Portland State Vanguard April 18, 2013

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Portland State University THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 52

Senate faces constitution controversey

Higher education can help build sustainable future, expert says

Former ASPSU Vice President Ethan Allen Smith pushes a new constitution Allie Clark Vanguard staff

Calling the current PSU student government’s constitution “the kindergarten constitution,” Ethan Allen Smith and the Associated Students of Portland State University senate clashed Wednesday night over requirements to put a new constitution on the ballot at next week’s election.

Smith is a senior studying graphic design. Though not currently serving within ASPSU, he has held the positions of senator, speaker of the senate, vice president and publications director. Last year, he ran for president opposite current ASPSU President Tiffany Dollar.

At issue was whether Smith is required to collect the signatures of 3 percent of the student body to have the new constitution put on the ballot, as is the case with constitutional amendments, or 1 percent, as in the case with initiatives.

Then ASPSU’s judicial review board will count the signatures Smith collected. If the number is less than 3 percent but greater than 1 percent, the board will rule on the specific percentage needed.

Responding to Smith’s proposal, senator Phoenix Singer put forth the Dono-Phoenix Amendment, which would require new constitutions to have the signatures of three percent of the student body at least one week before voting starts for the proposed constitution to be put on the ballot.

See constitution on page 3

karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

Anthony Cortese enjoys some sustainability related banter with PSU President Wim Wiewel during the formers opening remarks.

Daniel Shepard Vanguard Staff

Anthony Cortese says ‘PSU practices what they preach’

Students, faculty, administration and community members packed the Native American Student and Community Center on Wednesday night to listen to Dr. Anthony Cortese speak about the intersection of sustainability and higher education.

Cortese, who was invited to Portland State by the university’s Institute of Sustainable Solutions and

PSU President Wim Wiewel, is a renowned advocate of uniting higher education and sustainability. Along with then-Sen. John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry, he co-founded Second Nature, an organization dedicated to promoting sustainability.

Wiewel certainly celebrates Cortese’s work.

“He has been a real leader in the area of sustainability for more years than most of us have known the word,” Wiewel said.

Cortese’s presentation was inspired by a complex question: What is the role of higher education in helping create a healthy, just and sustainable society?

His answer, put simply, was that higher education is in a unique position to provide leadership that other institutions are not.

A common thread throughout the evening was the idea that sustainability is more than just environmental jargon—it also includes economic See sustainability on page 4

Students work to clean up water quality Solutions Generator project focuses on bioswales in Sherwood Jesse Sawyer Vanguard staff

courtesy of bioswales group

Then and Now: Bobby Nuvolini pictured left, surveys and stakes the site for the bioswales during the early phases of the project. Pictured right is the current state of the bioswale projectin Sherwood.

What if a giant network of thirsty sponges could be “planted” in soil to make water cleaner?

Four Portland State students, with the help of a Solutions Generator grant from PSU’s Institute for Sustainable Solutions, are researching how bioswales can help mitigate nutrient-rich runoff that can harm water supplies in farming communities.

The hope is that their efforts will provide farmers with a way to help

improve local water quality.

Bioswales are a commonly used tool for dealing with water quality issues in urban settings. They are formed by surrounding a water source, like a small creek, with unique native plants that thrive in very wet soil. The idea is that the plants pick up pollutants from water runoff in places such as parking lots and act as sponges to absorb damaging elements before they reach a larger water source.

The project got its start in 2012 in Sherwood, Ore., when Bobby Nuvolini, an environmental science undergraduate, and Jake Constans, an environmental studies undergraduate, first got funding to look at a new application for bioswales.

See Bioswales on page 3

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Candidates shake hands, talk politics ASPSU elections in full force this week Allie Clark Vanguard staff

Candidates running for office in the upcoming Associated Students of Portland State University election gathered Tuesday for an informal meet and greet, where the mood was friendly as candidates mingled with the opposition and engaged in friendly conversation.

ASPSU elections have had a history of hostility, but presidential candidate James Au said the mood is different this year.

“We’re all students here,” Au said. “What is the point of animosity?”

Max Werner, who is running on Au’s slate, added, “It’s very important to be proactive, not reactive.”

Werner, a junior in accounting, is running for the ASPSU student fee committee. Currently, Werner serves on the organization budget council.

This subcommittee of the SFC is in charge of funding student organizations.

Werner feels his experience in the OBC has prepared him to work in the SFC, which involves distributing the $14 million in student fees collected each year. Working in the SFC would be similar to working in the OBC, Werner said, but “on a bigger scale.”

Werner is confident in his ability to make decisions about such a large budget, given that the OBC has a similar function. “The SFC gives the OBC a large amount of money to work with,” Werner said.

The only difference, Werner said, is that instead of making decisions about funding for student groups and student activities, he would be making decisions about funding for departments.

Several of the other candidates who attended the meet and greet emphasized the need for civil elections where the focus is on the candidate’s plans rather than controversy.

Vice presidential candidate Yesenia Silva Hernandez, who is running with Harris Foster, said the way to achieve her goals for increasing minority representation is through a cooperative ASPSU. “We need to be able to work together as a team to better represent students.”

Hernandez said that many PSU students aren’t aware of the resources that are available to them, such as cultural centers. Increasing minority representation is a theme among candidates on the FosterHernandez slate.

One such candidate is Tia Gomez Zeller, a current senator who is running for the SFC. Gomez Zeller wants to focus on ensuring that minority organizations are well represented on the SFC. “I want to be sure that, next

Candidates Evan Hoffman (left), James Au, and Robert Miller talk at the Tuesday meet and greet.

all photos Kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFf

year, our fees will be going to those organizations,” she said.

As for cooperation, Gomez Zeller said, “We’re just here to help,” adding that the candidates had reached a point where they didn’t see the point of fighting each other when they could be working together.

Elvin Ramirez, also on the Foster-Hernandez slate, is running for the SFC with the goal of “creating an ethical and moral and fair SFC.” Ramirez supports increased funding and representation for minorities.

“We take governance like a family, like a mother that takes care of the ones that need more help,” Ramirez said of those goals.

Ramirez also advocates a 5-percent decrease in ASPSU salaries in order to foster social equity. In that area, Ramirez

Candidates Galen Russell (left background), Toran Hoffman and Harris Foster at Tuesday’s meet and greet event

has some common ground with Au, who said of compensation for student government members: “We do this as a passion.

I don’t think that money should matter.”

Another candidate who attended the gathering was Thomas Howell, a senior in philosophy who is running for the senate. If elected, Howell would support rewriting ASPSU’s constitution in order

Fair to be held at Smith Memorial Student Union on Tuesday Ryan Voelker Vanguard staff

corinna scott/VANGUARD STAFf

Zapoura Newton-Calvert meets with students in her “Enhancing Youth Literacy” Senior Capstone class and discusses community projects with them.

“PSU was one of the pioneering institutions, and each year we are recognized for excellence in our community-based learning,” she explained. “You see more and more universities developing capstone programs, especially as the job market is so difficult, to make sure that college

Students tackle sexual violence Sexual Assault Awareness Month spotlights rape awareness, selfdefense and other workshops Kimberly McGinnis Vanguard staff

to take away some of the executive branch’s powers.

“I don’t think there are adequate checks and balances,” Howell said.

Evan Hoffman, a political science sophomore, is running for senate as well. Hoffman believes ASPSU needs to be more transparent. He wants ASPSU to “get out there and get us known to the student body so they know what we’re doing.”

PSU to host annual Senior Capstone Fair

Some students see the Senior Capstone program as simply a requirement for graduating, but the program also provides students the opportunity to truly embody Portland State’s motto: “Let Knowledge Serve the City.”

Like any other potentially life-changing endeavor, preparation is key.

On Tuesday, PSU’s Senior Capstone Fair will facilitate a yearly opportunity for students to learn about the hundreds of courses being offered, directly from the instructors who will be leading them. The two-hour fair will be held in the Smith Memorial Student Union, in room 327, starting at 11 a.m. “[The fair] is a great opportunity for students to explore what different capstone courses are offered and the opportunities for civic engagement,” said Seanna Kerrigan, who has been the capstone director since the program began almost two decades ago.

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graduates are able to develop applied learning.”

Although most students attending the fair are upperclassmen making course arrangements for graduation, Kerrigan encourages students at all levels to participate and become more aware of what to expect for their future curriculum.

“So many freshman and sophomores aren’t clear about what the capstone requirement is,” Kerrigan said. “A lot of students don’t know that these courses are already formed by the faculty, rather than something [the students] need to form themselves.”

Scores of students may also be unaware of the sheer

volume of courses available.

According to Kerrigan, the fair will feature roughly 40 faculty members representing approximately 150 capstone courses. The courses feature various formats and learning environments.

“Some courses are international, some are close to campus, some are online,” Kerrigan said. “The international capstones take a little longer to plan for with finances, travel and logistics, so students spend a lot of time at those tables.

“With online courses, this may be one of the only opportunities for students to meet their instructor face-toface,” she added.

To get the most out of the fair, Kerrigan encourages students to familiarize themselves with the capstone program website at capstone. unst.pdx.edu. Kerrigan said that, even though most information is already available online, there’s nothing like having your personal questions answered by faculty members.

“The fair has multiple points where it buzzes with students and faculty engaged in conversation, and it’s great to hear that level of exchange,” she said.

One in five women will be raped at some point in their lives, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For men, it’s one in 71.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and here at Portland State the Women’s Resource Center and other student organizations are raising awareness about issues of sexual violence with education and outreach. “[Sexual assault] is a critical issue on campus which affects students’ ability to safely access their education,” said Jessica Amo, director of the WRC. SAAM events this month have already featured a free self-defense class, a workshop on how to relate in a consensual way and a discussion about how to date a survivor of assault.

Scheduled tonight is a panel discussion about rape culture in Smith Memorial Student Union, room 296/298, from 6–8 p.m. At the same time, there will also be a showing of The Invisible War—a documentary about rape in the U.S. military—in the Multicultural Center, located on the second floor of SMSU. The full calendar of SAAM events leads up to Take Back

Riza liu/VANGUARD STAFf

Flags are strung across the Women’s Resource Center this month to recognize Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

the Night/Bike Back the Night, which will take place on Thursday outside of SMSU. The event will feature keynote speakers, a resource fair and entertainment.

In light of assaults on PSU’s campus this year, as well as the growing urban setting in which the university resides, the Campus Public Safety Office has been working toward a safer environment.

CPSO Chief Phil Zerzan declined to characterize the incidence of sexual assaults on campus. “One is too many,” he said. “We think that sexual assaults are grossly underreported as it is. We want to see an increase in reporting.”

In January, CPSO hired a detective to assist in sexual assault investigations on campus.

The detective has undergone extensive training in responding to and investigating sexual

assault situations through the Boston University medical center and the Portland Women’s Crisis Line.

CPSO also has a memorandum of understanding with the Portland Police Bureau facilitating joint investigations.

“We are going to be able to provide a survivor-centered model that includes 24-hour advocacy,” Zerzan said. “We work closely with a care team, including the Queer Resource Center and the Women’s Resource Center, to provide an integrated approach.”

Student Selina RedBird, a junior majoring in anthropology, said this kind of violence hasn’t touched her personally.

“I generally feel very safe.

I’ve been prudent to be careful and stay in well-lit areas,” RedBird said. “Nothing’s ever happened to me or anyone I know.”

RedBird is aware of resources available through CPSO and of the Blue Light phone system, but thinks that there’s still more to do.

“I do feel there should be more [emergency phone] blue boxes on campus because I’ve heard of a few instances in which women were assaulted and no help was nearby,” she said.

The Blue Light phones, recognizable by tall columns reading “Emergency” with blue lights on top, automatically notify CPSO when they are picked up or the call button is pushed. The system, which dates back to the 1970s, continues to provide a direct line to assistance which can prove invaluable in a crisis situation.

