Portland State Vanguard

VOLUME 68 | ISSUE 8

OCTOBER 1, 2013

PSU TO NFL

JULIUS THOMAS HAS MILE-HIGH EXPECTATIONS

NEWS

OPINION

ARTS & CULTURE

SPORTS

Using his unconventional teaching style, media coach Brian Berger delves into how our media-driven society impacts modern athletes. pg. 4

Less face time for more money: How well are online classes really working out? pg. 11

Everything you need to know about this year’s hottest fall trends in the ‘Back to School Fashion Guide.’ pg. 18

Look out PSU: Women’s rugby is making its debut! Check it out in ‘Women’s Rugby Hits Harder.’ pg. 26

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NEWS

SPORTS BUSINESS CLASS HELPS STUDENTS MAKE CONNECTIONS JAY PENGELLY

Last winter, media coach and public relations veteran Brian Berger began a new avenue of teaching in a university classroom. He taught Marketing 410: Sports Business Strategy at Portland State—a class exploring the wide world of new media and the dangers they present to modern athletes.

The course familiarizes students with the terms and tools common in the sports industry and shows them how to critically analyze decisions made on the business side. Berger’s class will be offered again winter term.

Berger, however, is not a traditional college instructor.

“I teach in a conversational style, not lectures,” Berger said.

“There’s no textbook; I use my war stories of working in the industry for 20 years.”

He also uses mock interviews, guest speakers and a final project where students take on a real

sports issue and develop a strategy for public presentation.

These projects could include introducing the city to its new women’s soccer team, the Portland Thorns, or re-branding the Portland Winterhawks. The goal is for students to have practical experience before graduation.

Several of Berger’s students last winter received internships from local teams after making connections—relationships are one of the key lessons taught in the class.

“The importance of networking,” Berger said, “includes authentic ways to stay in touch.

Don’t just call someone when you need something, call them when you have something to offer, or meet for coffee.”

Berger, who has been educating people about the business of sports for over two decades, worked in public relations for the Portland Trail Blazers front of-

fice before launching his own PR firm in 1998.

In 2004, he began hosting a radio program, Sports Business Radio, which today is nationally syndicated.

In 2007, he also founded Everything is on the Record, a marketing company where experts train athletes, politicians and CEOs in their media presentations. EIOTR’s client list includes Adidas, Keen, Schwinn, Nike (including Jordan Brand), the NBA, MLS, Mongoose, Cannondale and even the City of Portland.

The expertise Berger brings to the classroom does not rely exclusively on old-fashioned values like relationship building; he looks to the future. He incorporates technology, focuses on social media and uses an evolving PR strategy to support his clients.

“10 years ago there were no iPhones, Twitter or Facebook,” Berger said. “lmagine how those BRIAN BERGER, left, poses with ESPN columnist LZ Granderson at a media round table event.

three things changed our lives.

Imagine what we will have in 10 years.”

Berger also has strong opinions to share about the state of college athletics.

Money generated through college sports has turned every university athletic department into a business. The landscape has shifted dramatically as television deals for football and basketball games reach multibillion dollar levels.

Student athletes have their likeness used in marketing and merchandise, which brings in more money for schools, while the students themselves receive no monetary compensation.

Big universities argue they provide scholarships, room and board, and great facilities to practice and play in. Berger

thinks this system is obsolete and unfair to certain people.

“I frankly believe D1 football and basketball should be governed differently than golf, swimming, tennis, etc.,” Berger said. “We know they are the revenue-creating sports.”

Berger believes that the college revenue model needs some updating.

“Some people get paid high salaries, some middle and some entry level,” Berger said. “In college athletics it’s one-size-fits-all…The industry needs to be modernized.

You can’t say one sizes fits all. For non-revenue producing sports, a scholarship is adequate.”

With television money continuing to rise and athletes facing greater scrutiny, Berger believes the need for people with training and education in this field is

apparent. He is one of many strategic PR consultants who fill this increasingly in-demand niche.

Almost every major college in the country offers at least one course in sports marketing.

The University of Oregon has the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, the first of its kind, connected with a college business school, and Marist College in New York offers the first available degree in sports communication.

For those with little or no chance of being an athlete, marketing and business offers a way into the sports industry.

“Sports is sexy, high profile,” Berger said.

More about Brian Berger and his Sports Business Radio show can be found at twitter.com/ SBRadio.

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Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

PSU LOOKS BACK AT CAMPUS CRIME

NEWS

ARRESTS, EVENTS AND WHAT TO EXPECT FALL TERM STEPHANIE TSHAPPAT

Over summer term, the Campus Public Safety Office was very busy—making arrests, responding to a variety of calls and implementing the new after hours access procedures.

One such arrest stemmed from a harassment report. A timely warning released July 1 relayed that a student had been physically harassed by another student in the elevator of the University Center Building.

“The suspect in this case was arrested within four hours [of the initial report],” Zerzan said.

On Aug. 20 a call came into CPSO reporting a suspicious package under a vehicle in Parking Structure Three at SW 12th Ave. and SW Mill St. The Portland Police Bureau Bomb Squad was called to respond to the scene and assist in determining the nature of the package.

“Their investigation revealed the package thankfully wasn’t a bomb. It was a car battery and battery charger in a duffel bag,” Zerzan said.

A PSU Alert was sent out to students on Aug. 26 regarding the robbery of the US Bank, located near campus at 410 S.W. Harrison St., by a suspect known as the “Where’s Waldo Bandit,” later identified as Ryan Homsley.

Homsley had just been released from prison the week before for a bank robbery he committed in 2010. He was believed to have entered Smith Memorial Student Union during his flight from the area, Zerzan said. “[Homsley] was tracked by PPB into Smith, so the building was cleared while officers searched the area,” he said.

Homsley wasn’t apprehended on campus, but was located in Aloha the next day and arrested

on the charge of robbery as well as violation to his federal probation, according to local news reports.

On top of all of this activity, CPSO also restricted after-hours access to buildings on campus at the beginning of summer term.

“I think it’s helped a lot. We don’t have all the data analyzed yet, but we had no person-onperson crime in our buildings over summer term,” Zerzan said.

Zerzan mentioned, however, that with more people needing after-hours access during fall term, issues are likely to crop up.

“We are continuing to look at after-hours access and are working with facilities to continue to expand the electronics involved in the security access,” he said. “There is a much greater use of campus during fall term [than summer term], so we expect there to be some mid-course [adjustments].”

The Task Force on Campus Safety will also be reconvening this term, and PSU President Wiewel’s expectations for the TFCS are outlined in a letter from Wiewel dated April 25, when the task force was first introduced: “…I would ask the TFCS to share its preliminary finding and recommendations with the same stakeholder groups it interviewed at the start of this process, for feedback and reaction. I then would suggest that the TFCS amend their preliminary findings and recommendations to reflect feedback it receives, so that by November 1, 2013, the TFCS could deliver to me a final set of findings and responsive recommendations regarding safety at PSU.” Jackie Balzer, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, added in an email that the TFCS has been actively working on campus safety this spring and summer.

“Throughout the spring and summer the Task Force, made up of students, staff and faculty, has sponsored open forums and met with numerous campus community members,” Balzer said. “This coming fall, the Task Force will present a summary of its finds and a series of recommendations to the [campus] President.”

For more information on CPSO, including timely warning information, visit their website at pdx.edu/cpso. For more information on the TFCS, including President Wiewel’s letter, visit their website at pdx.edu/cpso/2013TFCS.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

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NEWS

STUDENT ACTION COALITION AIMS TO REVOLUTIONIZE PSU GEOFF WALLACE

With plans for a safer campus, tuition freezes and a student union, the Student Action Coalition is on a mission to empower Portland State students.

Founded in June of 2012, StAC began with a small group of students seeking direct solutions to issues they found to be impinging on the social rights of students.

With efforts focused on giving presentations on the student debt crisis and helping campaign to save Chiron Studies, several of StAC’s actions made headlines, including a 70-person march into Provost Sona Andrews’ office last spring in an effort to ensure a future for Chiron Studies.

“On two seperate occasions in May, students filled the Provost’s office and made it clear that they are willing to engage administrators directly rather than allowing this struggle to get bogged down and lost in bureaucratic channels,” Chiron Studies committee member and coordinator Rozzell Medina said. “There are a great many students and faculty members who want the opportunities offered by Chiron Studies, and it made me happy that students were willing to organize and demand to be heard by the administration.”

Now, as the organization heads into its second academic year, StAC is moving forward with a new campaign and goals for sweeping change at PSU. As a means of broadcasting its intentions to a greater audience, StAC has written a petition that outlines its goals for the 2013– 2014 academic year. Titled “The Campus Safety & Fairness Petition,” StAC’s entreaty forms the basis of a campaign aimed at supporting embroiled faculty unions and building “a safe, affordable and democratic campus” for students.

According to Cameron Frank, a student organizer for StAC, one of the group’s foremost concerns for student safety is the administration’s push to deputize Campus Public Safety officers as a response to increased concern over incidents of sexual assault and weapons on campus.

Under the deputization process, CPSO officers would receive police officer training through

6

the state of Oregon and be allowed to carry firearms on campus. According to PSU’s division of Finance and Administration, the process would cost at least $2 million, with 80 percent of funds coming from student tuition.

“Deputization is something that we can’t really afford when we’ve just seen another tuition hike,” Frank said. “3.5 percent doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you do the math, that’s three months of groceries. Not only can students not afford this deputization, it could very possibly do more harm than good.”

Last spring, a survey by the Associated Students of Portland State University revealed a student body divided on the issue of turning CPSO into a sworn police force, with 34 percent of respondents opposed to the idea and 36 percent in favor.

Several of StAC’s proposed alternative campus safety improvements are in step with suggestions made by students in the ASPSU survey, including more emergency call boxes and increased student oversight of CPSO. “StAC’s stance is that there are much better ways to tackle this problem,” Frank said. “There’s no shortage of creative and inexpensive alternatives to policing that are completely possible to implement.”

The organization wants to improve campus safety through four different solutions. By spring term of 2014, “StAC would like to see a measurable improvement of lighting on campus, a doubling of the amount of emergency call boxes on campus and a task force to research, design and implement a work-study safewalk program,” Frank said.

A fourth solution would seek to grant the student body more agency over CPSO. “What we would like to see is the Office of the President and the Board of Trustees sign a public oath stating that they will not deputize CPSO without a student majority vote,” Frank said, “and in the case of such a majority vote, that ASPSU would be equipped with the appropriate resources to carry it out.”

In April of this year, PSU Presi-

dent Wim Wiewel convened the Task Force on Campus Safety, created to address concerns of public safety on campus. The task force is made up of PSU faculty, staff, students and community members. “...in the Fall, I would ask the TFCS to share its preliminary finding and recommendations with the same stakeholder groups it interviewed at the start of this process, for feedback and reaction,” Wiewel said in a memo to the PSU community.

By Nov. 1, the TFCS will provide recommendations based on their findings.

With agency in mind, another component of StAC’s petition seeks to achieve better contracts for faculty.

“We would like to see [PSU’s chapter of ] the American Association of University Professors and the Portland State University Faculty Association—the faculty and adjunct faculty unions—have a mutually acceptable contract,” Frank said. “The way we see it, our teachers’ working conditions directly translate into our learning conditions. The current situation leads to abysmal job security, and eventually translates into the way faculty are able to perform in the classroom and meet the needs of their students.”

According to StAC’s point of view, optimizing every available resource to students is critical. In addition to improving economic fairness for teachers, StAC’s petition is seeking to achieve a tuition freeze for instate, out-of-state and international students at PSU. “There’s clearly a funding crisis for higher education,” Frank said. “Because of the cost and fear of debt, students now are being forced to ask themselves if [college] is even something they want to do. We’re at the absolute breaking point for so many students.”

According to The Oregonian, undergraduate tuition rose by as much as 11 percent in each of the past six years, with PSU’s resident undergraduate tuition increasing from just over $5,000 in 2006 to $6,615 in 2013. StAC intends to demand that PSU’s new institutional board enact the tuition freeze.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

STUDENTS attend a May StAC rally on campus.

COURTESY OF PSU STUDENT ACTION COALITION

“The board will be setting tuition, and they have the power to freeze it,” Frank said. “We just have to unite as students and convince them to do it.”

As a means to help unite students, StAC is working to start a student union, Portland State University Student Union.

“We’re going to be outreaching around this petition by asking students to sign onto it,” Frank said. “And, in doing so, they’ll be counted as a member of PSUSU.” StAC envisions PSUSU as a manifestation and expression of student will and a horizontal means for students to voice and act on issues of concern.

“Fundamentally, what the student union is about is the democratization of the decision-making process of the university,” Frank

said. “Unless students have a say in determining our collective fate, we’re essentially doomed.”

As proponents of direct democracy, StAC encourages students to act as their own representatives, but does not seek to replace ASPSU. “The student union wouldn’t be an alternative to student government,” Frank said. “It would be a parallel and complimentary power structure to student government—a place where we can come together and decide on the appropriate course of action for the university.”

In addition to working together on collective bargaining for PSU faculty, StAC intends to partner with ASPSU for several activities, including going to classrooms and dining halls to

talk directly to students.

“We think it’s really important that as many students as possible get involved with this,” Frank said. “Ultimately, that’s going to be the source of our collective power.”

PSUSU will hold its first general assembly on Friday, Oct. 18th, and will feature briefings from faculty and concerned students on issues of working conditions and campus safety, as well as discussions about the trajectory of the university regarding privatization, austerity and the studentadministration relationship.

