Portland State Vanguard April 11, 2013

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Portland State University THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 50

Tim Wise tackles racism questions Students take a shot at campus gun ban Empty Holster Protest aims to ignite debate Vincent Alexander Vanguard staff

So what do these lenses look like?

For the black community and other marginalized groups, Wise described how the desire to have a national conversation is very much alive. However, their lens is often shaped by the fear that their experiences with racism will be marginalized by those communities who have less face time with the issue.

On the opposite side of the coin, Wise described how the white community’s attitude is often that it’s better not to discuss the matter “for fear of looking stupid.”

The irony, Wise continued, is that we’re worse off not taking the risk

Portland State, like all but a handful of public universities in the U.S., bans the possession of concealed handguns on university grounds.

But, this week, some students will try to change that.

As part of a national Students for Concealed Campus protest, a handful of students plan to wear empty holsters to classes and around campus. For them, said Ziv Steinfeld, a part-time psychology student and the organizer of the event at PSU, it is a matter of simply starting “one good discussion.”

Concealed carry, which allows handgun owners with special permits to discretely arm themselves in public, is legal in Oregon and 48 other states (Illinois is the exception).

The only public spaces exempt from these laws are government buildings, universities and private businesses that opt out.

Concealed carry advocates think that is unfair.

Steinfeld expressed fears about campus safety, both as a national issue and a PSU-specific problem.

Citing reports of sexual assaults and muggings late at night, he believes that guns can serve as a deterrent to crime. Despite some concern that

See tim wise on page 4

See guns on page 4

daniel johnston/VANGUARD STAFf

Tim wise lectures on the dominant white community’s “narrative of privilege” Wednesday evening.

Anti-racism lecturer speaks as part of Cesar Chavez Week events Jesse Sawyer Vanguard staff

How can activism against racism in America today be best directed?

Tim Wise, an anti-racism lecturer, writer and educator shared his experience, knowledge and opinions on the issue at Portland State on Wednesday night.

The solution, Wise told the audience at the Peter W. Stott Center gymnasium, lies in ourselves.

Our responsibility, he continued,

rests in our individual efforts to become aware of experiences with racism that are not our own.

“We inhabit one world, but in some ways we experience many different ones,” Wise said.

This is a critical aspect in the current struggle to combat racism in our country—in order for us to transcend the issue, we have to allow ourselves to consider lenses that are different from ours, he said.

Wise was quick to dismiss the rhetoric of “we’ve overcome racism in America now that we’ve elected Obama.”

This is just a symptom, he explained, of how the problem of racism

persists not solely on the grounds of racism itself but is also perpetuated by the day-to-day experiences that different communities have with it.

For blacks, Latinos and other marginalized communities, racism can be a daily issue, while for the white community it appears that the matter has largely been waning since the 1960s.

Understanding the disparity between these views, to Wise, is perhaps the most important part of how we as a country can honestly and meaningfully overcome the problem.

“If we don’t understand our lenses and how they are forged, we’re going to have a difficult time dealing with the issue.”

La Casa Latina hosts first Cesar Chavez Week Workshop and birthday party commemorate labor leader and civil rights activist Ashley Rask Vanguard staff

This week, students had the opportunity to celebrate labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez during a series of events.

The week kicked off with a workshop on Chavez titled “His Life, His Work” and an afternoon celebrating his birthday.

Portland State’s first Cesar Chavez Week was put on by La Casa Latina and other student groups in order to reach out to the Latino community and student body, and to educate students about social justice issues and Chavez’s legacy.

Just dessert: Behold the Cesar Chavez cake, baked for his birthday celebration April 9.

“This is the first time we’ve ever done anything like this, so La Casa Latina and a lot of different students came together and…decided to put on a Cesar Chavez Week,” said Emanuel Magana, program coordinator for La Casa Latina.

The first event, a workshop on the life and work of Chavez hosted by professor Roberto De Anda from the Chicano/Latino Studies Program, was sponsored by the Associated Students of Portland State University’s Multicultural Affairs group.

See Chavez on page 2

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Chavez from page 1

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While enjoying a spread of nachos and beverages, students were able to listen to a presentation and talk about Chavez’s life and activism.

“You all know who Cesar Chavez is, or you have some idea who he was,” De Anda said. “But do [you] know where his philosophy of nonviolence comes from?”

In his presentation, De Anda gave an account of Chavez’s life and the sequence of events that led him to become an internationally known labor leader.

De Anda described the horrible work conditions of the time, when workers would have to buy their jobs and argue for their pay.

“These conditions were made worse by the expectations of the labor contractors,” De Anda said.

Figures in the Catholic Church and civil rights leaders, Gandhi in particular, also played a role in Chavez’s views and activism.

De Anda said that Chavez has had a deep impact on his life.

“As I started reading about Cesar Chavez, preparing for this talk, I had to stop and think about how Chavez had influenced my life—my personal life and my professional life,” De Anda said.

During the closing discussion, De Anda said that Chavez’s activism has

influenced many of the labor organizations and laws now in effect, but there’s still more to be done in terms of changing conditions for farmworkers.

“While it’s true that Cesar Chavez and his organization were able to gain a lot of benefits—a lot of improvements for farm workers—they’re not as efficient as they were in the late 1970s and the early 1980s,” De Anda said. “Farmworkers today still work under deplorable conditions, but we have to give credit to some of the things that Cesar and his organization did.”

The second event, a birthday party for Chavez, was sponsored by the student organization Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan.

“His birthday is actually on March 31, but we decided to celebrate today because it’s part of Cesar Chavez Week,” said Brenda Neri-Wong, a freshman history and Spanish major who helped organized the events.

“We did it in memory of him.”

Attendees socialized while playing Latin American games, eating traditional Mexican tres leches cake filled with pineapple and strawberries and learning more about Chavez.

A slideshow played in the background, displaying facts about Chavez and other Chicanos in the movement.

“We also wanted people to know about another Chicana,

Gwen Shaw

JINYI QI/VANGUARD STAFf

Emanuel magana, coordinator for La Casa Latina, breaks a pinata during the Cesar Chavez birthday celebration on Tuesday. whose birthday is tomorrow, [named] Dolores Huerta,” Neri-Wong said. “She’s still an active Chicana.”

Students were able to take part in traditional Latin American games, including Los Gallitos, in which you wrap a balloon string around your ankle and try to pop other players’ balloons. The last person with a balloon still attached wins.

There was also a potato sack race, musical chairs and a pinata filled with candy. Upbeat music played during the celebration.

“We put in a CD [of ] music that you would usually listen to at a Mexican birthday party,” Neri-Wong explained.

Event organizers included the party to draw more students out to the week of events and to promote Farmworker

Awareness Week, which is from April 13 to April 20.

“This is our fun event and [it] also lets people know about the Multicultural Center and La Casa Latina,” Neri-Wong said.

“We want them to learn about Cesar Chavez in a fun way.”

The rest of the week’s events will include a community fair, an art-throughsocial-justice event and a migrant housing tour.

Ryan Voelker Vanguard staff

The last major renovation at Portland State’s Branford P. Millar Library, which is being used now more than ever, was back at the turn of the century.

To keep up with increasing demand and changing times, some major updates are in store for Portland State’s beloved hub of learning.

“We’re focused on how we can make this building work even better,” said Marilyn Moody, the library’s dean.

“The biggest renovation we’re doing is on the third floor.

There’s about 5,000 square feet we’re renovating for student space.”

Moody took the position about seven months ago, and has high hopes for the library’s future.

Some pieces of the renovation are occurring now, but the biggest phases will be taking place during the summer, Moody said. She explained that the modernized area will include a mixture of collaborative and solitary space, making use of movable furniture and workstations.

“We’re trying to make a flexible space [that] students can kind of make their own,” she said.

Seeking ideas on how to provide the most effective space, Moody and her staff have attended workshops about library projects and toured recent renovations, such as those at Seattle University. They’re also actively seeking ideas from students about what they want to see at the library.

“We’re doing a survey now, to prompt students to start thinking about improvements they’d like to see,” said Tom Bielavitz, assistant university librarian for Administrative Services, Planning and Digital Initiatives.

Although the results of the survey aren’t yet in, other suggestions for changes students are hoping for have been coming in consistently.

“More comfortable furniture is a big one,” Bielavitz said. “Students have also been requesting more study rooms and extended hours.”

Bielavitz said that over the past few years they’ve been able to repurpose offices and storage rooms as study spaces, and that at the end of the renovations the library will offer at least two more study rooms.

Dr. Berrin Erdogan, an associate professor in the School of Business Administration, sees being a professor as three jobs wrapped into one.

“Teaching is only one part of it, and there’s at least 50 percent there that’s not visible to the outside world,” Erdogan said.

She is always surprised when people think all college professors do is teach.

Erdogan, who teaches undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in human resources management at Portland State, first became interested in the topic when she started taking those kinds of classes while getting her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey.

“I thought that studying the human side of business was an interesting area,” Erdogan said.

Right out of college, she worked as a corporate trainer and quickly realized she had a love for teaching. She decided to go back to school to get an advanced degree.

Erdogan received a master’s degree in behavioral sciences from Istanbul University, and then a doctoral degree in business administration with a concentration in human resources management from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

“Then I discovered that college professors also do research, which was a nice surprise, so that also became a passion,” Erdogan said. Her research at PSU mainly deals with the study of relationships in the workplace.

“Relationships between managers and employees, specifically,” Erdogan said.

“How does that relationship quality translate to worker retention, happiness and

Crime Blotter for April 1–8 Stephanie Tshappat Vanguard Staff

April 1 Exclusion

Vanguard staff

Millar Library renovations set for fall completion Student input is being factored into current updates

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Unknown location

Officer Denae Murphy and Officer Jon Buck contacted nonstudent Joseph Lujan at 10:45 p.m.

Lujan, who was visibly intoxicated, admitted to huffing a vial of paint thinner found on his person. An exclusion order was issued.

April 2 Criminal Trespass II North side of Blumel Hall

At 6:45 p.m., Officer Buck, Officer David Baker and Sgt. Michael Anderson contacted nonstudents Aaron Beasley and Justin Ames, both of whom had current exclusions. Beasley and Ames were cited in lieu of custody for criminal trespass II. April 3 Exclusion Basement of Lincoln Hall

© Portland State University

well-being? And how do you develop a work environment where those relationships are possible?”

She also studies the idea of employees fitting in at their jobs. And with that comes consequences of misfit.

Erdogan studies a certain form of job overqualification.

She looks at employees with surplus skills and qualifications—people who are holding a job that does not make full use of the skills and education that they have. She looks at the consequences of this and how to deal with them.

When she came to PSU, Erdogan seemed to fit perfectly. “PSU had a core group of management faculty that was really attractive to me.

The school of business is very supportive of research and [of ] creating an atmosphere of conducting high-quality research. And, of course, being in the Pacific Northwest [is good].”

Whenever she has free time, she enjoys taking a book downtown to the Pearl District and relaxing in a cafe with a cup of coffee.

Erdogan believes that being a college professor is part teaching, part research and part service. Teaching requires standing in front of a class facilitating, while research usually requires a lot of solitude.