‘For more information about resources on campus, as well as a full calendar of SAAM events, visit pdx.edu/wrc.

Bioswales from page 1

Bioswales help keep fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals out of water sources “We couldn’t find any research that had been done in an agricultural environment,” Constans said. With nearly a year’s worth of work, an additional ISS grant for 2013 and expanding partnerships with campus and community groups, the project is starting to gain momentum.

The group has teamed up with Baggenstos Farm in Sherwood—a food supplier for PSU’s Aramark dining services—to run the experiment.

The farm donated a portion of their land for construction and research of a single bioswale.

“This is how advances get made,” Nuvolini said, “by partners like these.”

The farm’s runoff flows into the Tualatin River—a huge resource both for people and their farms. When you combine the fertilizers and pesticides from all of the farms in a given area that end up in the river, the damage accumulates quickly.

The effect can be algae blooms, which can wreak havoc on entire ecosystems.

Because of the added chemicals in the water, algae can reproduce rapidly. When they eventually collapse, they suffocate the environment by removing the water’s oxygen. This process is known as eutrophication, which can result in massive die-offs of fish and other plant life.

“It’s not just about sustainability, it’s also about protection,” said Amira El-Cherbini, an environmental studies major working on the project.

The project has also found

Constitution from page 1

Smith called the current constitution, which went into effect last year, “a huge step backward” The amendment passed with 19 votes in favor and zero votes against, with two abstainers, meaning that the 3 percent requirement amendment will now go on the ballot.

If Smith’s constitution passes, however, it will trump any other amendments passed this election.

The senate also passed a nonbinding resolution stating that, in their opinion, a new constitution requires the same amount of signatures to pass as an amendment does (16 for, one against, five abstain).

A look at the proposed constitution The proposed constitution would require ASPSU senators to come from the constituencies they represent and would dramatically reduce compensation for high-ranking student government positions such as student fee committee chair, ASPSU president and ASPSU vice president.

Smith said the goal of the proposed constitution is to allow student groups more direct representation in their government. According to

Smith’s plan, within the senate there would be one freshman representative, one graduate student representative, one student athlete representative and one representative who is a campus resident.

In addition, there would be two representatives from each of the major schools or colleges, with the exception of the School of Extended Studies.

There would also be one representative from each of the Student Activities and Leadership Program clusters.

In order to be elected, the candidate would have to prove that they qualify as a part of that constituency.

For example, only a freshman could be elected to serve as the freshman class representative.

Smith believes this will result in a group of senators who will advocate more energetically for their constituency’s needs, including making sure that groups receive the funding they need.

Currently, senators are assigned to constituencies, which can be a problem, according to Smith.

“Senators are very, very seldom personally invested in their constituencies,” Smith said.

At Wednesday night’s meeting, several senators became upset by this, saying that Smith meant the senate wasn’t doing its job of representing constituencies.

Smith’s proposal would essentially revert the ASPSU constitution back to what it was two years ago, before ASPSU passed a new constitution that went into effect this year.

“The constitution that went into effect last year was a huge step backward,” Smith said.

The proposed constitution would also have a large effect on student-leader compensation. Currently, ASPSU senators are awarded $300 per term. Smith proposes that SFC members’ compensation equal that amount. An exception would be made for the SFC chair, ASPSU president and ASPSU vice president, who would be allowed no more than $600 per term.

In the budget just passed by the SFC and approved by university President Wim

kayla nguyen/VANGUARD STAFf

ethan allen smith introduces a new ASPSU constitution, which was greeted with many objections.

Wiewel, the ASPSU president is awarded $2,400 per term, the vice president $1,800 per term and the SFC chair $2,100 per term.

Opposition voiced Marlon Holmes, ASPSU vice president, opposes Smith’s plans. Holmes is running for the SFC next year.

“This document, for me, depletes the organization and really sets it up for failure,” Holmes said. Holmes believes the combination of lowered compensation and constituency restrictions will unfairly exclude qualified students from student government.

“Seventy percent of our students are in need of aid,” he

said. “So what happens when you come through with this structured system with low compensation, what kind of individuals are you going to have involved in it? Students who can’t afford to won’t be able to participate. Are we really doing the job of developing leaders of tomorrow if we have all these rules and restrictions?”

ASPSU presidential candidate Harris Foster also dislikes the proposed constitution. Foster says the constitution that went into effect this year moved away from a constituency model with a goal of increasing accountability.

“I see an accountability and organizational benefit to our current [constitution],”

help from others in the Sherwood community.

Jared Kinnear, a project manager for Clean Water Services, a water resource management utility company, has donated both resources and ideas to the effort. Scholls Valley Native Nursery and community partner Jonas Moiel have also offered local plants to the bioswale.

Other groups at PSU have offered their services. This year, a Senior Capstone class that monitors streams took part by acting as a quality-assurance monitoring team.

“The idea behind this is to increase the capacity around the monitoring,” said Mary Ann Schmidt, director of the Student Watershed Research Project and the stream–monitoring course’s instructor. “It’s a great entry point to involve citizen science and community outreach.”

Dr. Heejun Chang of the geography department has acted as the project’s faculty mentor. Chang, Constans said, has helped them put together an appropriate research method.

The project’s outreach has been an effort to gain aid as well as time. The project will take up to five years to show promising results. It is the hope of the Solutions Generator that the group will be able to pass the torch along when they are no longer able to directly contribute.

“If the project works we want it to be a model,” El-Cherbini said.

Foster said. Additionally, Foster doesn’t agree with a presidential veto that was added to Smith’s constitution. “I don’t think the president should have that much power,” he said.

Dave Coburn, ASPSU’s legislative affairs director, has concerns as well. “What does this body look like when passed? Since the constitution requires representatives to step down immediately if they no longer are a member of the constituency they represent, a representative that changes majors from one college to another would have to resign,” Coburn said.

Also passed were amendments to change the term of the judicial review board (220-2) and to have one member of the SFC appointed by the senate (17-2-4), as well as an amendment mandating that the executive staff work with the JRB to facilitate elections and allow the JRB to recommend either a plurality or instant runoff system for voting (21 for, 0 against, 3 abstain).

The senate also voted to put the question of setting student building fees aside in order to renovate Smith Memorial Student Union on the ballot as a referendum.

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VANGUARD • THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 • News

A look at “place” in architecture Renowned British anthropologist Tim Ingold will present tonight Matthew Ellis Vanguard staff

Tonight, the Portland State Department of Architecture will host renowned British anthropologist Tim Ingold at 6 p.m. for the fifth lecture in its annual series, which looks to unite interdisciplinary thinkers around common and popular questions within the field.

This year’s series—named Placing—is an exploration of the concept of “place,” a philosophical idea popular in architecture studies since the 1960s that has come under fire in recent decades for its failure to adapt to rapid changes in urban or cultural environments.

In order to address these questions with fresh perspectives, the School of Architecture typically fills its lecture series with speakers from a broad array of disciplines.

“We have several architects in the lecture series,” said Juan Heredia, an assistant professor of architecture at PSU. “But we also have an urban designer, a landscape architect and an anthropologist.”

Ingold was a natural choice for the event. As chair of social anthropology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Ingold has sought to dissolve the boundaries between social space and physical space within different cultures—an approach that often leads him into the study of other disciplines, such as art and architecture.

“I was thinking about how environments are perceived, shaped and transformed—and particularly about the linear quality of movement, observation and description—and people started telling me that

this was actually architecture,” Ingold said.

“Architects seemed to find what I was thinking rather more interesting than my anthropological colleagues did.”

For Thursday’s lecture, Ingold hopes to investigate notions of space, and what he calls the “difference between the landscape and the earthsky world.”

In addition, Ingold will elaborate on his idea that buildings are “woven from strands or fibers rather than assembled from solid blocks,” an idea which seems abstract at first but is perfectly representative of the interdisciplinary blending the Department of Architecture hopes for from the series.

“The purpose is to have a diverse set of speakers with varied interests [in] design, art and culture who can address the theme of the series from a variety of perspectives and offer a glimpse [of ] the complexity of architecture and its

importance for the public realm,” Heredia said.

It’s not just architecture that piqued Ingold’s interest in the Placing lecture series. The attempt to cross-pollinate across different disciplines has long fascinated Ingold, and he would rather think of them as “lines of interest” than fields of study.

“Although my project is interdisciplinary, it is also anti-disciplinary, insofar as it challenges the conventional notion of the discipline as the study of, for example, art or architecture,” he said. “My aim is to weave these lines together, rather than to build bridges between territorial fields.”

The final lecture in the Placing series will be held on May 2, with a talk from landscape architect Julie Bargmann. In addition, a spring symposium titled “Strange Utility” will be held in late April; next year’s lecture series is tentatively titled Unclad.

More information on future events can be found at pdx.edu/ architecture.

Ravleen Kaur Vanguard staff

Tim ingold will be speaking at tonight’s 6 p.m. architecture lecture.

Sustainability from page 1

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

This week’s question:

“How did you do on your taxes?”

Austin Maggs Vanguard staff

Cat Tholen, 23, a sophomore history major, only spent nine dollars filing her taxes through EasyTaxUSA.com. This is also her first year receiving a tax refund. “[A]ll of my previous jobs were under the table,” Tholen said. “My newest job isn’t under the table, so this is the first time I filed taxes.”

Kylie Lacour, 23, a sophomore graphic design major, had her mom file her taxes and got a decent refund, though she did receive less than last year. “I got less because I work less…I’m working part-time and going to school, whereas last year I wasn’t going to school at all.”

Aaron Bach, 25, a master’s student of sociology, had to pay $200 for H&R Block to tell him he had to pay $500 in taxes.

“I’m living off of student loans and an incredibly meager assistantship, and [with] a wife who has an [underpaying] job using her master’s degree as an editor we make incredibly small amounts of money—and we owe the government more,” he said. “So I’m not particularly excited about it.”

Jason Weis, 24, a senior physics major, planned ahead and filed his taxes as early as he could. He was as accurate as possible, but he ended up owing state taxes for the first time.

“Somehow I ended up owing state, which was really strange to me. Otherwise, I’ve gotten pretty good at it the last few years.”

Many schools have saved millions of dollars thanks to sustainability initiatives and societal issues. When all three are considered and addressed, he contended, societies can ensure that they thrive for the long term. In higher education Cortese identifies the perfect petri dish for fostering the sort of thinking necessary to produce community-oriented individuals.

Wiewel identified higher education as a good medium because it is “a great way to influence policy and practice long into the future,” referring to the faculty’s and university’s ability to communicate the importance of sustainability to their students.

Cortese said the greatest challenge to sustainability is the values a society holds, and he praised PSU and Wiewel for efforts on campus, including “the orientation that PSU has toward making sure the city of Portland is a vibrant and strong community. You don’t often get that at other colleges and universities— they pay lip service. PSU practices what they preach.”

Wiewel credited coming to PSU and Portland with opening his eyes to a broader definition of sustainability.

“I came here as somebody who cared deeply about cities, but I’ve learned as much about sustainability in the past five years now than I ever knew before,” he said.

Cortese also highlighted the success of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, or ACUPCC. Wiewel is a member of the ACUPCC’s steering committee and was the cornerstone of their Second Nature initiative to bring higher education into

Fluoride debate simmers Thoughts from both sides of Portland’s water fluoridation debate

© Tim Ingold / university of aberdeen

karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

Cortese believes that higher ed is in a unique position to promote a green society. a greater position of leadership on the issue of climate change.

By encouraging universities to begin thinking about carbon footprints, they began a process of getting those universities to start researching and gaining the experience in climate initiatives that would someday be necessary for communities to adopt.

The ACUPCC has been a success, with nearly 700 universities across the U.S. taking part voluntarily since 2006.

