Portland State Vanguard, vol. 71 issue 19

FIRST DAYS PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

VOLUME 71 • ISSUE 19 • JANUARY 24, 2017

WELCOME TO YOUR

PSU STUDENTS JOIN THOUSANDS OF DEMONSTRATORS AT #J20 PROTEST AND WOMEN’S MARCH

NEWS TUITION ON THE RISE? P. 3

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS EXPERIENCE CUBA AFTER CASTRO P. 6

OPINION SEARCHING FOR CAFES IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES P. 13

A&C RADIO PHOENIX: R&B FUNK FROM SPACE P. 10

CONTENTS

PSU HOSTS SOLD OUT MLK TRIBUTE

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LAS MUJERES GEARS UP FOR LATIN NIGHT

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STAFF

8

LITTMAN & WHITE GALLERY CELEBRATES CONTEMPORARY ART

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WHERE’S THE GOOD COFFEE AT PSU?

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SUBPAR ADVICE

15

FUN STUFF HAPPENS IN PORTLAND

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NEWS EDITOR Jon Raby

MARKETING DESIGNER Skylar Nguyen

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Alanna Madden

DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGER Hrushikesh Apte

EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colleen Leary

TRUMP INAUGURATION INVOKES PORTLAND PROTEST

MANAGING EDITOR Tim Sullivan

DESIGNERS Lauren Chapluk Terra DeHart Shannon Kidd Lydia Wojack-West Nimi Einstein Chloe Kendall Robby Day

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Matthew Andrews OPINION EDITOR Jennee Martinez INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Alex-Jon Earl

COVER PHOTO BY RACHEL LARA, DESIGN BY TARA DEHART

ADVERTISING ADVERTISING MANAGER Madelaine Eivers ADVERTISING DESIGNER Sam Hicks

TERRA DEHART

COPY CHIEF Thomas Spoelhof

ADVERTISING SALES Michael Hardy Ilyse Espino Caitlyn Malik

COPY EDITORS Harlie Hendrickson Jacoba Lawson

ADVERTISING ADVISER Ann Roman

ONLINE EDITOR Andrew D. Jankowski

STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher

CONTRIBUTORS Astrud Benson Gray Bouchat Joan Brown Andy Clark Marie Conner Chris May Steve Olson John Pinney Christian Poindexter Benjamin Ramey Devon Wanderon

COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood

PHOTO & MULTIMEDIA PHOTO EDITOR Silvia Cardullo PHOTOGRAPHERS Gray Bouchat Stella Crabtree Rachel Lara Briana Ybanez MULTIMEDIA MANAGER Andy Ngo

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aaron Osborn

ADVISING & ACCOUNTING

To contact Vanguard staff members, visit psuvanguard.com/contact.

To get involved and see current job openings, visit psuvanguard.com/jobs Mission Statement The Vanguard’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with a quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills that are highly valued in today’s job market.

About The Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper 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 the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration.

Find us in print every Tuesday and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.

A PROTESTER CONFRONTS THE PORTLAND POLICE DURING THE PROTESTS ON JAN. 20. BRIANA YBANEZ/PSU VANGUARD

NEWS

PSU STUDENTS, WIEWEL INTERSECT AT JANET MOCK KEYNOTE ANDREW D. JANKOWSKI

Media figure and activist Janet Mock received the following question during the final half-hour of Portland State University’s Living the Legacy: Freedom at Every Intersection MLK Tribute 2017 event:

along with her fellow speakers Jaboa Lake and Dr. Derrais Carter, the background of the Disarm PSU movement and frustrations students have had engaging with PSU’s Board of Trustees.

“Hi Janet. You might have noticed a lot of praise for [PSU President Wim Wiewel], the Board of Trustees and our university; however, they have consistently walked on, interrupted, and silenced the voices of student activists—”

“We have the president, Wim Wiewel, sitting there right now,” Dey said. “And we have constantly, constantly talked to [Wiewel] and we feel we are not getting answers from this, and honestly…to hear [Wiewel] give a speech about how [PSU loves] diversity here and ‘we are doing so much for our students here’ is frustrating.”

The audience audibly gasped.

“—They tokenize and marginalize students on campus. This event is an example, to cover up these things. What do you have to say to our administration about their undemocratic and oppressive actions against students?”

“Shade!” called a voice from the audience.

Cheers erupted.

“I don’t see this as shade,” Mock responded.

“I see this as uncovering truth and necessary confrontations.”

“Necessary shade!” the same voice called again.

“If there is a student who would like to speak on this,” Mock continued, “I would prefer to do that instead of me coming from my space as an outsider…I would like you to speak on that, or you all to speak on that. That would probably be the most constructive, so please use this platform.”

“Tell the children!” the voice again called.

Kaitlyn Dey of the PSU Student Union first answered Mock’s call. She explained to Mock,

CRIME BLOTTER

“THERE’S…THIS WORD THAT THEY USE, ‘DIVERSITY LENS,’ THAT WE USE AT THIS CAMPUS, WHICH IS, ‘WE CAN GET AWAY WITH MARGINALIZING PEOPLE IF WE CAN SHOW THAT WE’VE DONE SMALL THINGS.’” -DONALD THOMPSON III Donald Thompson III, a member of the Associated Students of PSU Student Fee Committee and fellow organizer in PSUSU, answered the call.

“This is supposed to be Living the Legacy, but I don’t want to live a legacy of tokenization,” Thompson said. “I’m kind of over that. There’s… this word that they use, ‘diversity lens,’ that we use at this campus, which is, ‘we can get away with marginalizing people if we can show that we’ve done small things.’ We can’t let them get away with that anymore. That’s not real change,

Jan. 17­-22

Jan. 17 Leaning tree

Park Blocks

A large tree was leaning near Neuberger Hall. The city arborist and a tree service were contacted, and the tree was marked with red danger tape.

Vandalism to car

Art Parking Lot

A student’s car had a window broken out. Nothing was stolen.

Jan. 20 Public indecency

Cramer Hall

A male exposed himself to a female student. The male is a registered sex offender with an extensive history of public indecency charges and one attempted kidnapping. Campus Public Safety arrested the male for felony Public Indecency.

that’s not productive. That’s deceptive and frankly, that’s using this legacy to further your mechanizations. That’s not permissible. It’s just brutal to see it continue happening here, where we’re a liberal mecca, but we’re four percent black.”

Thompson, then turning to directly address Wiewel, continued: “Wim, you’re on your way out, this is your last year. You’ve done a lot for us; they have not been satisfactory, specifically talking about the sanctuary campus. You said you would acquiesce to federal requests. That doesn’t sound like a sanctuary campus.”

word artist Tazha Williams; and a gift-giving ceremony, where Mock was awarded a quilted blanket from Trhona Johnson. Alexis Lawrence opened the evening by singing the black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson. The Mario Sandoval Ensemble played opening music.

Dey and Thompson’s remarks elicited snaps, cheers, gasps and applause during their time with the mic.

“Tonight is a conversation, and I think that I am sharing space with two brilliant people from this institution and they are shaping this conversation,” Mock said in a press conference held prior to her keynote address. “I prefer not to look at questions beforehand, because I want to just be in the moment and answer those questions, but I think that a lot of it will be around how do we envision and dream in these challenging times, and for me, I think the one thing that I would say is that we have to organize and resist. That’s what we have to do.”

Living the Legacy: Freedom at Every Intersection featured remarks from Wiewel praising the university’s actions since 2016’s Students of Color Speak Out event, and also featured remarks from Dr. Carmen Suarez and masters of ceremony Ebony Oldham and Dr. Winston Grady-Willis; two performances from spoken

MEDIA FIGURE AND ACTIVIST JANET MOCK ADDRESSES REPORTERS’ QUESTIONS BEFORE PSU’S MLK TRIBUTE ON JAN. 19. COURTESY OF PSU UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS.