“These are very contradicting jobs,” Erdogan said.

“I think that it’s really interesting to see once you get to know college professors—a lot of them are actually introverts. Outside of the classroom they are actually sitting in their office[s], reading and writing.”

Professors also typically serve on a lot of committees, really “trying to improve the curriculum,” Erdogan said.

“Or create policies and procedures…to make the school a better place.”

bill that it was counterfeit, and after a short investigation it was determined the student was not intentionally trying to pass the bill. The bill was seized and a property receipt issued to the student.

Possible Identity Theft

Officer Brenton Chose took a report from a faculty member who had given his social security number to someone claiming to be with a collections agency working for AT&T. The faculty member later discovered this information to be false and was concerned his identity information might be stolen. No further information.

Exclusion Smith Memorial Student Union

Sgt. Anderson met and excluded nonstudent Zachary Hantz, aka Lucian Rothschild, at 3:56 p.m. No further information.

Exclusion North side of Saint Helen’s Court Residence Hall

Officers Buck and Baker contacted nonstudent Joshua Farrell at 5:45 p.m. Farrell lied about being a PSU student and was found to have a lengthy criminal history. An exclusion order was issued.

Officer Murphy contacted and excluded nonstudent Justin Weaver for camping on an abandoned futon.

Arrest

North alcove of University Center Building

Millar Library

Officers Buck and Baker, Sgt. Anderson and Lt. Craig Whitten responded to a report of a cell phone theft in progress at 6:18 p.m. Shortly after, the Portland Police Bureau was dispatched to a report of a confrontation over a stolen phone at Southwest Fifth Avenue and Harrison Street. A short investigation revealed the suspect in both calls was the same, nonstudent Eric Zimmerman, who has a current exclusion and is on felony probation. Zimmerman’s probation officer was contacted, and a probation violation detainer was issued. Zimmerman was arrested on theft II, criminal trespass II and the probation violation detainer. The stolen iPhone 4 was returned to its owner.

April 5 Counterfeit bill Cashier’s Office, Neuberger Hall

At 12:11 p.m., officers Baker and Buck responded to a report of a forged $50 bill. The cashier alerted the student in possession of the

April 6 Arrest

At 10:09 p.m., Officer Chris Fischer arrested nonstudent Raymond Hull on an outstanding criminal trespass II warrant.

April 7 Exclusion Millar Library, fifth floor

Officers Baker and Murphy responded to a report of an intoxicated male harassing a female.

Officers contacted Robert Fetter, who admitted to drinking alcohol all day and stated he was only speaking to the female to get a ride home.

Fetter has a history of reckless endangering and was issued an exclusion. Arrangements were made for a cab to take Fetter to his residence.

April 8 Criminal Mischief West side of Saint Helen’s Court Residence Hall

Officer Jared Schuurmans located new graffiti.

Interest rates on student loans set to double jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFf

Renovations are underway at PSU’s Millar Library.

Congress tasked with setting back increase for the second year in a row Gwen Shaw Vanguard staff

As far as extended hours, Bielavitz and Moody said that adjustments to the schedule are being evaluated, but there are many factors that must be considered, such as staffing and student safety during late-night hours. They have already extended hours to as late as midnight beginning last fall.

“We’re trying to listen to what students are requesting and balance that with costs and benefits,” Moody said.

Moody added that the budget is still being worked out as the project is organized, and

that funding will come from sources such as donor funds and applications to the Associated Students of Portland State University’s student fee committee.

“ASPSU awards funding requests for building improvements, which is [how] we received funding to build the Sandbox learning area on the first floor,” Bievalitz said.

Completed updates at the library include 40 new laptops for student use, just made available last week. There are also new scanners on the first and second floors, so

students can make digital copies of book pages and not have to pay for photocopies.

Both Bielavitz and Moody explained that while details of the renovation are still being ironed out, now is a great time for students to chime in with suggestions for the upcoming renovation.

To share your ideas, go to library.pdx.edu and click on the “suggestions” tab at the top of the page.

“This is a great opportunity,” Moody said. “It’s going to be a really nice space when we get done.”

On July 1, the interest rate on student loans is set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent unless Congress is able to extend the lower rate.

Last year, Congress was able to hold off a similar increase, but now they will be forced to come up with another solution.

On Tuesday, a collaboration of student advocacy groups released a brief addressing the issue, stating that the federal government is earning billions of dollars through student loans and that this increase in interest

will only make that number go up.

If Congress cannot stop the hike in interest rates, the government is estimated to make roughly $36 billion from student loans this year, according to the brief.

This issue is a rare bipartisan one. During the presidential campaigns in 2012, both President Barack Obama and Republican opponent Mitt Romney supported lowering the interest rate and developing a better future for students with loans.

If the rates increase, students will be paying $1,000 more per loan, per year.

Somewhere around 7 million students have loans, and this interest rate hike would undoubtedly increase the already burdensome rate of student debt nationwide.

The brief—released by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a collaboration of nonprofit, nonpartisan public-interest advocacy organizations—said the president is expected to release a complete student loan reform proposal sometime this week.

“Rates on educational loans are excessively high compared to those on mortgages and other consumer loans,” said Tiffany Dena Loftin, president of the United States Student Association, in a press release.

“Higher education should be more affordable than it is, and we need our political leaders to respond.”

© afp

President barack obama delivers his annual state of the Union address before a joint session of congress and the Supreme Court on Jan. 25.

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guns from page 1

Concealed carry advocates point to sexual assaults, muggings handgun licenses may be too easy to obtain in Oregon, the majority of concealedcarry permit holders are what he calls “good gun owners,” who wouldn’t use their weapons for anything other than self-defense.

The protest is set to take place April 8 through April 12. While other universities around the country will be holding debates and handing out literature, Steinfeld expects a relatively small turnout, and simply hopes the effort serves as a conversation starter.

Domanic Thomas, director of PSU’s University Conduct and Community Standards

Program, shares this hope.

Thomas confirmed that the empty holster protest had been approved by both PSU’s Campus Public Safety Office and the Office of the Dean of Student Life. While unwilling to commit to a position without further research, Thomas was enthusiastic about any discussion of ways to make PSU safer.

“I support [concealed carry] being looked at as an option,” Thomas said.

Professors and students appear to be mostly nonplussed by the protest. Tom Potiowsky, the chair of the Economics Department, said he has no issue with the idea of a student in one

of his classes coming in with an empty holster, as long as it doesn’t disrupt a lecture.

“It’s fine by me…it’s just an accessory,” Potiowsky said.

Like Thomas, Potiowsky believes that the protest should be allowed as part of a free-expression platform and not for any ideological reason. The presence of an actual weapon in the classroom would make him feel less safe.

Even so, he understands a need to be “on guard.”

Steinfeld understands that, given the political climate in Portland, it is unlikely that his protest will make a significant impact. Still, he hopes that his fellow students will be open to his stance and won’t view him as a danger.

“I’m not here to scare anyone,” he said.

ziv steinfeld, a part-time psychology student, wore an empty holster on campus this week as part of the Empty Holster Protest.

Every week, the Vanguard interviews members of the Portland State community in the Park Blocks and asks them a timely question.

“How do you feel about the tuition equity law that just passed?”

Students learn about jobs in the public sector

Austin Maggs

Kaela O’Brien

This week’s question:

Vanguard Staff

Vanguard Staff

Mackenzie Weber, 20, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, approves of the new tuition equity law and feels other states should have similar laws. “If people live in [the] state, they should be charged in-state tuition,” Weber said.

“I just heard Georgia completely banned undocumented students from even participating in their schools. We’re taking a step to the right direction, versus the backwards direction.”

Josh Fleming, 19, a sophomore environmental engineering major, feels that the new tuition equity law is fair and is glad that undocumented students are getting charged in-state tuition. “I think it’s ridiculous for people to get charged outof-state tuition,” Fleming said. “I’ve seen the out-of-state tuition, and it’s insane. If they were a student I went to high school with and I found out they were getting charged twice as much to come to PSU, I would be upset.”

Lacey Mulford, 28, a junior theater major, feels undocumented students should be documented. However, if they’ve lived and gone to school in Oregon prior, Mulford feels they should be charged in-state tuition. “I don’t think students should be undocumented,” Mulford said. “I think students should be documented if they’re coming into Portland State.”

Kay Johnson-Sibley, 20, a sophomore Spanish major, feels that it is unfair for undocumented Oregon students to be charged out-of-state tuition. As an out-of-state student herself, Johnson-Sibley can sympathize with undocumented students who are charged the higher rate.

“I would be furious if I’d been living and going to school here, and had my roots sewn into this state, and I didn’t get to reap the same benefits because of some tiny technicalities,” Johnson-Sibley said.

Miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

tim wise from page 1

Indifference prevents institutional adjustments away from racism, Wise said than having the dialogue. For some communities, the conversation is assumed to be the continuing source of the problem. At this point, Wise asked the audience to consider the logic of this approach with one simple question: “When has silence on any other issue been the solution?”

For the white community, the perception of racism in America today is that it’s actually the intent that makes it racist rather than pre-existing racist institutions. In contrast, marginalized communities may look at the issue based on its impact. For the white community, “it’s easy to miss experiences that we’re not having,” Wise said.

This very issue is what Wise described as “the luxury of ignorance,” which is at the core of what he calls the “narrative of privilege.” This means that the dominant community in

America isn’t racist due to willingness but more often because of indifference and misunderstanding.

This misunderstanding is largely affected by the white community’s focus on its own experience of how structured racism in America is unintended. This attitude has bred an indifference from their side of the camp, Wise said.

For there to be meaningful change, the white community has to realize that their indifference is preventing institutional adjustments.

Similarly, marginalized communities have to do their part in understanding where the indifference originated.

In addition, all communities need to see that their actions and views have a wider impact on those around them.

“If we’re going to address the issue, we have to recognize the interconnectedness of these communities,” Wise said.

City of Portland: now hiring

Run for student government!

Applications are due today (Thursday, April 11) at 11:59 p.m. Find application and election information at aspsu.pdx.edu.

When looking for a job, people often overlook their own city’s ability to employ them. But keep in mind that the public sector offers a diverse array of internships as well as temporary and permanent jobs.

“Most don’t know this option exists,” said Diane Avery, a development analyst for the City of Portland’s Bureau of Human Resources. “We are a public entity. We are one of the largest employers in the city of Portland.”

Avery and Keri Caffreys, also a development analyst for the City of Portland, met with Portland State students and graduates on Tuesday from 4–5 p.m. in the Smith Memorial Student Union to discuss job and internship opportunities available to students, as well

as how to apply competitively.

One benefit of working for the public sector is that the jobs most often pay more competitively than those in the private sector, and also include health benefits, Caffreys said.

Many forget that the city employs people for jobs beyond police and fire services, Avery said. “Any field in the private sector can be done in the public.”

Avery also shared a surprising fact: “If every city employee eligible for retirement does retire in the next two years…50 percent of the city’s work force [will be] retiring.

Caffreys explained that within each bureau of the City of Portland there are employment and internship options.

One popular bureau is Portland Parks and Recreation, which hires thousands of new employees each year and is currently looking to fill seasonal jobs and internships for the summer, she said. Jobs within this field might include working with youth athletics or giving swimming lessons.

