Portland State Vanguard April 16, 2013 by Portland State Vanguard

Season ends early for Kobe

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Injury prompts evaluation of Hall of Fame career SPorts page 14

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Portland State University TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 51

Election Korea Night gives culture season and style the spotlight hits PSU Two tickets will be on ballot in ASPSU presidential race Vincent Alexander Vanguard Staff

Election season for the Associated Students of Portland State University, the official student government body of PSU, kicked off last week with the passing of the deadline for candidate applications. The presidential election, which will take place from April 22 to May 3, looks to be a two-person race (barring write-in candidates) between the ticket of Harris Foster and Yesenia Silva Hernandez and the ticket of James Au and Jay Phung. Both tickets will also sponsor several candidates for the student fee committee and the ASPSU senate. Foster, a junior French major, and Hernandez, a sophomore majoring in public health, are running on a threepronged platform. They aim to amend the contract between Higher One and PSU, to implement a Good Samaritan Policy (which would allow students to call 911 for cases of drug or alcohol overdose without fear of reprisal) and, especially, to reach out to student groups and cultural centers. The slate of Au and Phung, both seniors in the School of Business Administration, shares this goal of community outreach. In addition, they also intend to promote public safety awareness on campus. See election on page 3

courtesy of inyoung kim

Lets break it down: From left: Nanae Seta, Hirofumi Inayoshi, Takashi Mizushima, Emika Nakayama, Bona Kim, Dohoon Kim, Jungwho Kim, Tracy Saecho, Mike Shin and James Lee dance to a performance by Korea rock band Rewind for Korea Night’s grand finale. Allie Clark Vanguard staff

On Saturday, more than 600 people waited in a line that stretched from the ballroom on the third floor of Smith Memorial Student Union to the basement-level bowling alley, winding down four flights of stairs. What were they eagerly waiting for? Korea Night. The annual event is put on by Portland State’s Korean Student Association. “It’s our biggest event of the year,” said Jason Kim, a sophomore accounting major and KSA’s president-elect. “Korea Night is our main chance to fulfill our mission, which is to spread

all the good things Korean culture has to offer,” Kim said. Attendee Roxanne Nussbaumer, a senior studying applied linguistics, said the event provided “a good snapshot” of Korean culture. “For people who don’t know anything about Korea, this does a good job of giving them an idea.” The sold-out crowd started the night watching Korean pop music videos—including the latest video from “Gangam Style” singer Psy— while enjoying a dinner of steamed white rice with marinated beef or fried tofu, spicy fermented cabbage and fried potato and noodles mixed with zucchini and vegetables.

As the audience finished eating, a video of a street orchestra performing “Arirang,” a famous Korean folk song, played, signaling the beginning of the show. The first half of the night focused on traditional Korean culture. Professional artists performed a complex drum number and dance. In the past, Korea Night has featured the more well-known art of taekwondo, but this year organizers decided to feature the older but less famous soo bahk do style of martial arts. A group of martial artists displayed their prowess in a demonstration that included sparring and a series of spinning kicks that chopped

through wooden boards. Members of the KSA also performed a traditional mask dance. Historically, the dance was performed by lower-class people for the more privileged upper classes. Through the medium of dance, the lower class was able to protest their oppression and mock their oppressors without punishment. Saturday’s dance told the story of a woman torn between the affections of two men— one rich, one poor. A fashion show midway through the night marked the transition from traditional to modern Korean See korea Night on page 2

New bills in Legislature address debt, tuition Supporters hope passage could bring relief to Oregon students Coby Hutzler Vanguard Staff

(left) miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf | (right) courtesy of mary king

Portland state professors Barbara Dudley, pictured left with students Seri Soulatha and Nathan Hunt, and Mary King, pictured right, taught a senior capstone course last fall that produced HB 2838, the “pay it forward” bill. Soulatha is a senior film major, and Hunt is a senior political science major.

Three bills are making their way through the Oregon Legislature this session and have provoked an earnest discussion about the future of higher education in the state. House bills 2838, 3025 and 3472 are in various stages of negotiation and offer new ways of approaching the question of education funding in Oregon. Here is a breakdown of the three bills.

“Pay it forward” HB 2838 seeks to establish a pilot program in Oregon, which, if successful, would enable in-state students to enroll at participating academic institutions without paying tuition or fees—these costs would instead be paid by the state. According to the text of the bill, students would enter into binding contracts with the state or their institution to repay a certain percentage of their adjusted gross income for a specified number of years after leaving school, with payments going into a fund that would finance the education of subsequent generations of students. The fund would require See Bills on page 4

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Student government eyes changes ASPSU senate discusses constitutional amendments

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Six possible amendments to the Associated Students of Portland State University constitution—ranging from using student building fee funds for a new student union to changing how students choose elected officers—were discussed by the ASPSU senate at a Friday meeting. Additionally, two new senators came on board to fill empty seats until the end of the term—sophmore Victoria Dinu and KPSU Station Manager Jay Turk. The amendment discussion was led by Sean Green, a student fee committee member and senate chair. Amendments to the ASPSU constitution can be created in two ways—senators can, with a two-thirds majority vote, put an amendment referendum on the ballot, or a student can put an amendment initiative on the ballot by gathering the signatures of at least 3 percent of the student body. Before reaching the ballot, the judicial review board must validate the wording of all referendums and initiatives for objectivity.

A new—or improved —student union Of the amendments the senate considered on Friday, one in particular could have the most effect on future Portland State students. The amendment proposed that a portion of future student building fee funds be committed to the major renovation or complete

reconstruction of Smith Memorial Student Union. The $45 per term student building fee is used to fund capital projects on campus. The amendment would commit 90 percent of future student building fees to fund the major renovation or construction of a new student union at PSU. Green explained that, in the past, talk about a new student union led to a feasibility report that examined the current PSU student union—the Smith Memorial Student Union. “The study looked at cost estimates, design ideas and more, and the findings were that SMSU is not up to par with other universities’ student unions,” Green said. However, because of the project’s large price tag, Green said that momentum had slowed greatly. This is what led to the idea for the amendment, he added, and cited the Stott Center remodel project, which also had a slow start until a sizable amount of funding was made available.

Instant runoff or plurality voting? Another proposed amendment seeks to allow the judicial review board to recommend to the senate whether elections for vice president and president should be by plurality (winner takes all) or instant runoff voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. “I want to prevent future student governments from being locked into one process,” Green said. Currently, elections may only

use the instant runoff voting system. With the plurality system, the candidate with the largest number of votes is the winner, regardless of the margin by which they won. Green said that in the future instant runoff voting could be very expensive, and this amendment would allow for more options. In the case that the JRB recommends plurality to the senate and the system is approved, then the amendment would also allow for a primary race prior to the final election.

Judicial review board authority Another amendment brought up the question of how much authority should be given to the JRB in cases in which a member or branch of ASPSU has violated a local, state or federal law that is also included in the ASPSU constitution. While most senate members felt that it was appropriate that the JRB be able to rule on such cases, there was much discussion about whether the board could apply additional penalties. “The judicial review board is losing its authority,” said Aubrey Hoffman, the board’s chief justice. One suggestion made by other senate members was to allow the board to be able to make penalty recommendations rather than have the authority to enforce laws.

SFC selection process Next, Green led a discussion about an amendment that would allow the ASPSU senate to appoint one of the eight total SFC members.

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unanimous acceptance of two nominations for ASPSU senators. The first, Dinu, was described as “super-qualified” by members of the senate, and Hoffman, who recommended her nomination, said that Dinu is “very dynamic and would be a good asset.” Turk’s nomination was also unanimously accepted. His work for PSU’s Rearguard and KPSU radio makes him a unique candidate, and he said that his goal was to help students and ASPSU communicate and connect more. Turk said Monday that he didn’t feel there was a conflict of interest between his new duties as a senator and his work running KPSU. The station is an “entertainment medium,” he said, and news coverage isn’t a focus right now. The station’s budget for

Stephanie Tshappat Vanguard Staff

April 8 Theft Neuberger Hall

Officer Brenton Chose took a report from a student that the student’s laptop was stolen out of a locker between 11:25 a.m. and 12:25 a.m. The student said the locker was properly locked the entire time and no signs of forced entry were found. Arrest Urban Center

Officers David Baker, Shawn McKenzie, Brian Rominger and Jon Buck contacted nonstudent Dennis Akles at 4:18 p.m. as he was leaving the Urban Center through the north doors. Akles was arrested for criminal trespass II, unlawful possession of methamphetamine and a felony warrant. He was also issued an exclusion order. Hit and Run Parking Structure 1, fifth floor

Officer Buck took a report from a student who said the front driver’s-side door to her car had been damaged while parked on April 3. April 9 Arrest Southwest Montgomery Street and 12th Avenue

At 3:46 p.m. officers Baker and McKenzie witnessed nonstudent Vadim Gonin enter the southwest stairwell of Parking Structure 3 and then quickly leave. Gonin was arrested for criminal trespass II. April 10 Graffiti Ondine Annex bathrooms and hallway

A faculty member advised officers Rominger and Gregory Marks of new graffiti at 8:12 a.m. “A lot of qualified people run at the elections… and when they aren’t elected, maybe they could be appointed to be a member of the student fee committee.” Tiffany Dollar, ASPSU president

Suspicious activity Broadway Residence Hall

Officers Buck and Baker took a report at 1:48 p.m. from a student resident who reported someone trying to key into her room that morning at approximately 10:15 a.m. Theft Stott Center locker room

Also proposed was an amendment that would mandate the involvement of the executive staff in the facilitation of ASPSU elections, which are currently organized in the most part by the JRB. The last amendment discussed would change the endof-term date of a JRB justice from April 30 to May 31 in order get all PSU officers on the same schedule.

Two new senators Other business for the evening involved the senate’s

next year has already been set, so any decisions the senate makes before the end of the term wouldn’t have direct financial impact on KPSU, he said. Could news coverage play a bigger role on the station’s agenda while Turk is filling both positions? “Theoretically, it’s possible. But I have no desire to do that. No plans to do that,” Turk said. “I won’t do that.” The senate is scheduled to discuss and vote on the amendments at a Wednesday meeting at 5 p.m.

Dance, song and food play starring roles at celebration

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The other seven members would be elected during annual elections. Green said that in the past the senate has always appointed one of the eight members. This past year was the only one in which no members were appointed and all eight were elected. This system would allow for a safety net, according to Nick Rowe, the current SFC chair. “Not the smartest people are always elected,” Rowe said. ASPSU President Tiffany Dollar also pointed out the opportunity in the option to appoint a SFC member. “A lot of qualified people run at the elections,” Dollar said, “and when they aren’t elected, maybe they could be appointed to be a member of the student fee committee.”