JOAN BROWN Exclusion action x 2

Bicycle theft

Dispatched for a possible domestic disturbance, CPS officers investigated and found no evidence of crime. A person directly involved in the possible disturbance was wandering the halls without an escort and subsequently excluded. Also, it was discovered that a previously excluded person was peripherally involved. His exclusion was reissued.

A bicycle with a cable lock was stolen sometime between 4–7 p.m.

Broadway Building

Jan. 21 Harassment

Academic and Student Recreation Center

One person intentionally subjected another person to offensive physical contact.

CPS officers investigated. The offender was tracked to his residence in the Broadway Building where he was arrested for Harassment and lodged at Multnomah County Detention Center.

Trespass II

Blumel Parking

Millar Library

Jan. 22 Fire alarm

Ondine Building

The laundry room fire alarm was triggered. Portland Fire personnel, a resident assistant and pro staff checked it out. After the smoke was cleared and the machines unplugged, occupants were allowed to return. A work order has been submitted for inspecting the machines.

Fire alarm

University Place

Toast was burnt so badly that it set off the fire alarm. Portland Fire personnel cleared the building to resume business.

A man with a large amount of property strewn about was camped near a stairwell.

Actively excluded from Portland State, the man was cited for Criminal Trespass II. He left the area without incident.

PSU Vanguard •JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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NEWS

SHANNON KIDD

PORTLAND STATE BUDGET SHORTFALL: TUITION INCREASE LIKELY

JON RABY

On Jan. 26, the Portland State Finance and Administration Committee will meet again with the Board of Trustees to discuss PSU finances, a necessary increase in student tuition, and cuts to other areas of the budget to offset the increase.

“The biggest challenge is balancing the expenses, the cost that we anticipate, with the diminishing revenues that we are anticipating,” said BOT Chair Pete Nickerson. “There are a number of contending fixed costs that are far above the revenues that we have.”

Multiple factors have led PSU to its current predicament: an increase in PSU’s required payouts and an expected 4.3 percent increase of the Education and General Fund budget needs, totaling about $14 million. These numbers are approximations made by PSU’s FAC. Of the current year’s budget, $83.8 million was collected from state funding: $157.5 million over the two years of FY15– 17, with the first year receiving 49 percent of the figure and the second year receiving any remainder. A similar amount is expected from the state for FY17–19.

Lower enrollment, rising wages, inflation and an expected decrease in state funding are the main contributors to the shortfall. In addition, there has been an approximate $12 million increase in retirement contributions to the Public Employees Retirement System by PSU. In 2016, PERS was deemed a crisis by several media outlets.

In December, the governor’s office released its 2017–19 budget, in which $10.7 billion was allocated for education, an increase from the previous biennium of $9.4 billion. Education makes up 53 percent of the 2017–19 General Fund/Lottery Fund Budget.

“The governor’s recommended budget holds the Public University Fund flat for the next biennium and is one of the many scenarios we had planned for,” said Kevin Reynolds, vice president of Finance and Administration at PSU. “We recognize that difficult choices need to be made and are grateful that the investment in higher education made in the last biennium is retained. That said, flat biennial funding creates a significant gap in our budget which will need to be addressed through budget cuts and tuition increases.”

As expected, the budget will likely not cover PSU needs according to FAC, but there is still time for many changes to happen before the budget is finalized. Next, the governor’s budget will be sent to the Ways and Means Committee for review.

PSU is expecting approximately $158.6 million in state funding over the next two years, according to FAC. The Jan. 26 Board meeting is the next step in PSU’s theoretical budget planning.

“We will be asking for some clear directions from the committee on setting tuition rates and things they want to see reflected in the budget for FY18,” said PSU University Budget Director Andria Johnson.

“I would like to leave the meeting with confidence that we have a balanced budget that will continue to allow the university to meet its objectives,” said Nickerson.

In November, Oregon tax measure 97 received a no-vote with 59 percent voting against it. The measure was expected to generate upward of $3 billion per year, some of which was promised to Oregon schools. The measure would have removed a cap on

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corporate gross sales tax, or minimum tax, and changed it to a 2.5 percent tax on gross sales which exceed $25 million.

Reynolds, along with other members of his team, presented the school’s finance reports in November and offered two possible scenarios to fulfill the school’s monetary needs.

Unfortunately, all data on the matter is theoretical until as late as June. The PSU budget should be finalized and available to Banner, PSU’s accounting system, by July 1 to allow the university to plan allocation of funds for the upcoming year.

Although tuition is a large factor in PSU’s budget, it is state funding which provides the largest budget challenges.

According to Governor Kate Brown’s Budget, “In the next biennium, reduced federal funding, increases in the cost of state services and mandates from the ballot leave us with a projected $1.7 billion budget shortfall.”

Brown’s proposed budget in December prioritized education, allocating the largest percentage of funds to it. The budget will likely undergo some changes when it goes to state legislature in January. One subject which may be addressed is that the governor’s budget includes using expected new revenue, which could prove problematic. Potential changes will reflect various reviews and the feedback received from state agencies and general public. The final vote of how it will be split up may not occur until as late as June.

Often K–12 schools will be given higher priority because state dollars are their primary source of funding.

The state funds given to colleges and universities will then go to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, which makes decisions on disbursement amounts. There is no specific deadline for this to all be worked out, which is why PSU funds hang in a theoretical framework.

Brown’s budget allots $667 million of the $10.7 billion dollars in education spending to the seven public universities in Oregon. Of that, PSU expects approximately $158.6 million.

Together, the schools asked for $765 million, according to FAC. Brown’s budget also cut lottery funding for PSU equaling $1.1 million according to FAC. Of those funds, 80 percent would have gone to athletics and 20 percent to graduate student scholarships.

At FAC’s last meeting with BOT in November, the audience was full of department chairs and professors, possibly concerned with potential cuts to their budgets and positions.

Both scenarios included cuts to salary remainders, termed structural salary savings, which appear naturally in salary budgets in the form of unstaffed positions and other unspent money.

Another cut was a personnel reduction which could affect any university staff, of which the faculty are included, as are all school employees.

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

Scenarios were preliminary and will be adjusted with the finished state budget figured in; more are likely to be presented at the Jan. 26 meeting.

The two scenarios presented feature either a 5 or 10 percent tuition increase, and both feature some of the same cuts: –Structural Salary Savings $3.5 million –Personnel Reductions $2.85 million –Moving Costs to other funding sources $510,000 –Services and Supplies Reduction $1.1 million –Reduction in amount held for Risk Abatement $1.6 million The 5 percent tuition increase scenario would use $10.9 million in the school’s Education and General fund balance which is accumulated continuously over the years.

At the close of the 2016 fiscal year the balance was $55.3 million, but much of it was designated to specific areas of the school, leaving $17 million available for use. After three years of decline in the Education and General Fund balance, FY15 began a positive increase.

The 10 percent scenario would only use an estimated $2.3 million of the reserve.

A flat, across-the-board cut in funds was advised against during the November meeting.

Students are the largest source of funds for the university by way of tuition. Of the 2016–17 Education and General Fund of approximately $325 million, $83.8 million was from state funding.

PSU has a larger part/full-time student body population than both Oregon State or University of Oregon, but PSU lags behind these schools in the number of out-of-state students they recruit. This means significantly less money as out-of-state tuition is almost three times that of in-state.

Board member Gale Castillo brought up increasing the funding of department at capacity as a way to generate more tuition money. She asked department chairs from the audience if they believe more students would attend PSU if there were more openings in their programs. The answer was yes in some departments and no in others.

Another committee member sought to look into untapped funds from property the school owns, which includes student parking.