Another job opportunity

that PSU students should be aware of is working as a parking meter enforcer, which can pay nearly double Oregon’s minimum wage, Avery said.

Avery also explained that many students and graduates who are seeking permanent jobs often overlook temporary positions and internships.

“Many part-time positions lead to permanent jobs,” she said.

One important difference between the public and private sectors is that the City of Portland accepts resumes and cover letters that total up to four pages combined, and that the application process is extensive, Avery said.

However, applicants shouldn’t simply try to find information to fill these pages, Avery and Caffreys said in a discussion about the best way to go about writing a cover letter.

When applying, students should take note of the list of qualifications under each job description.

“We want you to explain how you meet each and every… qualification,” Avery said.

Students should even go to the extent of copying and pasting each qualification into a

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Diane Avery, a development analyst for the city of Portland, speaks to students about jobs in the public sector on Tuesday.

Jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFf

Word document to ensure that every single one is addressed fully, they said.

“Explain, one by one, with specific details,” Avery said, adding that students should include any summer volunteer work or internships as well as their education history and job experience.

Never assume that the city understands your experience, she said. “Don’t just say you can do this job. Explain how you know that you can do this job in detail.” Avery also encouraged students to be specific about their roles and responsibilities as well as the duration of those experiences.

“If an applicant does not address each individual qualification in their cover letter, their application is screened

out,” Caffreys said.

All job and internship opportunities can be found and applied for at portlandonline.com.

Ngoc Phan, a recent graduate from PSU who attended the discussion, said she is looking for either a job or an internship in the health care field. “I want to know how to search for jobs as well as the pathway to meeting employers,” Phan said.

More than 50 attendees, mainly PSU seniors and graduates, participated in the event, which was co-hosted by the Multicultural Center and PSU’s Advising and Career Services.

The City of Portland sent representatives to speak at PSU in the fall, explained Anne Mestrovich, an

employer relations coordinator who helped organize the event. However, the previous discussion was geared toward faculty more than students, she said.

“This is a great opportunity to create relationships with employers and to get them on campus,” Mestrovich said.

Ryan Jumamil, the Multicultural Center’s program coordinator, said that the presentation by the city’s development analysts was a good opportunity for students to learn about their employment options.

“I want students to know that there are other opportunities outside of PSU. I want them to be involved and well-networked by the time they are seeking a job,” Jumamil said.

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Arts Arts & Culture & Culture • THURSDAY, •Tuesday,APRIL Jan. 31, 11, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD ••TThursday, THURSDAY, uesday, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, Jan. JANUARY OCTOBER Nov. APRIL FEBRUARY JANUARY 31, 8, 2013 11, 2012 10, 25, 2013 26, •2, 2012 2011 ARTS •2012 •ARTS ARTS ••&•OPINION OPINION CULTURE &ARTS & CULTURE CULTURE & CULTURE

ARTS & CULTURE

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

Classics, clowns and comedies Northwest Film Center features the works of Pierre Etaix Tess Anderson Vanguard Staff

The Northwest Film Center is more than doing its part to expand the community’s knowledge of foreign film, showing Norway’s Thale last week and exhibiting the films of France’s Pierre Etaix this weekend and next.

Etaix may be more unknown and less prolific than French filmmaking contemporaries like Godard and Truffaut, but his work should not be deemed less important because of this. (In fact, Godard and Truffaut held Etaix in very high esteem.)

Etaix was born in 1928 and raised in the town of Roanne, located almost smack in the middle of France, near the southern-sloping portion of the Loire River.

At the age of 26, Etaix made the trek to Paris, where his dreams and ambitions consisted of illustrations and cabaret performances.

Reality veered from expectation, as it tends to do, and through his line of work, Etaix became fast friends with the writer, director and actor Jacques Tati.

Tati made quite the impression on Etaix, who adopted and tweaked the style of his mentor through the use of slapstick, clownish humor with just enough sophistication and quirk to keep the audience engaged.

During his career, Etaix directed seven fulllength movies and five shorts, all of which he wrote. He also won an Academy Award for Happy Anniversary, which won Best Live Action Short in 1963.

In 1966, Etaix assembled As Long As You’re Healthy (playing Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 14, at 5 p.m.), a relatively short feature film that consists of four one-act shorts: “Insomnia” showcases a man reading a vampire novel before bed; “The Movies” tells the woeful tale of a man who can’t find a seat at a crowded movie theater; “As Long As You’re Healthy” shows the effects of stress and stress medication on people and psychiatrists alike; and “We Don’t Go to the Woods Anymore” features a couple out for a picnic whose arrangements are continuously interrupted by an oblivious weekend hunter.

Etaix stars in all four of the shorts, but is the outcast mute amid the world of hustle and bustle that surrounds him, a character attribute later made famous by British actor Rowan Atkinson.

What’s interesting and beautifully executed

© Technicolor foundation for cinema heritage and Groupama gan foundation for cinema

Dressed to impress: Pierre Etaix arrives in style in this still from his 1966 film As Long As You’re Healthy, which he directed and starred in, and which is playing this weekend at the Northwest Film Center. about As Long As You’re Healthy is how seemingly normal it is for Etaix’s character to not talk whatsoever. When the stories involve his character, he’s in a situation where talking either isn’t necessary or is frowned upon.

That being said, the acting, writing and timing are done well enough that the film’s events, comical as they may be, might well be the natural order of things.

Etaix uses humility as a tool for humor, poking fun not only at stupid people but also

nwfilmforum.org

’Til death do us part: Real-life husband and wife Pierre Etaix and Annie Fratellini play an on-screen couple in Etaix’s Le Grand Amour.

at people who take themselves and their actions too seriously.

The film showcases Etaix’s talent in the slapstick field, merging the comedic traits of The Three Stooges and Buster Keaton with Mr. Bean. Personally, I love a good slapstick, as it’s an underappreciated breed of entertainment.

As Long As You’re Healthy is a welcome introduction to the mind of Pierre Etaix. It also makes for an excellent addition to my queue

when I’m in the mood for some whimsical, physical comedy.

Humor is one of those things that’s fairly easy to understand yet incredibly difficult to master, let alone earn a living by. Healthy proves Etaix’s mastery of comedy, but is he also a master of the romantic domain?

Yes, yes he is. Le Grand Amour (playing Friday, April 12, and Sunday, April 14, at 7 p.m.) tells the story of a man named Pierre, played

by Etaix, stuck in a marriage rut. He and his wife, Florence (played by Annie Fratellini, Etaix’s real-life wife), have been married for 10 monotonous, uneventful, but happy years.

One day, Pierre gets a new hot young secretary and finds himself falling in love with her. The movie focuses more on the internal struggle and guilt that Pierre feels before making his final decision about which woman to be with.

It sounds like your average, mediocre romance movie that any Hollywood executive could bust out in a few weeks’ time, but it’s not, and this is where Etaix shows off his directing prowess: He adds quirk and personality to an otherwise unexceptional and overdone story.

Amour occasionally breaks away from reality, using dream sequences to better portray Pierre’s thought process as he overcomes this emotional skirmish. With the exception of his wife and his secretary, the characters are fleshed out in a way that allows the audience to see and interact with them just as Pierre would.

If there’s a quality about his mother- or father-in-law that’s obnoxious to Pierre, it’s played up just enough to be noticeable to the audience—yet another tactic used to help the viewer understand his mindset.

He’d only been in business for eight years by the release of Le Grand Amour, but Etaix had already nailed down a style that was unique to him, and also proved to be influential to future comedians.

Sadly, Etaix’s style was only manifested a few times more before he reverted to writing books, teaching clown skills and popping up on TV from time to time.

Seize this opportunity to see his masterful work on the big screen.

The Northwest Film Center presents The Films of Pierre Etaix Whitsell Auditorium 1219 SW Park Ave. $9 general admission, $8 students April 12–14, 19–22 (for showtimes go to nwfc.org)

All photos by corinna scott/VANGUARD STAFf

recession-Era show at recess: Southeast Portland art space Recess debuted its new show, “Help Wanted, Apply Inside,” which collects and displays resumes from artists across the city.

Art on the East side PSU students, alumni show First Friday art Jeoffry Ray Vanguard Staff

The First Thursday art walk always fills downtown with a wealth of artwork and a stream of patrons touring the variety of galleries splayed across the Pearl.

But Portland’s art world never sleeps, and each part of the city offers a similar night of art happenings on separate days throughout a given month.

This month, the Vanguard made its way out to a collection of First Friday exhibitions in search of work produced by Portland State students and alumni.

First we made our way out to Northeast Alberta Street, where the Appendix Project Space crouches in an alley between 26th and 27th avenues. There, a trio of working artists serve as monthly hosts to emerging art in the area, all in a garage converted into a gallery space.

“We initially moved in to be a part of Alberta’s Last Thursday event,” said Appendix codirector and area artist Zack Davis. Davis runs the space with co-directors Travis Fitzgerald and Alex Dolan.

“It’s been really awesome for several years, though we’ve moved away from showing on Thursdays,” Davis said. “It was great for a long time, though—we really synergized with it.”

Appendix, which has been operating for nearly five years, currently displays the work of recent Portland State graduate and prolific artist Chase Biado.

Biado’s solo show, titled “Chase Biado in Time,” features a collection of conceptually driven sculptural displays along with a pair of out-of-focus digital prints and an audio piece.

“He graduated from PSU pretty recently, but Chase has been putting on a lot of really strong conceptual, sculptural shows,” Davis said. “It seemed like a natural fit.”

In the center of the space stood a work composed of three wine glasses atop a wood plank separated by two mirrors. Biado filled the center glass with a pink-hued energy drink and left the others empty.

The result is a visually arresting optical illusion as the onlooker moves around the piece, which is titled Still Life. From various perspectives, the glasses would appear to exchange contents, or appear at once full and empty.

Another sculptural work, Calendar, features

a twisting, snakelike base topped with birthday candles, which sag against the work in various stages of consumption. The dying candles invoke the withering entropy of the aging process, while the interconnected ends of the plaster base recall the infinite experience of an ongoing cycle.

Davis noted that Appendix lacks a specific guiding philosophy in their choice of art, but that sculpture seems to trump wall-mounted works, given the limits of the garage space.

“I would say we lean toward conceptual sculpture,” he said. “Almost every time, we have some sort of object occupying the space.”

From Appendix, it was a short ride to North Killingsworth Street, where another of PSU’s art students had a new show on display. Eve Jakabosky, a painter aspiring to the university’s bachelor of fine arts degree, filled the walls of the area’s lively Red E Cafe with a torrent of work.

Her large-scale paintings range from monochromatic works in peaceful blacks to heavily layered pieces with a nearly sculptural tactile presence. Often, she contrasts her dark works with gold foil, bringing a halo over contemplative pieces such as her piece After Fra Angelico.

Other works describe a lighter world, like the highly textural depiction of a kitten hanging from a rope, pawing for attention, in the playful Fondue Kitten, or the disarming, scooter-bound old lady in Early March and 10 Pizzas.

In these works, color almost recedes into the background, becoming secondary to the topographical planes built onto the panels by the bold layering of materials.