For more information, including how to get involved and where to sign StAC’s petition, email psutac@gmail.com. StAC’s website, psusu.org, is in the process of being constructed.

NEWS

TWO PROJECTS, ONE GOAL: REDUCE DEFORESTATION ROBERT EVERSMANN

Randy Bluffstone, a professor of economics at Portland State, is leading two research projects to address global climate change and deforestation—one in Ethiopia and another in Nepal. The results will help indicate which technologies might reduce carbon emissions while being widely acceptable to people in developing countries.

Both the project in Nepal and the project in Ethiopia work with an international architecture developed in the Framework Convention on Climate Change, an international agreement signed by the U.S. in 1992.

“Big international negotiations on climate change mitigation—basically, trying to slow the warming of the planet—haven’t been optimistic. It’s been very difficult to get a follow-on agreement, especially to the Kyoto Protocol,” Bluffstone said.

The Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997 by 192 parties and binding developed countries to obligations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expired in 2012.

The only international agreement proposed to succeed it is called “REDD+,” for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus the various social aspects specific to each REDD+ project.

Under REDD+, wealthier “Annex 1” countries, like the U.S. and Japan, are responsible for addressing climate change and sponsoring steps to reduce deforestation in the non-Annex 1 countries, like Ethiopia and Nepal.

In Ethiopia, a new kind of stove Together with the Ethiopian Development Research Institute, Bluffstone and his team are testing improved wood-burning stoves to see if they might help reduce deforestation by using wood more efficiently. They distributed these new stoves to 360 randomly selected households from May to June in 2013. The primary research question for now is: Do these stoves save wood?

It is expected that these stoves will use 50 percent less wood and help reduce indoor air pollution by 90 percent. Bluffstone’s team is testing wood-burning efficiency and intends to follow this research with tests on indoor air quality.

“People really welcome these stoves,” Bluffstone said. “I was there when the first batch were distributed, and people were very happy to get these.”

However, Bluffstone and his colleagues aren’t assuming that these stoves will be adopted by everyone, and the research team held focus groups to let participants voice what they liked and didn’t like about the stoves.

“The other thing we’re testing is if people use [the stoves],” he said, adding that there are no carbon benefits if the stoves aren’t used.

Professor Sahan Dissanayake, assistant professor of economics at Colby College in Maine, worked with Bluffstone in designing the experiments in the Ethiopia project.

“One of the things that economists try to do—especially the environmental economists, like Randy and myself—is to find how the lack in markets of environmental goods and amenities affects the policies that we make,” he said.

“The basic idea is that it tries to get at the tradeoffs and opportunity costs we deal with everyday in our world,” he added.

Forest management and bio-gas in Nepal “Nepal is a leader in improved community forest management,” Bluffstone said. In the 1970s, forestry experts in Nepal recognized that they were approaching total deforestation. One central estimate published in 1979 predicted total deforestation in Nepal by the year 2000. Policy changes in forest management prevented that collapse.

In 1993, Nepal introduced forestry management programs to its forest-dependent communities. Today, almost every forest used by a particular community

is controlled by that community, according to Bluffstone. “It’s a real innovation for the developing world,” he said.

It’s expected that forests managed by community-forest user groups, like those in Nepal, are healthier and absorb more carbon—something Bluffstone’s team is evaluating.

“In Nepal we also have a great counterpart...called ForestAction Nepal,” he said. ForestAction is taking 650 random plot samples in Nepal’s forests to test if forests managed by their nearby communities store more carbon than those that are not.

In addition to his work with ForestAction, Bluffstone is researching new technologies for Nepali forest-dependent communities, where bio-gas has come to prominence in the last 30 years.

Bio-gas is created by storing animal waste in a cement tank, where it ferments and creates methane that can be used for stoves.

“It would be nice to evaluate [bio-gas] and see if it is a possible REDD+ technology,” Bluffstone said.

He is hopeful that REDD+ will save people as well as forests. In Nepal, he noticed a linkage between deforestation and poverty. “If we’re going to avert ecological catastrophe…we have to entice the developing world, the non-Annex 1 countries, into this process. We can’t make big progress on mitigating climate change without reducing emissions,” he said.

While Bluffstone’s team is working closely with think-tanks and NGOs, he confirmed that students can offer a lot, too.

“Students have a huge role to play. For students who have an interest in the 4 billion people in what I’ve called the developing world, take the opportunity to go there—volunteer, visit, get on a plane and meet somebody in a very different situation,” he said.

“Only by really appreciating each other as people, as societies, and understanding each other’s circumstances can we build the cooperation internationally to do a lot of things, one of which is climate change mitigation.”

AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK are two of the main contributors to deforestation in Ethiopia. ©Justin Clements

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

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NEWS

ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT SEMINAR WILL EXPLORE OBAMACARE INSURANCE EXCHANGES AND MANDATORY COVERAGE AMONG SLATED TOPICS CRIME BLOTTER September 16 Arrest

At 1:01 a.m. Officer Shawn McKenzie and Officer Denae Murphy contacted non-students Michael Crist and Cole Robison. Crist was arrested on an outstanding felony warrant and Robison issued a PSU exclusion.

No further information.

Exclusion

Parking Structure Three At 5:49 p.m. Sergeant Michael Anderson contacted nonstudent Justin Snegirev for drinking alcohol in the northwest stairwell and issued him a PSU exclusion.

Arrest

Science Building One Officers David Baker and Officer Murphy observed non-student Michael Basty, who had a prior PSU exclusion, on the outside deck of Science Building One. A search of Basty’s backpack revealed drug paraphernalia and residue amounts of heroin. Basty was arrested and lodged at Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of Criminal Trespass II and Attempted Unlawful Possession of Heroin. No further information.

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ROBERT EVERSMANN

On Oct. 11, Portland State associate professor of economics Rajiv Sharma will give a presentation titled “What Will ‘Obamacare’ Mean?

What Will and Won’t Change?” at 3 p.m. in room 53 of Cramer Hall.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, intends to make healthcare more affordable by enacting universal and mandatory health insurance coverage.

The ACA will be rolled out in incremental provisions until 2020, with the next slated to occur today, when the open enrollment provision will allow those without health insurance to shop for coverage in new health insurance marketplaces, otherwise known as the insurance exchange.

Professor Sharma will also explore two major provisions being introduced on Jan. 1 of 2014: a new rule prohibiting insurance companies from discriminating against

people with pre-existing conditions and one requiring eligible individuals to have insurance.

Neal Wallace, a professor of public administration at PSU, believes that universal coverage in the U.S. is a necessary step toward keeping the population healthy. “In the order of operations,” he said, “the first thing is insuring everybody.”

“Oregon has been a leader in thinking about how to improve public health and reduce costs,” Wallace said, adding that pres-

sure to meet the Medicaid expansion while reducing health care costs has prompted “thinking about health more broadly,” and “healthcare beyond just getting people covered.”

“Good ideas have been sprouting up forever, but they don’t stick if there is no structure to support them,” he said.

Professor Sharma’s talk is free for PSU students and faculty with ID. Admission for others is $45. For more information, visit pdx.edu/econ/undergraduate

Week of Sept. 23-30

STEPHANIE TSHAPPAT

September 17 Arrest

Fourth Avenue Building, east side Officers Baker and Murphy contacted non-student Luis Mondragon at 6:36 p.m. Mondragon had a prior PSU exclusion and an open container of alcohol and was cited in lieu of arrest for Criminal Trespass II.

September 18 Theft

Smith Memorial Student Union, north side Officer Gary Smeltzer received a report from a student of their bike, which was secured to the bike rack, being stolen between September 16 at 6:30 a.m. and September 18 at 12:30 p.m.

September 20 Theft

Academic and Student Recreation Center, room 210 Officer Smeltzer received a report at 9:27 a.m. of a student’s laptop being stolen when it was left unattended.

Arrest

Blumel Residence Hall, southeast corner At 9:31 p.m., Officer Peter Ward

and Officer Brenton Chose responded to a report of a man wearing only boxer shorts digging through the dumpster. Upon arrival officers contacted non-student Ryan Scott Wheeler sleeping on a foam mattress, under a plastic sheet, amidst trash that was strewn about. Wheeler admitted to digging trash bags out of the dumpster and going through their contents, and was found to have a prior PSU exclusion. Wheeler was arrested for Criminal Trespass II and Offensive Littering and lodged at Multnomah County Detention Center.

September 21 Arrest

After probable cause was developed as a result of a surveillance video, at 7:04 a.m. Officer Smeltzer arrested the student responsible for the laptop theft from the Academic Student Recreation Center on September 20.

September 22 Arrest

Parking Structure One, seventh floor At 3:39 p.m. Officer Murphy contacted non-student John Wiitla, who had a prior PSU exclusion and possession of several pieces of mail and identification that did

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

not belong to him. Wiitla was arrested and lodged at Multnomah County Detention Center for Criminal Trespass II.

September 23 Theft

King Albert residence hall, north side Officer Jared Schuurmans responded to a report of a student’s bike, chain and lock being stolen between September 20 at 12 a.m. and September 21 at 11 p.m.

Arrest

Peter W. Stott Center, north side Sergeant Anderson contacted non-student Donald Gumps for being seen loitering around the Millar Library. Gumps had an outstanding warrant for Carrying a Concealed Weapon, was arrested on said warrant and lodged at Multnomah County Detention Center.

September 24 Arrest

Officer Chris Fischer contacted and arrested non-student Kenneth Muskevitsch on a felony parole violation warrant for Sodomy II. Muskevitsch also gave Officer Fischer false information and resisted arrested. No further information.

Exclusion

Urban and Public Affairs building, fourth floor At 12:41 p.m. Officer Schuurmans responded to a report of an individual asleep on the floor.

Upon arrival Officer Schuurmans contacted non-student Anthony B. Mitchell, who was asleep and had no reason to be in academic space. Mitchell was issued a PSU exclusion.

September 25 Burglary

Officer Gregory Marks received a report from a faculty member that his office was broken into and 40 CDs of pictures were taken.

No further information.

Exclusion

Officer Marks contacted a nonstudent with last name of Coates, who is also a registered sex offender, and issued Coates a PSU exclusion after subject was loitering at the entrance to Blumel Residence Hall. No further information.

Arrest

Science Research and Teaching Center, northwest entrance At 9:33 p.m. Officer Brian Rominger, and Officers Ward and McKenzie contacted non-

student William Duke, who was in possession of bolt cutters and admitted to attempting to steal a bike at the entrance of the building. Duke was arrested and lodged at Multnomah County Detention Center for Attempted Theft III, Possession of a Burglary Tool, and Criminal Trespass II.

September 28 Arrest

Peter W. Stott Center, west side Officers Jon Buck and Officer Rominger contacted and arrested non-student Brian Vondohlen on 13 outstanding warrants at 12 a.m. Vondohlen was lodged at Multnomah County Detention Center.

September 29 Arrest

Parkway Residence Hall Officer Rominger arrested non-student Christopher Kreloff on an outstanding warrant and issued him a PSU exclusion after contacting him regarding a report of harassment from a student. No further information.

For full crime blotter listing visit psuvanguard.com

NEWS

HONORING

HISTORIC OREGON WOMEN POSTERS TO PRESENT FEMALE ROLE MODELS IN OREGON K-12 SCHOOLS JESSE TOMAINO

ABIGAIL SCOTT DUNIWAY, the first woman to register to vote in Multnomah County, is one of the women featured on the poster.

©JOSEPH GASTON

In an effort to raise awareness of female role models in leadership positions, the Portland State Center for Women, Politics and Policy is working to put a poster of 14 historically significant women in every elementary school classroom in the state.

The poster, titled Oregon Women Firsts, features women such as Barbara Roberts, the state’s first female governor, and Marian Towne, the first woman elected to the state legislature.

“I didn’t see women represented on the wall when I was in

school,” said CWPP’s executive director Sunny Petit. “As a kid, you look around and see pictures of all the presidents and depictions of history, and you don’t see women. We did this because it’s important for both boys and girls to see women in leadership.”

Also included on the poster are women who were historically significant in other ares. Ethel Romig Fuller, Oregon’s first female poet laureate, and Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese-American woman to be a U.S. military pilot, fill out the wide spectrum of role models.

The Oregon Commission for Women funded production of the poster as well as the cost of placing it in the state’s middle and high schools. In order to reach their goal of having a poster up in every public and private elementary school classroom in the state this fall, the CWPP is holding a last-minute fundraiser. For $15 donors can receive a copy of the poster for themselves while also ensuring that one gets put up in an Oregon classroom.

For more information, visit cwpp.pdx.edu/poster

A new look at violence GEOFF WALLACE

Internationally recognized educator and activist Tony Porter will present two workshops and a keynote speech on violence prevention and community safety at Portland State on Oct. 9.

With over twenty years’ work in the social justice arena, Porter is the co-founder of A Call To Men, a national organization of men and women dedicated to ending violence committed against women. A video on TED.com showcasing Porter’s presentation at TEDWomen 2010 has been viewed over 1 million times.

PSU’s Women’s Resource Center worked with multiple university groups to bring Porter to PSU. The WRC’s director, Jessica Amo, noted that this marks a big

growth for anti-violence education presentations at PSU. “We haven’t had a nationally recognized speaker come to PSU for Domestic Violence Awareness Month since I’ve been on campus,” Amo said. “The WRC is excited to have a speaker of Tony’s caliber to start the year with a strong message around empowering students to create violencefree campus communities.”

According to promotional information from the WRC, each of Porter’s events will focus on examining the root causes of relationship and sexual violence and explore actions that everyone can take to create a safe and respectful campus community.