PSU tuition falls low on the fee scale for universities across the country. For example, the University of Illinois undergraduate resident tuition and mandatory fees came in at above $15,000 in the 2016–17 academic year. The University of Oregon and Oregon State both cost above $10,000 in the same year, while PSU tuition and fees totaled $8,337.

Some discussion was made that many students choose to attend PSU over other Oregon universities due to PSU’s lower cost and that the raise in tuition could hurt school funds rather than help.

The next meeting between PSU’s FAC and BOT will be Jan. 26. The meeting is open to the public. For now, PSU finances will continue to hang in limbo.

NEWS

‘WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS’

WOMEN’S MARCH RESONATES WITH PSU STUDENTS AND BEYOND ASTRUD BENSON

THE PORTLAND RAGING GRANNIES DEMONSTRATE AT THE WOMEN’S MARCH. RACHEL LARA/PSU VANGUARD

ATTENDEES FROM THE WOMEN’S MARCH WALKING BY THE TOM MCCALL WATERFRONT PARK. RACHEL LARA/PSU VANGUARD On Sunday, Jan. 21, despite the dark clouds and rain, approximately 100,000 people filled downtown Portland to chant and march at the Women’s March. Portland Police called this one of the largest organized protests in Portland history.

Among the protesters were families, children, women, men and students from schools across the state. Many students from Portland State were among the crowd of activists as they moved forward.

“Women’s rights are human rights!” was heard along with “Not my president!” By the end of the day, the Women’s March consisted of about 3 million Americans throughout the U.S. alone. Portland news network KOIN estimated approximately 100,000 local protesters participated in the event.

The march was planned in part by various parties, all of whom share one goal: “We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families—recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.”

PSU student Tatiana Nguyen took part in the Women’s March. Though it was raining, she walked from campus to join the marchers at Tom McCall Waterfront Park.

“The wide age-range of people who came in, from kids to older generations, really impressed me,” Nguyen said.

“It was awesome to see everyone coming together to protest fascism. It’s also such a great feeling to see how we’ve all come together in solidarity for the common good

APPROXIMATELY 100,000 PEOPLE FILLED DOWNTOWN PORTLAND TO CHANT AT THE WOMEN’S MARCH. BRIANA YBANEZ/PSU VANGUARD

because so many people don’t feel safe as a result of Trump’s presidency.”

“I’m almost still in denial with what’s going on politically and socially in our country right now,” said PSU student Siiri Visto, who is part of the Wellness and Health Action Team on campus. “Since November, I have never felt such a strong sense of unity and community in joining this march. I strive to take care of myself and others in my life, and that’s why I took part in the Women’s March. I feel that the best way to get through the next four years is unified as a society.”

One issue brought up at the protest was the future of the Affordable Care Act and the potential defunding of Planned Parenthood. On Jan. 13, the U.S. House of Representatives began taking steps to disassemble the ACA, popularly known as “Obamacare.” In a vote numbering 227– 198, the House voted to begin the process of repealing the controversial health care law.

As the ACA’s repeal looms, an influx of people have visited Planned Parenthood for their birth control and health services. PP’s defunding is part of the ACA repeal.

Although PP is not a direct beneficiary of government funding, Speaker Paul Ryan has made statements promising to defund the healthcare organization on the basis that “Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider.” Various Republican politicians have also made promises to block any government funding toward health care providers like PP.

PP serves approximately five million people across the United States, and approximately one in five women in the country have receive care from PP. As a result, many PSU students have spoken out against this.

“This is absolutely going to make it harder for me in the long run, which is why when Trump first won, I got birth control at [PP],” Chalise Fisher said. “They were able to make it affordable for me based on their sliding scale.

Honestly, it’s not like it’s really harming anyone. If anything, it’s been extremely helpful for people like me.”

As a pro-choice student, Skye Yerkes thinks that it’s almost as if those behind the defunding are willfully ignorant of just how harmful their anti-PP and anti-ACA agenda is.

“I’m pretty disgusted. The fight to defund [PP] and their move to nullify the ACA just because it was a Democrat’s law is ridiculous,” Yerkes said. “The GOP is out of touch with real women and men who have benefitted from the services of [PP] and the ACA.” Pro-life movements, however, now have more of a voice with a Republican dominated Congress and presidency.

The passionate voices of the many marching through Portland’s streets on Saturday reflect much of the sentiment various students feel about the current political climate. As the days continue to pass, many students at PSU have become activists, working with communities and groups to protect their rights and those of others.

PSU Vanguard •JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

CUBA AFTER CASTRO: PORTLAND STATE STUDENTS GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK CHRIS MAY

During the night of Nov. 25, 2016 Fidel Castro, Olympic gold medalist in surviving assassination attempts, died. Shortly after, 13 Portland State students arrived in Cuba for a two-week study abroad program.

This is not the first time PSU students and faculty have been to Cuba to study abroad.

Even before 2014, when a gradual lifting of travel restrictions began as part of a plan to begin normalizing relations between the two countries, Vikings headed to the Caribbean as part of programs focusing on themes such as sustainability and urban development.

This most recent trip was particularly significant, however, as it offered a glimpse of Cuba in the beginning stages of transition after over a half-century of planned economy under a single party state.

Jennifer Martinez, a doctoral student in the Public Affairs and Policy program, was drawn to Cuba largely in part to see how this transition was taking place.

“You know, before going I didn’t even know they had local governments, I didn’t know what that looked like,” Martinez said. “But it turns out they do have this whole structure already set in place.”

Governance was one of the key themes of the class, along with community and contradiction. The students spent time in Havana, the colonial town of Trinidad, and also made trips to rural areas. The students met with various government officials, community groups, and non-profit organizations to get a sense of what works, what doesn’t work, and why.

Understanding Cuba also includes understanding its long and fraught relationship with the United States.

Trip coordinator Dr. Kevin Kecskes, associate professor of Public Administration in the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at PSU, first became interested in Cuba after encountering Cubans while living in Nicaragua during the years following their own revolution in 1978 and ’79. Cuban advisors had been sent throughout Latin America to assist in the wave of revolutions that were inspired and often modeled after Castro’s example in Cuba.

Part of the itinerary included a trip to the Bay of Pigs, site of the failed CIA-backed invasion of Cuba in 1961, a precursor to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

“I think it’s really important for us in particular, as Americans, to understand our role in that history,” Kecskes said.

The students encountered other echoes of Cold War policies that have survived until today.

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“Talking with economists and people in the medical field, they really explained to you how much the embargo affects them,” Martinez said.

The U.N. General Assembly has voted over 20 times to condemn the U.S. economic embargo on Cuba, and previous reports have highlighted the social costs.

“One of the students asked, because this ex-finance minister was sort of talking about the plan for Cuba in the future, and how they want to explore oil deposits off shore…well, you have a lot of sun here, why don’t you look at solar panels?” Martinez explained. “And he replies, ‘We don’t have the technology, we don’t have money, and we don’t the have the manpower to do that.’”

“What I’ve been reflecting on the most,” Martinez continued, “is that you know how here in the U.S., we’re sort of fighting for national health care or for education? Over there, that’s already given.”

She was quick to add, “There are some people who aren’t happy. A lot of people on the street have a desire, and I don’t know if that has to do with capitalism, but there was a desire to go and experience things, or travel, basic things that we have that we’ve taken for granted.”

Despite the relaxing of travel restrictions for U.S. citizens, it remains difficult to travel there. Because of the current environment, Kecskes wants prospective travelers to know that it still takes work to get to Cuba and shouldn’t be done just for fun.

“For me it has to have a really good reason,” Kecskes explained. “We’re not just going there because it’s cool.”

Before they got on the plane, each student had to choose a research focus that was relevant to their major area of study, a focus they would explore further during their time on the island.

