’re talking about a website that reaches more than one-seventh of the Earth’s human population monthly. That kind of reach made it possible for Zuckerberg’s holy terror to rake in almost $4 billion in revenue last year. Twitter, the second-largest social media website, only boasts 200 million active users. Figures like the ones needed to describe Facebook’s popularity are far enough out of the ballpark to be almost completely meaningless to me. For a better sense of scale, combine Tumblr, LinkedIn, Twitter and Snapchat (four of the next-biggest runners up—not including Instagram because Facebook owns that one). Added together they don’t even approach half of Facebook’s Internet popularity. Facebook, at the moment and for the foreseeable future, is too big to fail. Still, in a world where fortune smiles on the huge, nobody roots for Goliath. The bigger something is and the higher it climbs, the more eagerly we anticipate its fall— and rightly so.

ow that we’ve made it through winter term and are barreling into spring, it’s not uncommon for students to start feeling less than enthused about sitting in stuffy classrooms when just outside there are blue skies, soft breezes and food carts soaking up the sun. There’s good reason many of us start to experience spring fever: Our bodies are actually physically altering with the season, with neurotransmitter levels changing and hormonal and basal metabolic rates shifting to turn us all into energized little deviants. The first step in avoiding a distracted disaster of a term is to anticipate how the sudden sunshine is going to affect you. Thinking about how you’ve previously felt during spring is a great predictor of how you are probably going to feel again this year. Do you normally get agitated or antsy in April? Do you tend to get overwhelmed by the sudden bump in attitude of everyone around you? Or do you just get so excited about the undisrupted light outside that you can’t quite recall anything that was said in class? Understanding these changing patterns in your body can be an excellent way to ultimately control them.

Once you’ve figured out some of your common spring pitfalls, you can start to get focused—and have a successful transition to the final hurrah before summer. One tactic when looking at all the coursework you’ve gotten yourself into is to think of what you still have to finish, not all that you’ve already accomplished. Studies have shown that dwelling on what we’ve already done can make us feel a premature sense of accomplishment that can lead to slacking off. For college students, this means focusing on upcoming coursework is more effective than getting distracted by an awesome midterm grade. It’s also crucial to realize that being constantly connected through technology can have a serious impact on your ability to function. The University of London conducted a study that found a steady stream of text messages, emails and instant messages is extremely bad for people who actually want to get anything done. In fact, they found that all that social media we use daily can be as bad, if not worse, for us than a sleepless night or smoking marijuana. Yes, that’s right. Smoking pot can be less detrimental for

focusing than all the Facebooking we do throughout the day. Imagine the implications for a sleepless stoner with a tweeting addiction. Frustratingly, human beings have only a finite amount of attention during the day, and studies have found that every time you’re distracted from a task, you’ll come back to it with less attention and productivity. Often, the result is avoidable mistakes, lost ideas and hindered insight. In order to get back on track during a season when we’re already distracted by the lack of clouds in the sky, we need to turn things off sometimes. Set a time when you won’t take text messages, answer calls or go online for anything other than research. Even better, just turn everything off and remove it from your sight whenever you need to get something done. People tend to focus on what’s in front of them, so removing the temptation to post about how gross your coffee is will help you to do your schoolwork. Just shutting out those distractions for a few hours could greatly improve your ability to do something productive. While most people probably already know it’s important to unplug once in a while, we seem to ignore how much it can impact our ability to focus, and it’s killing our already antsy minds during springtime.

Jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFF

Deeply Thought Thoughts Ryan S. Cunningham

kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFF

A difficult thing to accept Stigmas of mental illness and how I’m facing them

Concepts and Commentary Janieve Schnabel

ast Sunday, my bookshelf broke, and I ran out of my apartment and sobbed in the stairwell of a parking structure for half an hour. It’s not a joke. It’s not hyperbole. It was me at my breaking point. This is going to be my last article for the Vanguard. My editor let me decide what I should write—science? legislation? women’s rights?—and I eventually decided that my last submission should be more than that. So I give you this, a cautionary tale about the stigmas of mental health. I’ve never been very good at managing my mental and emotional health. I am a very logical person. I proceed with the most efficient plan regardless of factors like stress and grief. So, after two deaths in my family and a rash of illnesses and horrific diagnoses among those closest to me, I tried to return to my daily life without any time to cope, grieve or process the things that had happened. Within a number of weeks, my journal—which I’d started keeping as a New Year’s resolution—became darker and darker. Looking at it now, there are some alarming excerpts: A letter to my younger self ends with “I’m sorry I failed you, little Jenna. I never wanted to be such a fuck-up.” An entry about other resolutions dissolves into “I’m so

sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” One page just reads, “If you ignore the crushing wave of inadequacy, maybe it will go away.” Another page says, “I want to run away and start over, but it won’t undo the last eight years.” And it culminates with a one-line entry on March 24: “I think I’m depressed.” That was the day I realized I couldn’t keep ignoring my negative thoughts and emotions in the hope that they’d go away. And I couldn’t move forward in my life, especially with the trials my friends and family were facing, if I didn’t address them. Even writing this down for publication scares me a little. I worry that someone will see this someday and decide I’m not worth employing or exploring a relationship with. I don’t want to be seen as mentally ill. The thing is, that’s why I let it get so bad. I struggled so much with the stigma associated with those words. “Mental illness” is something suffered by those people. The unstable ones. The people on the bus or train who shout about the world ending. The ones who are unsafe to be around. The other people. Not me. Mental illness doesn’t happen to normal people, right? And I wanted desperately to be normal. But that stigma causes so much more harm than any other I’ve seen. There should be no

shame in saying, “I think I’m unwell, and I need help to get better.” In fact, if we treated physical illness like we do mental illness, it’d be laughably absurd. “I think she’s faking her amputation for attention,” or “You don’t really have diabetes. Everyone has low energy sometimes. You don’t need to medicate that.” I don’t know if I am clinically depressed. I’ve yet to see a doctor or a counselor (though I have made appointments to do so). But I do know that I’m not well. I haven’t been for some time. Admitting this to my family and friends has been difficult. A few people have reacted poorly, and I have distanced myself from them for my own sake. In just a few days, I’ve been called some truly nasty things. But most of the people I have told have encouraged me to get help. And I will. Whether through lifestyle changes, therapy or medication, I will get better. I have to remind myself that there’s no shame in taking the time to become well again. What I want readers to take away from this is that it’s OK to get help. It’s OK to ask for it. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you may be unwell. And if you’re unwell, it’s only rational to get treatment. Scary as it is, I’m going to face it. I’ve seen people I love deny that they were unwell until they couldn’t live with it anymore. I’ve seen people die because of this stigma. I will not be one of them. So long, readers. Next time I’m published, I hope it’s as a healthy, well-adjusted person.

e agree that our city is far and away the world’s greatest. Paris of the Cascades; gateway to the Willamette Valley’s tightplotted orchards and sprawling vineyards; land of milk and honey and high-gravity Imperial Pale Ale: Portlanders live nestled in one of the most charmed corners of planet Earth. Every day we’re awestruck by the effulgent beauty of 300-foot firs, glacier-capped stratovolcanoes and diverse species of moss. The drizzly mist of the long winter is a small price to pay for the summer glory of blue skies and red-as-a-cherry rose blossoms. And how about the people? No less than the educatiest, open-mindiest, diversiest and party-hardiest assemblage of humanity ever sewn together by bus lines and bike lanes. From the grungiest strungout Old Town busker plucking a washtub bass, to the tatted-up hipster tossing a can of Hamm’s (Pabst is over) over his shoulder as he pedals his fixie down Alberta, even to the bushy-bearded, Priusdriving father of two who crafts fine distilled spirits in the basement of his Westmoreland Craftsman and trades eggs from his back-garden chicken coop for Swiss chard and boar sausage at the local co-op, we are the best, the bravest and the most interesting people the United States can muster. But shouldn’t the city’s strident personalities express a concurrent surfeit of ego? Quite the contrary! By happy accident, our city is one of America’s friendliest. Even in winter’s dankest, darkest depths, Portland is a city of good feelings. Whether it be the pinot noir, the weed or the radioactive runoff from the decommissioned Hanford nuclear facility, something always puts a smile on our citizens’ faces. The barista at Stumptown with the ragged cardigan and Hitler Youth haircut always draws a heart in my macchiato and punches my coffee card twice. There are even guys at gas stations who offer to fuel your automobile while you sit secure on your leather bucket seats and listen to Garrison Keillor’s soothing public-radio show.

