Portland State Vanguard

VOLUME 69 | ISSUE 19

January 13, 2015

nEWS

OPInIOn

arTS & CULTUrE

SPOrTS

Studentpg. officers.

Fee 6 Commitee presents 2015-16 budget allocations to ASPSU Senate. pg. 6

Low gas pg. campus. prices 9 might be good for your wallet, but they're bad for international relations. pg. 8

English pg. pients. professor's 16 historical true crime book hits NYT bestseller list. pg. 17

“God Hates Marathon. pg.Fat 23 Rips,” Westboro steps to the Blazers Saturday outside the Moda Center. pg. 20

CONTENT NEWS OPINION COVER ARTS & CULTURE CALENDAR SPORTS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM Turner Lobey

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nEWS

aSPSU PlanS CamPaign For ProPoSed SmitH renoVationS

THE SECOnD FLOOr OF THE SMITH MEMOrIaL STUDEnT UnIOn currently overlooks the PSU Park Blocks.

anna Snook

In the near future, Portland State students can expect to learn about the plan for major renovations on the Smith Memorial Student Union. After a student survey was conducted last year, many students indicated a need for more information to make a decision about whether or not the building should be renovated and whether it would be worth the extra student fees, according to Krystine McCants, chief of staff for the Associated Students of PSU. To make renovation plans for SMSU clearer to students, ASPSU is going to conduct an informational campaign this winter and spring term. The campaign will be spear-headed by McCants and Jonathen Gates, University Affairs director for ASPSU, among others.

McCants said the campaign will focus on addressing student concerns raised in last year’s survey, provide a conceptual building design for students to consider and give students an idea of the cost of renovation.

One of the main concerns, Gates said, is how wellrepresented the various resource centers will be. In particular, the Multicultural Center and La Casa Latina have been on the waitlist for a better space for years.

“I want to make it clear that the design [that] would go into the resource centers will be deliberate,” Gates said. “This is going to be the opportunity for them, not just to find whatever space is available, but rather to have a deliberate impact on the space that would be designed for them.”

SMSU was originally comprised of four separate build-

ings built between 1957 and 1963. ASPSU, for instance, is located in what used to be called Library East. “[C]ompared to other institutions with similar characteristics, our student union is not small,” McCants said.

“But it’s really inefficiently used.” When the original four buildings were combined, the floors didn’t match up, creating the maze of stairwells and hallways that make up SMSU today.

Gates said possibilities include a large atrium in the east wing, allowing more natural light, and an overhaul of the basement, including replacing the bowling alley with a first-run movie theater. “[T]he images are going to be purely conceptual,” Gates said. “These are not blueprints, these are giving us an idea of what the building could be.”

In addition to the possibilities Gates outlined, there is a sizeable amount of deferred maintenance that an increased student fee could be used for instead. Ultimately, the student body will decide whether or not to fund the project.

“Every year there is money put towards capital projects, but there’s always stuff that isn’t getting fixed,” McCants said. “If we took $13 million, we could just do all the deferred maintenance and have the same building we have now.”

The informational campaign will also give ASPSU an idea of how much student support they’ll have moving forward with the renovations. “We are deciding whether ASPSU is going to run a referendum for establishing a fee to renovate the student union,” Gates said.

The Student Fee Committee is also in talks with PSU

ANNA SNOOK/PSU VANGUARD

President Wim Wiewel about funding. “Some of the Smith Renovation would be funded through the SFC building fee budget,” Alexandra Calloway-Nation, Chair of SFC, said in an email. “But our budget isn’t large enough to fund the entire renovation.” “[I]f the students say, ‘Yes, we want this,’” McCants said, “then [President Wiewel] will take that on as a priority — take it to the legislature and say, ‘We’d like to generate some bonds that will be paid for by student fee, to build this building.’”

Current students are not likely to see such a fee, Gates said.

“If everything lined up perfectly, the very soonest the building could be completed would be 2020,” he said. Depending on what budget the SFC comes up with, it is possible that there might not be a fee until the completion of the new SMSU. “[After the] referendum in the spring, it will probably be brought to legislature within the next two-year session,” McCants said. If student opinion is positive, the project would not move forward for a few years. “If not, then we’d have to wait until a future legislative session.”

CrIME BLOTTEr

Week of Jan. 5–11

jordan Paige

JAN. 6 STUDENT CONDUCT

Smith Memorial Student Union At 11:55 a.m. a concerned student reported that he suspected another student to be drunk at the smoking shack outside of Smith.

The student in question admitted to being drunk but denied consuming alcohol on campus. The student also declined detox.

THEFT

Science Research and Teaching Center Officer Denae Murphy responded to a report made by a student that his computer, iPod and $50 worth of movie vouchers were stolen when he left his bag unattended in an office from 1:00–2:30 p.m. The student found his laptop bag in the stairwell. No one

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in the office had noticed any suspicious activity.

EXCLUSION

University Services Building At approximately 11:56 p.m.

Officers Jon Buck and David Troppe contacted a nonstudent who had been sitting on a forklift parked in the building’s loading dock. The individual had an expired exclusion. After officers Buck and Troppe found a bottle with marijuana residue on his person, he was issued a new exclusion.

JAN. 7 CAR PROWL

Parking Structure Two Around 5:40 a.m. Officer Buck took a report from a PSU employee whose car had been broken into between 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 6 and 5:30 a.m. on Jan. 7. Parked on the second floor, both passen-

ger side windows had been broken. Officer Troppe later located the stolen items in the southeast stairwell of the structure and returned them to the victim.

TRESPASS II

Broadway Housing At approximately 9:51 p.m. the Campus Public Safety Office started receiving calls from students reporting two men knocking on doors and asking to come in. The men, both nonstudents, were reported as nonaggressive, polite and “smooth talkers.” When approached by officers, one fled the scene, but was apprehended by Officer David Baker. A marijuana cigarette was found on his person.

The other individual was also found to possess marijuana.

The two admitted to ghosting into the building and admitted that they knew they were not supposed to be in the building.

Officers issued both men exclu-

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

sions as well as warrants of arrest for criminal trespass.

JAN. 8 PUBLIC INDECENCY

Millar Library Around 9:55 a.m. a non-student reported that a male had exposed himself to her while she was on the fifth floor. The man was described as black, around 40 years of age, 5'9", with shoulder-length dreadlocks, weighing approximately 170 lbs and wearing a dark reddish flannel jacket. The individual reported that the man’s penis was not erect nor was he touching himself to make it so.

An extensive search produced no persons matching the suspect’s description.

SEXUAL ASSAULT

Millar Library At approximately 11:34 p.m. a non-student reported a sexual assault to the Portland

Police Bureau from the first floor lobby. The PPB dispatch advised CPSO that the individual was a chronic caller and often falsely reported sexual assaults. When Officer Nichola Higbee and Sergeant Robert McCleary responded, the individual stated that he had been molested after noxious gasses had been released into the air and caused him to faint. He also stated he had been injected with a stimulant that had caused his penis to become erect. The individual was given assistance

by PPB.

JAN. 10 MARIJUANA SEIZURE

Montgomery Hall Around 1:00 p.m., after the smell of marijuana had been pinpointed to a student room, Officer Gary Smeltzer assisted PSU’s Residence Life with the sei-

zure of a small amount of marijuana from the student in question.

JAN. 11 STUDENT CONDUCT

Broadway Housing Officers Higbee and Troppe assisted a resident assistant with a noise complaint around 12:17 a.m., after several students refused to comply with the RA. Three students, including the room’s resident, provided their student IDs. Beer cans and a bottle of vodka were found in the room and subsequently emptied.

The students admitted that, when originally approached by the RA, several other students left. They refused to give the officers the names of any of those students.

nEWS

Study looks at carbon tax and oregon's economy eLiZabeth hendriCkSon

The Northwest Economic Research Center at Portland State has released an extended study on the effects of a hypothetical tax on carbon emissions on the Oregon economy. Using an elaborate model, the research demonstrated little to no effect on the economy as a result of a carbon tax.

“The way that we thought about it is that it’s an additional tax on fossil fuel purchases based on the carbon content of the fossil fuel. When you go to the gas station, you pay a little bit extra for your gas; when you pay your electricity bill, you pay a little bit extra for your electricity,” said Jeff Renfro, the senior economist at NERC. “So the idea is to incorporate the true cost of carbon emissions and to make people make decisions based on that true cost.”

The effects of a carbon tax in Oregon were projected using a model developed by Dr. Andrew Rice, a physics professor at PSU, and Dr. Christopher Butenhoff that compares varying tax values to resulting carbon emissions.

“One of the goals is to see how carbon tax imposed on fossil fuels. We really focused on fossil fuel emissions in the study, [carbon dioxide] in particular, and how it was affected by a carbon tax. If you apply a tax, it changes the fuel price, it changes demand,” Rice said. “We translated those changes in fuel purchases into changes in greenhouse gas emissions.”

Dr. Jenny Liu, assistant director at NERC, said in an email that researchers were able to incorporate sophisticated modeling, scenarios and details in the study. They talked to many advisory groups in the process.

“I think the breadth and depth of the new study helps to answer many questions about the carbon tax and the use of the revenues that many people posed,” Liu said.

Oregon Legislature commissioned the study last year, after NERC released a 2013 report, “Carbon Tax and Shift: how to make it work for Oregon’s economy” with good feedback. That report studied the projected effects a carbon tax similar to the one in British Columbia would have on carbon emissions and the economy.

“We started looking at a state-level carbon tax for Oregon in our first research report published in 2013 when many people started noticing the successful outcomes of the British Columbia carbon tax that started in 2008,” Liu said.

“Even if the other states around us don’t do anything similar, we find that in Oregon you can have a significant reduction in emissions while basically holding the economy harmless,” Renfro said.

If carbon is taxed steeply, the funds can be redistributed into the Oregon economy— in other tax cuts, for example. “Emissions and revenue weren’t that sensitive to the type of repatriation method used. It’s good that it’s robust in that way,” Rice said.

Liu said the NERC research team hopes the study will be helpful for the public. “The research team at NERC hopes that this in-depth study will provide citizen, policy makers and other stakeholders with unbiased information and analyses on what happens to both the environment and the economy here in Oregon,” Liu said.

One projected goal is to reduce carbon emission levels 10 percent below those in the 1990s. Rice explained that this model showed the target reduction at around $60 per metric ton of carbon emissions.

“If Oregon were to put in a carbon tax or some sort of carbon-trading scheme into place, I think it would be with other western states like Washington or California,” Rice said.

THE EDITH GrEEn-WEnDELL WyaTT FEDEraL BUILDInG reopened in 2013 after a renovation to reduce its carbon footprint.

CHRISTIAN PROfETA/PSU VANGUARD

“We took a lot of care in our study to think about how to best implement carbon pricing,” Renfro said.

As Oregon moves ahead, he said, the state should make sure its policies harmonize with those in California and Washington.

Response to the study’s findings has been positive.

“From our perspective, the response was really good because people were really interested in it,” Renfro said.

“For us, our mission is to raise the level of discourse on certain issues. So if car-

bon pricing is going to be an important issue in Oregon over the next few years, we’re happy that we’ve contributed to this conversation.”

Liu cited a recent survey about Portlanders’ attitudes toward a possible carbon tax.

She said that the majority, it

seems, are in favor of a measure meant to reduce carbon emissions. “After all, Oregonians are pioneers and trailblazers in many ways, and taking the lead on pricing carbon for climate change mitigation doesn’t seem out of the question.”

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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StUdent Fee Committee PreSentS BUdget For 2015–16 MEMBErS OF THE PSU STUDEnT FEE COMMITTEE discuss final budgetary details.

CHRISTIAN PROfETA/PSU VANGUARD

eVan birkeLand

The Portland State Student Fee Committee presented its final budget allocations for the 2015–16 academic year to the Associated Students of PSU Senate on Jan. 12.

The budget will decrease by 12.6 percent, from $16,350,154 in 2013–14 to $14,287,854.