Presently on a speaking tour

through the U.S. and Canada, Porter is a lecturer for the U.S. State Department and has worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Kingdom and Brazil. Porter also works with numerous domestic and sexual violence programs, the National Football League and colleges and universities across America to help spread the message of anti-violence.

Amo said Porter’s message helps underscore the WRC’s focus on a preventative approach to treating issues of violence against women.

“As a campus community, we need to think about what leads to these events in the first place,” said Amo. “We need to examine what the root causes between relationship and sexual violence

[are] and what we need to do to shift these as the norm.”

Porter will present two workshops in the Native American Student and Community Center on Oct. 9. He will also be giving a keynote speech at Smith Memorial Union Ballroom on the same day.

While the first workshop is targeted toward men and the second toward student leaders, everyone is welcome to attend. All events are free for PSU students, faculty and staff.

Amo added that for students impacted by stories of sexual assaults on campus, “This is an especially good time to come find how to make campus a safer place.”

REDEFINING MASCULINITY: LEADERSHIP IN VIOLENCE PREVENTION Native American Student & Community Center 10 a.m.–noon

STUDENT LEADERSHIP & VIOLENCE PREVENTION Native American Student & Community Center 2–4 p.m.

A CALL TO ACTION: CREATING SAFE & HEALTHY COMMUNITIES Smith Memorial Union Ballroom 7–9 p.m.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

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CALLING ALL WRITERS THE VANGUARD IS LOOKING FOR News Writers Apply @ psuvanguard.com

OPINION

CLICKING FOR CLASSES The Campus Critic

by Theo Burke

Here’s how I spent my summer vacation: I took my first online course at Portland State. The class was Nonverbal Communication—online.

That was irony number one. “I’m taking Nonverbal Communication,” I told friends, “with all the nonverbal cues removed!”

As expected, the online “classroom” was devoid of nonverbal cues.

There were weekly textbook assignments on D2L and multiple-choice exams. The weekly “discussion groups” featured classmates simply typing to each other in D2L threads, but at least we could see each other’s lovely D2L photos. We had PowerPoint lecture slides—without the lecture.

In the class, we learned that 66 percent of all human communication is nonverbal. That was irony number two. This class used none of the classroom simulation technologies like chat, audio or video that would increase nonverbal cues.

Later, I was astounded to learn that university faculty does indeed have access to classroom simulation technologies. D2L’s “Collaborate” tab allows teachers to present video lectures. Even better, Google Hangouts, a part of the university’s Google+ account, allows any instructor to have up to nine students and the teacher on live video at the same time. Yet many professors are ignoring these tools.

Interaction with our professor was minimal. He monitored our discussions, graded our tests and sent a weekly encouraging message. I would much later learn what a brilliant professor he actually is, but squeezed into that online box, he was like a study hall monitor.

There’s more: While chatting with two students at the Viking Court cafe, I learned that we are charged an extra $240 in online fees for four-credit online courses. The fee is being reduced to $160 this fall.

It turns out that some of those online fees were used last spring to fund the Provost’s Challenge, a program of $3 million in grants for professors and departments to come up with more uses of technology, including more online courses.

It seems like PSU online courses are the gift that keeps on taking!

Less live teaching, hologram classmates, nonverbal communication removed, perfunctory technologies used while ignoring better ones and extra fees for the privilege of less, which can then be used to create even more online courses. What the heck is going on?

Talks with students indicate that many PSU online courses are conducted in a manner similar to my experience. Several students related their own unhappy memories with such courses to me, and their objection to the technology fee.

One student had a good experience with a math course. No doubt, there have been other students who have had good online experiences. But for many, the experience has been poor, and the Office of Information Technology’s fee for these courses has been the PSU administration’s most cynical ploy in my nearly three years here as a student.

Overall, students are not getting enough bang for their online bucks.

They are paying more for less.

KAYLA NGUYEN/PSU VANGUARD

Jeanne Enders, executive director of online initiatives in the School of Business Administration, and Samad Hinton, director of online business education in the SBA, demonstrated Google Hangouts’ video component to me. Samad went into the next room. Jeanne put my image and hers on a screen. Samad’s face soon showed up on the screen, too, from his computer, and we all chatted.

It seems stupendously obvious to me that this technology would restore much of the 66 percent of nonverbal classroom communication lost with online courses. The SBA has debuted three fully online bachelor’s, master’s and certificate programs, with two more due out soon.

Other departments zooming ahead with fully online degree programs include the Graduate School of Education, the Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and the School of Social Work. Departments like these are availing themselves of all existing online tools and getting ready for new ones for mobile devices.

Enders was keen to show me that the trend in online learning at PSU and the Provost’s Challenge are about merging technology, creativity and pedagogy. “The dialectic is not face-to-face vs online,” Enders insisted. “It’s about increasing passion, training faculty and engagement.”

Sukhwant Jhaj, vice provost for academic innovation and student success, points out the volatile national trends that PSU is responding to. While there is a 2 percent increase coming in students matriculating to college, there will be a “double digit” increase in requests for online courses, he said.

According to a special report in the August 2013 issue of Scientific American entitled “Learning in the Digital Age,” institutions like PSU are under increasing pressure.

More and more students are pursuing higher levels of education at

“The administration was able to implement the expensive online fee outside of the supervision of the Student Fee Committee, where elected students oversee the fees under the “student fee” umbrella. The administration charges it because they can get away with it.”

a time when budget-strapped principals and universities cannot hire the staff they need, the magazine said.

But I’m not convinced that we might be not be losing something important, even if we gain the experiences, pathways, engagement and passion that Jhaj and Enders suggest.

While some voices in the Scientific American report, like Salman Khan of the Khan Academy in California, believe digital tools can “reimagine education entirely,” others caution against the loss of real human interaction, including those nonverbals.

Kathleen Nicoll, associate professor of geography at the University of Utah, said human interaction is fundamental to learning and online forums and discussion groups are no substitute. “It’s kind of like the difference between having a real friend and a Facebook friend,” she said in the magazine.

Why does the university say online courses are more economically efficient, then turn around and charge $160–240 extra for each course? “That’s a great question,” said Jhaj.

“I’d say that for a period of time we collected a lot of money and subsequently cut back on service,” said Jeanne Enders.

The administration was able to implement the expensive online fee outside of the supervision of the Student Fee Committee, where elected students oversee the fees under the “student fee” umbrella. The administration charges it because they can get away with it.

The $160 online fee should be reduced to $0. OIT has been overcharging on this fee so much that there was apparently $3 million lying around for the Provost’s Challenge to gobble up. Or, alternatively, if a small fee is still required, there’s no reason why OIT’s fees cannot be placed under the purview of the SFC. It is hard to find a central authority at PSU that has been responsible for monitoring the growth and direction of online classes the past 15 years. Basically, each department has been responsible for its own online offerings, and the results have not been coordinated.

Supposedly, that is about to change. The former Center for Academic Excellence, which assisted faculty with course resources, has been combined with the former Center for Online Learning to create the new Office of Academic Innovation, freshly minted in June. Jhaj and Enders, among others, are very keen on the potential of the OAI to take technology, pedagogy and creativity at PSU to a new level. Jhaj will supervise OAI. Here’s hoping that with the OAI and a new awareness, PSU is turning the corner on online course quality.

“It is pretty clear that we’ve done some questionable online teaching,” said Enders. “So what are we going to do about it?”

Theo Burke hosts The Raging Moderate, a news and talk show, Thursdays at noon at KPSU.org.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

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THOUGHTS ON SYRIA Global Thoughts

by Lamarra Haynes The camera lens must have been on one of those antique type settings. The whole picture carries with it a nostalgic feel. In the background a droopy yet brightly illuminated Syrian opposition flag, marked with three black stars instead of the two of the previous regime, hangs over the tattered brown wall.

A soldier sleeps in casual street clothes just below the flag. Sleep, the cousin of death, takes him away, if only for a few moments or hours. He looks at peace, even as war has permeated Syria.

Images like the one described above can be found on any major news network. The news on Syria is on constant replay in my

own home, as my father is an avid NPR listener. My younger sister asked me where Syria was just a few nights ago. Mind you, she is six years old.

Basically, Syria is on the mind of the American government and subsequently all over radios, televisions and newspapers. Anyone within our country knows at least something. Yet our understanding is still steeped in oversimplification, if nothing else.

In addressing the war in Syria, President Obama has always fully blamed the Al-Assad regime for the use of chemical weapons.

By the look of my Facebook news feed, many people residing in the U.S. have latched on to these

claims. But the truth is that the only thing that has been confirmed, according to the United Nations Inspectors, is that the chemical weapon called sarin gas has been used.

Ground reports have been quite limited because western media outlets are largely absent due to the dangerous conditions.

This makes things undoubtedly complex. We all know how the U.S. has fabricated stories of “weapons of mass destruction” in recent history.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the oversimplification of the Syrian civil war is the lack of historical context about Syria and the Middle East in general. Americans still seem to view the Middle East as the “Orient” (thank you, Edward Said). The perception is limited, and people pound their heads in frustration as they try to understand the region using western bifocals.

News flash, folks, that doesn’t work and hasn’t worked. Ever.

I have been hearing phrases such as “How could they do that to their own people?” and “We would never do that here.” While

MILES SANGUINETTI/PSU VANGUARD

I am thrilled that so many citizens put our government on such a high pedestal, we must remember that America has committed its fair share of offenses against its own people in modern history. It seems a little ill-informed to raise ourselves up when we also have a significant amount of blood on our hands.

That’s the issue—war is dirty.

What’s in a name?

The power in being a famous author

Page by Page

by Brie Barbee

©SPHERE BOOKS

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It is said that there is power in a name. In the literary world, that saying holds a lot of truth. The name and reputation of the author of a book can very easily determine its sales once the book has been published.

Readers are much more likely to buy a new book if they recognize the author’s name or have read other pieces written by that author in the past. With so many unique books currently in print—2.2 million titles being published every year, by some estimates—picking a book based on its author can make what seems like an overwhelming trip to your local bookstore a bit more bearable.

The unfortunate truth is that good writing doesn’t necessarily get the credit it deserves. In order to get popular, authors must give readers around the world reasons they should buy their book rather than someone else’s. It becomes a type of popularity contest, where a writer’s success is determined by the number of books they sell.

The influence of an author’s name was really epitomized with the release of the crime fiction novel The Cuckoo’s Calling earlier this year.

The Cuckoo’s Calling, a debut novel by Robert Galbraith, was published this April. The novel received almost universal critical acclaim, with some people declaring it “easily one of the most assured and fascinating debut crime novels of the year.” However, despite its positive reception by critics, the book only sold about 1,500 copies.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

OPINION

Lives will be lost, but my shady radar goes off when the American government has waited two years to respond to a crisis it knew was occurring. The patronizing, paternalistic tone of the president sounds identical to the voice of his predecessor.

For some reason, the American military has some kind of preordained destiny and duty to

intervene. But why have we waited so long? Fighting a raging war with “limited military airstrikes” may seem like an exquisite idea, but do we really think we will preserve lives this way?

It seems that whoever said fight fire with fire—or in this case, fight war with war—intended to set the world ablaze, beginning in the Middle East.

Fast forward to July, when it was revealed that J.K. Rowling—famous writer of the Harry Potter series—was the author of The Cuckoo’s Calling, writing under the pseudonym Galbraith. After Rowling’s identity as the book’s author was revealed, the book went from being ranked 4,709th on Amazon to being the number-one best-selling novel.

Nothing had changed about the novel from April to July, so why were the sales of The Cuckoo’s Calling so poor during the first few months compared to Rowling’s other pieces? The reason was fairly simple. Rowling lost the built-in audience of Harry Potter fans by not using her name.

No one had heard of Robert Galbraith before, and no one had any particular reason to buy his book. Yet the name J.K. Rowling rang an important bell with readers. It became something familiar, making The Cuckoo’s Calling a book that nearly every reader of the Harry Potter series was excited to read.

This is a perfect example of the power that a name holds in the world of literature. Someone’s writing skills can only carry them so far toward becoming popular. The Cuckoo’s Calling was well-reviewed by critics but simply failed to gain the widespread attention of readers.

But Rowling’s fans enjoyed her past books and fell in love with her characters and charming writing style. If you have ever thoroughly enjoyed reading a book, wouldn’t you want to find another book to recreate that feeling as well as possible? And what better place to search for that book than with the author herself?

While this might seem unfair to lesser-known writers, it makes sense that people buy books based on a famous name. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about “brand-name” authors, but just the search for a really well-written piece of literature.

However, that is not to say that buying books in this fashion doesn’t have downsides for authors and readers alike. While it might mean high sales for already famous authors, it can mean low sales for talented authors who have yet to become popular.

When readers buy books based on their author, it also means they could be missing out on really good books by less-famous authors. You get less variety in writing style and content when you continue to buy books with the same few names attached.

So get out there and keep reading. Keep buying books by your favorite authors who have, on countless occasions, brought you joy and entertainment in words, and keep searching for your new favorite book. But remember to include lesser-known books in that search. Who knows? Maybe you will create a new literary star in the process.

OPINION “As we strive for newer, better, faster and cheaper, we’re losing aspects of what makes us human. We’re replacing the warmth of a handshake with the click of a thumbs-up icon.”