Jakabosky, who also helps curate the space at Alberta’s Vita Cafe, noted that her work has taken an intense turn, particularly after studying under PSU instructors Susan Harlan and Tia Factor.

“I sacrifice a lot of my social life for my work,” she said. “I’m surprised I still have friends to show up for the event!”

Jakabosky also pointed to the contrast between some of her works, explaining that she took to light-hearted works as an escape from the moodiness invoked by her darker paintings.

“I tend to have kind of a dual personality, where I’m kind of lighthearted at times, but use heavier subject matter at others,” Jakabosky explained. “Humor is also very important, and I love working on the processing of jokes between friends.”

Red E owners Keith Miller and Mindy Farley glowed with appreciation for Jakabosky’s efforts and use of the space. The owners, who have operated the cafe since 2009, place a premium

Alleyway ART: Appendix is tucked in an alleyway between 26th and 27th avenues at Northeast Alberta Street. Last week they showcased the artwork of PSU alumnus Chase Biado.

Red E or not: Red E Cafe featured the art of Eve Jukabosky, a PSU fine arts major, at its First Friday show on North Killingsworth Street. on giving artists a platform to exhibit for the community.

“We’re really impressed,” Farley said as she gestured to a large-scale work depicting two women caught in a cloud of abstract, windswept swirls. “Eve has made great use of the space, and took advantage of really moving things around.”

Miller explained that the cafe is open to any art form, though they tend to select artists who can best fill the large space. He also noted the limits to sculptural media created by the commercial needs of the coffee shop. Still, he expressed the pair’s interest in showing all forms of art.

“It completely runs the gamut,” he said. “Often we’ll have paintings, but we’ve also had photography and wall-mounted sculptures. Mainly we go for large-scale works to fill the space.”

We ended our night closer to downtown, at the Southeast-based Recess space. This collection of artist studios crowned by a second-floor gallery is run by PSU graduates, including J.P. Huckins and Chloe Womack, and Reed graduate Tori Abernathy.

Recess, an emerging space known for experimental, contemporary shows and lively open studio events, opened the month with their show “Help Wanted, Apply Inside.” The exhibition features a collection of resumes gathered from artists and other workers across the city through an open-call process.

“It’s interesting to look at the resume,” said Abernathy, who envisioned the project. “It’s sort of a self-portrait. We can look at the content, but it’s also interesting when you think of this shift toward the creative economy and away from an industrialized or productionbased workforce. Now even the aesthetic of the resume itself can be important.”

The resumes in the show cover a fairly broad swathe of backgrounds. Individual resumes come from fellow emerging artists like Biado, as well as well-established artists and instructors, such as PSU social practice professor and Open Engagement Coordinator Jen Delos Reyes.

But the artists’ resumes share a common thread, with each boasting a background offering different particulars but similar themes regarding shows and works performed.

“The open call is a format I’m interested in,” Abernathy said. “It’s interesting that we only have a certain amount of people that we can reach out to, and [it’s interesting] to trace the common themes in the resumes of different individuals, some of whom don’t even know each other. You start to see overlapping consistencies.”

The exhibition opening ran concurrent with an open studio event. Attendees explored the studios of in-house artists such as Jenny Vu, Maggie Craig, Chloe Kendall and Ashley Burke.

The art ranged from paintings to jewelry to illustration and video. For the late hours, the operators lowered the gallery lights and opened the space for a disc jockey and dance party.

Digital multimedia artist Paul Clay pointed to a digital print on his wall that featured himself in a burning bra, juxtaposed with the infamous George W. Bush “Mission Accomplished” photo op.

“We were talking about bra-burning,” said Clay, who often engages with serious subjects in a poignant, yet often humorous, manner.

“Essentially, bra-burning is a myth that was overexposed to scare the public away from feminism. I was also thinking about the dangers of a preemptive declaration of the success of feminism.”

Friday was a night of effective exhibitions, and a sure sign of the continued efforts of students and alumni alike.

Recess Co-Director J.P. Huckins also noted the progress made by the artists on the space itself.

“It’s been pretty active, with a really good group,” he said. “The space looks better than it ever has.”

The three galleries mentioned above— Appendix, Red E Cafe and Recess Gallery—can be contacted at appendixspace.com, theredecafe.com and recessart.com, respectively.

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VANGUARD ••TThursday, THURSDAY, uesday, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, Jan. JANUARY OCTOBER Nov. APRIL FEBRUARY JANUARY 31, 8, 2013 11, 2012 10, 25, 2013 26, •2, 2012 2011 ARTS •2012 •ARTS ARTS ••&•OPINION OPINION CULTURE &ARTS CULTURE & CULTURE & CULTURE

Round sound PSU organizations collaborate to debut concert series Mike Diallo Vanguard Staff

Kicking off half an hour late, Beisbol was introduced to all sides of the room on Thursday.

I sat, caught off guard by how incorrectly I’d been pronouncing the band’s name before finding out that it was just Spanish for “baseball.”

Luckily, both the band’s name and its casual style were established in the first moments of the show, the latter fitting perfectly with the unique atmosphere only found at the Campus 360 concert series.

“When we say 360, we mean it literally,” said Gabe Granach, development director for KPSU, who co-sponsored the event.

In the first iteration of the event, a few standards were set that separate this venue from others on campus, the main one being that bands playing for Campus 360 are required to perform for an audience that surrounds them on all sides.

The series is also recorded by PSU.tv, who, along with Portland State Professional Sound and Guayaki (the tea company), put on this event “to strengthen PSU’s campus life with united student media outlets,” according to the event’s Facebook page.

“When we started planning [Campus 360] we wanted to provide a different look,” Granach said. It was conceived as a musical equivalent to First Thursday art shows. KPSU also teamed up with PSU.tv to create three-minute videos for online promotion.

Now, having done a show, Granach and his colleagues have learned quite a bit and are happy with the early results.

The events organizer’s managed to turn the Native American Student and Community Center gathering area into a viable venue, creating great acoustics in the center.

“I was sitting all over the room and really trying to experience the show from multiple perspectives,” Granach said.

Campus 360 certainly makes good on its promise to focus primarily on the artist, and it was difficult not to be distracted by most of the audience, who were either working for one of the presenting organizations or seemed to be a close, personal friend of the band.

Beisbol’s banter with audience members gave the concert a practice-session atmosphere, which worked well for this particular band.

“It seemed like a mix between Passion Pit and Of Monsters and Men,” said concertgoer and PSU student Taylor Holt, who enjoyed the experience: “That was just a cool concert.”

Beisbol’s synth-pop stylings are easily accessible and the band entertains with its sunny disposition, and with good reason: The two brothers behind the operation were

Jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFf

Beisbol has been berry berry good to me: Portland synth-pop outfit Beisbol played some tasty jams on campus last week as part of the Campus 360 concert series. raised in Southern California and roamed around the Southwest before joining together for this Portland-based project.

Their style worked well in the venue, meshing an electronic sound with the standard four-piece arrangement, with band members switching roles between songs. Beisbol relied heavily on synthesizers while managing to keep the mood light and casual.

The band’s only intensity came from the drums, while the other three members

enjoyed the drummer’s vivacity without imitating it. This worked with the practice-session vibe that permeated the event.

“The idea is to provide a campus feel to the school, and I think the majority of students want more live music to be part of their college experience,” Granach said.

Campus 360 brings variety to PSU’s music scene and gives more students the opportunity to grow though collaboration with others who are passionate about what they are doing.

Starving to feed America PSU celebrates National Farmworker Awareness Week

An apple a day…

Zulema Lopez picks apples in Bear Lake, Mich., in the film The Harvest/La Cosecha, which will screen on campus this Monday.

Robin Crowell Vanguard Staff

Fruits and vegetables—a staple commodity in American kitchens. Everyone eats them, but does anyone know how they get from field or orchard to our plates at home?

Farmworker Awareness Week, organized by the Food Action Collective, Las Mujeres de la Raza and the Sustainability Leadership Center, kicks off next Monday with “Dinner, Documentary, and Dialogue,” which seeks to shed light on the questionable conditions of individuals working on farms across the United States.

Portland State professor Dr. Jack Corbett, who is participating in the event, detailed the intricacies of a system that goes unnoticed by many Americans.

“Farmworker Awareness Week at Portland State is part of a national, student-driven coalition seeking to draw attention to the dangerous work environment[s] and precarious living conditions of the 2–3 million farmworkers in the U.S.,” said Corbett, who teaches in PSU’s College of Urban and Public Affairs.

“While the popular vision of ‘amber waves of grain’ includes air-conditioned combines mowing their way across the wheat fields of the U.S., more than three-quarters of our fruits and vegetables are still picked by hand,” Corbett said, “a demanding form of labor that is grueling physically due to exposure to heat and rain, dangerous because of exposure to toxic materials such as pesticides, largely lacks protection by labor laws and union organization and suffers from social and cultural isolation in labor camps and small communities across the country.”

In an effort to further highlight some of the less-than-admirable conditions endured by these farmworkers, the film The Harvest/La Cosecha: The Story of the Children Who Feed America will be shown as part of Monday’s event.

The film will be introduced by New York

© u.roberto romano

Times best-selling author Tracie McMillan, author of The American Way of Eating: Undercover at Walmart, Applebee’s, Farm Fields and the Dinner Table, and followed by a question-andanswer session with Corbett.

The Harvest/La Cosecha profiles three migrant farmworkers, Zulema, Perla and Victor, as they make dire sacrifices for the survival of their families. The film “profiles these three as they journey from the scorching heat of Texas’ onion fields to the winter snows of the Michigan apple orchards and back south to the humidity of Florida’s tomato fields to follow the harvest,” according to its website.

While these issues do not immediately present themselves as problems facing Portland or the PSU community, Corbett urges us to see these issues as pervasive in the livelihoods of any and all people living in the U.S. today.

“The significance of Farmworker Awareness Week to the Portland State community flows in part from the reality that as an urban institution addressing a predominantly urban population, relatively few of us have had any significant contact with those providing much of the food we consume on a daily basis,” Corbett said. “This unfamiliarity makes it easy to overlook the significant burdens the

agricultural labor force bears in keeping [the U.S.] fed at a comparatively low cost.”

In conjunction with an overall lack of knowledge, Corbett argues that because Portland is a politically active, concerned city, these issues resonate with both the residents of the city and the people on campus.

“We celebrate the initiative and creativity that gains Portland a reputation as a center for sustainability through neighborhood gardens, farmers markets, food carts and other manifestations of community engagement with food as a pathway to health, well-being, and opportunity,” Corbett said. “To the extent that many members of the PSU community have strong commitment to values of social justice and equity, farmworkers represent a major group suffering continued marginality.”

With Farmworker Awareness Week, the PSU community looks to emphasize initiatives that surround food culture and social justice issues.

“The university takes great pride in hosting a [farmers] market nurturing healthy consumption and sustainability,” Corbett said.

“We should have equal concern for the people whose contributions to our food supply may come at the cost of health risks from toxics, few opportunities to improve their living standards or vulnerability to the predatory inclinations of some in the dominant society. As the university moves toward the creation of a food systems minor, we need to be mindful of the social dimensions of a food systems focus.”