“Why do you want to come?” Kecskes asked.

“What are you really interested in? Who are you? What’s on your mind, intellectually? Not ‘I wanna go and explore the world’—which is important—I’m assuming that. But intellectually, if you’re a math major, OK—why? What about Cuba fits for you, in math, right now as you understand it?”

For anyone interested in learning more about the study abroad program in Cuba from program participants there will be a presentation on Monday, Jan. 30 from 6–7 p.m. in Parson’s Gallery, URBN 212G. Light refreshments will be provided.

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

DR. KEVIN KECSKES, PROFESSOR AND TRIP COORDINATOR FOR THE CUBA STUDY ABROAD TRIP. COURTESY OF KEVIN KECSKES

FIDEL CASTRO PASSED AWAY NOV. 25, 2016. SHORTLY AFTER, 13 PORTLAND STATE STUDENTS ARRIVED IN CUBA FOR A TWO-WEEK STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM. COURTESY OF USER LINUX_ROCKS THROUGH WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

INTERNATIONAL

LAS MUJERES BRINGING LATIN NIGHT TO PORTLAND STATE CHRISTIAN POINDEXTER

Las Mujeres means “women” in Spanish, but Las Mujeres isn’t a club dedicated only to being a Latina woman at Portland State, it’s also about sharing Latin culture with the broader community, while at the same time keeping the culture alive and well. The group’s current mission statement, which members change yearly in order to stay progressive, reads, “Las Mujeres creates a positive space for empowerment and unity through education, service and celebration among Latinos, Chicanos, and Hispanics, as well as allies.”

The Vanguard sat down with Lucero Cortez from Las Mujeres and chatted about the student organization. Cortez has been working with the group for three years and considers her time there a joy and an honor.

In addition to being a community where everyone can share and enjoy Latin culture, Las Mujeres is also a pioneer in the Latin community at PSU. Some of the events which the group pioneered are Latin Night, the Latina Luncheon, and Latin@s Unidos Graduation.

LAS MUJERES CELEBRATES LATIN NIGHT FEB. 3. COURTSEY OF LAS MUJERES PSU Latin Night is billed as a celebration of Latin culture. Cortez explained Las Mujeres events will feature Latin foods, including Cuban and Puerto Rican dishes, as well as Latin dances and live music. This year Latin Night is 6-10 p.m., Feb. 3 in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom.

Another event, Latina Luncheon, brings Latin community members to PSU to talk with students. For this event the group gets professionals and influential members of the community from a variety

JAN. 14

BEIJING, CHINA

JAN. 17

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

JAN. 18

LONDON, ENGLAND

JAN. 19

CHIHUAHUA STATE, MEXICO

JAN. 20

BANJUL, GAMBIA

JAN. 20

WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES

of disciplines and educational and professional backgrounds. Latin@s Unidos Graduation is a unique bilingual graduation ceremony going on its fourth year in a row.

The group also offers an assortment of fun and engaging workshops and outings throughout the year.

Cortez and Las Mujeres encourage anyone interested in being a part of the group to stop by on the 2nd floor of SMSU, Room M102. Las Mujeres is open to everyone.

The linguist Zhou Youguang died at the age of 111 in Beijing. Zhou is credited with creating pinyin, a system of transcribing Mandarin into roman characters, or romanization, a process that makes the language far easier to translate outside of China.

According to the governor of Istanbul, Abdulgadir Masharipov, the suspect in the mass shooting at Istanbul’s Reina nightclub during New Year’s Eve celebrations there, confessed to the act which killed 39 people.

A train that departed China on Jan. 1 pulled into London as part of the expansion of China’s One Belt, One Road trade plan.

Tarahumara environmentalist Isidro Baldenegro López was assassinated, becoming the latest in a string of targeted killings of indigenous enviro-activists. The Goldman Environmental Prize winner was 51.

President Yahya Jammeh announced his intent to finally step down, ending days of standoff and capping off over 20 years of rule.

Jan. 14–20 Alex-Jon Earl

President Donald Trump was officially sworn in, as was Vice President Mike Pence. After a sparsely attended inauguration and the punching of white nationalist Richard Spencer at protests that afternoon, the Trumps and Pences celebrated by twirling around some fancy balls.

PSU Vanguard •JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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WELCOME TO YO

COVER INTERNATIONAL NEWS

PSU STUDENTS STAGE CAMPUS WALKOUT IN PROTEST OF TRUMP

BY ALANNA MADDEN

ATTENDEES AT THE PROTEST SAT DOWN TO FACE THE POLICE AFTER THEY WERE BLOCKED FROM AN INTERSECTION. Portland State students joined thousands of other activists in downtown Portland on Friday, Jan. 20 to protest the inauguration of United States President Donald J. Trump.

The PSU student group Inauguration Day Action Coalition kicked off its call to action that began with a student walkout and rally in the PSU Park Blocks at approximately 2 p.m.

About 90 PSU students and staff members joined the walkout despite the rain while listening to student activists discuss several important issues on campus which, according to rally speakers, emulate the values of Trump’s campaign ethics.

According to flyers placed around campus, the walkout was to protest the “undemocratic election” of an “admitted homophobic, transphobic, anti-immigrant, Islamaphobic [sic], racist, rapist to the office of President.”

The rally was staged beside a large information booth hosted by the International Socialist Organization, an activist organization that promotes socialist ideology as a solution to the current state of U.S. affairs.

According to ISO’s website, “ISO is committed to building a left alternative to a world of racism, poverty, war, and environmental destruction.”

The speeches began with a condemnation of PSU President Wim Wiewel’s email concerning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Proponents of the BDS ASPSU resolution, which passed last fall, believe Wiewel’s positive attitude toward Israel negatively impacts Palestinian students on campus.

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The first key speaker, Kaitlyn Dey of the PSU Student Union, discussed the similarities between the frustrations of Trump’s cabinet appointees and the PSU Board of Trustees and how improving student involvement can help to promote change within the larger scale of government operations.

“I open up the news every day and I look at Trump’s cabinet picks and I feel hopeless,” Dey said. “[N]ow that Trump’s being elected, there are a lot of people on campus who are now at risk—including people who may be undocumented.”

Dey acknowledged the success of PSU students for pressuring university officials to declare the campus as a sanctuary campus after the week-long string of protests during November’s election week. In regard to asking the BOT to follow up on its plans for the sanctuary campus, however, Dey described the BOT as remaining indignant to the worries of vulnerable students.

Dey said members of PSU Student Union attend BOT meetings because they want to ensure their voices are being heard and acknowledged. “We asked them, ‘What are you going to do about this?’, and they didn’t give us an answer,” Dey said.

“Many of you might not know who the [BOT] are—I will fill you in a little bit,” Dey said. “The BOT is a non-elected governing body of our university and they make many of the most important decisions on our campus.”

Dey referenced the BOT decision to arm campus security with guns and the recent inflation of PSU tuition. In describing BOT

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

meeting format, Dey depicted board members as treating students with curt and abrupt disregard, citing that up until recently, “[The BOT] didn’t even take notes of what students were actually saying.”

The second key speaker was Hanna Eid, a PSU student and ISO member. Eid discussed the topic of activist suppression both at PSU and throughout U.S. foreign policy and how PSU officials have been negligent in supporting student interests.

“We passed a BDS resolution here at PSU, but it was not an easy journey,” said Eid. “Wiewel sent out an email saying the resolution was divisive and ill-informed, and he has made his connections to—inappropriate connections—to the Israeli lobby known at the expense of [Palestinian] students but certainly other students who are advocating for a free Palestine.”

