Portland State Vanguard, vol. 71 issue 21

PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

VOLUME 71 • ISSUE 21 • FEBRUARY 7, 2017

THE REALITY OF A SANCTUARY CAMPUS

INTERNATIONAL

NEWS

ARTS & CULTURE

OPINION

P. 3

P. 5

P. 10

P. 13

CAN TRUMP REALLY BUILD HIS WALL? ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS FIND OUT.

THE BUDGET IS IN FOR STUDENT-FUNDED PROGRAMS.

GREEK MYTH & ROARING ‘20 s ADVENTURISM

COUNTING DOWN TO THE APOCALYPSE

CONTENTS

STAFF

DISSECTING THE ARCHITECTURAL REALITY OF BUILDING A WALL AT MEXICAN BORDER

P. 3

COMMUNITY RESPONDS TO EXECUTIVE ORDERS

P. 7

PSU JAZZ MUSICIANS FIND THEIR VOICES

P. 8

P. 11

ADVICE FOR ALL THE LOVERS OUT THERE

MANAGING EDITOR Tim Sullivan

MARKETING DESIGNER Skylar Nguyen

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Alanna Madden

DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGER Chaitanya Deshpande Venkate Naga Sai Dilip Daneti

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Matthew Andrews

ADVERTISING

OPINION EDITOR Jennee Martinez

IS PRESIDENT TRUMP A CLASSIC BATMAN VILLAIN?

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colleen Leary

NEWS EDITOR Jon Raby

WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SANCTUARY CAMPUS?

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

EDITORIAL

P. 14

P. 15

COVER ILLUSTRATION BY NIMI EINSTEIN, DESIGN BY AARON OSBORN

ADVERTISING MANAGER Madelaine Eivers

INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Alex-Jon Earl

ADVERTISING DESIGNER Sam Hicks

COPY CHIEF Thomas Spoelhof

ADVERTISING SALES Michael Hardy Ilyse Espino Caitlyn Malik

COPY EDITORS John Falchetta Harlie Hendrickson Jacoba Lawson

ADVISING & ACCOUNTING ADVERTISING ADVISER Ann Roman

ONLINE EDITOR Andrew D. Jankowski

STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher

CONTRIBUTORS Astrud Benson Cassie Duncanson Kevin Hadsell Ryan Morse John Pinney Christian Poindexter Anamika Vaughan Ben Woollard

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.

COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood To contact Vanguard staff members, visit psuvanguard.com/contact.

To get involved and see current job openings, visit psuvanguard.com/jobs

PHOTO & MULTIMEDIA

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.

PHOTO EDITOR Silvia Cardullo PHOTOGRAPHERS Emma Josephson Jacob Salazar Roosevelt Sowka Briana Ybanez MULTIMEDIA MANAGER Andy Ngo

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aaron Osborn

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.

THE VANGUARD’S ANNUAL LOVE & SEX GUIDE IS ALMOST HERE AND WE NEED YOUR KINKY INPUT! DON’T BE A STRANGER... UNLESS YOU’RE INTO THAT KIND OF THING ;) PLEASE VISIT US ONLINE AT

PSUVANGUARD.COM/KINKSTERS FOR MORE INFORMATION AND MAKE YOUR SEX COUNT! POLL CLOSES THURSDAY, FEB. 9 AT MIDNIGHT

INTERNATIONAL

ARCHITECTURE THESIS STUDENTS EXPLORE THE IDEA OF A MEXICO-US BORDER WALL CHRISTIAN POINDEXTER Portland State architecture students Alex Ruiz, Genevieve Wasser and Janna Ferguson recently took two weeks to drive the length of the Mexico–U.S. border in order to assess the proposed border wall which President Donald Trump said he is already initiating. The trip was an opening step in their respective master’s theses projects and was funded by a $2,000 scholarship awarded by the Rudy Barton Travel Fellowship.

“The wall is impossible from a natural resources, as well as from a purely physical standpoint,” Wasser said. One reason the group cited that the wall was impractical was that much of the border rests on flood plains, and that the floods which already cause damage to the current fence would be a huge challenge to structural integrity and upkeep of the wall.

The students, friends before they took on the project, decided to analyze Trump’s and many Americans’ aspirations for their

master’s theses last December when the then presidential candidate first proposed the wall, Ruiz said. The group alluded that the project was conceived when Trump began denouncing people of Mexican heritage in general and promising the wall during his campaign.

The group’s project is titled “Architecture as Migration: Rerendering the U.S.–Mexico border through the Act of Storytelling.” In addition to analyzing the huge physical, environmental, and financial challenges which building the wall would face, they also told the story of what life is like in some of the border regions the wall would bisect. They examined the social upheaval that implementing a wall would cause to these communities.

The group explained that many of the towns on the border form “integrated communities,” singular communities which straddle the border and depend on one another for economic and social support. The group cited specific

JAN. 28

FROM LEFT: STUDENTS JANNA FERGUSON AND GENEVIEVE WASSER TALK TO ARCHITECTS TEDDY CRUZ AND FONNA FORMAN FROM ESTUDIO CRUZ IN SAN DIEGO, CA. COURTESY OF PSU UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS towns in the area that were generally proud of their integrated status and that they live in different nations but rely integrally on each other.

Currently there are around 700 miles of fencing on much of the border as well as heavy U.S. surveillance such as blimps, land vehicles and U.S. military. There are also many places where no physical barrier exists due to the rugged landscape or because the areas are simply not monitored or kept up.

The border also runs through private land, some of it being the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. The team stated in their presentation that the sovereign nation occupies land in both Mexico and the U.S. and has issued comments saying that it will not be building a wall on its land anytime soon.

Associate professor of architecture Jeff Schnabel advised the project.

“What they were doing in their travel was only the first fragment of an architectural thesis,” Schnabel said. “The heavy lifting is happening between now and May.” He elaborated that in the coming months the group is expected to “take a full spectrum of information, including their travels, and translate this into proposals for the built environment.”

The students finished by stating that the the trip “very much changed how we think about the border.” They said that instead of thinking of the border as just a national line, they now understand its nature as a thriving and culturally unique community, which if split by the wall could be disruptive socially and economically.

WORLDWIDE

In response to President Donald Trump’s executive order banning refugees, visa holders and other immigrants, thousands poured into the streets while hundreds of citizens of countries included in the ban were left stranded at airports, on airplanes, or abroad.

JAN. 29 QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC, CANADA

A white supremacist opened fire on a mosque during evening prayers killing six. The terrorist act was carried out by Alexandre Bissonnette and further injured 19 beyond those killed. Bissonnette, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump and Marine Le Pen, entered the mosque just before evening prayers.

JAN. 31 LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

The Alan Turing Law, a blanket pardon for those convicted of being homosexual in the United Kingdom, received its royal assent and went into immediate implementation. The law is named after the scientist Alan Turing, whose efforts during World War II helped the Allies immensely, but who ended life tortured by the U.K. government for his sexuality.

FEB.2 WASHINGTON, D.C.

Jan. 28– Feb. 3 Alex-Jon Earl

President Donald Trump’s call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull took a turn for the odd when Trump blasted the Aussie PM for a standing refugee transfer agreement and then proceeded to brag about his electoral win and popularity before abruptly hanging up.

FEB.2 WASHINGTON, D.C.

President Trump also called Mexico and allegedly threatened to invade them for being bad hombres.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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NEWS NEWS

‘NEW CAMPUS THOUGHT POLICE’: FREETHINKERS OF PSU PRESENT DIALOGUE ON FREE SPEECH

BY THOMAS SPOELHOF AND BENJAMIN RAMEY

Amid tensions of the recent election cycle and questionable actions of the new United States president, a welling consensus emerges that the substantive engagement of ideas is under attack on university campuses throughout the nation.

Are the values of free speech and free thought still advocated on higher education campuses in our country?

The question was addressed as the student group Freethinkers of PSU, in conjunction with the Center for Inquiry Portland, hosted an evening of dialogue and critical thought on Jan. 27 in Portland State’s Hoffmann Hall. The presentation titled “The New Campus Thought Police” promised audience members frank discussion regarding the challenges of free speech and free thought in an era of political correctness gone awry.

