Portland State Vanguard, vol. 71 issue 32

PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD VOLUME 71 • ISSUE 33 • MAY 16, 2017

BOARD UNANIMOUSLY

APPROVES NEXT

PSU PRESIDENT

DR. RAHMAT SHOURESHI, CURRENT NYIT INTERIM PRESIDENT AND PROVOST, TO TAKE OVER AS 9TH PRESIDENT MID-AUGUST

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HECC NO: PSU TUITION INCREASE DENIED NEWS: PEACEFUL PROTEST PUSHES BACK AGAINST AHCA P.5

INTERNATIONAL: WOMEN SHARE STORIES OF STUDYING IN GHANA AND CHILE P.7

ARTS & CULTURE: SOUTHASIAN FILM FEST EXPLORES INDEPENDENT FILM P. 11

OPINION: WARNING! THIS PRODUCT HARMS ORANGUTANS P. 13

The Portland State Vanguard, PSU’s student-run newspaper, is hiring a Creative Director for June 2017.

The Creative Director is directly responsible for overseeing layout and design for the Vanguard’s weekly print issue.

Candidates for the position should demonstrate strong design, leadership and managerial skills, ability to work well under pressure and proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator.

The position begins June 2017, pays $1900 per term in the form of an ELSA and requires a time commitment of 15-20 hours/ week, with an emphasis on Monday and Friday office hours.

For more details or to apply for Creative Director, visit psuvanguard. com/jobs and submit a cover letter to editor@psuvanguard.com and managingeditor@psuvanguard.com.

Hey PSU Grads!

Staring down the barrel of your impending diploma?

Have no fear, the Vanguard’s Graduation Guide will help you journey into the unknown as you finally say goodbye to PSU and say hello to full-on adulting.

Pick up the 2017 Graduation Guide all around campus on May 31 or find us at psuvanguard.com.

Deadline to reserve advertising space in the Grad Guide is May 23. Visit psuvanguard.com/advertising for details.

CONTENTS COVER PHOTO BY JAMON SIN, DESIGN BY MAX WAYT NEWS BOARD UNANIMOUSLY CONFIRMS NEXT PSU PRESIDENT SHOURESHI

P. 4

OREGON HECC DENIES PROPOSED 9 PERCENT TUITION INCREASE INTERNATIONAL PSU STUDENTS WEIGH IN ON NEW FRENCH PRESIDENT

STAFF EDIT ORI A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colleen Leary MANAGING EDITOR Tim Sullivan NEWS EDITOR AJ Earl ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Alanna Madden INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Chris May ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Matthew Andrews OPINION EDITOR Evan Smiley

ONLINE EDITOR Andrew D. Jankowski

ARTS & CULTURE BRIDGETOWN COMEDY FEST AFTER EFFECTS

P. 10

P. 9

OPINION SWAMPY SWAMP IS SWAMPY

P. 12

P. 6

EVENTS MAY 16–22 PSU VETERANS SHARE STORIES AT FUBAR THIS TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY P. 15

COPY CHIEF Thomas Spoelhof

PHOTOGRAPHERS Stella Crabtree Cassie Duncanson Jamon Sin Brianna Ybanez

COPY EDITORS John Falchetta Nada Sewidan Harlie Hendrickson

CR E ATI V E DIR EC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aaron Osborn

CONTRIBUTORS Gray Bouchat Cassie Duncanson Ryan Morse Nada Sewidan Tim Steele Devon Stoeber Anna Williams

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

PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Silvia Cardullo

DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGERS Hrushikesh Apte Venkata Naga Sai Dilip Daneti A DV ER TISING ADVERTISING MANAGER Madelaine Eivers ADVERTISING DESIGNER Sam Hicks ADVERTISING SALES Ilyse Espino Michael Hardy Caitlyn Malik A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING ADVERTISING ADVISER Ann Roman STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher

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 MIS SION S TAT EMEN T 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.

A BOU T 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.

NEWS

BOARD UNANIMOUSLY APPROVES NEXT PSU PRESIDENT

DR. RAHMAT SHOURESHI, CURRENT NYIT INTERIM PRESIDENT AND PROVOST, TO TAKE OVER AS 9TH PRESIDENT MID-AUGUST ANNA WILLIAMS Dr. Rahmat A. Shoureshi, the last of three final candidates to replace current Portland State President Wim Wiewel, was unanimously approved in a special Board of Trustees meeting at 10:17 a.m. on Monday, May 15, 2017. Shoureshi brings broad experience as the provost and interim president of New York Institute of Technology, engineering professor, and first-generation immigrant to his leadership at PSU. “I am humbled and honored to be chosen to lead this great university,” Shoureshi said in a May 15 press release from PSU University Communications. “PSU is a 21st-century university that serves a vibrant urban region that champions access, diversity and inclusiveness as well as conducts innovative research and is dedicated to cutting-edge and collaborative learning—things that reflect my academic ideals and perspectives.”

Shoureshi said he will focus on partnerships with businesses and corporations, coops integrated into student graduation paths, and fundraising to attract high-quality students and faculty and bring in more revenue.

Shoureshi also expressed his commitment to keeping PSU a sanctuary campus for undocumented students, saying their protection is a top priority.

Less than a month after current PSU President Wim Wiewel announced his resignation in July 2016, the Board of Trustees established a 20-member consultant-counseled search committee and compensation study to find a new president. The committee was comprised of five BOT members, one vice president, one dean, five faculty members, one staff member, four students, and representatives from faculty and student unions.

After faculty, staff, student, and community forums, the 13 trustees present at the special meeting unanimously selected Shoureshi as the final candidate. “We had a very open and frank discussion throughout the process,” said BOT member Gail Castillo.

“We were able to bring the best candidate as a result of those discussions.”

Shoureshi’s compensation at PSU will be less than that of his position at NYIT, and he will forego a retention incentive of one year’s salary. “I think those sacrifices are noteworthy,” said BOT Chair Pete Nickerson.

Shoureshi will be moving across the country for what he expects to be 10 years as PSU president, and his daughter recently moved to Portland to be a medical resident at Oregon Health and Sciences University. Beyond family draws, however, Shoureshi said that even though he “had other options,” he was impressed with the prospect of working at PSU. “PSU’s commitment to access, diversity, and inclusiveness represent an expression of

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DR. RAHMAT SHOURESHI WILL BE PORTLAND STATE’S 9TH PRESIDENT, STARTING IN MID-AUGUST. JAMON SIN/PSU VANGUARD truly admirable goals that will not only serve the growth and betterment of the City of Portland but also the State of Oregon, [our] country, and even the global community,” Shoureshi said.

Although Shoureshi said he is already impressed with PSU’s endeavors, he wants to take the university to the “next level.” Shoureshi said he plans to do this by expanding faculty scholarships for research to bring “state of the art” experience to their classrooms, partnering with businesses and corporations for new “cross-disciplinary institutes and centers,” and improving PSU’s fundraising efforts.

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As a 2017 recipient of the China Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics “Outstanding Contribution Award” for Leadership in Global Education, Shoureshi helped NYIT “increase research funding to an all-time high,” according to his resume, and “enhanced research and scholarship activities that helped NYIT garner $28 million in grants.”

“One of the attractions of Dr. Shoureshi to us is his experience in fundraising,” Nickerson said. “We have a three-legged stool here at PSU: that’s tuition, that’s state support, and philanthropic giving. [Our] weakest

link right now is philanthropic giving. In light of the reduced state support, we have known for many years now that increased philanthropic giving is where we’re going to have to focus on, and we feel that [Shoureshi] is going to be successful at that.”

Shoureshi said he hopes to see a five-year graduation option in PSU’s future that establishes co-ops with local, national, and international businesses. With this opportunity, Shoureshi said, “not only [would students] have a degree from PSU [and] the work experience, but they also [would] have the opportunity of working in another culture.”

The benefit of businesses making an early investment in PSU students, Shoureshi said, would be that students become more marketable, have established connections with companies before graduation, and can have paid internship opportunities that can help supplement their tuition.

In response to questions about PSU’s tuition increases, Shoureshi explained that increased health care and retirement costs are major contributors to the university’s financial burden. In light of the recent ransomware attacks, infrastructure and firewall sophistication are also needed costs, the new president said. However, Shoureshi said he can commiserate with student frustration.

“I understand. I was a student that had loans I had to pay back,” Shoureshi said. “I paid them back at a 12 percent interest rate.

I feel what PSU students are going through.

All I can tell you is we’re going to work together and try to address these [issues].”

Finally, Shoureshi said he would uphold PSU’s commitment to being a sanctuary campus. Shoureshi said he related to the stress of being an immigrant student. When he was a Ph.D. candidate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Shoureshi said, the U.S. government was taking actions to deport Iranians from the country.

