Portland State Vanguard

VOLUME 69 | ISSUE 20

January20, 2015

THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS ASPSU sets sights on the future

nEWS

OPInIOn

arTS & CULTUrE

SPOrTS

Scholarship officers. pg. 6 applications for undergraduate and graduate students are due Feb. 1. pg. 5

Free thepg. campus. boobies!

9 How the binds of bras lead to the oppression of women. pg. 11

East Asian pients. pg. 16 Studies hosts talk on the state of Chinese-Middle East relations. pg. 16

Raise your pg.

Marathon. horns!

23 Valhalla weeps for proud Vikings clad in pelts of Beaver and Duck. pg. 23

COnTEnT nEWS OPInIOn COVEr arTS & CULTUrE CaLEnDar SPOrTS

4 8 12 14 18 20

EDITOr-In-ChIEf

aDVErTISInG ManaGEr

EDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM Turner Lobey

JGEkElER@PDX.EDU Jordan Gekeler

ManaGInG EDITOr

aDVErTISInG DESIGnEr

MANAGINGEDITOR@PSUVANGUARD.COM Tim Sullivan

Tessa Millhollin

nEWS EDITOr

Reaz Mahmood

NEWS@PSUVANGUARD.COM Colleen Leary

arTS & CULTUrE EDITOr ARTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM Brandon Staley

OPInIOn EDITOr OPINION@PSUVANGUARD.COM Chelsea Lobey

SPOrTS EDITOr SPORTS@PSUVANGUARD.COM Matthew J. Ocasio

aSSOCIaTE nEWS EDITOr ASSOCIATENEWS@PSUVANGUARD.COM Lisa Dunn

PrODUCTIOn ManaGEr PRODUCTION@PSUVANGUARD.COM Rachael Bentz

PhOTO EDITOr PHOTO@PSUVANGUARD.COM Jeoffry Ray

COPy ChIEf COPY@PSUVANGUARD.COM Margo Pecha

OnLInE EDITOr ONlINE@PSUVANGUARD.COM Jaime Dunkle

aDVISEr

The Vanguard is

WRITERS for all sections

aDVErTISInG aDVISEr Ann Roman

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Conrad Crespin Nimi Einstein Elise Furlan Rico Macias-Zepeda

WrITErS

Apply at psuvanguard.com

Andy Anady, Nathan Anderson, Jackie Bryan, Victoria Castellanos, Kara Erny, Blake Hickman, Ruby King, Alex Moore, Phuoc Francis Nguyen, John Pinney, Jessica Pollard, Alexandre Pomar, Rachel Powers, Jon Raby, Matt Rauch, Sebastian Richardson, Anna Snook, Summer Stewart, Anna Suarez, Kayla Townsley, David Wooldridge

PhOTOGraPhErS

Silvia Cardullo, Devin Courtright, Adam Grace, Blake Hickman, Christian Profeta, Anna Snook

aDVErTISInG SaLES

Tori Christensen, Bri Robinson, Dustin Clevenger, Dennis Caceres

COPy EDITOrS

Sabrina Parys

The Vanguard is published weekly as an independent student newspaper funded by the Student Fee Committee and governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. One copy of the Vanguard is provided free of charge to all community members; additional copies or subscription issues may incur a 25 cent charge.

The Vanguard is printed on 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

cover design by rachael bentz and photo by Silvia cardullo; cover correction from Jan. 6: cover photo by adam grace

THE HEALTH AND SEX GUIDE Cuming Feb. 3

Š2014 portlanD State univerSitY vanguarD 1825 S.w. broaDwaY Smith memorial StuDent union, rm. S-26 portlanD, or 97201

RACHAEl BENTZ/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

3

NEWS

General scholarship applications due Feb. 1 Jessica Pollard

Portland State’s scholarship applications are due Feb. 1. The applications are open to graduate and undergraduate students, including students transferring into the university. The application was officially released on Oct. 15, 2014.

The general scholarship application is available for undergraduate students.

Graduate scholarships are area and major specific.

“In an ideal world I would like to see students go to college, get a degree and make a career without having to spend a cent from their pocket,” said Sa’eed Haji, Scholarships, Outreach and Veterans coordinator at PSU. Haji coordinates the general scholarship application at PSU and works on making scholarship information available to students.

Last year, 320 students received over $800,000 through general scholarships, according to Haji. Over 3,500 students started applications and 2,231 were completed.

According to the 2014 State Higher Education Finance Report, Oregon ranks 47th in state spending per student. "This can make scholarships essential for some students," Haji said.

The amount of available scholarship money varies.

“It depends on the funds available…If we have more fundraised and available to give out, the more scholarships. Less money, less scholarships. Each year will depend on how much money is available that was fundraised,” Haji said.

General scholarship applications are reviewed by the University Committee, which is made up of staff and faculty.

Last year the committee consisted of 117 people. To avoid conflicts of interest, reviewers who know one another will not look over the same application.

When reviewing applications the University Committee focuses on six categories. All six categories are of equal merit.

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The committee looks for content and quality in essays. Haji emphasized clear and concise language and essays that directly address the prompts.

Haji also stressed the importance of self-advocacy, especially for those who might have inconsistencies like a low grade point average.

“If you don’t explain yourself, then we won’t know what to make out of your application.

Everyone goes through some difficulty in their lives,” Haji said.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate current or recent service to the community. Length of service is also noted, Haji said.

Reviewers also consider career goals.

“Are they focused, are they clear enough? A student has to be specific,” Haji said. “We want to help you get where you need to be.”

Letters of recommendation, both academic and nonacademic, are very important, Haji added.

For academic recommendations, Haji suggests selecting a professor who knows the student well.

“That’s why there’s office hours to take advantage of during the year. You get to know your professor, you ask questions…Sometimes they can become your biggest fan and advocate in life,” Haji said.

Non-academic letters are also important.

“Keep in mind that [the] scholarship selection [commitee] wants to hear about significant or recent experience with this person,” Haji said.

The University Committee also looks at financial need, academic records and achievements.

“Please start early. Have at least two others look at your application. It may look great to you, but not to the reader,” said Linda Liu, program director of TRiO Student Support Services at PSU. The TRiO program provides advising, scholarship resources and assistance, and many other services to undergraduate students who are eligible.

©JOHN DOE/GETTY IMAGES

To qualify for TRiO, students must be first generation college students from low-income families. Students must also maintain at least a 2.5 GPA. Beyond the general scholarship application and TRiO, students have other education funding opportunities.

The Oregon Student Office of Access and Completion is also a resource for students who are residents of Oregon, according to Liu. OSAC offers public and private scholarships to both undergraduate and graduate students. More information about OSAC grants and scholarships can be found at: www. oregonstudentaid.gov.

Students can also search online for national-level scholarships to help offset the cost of attendance at PSU, Liu said.

For more information on scholarships offered at PSU, students can check out www. pdx.edu/scholarships

Vanguard | january 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

nEWS anGELa DaVIS at the university of alberta in 2006.

Angela davis to Speak Out at the 11th Annual Mlk Tribute

COURTESY Of NICk WIEBE THROUGH CREATIVE COMMONS

SUMMEr STEWArT

Activist Angela Davis will be the keynote speaker at the 11th Annual MLK Tribute Event on Jan. 21, 2014, at 6 p.m. in the Peter W. Stott Center gymnasium.

The Office of Global Diversity & Inclusion and the MLK Planning Committee are hosting the event. Pre-event tickets are sold out, but the box office released an additional 200 tickets for Portland State students.

Student admission is free.

“We are excited to be hosting Dr. Angela Davis as the keynote speaker for PSU’s 2015 MLK Tribute at such a

critical time in our history," said Interim Chief Diversity officer Charles Lopez. "The event is sold out, and 900 of the tickets went to PSU students. The remaining tickets went to faculty, staff, community partners, elected officials and prospective students from local high schools. Several PSU students will be featured as part of the program.”

Lopez said the event will be recorded for students unable to attend and can be rebroadcast for educational purposes.

Davis is a social justice activist working toward build-

ing communities dedicated to eradicating economic, racial and gender injustices. Her advocacy stems from her time spent in prison in the early ’70s. Davis was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List for charges of which she was later acquitted.

She has dedicated much of her scholarship and activism toward prisoners’ rights and oppression in marginalized communities. Davis is a founding member of Critical Resistance, a group dedicated to dismantling the prison-industrial complex.

Patrick Villaflores, executive assistant to the Interim Chief Diversity Office, said, “I have so much respect for Angela Davis and her quest for social justice and addressing the intersections between race, class and gender.”

Villaflores continued by saying this event will bring 2,000 faculty, staff, students and community members together.

Davis is the Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness, an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program, and of Feminist

Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

She has also taught at San Francisco State University, Mills College, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Vassar, the Claremont Colleges and Stanford University. Davis is the author of nine books. Her most recent book, Abolition Democracy, demonstrates her core advocacy principles on incarceration and racial discrimination.

“This event should serve not only as reflection and celebration of the life of Dr. King, but should be a transi-

tional moment in all of our lives to begin the work of making his dream a reality for all people,” Tony Funchess, ASPSU multicultural affairs director, said in an email.

Angela Davis’ presentation, “Living the Legacy: The Meaning of Freedom,” is one of the many events happening during the 11th Annual MLK Tribute Event.

Tickets for Davis’ presentation are available for students at the SMSU box office, online or by calling 503-725-3307.

More MLK Tribute events are listed at pdx.edu/diversity.

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

5

nEWS

Architecture students design public parklet, funds underway

STUDEnT SaaD MOGhaDDaS donates blood for the joint Shac/red cross blood Drive.

CHRISTOPHER PROfETA/PSU VANGUARD

rAcHEl POWErS

Portland State architecture students are developing Portland’s first public parklet.

Under the guidance of Associate Professor of Architecture B.D. Wortham-Galvin, the tiny park will be built in the spring of 2015 if enough funds are raised. The South of Market (SoMa) Parklet Project has raised over $10,000 according to their official crowdfunding campaign page.

Situated on 4th Avenue right outside the food cart pod, the project will have a variety of seating using sustainable materials, landscaping and plants.

“We want to make the area around PSU feel more like a public space,” Wortham-Galvin said. “It should feel dynamic, a place where you can go to see and be seen, because that’s what makes lively urban spaces.”

According to Wortham-Galvin, the PSU Institute for Sustainable Solutions connected her

to the SoMa EcoDistrict in the fall of 2013 when they were looking for someone to study the feasibility of building a parklet somewhere in the SoMa neighborhood.

“I’m interested in tactical urbanism, the belief that instead of doing major master planning you do smaller projects that can catalyze big impacts,” she said.

Wortham-Galvin said she turned the request into a class on tactical urbanism in the fall of 2013. The students conducted design and implementation research and presented their findings to the SoMa EcoDistrict board.

The students fine-tuned their proposal and submitted it to the city’s Street Seats program in the spring of 2014, when it was approved as Portland’s first public project of its kind, according to Wortham-Galvin.

Most parklets are created by restaurants that own the

space privately. People who want to use the space are typically required to patronize the business. The SoMa parklet will be public and open to everyone, WorthamGalvin said.