Farmworker Awareness Week kicks off on Monday and will feature events throughout the week that are centered on sustainability and where exactly our food comes from.

The Food Action Collective, La Mujeres de la Raza and the Sustainability Leadership Center present Dinner, Documentary, and Dialogue Part of National Farmworker Awareness Week Monday, April 15, 5 p.m.

Native American Student and Community Center More information available at pdx.edu/insidepsu/news/farmworkerawareness-week-who-grows-your-food Free and open to the public (with free food)

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OPINiON • THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• THURSDAY, THURSDAY, APRIL NOVEMBER 11, 2013 10, •2011 OPINiON • SPORTS

OPINION

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

Karl Kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

Political polarity

On beauty

Supreme Court cases divide along party lines once again

‘Thigh gaps’ have become a national concern

Conversation Nation Megan Hall

T Brew your own certificate PSU’s Business of Craft Brewing program benefits beer lovers and cultivates our craft brewing culture A Critical Glance Adam Bushen

P

ortland State’s School of Business Administration has created a beer-brewing certificate program called The Business of Craft Brewing. It’s the first such program in the U.S. and is aimed at helping craft-brewing entrepreneurs navigate the business end of making and selling beer.

Being an admirer of microbrews, I applaud PSU’s dedication to cultivating Portlands rich craft-brewing culture.

With its nearly 40 breweries, Portland clearly has a love affair with the craft of brewing beer and, as with coffee, Portlanders also love to consume it.

Thanks to the city’s strong relationship the city has with beer, the brewing certificate program has already inspired some serious buzz and interest from the community. There are, for instance, plenty of folks who make home-brews, and while they may have perfected their recipes, getting their product on shelves is a whole other task.

Without knowledge of how the business of beer marketing and selling works, it is nearly impossible to turn that hobby into a profitable endeavor.

The Business of Craft Brewing program, as professor Mellie Pullman described it, focuses on the business skills that will help pubs and brewers become more efficient and profitable, and help startups develop a business plan. The program may help get even more local brews on the shelves, as brewers can learn the steps needed to get their product sold

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in stores and markets.

In a similar vein, the program being the first of its kind also reflects Portland’s uniqueness.

“Keep Portland Weird” is our motto, and providing a certificate program specifically for beer, hard cider and distilled beverages caters to that goal.

Keeping Portland “beered” is another slogan I’ve heard. PSU is helping contribute to both.

Another great thing about Portlanders is our dedication to buying local. We’re proud of the products made in our backyards and show our support with our dollars.

While cities like my hometown of Grand Rapids, Mich., are experiencing large-scale mircobrew resurgences, PSU’s program demonstrates how Portland embraces the culture. In Grand Rapids, the craft is becoming more appreciated, but I can’t imagine that local universities would reach out to that interest and the beer-loving community by creating a program to continue its progression.

PSU’s decision to create this program highlights what makes this town so distinct, crafty and downright amazing.

Another great aspect of the brewing program is that it could help the local economy.

Beer drinking and production are part of those “vice” markets that are generally unaffected by a bad economy. Regardless of how poorly an economy is doing or how financially hard up people are, they still drink.

In truth, I imagine that drinking is one of those activities

that increases during times of distress. People need a tonic and, when things are going badly, the need for stress relief increases.

By aiding potential brewers, PSU is helping to put entrepreneurs into a market that’s exceptionally stable; and though some may feel the market is overcrowded, the success of so many local breweries demonstrates that Portland residents can drink enough beer to support a large number of producers.

As I said before, Portlanders love to buy local and support local businesses. This, combined with the fact that people drink regardless of the current economic situation, makes the decision to learn the trade of marketing and selling beer an economically sound one. In aiding local brewers, PSU is also contributing to the flow of cash from patron to brewer, which helps keep the economy moving.

Providing a viable service to local entrepreneurs that benefits local beer-drinkers and the economy isn’t the only boon: The Business of Craft Brewing will draw interest to the university. It’ll pique the curiosity of microbrewers nationwide. The world’s best beer might never be tasted by anyone other than its creator if the brewer doesn’t know how to market and sell it, so people who are confident and proud of their homemade craft beer will be drawn to PSU to learn the skills they need to get their product out there for purchase.

I expect some skilled brewers to flock to the program and, in turn, more tasty beers to hit the shelves down the road.

he recent Oral arguments regarding samesex marriage once again brought to light the political divisions in America.

Laws like the Defense of Marriage Act that originated as political plays are once again being used politically in an attempt to maintain animosity along party lines.

A sea of red-and-pink equal signs filled my Facebook feed a week ago. With the start of oral arguments in the Supreme Court cases addressing California’s Proposition 8 and DOMA, some showed their support by changing their profile pictures while others discussed the issues with friends.

And, yet again, we are in a battle of right versus left.

I found that amid all of the discussion there was little said about what spurred the cases to begin with. Many remember the passage of Prop 8 in 2008; the history of DOMA, however, is murkier for some.

DOMA was enacted under former President Bill Clinton in 1996. Its purpose is to restrict federal marriage benefits to opposite-sex couples, thus putting in place measures that prevent samesex couples from filing joint tax returns, inheriting Social Security benefits from deceased partners and receiving insurance benefits.

It is necessary to remember the context of DOMA’s enactment in the mid-’90s. Clinton was running for reelection, conservative Republican Bob Barr drafted the bill and support for DOMA was a part of the Republican Party platform at the time. Clinton himself was vocal about not

supporting same-sex marriage, and so, when the bill passed, he quickly signed it into law. It’s generally viewed as a politically motivated decision to appease the right wing as Clinton ran for a second term. Less than 20 years later, however, the tides have turned.

Politicians have fallen into a pattern of behavior that’s made them followers and not leaders.

Politically, this country has become extremely divisive. We have assembled into red and blue teams, and we are so angry at the other group that it’s difficult to even hold a conversation. Not two decades ago, though, a Democratic president signed into law a measure that’s now viewed as unconstitutional by the current Democratic administration.

This is but one example of the evolution of ideas within a society, but it’s also a testament to our ability to change our opinions and recognize that the divisions that sustain political animosity are ridiculous. After all, the Democratic Party of my childhood is clearly not the Democratic Party of today.

Politicians have fallen into a pattern of behavior that’s made them followers and not

leaders. The game has been about taking sides and covering our ears to the opposition’s arguments, not about moving the country forward.

And so, as a result, following the recent Supreme Court oral arguments, we saw a flood of lawmakers voice their support of same-sex marriage, despite the fact that more than 50 percent of the U.S. has already made it clear that they support it.

The changing tide toward equality has already arrived and yet our politicians are only now starting to voice their opinions, and our court system is hearing arguments on a matter that’s now an obvious equal rights issue to so many in our generation.

The history of laws like DOMA demonstrates that the political game is simply a way of dividing the public instead of leading our country to a better future. The people we elect to represent us shouldn’t be the last ones to show their support for basic equal rights; they should be leading the charge. If they were, we wouldn’t be looking to the court 20 years after a horribly divisive law was put in place to make the obvious decision to strike it down.

As the next few months of debates over equal rights unfold, it’s important to keep in mind that politicians are trying more than ever to keep voters divided.

They’re followers of their own constituents and not their leaders. It’s time that we look at the issues for what they are and press our politicians to stop tolerating political games.

DOMA is not about being a Democrat or a Republican, a liberal or a conservative.

It’s about being an American and believing in liberty and equality.

© Corbis Images

One Step Off Emily Lakehomer

O Karl Kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

Sunshine and the great outdoors Better weather means more reason to get out there and explore Ms. Fudge’s Sweet Nothings Stephanie Fudge-Bernard

N

ow that the sun seems to be sluggishly making appearances around campus again, there’s no excuse for all the ghostly pale, vitaminD-deprived Portland State students to not get outside.

Luckily for Portlanders, there are quite a few amazing options available that are scenic, inexpensive and close enough to take advantage of after classes.

One of the greatest outdoor adventures waiting for students here also happens to be completely free of charge.

All around our hectic urban lives of textbooks, crowded parking garages and fast food await trails, hills and hikes for us to explore.

For students who have a gap between classes, Council Crest is located just south of campus and can be accessed via the Marquam Nature Park Shelter Trailhead.

Within only a couple of hours, hikers can walk or jog up to a gorgeous panoramic view of downtown Portland and Mt. Hood.

Other city trails boast awesome vistas, including Forest Park near the Pearl District. After a tough morning course, students can hop onto the streetcar for free and go wander one of the numerous trails. Perhaps this park’s greatest features are post-hike: Stop

by Salt and Straw for ice cream and pet all the neighborhood puppies out for sunshine strolls.

For those more interested in a relaxing ride, Portland is

also a beautiful place for bicycling when the rain finally decides to take a break. Even locals without the gear can rent what they need at local bicycle shops for under $10 an hour. Places like Waterfront Bicycles include with every rental a helmet, a lock for when you need to stop for a cold beer and a map to figure out where all the fun stuff is.

Students can also relieve stress after midterms or a particularly difficult project by renting one of the crazy contraptions you always see around the Waterfront.

Whether it’s a specialty cycle or a covered something— called a “surrey”—you can rent with a buddy, places like Kerr Bikes, just north of the Hawthorne Bridge, have options for quick afternoon frolicking at affordable prices.

Students who somehow didn’t get enough water from the half-year of rain can also tour the Willamette River.

If you need to, you can rent kayaks, canoes and standup paddleboards from local Portland Kayak Company.

Get out on the river and race around Ross Island, and don’t forget to get an upclose and personal view of all the beautifully bizarre houseboats lining the water. Since recreational kayak rentals start as low as $10 an hour, most students can skip a day at the pub and afford to try something new and exhilarating.

The Academic and Student Rec Center also offers

awesome options for students who want to rent equipment or join an outdoor excursion with others. From sleeping bags for $8 a day to mountain boots for $10 to sea kayaks for $30 for four days and inner tubes for $6, the ASRC’s extremely affordable rental rates are perfect for students looking to get out in the sun.

The Outdoor Program gives us burnt-out folks access to planned and coordinated trips, like the Opal Creek backpacking trip the weekend of April 27, a whitewater rafting trip on May 4 and a bunch of other outings involving canyons and mountains and caves, oh my! The best part is how affordable these mini-quests are for PSU students, especially considering the equipment that we have access to.

Students interested in participating can visit the PSU website for a list of rental prices and activities, or stop by the Outdoor Program’s office on Southwest Harrison Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

Even those more adventurous in spirit than in fitness can take advantage of the sunshine and hit up one of the many local patio bars. A tiny trek over to Momo’s on Southwest 10th Avenue and Yamhill Street will get you a nice walk and a pleasant outdoor space in which to enjoy inexpensive cocktails.

Whether you’re looking for a quick Waterfront break between your morning and evening classes or a weekend getaway, Portland is a miracle city that shouldn’t be wasted. So get out there, start working on those freckles and get active!

ver the last year I’ve had to come to a somewhat painful realization regarding my body: I will never have a thigh gap. No matter how many hours I spend at the gym on a weekly basis or what foods I banish from my diet, my thighs are going to touch. And that’s OK. Don’t know what a thigh gap is? Congratulations!