Our good humor and concern for others amazes outsiders. When my aunt took a recent weekend escape to PDX from the Rust Belt wastes of St. Louis, Mo., she watched in gape-mouthed amazement as the driver of a Subaru stopped well short of a pedestrian crosswalk and gently waved us through. “He didn’t honk or flash his high beams or even shake an angry fist at us!” she breathlessly repeated as she clung close to my heels. Back in the Lou, we shoot pedestrians. Portland, Ore., is a paradise on Earth: a place where passive-aggressiveness passes for aggression; where all manner of wayward self-expression and body modification is encouraged; where motorists do not deliberately run down bicyclists. But how long can it last? Portland, your trusting, mind-as-wide-as-the-Columbia-Gorge niceness could be your undoing. Geographic isolation has long kept Portland safe from the predations of outsiders. But economic dislocation and cheap airfare has made that security a thing of the past. Already the city is being infiltrated by a fifth column of spray-tanned Southern Californians, burnt-out East Coasters and Chicagoland

refugees. And each of these nefarious subclasses hide their essential antisocial nastiness under a dissimulating veneer of optimism and flannel shirts. Let your guard down for an instant and they’ll pounce on you like a pack of white-toothed hyenas on a baby hippopotamus. If Portland is to continue as a Big Rock Candy Mountain to which our nation’s unfulfilled and uncomfortably unemployed youth can go to become self-fulfilled and comfortably unemployed, then we need to get serious about asserting our trademark unassertiveness. This still means “nice,” but a new kind of aggressive-nice, an over-the-top good humor that will make outsiders so ill at ease that they make an immediate beeline back to South Boston. This columnist therefore proposes that, each day, a contingent of 50,000 Portlanders selected by lottery assemble en masse at PDX airport to greet each disembarking passenger with self-affirming exhortations, baskets of gluten-free marionberry scones and growlers of the hoppiest home-brew. Remember: The really jaded can always tell when something is too good to be true. If successful, we can continue living in our rainy little stress-free bubble of progressive politics and tight jeans. That is, until the inevitable day we become the bombedout salient at the front against Red China’s massive invasive force.

Suraj nair/VANGUARD STAFF

ETC. ETC. •• Thursday, Tuesday, April Nov. 8, 2, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD • Tuesday, April 2, 2013 • Opinion

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

guests are encouraged to show up dressed in their finest ’80s gear and dance to classic songs performed by live cover bands. More information is available at thirstylionpub.com. FREE 21+

This could be you!

Friday, April 5

Portland International Raceway Automotive Swap Meet 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Portland International Raceway 1940 N Victory Blvd.

The Portland International Raceway will host a week-long swap meet that will feature more than 1,500 vendors and two miles of automotive related gear on the race track. Admission is $5, with a $10 fee per car for parking. Children 12 and under will be admitted for free. For more information, visit portlandraceway.com.

Tough commutes Growing population, low job availability mean more time stuck in traffic One Step Off Emily Lakehomer

hen it comes down to it, I really don’t have a whole lot to complain about. Sure, there are rising tuition costs, weird weather, sometimes the show I want to go to is sold out—the list goes on. However, these complaints are small and relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things (apart from the tuition costs, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that). However, one thing that I find to be a valid complaint is the rising cost of public transit. Last year, TriMet raised prices for commuting services, and also eliminated the Free Rail Zone on the MAX and Streetcar lines. The cost of a FlexPass skyrocketed as well, making bus commutes less affordable, especially for students and lowincome families. A New York University study stated that the 21st century is seeing the emergence of the “super-commuter.” The study showed that supercommuting is a growing trend within “major United States regions, with growth in eight of the 10 largest metropolitan areas.” While the Portland area was not listed as one of the growth-heavy areas, our city is still becoming a hotspot for long, arduous commutes. A recent article in The Oregonian detailed the many tribulations of the “extreme commuter.” The article stated that, in Oregon alone, around 90,000 people “commute 60 minutes or more to and from work.” The most recent census

also showed that the amount of Oregon and Northwest commuters stuck in “extreme commutes” is growing. According to the terms of the article and commuting data, an “extreme commute” means, at minimum, that a commuter lives on one side of the river but works on the other, thus making the commute span the East and West sides, and can be as long as a commute between Portland and Vancouver. This need for the extreme commute is because of the economic recession and the lack of work available in varying parts of the state. The census also coined the term “megacommuters.” These are commuters who suffer “through at least 90 minutes and travel 50 miles getting to the office in the morning.” The national average for “mega-commuters” is 1 percent; according to census data, 0.7 percent of Portland’s commuters fall into that category. The Oregonian reported that “74,000 Washington residents cross the border daily to get to workplaces in Oregon.” That’s a lot of people coming into Oregon just for work. Because gas is still so ridiculously expensive, a majority of these workers use public transit or carpool to get to work. While it’s sometimes hard to believe, the Portland area has really good public transit. There are varying types of transportation available all over the area to help