Tour brings Laotian bomb crisis to light

Crime Blotter for April 8–10

A student reported to Officer Buck at 4:46 p.m. that $130 cash was stolen out of his wallet on April 9 between 1 and 3:30 p.m.

korea night from page 1

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courtesy of inyoung kim

in character: Students Summer Garza, left, and Linda Koo perform the skit “Dangun,” the story of the forefather of Korea.

culture. Korean hip-hop dance group Soul Trigger wowed the crowd with their dancing. The four-man crew switched seamlessly from quick, intricate steps to moves so slow they perfectly mimicked the slow-motion shots favored in K-pop music videos. One of the highlights of the night was the comedy skit performed by KSA members that pointed out the sharp contrast between how events unfold in Korean television dramas and how they occur in real life. Two couples, one in reality and one in TV-land, ate dinner, had a run-in with gangsters and shared an emotional moment in the emergency room, with much less touching results for the reality couple than the TV-land one. After the skit, around 30 KSA members participated in a K-pop dance number, where dancers replicated the moves

of many popular Korean music videos. The show ended with KSA and audience members alike dancing to a performance by Korean rock band Rewind. It wasn’t easy to put on such a diverse night of entertainment for such a large crowd, organizers said. The extensive planning and preparation for Korea Night began during winter break, Kim said. To decide which acts to feature, “we asked the Korean community what they wanted to see, and whatever was best we put on stage,” Kim said. After that, the performers spent four months rehearsing. The crowd’s reaction showed that the KSA’s hard work paid off. “It was a good combination of entertainment and information,” said Leah Clifford, a social science senior. “I’ll definitely come back next year.”

miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

friendly opposition: Both James Au, a senior business major, and Harris Foster, a junior French major, will run for ASPSU president in the upcoming election. election from page 1

J-board looks to increase voter turnout this year Both candidates placed a high emphasis on meeting the needs of the PSU’s heterogeneous student body. “We have such a diverse student population, it’s hard to target just one group,” Au said. So far, in sharp contrast to the hostility that marked last year’s race—when accusations of rule infractions delayed the announcement of the results— the candidates this year appear to have, as Foster put it, “no bad blood.” It is this communication that Aubrey Hoffman, the chief justice of the judicial review board, expects will lead to a smooth race despite the lack of procedural changes

after last year’s debacle. “We’re hoping that students act as responsible stewards and abide by the rules,” Hoffman said. The JRB, which is responsible for organizing and enforcing rules for ASPSU elections, is instead focusing its efforts on increasing voter turnout, a problem that has dogged previous elections. Emily Kunkel, a senior majoring in African studies and political science and another member of the JRB, blamed the issue on a lack of information. “A lot of people don’t know [about ASPSU’s impact], so they just don’t care,” Kunkel said.

Foster, a member of the ASPSU senate for the past 2 1/2 years, agreed that a lack of visible involvement on campus has stunted the growth of ASPSU. To combat this, he plans to meet with student groups and cultural centers while trying to introduce fresh faces with his senatorial slate, which he says is evenly split between returning senators and ordinary students. A number of election events will be held over the course of the week, including two meet-and-greets (April 16, 5–7 p.m. in Smith Memorial Student Union, room 296, and April 24, noon–3 p.m. in SMSU 294), an SFC debate (April 19, 10–1 p.m. in SMSU 236) and a presidential debate (April 18, noon–3 p.m. in SMSU 333).

State Departmentsponsored lecture makes a stop at PSU Erik Mutzke Vanguard Staff

Many people are unaware of a serious situation that has lasted for decades in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic: the deadly toll of unexploded American bombs. On Friday, Portland State was the fifth location on a nine-city tour sponsored by the State Department to raise awareness about how these bombs continue to kill and maim Laotian people. Children, especially, are still at risk. “We left a major problem behind that is still an issue today,” said retired United States Air Force member and keynote speaker Michael L. Burton. Statistically, Laos is the most bombed country per capita today. It is estimated that 80 million of the 260 million bombs dropped on Laos have failed to explode. UXOs, or unexploded ordnance, are explosive weapons that failed to detonate when they were deployed and still pose the risk of explosion. Between the years 1964 and 1973, more bombs were dropped on Laos than on Vietnam. “When I was stationed in Laos, I saw the destruction on the ground and became aware of how these UXOs were affecting the country,” Burton said. “I have been working with the Laos-American communities and those affected by the war since 1978. These people truly deal with adversity,” he added. “The idea today is to make more Americans and secondand third-generation [Laotians] aware of this issue that continues today.” Burton was responsible for bringing the touring panel to PSU. Two Laotians impacted by

daniel johnston/VANGUARD STAFf

Michael l. burton spoke on Friday about the challenges unexploded American bombs pose to Laotians. UXOs and who fight to resolve the issue in their country, Thoummy Silamphan and Manixia Thor, shared their stories. “Many people in the U.S. and even Lao-Americans do not know about this problem,” said Silamphan, who, at 8 years old, had his hand torn off when he disturbed a decades-old bomb. “This has been a major hindrance for the country’s development,” he said. Silamphan works as a victim assistance advocate. Thor works in an all-women de-mining squad and has uncovered roughly 10,000 bombs in her six years of service. “I do this work because I am a mother and I don’t want my child to be hurt or injured by these bombs,” Thor said. The panel was part of the organization Legacies of War, which seeks to educate and mobilize the Laotian-American and American public to help them advocate for more U.S. funding for bomb clearance, education awareness and victim assistance in Laos. “Our mission is to raise awareness of the history of the Vietnam War-era bombings and to create the space for future peace,” said

Channapha Khamvongsa, executive director of the organization. Legacies of War has raised $9 million to put toward remediation in Laos. They have also been featured with Amy Goodman on the public radio program Democracy Now. “We are building the momentum to have a longerterm commitment by the U.S. on this issue,” Khamvongsa said. “Attention on this issue is the key point of this discussion.” The Division of Political Science in the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government and the Institute of Asian Studies provided the forum and the audience for the State Department-funded tour. “I teach a class on war and morality,” said David Kinsella, chair of the political science division. “I am always on the lookout for events and speeches that are relevant to my students’ experiences.” The lecture drew a diverse crowd of high school teachers, Vietnam veterans and even a Laotian professor. “If you can’t do anything else to help, please go home and tell one other person about this issue,” Burton said.

two laotian boys play near bomb canisters in Xiang Khouang, Laos, in this 1997 file photo.

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Bills from page 1

Proposed legislation includes funding OUS with estate tax revenue state backing early on but would grow to self-sufficiency within 25 years. The bill is the product of a Portland State senior capstone course taught in fall of 2012 by professors Barbara Dudley and Mary King. According to King, one of the course’s early priorities was to identify “good new policies both on the federal and state level to deal with the student debt crisis.” The class identified and adopted a plan drafted by the Economic Opportunity Institute in Washington called Pay It Forward. They adjusted the program’s details to suit Oregon’s numbers with help from the institute’s John Burbank and Jason Gettel, a policy analyst at the Oregon Center for Public Policy. The bill has been well-received thus far, and has seen support from PSU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors as well as PSU President Wim Wiewel. In testimony submitted to the bill’s second public hearing on April 3, Wiewel called the plan “an intriguing idea because it addresses a problem that threatens the affordability and accessibility of a college education.” That problem, he continued, is student debt, and the bill’s designers and backers insist that Pay It Forward doesn’t simply rearrange the terms of debt for students. “You’re not taking [on] debt by going through Pay It Forward,” said Tracy Gibbs, who recently graduated from PSU with a degree in economics and was enrolled in Dudley and King’s capstone course. “The student, when they graduate, is coming out in the black.” This, according to Gibbs, means that new graduates would have greater flexibility to pursue careers that they were interested in as well as various kinds of investments like buying a home and contributing to retirement funds. The bill also has support in Salem. “Education is hugely valuable,” said Rep. Chris Harker, D-Washington County, vice chair of the House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, where the three bills were being heard earlier this month. “But it shouldn’t be hugely expensive.” Bachelor’s and associate’s degrees would demand different repayment rates, which wouldn’t be collected from students until they found employment. “When you get [a] job, then you will pay the 3 percent that you had for your public university education or your 1.5 percent from your two-year associate’s degree,” Gibbs said. The bill has gone through two public hearings since February, and during a recent work session was slated for a merger with another bill, House Bill 3472.

Looking into a tuition freeze HB 3472 would commission a study to investigate the impact of a tuition freeze at Oregon’s public universities through an investigation of other programs already in place regionally and nationally. Both pieces of legislation are exploratory in scope and preliminary in nature, and both declare the existence of an emergency, which means the acts would take effect immediately upon passing. Nonemergency legislation goes into effect 91 days after passage. “It just made sense to merge the two bills,” said Lindsey O’Brien, interim communications director at the House majority office in Salem. In 2007, Western Oregon University implemented a tuition freeze program called the Western Tuition Promise, which offers to lock in tuition rates for incoming freshmen who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents at the institution for four years—effectively protecting students from rises in tuition. In testimony given at an April 5 public hearing, WOU Associate Provost David McDonald warned that this policy, which only allows for tuition to be raised for one class of students at a time, “limits the degree of freedom that the university has in the face of declining state funding,” adding that the program’s viability has recently come into question.

Estate tax funds may go to education A third bill being considered in the House is HB 3025. According to the text of the bill, revenue generated from Oregon’s estate tax would be divided into thirds and dispersed to the Oregon University System for higher education funding, the Department of Education for funding early childhood education programs and to the Community College Support Fund. Rep. Chris Gorsek, DTroutdale, one of HB 3025’s chief co-sponsors, said in testimony at the bill’s public hearing on March 13 that “since the beginning of the recession, college enrollment has jumped over 30 percent while state funding has dropped by 20 percent… Needless to say, our higher education system is in need of stable and increased funding.” The motion encountered opposition at an April 5 work session, with concerns being raised about the validity of the estate tax as well as worries that passage would allow for further cuts to higher education in other areas. The motion survived a committee vote, however, and was subsequently referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, where it awaits further scheduling.

5 3

Campus parking hits max

Events open doors for service, activism

Parking spaces capped as enrollment surges

Last half of Cesar Chavez Week promotes equality and community

Turner Lobey Vanguard Staff

Anyone who drives to campus has at one time or another experienced difficulty finding a parking spot. It’s not uncommon for parking lots to fill up quickly, forcing drivers to roam the Park Blocks searching for an empty spot. Competing with renters and visitors to local businesses who park their cars on the street, students are often challenged with finding a place to put their vehicles. In the coming years, that challenge is going to get worse. In fact, it’s going to get twice as hard, judging by the number of parking spots the university plans to offer. Currently, the university provides nine parking garages and five parking lots on campus—about 60 percent permit parking and 40 percent hourly/daily parking, said Sarah Renkens, director of Transportation and Parking Services at Portland State. There are about 4,700 parking spaces on campus, according to a 2010 estimate from the university. The university is forecasting and planning for dramatic growth by the year 2025. “The way we see it is that PSU has to grow to about 40,000 students from the current 29,000,” PSU President Wim Wiewel said in a recent interview with Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Enrollment poised to spike, yet no change in parking planned With the rise in enrollment the demand for parking spaces will increase, but

Ashley Rask Vanguard Staff

Riza Liu/VANGUARD STAFf

As Psu enrollment grows the university is looking to break students’ habit of driving to campus by reducing ‘parking ratios.’ because of limited spaces and the high cost of building new parking complexes, adding new lots and garages may not be plausible, Renkens said. “Since land on or near campus is limited, and it’s extremely expensive to build parking ($30,000–40,000 per space for an above-ground parking garage), we do not currently have plans to build more parking on campus,” she explained. The city of Portland has a similar stance on the upcoming increase in student need for parking. “The city does not have any plans to increase parking capacity in the PSU area, either through the addition of on-street parking spaces or public garages,” said Sara Schooley, parking policy coordinator for the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

Riza Liu/VANGUARD STAFf

The city of portland aims to keep space turning over with shorter time limits and strategic pricing.

City focuses on turnover instead The City of Portland’s main focus for the PSU area is to keep existing spots open. The idea is that spots with shorter time limits will circulate more vehicles and allow more people access to parking spots. “Currently, the city relies on time limits to provide open spaces. For example, a space with a two-hour time limit would have a greater turnover rate than a space with a five-hour time limit and would therefore have more times when it is available. Pricing is another method to provide open spaces. Currently, the City Council has set the onstreet parking prices at $1.60 for the area around PSU,” Schooley said.