“Therefore, I feel the anxiety of what [immigrant] students are going through,” Shoureshi said. “I want to make sure that PSU students, number one, understand the university, university administration, and especially myself, [are] supporting them all the way.”

Shoureshi said he could not predict whether or not federal funding might eventually be pulled from sanctuary campuses but expressed that he and many other university presidents would work to protect undocumented students. “The number one goal is protection of our students,” Shoureshi said.

Shoureshi officially takes office on Aug. 14, 2017 but begins his transition to president immediately.

PORTLANDERS GATHER TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST AHCA

NEWS

ALANNA MADDEN A crowd of peaceful protestors gathered at Chapman Park in downtown Portland on May 14 at around 4 p.m. in response to the American Health Care Act, which passed the United States House of Representatives on May 4.

Beaverton resident Ahmed Elbeltagi decided to take initiative in planning the event due to the lack of observed local demonstration since AHCA passed. “I really wanted to see somebody stand up,” Elbeltagi said. “I figured if everyone just says, ‘Somebody needs to do something,’ and nobody does anything, nothing will get done.”

House speaker Paul Ryan introduced the AHCA to the House on March 6 in order to “end the Obamacare nightmare and give Americans access to truly affordable, quality health coverage.” The bill needed approximately 216 votes to be passed by the House and received 217 without any support from Democrats.

The primary concerns for the enactment of AHCA involve the loss of health care insurance benefits or the qualification for insurance altogether. “I’ve never seen something so barbaric passed through Congress before,” Elbeltagi said. “We can’t really be complacent at this moment.”

Although the event’s Facebook page received interest from 612 community members, the attendance actualized around 20–30 participants. Those who did attend listened to Elbeltagi and other event participants openly discuss the possible negative effects that AHCA poses to U.S. citizens. One protester tearfully thanked those who did attend and shared her own personal struggles and fears as a woman with pre-existing health conditions.

In addition to the gathered support was a local marching band called Unpresidented Brass Band, who briefly performed for the event in support of the protest’s cause. Miles Thompson, UBB founding member, performed alongside nine other brass and percussion players while one other member held up the band’s banner.

UBB trombone player, Tom McFadden, explained to the Vanguard that the band’s protest participation was inspired by the desire to “support and bring fun energy” to protesting. “This is our fourth protest,” McFadden said. The other three performances took place this year for the PDX Tax March, March for Science, and the Climate March.

Andrine de la Rocha, UBB member, described the ways in which AHCA would directly affect her own family. “Each of my children will not have health care,”

de la Rocha said. “They are both performers and artists and they don’t work for any person, they work for themselves.”

MANDATE REPEALS

AHCA repeals many of President Barack Obama’s 2010 Affordable Care Act mandates that allowed 20 million Americans access to health care insurance.

According to BBC News, repealed mandates include the requirement of companies with over 50 employees to offer health insurance, the approval of customers with pre-existing health conditions, and covering services such as emergency room visits, cancer treatment, prescription drugs, and mental health counseling.

Under Obamacare, insurers were prohibited from inflating the cost of coverage for those who are elderly or have pre-existing health problems, but under the enactment of AHCA this mandate will be repealed as well.

Obamacare’s repealed mandates will be enacted individually by state. However, another large concern with this involves the AHCA’s approval of state insurers withholding reproductive and contraceptive care from women and, in addition, banning the use of federal tax credits to purchase insurance plans that cover abortions.

INSURANCE COVERAGE

Shortly after AHCA was initially presented to the House in March, the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation released an estimate that predicted AHCA’s enactment would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion, but at the expense of increasing the amount of uninsured Americans by 24 million in the next ten years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s early release of the National Health Survey, the number of uninsured Americans under 65 years old is currently at 28.4 million, or close to 9 percent of the U.S. population as of May 13. If the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent projection on U.S. population growth is correct, increasing this amount by 24 million people would leave about 15 percent of Americans without health insurance by 2026.

“Personally, my parents are on subsidies through Obamacare and they would lose their insurance,” Elbeltagi said. “I’ve calculated how much they would have to pay and it would more than triple per month—which they can’t afford, and I know that a lot of business owners are in the same situation.”

A CROWD OF PEACEFUL PROTESTORS GATHERED AT CHAPMAN PARK IN DOWNTOWN PORTLAND ON MAY 14 AT AROUND 4 P.M. STELLA CRABTREE/PSU VANGUARD The actual cost of the bill will be unknown until the CBO and JCT release a revised estimate, which is expected on the week of May 22.

The CBO and JCT estimates are expected to change as the bill heads to Senate. AHCA’s

approval among Republican Senators has not been equally shared, and plans for rewriting the bill have been reported. The likelihood of AHCA passing Senate has been widely speculated, as the bill requires 51 Senate approvals out of the 100 Senators that stand.

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INTERNATIONAL

MACRON DEFEATS LE PEN FOR PRESIDENCY AS FRANCE MOVES FORWARD CHRIS MAY On May 7, French citizens elected Emmanuel Macron as their next president. Last-minute reports of hacks targeting Macron’s campaign seemed to have little effect as the 39-yearold investment banker and former finance minister defeated his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen in a landslide.

French law imposes a 44-hour media blackout as citizens go the polls, prohibiting media campaign coverage that could be seen as swaying the election results. Candidates are also barred from campaigning or commenting on any developments during that period.

In places like the U.K. and U.S., a wave of appeals to nationalism and adversarial stances toward immigration galvanized discontent with the status quo to carry Britain out of the EU and Donald Trump into the White House.

But just as Dutch voters in March largely rejected Geert Wilders’ plan to “Make the Netherlands Great Again” by closing borders to immigrants from Muslim nations, shutting down mosques, banning the Koran and taking the Netherlands out of the EU, French citizens opted for a leader with a different message.

Maxim André is a French exchange student majoring in political science at Portland State. Over his last eight months in Portland, he has had the opportunity to witness a singular U.S. presidential election firsthand and also participate in his own country’s presidential election while living abroad.

“Even if I’m far from France, that doesn’t prevent me from participating and being involved in this election,” André said.

André knew of French citizens abroad who disregarded the election due to lack of concern, but when it came to the French international students in Portland he was confident they had all managed to arrange for a proxy to vote on their behalf.

“It’s a duty,” André said. “We all perceive it that way.”

This is André‘s last month at PSU, after which he will return to France. For other French citizens, however, France is not their only home.

Chrystèle Luneau, a French professor at PSU, originally came to the U.S. as an exchange student at Reed College.

Although she has now lived in America longer than in France, she still feels a strong connection to her first home.

Luneau is originally from Brittany, located in northwest France, where Macron received a large proportion of the vote.

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COURTESY OF USER MUTUALITÉ FRANÇAISE THROUGH FLICKR “Macron was the best chance we had to ensure Le Pen was not going to win,” Luneau explained. “That was the most important thing. That’s what they call the ‘useful vote.’”

One example of the logic of the vote utile shared by Luneau was how a French expression about choosing between the plague and cholera had been applied to the candidates.

“That was this election: la peste ou le choléra,” Luneau said. “Pragmatically, we get rid of the [plague], and then we’ll cure cholera.”

Overall turnout was down from the 2012 presidential election, which saw over 80 percent voter participation. According to one estimate, this election saw the highest number of blank or spoiled ballots cast since 1958—nearly one in ten.

The last time the U.S. had voter turnout over 80 percent in a presidential election was 1876.

“I just became an American citizen two weeks ago,” said Annabelle Dolidon, who has taught courses in French language and literature at PSU for the last nine years. Dolidon is from a small rural village in eastern France, but has been living in the U.S. for over two decades. For her and other French expatriates, the philosophies and ideologies of France’s next leader correspond to immediate and physically tangible consequences.

During the campaign, Le Pen announced she would end dual citizenship for French nationals outside Europe, before later equivocating and changing the terms for her proposal.

“If I had to pick, I would choose American citizenship because this is my country now,” Dolidon said. “However, I still feel French in many, many ways.”

According to Dolidon, the citizenship issue itself is not as important as its symbolic significance. Rather than a clear divide in the population of one nation voting for a president, Dolidon considers the direction France ultimately takes as part of a larger process in which several nations who were allies and have been working together, now seem to have different views.

“You have Macron who wants to keep working with immigrants and keep immigration going because it’s a system of flow that he thinks is positive for France,” Dolidon continued. “He wants to stay in Europe, even though, you know, perhaps there are things that can be made better, which is always the case, all the time. Then you had [Le Pen], wanting to just go the complete opposite way.”

Dolidon said that while Macron’s relatively new appearance on the political scene and his background in finance give her pause, she is optimistic.

