A rare evening with Denmark’s favorite son
Vikings close spring football on high note
PSU Theater Arts presents “Hamlet,” the 1603 quarto
Spring football game displays great improvements on defense, despite 44-32 loss
ARTS: PAGE 6
SPORTS: PAGE 9
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PSU ranks 10th in nation for transfer students National trend spotlights PSU’s transfer programs, policies Peter Browning Vanguard staff
Portland State recently ranked 10th in the nation for transfer students, according to a U.S. News and World Report survey. With an 82.3 percent transfer rate, PSU ranks among the highest percentages in the top 10. According to the survey, 3,486 students across the country transferred from other colleges and universities in the fall of 2009. Of the 10 major universities that ranked high in the study, PSU is one of the smallest in terms of enrollment. Schools such as Arizona State University, University of Texas-Arlington and University of Central Florida all have enrollment well higher than PSU’s. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, a third of all students in the U.S. end up transferring to other colleges or universities. One of the many factors that play into PSU’s rank is the co-admission program that partners the university with six local community colleges. The program allows students attending community colleges to access certain facilities at PSU TRANSFER ON PAGE 2
Elementary students publish book at PSU Bookstore Innovative printing program draws students and community members Sierra Pannabecker Vanguard staff
A class of third-grade students from Corvallis came to the Portland State Bookstore last month to use the newly adopted Odin Ink publishing system. The book, “Sparky the Eagle,” tells the story of a bald eagle living at the nearby Chintimini Wildlife Center that the students of the school adopted. All the proceeds from book sales will go toward Sparky’s care. Lori Tubbs, the teacher at Mt. View Elementary who undertook the project, explained that the school began sponsoring Sparky’s care and adopted him as their school mascot in 2005, but for the last couple of years the students have not been doing many fundraisers. She hopes that this book will “keep his story alive for the students at Mt. View.” Tubbs became involved with the PSU Odin Ink program when a Hewlett Packard employee told her about the specialized printer in the PSU Bookstore. Because the entire publishing process takes place in the bookstore, the students were able watch the progress of the their book from printing, to trimming the pages, to gluing the binding and attaching the cover. The printer, called the R85 (or the Raptor), is ODIN INK ON PAGE 3
VOL. 65 NO. 57
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Staying outside the lines PSU art exhibit highlights 16-year relationship with Korean university Vinh Tran Vanguard staff
When Sewon Kim moved to the United States last July with his wife and two children, the Korean artist was looking to utilize his expertise in industrial and textile design during his stint as a visiting scholar in Portland State’s art department. Kim’s specialties are popular with students in Korea, and he received strong institutional support at the University of Ulsan, where he works as an art professor. However, here at PSU, there is little demand and zero dedicated space for his disciplines. So instead, Kim picked up a metal stylist and meticulously carved lines into a metal plate for nine months, creating images of fish, nails and nature. The result is a 20-piece art exhibit that opened last Thursday at PSU’s MK Gallery, which features the artist’s first foray into etching, a craft that Kim seems to have quickly mastered and enjoyed. “Threaded Lines” is Kim’s reflection as an expat adjusting to life overseas, a meditative experience in art where East meets West and where the structured dogma of Catholicism is woven into the simplistic Zen-like state espoused in Buddhism. “My art is about my daily life,” Kim said. “I got the image for this one from my visit to a mountain.” Kim referred to his work called “Illusion,” a black-and-white image that resembles a rambutan—a sweet, gelatinous fruit native to southeast Asian countries—in mid-flight with its smeared shadow in the foreground. The image is Kim’s vision of seeing chestnuts falling down from a tree during his stay at
DREW MARTIG/VANGUARD STAFF
Artistic alliance: Professor Sewon Kim displays his work in the MK Gallery.
Mt. Angel Abbey in Oregon, a secluded monastery where guests are encouraged to spend time in prayer and reflection. It was here that Kim, a Catholic who has a strong interest in Buddhism, reflected on how the two religions are similar to one another. “[Buddhism and Catholicism] are similar in thinking,” Kim said. “Buddhism emphasizes goodness, and love for each other.” In Ulsan, Kim teaches a class in textile arts with a focus on contemporary weaving techniques that utilize softer materials like fabric. He said he encountered difficulty with etching because it uses harder materials like zinc, and a
metal stylist to puncture through the rough surface. Each piece takes him somewhere between three weeks to a month and a half to finish. Eleanor Erskine, a professor in printmaking who helped Kim with his initial attempts at etching, said the work requires the artist to be both delicate and strong in their technique. “There is a nice tension in his works between strong and soft,” she said. According to art history Professor Junghee Lee, Kim often works in the printmaking lab until 3 to 4 a.m. every day. Kim admitted that KIM ON PAGE 3
Chiron Studies celebrates record year Student-led program will expand to six classes Katrina Petrovich Vanguard staff
SARIA DY/VANGUARD STAFF
Student-teaching students: Chiron Studies Coordinator Rozzel Medina stands before his artwork, which is displayed outside of Field Work.
Portland State’s Chiron Studies program— where students propose, plan and teach their own classes—has experienced unprecedented growth this year, enrolling more students than any other time in the program’s history. Over 100 students are currently enrolled in Chiron Studies courses and the program has expanded from offering just one class during fall term to six classes this spring term. According to Chiron Studies Coordinator Rozzell Medina, the program emerged in the late 1960s as part of an international movement to empower students to have a say in shaping their education. Chiron Studies allows PSU students the ability to influence their own curriculum by formulating classes that follow their specific interests. CHIRON ON PAGE 3