Cortese was especially proud to point out that since its inception only 6 percent of participating schools have dropped out of the commitment. Many schools have saved millions of dollars thanks to sustainability initiatives such as replacing old energy sources with wind, solar or geothermal energy.

Wiewel was especially proud of the fact that the ACUPCC is entirely voluntary, calling it a “quintessentially American way of going about it.”

Cortese was adamant that the future of success for sustainability in higher education relies on several factors: making sustainability integral to the university’s

mission and master plan; creating measurements for sustainability; building a system of rewards and incentives for faculty; developing and prioritizing alumni relationships; communicating and marketing these ideas; and collaborating with other sectors of the community.

In addition, Cortese said the next step for sustainability and higher education is to accelerate climate action plans as climate change continues to snowball and to influence faculty to include sustainability in their everyday curricula.

Wiewel said that the next initiative to come out of the ACUPCC will be one of “resilience and adaptability.”

Specifically, while universities have been very focused on climate change, they must now turn their experience to leadership and get “cities and regions to think about adaptation to climate change.”

Cortese may have best summed up his, Wiewel’s, and the ACUPCC’s continued efforts in sustainability: “The question is not whether or not we will get there, but whether or not we will try.”

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Portland remains the largest city in the nation that does not add fluoride to its drinking water. But, next month, a water fluoridation measure will appear on the ballot, giving Portland voters the chance to accept or reject the City Council’s unanimously approved fluoridation plan.

Ballot Measure 26-151 comes on the heels of an opposition petition that garnered more than 30,000 signatures, leading to a referendum on the City Council’s vote.

A September 2012 Survey USA poll of Portland voters found a deep divide in public opinion, with 45 percent of respondents opposing the measure, 43 percent supporting it and 12 percent undecided.

While proponents find community water fluoridation to be safe and effective based on what they say is a mountain of research that proves its efficacy in safely preventing dental problems, a number of groups disagree.

Opponents find fluoride to be a potential health and environmental hazard with unpredictable effects, pointing to studies that claim fluoride is a corrosive chemical that disrupts body functions.

Representatives from Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland—a group that supports water fluoridation—and Oregon Sierra Club’s Columbia Group, which recently officially opposed the measure, spoke to the Vanguard about their concerns.

Dr. Virginia Feldman, a spokesperson for Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland and an adjunct professor of pediatrics at Oregon Health and Science University, represents the pro-fluoridation group, while Antonia Giedwoyn, a spokesperson for Oregon Sierra Club’s Columbia Group, takes the opposite stance.

Vanguard: How would Portland be affected by water fluoridation?

Giedwoyn: If the water fluoridation measure passes, Portland will take a giant step backwards, to the 1940s, when asbestos was thought to be harmless, the American Medical Association encouraged smoking, ads told the public DDT [dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane] was good for us and government began artificially fluoridating water supplies. Many chemicals we once thought were safe have been linked to myriad health problems over the past 50 years.

We have some of the purest drinking water in the country.

This would be a major threat to the clean water Portlanders have worked to protect for decades. Portland should focus on real solutions to improving dental health, such as increasing access to dental care for low-income kids and providing oral hygiene education.

Feldman: Community water fluoridation at the level of 0.7 parts per million, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, will benefit all Portlanders, regardless of age or socioeconomic status.

Many people do not know that we have 40 percent more untreated tooth decay here in Portland than [in] Seattle, where they fluoridate. Locally, many dentists call it “Multnomah mouth”—they can tell if a patient has grown up elsewhere, in a fluoridated community, because they have stronger and healthier teeth and need fewer expensive and painful interventions.

Poor dental health hurts and contributes to poor overall health for a lifetime—it leads to heart disease, and it can adversely affect speech and selfesteem. It harms our economy through increased health care costs and lost productivity.

VG: What is the single biggest misconception about water fluoridation you’d like to address?

Feldman: There are so many, it’s hard to choose just one. Perhaps one misconception that symbolizes the other information promulgated by those who opposed fluoridation is that there is “new science” that tells us there is a cause to doubt the safety and efficacy of community water fluoridation. Over 65 years and 3,000 credible, peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated that water fluoridation is safe.

The opposition is prone to cite studies that have either been proven to have faulty methodology or did not study community water fluoridation at the optimum level of 0.7 parts per million, but rather areas of the world where there [are] naturally occurring levels of fluoride far beyond the recommended amount of 0.7–1.2 parts per million. The anti-fluoridationists also cherry-pick from large reviews of studies to support their position, choosing to ignore the conclusions.

Giedwoyn: Perhaps the single biggest misconception surrounds what would actually be added to the water. Fluoridation promoters like to claim that fluoridation chemicals are just “natural minerals,” but nothing could be further from the truth. The fluoridation chemical fluorosilicic acid is a byproduct of industrial fertilizer production, and even the

COURTESY OF Antonia Giedwoyn

COURTESY OF Dr. virginia feldman

Antonia Giedwoyn,

Virginia Feldman,

spokesperson for Oregon Sierra Club’s Columbia Group

spokesperson for Healthy Kids, Healthy Portland

fluoridation promoters have admitted this. This is one of the reasons [the] EPA’s scientists’ union has formally opposed water fluoridation and why most European countries do not fluoridate.

Fluorosilicic acid is entirely different from the mineral calcium fluoride, which occurs naturally in some water supplies. Fluorosilicic acid is not even the pharmaceutical-grade fluoride found in toothpaste.

VG: What is the single most compelling piece of evidence that supports your position?

Giedwoyn: The single most compelling evidence that supports Sierra Club’s position that these chemicals should be kept out of our water is The National Academy of Sciences’ 500-page report, titled “Fluoride in Drinking Water,” published in 2006. The academy reviewed hundreds of recent scientific studies that link fluoride exposure to a wide range of serious human health threats.

Following this study, the federal government, in 2011, called for a 40 percent reduction in the maximum allowable fluoridation levels, and issued warnings that infants drinking formula mixed with fluoridated water face increased risks of excessive fluoride exposure.

There is a large body of strong scientific evidence supporting the position that it does not make sense to add fluoridation chemicals to our drinking water. It’s 2013; we should be working to decrease our exposure to chemicals, not increase the amount of toxins in our environment and bodies.

Feldman: [More than] 3,000 studies and 65 years of experience have shown that fluoride in the water helps make teeth stronger. Fluoride is a natural mineral, like calcium or zinc,

that exists in some levels in all water supplies. Fluoride is not a toxic byproduct. Fluoride added to drinking water is extracted from rocks, and is highly purified, more pure than even pharmaceutical grade fluoride used for tablets and drops that many children already receive.

There is complete agreement among the trusted health and science organizations that fluoridated water is healthy and safe for everyone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, [the] World Health Organization, [the] American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics and hundreds of other credible health organizations support water fluoridation for better oral health.

VG: One specific concern I have heard is the notion that putting fluoride in water doesn’t follow standards of “informed consent.” Can you address this?

Feldman: This premise is based on a misunderstanding about what is a drug. Water fluoridation is not an example of community or mass drugging. Instead, water fluoridation is an important public health tool that has been hailed one of the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century by the CDC. Water fluoridation at the optimal level makes teeth stronger and [more] resistant to decay.

This is particularly important for people who can’t afford fluoride supplements or are unable to afford to go to the dentist for regular care.

VG: Fluoride proponents use the approval of fluoridated water by organizations like the CDC as an argument for their position. How would you address this?

Giedwoyn: The CDC, dentists and others have been endorsing fluoridation for

many decades despite their own admission that fluoridation chemicals contain arsenic, lead and other toxic byproducts of fertilizer production. The CDC and others have based their professional reputations on supporting fluoridation and now that the science shows [the] real risks of fluoridation, they have been slow to admit that what they’ve been telling the public for decades was not correct.

Experts once insisted that numerous chemicals and drugs, from pesticides like DDT to leaded paint, were safe, only to learn years later that those chemicals are actually dangerous. There is good reason to protect our drinking water and reduce, not increase, the number of chemicals we are adding to our water.

VG: Tell me something most people may not know about water fluoridation or the debate surrounding it.

Feldman: While the nature of the political argument has changed over time, the charges that opponents make have only small variations: We have heard everything from this being a communist plot, that fluoridation was used as a form of Nazi mind control, and that it causes a host of diseases including [attention deficit disorder] and mental complacency so the government can control our minds. This hysteria is a result of fear, which has resulted in an attempt to mask the truth: Community water fluoridation is safe, effective [and] affordable, and it works.

Giedwoyn: Most people are unaware that fluoridation chemicals are waste byproducts of the phosphate fertilizer industry, or that even fluoridation promoters admit that these chemicals are known to contain toxins such as arsenic and lead, which pose serious health threats to kids even in very small amounts.

Most people also don’t realize that the so-called “dental health crisis” in Portland is a gross distortion of the fact that Portland actually has a much better dental record than many cities that have been fluoridated for decades.

Every city should do more to protect kids’ teeth, but there is no evidence that Portland has a higher cavity rate than fluoridated cities. Portland, in fact, has the 15th-best dental health record in the United States when compared to the CDC’s statewide data. Like other cities, Portland has an obligation to help kids’ teeth by increasing access to care and improving dental health education.

VG: Where do you think the other side is coming from?

Giedwoyn: Most fluoridation promoters are well[intentioned], but are often unaware of the large body of recent scientific evidence demonstrating serious health risks, such as increased bone cancer [risk] and potential association with Down syndrome. Those who are aware of these studies dismiss them, but these are studies from some of the top research institutions in the U.S. This is a contentious issue because Portlanders take pride in [the city’s] clean water and have rejected fluoridation in the past in order to keep our water clean and pure. As a community, we need to vote no to fluoridation chemicals once again. No means no. Forced fluoridation violates the basic right to decide what we put into our bodies for alleged medicinal purposes.

Feldman: The opposition comes from misinterpretation of scientific information and a misunderstanding of the scientific method, in an attempt to create public fear for something that has been going on across the U.S. and the world for [more than] 65 years with no credible evidence of negative effects.

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ArtsArts & Culture & Culture • THURSDAY, •Tuesday,APRIL Jan. 18, 31, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD ••TThursday, THURSDAY, uesday, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, Jan. JANUARY OCTOBER Nov. APRIL FEBRUARY JANUARY 31, 8, 2013 18, 2012 10, 25, 2013 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

Architecture lecture!

PSU architecture school to host big names in the industry Jeoffry Ray Vanguard Staff

“How do you bring architecture to a new generation?” asked Nora Wendl, assistant professor of architecture at Portland State. “How do you use everything in the toolbox to engage them?”

These were questions Wendl was thinking about when she began development for the School of Architecture’s upcoming architectural symposium, “Strange Utility: Architecture Toward Other Ends.”

The symposium will take place next Friday and Saturday and will feature several architects and artists of international acclaim. The guests will discuss a breadth of approaches to architecture, from graphic novels to scholarly pursuits and contemporary art practice.

In addition to the lectures, which will be held in the Shattuck Hall Annex, the symposium will also welcome guests to a reception in the architecture office and an art reception in neighboring Smith Memorial Student Union’s Littman Gallery.

Guests are also invited to attend a breakfast the following Saturday morning, ahead of the day’s series of lectures.

“It’s rare that we have an opportunity when the practitioners and the makers can meet and talk with the scholars,” Wendl said. “We wanted to bring in minds that were flexible enough

that they could meet and think about things architecture normally doesn’t address.”

The lectures will be organized into different sessions, each dealing with architecture from a different discipline or philosophical approach.

Friday’s session, “Architecture and the Arts,” will feature an array of practicing artists, including keynote speaker Jimenez Lai, a graphic novelist and assistant professor of architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

“He approaches architecture through the vehicle of the graphic novel,” Wendl said. “Instead of writing about architecture, he puts his ideas together in a visual narrative.”