THE ROBOTS ARE COMING Why this may mean the jobs are going

Everywhere and Here

by Eva-Jeanette Rawlins

Robots are changing our world, and there’s nothing strange about that anymore. Movies like I, Robot are no longer far-fetched, otherworldly science-fiction depictions of robot-infested societies—they’re becoming more like realistic projections of what our lives may look like in a few years. We are getting more and more comfortable with the idea that technology is leading us further into the 21st century, not humans.

We talk through text, we keep up with each other by following the tweets of electronic blue birds and the word “feed” has nothing to do with eating any more. We might as well just have robots do it all, right?

Then we wouldn’t even have to use our fingers. There would be no work involved.

That’s not such an unrealistic idea. A recent CBS 60 Minutes program looked at how robots are replacing people in the manufacturing industry at alarming rates, and according to MIT professor Andrew McAfee, “We ain’t seen nothing yet.”

McAfee and his colleague Dr. Erik Brynjolfsson have been studying the impact of robots on the U.S. job market and have found a direct correlation between the lagging national employment rates and the technological advances resulting in the increased presence of robotics in “middle-skill jobs.”

The 60 Minutes program featured a distribution center in Devens, Mass. where 100 employees and 69 robots were working side by side. An employee scanned a barcode and a few minutes later, an eager little robot scurried up, merchandise in hand. The direc-

MILES SANGUINETTI/PSU VANGUARD

tor described how in the past, the employee would have had to walk through the warehouse looking for the items—a job that now, thanks to a complex configuration of algorithms, the robot can do in a matter of minutes.

The bots whizzed to and fro, never colliding, always moving and definitely never stopping for a lunch or smoke break. How utterly efficient.

It was all very organized and productive, yet I couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before even the person doing the barcode scanning would be obsolete. From start to finish, the process would be run exclusively by mathematical equations. Envisioning a day where factories are completely filled with metal and not an ounce of flesh and blood is disturbing.

Imagine the sterile silence instead of the stories of so-and-so’s weekend escapades, the gray gleam of metal catching in the florescent lighting instead of the “Virginia is for Lovers” t-shirt your boss wears every day, and the blinking and winking of error buttons instead of colorful F-bombs filling the air.

An entire segment of our population could be rendered irrelevant in one generation. Manual laborers are being pitted against robots in a war against the future. As convenience, efficiency and—let’s not forget the most important one—low wages become ever more important in our consumerist society, human beings are falling by the wayside.

It won’t stop there. The report showed how computer programs are taking the place of people at law offices, for example. Sifting through boxes of old cases and files used to be the job of several people; now a computer carefully organizes everything. The selfserve check-in at the airport means far fewer people at the desk.

Self-checkouts at the grocery store mean we can rush through without having to politely ask Suzie how her day is going. Suzie doesn’t have a job anymore.

There’s got to be an upside to all this, right? Rodney Brooks, robotics pioneer and founder of iRobot, the most successful robotics company in the U.S., certainly would have you believe so. In the 60 Minutes interview, he gleefully explained how his innovations would bring jobs back to the U.S. With a satisfied smile, he revealed that after all the calculations, the cost of one of his robots works out to about $3.40 an

hour. Can’t beat that! $3.40 is less than what we’d have to pay the average Chinese worker, which means outsourcing would become a thing of the past. Yeah, American jobs!

Except for one little detail—they’d all go to robots. Not people.

McAfee explained that despite astronomical advances in technology and the unmatched progress and growth of companies like Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google, when it comes right down to it, they are creating next to zero new employment opportunities. Together they represent approximately $1 trillion in market capitalization, yet collectively they employ fewer than 150,000 people. This, he clarified, is “less than the number of new entrants into the American workforce every month.”

No, I’m not naive and old-fashioned enough to suggest that technology is simply a job-gobbling monster. For every downside to it, there is undoubtedly an upside. Cures for diseases are being discovered at record pace, world-wide communication has brought people across the globe closer than ever and lives are being saved and improved daily because of technology. One day we may even have a robot that can perform surgeries from start to finish with a 100 percent success rate.

It’s never all evil. It’s also never all good. As we strive for newer, better, faster and cheaper, we’re losing aspects of what makes us human.

We’re replacing the warmth of a handshake with the click of a thumbsup icon. We’re taking the labor of hardworking people who rely on it for their livelihood and giving it to a piece of metal just so we can save a few bucks.

I’m afraid of what our future will look like. By the time our kids are entering the job market, will middle-class, wage-earning jobs be obsolete? Will humans be irrelevant? There’s no stopping the technological tide we’re on, but now is the time to ask questions and decide what we want our world to look like. I don’t want a machine to nurse me in my old age. I want the touch, the care and the humanity of a person whose heart is beating, not battery-charged.

The moment we say blood runs too thick and oil is better, we lose the beauty of fallibility, the wonder of community and the unsurpassed comfort and messiness of relationships. That’s not something we should be ready to give up.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

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GOING TO STORY WAR

OPINION

Breaking the ice with an unconventional game night

The Rec List

by Katherine Palleschi

©CANTRIP GAMES

I’m always incredibly excited when school starts, but not just about learning. A new school year is like New Year’s all over again—so many new opportunities await you. You’re going to meet all kinds of new people, you’re going to join clubs and intramurals and you’re going to go to lectures and events. In short, you’re going to have adventures.

As a recent transfer to Portland, I know it can be hard meeting new people and making new friends. Really, the only way to do it is to put yourself out there, even just a little bit. Let people see what you like, and if they’re interested, they’ll come to you. If you’re living in the dorms, leave your door open. Let the people walking past your door hear your music. Let them stick their heads in and say, “Hey, is this the Lord of the Rings soundtrack? Isn’t it the best?”

But you have to do the same thing—it’s a two-way street, dude. Get to know the people sitting next to you in class. Comment on that guy’s sweet t-shirt or that girl’s quirky necklace. This is Portland, people, everyone has something you can compliment them on. Be nice. It really isn’t that hard.

And if you find yourself with a group of people who could possibly be new friends, take the initiative and organize a group activity.

Personally, I am all about game night. Game nights are easy. You find a place with enough seating for everyone in your group—this may mean sitting on the floor instead of at a table, but that’s okay. No judgment here.

Ask some people to bring finger foods while you order a pizza (or whatever food meets everyone’s dietary restrictions. Again, Portland).

The beauty of a game night is that you don’t have to search for conversation topics—that’s what the games are for. The hard part about a game night is what, exactly, are you going to play? What do you have access to? Somebody, somewhere has Scrabble, but you’re afraid every-

“Oh, and by the way, the story of the Leprechaun and the Fairy turned into one of heartbreak and betrayal from which only the Leprechaun walked away. It was a very tragic day.”

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Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

one will think Scrabble is lame. (It’s not.) Well, here’s my first recommendation for you: Story War, from Cantrip Games.

Story War is a card game designed by Brad O’Farrell, Tom McLean and Vondell Swain, three talented guys who love games and wanted to make their own. It plays like Apples to Apples, only you get to argue for your card. You need three to eight people and can play individually or in teams.

There are three types of cards—Warrior, Battlefield and Items. Players have three Warrior cards and two Item cards in their hands.

Each round goes like this: One player takes on the role of the judge and draws one of the Battlefield cards. The last time I played with my friends, one of our Battlefields was on the Plains. After the judge has drawn the Battlefield, each player chooses from their Warriors the one they think is best suited to the Battlefield. For me and my friends, this meant that the Leprechaun and the Fairy were going head-to-head on the Plains.

In Apples to Apples, at this point, the judge would look at the cards and decide which Warrior they think would win on the chosen Battlefield. But in Story War, the judge has to be convinced. The best part of the game is coming up with a narrative for your Warrior. You have to get creative, and you can use pop culture references. Each card has a little description that is sometimes a joke, sometimes a clue and, often times, both.

There is a period of simple, open discussion where all the players can describe the actions of their Warriors. Whatever is said goes, so long as the judge agrees. You can challenge what someone else says, and the judge must make a ruling.

For example, if you played the Mummy and one of your opponents played Puss in Boots, your opponent could very well claim that the Mummy ran away from the Battlefield in fear of Puss in Boots, as anyone who has ever seen The Mummy knows mummies are afraid of cats, and the judge could accept that as fact since it has precedence in pop culture.

After a period of open discussion, each player must give their final argument while the others remain silent. When each player has finished, the judge then recaps everything that has happened in the battle and ultimately declares a winner. The winning player keeps the Warrior card as a victory card and everything else is discarded.

Another player becomes judge and the game continues.

Whoever has the most victory cards after everyone has played judge twice is the winner. Of course, there are several other modes of play, just in case you ever get bored with the original mode. Unfortunately right now you can only purchase Story War online, at www.dftba.com, but I promise that if you like games it’s definitely worth having.

Oh, and by the way, the story of the Leprechaun and the Fairy turned into one of heartbreak and betrayal from which only the Leprechaun walked away. It was a very tragic day.

If you’re looking for some other games to play, another one of my personal favorites is Catchphrase, an electronic hand-held guessing game similar to charades but without the acting out. I’m not a huge fan of public humiliation, so charades isn’t really my thing.

Whenever I’m on the lookout for some new and interesting board games, I always turn to Table Top, a show on YouTube where actor and professional nerd Wil Wheaton and guests like Felicia Day, Chris Hardwick and Seth Green play-test board games that might not be on the shelves at your local Freddie’s.

I hope you try some of these things out and that you enjoy them as much as I do. If there’s something you’ve totally fallen in love with and want to tell the world about, let me know. I’m always looking for new things to love.

OPINION

BUTTER, NOT GUNS MILES SANGUINETTI/PSU VANGUARD

THE REAL REASONS FOR STAYING OUT OF SYRIA This, not That

by Chelsea Lobey In his Chance for Peace speech, President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Every gun that is made, every warship launched and every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed—those who are cold and are not clothed.”

Though spoken at the dawn of the Cold War, Eisenhower’s message is still relevant today. His views on the distribution of federal spending represent the struggle between a nation’s desire to protect its borders and its desire to provide social services to its people. His ideas can be linked to the core tenets of the Guns and Butter economic model, made famous by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s social welfare initiatives of the Great Society during the Vietnam War. This model displays the teetering balance between a country’s ability to produce “guns,” which represent military and defense spending, versus “butter,” which represents the money that goes into domestic assistance programs and the production of goods. A nation with a finite amount of money and resources has to find a balance between the two, because a rise in “gun” spending forces a decrease in “butter” spending, and vice versa.

The Guns and Butter model is, admittedly, a bit simplistic, but it can be used to outline some major problems with the way the U.S. currently spends its money. Right now, with the thought of a war with Syria hanging in the balance, this issue is more important than ever.

We spent a staggering $682 billion this year on our military and defense budget. The only country that even comes close to our budget is China, yet we still spend four times more than they do. And we spent

just over 30 times more than Canada, our friendly neighbors to the north. That is insane.

We are becoming, in effect, the world police. We send our military everywhere, into every country, every time something bad happens.

The U.S. enters other countries with gusto, shouting about how we’ll fix everything up and then get out, but it never seems to work out that way. The last few wars the U.S. has been involved in have dragged on endlessly, costing us billions and billions of dollars. How is that fixing anything?

We don’t have the resources or power to police every warring country. The fate of the entire world cannot be our responsibility, because our home will fall apart if it is. We cannot afford to have military involvement everywhere in the world. We simply can’t.

The U.S. has a significantly larger military than any other country in the world, yet if we were to significantly cut our defense budget—in half, for example—we wouldn’t suddenly be under some ominous threat. Almost all of the countries whose military budgets come closest to ours are allies. In terms of safety from the rest of the world, the U.S. is fine. More than fine.

Where the U.S. is decidedly not fine is a bit closer to home. In 2012, the federal government only spent $103 billion on education and $411 billion on welfare. The welfare budget includes everything from housing and construction to unemployment benefits and food assistance programs. $411 billion sounds like a lot, but sized up next to the defense budget, it appears almost minuscule.

The U.S. is, without a doubt, the world’s most powerful and most militarily capable country. The problem is that we are not the most powerful or most capable country in almost any other aspect.

To bring this all into a more pop culture-centered realm, did you guys happen to see the opening monologue in the first episode of The Newsroom? If you haven’t, here’s a rundown.

The show opens with Jeff Daniels’ character Will McAvoy in the middle of a debate with a few other politicians. During the Q-and-A session, a typical college girl asks, “Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?” One of McAvoy’s debate partners answers in typical American politician fashion: “Freedom and freedom.

So let’s keep it that way.”

McAvoy, on the other hand, answers with a quite long and impassioned monologue about how U.S. is not the greatest country in the

world anymore. His speech boils down to the fact that we are not the best at almost anything except for our military, and you know what? McAvoy is right. Our unemployment rate is among the highest in the world, our math and science education is seriously lacking, our prisons are exponentially more full than other countries, our life expectancy is shockingly low and too many of us can’t afford health insurance.

The World Economic Forum ranks the U.S. 52nd in math and science education. Our high school graduation rate is 77 percent, compared with Germany’s staggering 97 percent. We spend about $8,000 per person on healthcare, which is way more than any other country, all while being one of the only developed countries in the world that does not guarantee healthcare for its citizens. After dishing out the cash for their healthcare, a person working 40 hours a week at a job that pays minimum wage would be lucky to be able to afford food, let alone housing or anything else.

With the hard work, dedication and money we pour into our military, it is feasible that we could divert at least a small portion of it back into our own country and significantly improve the lives of our citizens.

Where would all that extra money go? Food stamps and other assistance programs, education, healthcare, paying off our ever-increasing debt to other countries—the list is practically endless.