You don’t use Tumblr, and that alone is something to be proud of, considering our Internet-and-social-mediaobsessed world. A thigh gap is the space left between your thighs when you stand with your feet together. It’s a trend—if you could call it that—seen on models like Alexa Chung (who has a gap even with her legs crossed) and Kate Moss, as well as many other celebrities.

Along with its actual existence on actual bodies, the thigh gap is also quickly becoming a frequently talked about subject. The Huffington Post, ABC, Vice and many other news and blogging sites have run segments on this non-body-part. Vice went so far as to label it a “musthave” accessory on par with Hermes bags.

A thigh gap is almost impossible to gain unless you’re born with the right genetics. It’s OK to have a thigh gap; it’s OK to not have a thigh gap.

Vice also recently published an article declaring a war on the thigh gap, saying it was a sign that means “your body is underweight,” as well as a sign of privilege.

In some ways (read: some, not all), the underweight part is true, but the sticky bit is the privilege part. Bertie Brandes, the article’s author, goes on a body-shaming rampage, calling out anyone guilty of having space between their thighs.

Brandes said that girls— because she limits the thigh gap to one gender—with thigh gaps also have “a spray tan, a stylist and a modeling contract,” as well as “a photographer, a soundtrack and a gym membership.” Yeah, sure, those generalizations are true in some situations, but Brandes’ entire article is full of body-shaming and compares genetics to privilege.

We only get one life, and we only get one body. It’s hard to do, but once you start loving yourself you’ll stop worrying about relatively miniscule things like thigh gaps. I promise.

The fashion industry gets a lot of criticism, most of it warranted. However, I’ve yet to read an article about Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld or Alexander McQueen’s designers requiring their models to have thigh gaps. This isn’t to defend any negative body images that the industry continuously perpetuates, but the industry purposefully scouts out tall, naturally thin individuals to model next season’s readyto-wear, avant-garde styles.

And thanks to the rising eminence of Tumblr and Instagram, we’re force-fed this thigh-gapped image of what a handful of 13-year-old girls are telling us is the “ideal” body type.

Instagram does little to help provide a steady flow of healthy body images for younger generations. The popular app gives us a sense of constant surveillance, and if we don’t look a certain way at all times, we’ll look awful in the off chance that someone snaps a candid photo.

Within the last year, the “thinspiration” battle erupted and then quietly disappeared from the Tumblr

front. “Thinspo” blogs often include photos of thin girls—all sporting the thigh gap and wearing trendy “soft grunge” clothing—and diet tips, ways to ignore hunger and exercises to produce the protruding collar and hip bones necessary to fit the mold.

Please note: Never use the phrase “soft grunge.” Ever.

You might have noticed that many of these Tumblr blogs have disappeared. The people in charge took down pages that seemed to be proanorexia/bulimia or perpetuated thinspo. Recently The Huffington Post reported that “teens spend an average of 53 hours per week consuming various media.” When you consider that a majority of us are plugged into Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, that’s a whole lot of time to be flooded with images of someone else’s body ideal.

Many active users under the thinspo banner use second-wave feminism jargon as justification to continue their unhealthy lifestyles. CJ Pascoe, a sociologist who wrote Anas, Mias and Wannas: Pro-Ana Communities and Identities Online, stated, “They say, ‘Y’know, this is my lifestyle—I live an extremely low-calorie lifestyle and this is my choice.’”

There’s truth to that, but is it worth risking your own life for a thigh gap and jutting hip bones?

A thigh gap is almost impossible to gain unless you’re born with the right genetics. It’s OK to have a thigh gap; it’s OK to not have a thigh gap.

Rather than bagging on those of us who want a thigh gap, or who are OK with not having one, how about we just accept that we all want different things?

I didn’t start writing this aligned with the secondwave idea, but we’re all free to make our own decisions regarding our bodies, and it’s really no one’s business to tell us what to do. My only advice is to please be healthy and love your body. And if there are parts of you that you don’t like, change them, but do so in a way that will help you, not hurt you.

The YOLO trend has come and passed, and it was annoying as hell. But I don’t believe in reincarnation—we only get one life, and we only get one body. It’s hard to do, but once you start loving yourself you’ll stop worrying about relatively miniscule things like thigh gaps. I promise.

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ETC. ETC.• •THURSDAY, Thursday, APRIL Nov.11, 8, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD • THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2013 • Opinion

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

NOW HIRING WRITERS

Hub will make sure you know how to take care of your bike. Participants are free to bring their own bicycles to learn exactly how they should be FREE cared for.

APPLY ONLINE AT PSUVANGUARD.COM

Dads Group 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 462 1825 SW Broadway

If you are a father and a student at Portland State the Resource Center for Students with Children welcomes you to Monday meetings, where you have the chance to connect with others in your position and enjoy some FREE free snacks.

Online comments miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

Letter to the Editor

Chutes and Ladders Attention: Portland State pedestrians

C

hutes and Ladders is a game that many of us played as children.

Indeed, many of us still play it with our children or our relatives’ children. For those not familiar with the game, you play by getting around the board using a series of upward-moving ladders and downward-moving slides. If you play the game right, you make it to the finish line before your opponents do. Make it through the obstacles first, you win. Pretty simple, right?

Well, I play Chutes and Ladders every day, in a much different way: I commute from Beaverton every morning.

To get to campus, I have to take the 62 bus to Sunset Transit Center and then take the Blue or Red MAX Line to Pioneer Square. From there, I catch the Yellow or Green MAX to campus. So far, so good, right?

Here comes my pity party.

At 6 years old, I was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, a type of muscular dystrophy that prohibits my ability to grow new muscle mass. I’m 26 now, and since the age of 10 I’ve been dependent on a wheelchair for mobility. Getting around our hilly campus can be quite challenging.

Anyway, back to our game of Chutes and Ladders.

At 7:45 a.m., I get off the MAX at the Urban Plaza stop so I can get to class, in Science Building 1, by 8:00 a.m.

Because I’m unable to propel myself up the ramp from the Green Line Market to Cafe Yumm, I head into the Urban Center Building, grab the elevator and hit the button for the second floor. From there, I take the skybridge over Pizzicato and the streetcar to another elevator that lets me out just north of Cafe Yumm.

Then I cross Sixth Avenue, enter the Education and Business Administration Building to my left and grab an elevator to the fourth floor. Another skybridge takes me over Broadway to Cramer Hall’s third floor. From there I take the elevator down to the first floor and, finally, roll across the Park Blocks to Science Building 1.

In essence, I’ve traversed the upward grade that lies between Southwest Fifth Avenue and Broadway: Chutes and Ladders.

Let’s say I have class at 5th Avenue Cinema 10 minutes after my class in Neuberger Hall. To get there I must roll downhill from the south side of Neuberger so I can enter the back entrance to the Center for Student Health and Counseling. There, I take an elevator to the third floor, then head south past the student testing center to another elevator. This elevator takes me to the street across from Ondine Residence Hall.

By doing this, I’ve avoided a prohibitive grade. To get to 5th Avenue Cinema, I cross the street, enter the building and hit the button on the loud freight elevator that somehow compensates me for the building’s lack of a wheelchair-accessible ramp.

I haven’t mentioned the difficulty involved in taking classes in Ondine. If any reader knows how to go from the street to the second floor of that building without using a staircase, I’ll be impressed.

This is what I call my personal game of Chutes and Ladders. This last week, I grabbed the elevator at the bottom of the EDBA building so I could use the skybridge on the fourth floor that connects that building to Neuberger. I took the little ADA ramp down to Neuberger’s second floor.

Then, I waited. And waited…and continued to wait for more than 10 minutes for an elevator that would take me to the third floor. During this time I watched three elevators go by, full of passengers with full use of their legs.

I was more than five minutes late to my class on the third floor.

Although my tale of the Neuberger elevator is unique, I can regurgitate similar experiences from any day in most any building. Once, in Cramer Hall, I waited for 10 minutes as elevator after elevator passed by, full of ablebodied individuals. I wait for elevators in Smith Memorial Student Union, science buildings 1 and 2, and Neuberger and Lincoln halls.

Understand, I’m a busy student and didn’t wish to write this editorial, as 19 credits already demand most of my time.

I’m not sure if I am becoming what you might call “prejudiced” toward bipeds. I am becoming genuinely unhappy with those of you who can use your legs, but simply choose not to. Try to understand that more colorful rhetoric has come to mind, but calling you out on in the heat of the moment probably wouldn’t do any good.

All bipeds, please understand: I respect and appreciate your ability to use amenities like staircases. Elevators are an integral part of the intricate network of Chutes and Ladders that allow me to get from where I am to where I need to be.

Given that other people need to use the same network to get from one place to another, I ask that you take the damn stairs!

Sincerely, Gabriel Rousseau, Community development and social sciences senior

The story doesn’t stop when the print hits the page. Don’t like something you read in the Vanguard ? Want us to cover a story? Do you feel there’s more to be said? You have the opportunity to praise us or rip us apart. Post a comment online or write us a letter. Tell us what you think. Here are some online highlights from psuvanguard.com.

“A difficult thing to accept” Vol. 67 No. 47 Alesin Sinclair April 5 Thank you so much for your bravery, as you have given me courage to face my own mental instability. I am educated with an MSW and know about stigmas, cognitively. But when I tried to integrate that knowledge emotionally, I only felt shame—I am exactly where you are right now and I have to make the choice to be honest about my emotional health right now and lose my job as a therapist so I can address in a healthy way my mental issues—or ignore it and live in shame, live in a lie consumed by depression and anxiety in secrecy. Unethical—at the very least. I have sought help from therapists, specialists and close friends all who have encouraged me to do what you have done.

I have the same fears that I will become unemployable; that I will be punished by society for my current illness. I could not find the courage, even after all the specialists, therapists, etc. who I have seen to take that courageous, ethical and human step aside and get help until I came across your article. I have now taken that step too. Thank you immensely. I have the utmost respect for you. You will get better and learn how to move through the depression in healthy, healing ways. As will I—you changed my life today—if only I could return the favor.

D April 5 Thank you for reminding me I am not alone in navigating the difficulty in life and that sometimes, we cannot shoulder it all alone.

Nick April 5 Moving past the stigma of “it’s all in your head” is

Tuesday, April 16

Bicycle Commuting 101 Noon–1 p.m.

PSU Bike Hub 1818 SW Sixth Ave.

really difficult, especially when you have loved ones being stupid about it. Good for you.

Pat April 5 Having battled depression earlier in my life, I can relate to the misery you are experiencing. And I assure you life can be so much better. The first (and most difficult) step is finding the insight and courage to acknowledge that you are not well and that you need help—and you have already done that. I wish you all the best on your journey to improved well-being. Thank you for your courage in sharing your story, I hope it will inspire others to follow your lead.

Virginia Vickery April 5 So brave and well said. I know firsthand what dealing with this illness is like and there is definitely hope. I pray you end up getting the care you deserve and experience quick relief from the crushing symptoms soon.

Matthew Hernandez April 4 Fantastic piece. Having dealt with depression earlier in my life for a couple of years, I can’t help but majorly empathize with you. Hang in there, Janieve.