all types of commuters get to their destinations. In February, Portland’s KGW News, in collaboration with the Associated Press, reported on a Texas A&M Transportation Institute study that researched delayed commuting and traffic congestion. Portland ranked number 17 on the list of bad commutes, so I guess it could be worse. The statistics showed that Portland-area commuters “wasted an average of 44 hours stuck in congested traffic” annually. A solution to this commuting problem and wasted time would be to build a new bridge. That project is still in the planning stage and includes a new MAX line to help ease the stress of morning and evening commutes. The project is expensive and won’t even be started until at least 2014, but the investment of time and money could all be worthwhile once commutes become easier. There’s no easy fix for the economy; fixing commute problems is a more realistic goal at the moment. With a new bridge, commuting between distant areas will be easier, but more can always be done. TriMet is already doing many things to make travel as quick as possible, but bus delays, et cetera, are always going to get in the way, no matter how far transit technology advances. What needs to happen is an economic turnaround, but that’s something we can’t really do anything about right now. What we can do is be patient and hope for the best. It (meaning the economy, transit and so on) will get better someday. Hopefully that someday is sooner than we think.

Back Fence PDX But Wait…It Gets Worse/5 Truths and a Lie

See your work in print every week. No newspaper/journalism experience required. Must be enthusiastic about reporting, comfortable with articulating opinions and responsive to constructive criticism.

6:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show Mission Theater 1624 Northwest Glisan St.

Take a look at an ancient culture that has fascinated people around the world for decades with a lecture and slide show by American Egyptologist Cynthia May Sheikholeslami. The event will take place Wednesday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Smith Memorial Student Union.

What’s your $0.02?

WEDNESday, April 3

Portland Comprehensive Plan: Environmental Workshop 4–7 p.m. Native American Student and Community Center 710 SW Jackson St.

Got something to say? Share your thoughts at psuvanguard.com

Gather at the Native American Student and Community Center for an event that focuses on discussing proposed goals and policies to protect and enhance Portland’s natural environment and watershed health. The event starts with an open house and sustainability tours followed by presentations and open Q-and-A, as well as breakout sessions for specific topics. Light refreshments will be provided. For more information, visit portlandoregon.gov/ bps/article/439497. FREE

Poetry Reading by Henry Carlile 7:30 p.m. The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel 403 SW 10th Ave.

Join award-winning poet Henry Carlile for an evening of selections from his new collection of poems, titled Oregon. FREE

In the Realm of the Ancient Egyptian God Montu: Temples and Rituals 7:30 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 238 1825 SW Broadway

The Middle East Studies Center at Portland State presents Cynthia May Sheikholeslami, an American Egyptologist who has studied in Egypt for more than 30 years. She will present a lecture on the Egyptian god Montu and discuss archaeological finds from temples and tombs that will offer insight into ancient Egyptian worship. FREE

Wednesday Night Swing 7:30 p.m. Bossanova Ballroom 722 E Burnside St.

The Bossnova Ballroom invites you out on Wednesday nights to enjoy an evening of classic swing dancing. Free lessons will be offered by the Portland Lindy Society with the price of admission prior to the open dance. Admission is $7. For more information visit bossanovaballroom.com. 21+

Thursday, April 4

Holocaust Memorial Garden Tour 2:30 p.m. (2 p.m. for those needing transportation) Smith Memorial Student Union (meet outside)/Washington Park 1825 SW Broadway

The Jewish Student Union will be offering a trip to the Holocaust Memorial Garden at Washington Park, complete with a guided tour of the site. If you are interest and are looking to catch a ride to the garden, please RSVP to jstu@pdx.edu, as space will be somewhat limited. FREE

Politics of Everyday Mapping and Spatial Narratives in China 6:30 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 238 1825 SW Broadway

The Confucius Institute at Portland State will offer a lecture by Dr. Wen Lin, professor of human geography in the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology at Newcastle University in the U.K., about how GIS, VGI and geospatial technologies are shedding light on sociopolitical and socioeconomic transformations in China. For more information, visit FREE oia.pdx.edu/confucius.

First Thursday: ’80s Hair Rock Night 8 p.m. Thirsty Lion 71 SW Second Ave.

Every first Thursday of the month, the Thirsty Lion pub hosts a night dedicated to ’80s hair rock, where

The Mission Theater invites you to a storytelling event with a twist. While all of the stories presented will have elements of the unbelievable, only one story is a lie. At the end of the evening the audience will be called on to vote on which storyteller is not telling the truth. Admission ranges between $12.50 and $20 if purchased in advance, or $16 at the door. Tickets can be purchased by visiting backfencepdx.com or one of the box offices listed on the website.