All over the country, U.S. citizens are becoming increasingly frustrated with how we spend our money. We cannot keep this up. I know I’m not the only one to say I’m tired of all the fighting. I’m tired of the wars. It seems that we are constantly at war with somebody, to the point where the word seems to have lost all meaning.

The U.S. has a long list of problems, but if we put our focus and energy into helping out our own citizens and funding areas of our government that need it the most, I think we could make a lot of positive changes. We are the most powerful country in the world, and we have the money and the ingenuity to be a real force for good.

McAvoy finishes his monologue with a heartwarming sentiment: “America is not the greatest country in the world anymore…but it sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons…” Once again, Mr. McAvoy, I have to agree with you.

We need peace and prosperity, not violence and war. We need butter, not guns.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

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PSU TO NFL COVER

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Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

JULIUS THOMAS HAS MILE-HIGH EXPECTATIONS JESSE TOMAINO

COVER Portland State has sent about two dozen players to the NFL since the late sixties. Most notable was Neil Lomax, who was drafted in the second round by the Cardinals, went to the Pro Bowl twice and had what would have been a successful career if it had been for any team other than the Cardinals. Exercises in futility aside, Lomax is still the most illustrious former Viking by a pretty wide margin. Now there’s a new name entering the conversation. In the first two weeks of the 2013 NFL season, Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas has had 11 catches for 157 yards and 3 touchdowns in what looks to be the beginning of a breakout year for the former PSU basketball star.

Basketball star? That’s right, Thomas led the Vikings to backto-back NCAA tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009 and only played football with his final year of eligibility in 2010. Thomas left the PSU hardcourt owning school records in shooting percentage from the floor, games played and career wins. He was a leader on two Big Sky Conference Championship teams in addition to the NCAA tourney bids, but decided that his athleticism gave him a shot at a better career on the gridiron than trying to grind it out playing basketball overseas. “He was a phenomenal offensive rebounder, where you have to have a knack to go get the ball…A lot of it was body control, which translates to football,” PSU head basketball coach Tyler Geving told USA Today.

Head football coach Nigel Burton tested Thomas’ dedication to a game he hadn’t played since his freshman year of high school by setting their first meeting for a Sunday night at 9 p.m. Julius showed up on time and ready for that meeting and was one of the hardest workers on the team from that point on. His relentless work ethic and intelligence allowed him to catch up to the college game and become one of the team’s primary offensive threats.

In 2010, the Vikings were in transition. It was their first season under Coach Burton and they were not the offensive juggernaut the 2013 team appears to be, finishing 2-9. However, even in an offense that didn’t put up huge numbers, Thomas was able to catch 29 passes for 435 yards and two touchdowns, earning All-Big Sky honors and garnering some national attention.

That attention led to a strong performance in the East-West Shrine game and an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, where the 6’5” tight end ran a 4.68-second 40-yard dash and demonstrated a 35.5” vertical jump. Two months later, the Denver Broncos traded up to take Thomas in the fourth round of the 2011 draft, 129th overall. In his first two NFL seasons he was

limited by a high ankle sprain that required surgery and rehabilitation. Coming into the 2013 season, Thomas had exactly one career catch for five yards, but people paying close attention to the Broncos were predicting a big season for him well before the first kickoff.

The Broncos started the season with two other well-regarded tight ends on the roster—Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreesen—that figured to play ahead of Thomas. Tamme has familiarity with quarterback Peyton Manning that stretches back to their time together in Indianapolis, and both he and Dreesen had established themselves as reliable targets in the Denver passing attack.

Nonetheless, when Julius made the most of his opportunities in the preseason with 12 receptions for 123 yards, he jumped over the two incumbent tight ends on the depth chart to go into the season as the starter. He hasn’t looked back yet, except at defensive backs trailing behind him as he heads into the end zone.

Julius Thomas appears poised to successfully pull off the transition from college basketball player to superstar NFL tight end. He is following a blueprint laid out by the likes of Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Jimmy Graham. If he can put together a career a ny t h i n g

like theirs, the business administration graduate will show the NFL the potential that exists at PSU. With Coach Burton’s team playing the way they currently are, he won’t be the last to do so.

Julius Thomas took some time out from catching touchdowns to answer a few questions for the Vanguard. Special thanks to Christian Edwards of the Denver Broncos Media Relations Department for conducting the interview.

On his time at Portland State: “I think our coaches and the football department did a fantastic job. They didn’t have a lot of time with me, but just everything they were able to do as I was learning the game [was helpful]. I spent a lot of time in the football office bugging them and they were really receptive to it. They helped me along—helped me learn a lot about the things in football that I needed to learn.

They prepared me and they gave me a good foundation to play at this level.”

On coach Burton: “(laughing) Coach Burton is a great guy. I respect him as a coach and as a man.

He’s just hilarious.

At practice he had this whistle, and there was an Usher

2010 PSU STATS

29 453 2 receptions

TDs

yards

song at the time, and he would whistle the rhythm to that song in between periods. It’s raining, it’s coming down, it’s freezing cold, and he’s running around with energy—showing excitement out there.”

On what it feels like to catch passes from Peyton Manning: “The catching passes is the easy part. It’s not too difficult to catch a pass that hits you right in the chest. It’s a challenge and it’s exciting at the same time. Peyton, he does a lot of things. He’s very creative as a quarterback and we have to be ready for whenever he does something that he does.

He’s well known for his adjustments at the line. When you’re a part of that offense you have to be just as prepared as he is and you have to think fast [and] react accordingly. He also does a good job of communication [in] what he’s looking for, helping you understand what the defense is giving us—what we’re seeing from an offensive standpoint. That’s just helped with my maturation as a player. Having a guy that’s been playing for 16-17 years at a high level, and being able to pick his brain and have him mentor me along, it’s great for my career.”

His advice to current Vikings players that want to emulate his success: “You got to follow your dreams. When I say follow your dreams I mean have an idea of what you want to do. You have to be able to take the actions that are going to put you in that position. When I started playing football I just immersed myself in the game. Every opportunity I had to get better was something that I took advantage of. Every time I could get on the field, even when it wasn’t mandatory for the team to be out there, I would be calling the quarterbacks trying to work. Just trying to get anything I could get from anybody to really help me along the way.

Believe in yourself, believe in your dream, but make sure at the same time you’re doing everything you can to reach it.”

Current head football coach Nigel Burton has helped quite a few players make it to the NFL during his fourteen year coaching career. The Vanguard had a chance to speak with him after a recent practice and hear some of his thoughts on Julius Thomas’ success:

On the potential he saw in Julius Thomas during his year on the PSU team: “When you’re athletic coupled with being smart and you work hard, that’s a great combination. It’s great to see all that pay off for him.”

On his potential strengths and limitations at the NFL level: “As to his strengths, the three that I mentioned, being athletic, smart and working hard. In terms of his limits I don’t know that there necessarily are any. You know I hear people talking about his blocking, and then on the very next play he stuck his shoulder into a pretty good player in Terrell Suggs and dropped him. I think the only thing that’ll limit him is the ability to stay healthy.”

On which of his current players may be able to follow Thomas’ path to NFL success: “Aww shoot, I don’t know. I let somebody else worry about that stuff, you know my biggest thing is to focus on this team. Us getting better week by week. I think the beauty is we haven’t even begun to show all of the different weapons offensively that we have. There are some guys that I think are poised to break out, it just depends on what a defense gives us and we go from there.”

On which players a Baltimore Ravens scout was at practice to see: “They just come by generally early. All 32 teams will be by at least once if not two or three times.”

Coach Burton may not have been interested in singling out individual players and forecasting their ability to make it to the NFL, and it’s probably a good thing that our head football coach chooses to stay focused on the task at hand—preparing his team to win the next game on the schedule each week. However, at the Vanguard sports desk we are not responsible for game planning, so we decided to put together a scouting report on the Vikings we think are most likely to find a job in the NFL. DJ Adams - 2012 Honorable Mention All-Big Sky Conference running back who also won the 2012 PSU Team Most Inspirational Player. So far this year has been seen running past, around and through opponents on his way to 617 yards and eight touchdowns in the first five games.

Roston Tatum - A wide receiver with prototypical size and speed. If Tatum can get back on the field and show the big-play potential he flashed with an 80-yard touchdown against Eastern Oregon, he could be playing on Sundays in a couple of years.

Mitch Gaulke - Honorable Mention All-Big Sky Conference for 2011-12 as well as making Academic All-Big Sky the last three years in a row. Intelligence, consistency and the ability to react to the defense is what Gaulke brings as the anchor of the offensive line. He has started 27 games in a row at center, stretching back to the beginning of the 2011 season.

Jaycob Shoemaker - We gave some attention to the defensive side of the ball as well, and Shoemaker stands out. Also a 2012 AllBig Sky Honorable Mention, he came into the season as the team’s top returning tackler and has shown no signs of slowing down with 43 tackles, including six for a loss, in the first five weeks.

Even though the above players were the ones we picked as the current most-likely NFL prospects, there’s also good reason to keep an eye on the development of: QB Kieran McDonagh, WR Kasey Closs, RB Shaq Richard, OL Mitchell Van Dyk, LB Corey Crowder, DE Jeremy Boone and OL Cornelius Edison, among others. Everyone looks good when a team is playing as well as the Viks have been so far.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

BACK TO SCHOOL FASHION GUIDE

COME BACK TO SCHOOL IN A STYLE THAT SUITS YOUR STUDENT NEEDS CAROLINE MCGOWAN

Back-to-school sales are everywhere and chances are that adding a few new pieces to your wardrobe for the new school year is a good idea. Before you rush out and scoop up the latest trends, make sure you ask yourself: What kind of student are you? This question could help you make the most of your time and money as you think about what clothes best suit your needs and style.

The Balancing Act Many of us would love to go to school for free, but that, unfortunately, is not the case. Education costs money, and college is the perfect time to learn how to balance obligations.

If you are a student who also works, it is important to maximize your time, which means having outfits that work on the job and in the classroom.

Guys, this might mean finding some khakis and a collared shirt that can be worn casually in class with a hoodie, then swapped out for a cardigan or jacket at your internship. Ladies, this might mean finding a polished-looking pair of boots, along with some leggings that could work with an office-ready tunic or dress. Do

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you wear a uniform to work? Big coats are hot this season and can easily cover whatever monogrammed polo you are forced to wear.

The key for this type of student is to make sure you can have a quick change by way of backpack. If you add just one piece this term, make it something that is versatile and high quality so you can be assured you will look great and feel your best at all times.

The Fitness Fashionista Whether it is your hiphop class, intramural soccer or you are just fitting in a little time on the treadmill, it is important to factor in the functionality of your duds this term.

Don’t buy a bunch of fall “fashions” if you are going to go to leave them hanging lonely in your closet while you make the daily reach for yoga pants and tennis shoes! The Pacific Northwest is a great place to be active year-round, so there are plenty of clothiers these days that know looking great in spandex is a gamechanger. Bright colors and funky shapes have made athletic wear a billion-dollar indus-

try, so why not see what there is to offer this season? Maybe it is time to ditch your old, stinky workout clothes for something you can jog to campus in and still look great. Quality athletic wear, if properly cared for, will outlast what is trendy this season while keeping you motivated to maintain your healthy lifestyle.

The key for you fitness-minded folk is to find something that blends your active lifestyle with your student lifestyle without compromising the ability to express yourself. If you buy one fashion piece this season, consider a brightly colored or funky-patterned, water-resistant jacket.

No matter what, consider this: We are paying for education so we can become mature members of society, so why not find

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

reason to start making grown-up choices about the way we dress?

Whether you are an athlete, bookworm or commuter, welcoming a smarter wardrobe will set you up for success in whatever student lifestyle you choose.

The Library Hibernator We will all be doing plenty of studying, and that can mean a lot of time spent at the library or your favorite studying spot. While you may not

be trying to impress your textbooks, there are still ways to dress smartly. Maybe the only seat available is under the air conditioner on an already cool day, or you

THE BALANCING ACT Tunic - $10, H&M

THE LIBRARY HIBERNATOR Mens sweatshirt - $25, Target Scarf - $21, Aeropostale

THE FITNESS FASHIONISTA Athletic shorts - $65, Nike Lime-green top - $35, Athleta Puma windbreaker - $60, YOOX.com Orange Converse - $45, Kohl’s

had to park your car a mile away.

Consider adding a couple layered pieces to your wardrobe this year so you can maximize on comfort and function. Ladies, big sweaters and scarves are comfy and have staying power as a trend this season. Guys, instead of throwing on your high school football sweatshirt, think about upgrading to a sweatshirt designed for style without the years-old, cracked screen print ink.

The key for the “hibernator” is to not have to worry about what you are wearing while you are focusing on getting an “A.” Plan for comfort but not for laziness, because dressing with intention is a great way to stay motivated as you face your flashcards. Plus, you never know when there is going to be a cute guy or girl with an open seat at their table!

ARTS & CULTURE

CLASSIC CLASSISM DARK HORSE RERELEASES WORK BY LEGENDARY COMICS CREATOR TRISTAN COOPER

Will Eisner isn’t a household name, but when it comes to comics, he should be at least as ubiquitous as Stan Lee. Known as the father of the graphic novel, Eisner revolutionized sequential art with the seminal A Contract with God in the late 1970s. The comics industry’s highest honors, equivalent to Oscars, are called Eisner Awards for a reason.

One of Eisner’s last works, Fagin the Jew, is now being reprinted in a special 10th anniversary edition from Dark Horse Comics. Fagin the Jew attempts to retell the classic Charles Dickens story Oliver Twist from the villain Fagin’s point of view as he tries to set Dickens straight the night before he is set to be hanged for his crimes.