Her spring quarter architecture class, along with previous students who were part of the design process, will convene to build the parklet once the money is raised.

She said she also hopes that the project will teach her students an important lesson about civic engagement.

“Small projects can make a big difference in the city,” she said. “Students don’t have to wait until they’re professionally registered to be considered legitimate changemakers when it comes to making place in the city.

They can do it right now.”

For more information, visit the SoMa Parklet fund at pdx. edu/the-art/soma-parkletproject.

MIChaEL COOn is a pSu School of architecture graduate and the lead student designer for the parklet project. coon created this rendition of the Soma parklet on march 9, 2014.

COURTESY Of MICHAEl COON

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Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

psu donates 453 pints oF blood at red cross blood driVe kArA ErNy

Portland State and the American Red Cross host a blood drive every term for students, faculty and members of the community. This year, the winter blood drive took place from Jan. 12–15 on the third floor of Smith Memorial Student Union.

This term, PSU students donated a total of 453 pints of blood, which brings the grand total of blood donated by PSU to the Red Cross 21,805 pints since their partnership became official in 1979. “[PSU is the] second largest mobile blood drive operation we have in this entire region, so that’s covering both states of Oregon and Washington,” said Jared Schultzman, communications manager for the Red Cross blood services in the Pacific Northwest region.

Donors could make appointments in advance but the Red Cross also accepted walk-ins.

Daniel Kemper, a junior at PSU, decided to donate blood on a whim.

“Today I was walking by and I saw a sign, and I had a while in between classes, so I decided I’d fill that time,” Kemper said. “It’s something easy that I can do to help somebody else.”

Kristine Macdonald, a PSU graduate currently taking graduate-level classes, donated blood for the first time during the fall blood drive last October.

“It doesn’t cost me anything except a little bit of time, so I might as well,” Macdonald said. “More people should do it. It doesn’t take much time at all.”

According to Elizabeth Butler, a donor recruitment representative for the Red Cross, the process of giving blood takes about an hour.

Donors were given predonation information to read and, before donating, received health screenings to make sure they were healthy enough to donate. After their blood was drawn they were invited to sit in the canteen area where they were offered snacks and drinks to help regulate blood sugar and rehydrate.

All donors were offered free Red Cross t-shirts, and first-time donors received first-time donor pins.

The Red Cross has a national blood bank to which some of the blood donated during the drive will be sent. Butler said the Red Cross will make sure that

the blood donated will first meet the needs of hospitals in the surrounding areas before being sent elsewhere in the country.

“Thanks to PSU staff and faculty and students, we really appreciate the opportunity to collect here,” Butler said.

“We really appreciate the relationship that we have with [PSU],” Schultzman said. “Blood drive sponsors are extremely important to us, especially our school blood drives.”

Students can also volunteer to work for the blood drives.

Ben Thomas, the Red Cross student group president, said that since the group was formed, student volunteering has been largely successful.

“Now that we have our group to help focus on [recruiting and training volunteers], it has really helped the blood drives function a lot smoother,” Thomas said.

Students who want to donate but missed the drive can participate in the spring blood drive from April 20–23.

Students can also use the Red Cross Donor App to find more opportunities to give blood. Go to redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

nEWS

Mcc hosts Multiracial identity proGraM ANNA SNOOk

Last week, Portland State students participated in the university’s first Multiracial Identity Program. The program was designed and organized by PSU students and hosted

by Diversity and Multicultural Student Services. Its aim was to bring students together to discuss their experiences being multiracial and multiethnic, and to give insight to others about the implications and challenges unique to those from multiracial backgrounds.

The kick-off of the series was last Tuesday, Jan. 13 at the Multiracial/Multiethnic Identity Panel, held in Smith Memorial Student Union’s Multicultural Cen-

ter. The panel consisted of four members, three of whom are PSU students, Dr. CeCe Ridder, executive director for DMSS; Kevin Holden, who also works at PSU’s Queer Resource Center; Kaitlyn Verret; and Danielle Ali-Cassim. Verret and Ali-Cassim attended the Oregon Students of Color Conference last year, where they presented a similar discussion panel on multiracial identity.

Each panelist brought their own perspective to the discussion. Ridder said she comes from black and Irish backgrounds and was adopted by white parents.

Holden identifies as Native American and European as

well as queer. Ali-Cassim comes from black and Indian backgrounds and Verret identifies as black and European.

“Multiracial is different than multiethnic,” Ridder said during the panel discussion. She explained that multiethnic refers to a person’s heritage.

“As we know, race is socially constructed. It’s based around the census categories,” Ridder said.

The discussion topics ranged from media portrayal of multiracial identities to intra-racial discrimination to fetishization of multiracial people. Some of the topics were passed between the panelists and

several audience members for discussion—particularly what makes being multiracial unique. “[I]t’s interesting how people feel like they can make certain comments because there’s something different about you,” Ali-Cassim said during the discussion. “It’s frustrating.

You’re not treated the way other people are treated.”

The program is the first of its kind at PSU. Stacie Taniguchi, Program Coordinator for MCC, said she hopes to see more student involvement come out of it. “[O]ur space hasn’t done a specific program on it, and there’s no student group dedicated to multiracial

identity,” Taniguchi said.

The goal, she said, is to create a space for students to discuss their identities, but also to provide a welcoming environment where students can ask questions.

“When people come up to folks who identify as multiracial and ask ‘What are you?’ that’s kind of inappropriate,” Taniguchi said. “So this is an appropriate space in which to ask those questions.”

Ridder said the Multiracial/Multiethnic Discussion Panel seems to have been a success.

“I thought it was fantastic,” she said. “There were a lot of topics that we don’t get a lot of opportunity to talk about.”

The program continued through the week, with a Lunch Mixer on Wednesday and a screening and discussion of the film My Name is Khan on Thursday evening.

Taniguchi said the future of the program is up to the students.

“I would ideally like it if a student group evolved out of this, [but] a lot of our programming is dictated by the students. And if the students feel like, yes, let’s totally do this again, then we’d make it happen,” Taniguchi said.

Taniguchi said these events are open to anyone.

“We welcome all identities, it’s our hope that people can bring their whole selves into our centers.”

KEVIn hOLDEn, Dr. CECE rIDDEr, KaITLyn VErrET anD DanIELLE aLI-CaSSIM (left to right) discuss multiracial and multiethnic experiences for the multicultural identity program.

ANNA SNOOk/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

7

OPINION

Simply Complicated

by David Wooldridge

As an asthmatic, I must say that I am very excited about the prospect of Portland Parks and Portland State banning smoking. I highly doubt that it will be enforced in a meaningful way if the Clean Air Corridor is any indication (“Please stop, this is a non-smoking area.”), but it does give me hope that I might be able to go across the Park Blocks without having to shroud my nose and mouth from tobacco smoke.

I’ve read what others have had to say about seeing the ban as an attack on personal freedom and a method of pushing smokers out of the university, and I have to say that neither of these are compelling arguments.

First of all, since when does one’s right to engage in a recreational activity trump my right to breathing air that is not tainted with secondhand smoke—a toxic air contaminant as determined by the California Air Resources Board?

Oh. It doesn’t.

Secondly, if not being able to smoke in a particular area dissuades one from going to said area, then it seems like we could have an epidemic of smokers only able to consume their product on property they own or in places designated for smoking, such as cigar bars—in just the same way responsible adults consume alcohol! What a tragedy that would be.

I apologize if I seem unsympathetic or like I am persecuting smokers, because that is not at all what I mean. If you are a smoker and make the conscious, adult choice to use a product scientifically shown to cause permanent harm to your body, then go for it. Smoke until you can’t anymore, by all means, but do it in a way that won’t harm other people.

If someone can smell your smoke at all, it’s not just some innocuous stinky stink that is unpleasant à la breaking wind.

When I smell your smoke you are forcing me to smoke with you, and frankly, that shouldn’t be your decision.

We should just erect some sort of smoking shelter to accommodate everyone as best we can, right? False. Wrong. I don’t think so. Why should any of my student fee money go toward the enablement of a group to pursue a leisure activity on school property that has exactly no health benefit to the student population? Furthermore, anyone walking past that smoking area is still at risk for any and all smoking-related conditions. People like me with asthma could risk an asthma attack, which even in minor cases can cause shortness of breath and coughing fits, and in very severe cases can even cause death if a rescue inhaler isn’t at hand.

So, then, what should we do? Should we cast the smokers out of the promised land of higher education, condemning them to the wilds of an educationless existence? No. Here is what I propose. If you are a smoker and would be affected negatively by a smoking ban (enforced or not), then it sounds like it’s time for you to get together with other smokers and raise some money for my brand new invention—the filtered, ventilated and enclosed public outdoor smoking shelter.

Imagine a place outside and shielded from the rain in which you could smoke to your heart’s content (and your ventricles’ malcontent). It would be a place that filtered the smoke inside so that the only thing that would come out would be clean air. And furthermore, when you stepped out of this smoking shelter there wouldn’t be billows of toxic smoke that any passerby could inhale. This would also provide peace of mind for smokers worried about the effects of their hobby on other people.

But the bans affect all tobacco products and vaping, too!

Surely any reasonable person concerned about public health would be put at ease about smokeless tobacco and

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Toxic air is no fair

Smoking on campus is a privilege not a right

ADAM GRACE/PSU VANGUARD

vaping! While the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco would seem to be localized to the person consuming it, the spit byproduct of chewing tobacco is considered a biological hazard and is harmful to our water and soil. Vaping may be the most seemingly innocuous of all, yet it can passively deliver nicotine to people who are not actively choosing to partake of it, and that’s not alright. Vapists can feel free to join the smokers in the shelter; this will expand the potential fundraising base for the outdoor filtered smoke shelter.

A smoking shelter of this sort shouldn’t be too hard of a sell if the money is raised independently of the limited resources of PSU and Portland Parks, but you would have to take it up with them. If you’re having trouble coming up with backers for this sort of project, then you might ask a pittance from the coffers of big tobacco. I hear they have lots of money to throw around, and if they are allowed to smear their logo feces all over the outside of the shelter, I

Vanguard | january 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

am sure they could find some enthusiasm to shell out a few bucks (especially if it keeps people smoking). This would, however, take much more effort than mere whining about it being unfair that you don’t get to do what you want, where you want, when you want. Things are tough all around.

I am sorry that the privilege of smoking in public has been misinterpreted as an inalienable right by smokers for so long. It’s not a right; it is an indulgence that the nonsmoking population has allowed for quite long enough. It’s about time PSU joined the other Oregon public universities and put public health above personal privilege.

Hey, if we started enforcing the smoking policies and created a fund from the accumulated fines we would have enough for the filtered smoking shelter in no time at all, but I am sure that the smoking community would much rather contribute voluntarily so that nasty things like fines wouldn’t need to be a reality.

OPINION

Montgomery greeters are temporary and unnecessary Against the Current

by Sebastian Richardson I, like most students, enjoy feeling safe on campus. It’s nice being able to walk to and from class without the potential threat of violent attacks, bands of marauding criminals, and scary drug addicts coming down from a week-long meth binge.