University promotes ‘alternative’ transportation Instead of constructing more costly parking facilities that take up the limited land around campus, the university is looking to reduce dependency on driving. In 2010, PSU unveiled a University District Framework Plan that outlined PSU’s goals and strategies to create a more sustainable environment over the next 20 years. The plan is to “reduce the impact of parking on the University District by reducing parking ratios, relocating the majority of parking to the campus edge and taking advantage of the district’s topography to integrate parking into buildings. Together these measures will help reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions and promote the use of alternate forms of transportation.” Reducing the current parking spaces from one space per 1,000 gross square feet to 0.5

spaces per 1,000 will reduce the number of available spots, decreasing parking congestion and encouraging commuters to take other means of transportation to PSU. For ease and availability, both Transportation and Parking Services at PSU and the Portland Bureau of Transportation advocate alternate means of getting to campus. “The first piece of advice would be to switch from driving downtown to taking some form of active transportation: bus, streetcar, MAX, bike or foot,” Schooley said. “PSU has done a great job in encouraging students and staff to use public transportation options. The MAX, streetcar and many buses run to PSU. Biking is also a great way to get to PSU—you don’t have to worry about parking, it’s free (once you have a bike) and you get your workout taken care of!” she said. PSU has tried to decrease demand for existing parking by subsidizing transit passes, installing bike parking and working with car-share companies (Zipcar, Car2Go, Getaround, et cetera) to ensure there are many car-share vehicles on or near campus. “Another way we work to maintain or decrease demand is to price parking based on location and increase rates to remain in line with nonPSU facilities in the area,” Renkens said. “We strongly encourage students to find a way to get to campus other than driving alone. “Portland has a great transit system that reaches all over the metro area, and our office staff can help students plan a route to and from campus. Additionally, there are many great routes for bicycling to campus, and the Bike Hub staff can assist with route planning for commutes by bike.”

As Cesar Chavez Week came to a close, students were left feeling inspired to get more involved in the community. During a series of informative events, attendees were able to learn about Cesar Chavez and how he inspired change regarding civil rights and farmworker issues. “There’s a lot of people trying to raise awareness about different issues, like ‘Hey, this is happening,’ and these issues still need to be taken care of,” said Emanuel Magana, program coordinator for La Casa Latina. “But there’s no way for students to know how to be directly involved.” The week’s closing events— a Tim Wise keynote and reception, community fair and migrant housing tour— showed students how to do just that. Prestigious antiracism speaker Wise gave a lecture

on how to combat racism in America, touching on the importance of having open conversations with one another. At a reception following the keynote, attendees were able to meet Wise and have him sign books. On Thursday, various nonprofit organizations from on and off campus were available to introduce students to different resources they can access in the community. “The community fair was put on to connect students with ways of being able to connect with issues and actually do something about it,” Magana said. Organizations participating in the community fair included the Coalition of Communities of Color, the Native American Youth and Family Center, PSU Community Development, the Latino Network, Causa, Milagro Theatre, Educate Ya, Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project, Cultural Centers of PSU, Oregon DREAMers, Youth Villages, the Food Action Collective and Las Mujeres. “It [was] a good opportunity if you want to learn about the

nonprofit sector and what’s going on in the community,” Magana said. The Native American Youth and Family Center is a large nonprofit organization that serves not just the Native American community but also native Alaskans, other indigenous cultures and other communities in Multnomah County and the greater Oregon area. “We offer wrap-around services that address every issue in the Native American © kelsey hoffman community,” said Chelsea students toured migrant housing in Woodburn as part of Cesar Chavez Week at PSU. The weeklong celebration Appel, Volunteers In Service featured lectures and a community fair. To America volunteer organizer for NAYA. The last event of the week, Campesinos Unidos del Noro“We are known to work Offering several different kinds of services, NAYA has a with arts, specifically the- the migrant housing tour, este, Oregon’s farmworklarge youth services program, ater, and work in the commu- may have been the end of er union, to take another an alternative high school, nity,” said Julieth Maya Buri, Cesar Chavez Week, but it tour and learn about the serfamily services and commu- marketing director for the helped kick off Farmworker vices they offer. According to PCUN’s webMiracle Theatre Group. “We Awareness Week. nity economic development. The event, sponsored by the site, they are the largest La“We’re also here today to promote the Hispanic and LaFood Action Committee, was tino organization in Oregon. talk about the fluoride issue,” tino arts.” “[Students were] able to The arts and culture orga- held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Appel said. “We’re promoting ‘yes’ on adding fluoride to nization has been around for the migrant housing commu- think of ways to get involved and help migrant farmwork29 years and emphasizes art nity in Woodburn, Oregon. Portland’s water.” A group carpooled to Wood- ers,” Magana said. Another organization who support in the community. For more information about “We do a lot of partnerships burn in vans to tour houses to attended the event, Milagro Theatre, or Miracle Theatre with other organizations,” see what the facilities for mi- farmworkers’ rights, check out the Farmworker AwareGroup, was hoping to promote Buri said. “We support the grant workers were like. They also went to Pineros y ness Week events. arts in the community.” the services they offer.

Arts Arts & Culture & Culture • •T TUESDAY, uesday,APRIL Jan. 16, 31, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD ••TThursday, TUESDAY, uesday, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, Jan. APRIL JANUARY OCTOBER Nov. FEBRUARY JANUARY 31, 16, 8, 2013 2012 2013 10, 25, 26, •2, 2012 2011 ARTS •2012 • ARTS ARTS ••&•OPINION OPINION CULTURE &ARTS &CULTURE CULTURE & CULTURE

ARTS & CULTURE

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

Finally, corpsepaint everyone can enjoy

Best of the Northwest: Poetry for the people

Ghost releases the scariest metal record ever

Ooligan Press releases Northwest poetry anthology

Nicholas Kula Vanguard staff

Let’s get one thing straight: Sweden practically invented metal and corpsepaint (black-andwhite metal makeup), and after all the time they’ve put in, they’re entitled to do whatever they want with it. Now, after constant retooling of the genre, the Swedes have once again changed the game. You might ask, “What can they do to metal to amplify its intensity?” It’s a good question and not without answers—one of which is Ghost, who are pushing the envelope in the metal genre. If you’ve ever seen photos of Swedish metal band Ghost, you may think that they’re not pushing the envelope: Ghost is composed of some weird-looking folks in religious-looking costumes. Yes, there’s plenty of white-and-black makeup. Yes, the singer wears some manner of sacrilegious papal hat. However, beyond all the satanic imagery, Ghost sounds nothing like anyone would expect. Despite that, Ghost is revered in metal circles. Your first clue is the fact that all your crusty friends are talking about this record, Infestissumam, and the last one, Opus Eponymous. Surely this is metal. Well, kind of. Let’s not beat around the bush: Ghost is a rock band. The band hardly resembles metal at its most aggressive, and there isn’t anything resembling a scream uttered on Infestissumam. Sure, there are lots of lyrics about various forms of Satan on this record, which makes

the music the only component that isn’t soulreavingly metal. This band will get you in trouble with your Christian friends, but it sounds like Rush. Truthfully, this is Ghost’s evil master plan: It’s the ultimate middle finger to Christianity. It infiltrates, squats, then betrays. The music is simply too good to dismiss as “another metal record.” The songwriting is top-notch—your father would probably find no faults in Ghost’s music—and the hooks are surprisingly organic. Outside of the blatant fact that this isn’t “Tom Sawyer” or “Limelight,” and that that isn’t Geddy Lee’s voice, you’d have a hard time convincing a casual Rush fan that this isn’t a brand new Rush record. Yes, it’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s not too far off base. Make no mistake, though, Ghost is still pretty metal. In fact, the opening and closing tracks feature a full choir, which returns, just for good measure, halfway through the album, for “Year Zero.” The chanting speaks of Beelzebub and other satanic knick-knackery but, even without clear enunciation, it’s not hard to derive the gist of it all.

Ghost’s frontman, Papa Emeritus II, is a truly gifted vocalist. His range is found all over Infestissumam, and he never seems out of his element on any track. From soaring vocal lines to soft, cooing hooks, Emeritus never falters. His style might put you off if you were expecting ghastly snarls and bloodcurdling screams. The record, and Emeritus himself, are not like that at all, and admittedly, the style takes some getting used to. Make no mistake, though—the experience is a rewarding one. The band, composed of several individuals credited in bulk as “Nameless Ghouls,” is also exceedingly tight, though it ventures into some pretty seedy territory outside the already broad scope of the record. By track three, “Secular Haze,” it becomes abundantly clear that Infestissumam is a very special album. On the track, carnival organs play a soundtrack to an acid-burning haze, while the guitars take a backseat. The melodies are so good, though the incessant downbeat throughout the track might unnerve some listeners. However, it is this pounding rhythm that keeps the vibe just awkward enough that a man in a corpsepainted pope getup singing over circus-flavored classic rock isn’t that out of place. When whispers are part of your vocal repertoire and you can employ them perfectly, the music is guaranteed to be dynamic. Ghost has dynamics in spades. Nothing about Infestissumam is predictable or by-the-numbers. Remember that part about the seedy territory in which Ghost finds itself from time to time? Mostly, I’m referring to track five, “Ghuleh/Zombie Queen,” in which the listener might find something a little odd, something that has no place on a metal record, no matter how unconventional.

Yes, there’s a surf part in the middle. Does it work? Sort of. This is Sweden, of course, and though Emeritus is capable of much, Dick Dale emulation ain’t it. While the track eventually picks up, it never fully sheds the surf vibe. The songwriting is still good—even in these trying times—but when you’re working with source material that’s woefully out of place, it’s tough to make something out of nothing. And while the songwriting is all aces, it would be nice to see a return to aggressiveness at some point on Infestissumam; before long it seems like the songs get softer and softer. While the aggression was certainly never the focus of the album, there is none to be found later on, which leaves the listener wondering if the earlier heavy flourishes were representative of Ghost’s focus or if they were consequences of writing music in Sweden while dressed as the pope’s evil twin. Though there are some missteps, such as “Year Zero” not being the album’s closer as it should, Infestissumam still strongly satisfies. The last track, though, “Monstrance Clock,” is solid but mostly unsatisfying. The record does end with a choir singing about coming together over Lucifer’s son, however, and all becomes right in the metal kingdom.

Ghost Infestissumam Loma Vista Recordings Out April 16

Breana Harris Vanguard Staff

I like to think I defy most pretentious film-geek cliches, but it would be difficult to pretend that I don’t love French film. Studying the language and developing a real interest in the culture probably resulted in my exposure to a lot of French cinema, but I also feel like you don’t need to speak a word of French to love their movies. While American cinema becomes increasingly corporatized, France is still rich with tales that are passionate, shocking and inspiring. And it’s not all like Amour. Starting this Friday, 5th Avenue Cinema presents two weekends and five films that represent some of France’s finest work in recent years. Each film is presented by a different PSU professor and offers a unique look at history, culture and the modern world. The festival’s first film is 2010’s The Women on the 6th Floor, directed by Philippe Le Guay. The film tells the story of a rich, conservative couple who live in an apartment beneath a bevy of poor Spanish maids. “It is a perfect Friday night movie: light and amusing, yet well-acted and crafted,” said Gina Greco, the PSU French professor introducing the film. “I am most looking forward to seeing the male lead, Fabrice Luchini, who not only is very talented, but also speaks crisp, clear French that students will enjoy hearing.” Luchini plays Jean-Louis, the husband who takes an interest in the maids and helps them with things his upper-class wife takes for

granted, like getting the toilets unclogged. The film has a light and endearing feel, and at times it puts you in mind of a French version of The Help (though it feels strange to even think that exists). It’s a little off-putting to watch Jean-Louis develop an attraction for Natalia Verbeke’s Maria, who is about 25 years his junior, because you start to realize that these maids have pretty much fueled his midlife crisis. I don’t know if the French have midlife crises, though, because the film is all very whimsical and encouraging of his awakening. I found the focus on some of the other maids and growing up in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War even more interesting. The second film in the festival, 2011’s Tomboy, is a much different story. Written and directed by Celine Sciamma, it stars the remarkable Zoe Heran as 10-year-old Laure, who lives in the Parisian suburbs and dresses and acts like a boy. She meets a local girl and decides to identify herself as Mickael among the neighborhood children. Tomboy is like Boys Don’t Cry for children, presented with an incredible innocence that matches its young protagonist; the film neither judges nor preaches. If it was made in America, people would call it controversial, but nothing about it actually feels that way. Laure’s scenes with her sister, played by little Malonn Levana, are especially charming, and by the end of the film the only message seems to be that it’s OK for gender to be fluid: Laure is allowed to be masculine and feminine, both or neither. Sri Nair, an assistant professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at PSU, is presenting Tomboy. “Rather than view the film with preconceptions or pre-critiques, it might be helpful

Tristan Cooper Vanguard staff

Maybe it’s the sky. That constant, overcast gray looming overhead does wonders for daydreaming. Anyone on a bus or train can gaze outside and be a poet, if just for a moment. Ooligan Press is tapping into that phenomenon with its new poetry anthology, Alive at the Center. The collection gathers work from Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia, in the debut release from Ooligan’s Pacific Poetry Project. Tina Morgan and Jessica Snavlin are heading up the initiative as project managers. “Ooligan Press is committed to publishing work that celebrates and deepens our understanding of the Pacific Northwest, and the Pacific Poetry Project was created to do just that,” Morgan said in an email. “It’s a cultural conversation between the three cities that define the region, and though the poems and poets are all very different, they all speak eloquently to the experience of living and writing in this part of the world.” Though the anthology version of Alive at the Center will feature poets from all three cities, individual volumes for Portland, Seattle and Vancouver will be made available in limited quantities. The larger compendium seems to be the best bet for those who want to get the most out of the interplay of the communities within the Northwest.