Friday’s session will end with a visit to the Littman Gallery, which is currently displaying work by Chicago-based artist Inigo ManglanoOvalle. The exhibition, titled “Always After (The Glass House),” is showing as part of the symposium and features work inspired by the architecture of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Manglano-Ovalle will present a gallery talk about his work for the symposium.

“He’s a contemporary artist in the true sense of the word, but he doesn’t present drawings and the like,” Wendl said. “The upside-down house shown in the Littman is one example of his architecture-inspired work. For Inigo, Mies’ glass houses are an opportunity to tell a story through the use of architecture. Architecture is a dramatic backdrop because it is not a linear narrative.”

Littman Gallery Curatorial Coordinator Leif Anderson noted the rarity of a visit by an artist of Manglano-Ovalle’s caliber.

“This is a great opportunity to have a really big artist in town, especially on campus,”

© archinect.com

IN THE WHITE ROOM… Paris-based architect Phillippe Rahm stands in a room he designed. He “explores the effect on the human body of the energy in a space.”

Anderson said. “To have him here to discuss his work will be a great chance for students.”

Saturday’s sessions will occur exclusively in the Shattuck Hall Annex, beginning with a breakfast reception at 8:30 a.m. The first session, “Utility,” will cover both architecture’s traditionally functional role and its history.

The session will begin with a keynote lecture

by University of California, Berkeley, architecture professor Jill Stoner. In addition to teaching, Stoner is also the author of the architecture books Poems for Architects and Toward a Minor Architecture.

“It can be rare to find architectural writing that uses language that’s not businesslike,” Wendl said. “Jill Stoner is a wonderful writer, and she created a work about minor architecture that was more poetic in tone. Major architecture would be a building that stands on its own. Everything that makes such a building possible is highly political.”

Anderson, a Portland State master of fine arts candidate, explained that Stoner’s writing directly influences much of his own art practice.

“Her book is a huge critique of architecture,” he said. “She writes about architecture in a minor way, wherein architecture can be reclaimed

from capital. She points to abandoned spaces such as malls as places that can be taken back.”

Anderson also pointed to Stoner’s lecture as a significant part of his interest in the symposium.

“For me, she is a key feature,” he said. “I’m a huge fan.”

The symposium will conclude Saturday afternoon with a final session, titled “The City (Urban Utilities).” It will close with a final keynote by Paris-based architect Philippe Rahm.

Rahm’s practice involves an exploration of architecture that involves meteorology and energy.

“Rahm is talking about energy and architecture in a way that is unique,” Wendl said. “Most of the time when architecture talks about energy, it is thinking of lighting and the like. Rahm explores the effect on the human body of the energy in a space. His work bridges the scientific and the poetic.”

Both Wendl and Anderson encouraged members of the university community to take advantage of the symposium.

“What’s exciting to me about this symposium is that it doesn’t have a practical determinism that architecture has had throughout history,” Anderson said. “It can just be about creating space, and other creative uses. It seems to subvert the traditional role of architecture.”

Wendl also noted that the lectures could provide interesting insights to students from disciplines other than architecture.

“We all live in buildings,” Wendl said. “We all engage with them all the time. While we would love to see everyone from the architecture department there, we’re hoping to open the building to everyone.”

PSU’s School of Architecture presents Strange Utility: Architecture Toward Other Ends Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27 Shattuck Hall Annex $13 advance, $23 general Free for students and faculty with registration Tickets and info at pdx.edu/architecture or PSU Box Office

© thin ice

Behind the scenes with climate scientists Thin Ice makes its global debut Tess Anderson Vanguard Staff

Earth Day is right around the corner, and Portland State wouldn’t be doing its job if there weren’t at least one event dedicated to eco-awareness. Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science fits the bill.

The film makes its global, public premiere on Earth Day, the most eco-friendly holiday of the year, next Monday.

For seven years, filmmakers and academics from every corner of the globe have collaborated on Thin Ice in order to help raise awareness and understanding of climate change.

Former Vice President Al Gore brought global warming to the broader public in his

2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth.

People are more conscious about the environment today than ever, yet the issues raised in the film persist.

Distressingly, the climate change conversation has, if anything, died out: The 2012 presidential campaign was the first since 1988 during which the issue of climate change was not raised.

Over the last few years, evidence presented by scientists has faced harsh scrutiny and criticism from hardheaded politicians and the public alike. Skeptics cite obscure scientific reports and claim that these indicators of dangerous climate changes are dramatic and false.

Thin Ice takes aim at these misconceptions with the goal of informing the public about what’s going on above and below the planet’s surface.

Simon Lamb, a geologist and amateur cameraman hailing from England, photographed and directed the film. Thin Ice intertwines testimonies from environmental and climate scientists who originate from and work in every part of the world with satellites, ice, rock,

Singing the blues across the country

Empowering survivors

PSU alumna Cooper to play Record Store Day in Nashville and Portland

Documentary No! screens at Multicultural Center

Psu Graduate and coutry chanteuse Cooper will bring her Patsy Cline–influenced sound to Portland on Record Store Day.

Robin Crowell Vanguard Staff

A good old-fashioned tour can be a grueling expedition, but performing on both sides of the U.S. on the same day bears its own unique stresses.

Nicole Cooper, a Portland State alumna who performs under her surname, Cooper, is to perform in Nashville, Tenn., at 11:30 a.m. this Saturday, on Record Store Day. Later that evening, Cooper will also perform at 8:30 p.m. at Music Millennium here in Portland.

Cooper, who graduated from PSU with a theater degree, has for many years aspired to live in Nashville. She got interested in the performing arts at an early age with Patsy Cline—a popular country music singer with heavy roots in the music culture of Nashville—as one of her primary inspirations.

“I have always wanted to live in Nashville, since I was 7 years old,” Cooper said. “I saw a Patsy Cline documentary when I was very little and I just decided I wanted to be the next Patsy Cline. I saw that show and I went into my room and sang into a Snapple bottle all night until I went to sleep.

It just kind of got stuck in my head since I was a little kid that I wanted to live in Nashville, and I kind of got obsessed with it. I actually know more about Tennessee than most Tennesseeans.”

The road to Tennessee was not an easy one for Cooper, however. Upon graduating from PSU, she made the decision to pack up and

Robert Plant. The fact that (a) he’s gonna be rockin’ out in my hometown and (b) I’ll get to play on the same stage as him has me pissing my pants right now.

“The thing about him is that he’s just so super megafamous, and his genres are all over the place, and he’s got all these roots, he’s got a massive fan base,” Cooper said. “We are excited that we’re gonna be able to perform in front of all of these people on the same stage as Robert Plant.”

Cooper returns to Portland roughly every six weeks, so be on the lookout for more shows and events featuring this up-and-coming artist.

© alan messer

move to Tennessee on her birthday. She saved up her money, packed up her things and hit the road—but not without some roadblocks.

“I decided to move on my birthday because that was an easy date to pick,” Cooper said. “I… worked at Lucky Devil [Lounge] as a cocktail waitress and a poker chip girl, and literally all of my tips except for my rent and my food went into a shoebox under my bed.

“I got in my van and headed to Nashville,” Cooper recalled. “I came out here and my van ended up breaking down in the desert on the way here. I got into Nashville with literally 200 bucks and no car. I used all of my money to rent a car. It ended up costing me almost $4,000.

“I needed to have the car for two weeks while I was in Austin for South by Southwest,” Cooper continued. “It was all the money that I had saved. I came into town and I auditioned at Coyote Ugly. I needed the job, like, right now. So I went and auditioned and they were like, you can start tomorrow if you want. I made enough money that night for the deposit.”

Cooper brings this kind of dedication to her craft to Record Store Day, a yearly celebration

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that commemorates the resurgence of vinyl as a means of owning tangible music and features performers from across the spectrum of musical genres.

This year’s lineup of releases includes the likes of At The Drive-In, Bon Jovi, Built to Spill, The Gaslight Anthem, Lamb of God, Ringo Starr and Tegan and Sara. While the releases are eclectic, the annual celebration of vinyl serves to highlight artists old and new and presents a reminder that an array of choices are available on this format that was once considered moribund.

Changing her style from vintage country to the rock ’n’ roll and jazz sounds of today, Cooper’s Record Store Day seven-inch release, Live at the Historic Star Theater, includes two original songs and a non-album Aretha Franklin cover. The album got picked up through networking and is a glance into Cooper’s upcoming releases.

“My full album comes out in June. We’ll be coming to Portland to do a record release show—I’m not sure where,” Cooper said. “We got booked in Portland at the Waterfront Blues Festival this summer and we’re opening for

An in-store performance by Cooper As part of Record Store Day Saturday, April 20, 8:30 p.m.

Music Millennium 3158 E Burnside St. Free and open to the public

Megan Fresh Vanguard Staff

If you keep up on the news, you’ve likely seen a proliferation of articles about the Steubenville rape trials and the swell of political organizing against sexual violence in India recently.

Because discussions about rape culture have been gaining visibility in the news lately, this is a great time to educate and galvanize people to create cultures of safety and consent while supporting and empowering survivors.

An upcoming on-campus documentary screening and panel discussion focusing on sexual violence in African-American communities can help you do just that. And if you are a survivor, the event aims to offer a space to connect and listen to knowledgeable, passionate speakers from local and campus organizations.

The Women’s Resource Center, Women of Color Action Team and Multicultural Center are screening No! The Rape Documentary as part of their Reflect and Connect series next Tuesday.

After the screening, three speakers will offer their perspectives: Renee Mitchell, co-founder of the Healing Roots Center, Marianne Mulumba, president of the Association of African Students at PSU, and Diana Camarillo, sexual violence program coordinator with the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

“We all have a responsibility to make our communities safer for everyone,” said Tonya Jones, the WRC’s Empowerment Project coordinator. “Everyone should make it their mission to learn about this issue and what can they can do to make sure no one experiences sexual violence in their lives.”

No!, the award-winning documentary by

writer/producer/director Aishah Shahidah Simmons, confronts racial, gender and sexual oppression. The film “features riveting testimonials from black women rape survivors stories who defy victimization,” according to its website.

Jones’ goal for the program is “that students will walk away reflecting and thinking about how they can be an ally to make all of our communities safer for women of color—for all women period,” she said. “Also, hopefully they walk away respecting the voices and experiences of women of color.”

Mitchell, who is a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, wants to help “encourage response to these kinds of issues,” she said.

“The documentary might stir up anxiety for those women who have dealt with it themselves, and this is an opportunity to provide inspiration and empowerment to rise above circumstance and the baggage we carry around because of experience with sexual assault.

“It’s important to make sure people walk away from an event like this feeling empowered and inspired rather than really emotional or dejected,” Mitchell continued. “I’m providing [an] opportunity to take the emotion of what someone might be feeling and channel it.”

Jones described the intersection of sexual assault and African-American communities, providing the context for the event.

“Images of black women are often distorted, and we are made into caricatures,” she said. “Our bodies and our sexuality tend to be degraded in mainstream media. The stereotypes prevent many people from seeing us as full human beings. Because of this, many people don’t take our experiences seriously.

“It affects how people respond to us when we

evidence from instruments, and computer modeling and simulations.

The event will include a screening of the film and a post-film discussion panel featuring three distinguished PSU professors: Randy Bluffstone, a professor of economics and a sustainable landuse expert; Robert Scheller, assistant professor of environmental sciences and management and director of the Dynamic Ecosystems and Landscapes Lab; and Andrew Fountain, a professor of geography and geology and an expert in glacier ice.

Though Bluffstone, Scheller and Fountain will be on a panel together answering questions and filling in the details, the post-film conversation will be primarily audience-driven, with a discussion of the film, issues the film raises and other related topics.

“Audiences can expect a very thoughtful film that deals comprehensively with climate science, including uncertainties about effects and global warming skeptics,” Bluffstone said.