“It’s funny for me to think of somebody who’s an investment banker with a socialist background,” Dolidon said, “It’s like an oxymoron…but it shouldn’t be.”

Macron is both the first president born after Charles de Gaulle established the Fifth Republic in 1958 and the youngest French head of state since Napoleon.

“I think he projects a good image of the country,” Dolidon said.

“He’s polite, he’s educated, he’s smart, and he’s at the same time, of a new generation who wants to change things for the better. We’ll see.”

Macron’s major accomplishment while serving as finance minister under previous President François Hollande was to draft and help enact la Loi Macron, literally “The Macron Law”. His economic reforms, which deregulated certain industries and opened up Sunday operating hours for some businesses, were designed to bring French labor law more in line with countries such as Germany and the U.K. France’s economy is the second largest in the EU, behind Germany. It currently stands at risk of breaching budgetary rules established by the European Commission, and Macron may find himself in the position of exploring austerity measures shortly after entering office. The result of June’s parliamentary election will determine how much clout Macron will be able to wield in the legislature.

“That’s the biggest fear,” Luneau said. “What is he gonna do to all the protections that we’ve had for many years?”

When it comes to deciding whether future economic reforms are either too business friendly or necessary for France to compete in an increasingly globalized world, French citizens are sure to let Macron know where they stand.

“Apathy is not a French trait,” Luneau said. “You know what French people do when they’re not happy?”

“People are already saying that they voted for Macron because they didn’t want Le Pen,” André explained, “but they’re gonna be in the street for five years shouting against the project of working laws that he’s got at the moment.”

“I don’t know if I’ll vote that much again now that I’m more involved here,” Dolidon said, as she prepared to leave her office. “But I felt this time was really important. There are things that you do that cannot be undone.”

INTERNATIONAL

STUDENTS SHARE EXPERIENCES AS WOMEN STUDYING ABROAD DEVON STOEBER each story proving to be as unique as the next. While each panelist viewed their overall education abroad experience as a positive one, they pointed to a few hardships along the way that made their time abroad harder than they expected. From juggling long-distance relationships, to the different cultural norms about American women or women in general in other cultures, the panelists pointed out many struggles unique to female-identifying students abroad.

These experiences were part of LatimerSnell’s motivation for planning the panel.

With the help of Sheena Ino, assistant director at the Women’s Resource Center, Latimer-Snell hoped to shed light on how gender impacts the experience of study abroad and empower female-identifying individuals to feel capable of going. “[Ino] and I worked together to create an event that would allow female-identifying students the chance to ask experienced students what it was like being a woman abroad,” Latimer-Snell said. “I tried to find students that had gone to diverse, nontraditional countries and had unique stories of getting there.”

MAY 6

ABUJA, NIGERIA

MAY 6

MEDITERRANEAN SEA, EARTH

MAY 7

HANOVER, GERMANY

MAY 9

CHANGSHA, CHINA

Another thing that both the panelists and the event organizers hoped to get out of the panel was a discussion about culture shock, both when entering a new country and returning to the states after being abroad.

“Coming back to the states was a hard transition,” Latimer-Snell said. “I loved living abroad, and Portland is nothing like what I experienced in South America.”

However, like everything else about the experience of traveling abroad, culture shock is different for everyone. One of the panelists, Casey Jackson, studied abroad in Ghana and felt the culture shock of arriving was much harder for her than returning home.

“I felt culture shock [there], but not from African culture,” Jackson said. “More from the impact of colonization. I was more scared of reverse culture shock, but I came back and was just thankful to see my bed.”

After the panel officially ended, the group stayed to provide some space for one-onone questions with panelists.

SHANNON KIDD

On May 5, Portland State’s Women’s Resource Center and the Education Abroad Office co-hosted a panel titled “Perspectives Abroad” that explored the experiences of being a woman and United States citizen when studying abroad through PSU. The panel, which featured four PSU female-identifying students, served as a space for the panelists to share personal experiences and allow people interested in study abroad to ask questions to individuals who have already gone.

According to Hannah Latimer-Snell, an Education Abroad peer adviser and one of the event organizers, this panel was something she has hoped to do since she studied abroad in Santiago, Chile last year.

“While abroad, I had the opportunity to work for a nonprofit feminist organization that was working to support women in Chile,” Latimer-Snell said. “Mostly, I was just trying to create space for students of all backgrounds to feel like they have a place studying abroad, no matter gender, race, economic background or experiences.”

Each panelist proceeded to share their own experience with education abroad,

Despite ongoing health issues, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari postponed a trip to London for medical treatment in order to welcome the return of 82 schoolgirls released by Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The girls, part of a group of 276 who were abducted in 2014, were handed over in exchange for an unknown number of Boko Haram suspects as part of a prisoner swap. More than 100 girls remain missing.

Over 20 separate rescue operations throughout the course of a single day saved nearly 3,000 people in the Mediterranean Sea as they attempted to make their way to Europe from North Africa. The Italian coastguard and navy, along with EU naval forces and merchant ships contributed to the effort. In 2016, approximately 181,000 migrants arrived in Italy by boat, while earlier this year, Pateh Sabally, a refugee from Gambia, was recorded by an onlooker as he drowned in Venice’s Grand Canal and was insulted by bystanders.

Authorities arranged for museum visits and film screenings for over 50,000 residents who were evacuated following the discovery of several unexploded bombs from World War II. Two of the bombs were defused, and a third was neutralized using additional special equipment.

Seven decades after extensive allied bombing campaigns, unexploded bombs are still commonly found buried in Germany.

May 6–12 Chris May

Xie Yang, a prominent civil rights lawyer in China, pleaded guilty to charges of incitement to subversion and disturbing legal proceedings.

Xie was first detained during a crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists in 2015, and in January of this year his lawyer released transcripts of meetings in which Xie claimed he was tortured. Xie also issued a handwritten statement asserting his innocence and saying that should he confess in the future, it would only be as a result of further coercion and torture and would not represent “the true expression of my own mind.”

MAY 12

WORLDWIDE

Hackers wrought havoc on tens of thousands of computers across dozens of countries by utilizing a stolen National Security Agency hacking tool to spread malicious software that locked users out of their systems and held data for ransom. By the time a 22-year-old British researcher inadvertently stopped the spread of the attack, Britain’s public health system, Russia’s Interior Ministry, and international logistics and telecom companies had been affected.

PSU Vanguard • MAY 16, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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NEWS

ADJUNCT FACULTY FEAR FOR THEIR JOBS AS BUDGET WOES INCREASE ANNA WILLIAMS

This spring, adjunct faculty members of the Portland State University Faculty Association began hearing that adjuncts were being let go from the Theater and Film Department. Adjuncts in other departments reported instances of receiving their course assignments for fall 2017 later than usual, so they fear they will not have time to appeal their unemployment.

Some adjuncts fear for their ability to find jobs outside PSU and afford health insurance or basic living costs.

department head that said she and other adjuncts would be let go for budget reasons, without any acknowledgment of her service to the university.

“Being an adjunct is a very isolated position, at least where we are,” Brower said. “We don’t go to faculty meetings, [and] because a lot of adjuncts work elsewhere it’s not like there’s a regular way of seeing one another. We are not really part of the full-time culture. We go in and we teach and that’s kind of it.”

“Our goal is to have pay parity so that we’re paid at the same level for the same credit hours as full-time faculty, and we’re also trying to figure out ways for there to be more job security in general for adjunct faculty,” Jacob said, adding that the PSUFA executive council altogether has hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt.

Because each department pays faculty at different rates, it is difficult to say how adjunct pay compares to that of full-time professors. As of 2017, 4 percent of PSU’s general fund went to adjunct salaries. In the last five years adjunct salaries have risen by 14.7 percent and tenured-track faculty salaries rose by 9.1 percent.

Adjunct professor Sara Bernstein, who got her B.A. at PSU, has been a faculty member for over three years and recently turned down work at Pacific Northwest College of Art for the fall in order to work solely at PSU. Now that her fall classes have been cancelled she no longer has a job.

Bernstein said PSU is dealing with budget cuts in a “typical corporate model.” PSU has chosen to cut the most vulnerable people from the university, instead of from the administration.

PSU has never had adjunct representation on the Faculty Senate, though this year the senate has considered an ex-officio nonvoting adjunct seat.

According to Anna Gray, PSUFA vice president and adjunct art instructor, an adjunct seat is yet another monetary cost to the school. “While a position on the senate is [already] included in a full-time salary, an adjunct faculty member would need to be compensated,” Gray said.

“The cost would be small—a few hundred dollars over the course of the year,” Gray added in an email. “The hold up seems to be where the money would come from at this point.” Gray referred to the collective bargaining agreement that outlines, “adjuncts are paid at a rate of $25/hour for extra-instructional service. So if you add up the nine months of senate meetings... that is where I get that amount,” Gray said.