Put a bird on it: Ooligan Press’ Pacific Poetry Project will celebrate the release of its first poetry collection, Alive at the Center, this Friday with a reception downtown.

“Our goal is to put the cities in conversation with one another, not to pit them against one another. There isn’t a specific spirit or style for each city, and that’s what gives the reader such a multifaceted experience,” Morgan said. “You can follow an image—a river, a bar, honey, rain—through the poems of that city, and that image will be different every time. You’re experiencing the Pacific Northwest through all these unique lenses.”

‘I’ is for Idan

Springtime in Paris 5th Avenue Cinema presents its French Film Festival

Famed Israeli choreographer brings show to PDX Melanie Cope Vanguard Staff

Call me Mikael: Zoe Heran stars in Celine Sciamma’s 2011 film Tomboy. Heran’s Laure is the film’s tomboy, who goes by Mikael in the film, which is part of the French festival. to understand gender (female or male, femininity or masculinity, girls or boys) through the eyes and in the world of children,” Nair said in an email. “How do the girls and boys in the film behave? How does Mickael become a boy? What is the place of adults in the film? How may we interpret the resolution of the film?” It is a testament to Tomboy’s eloquent subtlety that these questions naturally arise. The second weekend of the film festival features Seraphine, Free Men and Summer Hours, and I almost wish it went on even longer. I’d love a screening of Catherine Breillat’s The Sleeping Beauty—she is one of my all-time favorite directors. Radu Mihaileanu’s Le Concert and Mona Achache’s The Hedgehog are a couple of other recent French films I loved. Diving into French cinema is addictive because it’s a whole new world of innovative storytelling. I had a French professor who once told me

that Paris thinks it’s more important than Hollywood when it comes to making movies. I scoffed at the time, but a strong argument can be made that they’re completely justified in feeling that way. If you’re ever feeling disillusioned about the state of film today, take a look at what the actors, directors and writers in the city of love can accomplish. They make it easy to reconcile being a cinephile and a Francophile.

5th Avenue Cinema presents The French Film Festival The Women on the 6th Floor Friday, April 19, 7 p.m. Tomboy Saturday, April 20, 7 p.m. For showtimes for Seraphine, Free Men and Summer Hours go to 5thavenuecinema.org $3 general, free for students

“It is not always easy for me, exposing some very intimate parts of my life through my work,” said Idan Cohen, one of Israel’s premier dance choreographers. Cohen is the recipient of numerous awards and currently choreographs and teaches at Amherst College for the Five College dance program, which will be coming to Portland for the first time ever. “I heard and I believe that Portland would be my kind of city,” Cohen said. His schedule here is full to the bursting point. Over the course of several days, from Sunday through this Friday, Cohen will engage with students at Portland State and in the broader community, be they lovers of dance or scholars of Jewish history. Cohen will bring his show Israel in Motion to the Bodyvox Dance Center this Wednesday. Dr. Nina Spiegel, a professor of Judaic studies at Portland State, will participate in the event and is “very excited to showcase Idan’s work.” “This is a wonderful opportunity for students—for them to be exposed to world dance,” added Karin Magaldi, director of the School of Theatre and Film at PSU. Israel in Motion comprises several different pieces, one of which is a live solo performance titled “Songs Of a Wayfarer.” This piece has only been performed for one other audience (in Singapore) and the only other place where this piece will be performed is Israel, once Cohen returns there. Cohen’s grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who escaped from Vienna, was a “huge inspiration in creating this piece,” he said.

The solo is danced to the music of famed composer Gustav Mahler. Cohen’s musical choice was also inspired by his relationship with his grandmother. “My grandmother had a difficult life,” Cohen said. “She was depressed and suicidal. She had a tragic life.” Cohen and his grandmother had a special connection through classical music, which she grew up listening to in Vienna. “As a child, I was a classical child pianist prodigy,” Cohen said. “The only moments when I would see her shine was when she would listen to this music.” Along with this live solo piece, Cohen will show films clips of his repertoire, and there will be a discussion between him and Spiegel.

Portlanders and PSU students will get a chance to see for themselves when Ooligan hosts a book launch downtown at Literary Arts on Friday, April 19. Refreshments will be available to attendees of the free event. The launch will be celebrated with a live reading from several area poets, including Carl Adamshick, Emily Kendal Frey and Oregon Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen. Also among those set to give voice to their work is John Sibley Williams, Portlander and former acquisitions manager for Ooligan Press. He’s intent on delivering more to the live audience than they could get by reading his piece at home by themselves. “To me, simply reading one’s work line by line, without inflection and thoughtful pauses, without inviting the audience into the world you’ve created, doesn’t provide anything more than simply reading the book alone would,” Williams said in an email. “So you have to create new meaning through the act of speaking. You have to say without actually saying ‘here is the world as I see it’ and then convince the audience that it’s their world too.” Those who have yet to attend a poetry reading might already have a preconceived image, one of berets and snapping fingers in a dark, smoke-filled room. In Portland, the range of poetry experiences prove that stereotype doesn’t hold water. “You can go to [Portland poetry readings] in bars that are completely rowdy and have bands playing in between [readers], or you can go to ones where you sit there and you feel like you’re at your grandmother’s funeral,” said Ooligan Press’ Jyoti Roy, who manages events and promotions. Friday’s reading will likely strike a balance

The show will be a “unique collaboration between an artist and a scholar,” Spiegel said. “It will be a behind-the-scenes look at what is important to him as an Israeli artist.” The audience will have the rare opportunity to “hear him reflect on his work.” How does Cohen think about his work? How does he work creatively? “Look at our times, our generation,” Cohen said. “We are very self-absorbed since Freud and the development of psychoanalysis. We create from the self and express our emotions, and our reflections go from within. “My work tries to create a certain combination from within, as well as the external space, my social awareness under the wider political and cultural reality,” Cohen said. “Songs of a Wayfarer” is an example of Cohen’s understanding and integration of his “within” and “external” views of his creations. “You can glean different themes that relate to his experience growing up,” said Spiegel, who is familiar with Cohen’s work and has met him before. “Contemporary dance in Israel is thriving,” because the creation of dance was “central to

between those two poles. Literary Arts will provide an intimate space with opportunities to meet and talk with local poets and grab some autographs. With so many authors in one place, the network-savvy will be hardpressed not to make a connection or two. Though poetry can appear intimidating and at times impenetrable, Ooligan wants to stress that both the art form and the event are accessible to anyone with an open mind. “There’s this idea that poetry is stuffy and traditionalist,” Roy said. “Or the other extreme, that it’s way out there and performance-art-based and just above everybody’s heads. But you know it’s something that’s really an integral part of the community and an integral part of how [Portland, Seattle and Vancouver] shape the identity of their cities.” Those who don’t know where to begin with poetry might do well to take a chance with Alive at the Center. “I love the idea of the anthology as a ‘starter kit,’” Morgan said. “If you wrote poetry in high school, or loved a certain poetry class in college but you haven’t thought about poetry since, you can pick up Alive at the Center and find out whose work you respond to. Then you can buy that poet’s book, see that poet read in town.”

Ooligan Press presents Alive at the Center book launch Friday, April 19, 7 p.m.—9 p.m. Literary Arts 925 SW Washington St. Free and open to the public

the development of Israeli culture and was one of the major ways the Jewish community under the British Mandate in Palestine cultivated their voice,” Spiegel said. It was the “voice of dance.” This voice continues to be heard across the globe. “The work coming out of Israel has made a big impact on the contemporary dance [of] Europe and the U.S., and will continue to do so—both in training and technique as well as choreographic style and approach,” said Tere Mathern, a dance instructor at PSU. “The dancers I have seen trained in Israel have incredible versatility, use of weight and fluid spine, a grounded, almost magical ability to move with speed, accuracy and power, and the work has a real passion and athleticism about it that is very exciting.” This wonderful opportunity to witness such “magical and powerful” elements of Israeli dance is coming soon. This celebration of Cohen’s work and all his contributions to the world of dance is, in a way, symbolic of Israeli’s history, insomuch as it is comprised of many different pieces. “I am a very personal person, both in my art and when I present my art; doing that is compelling and frightening at the same time,” Cohen said. “I don’t think people think about that. We receive appreciation for doing the thing that we love most, expressing ourselves for a living. “We expose our most intimate world, and it’s not always easy for me—but without doing that, my work would be meaningless.”

The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies, the Middle East Studies Center and the School of Theatre and Film present Israel in Motion

Put a nest on it: A performer from Idan Cohen’s “Songs of a Wayfarer” performs in this file photo.