Free Film Screening: It’s a Girl 7 p.m. Linfield College, Peterson Hall, room 110 2255 NW Northrup St.

In many parts of the world, children are killed, aborted or abandoned because of their gender. Come to the Portland Linfield College campus to watch a film dealing with the sensitive subject of gendercide in India and China. The film will be followed by a question-and-answer session with director Evan Grae Davis. FREE

Saturday, April 6

Sustainability for ALL: My Color Green Workshop 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Native American Student and Community Center 710 SW Jackson St.

Join fellow students and community members for a workshop on sustainability within both the natural and social environments. Breakout sessions cover topics including acoustic ecosystems and how healthy soundscapes are a resource that the public is entitled to; white privilege and how the racism in Portland’s history is directly related to inequities today; and unexamined assumptions surrounding health care, education, employment and economic sustainability. Visit sustainability4all.org for more information. FREE

The Ideology of Power: the Architecture of the Lama Temple in Beijing 9:30 a.m. Urban Center, room 250 506 SW Mill St.

The Saturday East Asian Program lecture series kicks off with a talk by Dr. Kevin Greenwood, who will introduce the complex and multilayered interplay of art, religion and politics as reflected in the architecture

ETC.

of Yonghegong as it evolved from an imperial prince’s residence to a symbol of imperial universalism to a symbol of multicultural harmony in contemporary China. FREE

Buckman-Kerns Brewfest Noon–8 p.m. EastBurn 1800 E Burnside St.

Come to EastBurn for the third year of celebrating a selection of local breweries. Admission is $15 and comes with a free pint glass and four drink tickets, which will either earn you four tastings or one full pint. Additional tickets are $1 each. For more information, tickets and a list of participating breweries, visit theeastburn.com. 21+

Monday, April 8

Holocaust Remembrance Day: Name Readings 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Pioneer Square/Smith Memorial Student Union, room 323 1825 SW Broadway

The Jewish Student Union will be taking students to Pioneer Square for Holocaust Remembrance Day for name readings. Trip times are 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and food and information will be available for students in the Smith Memorial Student Union from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. FREE

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

SPORTS ETC.••Tuesday, TUESDAY,April Nov. 6, 2, 2012 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• Tuesday, TUESDAY, April JANUARY 2, 2013 10, 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.

SPORTS Thoughts on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Drew Lazzara Vanguard Staff

When I sit down to write this column, knowing full well that I am going to criticize March Madness and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, I wonder if I’m just an idiot. Or, if not an idiot, then at least someone who is no fun at all, someone whose feelings about athletics are perhaps closer to hate than love. I’m a crank, basically. But please understand up front: I love March Madness. I think it’s a blast, a basketball carnival. I love filling out brackets, I love Selection Sunday, I love that basketball on a Thursday morning is an entirely legitimate excuse to not work very hard. I love it as a spectacle

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

Pure madness

and hype machine. March Madness pulls in nonfans, crowns a champion, supersedes all events that lead up to it. To the majority of Americans—whether they are superfans or staunch anti-sport zealots—the NCAA tournament represents the entire sport of college basketball. Except it’s not really anything like college basketball. For approximately 20 games every year, NCAA basketball is played in conferences. Teams play the same group of opponents with the same coaches and the same styles of play in the same arenas in the same general geographic areas with the same conference-specific officials and with access to roughly the same recruiting pool. College basketball programs are built around these yearly certainties with the understanding that the ability to compete in these very specific constraints dictates success. But then comes March Madness. The ever-growing list of teams “fortunate” enough

to be selected for participation are ranked arbitrarily and shipped off to disparate parts of the country to play in a single-elimination tournament against programs of widely varied styles, officiated with no game-to-game consistency by a hodgepodge of refs from different conferences. The winner of this weird event—one that doesn’t bear much resemblance to the meat-and-potatoes of the sport—is, of course, the champion of college basketball. Now, you could argue a lot of the same stuff about the championships of most sports. The Super Bowl has the same casual pop-culture appeal and single-elimination format. Ditto for the Olympics, in which a sport can be distilled down to a single 10-second race that happens once every four years. You would be totally right to argue that. And, honestly, we should complain about those things, too, because they devalue a big part of something

©goviks.com

Amber Rozcicha was one of several Vikings who qualified for the conference championships over the weekend.