Factors contributing to this decrease include a shift in enrollment demographics, cost of

living adjustment being moved from discretionary reserves to the Incidental Fee Budget, and the SFC’s decision in summer not to ask for an increase in student fees.

SFC Chair Alexandra Calloway-Nation said the decline did not represent a downward trend, “If you look at the total of what we got in 2015, it’s actually more than what we saw a year or two years ago,” CallowayNation said.

The budget seeks to portion the deficit evenly among fee-funded areas by making small cuts from many student groups and activities, such as hosting and food for public events.

Nearly every student-fee funded area received budget cuts. The only student programs that received additional funding were the Jim Sells Childcare Center, which will receive $5,000, and Student Media Operations, which will receive $38,837.

Cuts will also be made to student activities that do not meet criteria set by the SFC. One set of criteria was focused on keeping students employed at PSU. “When we were making cuts in the appeals process last fall, we wanted to make sure we didn’t do anything to affect student pay. Some students can’t afford to go to school without their jobs, so we were trying to preserve that,” Calloway-Nation said.

Cultural competency was another issue that the SFC had in mind when making cuts.

“A big theme in ASPSU this year in general has been cultural competency, so we kept that in mind when making budget decisions. There weren’t many cuts to the

diversity centers like the Queer Resource Center or the Multicultural center,” Calloway-Nation said.

The extent to which the SFC should cut PSU’s college radio station, KPSU, and its student-run television station, PSU.tv was a controversial topic in the appeals process.

“Obviously we don’t want to cut any student program, but when we have a budget decrease we have to look at how effective the program is, and it didn’t seem like PSU.tv was reaching as many students as it could have,” said Antoinette Wayne, vice chair of the SFC. KPSU received a cut of $28,455 and PSU.tv received a cut of $2000.

tHe FigHt For 15: PSU ProFeSSorS diSCUSS minimUm Wage LiSa dunn

15 NOW OREGON LOGO

According to a recent press release from 15 Now Portland, a nonprofit aiming to raise the minimum wage in Oregon, the Oregon branch of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations has added its name to a list of labor unions endorsing a $15 minimum wage.

Following the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners’ Dec. 4 decision to increase minimum wage for county employees to $15 per hour, the statewide push to raise the minimum wage has gained traction.

6

Critics of the bill, such as Oregon State Senator Tim Knopp, have claimed that raising the minimum wage will negatively affect the labor market. Employers will hire less and prices will rise.

Mary King, a labor economist, member of the Workers’ Rights Board at Jobs for Justice Portland and Portland State economics professor, said that arguments such as Knopp’s only factor in half of the equation.

“The other half is that, if people have more purchasing power, they purchase more goods and services and employers hire more. Especially with

minimum wage workers—they spend everything they earn…

That goes straight back into the economy,” King said.

PSU currently employs 2,168 students, not including Graduate Assistants, according to Snapshot of Portland State.

Scot Turner, PSU’s Student Employment coordinator, said that in any given year between 400 and 600 of those students participate in the federal workstudy program. Though it is a federal program, students receive state minimum wage.

“The students will always receive the state minimum wage.

It overrides federal,” Turner said. “Student wages increase

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

as the minimum wage does.”

King said the impact on PSU’s finances would be negligible. “If anything, it might help student indebtedness.

People can earn a little bit more. Potentially, it could even increase enrollment.”

Barbara Dudley, an adjunct assistant professor at PSU and partner at the local Bethel Heights Vineyard, said, “I heartily endorse it. As a business owner, it helps everybody. It raises the bar, and people who work and earn minimum wage can afford to participate in the economy.”

“My guess is…that a lot of students here are working

for minimum wage or close to it. A lot of my students work retail-type jobs or restaurant jobs where they make minimum wage or slightly above.

Fifteen dollars an hour would be a godsend for students who are trying to pay for school, take care of families and just survive,” Dudley said.

Dudley and King worked together on the Pay It Forward program, a proposed tuition payment plan that would defer tuition until after graduation and build a fund for future university students. It was conceived by students in the “Student Debt, Economics, Policy, and

Advocacy” capstone course.

The Pay It Forward program was approved by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission i n S e pt e m b e r 2 014 . The HECC’s recommendations “have now been turned into draft legislation for the upcoming session of the [Oregon] Legislature,” Dudley said.

Dudley said that a higher minimum wage would help build the Pay It Forward fund much faster. “More students would be able to participate. It’s great for anyone trying to pay their way through school.”

nEWS

Fire diSPlaCeS StUdentS at gooSe HolloW reSidenCe Hall THE GOOSE HOLLOW aParTMEnTS were the site of a recent fire.

JEOffRY RAY/PSU VANGUARD

CoLLeen Leary

A fire broke out at 4:21 a.m. Sunday morning at the Goose Hollow Residence Hall, located at 1604 SW Clay.

The fire was contained to a single room on the 11th floor of the 16-story building. No people or pets were seriously injured in the event.

The building is home to many Portland State students, though it is owned and operated by non-profit organization College Housing Northwest and is not affiliated with PSU. Monica Drewer-Tabacchi, vice president for CHNW, said in an email, “The cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed by the Fire Marshall. We do

know that the cause was specific to that unit and that there is not any ongoing risk.�

An article published by OregonLive reported that an unattended candle caused the fire and the unit’s resident was awoken by the building’s fire alarm.

Drewer-Tabacchi added that though the fire was contained to one room, the smoke affected the entire 11th floor.

Occupants of the 11th floor have been moved to alternate rooms in the building, and their displacement will be temporary. “CHNW is working quickly to clean up the water damage from the firesprinklers and get other

tenants back in their rooms as quickly as possible,�

Drewer-Tabacchi said.

Drewer-Tabacchi said CHNW is planning to respond to this fire as a learning opportunity. “We intend to [use] this event to encourage student knowledge and responsibility.�

She continued by saying CHNW will focus on promoting knowledge of fire safety, insurance, heath and wellness in relation to crisis, and personal responsibility to the community.

PSU’s Center for Student Health and Counseling provides services for students experiencing crises. Visit pdx.edu/shac/center-f orstudent-health-and-counseling for more information.

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OPINION

Low gas prices, good for wallets bad for international relations

Silvia Cardullo/PSU VANGUARD

Against the Current

by Sebastian Richardson Aside from having a break from school, one of the most enjoyable parts of my winter break was the falling gas prices. I, like many other Americans, was overjoyed when only $15 practically filled up my tank, freeing up some extra cash for gifts, dinners and books.

While it’s easy to enjoy this sudden decrease in oil prices, many Americans haven’t stopped to wonder why such a trend is taking place.

The price for a barrel of oil has dropped from nearly $120 to just over $50, marking the lowest oil prices in almost five and a half years. While this may be good for American wallets, it’s bad for international relations.

I often hear people claim the United States is controlling all of this in order to get back at Russia. These low gas prices reveal to what extent this new pseudo-Cold War era rhetoric is developing between the two countries.

Sadly, this fails to capture the entire picture.

Simply put, the falling gas prices are the consequence of supply and demand. The demand for oil in large oil consuming countries is falling while production is still going steady, ultimately driving the price down.

What is driving commentators to speculate on the deeper cause of this economic trend is that despite its favorable effect at American gas stations it is hurting economies all across the world and is causing many nations to draw lines in the sand.

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Some have suggested that Saudi Arabia is intentionally driving down the price of oil in order to hurt the economy of their political rival, Iran.

Nations whose economies are centered on oil production rely on higher oil prices in order to balance their budgets and look to Saudi Arabia to cut production when prices drop. Since Saudi Arabia has not slowed down production, oil producing countries such as Iran, Russia, Venezuela and Nigeria are beginning to suffer.

However, despite ignoring calls from other OPEC nations to help stop the six-month-long slump, Saudi Arabia’s economy is not benefiting.

Saudi Arabia’s economy is completely reliant upon the sale of oil, which makes up 90 percent of export earnings, 80 percent of government revenues and 40 percent of their gross domestic product. Saudi Arabia even expects a deficit of $39 billion in 2015, which is the largest in the country’s history.

Clearly there is some political motivation behind such actions. Similar strategies did not play out favorably in the past. In the ’90s, Kuwait’s overproduction of oil was one of the major factors which caused Iraq to invade the country.

To the media’s excitement, this current trend with oil is straining the United States’ relationship with our long-term political rival, Russia.

Putin, in a recent televized broadcast, claimed that U.S. sanctions were not the consequence of Russia’s annexation of Crimea or their influence in eastern Ukraine, but were merely a punishment imposed on all of Russia due to their desire for self-preservation. Along with this, Russia’s new military document names NATO and the United States as top foreign threats to Russia.

While Obama did not take credit for messing with oil prices during his recent interview with NPR, he was very critical of Russia’s alleged attacks on Ukraine’s sovereignty and claimed that their economy was already rocky prior to the collapse of oil prices. He also went on to defend the U.S. sanctions against Russia.

Vanguard | january 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

Obama even challenged the notion that Putin is some sort of political mastermind and even claimed that other people might perceive him as “not so smart.”

This comes at a convenient time since Russia’s currency is tanking due to the low oil prices.

Like Saudi Arabia, Russia collects a large amount of revenue from oil sales, which roughly accounts for half of Russia’s budget. This decrease in the country’s exports has caused the value of the ruble to plummet. Along with this, Western sanctions are preventing financial institutions from lending to Russia’s banks, and oil companies are effectively cutting them off from credit markets.

In response, Russia’s central bank increased its key interest rate from 10.5 percent to 17 percent, which is not helpful to struggling citizens at home.

Regardless of whether or not Obama cut some sort of deal with Abdullah iba Abdilaziz the Saudi Arabian king, it’s clear that the current rhetoric which prevails between various countries is that of suspicion and blame.

Venezuela, another country affected by the falling oil prices, is hitting record levels of inflation and is plunging into a recession.

Venezuela’s president even accused the U.S. of starting an oil war with Russia which he blamed for his country’s economic downturn.

Even more interesting is the growing relationship between Russia and countries like Iran and Venezuela. Venezuela has seen a 2,081 percent increase in imports from Russia since 2009.

Russia has also made it clear that U.S. sanctions could end bilateral cooperation on issues such as Iran’s nuclear program and Syria.

It’s sad that most Americans don’t appear too concerned about what is going on and are easily pacified by gas prices below $3 per gallon. What’s even more upsetting is that the Americans who are trying to pay attention can’t escape attitudes of a romanticized bygone era of Cold War rhetoric.

I’ll be honest, I can’t say for sure where all this is headed.

All I know is these sort of political maneuvers have not been very favorable in the past and might do more to drive nations apart than to bridge gaps.

But hey, at least we can watch The Interview now.

OPInIOn

emPoWerment oF tHe Feminine WitH FKa tWigS

FKa TWIGS performs in New York City.

Cherry Bomb

by Anna Suarez

Female artists have something profound to bring to the universe. Living in a man’s world means the domination of masculine energy, which holds us back as women. I have a primordial appreciation for artists who embrace the power of the feminine spirit, and I believe FKA Twigs, a British musician and dancer, demonstrates this notion movingly.

Female sexuality in the media is prominent, but the sexuality presented by mainstream artists seems to be a reflection of the male gaze, which is enforced by largely male-dominated record companies. The representations of women lack depth and the emotional facets which ultimately build humanity. It is rare to find a woman in the media who demonstrates humanity and who expresses herself honestly. The fact of the matter is women face serious systematic pressures, particularly within the realm of media.

It is rare to find an artist that is relatable and able to describe deep emotional issues listeners can relate to, especially issues concerning women. For example, artists like Taylor Swift tend to be put on a pedestal. She embodies purity yet lacks depth. Her music is vapid and often discusses nothing more than idealized romance. In her new song, “Shake It Off,” she spent roughly four minutes singing cliches, and some have criticized the music video for the song, saying that it perpetuates stereotypes and appropriates black culture.