The story isn’t so much an exoneration of Fagin as much as an explanation of how he became the despicable child corrupter we see in Dickens’ original novel. Though the events of the classic story are retold, much of the book shows us Fagin’s own childhood. Born into unfortunate circumstances, bouncing from proprietor to proprietor, Fagin’s life as a boy is a dark mirror of Oliver’s.

As evidenced by the title, Eisner sets out to explore Dickens’ portrayal of Fagin not only as a villain, but as a Jew. The name of the book comes from the first few printings of Oliver Twist, in which no direct derogatory language was used, but where Fagin was referred to as The Jew repeatedly.

This kind of well-meaning stereotyping is something that Eisner was all too familiar with. In his classic crime-fighting strip The Spirit, Eisner created a sidekick named Ebony. First appearing in 1940, the character was a black caricature through and through, from his swollen lips to his borderline-minstrel dialect full of “Yassuh!” and “No suh!” Eisner meant no harm in creating the resourceful but goofy supporting star, but it’s an uncomfortable and undeniable part of his storied career.

“You’d think that Will would choose to delve into an AfricanAmerican character or story or historical figure,” says Marvel

Comics writer and former Portland State professor Brian Michael Bendis in the Dark Horse edition’s new introduction.

“Instead, Will took his complicated feelings about race and caricature and applied them directly to his feelings about Judaism and how Jews have been reflected in the media for hundreds of years by sinking his teeth directly into the classic Oliver Twist and one of the most famous Jewish stereotypes in all of fiction…Fagin.”

As Bendis also points out, the book attempts to understand how someone becomes a stereotype. We see Fagin go through many of the same trials that Oliver undergoes as a child, but the various caretakers they each run into take much more of an immediate shine to the blonde, doe-eyed Oliver.

The environment around Fagin, from his swindler father to the local crooks to the justice system itself, all work against him. By the time Oliver comes into Fagin’s care, Fagin is a bitter curmudgeon with more respect for money and station than other human beings. There’s still a soft spot in his heart buried somewhere beneath his hardened scales, but Fagin figures since society sees him as irredeemable, it may as well be true.

The story is told with soft watercolor, layered in swaths of blacks and grays. Eisner was a master storyteller, even toward the end of his life, and it shines in Fagin the Jew. There aren’t any traditional comic panels boxing up or separating moments, but the story moves flawlessly from page to page.

The characters are expressive and nuanced, with just as much attention paid to a crooked smile as a missing button on a shirt.

Everything from the cobblestones on the street to books on a shelf is bathed in an otherworldly light that gives a warm glow to even the darkest scenes.

As engrossing as Eisner’s art can be, his knack for dopey dialogue can sometimes pull the reader out of the story. At one point, two characters are arguing that a man named Benjamin Disraeli could never be prime minister, but anyone familiar with history of the era (or access to Google) will know that Disraeli was twice prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Toward the end of the book, Dickens is taking his leave of Fagin and adds “…er, oh, in my later books I’ll treat your race more evenly!” The admission doesn’t do much for the character of Dickens, who mostly exists for the story’s point of telling, or for Fagin, who doesn’t receive much vindication from the offhanded remark. That leaves only the reader, puzzled over the half-hearted fourth-wall breakage.

If you haven’t read Will Eisner’s work, well, you should probably start with the Contract with God trilogy. But after that, Fagin the Jew should provide a thought-provoking afternoon in a time when things seemed a little more black and white.

©DARK HORSE

DARK HORSE COMICS presents FAGIN THE JEW Will Eisner $19.99 Available at bookstores and comic shops everywhere

Iconic film festival returns PORTLAND GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL ENTERS ITS 17TH YEAR

COMEDIAN IAN HARVIE performs in his first live stand-up special, Superhero.

RYAN CLAPPER

As the world celebrates the eighth annual LGBT History Month—a month focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history—Portland will be hosting its annual Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Now in its 17th year, the festival collects LGBT movies from around the globe and presents them on Portland’s silver screens.

Starting Oct. 4, the festival will be presenting nearly two dozen documentaries, short films and feature films that are made by or

about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community for nine days at Cinema 21 and the Clinton Street Theater. Guest speakers and special attendees include Shane Bitney Crone, a filmmaker and LGBT activist whose film Bridegroom will be screening at the festival; Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown, one of the first openly bisexual politicians in American history; and Oregon Supreme Court Justices Rives Kistler and Virginia Linder, among others.

The films on display at this year’s festival run the gamut of emotions, from the heartbreaking Bridegroom, documentary depicting the struggles and hardships Crone experienced after the death of his partner; to the informative Breaking Through, a documentary about openly gay politicians; to the more lighthearted Superhero, the stand-up special of renowned transgender comedian Ian Harvie.

For more information and a full schedule visit psuvanguard.com

©TEE TAPPAN

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

PRIMAL CUTS A REVIEW OF AMNESIA: A MACHINE FOR PIGS BRANDON STALEY

You wake up inside your cage knowing that something is wrong. You have no memory of your past, but you know your children are missing. You fumble through your cavernous home in search of them, but to no avail. Your house is empty.

A phone rings. The voice on the other end seems to know who you are, to know your children.

The voice tells you that the machine, the labyrinthine machine beneath your house, the machine that you built, has been sabotaged, and that you must set it right, for your children are trapped among its many snaking pipes and oil-slicked cogs.

That’s how your night starts in Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

It only gets worse from there.

As you delve deeper into the bowels of the machine, you gradually uncover not only the story of its origin, but your own as well.

The story in Machine for Pigs is told through a combination of journal entries, found recordings and hallucinations. The voice acting is consistently stellar. Whether your character, Mandus, is sniveling and terrified or questioning the man on the phone, the dialogue is pitch-perfect. That’s likely due in large part to the script, which is fantastic. Even the journal entries, which are not voiced, have a believable, sneering, malevolent and surprisingly intelligent quality to them that I’ve yet to see matched in another game.

The writing in Machine for Pigs goes a long way towards maintaining the hopeless, desperate tone of the game.

Machine for Pigs is the followup to the wildly successful survival horror game Amnesia: The Dark Descent. While The Dark Descent was developed by Frictional Games, Machine for Pigs

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was developed by The Chinese Room, a video game development studio best known for its Half-Life 2 mods Dear Esther and Korsakovia. Dear Esther, in particular, garnered praise for its atmospheric, story-driven focus. While the story in Machine for Pigs certainly lives up to The Chinese Room’s pedigree, it seems the team might have overreached in the graphics department.

There are instances where Machine for Pigs ends up looking like the bad end of a mod, though the issue is inconsistent.

Paintings, creepy as they may be the first time you encounter them, lose their horrifying quality after you’ve seen them for the tenth time. Pig carcasses that are strewn throughout the world look real enough, but any examples of human anatomy you happen upon looks to have been ripped straight from 2006. Disappointing or at times comical character models that suck the life out of what should be a horrific situation are not uncommon.

You could be forgiven if you didn’t notice Machine for Pigs’ sometimes lackluster graphics.

You do, after all, spend most of the game in oppressively dark environments, your only light source being a lantern. The lantern has changed significantly since The Dark Descent. Gone is the need to scour the environment for tinderboxes to keep your light stoked. The lantern in Machine for Pigs is electric, meaning that it is never in danger of being extinguished.

Like in The Dark Descent, enemies are alerted to your presence if they catch sight of your light. New, though, is the flickering of your lantern when enemies draw near. The Pavlovian response is ingrained immediately and is deftly exploited for the duration of the game, with false alarms abounding. This, compounded with the expert writing and sound design, makes

for scares that are more cerebral than those found in The Dark Descent, but rarely as pulsepounding.

There are times when it feels like Machine for Pigs is more concerned with making believable false alarms than actually putting the player in any form of prolonged danger. You are occasionally tasked with stealthily navigating an area patrolled by enemies or running from a pursuer, but those situations are not only few and far inbetween, but also resolved quickly. Part of the terror inherent in The Dark Descent was the constant fear of happening upon a roving enemy, from whom you would need to flee and hopefully lose by hiding in a wardrobe or crouching in the dark. Machine for Pigs enemy encounters are stately puzzles in comparison, announced by the flickering of your lantern and concluded by the close of a level. One boss encounter, built up through significant narrative and visual foreshadowing, was surmounted so easily that I wondered why it had even been included at all.

The problems with Machine for Pigs lie mostly in hindsight.

It’s hard to see where the patchwork comes apart when you’re playing the game, as it’s all hidden so cleverly. While playing, I was hungry for the next journal entry or scripted hallucination.

Even though I found most of the plot points predictable, I savored how they were served up. An Amnesia game by The Chinese Room is a fascinating beast. The game lives up to the developer’s penchant for making moody, atmospheric worlds and falls flat on its face in regard to survival horror gameplay. Machine for Pigs is a game that’s at its best when slowly worming its way under your skin, and at its worst when trying to live up to the frenetic tone of its predecessor.

FRICTIONAL GAMES & THE CHINESE ROOM present AMNESIA: A MACHINE FOR PIGS Platform: PC, MAC, & LINUX $19.99

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

THIS LITTLE PIGGY descended into madness in the latest survival horror from Frictional Games. ©FRICTIONAL GAMES

THE VANGUARD NEEDS YOU NOW HIRING Sports Writers Apply @ psuvanguard.com

ARTS & CULTURE

SIGNIFYING HISTORY

Reprinting of a hip-hop classic allows for reflection and retrospection BLAKE HICKMAN

Despite being examined under the lens in various tomes, both academic and otherwise, ‘90s hip-hop (then commonly referred to as “rap”) was a nascent art form that had not been considered with the depth of David Foster Wallace and Mark Costello’s 1990 text Signifying Rappers.

Now, 23 years after its initial release, the long out-of-print classic has been rereleased by Back Bay Books. With the new edition, Signifying Rappers will find itself revisited by many readers looking to gain a glimpse into the early work of Wallace and Costello, as well as a reflective look back at the history of hip-hop.

Part of what makes Signifying Rappers a compelling text is the fact that it acts as a sort of historical document of the early days of rap and hip-hop. Wallace and Costello themselves seem cognizant of both this and the fact that rap itself was evolving quickly during the era the book was written.

Looking backward In the early ‘90s, rap was still predominantly sample based—that is, the “beats” that made up songs were directly sampled from other existing records. After dozens of lawsuits in the mid-90s, hip-hop artists started turning to producers that could compose their own beats (think Pharrell, Lil Jon, Just Blaze, etc.), keeping the artist in control of their own music, and, perhaps more importantly, out of legal trouble.

Costello himself remarked on how Signifying Rappers documented the early stages of this process.

“I think rap, which was splitting into ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ in 1989 ... has further splintered into so many variant genres that it doesn’t make sense to bundle it all under the label rap. We do so, in order to package and sell it. But its not really any sort of artistic truth,” Costello said in an email interview.

Much of the rest of the book is devoted to analyzing the works of scores of early rap artists, including Chuck D, Public Enemy, Schoolly D and Ice-T. Wallace and Costello spend much of their work noting their ambivalence and discomfort with grappling with questions about black identity and the African-American experience.

Apart from documenting the early days of hip-hop, readers get a glimpse at the history of the writers themselves. Fans of Wallace can explore some of his earliest work; Signifying Rappers was his first published nonfiction book and his third published text in all.

Ultimately, part of what makes it such a compelling read are the sections composed by Costello. His work is often characterized by his use of self-examination and introspection, which makes for an ideal fit for Wallace, given the fact that much of his nonfiction has the same reflective qualities.

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Their collaboration works both as a surprisingly clairvoyant examination of rap as an art form and a snapshot of the friendship between two excellent writers at the peak of their respective powers. As an artifact within the field of music writing itself, the book is an even more edifying read.

“It was two friends doing an experiment, almost like a sedentary road trip of the brain,” Costello said of Signifying Rappers in retrospect. “The book was written very quickly, in full passion.

The tone is all over the place. The writing veers from political violence to the rompish absurdity of sitcoms. It’s like a play date with a sugared-up five year old. Which is, at some level what our culture deserves, then and now.”

The process of co-authoring the book was not unlike comedy writing, Costello said.

“A lot of comedy of the SNL, Monty Python kind is written by partners or in larger groups. This was how DFW and I both started out, writing comedy for a Harvard Lampoon-like publication at Amherst College,” he explained.

“It is a lot of fun because you are basically just trying to make your friend laugh, to complete his ideas, or to have him complete yours,” said Costello. “You set him up, he sets you up, etc. You do dialogues in which the other person slips into the opposing character’s voice and you just riff. The writing works because of deep familiarity. Even when it is raw or raunchy, there is always a playful and, well, sort of friendly quality in the best collaborative writing. If the circumstances exist to create this collaboration, it is of course a wonderful thing. But it very rarely does outside of comedy.”

In retrospect Despite the myriad of evolutions that rap and hip-hop have undergone since Signifying Rappers was published, Costello continues to remain a fan, albeit of a certain kind of hip-hop artist as opposed to the genre itself en masse.

“I have two teenaged children, so ‘rap’ in its zillion mutations is around me all the time,” Costello said. “I like more nuanced and personal rappers. Drake is someone I like a lot. I think Kanye West can be at times dazzling, surprising, exuberant, almost Joycean, and I think there is, throughout his music a level of irony and regret—the Price Paid. Everything comes at a price. It’s a main duty of art to stylishly insist on this truth.”