ARE PRIORITIES OUT OF LINE?

PSUFA MEMBERS PARTICIPATE IN MAY DAY RALLY ON MAY 1ST. BRIANA YBANEZ/PSU At PSU, an adjunct faculty member who works less than a 0.5 Full Time Equivalent does not qualify for health insurance or retirement benefits. Many adjuncts work at one or two other local colleges or universities to make up 40 or more hours a week. Adjuncts are awarded contracts on a term-byterm, yearly, or two-year basis depending on their tenure at the university, number of credit hours they have taught, and performance.

Adjunct professors are the largest single faculty group on campus, making up 47 percent of the population, and taught 34 percent of all credit hours at PSU in the 2015–16 academic year.

Dr. Sue Brower, a theater and film instructor, has taught at PSU for 21 years. Brower received a form letter from her

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Brower said she is fortunate that she has a family and does not have to support herself on her teaching income alone. However, other adjuncts who work at multiple private and public colleges are not so lucky. “Those folks are gonna get hit in all sorts of ways because [Portland Community College] might be doing the same type of cuts,” Brower said. “There’s this state thing to control the budget, so I think that it’s going to be hard for people to find jobs.”

Some representatives from PSUFA rallied for May Day in Shemanski park on May 1, waving signs that read “Redistribute” and “Chin Up Fangs Out.” Ariana Jacob, an adjunct art professor, discussed how adjuncts make significantly less than full-time professors and can lose their jobs at any time.

“I don’t know why they don’t cut from the top,” Brower said of PSU’s 2017–18 budget cuts. “From the top down, to those of us on adjunct wages, the [administrative] salaries are a lot, and they are. I also think there is an endemic problem with university systems.”

“A lot of the budget seems to be going to capital projects and buildings,” Gray said. “Which is a lamentable decision when you could be investing in people and jobs.”

Vice Provosts Scott Marshall and Shelly Chabon explained to the Vanguard that budget cuts have been felt all over the university. Many administrative departments, said Marshall, “have been held flat or cut for at least, I believe, four years, while costs have increased, so essentially a cut. [This] has increased frustration.”

According to the provosts, Wiewel makes less than most presidents and tuition is less expensive in comparison to other public universities.

Even with an 8.4 percent tuition increase, PSU’s in-state annual tuition would be over $600 cheaper than the national public university average.

PSU’s most significant building proposal, a $100 million tower at Southwest 4th and Montgomery Street, would reportedly be paid for by fundraising efforts by both PSU and Oregon Health and Sciences University, meaning it would not take away from PSU’s education fund. The City of Portland and PCC will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars each to use space in the building.

NEWS Chabon explained that the university has successfully bargained in the last year to expand a health care fund that parttime faculty can use to help pay for health insurance including two annual excellence awards for adjunct faculty which provides a $1,000 award and a professional development fund.

Adjuncts can also qualify for one-year appointments after faculty have taught 8 credits or for two years, whichever comes first. However, acording to Bernstein, many adjuncts have not yet seen those contracts this year.

HEALTH INSURANCE GETS THE BACK SEAT

Bernstein said she and many other adjunct professors rely on the Affordable Care Act for their health insurance. Bernstein does not qualify for any subsidies and worries that if she loses her insurance coverage, which does not include dental insurance, she will not have any other options. Other PSUFA members claim to make a low enough income that they qualify for Medicaid.

Senate Bill 196, wich is currently in the Oregon Senate, would provide part-time faculty members working more than 0.5 FTE at one or more public higher education institutions with 90 percent of their health insurance fees paid by the state.

“A lot of people teach between public and private schools,”

Jacob said, meaning they would still be responsible for their own health insurance, even though they could be working more than full time.

On Tuesday, March 28, members of the Senate Committee on Education read a testimony from one current and one former PSU adjunct professors advocating for SB 196. Shirlee Geiger, who worked at both PSU and PCC in 2006 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, said the health insurance funds offered by both colleges offered could not help to cover a potentially life-saving medication on top of Geiger’s treatment bills. Only after PCC successfully bargained for PT faculty healthcare could Geiger pay several years’ worth of cancer treatment.

Geiger wrote, “When I was teaching more classes—and many more students—than any of my ‘full-time’ colleagues, even through the chemotherapy, it was hard to understand why I had to pay so much more for such inferior health care.”

Shane Abrams, another adjunct at both PSU and PCC wrote, “I have already experienced the precarity of my employment: I have had classes cancelled last minute due to low enrollment, thus reducing my income by no small percentage; I have competed for institutional resources, reducing the amount of time I can dedicate to students, and, of primary concern here, I have

spent late nights fretting over my access to the basic human need of health care.”

PAINFUL PRESENT, FUTURE UNSEEN

Because PSU’s final cuts have yet to be determined, it is unclear whether or not more adjuncts will be cut from the faculty. Marshall and Chabon both echoed, “We can’t say enough how much we appreciate adjunct faculty. They do a lot, not for very much, and we realize it’s not an easy existence for them.”

Chabon said the administration might do better to inform the campus of what the administration does and how it directly affects students. “We hate to think about it as us vs. them,” Chabon said. “To think about a loss of faculty is painful for any of us.”

Brower’s superior did eventually thank her for her service.

“I’ve had some really lovely students and I just appreciate them so much,” Brower said. “We get students [for whom] it’s a struggle to come to PSU for all sorts of reasons. I love that about them. It’s not being handed to them, it’s not easy for them financially or personally to make it for different reasons, but they’re here and I really love that about them.”

HECC TURNS DOWN PORTLAND STATE BUDGET PROPOSAL ANNA WILLIAMS The Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission rejected Portland State University’s proposed 8.4 percent tuition increase in Salem on the evening of May 11.

While HECC’s refusal counts as a win for students who rallied against tuition increases, PSU will now likely cut need-based scholarships on top of $9 million in cuts from academic departments the Faculty Senate Budget Committee is already implementing.

While the PSU administration says it hopes HECC will reconsider its vote, some students and faculty say they hope the decision will pressure state legislators to fund higher education more. In the meantime, due to a $20 million budget deficit, lower-paid adjunct professors are being let go before the Fall 2017 Quarter. The budget is also unlikely to accommodate the proposed $15 minimum wage for student workers.

TUITION HIKE TURNED DOWN

According to Oregon state law, any tuition increase greater than 5 percent must be approved by the HECC. According to an Oregonian report, Governor Kate Brown told the commission this year to be critical of high tuition increases, and that schools needed to both consult students and faculty and show how low-income and minority students would benefit from higher costs.

The commission approved a 7.4 percent tuition hike at the Oregon Institute of Technology and an 11.4 percent increase at Southern Oregon University. According to PSU Vice Provost Scott Marshall, PSU’s tuition increase was rejected by a 4–3 vote.

“Today’s HECC vote will mean an additional $5 million in cuts will have to be made to balance PSU’s budget,” stated PSU President Wim Wiewel’s office in a statement.

“Details of those cuts are not yet determined, but the size of the cuts will likely mean that programs and need-based scholarships will be affected.”

Wiewel also said in an earlier Vanguard interview that the $15 an hour minimum student wage proposed by recent student votes is “unlikely to go through” because it would add another $2.5 million to the 2017–19 biennium budget.

While Associated Students of PSU President-elect Brent Finkbeiner and Vice President-elect Donald Thompson III said they advocated against the tuition increase, they expressed frustration that more money is not coming from the state to fund higher education.

“The most frustrating part is [that] the money we need is in the economy, but it’s not going to higher education,” the two student-government officials expressed in a joint statement. “We need to find new revenue because the projected increase in tuition of approximately 40 percent over the next six years is unacceptable.”

The 8.4 percent tuition increase was projected to rope in an additional $5 million along with $9 million in cuts from the eight colleges at PSU. This would have ultimately rasied the instate tuition above $9,000 annually and kept the university from operating at its current service level.

The rise in cost, according to the Oregon Public University Council, mostly comes from increases in the Public Employees Retirement System, employee health insurance costs, and changes to the Oregon Opportunity Grant, all of which are allegedly out of Oregon state universities’ control.

In April 2016, the OPUC proposed a ROBBY DAY $765 million funding request for the

2017–19 biennium to Brown in order to keep tuition increases under 5 percent. Brown recommended only $667.3 million last December.

According to Gerardo Lafferriere, PSU Faculty Senate Budget Committee Chair and Professor in mathematics, PSU expects “at best” a flat enrollment in the coming years, meaning less tuition revenue. Lafferriere said he believes the enrollment decline tends to correlate less with tuition increases as opposed to general economic conditions.

