Portland State Vanguard, Vol. 72, Issue 16

PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

VOLUME 72 • ISSUE 16 • JANUARY 16, 2018

Welcome Back

NEWS

Trailer Park University P. 8

PSU awarded $1 million dollars for computer sciences P. 4

OPINION Media’s omnipresence leads to stress disorders P. 14

The YouTube Adpocalypse P. 13

INTERNATIONAL

‘Shithole’

comment sparks global outrage

P. 7

Kurdish Culture at PSU P. 7

ARTS & CULTURE

Noir, comedy, 5th Avenue Cinema P. 12

Oregon Symphony’s

‘Rite of Spring‘ P. 11

NEUBERGER

HALL

Due to renovation, offices and departments previously located in Neuberger Hall have moved to new locations. See p. 9 for location details.

Last day to add class with instructor’s approval

JAN

Portland’s transgender and non-binary choir, presents the concert “Changes,” 4–6 p.m.

University Studies Peer Mentor applications due. More information at www. mentors.unst.pdx.edu

FEB

19 21 23 JAN

JAN

SMITH’S

Social Impact job, internship and volunteer fair in SMSU Ballroom 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

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President’s Equal Access Scholarship due

PLACE

The grab and go eatery, located in the Broadway entrance of SMSU, opened Friday Jan. 5. Smith’s Place is open 7 a.m.–10 p.m. Monday–Saturday and 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday.

PORTLAND STATE

BOOK STORE

Last day to drop and receive 70 percent refund Insurance waiver due at 11:59 p.m. Submit your waiver at www.pdx.edu/shac/ insurancewaiver

Closed Sundays. All winter term course materials have a two-day refund deadline.

NEWS COMPUTER SCIENCE NSF GRANT

P. 4

OPINION YOUTUBE SMALL CREATORS CAN SURVIVE THE ‘ADPOCALYPSE’

P. 13

WINTER TERM KICKS OFF WITH CLASSROOM TRAILERS

P. 8

FREE YOURSELF FROM THE BAD NEWS BARRAGE

P. 14

INTERNATIONAL: ATTENDANCE HIGH AT KURDISH CULTURAL NIGHT

P. 7

VANGUARD IS HIRING

THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD

P. 7

ARTS & CULTURE OREGON SYMPHONY REVIEW

P. 11

‘I WAKE UP SCREAMING’ GOES DEEP IN NOIR

P. 12

STAFF EDIT ORI A L EDITORIAL-IN-CHIEF Evan Smiley MANAGING EDITOR Danielle Horn NEWS EDITORS Alanna Madden Anna Williams INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Fiona Spring ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Andrew D. Jankowski OPINION EDITOR NOW HIRING

ONLINE EDITOR NOW HIRING COPY CHIEF Missy Hannen COPY EDITORS Nada Sewidan Jesika Westbrook CONTRIBUTORS Alex-Jon Earl Jordan Ellis Ashmed Etally Andrew Gaines Brian McGloin Annelise Pixler Colton Trujillo Anamika Vaughan Jesika Westbrook

PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Zell Thomas

MULTIMEDIA MANAGER Emma Josephson PHOTOGRAPHERS & VIDEOGRAPHERS Jake Johnson Brian Mcgloin CR E ATI V E DIR EC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Aaron Ughoc

EDITORS, REPORTERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS AND MULTIMEDIA CONTRIBUTORS. VISIT PSUVANGUARD.COM/JOBS FOR MORE INFO

DESIGNERS Elena Kim Lisa Kohn Marika Van De Kamp Jenny Vu MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR Colleen Leary T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANT Annie Ton A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING

LEAD DESIGNER Robby Day Chloe Kendall

COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood

STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher To contact Portland State Vanguard, email info@psuvanguard.com MIS SION S TAT EMEN T 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 quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.

A BOU T 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 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.

NEWS

PORTLAND SOUP COMPANY PREPARES TO LEAVE TOWN OWNER OF THE BELOVED PSU FOOD CART WILL OPEN A RESTAURANT ON THE COAST BRIAN MCGLOIN AND ANNA WILLIAMS AFTER SERVING FOR NINE YEARS in Portland State’s iconic food cart pod, the Portland Soup Company is packing its bags. The closure is set to happen in May 2018.