In contrast with Taylor Swift, artists like Katy Perry demonstrate only sexuality, which appeals almost strictly to men.

When asked about her feminism in an interview on early

COURTESY Of ERICK AUTUMN THROUGH CREATIVE COMMONS

morning news show I Wake Up With Today, she stated, “I used to not really understand what that word meant, and now that I do, it just means that I love myself as a female and I also love men.” Even in this sentence, Perry demonstrates a lack of understanding about what feminism means and puts an emphasis on loving men. Her music expresses this notion, with songs like “I Kissed a Girl,” which is a messy, offensive attempt at exploring sexuality.

I find myself searching for an artist able to demonstrate not only honest sexuality—which to me is a personal expression of sexuality not influenced by gender roles or stereotypes—but also who they truly are as a person, without being censored.

Over the past year FKA Twigs’ music has impacted American media and shaken our preconceived notions of female sexuality. She blends R&B style as well as electronica to create a balance of ethereal and sensuous sounds. The first time I listened to FKA Twigs, I recall entering a deep, melodic trance. Despite the ethereal quality of her voice, her music encompasses strength and feminine power. She is more than an R&B singer; she is a warrior running through the deep wilderness of man and fighting for woman.

FKA Twigs’ music videos are dark yet seductive. She explores sensuality as well as the dichotomy between the masculine realm and the feminine realm. Her video for “Video Girl” explores the darkness of loving a troubled man and how that affects her morality as well as her sense of self. She is watching a man she seems to be involved with face lethal

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injection with tears in her eyes. Toward the end of the video, she is dancing over his dying body. Her art is dark and chilling, portraying themes most musicians are afraid to portray.

The difference between mainstream media and FKA Twigs’ art is that it is relatable, real and deep. When I consider the music I hear on the radio or music videos I watch on television, the messages are simple, which is the problem. Love is complex, being a woman is complex and living in the world we are living in is complex. Life is not always shaking your ass at a club, falling in love with the cute guy in your geography class or buying yourself Chanel sunglasses.

What FKA Twigs explores in her music is the pain underneath the glitter, the aspects of womanhood that are arduous and the ability to be a fighter in a world that often seems like it’s against you.

In a world which is so dominated by man, being a sexual woman can be terrifying. At times I feel alienated as I seek to empower my own sexuality. Women embracing sexuality in unconventional manners are highly criticized and misunderstood. I find FKA Twigs’ ability to be sexual, insightful and unique to be groundbreaking.

Media pressures female artists to either embody ultimate strength or ultimate passivity, yet both portrayals are dangerous. By pressuring women to embody only one of these two qualities while also remaining attractive to men, we are ultimately dehumanizing women.

Instead of simply being the strong and adventure-seeking Lara Croft or the passive stay-at-home mother June Cleaver from Leave it to Beaver, I hope to see a woman with human qualities. Rarely in media do we see a woman who embodies both strengths and weaknesses, with the ability to demonstrate human emotions. In “Preface” of FKA Twigs’ new album, she opens the song with: “I love another and thus I hate myself.” Her art is honest, raw and orphic. She paints pictures women can empathize with.

My hopes are that more women like FKA Twigs appear in the music industry and shake the core of the masculinity found in the media. Though there are female artists in popular culture, the issue is that much of their music embodies oppressive patriarchal values. FKA Twigs possesses the strength to empower the feminine.

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

9

OPINION

Finding food at PSU Simply Complicated

by David Wooldridge

Finding and affording healthful food on the Portland State campus can be a huge challenge. While there are many food options from which to choose, from the myriad restaurants and food carts to the PSU meal plan, the actual cost in time and money can feel impossibly hard to maneuver. So where is the best value for your healthful food dollar?

The PSU meal plan: a good deal?

Whether or not the PSU meal plan will be a good deal for you is largely a question of whether or not you will be on campus or will have time between classes while the major food venues (Victor’s at Ondine and the Viking Café in the Smith Memorial Student Union) are open. If you do not live on or near campus, the meal plan is likely not a very cost-effective option.

For freshmen living in dorms the meal plan is mandatory, and, as with most things mandated by an institution, a calculated waste of your money in the name of some lauded public good (in this case, health). Yet even if the goal of making sure everyone eats is a great one, the execution is sometimes questionable. Because of rigid class schedules, the mandatory meal plan might leave you more hungry than if you were given the option to make your own food choices. If Victor’s is only open for lunch during times you have a class, then it looks like you will be missing lunch a lot.

This timing problem might be reason enough to stick with the bare minimum meal plan and explore other options. If you have the ability to schedule classes around times Victor’s is open, then it is a good option with both healthful and indulgent choices on par with any other institutional cafeteria.

Meal plans come in multiple shapes and sizes. There’s the economy which gives you 10 meals per week at Victor’s and zero dining dollars to spend at the Viking Café. The 10 plan gives you 10 meals per week at Victor’s and $300 dining dollars. The 15 plan gets you 15 meals per week at Victor’s and $100 dining dollars, and the all-access plan gets you unlimited meals at Victor’s and $50 dining dollars per term. Some of these options give you more meals eaten at Victor’s every week, while some give you more dollars to spend at the Viking Café.

Great, peachy and wonderful, but these numbers don’t mean

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anything at all. How much will you be paying per meal with these plans? Assuming a 10-week term and three square meals a day, you will be paying $5.60 per meal for the unlimited plan, the 15 plan is $8.14 per meal, the 10 plan is $11.64 per meal and the economy plan is $9.05 per meal.

So when you really get down to it, the best value in meal plans depends on where you eat most. If you find yourself eating at Victor’s many times per week and not much at the Viking Café, then the unlimited plan is right up your alley. If you eat at the Viking Café most often, the 10 plan would be a better value.

If you live in the dorms and are forced to use a meal plan, yet are unable to get food at Victor’s consistently due to class scheduling conflicts, then you might have to purchase food from one of the many non-PSU eating establishments even though you paid for a meal plan. This seems to be a pretty significant problem that has not been dealt with by the administration, to my knowledge.

If you are a student at PSU and you cannot afford food, if the mandatory meal plan is creating unsustainable financial burdens for you, or if your food plan doesn’t meet your nutritional needs, there are at least a couple options to pursue. The most immediate option is the Associated Students of PSU’s food pantry. Located in SMSU room 325, the pantry is a place where any student in need of food can freely get that need met. For a more long-term solution, students can apply for Oregon Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

What about eating out or making my own food?

By going to one of the many food establishments around campus besides those offered by PSU, one could be expected to pay anywhere between $5 and $10 a meal. The total cost for eating out would be between $1,050 and $2,100 for a term, and, unlike with Victor’s, you won’t have to worry about going during particular mealtimes (except closing times).

Being able to make mindful purchases and budget for individual meals is the advantage here, and if one is careful it is possible to save some money over the cost of a meal plan (granted it isn’t already a mandatory addition to your tuition costs). There is also a much lower chance of money being wasted on missed meals that have been prepaid. These costs are only approximations as few people, if any, buy all of their meals out.

The other option is to prepare your own food. The grocery store that is closest to campus is Safeway on Southwest 10th Avenue and Jefferson Street. For even fresher produce and handmade foodstuffs, PSU hosts the Portland Farmers Market every Saturday in the Park Blocks. They also give out lots and lots of samples, have farm-to-table prices, and even if you aren’t hungry it makes for a fun outing.

Vanguard | january 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

ADAM GRACE/PSU VANGUARD

What about late night food?

Around campus there aren’t many places from which to get food after 10 p.m. If you are under 21, then the only place that is open all night that is a convenient walk from campus is the Subway next to Rogue Hall. If you are over 21, then you can find food, albeit typically rather indulgent food, at the various bars around campus: Rogue Hall, Pizza Schmizza, The Cheerful Tortoise or First National Taphouse. Other than those places, you might have to make a quick trek over to Safeway to pick up some groceries.

The food needs for a student body of 30,000 are enormous and PSU has likely done their best to make sure that everyone gets the nutrition that they need in order to produce good work. In some cases the meal plan might be a drain of financial resources without much benefit due to logistical difficulties, and this is something that the PSU administration should really address— especially if they are going to make it mandatory for students to purchase. Thankfully, even if the meal plan doesn’t fit your needs there are other options, both subsidized and not.

OPInIOn

tHe trUe ValUe oF an edUCation I was recently reflecting on my time at community college, specifically thinking about the vast number of people who begin their higher education journey and never finish it. Of all the people whom I befriended during my freshman year, not one of them finished school. All of them dropped out for one reason or another, never to return.

So I am forced to ask myself, “What is the reason that so many people drop out of school?” At the end of fall term, many students leave school, even here at Portland State. I find myself reflecting on the difficulties that I experienced here and my ability to overcome them. I ask myself why others thought that those difficulties were insurmountable.

When I talk to people who have dropped out or are thinking about dropping out, I hear the same stock excuses over and over: “This is just too hard.” “I’m not learning anything important.” “I’ve been working for years, is a degree really going to help me?” “My professors hate me. I’m not going to stay and put up with this abuse.” These concerns and complaints may be legitimate in the eyes of the afflicted student, but I’m also forced to question what the thought process is of someone who goes to school for one or two terms and then drops out without giving it a chance.

The earning of a college degree is of vast importance in our modern world. Completing a university education shows every-

The Campus Oracle

by Nathan Anderson

one that you have put in the time doing something that is hard, challenging and that you may not enjoy because in the end the rewards are worth it. That degree proves you did more than put in time. You studied for the exams and did the research and wrote the papers, as well as shuffled your schedule around, planned out the needed classes and did all the other hoop-jumping required to finish school.

So is it worth it? First it must be asked, what is the value of an education? Is it simply the degree? That piece of paper which says you completed the required coursework and now you are ready for the big leagues? Common wisdom says it is, so let’s look at why that wisdom is spot-on.

College degrees have worth because a regional accreditation service says the school which has granted said degrees has put their students through the rigors that are required to graduate. That’s a good thing. What if I could take out a loan for thousands of dollars, pay some random institution this money, and receive a college degree without ever taking a test, writing a paper or doing any research? Would this degree have value? Would I be able to confidently stand before a potential employer and state that I have the training to do the jobs and tasks that may be required of me?

Of course not.

Now what if I take out a loan for thousands of dollars, pay tu-

ition at a regionally accredited school, do my work (including sitting for exams, writing papers and doing research) and receive my degree? How much better will it be for me to be able to stand in front of an employer and be truly confident that I have succeeded in earning—truly earning—a college degree?

Exponentially better.

Any potential university student needs to understand that college is a process that has a point and a purpose. There are times when the workload seems trying and the difficulties seem insurmountable. However, that is the point of our endeavors. We put ourselves through these challenges and we benefit greatly from them. Long after the classes are over, long after the last final has been completed, we benefit from this experience. We use this experience to our benefit for the rest of our lives.

I have given up before. I have quit mid stride and it took me years of poverty and struggle to understand the true value of an education. Now that I am back, I will do everything in my power to do whatever it takes to finish school and succeed, even beyond my time at PSU. An online acquaintance of mine once said, “Your classes aren’t the end of your education. They are just the structure to hang your education on.” She is right, and I hope that all students realize just what an incredible gift their education is and utilize it to its full potential.

kayLa townSLey

CONRAD CRESPIN/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

11

COVEr

neW CaFe taKeS root in Former Food For tHoUgHt SPaCe jeSSiCa PoLLard

Green Roots Cafe, a new student-run restaurant, is set to open later this month with an anticipated grand opening date between Jan. 26 and Jan. 30.

The cafe will be located in the basement of Smith Memorial Student Union in the lounge space that previously housed Food For Thought Cafe. It will be one of a handful of exclusively vegan and vegetarian options on campus. The cafe will focus on providing local and sustainable food options for the Portland State community.

The lounge space has been vacant since Spring 2014, when the student-run Food For Thought Cafe closed abruptly.

Twenty-five students lost their jobs in the closure.

FFT's closure was mainly the result of monetary malpractices and a $102,599 deficit that was discovered last spring.