“How this plays into the macro image is— with Donald Trump’s cabinet and their virulent support of the apartheid regime in Israel and many of his cabinet picks are open supporters of settlement building—if not donators,” Eid said. “That’s a tactic that’s been used. It’s essentially neo-McCarthyism and the creation of websites, such as the Canary Mission, that paint activists as anti-Semites and shut down any dialog about the state of Israel because it breaks the status quo.”

“But we are here to let, not only the administration here at PSU now but the Trump administration as well, that we won’t stand for that,” Eid said. “We are going fight for equal rights for all.”

Eid continued by quoting activist Lila Watson: “If you are here to help me, you’re wasting your time. But if you’re here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

Among other speakers was professor Jose Padín, president of Faculty Student Union, who spoke on the importance of student organization and how to navigate the upcoming four years with a plan for civil success.

“There’s no question that in the next four years we are going to face a terrible, adverse, policy climate at a national level,” Padín said.

“So fighting back is going to require a lot of local and state level action, whether it’s workers’ rights, student rights, family rights, immigrant rights, you name it.”

Padín encouraged the crowd not to diminish the intelligence of Trump and his incoming administration.

“The people taking power today, they might look foolish, but they’re not dumb,” Padín said. “Okay? They’re just not. Don’t underestimate your opponent. And, they have the power. Not dumb, and with power. So we have to be smarter and build power of our own.

Let’s not be naive.”

Padín ended his speech stating, “I will also say that we also have a task that when we say solidarity we need to organize and reach out with patience, empathy and compassion to a lot of the people who voted these fools into office and who are going to be hurt by it, OK? Just because, we can’t afford to call our brothers and sisters who voted for this just ‘dumb’.”

“There’s a lot of insecurity out there,” Padín said. “Let’s just have each other’s back.”

Additional reporting by Benjamin Ramey and Andy Ngo

A FLYER PROMOTING THE WALKOUT. ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF PSU AND OTHER STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS ARE LISTED AS INVOLVED IN ORGANIZING THE EVENT. ANDY NGO/PSU VANGUARD

OUR FIRST DAYS

COVER

PSU STUDENTS JOIN THOUSANDS OF DEMONSTRATORS AT #J20 PROTEST

BY ANDY NGO AND BENJAMIN RAMEY

POLICE DEPLOYED SOUND GRENADES, FLASH BANGS AND EVENTUALLY SMOKE AND PEPPER GAS CANISTERS AT THE JAN. 20 PROTEST. BRIANA YBANEZ/PSU VANGUARD As Portland State students ended their walkout in the Park Blocks and began their march toward Pioneer Courthouse Square to join the “Rise Up and Resist Fascism: Inauguration Day Protest,” one of the chants included the phrase, “Down with the whole system [capitalism].”

Philosophy student Justin Richter, who attended the protest at the Square, conveyed that socialism captures the imagination of many students on campus, although they may not be familiar with how socialist theory has been put into practice.

“I don’t think they know what true socialism looks like,” Richter said. “I don’t think they know the kind of things that one would have to give up.”

At Pioneer Courthouse Square, thousands of protesters filled the space carrying such signs as “Fuck Trump” and “White silence = violence.” Several dozen masked anarchists also gathered near the center. A member from the group warned a Vanguard reporter not to record footage of them.

Last November, Portland Police identified some of the masked vandals at the antiTrump protest-turned-riot through video footage and photos.

After sunset, many protesters left the event but around a thousand remained. They marched around downtown Portland and cycled through various slogans representing the diverse group of anti-Trump, pro-choice, Black Lives Matter, pro-migrant and socialist demonstrators.

Some protesters burned American flags and called for a revolution.

“It is our divine right to use violent revolution in order to take our government back,” said Kale McCollough, an engineering student at PSU. “The founding forefathers would roll over in their graves if they knew that our own government was controlled by fascists.”

Tuna, also a student at PSU, held a sign that read, “Witches against Trump.” She said that being a queer woman was among one of the many reasons she came to protest.

“We don’t stand for having a racist, bigoted person as our leader,” Tuna said. “We didn’t choose this, it was forced on us.”

Protesters were eventually blocked from crossing the Steel Bridge by a police-line barricade. The barricade caused TriMet to reroute bus and MAX lines. As protesters made their way south on Naito Parkway,

anti-police sentiment was increasingly reflected in the chants.

Protesters shouted, “Fuck the police” and “All cops are bastards.”

Demonstrators marched back to Pioneer Courthouse Square where more police closed off street access to protest.

Gregory McKelvey, a leader with Portland’s Resistance, told local media the day before the protest that his group would not release their marching routes. “We want to keep [the police] guessing,” McKelvey told KOIN 6.

In contrast to the police’s laissez-faire approach before and during the anti-Trump protest on Nov. 10, 2016, which left many businesses damaged by rioting, the police responded quicker and more forcefully this time.

After the crowd refused to heed the loudspeaker warnings to leave Pioneer Courthouse Square at approximately 8 p.m., police deployed sound grenades, flash bangs and eventually smoke and/or pepper gas canisters. Some media outlets reported that tear gas was used, but Portland Police said in a tweet that it was pepper spray.

The remaining 150 or so protesters dispersed completely by 9 p.m.

AT PIONEER COURTHOUSE SQUARE, THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS FILLED THE SPACE CARRYING SIGNS. BRIANA YBANEZ/PSU VANGUARD

PSU Vanguard •JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE INTERNATIONAL NEWS

RADIO PHOENIX: MUSIC FROM EARTH, NAME FROM SPACE AN INTERVIEW WITH PSU’S HIPHOP/ FUNK / R&B TRIO DEVON WANDERON

Did you know that listening to local music can add approximately 85,001 seconds to your lifespan? What’s that? No, I apologize, unfortunately the scientific journal was consumed by green wildfire. Cue Morgan Freeman narration: “From the ashes of that green inferno, a Radio Phoenix was born, and with it, dope beats were dropped.” Joining us to discuss the classification of said beats: Radio Phoenix, starring Ben Spriggs on keys, Lee Hauser on drums, and Alden Zac on bass.

VANGUARD: First off, what type of genre would you use to label Radio Phoenix?

ALDEN: We usually go with “the funk/hiphop/R&B trio.” Certain types of instrumentals can at times be right in your face, this is more of a “come listen to what we have to say”—not a “I’m going to force you to listen.”

BEN: Literally everything that we like. I mean we all have jazz backgrounds, so really everything that came out of jazz—as nebulous as that phrase is. We’d need a King Henry-esque type of family tree to find each of the specific influences, but I’d say most of the later branches of jazz for sure.

VG: How did you come up with the name Radio Phoenix? How did the band form?

BEN: I went on to NASA’s site for whatever

reason, and found an article about an electron cloud that resurfaced due to nearby star activity, some 1.6 billion light-years away from Earth. Hence the Phoenix rising from the ashes, but [NASA scientists] found the formation through radio waves. Ergo, Radio Phoenix.

LEE: Even the way the group came together was this sort of cosmic occurrence. When I first started going to PSU last year, the very first day I was on campus I passed a guy on the street who was handing out flyers for a rehearsal. I met Alden from that band, who knew Ben. Needless to say, without grabbing that flyer, who knows if we’d ever get together at all.

VG: I like it. So far you’ve released two EPs; any future projects we should be aware of?

RADIO PHOENIX, STARRING (FROM LEFT) ALDEN ZAC, LEE HAUSER AND BEN SPRIGGS. SILVIA CARDULLO/PSU VANGUARD

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PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

ALDEN: So this spring we’re recording Live Beats: Vol. 1, which is up to fifteen hip-hop beats that we’re giving to our fan base as well as to other artists and producers who might be interested in using the tracks for their own recordings. On top of that, we back several singers and rappers from time to time. CJ Mickens, who was Oregon’s soloist of the year for 2016, just took us to the Roseland Theater, and we have an event coming up mid-February at the Paris Theatre. We also back a local singer, Moonbeam Kelly, who has a fantastic voice but hasn’t really had a band to play live with yet. We had a show scheduled, but unfortunately it was postponed due to the snow.