A solid start for track and field Vikings hitting their stride in outdoor season Alex Moore Vanguard Staff

It’s still early in the outdoor season, but the Portland State track and field squad is off to a promising start. The Vikings sent athletes to two events over the weekend, competing at the Texas Relays in Austin and the Stanford Invite in California. Senior Geronne Black was the only Viking to compete at the Texas Relays, where she finished in 11th place in the 100-meter event. The sprinter’s time qualified her for the Big Sky Championships next month. Three of the team’s distance runners made the trip out to Stanford. Bianca Martin took

13 15

the opportunity to put her name in the PSU record books, recording the best time for a Viking in the 1,500-meter since 1987 with a time of 4 minutes, 23.89 seconds. In the process, she also qualified for the conference championships. “It was an excellent race by Bianca,” assistant coach Jonathan Marcus said. “We’re glad to have her running for PSU.” Martin will be joined at the Big Sky meet by senior Amber Rozcicha and freshman Camelia Mayfield, both of whom logged qualifying times in their respective events. “It was a really successful meet for our distance runners,” Marcus said. “It was a positive experience.” After an indoor season in which the women came very close to coming home as Big Sky Conference champions, PSU is gearing up to build on that success. The Vikings are

back in heavy training mode and are ready to find out just how far they can go. Judging by the performances so far, they have every reason to be confident. “We can be in the conversation to win the conference meet,” Marcus said. “We’re looking to develop our up-andcoming athletes and get them clicking on all cylinders.” PSU will have some added motivation this year, as this is the first season in which the Vikings will host the outdoor championships. The meet will take place in Forest Grove May 8–11. “We have a huge homefield advantage,” Marcus said. “Usually, we have to go to altitude in the majority of conference meets we run in, but we get to stay at sea level and we are here in Oregon, at our house. That is going to create a world of difference for us.”

that sportswriters like me want to convince you is really important. In the NFL playoffs, as in the NCAA tournament, a oneand-done format means that fluky things can happen, and a worse team can beat a better team. It happens all the time. The Olympics are even worse in this regard—athletes dedicate a lifetime of training and sacrifice to a goal that can be undone by a single moment of less-thanperfection. Suddenly, they are not the best, even if they are. But the NCAA tournament is much worse. Olympic athletes are probably the purist kind of athlete and, in that sense, they are vastly more important to the high-minded possibilities of sport. But their sports become important because of the Olympics; the event gives the world an opportunity to celebrate them, so they are subservient to it. And at least in the NFL, all of the teams participating in the playoffs have earned their way there through an entire season of quality performances. Their position in the bracket and the locations of their games are determined by a consistent rubric

to which all teams are equally accountable. The same crews of officials are working together to officiate the game in exactly the same way they always do. Achieving results over the course of a season matters, and thus the season matters. That’s not really the case in men’s college basketball. The tournament bracket is seeded, and a team’s body of work is evaluated by the committee doing the seeding. Not all equivalent seeds are created equally, and conferences aren’t created equally; a number-one-seed Gonzaga team from the West Coast Conference is not better than a four-seed Michigan team from the Big Ten Conference. That’s a subjective statement, and you can disagree with me, but such is the nature of college basketball. A single-elimination tournament in which anything can happen is probably not the best place to settle the debate. The most alarming issue introduced by a tournament like this is the fact that the season doesn’t carry much weight. We start talking about “the bubble” and Bracketology around

Christmastime, and teams spend the year just trying to build a resume strong enough to get in. Why would good teams, assured of their place in the Big Dance, sweat the regular season? Why would bad teams, whose only hope for a tourney invite comes from winning their conference tournaments, care at all until the tournament starts? Why should we, as fans, pay attention until there’s something on the line? And how can I, or any sportswriter like me, possibly convince you that sports are important to fans if they aren’t even important to athletes? March Madness is exciting, and maybe the most important aspect of college basketball is the way in which its tournament brings us all together for a few weeks, bonding over something we don’t get to experience during the other 11 months of the year. And when it’s a beautiful Easter weekend in Portland, as it is outside my window as I write this, the whole mess is put into proper perspective at the frivolous end of the spectrum. But I’m a crank, and I wish it mattered a little more.