When I first told my mom I planned on going to school in downtown Portland, she assumed this was going to be the prevailing reality for me. However, anyone who has been on campus for more than 15 minutes can tell you that it’s probably one of the safest places in Portland.

Now I’m not saying Portland State’s campus does not see its fair share of criminal activity, be it sexual assault, drug use or theft, because it does. Our campus has not reached the status of utopian hipster commune as of yet.

For this reason, there are many security measures the university takes which seek to make the campus safer for those who attend school here, and especially those who live here.

While I might not support the recent arming of PSU’s Campus Public Safety Officers, I do not deny they have an important role here on campus providing basic security needs. Other security measures, such as locking the university buildings after a certain hour and restricting access to residential halls at night, are essential to providing an environment people can feel safe in.

No one wants to find an impromptu crack den in their 8 a.m.

Spanish class, nor do they want random strangers walking through their residence halls at night.

Silvia Cardullo/PSU Vanguard

However, with that said, I can’t help but feel that the new security measures taken in the Montgomery Court housing building, while temporary, are doing absolutely nothing to increase security measures within the building.

If you’re unsure of what’s changed because you don’t live on campus or haven’t needed to fill up a laundry card or pick up a package, the main entrance is now only for Montgomery residents, and the courtyard entrance is open until 9 p.m. However, instead of making awkward eye contact with the desk attendant as you walk by, you will now have to show student ID to a housing employee before entering the residential part of the building.

As a Montgomery resident, I have had to deal with this on a regular basis. I can tell you it has been annoying to have to show my ID every single time I’m trying to go back to my room.

However, as a resident, knowing that there is someone down there stationed at a desk checking IDs does not make me feel the slightest bit safer.

Recently I was waiting to have my ID checked and a young woman who had headphones in waltzed right past and up the residential stairs. After the desk attendant yelled at her she responded and returned to show ID. I asked the desk attendant what would have happened if she didn’t comply and just went upstairs. She said they’d call the resident assistant on call. I then asked what they’d do if the RA couldn’t reach the person in question, and she said that CPSO would then be called.

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So, essentially, if someone with sinister intentions decides to execute their criminal master plan, it takes two phone calls before they potentially put a stop to them. When I asked another greeter about this they said they’re not really there for security, but as a deterrent.

Luckily, this is a temporary measure until new doors with locks that lead to the residential halls can be installed. While I know this won’t stop committed people from robbing residents, it will be a nice addition to the residential hall.

Time and time again I’ve entered the bathroom and have seen people leaving the showers who I could almost guarantee did not live on my floor. I’ve even met people who have claimed that they regularly used Montgomery showers even though they lived somewhere else.

Clearly new doors which lock are long overdue. But even this does not particularly bother me from a security point of view.

Most people who live on this campus and have friends living in other residential buildings know it’s not difficult to get into a building without access badges or keys. Even locked doors won’t stop those who will try to access the building without proper clearance.

In fact, it’ll probably be easier to get into the residential halls with locked doors versus having a greeter who needs to see your ID. Such improvements may be good for freeing up shower time but really don’t do anything for security.

While I’m not lobbying for scrapping plans to add locks to the doors leading to the residential halls, I don’t understand why University Housing & Residence Life is wasting money paying someone to passively check IDs. How does putting a PSU student in the lobby to restrict access actually impact the security of the building? Half of them aren’t even good greeters and are horribly awkward and non-confrontational when asking for ID. Luckily I’m not a criminal, but if I were I’m sure they would not intimidate me in the slightest.

At the end of the day, all they do is stop my friend from knocking on my door and do not provide any real barrier between residents and those with less than favorable intentions.

So, UHRL, don’t pretend that the hassle of showing our IDs is worth the potential security benefits, because I can tell you right now it’s not.

Vanguard | january 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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OPInIOn

Tutoring: A vital component to success

The Campus Oracle

by Nathan Anderson

Let’s talk tutoring.

I’ve been a tutor at the college level for three years. Full disclosure, I do not tutor for Portland State, but rather I tutored at a community college. And I’m not a graduate student, I’m a certified master tutor with the College Reading & Learning Association. My main area of tutoring experience is writing, but I have also tutored math and some basic computer skills in the recent past. As time progressed and I got better and better at what I was doing, I learned something very important to my own success—something that is important for every college student to know: Asking for help engenders success.

Despite this seemingly obvious fact, I know a lot of people (at times, myself included) who don’t want to ask for help. I’m not really sure why, although doubtless pride and pigheadedness play a big role in that decision.

I think it is important to understand just how much of our college success depends on not only doing the work that is required of us—homework, exams and papers—but also taking the time to step out and utilize all the services that a college has to offer. Being part of student government, clubs and recreation opportunities, among other things, all lead to an increase in skills that will benefit us years down the road.

One service that is offered and can be utilized to great benefit is, of course, tutoring. Tutors are usually grad students or other qualified students who have gone through not only the classes that they will be tutoring in, but also further training to help others understand the material better.

In my own experiences as both a tutor and a tutee, approaching a knowledgeable person who is willing and eager to help can do wonders. One of my biggest goals of any tutoring session is to give my tutee the confidence they require to succeed. For example, helping someone learn how to factor or utilize proper APA citation style is good (and necessary), but that information is only minimally beneficial if that particular person lacks the confidence needed to perform well when someone is not present at their side to help walk them through the process.

So how does that help you, the student? I have written before on the importance of perseverance and the need to tough it out, stay in school and deal with whatever may come. But sometimes that attitude simply isn’t enough. As students, we run into formidable barriers to our success. Perhaps we’re

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bogged down with homework and writing assignments, perhaps our family needs are such that we can’t devote the time we want to our tasks. In any case, we feel that some extra instruction is needed to clarify and explain certain topics. Now make no mistake, tutors are not teachers and they certainly are not going to do a student’s work for them. However, a tutor is invaluable in getting information and ideas across that might not have been gleaned in class.

I have utilized math and computer tutors here at PSU, and they are helpful and professional. My math class in particular was difficult, and the tutors helped me to understand certain concepts that had plagued me since high school. I would hope that all students on campus would be willing to use the wonderful assistance that our tutors offer.

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, rather, it is a sign that one takes their studies seriously and is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com PHOTOGRAPHER/PSU VANGUARD

WrITInG CEnTEr TUTOr BrIan rOZEnDaL assists student kaila watts on a writing paper.

CHRISTIAN PROfETA/PSU VANGUARD

kAylA TOWNSlEy

OPINION

Breast liberation is women’s liberation How the bra is a tool of oppression Over the course of the past two weeks, I have joyously abandoned my bras and it has been liberating. My breasts are able to feel the breeze, embracing the air as they are released from their lace, floral and cheetah print prisons.

Letting go of bras has been a challenge for me. Over the years I have built a diverse collection of lingerie: vintage slips, garter belts and every kind of brassiere. Though I adore everything about lingerie, I began to realize that I have been religiously wearing bras every day in reaction to the cultural obsession of controlling women’s bodies.

I am blinded by advertisements for push-up bras, breast lifts and enhancements to keep my boobies perfect and perky. Victoria’s Secret makes millions of dollars encouraging women to alter the shape of their breasts in order to appeal to the ideal American woman who has flawlessly shaped breasts. However, the obsession with women’s breasts is extremely damaging. It encourages us to feel self-conscious in our naked skin, afraid to embrace the beauty of our individual, unique bodies.

When I was in middle school I watched girls begin to grow full breasts, and I impatiently waited for mine to rise. I recall feeling insecure about them, concerned they were too small.

It was not until college that I developed breasts, and I rejoiced them, dressing them in lacy push-up bras. However, the issue with bras is that they pressure us to try to achieve physical perfection while shaming women’s bodies.

The reality is, a woman who does not wear a bra is viewed as inappropriate, sloppy, provocative and not well-dressed. Women are expected to hide their breasts, and if a chilly breeze causes our nipples to poke through our shirts, controversy arises. It seems to me that wearing a bra is akin to succumbing to the culturally prescribed bondage surrounding women’s bodies.

The effort to shame a woman’s body is everywhere in our culture.

Feminists tired of the shame attached to women’s breasts have unleashed the Free the Nipple movement, a celebration of the nipple, finally unveiled and powerful, in the effort to support female equality. Pop culture figures are challenging cultural norms by joining the movement. Women are growing tired of their bodies being perceived as obscene or grotesque.

They no longer want to have to hide behind their bras and feel self-conscious about their nipples.

These issues, and the shame that surrounds them, have contributed to modern rape culture. Women are often held accountable for presenting themselves sexually in society. If a woman does not wear a bra she might be “asking for it.” But the root of the issue is that the body does not have to be a sexual entity.

The Free the Nipple movement gives voice to the many layers of female oppression in this country. They are fighting against body shaming and against society’s need to control

women’s bodies. Women can potentially face arrest in America for being nude in public and can even face fines for breast feeding in public. Free the Nipple seeks to empower women by protesting against the perceived obscenity surrounding women’s bodies.

This idea that a woman’s body is obscene is prevalent in American censorship. However, the notion of censorship is paradoxical. In America we are more keen to watch a violent dismemberment than a couple making love or a naked human body. Violence has absorbed itself into our culture so completely that we now don’t see it as obscene. I cannot fathom why violence is a much more normal representation of daily life than nudity.

We watch ourselves get dressed every morning. We shower naked. The idea that the body—the thing we carry around with us everywhere and do literally everything with—must be censored is troublesome.

Censorship’s goal is to protect viewers from dangerous messages, but in reality it does the opposite.

American media exists in a dangerous paradox.

While censoring women’s bodies, we are ultimately making their bodies obscene.

I do not wear a bra because I do not believe exposed nipples are obscene. I do not wear a bra because I do not subscribe to the culturally imposed obsession with perky breasts. I do not wear a bra because I am not ashamed of my breasts and I do not believe anyone should be ashamed of them. I do not wear a bra because I prefer my breasts remain liberated. Finally, I do not wear a bra because my body belongs to me and I refuse to succumb to anyone’s oppressive demands about how I present myself.

I am not telling women that they are wrong for wearing bras, I am simply encouraging women to never let anyone make them ashamed of their bodies.

Cherry Bomb

by Anna Suarez

Vanguard | january 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

Nimi Einstein/PSU VANGUARD

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COVEr STUDEnT SEnaTOrS vote during a recent aSpSu Senate meeting.

On Monday, Jan. 12 the Associated Students of Portland State University met in Smith Memorial Student Union for the first ASPSU Senate meeting of winter term. The meeting ’s agenda included a State of the Association address from ASPSU President Eric Noll and a review of the Student Fee committee’s budget allocations.

THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS

SIlVIA CARDUllO/PSU VANGUARD

ASPSU sets sights on the future AlEXANdrE POMAr

After the reviewing budget allocations, voting members of the Senate passed a motion to refer back to the SFC with the recommendation of considering a $2–5 increase in the student fee, with focuses on diversity and retention efforts in the student fee allocation.

State of the aSSociation Noll began his address by recognizing the hardships and achievements over the last seven months and plans for the coming five months of this ASPSU term.

“We weren’t without victory, we weren’t without success and we weren’t without accomplishment,” Noll said.