According to a 2013 press release from Student Activities & Leadership, the deficit was projected to grow to $170,000 if FFT had remained open. Funding for FFT came from Student Fees, a $218 fee PSU students pay each term.

Following an investigation last March, FFT was charged with corruption, misappropriation of state assets, financial statement fraud, waste, theft and several other violations of conduct, according to Assistant Dean of Student Life and Director of Conduct & Community Standards Domanic Thomas.

Thomas noted that while members of the FFT collective were well-intentioned, many ideals brought into running the cafe might have led to its financial demise.

For example, FFT featured a Trust Bucket where customers would leave money for their coffee without any official monitoring. The resulting profit, rather than going back into the till, would then be distributed evenly between members of the FFT collective. The consequence was a loss in profit and a violation of the use of state funds.

Additionally, coins in the till were sometimes redistributed among collective members as tips. “One of the runs was approximately $65 worth of coins, and so you have that and they redistributed it to the 25 employees. It’s a couple dollars to each employee, but 10 percent is already going to Coinstar,” Thomas said. He added that this practice was not only theft, but wasteful.

“The accounting practices were not, by any standard, acceptable…the training and hiring of individuals, including in accounting, was problematic…I fully expected to have a junior accounting major as the accountant, and that wasn’t the case,” Thomas said.

Thomas did not charge any individual student for the sanctions incurred because of the non-hierarchical model by which FFT was run. Thomas emphasized that there was no way to have a student-run cafe in the SMSU space without starting over completely.

Earlier this year, the Student Fee Committee approved a business plan for a student-run cafe to re-occupy the space in Smith.

Food for Thought Advisory Board In June 2014, PSU Student Operated Services formed an advisory board to oversee the future of the cafe.

Angela Hamilton, coordinator of student-operated services, and student Hayden Leach were co-chairs for the FFT advisory board. Haley White, a former member of FFT collective, was also on the board. White is no longer involved with the advisory board or Green Roots Cafe.

“All of the problems that were presented could have been fixed.

Maybe through restructuring. A lot of the stuff that was discussed

12

“Like it or not that is my opinion.”

GrEEn rOOTS CaFE CEnTEr-OF-HOUSE ManaGEr anTOnIO MaTIC teaches trainees on the cash register.

DEVIN COURTRIGHT/PSU VANGUARD

on the advisory board really would have been really good solutions to just keep [FFT] running,” White said.

Interested in preserving the non-hierarchical model of FFT, White was told that the new cafe would be run as a “collective hybrid.” Later, White received an email from Leach and Hamilton explaining that the new cafe would run with a managerial system.

“There’s definitely been a lot of fallout; divisions have been made because of this,” Leach said. “They attempted to run the cafe as a collective, which, while noble in purpose, when you work in an institution as hierarchical as PSU, you can’t have non-hierarchy at this level.”

About three months prior to the closure of FFT, the cafe’s budget for the 2014–15 school year was approved. White suggested that the failure to spot the deficit before approving the new budget showed a lack of oversight among the PSU organizations involved in budget management.

To avoid similar issues at Green Roots Cafe, several guidelines have been established. If the cafe goes into any sort of deficit, it will be closed, according to Hamilton. “[The cafe] is going to rely on those customers of FFT to come back. It’s going to rely on proper marketing and advertising,” Leach said.

If Green Roots were to close, the space would then be rented out to a vendor. Leach said a 15 percent budget cut for SMSU

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this year could make it harder for the cafe to stay afloat if its profits are low.

The new managerial system was introduced in response to several state and university laws. “I want to say that’s the big difference,” Leach said.

“The number-one thing is protection and preservation of community…I just don’t want anyone to violate the state use of monies because it has reverberating effects that students don’t always understand,” Thomas said.

Leach and white gave differing accounts of food sourcing while FFT was open.

“A common misconception was that [FFT] was all about local sourcing, using local producers and growers to get their food. That actually wasn’t the case. For the past few years the cafe had been using Sysco, which doesn’t actually use local sources,” Leach said.

Contrastingly, White reported that FFT relied mostly on local companies and Earthly Gourmet for dried goods. The cafe used sustainable, organic and local sourcing to manifest political beliefs.

“At Food For Thought, at least what I got and for everyone else, the sustainability aspect of the cafe was secondary to the political,” White said.

“As a state institution, you can’t use student fees or tax dollars—any revenue that is brought in from the university, you

COVEr can’t use for political action. You can’t use resources: pens, paper, space, for political use. If that was the case, that can’t be anymore,” Leach said.

The environment of FFT, when it was open, has also been cause for debate.

“During spring term there were several public forums held discussing the cafe. A lot of students came forward expressing that there were bouts of racism, classism and that students generally— specifically students of color—did not feel safe here and that was a toxic environment, something that SALP as an institution, as well as PSU, doesn’t support,” Leach said.

Green Roots front-of-house manager Randy Black was once a customer at FFT and did not share Leach’s concerns about the environment at FFT. “The atmosphere that they had, being a space that was really open where we could talk, was a place that was different from everything upstairs. That’s something that we’re really hoping for also,” Black said.

Quarrel over cafes brews online Both FFT’s and Green Roots’ Facebook pages have become home to debates about the reasons behind FFT’s closure and the subsequent restructuring and renaming of the business.

In a Facebook comment on FFT’s page, White described Green Roots as a “Depoliticized knockoff of what used to be a radical community space on campus. But at least they still compost.”

On Jan. 8, the FFT Facebook page posted a status update that read, “Not many folks remember or know this but when [FFT] began it had managers/bosses and a tiered pay scale and hierarchal decision making just like our new replacement. One day after much organizing the workers went on (or threatened to, history is a little fuzzy) strike against their managers and it became the non hierarchal workers collective we remember so fondly.”

In response to this post, Earl Meinenger wrote, “Wow. This is a lie. As someone who was on the board that voted to convert FFT to an employee run cooperative, please don’t make up stories of strike to align with your worldview. There was never a strike or threat of one. Just open honest dialogue between the board, managers, and employees that evolved into the decision to dissolve the volunteer board and pass the responsibility for running the cafe to the employees.”

The FFT Facebook page posted another status update on Dec. 9 that read, “Before you rejoice about the new vegan organic cafe on campus, let it be known that members of the [Green Roots] cafe advisory board include employees of Burgerville and Aramark.”

“The Aramark part is absolutely not true,” Hamilton said.

One member of the Green Roots advisory board is a director at Burgerville, which Hamilton said is one of the most sustainable restaurant chains in Oregon. He had to apply like everyone else but, Hamilton said, having him on the board made sense.

“We haven’t even met him yet, but he was one of the people on the board that put the business plan together. He basically gave the group a lot of insight on sourcing and, you know, different ideas on how to put a business plan together,” said Green Roots business manager Antonio Matic.

At the request of FFT's Facebook pages the Green Roots Facebook page was hit with a barrage of one-star reviews, from students and community members angry over the closure of FFT and the loss of a political space on campus. One review, written

by Misha Brandon Speck, read, “[T]his place shits [sic] because it was created by shit-canning an entire program and firing a staff of 25-odd folks with little notice and no offer of re-structuring from PSU admins.”

Jess Tranfo, back of house manager at Green Roots, said that none of the cafe’s employees intended to replace FFT. “I had the opportunity to be part of something cool, new on campus, in my mind. I think that we’re trying our best to progress that way,” Tranfo said.

“So much of this is outside the control of students, of the advisor, of even the director of the department that oversees this,” Leach said.

Leach and Matic presented before the SFC on Jan. 8 to explain the issues.

“Any minor problem will make us be jumpy,” said SFC member Juan Rueda. No repercussions resulted from the Jan. 8 presentation, but the SFC expressed a desire for more thorough communication between SFC and the cafe.

The Green Roots space has a piano that is free to use, and they plan to feature student art and eventually host on-campus events, according to the three managers. There is a children’s corner in the back of the lounge space already stocked with books and toys for students’ children.

Tranfo said the plan is for nothing on the menu to cost more than $5.25 and the cafe will accept PSU dining dollars.

“Every company that I’m using is locally or regionally owned,” Tranfo said. Tranfo is responsible for sourcing ingredients used to make dishes like the Veggie Deluxe sandwich and the Eco Bowl. Tranfo looks to Charlie’s Produce, a regionally owned company, for most of Green Root’s produce. Fifty to seventy-five percent of the cafe’s ingredients are organic.

“There’s a very fine line to walk between what’s affordable and what’s idealistic. If we think of our food as being local, organic, sustainable, you know, of those three criteria, I’m trying to hit at least two with every vendor that we have. If not, all three,” Tranfo said.

Ingredients in salads and sandwiches are apt to change according to what is seasonal. “It’s a little trickier right now because it’s winter time and we’re in the Northwest, but we’re definitely not getting greenhouse-grown peppers from Southern Mexico. I’m not ordering things from Food Services of America, that kind of thing,” Tranfo said.

Green Roots will have Columbia Gorge juices and smoothies.

They will offer three varieties of SOMA Kombucha on tap. The cafe will also be offering a wide variety of coffee drinks and are still in the process of securing a local, organic coffee vendor.

To reduce costs, many foods at the cafe will be housemade, including dressings and hummus. “I’m not grinding my own flour or making my own tofu, but that’s about where it ends, I think,” Tranfo said.

All three managers of Green Roots Cafe are students. “Everyone on staff is a student, that’s one of the requirements,” Black said. The Green Roots Cafe currently has a staff of about 19 employees.

“We have diversity on the skill level. We’ve got some people that are very skilled who’re going to be great mentors, I think, and some people who have great personalities and work ethics, who I think are going to be really great workers,” Black said.

Tranfo noted that the gender gap that usually exists in a restaurant kitchen setting is nonexistent. While oftentimes a restaurant may have a mostly male cook-staff, Green Roots’ staff ratio is more diversified.

“We come up with the ideas, we collectively wrote the menu and have figured out the drinks, and have hired the staff and at the end of the day. [Hamilton's] overseeing things, but I feel like we’ve made the majority of the decisions. We’re part of the university because we’re students, but it’s not like the university has dictated, necessarily, what we’ve been doing. I think that’s important, to me at least, that Green Roots is for students, by students,” Tranfo said.

Watch the video story online at psuvanguard.com FrOnT-OF-HOUSE ManaGEr ranDy BLaCK learns to operate the espresso machine from Happy Cup Cafe manager kate Starnes.

Plans for Green Roots Originally set to open Jan. 5, Green Roots ran into last-minute issues with their point of sale system.

“We had to ask the SFC for potential funding. Then we had to go shopping for muliple options,” Leach said. He explained several delays in the process of implementing a POS system.

DEVIN COURTRIGHT/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

13

arTS & CULTUrE

load B’S ‘eSCaPe From Snortlandia’getS real bLake hiCkman

As a city, Portland has all too frequently allowed its identity to be defined by recent transplants.

It’s easy to write off Portlandia as a dumb sketch comedy show (for people who think they’re clever and in on the joke), but the fact of the matter is that for those of us who have lived in the City of Roses, it’s hard to not notice that before Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein came to town even Northwest Portland was still “weird.”

Back then, music venues could afford to operate throughout the city without the threat of being forced out by condo developers, and the citizens of this city looked a lot less like Urban Outfitters catalog models.

Escape from Snortlandia by hip hop duo Load B be-

gins with a riff on Portlandia, and it’s a telling satire. The reason why this hip hop duo is the most vibrant musical act (of any genre) to emerge from Portland in 2015 is that Load B represents everything that Portlandia is not: clever, bold, innovative and possessing a distinctly working-class aesthetic.

It’s impossible for me not to compare this project to another release from a Portland hip hop duo, TXE’s VS PRTLND, which coincidentally came out in January of 2014.

Both projects feature brilliant emcees meeting cutting edge production.

With VS PRTLND Calvin Valentine, also known as G FORCE, has proven himself to be a singular force among Portland producers.