Controversy accompanied anticipation of the event, as the slate of scheduled speakers included PSU philosophy professor Peter Boghossian, American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Christina Hoff Sommers, and political talk show host Dave Rubin. Each of the speakers have faced scrutiny for their polemic positions on hotly-contested issues within the current political climate.

“We cannot allow civil society to fall to the idea that if somebody holds a belief that’s offensive, that we have to punch them,” Boghossian said, in reference to the recent assault on alt-right figure Richard Spencer by an inauguration protester on live TV. “But even more than that, that doesn’t give those people the chance to revise their beliefs.”

According to the Freethinkers of PSU/CFI Facebook post description of the event, the topics of interest were to include “honest and unfiltered conversation about the controversial subjects of free speech and political correctness on college campuses. This will include issues such as microaggressions, trigger warnings, safe spaces, cultural appropriation, victimhood culture, and more.”

The speakers delivered on their promise of fecund dialogue, as Boghossian, Sommers and Rubin spoke for about 45 minutes, exchanging banter and anecdotal conjecture on the fragile zeitgeist of critical thought among university campuses nationwide.

Hoff Sommers, often contended for her outspoken views on radical feminism, concurred with Boghossian’s sentiment concerning the free and open exchange of differing opinions.

“It’s time for a sensible, civil majority,” Hoff Sommers said.

“Forget your identity. Transcend your identity to commit to higher purposes.”

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SPEAKERS (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) DAVE RUBIN, CHRISTINA HOFF SOMMERS AND PETER BOGHOSSIAN IN HOFFMAN HALL. EMMA JOSEPHSON/PSU VANGUARD “If the people in your movement are suffering from a lack of kindness and compassion, it’s probably not a good movement,” Boghossian added.

Rubin coupled the jeopardy of free speech on college campuses with its potential to leave graduates unprepared for critical discourse in the professional world.

“It seems like a great setup,” Rubin said. “It’s a setup of taking young minds, protecting them from other ideas and then you put them in the real world where those things don’t exist.

And then it’s very easy to manipulate people who have been protected from certain ideas.”

According to Boghossian, refusing to consider and contemplate others’ viewpoints can also lead to the entrenchment of those viewpoints.

“You don’t teach somebody a lesson by beating them,” Boghossian added. “That only reinforces the beliefs they already have.”

The opening of the Q&A segment of the night was met with enthusiasm, as those in agreement with and opposition to the views of the speakers took turns at the mic, furthering the analysis and exchange of wide-ranging sentiments.

“I just feel it’s important to entertain various points of view and at least be open to discussing certain topics, even if you might disagree with the speaker,” said PSU English major Josh Green. “I feel like compromise is based on communication, so people with different points of view need to at least let the voice of the other group be heard, whether you find common ground or not. I feel that’s the starting point for progress.”

Hoffmann Hall housed the standing-room-only attendance for the event with an audience visibly attentive and contemplative.

PSU graduate student Josue Rodriguez plans to teach social studies professionally and found the fuss surrounding freedom of speech and the exchange of differing opinions relevant to inspiring critical thought in his future classroom.

“I’m here to hear a broader range of discussion on these issues, even if I don’t agree with everything they say,” Rodriguez said. “Hopefully we can have a civil discussion about these complicated issues where people have a variety of opinions without people silencing the discussion.”

Guyar Vial of PSU student group Turning Point USA commented on what he views as a hostile environment on campus regarding opposing viewpoints: “I find it quite ironic that there are multiple Facebook groups dedicated to disrupting this tonight, which only

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

proves its point,” Vial said. “I think it’s absolutely ludicrous the amount of leftist doublethink here on campus. In every single one of my classes, if I espouse anything other than a leftist viewpoint I am immediately shouted down by the entire class and often times professors.”

The event was at some point faced with contention, as local Facebook group Rose City Antifa had posted a call to action among interested protesters to disrupt and shut down the presentation. A message posted on the group’s Facebook page on Jan. 27 read, in part, as follows (represented as written): “While the PSU Free thinker’s certainly claims to be a secular humanist group fighting for free speech; the decision to host an event mocking the need for safe spaces when women, LGBTQ people, and POC are watching their basic rights evaporate by the hour under the Trump regime shows that in fact this group has a reactionary agenda. Depite the fantasy of white male victimhood at the hands of the ‘PC Police’, the actual power dynamics in our society are exactly the opposite.”

The post also called for activists to contact various university officials via phone or written correspondence and offered a scripted letter for protesters intent on shutting the event down. Unconfirmed reports of threats made to event organizers included plans to physically disrupt the scheduled lecture.

Rose City Antifa posted a statement allegedly received from the chair of the PSU Philosophy department stating the Philosophy department did not support the talk but could do nothing to stop it. Noah Sharpsteen, adjunct professor and department office manager, later confirmed that no such statement had been made.

However, the day of the event, a post on the group’s Facebook page declared a reversal of planned interference and no known presence of Rose City Antifa at the speaking engagement occurred. No representatives of Rose City Antifa could be reached for comment at the time of the writing of this article.

Although PSU Freethinkers’ discussion “The New Campus Thought Police” was presented without interruption and those in attendance remained civil, just five days later the campus of UC Berkeley erupted in violent protest over the scheduled appearance of notorious Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos, even after the event was cancelled and protesters achieved their objective.

NEWS

STUDENT FEE COMMITTEE 2018 BUDGET APPROVED ANAMIKA VAUGHAN INFOGRAPHIC BY NIMI EINSTEIN

On Jan. 23, the Student Finance Committee’s budget proposal for the 2018 financial year was approved 25-0-1 by the Associated Students of Portland State University senate.

The budget, which includes an increase to the student incidental fee of $17, will now be forwarded to university President Wim Wiewel for approval.

The senators expressed confidence in the work of the SFC on the budget proposal, which took over 250 hours to complete. No recommendations or alterations were suggested by the senators in the meeting.

“I think these people were the most qualified to put the budget together, at least in this room,” said Senator Nicholas Hash. “I feel like their budget is the best we’re going to get, and so I can’t see a strong reason to argue with anything on it. I’m gonna put my trust in the committee that they did their job properly.”

To offset the fee increase to students, the SFC included a reduction to the student building fee of $9 per term, and $7 for summer term. Combined with the student incidental fee changes, it would bring students’ total increase down to $8.

The biggest change in budgets is the defunding of Green Roots Cafe, The Rearguard and Portland Review. Since last year’s SFC budget allocation, Green Roots Cafe has closed, and the Rearguard combined with the Portland Spectrum to become student media’s monthly magazine, Pacific Sentinel.

Portland Review was absorbed into PSU’s English department and no longer receives funds from student fees.

Next year’s allocation shows significant increases for both Pacific Sentinel and the Vanguard after the elimination of the Student Media advertising department. The apparent increase reflects and equalizes the loss of ad revenue for affected organizations.

Each of the 39 fee-funded areas saw a 5 percent base reduction from their 2017 financial year budget due to a variety of factors: decreasing student enrollment; increases in cost-of-living allowance and other personnel expenses; and a minimum wage raise from $9.75 to $11.25. The student incidental fee increase will cover the increase in student wages and allow programs such as the Queer Resource Center and Student Legal Services to continue their current level of programming.

One of the goals of the administration had been to increase student wages to $15, but SFC Chair Jemila Mohamed explained that this was not feasible right away and would have required a larger increase in the student incidental fee.

“Raising the minimum wage to $15 was something we decided we couldn’t do without a show of wide support from the student body,” said SFC member Andy Mayer.

The university president will have 10 business days from Jan. 31 to either accept the SFC’s proposal or to notify the SFC of any changes under consideration. Once approved by the president, the budget will be forwarded to the Board of Trustees.

“The final recommendation to the [BOT] is due on March 1, and then the [BOT] will meet on March 8, which I assume is when they will make a decision,” Mohamed said.

“Fiscal Year 2018 starts on July 1, 2017, which is when everything will go into effect.”