VG: With the closure of Jimmy Mak’s, how do you view the overall jazz scene in the city?

ALDEN: For people who play just jazz, Jimmy Mak’s closing could be a problem; it might hurt the PDX Jazz Fest as well. We deviate from [ jazz] intentionally, which makes us more diverse, so-to-say, and is what we had in mind when we started playing together.

LEE: I haven’t been in Portland long enough to know from first-hand experience, but it seems like it’s a lot of older guys playing in there 5–6 days a week, and the younger guys really have to know the older performers to have a chance to play there. Jimmy Mak’s was a pure jazz spot, with a great stage, so it’s definitely a loss to the community, but for younger performers especially, there are plenty of other spots in the city that you’re still able to play live venues: Solae’s Lounge, The 1905, Living Room Theaters.

VG: Favorite newer/older music?

BEN/LEE/ALDEN: Robert Glasper, Snarky Puppy, Hiatus Kaiyote, D’Angelo, Lettuce, Galactic, Marcus Miller—really anything that can be considered music for your brain and booty.

VG: Most memorable moment playing together?

ALDEN: The Roseland Theater with CJ

Mickens. [Vanguard photo editor] Silvia’s house party. Actually, our first show on the road takes the cake—we played for a crowd in Seattle who were not expecting us at all. We ended up playing with all indie bands, and when we got on stage we went for it with some of our hardest, funkiest, most driven stuff; needless to say you could tell the crowd didn’t know how to feel. Afterward they told us we could crash at their office, so we go to this old warehouse downtown, and when we pull up to the warehouse, they immediately usher us inside. Long story short, inside of the place there are hundreds of old neon signs—apparently the dentist who owns the building is an avid collector—the rest of the warehouse is empty. We go to this corner office with a bookshelf and a few torn-up couches. Nothing special. Turns out the bookshelf leads into a secret room with a ton of records and a box of Red Vine licorice. Definitely one of the reasons why I love being a musician: the unexpected adventure.

VG: What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?

BEN/LEE/ALDEN: No winter tours, period.

Winter’s a good time to write and to rehearse.

Record all of your rehearsals and shows!

VG: Any last words?

BEN: Check us out! RadioPhoenix.xyz is our home site, from there you can explore our current music and our upcoming projects.

ARTS & CULTURE

LITTMAN + WHITE GALLERIES: ART AND ARTISTS IN SMSU GRAY BOUCHAT

GRAY BOUCHAT/PSU VANGUARD Portland State offers a variety of creative outlets for students, including the Littman + White Galleries. These contemporary, student-run galleries offer artwork from national artists as well as peers.

The Littman Gallery is located in room 250 of the Smith Memorial Student Union, and the White Gallery is located in SMSU room 289, a public hallway between rooms 238 and 232.

Each gallery features a new artist every month and hosts regular artist talks and presentations.

The White Gallery is in a prime location, as students walk through it every day to get to class or SMSU’s various study lounges and multicultural centers. Co-curator Carlin Brown always takes this into consideration when envisioning works for the White Gallery. “We really consider the fact that it is a public space,” Brown said. “It’s a transient area. What kind of work speaks to the public audience?”

The galleries feature emerging contemporary artists, both local and international.

Currently on display in the Littman Gallery

is zero vine, an interdisciplinary installation created by Stephen Nachtigall, a Canadianborn artist currently living and working in Eugene; the White Gallery is currently hosting Morbid Symptoms by Portland artist Sarah Levy, famous for her 2015 painting “Whatever,” a graphic and controversial portrait of then-candidate Donald Trump.

Previous artists have come from all around the nation, creating a diverse display of artwork within the galleries.

The Littman also hosts workshops, performances and lectures for any PSU student interested in the arts. On Jan. 18, the Littman Gallery hosted Brazilian-American University of Oregon professor Rick Silva’s presentation of his recent works. Brown chose Silva because she sees his artwork, which integrates technology and nature, as being relevant for PSU students and Portland residents interested in understanding nature and the environment.

“Our goal is to expose PSU to this whole other culture of art that is kind of tough to lay

out in the university,” Brown said. “We are a small part of a very large university, so we try to have programming that hits close to home for a variety of students who might not have that art background.”

Silva spoke to a full crowd of eager and insightful participants. Silva began the presentation with one of his earlier works, “Scratch,” a film project inspired by turntables. One of his newer works was “The Silva Field Guide to Birds of a Parallel Future.” This particular piece was inspired by his recent enthusiasm for birdwatching and a growing interest in multiverses. His presentation was full of inspirational quotes, and the variety of his artwork piqued the audience’s interest.

Silva’s work was greatly inspired by the landscapes of the places he has lived, particularly Colorado, Canada, and Oregon. Another of his recent works involves the ocean and oil spills. In some of his newer pieces, Silva incorporates his computer work with nature; instead of removing the digital element, he

leaves it in as a part of the work as a whole.

“That’s what the software wants, it wants to be part of the painting,” Silva said.

Brown emphasized that the galleries have particular shows which can allow other departments to get involved. “We try to connect our programming to the student body.” Any perception of the Littman Gallery as the exclusive province of art school students is untrue, as the gallery is meant to showcase art for PSU students of all majors.

The Littman Gallery allows all PSU students to submit their work for the fifth annual Juried Exhibition. Students may choose any piece of art they feel most proud of and submit it to the gallery; works are reviewed by the staff and other art professionals, who then select artwork for presentation. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, Jan. 25. Email submissions to submit.lw@gmail.com.

Visit littmanwhite.tumblr.com for more information about getting involved, current artists on display, and future events.

PSU Vanguard •JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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OPINION INTERNATIONAL NEWS

MISTRUST AND SKEPTICISM OF THE CIA THE VALUE IN TRUMP’S CRITICISM

Andy’s Thoughts

by Andy Clark

NIMI EINSTEIN In the first of surely many future presidential controversies, President Donald Trump has come under fire for his recent refusal to acknowledge the Central Intelligence Agency’s report that stated Russia purposefully influenced the U.S. election in his favor.

In response to the allegations brought by the CIA and backed by other intelligence agencies, Trump’s team responded with a statement questioning the findings by saying, “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.”

Trump has been widely derided for his stance, and his reaction to the CIA report had more to do with protecting his presidential reputation than any formulated thought on the CIA or our intelligence community.

The real question is: Was he wrong?

Harry Truman created the CIA through the the National Security Act of 1947. It started as a way to organize the information coming from the Office of Strategic Services and numerous small post-war intelligence operations during World War II. The CIA soon started to outgrow its britches as an intelligence gathering service, prompting a written warning from Truman in an op-ed in the Washington Post in 1963.

In the article Truman warned the American public to re-examine the “purpose and operations of our Central Intelligence

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Agency.” He argued that it is of the utmost importance for a president to have access to “raw” information unfettered from the spin of different departments and agencies.

To combat misleading information, Truman created the CIA with the purpose of collecting all available intelligence reports and making sure they reached his desk free from influence. He specifically warned about the CIA becoming “an operational and at times a policy-making arm of the Government.” He stated that it had already led to “trouble and may have compounded our difficulties in several explosive areas.”

Today, the CIA and intelligence community in general has continued to grow and expand. The United States has a $52.6 billion budget for the National Intelligence Program, with the CIA itself using $14.7 billion, experiencing a 56 percent increase in funding between 2004 and 2013.

Of the U.S. national budget, $17.2 billion is spent specifically on combating terrorism.

The system has grown far beyond its original role of organizing information reports. In addition to its growing budget, the CIA has had growing responsibilities as well. Most recently the intelligence gathering organization has been shipping lethal aid to Syrian rebels and conducting drone strikes in Yemen, two things that are quite beyond the scope of organizing reports.