© Columbia/Tristar

ZOMBIE JAMBOREE: There is nothing better for a college student than free food and entertainment, and thanks to PSU’s Dive-In Movie nights you don’t even have to leave campus. This week’s flick is Zombieland, which will show from 8-10 p.m. in the Academic and Student Rec Center.

Thursday, April 11

Show and Tell Noon–1 p.m.

Art Building, room 320 1990 SW Fifth Ave.

Show and Tell is a series that runs every Thursday in the Art Building, where professionals in various artistic fields are invited to come to Portland State or broadcast lectures via the web in order to share their experiences with and inspire the FREE student body.

Lecture: What is an Organism?

4 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 236 1825 SW Broadway

Dr. John Dupre, professor of philosophy of science at the University of Exeter and director of the ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society, will be at Portland State to lecture on organisms. He will discuss what organisms are and how they work, as well as collaborations between different types of organisms.

FREE

Rent Savvy 6 p.m.

Montgomery Lounge 1802 SW 10th Ave.

Rent Savvy is a workshop geared toward helping college students find affordable off-campus housing.

Information on where to look and what to look for will be offered, and the event will be catered, with free FREE food for attendees.

Friday, April 12

Voices of Laos: Clearing Bombs, Protecting Lives 4 p.m.

Urban Center, second floor gallery 506 SW Mill St.

In an event sponsored by the U.S. State Department, speakers who are traveling across nine different cities will be making a stop in Portland to talk about individuals and communities affected by Vietnam War-era unexploded ordnance in Laos, how the problem is being addressed in the country and ways in which

people in the U.S. can help to clear Laos of bombs, support survivors of accidents and help to create a safer future for the people of Laos.

FREE

Sunday. The only cost is the price of food. 21+

Bicycle Maintenance 101

Interdisciplinary Dialogue: How Can Higher Education Help Us Create the Society We Want?

Noon–1 p.m.

PSU Bike Hub 1818 SW Sixth Ave

5–7 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 238 1825 SW Broadway

If you are a bike owner or enthusiast the PSU Bike Hub offers you the chance to learn about the art of maintaining a bicycle. With subjects like proper methods of lubricating your drivetrain, adjusting your brakes and maintaining your tires, the Bike

The Philosophy Club invites you to join them for an open discussion on higher education and how it fits into various roles in modern society.

Monday, April 15

Free Self-Defense Workshop for Women and FemaleIdentified Students 9:30–11:30 p.m.

Academic and Student Rec Center 1800 SW Sixth Ave.

As an important event for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, PSU will be offering a class led by Goeroe Silvia Smart, a fifth-degree black belt and director of the Tulen Center with more than 20 years of experience teaching self-defense. The course will cover setting boundaries, ways to feel safe and stay aware of your surroundings, and various physical self-defense techniques.

This class is open to all femaleidentified students and Campus Rec FREE members.

Saturday, April 13

Soul Corea: PSU Korea Night 2013 6 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. show Smith Memorial Student Union, third floor ballroom 1825 SW Broadway

Portland State will host its annual Korea Night, a celebration of Korean culture. The night will include performances by Korean artists and traditional Korean food in a free dinner that is included with your ticket.

Tickets are free for PSU students with valid ID and $5 in advance for the public. General admission at the door is $8. Tickets can be purchased at the PSU Box Office or by visiting FREE pdx.edu/boxoffice/tickets.

Sunday, April 14

Hangover Brunch 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Swift Lounge 1932 NE Broadway

If you have had a rough weekend, Swift Lounge has the cure, with a specialized menu designed for rejuvenation every Saturday and

If you are currently or considering using your bike to commute, the Bike Hub will be offering a free, informative session detailing how to keep safe as well as emergency bicycle FREE maintenance.

FREE

13

ETC.

Wednesday, April 17

Race: The Power of an Illusion Noon–2 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228 1825 SW Broadway

Part two of a three-part series on race, whether it exists biologically and how this affects our views on society, the world and relations beFREE tween people as a whole.

Israel in Motion: An Evening of Contemporary Dance and Discussion 7 p.m.

BodyVox Dance Center 1201 NW 17th Ave.

Join Israeli choreographer Idan Cohen for an evening showcasing his various works via live performances and film, plus a behind-thescenes discussion with Cohen and historian and Stampfer Professor of Israel Studies at Portland State Nina Spiegel. Admission is free, but tickets should be picked up in advance FREE at the PSU Box Office.

Dive-In Movie: Zombieland 8–10 p.m.

Academic and Student Rec Center pool 1800 SW Sixth Ave.

Take a break from your schoolwork and come to the Rec Center for a free movie and pizza. This time the movie shown will be Zombieland.

FREE

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

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SPORTSETC. • THURSDAY, • TUESDAY,APRIL Nov.11, 6, 2012 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• THURSDAY, TUESDAY, JANUARY APRIL 11,10, 2013 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.

SPORTS

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

Basement Notes: NBA playoffs Postseason play starts up at the end of the month Marco España Vanguard staff

By this time next week, the 2012–13 NBA season will have officially come to an end. After a lockout-reduced schedule last year, the association doled out a full 82-game helping to 30 different fan bases over the past six months, complete with all the requisite stare-downs, petty feuds, confounding press conferences and damnnear-physically-impossible aerial highlights. This latest campaign comes to an end in Portland much as it did last year, with the Blazers exceeding expectations over the first half of the season before methodically confirming them in the weeks following the All-Star break.

There were eight postseason spots up for grabs in the West, and Portland made an admirable run down the stretch to try to sneak in and snatch one before anyone noticed. But their inexperience and lack of depth on the roster, along with a handful of injuries to key players during the final playoff push, ultimately locked down another lottery pick for the franchise this summer.

The Blazers were good enough to be in the conversation for an eighth seed up until about a month ago, and scrappy enough to delude the faithful into thinking that they might make it in as recently as late March. Just like last season, though, their efforts landed the operation right back in no-man’sland. They had just the right amount of talent to get close to the playoffs and fall short, without falling apart so thoroughly as to give them a

© Mark j. terrill/the associated press

Lebron James and the Miami Heat are the clear favorite heading into the 2013 NBA playoffs. Sixteen teams will compete for a shot at the title. reasonable shot at a top-five draft pick in June.

So it goes in the City of Roses, and if there’s any consolation for the NBA diehard, it’s that the show is just getting started. The playoffs get underway a week from Saturday, and there are 16 teams left standing and more than 200 hours of action to fill your time and destroy your relationships with the people you love most. As always, it’s not just about the matchups in the NBA (sometimes not at all), but rather the story lines that develop over four rounds of best-of-seven bedlam.

In theory, of course, everyone has a shot. In reality, though, there are only a

handful of teams in contention for the Larry O’Brien Trophy this year, many of them coming out of the West and almost none having much of a chance once they run into the Miami Heat in the finals.

You’ll notice I said once, not if. Because if you’ve followed professional basketball at all this year, you’re no doubt aware that the league’s default MVP, LeBron Raymone James, is currently putting the finishing touches on one of the most statistically efficient and exhaustingly dominant seasons ever turned in by a player in the 65 years since the league went into business.

After taking the Heat to the NBA Finals in his first season with the team two years ago, and getting upended by a Dallas Mavericks squad that was hopelessly overmatched but obviously not bright enough to realize it, LeBron spent the offseason in the gym, working on his post-game and shoring up the last remaining weaknesses in his OscarRobertson-meets-Spiderman skill set.

The Heat came back in 2011–12 to roll through the playoffs and stomp down Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, with LeBron earning the regular-season and finals MVP awards for his trouble.

He added a gold medal to that tally in August at the London Olympics, then did what any reasonable athlete would do after putting in the kind of year that rendered everyone else in the discussion all but irrelevant. He went back to work.

This year, LeBron is doing exactly what all those “Witness” Nike ads gambled on back in 2005—basically, anything he wants. His stat line reads like a video game on easy mode: 27 points per game, with eight rebounds and seven assists on 56 freaking percent shooting. He’s his team’s most frightening and versatile scoring option, its best passer by far, and the

only player in the league who can not only defend every position on the court but defend them well. Add to that a newfound restraint on the perimeter and an increased awareness of court positioning (oh yeah, he’s shooting 40 percent from beyond the 3-point line), plus a notable upgrade in his supporting cast over the offseason and, frankly, there’s just nowhere to run anymore. LeBron is everywhere.

Naturally, it’s easy to fall into hyperbole when discussing a once-in-a-generation athlete like Lebron.

And, to be sure, there are others who have earned your attention going into the postseason. The Thunder are as electrifying as ever, the Spurs are still finding ways to take down teams half their age and Denver, Memphis and the LA Clippers are getting more consistent—and more dangerous—with every tough loss they take to a more disciplined lineup. The Knicks have somehow managed to mold their dysfunctional extended family into a surprising No. 2 seed in the East, while the Indiana Pacers come in as the most underrated (and under-theradar) 50-win team in recent memory.

It’s just that they’ve all been relegated to counterpoints in the argument that LeBron has been making since the league opened its doors again on Halloween last year, and whether you’re a fan or not it’s an unavoidably convincing one. It isn’t difficult to recognize that there are plenty of reasonable betting options heading into the 2013 playoffs. But there’s only one story, and he plays point-shooting-forward down in South Beach. Everything else is secondary.

Multnomah Falls/ Wahkeena Falls day hike Outdoor Program heads out to the gorge Katie Hoyt Vanguard staff

This spring, get back out into the elements and experience the natural beauty of the Northwest with a hike led by PSU’s Outdoor Program. The Multnomah Falls/Wahkeena Falls day hike is scheduled for Sunday, April 21, covering five miles through the heart of the Columbia River Gorge.

“This hike is beautiful,” ODP Coordinator Ann Marie Hingley said. “It has some

13 15

great viewpoints of the gorge…

Spring is the best time to see the waterfalls.”

Participants are in for a relaxed but rewarding hike and, of course, some incredible scenery.

“The pace of this hike works for all types of people and groups,” Hingley said. “We will stop to eat lunch, and there also will be time to take pictures.”

Interested hikers should plan on providing their own lunch and come equipped with sturdy, comfortable footwear and plenty of water. The ODP has rain gear available to borrow.

Hikes are offered a few times every term, so be on the lookout for future trips, including the Opal Creek backpacking weekend trip on April 27 and the Dog Mountain day hike on June 1.

The cost for the Multnomah Falls/Wahkeena Falls trip is $25 for Campus Rec members and $50 for nonmembers.

The deadline to sign up is April 17, at noon, with a pretrip meeting taking place at 5 p.m. that day. To book your spot, contact the Outdoor Program at 503-725-5668 or visit their office in the Academic and Student Rec Center at 505 SW Harrison St.

Brittney Griner and the gender barrier in professional sports Dallas Mavericks owner floats idea of drafting Baylor standout Gino Cerruti Vanguard staff

This week marks the end of college basketball until the fall and, except for fans of Louisville, we—players included—will be in mourning. Well, maybe except for Brittney Griner, the 6-foot8-inch center for the Baylor University Lady Bears and AP Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Despite losing to Louisville in this year’s NCAA tournament, Griner is undoubtedly the fiercest competitor in women’s basketball, and has even drawn praise from LeBron James.