Since taking office on June 2, 2014, ASPSU has faced many rifts and contention over a controversial election process, but Noll said they were able to improve relations throughout the year.

“Throughout the summer term and during the fall term we had the opportunity to re-

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ally work with our organization and with each other to bring in new members to the organization and to accomplish...quite a bit we should be proud of,” Noll said.

Some achievements highlighted by Noll included: improving the ASPSU budget in under a month; passing amendments to six governing documents; appointing a member to the Board of Trustees; registering nearly 4,000 students to vote during fall term bringing the total to nearly 8,000 students in a year alone; enabling students the right to work under specific allocations in a joint effort with administration; and passing the social justice and cultural competency resolutions.

In addition, Noll mentioned the building of valuable relationships with the administration, alumni and Board of Trustees; he said these relationships put ASPSU in a position to accomplish their goals and to continue building on that

success for the next couple of years.

Noll also focused on the remaining five months in this year’s student government term. He stressed the importance of full commitment from ASPSU members.

“To be quite honest, this term and the next term, they’re going to test us,” Noll said.

Noll provided each senate member with a piece of paper on which he asked them to respond to several questions throughout his address. These questions covered projections about achievements over the coming months, campus safety, and cultural competency.

“I do want to make this very clear,” Noll said. “[I] ask that if you plan...not to participate fully [in ASPSU] to the best of your ability, then I ask then that you use this paper this evening to pen your letter of resignation if you aren’t willing to commit to the next five months.”

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

Noll’s targeted goals for the remaining months include issues surrounding the current PSU payment plan.

“A lot of questions have been raised about it recently because it is something that is quite a drastic change in the way our financial aid is distributed,” Noll said.

Noll said the payment plan presents issues and risks for out-of-state and international students who depend on visas, and that ASPSU will work with the finance and administration department to address the concerns over the next few weeks.

He mentioned that ASPSU would be hearing recommendations for the increase of tuition for the next fiscal year.

“A lot of our work will depend on the reinvestment [in] education we receive from the state legislature. But without a state investment we can expect a 5 percent increase of student tuition on campus,” Noll said.

In addition to these matters, Noll spoke about in-

creasing engagement with the Board of Trustees. Noll said he wants for ASPSU to find meaningful ways to change curriculum; improve sexual assault prevention; make a module through the Office of Global Diversity more mandatory; create additional policies by forming coalition partnership on campus; and continue to fight for the restoration of funding to higher education, community colleges and universities.

With election season approaching, ASPSU is also presented with an opportunity to transform the election system to better suit the needs of the students on campus.

Elections will be held midApril, which Noll said allows for a smoother transition than previous years.

"I promise you, it's not going to be like last year," Noll said.

Noll also mentioned that ASPSU currently has three openings: two senate positions and the Student Life Director position, previ-

ously occupied by Jawan Mullen Jr. Noll outlined three components that will increasingly speak to the transitions and changes ahead. These include ASPSU’s intention to improve student leadership; the creation of a template on past policies and service as a reference for others to use in the future; and the re-establishment of institutional memory—not through spending and phone calls, but through the way ASPSU concludes this year.

Noll’s final question to ASPSU members was, “What is the one thing that you’ll do in these next five months that you’ll want to be remembered for?”

“We choose to take on difficult issues and we choose to represent the student body.

And even though we may not have the first clue on where we’re going to start, we still chose to be here,” Noll said.

He wrote the number 139 on the board. He explained

COVER that the number signified the remaining days they have left in ASPSU. “I just ask that over the last five months—and I know it’s going to be exhausting—but you give it everything you have, stay passionate about this work and leave ASPSU on the 31st of May with fond memories,” Noll concluded.

SFC BUDGET ALLOCATIONS Noll pointed to ASPSU's ability to respond to a signifigant amount of turnover at the beginning of the term in June 2014 as another point of pride.

“Probably one of our greatest achievements this year, that will really fly under the radar around campus but should be recognized here, is the work of the Student Fee Committee,” Noll said.

While the SFC's budget is usually due in April, the Board's quarterly schedule necessitated a condensed timeline, adding pressure to the SFC. Noll then turned the meeting over to SFC Chair Alexandra Calloway-Nation.

Calloway-Nation presented an overview of the student fee allocation process.

The Senate is tasked with approving the SFC’s final budget allocation before it is due to PSU President Wim Wiewel on Feb. 3. After Wiewel’s review and approval, the budget will be presented to the PSU Board of Trustees for review on Feb 12.

SFC anticipates a final allocation of $14,678,855 for the 2016 fiscal year.

Calloway-Nation began by addressing what was new this year, including timeline changes, Cost of Living Adjustment additions to the budget, and a shift in enrollment that is antici-

pated to lead to a decrease in revenue.

The SFC presentation included a recommendation from the committee not to raise the student incidental fee, which funds student programs and services intended to enrich cultural and physical development for PSU students. The fee is currently set at $218 per term. Last year the SFC raised the fee by $2.

Calloway-Nation addressed the three main student fee funding recipients. Educational, cultural and student government activivites and clubs recieved the most funding, followed by athletic activities. The SFC recommended a 6 percent decrease in athletics funding for the 2016 fiscal year. SMSU was third, with the addition of COLA increases. For this, the committee anticipates a static allocation between this year and next.

Calloway-Nation noted the SFC's emphasis on supporting student workers.

“We really wanted to support student workers, because for many students without a job they wouldn’t be able to go to PSU, especially if this job wasn’t on campus—near classes,” Calloway-Nation said. “This is especially the case for many international students who are by law only allowed to work on campus.

So this is something we really worked to preserve in almost all fee-funded areas with student worker positions.”

In addition, she mentioned a focus on preventative maintenance, citing SMSU as an example. “[SMSU] is just one example of us taking initiative with preventative maintenance,” Calloway-Nation said.

“We had overall cuts that affected almost all fee-funded areas. These two overall cuts were to travel and hosting,” Calloway-Nation said.

She added that the SFC cut hosting funds for almost every area, unless it was deemed essential to the group's mission.

Some final factors the SFC has taken into consideration are the student fee’s impact on the student experience, revenue generation and financial sustainability.

“We also invested in office positions, cultural centers, and resource centers,” Calloway-Nation said.

After Calloway-Nation’s presentation, members of the Senate discussed a motion to maintain the student fee at its current rate, as per the SFC’s recommendation.

ASPSU President Eric Noll delivers the State of the Association Address during a recent ASPSU student senate meeting.

Senate Discussions In lieu of being able to reach a final decision on whether or not to maintain the current student fee, the Senate passed a motion made by Noll to refer the budget back to the SFC for an example of what a fee increase might look like.

He recommended an emphasis on diversity and retention programs.

Before discussion began, Senate Chair Galen Russell reminded Senators of their roles in the allocation process.

“It’s not the Senate’s role to be the SFC,” Russell said. “It’s SFC members’ role to be the SFC. It’s not our job to micromanage the process. It’s our job to discuss the process and to bring things to SFC’s attention…and also to approve any changes in the student fee…So I ask that you not take on roles that aren’t actually yours tonight.”

silvia cardullo/PSU VANGUARD

Members of the Senate and executive board questioned the SFC about their reasons for choosing not to raise the fee.

ASPSU Vice President Rayleen McMillan asked the SFC if they had already worked out budget scenarios with increased fees and increased funding.

“This is our budget, these are our colleagues who put their blood, sweat and tears into this process, and that process needs to be respected,” McMillan said.

Patrick Vroman, an ASPSU Senator, said he supported the recommendation to keep the student fee at its current rate.

“I’ll add to the side speaking against an increase,” Vroman said. “[I]f it’s feasible to avoid increasing the fee, I think we should try not to increase.”

Senator Melinda Joy asked

(left to right) ASPSU officials Andrew Longhofer, Galen Russell, President Eric Noll and Vice President Rayleen McMillan during Noll's State of the Association Address.

silvia cardullo/PSU VANGUARD

the SFC what kind of measures are in place to hold student-fee funded groups accountable for spending throughout the year.

Dean of Student Life Michelle Toppe was in the audience, and commented on the history of the SFC’s budget allocation process and procedures that contribute to accountability.

“What this year’s fee committee inherited was a pretty efficient process…particularly around accountability,” Toppe said. “In the last several years, the fee committee has instituted a process called quarterly reports.”

Toppe said these reports help track fee-funded group spending and ensure the allocations are being use in the way the budget intended.

“There was a period of time when that didn’t happen,” Toppe said. “It was unfortunate, because students were paying a fee and then at the end of the year there was bunch of money left over because it didn’t get used in the manner it had been asked to be used.”

Multicultural Affairs director Tony Funchess asked if the SFC had created a sample budget allocation that showed what the student fee would look like if each feefunded group received all of the funding it had requested.

“What would the increase look like if you were to have fully-funded all of these requests? Do we know what that number is?” Funchess asked.

Toppe said Funchess’ request made sense. “This [also] means not making a cut to athletics…What would that amount be?”

Noll discussed the function of the student fee and explained why an increase might be important for the student experience.

“The student fee historically has been a place where students have decided to pay for services that go directly back to them—resource centers, student government, and other programs that fund student activities on campus,” Noll said.

“It’s been one of the places that students have funded a lot of retention programs, a lot of programs that have benefited students who identify with communities that are traditionally underrepresented and marginalized,” he said.

Noll explained that PSU often does not see these types of programs and resources as strategic investments.

“It’s important for us to look at the value of increasing the student fee beyond just increasing the cost to students,” Noll said.

The SFC will complete the Senate’s request for a sample budget this week and present it at the next Senate meeting on Jan. 26. The Senate will need to pass the budget at the next meeting in order to meet the SFC’s deadline to present the final allocations to President Wim Wiewel on Feb. 3.

Vanguard | january 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

Angels in the outfield

What ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ taught me about 2015 Andy Anady

As I’m sure you’ve heard, it’s now 2015, and we all know what that means: God’s wrath.

Well, not so much the wrath of God, but the weirdest consequence of a man trying to assume God’s power. The consequence is an existential crisis so bad it brings around the end of all humanity.

So we’ve all survived Y2K, and then that Mayan thing in 2012, and this year Gendo Ikari is going to protect all of humanity from angels. Yes, like angels from Heaven.

They’re larger than even Japan’s dizzying skyscrapers and sweat acid and are largely terrifying.

Don’t worry, we won’t all be destroyed until next year,

Neon Genesis: Evangelion': Madman Entertainment/1995-97

so, senior classmen, grab that degree and hold that piece of paper tight. It’ll probably be really impressive when all our souls are one.

But there are more predictions than just that in Neon Genesis Evangelion, the classic anime and manga series set in the year 2015. The first installment of the manga was published in 1994, and it made a lot of risky predictions about what our year is going to be like.

For instance, high-waisted shorts are still in style, which, yes, is a true relief. And speaking of women’s fashion, blatant and overt misogyny is still thriving, but there are plenty of women scientists generally kicking butt.

Evangelion, while definitely a mecha anime, is more focused on the teams of scientists supporting the giant robots, even during the disastrously intense fights. Seri-

ously, remember to breathe, take a walk, maybe. Spend time with your loved ones.