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

I don’t want to be naive; I know that we live in turbulent times in a world that is not always kind. But I would like to see the United States move forward in peace instead of fear. It can be easy to get caught up in the indignation of Russia meddling in our election, but let us remember that the U.S. has had a strong opinion on the leadership of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Guatemala, Vietnam, Hungary, Laos, Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Congo, Brazil, Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Cambodia, Chile, Australia, Angola, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Panama.

So maybe this is just an end to a road we built.

America creates our own greatest enemies through our actions. A government agency that was originally started to organize intelligence reports now sets dangerous precedents like killing American citizens.

Perhaps this has grown too far out of control.

While I doubt in my heart of hearts that Trump is going to be a president of peace and understanding, refusing to listen to the CIA might be a good start.

After all, it was Harry Truman, the creator of the CIA, who ended his own 1963 op-ed article on the agency by stating, “There is something about the way the CIA has been functioning that is casting a shadow over our historic position and I feel that we need to correct it.”

Today that sentiment still rings true.

WHERE’S THE COFFEE?

OPINION

SEARCHING FOR ARTISAN CAFES ON CAMPUS

TalkFest

by Marie Conner To say I love coffee would be an understatement. Like many college students, coffee is the fuel that keeps me running. Not only do I need coffee to function, but I need a lot of it. And I need it to be exceptional. This is Portland, after all.

Just hook me up to an IV drip.

When I get ready to settle down for a long study session, it’s essential to be close to the source. I want the scent of the dark elixir to fill my nose with its rich aroma, the redolence swirling in my head, feeding the words and ideas growing there.

Writing an extensive paper or diving into a mountainous stack of reading can be easier at a coffee shop than at home, where you’re away from the distraction of dirty dishes and Netflix binging. The problem is that places to study on campus while consuming copious amounts of high-quality caffeine are seriously lacking!

Portland is a coffee town. With an independent roaster always within sprinting distance, we are all used to the good stuff.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that coffee factors into the choice to attend Portland State, but part of our reputation comes from the local crafted goods that draw people to our fair city.

That’s why I am so baffled that the south side of downtown is deficient in hip coffee houses and independent roasters. If we want to study at a comfortable place where we can keep a close eye on our favorite barista, our choices are pretty much limited to Starbucks (gasp!) or the Metro if you can find it, neither of which encompass the ideas of artisan coffee, local roasters, or craft coffee brewing.

I realize I sound like a coffee snob and I’ll own that. I understand that this is a completely Portland issue, not really important in light of some of the more political, global and economic concerns the world is currently facing. That said, this greatly affects my personal daily world.

The PSU community is in desperate need of local coffee roasters on campus.

Our university is a prominent fixture in the center of this beautiful city, sharing a core value of sustainability and community. We tout ethical practices like shopping locally. We host the Farmers Market in the center of our campus where you can get an amazing locally roasted cup from Spunky Monkey’s cart. Yet the coffee served at the kiosks in the Brandford Price Millar Library and Smith Memorial Student Union both are both run by Aramark.

We are lucky enough to have an Olé Latte Coffee cart on SW 5th and Harrison, sourcing only local, small-batch products.

They are awesome, friendly people focusing on sustainability, giving back with their Suspended Coffee board, a pay-itforward system that anyone is free to use. But being a cart, this is not a place to get comfortable.

Since last year’s closing of the art-themed coffee shop on 5th, there is simply no decent coffee house at which to study on campus.

Sure, there is Park Avenue Cafe on SW Park and Market with decent food and plenty of tables, serving Illy coffee,

PARK AVENUE CAFE, LOCATED ON THE CORNER OF MARKET STREET AND PARK AVENUE. STELLA CRABTREE/PSU VANGUARD which is drinkable but not that special and definitely not local.

On the next block down on Clay and Market there is the Energy Bar, where you can get a great smoothie but sub-par coffee. This bar also has sub-par seating.

Next to Eastside Deli there is another Starbucks.

Venturing further from campus, one would find Case Study by the main library, which is exceptional but expensive and not directly part of campus.

I fantasize of the day someone decides to open a local coffee roaster at PSU, where I could sip my artisan cappuccino while admiring the reflections of hipsters in the brass of the corner roaster, the caramel smell of hot fresh beans wafting through the air.

If only Water Avenue Coffee or, dare I suggest it, Coava would figure out how lucrative it would be to drop a shop in our end of downtown. A girl can dream.

PSU Vanguard •JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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PSU Bookstore Board of Directors is Recruiting Board Members!

Gain experience working in a non-profit board of directors, serving on committees in the areas of finance, bylaws, elections, marketing, and charitable giving. Meetings are held monthly. As a non-profit organization, the Board of Directors’ mission is to provide support to students at PSU, while ensuring that the services offered by the campus bookstore are delivered effectively and efficiently.

To apply: Email a resume and a 150-word statement of intent (why you would like to be on the board) to Russ Norton, Executive Director, at nortonr@psubookstore.com.

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PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

ETC

ONE LESS TRUTH

SUBPAR ADVICE FROM THE SUB-BASEMENT JOHN PINNEY ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHLOE KENDALL Just One Less Thing writes: I joined Facebook back before just anybody could be on, but now I don’t really even go online anymore. I don’t update statuses, I don’t stalk my exes. I don’t do anything fun with it. I’m pretty available via text message or whatever…is it okay to pull the plug on the book with the faces?

My Own Truth writes: I don’t really want to have kids. Ever. And when I was younger I did something to make sure I never would. I’m back in the dating game after ending a long-term relationship with a guy who thought he could handle that. Turns out he couldn’t. Now I’ve started talking with this great new guy who could be a sure thing but I’m worried about bringing it up. What if he really wants kids and it’s a deal breaker?

Heya Own Truth,

Style Guidance writes:

Well, if it’s a deal breaker, it’s a deal breaker. I have a real problem with men that want to subjugate women to childbirth just because it makes them feel icky to not let women have their independence. I have a problem with men that think it’s okay to bully others because there’s a “just in case,” as if you don’t know your own mind and aren’t able to actually make decisions for yourself. And I really loathe guys that sit on the fence and try to play both sides so they always end up winning.

I was poor growing up. No, seriously. Really poor. Like cut-up hot dogs and green beans for dinner poor. As a result, I worked hard to become a success and I’m one of the few people in my family who has risen above poverty. To this end, I like to dress up for my daily life.

I only wear brand name clothes and I couldn’t even imagine stepping into a Goodwill these days. I don’t see it as an issue, but during my last break-up, I was accused of being a phony because of it. Am I phony or do I have really good taste and men are just intimidated?

Now, I don’t know what this new guy of yours is like. I’ve never met him. But something inside of you (even if it’s just historical evidence) is nervous. And rightfully so. History’s really not on your side here, neither personally nor universally.

Heya Style Guidance,

The important thing is to actually own the decision you made. I’m not saying have a t-shirt made or business cards printed out, but you have to own it like Cookie from Empire (back when people watched Empire). You need more than anything to be honest with yourself and set a date. That date is the day that you tell him. And then the chips will just have to fall where they may.

Make no excuses for doing what is right for yourself because you made a good choice for yourself and if you respect it, others will too.

Heya Mr./Ms. Thing,

Hearts and Stars (and no babies), Your Advice Guru

I wish I could do what you’re doing. But there are a few people I have to stay in touch with that only seem to be available via Facebook, and sometimes it’s the only way to find out about important events. Honestly, though, I do think it’s gotten past its prime. It’s become very Myspacey, and it’s hard to just scroll your newsfeed thanks to all the ads.

A bit of extra advice on this one: Why are people so worried about others reproducing? If this becomes a thing for you, just tell people that if you ever do want kids that you’ll just adopt.