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ARTS & CULTURE OPINION

BRIDGETOWN POST-FEST: MINORITY RETORT TIM STEELE It was clear that everyone was having a good time at the Bridgetown showcase of Minority Retort. By chance I ended up with what feels like the perfect seat at a comedy show: behind two happily drunk friends whose laughter rose above everyone else’s, acting as a double-bounce to my own amusement.

After an introduction from local comic and show producer Jeremy Eli, Seattle’s Wilfred Padua came on stage and discussed Portland and Seattle’s similarities on the weirdness scale; he’d recently seen someone walking to work on stilts through his neighborhood (let’s get on that, Portland). Before his set was over, Padua also got in a crowd-pleasing observation of how similar in appearance Donald Trump as a baby would be to his current state. Next up was Arish Singh, who gave the show its lone instance of ventriloquism. In this case the dummy was a neo-Nazi. Singh played the joke as a parody of Jeff Dunham and ventriloquism itself, asking the audience, “How is this still a thing?”

Irene Tu took the stage next, immediately clarifying her gender and confiding that she frequently gets mistaken for a teenage Asian boy. Tu’s set expanded on this as she discussed the struggles she faces in using bathrooms: women sometimes mistake her for a man, and peeing in the stalls of men’s bathrooms poses the awkwardness of appearing to take a thirty-

second poop. Bathrooms came up again during Marcella Arguello’s set later in the night, and she had what sounds like a perfect solution to the whole thing.

“If we are going to split up bathrooms,” she said, “it should be between people who clean up after themselves and those who don’t.” The 6-foot-2 Arguello also included some tallperson observations (“the tops of your fridges are fucking disgusting”) and performed a hilarious and overall mindblowing impression of Michael Jackson asking her out, midThriller video.

The audience also got to enjoy sets from Ahmed Bharoocha, Bri Pruett, Dulcé Sloan, and Nico Santos. Bharoocha’s set included a segment on religion that I really enjoyed; though not religious, Bharoocha told us that he wasn’t an atheist because he didn’t like the hope-dashing attitude of it. Comparing the afterlife to a net at the bottom of a foggy abyss we’re all doomed to fall into, Bharoocha observed that the problem doesn’t come from the idea of the net itself, but from people who say the net doesn’t catch gay people.

I was unfamiliar with Bri Pruett, but got the impression that she was well-known and loved in Portland, having only recently left our city for Los Angeles. Pruett discussed the discomfort of being half-white and half-Korean American, an

accidental witness to the racist conversations held all around her by those unaware of her ethnicity. Pruett came off especially sincere and included an emphasis on body positivity that set the tone for the whole show.

Dulcé Sloan’s set went into a specific slice of post-election irritation she’s felt as a POC, listening to her white friends express how scary things have become while she stands by and tries to explain that things were already plenty scary for black people in America. Her exit caught everyone off guard to comedic effect as she simply stated, “Bye,” before walking off stage.

As a fan of NBC’s Superstore, I was psyched to see Nico Santos, who plays Mateo on the show. Santos’ set supplied a healthy dose of relatable self-deprecating humor, going into his habit of eating his feelings: “self-loathing, regret and mmm, shame.” Santos ended on his fear of dying and having his mother look through his phone in the midst of grief. His impression of her looking through his contacts in confusion while saying, “He knows a lot of people from the Grindr family” had everyone laughing hard.

Bridgetown is over, but Minority Retort continues as a monthly Portland event showcasing comedy from people of color. Your next chance to check it out will be May 26 at the Hollywood Theater.

ONE STARCH TO RULE THEM ALL CLASSY COOKING WITH CASSIE

by Cassie Duncanson

As Sam Gamgee reminds us, potatoes are endlessly versatile. Boil ‘em. Mash ‘em. Stick ‘em in a stew. I always have a bag in my pantry. They can be used for practically any meal.

And some nights when I don’t feel like cooking much, they are the meal.

Most college and new-to-apartment-living individuals are familiar with the baked potato. It is my hope that the following options will give you something new to make.

Mash ‘em: mashed potatoes Depending on your preference, you can peel the potatoes or leave the skin on. Cube your potatoes, precious. It doesn’t have to be pretty, but this is a good time to work on your knife skills.

Try to make your cuts even so that everything cooks at the same rate. For mashed potatoes, overcooking isn’t really something to be concerned about, but avoiding it is a good habit to get into.

Toss the potatoes in a pot. Cover with water. Throw a lid on. Turn the heat up on med-high. Throw a big dash of salt in there. Let it rip. Turn the heat off once you can pierce a fork through a chunk of potato with ease. Drain the water.

Add a big pat of butter and a splash of milk and mash away.

For fancy options, try adding in a little bit of sour cream or cream cheese. One does not simply pour gravy onto Mordor.

Fry ‘em: potato pancakes I usually use too many potatoes whenever I make mashed and have to dedicate a significant amount of shelf space to leftovers.

Start with one to two cups’ worth of leftovers, add a raw egg and stir to combine the ingredients. Drop into a hot pan with a

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small amount of fat or oil and press into a pancake shape. Fry for a couple of minutes on each side. For three or more cups’ worth of leftovers add two eggs. For additional texture, and to ensure binding, add a small handful of panko or breadcrumbs.

Looking to save time and money? Use instant mashed potatoes. Prepare as indicated by directions, add an egg. Oil in pan. Fry away. My favorite accoutrements are scallions and sour cream.

This is what my in-progress master’s degree has come to: appropriately using the word accoutrements.

Hash ‘em: potato hash My favorite Sunday breakfast is a big batch of hash with whatever veggies I have hanging out in the fridge. Prep your taters as if you were making mashed (depending on how chunky or thin you enjoy your potatoes.) Boil until they start to go soft, but not so soft that they crush under a small amount of pressure.

Sauté some onions or leeks and a clove of garlic. You can turn the heat up high and crisp up the onions, or keep your burner on a lower heat and let them caramelize. After draining, throw the potatoes in a pan with a healthy serving of butter or oil until they have finished cooking through or are burnt to a crisp. Both are viable options. Add greens and mushrooms or other vegetables toward the end, depending on average cooking time. Serve with a couple of over easy eggs.

Boil ‘em: potato leek soup Potato leek soup is a low-maintenance soup. All you need: leeks, potatoes, veggie or chicken broth and milk. Slice up one leek. Cook in a large pot with a little bit of butter and oil.

Once it begins to lose its opacity, add cubed bits of potatoes and equal parts milk and broth. How much you add depends on how thick or thin you want your soup. Add a dash of salt and a bay leaf—but don’t forget to remove the bay leaf later!

Once the potatoes are soft, set the soup aside to cool for approximately ten minutes before blending with an immersion or kitchen blender.

Roast ‘em: roasted potato skins Let’s say you did peel the potatoes. Save those skins. Coat them in the fat or oil of your choice (bacon fat is highly recommended),

sprinkle with coarse salt and bake at 400 F, 15–20 minutes. Eat them plain, drench them in Sriracha or ketchup or cheese. Top your potato leek soup with them.

Enjoy! Make Sam proud.

TOWER OF BARAD-DÛR, MASHED. CASSIE DUNCANSON /PSU VANGUARD

ARTS & CULTURE OPINION

THE IMPORTANCE OF INDEPENDENT FOREIGN FILMS NADA SEWIDAN

The Film Southasia Festival, hosted by Portland State in April and May, showcased rare documentaries and nonfiction films from South Asia. The films brought forth ongoing social and political issues from several countries within the region, including concerns for poverty, press freedom, violence and resistance.

The mainstream isn’t always the most accurate depiction of a society, which may be why independent foreign films are important, according to Professor Bishupal Limbu, one of the festival’s organizers. Independent films have a tendency to focus on social issues and provide a more intimate portrayal of the lives of people.

“We wanted to increase the presence of topics related to South Asia on campus,” Limbu said. “That’s why we thought having this film festival would be a great way to engage students and the community and use this as a way to provide a broader perspective on Asian society.”

Hannah Latimer-Snell, research assistant to professor Priya Kapoor and another festival organizer, explained the importance and relevance of these films on the PSU campus.

“There isn’t a big South Asian focus here in Portland State and yet we have so many international students from India and Southeast Asia and all over that region,” Latimer-Snell said. “These films and works of art that come from that region showcase what people don’t always know about; these films are less of a presentation and more of a documentation.”

The films were part of the 2016 Southeast Asian film competition. The films selected for this festival were chosen by a panel of judges in Nepal. All the films were made by South Asian filmmakers and cover a range of social justice issues in Southeast Asia.

Although this is the first time the departments have hosted a festival such as this, they hope to have it again in future years.

“These independent films are important and give us a more complex vision of life in the various places in South Asia, one that we don’t often get to see,” Limbu said.