As first reported on KGW News Jan. 8, food cart owner Jeremy Davidson has partnered with another Portland restauranteur to start a full-service restaurant in Pacific City, Ore. “We’ve been lucky,” Davidson said of Portland Soup Company’s success. “It’s been a good run.”

The Portland Soup Company first joined PSU’s pod on SW 4th Ave. in 2009. The pod serves students, faculty and staff at the engineering buildings across the street, as well as workers from nearby corporate buildings and the Wells Fargo bank.

Davidson said he is partnering with Steve Howard, owner of Portland Italian restaurant Bocci’s on 7th, to reopen the Riverhouse restaurant, housed in a picturesque wooden building on the Nestucca River in Pacific City.

Davidson built his remarkable food cart, which more resembles a country cottage than a box-on-wheels, in his driveway with the help of a friend and money he borrowed from his brother. Davidson said he used to work in fine dining but started a food cart as a low-overhead way to get his homemade soups out to customers.

Alongside his from-scratch seasonal soups, Davidson’s menu now includes sandwiches and salads.

After the food cart opened in 2009, The Oregonian wrote the menu was “a step up from what flies at most carts: a changing list of fresh soups, salads and sandwiches, made with a seasonal bent and a chef’s eye for combinations and ingredients.”

“It’s the nicest of the carts [and] the most aesthetically pleasing,” said Tina Wilson, a customer who works nearby. “I have nowhere else to go to get mac and cheese.”

PORTLAND SOUP COMPANY EMPLOYEE JESSE SHIDO TAKES AN ORDER FROM A CUSTOMER. BRIAN MCGLOIN/PSU VANGUARD

HILL TO THE ‘HALL JAN. 9–15

ALEX-JON EARL

‘SHITHOLE’ COMMENT SPARKS BACKLASH

President Donald Trump allegedly asked bipartisan congressional leaders in a closed-door meeting on Thursday “why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” The comment, first reported by The Washington Post, supposedly referred to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries.

The remark fuels tensions within Congress over the still-unresolved legislative concerns regarding “Dreamers,” those who are in the country through DACA. It also comes after Trump recently revised residency permits for displaced peoples from Haiti and El Salvador.

HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY ALARMS WITH FALSE MISSILE WARNING

An emergency warning in Hawaii declaring, “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL” terrified citizens on Jan. 13. The warning was a false alarm. An employee pressed a wrong button and delivered the message to mobile devices across the islands.

OFFSHORE DRILLING HALT SOUGHT

On Jan. 9, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke extended an offer to halt plans to open drilling off the shores of Florida due to its dependence on tourism. Oregon and at least eight other states now seek the same exemption.

Governor Kate Brown’s office announced on Jan. 12 that Secretary Zinke will reconsider the move to allow drilling off Oregon’s coast.

BLUMENAUER A NO-SHOW FOR TRUMP SOTU

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), an outspoken critic of Trump, announced on Jan. 5 he will not attend Trump’s first State of the Union address, opting instead to meet with constituents.

WATER SHUT-OFFS ARE ‘CHILD ABUSE’

Portland City Commissioner Dan Saltzman said in early January at a Portland City Council meeting that shutting off water service to homes with children was “child abuse.” This has resulted in corrective procedures, according to The Oregonian. After a back and forth between Saltzman and current Water Bureau Commissioner Nick Fish, policy changes are in the works to better protect families.

THIS WEEK AT PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL

Central City 2035 Plan gets another push, 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18.

Portland City Council will convene on Thursday for a four-hour session to work through a series of amendments and action items regarding the ambitious Central City 2035 Plan. The council will address numerous individual changes to city codes in the upcoming week, including transportation and scenic views. Attendees can sign up for a two-minute speaking slot.

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NEWS

PSU AWARDED $1 MILLION TO INCREASE DIVERSITY IN COMPUTER SCIENCE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS WILL BE TRAINED IN NEW CLASSROOM METHODS ANNA WILLIAMS The National Science Foundation awarded Portland State Associate Dean of Engineering and Computer Science James Hook and his collaborators $1 million to train high school teachers how to diversify their computer science classrooms.