If approved by the university president and BOT, students can expect to see the fee increase in the 2018 Fall Term.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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NEWS

PSU TO DECIDE ON TUITION INCREASE IN APRIL JON RABY

On Jan. 26 Portland State Finance and Administration met with the Board of Trustees to further discuss PSU’s budget challenges and decide if a raise in student tuition was absolutely necessary. In conclusion, BOT loosely agreed that discussion of a tuition increase upward of 9 percent would be required.

PSU is expecting a deficit of approximately $14.3 million for the 2018 fiscal year budget, though the exact number is unknown as tuition and state funding figures have not been finalized.

To maintain the current service level for the university, there is often an increased need in funding from the previous year.

“For FY18, we anticipate that costs will increase by approximately 4.2 percent above the FY17 general fund budget,” said Andria Johnson, university budget director at PSU. “This factors in costs related to collective bargaining agreements, increases in the retirement and health benefit rates, and general inflation of 2 percent on most services and supplies.”

Pre-budget concerns at the meeting included an introduction to new hires at PSU: Karen Powell as director of Facilities and Property Management, Isaac Dixon as associate vice president for Human Resources, and Vince Elmore as the new campus police lieutenant. Elmore spent 27 years on the Portland Police Bureau.

Dan Zalkow, associate vice president of Planning, Construction & Real Estate, presented on PSU’s newest capital project.

Construction on a new building at 4th and Montgomery would need BOT approval by April of this year to stay on schedule for a September 2020 opening and to best utilize government funds. The building would house the graduate school of education and community retail space.

Kevin Reynolds, vice president of F&A, presented on long-range institutional planning within the General Fund Budget. He was clear that projections have to be made to do this, including state funding figures, enrollment figures, enrollment makeup, and how much school costs will change. The forecast didn’t feature an increase in staff.

“I’d be happy and delighted for us to push and pull those assumptions, but we have to make assumptions,” Reynolds said.

There has been a decline in student enrollment at PSU, most notably with the loss of nearly 2,000 in-state students over the last five years. This means less tuition and a lower degree of state funding.

Reynolds suggested PSU build a budget based on baseline expenses rather than assuming PSU can increase tuition over the next few years. F&A uses yield and persistence trends for the last five years to determine a baseline with minimal growth assumptions.

F&A also presented a model with a 2–3 percent increase in student tuition revenue.

PSU tuition has increased every year since 2006–07. The largest increase was in 2007–08 at approximately 11 percent. Some years saw increases as low as 1 percent, and larger increases were often

A BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING FROM DECEMBER 2016. ROOSEVELT SOWKA/PSU VANGUARD made on years where larger increases in enrollment happened.

Provost Sona Andrews spoke on academic opportunities and enrollment planning, specifically focused on strategic enrollment planning, how to get more students to attend, and an estimation of where students will enroll. Andrews also mentioned the increasing demand for online courses at PSU. PSU schools and colleges turned in their own strategic enrollment management plans to the department of Academic Affairs on Jan. 25, and that data will be analyzed and pushed upon.

Tuition makes up a significantly larger portion of PSU revenues, approximately twice as much as state funding.

One potential model F&A brought to the meeting included a 9 percent increase for in-state students in the first year of a biennial, and 5 percent for the second year, with outof-state tuition raising 5 percent each year.

This is a model which could continue for multiple biennials.

BOT can make decisions on tuition, set funds aside for risk abatement, and decide

expenditure reductions. They do not control enrollment growth or state allocations.

“I think that the way that I interpret what you are saying here—we have to raise tuition aggressively, unfortunately,” said BOT member Irving Levin, speaking to Reynolds.

“Then we have to cut what we can cut now.

But then we have to continue to look at how to rationalize cost in the face of something that’s just getting worse and worse.”

BOT member Christine Vernier said she believed the state would have to figure something out in the upcoming years, most likely through another tax measure.

“I worry that driving out higher levels of reductions now takes away any infrastructure, any capabilities to deal with shifting enrollment battles or recruiting,” Reynolds said.

“The F&A committee will meet again in April, at which time they will be reviewing a tuition recommendation from the president as well as other business,” Johnson said. “The F&A committee will then take their recommendation to the full Board later in April, who will vote on the actual tuition increase.”

VIKS SUFFER THIRD STRAIGHT LOSS TO CONFERENCE RIVAL EASTERN WASHINGTON MYLES BOYNS The PSU Women’s Basketball Team, 10–12, looked to bounce back after its first home loss of the season last Thursday, this time against rival the Eastern Washington University Eagles, 13–9, this past Saturday at the Peter W. Stott Center. The Eagles had the Viks’ number as they defeated PSU 68–62.

In the first quarter, the Viks got off to a slow start as the Eagles held them to only 7 points. EWU’s physical defense worked well against PSU, limiting the team’s field goal percentage to 23.1 percent.

“First quarter we were a little bit rattled,” said PSU head coach Lynn Kennedy. “[EWU] did a good job coming out with intensity.”

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PSU improved its offense in the second quarter. It was a roller coaster of momentum for the Viks as they closed the Eagles’ lead to 1 point, but whenever PSU tried to sneak up on EWU, the Eagles always found a way to distance themselves from the Viks. EWU led 30−24 going into the half.

In the second half, the intensity picked up. Not only from the players but the fans as well. The fans let the refs know their opinions after a call was made that sparked a fire for both teams.

“We play hard, we get after it,” Kennedy said.

PSU went on a quick run and was able to cut the Eagles lead back to 1. EWU again found a

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

way to run away from PSU. The Eagles played physical defense, sending the Viks to the line for free throws often. PSU’s comeback was short lived as the Eagles ultimately topped the Viks 68–62.

Viks guard Ashley Bolston recorded 18 pts., 6 of 15 FG attempts, 5 rebounds , 4 assists, 4 steals. Courtney West recorded a double– double with 13 pts., 5 of 8 FG attempts, 10 rebounds.

Eagles forward Ashli Payne also had a double–double with 13 pts., 2 of 12 FG attempts, 9 of 10 FT, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals.

The Viks go on the road next week to take on the Idaho State Bengals on Feb. 9, at 6 p.m.

THE EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY EAGLES DEFEATED THE PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS 68–62. JACOB SALAZAR/ PSU VANGUARD

NEWS

TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS TAKING A TOLL ON PSU STUDENTS ASTRUD BENSON

MANY OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS HAVE INCITED STRONG REACTIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. BRIANA YBANEZ/PSU VANGUARD Since Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America, he has signed a number of controversial executive orders. Among these are provisions to nullify crucial parts of the Affordable Care Act, constricting mobility and public communication for agencies such as the EPA or other scientific agencies, ordering the construction of the 2,000-mile-long wall to act as a border between the U.S. and Mexico, the defunding of sanctuary cities, and orders allowing the Keystone and Dakota Access pipelines to be built.

Recently, Trump has signed an order called “Protection Of The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into The United States,” which blocks Syrian refugees from entering the United States. Immigration from “terrorprone” nations in the Middle East, specified as Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, have also been suspended.

“I’m going back to [my home country] for my sister’s wedding in March and will have to come back to continue studying, meaning I’m going to go through the ‘extreme vetting,’” said a PSU student who wished to remain anonymous. “I am sure that I will be able to come back and continue my studies as all of my forms are in order, but there’s always this overbearing feeling of stress that I feel whenever I travel because I know that I am looked at differently and interacted with differently because of my race and religious background. I worry I can’t come back to my college life here after that.” “[As] someone with multiple health ailments and a regular user of birth control and mental health medication, I fear the cost of keeping my sanity and reproductive

health in check will be greatly jeopardized,” said Hanna Mae El-warari.

El-warari is a daughter of immigrants; her father is an independent business owner, and her mother is working on a project that will rebuild farmhouses into housing centers for at-risk families. She also expressed worry over the immigration and travel restrictions on countries with a majority of Arab-Muslim peoples.

Women’s Resource Center representative Kayla Townsley explained that her healthcare is in jeopardy with the repeal of the ACA and removal of its provisions.

“I know the impact of a lot of the executive orders won’t affect me as deeply, and some won’t impact me directly at all,” Townsley said. “I think as far as my physical well-being, I am most concerned about the destruction of the ACA and the removal of reproductive rights both as a sex-positive woman and as an individual with mental illness.”