But while TXE made every effort to be smooth and accessible (with the project itself being based around samples of well-known Portland indie rock acts), it’s all but impossible to imagine Load B being selected to perform at the next Portland State of Mind show this fall.

To be sure, pseudo-hipsters who claim they love hip hop when they only listen to tame, gutless, white-friendly acts like Childish Gambino and Run the Jewels will find a lot to be offended by in Snortlandia. After all, that’s by design.

Like Portlandia, these acts concern themselves with “smart” topics, therefore appealing to those looking to project a “smart” image. I’d argue that if there’s a thesis to Snortlandia, its some-

where in “Andrew Dice Clay Sculptures,” a track that exemplifies the borderline post-apocalyptic aesthetic which defines Snortlandia.

The lyrics are as uncommercial as it comes; the reference to controversial ’80s comic Andrew Dice Clay is as dated as it is brilliant. The track’s seemingly venomous chorus of “bitch suck my dick and have a nice day” is prefaced with the assurance that the narrator is only “talking out my ass, like I’m Andrew Dice Clay.”

While “Andrew Dice Clay Sculptures” has its moments of fun and irreverence, one shouldn’t forget that Snortlandia is as heavy as anything I’ve heard in years. Tracks like “Jonestown,” “Suicide Bitch” and “I Cut My Face Off for Therapy” depict a bleak

POrTLanD-BaSED HIPHOP arTISTS DEVIn BOSS (BrILL) anD BEnJaMIn JOHnSOn (MILC) in their Northeast Portland studio DEVIN COURTRIGHT/PSU VANGUARD

reality for those that gentrification left behind.

“Sometimes I beg my own mind for mercy,” Milc, one half of Load B, pleads on “I Cut My Face Off For Therapy,” continuing with the claim that “I might be a failure but I won’t be a bitter failure/probably have to die at 55 to live a failure, I’m just sayin’.”

No review of this project would be complete without noting just how supreme the talents of emcee’s Milc and Brill are. Surprisingly enough, the duo have a dynamic that actually reminds me of the R&B legends Sam and Dave, with Milc seeming to effortlessly flow

through songs in contrast to the power of Brill’s gritty, earthy vocals.

As always, the thing that separates emcees with good albums from emcees with great albums is having an ear for production, which is just another area where Load B shines, having hurried and trippy beats that suit their lyrical mayhem perfectly.

Again, Snortlandia is not for the faint of heart. This isn’t hip hop with lyrics lifted straight from Huffington Post blogs. This is raw, earnest and authentic art from emcees at the height of their game.

This ain’t sketch comedy.

Faith in monochrome

‘The Life After’ is surrealist take on religion that still toes the line andy anady

Joshua Hale Fialkov’s ongoing series The Life After is largely a retelling of Christian mythology, in which the Christian God is an undulating blob of misplaced white limbs and eyeballs.

The series opens with our cynical white-guy protagonist, Jude, asserting “this is my life,” while trying to explain the repetitive nature of his young 20s life. At this point, the comic seems to be stepping up to comment on depression, social reclusion and maybe even the dehumanization of office work, but inevitably falls short.

Instead, Jude picks up the handkerchief of a young woman on the bus, basically peaks through the Matrix that shrouds the world of the

14

living and the dead and turns out to be Jesus. The young woman actually turns out to be just a young woman and within 10 pages she’s brutally raped by a landlord until she miscarries in an alley.

There’s not much violence in The Life After so far except for that single scene, some violence against extra-terrestrials and one nerdy kid gets punched in the face by a jocktype. Besides this woman, Nettie, there’s one other woman, a black woman who has goat’s feet and is actually a huge demon from Hell who says “ya dig,” even when the colloquialism doesn’t make any sense.

Even though Fialkov’s version of the Christian God is delightfully monstrous, He’s

unfortunately a Jewish stereotype and doesn’t shy away from the occasional “oy vey” and “someone needs a smiting,” and creeps on women with a “helllllloooo, nurse.”

After seeing through the Matrix and realizing that reality is mostly a conspiracy, Jude runs into Ernest Hemmingway.

At this point, Hemmingway’s character doesn’t serve much of a purpose other than knowing plot-necessary information that tends to not actually explain anything, though there is a beautiful moment in which he’s about to be carried away by monstrous seraphim and shouts “just like Spain all over again,” and shoves a peashooter in its face like he has a chance.

There’s also something de-

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lightful about the fact that the whole Matrix seems to be orchestrated by three white guys in short-sleeve, buttonup shirts typing away at huge monitors glowing a radioactive green straight out of the ’80s.

They appear to have some control over the world—and sometimes they have wings— but that power doesn’t seem to exceed that of any other office drone, and this power that is largely kept in check by their boss, a monstrous god that has existed since the Big Bang. Something with which we can all identify.

They may or may not turn into bigger players later, but right now they seem to be excuses for turning people like Jude and Ernest Hemingway into computer metaphors,

like “glitch,” which is particularly poignant in regards to how experiences are interpreted now that the internet is integral in daily life.

These three could be used to comment on the social and moral responsibility of the everyday person, but it’s not clear at the moment. And they are all white guys, like almost all of the characters so far.

Speaking of which, five issues in and Jude’s only power as Jesus seems to largely rely on empathy through touch.

He touches someone and has visions of their life and death.

He also seems to be able to elevate people from Purgatory into Heaven.

He feels their emotions, gets empathic, tries to make them feel better and they

glow and rise. Which is an interesting idea and makes for an intriguing inner-logic and commentary on religion, or morality’s potential in society.

Again, the biggest problem with this is still that the comic is so monochromatic.

White characters are always afforded heroism, messiah statuses and empathy when people of color in the media aren’t, and Fialkov’s comic is emblematic of that.

The Life After is by no means the worst or only culprit, but that’s exactly the problem. Still, religiouslytoned conspiracy theories are always a thrill ride, and I can’t wait to find out what direction Fialkov and Gabo are taking this one.

ARTS & CULTURE

Practical advice for the impractical dresser ruby king

It’s no secret that Portlanders know how to dress for terrible weather conditions. We’ve got Patagonia and Pendleton to keep us from developing hypothermia, or at least what Portlanders believe to be unbearably cold weather.

It’s also no secret that I’m an impractical dresser.

On the recent December evening when Portland experienced stronger than normal winds, I found myself walking to work not in a protective, reflective jacket, but a tiny vintage jacket and tealength tulle skirt. I looked like a stylish hybrid between Cinderella and a snowdrop, but tulle was flying everywhere and I was practically in danger of being knocked over by the wind.

For those of us who take pleasure in more intricate ensembles, winter is both our most preferred and detested season. On one hand, the opportunity to layer gives us a variety of possibilities for mixing textures and patterns, but that one pair of heels that goes with that one skirt doesn’t always help you survive the doings of nature.

I used to think that there was no way I would ever choose comfort over style.

Personal expression was always more important to me than comfort, which would make me look and feel boring. The word practical was something I avoided at all costs within my vocabulary.

Yet as disappointing as I once thought it sounded, this season I’ve developed ways to save my personal style without constantly tending toward blisters and rips.

Have an extra pair of ballet flats in your bag I used to hear this all the time, thinking it would never be me, but I’m glad I’ve jumped on this bandwagon. The women of Washington, D.C. have their priorities straight.

I am an avid high-heel wearer, and, like any shoes, they get

worn out over time. I have learned this the hard way in many rain-soaked instances that nearly ruined some of my most treasured shoes.

Now if I need to walk long distances, I wear my flats on the road and switch into heels at my destination. This way I know I’m not harming a beautiful pair of shoes, and in most ways ballet flats paired with a more heels-oriented outfit is quite charming. I’d even dare to say how French this secret is, and American society eats that Parisian appeal up.

Booties on the floor Why did I only just invest in a pair of heeled booties?

They are refined enough to make me feel like I’m not being lazy, not to mention their ability to lengthen the leg.

The strangely nagging word bootie does no justice to the wonder of the shoe.

Here’s the best part: basically every time you wear them out, suddenly it feels like you’re Anne Hathaway trotting around SoHo for brunch or whatever in The Devil Wears Prada.

Booties have both wonderfully chic and sensible characteristics. While black is more popular, I opted for a beautiful deep brown to increase their urban look.

Photo illustration courtesy of Liz Badley through Creative Commons via Flickr

wife running errands keeps everything in place without crushing your hair.

Layering tights If you have decently thick tights, layering two pairs makes much of a difference without hindering your mobility.

You can also go for layering a pair of colored tights under pants, which lends more warmth to your legs and adds an extra touch of personal styling if they become exposed.

Mixing patterns and colors Simplicity can make a difference is ok I used to be very particular about making sure my winter scarves and hats matched my outfit. But as with the ballet flats, I’ve come to realize that mixing patterns with winter accessories can be an extremely endearing look.

Are you doubting your striped shirts; overalls; yellow, plaid wool scarf; and red beret? I’m sure your bleak winter landscape needs a little color. I’ve also found that on days I don’t want the wind to ruin a particular hairstyle, tying a silk scarf around your head à la ’50s house-

Cashmere makes all the difference. You’ll wear your cashmere crewneck sweater more than anything in your closet.

It does wonders for your hands if it lines your leather gloves. On the topic of linings, find an overcoat that has one.

I wear my London Fog trench under any condition because it has a removable lining and keeps me that much warmer (and obviously aids me in pretending I’m the subject of a French mystery film).

Forum to explore future of ‘REARGUARD’ AND ‘SPECTRUM’ Brandon Staley

The Student Media Board will host a public forum today, Tuesday, Jan. 13, to gain student input on the futures of two alternative student publications, The Rearguard and Portland Spectrum. The forum will take place at 2 p.m. in SMSU 296 and is scheduled to last an hour.

Both publications, which are scheduled to publish in print on a monthly basis, are currently under scrutiny for lack of publication. Since the beginning of the school year, Portland Spectrum has pub-

lished a single issue, while The Rearguard has published none.

The forum was scheduled to gather student input regarding the fate of these two publications.

“The purpose is to try to figure out how to keep an alternative voice alive—at least one if not both of those publications,” said Reaz Mahmood, student media coordinator. “We want that vibrancy of some alternative voice that supplements the general newspaper.”

Presently, the Student Media board has presented four potential outcomes for the publications: both publications are preserved as they are, the publications are merged and one absorbs the other, the publications merge and a new publication is formed, or the official status of both publications are revoked.

Both The Rearguard and Portland Spectrum’s publishing costs and staffing are funded through student fees, which are charged along with tuition.

Vanguard | january 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

Steers and jeers ‘Full Metal Jacket’ is a classic that front-loads its most iconic moments jordan rasmussen

Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 Full Metal Jacket is much more than just a war movie or an anti-war movie. Full Metal Jacket is a riveting, albeit disjointed at times, exploration of violence, evil, masculinity and the duality of humanity set during the Vietnam War from 1967–1968.

The film follows Private Joker (Matthew Modine), first through basic training of the Marine Corps on Parris Island and then later in Vietnam, where he eventually becomes a Sergeant and combat correspondent during the Tet Offensive.

The film begins with a montage of recruits having their heads shaved while Johnny Wright’s “Hello Vietnam” plays. From the get-go, Full Metal Jacket sets a somber and brutal tone, bathed in irony and a dark sense of humor. The dejected look on the recruits’

faces is both heartbreaking and laughable, and this type of duality becomes a key theme throughout the film.

Immediately after the opening montage, we are introduced to Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, played by R. Lee Ermey, who gives one of the most iconic and well-known speeches in film history.

Ermey’s Golden Globenominated performance alone makes the film worth watching, he’s that good.

He’s ruthless, a self-described asshole and is one of the most amusing characters in Kubrick's filmography.

At this point, his speeches and his performance in Full Metal Jacket have become canon for movie buffs, and if you haven’t experienced it for yourself, it is very worth seeing.

However, Ermey isn’t the only performance in Full Metal Jacket's first half that

is worth noting. Vincent D’Onofrio plays Leonard Lawrence (aka Pvt. Pyle) and gives a brutal depiction of a soldier struggling with his new identity, or lack thereof.