Scheller summed up the importance of staying educated and abreast of environmental issues: “Informed citizens make informed choices.”

It doesn’t get more informative than hearing the facts straight from professionals who know what they’re talking about and have dedicated their lives to improving the environment.

These experts know that we’re facing the environmental issue of our lifetimes—an issue that will have an enormous impact on our planet’s future.

“Climate change may be the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced,” Scheller said.

“It is important for people to understand the data and reasoning behind the science.”

The post-film discussion will allow viewers and participants to become better-informed and more passionate about the subject as well as help them connect with their community.

Bluffstone, for one, is interested in tackling the unique difficulties of dealing with climate change at the policy level.

Bluffstone plans “to discuss some of the key climate change policy challenges…and to consider some implications of the changing climate for personal behavior,” he said.

Essentially, the event will help the audience understand what the changing climate means for them on a personal level and how it will directly affect them.

Thin Ice will be playing on the PSU campus on Earth Day, next Monday, and will be followed by an intriguing and informative discussion. Come join the event and give voice to a vital issue that is too often ignored.

PSU’s Department of Environmental Science and Management presents Thin Ice: The Inside Story of Climate Science Shattuck Hall Annex 1914 SW Park Ave. Monday, April 22, 5 p.m.

Free and open to the public

no! means no: The Women’s Resource Center brings Aishah Shahidah Simmons’ documentary NO! to the Multicultural Center.

© afrolez productions

are dealing with sexual assault/violence, in and outside [of] the black community,” Jones said.

“Hopefully students will think about this and how important is for all of us to reject and resist negative representations of black womanhood.”

Jones recognizes that, of course, sexual violence is prevalent across all demographics, but the event will mainly focus on the specific experience of women of color.

“I don’t think that sexual assault/violence is any more prevalent in the black community than other communities,” Jones said. “I just think because of the cultural representations of black women in our ‘white supremacist capitalist patriarchy’—a term coined by black feminist author bell hooks—the response and attention to this issue regarding black women tends to be marginalized. The showing of this film is just a way to give space to black women’s experiences.

It is not to demonize the black community or black men.”

Both Jones and Mitchell underscored the crucial role of men as allies in preventing sexual assault.

“It’s not just a film or issue for women to deal with. It’s also an issue more men need to get involved in, and understand various perspectives

from the survivors’ point of view,” Mitchell said.

“We need to make sure men don’t feel excluded; they need to be included very heavily.”

Jones echoed Mitchell’s sentiment.

“It will take the work of everyone!” Jones said.

“This is not just a women’s issue. It’s why I think Ms. Simmons’ film is so important. She is not only giving space to the voices of black women, but includes men’s groups/advocates/activists [who of their own accord] are working to dismantle violence against women by educating other men.”

No matter where you are coming from on these issues, the event promises to be educational and inspiring—providing students with a sense of purpose, support and community when it comes to facing an important global problem that impacts us all.

PSU’s Women’s Resource Center and the Multicultural Center present No! The Rape Documentary Part of the Reflect and Connect series Tuesday, April 23, 5–7 p.m.

Multicultural Center, SMSU, room 220 Free and open to the public Light refreshments provided

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VANGUARD ••TThursday, THURSDAY, uesday, THURSDAY, TUESDAY, Jan. JANUARY OCTOBER Nov. APRIL FEBRUARY JANUARY 31, 8, 2013 18, 2012 10, 25, 2013 26, •2, 2012 2011 ARTS •2012 ARTS • ARTS ••&•OPINION OPINION CULTURE &ARTS CULTURE & CULTURE & CULTURE

Date-a-world Event increases understanding of other cultures and dating practices Elisha Feliciano Vanguard Staff

Are our perceptions of other countries and their ways of life accurate? Let’s hope so: The interaction between members of different cultures has become an increasingly relevant dialogue in our globalized times.

Next Thursday there will be a chance for a cross-cultural conversation to start at the Multicultural Center’s “Dating Around the World,” an event designed to help Portland State students interact with students from different cultures.

Dating is different for everyone, especially across cultures, and “Dating Around the World” attempts to bridge the gaps between those with disparate cultural backgrounds.

“Even when you think you have a good grasp on somebody’s culture, if you come to this event you’ll realize that there’s still a lot more that you have to learn,” said International Student Life Advisor Sarah Kenney, who is from just outside London.

Students from the International Cultural Service Program (a scholarship program for international students) are volunteering as participants for this event. The program coordinates cultural events and presentations to help facilitate understanding of and appreciation for other cultures.

Students who are part of the program are required to fulfill 90 hours of cultural community service throughout the academic year. “Dating Around the World” has been a long-standing part of their programming.

The evening will be organized around a format called the World Cafe model, where the volunteers will sit at a table and attendees will have a

chance to speak with them concerning their respective cultural and dating practices.

Then students each share their unique perspective. After approximately 10–15 minutes, the enquirers then rotate to another table. The model is designed to make for an interactive and engaging experience.

“The focus is on talking to our international students about what it’s like to come here and [get] involved in dating with people from different cultures,” Kenney said. “That’s a really important part of students coming here, and their understanding of what it’s like to be away from home.”

“Dating Around the World” will take place immediately before the Take Back the Night event as part of the April Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Representatives from the Women’s Resource Center, Queer Resource Center, Student Legal Services and Campus Public Safety Office will also be available to answer questions.

Bridging the gap between cultures requires understanding. This event is an opportunity for experiences to be shared, knowledge to be gained and an underlying understanding of other cultures to be established.

Many of those involved in the event reiterate a common theme—the need for open, clear discussion that will shine a light on the varied and often misunderstood courtship rituals of different cultures across the globe.

“In African culture we do lobola [bride price],” said Jeffret Madondo, a PSU student from Zimbabwe who will be participating in his first “Dating Around the World” event.

“Some people may look at it like you’re paying money: They don’t understand that there’s more depth to it than just paying money. I’m hoping people reach that level…where they appreciate different dynamics of relationships and cultures.”

ICSP Advisor Anna Gindlesperger stressed the importance of providing an open forum for frank discussion and shared understanding.

Corinna Scott/VANGUARD STAFf

get a room: Attend “Dating Around the World” and you could be as happy as this lovely couple (who are presumably of different nationalities)!

“It’s a safe place where they can talk about dating in their home country: controversial topics, taboo topics and also just the general aspect of dating across cultures,” she said.

The program is sponsored through a collaboration between the PSU Cultural Centers, International Student and Scholar Services and the Organization of International Students. This is the first time that “Dating Around the World” will be included as part of the April Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

“People have lots of perceptions about the culture and about what people are supposed to do,” said Lola Aminova, a PSU student from Uzbekistan who has previously been on a questionand-answer panel for the program. “This is an opportunity to show that not all of the perceptions are right: Some of the cultures might have traditions that people think are out of date, but there’s a meaning under every tradition. There’s something different than just what you see.

“Students had a chance to ask the questions [of we] who were on the panel,” Aminova said.

“We, at the same time, had the chance to ask questions [of ] the people. We also have our own perceptions of the U.S., so this is…the place to share the knowledge.”

Ultimately, “Dating Around the World” is a place for people to share knowledge and understanding and to change the perceptions people might have.

“I think students can learn from this event, respecting other cultures’ dating patterns,” said Keisuke Matsushima, a PSU student from Japan. “We live in a time of diverse [societies] now.”

PSU Cultural Centers, International Student and Scholar Services and the Organization of International Students present Dating Around the World Thursday, April 25, 4—6 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228 Free and open to the public Refreshments provided

Perfect pear pancakes Breakfast, dessert, whatever: They’re delicious Kat Audick Vanguard staff

Pear pancakes with maple syrup are a heavenly way to start your day.

With just the right amount of griddled crispness and filled with rich, moist pear, you will fall head over heels for this meal, which is so sinfully good it makes for a swell breakfast and dessert.

To track down almond flour and whole wheat pastry flour, browse your local grocer’s bulk section, where you can buy these ingredients in small quantities to save money.

For added crunch, consider throwing some chopped walnuts into your sauteed pear mixture. Homemade batter makes for some primo pancakes, but if you’re short on time any prepacked whole wheat or buttermilk mix will do.

The key to perfect pear pancakes is in the knife work. To ensure that your pears are cooked to the correct softness within your pancakes, opt for thinner slices. If your pieces are too bulky in the batter, you’ll wind up with lumpy pancakes and undercooked pears.

These pears pair well with whipped cream topping or, for a unique tang, sour cream.

Ingredients 2 large eggs 3/4 cup milk (with additional tbsp if batter is too thick) 2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp almond flour 1/3 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tbsp white sugar 3 tbsp brown sugar, divided 1/4 tsp kosher salt 3 ripe Bartlett pears 2 tbsp vegetable oil or butter for frying 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 1/3 cup maple syrup Juice of half lemon

Karl Kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

INSTRUCTIONS In a large bowl, quickly whisk eggs, milk and vanilla. Toss dry ingredients—whole wheat flour, almond flour, ground cinnamon, white sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar— together, and then whisk into egg mixture until just combined.

Peel, quarter and remove cores of pears.

Chop one pear into small chunks, toss with

lemon juice to prevent discoloring and set aside. Cut other 2 pears into thin slices and toss with lemon juice. Stir sliced pears into batter. Heat oil or butter in a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Use a 1/4 cup scoop to pour batter into heated pan. Sprinkle pancake lightly with toasted sesame seeds.

When pancake begins to form bubbles, flip over, continuing until both sides are golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes total. In a small frying pan, saute chopped pear with butter and 2 tablespoons brown sugar until soft and caramelized. Serve pear pancakes with chopped pear topping and maple syrup.

Makes approximately 12 pancakes.

16 10

OPINiON • THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• THURSDAY, THURSDAY, APRIL NOVEMBER 18, 2013 10, 2011 • OPINiON • SPORTS

OPINION

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

Don’t bet on the sky

Measuring our success

Drone surveillance is the new billy club

Portland looks a bit funny to nonresidents

Deeply Thought Thoughts Ryan S. Cunningham

Ms. Fudge’s Sweet Nothings Stephanie Fudge-Bernard daniel johnston/VANGUARD STAFF

Edible forests Food gardens and ‘forests’ should be a common goal for Portlanders One Step Off Emily Lakehomer

I

magine walking into a garden filled with seasonal produce readily available for harvest. Now imagine that the same garden is easily accessible to the public for said harvest and consumption.

This Eden-like image is coming to fruition (pun intended) in Seattle: The Beacon Food Forest stretches across seven acres in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood. It’s still in the construction stage, but the forest already provides “fruitbearing perennials”—an awesome concept despite the long wait for fruit-bearing trees.

The forest is home to community garden plots, orchards and “edible arboretums.”

The idea sprouted in 2009, when Glenn Herlihy, a member of the Jefferson Park Alliance, and a group of fellow students created the park’s design as a permaculture design class project. Through community outreach and donations, the group was able to raise the money to turn their class project into a reality.

The official groundbreaking was in 2012, with perennials planted and situated in such a way that permaculture and a self-sustaining environment would be possible. With Seattle’s heavy rainfall, drought won’t be an issue.

A community garden full of free food sounds almost too good to be true, but the idea has been proven highly successful all over the country. Seattle’s is by far the largest forest.

Also adjacent to Jefferson Park, the forest is located in a bit of a food desert. Many Beacon Hill inhabitants are working class, and the neighborhood doesn’t necessarily have grocers who sell fresh produce and healthy-eating foodstuffs. That’s why the forest will be a success. By providing inhabitants with fresh organic produce, the

11

garden serves the overall health of its neighbors and promotes a sustainable lifestyle.

This is a truly beautiful project, and I hope it flourishes. But what about Portland?