“Of President Trump’s executive orders, those dealing with immigration definitely have a particular impact on us as Chicanx/Mexican-descent students,” said Julian Bugarín Quezada, representing PSU’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán’s, highlighting that Trump’s executive orders unfairly target the Latinx/Chicanx populations in the country. “The construction of the wall itself is a clear act of hate against people coming from Latin America seeking to escape poverty and/or violence that was instigated by the United States’ foreign policy with Latin America.”

“The executive orders to build a wall along the Mexican border and defund sanctuary

cities are especially concerning,” Quezada time, [the] Philippines will fall under the ban said. as well.”

“Since many of us are undocumented or “Being an environmental studies major, the have immediate family or close friends that are executive order effectively temporarily shutundocumented, sanctuary cities are important ting down the EPA will affect me the most,” because it protects predominantly [us] from explained PSU student Summer Dean. being racially profiled regardless of… citi- “Federal funding for environmental work, eszenship status… [allowing us to ] live [our] pecially dealing with climate change, has all lives without the fear of being sent back to been halted. Scientists can no longer publish countries that they may no longer consider to their peer-reviewed work without political be home.” review…This is a huge violation of our rights as “Morally and symbolically, the wall is a rep- citizens to have access to truth and facts about resentation of racism our own planet.” and xenophobia,” said “The current poanother anonymous litical climate is PSU student. “It is intense, to say the an embarrassment, least,” said another and somewhat neglianonymous student. gent, for the United “But in times like States to pursue this these, I try to rekind of foreign polmind myself of icy. Economically, it is a famous Martin U.S. citizens that will Luther King Jr. end up paying for the q u ot e : ‘ T h e a r c wall since Trump’s of the moral uniplans to institute a verse is long, but 20 percent import ~PSU INTERNATIONAL STUDENT it bends toward tax on Mexico will justice.’” translate directly “Large deporinto goods and sertations like this vices being more expensive for the average aren’t new,” emphasized Flores and Castillo. consumer.”

“While [these orders] makes us fearful, other “Some 3,000 Filipinos could be deported un- things give us hope. Hopeful [that] peoder these executive orders,” said Sharlynne ple who are uniting against these executive Flores and Jhus Castillo of PSU’s Kaibigan in orders [are] opening their eyes to the problems a shared statement. “Although the Philippines we have in the U.S. [which are] undeniable by isn’t currently under the ban…Trump had listed the protests that have been rising up across the Philippines as a terrorist nation… [I]n due the nation.”

“...there’s always this overbearing feeling of stress that I feel whenever I travel because I know that I am looked at differently and interacted with differently because of my race and religious background. “

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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COVER

THE REALITY OF A SANCTUARY CAMPUS

A LOOK AT PSU’S DECLARATION AND WHAT’S AT STAKE

JON RABY

Portland state president wim wiewel declared PSU a sanctuary campus on Nov. 18, 2016, committing to refuse enforcement of federal immigration laws. Since then, many have been left wondering how this affects students and how seriously the federal government will take the declaration as a threat to its authority.

On Jan. 31 the American Council on Education sent a letter signed by 46 higher education associations representing hundreds of universities, including the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, of which PSU is a member, to the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security John Kelly. The letter states that Trump’s visa ban “has created uncertainty and fear across the country and on our campuses.” The letter asks DHS to be flexible “whenever possible for students and scholars who clearly pose no threat.”

PSU currently has 64 students enrolled who are from one of the seven countries with a visa ban and approximately 80 students who are a part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. It is unknown how many students attend PSU without legal residency.

A SANCTUARY CAMPUS

“[It]’s more of a symbolic activity, to go after sanctuary campuses, that doesn’t really buy the federal government anything,” said PSU President Wim Wiewel. “It doesn’t get them anything, so I frankly don’t expect much action there. But it’s possible that a year from now the laws and regulations regarding what it means to be a DACA student may look different than they do right now.”

Days before Wiewel declared the campus a sanctuary, PSU students walked out of class to protest the results of the U.S. presidential election. One portion of this walkout, which identified no specific organizers, was a march to the president’s office and the reading of a demand letter focused on the creation of a sanctuary campus. The letter was left in the lobby for the Board of Trustees at PSU. It is unknown whether the list of demands spurred the declaration of a sanctuary campus two days later, but PSU and Reed College were among the first campuses in the nation to declare sanctuary status.

Protests since the election have been numerous in Portland, including two days of protest at Portland International Airport on Jan. 28–29, which specifically protested an execu-

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tive order signed by President Donald Trump to ban entry from seven predominantly Muslim countries. Mayor Ted Wheeler joined this protest at one point, despite conflicts with many of the protesters over force used on previous protests in the city.

There has been some backlash toward activism in Portland as well. In a press release around the subject of free speech by Oregon Association of Scholars on Feb. 3, PSU professor Dr. Bruce Gilley stated, “Recent events in Oregon and around the country show that intolerant student groups are being allowed to muzzle free speech and impose their own ideological preferences on the campus community.”

On Dec. 22, 2016 Multnomah county voted unanimously to be a sanctuary county. The city council of Portland has not yet voted on Portland’s future as a sanctuary city, but “state law generally forbids state and local government resources from using public resources to enforce immigration laws,” according to Portland’s Office of the City Auditor.

ONE PSU STUDENT

Bashar Al-Daomi is getting his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at PSU, advanced wastewater treatment processes, as well as a second master’s degree at UNESCOIHE, Institute for Water Education this year.

His first engineering degree was earned at the University of Baghdad, where after graduation he was a faculty member for another four years.

The Iraqi government awarded him a scholarship to attend PSU where he has been studying since 2013.

In 2003 he was a student in Baghdad and experienced the American-Iraqi war. “It was quite horrible situations when you see everything around you damaged in your country because of the war, but I remember we had a hope!” AlDoami said, and continued that the hope was rooted in moving toward a Western way of education, health and economics.

“In modern Iraq in about 2008, the Iraqi government developed an agreement with USA to work together and share and apply the American values in terms of democracy, human rights, discrimination restrictions based on color, religion, and racism,” Al-Daomi said.

Al-Daomi has an impressive resume of contributions to PSU: teaching assistant, grad-student mentor, mentor leader, leadership awards committee member, student sustainability advisory board and former leader at Iraqi Student Association at PSU.

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Al-Doami is a Muslim student and said he has used PSU’s prayer room, but only one time. “I do not like to participate in religious events on campus,” he said. “I love to be in social and cultural events and be a volunteer.”

MONETARY RISK OF BEING A SANCTUARY CAMPUS

Mike Johnson, director of the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at PSU said it was impossible to predict if the Federal government would cut funds to PSU. “We also don’t know what actions the government would consider violations that would warrant a response,” Johnson said.

If PSU loses its federal funding, the effect on students will be severe.

“If legislation were passed that resulted in ‘sanctuary campuses’ losing the ability to participate in federal financial aid programs, students would no longer be able to receive Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Federal TEACH Grants, Federal Work-Study, or Federal Direct Loans,” Johnson said.

The university risks losing research and grant funding provided by the federal government as well. In 2016 these grants equaled $42.7 million.

“The important thing there is [a cutoff of federal funds] cannot just be done by an executive order,” Wiewel said. “Anything like that would require legislation. So that’s a long process. There would be lawsuits.”

Wiewel went on to talk about our working with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and other associations for universities. Doing so keeps the school up to date on what is going on at the Federal level and how to litigate collectively.

If the school were put in a place to lose federal funding, it would be Wiewel’s decision regarding what to do.

“The decision to declare a sanctuary campus was within my authority to make,” Wiewel said. “To change that would also be within my authority. Again, if maintaining sanctuary status or changing it in some way would have a significant material effect on the campus, then it might rise to the level of the [BOT].”

STUDENT LEGAL SERVICES

SLS is completely funded by the students through the incidental fee and is available for all students to use at no cost. For 2018 the

group received a 4.49 percent increase in student funding from the previous year, totaling $710,676 of student money.

According to April Kusters, assistant director/attorney at PSU SLS, they have had a 60 percent increase in demand for immigration assistance from Nov. 8–Dec. 8, 2016 as compared to the same period in 2015.