Pvt. Joker eventually takes Pvt. Pyle under his wing and his soldiering shows improvement—for a while. Using the classic zoom shot that Kubrick loves so much, D’Onofrio portrays the harrowing dehumanization of Lawrence in just a few shots, and that is by far one of the most impressive elements of Full Metal Jacket.

Both Ermey and D’Onofrio’s performances make the first half of the film incredibly absorbing, and the events that occur on the last night of basic training resonate even louder because of those performances.

It’s unfortunate, then, that the latter half of the film never reaches the same

height. At this point, Pvt. Joker is now Sgt. Joker, a combat correspondent for the Stars and Stripes newspaper. The film picks back up just before the Tet Offensive, just in time for Joker’s fellow Marines to comment on his lack of thousand-yard stare.

Joker and his fellow journalist Pvt. Rafterman (Kevyn Major Howard) are sent to Phu Bai where they soon find themselves in the midst of the Battle of Hu, where Joker reconnects with Sgt. Cowboy (Arliss Howard), one of the recruits he graduated with on Parris Island.

Vietnam proves to be a much more difficult place for Joker to come to terms with, with Joker being reprimanded at one point by a commanding officer for having both a peace sign pin on his uniform and the words “Born To Kill” emblazoned across his helmet.

There are tons of interesting ideas presented throughout the second half of Full Metal Jacket, and there are plenty of intense set pieces, but none of these concepts reach the same heights as the ones earlier in the film.

Maybe it’s the lack of indelible performances in the second half that result in it never quite reaching its full potential, but that doesn’t mean the second half is bad by any means. The characters, themes and events that occur in Vietnam feel more

disjointed and unfocused than those that occurred previously on Parris Island, but fortunately the climax of the film manages to tie some of these thematic threads together in a satisfying manner.

Nonetheless, Full Metal Jacket is very much worth your time, even if only to hear Sgt. Hartman’s speeches in a theater setting. While the second half of the film doesn’t quite compare to the first, Full Metal Jacket remains an entertaining and thoughtprovoking film throughout.

5TH AVENUE CINEMA PRESENTS FULL METAL JACKET 510 SW Hall St. Friday, Jan. 16, 7 & 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 17, 7 & 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 18, 3:00 p.m.

Free

Warner Brothers/1987

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Vanguard | january 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

ARTS & CULTURE

Collins’ ‘Murder of the Century’ is a bestseller Nonfiction true crime book recounts effects of yellow journalism Jon Raby

Professor Paul Collins’ seventh book, The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars, was released in 2012.

Over winter break the book became the ninth bestseller on the New York Times Crime and Punishment list for December.

“I sometimes say halfseriously that murder does well at the holidays,” Collins said, “but funny thing is it actually does sell well then.

It didn’t quite make the bestseller lists last Christmas—and the Times Crime list is fairly new—but it did have a big jump in sales back then, too.”

Collins is an associate professor of English at Portland State. He teaches nonfiction writing for the MFA program and serves on the Student Media Board, which oversees the publication of print, video and radio on campus. As of Jan. 1, he became the chair of the English Department.

“He’s amazingly productive and consistent as a writer, and steady and pleasant as a colleague,” said fellow nonfiction professor Michael McGregor. “His recent election as chair of the English department is an indication of how highly he’s valued among the faculty.”

The role of the reporter Murder of the Century is a nonfiction, true crime narrative, but it reads like a novel. All quotes and quoted dialogue in the book are pulled from newspapers, court records, accounts and

archives, and integrated as a way to progress the story.

The 40 pages of notes and sources at the back of the book detail Collins’ commitment to research.

The story begins in 1897 with the discovery of a headless, legless, lower abdomenless, tattoo-less body in New York’s East River. While at first glance it might seem easy to pawn the findings off as an unclaimed cadaver sold illegally to medical students, soon enough trained detectives are on the case and foul play becomes evident. As other sections of the body turn up, a mystery starts to come together.

Newspapers play a key role in the mystery. The late 1890s was the height of yellow journalism, a profitdriven style of journalism in which facts are fudged or wholly fabricated in hopes that sales will be spurred by sensationalism and hitting the stands first.

Collins uses the headlines, reporting and investigations of two newspapers, The New York Journal and The New York World, to present the confusion and intrigue that surrounded this potential murder.

When reporters try to solve murder cases, it exemplifies one function of journalism: to investigate and uncover crimes otherwise left hidden.

But when newspaper sales are involved, it becomes hard to trust these self-proclaimed detectives.

“A future owned by yellow journalism was not one most reporters wished to contemplate,” Collins writes in Murder of the Century.

War of the Titans Collins uses both William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer as leading characters and their newspapers—The Journal and The World—as not only the glue for the story, but the focus much of the time. Their battling for sales and seeking to tell a story larger than the facts permit is a part of news history, and has altered the trade to this day.

“Pulitzer and Hearst figured out how to make news entertaining, and so we can thank them (and damn them) for that,” Collins said.

“Journalism is far more vivid and visually exciting since they came along. Unfortunately, especially in things like political or science reporting, those qualities are not always to the betterment of humanity.”

Parallels can be drawn between yellow journalism and today’s often ratings-geared and entertainment-based news media.

“In many ways, the rise of often biased and sensational internet news sites targeted to a narrow audience is a return to the ways of so-called yellow journalism,” McGregor said.

Yellow journalism’s effect on today is not the focus of the book, though. It is thorough narrative recreation of the past, a murder mystery and an examination of how the tabloids propagandized it.

Collins said he does much of his writing late at night after his workday is completed and his family has gone to bed.

book cover of 'the murder of the century'

“I generally need long unbroken blocks of time to [write], and so I stay up late,” he said. “Fortunately, coffee and I get along just great.”

Currently he is working on a new book called Blood and Ivy. It will be his 10th book.

“[Blood and Ivy is] an account of an 1849 murder at the Harvard Medical School, when one of their professors murdered the school’s biggest donor—which, by the way, is a very poor fundraising strategy,” Collins said.

“The whole thing unfolded in the middle of the American Renaissance, when Thoreau, Hawthorne and Dickinson were at their creative peaks; the judge in the case was actually Melville’s father-in-law.”

Vanguard | january 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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ETC

eVent Calendar tuesday, jan. 13

A List of Things That Didn’t kill Me

Where: Powell’s City of Books 1005 W Burnside St., Portland, OR 97209 When: 7 p.m.

Cost: Free Do you have a hard time not watching a car crash as it happens or stop reading a TIFU post on Reddit? Then debut author Jason Schmidt and his memoir, A List of Things That Didn’t Kill Me, will pique your interest. Be shocked. Be awed.

As one has to when terrible things happen, laugh.

FREE

Wednesday, jan. 14 korean Cuisine

Where: Portland’s Culinary Workshop 807 N Russell St., Portland, OR 97227 When: 6 p.m.

Cost: $45–65 Tired of waiting in line at your (and everyone else’s) favorite Korean food cart?

Instead of standing out in the cold weather for your fix of Bulgogi or Bibimbap, go to Portland’s Culinary Workshop and learn to make it yourself. Soon enough the eye-watering fragrance of freshly fermented kimchi will be wafting through your home to your heart’s content.

Burlynomicon

Where: The Lovecraft 421 SE Grand Ave, Portland, OR 97214 When: 9:30 p.m.

Cost: $10, 21+ You won’t lose your sanity in mind-shattering horror with this provocative striptease brought to you by Critical Hit Burlesque. Watch as they incorporate Lovecraftian motifs into their ensemble and be amazed. Stay for the postshow party with DJ Xander Gerrymander.

FREE

21+

Career Workshop: Cover Letters & Resume Creation for Graduate School

Where: Advising & Career Services office, University Services Building, 402 When: 2:30–4 p.m.

Cost: Free Have you been thinking about graduate school, extending your learning and expanding your earning potential? Then the Advising & Career Services Ca-

reer Workshop will teach you the skills that will make you stand out in the graduate school decision process.

Learn how to write personal statements and better your test-taking abilities. If you’re considering graduate school, this workshop is a must.

FREE

21+

thursday, jan. 15 U.S.S. Improvise; The Next Generation, The Musical

Where: Funhouse Lounge 2432 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97214 When: 7–8:30 p.m.

Cost: $8 general, $10 tables for two, $60 for booth Boldly bust a gut like no one has done before. Using elements from the famed Gene Roddenberry ’90s TV show, this improv comedic musical will leave you gasping for air like you’ve been jettisoned out the airlock.

This will be your “Number One” choice for Thursday night entertainment.

In the words of Jean-Luc Picard, “Make it so.”

Sing Portland! Open House

Where: Bothmer Hall 5915 SE Division Street, Portland, OR 97206 When: 7 p.m.

Cost: Free Do you feel like you’re wasting your talent belting out tunes to yourself in the car or shower? Want to do more?

Then come down to Sing Portland! open house event. This is a comfortable and welcoming environment that will bring out the singer in everyone.

FREE

Winter Riding Maintenance

Where: Bike Hub, Portland State campus When: 12–1:00 p.m.

Cost: Free Come down to the Bike Hub for this primer on how to become a year-round biking road warrior. Learn tips and tricks to stay warm and to maintain your trusty bicycle through the tough winter months.

Where: keller Auditorium 222 SW Clay St, Portland, OR 97205 When: 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $35–90

The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents

Where: Shoebox Theatre 2110 SE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97204 When: 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $20, 14+ This Lukas Bärfuss dark comedy delves into the ethical dichotomies that are present and define our modern sexual culture. With special guest artists Lisa Marie Harrison and Gary Powell.

Everybody’s guilty little pleasure of ’80s cinema is presented live at the Keller Auditorium.

Get your Swayze on, and if anyone ridicules you for going, just tell them, “No one puts baby in the corner.”

monday, jan. 19

Saturday, jan. 17

It’s Going To Be Ok!

Magic Sword

Where: Doug Fir Lounge 830 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214 When: 7 p.m.

Cost: $10 An evening at the Doug Fir Lounge where you will hear a tale of good vs. evil and a powerful magic sword via synthesizer and guitar.

OPEN TO PUBLIC

PSU

Where: EastBurn 1800 E Burnside St., Portland, OR 97214 When: 8:30 p.m.

Cost: Free Happening every first and third Monday, this free comedy show presents some of the best new and established comedians in Portland. Hosted

by Barbara Holm. Prizes and free skeeball afterward!

21+ 21 & OVER

FREE FREE

If you have an event to submit for consideration for the calendar please contact the managing editor at:

Fred Venturini in Conversation With Chuck Palahniuk

Where: Powell’s City of Books 1005 W Burnside St, Portland, OR 97209 When: 7:30 p.m.

Cost: Free Fred Venturini takes the superhero formula and spins it on its head with The Heart Does Not Grow Back. Portland author Chuck Palahniuk joins Venturini in conversation about the book. Autographed copies of Beautiful You will be available at the event in lieu of Palahniuk signing.

CHUCK PaLaHnIUK at the Miami International Book Fair in 2011.

COURTESY Of RODRIGO fERNÁNDEz THROUGH CREATIVE COMMONS

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

Dirty Dancing

21+

FREE

FeatUred eVent

18

Friday, jan. 16

MANAGINGEDITOR@PSUVANGAURD.COM *Inclusion is left up to the discretion of the managing editor.

ETC

HoroSCoPeS john Pinney

Capricorn Dec. 22–Jan. 19

Expand your horizons with a trip to the museum this week and feel your soul being moved!

aquarius Jan. 20–Feb. 18

Nine out of ten people are lying to you when they say that they like your Uggs.

Pisces Feb. 20–March 19

Did you see that movie about the guy who screamed out of his window after he was fired? Well, you’re going to meet someone this week who might make you feel that way.