Considered one of the greenest cities in the U.S. for a long time now, Portland doesn’t have a single food forest on par with Seattle’s BFF. Despite ready access to fresh produce throughout much of the city, food deserts still exist here. The Cully neighborhood in North Portland is primarily made up of lower-income, working-class folks, and the otherwise ubiquitous Whole Foods, New Seasons and farmers markets are notably absent. Thankfully, there are kind-hearted Portlanders who share Herlihy’s mindset.

Operating throughout Northeast and Southeast Portland is the Portland Fruit Tree Project.

PFTP has established small orchards on Killingsworth, Mason and Cooper streets. All three locations are dedicated to cultivating self-sustaining gardens that provide fruitbearing perennials as well as various fruit trees.

Inner North Portland also has the Fargo Forest Garden, which houses 14 fruit trees and one nut tree. The fruit and nut trees were the only plants originally planted there, but berries, herbs and bulbs have also taken root.

All of these gardens and small forests are designed to provide fruit to neighborhoods that might not have access to it otherwise. That’s pretty great! We’re still behind Seattle, but we’re certainly on our way. What we need now is to come together as a community to cultivate these kinds of projects.

I remember being in high school and getting ready to

make college decisions when I received Portland State’s viewbook in the mail—printed on post-consumer recycled paper.

The pages inside played up Portland’s and PSU’s dedication to sustainability. This is part of the reason I chose to attend PSU over the University of Oregon. I wanted to live and thrive in a city that values many of the same things that I do.

PSU students in the sustainability and urban planning programs have no doubt created projects along these lines. However, simply creating something for a class does little to serve the community. Projects like these should be made known to the entire student body, and then the rest of the city.

Part of cultivating sustainability is coming together and building communities. Not that it’s a competition, but Portland should be on the same page as Seattle in terms of sustainable community gardens and food forests.

I’m not studying sustainability or urban planning, but I’m careful to implement many of the same sustainable philosophies and ethics into my everyday life. Like every other PSU student haunting Food For Thought (which has its own tiny garden on campus), I eat a strictly vegan diet and recycle everything I possibly can.

Much of that was part of my lifestyle prior to moving here, but not everyone has that same privilege growing up— just like not everyone lives in a neighborhood with community gardens, food forests and higher-end organic grocers.

If we want to keep this sustainability thing going, we have to cultivate these kinds of things in—for lack of a better term—less privileged neighborhoods. Otherwise, Portland risks falling into a gentrified slump. Whatever the case may be, growing a sustainable lifestyle for everyone, not just those privy to it already, should be readily available to all, and making it thus should be a goal for all of us.

P

ortlanders generally have a pretty clear idea of what their city is all about. We tend to think of our fair metropolis as an eco-friendly utopia filled with a variety of poor dressers, umbrella haters and the food cart fixated.

But how does the rest of the country view us? As our gangly “little” city has grown into the magnificent place it is today, what kinds of messages have we been sending, and what’s getting through to the wretched souls not fortunate enough to live in our haven of awesomeness?

Well, one message we’ve been pretty clear getting out is our propensity for being environmentally obsessed. Whether it’s recycling or bicycling, we’re generally very proud of our forward-thinking “green” tendencies, and it’s clear that the rest of the world has received the memo.

Portland’s Forest Park is the largest park in the entire U.S. that actually has trees in it, leading to the city landing a spot on USA Today’s top 10 best U.S. cities for urban forests list. We also frequently get labeled the country’s best city for bicycling, and according to another USA Today report, 6 percent of our workforce bikes to work, and perhaps even more than that. You can usually identify these dedicated individuals by the puddles of rainwater around their desks.

Another message we’ve been pretty clear on is our citywide tendency to be craft beer connoisseurs: aka a bunch of happy drunks.

USA Today also named Portland one of the 10 best beer cities in the world. Not

in the state, not in the country, but in the whole freaking world. Granted, USA Today might be a little biased toward, well, the USA, but making it on that list over places like San Francisco is a sweet victory that deserves a few celebratory rounds.

Evidently we’ve also been very good at publicizing the number of strip clubs we’ve managed to fit into our little corner of the world.

Portland’s Forest Park is the largest park in the entire U.S. that actually has trees in it, leading to the city landing a spot on USA Today’s top 10 best U.S. cities for urban forests list.

Time Magazine touted Portland as the city with the most strip bars per capita in the country, a title that, though unsurprising, is pretty freaking noteworthy to non-Portlanders.

While nude dance shows are as common and accepted as a night of bowling to most of the locals I’ve met, this message might be part of the reason we get titles like Time’s “most promiscuous U.S. city.”

Those are all obvious Portland distinctions, but one

not-so-obvious part of our identity is our thriving nerd culture. After comparing multiple cities and considering how many people there are per things like comic book stores, LARPing (Live Action Role-Playing) groups, computer stores and science museums, a Fox News columnist reported that Portland placed in the “top 10 most nerdfriendly cities in America.”

I tend to take all things Foxrelated with a very big grain of salt, but all the graphic T-shirts, anime fiends and tech junkies in the city make me inclined to believe such a ranking.

Even more startling to the city that Portlandia termed the place “where young people go to retire” are all the things Forbes Magazine describes Portland as. We made it onto its list as the sixthbest place to live and launch a business; we’re somehow third on the “safest cities in America” list; and we’re evidently advancing into the future as the 10th “most wired city” in the country.

Unfortunately, all of that epic awesomeness has led to high-priced rent and overcrowding issues. Portland is, according to KGW News, one of the top 10 cities for rising rent. And we get to enjoy being the ninth worst city to drive in, according (again) to Forbes.

So I suppose there are a few messages we’ve managed to get out to the rest of the world about Portland, Oregon. To everyone not lucky enough to be here with us in our eccentric city, Portlanders probably seem to be promiscuous hippie nerds who spend their time drunk in titty bars and bicycling around forests that happen to be in the middle of the city, all the while avoiding staying inside our overpriced apartments and out of the rain like sane people.

Frankly, anyone thinking it wouldn’t be too far off the mark.

Jinyi qi/VANGUARD STAFF

W Corinna Scott/VANGUARD STAFf

The restrooms are where?

Portland’s lack of public restrooms leaves many far from relief A Critical Glance Adam E. Bushen

A

group of Portland State students recently finished a research project entitled Right to Relief, which focused on the lack of public restrooms in Portland and how it affects the community. I’ve often wondered about the issue.

When I moved here three years ago, I was genuinely surprised at how few there were. As I walked around trying to learn my way around the city, I always had to find some business to let me use their restroom; usually I’d have to purchase something beforehand—something not everybody can afford to do.

Now that I’m familiar with the city, I know I’m more likely to run into a celebrity than a public restroom in downtown Portland. And because I make sure to relieve myself before I go out, the issue doesn’t impact me personally. Working at a restaurant downtown, though, I’ve seen the effects.

Every day, roughly 20 or so people enter the restaurant for the sole purpose of seeking out our restroom. While the PSU students’ restroom study focused on the homeless—who do make up a goodly portion of those who enter our restaurant for that particular reason—many restroomseeking folks are shoppers and out-of-towners.

Though we have a “restroom for customers only” policy at our restaurant, many of our employees have decided to allow anyone to use it. It doesn’t harm us when we aren’t extremely busy, and

when we are slow even the more suspicious characters don’t try anything nefarious because we aren’t distracted from their presence.

In the event that one of our superiors doesn’t allow this, we direct restroom-seekers to the Pioneer Place Mall, which is a three-block walk.

It isn’t an issue that you hear about often, but it is one that certainly gets people excited. In the event that we do have to point people to the mall, they often become absolutely livid. I’ve been cussed out, berated and threatened for declining someone the use of our public restroom.

And not by the people you’d think. It’s often outof-town adults with their children who become the angriest—the children are often thrust forth in a plea for lenience. One year, during the Rose Parade, our customer restroom was out of order and people freaked. We were packed, and though there was a gigantic sign on the door reading “restroom out of service,” people sheepishly lined up 15-deep, despite the fact that we repeatedly told them it was broken.

Parents wanted us to take their children to our employee restroom, which is downstairs. When we refused, they’d furiously claim their child was going to urinate themselves right then and there (as if all of this was our fault). One guy actually tried letting his son pee in the corner of our restaurant. When we prevented

the pee-in-the-corner trick, the man shouted something about the “lesson” he was trying to teach us.

I don’t mean to simply tell stories, but in the two-plus years I’ve worked downtown I’ve accumulated at least 50-odd stories involving the use or misuse of our customer bathroom. The moral of the story is that the city isn’t making life convenient for people who come downtown to shop or visit.

Yes, there are a few of those silver-caged water loos, but good luck trying to find one. Just look at the amount of businesses that have signs on their doors or windows reading “no public restroom,” and you’ll see what I mean.

If you aren’t from here, it isn’t a pleasant day of shopping when you can’t find a bathroom for yourself or your children.

Another group of people I’ve heard complain about the lack of public restrooms is bicyclers. People who go for a ride into downtown or Southeast get here and then have to search forever to find a restroom. For being a town that invites jogging, biking and going to parks, we make it incredibly difficult to find relief when nature calls.

As for the homeless, I sympathize. I’m certain that not many local businesses allow them to use their facilities, and with no public restrooms this could lead to indecent exposure, giving police and Clean & Safe another reason to hassle them. Some might fret that the homeless will only use public restrooms to shoot up, but access to a restroom should be more than a privilege.

alk to the nearest window, throw open any curtains or cheap aluminum blinds that block your view of the outside world and crane your neck upward. What do you see?

Clouds, most likely. But you might also glimpse a knife-edge-thin sliver of icy blue known as the “sky.”

Looks pretty nice, right? Pull up a chair: If you stare at it long enough you may experience sensations of calm, inner peace and release from the quotidian concerns of daily life. You may even be able to push from your mind the crushing financial burden of the extortionate interest payments on the loan you took out to pay for your 16-year-old Labradoodle’s artificial hip replacement surgery.

The sky is perfect serenity.

Its blueness is proverbial, the standard by which all blues are judged. Contemplate the limpid azure expanse of a summer’s day or the fading magenta glow of a Sonora Desert twilight as the sun slowly recedes against the stoic desert silhouettes of saguaro cactuses. Infinite and all-encompassing, the sky is vast to the point of incomprehensibility. We may even call it transcendent.

Now consider this: The sky wants to rob you of all your earthly possessions, torture your family and ultimately kill you with very expensive heat-seeking air-to-ground missiles.

Snap.

Three words for you: unmanned aerial surveillance.

It’s real, it’s frightening and it’s happening now.

Unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS to industry

insiders and drones to the nonexpert press, have lately assumed a mastodonic stature in the public eye. We all know about President Obama’s program of targeted assassinations against terrorism suspects in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

In at least one case a targeted drone strike killed an American-born jihadist.

Republican senator Rand Paul recently attracted an undue amount of cable news attention for staging a 12-hour filibuster of the president’s nominee to replace the previous CIA director. Apparently the senator didn’t like the administration’s coy silence on the legality of hunting down American citizens with robo-planes.

But so far all this nasty drone business has only worried dusky-skinned, bearded men camped out in distant locales. They probably got what they had coming—let the Lord sort ’em out, we say!

And though the U.S. Border Patrol has also started using UAS to monitor the Mexican frontier for drug smugglers and illegal crossings, we can all get behind the Securethe-Border-First imperative, right? Who cares about the aerial terror inflicted against foreigners?

Mark me: It ain’t gonna be just foreigners for too much longer.

The Federal Aviation Administration is in the process of liberalizing the regulations that currently restrict the operation of unmanned aircraft in domestic airspace to below an altitude of 400 feet and within the pilot’s line of sight. Their goal is to open UAS technology to a whole new range of potential private and public applications.

These include firefighting, geographic assessment, recreation, security and law enforcement.

No joke. The cops want to get their hands on drones.