In an interview conducted before the signing of the executive order, Renee Cummings, attorney at Oregon Immigration Group, PC, who is contracted by SLS, said the most common consultations at PSU are from people trying to immigrate through a family member, usually a spouse, followed by consultations with international students concerning asylum options and visas. “[One] thing that I have been expressing to people who are afraid is that everybody has a right in this country to a fair process,” Cummings said. “So in the process of deportation, everybody has the right to have a hearing, and the only person who can order you deported is an immigration judge.” She explained that applying for asylum or cancellation could be defenses to deportation and that immigration judges may see 30–60 people a day. Cummings also explained there are only three immigration judges in Portland.

“In my opinion, there are a lot of people who go to school at PSU who would be eligible for asylum who don’t know it,” Cummings said.

She gave examples of homosexual students from countries with strong anti-gay religious beliefs, women subject to genital cutting, and Middle Eastern countries in heavy conflict.

Cummings was clear that executive orders were the most immediate danger to PSU students, whereas immigration laws must be changed through Congress and would take some time.

DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS

At first, much of the talk of a sanctuary campus at PSU was focused on DACA students.

DACA is a 2012 executive order which allows illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as minors to apply for a two-year renewable period which allows them to live and work in the U.S. without being deported.

“DACA is not based on a law, it’s based on an executive order,” Cummings said. “So it was created with the signature of the president, that’s it. It can be overturned in a second,

COVER

NIMI EINSTEIN with Donald Trump’s signature. That’s almost 700,000 people.”

Students with this status may be particularly vulnerable as their details are clearly known by the Federal government which awarded them the status.

“For all the kids who are in DACA, for most of them, there is no line that they can get in, and it’s not that people are being willful,” Cummings said. “People who are undocumented are undocumented because there are no options, period. It’s not that they could be getting their green cards.”

VISA BAN

On Jan. 27, 2017, Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning nationals of seven countries from entering the U.S. with either immigrant or non-immigration visas. Those countries include Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Syria. The restriction requires a 90-day ban, with the potential to last longer. Syrian refugees are banned indefinitely.

“We have this term currently enrolled 64 students from the countries named in the executive order and they’re from five of the seven countries named. They’re from Iraq, Iran, Libya, a few from Yemen and a few from Syria,” said Margaret Everett, vice provost of International Affairs and dean of graduate studies.

The executive order is titled, “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.”

“There’s just a lot of uncertainty,” Everett said. “This has not been rolled out in an orderly way, let alone our misgivings about the order itself. [It has] unnecessarily, I think, created a lot of chaos and uncertainty and anxiety for students.”

Students already in the U.S. are currently safe from deportation, but should they

leave the country and try to return they could be barred from re-entering.

“I do not want to put my scholarship at risk of losing everything,” Al-Daomi said. “I’ve cancelled my plan to travel to Canada to attend conference this summer.

Also, I did not accept an internship/training for three months in UNESCO–IHE– Netherlands. It’s a big loss according to my American adviser at PSU, Dr. Bill Fish.”

Everett said the majority of PSU students from the affected countries are graduate students. “[T]hey’re in programs like civil engineering, urban planning, environmental engineering, engineering technology management,” Everett said. “They are building capacity to go back to their countries and contribute to those rebuilding efforts, and to contribute to their societies. And I’ve always been really proud that PSU is a destination to those students and that we are contributing to those efforts. So you could imagine our feeling is that in no way does this enhance our national security; it damages our relationships with important partners.”

Everett said she and her colleagues are reassuring students from those countries with banned visa status of their rights as current visa holders. She said they are warned not to travel, and that many are concerned because their family will be unable to visit, including to graduation ceremonies.

“I think what we’re also seeing is a chilling effect for all of our international students,” Everett said. “There is a sort of sense of what’s next and an atmosphere of, I would say on the national level an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, and an unwelcoming tone. But I think Portland and [PSU] are a very welcoming, open, tolerant, safe destination for international students.

So I imagine their experience now is kind of strange in that they continue to say they appreciate how welcoming and supportive this community is. [But on a] broader national context it’s not so welcoming.”

STUDENTS WITHOUT LEGAL RESIDENCY

There may be undocumented immigrant students on campus as well; it is unknown.

At no point in the PSU admissions process is a social security number asked for or proof of legal status. Federal scholarships and grants such as FAFSA do require proof of legal status. “[Undocumented immigrants] apply for admission through the same process as other applicants,” Johnson said.

According to PSU registration requirements, “Residency is determined in the evaluation of location of domicile, financial dependence or independence, primary purpose for living in Oregon, type and source of financial resources as well as other indicators.”

Cummings said that illegal immigrants are at a disadvantage in terms of working for legal status.

“People believe that the immigration system is more available than it is to all kinds of people,” Cummings said. “But in reality, if you enter the United States without documentation, or you are undocumented, there is often absolutely no way to get your green card.”

COMMUNITY

When asked what PSU students could do to make him feel more welcome on campus, Al-Doami said, “They do not need to do anything more. They already did the best they can do. I have received many emails, phone texts, [Facebook] messages and comments from American friends, class-

mates and professors who tried to show their great respect to me, my religion, my country. So, what do I need more than this respect and sympathy?”

Daomi continued, “Well, I need from them one thing, which is all of us should be proud of being a part of the PSU community. We need to keep working on it, hand by hand, and sustaining it. PSU community represents your high-level morals.” “[T]he fact that we declared a sanctuary campus, in my view, would contribute to making everybody feel the university will do what it can to support groups that might be disadvantaged under the new administration,” Wiewel said, speaking on the symbolic importance of the declaration.

“The substantive piece was largely things that were already in place,” Wiewel continued. “That is not even due to my statement.

State law prohibits campus public safety officers from enforcing federal immigration law. It’s state law, not just my edict.”

“If a legal authority shows up with a subpoena and demands information about a particular person, they have gotten that subpoena because there is a reason to suspect that person of something,” Wiewel said. “Then we have to comply. And in a case like that, in my view, any sane person would say ‘of course you need to comply.’”

The reality of a sanctuary campus is that its future is unknown. Executive orders could go further to restrict or remove international or immigrant students. Federal funding could be cut and PSU students, BOT and Wiewel could decide that the damage of funding cuts are too large for students to carry, larger than the future of the many students on campus such as Al-Daomi. The PSU community also has the opportunity to show unity in opposition to divisive federal actions.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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NEWS ARTS NEWS& CULTURE

ACTION/ADVENTURE THEATER: CHEEKILY DELIGHTFUL CASSIE DUNCANSON

“VANESSA GOODWIN” RUNS FEB. 9-12 AT SE PORTLAND’S ACTION/ADVENTURE THEATER. COURTESY OF PAT MORAN

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PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

Few words can describe the pleasure of watching Vanessa Goodwin: Adventures of a Thoroughly Modern Argonaut like “cheekily delightful.” In Conor Eifler’s ode to Greek myth and Indy-style treasure hunting, presented at Action/Adventure Theater on Southeast Clinton Street, audience members were treated to a projector prompting trivia questions about the show and ancient mythology while the staff served the audience popcorn and other indulgences.

Vanessa Goodwin is the first play produced in Action/Adventure’s fourth annual “Pilot Season” festival. The festiv al provides an opportunity for playwrights to bring new, original stories to Portland audiences. The company begins by selecting four plays and performing them from late January through early February. Once the festival ends, audiences vote on their favorite play, which Action/Adventure then adds to their 2017–18 season.

Vanessa Goodwin (played by NYU Tisch School Of The Arts graduate and Portland native Julia Bray) is off to Greece in an elaborate con to retrieve the Golden Fleece of legend.

Fueled by her desire to follow in the footsteps of her brother (presumed dead), she fights bulls, sails through treacherous seas, and hangs out with Ernest Hemingway. Vanessa is a storyteller constantly confronted with the need to tell her own story and keep track of what is fact and what is myth.

Along the way, Goodwin begins to believe in the myth of the Golden Fleece, and meets a cast of characters who impede and aid her in her search—an old woman in a bar, a famous bull fighter, and a shipwrecked Scotsman.

Amusingly, the benefactors of the quest all give Vanessa the same warning: “Don’t ask how the sausage is made.” (Spoiler alert: audiences find out how the sausages are made.)