You have my sympathies.

aries March 21–April 19

Cancer June 21–July 22

Taurus April 20–May 20

Leo July 23–Aug. 22

Imagine this week like a wait to get into a roller rink, Aries. You’re going to hear a lot of disco, have to wear slightly uncomfortable shoes, and it’s going to feel like one prolonged fall.

Your week is like that time you were at a food cart that you’d never been to before, and you watched four people from another food cart get their food before you got yours and it still wasn’t worth it.

Gemini May 21–June 20

Pecan pie and Netflix. Are you soothing yourself or blissing out? It’s our little secret, Gemmy. Promise I’ll never tell.

Your week is going to be like a trip to the dentist’s, but like the one when you were a kid and the walls were colorful and you got a lollipop at the end instead of a drill in the mouth.

You’re having the drill in the mouth week that Cancer is going to avoid. It’s not your fault, Leo, you just don’t do well with rising moons.

Virgo Aug. 23–Sep. 22

Did you see MaleďŹ cent? It was visually stunning but the story could have used work. Your week is going to feel a bit like this particular Disney remake, and even avoiding people like Stefan isn’t going to help.

Libra Sep. 23–Oct. 22

Did you ever see Lost?

Charlie was one of my favorite characters but sadly you’re not going to have that kind of week of redemption and great narrative. You’re more like Boone. Or possibly Farraday.

Anyways, flip a coin because either way you go it’s not gonna land like you need it to.

Scorpio Oct. 23–Nov. 21

Do I have to tell you that you’re going to have a magnificent week? You already found that money in your couch, I don’t have to tell you anything.

Sagittarius Nov. 22–Dec. 21

This week, you realize being Lucy from I Love Lucy wasn’t actually all that glamorous and really you just want some aspirin and to have no more wacky adventures for awhile.

ELISE fURLAN/PSU VANGUARD

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aCroSS 1 Confused sound of voices coming from the infant wing? (5) 4 It's a common situation for jockey to put money on filly coming first (9) 9 Composer's entered in Grove incorrectly (9) 10 Volunteers return to desert to find a race indigenous to 16 (5) 11 Leaning type associated with Pisa? (6) 12 One's said to fall asleep around noon (8) 14 Henry's to dash to church, substituting for one in city of 19 (9) 16 Country displacing capital after revolution; royal leader being last (4) 19 Poet has no love for 16's news agency (4) 20 Having given ear to Cockney's arrogance, love, you finally admitted it is tedious (10) 22 The French gent's criminal – he goes inside for stretch (8) 23 One to laze about before afternoon may well be found in bed (6) 26 Plies the product, possibly, with sales patter (5) 27 Reckon he's mad to hold scorpion's tail (9)

COURTESY OF ALBERICHCROSSWORDS.COM

28 One who arranges for newspaper to rise in circulation (9) 29 He brings wine from Bordeaux to American city (5) down 1 In the US it's expensive for epicene to get credit accepted (3-6) 2 Head of secret service in 16 is lifted away from part of 16 (5) 3 Having a bit of foliage that's present in the smallest possible amount? On the contrary (8) 4 Ditch bowler before end of spell – twice? (2-2) 5 Feel 'unger very badly – desiring dish that's best served cold (10) 6 Former partner's wrong to demand money with menaces (6) 7 Give barman tip as token of appreciation for providing starter? (9) 8 Drink half finished by murdered statesman of 16 (5) 13 Agrees to be silent, mostly, about controversial c-cases (10) 15 Standing for salesman doing a bunk – and feeling bitter about it (9)

17 Surgeon's tool found in grate by a politician (9) 18 British leader never ordered Zurich to be evacuated and captured (8) 21 Left without a blemish (6) 22 Money given by fool for old rope (5) 24 Riefenstahl's associated with Nazism, chiefly (5) 25 With sun's endless heat, river is to dry up (4)

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

19

SPOrTS

in rip City, say something nice or say nothing at all jaSon SuSim & jay PengeLLy

Cheerful and merry cries filled the night sky outside the Moda Center Saturday night. Having successfully demonstrated their support for the Trail Blazers and the LGBQ community, hundreds of Portlanders rejoiced and danced into the night as a live DJ spun a celebratory postprotest set.

in October of 2013, the Portland Trail Blazers became the first NBA franchise to publicly support the proposed constitutional amendment that would recognize samesex marriages thus believing homosexuality to be against the will of God, the WBC took it upon themselves to picket the Trail Blazers on their home court.

City's response The freewheeling Blazers' Rose Once news of WBC’s picket bitter rivals approach a wall schedule broke, a movement among the many of thorns The notorious Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, convened at the Rose Quarter Saturday afternoon to protest the Portland Trail Blazers. The ministry has gained notoriety nationwide for their controversial picketing of funerals and brandishing of incendiary messages like “God hates fags” and “Thank God for dead soldiers.”

Earlier Sunday, WBC had appeared at the Oregon Convention Center in response to both the Gay Christian Network Conference being held there and the state’s 2013 legalization of gay marriage.

Their objective, according to their official website tastefully named godhatesfags. com, was to “Picket the Portland Trail Blazers to remind this nation to turn from these false idols they set up and obey the one true God.” Which, admittedly, is quite vague reasoning that is awfully similar to other protests they stage.

What likely encouraged WBC to come to the Rose garden on their recent picketing tour was the Blazers’ public support of gay marriage. Back

20

quickly formed via Facebook. The group was composed of over 300 members under the moniker “Blackout #nothingtoseehere.”

As we saw with the Ferguson protests last month, the Portland public showed once again that they stand behind their convictions.

They proposed a nonviolent counter-protest that would black out WBC’s message. The group’s turnout was quite impressive, many of them wielding signs and dressing up in various costumes. Soon after the counterprotesters arrived, the WBC members quickly packed up and dispersed in their small convoy of white minivans.

The blackout was successful in its intended purpose of nonviolent engagement. According to Sergeant Phil Blanchard of the Portland Police Bureau, no arrests were made or citations issued.

“Given what you know you read online and what everybody has posted, it didn’t seem hostile; everybody wanted to get their message out but we didn’t expect anything like

people throwing blows,” Blanchard said.

The mood of the crowd was hopeful and lively as they exercised their own First Amendment rights in support of their city.

Blanchard also expressed his sentiments regarding the night’s events.

“The message from us has been constant to everybody: it’s your right to free speech no matter what the message,” Blanchard said.

Portland resident and Blazers fan Michael Cathcart believes the city embraces its residents’ First Amendment rights.

“For the most part I think the right to protest and the freedom to sort of, you know, be who you wanna be is pretty solidly protected in this city,” Cathcart said.

The WBC protestors reportedly picketed outside the Moda center for just about 20 minutes before retreating. Their early departure did not end the excitement of the evening, however, for so much goodwill in one place is bound to erupt if it has nowhere else to go.

A pregame victory dance Once the WBC had taken leave, the counter-protest turned into a celebritory dance party. Hundreds of counter-protesters engaged in revelry outside the Moda Center, waving banners of their own and throwing in the occasional raunchy, sex-positive chant. Bodies were laid as bare as inhibitions and articles of clothing disappeared into the crowd.

When asked what kind of statement was intended by the sudden nudity, the topless Araleyah Rojas stated “We don’t care, we have free-

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

POrTLanD DEMOnSTraTOrS celebrate the blackout of an anti-LGBTQ protest by the kansasbased Westboro Baptist Church.

SILVIA CARDULLO/PSU VANGUARD

dom to love who we love and wear what we wear, freedom of our bodies.”

Rounding up the sore losers About a half hour before tip off, a new group of religious protestors arrived. They were unidentified, but one carried a sign reading “Fear God and Keep his Commandments.”

They set up across the street from the dance party and requested that the protests stay separate, but the raucous crowd had other ideas.

Over 100 revelers crossed the street and surrounded the two protesters. They began several chants directed at the two starting with “God loves butt-plugs.”

The two men attempted to move away from the rabid counter-protestors but were

followed throughout the Rose Quarter. Portland Police and Moda Center event staff stayed close on hand to monitor the interactions.

The crowd continued to chant at and dog the heels of these two protestors— these two Christians in the lion’s den. One of them carried a megaphone, but every time he attempted to speak through it the bellows of Portland’s collective outrage shouted him out. The man claimed they were not associated with WBC or even opposed to homosexual equality. The ethical debate of the counterprotester’s actions in silencing these two remains unresolved, but one thing is clear: In Portland, you say something nice or you don’t say anything at all.

Finally, game time About 10 minutes before Blazers tip-off, the incident had died down and most participants went inside to the game or left to home or to bars. The chant, never dying, had officially shifted from “Shame on you,” to “Let’s go Blazers, let’s go.”

Any animosity soon subsided as the counter-protest ended and the game began.

Fans entered the building to bear witness to even more glorious victory, as the Blazers defeated the Orlando Magic 103-92. Though not exactly worshipping them as idols, the arena roared with excitement as their beloved Blazers secured a hard-earned win.

The night came to a close with everyone in high spirits knowing that their city had shown what it was made of.

SPOrTS

more reaSonS to CHeer BLAZERS LOOkING TO BE WORTH OUR BREATH

THE MODa CEnTEr during a 2013 Trail Blazers game.

COURTESY Of WIKIMEDIA COMMONS USER ANOTHER BELIEVER THROUGH CREATIVE COMMONS

miChaeL theoFeLiS

After a season where the Portland Trail Blazers won 54 games and broke a 10-year curse by advancing past the first round of the playoffs, it’s staggering that this incredible performance near the midpoint of the 2014 season has been a surprise to fans and analysts alike.

Breaking bad habits Blazers fans, year after year, resemble a fan of Breaking Bad who stops watching after the third season, not wanting to risk it on what they assume will be the show’s eventual fall from grace. We have become so accustomed to letdown that it sometimes feels like the entire town is holding their breath, until Portland’s basketball team drops some games and, eventually, in the standings.

This feeling isn’t entirely without merit, as we had the to be the firsthand witnesses to one of the biggest busts in professional sports—when we drafted Greg Oden number-one overall ahead of recent MVP Kevin Durant in the 2007 draft. Going into the 2008 season, Blazers fans were hanging their hats on what was expected to be years of playoff appearances fueled by former Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy and Greg Oden.

Fast forward four years to the 2011 season and expectations for a promising Blazers team are scarce. The fan base continually let down due to four failed knees and a baker’s dozen of arthroscopic surgeries. Oden played just a total of one full season during his tenure with the Blazers. While fan favorite Roy announced his first retirement due to nagging knee problems.

The 2012 season marked a drastic drop off for already dashed hopes. LaMarcus Aldridge rose to team leader, but the experiment of renting Jamal Crawford failed to produce results. Raymond Felton was in the worst shape of his career, and Gerald Wallace painfully struggled to find his fit with the team. Fan hopes sank to a 10-year low.

The Blazers heat up Team management altered media campaigns and officially moved into rebuilding mode by shipping off assets for future draft picks. One of these moves may eventually be regarded as one of the most lopsided deals in the modern era, as Gerald Wallace was traded to the just-rebranded Brooklyn Nets for the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

On draft night millions heard former commissioner David Stern read, “With the sixth overall pick in the 2012

NBA draft the Portland Trail Blazers select 6'3" guard from Weber State, Damian Lillard.”

Casual NBA fans responded with a resounding, indifference. Being the only college senior selected within the top 10 since 2006, Brandon Roy, it’s easy to see why Lillard was relatively unknown.

Coming from Weber State, a school not known for professional talent, many had questions about the level of play Lillard faced, pointing to issues with his assist to turnover ratio. Either way, the Blazers decided to gamble on what was described as a “shaky guard who would rather score than get his teammates going,” and the rest is history.

Most Portlanders know of the unanimous Rookie of the Year award, All-Star and All-NBA selections that followed.

Within six short years, fan and team hopes have fluctuated from playoff highs to lows of Western conference bottom feeders, and now back up to possible Western Conference Champions and a chance at the NBA championship.

keep your eye on the lineup and win a prize: a little much needed hope in the Blazers Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge have been instrumental in leading the team to match, now surpassing

the blistering start from last season on to top 10 rankings to both offensive and defensive ratings. We must question whether this is a team being carried by a fearless point guard (who commonly takes 29-foot pull-up threes) and a forward (who takes the second most long two point shots in the game, only behind Kobe Bryant).