Despite its varied content, lack of central organization, and the wide gulf between the hip-hop of today and that of the ‘90s, it’s these sorts of insights that Wallace and Costello are able to articulate that make Signifying Rappers an essential text. This text is intriguing both for fans of Wallace and Costello, and fans of the kind of serious, probing long-form music writing that is all too uncommon in the Tumblr/blogger era. It’s as relevant now, 23 years later, as it was in 1990.

Signifying Rappers is available now from Back Bay Books.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

©BACK BAY BOOKS

BACK BAY BOOKS presents SIGNIFYING RAPPERS David Foster Wallace & Mark Costello $16 Available now

ARTS & CULTURE DANGIT that’s

SPICY TUNA BURGERS JORDAN MOLNAR

Being in college isn’t easy by any means, but that doesn’t mean that as students we can’t find ways to make certain aspects of the college experience a little bit easier. Let’s be real: We have all learned how to efficiently write papers and put together projects that make us look like experts on any given subject in the little time that we are given to do so. Why should cooking be any different? Avoiding ramen noodles and still cooking within a student budget is not impossible, so let’s start with something that is probably familiar.

If you have ever made a tuna salad sandwich before, this recipe for tuna burgers should be fairly easy to navigate. You start with a can of tuna. Simple, right?

It doesn’t matter what kind of tuna you get, but solid white albacore in water tends to be the higher quality. If you can’t find that, don’t panic! It is all going to taste the same in the end.

Mix the can of tuna with the mayonnaise and egg. As you are doing this, add your spices and sauces. Most of your spices are measured out in the recipe, but

like some of the sauces you will use, these can be adjusted according to your particular taste. I prefer to add Sriracha as my hot sauce; if you have a favorite hot sauce feel free to use it instead.

Now here is where it gets crazy. You are going to want to add your minced onions and peppers to the mix and make sure they are well incorporated. The mixture is going to look pretty mushy, but that is normal. The bread crumbs you will add next are your thickening agent. Though they are also measured, you can add extra crumbs if you feel like your particular mixture is not going to hold up. Be aware, however, that the mixture is never going to be very solid. Form it into patties as well as you can and place these in the fridge for about thirty minutes. This will allow the flavors to blend and the patties to thicken a bit so they are easier to handle.

After your fridge time is up, remove the patties and cook them over medium heat in a pan that has been coated lightly with cooking spray or oil. My particular taste leans toward using olive oil to cook, but anything that will keep the patties from sticking to the pan is great. The burg-

+

PHOTOGRAPHER/VANGUARD STAFF

ers should be cooked for three to four minutes on either side, until they are lightly crisped. Undercooked tuna burgers are not a big issue because the only raw ingredient in the mixture is the egg, which should be well done within that time, but make sure you get them warmed through to the middle or they will not taste quite as good.

When your burgers are done, you have the option of eating them however you want: put them on a bun with lettuce and tomato, eat them

how they are, share them with friends. This recipe makes approximately four burgers, but can easily be doubled to feed more hungry mouths.

If you are looking for a tasty side dish to help cut some of the heat from the spicy burgers, you can try cutting up some tomatoes and cantaloupe and mixing them together with some mayonnaise and salt and pepper. But hey, it’s your dinner; make it your own!

Any side dish can compliment these tasty treats.

INGREDIENTS Serves 4 | Total time: 50 mins 16-ounce can of tuna, drained 1 egg 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs 1/3 cup minced onion 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons chili sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce 1 dash of hot sauce (to taste) 1 tomato, sliced (optional) 4 leaves of lettuce (optional)

= $6.75

FREE FOUNTAIN DRINK WITH WRAPPIT!™ FRIDAY, AFTER 3PM | SATURDAY - SUNDAY, ALL DAY Choose any medium Yumm! Bowl™ and we will “Wrappit!” in a big, warm tortilla for a Beautiful, Delicious, Nourishing™ handheld meal.

PSU Rec Center, 1806 SW 6th Ave 503.226.9866 | cafeyumm.com Offer excludes alcohol and bottled beverages. Valid at above location only; expires 12/30/2013. Each Café Yumm! independently owned and operated by members of the community.

Lizzieout, Inc. dba Café Yumm! - #100010.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

23

SPORTS SCORES

UPCOMING

MLS

MLS

LOS ANGELES PORTLAND

Top Performers Maximiliano Urruti, 1 goal

1 PORTLAND @ VANCOUVER 0 SUN. 10/6 5:00 p.m. | ROOT SPORTS NBA

PORTLAND vs. LA CLIPPERS

WHL

SEATTLE PORTLAND

Top Performers Oliver Bjorkstrand, 4 goals

4 10

MON. 10/7 7:00 p.m.

WHL

PORTLAND vs. SPOKANE WED. 10/2 7:00 p.m.

PSU FOOTBALL

PSU FOOTBALL

CAL POLY PSU

Top Performers Kieran McDonagh, 302 yds., 4 TD

34 PSU @ MONTANA 38 SAT. 10/5 12:35 p.m. | ROOT SPORTS PSU WOMENS SOCCER

PSU @ E. WASHINGTON

PSU WOMENS SOCCER

NORTH DAKOTA PSU

Top Performers Torie Morris, 1 goal

PSU VOLLEYBALL

MONTANA STATE PSU

0 1

TIMBERS FIGHT FOR PLAYOFF SPOT DIEGO VALERI of the Timbers scored a goal during the first half of the game.

FRI. 10/4 4:00 p.m.

PSU CROSS COUNTRY

BILL DELLINGER INVITATIONAL SAT. 10/5 | EUGENE, OR PSU VOLLEYBALL

1 @ NORTHERN ARIZONA 3 PSU THURS. 10/3 7:00 p.m.

PSU WOMENS GOLF

LANGDON FARMS GOLF CLUB MON. 9/30-TUES. 10/1 | AURORA, OR

©Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian

MATT DEEMS

THE NUMBER OF PSU HOME GAMES—IN ALL VARSITY SPORTS—BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF FALL TERM. 24

The Timbers played a critical game on Sept. 20 against the Colorado Rapids, fighting their way one step closer to securing a playoffs spot.

The once first-place Timbers have dropped down the MLS Western Conference rankings as of late, making every game that much more important with only four games remaining in their regular season. The Timbers have fallen so far that—dare I say it—a great season could be tarnished should the Timbers end up on the wrong side of one or two of the remaining matches. Time to grab those lucky rabbit’s feet, knock on wood or rub that random bald guy’s head, Portland fans! The Timbers need their army.

The meeting between the Rapids and Timbers was broadcasted on a national NBC stage as the local audience totaled 20,674 mostly green fans (the 48th consecutive sellout at Jeld-Wen Field), all standing witness to what could later be described as a gritty and ugly battle. The meeting was tense as both teams held impressive feats, the Timbers being unbeaten at home since March and the Rapids winning 11 of their last 12 games.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

Regardless of the ugly game play, the Timbers pulled out a gut- wrenching win to boost themselves into the number three spot for some short-lived playoff contention safety. The win came on the foot of Diego Valeri’s early goal and a stout Portland backline. The Timbers also made an interesting change in the lineup as MLS rookie forward Maximiliano Urruti (say that three times fast—if you said it once you did better than me) went in for Ryan Johnson and earned his first career start.

The only telltale eruption of green smoke and chainsaws came during the thirteenth minute, when the Timbers struck off a nice pressure by Urruti that resulted in an intercepting header

by Rodney Wallace that bounced perfectly to Diego Valero, who placed a beautiful touch chip shot that floated out of reach of helpless Rapids goalkeeper Clinton Irwin and into the goal.

In a surprisingly odd change of events, the crowd was forced to constantly berate the refs for 99 percent of the first half, as opposed to the usual 85 percent. At one point, Portland bias aside, it seemed as if

the ref was actually wearing a Rapids jersey as he flagged the Timbers early and often.

The half came to an end with the Timbers on top by just one goal (1-0). The Timbers held 45 percent possession of the ball, but managed to have a beautiful 69 percent of the foul calls (real number, folks, Google it).

After the half, looking for fresh legs and a veteran perspective, the Timbers substituted in the team’s leading scorer, Ryan Johnson, for Urruti. Urruti ended the night with one yellow card, one questionable injury and a ton of near-goals that showed off his raw but undeniable potential.

In the second half the Timbers buckled down and, in the words of team captain Will Johnson, “We had to grind and fight. It wasn’t necessarily pretty, but we got the job done.” And getting the job done is exactly what they did as the Timbers held on to the victory with a dash of luck and some exceptional play from their backline. The backline managed to hold the Rapids to just one shot on frame the entire match, despite nine corner kicks. The Tim-

bers decided to roll with a veteran backline instead of the fresher faces they have featured in recent days, showcasing Pa-Modou Kah, Futty Danso, Michael Harrington and Jack Jewbury, who have a collective 512 career MLS matches under their belts.

Timbers Head Coach Caleb Porter describes the game best: “Listen, the game wasn’t pretty the entire game. There were times it was direct, there were balls in the air and second balls.

That is MLS—it is, a lot of the time, the way things go. We need to be able to win those games.”

While not a pretty win, it was an important win for the gritty Timbers. The team will look to keep their aspirations alive in the upcoming pre-playoffs games, a goal that team captain Will Johnson weighed in on: “I think every game down the stretch is going to be tight, everyone is jockeying for position.” Tight games or not, the Timbers proved that they are able and willing to defeat tough competition, regardless of how the game is played and whether or not the refs are on their side.

The Timbers continued their streak of important wins after welcoming the LA Galaxy last Sunday for another important Western Conference meeting.

Urruti earned his second start of the season, and it paid dividends for the Timbers when he netted the only goal of the match.

The goal was a beautiful set piece orchestrated by Johnson as he booted the corner kick into the box and Urrati volleyed it into the goal. The Timbers held the fourth-place Galaxy from scoring behind another night of great play by the backline and goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to end the bout 1-0. The Timbers have now cemented themselves into the third place spot, as long as the remaining four games go as planned.

The Timbers will travel to BC Place for a battle with a hungry Vancouver Whitecaps squad Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. The match will be broadcasted on Root Sports or at your nearest local Timber’s pub.

SPORTS

WHERE ARE ALL THE PSU SPORTS FANS? A PLEA FOR SCHOOL SPIRIT (BUT NOT TOO MUCH) ALEX MOORE

Being a college sports fan can be difficult at a school like Portland State, where collegiate sports loyalty is relatively nonexistent.

With teams like the Timbers and the Blazers fighting for Rose City sportsaholics’ attention and loyalty, PSU tends to fall short.

Regardless of a limited fan base, however, the Viking teams have still shown up to play and have been kicking butt and taking names. Did you know that just last year the women’s track team challenged for a Big Sky championship? Or that the football team almost upset California just a couple of weeks ago? Because that happened, and all signs point to future wins and upsets.

Lack of sports camaraderie is just one of the fundamental differences between PSU and sports-crazed University of Oregon and Oregon State. In a commuter school full of transfer students and adults who may work full time or support a family, there’s not a lot of time left to support the sports program here. The point is to get a degree and get out—but where does that leave the undeniable fellowship that comes from cheering on a team that wears your colors?

As sad as it is, the athletes, coaching staff and athletic department do not get recognition for their hard work and the success that they so often earn. Unfortunately, that is just a part of the culture at PSU. You’d be surprised at the amount of times a current student is unaware that we even have a football team! If this is the first time you’re hearing about it—it’s true. They rock this season, and you should check them out.

There is a certain skill set one must learn to be nonchalant about PSU sports teams. It takes effort to ignore those signs up

in the Park Blocks every time the Vikings play at home that state where and when the game is. There was even a note on the McDonald’s billboard about the football game on Sept. 26.

If you’re hooked into any PSU Facebook pages, you couldn’t have overlooked all the notifications. They’re there. It’s not them—it’s you.

There is no way students in Portland will be as spirited as our fellow college students in Eugene and Corvallis—at least not overnight. That would completely change the atmosphere here, and let’s be honest: No one wants to hear our hipster frat dudes running around yelling “Scoviks!”

(What does that even mean?)

However, what if we managed to find a happy medium?

Not quite that ridiculously overbearing school spirit that will give anyone not five beers in at a tailgate party a headache, but more than “Wait, we have a football team?”

I’m the last person who wants overbearing school spirit. But there are a lot of people working very hard to be successful in athletics, and they deserve our support.

Thanks to my two years’ worth of sports reporting experience, I have had the opportunity to have a major wake-up call when it comes to PSU sports. We are not a joke.

The basketball team has been to the NCAA Tournament twice in the recent past. The track and field team has seen success as individuals and as a team.

The football team is amid a very successful beginning to their season, and they have the potential to do great things in the Big Sky this year. The Vikings have caused their competition to take notice; it’s time that their own school does as well. The first step? Get your butt to a game. I’ll see you there!

WHY DO THE BLEACHERS REMAIN EMPTY when PSU teams are on the field?

MILES SANGUINETTI/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

25

SPORTS

PLAY SPORTS FOR CREDIT? ALEX MOORE

Portland State offers a number of sports- and activity-related classes for credit, ranging anywhere from basketball to Zumba to tai chi.

Most of the physical education classes at PSU are for one credit and are generally 50 minutes long. These endorphinfilled classes are a great way to fill gaps in schedules or to get extra credits. They’re also a great way to get yourself to the rec center! The wide range of sports and exercise classes allow students to try things they generally wouldn’t have, regardless of whether they have experience or not.

“The physical education program offers about 75 to 80 different sections of fitness courses a term,” director of physical education Randy Miller said. “We have everything from martial arts, dance, aquatic courses, aerobic courses to sports courses. We have quite a variety.”