You’d think a bunch of people in white coats shouting a bunch of fictional vernacular nonsense wouldn’t be so stressful, but you’d be wrong.

And if you’re frustrated about the government not doing much in the way of paying your tuition, the government doesn’t spend a lot of money on the giant robots created ostensibly to save all of humankind, either.

Also, the government is basically run entirely by three software programs based on three aspects of a woman’s personality. Everyone seems largely pleased by being governed by electronics.

As for our expansive technological advancements that the early ’90s foresaw, microfiche is apparently making a comeback, as is letter writing, camcorders the size of

my head and Walkmans. Not the kind that play CDs, either; these play tapes. I don’t even own tapes anymore.

Also, their computers are at best Toshiba T1000s, at worst IBM’s 4860 PCjr. Essentially, a toddler could fit in the monitor of the characters’ personal computers.

It’s also comforting to note that while so many humans have fled Tokyo after the enormous Christian monsters sweat acid and stomped on buildings and killed thousands of people, cicadas are still there, swarming, and almost loud enough to drown out anything the characters are saying. So even in the midst of the apocalypse, bugs are always there. Buzzing.

Neon Genesis Evangelion really deconstructed the mecha genre and religion, and not just Western religion. It questioned familial ties, personal identities and what it

means to be lonely, and all while people are dying all around and fleeing and conniving in the dark.

The art is very conventional right up to the end, when the question of “who am I” and “how do I know” is so overwhelming and allconsuming that the art, the characters’ reality, literally breaks apart and disappears and smears across the screen.

If you’ve ever stood in an art museum and just not understood how colors and lines can comment on emotions, then the end of this series is practically an instruction manual. The last two episodes of a 26-episode series walk you through it.

There are two movies, each an alternative ending to the series, that I’ve been summarily warned not to waste to my time on, but I will anyway because I’m starving for more.

Suit up, Rangers:

Portland Comic Con is coming JON RABy

Thousands of costumed, wide-eyed and excited fans and celebrities will fill the Oregon Convention Center from Jan. 23—25 for the third annual Portland Comic Con, hosted by Wizard World.

Comic conventions are held throughout the year and celebrate everything from comics, graphic novels and television to anime, video games and wrestling.

“Fans roam aisles of booths, displays and autograph stations and also enjoy a wide array of activities in open spaces,” said John Lashway, the Portland publicist for Wizard World. “A full weekend of educational and informative panels are held in meeting rooms near the convention floor.”

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A large list of comic book writers, inkers and artists will be present at Portland Comic Con. Though the name of the festival may make you think its focus is comic books, Lashway said this is not the case.

“Comic books don’t receive any more of an emphasis than all the other elements in the show,” Lashway said.

“Today’s [conventions] are a pop-fi festival that appeals to many segments of our community, including fans of comic books.”

There will also be various games and workshops at the event, and a large variety of interests will be represented.

Portland Comic Con is fan-oriented and fan-contributed. Walking around, it

is hard to tell who is a regular Joe (or Jane) in costume and who is a professional or famous.

The list of stars present at the event includes William Shatner, Bruce Campbell, many of the cast members from The Walking Dead and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Lena Heady from Game of Thrones, Ksenia Solo from Orange is the New Black and comic artist and Eisner Award’s Comic Book Hall of Fame inductee Neal Adams.

This is only a brief look at the list, and there will be hundreds of celebrity guests of varying degrees of fame.

For some of the celebrity guests, expect a line to see them and take pictures with

Vanguard | january 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

Portland Comic Con 2015 logo

them. For some there may be a fee involved.

“This counterculture has become so much more popular that it is now almost mainstream,” said University of Washington student and two-time Seattle Comic Con attendee Nick Kalantzis.

“The crowds were much bigger than I had expected.”

Lashway said Portland Comic Con attracts tens of thousands of fans from Oregon and Washington.

“It is three days of huge crowds, many dressed in their favorite cosplay costumes,” Lashway said. “It’s people of all ages and interests from Oregon and Washington creating a fun, high energy environment.”

Tickets are available online at wizardworld.com/portland for a 20 percent discount on door prices.

Much of the staff is comprised of volunteers. Interested attendees may seek to volunteer as a chance to waive admission and get a backstage look at the convention.

arTS & CULTUrE

de-clutter your desk

PhOTO caption

Tips to keep your space organized and save your sanity VIcTOrIA cASTEllANOS

As a student, few things are as frustrating as being in a hurry and having an assortment of assignment-related mishaps occur minutes before you have to dash to class.

First, the printer jams.

Next, you don’t have the faintest idea where to scrounge up a stapler or paperclip, and this professor stated clearly in the syllabus that loose pages folded together would not be accepted.

You poke around through the clutter and you feel it tucked behind a biology textbook from last term and beneath the sweater you wore three days ago. Ah, saved by the stapler!

Crisis averted—temporarily.

Those of us who struggle to keep our work space organized and functional are all too familiar with this scenario. Every once in a while we get inspired and get out the recycle bin to do some serious cleaning, but it never lasts.

It’s just so easy to come home at the end of a day and dump everything on the desk— but think of how empowered and optimistic you feel for the first few days after you purge all the clutter in your area.

The best, and most terrifying, way to make your space usable is to completely start over. Tell yourself that you’re going to dedicate a few hours to getting your area organized once and for all.

Unfortunately, this means removing everything from the drawers and surface and doing some extensive sorting. Start making floor piles and you’ll realize quickly how little of this stuff you actually need or use frequently enough to merit precious desk space.

Clear the surface of miscellaneous doodads. Try to keep drawers organized by contents. Don’t go on a halfhearted cleaning spree and stuff everything into which-

ever drawer it can be shoved into. You can repurpose different sized food jars to sort everything from writing materials to paperclips.

Utilize organizers and keep the desktop accessories to a minimum. That means the oversized desk calendar you bought last year (which you were definitely going to use this time) has got to go.

People underestimate the convenience of having a trash can near the work area, ideally within reach. It generally doesn’t need to be emptied that frequently, and it saves many headaches in the long run. Even just having a paper bag handy for recyclables can help keep your desk feeling spacious. A good rule of thumb for papers is: When in doubt, throw it out.

Those to-do lists on scraps of paper and sticky notes fluttering around aren’t doing anything more than reminding you to clean your desk.

DEVIN COURTRIGHT/PSU VANGUARD

Start keeping a notebook to write notes-to-self, either a small one you carry around throughout the day or one that stays open at your desk for you to jot on as inspiration hits.

This could also take the form of a whiteboard hung on the wall over your desk.

Ditching the scraps will make a huge difference in the longterm and make finding all of your to-dos a lot easier.

After the big purge, the key to keeping it clean is regular upkeep. Ellie Buckner, a student at Portland Community College, said she’s always had a hard time keeping her

desk organized until recently, when she finally started to take the advice her mother has been touting for years.

“My mom always told me to clean up as I go, so a little every day. Working at my desk has been way less daunting to me knowing I don’t have weeks worth of coffee cups and class readings scattered all over it,” she said.

For Buckner, the perks of organization have been well worth the effort.

“I’ve always had a desk, but I used to do most of my work on the couch. It might seem weird, but I’m a lot more motivated now to do homework. It’s definitely

helped my procrastination,” Buckner said.

Imagine no longer having to scramble to get out the door on time because you can’t find your keys. Without the mountains of rubbish on your desk, they’re easily found! Given that so much of our time is spent studying, it makes sense that our work space can inspire creativity or completely overwhelm us.

A little effort here can overlap into other areas of our lives. The reward for this minimal maintenance is increased productivity and sparing yourself many lastminute meltdowns.

Qrc to screen docuMentary on oVerlooked ciVil riGhts actiVist

Qrc preSentS 'BrOThEr OUTSIDEr: ThE LIfE Of BayarD rUSTIn' Queer resource center SmSu 458 thursday, Jan. 22, 6 p.m free

rUBy kING

BayarD rUSTIn at a washington, D.c. news briefing, in 1963.

PUBlIC DOMAIN

The Queer Resource Center will screen the film Brother Outsider: the Life of Bayard Rustin in the Smith Memorial Student Union, room 458 on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m.

The screening will be one of many events in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute Week at the university.

Rustin is best remembered as the civil rights and gay rights activist that organized the 1963 march on Washington, one of the most important nonviolent protests in the United States.

Unfortunately, Rustin has often been overlooked as a key player for justice during the era and after, largely because he was an openly gay man also fighting for his rights as a black man.

“You give up one of your identities to gain rights in another area,” said Tessara Dudley, program coordinator for the Queeries Speakers Bureau at Portland State. Dudley is also a writer, educator and activist.

Raised as a Quaker, Rustin also had experience

with pacifism, socialism and communism. Last November, Rustin, who died in 1987, was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian award in the United States—by President Barack Obama.

The QRC hopes to communicate that while Martin Luther King Jr. was an essential role to the movement, he was not alone in his efforts, and his good image didn’t accommodate many

groups that were oppressed and underrepresented.

Along with the screening, the QRC will be holding an art and writing workshop to have students further apply the inspiration of Rustin and others to their own lives.

Dudley said she hopes the activity will make people think about how they see themselves within the history of oppression, and how the works of others they’ve inherited continue to operate today.

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

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arTS & CULTUrE Dr. TUGrUL KESKIn in beijing, in Dec. 2014.

COURTESY Of TUGRUl kESkIN

east asian studies series exaMines

chinese uyGhur culture JON rABy

Dr. Tugrul Keskin, assistant professor of International and Middle East Studies at Portland State, spoke on the politics, history and culture of the Uyghur in Xinjiang, China, on Saturday, Jan. 10 in Smith Memorial Student Union.

The Uyghur are a MuslimTurkish ethnic group in the northwestern corner region of China, which borders Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Russia and Mongolia.

The Uyghur are Turks who have lived in the area for more than 1,000 years. Their descendants have spread to surrounding Turkish regions in Russia and Eastern Europe and to Turkey.

Xinjiang, where the Uyghur live, was established by China in 1955 as an autonomous region. Xinjiang translates to “new territory.”

The region is desert in the south and high elevation mountains in the north. Today the population is around 22 million.

16

“In 1955 when Xinjiang was establish, 95 percent of the population was Uyghur, today it is 50/50 Uyghur and Chinese,” Keskin said.

Katherine Morrow, the program manager for International Affairs at PSU, said in introducing the lecture that Xinjiang is “a region where not much is known.”

“It is historically significant due to its central location along the Silk Road, an interstate highway of the ancient world, so to speak and is thus a crossroad between various Eastern and Western civilizations,” Morrow said later in an interview with the Vanguard.

Keskin said Xinjiang is the original homeland of the Turks, who then migrated from the area. Keskin himself is originally from Turkey.

“We speak similar languages, it’s maybe 60 percent similar,”Keskin said.

Keskin received his Ph.D in Sociology from Virginia Tech University before coming to PSU in 2009. Nearly

a week after graduating he jumped in a U-Haul and drove all the way to Portland in three days.

Before speaking, Keskin had just returned from a 10day trip lecturing about the Uyghur in China, Switzerland, Turkey and Germany.