Blazers fans have lamented for years that our best players don’t get the recognition they deserve, yet we continually fail to recognize the impact of the players we have.

Frenchman Nicolas Batum was drafted at the back end of the first round, where selections are most commonly assumed to be contributors off the bench. In his six years with the team, he has become a proven starter at small forward capable of contributing to every section of the stat sheet. In fact, Batum commonly rivals Lillard for the most assists on any given night and flourishes when involving his teammates. Though some will claim a dip in productivity this season, Batum has actually increased as of late and looks to play some of his best basketball in the backend of the season.

In the years following the collapse of the vaulted Oden, Blazers coaches struggled to fill out the center position.

Lineups fluctuated between aging veterans or attempts to run Aldridge at the five, a position he has detested for years.

Enter Robin Lopez, a player that has always showed promise, but rarely given consistent minutes to prove the impact he can have for a team. RoLo, as he has been affectionately dubbed, by an adoring crowd was traded to the Blazers before the 2013 season to round out a strong frontcourt as a banger down low that could create secondchance opportunities for the other four Blazers.

In his first season, RoLo broke the Blazers’ single

season record for offensive boards and allowed Aldridge to play his true position of power forward. Fans look forward to his return this month from a fractured hand that has kept him out since Dec. 16.

Being the most consistent Blazer, Aldridge was drafted second overall in 2006 (the same year as Roy) and has certainly performed up to the draft position. Though Aldridge may be the only Blazer who, at face value, had top-shelf expectations, he receives little national attention due to his style of play based on 11-foot jumpers and a solid post-up game.

Aldridge had emerged as one of the top three power forwards in the NBA, with three consecutive All-Star appearances and his first All-NBA team selection. The team looks forward to holding close to Aldridge for the remainder of his prime.

The underground stars to keep an eye on Finally, the most surprising Blazer of all: Wesley Matthews.

Entering the league in 2009 after going undrafted from Marquette University, he was signed to one-year deal with the Utah Jazz. Rarely, if ever, do undrafted players make an NBA roster, let alone become a starting piece. Wesley signed with the Blazers in 2010 and quickly became one of the best SG/SF defenders in the NBA with the ability to lock up legends like Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James.

Though the likes of Klay Thompson and Steph Curry in Oakland, John Wall and Bradley Beal in D.C., and Jimmy Butler and D. Rose in Chicago get all the attention, Dame and Wesley here in Portland cannot be overlooked as one of the best current NBA backcourts. In fact, the Blazers’ two guards, Wesley and Damian, are currently one and three in total three pointers made this season, respectively. They are outshining even the fa-

bled “Splash Brothers” of Golden State.

This is a team that isn’t simply carried by possibly the clutchest player in the game (Lillard) or arguably the best PF currently playing (Aldridge). The Blazers have turned around their fortunes, thanks to the unsung players that they've amassed. They have found talent in the unlikeliest of places, whether it be the bigs that other teams were glad to let walk, guys that were undrafted or even the scraps from other teams (Thomas Robinson, Chris Kaman, or another round with Steve Blake). There is reason to again root night after night for our Blazers, a team that is receiving little national attention (even when they lead the league with 30 wins!).

Time to stop holding your breath, Portland. These Blazers are worth rooting for.

UPCOMInG PSU Men's Basketball

PSU vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON Thur. Jan. 15, 7:05 p.m.

PSU vs. IDAHO Sat. Jan. 17, 7:05 p.m.

PSU Women's Basketball

PSU @ EASTERN WASHINGTON Thurs. Jan. 15, 6:00 p.m.

PSU @ IDAHO Sat. Jan. 17, 2:00 p.m.

Men's Tennis

John & Phil's Open Thurs. Jan. 15, 6:00 p.m.

Timber Hill Tennis Club, Corvallis, OR Sat. Jan. 17 – Mon. Jan. 19 All Day Men's/Women's Track and Field

UW Indoor Preview Dempsey Indoor Arena, Seattle, WA Sat. Jan. 17 All Day

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

21

SPORTS

BLOOPERS!

Matthew J. ocasio

And thus was his body marked with the stain of his heroes’ defeat To make a bold prediction about the upcoming champions is usually the duty of the gambler and their money. A foolhardy bet against all hope that their team will win the whole goddamn thing because they’re the goddamned best. Do what any respectable degenerate does to curry favor with the Gridiron Gods and put a suicidal amount of money where your mouth is—bet your kid’s tuition, toss your house keys in the pot, hell, that wedding ring is worth something. The payoff of your team winning the trophy, and you the bet, is pure euphoria. The loss of defeat—crushing, and potentially lethal. Any junkie knows the beat.

The gambler’s lunacy is understandable. Your humble editor bets a modest 10 on black once in a blue moon when I cross a roulette table and I walk away satisfied. Yet even I would bet everything before I would even consider getting a tattoo predicting my team’s upcoming championship victory. It is quite literally the mark of a degenerate sports addict. This scarlet logo follows them for life, and even those who can afford the removal can never erase the shame of defeat. With the Cowboys suffering a crushing loss on Sunday, 2015 is going to sting for another 11 long months for Dallas fan Derek Allgood I hang my head at the thought that he might just not have learned his lesson (for indeed we Americans aren’t known for learning our lessons), and he’ll just change 2015 to 2016 because it’s cheap and he’s hopeful. It could always be worse; I suppose we could be branding our newborns out of the womb with hot irons in trademarked. Or, even more awful than that grotesque thought, it could have been a Redskins tattoo. Just imagine that aging gracefully.

Avoid making your own blooper—place your bets now‌and get your ink after the team wins.

CONRAD CRESPIN/PSU VANGUARD

THE PSU STUDENT M EDIA DEPAR TM ENT IS

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ALL MAJORS WELCOME!

F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N C O N TA C T

Great teachers begin at Portland State University <RX FRXOG EH RQH RI WKHP $WWHQG RQH RI RXU ZHHNO\ LQIRUPDWLRQ VHVVLRQV IRU SURJUDPV VWDUWLQJ LQ VXPPHU > General Education (K-12) Wednesdays, Noonâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;1pm > Special Education Tuesdays, 4:30â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5:30pm Room 220 | 615 SW Harrison

PS U S T UDE NT MEDIA ADVE RTIS ING MANAGER JOR DAN G EKEL ER 503.725.5686 OR JGEKELER@PDX.EDU

22

Vanguard | january 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

PSU Graduate School of Education pdx.edu/education 503-725-4619 | gseinfo@pdx.edu

Application deadline for 2015 programs, February 1, or until filled

SPOrTS

ViKingS BaSKetBall, BeSt Seat at PSU aLeX moore

Just over two years ago, the Portland State Vikings men’s basketball squad took on Oregon State at the Peter W. Stott Center.

I was in attendance. So, too, were Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews.

More importantly, the Stott Center was sold out that night, and the house was rocking.

The match against the Beavers was the only PSU sporting event I have been to in which the venue did not have an open seat. Fans were loud and throwing themselves into a close matchup between two good basketball teams. The Vikings ended up losing a close one, 79-74, but that was beside the point. The atmosphere itself was exciting.

It wasn’t just because a few Blazers showed up; it was because alongside a raucous

crowd, the Vikings were able to put out a product on the court that everyone in the arena could get behind. In a game that PSU was supposed to be outmatched, everyone in the Stott center believed the Vikings could win.

That game did it for me. Basketball games are absolutely the best seat that the PSU athletic program has to offer.

Head coach Tyler Geving has created an atmosphere around the basketball program that offers the students an event that doesn’t try to be anything it is not. No grandstanding or NBA-lite antics, Geving gets his athletes to play ball that attracts students, alumni and the surrounding community.

I’m a senior, and one of my biggest athletic hopes for PSU was that I would be able to see them play in the NCAA Tour-

PROFESSOR SPORT BALL PRESENTS

nament before I graduated.

They came close, but unfortunately they ran into Lillard in 2011. This year will be their last chance while I’m a student here, though even if they don’t do it, the program has been more than enough to be proud of over the last four years.

This is more than Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman can say. Altman, currently under an investigation due to a sexual assault case involving three of his basketball players, has alienated himself from Ducks fans. Sports writers around Oregon have asked whether or not the head coach should be fired, because of his inaction.

The University of Oregon has the big Matthew Knight Arena. They recruit and transfer players. They have had impressive runs in the NCAA Tournament the last few years.

But even through all of that, I could not be proud of the program if I was a student in Eugene.

Vikings, don’t try and make too many comparisons to the larger Oregon schools. It’s like comparing street hoops to the NBA; we’re never going to be as flashy as those universities down I-5. But when it comes to play on the court (against the Beavers, for example), the Vikings show they can play. They show themselves as a team you can be proud to support.

The Vikings’ next home game is on Thursday against Dam Cup rival Eastern Washington. Tipoff is set for 7:05 p.m. PSU only has one more game at home before going on a two game road trip. Having already beaten a PAC-12 school in USC this season, let’s see how much further we can go together.

VIKInGS GUarD TIM DOUGLaS goes for the net in a 2014 game.

DEVIN COURTRIGHT/PSU VANGUARD

rootS oF a SWooSH traCe BaCK to PSU

"IS IT TRUE THAT THE NIkE LOGO WAS DESIGNED BY A PSU GRAD?" Take a look down at your feet. Chances are pretty good that you’ve got some Nike kicks on. If you don’t, that’s okay, just go along with me for a second and pretend that you do. Have you ever wondered where that iconic swoosh logo came from?

The story is an interesting one that traces back to Portland State roots.

In 1971, back in the early days of the company, Nike was known as Blue Ribbon Sports. Phil Knight, cofounder of Blue Ribbon and perennial financial supporter of the University of Oregon, was teaching accounting part time at PSU. His company was looking into expanding its market beyond simply distributing Japanese shoes on the West Coast, and to do so, needed to be rebranded.

Knight enlisted graphic deRICO MACIAS-zEPEDA/PSU VANGUARD

sign student Carolyn Davidson to create potential logos. He had overheard that she wasn’t able to afford to pay for an art class, and offered her the job at the rate of $2 an hour.

Davidson drew up several designs, setting out to do something that didn’t simply recreate the famous Adidas stripes. When she presented the designs to Knight, he eventually settled on a checkmark logo. He is reported to have said “I don’t love it, but I think it will grow on me.”

The design Knight finally settled on featured the word Nike running through the swoosh.

It remained the company’s brand until 1978 when the logo was retooled. The checkmark got a little tighter and the word “Nike” was moved to hover above the logo in all caps. The logo changed one last time in

1995 when the lettering was dropped and the swoosh mark was registered as the official brand identity of Nike, Inc. For her work designing what would become the most recognizable symbol in all of athletics, and potentially one of the most recognizable in the world, Davidson was paid $35.

Just weeks after her design was adopted, BRS officially rebranded as Nike. Davidson got her degree in graphic design from PSU in 1971 but stuck around to work for Nike for a few years. She resigned in 1975 to commit to freelance work and to spend more time at home. Nike hired a full-time ad agency in 1976.

Before you get too upset about Davidson only being paid $35 for a logo that has reached global iconic status, hold on just a second. She

was hired and paid for designing the logo of a small company (at the time).

Even better, she was rewarded handsomely with Nike stocks in 1983. OregonLive.com did the math back in 2011 and estimated the 500 shares of stock she was gifted from Knight were then worth $643,035. (Which really isn't too bad for some work you did in college for a small company.)

The logo has evolved somewhat since then, but the heart is still in Davidson's design. So next time you go to lace up your shoes, remember: she is proof that a Viking can literally make its mark on the world.

Do you have questions for Professor Sport Ball? Email sports@psuvanguard.com.

Vanguard | JanUary 13, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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