Two of the films played at the festival were Cities of Sleep by Shaunak Sen and News from Jaffna by Kannan Arunasalam.

Cities of Sleep directed by Shaunak Sen “Poverty means you can’t choose what wears you down,” Ranjeet said. “Poverty means you can’t be a human being in every sense of the word.”

Ranjeet and Shakell are homeless men living in Delhi. The documentary follows their lives as they seek sleeping spaces in India.

It’s an understatement to say that Cities of Sleep placed me in a world outside of my own; instead, it jerked me awake, as though I’d momentarily forgotten about the existence of poverty. Set in Delhi, India, Cities of Sleep reminds the audience of exactly what poverty looks like.

The film is an in-depth look at poverty and its effects on sleep in overpopulated spaces. It follows the lives of two impoverished individuals as they navigate overcrowded shelters, sleep spots and the sleep mafia.

The documentary shows how some sleep on the center divider of a highway in order to keep the mosquitos from biting, the wind of speeding cars helping to blow them away. It shows how people beg on the road in order to pay for night shelters run by the sleep mafia. It shows how there are shelters just for children, but that adults often try and sneak in, desperate for shelter themselves. Sometimes people search all night and don’t find an open place due to overpopulation. Sometimes people get kicked

out of shelters, have their meager belongings stolen, or get beaten by guards for sleeping on roads. And sometimes, a storm blows the whole damn place off, sending people scattering.

Cities of Sleep doesn’t only examine the difficulty that impoverished people have securing a place to sleep for the night, but follows all the ways poverty affects functionality and health.

“How will we sleep when we’re hungry?” Shakeel asked.

It’s not easy to sit and watch something I was oblivious about, but that’s the whole purpose of documentaries and films such as this. It awakens you and reminds you that there’s this whole different world outside of your own.

News from Jaffna directed by Kannan Arunasalam A professor once told me that journalists have a big hand in uncovering the truth, in finding answers to questions people may be afraid to ask. He reminded me of the importance of journalism in not only exposing the truth, but in informing and inspiring the population. And it’s in this documentary that I’m reminded all over again of the influence of journalism.

Set in Sri Lanka, News from Jaffna follows one woman’s quest to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of a controver-

sial journalist; the missing journalist followed a story of his own, one that would expose governmental corruption. In an attempt to investigate his disappearance, the woman sacrifices her own security and goes against warnings from her family and even her editor to tell what she believes is the true story. In a place that’s afraid to report the truth about government, she risks her wellbeing for what is just.

Journalists who dig too deep are often attacked in an attempt to dissuade other publications from reporting on controversial topics. But it doesn’t stop Uthayan, the publication that eventually ran the investigative piece.

“They have guns, we have pens,” the editor of Uthayan said.

And he wasn’t scared.

To be a journalist in an area where attacks against the press are a looming threat is one thing; to be a female journalist, unafraid, is another. Once the documentary ended, I was only left wanting to know more. Where is she now? Is she safe? Is she still pursuing journalism despite the danger? It’s rare that a film leaves me with a sense of obligation and appreciation—an obligation to know more, and an appreciation of our own freedom of press.

SCREENSHOT FROM THE FILM “CITIES OF SLEEP.” FILMS DIVISION OF INDIA/2015

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OPINION

CAN THE SWAMP DRAIN ITSELF? Error 404: Column Not Found

by Ryan Morse With the revolving door of pundits and figures who are metaphorically shooting themselves in the foot, I have to wonder—can the swamp drain itself?

“Drain the swamp”—a political term making the rounds the past couple of years—has been used since the early 20th century, but has become a lot more popular—or infamous— recently as a political soundbite used by Donald Trump, his supporters and his critics. “Drain the swamp” initially described ethical reform, getting rid of lobbyists in politics and removing amoral politicians, but it’s now become popularized as a metaphor for getting rid of corruption.

Is Trump actually draining this metaphorical swamp?

It doesn’t look like it from where I’m standing. That being said, all this talk does make me wonder whether a place full of corruption—be it a media conglomerate or political group—could end up possibly draining its own swamp.

Looking at Fox News as a study sample, it seems almost possible when the right amount of pressure is applied.

Controversies swarming around Fox News CEO Roger Ailes finally caught up with him when sexual harassment allegations came to the forefront, but what broke the camel’s back was the sexual allegations surrounding Bill O’Reilly that sparked fierce backlash and resulted in him getting ousted. These two instances are only the beginning of other fires within Fox. Pundit Jesse Watters recently made lewd comments about Ivanka Trump, resulting in him taking a week-long “vacation,” while a lawsuit regarding racial discrimination and harassment at Fox started gaining traction again in late April. More recently, Fox News gave Co-president Bill Shine the boot, prompting Sean Hannity to briefly threaten to leave the network.

All these changes and shakeups definitely inspire the idea that Fox News’ own personal swamp could end up draining itself, but I wouldn’t be so confident about that. In the end, many of those leaving the network have gotten nice, fat checks while their replacements have ended up being more of the same.

Also, don’t forget that Bill O’Reilly didn’t really get kicked out of the club until advertisers started feeling the pressure and began abandoning The O’Reilly Factor. Much like in the case of conservative speaker Tomi Lahren, it wasn’t the rhetoric or backlash as much as it was the company image and the money.

For a while, optimists thought something similar to what’s happening at Fox could happen to Trump’s cabinet. Thanks to the cabinet’s love of bending the truth (to put it lightly), the weird power plays, and its unusual ties to Russia, these speculations weren’t unfounded. Michael Flynn’s resignation, Steve Bannon’s demotion, the backlash against Sean Spicer’s Hitler comment, and Kellyanne Conway’s infamous fake Bowling Green Massacre definitely made it look like the swampy cabinet could start draining itself. Unfortunately, much like Fox, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Spicer, Bannon, and Conway are all still around, and recently it was reported that both Bannon and President Trump “personally intervened” to keep the controversial Seb Gorka as a deputy assistant to the president. Lastly, if people in power truly cared about sexual allegations, perhaps the man who bragged about being able to “grab [women] by the pussy” wouldn’t be president.

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Ultimately, the swamp isn’t going to drain itself, especially not when the image or monetary gain of those in positions of power aren’t at stake. However, when we apply pressure and work fiercely to keep those in power and their support systems accountable, we have a better chance of exposing the swamp-like ones for the disgraceful—or rather, deplorable— people that they are. While a swamp can start leaking by itself, the people are almost always going to be the ones who have to work to help pull that plug.

If you would like to help keep people in power accountable, there are plenty of groups and organizations that need your help and support. See this article at psuvanguard.com for links on how to get involved.

CHLOE KENDALL

OPINION

HOW PALM OIL DESTROYS THE PLANET Gray Scale

by Gray Bouchat Look on the packaging of your food. Under ingredients you might find palm oil. It may seem harmless. In fact, you may never think about it again, but this mentality needs to change. Palm oil is in nearly everything. It is a cheap, highly unsustainable plant product many companies use because it is readily available.

Palm oil, a vegetable oil that comes from the fruit of the African oil palm tree, grows in many areas such as the tropical rainforests of Asia, Africa, and South Africa. It is in such high demand that companies bulldoze rain forests in order to make way for palm oil plantations.

Animals that live in the tropical rainforest of Asia include the Sumatra orangutan—about 7,500 remain in the wild. One may look at that number and think, “That’s not too bad.” However, it is estimated that 100 years ago there were about 230,000 orangutans in the world. These numbers don’t lie, and, long story short, if humans didn’t infiltrate these animals’ habitat, the world would have much more biodiversity.

Palm oil is anything but harmless. If it benefits the human race, who cares about the environment or the species that are slowly dying because of it? Let’s take a look at this.

Deforestation occurs when people clear out a wide area of trees, leading to more carbon emissions in the air and more animals without habitats. Deforestation is occurring at an alarming rate and not even just for palm oil. If deforestation continues at this elevating rate, rain forests will not exist in 100 years, especially when we continue to replace forests with man-made palm tree plantations. Even if you don’t believe in global warming, people with common sense can come to the conclusion that fewer trees and forests means less clean air, fewer animals, and more selfish humans damaging their own planet.

One of the main species at risk is the orangutan. Orangutans could go extinct within the next 5–10 years. They will starve to death because they simply cannot find food. Their shelters are in trees, and if there are no trees, where will they find refuge?

This animal depends on the rainforest as a home, yet, somehow companies who fund these plantations think it’s okay to quite literally go in with machines, tear down the trees, lay down the law, and then plant African oil palm trees.

I have not bought anything with palm oil for the past six months or so. When I go grocery shopping, I check the ingredients on everything and make sure they don’t include palm oil. It’s been hard. No more frozen pizzas (Tony’s), cake mix (Pillsbury), chewy granola bars (Quaker’s), but when you look at it from a bigger picture, palm oil is cheap, so a lot of companies who produce cheap food will put it in their products. That’s why when you look at the organic counterpart of palm oil products, you will probably not find it.