Computer Science for Oregon, a collaboration between PSU, University of Oregon and Tigard-Tualatin School District, will train and coach local high school teachers in the Exploring Computer Science program.

By introducing students to CS with real-life problem solving and algorithm design rather than beginning with computers and programming, the program hopes to reach students who are excited about CS but less likely to have already had experience with these elements. “[ECS] encourages teamwork and communication from day one and focuses students on critically analyzing information, actively sharing their thoughts, and reflecting upon their learning,” Hook explained. “These approaches to teaching and learning are attracting and retaining more non-traditional students.”

Hook said white males are disproportionately exposed to computer technology and encouraged to pursue CS from a young age, making them more “preparation privileged” than other students.

As a result, Hook explained, by the time these students take an official CS class in high school, “you get this both wonderful and terrible interaction between the enthusiastic, over-prepared, privileged student and the teacher.” This interaction, Hook added, might accidentally exclude other students.

The CSO program will involve a one-week intensive course in the summer, quarterly check-ins throughout the school year, and then another one-week intensive course the following summer. These intensives will mix first- and second-year teachers. Hook said this labor-intensive approach is necessary to permanently change behavior in the classroom.

UO Associate Professor Joanna Goode originally developed the ECS curriculum for the Los Angeles Unified School District. In its nine-year tenure, the program has increased participation of female and minority students, allowing CS classrooms to reflect LA’s actual demographics.

In the 2016–17 school year, LA ECS students were 83 percent Latinx, five percent white, six percent Black, five percent Asian, one percent other and 44 percent female. ECS has now expanded across the country and into Puerto Rico.

As of 2014, only 18 percent of CS college majors were women.

At PSU, freshmen declaring science, technology, engineering and mathematics majors do not represent Portland’s demographics. “We’re seeing an over-representation of white and Asian males,” Hook said. He added that male students also tend to stick with the STEM major longer than female students.

Additionally, according to a 2016 joint Google and Gallup study, parents and teachers are far less likely to tell female students they would be good at CS than they are to tell male students.

By teaching CS through real-world problems and without the need for computers, Hook said he hopes the ECS curriculum can level the playing field between students who have been exposed and encouraged to pursue CS and those who have not.

The ECS practices, according to Hook, are partly based on a set of exercises developed in New Zealand called CS Unplugged.

Instead of learning how to make algorithms on a computer, students start by sorting objects like paper bags filled with different weights, then work in small groups to come up with a sorting algorithm, then come together to compare answers and possibly try again.

“This is how problem solving and computer science works,” Hook said.

Jill Hubbard, a Tualatin High School teacher trained as a computer engineer, is one of Hook’s collaborators. She also led the high school’s first year of teaching the ECS curriculum.

“As students enter high school, they often think it’s too late to participate in technical classes,” Hubbard wrote in an email.

“Offering a broad, inclusive class intentionally designed to include pedagogy and content that speaks to a broader group of students is imperative for our students’ future career options as well as the prosperity of our communities, region, and the state.”

Hook agreed that exposing traditionally underrepresented populations to CS is necessary for them to benefit from the economy.

“I have come to view access to CS information as really an equity issue,” Hook said. “If you don’t have access to this information, you can’t really participate as a member of society fully anymore.”

SOURCE: 2016 JOINT GOOGLE AND GALLUP STUDY

CHLOE KENDALL

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NEWS

‘SHUT DOWN GUANTANAMO’ VIGIL GATHERS AT PIONEER SQUARE POETRY AND STORIES FROM DETAINEES READ BY CANDLELIGHT ANNELISE PIXLER

VIGIL PARTICIPANTS GATHER IN SOLIDARITY WITH GUANTANAMO BAY PRISONERS. BRIAN MCGLOIN/PSU VANGUARD Local activists and high school students gathered on the evening of Jan. 11 for a “Shut down Guantanamo vigil” in downtown Portland to demonstrate solidarity with current detainees and bring attention to Islamophobia in the United States.