His topics included “Emergence of Modern Uyghur Nationalism,” “American Hegemony” and “Pan-Turkism,” which dealt with the creation of a Turkish state in the region near where the Uyghur and other Turks live.

“The Xinjiang region is one of the most important issues for China at the moment,” Keskin said. He then pointed to Uyghur nationalism and U.S. support of it as a specifically important challenge for China.

Xinjiang is the biggest region in China and borders many important countries. Keskin noted it is necessary for trade routes and that China is building railroads from Xinjiang’s biggest city of Urumqi to Turkey and Moscow.

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

“China has made a $70 billion oil deal with Iran recently and is targeting the Middle East as an oil source and a market to sell to. Electronics, for example,” Keskin said.

Goods imported from Europe, the Middle East or Western Africa could travel by train into China using the Xinjiang region as a hub.

Keskin went further to say that there are also energy needs that can be helped by the countries surrounded by Xinjiang, and the connection to the area through religion, language and history could be profitable to China.

Keskin runs a website called Chinaandthemiddleeast. blogspot.com, and is setting up a conference in Beijing from Mar. 17–18 about the subject.

There will be 30 people presenting papers about Middle East-China relations. The conference is one of the first to focus on this subject.

He said the Middle East is very important to China and believes a good relationship with the Uyghur, who prac-

tice Islam, is important in creating relationships with other Islamic countries.

In relationship to China’s oil and energy needs, Keskin noted that China is currently the largest car buyer in the world and that they have a middle class larger than the U.S. population.

Of the Uyghurs, he said they are primarily Muslim and use Arabic script. He noted among Uyghurs there is a close relationship between ethnicity and religion, and they are very distinct from the Chinese.

Keskin spoke of the ancient Uyghur city of Kashgar as important to all Turks, and said many Uyghur call their home Eastern Turkistan.

“The province also offers a rich variety of agricultural and unique ethnic products developed by its local people,” added Denis Lee, chair of the First Sunday Program.

Moving past China’s energy needs and on to a question of Uyghur nationalism, Keskin described them as being stuck between two super-

powers: Chinese oppression and a U.S. push for nationalism driven by political interests to destabilize China.

Keskin said it is a natural course that as Chinese oppression increases so does the Muslim traditionalism, radicalism and nationalism among the Uyghurs.

Unrest in the area has been serious and covered by world news media since 2009.

The lecture was a part of a continuing East Asian Program Series, which hosts monthly First Saturday morning lectures featuring history, architecture, landscapes, art and culture of East Asia and connects it to the Pacific Northwest.

Future lectures will include: “Music of the Guqin,”“Year of the Ram 4713 Chinese New Year Brunch,” and “About Portland’s Chinatown History,” according to the program’s website.

PSU is a primary partner in the program and hosts many of its lectures and its speaker pool.

BlAkE HIckMAN

arTS & CULTUrE

Blake eats it:

The case of the rogue Hall kobe beef burger

BlAkE HIckMAN

Let’s be honest: The oncampus drinking options leave a lot to be desired.

There are the upscale joints that have a distinct airport bar quality, and the cheaper options that tend to attract every bro and his boots-wearing girlfriend.

Somewhere in the middle lies Rogue Hall. I guess it’s billed as a meeting hall, but let’s be honest, it’s just a pub.

For those of us who have been around Portland State for a while, we remember the weird Italian restaurant that used to be in this space. Frankly, the space itself should probably be two separate entities.

I’ve visited both Rogue Hall and the weird Italian restaurant that preceded it (not even going to bother Googling it) several times and have never witnessed it being more than half full.

Let’s face it, PSU ain’t a bustling metropolis.

As it stands, Rogue Hall doesn’t do the business to staff itself to the extent that would allow for servers to not totally forget about you if you chose to sit anywhere beyond a 10-foot radius around the bar.

Rogue Hall has more than enough good qualities to place it a notch above other on-campus beer joints. If

you feel like getting a beer that’s basically the caloric equivalent of drinking a roast beef sandwich, they’ve got you covered with quality high alcohol by volume percentage brews.

Every staff member I’ve seen there is genuinely warm and friendly, offering legit engagement as opposed to empty platitudes.

I’m in food service myself, so I appreciate these things.

For a college eatery, Rogue Hall offers food that’s out to prove that it’s for grownups.

Enter the Kobe beef burger.

First off, props to Rogue Hall for offering something with such a high level of quality

(and price tag to match) for the tavern subset.

That said, this stuff is not actual Kobe beef. It’s an American facsimile: American cattle crossbred with Japanese cattle. It’s important to note because the burger itself is a facsimile of a gourmet burger and not the real deal.

To be sure, this burger has the highest quality meat available on campus. More than the beef, though, I found myself noticing the Red Robin quality bun it’s served on. What’s the deal, guys?

It’s a bit like asking for a $30 shot of whiskey in a Diet Coke. The wasabi mayo is also a major misstep, one that also distracts from the high-quality beef.

In great contrast to Rogue Hall’s Kobe beef burger is the best burger in Portland: the Tabor Burger.

This life-affirming dish is available at the criminally underrated Tabor Tavern on East Burnside and 52nd. The patty itself isn’t

billed as an exotic delicacy because it doesn’t need to be.

It’s just simple, locally sourced beef.

The Tabor Burger is topped with bacon jam, blue cheese (though not billed as Rogue Creamery blue cheese in gigantic capital letters, the kind of which are splattered all over the Rogue Hall menu and finished with a sprinkling of arugula.

The Tabor Burger is served on a handcrafted brioche bun, because you don’t hand Damian Lillard a pair of shoes you bought at Target when he’s ready to go for 50.

Pro-tip: Add a fried egg if you really want burger perfection. There’s no mayo on it because why on earth would you need it?

Tabor Tavern is one of the best places to eat in Portland, and Rogue Hall just ain’t, as much as it tries to appear like

RICO MACIAS ZEPEDA/PSU VANGUARD

it. It’s not bad, though. Far from it, in fact.

Truth be told, if you just got your financial aid refund and need to drop $50 on things to put in your face, you could do a lot worse. Plus you wouldn’t even need to leave campus.

Blake Hickman has selflessly committed himself to reviewing every food option on campus. Every week he reviews a new establishment, based on their signature dish. Follow this weekly series to experience the plethora of ways in which Blake Eats It. ThE TaBOr TaVErn tabor burger.

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, Noon–1pm

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

> Special Education Tuesdays, 4:30–5:30pm Room 220 | 615 SW Harrison PSU Graduate School of Education pdx.edu/education 503-725-4619 | gseinfo@pdx.edu BlAkE HICkMAN/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

17

ETC

EVENT CALENDAR john pinney

Tuesday, Jan. 20 Culture Quilt

Where: SMSU 228 When: 12–1 p.m.

Cost: Free Part of MLK Tribute Week! Get your craft on and express your artistic fervor for the culture of your choice. This interactive art workshop will help you to proudly declare yourself in a variety of mediums that will ultimately award you with a patchwork quilt made out of a variety of materials.

FREE

Bayard Rustin: A Lesser-Known Figure Where: SMSU 228 When: 5 p.m.

Cost: Free

Part of MLK Tribute Week!

Presented by the Queer Resource Center, this event revolves around the life and work of Bayard Rustin, one of MLK’s lesser-known advisers. From coordination roles for the March on Washington to his posthumous medal received for contributions to the Civil Rights movement, this event will highlight the life of a great luminary, visionary and one heckuva guy!

FREE

Wednesday, Jan. 21 Career Workshop: Effective Interviewing Where: USB 402 When: 9:30–11:30 a.m.

Cost: Free

Do you always get tripped up when someone asks why you want to work for their company? Does the thought of talking about your work history leave you in a cold sweat?

Well, then this advising services event is just for you! This indepth workshop even includes some available practice times and a Facebook event page for RSVP. FREE

Free Angela Davis Film Screening Where: SMSU 228 When: 12 p.m.

Cost: Free

Part of MLK Tribute Week!

Prof. Imarisha hosts a screening and discussion of this famous movie about a newly appointed professor who goes from revolutionary icon to branded a terrorist with a worldwide political movement devoted to her freedom. Angela Davis herself is also scheduled for a keynote at 6 p.m. this very day as well. So brush up on her life’s work and hope

you can still snag a ticket to her keynote!

FREE

Legal guide for Oregon Bicyclists to be given out! RSVP with clint@pdx.edu.

FREE

Faculty Focus Lecture: Dr. John Gallup

Healing Through Dance

Where: Urban Center, 2nd Floor Gallery When: 4 p.m.

Cost: Free

Where: Women’s Resource Center When: 4 p.m.

Cost: Free

Entitled “The End of Development? Vietnam’s Adaption to Automation,” Dr. Gallup answers the questions that are on everyone’s mind about the impact of automated production in industries like sewing and electronics assembly that are affecting Vietnam. The question of whether or not crucial elements needed for Vietnamese success are being pursued is one of the focal points.

Part of MLK Tribute Week!

Come join the Women of Color Action Team at this community event to promote healing through dance. Self expression, food, and healing are the central goals of this musical and artistic event.

FREE

Thursday, Jan. 22 Bicycle Legal Clinic Where: Bike Hub When: 12–1 p.m.

Cost: Free

Are you a fan of cycling? Do you get angry when people don’t use their common sense and nearly run you over?

Well, Charley Gee from oregonbikelaw.com has all your answers about the rights and responsibilities of cyclists.

Free copies of Pedal Power: A

Where: Science Building 1, Room 107 When: 3:15 p.m.

Cost: Free

Where: SMSU 326 When: 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Cost: Free Part of MLK Tribute Week!

This annual conference full of interactive sessions and workshop will explore creative and critical thinking.

Join the conference to explore, reflect and network with your fellow leaders over coffee and pastries.

FREE

This weekly presentation, hosted by the chemistry department, will be on photoinduced processes in the green fluorescent protein synthetic chromophores and will be hosted by Georgia Institute of Technology’s Senior Research Scientist, Kyril M. Solntsev. Each week is on a different topic.

FREE

“Am I Free to Go?” Understanding Your Rights Where: SMSU 228 When: 5 p.m.

Cost: Free

Part of MLK Tribute Week!

Alternately entitled “Understanding Your Rights,” the Black Student Union and Student Legal Services are hosting a workshop that pinpoints your rights when interacting with law enforcement, including questions to ask and attitudes to hold while keeping the police accountable.

FREE

Career Workshop: Strong Interest Inventory 1

Sunday, Jan. 25

Where: USB 402 When: 1:30–3:30 p.m.

Cost: $20

MFA Student Reading Series

Uncertain about your future, your major or the path you’re currently on? Let the Strong Inventory show you your own strengths and weaknesses, and use the beacon to light your way. This is the first of two workshops and both must be attended. Fee is collected at the beginning of first workshop. Session two will be held on Jan. 30 at the same time and place.

Where: Bare Bones Cafe 2908 SE Belmont When: 7–5 p.m.

Cost: Free

PSU students in the MFA program share various works in progress: fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Each event is a mysterious and new fount of creative energy you surely don’t want to miss. Upcoming dates for your calendar: Feb. 22. This series is organized by Cassondra Combs and Ryan Mills, if you’re interested in getting involved.