Playwright Eifler drew inspiration from Indiana Jones and Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. “I wanted to make my own swashbuckling tomb-raider, someone cosmopolitan and daring (and not owned by Paramount Pictures), so the notion of a daring flapper woman named Vanessa Goodwin came to mind,” Eifler said. “She sat on the shelf for a long time, an idealized character that I wanted to do right or not at all.”

Facing the challenge of retelling an old story, Eifler created “a kind of strange melange of Greek myth meets Danish fairytale meets Hollywood glitter in a scrappy theatrical presentation.” Eifler continued: “My mind goes so all over the place that I find that at least trying to use the framework of a folk story or mythology helps me pin things down.”

Eifler is currently keeping busy. “I’ve had an idea for a banjo-driven western fantasia for a while now that it’s about time I realized,” he said. “There’s also a full-length play that I’m a couple drafts into that I’m looking to workshop in the coming months.”

Action/Adventure Theater’s Pilot Season is still underway. The festival’s final pilot, Angela van Epps’ Bang!, runs Thursday Feb. 9 through Sunday Feb. 12. All shows begin at 8 p.m.; tickets are $15 at the door, $12 in advance. Visit actionadventure.org for more information.

ARTS & CULTURE

PSU JAZZ ‘FIND YOUR VOICE’ CONCERT: JOHN PATITUCCI BENJAMIN WOOLLARD

On Friday, Jan. 27, Portland State’s Jazz department hosted the “Find Your Voice” concert, featuring renowned bassist John Patitucci. The two-hour show was held in the Lincoln Performance Hall and opened with PSU faculty, among them Jeff Baker and Darrell Grant, playing a set of opening songs before introducing Patitucci, who then played with both the PSU student Jazz Band and the student Jazz Trio. All three performances were excellent, faculty and students alike playing tremendously and many performers taking solos to showcase their resounding abilities.

Brooklyn-born Patitucci has been making waves in the international jazz scene since the early 1980s and has won numerous awards, including a Grammy. His music boasts a wide range of eclectic influences, ranging from classical music to the indigenous rhythms of Uruguay, which became very prevalent in his performance on Friday. Patitucci has played with a huge number of influential jazz musicians, among them Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis, to name a few. He has continued to be very involved in music education and voiced his support numerous times throughout the show.

The show’s final act consisted of John Patitucci playing both upright and electric bass, with PSU’s own George Colligan on piano and Chris Brown on drums. The trio played original music by both Patitucci and Colligan. The three were in monumental harmony, despite it being their first time playing together, and the trance of the crowd was palpable as the musicians brought the show to an energetic resolution. Brown’s drumming held the rhythm with flare and skill on an unbelievable level, while the interplay of melodies laid down by Colligan and Patitucci mixed and interacted with poise. The show encapsulated why live music is worth seeing: energy, harmony, and feeling, remarkable even in a genre already known for these qualities.

To say that the synergy of PSU faculty playing along with a legend such as Patitucci was worth seeing would be a massive understatement; the show was truly spectacular, and PSU was incredibly fortunate to host such a prestigious guest.

The PSU Jazz Department hosts regular shows and masterclasses, which are listed on the School of Music’s events page at pdx. edu/music.

ON FRIDAY, JAN. 27, PORTLAND STATE’S JAZZ DEPARTMENT HOSTED THE “FIND YOUR VOICE” CONCERT, FEATURING RENOWNED BASSIST JOHN PATITUCCI. COURTESY OF DARRELL GRANT

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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OPINION INTERNATIONAL NEWS

‘SOME MEN JUST WANT TO WATCH THE WORLD BURN’ THE BATMAN VILLAIN IN THE OVAL OFFICE

Musings from the Sub-basement Kevin Hadsell A lot has happened in the past two weeks.

Donald Trump was sworn into office as the 45th President of the United States, followed by a flurry of controversial executive orders— passed in rapid succession—focused on building a wall on the Mexican border, deporting immigrants, muzzling climate science and curtailing health care and minority rights.

As Trump’s first week in the Oval Office began, I watched the news cycle unfold with a mixture of fascination and horror. I heard about acts of resistance by individuals and groups, about crowd sizes and “alternative facts.”

And yet amid all the commentary on social media and in the news, one detail seems to have escaped notice: the fact that the United States of America is, at present, being run by an honest-to-God Batman villain.

This is no idle accusation, but one that can be linked with fact-based evidence. Let us go back to Friday, Jan. 20—Inauguration Day. Commentators remarked on the dark tone of Trump’s inauguration speech, in which he portrayed a dark vision of contemporary America: “mothers and children trapped in poverty in our inner cities; rusted-out factories scattered like tombstones across the landscape of our nation.” The speech also mentioned “crime and gangs and drugs” as major epidemics.

It also marked the first time the phrase “American carnage” has been used in an inaugural address.

As the day wore on, a meme began making the rounds on social media. On the left side is a picture of Trump with a direct quote from his inaugural address: “Today, we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another—but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people.”

On the right is a picture of Bane, the villain from the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises, with a quote from his own speech as he ad-

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ROBBY DAY dresses the citizens of Gotham City: “We take Gotham from the corrupt! The rich! The oppressors of generations who have kept you down with myths of opportunity, and we give it back to you, the people.”

What does it mean that Trump quoted, almost verbatim, the speech of a supervillain from a Batman movie?

Is it significant that in the film, Bane holds the city hostage with the looming specter of nuclear annihilation?

It is a situation that is unprecedented both in the history of the United States and in the history of Batman villains. Since the advent of supervillains, none of them have ever managed to hold elected office, and no previous president has ever aspired to the role of supervillain.

Perhaps in our post-electoral fervor, with the media’s focus on Trump’s conflicts of interest, ties with Russia, fraud lawsuits and eerie parallels to totalitarian regimes, we missed this crucial connection.

And yet, we were warned.

Mark Hamill recently made headlines in a series of viral videos in which he reads

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

Trump’s own tweets in the voice of the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series, a character he voiced for years. Was he trying to warn us that we had elected a Batman villain into the White House?

Mark, were you trying to send us a message?

Here is where my studies in narrative and literary theory may be of some practical use.

If we take for a given that the country is being run by a Batman villain, there are two crucial questions we must ask ourselves: 1. Which incarnation of Batman have we found ourselves in?

2. Which Batman villain, in particular, does Trump embody?

These are no idle questions, but ones that can help us navigate a course of action for the next four years.

Are we in the Christopher Nolan incarnation of Batman, a dark and quasi-apocalyptic vision of Gotham? Or is this closer to, say, an Adam West version of Batman, with cartoon explosions and a campy theme song? Are there nipples on the Batsuit, which would imply a George Clooney Batman?

Each of these possibilities precludes a set of rules and narrative tropes that should govern our actions, our agency in resisting and, perhaps, the expected outcome.

The question over what villain Trump embodies is also significant because this will determine his motivations, his methodology, his strengths and weaknesses. It may also determine whether President Trump will be defeated by falling over the balcony of Trump Tower in the climactic scene, or whether he will escape via helicopter into the night, shaking his fist at the American people and vowing to return to exact his revenge.

As Trump’s first 100 days in office unfold, with increasing resistance by civil rights advocates and the public at large, we would do well to consider these questions. In the end, though, we will be the ones who decide what version of the story we are living through and how to shape the narrative of the Trump presidency and its significance for the country.

Personally, I’m holding out for nipples on the Batsuit. But the actual narrative of the next four years is yet to be written, and it will be done by all of us.

OPINION

EVERYONE LOVES AN UNHAPPY ENDING 404: Column Not Found

by Ryan Morse

TERRA DEHART

Maybe it’s the ominous vibe this January has given off, or maybe it’s because I recently re-watched Fury Road, but I’ve been thinking a lot about apocalyptic stories lately. Pop culture has always had something of an obsession with these tales, from literature like The Last Man, to films like Mad Max, even to all-ages stories like Adventure Time.

So why do we love these stories? What themes make them so important to us and what can we learn from them?

First off, the films and shows we see depict the apocalypse as horrifying but admittedly quite gorgeous. They’re not places we’d necessarily like to live, but who thought the end of all things would look so good?