By Choreographer Idan Cohen Wednesday, April 17 at 7 p.m. BodyVox Dance Studio 1201 NW 17th Ave Free and open to the public; reservations are required through the Portland State Box Office

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Short films tackle big issues Environmental Film Festival comes to PSU Megan Fresh Vanguard Staff

“Short is sweet,” according to the coordinators of the EarthDance Short-Attention-Span Environmental Film Festival, which is coming to campus this Thursday. The films being screened range from three to 30 minutes in length. The festival is “about a planet where adventure is alive and stories matter,” according to the event’s website. The film festival will accommodate student schedules by offering two separate screenings, one from 3:30–5 p.m. and the other from 6–7:30 p.m. The festival will be hosted by the Portland State Outdoor Program, a division of the university’s Campus Rec department. Between the two screenings, attendees can participate in a one-hour workshop and question-and-answer session facilitated by the EarthDance tour coordinator, Zak Brazen. EarthDance is visiting PSU as part of an annual world tour. Coordinators say the organization finds its material by sourcing other film festivals and traveling the globe in search of “the most entertaining and inspiring stories on Earth.” The tour begins each winter at its San Francisco base, and this will be the event’s first time at PSU. “Since it’s PSU’s first year as a site for the festival, it’s a bit of a pilot,” said Kat McLaughlin, student coordinator of the PSU Outdoor Program and organizer of the festival’s PSU stop. “Hopefully we’ll keep it going annually. “They’ll be screening films from different years, [featuring] the ones that are most poignant

COURTESY OF zak zide

a guy, a girl and a bear: Earth Dance Short-Attention-span environmental film festival organizer Zak Brazen (left) brings his short-film fest to town with the help of an artsy press photo (right). and [that] will gather the most attention of PSU students interested in what’s going on environmentally in Portland,” McLaughlin said. “These are some really high-quality films about issues of environmental and social awareness. “I want students to be able to come together as a community at Portland State, and have a sense of awareness of their own impact on each other and the environment,” McLaughlin continued. “I think cinema is a really great way to bring art into expressing important issues, and it’s a different way to connect to students. It will be entertaining, educational and fun.” McLaughlin hopes that EarthDance will spark some environmental awareness in people who don’t normally think about sustainability, in hopes that people may be “a little more cognizant of their actions, and how the smallest things they do on the regular—like bringing in a coffee cup that’s reusable—are really simple

things to do,” she said. “If…you’re not aware of what that impact can be, then it’s harder to change that habit,” McLaughlin continued. “It’s bringing those little nudges for people to become more aware of themselves.” The festival’s lineup is designed to be flexible. “If you want to come for the whole four hours or so and see the movies and attend the workshop, that’s great,” McLaughlin said. “But you can come for just the workshop or just the films.” The interactive workshop conducted between the two screenings will give attendees the opportunity to respond to the films and start a discussion about how the messages they contain might be applied here at home. Brazen will field questions and present on social and environmental sustainability issues that tie into initiatives taking place here at

Portland State. EarthDance promotes positivity in their approach to sustainability issues, which helps engage students. “We believe the power of nature and the human spirit can change the world for the better. All of the EarthDance films have an important message to tell—whether it’s rescuing a daredevil marooned atop Devil’s Tower, a tale of friendship amid evolving Himalayan culture or the struggle of a native community to restore salmon to its rivers,” coordinators said. The festival hopes to connect like-minded students, help them find resources and encourage them to immerse themselves in environmental activism on campus. “There are tons of sustainability missions among different organizations that students can become involved with,” McLaughlin said, “either through academic programs or clubs on campus. “For example, the PSU Environmental Club holds weekly meetings and does a lot of events,” McLaughlin said. “They’re part of the reason we’re hosting EarthDance in April—it’s Environmental Awareness Month. “Earth Month is a time for collaboration between different student groups aiming to raise environmental awareness and spread information about all the different ways that students can plug in to those organizations.” For more information on the festival, check out earthdancefilms.com, where you can watch snippets of some of the films coming to campus next Thursday.

The Portland State Outdoor Program presents The EarthDance Short-Attention-Span Environmental Film Festival Thursday, April 18, at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., with facilitated workshop between screenings Smith Memorial Student Union, room 338 Free for students, faculty and staff, $5 general admission

Gallery goodies Graduate students show their art on campus Tamara Alazri Vanguard Staff

A beautifully designed room sits in the lobby of Portland State’s AB Gallery. It’s filled with scrumptious goodies that look good enough to eat. You might say it’s a sophisticated twist on Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, only it’s not edible and the materials used are not candy. There are two parts to this gallery, the interior and the exterior. It’s a little wacky, to say the least, but there is a level of refinement to PSU Master of Fine Arts graduate student Will Bryant’s work. Standing outside, his work appears balanced yet complicated, incorporating commercial objects like balloons, a banana, a sponge and two flowering pots mounted to the top of a tin can. The simplicity of Bryant’s work is intriguing, as is the way he creates an illusion of disorder with his use of color, line, texture and form. Bryant, a graphic design professor at PSU, is one of five art students in Portland State’s art MFA program whose work is currently showing in galleries on campus. Each student is set to give a lecture this Wednesday at the Shattuck Hall Annex that will cover their thesis and portfolio. The other presenting students include Leif Anderson and Mami Takahashi. Anderson’s and Bryant’s shows are happening simultaneously. Anderson’s show, titled “Window Room,” is on display at the Autzen Gallery in Neuberger Hall until this Friday, while Bryant is showing at the AB Lobby Gallery on the first floor of the Art Building.

An East Texas native, Bryant got his start as an artist in graphic design. As a teenager, he became involved with packaging for record albums, and has worked with the likes of Stanley Donwood (a British artist who’s closely associated with Radiohead). During his lecture tomorrow evening, Bryant will touch on what makes him tick as an artist. “I want my work to challenge the value of the object,” he said. “I like creating a sense of illusion and loss of depth.” Perhaps this philosophy leaves the viewer with a kind of wandering eye—always wanting more. Bryant finds curiosity in the everyday: His diverting approach to art is inspired by American pop artists such as Andy Warhol and Alex da Corte, who often embraced the absurd or whimsical. “My printmaking teacher Glenn Downing once told my friend Rand, ‘You can be serious about art, but you don’t have to make serious art,’” Bryant said. For his current exhibit, Bryant used actor Paul Reubens’ cult classic Pee-wee’s Playhouse as inspiration. “I appreciated his ability to impact kids in a very strange but bright and colorful way,” Bryant said. Bryant used a combination of pink installation foam and sandpaper to create geometrical shapes for this show. As a child growing up in Utah, Anderson became fascinated with big-city life, and used skateboarding as a way to establish a relationship with architecture, forming artistic images from real-life events. Anderson described how skateboarding is similar to the work he currently produces. “While skateboarding, I developed the skill of taking observational photos by appropriating architecture,” he explained. “I was intrigued by

psu art student Leif Anderson stands next to his graduate art exhibition, “Window Room,” which is on display in the Autzen Gallery.

kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFf

the handrails, or an abandoned staircase, and that became the beginning of how I viewed art.” For his current exhibit, Anderson hand-built a wooden sculpture of architectural beams that stretches to the top of the gallery’s ceilings; it is total minimalism mashed with a rugged and polished appeal. Anderson explained that he views the word “architecture” as a verb rather than a noun. “I look to see how my work plays into the interior and exterior of a space,” he said. “To me, the Autzen Gallery is such a unique space because of its openness and tall windows.” His work acts as a celebration of the interiority of the space and gives the viewer a unique sense of perception when entering it. The gallery is 47 feet long and 14 feet high, with a separate room broken off, in which Anderson has set up a video installation. The video acts as a self-portrait of his experience arranging a number of objects within the gallery space. There is an upper shelf where Anderson assembled a number of paint buckets, brushes, and scraps of cardboard and paper to form a complex pattern. Anderson plays with his compositions and works with found images within a space in order to evoke a specific feeling.

During his lecture, Anderson will show a series of homemade videos and gritty photographs of urban society. The first video shows his hand holding a glass bottle, scuffing it against sidewalks and used spaces, breaking and demolishing the glass bit by bit with each step. The bottle bursts into thin air, and all we’re left with is Anderson’s bare hand. He explained that his hand serves as a portrait of his body. His process seems to mimic trialand-error, ambiguously placing found objects in their place. In his work, Anderson allows the viewer to travel along for the ride. He rearranges the ugly, or what we think of as the ugly. “This video is really about forming your own pathways,” Anderson said, “and improvising the world in front of you.”

Portland State’s Master of Fine Arts in Contemporary Art Practice presents Graduate art exhibitions Public lectures Wednesday, April 10, at 5 and 6 p.m. in Shattuck Annex Opening reception Thursday, April 11, at 5 p.m. in the Autzen Gallery, second floor of Neuberger Hall On view through Friday, April 19 Free and open to the public

16 10

OPINiON • TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• TUESDAY, THURSDAY, APRIL NOVEMBER 16, 201310,• 2011 OPINiON • SPORTS

OPINION

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

Pilling up

Piracy or privacy? House debates cyber-security bill that could spell trouble for Internet users

A new birth control is coming out to play One Step Off

Art of the Possible Joseph Kendzierski ©SweedishMannequins.com

‘Full-figured’ mannequins make the news What isn’t news? We still care Everywhere and Here Eva-Jeanette Rawlins

he Internet was all abuzz over a photo Women’s Rights News posted on its Facebook wall a couple of weeks ago. Thousands of people have since “liked” it and, no, it wasn’t another cute cat photo. It was a photo of two mannequins. I know, super inspiring stuff. Well, apparently an overwhelming number of people were indeed inspired. Though the mannequins wore scantily-clad underwear in a Swedish department store called Ahlens, the response had nothing to do with what they were wearing. It was about how uncommonly round they were. Yes, there were “full-figured” mannequins in a store— gasp! Groundbreaking! OK, I get that it’s revolutionary to see a mannequin who doesn’t have her hip bones jutting out and her waist pinched into a 23-inch, almost-not-there impossibility. It’s just sad that a “full-figured” one would be so astonishing as to make frontpage news. Among many others, Delia Lloyd from The Washington Post wrote a response to the photo, and described the “zaftig” mannequins as “an encouraging sign of the times.” I’d never heard of this word— zaftig—so I looked it up. According to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it’s “of a woman: having a full, rounded figure; pleasingly plump.” What strikes me first is that it’s only “of a woman.” Notably illuminating that the word

is a uniquely feminine bodily description—then again, when was the last time you heard someone describe the shape of a man’s body? Even more interesting is “pleasingly plump.” Obviously, one can be unpleasingly plump. I’d love to know where the line between those two is. I looked further into the word’s origin and discovered it comes from the Yiddish zaftik, which means “juicy; succulent.” How often do you think of your body as juicy and succulent? Every day, I hope. So, anyway, the photo sparked a lively dialogue around women’s body size, image and ultimately, the need for more of these mannequins that were, as the photo’s caption read, what “real women” look like. I get what they’re saying and their motivation is great. For a large percentage of us, the Barbie-like dimensions of typical mannequins are completely unrealistic and reflect a very narrow segment of body types. We’ve been taught that’s the norm and, of course, no one wants to fall short of that. However, in an attempt to foster a different expression of the “norm”—which is itself a social construction with no basis in fact—aren’t we just falling into the same trap? To insist that larger-sized mannequins look like “real women” suggests that, first, we can define what is “real,” and second, it’s still a woman’s size that defines her. If we were really

looking for true representations of women, we would have brown mannequins, little-people mannequins, mannequins with disabilities and many, many more. It’s crucial to represent more than just one size of woman, but it’s dangerous to claim that there’s something more “real” about a plumper woman than a thinner one and vice versa. Don’t we get it? We’re just shifting the sand from one side of the sandpit to the other. We need to get out of the mire and stop playing games. A size-four woman and a size-20 woman are equally real. They’re both flesh, bones and blood, and some other things between. What’s not real is the number they’ve just used to describe themselves. That a one- or two-digit number defines whether we feel good about ourselves as we walk out of the fitting room door is depressing. In the vast majority of cultures, the larger, rounder and curvier you are, the better. Thin people are encouraged to eat up so as not to look sick. That’s their norm. So, really, there is no norm. And there shouldn’t be. Just human beings. The more time we spend measuring the width of our hearts, the length of our patience and the breadth of our compassion, the less time we’ll waste deciding what’s real and what isn’t and hating ourselves in the process. Three cheers for different mannequins, but even more for the day when we’ll stop looking to plastic figurines to tell us we’re OK. All we’ll need to know when we walk out the door is that we’re perfectly succulent. Full stop.

nce again, the federal government is considering legislation that could have a huge impact on our daily lives. Shrouded in the cloak of national security and brandishing the sword of fighting cyber-attacks, legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives that would give government agencies the authority to share Internet traffic information with private entities and utilities, i.e., your Internet service provider and other “concerned” private businesses. Yes, folks, I’m talking about the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2013. The title might sound familiar; it was previously introduced under the same name in November 2011 before being defeated in the Senate in early 2012. The current bill reads almost identical to the CISPA of 2011, with the main goal of limiting exposure of critical cyber infrastructure. As an amendment to the 1947 National Security Act—which, naturally, had no provisions for cybersecurity—it would allow the government to share valuable intelligence about potential attacks with the security firms hired to safeguard our dearly held favorite websites. However, the real problem with this bill is its lack of transparency. It doesn’t clearly list what types of nongovernment entities would be provided this information, or what they can do with that information after receiving it. The Sunlight Foundation, an educational nonprofit with the goal of increasing transparency and accountability in the government, had this to say about the original bill: “The new cyber-security bill, CISPA, or HR 3523, is terrible on transparency. The bill proposes broad new information collection and sharing powers (which many other organizations are covering at length). Even as the bill proposes those powers, it proposes to limit public oversight of this work.” And they weren’t alone in voicing concerns about CISPA 2011. The group was joined by more than 36 organizations and a number of private citizens who voiced concerns over the bill’s lack of transparency and public oversight.