FREE

OPEN TO PUBLIC

PSU

21+ 21 & OVER

FREE FREE

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

Neal Adams at Cosmic Monkey Comics

Where: Cosmic Monkey Comics 5335 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97213 When: 4 p.m.

Cost: Free Let your fan-boy flag fly prior to this week’s Comic Con by attending Cosmic Monkey Comics and meet comic book artist god Neal Adams. For the uninitiated, his illustrated works include X-Men, Deadman and Batman. For two grand you can skip the gym and have Adams’ draw you a super-human physique to inspire jealousy or the hope that a superhero really does reside within us all.

MANAGINGEDITOR@PSUVANGAURD.COM © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons.

Vanguard | january 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

Chemistry Seminar Series: Kyril M. Solntsev

Student Leadership Conference

FREE

FEATURED EVENT

18

Friday, Jan. 23

*Inclusion is left up to the discretion of the managing editor.

ETC

horoscopes JOHN PINNEy

Capricorn Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re almost at the end of your reign, Cappie, and I know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not quite ready to be dethroned as the dominant sign yet, but this upcoming week is filled with lots of great leftover Chinese food, good friends and new episodes of Worst Cooks in America.

aquarius Jan. 20-feb. 18

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re driving the horoscope car, Aquarius. Please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t drive us into a ditch because it looks fun.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not fun.

Pisces feb. 20-march 19

Do you remember when people were crazy for things like Dunkaroos and Goobers? Well, this week is a lot like that for you. Something initally exciting will turn mundane within a very short course of time.

Leo July 23-aug. 22

aries march 21-april 19

Going to Goodwill this week will increase your happiness tenfold but your bookshelf space will decrease twentyfold.

Taurus april 20-may 20

This week you are going to crave a Push-up Pop at some point and you should definitely indulge.

Gemini may 21-June 20

No, changing the margins on that essay isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a good idea.

And your name isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t part of the word count. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be tacky.

Cancer June 21-July 22

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to get stressed this week, so invest in some bubble wrap.

This would be a good week to binge watch old Looney Tunes episodes. You never know when an encyclopedic knowledge of Bugs Bunny is going to come in handy.

Virgo aug. 23-Sep. 22

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the life of the party, Virgo. Or you would be if you could ever be talked into going to a party.

Scorpio oct. 23-nov. 21

Stop showing up to class hungry.

Sagittarius nov. 22â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dec. 21

If you come across an entry form for an eating contest, ignore it. And if you do enter, your chances of winning are slim to none.

Libra Sep. 23â&#x20AC;&#x201C; oct. 22

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be spurred onto lifestyle changes this week, Libra. Not only are you going to keep your New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolutions, but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to succeed beyond your wildest dreams.

ElISE fURlAN/PSU VANGUARD

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AcrOSS 1 Grant given to convent school (12) 8 Some food suitable for a tosser? (7) 9 See 3 11 Have great affection for pop singer and his fanatical following (7) 12 High fliers from British university taken on by financial speculators (7) 13 See 19 ac 14 Fruit obtained by interbreeding conker with mallow regularly (4-5) 16 Arrangement of locks which requires no key (9) 19,13 Relative's against any one producing 21's work (5,5) 21 Audibly tick off writer of 19 ac 13; 3 9; 26; and 3 (part 1) 6 (7) 23 Broadcast "The Jazz Singer?" (7) 24 Evangelists chiefly refer to part of the Bible: that's obvious (7) 25 Conveyance by van (7) 26 Goneril, Regan and Cordelia for example in 21's work (5,7)

courteSY of alberichcroSSworDS.com

dOWN 1 Set of cutlery from cafeteria (7) 2 Where Lawrence went to drink cold coffee (7) 3,9 Article by revolutionary bishop takes on leaders of orthodox church in a measure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 21 wrote it (3,6,7) 4 Lozenge obtained from doctor by Greek character (5) 5 Copper gets stuck in large chimney, the sucker (7) 6 In speech, observe Fool following 3 (part 1) in 21's work (7) 7 Enterprise, for example, requiring mostly clever chaps to work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including one egghead (5,7) 10 Break up with girl, treating emotions extremely casually (12) 15 Company briefly gets involved with dodgy stereos â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and protects fence?

(9) 17 Swimmer in frozen water flounders perhaps (3-4)

18 Leaders of society paraded here to hold a ball in olden times (7) 19 Not knowing where outspoken girl is leading (7) 20 US city's manufacturing plant (7) 22 Makes one cross? (5)

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

19

SPORTS

On Sunday, Seahawks were better team Alex Moore

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers 28-22 in the NFC Championship on Sunday in an absolutely bizarre football game that included a fake field goal, an onside kick and way too many turnovers.

Not a single part of this football game was played well for over three quarters.

Turnovers and penalties plagued the Seahawks, and the Packers took advantage.

Or, well, at least they did, for a while.

The score was 16-0 Packers after one half. The Seahawks had been dominated in almost every aspect of the game, getting in the red zone repeatedly.

Meanwhile, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked like his injured calf made one miraculous recovery. But most importantly, the team from Wisconsin had points on the board. Unfortunately for them, it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough.

When any team plays the Seahawks, field goals are never enough. With a two possession game at halftime, there was a feeling that Seattle could get right back into this game.

The third quarter had to be Seattleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time, right?

It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. They did manage to move the ball a little better, but Seattleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offense looked pedestrian for yet an-

other quarter, on top of their already bad first half.

Seattle was looking at fourth and ten on the 19-yard line. Three points looked to be in the works, which would leave the Seahawks down by two touchdowns, with Green Bayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offense coming on the field next.

Pete Carroll had other ideas. The ball was snappedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; not to be kicked through the uprights, but instead for Jon Ryan to roll out to the left side of the field.

Ryan, who was being chased

by Packers, attracted all attention to himself as Garry Gilliam ran toward the end zone. Ryan, who

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20

Vanguard | january 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

looked the least like an athlete in the game so far, threw a dime to Gilliam, who caught the ball for the first points for the Seahawks.

The rest of the game was full of plays that showed why the Green Bay Packers should have scored more in their first-half onslaught. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson even threw an interception in Seattleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comeback bid, only to run the ball into the end zone on the next possession, putting Seattle in striking distance.

You know the rest of the story. The last quarter had an onside kick, a Marshawn Lynch touchdown, a Pack-

ers field goal to send it to overtime, and eventually a Wilson dime to Jermaine Kearse to win the game and send Seattle to the Super Bowl. If you need the details, just ask anyone with a 12 somewhere on them.

Shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any trouble finding one, as soon theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be popping up everywhere.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be only too happy to give you the highlights.

Still, comeback aside, Rodgers said after the game that the Packers were the better team.

Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and an MVP-type player. But he was wrong. If the Packers were

a better team, they would have been scoring touchdowns in the first half. They would have led with more than two possessions throughout the entirety of the game. Against a defense like Seattleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially in the NFC Championshipâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just settle for three points.

The Seahawksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; defense was huge in the first half, despite pedestrian offense. The second half saw Seattle proudly claim victory. With that said, Seattle came out the better team on Sunday.

The Seahawks play the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 in Glendale, Arizona.

SPORTS

Resolution in the face of meh Jackie Bryan

I’m sure by this point that most of you have already considered, many times, giving up on whatever you had resolved to do better in 2015. Resolutions are easy to stick to for some people, and by the end of the year they will proudly assert their accomplishments. For the majority of us, resolutions are hard to keep, and it isn’t because we don’t care or we don’t want to keep them. We tend to give up our resolutions because our planning isn’t grounded, and life’s complexities make it difficult to keep them going.

Revise your resolutions You might be asking yourself how you can make your resolutions happen, but no matter your doubts, trust me, you can do it. I used to make resolutions all the time and most of them ended up falling through the cracks because of some excuse or another. I’ve since learned a few simple tricks that have not only helped me accomplish my goals,

but have allowed me to add to them, resolving to be better all the time.

One of the first things you need to do is to create goals and resolutions that are realistic and within your power to accomplish. You can’t resolve to win the lottery because gambling is about luck, not hard work. You also can’t resolve to travel somewhere if you don’t have the means to do so. Instead, choose a goal like “lose five pounds per month,” “start taking a yoga class” or resolve to save money every month to put toward your trip. These are goals you can control and goals you can then keep.

Trying to push yourself to do something you don’t care anything about is torture. To keep giddy at the thought of your resolutions, you should choose ones that you’re really passionate about. If the idea of running a marathon gets you excited and eager to invest the hard work to do so, then that is a goal you should be working toward. Look for motivation that stems from an innate part of who you are.

The pen is mightier than the treadmill Now that you’ve honed your resolutions to those that are achievable and that you’re passionate about, you can write down the ones you have settled on. There is a lot of power in the written word. The energy behind putting pen to paper develops a finality and grounding to your goals that you’ll definitely need.

Not only that, but you can always come back to it, reread them and cross them out as you go.

The next step is to focus on one goal at a time, starting with the goal that’s most readily accomplished. If you’ve written down that you want to lose five pounds per month, start eating healthier and run a marathon; eating healthier is something you can begin immediately at home. Once you’ve got the yoga ball rolling on that, you can start fitting in exercises that will help you lose weight, such as running.

As you improve at running, it will become ever easier to reach your loftiest goal of running a marathon!

This allows for your goals to build on one another, opening

doors into new ventures you never even thought of that can become next year’s resolutions.

Taking them in steps helps you stay focused and positive instead of overwhelmed and discouraged by taking on too much at once.

Focus, discipline, happiness The number one reason people give up on their resolutions is because they psych themselves out. Their goal is too hard, too much work, and requires too much time. It’s crucially important to catch yourself in those moments of self-deprecation and try to reverse the thinking.

It’ll become second nature to stay disciplined and on track if you pay attention to when your mind wants to derail you.

Attain discipline in your life by developing a motivated routine. It starts with little things, such as setting your alarm every morning so that you can take full advantage of your day, not so you can hit the snooze alarm. Eventually your body will grow accustomed to waking early. Similarly, your mind will grow accustomed to a more positive outlook if you

make an effort to acknowledge when you’re psyching yourself out.

This goes hand-in-hand with developing a support system with friends and family who can encourage you to stay focused as well as talk you through the tough moments of doubt. Even better, work side by side with a support buddy to accomplish a goal, such as running as a team.

Developing a support system also holds you accountable for the changes you are choosing to make in your life. If other people know about your goals, someone other than yourself is monitoring your progress and it will certainly motivate you to try harder than you usually might.

There are also sites like aherk.com that will allow you to blackmail yourself into keeping your resolutions.

Just upload an embarrassing picture of yourself, link the site to your account, and if you fail to check in with your daily goal, they post the picture to your timeline.

No matter the method, external motivation is an extremely powerful tool for sticking to your resolutions.

A new, resolute you Don’t forget to keep writing! Whether it’s a simple list or journal entries that depict your progress, writing these things down will not only help keep track of how far you’ve come, but will definitely encourage you to keep going.

Again, this is a gateway that will eventually allow you to build on your successes, empowering you to commit to things you hadn’t considered before. The discipline, commitment and work behind making your resolutions come true will become easier and easier to achieve.