Also, if you are interested to see which companies promote sustainable palm oil use and those who—suspiciously—haven’t commented on the matter or who still use palm oil distributed

by the plantations, check out World Wildlife Fund’s Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard 2016. It’s updated annually, showing which companies to avoid and which companies actually care about the rainforest and its animals, not just their own profit with cheap ingredients.

It’s difficult to cut palm oil out of your life, especially because it’s cheap, and organic products tend to be more expensive. But I wholeheartedly believe that not buying these

products does make a difference, even if it’s only one person.

Also, advocating for it in a respectable manner gives people the knowledge to make their own choice about the matter.

Give basic facts, show pictures and stories of the orangutans and other animals that are facing habitat loss and the destruction of deforestation. Next time you are at the grocery store, take a look at the ingredients listed on the back, and perhaps reconsider your purchase.

LYDIA WOJACK-WEST

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May 16–22

EVENT LISTINGS

OFF CAMPUS FEATURED EVENT

FILM MAY 18–21 11TH ANNUAL QDOC HOLLYWOOD THEATER FILM FESTIVAL $8–85, ALL AGES The United States’ only queer documentary film festival celebrating figures and moments in America’s queer history. Free passes to youth under 23 are available on request (meaning email the organizers, not show up at a crowded film festival demanding free entry).

TUESDAY, MAY 16 THEATRE SHOW DATES/TIMES) THE IMPORTANCE OF ARTISTS REPERTORY BEING EARNEST THEATER 7:30 P.M. (MULTIPLE $10, ALL AGES Opening night for the all-female version of Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17 ART RECEPTION MELANIE FLOOD WHAT ELSE IS A WINPROJECTS DOW | CARLIN BROWN FREE, ALL AGES 6 P.M. The PSU MFA candidate and Littman + White co-curator’s thesis exhibition features sculptural objects and photographs interpreting the physical experience of a screen as a physical threshold.

THURSDAY, MAY 18 CABARET 6/9 P.M. BOB’S BUNS! BUNS! STAR THEATER BUNS! $20–25, 21+ Miss Kennedy’s Theater of Burlesque gives the popular Fox cartoon the burlesque treatment. Featuring a cast of local powerhouses and a cameo from our online editor.

COMEDY GROUND KONTROL NO PUN INTENDO $3, 21+ 7:30 P.M. Nariko Ott, Portland’s Funniest Person 2016, hosts this monthly nerd and video game-themed standup comedy night.

FILM 7 P.M. MEDICINE FOR MELAN- $6–9 (FREE FOR ART CHOLY (2008) MUSEUM AND NW FILM WHITSELL AUDITORIUM CENTER MEMBERS) You liked Moonlight, right? Here’s your chance to see director/co-writer Barry Jenkins’ breakout romance about race and class.

COMEDY ALBERTA ROSE RUSSELL HOWARD, AMY THEATRE MILLER $25, ALL AGES 8 P.M. The U.K. comedian visits Portland on his Round the World tour, with local support from the hometown hero herself.

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INDIE ROCK 8 P.M. ALVVAYS, THE COURTWONDER BALLROOM NEYS, CANDACE $10, 18+ Night One of the Red Bull Sound Select Presents: 3 Days in Portland.

FILM 8/11 P.M. ALIEN: COVEHOLLYWOOD THEATER NANT (2017) $7–9, ALL AGES Although Hollywood Theater will be screening the new Ridley Scott movie throughout May and June, this is your night to see it on their biggest screen. Also playing on Cinema 21’s big screen, which is closer to campus.

CHAMBER MUSIC TEMPLE BAPTIST SENSE OF PLACE CHURCH 8 P.M. $5–20, ALL AGES Second night of Cascadia Composers, featuring the Vanguard‘s very own Matthew Andrews playing discarded beer bottles.

HIP-HOP 8 P.M. AMINÉ, A2, THE LAST CRYSTAL BALLROOM ARTFUL, DODGR $10, 18+ Night Three of Red Bull Sound Select Presents: 3 Days in Portland.

READING 6:30 P.M. WRITE AROUND PORT- TABORSPACE LAND FREE, ALL AGES Numerous Portland writers gather for a regular reading series and book release party.

NIGHTLIFE OLD FREEMAN 17TH ANNUAL RED FACTORY DRESS PARTY $40–140, 21+ 8 P.M. This year’s theme for the annual HIV/AIDS and queer fundraiser is Alice in Wonderland. If you’re not familiar: you can wear whatever costume you want, as long as it’s a red dress.

DANCE MUSIC 8 P.M. NAO, HARRIET BROWN, WONDER BALLROOM CHANTI DARLING $10, 18+ Night Two of Red Bull Sound Select Presents: 3 Days in Portland.

DANCE PARTY HOLOCENE SLAY $5, 21+ 9 P.M. Dance night centered around LGBTQ POC, with music from DJs Ronnin Roc and Automaton.

CHAMBER MUSIC TEMPLE BAPTIST NEW PEARLS FROM THE CHURCH ANTILLES $5–20, ALL AGES 8 P.M. Local new music ensemble Fear No Music performs music by Cuban composers and members of Cascadia Composers. Come early for a pre-concert talk with the visiting musicians at 6:30.

NIGHTLIFE TBD BLANKSTAIRS PDX FREE, 21+ 9 P.M. The experimental music record label is hosting a party headlines by one of its NYC artists, Mood Tattooed, and supported by local labelmates Carly Barton, Ben Glas and Warren Mark Mattox. Email blnkstrs@ gmail.com for the party’s location.

NIGHTLIFE 9 P.M. PDX EVERYBODY: DIY DANTE’S PERFORMANCE ART $15–20, 21+ STRIP CLUB The Corinne Loperfido x Patrick Buckmaster party celebrates literally every body: the classically beautiful, and every deviance from those standards. This event gives you a place to practice your strip club etiquette.

No photos allowed. Read our review of the show at psuvanguard.com.

FASHION STAG PDX MARCO MARCO $10, 21+ 10 P.M. The L.A. underwear designer co-hosts a fashion show with drag queen Nene Leakes Cartier, along with a drag show starring L.A.’s Rhea Litre (Raja Gemini’s drag daughter).

FRIDAY, MAY 19

SATURDAY, MAY 20 WALKING TOUR VOODOO DOUGHNUTS PRIDE FOREVER $13, ALL AGES NOON Know Your City highlights the history of Portland’s queer community, from its beginnings in the 19th century to the AIDS Crisis and documented cases of transphobic violence.

ROCK ROSELAND THEATER BLUE OCTOBER $27.50–40, 21+ 7 P.M. When I was in high school this band was famous for the songs “Hate Me” and “Into the Ocean.” They’re touring in support of their new album Home (2015).

PSU Vanguard • MAY 16, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

SUNDAY, MAY 21 CIRCUS LAGUNITAS JOY NOW! ARTS PROJECT COMMUNITY CENTER 6 P.M. $5–12, ALL AGES Fundraiser for MarchForth Marching Band’s youth brigade and its summer arts camp, where kids and teens can learn circus arts like stilt walking.

VARIETY SECRET SOCIETY WHOOPEE! $13–22, 21+ 7 P.M. Armory Jane hosts this revue of all entertainment sex-positive, which includes burlesque, stand up comedy, music, poetry, bellydancing, short erotic films, storytelling, mini sex ed lessons, and more.

FILM $6–9 (FREE FOR ART TRUMAN (2015) MUSEUM AND NW FILM WHITSELL AUDITORIUM CENTER MEMBERS) 7 P.M. Not that Truman. No, not that one either.

Spanish filmmaker Cesc Gay’s “warm tale of friendship in the face of imminent mortality” won five Goyas and the Audience Prize for Best Film at this year’s Portland International Film Festival. Also showing Friday and Saturday.

CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT HALL OREGON SYMPHONY: $35–150 (LIMITED $10 MAHLER’S SYMPHONY STUDENT RUSH AND $5 NO. 2, “RESURRECTION” ARTS FOR ALL TICKETS 2 P.M. AVAILABLE AT THE ARLENE SCHNITZER DOOR) Gustav Mahler is one of those larger than life classical composers you should hear live whenever possible. Featuring soprano Tamara Wilson, mezzo Elizabeth DeShong, and Portland State’s Chamber Choir, Man Choir, and Vox Femina. Evening performances Saturday and Monday at 7:30.