These same organizations are once again leading the opposition charge. While CISPA 2013 has only recently been assigned to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, opposition is quickly forming to make sure that any version of the bill will include adequate protections of our civil rights and individual privacy. One of the main contentions against this new bill is that the negotiations for its passage are being conducted behind closed doors—the public isn’t allowed to watch any testimony regarding the bill. Dan Mitchell, a contributor to business website CNNMoney, states that the committee’s reasoning behind the secrecy is that they want to avoid leaking any classified information. But is this really a major concern? Given what we know about the bill, there doesn’t seem to be any identifiable reason to think that classified information could be leaked accidentally. This lack of transparency smacks of little more than an attempt by congressional leadership to mask the deliberative process and provide the public little opportunity for democratic input.

The fact that there are few apparent controls for how our Internet traffic would be shared, and even less information on how that information would be used, is reason enough that CISPA should be tabled. Again. But there is another major reason: the Fourth Amendment. The Bill of Rights is very clear about how the government can access our private information. A clear reason must exist for an individual’s personal privacy to be violated, and then only after due process, usually satisfied by a court order or warrant. CISPA creates a workaround that would bypass our Fourth Amendment protections. The government would no longer have to prove to a court of law that it needed our web traffic information, and it would then be allowed to share that information with anyone the government deemed worthy—public or private. This bill represents an attempt to push the federal government further into our private online lives, all in the name of national security. However, I can see little in this bill, as proposed, that would make our lives more secure or safer. In closing, I offer Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote: “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

Emily Lakehomer

I Miles Sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

When words do more than sting Using ‘cunt’ damages women’s equality

Conversation Nation Megan Hall

o shock here: We’ve become relatively shock-proof. With the parade of trashy reality TV shows, exorbitantly violent video games and cringeinducing political coverage, we seem to be immune to almost everything shocking. But last fall I started noticing the comeback of a word that generally makes most people do a double-take: cunt. This reemergence wasn’t occurring in colloquial conversation with my friends; I was hearing it more and more frequently on television. Last August, Gwyneth Paltrow used it in reference to her grandmother during an interview on Chelsea Lately. In February, a male character in the HBO show Girls used it in the presence of a few female characters, and no one even remarked on it. On Oscars night, The Onion received a lot of backlash for a tweet that referred to 9-yearold nominee Quvenzhane Wallis as a c-word. In March, Amazon.uk defended a retailer who printed it on a Christmas card. Just a couple weeks ago a Colorado gun-recall group spokesperson used it to refer to two lawmakers. The list goes on. The recent rise in using “cunt” in the media is both frustrating and angering, because it delays progress

feminists have made toward equality. It’s a violent term not useful for any other purpose than violence toward women. We need to be shocked by it, because allowing it to seep into colloquial conversation devalues the harm it does. Although there have been some adverse responses to the word’s usage, it worries me that it’s now being freely thrown around, even if it’s meant as a joke. Of course the use of “cunt” is intended to shock, but it’s also seemingly become an acceptable stand-in for “bitch.” While “bitch” is more or less socially acceptable, its purpose is to degrade, defile and insult women. The c-word signifies that as well, but its meaning runs deeper; it’s taboo because it is the deepest form of insult. Why, then, do we just throw it around? Many self-described feminists have attempted to “take back” the word cunt, and transform it from a pejorative term to a means of empowerment. Many minority groups throughout history have reclaimed derogatory terms that were intended to divide as a way to unite a community. If those people who are denigrated, persecuted or maligned by the term are using it, then the word supposedly loses its violent meaning. The c-word is different, however. It

can’t become a unifying term for women because it’s used violently by women against women. It’s an insult—not used to signify camaraderie. As a feminist, I believe there are many ways to show that you’re in favor of women’s equality. Using a violent term, and therefore allowing that word to become acceptable, is counterproductive. No one should be using it as a descriptor, but I especially take offense at it being used between women. There’s a momentous amount of work that’s been achieved by feminists in the past century, and that work is undermined each time a woman uses a violent word against another woman, especially a term that literally has no other meaning but to be offensive. This trend of suddenly being less shocked by such a horrific word should be eradicated. Why Amazon.uk defends its use is beyond me. Why is it acceptable for Gwyneth Paltrow and Lena Dunham to use the word? How can Jane Fonda use the term casually during an interview on The View and be applauded? It’s incredibly frustrating. Women’s equality is a cause that requires unwavering support from everyone— regardless of gender—to be successful. Popularizing a term that’s only meant to offend and degrade can have no other purpose than to be hurtful toward all women and delay any progress toward equality. So stop using it.

’m sure I’ve said it many times before, but I am so, so grateful for the existence of contraceptives, and not just for my own use. I’m grateful for the ready availability of many different kinds of contraceptives for so many people in the U.S. While I’m still waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to approve a 100-percent-effective birth control for men, I’ll settle for another newly developed female contraceptive. The FDA just approved a new drug called Quartette. Quartette, a brand name for levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol and ethinyl estradiol, is an anti-pregnancy contraceptive in tablet form. This new contraceptive has been lauded as a medical breakthrough and the “next generation” of birth control. That’s pretty high praise for such a little pill. Just what about Quartette is so special, and how is it “next generation”? Contraceptives come in multiple forms: pills, shots, inserts, patches, condoms and more. What could possibly be done to improve the already effective—if used correctly—drugs out there already? Quartette stands apart because it minimizes breakthrough bleeding between menstrual cycles. The pill also breaks down the longevity of the cycle itself, so, rather than 12 periods per year, a Quartette user would have four short, light periods. According to UPI.com, the contraceptive use is broken down over a 91-day period, with estrogen doses increasing at three pivotal points. These increases happen within the first 84 days, while the dosage of progestin stays the same. This is all fine and dandy,

but what about the other side effects that plague users of the pill and other contraceptives? Can Quartette counter the raging mood swings, weight fluctuations and other symptoms of taking birth control? Possibly! Quartette’s creator, Teva Women’s Health Inc., specifically caters to—you guessed it—female clientele. In a statement about its new product, a representative said, “Quartette builds upon our heritage in providing women with innovative, extended-cycle contraceptive products and we look forward to the potential to offer the first ascendingdose extended regimen birthcontrol option.” Aside from women’s health, the company also focuses on medicine relating to oncology, pain management and other major health concerns. The company continues to research contraceptives and other medicines. Go, Teva! Preventing breakthrough periods might seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things, but it really isn’t. Just something as helpful as that makes life a hell of a lot easier for women using the birth control. “How far we’ve come” notwithstanding, we still live in a world plagued by patriarchal mania, one obsessed with controlling every aspect of women’s lives. Not even a year ago, we started conversations about the “war on women,” when contraceptive talks and birthing rights were a hot topic in the presidential debates. I mean, seriously—North Dakota just passed some of the strictest legislation controlling abortion: Abortions performed after 6 weeks are now criminal acts, regardless of a woman’s right to a legal

and safe abortion granted under Roe v. Wade. With this kind of bullshit happening all around us, any advancement for women’s health is a good one. Accessibility, though, is the greater challenge. Now that states like North Dakota have specific legislation alluding to these issues, accessing contraceptives apart from the over-the-counter condom (though the state will probably start keeping those locked up behind the counter pretty soon) will most likely become harder as well. This is one of those times where more socialized health care might be something to consider. If the accessibility of this kind of medicine and health care is boosted, its use will increase, and, honestly, that will probably result in a lot more happy people, especially women, because they won’t have to worry all the time about accidentally getting pregnant. I’m very grateful that I don’t have to constantly worry about late periods and unwanted pregnancies. I’m also aware that I live in a very liberal state, and much of the legislation that gets passed here is to protect me rather than strip me of my rights. Not everyone has that privilege, so we should do something about it. Like always, that’s easier said than done, but if we can manufacture pills that do some pretty amazing things, I think we can work in solidarity to demand equal access to health care everywhere else in the U.S. I like the idea of not having children until I’m ready, and everyone else deserves the right to be able to make that decision as well. I don’t know if I’ll go switch my prescription to Quartette until it’s been on the market for a while, but, who knows—this could be the beginning of some very beautiful reproductive medical science.

suraj nair/vanguard stff

ETC. ETC. •• TUESDAY, Thursday, APRIL Nov.16, 8, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD • TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2013 • Opinion

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

Letter to the Editor March 19, 2013

Who is Pope Francis? The Roman Catholic Church’s new head oozes humility and compassion while representing a break from tradition A Critical Glance Adam E. Bushen

here’s a quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi that goes, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Pope Francis appears to be one of a very few religious people I’ve seen who could change Gandhi’s mind. During his first Easter speech, in addition to the traditional celebration of Christ’s resurrection, Francis called for peace in the world’s troubled areas. His message, like his apparent character, was simple, sweet and sincere: Change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness and war into peace. He also stated his desire to “go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons.” Again, this portrays his humble nature, which has endeared him to myself and millions of others. He appears to be a man of the people—not how I view the ostentatious hierarchy of the Catholic Church in general. This was further evidenced on the Thursday prior to Easter, when he visited a youth detention center and washed the feet of the inmates, including the Muslim youth who were present. On Easter Sunday, he showed his grace and humility by picking up a disabled child who was lifted from the crowd and then hugging and kissing him. During his time as archbishop in Argentina, Francis reportedly spent the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in prisons, hospitals or hospices for the poor and marginalized.

There are other, more subtle ways that Pope Francis has demonstrated how different he is from previous leaders of the Catholic Church. For instance, he forewent the traditional snazzy red pope shoes. Instead, he opted for a more understated black pair, reportedly given to him the day he left Argentina for the Vatican, by friends who insisted the pair he was wearing were unfit. In a similar act, he demonstrated his resistance to extravagance by (for the time being) rejecting the luxury papal apartment in favor of his small suite at a hotel in the Vatican. The luxury apartment is on the top floor of the Apostolic Palace. And this isn’t even the first time he’s refused to live in a palace. As archbishop of Argentina, he declined to reside in the archbishop’s palace and chose instead to live in a simple apartment. He refused his limousine and chauffeur, choosing to ride the bus with ordinary people. He even cooks his own meals. As its leader, Francis enhances the Catholic Church’s image not only through his treatment of the needy, sick, poor and marginalized, but by his treatment of women, homosexuals and sex offenders. Discussing women, Francis said, “The first witnesses of the resurrection are women…This is beautiful and this is the mission of… mothers and women, to give witness to their children and grandchildren.”

Traditionalists might be concerned that Francis will begin a path toward ordaining women. Francis publicly rejected civil unions as Argentina’s archbishop, but pastors and activists claim that Francis is personally in favor of gay marriage. Marcelo Marquez, a gay rights activist in Argentina, claimed that Francis said to him, “I’m in favor of gay rights and…civil unions for homosexuals, but I believe that Argentina is not yet ready for a gay marriage law.” Francis has been an outspoken critic of widespread sex abuse in the Catholic Church, saying the church must act decisively on the issue. What struck me most was his open admittance that the sex-abuse scandals threaten the credibility of the church; I wouldn’t have expected the leader of the Catholic Church to admit that its credibility could be affected at all. During his first speech as pope, Francis broke from tradition by asking the crowd to pray for him. He finished his Easter speech with a statement that showed his connection to the common modern man, calling for “peace in the whole world, still divided by greed, looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family.” In a world in which greed and selfishness leave some rich and many poor, this message will resonate with the millions who are struggling. Francis has shown that he’s not only connected to the needy and the ordinary, but that he’s ordinary, too. Francis’ message resonates with, and his demeanor endears him to, the common man.