Soon you’ll be celebrating the success you have and giving yourself a pat on the back often. Such self-affirmation is a huge part of the process, and you should acknowledge that you’re changing your life for the better.

If you're buckling under the weight of your 2015 resolutions, take time to reexamine them according to these basic principles. You might just find that you where only weighing yourself down

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We need writers dedicated to alternative sports, health and fitness.

We need writers who will cover our 30+ competitive recreational sports teams, such as breakdance, dragon boating, ultimate frisbee and tango.

We need writers who can cover the burgeoning field of Esports.

We need writers who will cover the academic competitions such as debate, math and chess.

We need writers who can report on the state of personal wellness.

PSU Men's Basketball

Men's Tennis

PSU vs.WEBER STATE

PSU vs. LEWIS-CLARK STATE

Thur. Jan. 22, 7:05 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 24, 4:00 p.m.

PSU vs. IDAHO

Women's Tennis

Sat. Jan.24, 6:05 p.m.

PSU vs. UC DAVOS

PSU Women's Basketball

Sat. Jan. 24, 12:00 p.m.

PSU vs. WEBER STATE

Men's/Women's Track and Field

Thurs. Jan. 22, 7:00 p.m.

Lobo Open

PSU @ IDAHO

Albuquerque Convention Center, Albuquerque, NM Sat. Jan. 24, All Day

Sat. Jan. 24, 7:00 p.m.

We want to let our readers know how to stay healthy with proper nutrition, exercise, yoga, meditation and other aspects of personal physical and mental health.

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SPOrTS BrEnT WhEELEr was one of five portland State players in the final sixteen during the corvalis indoor tennis championships.

VikinGs Men’s tennis triuMphs in tiMberhill

COURTESY Of lARRY lAWSON/PSU ATHlETICS

PHUOc FrANcIS NGUyEN

The Timberhill Tennis Club was the host of the Corvallis Indoor Tennis Championships this past weekend, where the Portland State Vikings proudly added to their hardware collection the singles and doubles titles both.

Day one—viking longships sail The Championships field included Pacific University, George Fox University, Hope International University, prep players and former collegiate players. The Vikings entered Ethan Lopez, Stuart Tierney, Matt Pronesti, Nathan Chart, Wil Cochrane, and Brent Wheeler to represent in singles. Seeded Viking players included Tierney seeded third, Wil Cochrane fourth, Brent Wheeler fifth, and Pronesti sixth. In doubles, the Vikings were led by second-seeded duo of Cochrane and Pronesti who won the Pacific Northwest

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Intercollegiates in the fall.

They were joined in the draw by fourth seeded pair of Lopez and Wheeler, along with teammates Risenhoover and Tierney.

During the first day of the tournament, the Vikings had five of their singles entrants advanced to the second round, with Tierney and Lopez received walkovers. Cochrane and Pronesti battled hard to win tough three-setters against Pacific University’s Reuben Mulhern and George Fox’s Vincent Viloria, respectively. Brent Wheeler won in straight sets over George Fox’s Nicholas Ekern to give the Vikings five players in the final sixteen. George Fox’s Spencer Watanabe, however, eliminated Chart with a straight sets win. In doubles, both teams in action started with straight set wins with the number two seeds receiving a bye into the second round.

Day two—a viking siege The second day of the tournament saw all five remaining singles for PSU advance into the quarterfinals, giving them five of the eight spots remaining in the tournament.

Lopez upset Nicholas Grafton of George Fox in straight sets, with Tierney, Pronesti, Cochrane and Wheeler also having straight set wins. In the quarterfinals, Wheeler upset the two seed, Chris Lilley of George Fox, in straight sets. Lopez squared off against Pacific University’s Grayson Frazier, who had just upset the number one seed in the tournament. After dropping the first, Lopez came back to win the second and third sets.

Teammates Tierney and Pronesti played each other in the quarterfinals, with Pronesti getting into the semifinals with a straight set win over Tierney. Watanabe of George Fox deliv-

Vanguard | JanUary 20, 2015 | psuvanguard.com

ered an upset to Cochrane in straight sets, however, to prevent the all Vikings’ semifinals. Teammates Lopez and Pronesti along with Wheeler gave PSU three players in the final four with Watanabe.

In doubles, second-andfourth seeded pairs Cochrane and Pronesti with Lopez and Wheeler booked their spots into the semifinals with straight set wins.

Risenhoover and Tierney also won in straight sets, which gave the Vikings three spots in the semifinals. Lopez and Wheeler faced off against the number one seed, Mam and Pritchard, losing in a third-set tiebreaker. The other semifinal match guaranteed one Viking pair would play for the doubles title. Risenhoover and Tierney upset second seeded teammates Cochrane and Pronesti, in an 11-9 finalset tiebreaker, to reach the tournament finals against the number-one seeds.

Day three—vikings victorious On the final day of the tournament, Lopez and Pronesti played for a spot in the finals against either Wheeler or Watanabe. Pronesti advanced to the finals with a straight sets win over Lopez. Wheeler stopped Watanabe’s run with a comeback win after dropping the first set. The final match for the singles title would be represented by PSU’s Pronesti and Wheeler, but Pronesti received a walkover win for the title after teammate Wheeler withdrew.

In order to complete the sweep, Risenhoover and Tierney would have to take out the number-one seeds Mam and Pritchard. The Viking duo started off fast to take the first set 6-3, but dropped the second set 2-6, which set up a 10-point tiebreaker to determine the doubles championship.

PSU completed the sweep with a 10-7 win in the third set tiebreaker. Pronesti, with the pair of Risenhoover and Tierney,

gave PSU titles in singles and doubles in a weekend dominated by the Vikings.

reflection on the battle Junior Wil Cochrane appreciated the matches in Corvallis.

“The tournament has helped us prepare for the season by putting a lot of match experience under our belt.” Cochrane said.

“After taking most of November and December off from competition, we are not yet competing at our best. This weekend was great because we got lots of matches in a short period of time, unlike a dual which is only one singles and doubles.

The experience will benefit the team by improving our match toughness. The tournament was good for us because we got lots of wins that we can carry into our next dual.”

Cochrane and the Vikings kick off their dual season Saturday at Club Green Meadows against Lewis-Clark State.

SPORTS

#reppsu?

Matt Rauch

Last week the Oregon Ducks got mopped up in the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

A strong running game and a solid passing game lead by quarterback Cardale Jones resulted in 42 points in favor of the Buckeyes. OSU’s tough defense held the normally high-scoring Duck offense to a mere 20 points.

As much as I would love to sit here and break down what happened on the field and provide my opinion on why the Ducks lost, I will not. What I will write about is something that has perplexed me since attending Portland State. Since the first day I

stepped on campus I have noticed that the majority of students who wear college apparel, sans student athletes, are wearing gear from other universities.

Northwest University of PSUUOOSU Before I go any further I must provide a disclaimer: I am one of these people. I am a huge Northwest sports fan. I represent the region because this is where I was raised and this is all I have known. I have been going to Seahawks, Mariners, Blazers, Ducks, Beavers and even Huskies games for as long as I remember.

So far this season I have attended the PSU vs. OSU

PROFESSOR SPORT BALL PRESENTS

game in Corvallis; the South Dakota, Michigan State, and Stanford games vs. the Ducks at Autzen Stadium; as well as the Rose Bowl. What can I say? I love my Ducks.

However, I also love my Vikings to death, no matter how poor they perform athletically. I rep my school with a passion that I don’t see many other PSU students have. I make it a point to sport some sort of Vikings gear at every game I attend. Whether it is a hat, a shirt, lanyard or a scarf, I rep PSU because I am PSU.

I chose a college, not a team People ask why I attend PSU if I am such a big

Ducks fan. I often respond by explaining that if I were to choose my college based upon how well the football team performed, I wouldn’t be ready for college. I attend PSU because I believe it best meets my academic needs, not because they are good at sports.

After examining my reasoning behind why I wear Ducks gear on campus at PSU I am left to wonder why do others not do it? I cannot answer that, but I can speculate. I must assume there are other NW sports fans like me, who have the same reasons to sport UO or OSU gear as I do. But then I wonder if these same people represent

Courtesy of PDXVik through Creative Commons

the Vikings at all, let alone in equal parts to the Beavers and Ducks.

We as a student body need to not only support our school athletics, but our school as a whole. We need to wear PSU gear proudly, not because of how good or bad our athletics are, but because we are proud

to attend this diverse and vibrant academic and cultural institution.

There is nothing wrong with supporting other schools’ gear as long as you support your school as well, for while I may love the Ducks, I am still proud to be a Viking.

Remembering a titanic failure Viewing list for THE SPORT FAN

-Air Bud

-Field of Dreams

-Raging Bull

-Hoop Dreams

-King of Kong

-SlapShot

seen this cinematic travesty, Remember the Titans is a 2000 film starring Denzel Washington about the real-life story of an African American coach who tried to create a racially diverse football team in 1970s Virginia.

Despite how vehemently the film is touted as a leading example of togetherness and acceptance—two perfectly admirable qualities to find in a movie—it’s predictable, sentimental and uninspired­. It's hard to tell you why it’s so bad in so few words, so just think of it like a Hallmark card.

On the surface there’s heart, but it’s hollow on the inside, and it’s far too corny to hang on the fridge, let alone adorn one’s mantle.

If you’re looking for a damn good sports movie,

look no further than 2013’s Computer Chess. (I’m going to preface this by saying that I will not entertain the argument of whether or not chess is a sport.)

Set in a 1980s hotel, a film crew follows computer programmers as they go head-to-head in a highpressure tournament that pits their custom-written chess-playing programsagainst each other. Based off an eight-page script and shot with analog cameras in black and white, one of my favorite things about this pseudo-documentary is its loving recreation of the ’80s.

Writer/director Andrew Bujalski must have looked high and low to find those authentic pocket protectors, as everything from the technol-

ogy to the Rajneeshee-esque cult is spot on.

I’d like to tell you all more about it, but I’d hate to spoil how wonderful and bizarre it actually is. Computer Chess is a retro experience that’s equal parts Videodrome and Primer. If you’re looking for a straight forward, feel-good movie chockfull of team-building montages and slow-motion high fives, Computer Chess probably isn’t for you. If you’re looking for a sports flick that boasts a little more, then it’s definitely worth a screening.

Look, you don’t have to trust your professor’s recommendations. This isn’t class. I can’t give you an assignment to watch the damn thing.

Just please, for the love of god, don't watch Remember the Titans.

Turner Lobey

Is it true that ‘Remember the Titans’ is the greatest sports movie of all time?

I’m going to sieze this opportunity to argue against every lazy middle school teacher who screened Remember the Titans instead of Gattaca or October Sky on in-class movie day. Against every teary-eyed football coach who tried to force a false sense of camaraderie between high school athletes. Against every dad who tried to relive his glory days by making you watch the movie while he gave you sips off his Coors Light.

Remember the Titans is not a good movie. Remember the Titans is a god-awful movie.

You should never, ever, under any circumstance watch Remember the Titans.

For those who haven’t RICO MACIAS-ZEPEDA/PSU VANGUARD

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