MONDAY, MAY 22 FILM CINEMA 21 RISK (2016) $6–8.50, ALL AGES MULTIPLE TIMES/DATES Laura Poitras’ new documentary focuses on polarizing Wikileaks EIC Julian Assange, who has been living in London’s Ecuadorian embassy since 2012 for breaking the terms of his bail related to sexual assault allegations and fear of extradition to the United States.

SPEAKING POWELL’S BOOKS JEFFREY TAMBOR AT CEDAR MILLS + KRISTI TURNQUIST CROSSING 7 P.M. FREE, ALL AGES The actor (Arrested Development, Transparent, Archer) speaks with The Oregonian‘s TV critic and pop culture writer to promote his new book, Are You Anybody?.

READING POWELL’S BOOKS ON CANNABIS & SPIRITU- HAWTHORNE ALITY FREE, ALL AGES 7:30 P.M. Book editor Stephen Gray talks about how to incorporate the totally-legal-in-Oregon plant into your spirituality, revealing how humans have done so for thousands of years across cultures, and to promote the book.

TRIVIA WHITE OWL SOCIAL CLASSIC SIMPSONS CLUB TRIVIA FREE, 21+ 7 P.M. Prizes for knowing the most about Matt Groening’s cartoon homage to Oregon. Woo hoo!

EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC HOLOCENE HO99O9 $13–15, ALL AGES 8:30 P.M. “Experimental atomic energy” in the form of “music.”

Andrew D. Jankowski

ON CAMPUS FEATURED EVENT

THEATRE LINCOLN FUBAR PERFORMANCE HALL MAY 16–17, 7 P.M. FREE, ALL AGES Veterans at PSU share their stories in a theatrical production. Registration is required.

TUESDAY, MAY 16 MUSIC LINCOLN JOSEPH MAMMARELLA, PERFORMANCE HALL THE GUITAR HEROES #47 5 P.M. FREE, ALL AGES The PSU student performs guitar alongside a live college rock band for his junior recital.

LECTURE PSU NATIVE DEALING WITH A NUAMERICAN STUDENT & CLEAR NORTH KOREA COMMUNITY CENTER 6 P.M. FREE, ALL AGES Ambassador Joseph Y. Yun discusses North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and possible ways of engaging with the secretive and isolated regime.

BOOKS PORTLAND STATE POWER OF THE PLANT BOOKSTORE, SECOND BOOK SIGNING FLOOR LOFT 6:30 P.M. FREE, ALL AGES Authors Stephen Ritz and Suzie Boss will be on hand to sign their latest book about food justice and the green classroom.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17 PANEL NOON MAKING A CREATIVE NEUBERGER HALL #407 LIFE (AND A LIVING) IN FREE, ALL AGES PORTLAND Sara Guest and Jason Maurer share secrets to making it as a professional artist in a city of creatives.

DIALOGUE SMSU 327 THE ROAD FROM LIBYA FREE, ALL AGES NOON University Studies Freshman Inquiry mentor Mohanad Elshieky discusses his experiences in Libya and his journey to the United States. Followed by Q&A. GARDENING QRC GAYS IN THE GARDEN FREE, ALL AGES 3 P.M. Meet at the QRC to go gardening with LGBTQ & ally students for PSU’s LGBTQ Pride.

ART RECEPTION 5 P.M. ETERNAL BECOMING | AUTZEN GALLERY MEGAN HANLEY FREE, ALL AGES The MFA candidate’s thesis exhibition is based on her experience as a recipient of the Mary Ausplund Tooze Scholar Travel Award to participate in a three-week dig of tombs with the Sanisera Archaeology Institute in Menorca, Spain.

LECTURE 6:30 P.M. ENGAGING ASIA: PORT- SMSU 296 LAND-JAPAN BUSINESS FREE, ALL AGES CONNECTIONS Mitsuhiro Yamazaki, international business development officer for the Portland Development Commission, discusses Portland’s popularity with Japanese tourists and Green City enthusiasts.

THURSDAY, MAY 18 ADVISING 3 P.M. COOKIES, COFFEE AND ONDINE HALL 238 CONVERSATION FREE, ALL AGES ACS and Residential Life bring advisers together in a casual setting at University Success.

FITNESS PARKWAY NORTH KALE YEAH! FREE, ALL AGES 7 P.M. Explore laughter yoga and ride a moberi smoothie bike. Smoothies!

MUSIC LINCOLN RECITAL HALL NOON CONCERT: VOICE (LH75) AREA RECITAL FREE, ALL AGES NOON PSU vocal majors show off their mad singing skills.

CONFERENCE PACIFIC ISLANDER, HALF-DAY (HELLA ASIAN & ASIAN DECOLONIZED) ASIAN AMERICAN STUDENT & PACIFIC ISLANDER CENTER, SMSU 235 CONFERENCE FREE, ALL AGES 3–9 P.M. Featuring keynote speaker Dr. Tavita Palaita. Registration required. Dinner provided.

LECTURE 5 P.M. BLACK HOLE BLUES HOFFMANN HALL AND OTHER SONGS FREE, ALL AGES FROM OUTER SPACE Columbia University professor Dr. Janna Levin discusses her new book about gravitational waves, “the soundtrack to astronomy’s silent movie.”

CHINESE MUSIC 3:30 P.M. THREE ARTISTS’ SMSU BALLROOM JOURNEY TO MUSIC FREE, ALL AGES Featuring performances on the pipa, yangqin, and erhu. Presented by The Confucius Institute at PSU.

PRESENTATION 5:30 P.M. W.E.B. DU BOIS AT PSU NATIVE AMERICAN THE CENTER: FROM STUDENT AND SCIENCE, THE CIVIL COMMUNITY CENTER RIGHTS MOVEMENT, TO FREE, ALL AGES BLACK LIVES MATTER Dr. Aldon Morris discusses his most recent book, The Scholar Denied: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Birth of Modern Sociology.

FILM 5TH AVENUE CINEMA BLUE (1993) $4–5 (FREE W/PSU ID), 3 P.M. (ALSO SCREEN- ALL AGES ING MAY 19–20) Derek Jarman’s final art film reflects his lived experience with a fatal HIV diagnosis, wherein his medication affected his vision, causing him to see in shades of blue.

SATURDAY, MAY 20 SCIENCE 2–6 P.M. CASCADIA METEORITE DEPARTMENT OF LABORATORY GEOLOGY, CRAMER AUCTION, FUNDRAISER, HALL #17 & POTLUCK Portland State Department of Geology is auctioning meteorites to support the CML. Bring a dish or drinks to share.

RSVP cmlpsu@pdx.edu.

SUNDAY, MAY 21

MONDAY, MAY 22 WORKSHOP NOON AAUW START SMART PARSON’S GALLERY, SALARY NEGOTIATION URBN 212G WORKSHOP FREE, ALL AGES Hey, women! Worried about graduating and entering the workplace? Haunted by that pay gap that never seems to go away, no matter how much we research it? The American Association of University Women teaches workshop attendees the skills to negotiate starting salaries, narrow the gap early, improve lifelong earning potential, articulate value, and sharpen budgeting skills.

THEATER $15 GENERAL; $8 SONS OF THE PROPHET SENIORS, FACULTY, AND 7:30 P.M. STUDENTS; $6 STULINCOLN DENTS (IN ADVANCE) PERFORMANCE HALL $6 for everyone on preview night of the PSU Theater Department’s production of Pulitzer Prize finalist Stephen Karam’s dark comedic tale of gay Lebanese-American brothers. Directed by Karin Magaldi. Runs through June 3.

FRIDAY, MAY 19 FITNESS QRC CAPTURE THE FLAG FREE, ALL AGES 1 P.M. Meet at the QRC, then head out to play Capture the Flag for PSU’s LGBTQ Pride.

PRESENTATION RENOVATION DEVELOPMENT OF NOON CULTURAL INDUSTRIES URBN 220 IN CHINA AND ITS FREE, ALL AGES IMPACTS ON URBAN Fulbright Scholar Jian Liu shares her research on urban and rural planning.

NIMI EINSTEIN

PSU Vanguard • MAY 16, 2017 • psuvanguard.com

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WE’RE HIRING A MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

THIS LEADERSHIP POSITION ON THE EDITORIAL STAFF IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CURATING, COORDINATING AND ASSISTING IN EDITING ALL MULTIMEDIA CONTENT FOR THE VANGUARD. THE POSITION REQUIRES 15-20 HOURS PER WEEK AND PAYS $1900/TERM IN THE FORM OF AN ELSA SCHOLARSHIP.

ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES MUST BE STUDENTS ENROLLED IN 6 OR MORE CREDITS WITH A 2.5 OR HIGHER GPA. STRONG KNOWLEDGE OF CREATING AND EDITING AUDIO VISUAL CONTENT AND MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE ARE NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS IN THIS POSITION. VISIT PSUVANGUARD.COM/JOBS TO APPLY