Dear Shilpa Esther Trivedi, Your editorial of February 7 was of interest. Sadly, the same false conclusions that led to Roe v. Wade are its basis. The incorrect idea that it is ALL a woman’s body (after conception of a unique human being) should be obvious—or were you asleep in biology?! The choice was made when contraception (of a non-abortive nature) was not used. From a metaphysical viewpoint, see the enclosed text from Spiritual Awakening)—and this man is non-Christian. Since 1973, [give or take] 50 million citizens were killed in

the U.S.—incredible! If any other country killed this many people, the U.S. government would be all over it to catch and try the offenders for “crimes against humanity”! Now, do not think I am totally against abortion: Geneticallydefective fetuses (that cannot be cured) could be terminated, but the state should not pay for any costs—it would be up to the parents (and the child would be sterilized). But we are only talking about a few percent—this also applies to rape (incest would possibly fall under “defective” due to genetics).

On a related issue, do not think I am “soft on rape.” Rapists, especially serial ones, should be terminated. If the victim wants to join the firing squad, this would be a good thing. Actually, a good way to eliminate the need for any abortion would be to recognize that children are a gift and should be incarnated by genetically healthy parents who practice Tantric yoga, which would lead to a deep and loving relationship.

(Enclosed text: Spiritual Awakening by Darshan Singh)

This could be you!

Help Portland State celebrate its 37th annual International Night and learn something new about some of the many cultures represented at the university. The event takes place Friday, April 19, from 5-10 p.m. in the Smith Memorial Student Union.

Tuesday, April 16

Bicycle Commuting 101 Noon–1 p.m. PSU Bike Hub 1818 SW Sixth Ave.

If you currently use or are 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 FREE bicycle maintenance.

Interdisciplinary Dialogue: How Can Higher Education Help Us Create the Society We Want? Get paid $8.95 an hour/4–12 hours per week to write for the Opinion section. See your work in print every week. No newspaper/journalism experience required. Must be enthusiastic about reporting, comfortable with articulating opinions and responsive to constructive criticism.

Apply online at psuvanguard.com.

Bring your bike to this free workshop, where you can learn how to fix a flat FREE tire on your specific ride.

6 p.m. BridgePort Brewpub 1313 NW Marshall St.

International Night 2013

The Portland State Alumni Association invites students as well as faculty, alumni and staff to join them for an information session with JobJenny on how to improve your job-hunting skills. Topics will range from how to look for jobs in general to how to make yourself look more appealing to potential employers. Light refreshments will be provided prior to the talk. Admission is $5 for students and $10 for alumni, faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased by visiting psuaa.ticketleap.com.

Sincerely, David Brock Portland, OR

“Question: Would you speak about abortion and when the soul enters the body? Answer: The soul enters the body at the moment of conception, and from that time on, the child which is being formed is a conscious entity. Abortion is considered to be one of the most heinous crimes that anyone can commit. Normally people resort to murder, butchery and assassination only when they have a life-long enmity, or when they have been oppressed and downtrodden by oppressors who have played havoc with them…The other case when people resort to murder is when they are excited beyond control, when somebody exploits them, somebody plays with their self-respect, somebody plays havoc with something they consider dearer to them than their own life…But in the case of an abortion we are guilty of such a heinous crime. The child does not have any hatred for us; he does not have any ill will for us. The child has not done us any harm. Yet, we are prepared to perpetrate the cold-blooded murder of this symbol of innocence.”

JobJenny presents: How to Stop Sucking at Your Job Search

5–7 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 238 1825 SW Broadway

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.

with historian Dr. Nina Spiegel, the Rabbi Joshua Stampfer Professor of Israel Studies at PSU. Admission is free but tickets should be picked up in advance at the Portland State Box FREE 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

Thursday, Apr. 18

Spring Swap 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 462 1825 SW Broadway

Race: The Power of an Illusion

The Portland State Resource Center for Students with Children is hosting the yearly spring swap meet, where gently used or new children’s clothing, toys or books can be exchanged. Donations for the event will also be accepted from April 15 to the day of the swap at the Resource Center office in Smith, room 462.

Noon–2 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228 1825 SW Broadway

EarthDance Film Festival

FREE

Wednesday, April 17

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

Israel in Motion: An Evening of Contemporary Dance and Discussion 7 p.m. BodyVox 1201 NW 17th Ave.

Join Israeli choreographer Idan Cohen for an evening showcasing his various works via live performances and film, and behind-the-scenes discussion with Cohen in conversation

FREE

3:30 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 338 1825 SW Broadway

The Portland State Outdoor Program is hosting the EarthDance Short-Attention-Span Environmental Film Festival. The festival showcases various short selections of film ranging from documentaries to comedies and animated pieces. Each film is meant to celebrate people and their culture as well as a connection with nature. Admission is $5 for the general public and free for PSU students, staff and alumni. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the FREE PSU Box Office.

5–10 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, floors 1–3 1825 SW Broadway

Come to the Student Union for International Night 2013, where you are invited to experience a taste of various cultures with students from over 88 countries. Events will range from food tasting to performances in song and dance as well as cultural fashion shows. This event is free for PSU students with a valid ID and open to the public for only $10. Tickets can be purchased at the PSU Box Office. FREE

Rape Culture Panel

The Champagne Party

6–8 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 296/8 1825 SW Broadway

9:30 p.m.–2:30 a.m. The Conga Club 4923 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Hosted by the International Socialist Organization, this panel will facilitate a discussion on what the term “rape culture” means, as well as what we can do to prevent it and create a culture of fighting back. Three panelists will be given 40 minutes to discuss the topic and the panel will then be open for 40 more minutes to give attendees a chance to let their own voices be heard through quesFREE tions or comments.

You are invited to the Conga Club for a night of drinks and dancing with a featured live performance by rhythm and blues recording artist Evelyn “Champagne” King. Tickets are $20 with a $2 service fee and can be purchased at tickettomato.com.

Saturday, April 20

Earth Day of Service 9 a.m.–1 p.m. PSU

Friday, April 19

Friday Flat Fix Clinic Noon–12:30 p.m. PSU Bike Hub 1818 SW Sixth Ave.

Students are encouraged to come together in order to help various nonprofit organizations with volunteer work in celebration of Earth Day. After the work is done, volunteers will be provided with a free lunch from Food For Thought Cafe and the

ETC.

chance to listen to Mark Lakeman from City Repair talk about his work. For more information, email FREE oran@pdx.edu.

Iranian Women: From Ancient to Modern Times 3 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union, room 238 1825 SW Broadway

Dr. Kaveh Farrokh, author and media consultant for the BBC and History Channel, and Dr. Nayereh Tohidi, professor of gender and women’s studies and director of Middle East studies at California State University, Northridge, come together to talk about the women of Iran and how their lives have changed from ancient to modern times. After the discussion will follow a reception and the chance to FREE ask questions.

Sunday, April 21

Origins of Israeli Culture 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Mittleman Jewish Community Center 6651 SW Capitol Hwy.

Nina Spiegel, the Rabbi Joshua Stampfer Professor of Israeli Studies at PSU, will present an informative talk on the origins of Israeli culture as part of the Food for Thought Festival sponsored by the Oregon Food Bank. Tickets are $5 and you can find more information at Foodfor ThoughtPDX.org.

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

SPORTS ETC.• •TUESDAY, TUESDAY, APRIL Nov.16, 6, 2012 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• TUESDAY, TUESDAY, APRIL JANUARY 16, 2013 10, 2012 • SPORTS • ETC.

SPORTS

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

Season ends early for Kobe Injury prompts evaluation of Hall of Fame career Drew Lazzara Vanguard Staff

This could be the perfect way for the final chapter of Kobe Bryant’s career to unfold. In light of the Achilles injury that will sideline Bryant for the next six to nine months, I’m sure he and most of his die-hard fans would disagree. They likely view it as a tragedy, a final insult at the end of a long, bitter season, and a yanking of the rug out from underneath one of the greatest careers in sports history. I can understand that point of view. I love Kobe’s game, and I’ve rooted for him nearly his entire career. I’m disappointed that I won’t get to see him in the playoffs this year, and it’s almost sad to be reminded that his playing days are coming to a close, injury or not. Almost sad, but not quite. Even though I love his game, it’s incredibly hard to feel anything but cold admiration for Kobe Bean Bryant. His greatness is defined by an intensity that is entirely devoid of emotion, and so, in his darkest days, it’s a struggle to muster the depth of feeling that seems logically appropriate.

Kobe Bryant limps off the court after suffering a torn Achiles tendon on Friday against Golden State. Bryant is expected to miss six to nine months of play.

Bryant’s machine-like resistance to human empathy— and his refusal to extend it to others—has been the defining feature of his persona for each of his 17 professional seasons. Because this facet has been so carefully and thoroughly curated over the years, it has become essentially the only prism through which to view him.

It’s inherently divisive; in Kobe, you either see a purity of righteous intention or a sneering sociopath. He is acutely aware of this public perception, as all cultivators of distinct personalities are, but he is only concerned with it insofar as it reflects the path he has chosen for himself. He neither defines himself as a big-hearted, selfless teammate

nor cares if anyone else does. His personality is geared to reflect indomitable will, unvarnished competitiveness, and the uncompromising pursuit of victory. And I believe it derives from something honest. Those are the values that resonate most strongly with Kobe, and I think he sees it as a betrayal of his talent to bury them just to be liked.

All public figures have choices when it comes to how they portray themselves; Kobe has simply been great enough for those choices to matter. And though for many Kobe represents a vision of humanity too ugly to defend, it is impossible to deny the tangible on-court effects of his choices. For Bryant, all the criticism of his conduct is trumped by

results. He is a five-time NBA champion, a 15-time All-Star, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he just turned in perhaps his most remarkable, efficient season after nearly two decades in the league. And not only would Kobe point to his tireless work ethic, sadomasochistic ability to play through pain and shark-like singlemindedness as the reasons for his success, he would insist that you do the same. Kobe understands how the history books are written. He doesn’t want to be loved for who he is. He wants to be revered for what he has done and the very specific way he has done it. Which is why this injury is such a fitting way for the curtains to begin to close on Kobe’s remarkable career. It was unlikely that his career was going to end in a championship, because so few do and because he would view winning as proof that he could keep going. But while he’s not likely to go out on top, he can still go out on his own terms. Kobe’s greatness is defined by his sheer force of will, and w hat better way to assert that greatness one last time than to overcome this terrible injury. He will be back. He will quietly and icily show us what a devotion to winning above all else means when you follow it to its logical, lonely conclusion. We won’t love him for it, and when he does finally go we won’t really be sad. He hasn’t given us that option. But the results will speak for themselves, and we will respect him.