Event attendees lit candles, read poems and stories

by Guantanamo prisoners and marched around Pioneer Courthouse Square.

“The [U.S.] government has done an excellent job branding the men at Guantanamo Bay as evil, terrifying monsters,” said Jamila Osman, one of the event organizers and a local high school teacher.

“They spent so many years convincing the world that we needed Guantanamo Bay to protect us from these people.”

Vigil organizers passed out candles and a zine, There’s a Man Under That Hood, named after a poem written in 2011 by activist poet Luke Nephew. The zine included letters, poems and artwork created by the prisoners in Guantanamo and made public by their attorneys.

Jan. 11 marked 16 years since the detention camp opened in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, reportedly to combat the war on terror. Since the opening of the facility, just under 800 prisoners have been detained.

Detainees have allegedly faced torture, force-feeding and lack of medical care. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, more than half of the remaining prisoners have not been charged with a crime, and five remain in prison even though they have been cleared for release.

In 2006, three prisoners reportedly committed suicide, but news investigations and a law school study assert the Department of Defense attempted to mislead the public about their deaths.

When former President Barack Obama took office in 2008, he signed an executive order for the prison camp to be closed within the first year of his presidency. A decade later, 41 detainees remain.

Obama blamed Republican-run Congress for the failure to close down the prison after he faced persistent pushback.

President Donald Trump vowed to keep the prison camp open.“We’re gonna load it up with some bad dudes,” Trump said at a campaign rally in 2016.

“We’re not making angels out of these detainees. We’re not speaking about the actual or non-existent affiliation of these groups with any sort of terrorist organizations” said Sam, an attendee who did not want to give their last name. “It’s just about every human deserving human rights. And I think when you listen to the poems coming from the actual detainees, it’s pretty obvious they’re just speaking out in pain, not necessarily in hatred for the United States or anything like that.”

“WE’RE NOT MAKING ANGELS OUT OF THESE DETAINEES...

IT’S JUST ABOUT EVERY HUMAN DESERVING HUMAN RIGHTS.” Many prisoners’ stories are available online through the Witness Against Torture organization. However, the U.S. government alleges some prisoner statements are threats to national security, so some prisoners’ documents are censored.

Vigil attendees said part of the reason they organized and read the prisoners’ stories aloud was because they wanted to bring more attention to Islamophobia and mistreatment of other marginalized communities.

Osman said addressing these issues is an integral part of her teaching. “There’s a lot of talk that teaching or education should be separate from what’s happening politically, which isn’t the case at all,” Osman said. “I believe it actually does our students an incredible disservice.”

“What we need is power, action and political education,” agreed Mucia, an attendee and current local high school student.

Organizer Marwah Al-Jilani explained how many people ignore the issues at Guantanamo Bay because it is geographically far away from the U.S. For that reason, she said, most people do not feel it concerns them.

However, Al-Jilani added, though Guantanamo Bay does not directly affect most people, the underlying power of police and the U.S. government is something most people have experienced. “Everybody has a story, no matter who you are, about law enforcement or the American government,” Al-Jilani said. “It’s not distant, it’s related to us.”

In addition, Osman discussed how broader classroom discussions about injustice toward marginalized people are necessary because they hit a personal note with many of her students. “To tell my most marginalized students to ignore what’s happening politically is to tell them to ignore the things that are affecting them personally,” Osman said.

“So I’ve definitely had a lot of open and frank conversations about human dignity and respect.”

While Al-Jilani read Nephew’s poem “There’s a Man Under That Hood!” a passer-by approached the group, listened for a few minutes, then yelled at the gathering as he staggered away.

“You’re going to get shot here,” the onlooker shouted. “Go back home.” Participants did not respond to the harassment and continued on with the vigil.

Some attendees said the rise of neo-Nazi and white supremacist activity in Portland and across the U.S. has sparked fear in their communities, but it has also driven more people to protest and stand against those rising tensions.

Osman said showing public support for marginalized groups, such as the event attendees who identify as Muslim, is an important response to these tensions. Osman added, “Being afraid is no longer a viable excuse.”