We’re talking about the same brilliant individuals who tase the homeless for sport, and in 2006 beat to death a mentally ill Portland man.

Let’s hope we’re not already too late. In fact, cops in many places already have drones.

From megalopolises like Miami to tiny towns in North Carolina, police have petitioned the FAA for permission to operate UAS for tactical and surveillance purposes. Some, like the Arlington, Texas, police department, have already gotten the go-ahead. Only major public protests saved Seattle from going the same route.

Cops want drones because they are significantly cheaper to operate than helicopters and can stay airborne for significantly longer periods of time.

And several unmanned aircraft can cover a wider area than a single helicopter can. Stick a super-resolution gigapixel camera on these suckers, load up some facial recognition software and you’ve got a nice recipe for an Orwellian surveillance state.

The Supreme Court has ruled that individuals have no right to privacy for their actions in public places. There’s effectively nothing to stop the police from using the sky to monitor your every move. At the moment there isn’t even a requirement that they obtain a warrant before snapping images of your home.

Americans, take back your skies!

The only way for concerned citizens to counter this dystopian death of privacy is to mobilize a neo-Luddite rebellion against the incipient commercial UAS industry. Invade the factories! Smash the machines!

Burn the blueprints!

It worked against the cotton mills, right?

© U.s. Air Force photo/Lt. Col. Leslie pratt

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ETC. ETC. • •THURSDAY, Thursday, APRIL Nov.18, 8, 2013 2012 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD • THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2013 • Opinion

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

History Channel, and Dr. Nayereh Tohidi, a 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, a reception and the chance to ask questions FREE will follow.

Sunday, April 21

Origins of Israeli Culture 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

Mittleman Jewish Community Center 6651 SW Capitol Hwy.

suraj nair/VANGUARD STAFf

Oregon hospitals report errors

Corinna scott/VANGUARD STAFf

Cross-Cultural Romance: Join the Portland State Cultural Centers in taking a look at dating around the world and learning to understand important differences among varying cultures. The event takes place Thursday, April 25, from 4-6 p.m. in the Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228.

This could be you!

Everywhere and Here Eva-Jeanette Rawlins

S

ince January 2011, at least 82 violations have been reported in Oregon hospitals, according to a report by KATU News.

These violations include a surgeon mistakenly operating on a child’s left eye instead of the right and a nurse accidentally connecting a nasogastric tube to oxygen instead of suction, sending the patient into cardiac arrest.

One particularly, shall we say, image-inducing error occurred when a cleaning machine was reprogrammed to leave out the disinfectant cycle, which led to 18 patients receiving colonoscopies with scopes rinsed only in water and alcohol. Ugh. I’ve heard people say that if you want to get sick, go spend some time in a hospital. With stories like these, I’m inclined to agree. Of course, where there are humans there will be error, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. But it makes me wonder what other things are happening in our halls of healing that we don’t know about.

Till now we’ve pretty much been in the dark. It’s the first time a report like this has been furnished to the public, as the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the inspection reports at the request of the Association of Health Care Journalists. The association then compiled the reports into a database now available for anyone to see. Does it really help, though, to read about it after the fact?

Sometimes we have to wonder whether ignorance really is bliss.

What happens to the people making the mistakes?

Apparently, it depends.

According to the report, a Providence Medical Center employee photographed the “exposed buttocks of a patient” and emailed it around with a caption reading “pic of hairy ass.” The employee was promptly dismissed for that serious error in judgment.

However, now we should all be more reticent to go to the gynecologist.

And what about Salem Hospital, where the parents of a 14-month-old were told that their child, who was coming out of anesthesia, was just “very sleepy,” when in fact, unbeknownst to them, the child had been “bagged”—yes, that scary artificial respiratory bag thing—for 20 minutes and given two doses of Narcon for “over-sedation”?

Very sleepy indeed.

The hospital’s administration said they “could have done a better job with the communication issue.” Ya think? They also said they made sure to “work with” their anesthesiologist and the rest of the staff. So, hairyass guy got fired but oversedation person was just “worked with.”

Hmmm.

I’m not suggesting firing everyone. If I were fired for every mistake I made, I’d never keep a job. But when your job literally affects people’s lives the responsibility is much different.

Spring Swap 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 462 1825 SW Broadway

Why we should stay far, far away Holding health care workers legally liable for errors is not the answer, but if I were the parent of that child and wasn’t told she’d just been resuscitated I’d be livid. I’d want answers and wouldn’t want to have to wait to read about it in a report. That’s probably the most concerning aspect of all this.

Yes, mistakes happen, but when they’re covered up they become infinitely more dangerous. Who knows what residual effects the child may experience in the future, and the parents would have been none the wiser. Deceit should be met with immediate consequences, coverups with zero tolerance. You can’t play with people’s lives.

According to KATU, a hospital doesn’t get fined for violations but the “federal government can terminate a hospital’s Medicare agreement if it does not correct problems.” If there wasn’t a risk of termination, would there be any changes? The impetus to correct them shouldn’t be the federal government breathing down their necks. Hospitals should have their own methods of maintaining standards regardless of an agreement with Medicare. That should be a second or third layer of accountability.

If the Association of Health Care Journalists had never provided the public with this information, you’d have to wonder if hospitals would have been as quick to respond and fix things.

I don’t want to find out. I’ll keep eating my apples, thank you very much, and hopefully staying far, far away from those antiseptic halls teeming with germs and camera-happy employees.

Thursday, April 18

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 FREE in SMSU 462.

EarthDance Film Festival 3:30 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 338 1825 SW Broadway

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.

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 a people and their culture as well as their connection with nature. Admission is $5 for the general public and free for PSU students, staff and alumni.

Tickets can be purchased in advance FREE at the PSU Box Office.

JobJenny Presents: How to Stop Sucking at Your Job Search 6 p.m.

Bridgeport Brewpub 1313 NW Marshall St.

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.

Friday, April 19

Friday Flat Fix Clinic Noon–12:30 p.m.

PSU Bike Hub 1818 SW Sixth Ave.

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

International Night 2013 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 more than 88 countries. Events will range from food tasting to performances of 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 FREE Box Office.

The Champagne Party

The Portland State Alumni Association invites students as well as faculty, alumni and staff to join them for an information session by 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

9:30 p.m.–2:30 a.m.

The Conga Club 4923 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Rape Culture Panel

Earth Day of Service

6–8 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 296/8 1825 SW Broadway

9 a.m.–1 p.m.

PSU

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

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 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 the

Dr. 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 foodforthoughtpdx.org.

Wednesday, April 24

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

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228 1825 SW Broadway

The final part in a three-part series on the concept of race and whether it exists biologically, as well as what the cultural significance of the idea of race is to us and to others, will be held in the Smith Memorial Student FREE Union.

Catherine Austin Fitts: Who Owns Our Finances?

13

ETC.

7 p.m.

First Congregational United Church of Christ 1126 SW Park Ave.

Catherine Austin Fitts is a managing member of Solari Investment Advisory Services, LLC, publisher of the Solari Report, has served as assistant secretary of housing—federal housing commissioner in the first Bush administration, and been managing director of Wall Street firm Dillon, Read & Co. Inc. She will be offering her expertise in a talk about our finances and who is FREE controlling them.

Wednesday Night Swing 7:30 p.m.

Bossanova Ballroom 722 E Burnside St.

Every Wednesday night at the Bossanova Ballroom, the Portland Lindy Society invites you to come and dance.

Lessons for beginners will begin at 7:30 p.m. and open dance will start at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $7. 21+

Thursday, April 25

Dating Around the World 4–6 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 228 1825 SW Broadway

The PSU Cultural Centers, International Student and Scholar Services and the Organization of International Students present a discussion about dating, how it works and what it looks like in different cultures FREE around the world. = on PSU campus FREE = free of charge FREE = open to the public 21+ = 21 and over

14

SPORTSETC. • THURSDAY, • TUESDAY, APRIL Nov.18, 6, 2012 2013 • VANGUARD

VANGUARD •• THURSDAY, TUESDAY, JANUARY APRIL 18,10, 2013 2012• SPORTS • ETC.

SPORTS

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

Baseball’s peerless beards A look at the best active facial hair in the majors

Timbers prepared for disaster, send Earthquakes back to San Jose with a loss Portland club notches second win in a row to move up in MLS standings

Gino Cerruti

© John Mcdonnell / The washington post

© Jeff Curry / Getty images

Vanguard staff

Unique facial hair is nothing new in Major League Baseball.

In fact it sometimes becomes the trademark feature of a player’s career. Rollie Fingers, one of the greatest relievers in the game during the ’70s, is noted less often for his incredible pitching ability than for his waxed handlebar mustache. Similarly, Al Hrabosky, also known as “The Mad Hungarian” for his spirited antics on the mound, sported a Fu Manchu for most of his career to match his eccentric reputation. There are plenty of other examples in the annals of baseball card history, and the hirsute trend hasn’t died down. Here’s a list of the top five best beards in Major League Baseball today.

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Matt Deems Vanguard staff

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4. Josh Collmenter

© tom lynn / getty images

5. John Axford Axford’s mug has been home to a number of facial hairstyles—from goatee to Fu Manchu to an admirable recreation of Rollie’s handlebars.

Today, “The Ax Man” has gone all the way, growing out a full beard. If his numbers continue to decline as they have been— he’s currently nursing an ERA above 18—perhaps he can cash in the beard and nickname and get hired somewhere as a logger instead.

Coming into his third year of major league action, the Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher has always been a bit on the grizzly side. However, when MLB Photo Day came around in February, most people tended to focus on Collmenter’s outrageously unkempt muff of facial hair.

He’s been doing fairly well so far this season and, considering how superstitious baseball players can be, it isn’t likely that he’ll be looking for a razor anytime soon.

3. Jayson Werth Comparing a picture of a clean-cut Werth during his major league debut in 2002 with his mountain man mask of recent years, it seems as if he’s renounced the entire concept of personal grooming. Perhaps the scraggly mess of hair pleases the baseball gods, though, because Werth has become a .300 hitter over the past couple of seasons for the Washington Nationals. He may not ever make the cover of GQ , but he’s making a whole lot of Nats fans very happy.

© Michael macor / the chronicle

2. Josh Reddick Reddick, like Collmenter, is no stranger to styling his whiskers, though it did come as a surprise to fans of the Oakland A’s when the outfielder showed up to spring training this year looking less like a pro ballplayer and more like a homeless man who’d wandered out on the field looking for change. He’s currently embroiled in a Twitter grudge match with WWE wrestler and heavily bearded baseball fan Daniel Bryan, in what is being dubbed a “beard showdown.” When beards become that unruly, no one wins.

1. Jason Motte I think there’s a requirement that if you pitch in relief in the World Series your face must be 50 percent covered in hair. San Francisco closers Brian Wilson (who would have easily topped this list if he weren’t lingering in limbo as a free agent) and Sergio Romo clearly believed in the power of the beard, as each closed out a World Series win in 2010 and 2012, respectively. St. Louis Cardinals reliever Jason Motte, perhaps an admirer of Wilson, donned a burly number during the Cards’ World Series run in 2011. This year, Motte began the season on the disabled list with an equally robust look.

By the time he’s healthy again, expect to see a 21st-century caveman on the mound.

Unlike other visitors to Portland this season, the San Jose Earthquakes did not have to face the usual roar and chants of the Timbers Army at JeldWen Field alone. A charter bus pulled up before the game and disgorged a stream of blue-painted fans shouting “Earthquakes! Earthquakes!” with a vigor to rival the hometown crowd. While nowhere near the size of the Timbers contingent, the San Jose fans were loud and rowdy, ready for a tough match on the road.

So ready, in fact, that security had to corral them into a single section and remain close by to prevent any possible scuffles.

Coming off a big win over Houston last week, the Timbers were looking to keep the momentum rolling against their Western Conference rivals, but San Jose was more than up to the challenge.