Vikings to host Ducks this afternoon Portland State takes on nationally ranked Oregon Rosemary Hanson Vanguard Staff

The Portland State softball team will break away from conference competition today for a doubleheader against the University of Oregon Ducks at Erv Lind Stadium. Oregon is currently ranked seventh in the nation and sits atop the Pac-12 Conference standings. The Vikings have been on a tear as of late, winning their last seven games in a row, including sweeps against Weber State University and the University of Northern Colorado. The streak has put PSU in firm command in the Big Sky. The most recent matchup for the team featured two dominant victories on the first day of their matchup with Northern Colorado last weekend, in which the Vikings outscored

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the Bears 14-1 and pitcher Anna Bertrand shut down the Northern Colorado lineup. The Bears then regrouped to give PSU a run for their money the next day in the final game of the weekend. Northern Colorado took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth, but the Vikings came alive to score three runs over the next two innings and tie the game, then got an RBI single from Brittany Hendrickson in the bottom of the seventh to secure the comeback victory. Sadie Lopez, who went 5-for-7 over the weekend with two home runs and seven RBIs, took home Big Sky Player of the Week honors, while Bertrand won her third straight Pitcher of the Week award. Lopez isn’t the only hot hitter in the Vikings’ lineup, as Hendrickson and senior second baseman Carly McEachran have come through with plenty of big hits for PSU this season. Hendrickson continued her

stellar play this year against Weber State, going 4-for-4 with two home runs in a 9-2 victory on March 30, while McEachran has consistently been a force for the Vikings at the plate, hitting seven home runs so far in 2013. They’ll have their hands full with the Ducks pitching staff, though. Oregon is fourth in the Pac-12 with a 1.47 team ERA, and is coming off a sweep of the 17th-ranked University of Arizona over the weekend. The Ducks went into Tempe and rolled through the eight-time national champion Wildcats, getting a 5-3 win in the first game and then following it up with two straight shutouts. Oregon has won nine of its last 10 games against PSU, including a 7-3 victory in last year’s NCAA Eugene Regional. The action begins today at 4 p.m., with the second game scheduled for 6 p.m. Scores and stats can be found by visiting goviks.com.

Miles sanguinetti/VANGUARD STAFf

Brittany hendrickson faces off against a potent Oregon lineup this afternoon at Erv Lind Stadium.

Track and field finds success in Sacramento at the Mondo Invitational Several Vikings earn spots at conference championships Alex Moore Vanguard Staff

The outdoor campaign continued for the track and field squad last weekend, as Portland State traveled to California to compete at the Mondo Mid-Major Challenge in Sacramento. The women’s team placed fifth overall, while the men finished in eighth place. Six Vikings turned in qualifying times for the Big Sky Championships next month. PSU’s sprinters had another solid outing, led by Geronne Black, who took second place in the 100-meter dash and qualified for the Big Sky meet in the 200-meter. Black has had no trouble finding motivation this year. “This has been my best season ever,” Black said. “This is my last season, and everyone wants to go out [with] a bang. I want to be doing something great every weekend.” After a string of tremendous performances, the senior has high expectations for the rest of the year. Black has her sights set on winning

the 100-meter and 200-meter events at the Big Sky meet, but is also working toward qualifying for the national championships and earning a spot on the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Senior Sierra Brooks also qualified in the 100-meter and 200-meter events. The success for the Vikings, who already hold the stadium record down in Sacramento, continued in the relay. This time, PSU came in second, with the team of Black, Brooks, Dominique Maloney and Jazmin Ratcliff clocking in at 46.03 seconds. Ratcliff also competed in the 100-meter hurdles, where she put up the best time in PSU history, and will head to the conference meet in that event. Brittany Long will join her there after qualifying in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Montaisha Moore’s triple-jump perfor mance ensured her a spot and Ali Super qualified in the javelin throw. For the men’s team, Tony Crisofulli and Rockwell Tufty qualified in the 800-meter and high jump, respectively. The season continues this weekend in Eugene at the Oregon Relays, scheduled for April 19–20.

The Outdoor season continued for the Vikings in Sacramento, where six members of the track and field squad qualified for the Big Sky meet in May.

Basement Notes: Robbie Rogers The nature of fair play in the world of professional sports Zach Bigalke  Vanguard Staff

Feb. 12, 2013, very nearly became a historic day for this generation of sports fans, on par with some of the most important moments on the long road toward acceptance for athletes both on the field of play and in the locker room. When soccer player Robbie Rogers came out of the closet that day on his personal blog, it seemed as though we were finally on our way to breaking down the last major barrier of prejudice in professional sports. Later on in the same post, however, Rogers announced his simultaneous retirement from soccer. I thought about Rogers again on Monday, when Major League Baseball paid homage to Jackie Robinson on the anniversary of his first appearance for the Brooklyn Dodgers on Opening Day in 1947. Players on every team in the majors donned Robinson’s number, 42, in what has become an annual tribute to the infielder’s contributions to the racial integration of the sport of baseball.

robbie rogers, left, came out of the closet earlier this year, one of the rare athletes to do so in a distinctly homophobic profession. Around this time each year, plenty of words are written lamenting our departure from a time when athletes were activists. The people making these arguments tend to long wistfully for a time when ballplayers and boxers used their status as transcendent celebrities to petition for the important causes of their eras. They pine for an athlete who exhibits the cool grace of Robinson

in the face of daunting racial backlash. They yearn for the next Muhammad Ali, who sacrificed the prime of his career to remain true to a personal principle. They wonder who might become the next Tommie Smith or John Carlos, whose upraised and blackgloved fists on the Olympic podium at the 1968 games protested a nation that would honor their achievements on

foreign soil but deny them their basic rights at home. Sports offer a unique platform that captivates billions around the globe. But this captivation has led to increasing stakes. The athletes of past decades had more to gain from their principles than they had to lose, at least in terms of their paychecks. Robinson made $5,000 in his debut season with the

Dodgers; his highest salary, in 1952, was $39,750, which, adjusted for inflation, is equivalent to less than $350,000 today. The elite athlete of yesteryear made decent money, but the exponential growth of salaries around the world has made the consequences of speaking one’s mind perilous in its own way. These days, you are much more likely to find an athlete who has been media-coached to the point of inanity than one who truly stands up for a principle. Sound bites drift into cliche as a matter of routine— rare is the athlete who is willing to risk millions of dollars in wages and millions more in potential endorsements to champion a cause, however important it may be. Peeling back the facade of one’s professional identity to reveal the true nature of the person underneath can mean financial suicide over the long run. Few athletes are prepared to take that chance. Activists like the NFL’s Chris Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo have been outspoken in recent years about the need for greater equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. But neither of these men are members of that community, which provides a measure of detachment from their

activism. This is why Ayanbadejo’s announcement two weeks ago that he was in discussions with four active NFL players about jointly revealing their homosexuality caused such a stir. Even after the former Baltimore Raven backtracked from his earlier statements over the following days, speculation continued as to who might be the man (or men) to finally shed their silence and make such a revelation. Robinson couldn’t hide the color of his skin; he did not have the opportunity to avoid the brunt of the prejudices leveled at him. But Robinson’s legacy endures not only because of his skin color but because he was willing to use his platform as a famous athlete to positive effect. He confronted prejudice directly by refusing to yield to the influence of those who opposed his place on the field, and our country is better for his example of grace and dignity. Though Rogers may not be the man destined to confront the cloud of homophobia hovering over sports and our society, his actions have brought us that much closer to achieving that goal. There is no doubt that it should have happened long before now. But it will happen. It’s only a matter of time.

VANGUARD •TTUESDAY, uesday, Jan. APRIL 31, 16, 2013 2013 • SPORTS • SPORTS

Thorns hit the pitch in franchise debut

Top performers Camelia Mayfield: first place in the 5,000-meter, 17:12.61 Rockwell Tufty: second place in the high jump, 2.00 m (6-06.75)

Vanguard Staff

Men’s Tennis

@ Vikings Lewis-Clark State College

vs. Oklahoma City Blazers

106 90

Top performers Will Barton: 18 points, 7 rebounds

christine sinclair came through with a late-game penalty kick to salvage a 1-1 draw for the Thorns on Saturday. Saturday, April 13 main goal-scorer form as good an attacking tandem as you could imagine, a partnership whose members perfectly complement each other.” The Thorns are among the early favorites to win the first NWSL championship, but Kansas City FC was unfazed by the hype and came out strong on Saturday, getting on the board almost immediately with a goal by Renae Cueller in the third

minute. Cueller caught a long pass and ended up one-on-one with Thorns goalkeeper Karina LeBlanc, blasting it by her for the first goal in NWSL history and sending the home crowd into a frenzy. Though the Blues controlled possession for the majority of the game, Portland showed tremendous nerve under pressure. In the 66th minute, the crowd erupted in a chorus of boos

when the Thorns were awarded a penalty kick after Danielle Foxhoven was slide-tackled by Lauren Sesselman in Kansas City’s box. Sinclair was set up 12 yards away and, after taking a moment to settle on her strategy, strode forward and sent a low shot into the right side of the net to bring the Thorns to a 1-1 draw. The Thorns now head home to Jeld-Wen Field to take on

the Seattle Reign FC on April 21 at 2 p.m. The Reign come in with some notable players of their own, including Megan Rapinoe, another former University of Portland alumna, and Hope Solo, the outspoken goalkeeper on two gold-medal U.S. squads. Following the Seattle match, the Thorns move on to the Midwest for a meeting with the Chicago Red Stars on April 27.

journey to the Western Conference finals. In back-to-back contests in Spokane, the Winterhawks resumed the offensive onslaught that typified their ventures away from Portland in the previous round. In Game 3 on Tuesday, right winger Ty Rattie scored his 10th goal of the 2013 postseason and added two assists as the Winterhawks prevailed 3-1 in Spokane. Other than a powerplay tally by the Chiefs’ Blake Gal late in the second period, the defense proved stout and Carruth pushed aside 25 of the 26 attempts sent his way. With Game 4’s opening faceoff coming 24 hours after the preceding game’s start, fatigue threatened to be a factor for both clubs. But Chase De Leo scored midway through the first period and Taylor Peters added a shorthanded marker two minutes later to put the Winterhawks ahead 2-0 at the first intermission. Less than two minutes after the second period commenced, Rattie netted his 11th goal of the playoffs on the power play to give Portland an extra buffer. Spokane would put 10 shots on

Men’s Tennis

@ Eastern Washington Vikings

4 3

NWSL

@ Thorns FC Kansas City

1 1

Top performers Christine Sinclair: 1 goal

Winterhawks defeat Spokane in four games to advance to conference finals

Getting through the second round of the WHL playoffs proved to be a much smoother ride for the Portland Winterhawks than it was in their opening series against Everett. Much of the thanks is owed to the elder statesman of the club, goaltender Mac Carruth, who stopped 30 shots on Wednesday for his fifth career playoff shutout, extending his franchise record as Portland won 5-0 over the Spokane Chiefs to wrap up the sweep in the Western Conference semifinals. Other than the two losses in the first round, where Carruth was not outmatched by the Silvertips skaters so much as outplayed by Everett netminder Austin Lotz, the 21-year-old WHL veteran has been stellar in his final postseason before moving on to the pros. Through two rounds of play, Carruth is averaging 1.74 goals against per game and sports a .925 save percentage, starting in all 10 games for Portland and building an 8-2 record in the Winterhawks’

4 3

NBA

Clean sweep

Vanguard Staff

Track and Field

Women’s team placed fifth overall Men’s team placed eighth overall

Matt Deems

Zach Bigalke

Friday, April 12

Mondo Invitational Sacramento, Calif.

Portland squad draws with Kansas City on the road The inaugural season of the newly formed National Women’s Soccer League is finally underway, as the Portland Thorns FC played its first regular-season game in a road matchup with FC Kansas City at Shawnee Mission District Stadium on April 13. The Thorns went to Kansas City with a roster that is bolstered by several marquee names, including Christine Sinclair, the former University of Portland Pilots star and Canadian national team captain. She is joined by Alex Morgan, the U.S. national team member who is most known for her gamewinning goal against Canada in the semifinals of the 2012 London Olympics. The duo has already received plenty of attention—Richard Farley of NBC Sports has even gone so far as to compare them to a certain famous duo currently playing basketball in southern Florida. “The NWSL have their own Miami Heat,” Farley said in a recent article before the Thorns’ first game. “In Christine Sinclair and Alex Morgan, Portland Thorns FC…may have the two best players in the league. Canada’s captain and the U.S.’s