Perhaps these accolades were enough to compel Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to announce that he is thinking about selecting Griner in the NBA draft this June.

Cuban may be an eccentric fellow, but the idea of drafting a female player to an NBA team is quite an outlandish prospect, even if it’s not the first time a franchise has considered doing so. In 1980, the Indiana Pacers signed Ann Meyers, one of the most highly esteemed women’s basketball players at the time, to a no-cut contract. Although she attended tryouts, Meyers was not chosen to be a part of the final roster. Many critics at the time argued that the Pacers agreed to the contract only for publicity’s sake, which is the same argument that many are making today regarding Cuban’s comments.

It may seem chauvinistic to completely write off Griner’s ability to enter the NBA, but the fact of the matter is that she does not have the physical tools to compete in men’s basketball.

Not only that, transferring a player’s skill set from one league to another is bound to bring trouble. Griner has the size and wingspan of a powerful center in women’s basketball, but the average height for centers in the NBA is roughly 7 feet, so Griner could not play successfully at that position.

The only positions she could reasonably play are power forward or small forward, which requires ball-handling skills and proficient shooting—two aspects of Griner’s game that are noticeably weak. Meyers herself agrees, adding that it is “a very physical game on the inside.”

If Cuban is serious and ends up drafting Griner, I don’t believe she will have much luck in the NBA. Furthermore, it could result in an embarrassing mark on her career if she is overwhelmed by the physicality of NBA play. She’s one of the most gifted figures in women’s sports, and to devalue that talent by attempting to restructure it in order to transition her into a league with different demands and rules will discredit all of the work she has put into her career so far.

There is no doubt that Griner could be a hall-of-fame player in the WNBA if she chooses that route, because she will be able to use all of the skills that made her such a dominant force in college basketball over the last four years. It’s hard to tell if a woman will ever break into the NBA, but she isn’t the one to do it.

©AP

Brittney griner was a dominant force in college basketball during her career at Baylor University.

Thorns kick off inaugural season Portland squad heads to Kansas City for first game of 2013 campaign Alex Moore Vanguard staff

The Portland Thorns are ready to take the field for their first regular season game, as they hit the road for a matchup with FC Kansas City on Saturday.

The team recently announced its roster for the opening day game, and it includes some of the most recognized names in women’s soccer. Up front, Portland will start forwards Alex Morgan and Christine Sinclair, who have both shone on their national teams. Sinclair is originally from Canada, though she does have some roots in Portland, having attended the University of Portland from 2001–05. Morgan, a star on the

U.S. squad that took home gold at the London Olympics over the summer, grew up in California.

Aside from the two electric forwards, the Thorns have assembled an experienced roster going into their debut against the Blues. Goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc logged more than 100 games for the Canadian national team, while defender and Del Mar, Calif., native Rachel Buehler

also has plenty of international experience.

A roster full of big names does not necessarily translate to wins, though. With a lineup full of athletes who are playing together for the first time, chemistry could be an issue at the start of the season.

Portland only started training three weeks ago, and a lot of the players have been in and out because of national team obligations.

The only match experience the team’s had so far was an exhibition meeting with the University of Portland on March 30. The Thorns

came away with a 2-1 victory but struggled to find their rhythm, falling behind early and needing two second-half goals, including a late strike

by Allie Long in the 73rd minute, to get the win at Merlo Field.

Portland was without several key players in that game, which definitely played a role in their performance. Still, they’ll have to figure out how to mesh as a team as they enter the 2013 season against a field of established rosters.

The official attendance at Merlo Field was 4,892, but not all of the attendees were

rooting for the Pilots. Plenty from the Thorns Alliance (a counterpart of the Timbers Army) came to cheer on their team, making their presence known after each goal.

The Thorns continue to gain momentum in the community as the season approaches. The club’s Twitter account now has more than 10,000 followers, with fans eager for Portland’s debut this weekend.

Individual game tickets for the Thorns’ first home game of the year—a matchup with the Seattle Reign FC on Sunday, April 21—are on sale now.

corinna scott/VANGUARD STAFf

the falls are a popular destination in the spring, offering breathtaking views of the Northwest landscape.

© MICHAEL REGAN/GETTY IMAGES

alex morgan will lead the Portland Thorns into their debut against FC Kansas City this weekend.

16

VANGUARD •TTHURSDAY, uesday, Jan. APRIL 31, 2013 11, 2013 • SPORTS • SPORTS

Timbers take down Dynamo Portland claims first win of 2013 season Matt Deems Vanguard staff

The Houston Dynamo marched onto Jeld-Wen Field under rainy conditions on Saturday, amid the roar of the Timbers’ 37th consecutive sellout crowd. The packed house was eager to see the Portland squad notch its first win in 2013 after three ties and a loss to start the year.

Portland started strong, moving the ball around with ease and dictating play in the early going. The team suffered a setback on the field in the 16th minute when David Horst, who had recently returned to the active roster after recovering from a nagging groin injury, went down with a severe knee injury and was carted off the field.

The injury bug bit the Timbers again in the 24th minute, as Diego Valeri came down from an attempted header and took a shot to the face from Dynamo defender Jermaine Taylor. The contact resulted in a laceration above Valeri’s eye, forcing him to head to the locker room for further treatment.

Going into the half with the score knotted at 0-0, the crowd erupted to voice its collective displeasure with the officiating team after a series of calls went against the Timbers. Houston held Portland to just one shot on goal while racking up five opportunities of their own, despite the Timbers maintaining possession for 61 percent of the first half.

Portland came out strong in the second half, putting constant pressure on the Dynamo defense. That pressure paid off in the 55th minute, when Diego Chara streaked down the left side and placed the ball perfectly across the middle to Ryan Johnson, who booted it in for his second goal of the season.

“I think we’re starting [games] good, we just need to come out with energy,” Portland’s Darlington Nagbe said.

“Once we come out with energy, we can play with any team in this league.”

Houston seemed rattled after the goal, and the Timbers kept up the pace, getting several more shots on goal. In the 73rd minute, an unmarked Johnson broke out into the open field to catch a pass from Nagbe and placed the ball past

Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall for his second of the night.

Portland ran down the clock over the remaining minutes as Johnson, who earned MLS Player of the Week honors for the two-goal effort, left the game to a standing ovation.

When asked what made the difference in Portland’s breakthrough victory, Johnson said, “Just believing in our team, and knowing that we’re going to create chances and we’re going to score.

[Getting] the first goal today was what really pushed us to win the game.”

After the game, head coach Caleb Porter attended the press conference soaked from the rain but with a rare smile on his face.

“I thought it was a comprehensive performance on both sides of the ball,” Porter said.

“I think you saw tonight what can happen when we get up on teams: We kept playing and pushed the game.

“We’re going to enjoy this one,” he continued. “Then we’ll get back to work and get ready for San Jose.”

The Portland Timbers will welcome the San Jose Earthquakes at home on April 14, with a scheduled start time of 7:30 p.m.

Upcoming Friday, April 12

track and field Mondo Invite Sacramento, Calif.

8 a.m.

Forecast: high of 82 degrees, sunny

Men’s Tennis

@ Vikings at Lewis-Clark State College LCSC Tennis Facility Noon

NBA

vs.

Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Rose Garden Arena 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 13

Track and Field Mt. SAC Relays Walnut, Calif.

8 a.m.

Forecast: high of 73 degrees, sunny

Daniel johnston/VANGUARD STAFf

Ryan Johnson scored two goals against Houston on Saturday.

WHl Western Conference Semifinals Game 5 (if necessary)

vs.

Bliss comes home to Portland State Freshman transfer making her mark with Viking softball squad Rosemary Hanson Vanguard staff

Oregon native Lauran Bliss was a high school student with a dream of going to college anywhere but in the state, but after a quick stint at Texas Tech University the catcher quickly decided that home was where she wanted to be, after all. Now midway through her first season with the Vikings, the freshman has come into her own, already among the Big Sky leaders in several catching categories and a regular starter for the team this year.

Bliss grew up in Keizer, Ore., where she got an early start on the field. Though she was interested in other sports as a child, Bliss ultimately settled on softball. It took some effort to convince her father, but she has never looked back.

“When I was younger, I tried every sport that there is,” Bliss said. “Then, when I was in third grade, I told my dad I wanted to play softball… he didn’t believe me because I had quit every other sport, but he said OK, and I have been playing ever since.”

Starting out as a pitcher,

courtesy of Portland State athletics

Miles Sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

lauran bLiss has been a tremendous addition to the Viking squad Bliss laughs when she remembers telling her father that it was too difficult and that catching seemed easier. She certainly makes the position look easy.

Bliss is currently ranked second in the Big Sky for players caught stealing, with nine so far this year. She has started in all nine of Portland State’s conference games in 2013, consistently coming through with crucial defensive plays

for the Vikings. Her success hasn’t just come behind the plate, either—Bliss is third on the team with a .292 batting average.

In the first two games against the Weber State University Wildcats on March 29, Bliss showcased her ability on offense and defense, throwing out two Weber State runners in the first game and slamming her third home run of the season in the second. Head coach

Tobin Echo-Hawk is thrilled with her early progress. “[Bliss] has come on strong for us,” Echo-Hawk said.

“She’s added a different element to our team that we haven’t had in the past, and she’s capable of changing the game both behind the plate and up to bat.”

Aside from the hard work she puts in, Bliss says that her development as a player has been sparked by the chance to play with teammates who truly embody the team spirit and who support one other.

“I didn’t think I would adjust as quickly,” she said. “I thought it would be a little bit of a bigger struggle. At Texas Tech I would be afraid to make mistakes, so I wouldn’t take a lot of chances, but on this team I can be myself and they have confidence in me.”

Bliss also attributes her success at Portland State to the

respect and understanding between the coaching staff and the team. Because PSU is a smaller Division I program, the coaches get to know their players better, establishing relationships and earning the players’ respect.

Off the field, Bliss is very close to her family, which was part of the reason for her decision to return to Oregon.

She says that her father is her biggest motivator, and that he and her grandmother have attended nearly all of her games.

The freshman also has high aspirations academically, with plans to attend law school after her time at Portland State.

For now, she focuses on balancing the demands of being a student athlete and working on her degree in criminal justice. Though Oregon wasn’t where she expected to end up, Bliss says that she couldn’t be happier with her decision to return to her home state, and that it’s her teammates who have made the transition possible.

“This is the most fun I have had playing on a softball team,” she said. “I love this team—I tell people that all the time. Immediately when I came in my teammates were welcoming. We have such great team chemistry, and the way the girls treat you is—for me—the best feeling ever.”

Winterhawks vs. Spokane Rose Garden Arena 7 p.m.

NWSL

@ Thorns at Kansas City Shawnee Mission District Stadium 5:35 p.m.

Forecast: high of 64 degrees, partly cloudy

Sunday, April 14

WoMen’s Tennis

vs.

Vikings vs.

Sacramento State Club Green Meadows 1 p.m.

NBA

@ Blazers at Denver Pepsi Center 2 p.m.

MLS

vs.

Timbers vs. San Jose Jeld-Wen Field 7:30 p.m.

Forecast: high of 50 degrees, few showers