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NEWS

IDENTITY EVROPA RECRUITMENT POSTER FOUND ON CAMPUS ALEX-JON EARL

A white supremacist recruitment flyer belonging to Identity Evropa, a selfnamed “white identitarian” organization, was found on a telephone pole in front of Smith Memorial Student Union. The flyer depicts an image of a marble statue with the words, “Our future belongs to us.”

The flyer was posted on the street outside the Associated Students of Portland State office.

“I am fully against any action that threatens the education, safety and livelihood of our students,” said ASPSU President Brent Finkbeiner. “White supremacy and white identity movements and the concept of a white ethno-state are certainly a threat to our community.”

When asked for comment, PSU’s administration gave the following statement: “PSU doesn’t tolerate discrimination or harassment and works to create a respectful, inclusive and safe campus for all. PSU has rules about where and what signage students or others can post at campus locations, but as a public and open campus, we can’t control these kind of rogue stickers that are posted by outside individuals. As for this group, the PSU community rejects the doctrine of any group that espouses hate, racism, sexism, religious or cultural discrimination.”

In the past few months, neo-Nazi groups such as Patriot Front have posted flyers

CRIME BLOTTER DEC. 31–JAN. 7

around the campus area and swastikas have appeared in a Neuberger Hall bathroom. Last March, True Cascadia, another white supremacist organization, dropped a flyer outside SMSU. The Oregon Coalition Against Hate Crime found hate crimes last year were up 200 percent in Portland from 2016. Included in the coalition’s report was propaganda found on the PSU campus.

“I think we should take instances of white supremacy on our campus seriously so that we...mitigate [them],” Finkbeiner said. “At the same time, we should not lose sight of focusing on our community.”

Finkbeiner urged students to reach out to ASPSU when they see other instances of propaganda or other discriminatory targeting on campus.

“ASPSU is here for students,” Finkbeiner said. “ We want to hear about these concerns, we want to know what’s going on on campus. Let’s look into what more we can do together as a community to prevent these things from happening and provide resources to those affected when they do.”

If you see any similar flyers or materials, please contact the Vanguard news team at: news@psuvanguard.com

DEC. 31 Stolen car Parking Structure 3 A student’s car was stolen from PS3 on New Year’s Eve between 1–8:54 p.m.

Welfare check SW 6th and Hall Campus Public Safety officers found a woman slumped forward and intoxicated in her car at 7:38 p.m. Officers called a cab for the woman, and she was taken home safely.

JAN. 1 Possession of cocaine University Pointe CPSO officers responded to a report of two intoxicated males located in the lobby. Both

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PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 16, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

ALEX-JON EARL/PSU VANGUARD

men were non-residents. After asking the men to leave, one returned to the building twice before being arrested for criminal trespass and possession of cocaine.

JAN. 2 Money theft from Sumo Sushi Sumo Sushi Tip money was allegedly stolen from a tip jar at Sumo Sushi around 5:15 p.m. The victim was told by observers about the theft, where they claimed a person wearing a gray hoodie might have taken $6 from the jar.

Vehicle break-in 12th Ave. CPSO received a report about a car breakin occuring on 12th avenue between Mill

and Montgomery street at 6:56 p.m. where the passenger window had been smashed in. According to the public safety report, a window squeegee belonging to the car owner was stolen.

JAN. 7 Sexual abuse University Pointe exterior CPSO arrested non-student Michael M. McLaughlin at 2:45 a.m. for grabbing the crotch of a PSU student.

Check back every week to stay informed of PSU’s CPSO crime reports.

INTERNATIONAL

ATTENDANCE HIGH AT KURDISH CULTURE NIGHT

AHMED ELTALLY

PHOTO COURTESY OF SUNULLAH SUNNY CETINKAYA

Kurdish Culture Night took place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 30 in Smith Memorial Ballroom. The annual event’s organized by the Kurdish Youth Organization at Portland State to showcase Kurdish culture through performances, dancing and food.

First-year graduate student and KYO President Rawand Rasheed greeted guests by the door with a smile.

Rasheed explained that KYO is a student organization that aims to provide PSU with a snapshot of Kurdish culture. It is made up of seven PSU students and a few community volunteers.