Approximately 2,000 students take these classes per term, which means that, depending on the activity and popularity, some classes can be huge. The classes also vary in intensity, as some

26

are for beginners and more specific classes tend to be for experienced students.

Can’t decide what class to take? The PE program offers what’s called flex fitness classes, in which students decide what classes to take every week.

There is no set class time or place where a student has to be each week; students simply have to meet a required amount of hours for each week in class.

“One week you could go to soccer, the next week you could go to basketball,” Miller said. “You can bounce back and forth between classes, or if you find something you like, you can stick with it.

You come in, sign up for the class, and you have to do 17 hours [in the term].”

This gives students the opportunity to try new things without the fear of committing to an entire term, as well as a way to tailor their fitness plans and extra credits to their personal preferences and schedule conflicts.

Some examples of classes that are available to take for credit include sports like basketball and soccer, but the variety really comes in the exercise classes.

Pilates, Zumba and yoga are just a few of the fun courses available, and if those don’t suit you, there are a number of dancing classes like the Argentine tango or belly dancing.

If the more physically intense classes are not for you, there are also meditation classes available through the PE program. “Yoga and meditation are some of our most popular courses,” Miller said.

The program does have a special $50 course fee that does not exist in other classes. If classes include extra equipment, they can cost a little bit more.

As far as cost goes, however, Miller encourages everyone to try a class to see if it’s for them before paying their fee. “We want everyone to be comfortable in the environment they choose to exercise in,” Miller said.

Almost all of these classes still have spots available. The spots will remain available for registration until the end of the second week of classes.

For more info on these classes, check out physed.pdx.edu, or head over to the Stott Center during the first week of classes and check them out in person.

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

WOMEN’S RUGBY HITS HARDER KATIE HOYT

Rugby is a competitive sport known for hard tackling, a fast pace and a lot of bruises. Last year the Portland State women’s rugby team was awarded ‘Most Improved’ by the clubs and recreation program, and they are looking to succeed on new turf in the 2013-14 conference season.

These women work hard physically and mentally and are more than ready to take on league play for the very first time.

The PSU women’s team is part of the Cascade Collegiate Women’s Rugby Conference at the Division II level. Their league matches are against Seattle University, Western Washington University, Western Oregon University, Central Washington University and the University of Idaho. They are also hoping to play a few friendly matches against Oregon State, University of Oregon and Southern Oregon University, said team captain Laura Klein, who has been with the team for three years.

“We’re starting off the season with two tournaments at OSU on Oct. 12 and 19. Our first league match is Oct. 26 against Seattle University at Portland State’s Stott Field. Check online and keep an eye out for flyers and advertising

for the kickoff time,” Klein said.

A new team in the works is an exciting way to start the season.

Coach Juanje Navarrete is from Chile and came to PSU as an international student. He started a master’s program here at PSU this summer and works as a counselor as well. The team is excited to have him returning for this upcoming competitive season.

Rugby is a game that is played with 15 people on the field for each side, and therefore requires a relatively large team.

The team is actively recruiting new players and looking for a chance to expand their program to greater heights.

Since rugby is a rec club, there are no tryouts. You only need to be enrolled in one credit and have enthusiasm for the sport. No prior experience of the game is needed; they will help and teach you everything you need to know about becoming a great player. According to Klein, “growing the sport [through] teaching is one of the things that this club is truly passionate about.”

Practices are Mondays 6:308:30 p.m. and Wednesdays 5:306:30 p.m. at Stott Field. For practices, make sure you bring a mouthpiece, cleats and a water bottle. Prior to joining, you will

need to fill out a code of conduct and liability waiver. If you’re interested, be sure to show up to practice and see if rugby is a good fit for you!

This team is also very active outside of the game. They do bake sales for funding, engage in community service projects and encourage players to hang out and go on runs or go to the gym with one another outside of practice. “We are a close knit club, very much like a family, so we all get together often,” Klein said.

Leaving blood, sweat and tears on the field is what this game is all about. It thrives on competitiveness and having fun at the same time. If you would like to get involved in a physical activity after class and foster a passion for women’s rugby, this would be a great club for you.

Keep an eye out for these Vikings this season! They are ready to show their competition what they’ve got, and a fan base would do nothing but add to their already strong desire to win. Keep your eyes peeled for more info on upcoming games and recaps.

For further information you can email them at wrugby@pdx. edu or visit their Facebook at www.facebook.com/pdxwrfc PSU WOMEN’S RUGBY TEAM is hopeful for upcoming conference season.

COURTESY OF PORTLAND STATE WOMEN’S RUGBY

ETC

Libra Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

Sagittarius Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

Aquarius Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

Aries Mar. 21 – Apr. 19

Gemini May 21 – Jun. 20

Leo Jul. 23 – Aug. 22

Your professional life is heating up and people are definitely paying attention.

Try not to let the pressure get to you, fair Libra, and don’t let the negativity of others bring you down.

You’re where you are for a reason; stay focused on your vision.

Two steps forward and one step back: You’re certainly no stranger to this phrase.

While it may seem frustrating at times, a look at the big picture reveals the positives of such setbacks. For starters, you’ve become extremely adaptable, and at the end of the day, even just one step forward is still forward.

Your sign has a reputation for loftiness and originality, but right now, it’s stability you crave. For many of you, this newfound attitude is a bore, and you’re wondering when you’ll get your pizazz back.

Fear not, quirky Aquarius, your batteries just need to recharge for a little while longer.

Change is in the air, Aries, and if anyone feels this most, it’s you! Remember to keep your wits about you, as the change in pace could bring additional stress. Resist the urge to act on impulse; this is a time for observation and reflection. A bigpicture will better serve you in this time.

An active mind like yours doesn’t fair too well in the midst of a boring yet relentless routine, dear Gemini. It may seem like putting your nose to the grindstone is all you can do right now, but that’s never the case. Make time for diverse activities that satiate your endless hunger for stimulation.

Pisces Feb. 19 – Mar. 20

Taurus Apr. 20 – May 20

As a Leo, you’re used to standing center stage, but lately, you’ve been more inclined to quietly observe from the sidelines.

While this tends to feel more exhausting for you than the hustle and bustle of a busy social life, your best bet would be to continue laying low. You’ll be back at it soon enough.

Life has been throwing you one challenge after another, and because you’re the sign that wears your heart on your sleeve, your loved ones feel your struggle. Be careful not to let your feelings isolate you from others. The people in your life want to see you be happy, but in order for them to help you, you have to believe that first.

Hey, Taurus, why the long face?

You’ve been experiencing a lull Things have been quiet lately, in your routine, and while you and, dare I say, pleasant? It’s are a champion relaxer, the not too good to be true, cauunder-stimulation doesn’t suit tious Cancer, but if you conyou. Life is picking up again, tinue to approach everything and soon enough, you’ll be good in your life as if it is, wishing for more time for rest you’ll surely miss out on life’s and relaxation. Take care not generosity. Rewards come to to overindulge as you strive for those who deserve them, so The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation middle ground. it happen! Sales The New York Times let Syndication Corporation

Scorpio Oct. 23 – Nov. 21 It’s been a rocky few months, and at this point you may be wondering if this recent break is just the eye of a very large storm.

Take care not to manifest a self-fulfilling prophecy, dear Scorpio, for your attitude will be key in determining whether the storm is really over.

Capricorn Dec. 22 – Jan. 19 Work and other obligations have been wearing you down, and sometimes you question whether it will pay off in the end. Keep at it, Capricorn.

Your industriousness and ability to problem-solve are your greatest strength. Even if you can’t see it now, progress is being made.

SUDOKU Coming Soon!

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Virgo Aug. 23 – Sept. 22 Oh, steady Virgo, just when you start thinking things are settling down, something else pops up to keep you on your toes. Embrace the challenges and erratic ups and downs.

You’re being tested right now, and eventually you’ll understand why.

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27

ETC FEATURED EVENT Wordstock Festival 2013 Saturday, Oct. 5 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Oregon Convention Center 777 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR 97232 Every year Portland is host to one of the largest and most exciting literary festivals in the country. Wordstock, running various events from Oct. 3-6 at the Oregon Convention Center, is the perfect chance for any fan of the written word to become immersed in a world of literary delights. Come together with fellow bibliophiles for a number of panels and discussions, author signings and a large showroom all dedicated to the literary arts. Admission is $9 per day in advance or $11 at the door, $5 for students with valid ID. For more information, visit www.wordstockfestival.com.

©WORDSTOCK ORGANIZATION

EVENT CALENDAR Tuesday, Oct. 1 Portland Aquarium First Tuesday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Portland Aquarium 16323 S.E. Mcloughlin Blvd., Milwaukie, OR 97267 On the first Tuesday of every month the Portland Aquarium offers $5 admission to everyone.

First Tuesday is your chance to enjoy an interactive and educational experience for a fraction of the normal aquarium admission price.

The Stop: How the Fight for Good Food Transformed a Community and Inspired a Movement 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.

Parsons Gallery, Urban Center 506 S.W. Mill St., Portland, OR 97201 Nick Saul, co-author of The Stop, will be at Portland State to facilitate a discussion about the book and the negative effects of food banks and other charities, offering alternative ideas that create new relationships with food and varied perspectives on how to address poverty in productive ways. FREE

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A Day In the Life: Girls of the Factory

Thursday, Oct. 3

6:15 p.m.

U.S. Bank Room, Multnomah County Library 810 S.W. 10th Ave., Portland, OR 97205

11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Park Blocks

Letitia Cairoli, adjuct professor of anthropology at Montclair State University and author of Girls of the Factory: A Year with the Garment Workers of Morocco, will be offering a lecture at the Multnomah County Library about her time spent living and working with the female factory workers of the city of Fes in Morocco. Free copies of her book will be available to a limited number of attendees. FREE

Wednesday, Oct. 2 Film Screening: Jeremy Irons’ TRASHED 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 327-9 1825 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 Come to the Smith Memorial Student Union for a free screening of Jeremy Irons’ documentary TRASHED, an award-winning film that examines the international waste problem and takes viewers on a worldwide journey to look at issues relating to escalating rubbish and toxic disposal options. FREE

Party in the Park Join fellow PSU students at Party in the Park, where you can learn about various ways to become actively engaged on campus. Representatives from a number of student groups will be available to answer questions and provide information about ways to become involved. Free lunch will be provided to students by Abu Rasheed Lebanese restaurant.

FREE

Wonderheads Present: Grim and Fischer 8 p.m.

Ethos 5340 N. Interstate Ave., Portland, OR 97217 Grim and Fischer is a comedic play with dark subject matter that pits an elderly woman against Death himself in a wordless, full-mask production.

Thursday evenings admission is on a “pay-what-you-can” basis for all ages, though the show is recommended for ages 10+.

1 – 2:30 p.m.

School of Business, room 290 615 S.W. Harrison St., Portland, OR 97201

Professor Anne Klein of Rice University will lead a discussion, sponsored by Impact Entrepreneurs, at PSU centered around empathy and the role of reflective practice in the development of this ability. Join faculty and peers for a look at how empathy can help push social change and encourage innovation in our society. FREE

Zompire: The Undead Film Festival 7 – 11 p.m.

Clinton Street Theater 2522 S.E. Clinton St., Portland, OR 97202 Kick off your Halloween celebration early by attending Zompire, a film festival brought to you by the people behind the H.P. Lovecraft film festival and Cthulucon and featuring the best independent short horror films you could hope to find to start the season right. Admission on Friday is $15 per person.

For more information, you can visit www.zompire.com.

Simon Levy’s The Great Gatsby

Friday, Oct. 4

7:30 p.m.

The Venetian Theatre 253 E. Main St., Hillsboro, OR 97123

Discussion on Empathy with Anne Klein

Classic literature is brought to the stage in Simon Levy’s adaptation of Fitzgerald’s The Great

Vanguard | OCTOBER 1, 2013 | psuvanguard.com

Gatsby at the Venetian Theatre.

Lose yourself in the jazz age while you experience a performance of the only stage script that carries the stamp of approval from the Fitzgerald estate. For more information and varied ticket pricing, visit www. bagnbaggage.com or call the box office at 503-345-9590.

lated to a celebration of American spirits. Enjoy everything from tastings and live music to learning about the process of distilling from experts on the field.

Admission and 10 tasting tickets will cost you $25; prices on other events vary. If you are looking for more information, visit www.distillersfestival.com. 21+

Saturday, Oct. 5

Tuesday, Oct. 8

Lee Farms 5K Mud Run

A Day in the Life: Memory, Authenticity and the Genre of Memoir

10 a.m.

Lee Farms 21975 S.W. 65th Ave., Tualatin, Oregon 97062 Lee Farms of Tualatin invites you to participate in their 5k Mud Run, an event where participants are challenged by an obstacle course as they attempt to make it to finish line, with plenty of mud to go around. The registration fee is $40. The proceeds will go toward funding the Children’s Cancer Association. Visit www.beta.active.com for more information on the event and to register to run.

7 p.m.

Smith Memorial Student Union, room 328 1825 S.W. Broadway, Portland, OR 97201 Three speakers from varied backgrounds invite you to the Smith Memorial Student Union for a talk about the memoir genre and the power a first perspective can hold. The talk will also feature discussion of issues raised by memoirs written by under-represented writers in North America. FREE

Great American Distillers Festival 1 – 10 p.m.

Tiffany Center 1410 S.W. Morrison St., Portland, OR 97205 The Great American Distillers Festival offers various events re-

FREE

21+

PSU FREE OPEN TO PUBLIC 21 & OVER

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