One of the more significant reasons is their speculative nature, not just in how our society might function but in how we might act.

Didn’t you know? The most dangerous creature is man!

The evil of humanity is definitely a trope that feels overused, but one can argue it’s overused for good reason. As a species we can admittedly be pretty terrible, sometimes overeager for violence, with a lack of empathy for others and desire for power and resources.

These darker, more animalistic tendencies are easily mined for storytelling in apocalyptic fiction. Sometimes we’re too self-centered to care about others or the world around us and that leads to our downfall. Many times we overuse our resources, like in Mad Max, Interstellar, and even The Lorax. We don’t listen, then we transform our ecosystem into an apoca-

lyptic landscape. Very often we watch society fall back and become desperate and nihilistic.

This is a popular angle because it allows usually cynical protagonists to rise above and recapture their nobility or humanity.

Everyone loves a comeback.

Another interesting trope that goes hand in hand with the hero rising above the cynicism of society is the us-versus-them angle of these stories.

In The Walking Dead this is taken literally, depicting humans versus monstrous versions of ourselves, but in stories like H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine, we have a more classbased divide between the crude and uncivilized Morlocks who live underground and the more powerful and civilized Eloi. In The Road Warrior we have a compound of defenders protecting themselves and their resources from the marauder gang of Lord Humongous.

It all seems pretty amusing until you realize that CNN recently reported that many rich folk are building luxurious bunkers in preparation for disaster.

It’s interesting to note that this trope often looks down on both factions in some ways. Although Max sides with one group in The Road Warrior, in the end that group betrays him, leaving him stranded without gas in spite of all he gave them.

It should also be noted that very often the factions have charismatic leaders. While some are extreme, like in Stephen King’s The Stand, where the antagonist Randall Flagg is a de-

monic, Satan-like figure, very often they are charismatic people like Lord Humongous or President Snow.

As cliche as it is, the enemy is us.

In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes when Calvin asks whether Hobbes believes in the devil, Hobbes replies that he doesn’t think humanity needs the help. In most of these apocalyptic stories, we definitely don’t.

So do we make it? Very often we don’t find out.

Outside of tales like The Epic of Gilgamesh, where divine intervention sweeps in, we focus on the lives of just a few people wandering the apocalyptic landscape, using it as a backdrop for personal stories, with little resolution as to the state of the world itself. That said, George Miller’s Mad Max series has slowly become less cynical, with people working together to overcome their differences and basic instincts to take down oppressive regimes.

Whatever we do, let’s hope we do it soon. The Doomsday Clock, a symbol used to gauge the possibility of a potential worldwide disaster, moved 30 seconds closer to midnight this January. Conceived in 1947 by scientists who took part in the Manhattan Project, the clock has since been maintained by members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Because of who created it and who maintains it, the catastrophe predicted typically relates to atomic warfare. The closer to midnight the clock reads, the closer these scientists believe we are to global disaster.

We currently are 150 seconds from midnight.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

BY GIL SCOTT HERON

BY GIL SCOTT-HERON

You will not be able to stay home, brother.

You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.

You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip out for beer during commercials, Because the revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox In four parts without commercial interruptions.

The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John Mitchell, General Abrams and Mendel Rivers to eat hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.

The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be brought to you by the Schaefer Award Theatre and will not star Natalie Woods and Steve McQueen or Bullwinkle and Julia.

The revolution will not give your mouth sex appeal.

The revolution will not get rid of the nubs.

The revolution will not make you look five pounds thinner, the revolution will not be televised, Brother.

There will be no pictures of you and Willie Mays pushing that shopping cart down the block on the dead run, or trying to slide that color television into a stolen ambulance.

NBC will not be able predict the winner at 8:32 on reports from 29 districts.

The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no pictures of pigs shooting down brothers in the instant replay.

There will be no pictures of Whitney Young being run out of Harlem on a rail with a brand new process.

There will be no slow motion or still life of Roy

BLACK HISTORY IS NOT CONFINED TO JUST ONE MONTH

Wilkens strolling through Watts in a Red, Black and Green liberation jumpsuit that he had been saving For just the right occasion.

Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hooterville Junction will no longer be so god damned relevant, and women will not care if Dick finally screwed Jane on Search for Tomorrow because black people will be in the street looking for a brighter day.

The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no highlights on the eleven o’clock news and no pictures of hairy armed women liberationists and Jackie Onassis blowing her nose.

The theme song will not be written by Jim Webb or Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash or Englebert Humperdink.

The revolution will not be televised.

CHLOE KENDALL

The revolution will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning, or white people.

You will not have to worry about a dove in your bedroom, a tiger in your tank, or the giant in your toilet bowl.

The revolution will not go better with Coke.

The revolution will not fight the germs that may cause bad breath The revolution will put you in the driver’s seat.

The revolution will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised, will not be televised.

The revolution will be no re-run brothers; The revolution will be live.

Visit psuvanguard.com for a list of February events celebrating black history and culture.

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PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

ETC

LET’S TALK ABOUT LOVE SUBPAR ADVICE FROM THE SUB-BASEMENT JOHN PINNEY ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHANNON KIDD Mixing Coffee with Pleasure writes: I just got asked out to coffee by a recruiter via my LinkedIn. I guess he was looking for a connection with females that wasn’t just business-oriented. I’m pretty happy in my current relationship and am honestly freaked out by the not-so-subtle offer. I want to keep it professional but not lead the recruiter on. What should I do?

Heya Mixing Coffee, Well, at first I was gonna say sometimes a coffee is just a coffee, but you’ve made it clear that there were some advances that went from When Harry Met Sally to the music video for ’90s British pop group Supersister’s “Coffee” (incidentally, one of my favorite gay line dancing songs, but that’s neither here nor there).

I would first like to salute you for your bravery in using LinkedIn in this day and age. It would be like someone admitting they still liked Sugar Ray long after TRL has gone off the air, though I would argue Carson Daly’s Last Call is one of the best late night shows you’re not watching (FYI, I’m watching it on the treadmill). I hope LinkedIn is actually super helpful in your career journey and not in the way you’ve described above.

LinkedIn is not a business version of OKCupid and using it like that is just creepy.

Honestly, I think this recruiter should be reported to his company because who knows how many people he’s propositioned in this way. Recruiters have a lot of power because they are the gatekeepers to certain jobs, and it’s not okay to use that power to get people to “go to coffee.” I would call it coercion except there’s no way yet to know if these coffee dates are a decisive factor in whether he even looks at resumes or not (I have no idea if this recruiter is in your field, but I’m assuming with what information I have that they are).

At the end of the day, friend Coffee, you must be true to yourself. If you feel skeeved out, your gut is probably telling you something you should listen to. Use LinkedIn to your advantage. Place an anonymous call to this person’s HR firm and get a ball rolling. I don’t want this recruiter ruining business-and -pleasure-coffees for everybody else for however long to come.

Hearts and Stars, Your Advice Guru

Bigger Boy Trouble writes: I’m getting to my one-year anniversary with my current beau, and it didn’t used to bother me that he was overweight. In fact, his weight gain was pretty gradual, and I didn’t notice it until I got a Timehop on Facebook from the beginning of our relationship. I don’t want this to be a deal breaker, but I’m having flashes of a 600-lb. man in my head. Should I drop hints or be less subtle about my concerns?

Heya Bigger Boy’s Other, Before we go any further, I need you to have an honest conversation with yourself about how much of this weight gain is your loving year-long significant other and how much of this weight gain is weight that you’ve also gained. Clear that air of its stench first and let the perfume of righteous truth make it smell sweet.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, and assuming your motives aren’t superficial, let’s talk about my favorite place to reduce stress. No, not in a pole dancing class (close though).

Dance lessons.

I’m feeling romantic this week, what with V-Day being so close, and I want to give you some alternatives to the “you’re fat, let’s hit the gym” scenario other advice columnists would give you. Instead of making it all about them, do it as a group effort that doesn’t involve fat shaming or sweatin’ to the oldies. Did you know we have some primo dance places in Portland to learn new stuff? I’m not even talking tangos and ballrooms at Arthur Murray (it’s an option though).