Technology gives athletes an edge Medical breakthroughs complicate standards of fair play Frank Brislawn Vanguard Staff

As any professional athlete can attest, the world of highstakes sports takes its toll on the body. At some point during the course of a career, athletes can expect to be confronted with a challenge greater than themselves. Better training methods and more effective medical procedures are in constant demand as the search for an advantage over the competition becomes increasingly fierce. Thankfully, the world of medical technology is bursting at the seams with new treatments and techniques, though some have come under scrutiny as the line between what is advantageous and what is unfair becomes more and more blurred. Some treatments being employed today include platelet-rich plasma (also known colloquially as “blood spinning”) and hyperbaric oxygen tanks. PRP is relatively new but HBOT has been around for years. However, as they gain traction in the highly scrutinized universe of sports entertainment, questions about the legality of these techniques have begun to arise. PRP requires a blood sample of around 55 cubic centimeters (a brimming shot glass’ worth), which is taken from a patient and then spun

Kobe Bryant goes down with an injury against the Atlanta Hawks on March 13. With millions of dollars on the line, professional athletes are searching for alternative medical treatments in a centrifuge for a few minutes. The force imposed by the centrifuge helps to separate the various blood components into several layers. One of these layers contains a high concentration of platelets, which is then injected into the afflicted area of the patient to promote healing. PRP is generally used to treat soft tissue injuries. Notable figures known to have used the treatment include Los Angeles Lakers allstar guard Kobe Bryant, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and future Hall of Fame tennis legend Rafael

Nadal, all of whom have dealt with substantial knee injuries over the years. PRP injections in the injured area stimulate a more rapid and intense healing response, thereby effectively shortening recovery time. However, the efficacy of PRP therapy seems to be inconsistent and, as of yet, there is a lack of evidence of any potential for anabolic effects (if used intramuscularly). This lack of evidence has thus far allowed the World Anti-Doping Agency to remove it from its list of banned substances/treatments, even though PRP injections

seem to fall within their definition of prohibited methods of blood and blood-component manipulation. The subject of hyperbaric oxygen tanks is perhaps even more murky. HBOTs facilitate the body’s physical recovery by artificially increasing atmospheric pressure (like being 10 feet underwater) within a chamber that effectively compresses the oxygen gases inside the body, allowing those gas bubbles to better permeate organs and muscles. With more available oxygen, muscles are able to get rid of

waste product (lactic acid) and work more efficiently. Can you see where this is going? Needless to say, there are plenty of famous names associated with the technique, such as middleweight boxing champion Sergio Martinez and Novak Djokovic, currently the No. 1-ranked tennis player in the world. There are numerous other avenues of potential controversy currently being developed, like Stanford University’s cooling glove, which provides rapid core temperature reduction; flotation tanks

that give users an intense form of relaxation that can linger for a few days; and multiradiance laser therapy, which helps to decrease pain and muscle stiffness. All of these techniques are thus far approved within the guidelines of the various governing bodies presiding over professional sports. Regardless of how clearly quantifiable the results may be, there is no doubt that today’s technologies are providing some sort of physiological boost to the athletes who use them. Of course, the success of these world-class athletes is not due merely to advances in medical science, but rather a combination of superior training, productive diets and years—even decades—spent honing their talents. But sports are defined by their own set of particular laws and limitations, and individuals looking to push the boundaries of human ability will continue to seek out an edge that often brings them right up against those rules. As our understanding of the human body becomes more refined, gray areas will continue to surface that will challenge the notion of fair competition and what it means to be an athlete. Because of this, a more-or-less constant reevaluation of the rules regarding professional advantage is underway. For a host of new medical breakthroughs being used by professional athletes today, it would seem that—at least for now—the jury is out.

PSU golf wraps up spring break Team scores season-best round in Maui Rosemary Hanson Vanguard Staff

The Portland State women’s golf team left the Anuenue Spring Break Classic with a ninth-place finish on Wednesday, scoring a season-best 293 round along the way. The Vikings faced stiff competition during the tournament but rose to the occasion in recording the fifth-best performance in school history on a 54-hole course. After two solid rounds of play by senior Britney Yada, sophomores A Ram Choi and Kelly Miller took the Vikings home in the final round, each registering two-under-par 70s. “Kelly Miller had a great final round,” head coach Kathleen Takaishi said. “That should

give her some confidence and momentum to build on.” The 11th-ranked UCLA Bruins came away with the victory at the tournament, improving on their sixth-place standing after the first round to move up to second place after 36 holes and then closing strong with a tremendous 12-under-par effort on the final day. The quality of play from the field was a reinforcement for the Viking squad that they are headed in the right direction. “We were able to play with many teams within the top 20 in the nation,” Yada said. “We just have to realize that we are just as good as they are.” Yada finished the event tied for 37th with 73-73-78 224, her second-best performance this year. Though she struggled in the third round, the team’s depth allowed PSU to keep pace. Choi posted the best individual results for the Vikings,

coming in at 26th place with scores of 74-76-70 - 220, while Miller jumped up 19 spots on the final day to finish the tournament at 64th place with 8180-70 - 231. Freshman Riley Leming registered her own career-best tournament score at 77-78-77 - 232. “We are excited about our finish,” Takaishi said. “They know they left a few shots out there… Now we just need to keep this momentum going and continue to get better.” The Vikings’ ninth-place showing was better than six of the top 100 teams in the nation, just one stroke behind San Jose State University and the University of California, Davis. The team is eager to improve on that result. “We are starting to peak at the right time,” Yada said. The Vikings return to the course on April 8 for the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic in Chandler, Ariz.