The action was tense throughout the first 45 minutes, with the scored knotted at 0-0 going into halftime. The

Timbers controlled possession for 63 percent of the first half by virtue of superb passing.

San Jose was less successful with their passing accuracy, but managed to prevent the Timbers from finding good opportunities to score. Though the Earthquake fan section remained relatively civil, there were a couple of dust-ups on the field, with each team receiving a yellow card for fouls.

That trend continued in the second half as San Jose came out strong and established a presence in the Timbers box in the opening minutes. In the 50th minute, the Quakes’ Victor Bernardez fouled Ryan Johnson to nab another yellow card for San Jose. He was followed in the 69th minute by Alan Gordon, who elbowed Portland’s Mikael Silvestre in the face as they both went up for a header, causing Silvestre to bleed profusely from the mouth and earning Gordon a red card. Silvestre left the game to be attended to, but returned shortly after.

In the 77th minute, San Jose’s Ramiro Corrales fouled Kalif Alhassan hard, prompting a free kick. As Will Johnson lined up for the Timbers, the Earthquakes formed a wall but could do nothing to stop Johnson’s shot, which arched high over them into the upper

left corner of the net to give the Timbers a 1-0 lead.

“It was kind of funny—I texted [Johnson] today, and I had a weird feeling that he was going to hit a free kick,” Timbers head coach Caleb Porter said after the game. I said ‘Why don’t you smack a free kick goal today?’

And when he hit it, I couldn’t believe it.”

Johnson, for his part, was a bit more analytical about the goal. “We’ve been working on [free kicks] a lot this week,” he said. “I got it for him, so there you go. It was a special play, but there were a lot of special plays out there tonight.”

The Timbers continued to hold the Earthquakes at bay throughout the remainder of the game, shutting down the Earthquakes’ top three of Gordon, Chris Wondolowski and Steven Lenhart. With the win, Portland moved up to the third spot in the Western Conference. “[It’s] another positive step along this journey of where we want to be at the end of the year,” Porter said. “I thought we earned it—it was a tight game.

All you need is one to win, and that is what we found.”

The Timbers now move on to San Jose for their next game on April 21, where they’ll face the Earthquakes in a rematch that is sure to be another physical meeting.

Daniel Johnston/VANGUARD STAFf

will johnson scored the Timbers’ only goal against San Jose, but it was enough to lead the team to a 1-0 victory.

Blazers’ losing skid continues in Denver Franchise looks ahead to next season Alex Moore Vanguard staff

© Bill Kostroun/AP

Damian Lillard has given fans in Portland plenty of reasons to remain hopeful about the future of the Blazers.

When the Portland Trail Blazers went into the Pepsi Center to face off against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, it was a matchup between two teams headed in opposite directions.

Denver will get its playoff run started less than a week from now, with home-court advantage in the first round. The Blazers, on the other hand, will be watching the action unfold on television for the second year in a row. As a result, there was much more on the line for the Nuggets, who were fighting to improve their position in the standings with just a few games left in the regular season, while Portland was simply looking to stop the bleeding from a 10-game losing streak.

Make that an 11-game losing streak.

The Nuggets have been nearly unbeatable at home all year, and showed why against an undermanned and outmatched Blazer squad, rolling to a 118-109 win.

It would be easy to look back on this season as a failure for the Blazers, who came into their 2012–13 campaign with high expectations.

But a little perspective is in order. Portland has had to do more with less for most of the season, competing without their best players for extended periods of time and starting three or more rookies a game down the stretch. It’s understandable that Blazer fans will be hanging their heads low as the playoffs begin. There are still plenty of reasons to rejoice, though, starting with the product of last season’s disappointing run, the number-six pick in the NBA draft out of Weber State University.

It’s clear by now that Damian Lillard is special. And not just Rookie-of-the-Year special, although he’s as much of a lock to win the award this year as anyone has ever been. Lillard— who was something of a question mark at the beginning of the season, as scouts and analysts were unsure about how his game would translate to the professional level—is proving that he has what it takes to compete in the NBA. If his first year in the league is any indication, Lillard is the sort of player that

will not only be able to contribute to the team going forward but may actually become the centerpiece of Portland’s strategy and success.

For fans of professional basketball in Portland, it’s hard to accept that this is a team of the future. It seems as though we have been swallowing that pill for a long time now. But for some reason, this roster seems different. The team managed to make something out of nothing this year, and even threatened to make a run at a playoff spot. How would the season have turned out if the Blazers actually had some bench production to fall back on? Or a reliable interior presence? Or simply a matching lineup from one night to the next?

Maybe I’m just falling into that same routine that the hometown fan always relies on: the future is bright, there’s always next year, all the team needs is a bit of rest and rehab over the offseason and a few lucky breaks in the draft to get back on track. Maybe, but it doesn’t feel like that anymore.

The Blazers are headed to the lottery again in June, but it definitely feels like we’ve already cashed in.

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VANGUARD •TTHURSDAY, uesday, Jan. APRIL 31, 2013 18, 2013 • SPORTS • SPORTS

A Ram Choi on the attack for PSU Sophomore golfer quickly making a name for herself Rosemary Hanson Vanguard staff

A Ram Choi grew up playing soccer, but her transition into golf during high school has served her well. Choi, who played at the University of Washington prior to transferring to Portland State in 2012, has welcomed the independence of the sport while also embracing the team component of what she calls her new family.

“Golf [is] so different [from soccer],” Choi said. “It’s so much about you—it’s so individual…I like that part. I like the thrill that it gives me when I get birdie, and I am competing well.”

Choi began her collegiate career as a Huskie, but after one season realized that she was ready to live farther from her hometown of Surrey, British Columbia, in order to challenge herself to become more self-reliant. She adds jokingly that the rain in Washington made it difficult to find the

© Jordan murphy / goviks.con

A ram choi has wasted no time establishing herself as one of the top golfers on the Viking squad. motivation to get outside and practice.

While Oregon may not be known for its sunny weather, either, Choi has certainly found the motivation to work on her game. The sophomore has been a major contributor for the Vikings ever since she got to Portland, and recently earned her fourth Big Sky Golfer of the Week award after her performance at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic last week.

She and her teammates battled strong winds in the first two rounds of competition there, but Choi was able to come back strong in the third round to shoot 77-73-71 221 for a five-over-par secondplace finish. Her performance helped the Vikings place third as a team at the event—the best of all the Big Sky schools in attendance.

“I am proud of the way she played last week,” head

coach Kathleen Takaishi said.

“During the second and third round[s] she got off to a rough start, but was able to make some birdies and finish with a good score.”

Choi’s 75.03 average so far this season is currently on pace to break the PSU record for scoring average, and she leads the team with 69 birdies.

“Her strength is her ball striking,” Takaishi said. “She

hits a lot of greens, and her ball control is very good. Her course management has improved dramatically this year.

She plays smarter, which has helped her scores become more consistent.”

At the Cowgirl Classic, Choi proved her ability to keep her cool under pressure, a talent she said she picked up from her father.

“My biggest inspiration is my dad, off the green and on the golf course,” Choi said.

“He doesn’t get frustrated or mad…he knows how to compose himself. I want to learn to be like that.”

Having grown up in a musical family, Choi enjoys practicing guitar and piano when she is not on the course. She hopes to continue her golf career after college, and is working on a degree in arts and letters with a desire to go into education.

This weekend, Choi and the rest of the golf team will be focused on getting closer to their goal of going to nationals together. The Vikings head off to the Big Sky Conference Championships on Sunday in Chandler, Ariz.

Winterhawks get ready for conference finals Portland to start off series against Kamloops at home Zach Bigalke Vanguard staff

There is no shortage of enmity between the Portland Winterhawks and Kamloops Blazers as they prepare to face off at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday. Last year, Kamloops pushed the Winterhawks to seven games in their secondround playoff series; they’ll meet again this weekend, this time with a spot in the championchip up for grabs.

Season series The two teams met four times during the 2012–13 regular season. Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two goals on Nov. 11 as the Winterhawks won at home 3-1. Five days later, in Kamloops, the Blazers exacted revenge for the defeat as they shelled Portland goaltender Mac Carruth for five goals on 28 shots in a 6-4 victory.

On Jan. 30, Portland came out flat at the Memorial Coliseum and entered the locker room down 2-0 after one

period. But they leveled the score with goals by Ty Rattie and Joe Mahon just 34 seconds apart in the middle period, then scored three more in the final frame for a 5-2 win.

The two teams met most recently in British Columbia on Feb. 20. Carruth stopped all 27 shots sent his way that night, and Brendan Leipsic and Nicolas Petan each scored their 42nd goals of the season to lead Portland to a 3-0 shutout road victory.

How they got to the conference finals Portland needed six games to get past the Everett Silvertips, going 1-2 in Portland and winning all three contests on the road to advance to the second round. There they swept the Spokane Chiefs, scoring 18 goals while allowing just three and recording two shutouts in the process.

Kamloops won two at home and two on the road as they knocked off the Victoria Royals in six games in their opening-round series. Defensively, they allowed more shots per game in the next round against the Kelowna Rockets and were

Upcoming Friday, April 19

track and field Oregon Relays Eugene, Ore. 5 p.m.

Forecast: high of 56 degrees, few showers

Softball

@ Vikings @ Idaho State Miller Ranch Stadium Noon and 2 p.m.

WHL Western Conference Finals Game 1

vs.

Winterhawks vs. Kamloops Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 20

Track and Field Oregon Relays Eugene, Ore. 10 a.m.

Forecast: high of 59 degrees, mostly cloudy

Softball

@

Vikings @ Idaho State Miller Ranch Stadium Noon

WHL Western Conference Finals Game 2

vs.

Winterhawks vs. Kamloops Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7 p.m.

Sunday, April 21

karl kuchs/VANGUARD STAFf

brendan leipsic and the high-octane Winterhawks attack will face off against Kamloops this weekend in the WHL Western Conference Finals. Portland is looking to advance to the championship round for the third year in a row. taken to overtime in games three and four, but they still managed to come away with the sweep.

Offensive firepower galore The Winterhawks and Blazers are ranked first and third, respectively, in playoff scoring as they enter the Western Conference Finals, and feature eight of the top 10 scorers from this WHL postseason between them. Kamloops’ J.C. Lipon leads all skaters with 16 assists and 21 points through 10 games, while Portland’s Rattie and the Blazers’ Kale Kessy are tied for the goal-scoring lead with 11 apiece. Seven Winterhawks and four Blazers

have at least 10 points after two rounds of postseason play.

X-factor: the goalies Mac Carruth continues to set postseason records in his final run with the Winterhawks. The Portland netminder is ranked third in postseason goals-against average and second in shutouts. In the series against Spokane, he passed Lanny Ramage’s Winterhawks record for postseason shutouts, and also eased past Cam Ward for the alltime WHL record in playoff wins for a goalie.

At the opposite end of the rink, Kamloops’ Cole Cheveldave was bombarded throughout both of the first two

series and is the only remaining goaltender in the playoffs with a sub-.900 save percentage. He is also the only goalie of the final quartet to allow more than two goals per game this postseason.

Outlook While Portland has a veteran record-holder in their crease, Kamloops hopes Cheveldave can rebound against the top offense in the playoffs. No team has a more diverse and multipronged offensive attack than the Winterhawks, and as long as Carruth can allow fewer than four goals a game Portland is in good shape to advance to their third consecutive WHL Championship appearance.

Women’s Golf Big Sky Conference Championships Chandler, Ariz.

Forecast: high of 94 degrees, sunny

MLS

@ Timbers @ San Jose Buck Shaw Stadium 8 p.m.

Forecast: high of 78 degrees, sunny

NWSL

vs.

Thorns vs. Seattle Jeld-Wen Field 2 p.m.

Forecast: high of 59 degrees, partly cloudy