Why not learn ballet together? Why not do a booty dance camp? It worked for the people in that Eric Prydz video.

They were all having a really good time. Maybe too good a time. But hey, if one thing leads to another, aerobics are really everywhere you want to be.

If dance lessons aren’t your thing, get creative about it. Are you a competitive couple? Why not do laser tag together?

Enjoy the cold? There’s an ice skating rink at the Lloyd.

I’m telling you, start thinking outside of the box and you can use this fear to jumpstart an opportunity and a new relationship both with yourself and with your partner. You know it’s a good plan too when The Simpsons does it—although I’m not sure curling is a very strenuous activity unless you count togetherness as strenuous.

Hearts and Stars, Your Advice Guru

Problems with Porn writes: I have a kind of weird question and kind of wonder what even having this question says about me. You see, I used to be a very liberal person about porn. It didn’t bother me at all as long as it was consensual and positive. But all that changed after a bad break-up with a guy who was really into porn. And now porn only reminds me of him and it’s kind of awful now. I don’t want to sex shame anyone for enjoying porn and I would like to enjoy it in the future with my next guy. Should I see a therapist?

Heya PWP, There are no weird questions, only weird answers. And before I answer your query, I’d like to address anyone who thinks a porn question should be in next week’s “Subpar Sex Advice” edition: Why? Why can’t porn be in the love edition? Though there are questions about the exploitation of women and youth culture in porn, if porn is something a couple enjoys and it helps to reaffirm a loving bond, why not talk about it? What about porn makes us feel less open and more icky?

That’s an article for another time, probably. Don’t want to get ahead of myself.

First, I want to say to you that your fears are founded in reality.

Porn went from enjoyable and/or amusing to something triggering. It sounds like something you enjoyed was manipulated during some sort of “problem” with your ex. Now, not knowing the details of the problem, I will say it was a bigger problem than you probably want to admit to yourself. Even if it was just ignoring you and tossing you over for the porn. That is a problem because porn should not be your all-consuming life fantasy. I think that’s where even I’d draw the line.

It may be that your attitude about porn may never be the same—and that’s okay. I won’t say you shouldn’t go to therapy (I’m a big believer myself ), but don’t go into therapy thinking there’s something wrong with you. Therapy doesn’t have to be about that quick fix. Therapy can be a great tool for talking things out that you’ve been holding inside.

Make sure, though, that you find someone who won’t shame you. Even therapists can sometimes feel icky around porn.

Make sure they are an accepting and affirming therapist, especially of queer issues. Make sure during the first appointment that you feel safe with them enough to do the work. Don’t obligate yourself to anyone who’ll do further damage to your belief in yourself and the goodness inside of you.

Getting back to the porn thing, though: Be aware that your feelings on this will change throughout your life. Everything from the way you feel about porn to the way you feel about how people grill corn will change. How you adapt and know yourself will help you to embrace these good changes, learn when a bad change is approaching, and take time to breathe and examine your heart.

I hope you can enjoy the things you love in life for yourself and hopefully with someone else when they come along.

Hearts and Stars, Your Advice Guru

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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John Pinney

EVENT LISTINGS FOR FEB. 8–14 FEATURED EVENT

THURSDAY, FEB. 9

DUMPLING WEEK

HAL SPARKS 8 P.M. HELIUM COMEDY CLUB 1510 SE 9TH AVENUE FEE: $16-30 21+

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

From the people who brought you Burger Week, Pizza Week and whatever-else-theycan-think-of-food-wise week come seven days of dumpling smorgasbord nirvana!

You ready to hear about some of the most delicious-sounding dumplings you can imagine? It’s the third annual, so you know it’ll be good.

Oregon Media Group will be keeping a lookout at the Dumpling Feed as people upload pics and tag them #dumplingweek. Sign up via the Dumpling Week website to keep abreast of this week’s dumpling-themed madness.

Here are your participating dumpling madness restaurants (actual location may vary if there is more than one brick-andmortar locale): Kachka, Por Que No, Altabira City Tavern, Boke Bowl, Oven and Shaker, Ecliptic Brewing, Nel Centro, The Imp and Nada, The Country Cat, Park Kitchen Grassa, Clyde Common, Salt & Straw, Stickers Asian Cafe, Seastar Bakery, Bollywood Theater, Pono Farm Soul Kitchen, The Waiting Room, Stammtisch, XLB.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8 THIRST FEST TIFFANY CENTER 1410 SW MORRISON STREET FEE: $20 21+

This drink sampling and mixology competition will donate proceeds to the Cascade AIDS Project. Enjoy a merry cocktail and do some real good in the community.

Visit cascadeaids.org for more info.

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Hal Sparks, known for his character on Queer as Folk and for his insightful knowledge of pop culture on VH1’s I Love the 70s/80s/90s, will be at Helium all weekend.

LOVE AND FORGIVENESS 9 A.M.–5 P.M. PORTLAND CHILDREN’S MUSEUM WASHINGTON PARK 4015 SW CANYON ROAD FEE: FREE (MEMBERS), $11 (NON-MEMBERS)

Hands-on activities will allow children and their parents to explore feelings and emotions, both how to appreciate and also how to express them in positive ways.

This exhibit will run through mid-May

FRIDAY, FEB. 10 CANDLE MAKING WORKSHOP 6–8 P.M. BEE THINKING 1744 SE HAWTHORNE BOULEVARD FEE: $30

Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes this beeswax candle class. At this afterhours workshop at Bee Thinking’s southeast location, you’ll use silicon molds to expertly shape something natural and sweet for your sweetie.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 7, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

AC2—AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH ANDERSON COOPER & ANDY COHEN 8 P.M. ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL 1037 SW BROADWAY FEE: $55+ ($5 ARTS FOR ALL TICKETS MAY BE AVAILABLE)

SUNDAY, FEB. 12

SATURDAY, FEB. 11

LOVESTRUCK: A SOLOIST CONCERT 3 P.M. AND 6 P.M. OLD CHURCH CONCERT HALL 1422 SW 11TH AVENUE FEE: $25

I know this event is a little pricey, but the news and pop culture contributions of queer icons Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen should not be glossed over. These friends will spend an evening with you as they interview each other and take questions from the audience.

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS 2 P.M. MODA CENTER FEE: $20+

There are some pricey VIP style packages, but if all you can do is the 20-dollar entry ticket you’ll still get one of the classiest sport shows around. The Globetrotters are one of the most stylish and longestrunning basketball performance troupes you’ll ever see, and their show is familyfriendly to boot.

MORTIFIED 7 P.M. ALBERTA ROSE THEATRE 3000 NE ALBERTA STREET FEE: $16–23

Anybody who’s seen Mortified can tell you that it’s an experience like no other.

As a way of looking back on their past with amusement, brave folks get behind the mic and read diary entries and poems from the awkward childhood and middleschool phases of their lives. Secondhand embarrassment guaranteed.

PIED PIPER OF PORTLANDIA 2 P.M. ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL FEE: $10+

The Oregon Symphony presents a musical adventure for the whole family: Benjamin Britten’s “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” As any parent with a kid who plays an instrument can tell you, inspiration has to come from somewhere. Featuring Pacific Youth Choir and Dance West.

This annual solo concert, featuring voices from the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, will show you just how talented they are as individuals and not just as a group.

5TH AVENUE CINEMA 510 SW HALL STREET FEE: FREE FOR PSU STUDENTS W/ID, OTHER STUDENTS $4, GENERAL ADMISSION $5 THIS WEEKEND’S SHOWTIMES: ORLANDO FEB. 10, 7 P.M. & 9:30 P.M. FEB. 11, 7 P.M. & 9:30 P.M. FEB. 12, 3 P.M.

Director Sally Potter adapts Virginia Woolf’s classic story of gender, androgyny, transformation and immor(t)ality, starring Tilda Swinton in her breakout role. Cinema nuts who wonder what Kubrick might have done had he been born female will want to check out this immensely clever, brilliantly filmed, gorgeous “costume epic” (think Barry Lyndon, but even funnier), and enthusiasts of queer history won’t want to miss the legendary Quentin Crisp as young Orlando’s patron, Queen Elizabeth I.