Kelly Miller posted a career-best two-under-par 70 in the final round of the Anuenue Spring Break Classic

VANGUARD •TTuesday, uesday, Jan. April 31, 2, 2013 2013• •SPORTS SPORTS

Winterhawks face tough test in opening round of playoffs Portland navigates rocky first-round series against Everett

days later, as Ty Rattie and Leipsic finished with five points apiece in an 11-4 mugging in Everett. Rattie got things started with a goal eight minutes in, then added two more in the second period for his third career postseason hat trick. The five first-period goals by the Winterhawks tied a franchise record for postseason scoring in a period. Playing inspired two-way hockey, defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon threw in two goals and two assists in the lopsided victory as Portland took a 3-1 series advantage.

Zach Bigalke  Vanguard Staff

The Portland Winterhawks entered the playoffs as the top seed in the WHL after finishing the season with a franchise-record 117 points (57-12-1-2). Their reward was a first-round matchup against the Everett Silvertips, a team they beat nine times out of 11 during the regular season. But if the Rose City faithful thought that Everett would roll over easily, it is now clear that the Silvertips had other ideas, surprising the Winterhawks with two wins on Portland’s home ice. Up 3-2 in the series, the Winterhawks headed back to Washington for Game 6 last night, hoping to close out the series and avoid a winnertake-all Game 7 showdown on Wednesday. Here is how Portland arrived at their narrow lead:

Taylor Leier’s pass to beat Lotz on the power play midway through the first period for a 1-0 lead at the intermission. But Everett roared back with two goals in the second period to take the lead, then beat Winterhawks goalie Mac Carruth twice more in the final frame to complete the upset in Portland.

Game 1

Game 2

Despite putting 58 shots on net, the Winterhawks ran into a brick wall named Austin Lotz. The Everett netminder turned away 55 of Portland’s 58 attempts, securing a 4-3 victory for the Silvertips to open the series. Chase De Leo struck first for the Winterhawks, corralling

After the Game 1 setback, the Winterhawks’ defense responded by clamping down in the second meeting at the Rose Garden the following evening. The team swarmed Everett from the start, preventing the Silvertips from finding space to shoot all night. Portland

Game 5 Karl Kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

Ty Rattie scored a hat trick for Portland in a Game 4 win on Friday.

allowed just 11 shots on goal by the visitors, a new team playoff record. Team captain Troy Rutkowski opened the scoring 6:34 into the contest and added two assists in the third period to lead Portland to a 4-1 victory. Midseason acquisition Shaun MacPherson scored his first goal in a Winterhawks sweater in the second period, with assistance from Taylor Peters and Keegan Iverson.

Game 3 As the series moved to Everett, Portland brought the full scope of its arsenal on offense. The Silvertips’ Dawson Leedahl scored four minutes into the game to put Portland

in an early hole, but it only seemed to reinvigorate the Winterhawks. Nicolas Petan, who tied for the league lead in scoring during the regular season with linemate Brendan Leipsic, had two goals and two assists on the night as Portland surged to a 5-1 lead and chased Lotz out of net at the second intermission. Everett replaced Lotz with Daniel Cotton and got some help with two third-period goals, but the Winterhawks potted two more of their own past the backup goalie for a 7-3 rout.

Game 4 The Winterhawks continued their onslaught two

Just as they did in Game 1, the Winterhawks took 27 more shots on goal than Everett. And just like Game 1, Portland fell one goal short of victory at home. After getting pulled in each of the Silvertips’ two home games, Lotz rediscovered his form in net, turning away 43 of Portland’s 45 shots. Goals by Joshua Winquist and Logan Aasman gave Everett a 2-0 lead after one period, and alternate captain Reid Petryk beat Carruth later in the second period to give the Silvertips an unassailable advantage. A pair of power play goals by Leipsic and Derrick Pouliot in the third brought Portland within one, but time ran out on the Winterhawks’ comeback bid and the Silvertips held on for the 3-2 road victory.