And if they yammer on and on about God’s will or give some other asinine argument, just level a stare at them and blink until they slink away uncomfortably. Your body, your choice.

(For those who don’t remember Myspace, all social media does tend to eventually go the way of the dodos—but the problem is that we learn to rely on it as a societal crutch and have no idea what to do without it.)

I think Facebook does a lot more harm than good these days, so I say that as long as you have a way to keep in touch with people via email or text or Instagram or whatever, then good for you— if you can quiet that little haunting voice in the back of your head that surely yearns for Uncle Suzy’s approval on that 50th video of your cat playing with a ball of yarn.

Hearts and Stars, Your Advice Guru

…Wait. Hot dogs and green beans for dinner wasn’t something normal for every family? Well, you could smack me with a rolledup newspaper. Congrats on succeeding. I’m sorry people are making you feel like crap.

I get it though, I really do. And I kind of have the same problem now. I’m 30 and I struggle not to buy things at Wal-Mart, because my family couldn’t afford more than 20 bucks for a pair of jeans.

Until last year, I’d never had anything tailored to fit me. And steeling myself to buy a nice pair of Aussie Bum swim trunks that I really liked nearly caused me an economic stroke recently.

But honestly? It’s a tough world. And we have to do what we can to survive.

I respect and also wish to project an image of success. I want to wear nice things. There is nothing wrong with that. And if others are intimidated, well they can just go lick a toad for all I care. If you have the means and it’s ecologically responsible and the clothing isn’t being made in some horrible sweatshop, you have nothing to feel bad about.

I’m excited to purchase my first utilikilt and to have some shirts I own tailored. I shouldn’t be as excited as I am to purchase quality things that will last me. I’m not buying five kilts, I don’t need that many. I’m not buying in excess or frivolously. I’m not Shelley Long at the beginning of Troop Beverly Hills.

Don’t ever let anyone shame you for making you feel less than.

You dress up, Krystle Carrington. You get ready for your life and your events and you own it, and if a man can’t get a hard-on without dragging you down, honey, he’s a bad man. And you can do better. Granted, this may make dating a little hard for you but honestly if a man is that intimidated, he wasn’t gonna be a good partner to begin with. It wasn’t gonna be worth it.

I say get your own horseback riding lessons.

Hearts and Stars, Your Advice Guru

PSU Vanguard •JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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LYDIA WOJACK-WEST

John Pinney

EVENT LISTINGS FOR JAN. 25–31 WEDNESDAY, JAN. 25

FEATURED EVENT COMPANY

JAN. 26–FEB. 26 BROADWAY ROSE THEATER 12850 SW GRANT AVENUE TIGARD, OR 97223 FEE: 30+ Have you ever heard of a Broadway show that came with a parental guidance warning? No? I bet you think all of Broadway is this safe and tame artistic form, sanitized to within an inch of its life, or you think it’s just the subtext from that South Park episode—but you’d be wrong.

Company is the story of Bobby and his group of friends, all married save for him. His journey is not linear, his friends are not always there for the best of times, and his desire to be an utter scaliwag is on full display (warts and all).

Provocative, unapologetically New Yorklike, and if not for Sweeney Todd would probably be the most famous and accessible of all Stephen Sondheim’s works, Company is the Broadway show your mother warned you about (besides Rent, I suppose).

Your faithful event listings guy will be frank with you. He loves this show. Probably a little more than is wise. It’s irreverent, challenging, unadorned, brazen. It’s the perfect show of imperfect people, and although it was written in the 1970s, it’s still eerily current. I hope to see you there.

Warning: If it’s the night of your 35th birthday, this show might just be a little *too* real.

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THINK AND DRINK (ALL AGES) 6:30 P.M. ALBERTA ROSE THEATRE 3000 NE ALBERTA STREET FEE: $7.50+

Come and spark up a conversation with fellow Portlanders about issues of race, gentrification, and urban renewal. Special guests include Rhea Combs of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gwen Carr of Oregon Black Pioneers, and Black Girl in Suburbia director Melissa Lowery. Minors OK with guardian.

BALLETBOYZ 7:30 P.M. ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL 1037 SW BROADWAY FEE: $26+ ($5 ARTS FOR ALL TICKETS MAY BE AVAILABLE)

The stunningly masculine British ballet troupe is back in Portland with an ode to the Earth and the life that springs from it.

Come see this muscular and provocative tribute. Fans to cool yourself down with must be self-provided.

THURSDAY, JAN. 26 BARNEY FRANK 7 P.M. LINCOLN RECITAL HALL FREE

One of the leading Dems in today’s world, Barney Frank will be bringing his talk, “Democratic Values after Trump: A Frank View” about democratic values.

QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS 10 P.M. NO FUN BAR 1709 SE HAWTHORNE BOULEVARD 21+ FREE

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 24, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

Specializing in spinning vinyl records, DJs Nicky TrashCans and Jonny Ampersand are here to put you in a spin in a variety of genres.

FRIDAY, JAN. 27 OPERA VS. BROADWAY: MUSICAL CABARET JAN. 27, 7 P.M. JAN. 28, 3 P.M. MILEPOST 5 850 NE 81ST AVENUE FEE: $15

This musical cabaret aims to answer the ultimate question: What’s better, the Broadway show or the opera that inspired it? There will be musical battles between Rent and La Boheme, Chicago and Rigaletto, A Chorus Line and La Traviata, and more. Towel girls and a referee will help crown a vocal victor.

TRAILBLAZERS V. GRIZZLIES 7 P.M. MODA CENTER FEE: $11+

It’s basketball season here in Rip City! Come watch Dame and CJ take on Memphis.

SATURDAY, JAN. 28 KIDS DIVERSITY DAY 10 A.M.–4 P.M. OODLES 4 KIDS TOY STORE 7727 SE 13TH AVENUE FREE

Spend the day celebrating the Chinese New Year with a 12-foot dragon dance, crafts, games, food, and prizes for the whole family.

BASE CAMP COLLABOFEST 2–8 P.M. BASE CAMP BREWING 930 SE OAK STREET 21+ FEE: $25–40

Have you ever wondered what would happen if all of your favorite microbrews tinkered in one festive space? This is a great place to get your answer. There are currently

16 local breweries on the docket for this year, all coming together in the spirit of good fun.

SUNDAY, JAN. 29 CYMATIC MARBLING PAINT STATION 10:30 A.M.–1:30 P.M. PORTLAND CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 4015 SW CANYON ROAD FEE: FREE (MEMBERS), $11 (NON-MEMBERS)

CymaSpace presents a way for those with hearing impairments (and those without) to learn about and capture sound waves with paint. Come make visual art to take home and hang on the fridge.

MOCHITSUKI 2017 11 A.M.–4 P.M. SMITH MEMORIAL STUDENT UNION 1825 SW BROADWAY FEE: $12 (ADULTS), $9 (SENIORS AND STUDENTS), $5 CHILDREN

This annual celebration of Japanese-American food, art, rock bands, Taiko drumming, and other cultural experiences often sees almost 2000 in attendance. This year will also offer kimono dressing and photos provided by the good folks at Newcon PDX. Remember to pace yourself, as there will be a lot to do, see, and eat.

SLC PUNK JAN. 27, 7 P.M. & 9:30 P.M., JAN. 28, 7 P.M. & 9:30 P.M. JAN. 29, 3 P.M. 5TH AVENUE CINEMA 510 SW HALL STREET FEE: FREE FOR PSU STUDENTS W/ID, OTHER STUDENTS $3, GENERAL ADMISSION $4

Cult classic “slice of punk life” starring Matthew Lillard (remember him?), Michael Goorjian, and Annabeth Gish. Popcorn, as always, is free for all.