Got Seoul?
NEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ARTS & culture............ 6 OPINION........................ 10 ETC................................ 13 SPORTS........................ .. 14
Korea Night 2013 celebrates a nation’s culture Arts & culture page 7
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Portland State University Tuesday, APRIL 9, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 49
SALP reorganizes staff, adds new positions
Students celebrate diversity
New structure incorporates planning for the future Matthew Ellis Vanguard Staff
Portland State’s Student Activities and Leadership Programs began a reorganization of leadership positions between winter and spring quarters, beginning a process which will take until summer term to complete. SALP is the organization that oversees everything from studentrun groups like Food For Thought Cafe to clubs such as the PSU interfaith coalition, as well as student government (the Associated Students of Portland State University) and Greek Life. Each student group is housed within a branch of SALP, where student leaders report to administrative advisors for help funding and running their group. It was a bit of a shock, then, for SALP to be faced with multiple open positions after promotions and relocations led to vacancies in the group. In addition to these vacancies, a new advising position was created after student publications was moved under the SALP umbrella beginning with the 2013–14 school year. See SALP on page 3
courtesy of queer resource center
Mia Mckenzie (left), writer and creator of the blog Black Girl Dangerous, will present on Saturday. DJ Monika MHz will perform at the opening night dance party on Friday.
PSU’s 3rd annual Queer Students of Color Conference kicks off Friday Turner Lobey Vanguard Staff
Beginning on Friday, Portland State’s Queer Resource Center will be hosting the department’s third annual Queer Students of Color Conference. The conference runs April 12–14
and will welcome an array of speakers, artists, activists, workshops and activities. The theme for this year’s event is “Radical Self-Care and the Decolonized Mind.” These types of events aren’t normally part of the mainstream agenda, said Ann Mussey, an assistant professor of women’s studies at PSU. “Normative society values whiteness, affluence, prosperity,” Mussey said. “Those normative things are
supported by colonized tendencies. Many communities of color have dealt with colonization in their history, both past and present. They’re constantly dealing with colonization. “To me, it says self-determination and autonomy,” she said. “It says ‘We’re going to act on our own behalf. We’re going to heal from the daily traumas of being invisible and marginalized.’” The conference is a call to address marginalization and oppression, said
Aine, a coordinator for the Queer Resource Center. “It’s about making sure you’re asking the right questions about how this is building the community. We’re recognizing cultural forms and creating our own forms that don’t colonize. Forms that don’t colonize other people’s statuses,” Aine said. According to the conference’s mission statement, it “hopes to See conference on page 2
Students farm, build homes, restore wetlands Alternative spring break participants reflect on service work Kaela O’Brien Vanguard Staff
john o’hara/courtesy of the petaluma arguscourier
Psu Students team up with students from the University of California, Berkeley, for a day of farm work at the nonprofit Petaluma Bounty Farm on March 25.
One group learned about sustainable farming. Another learned how to build houses. Back from their alternative spring breaks, a group of PSU students shared how, by the end of their trips, they felt they got more in return than they gave. Three groups of students spent their breaks outside of Portland, volunteering through a program organized by Student Leaders for Service. After a year of careful planning, they traveled to Eastern Oregon, Northern California and Houston, Texas, from March 24–30, to learn and give their time.
“The actual service was amazing,” said Erika Nielsen, who led a group of students to Houston to build new homes through Habitat for Humanity. “I have been in a lot of service or volunteer programs, and this was by far the best.” The group spent the first two days tearing down homes and the next two days learning how to construct a home from the ground up. Nielsen and the other PSU students learned how to use power tools and install cabinets. On their day off, Nielsen said students spent time in Houston’s downtown and the museum district. Anther group of students, led by Grant Neely, headed east of Portland to several destinations. They learned about culture and history at the See Spring break on page 2