The organization was founded in January 2014 by Rasheed and two other students who have since graduated. They saw many ethnic groups from the Middle East represented by student organizations, but not Kurds. They decided to change that with KYO.

“The KYO’s mission is to spread awareness of the Kurdish people,” Rasheed said. “We are actually the largest minority on Earth without a country...We also aim to spread the Kurdish culture across PSU and help enrich the Portland State campus.”

Psychology student Mahmoud Khellah explained he has a lot of Kurdish friends who keep him informed on political and cultural affairs going on in the area. He has attended this event three times before and said he always has a good time because of the high energy of the three-hour dance.

Ahmed Al Dulaimi, a first-year computer engineering student, described the event as cheerful and happy. He said he thinks the event gives an opportunity for community building because people from Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and elsewhere in the region all attend together.

Al Dulaimi, who was attending the event for the first time,

said he came to learn about the Kurdish community as well as to dance and have fun.

Rasheed explained he feels it is important for PSU students to understand current events and the struggles Kurdish people face in the contemporary Middle East. He added that KYO is also interested in helping strengthen the Kurdish community at PSU and in the greater Portland Metro area.

“We want PSU students to walk away knowing that Kurdish culture is unique with its intricate dancing, amazing food and great music,” Rasheed said. “We want PSU students to feel empowered when they see a people that survived genocide still here thriving and enjoying life to the fullest no matter what hardships were faced in the past. If people walk away with joy, inspiration and new knowledge of a people they never heard of before, we have done our job.”

JAN. 7

SYRIA: AIR STRIKES CONTINUE IN EASTERN GHOUTA

JAN. 7

SUDAN: STUDENT KILLED, OPPOSITION LEADER ARRESTED AS PROTESTS CONTINUE

JAN. 8

IRAN: REVOLUTIONARY GUARD DECLARES END TO ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTS

At least 17 civilians—including four children—were killed in a series of airstrikes carried out by Syrian government forces in the Eastern Ghouta region. These attacks came in the wake of a previous series of raids that killed at least 23 people on Jan. 3 and are believed to be part of the Syrian government’s strategy to retake rebel-held regions of the country.

One high school student has been killed and six others injured during widespread protests over rising bread prices. Authorities also arrested Omar Al-Dageir, president of one of Sudan’s largest opposition parties. The protests, which broke out in the capital city of Khartoum and later spread across southern Sudan, followed a similar protest on Jan. 6 in response to government decisions to remove subsidies as part of a series of economic reforms in line with International Monetary Fund recommendations.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the branch of Iranian military tasked with protecting the Islamic republic system, has reported an end to antigovernment protests that broke out last month following a jarring rise in food prices. The protests, which Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei blames on “enemies of Iran,” have resulted in the deaths of at least 21 people and the detainment of hundreds more.

Jan. 7–Jan. 13 Fiona Spring

JAN. 10

MYANMAR: JOURNALISTS COVERING ROHINGYA FACE 14 YEARS IN PRISON

JAN. 12

WASHINGTON, D.C.: TRUMP FACES INTERNATIONAL CONDEMNATION OVER ‘SHITHOLE’ REMARK

JAN. 13

POLAND: HUNDREDS PROTEST PROPOSED ABORTION RESTRICTIONS

A Myanmar court has charged reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who had been covering the crisis of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, with violating a colonial-era national security law known as the Official Secrets Act. If convicted, the journalists will face up to 14 years in prison.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been harshly criticized at home and abroad after reportedly having used the word “shithole” to describe Haiti and African countries at a White House meeting on Jan. 11. Trump has since denied using the word in question but has stood by his disapproval of a Senate immigration plan that he says would bring immigrants from countries that “are doing badly.”

Demonstrators took to the streets in front of the parliament building in Warsaw to protest a proposed bill that would ban abortion in the case of irreversible fetal damage. A 2016 bill, also sponsored by the ruling Law and Justice Party, aimed for a near-total ban on abortionsh but was rejected following mass protests. Poland’s current abortion laws, among the strictest in Europe, allow the procedure only when a pregnancy poses a threat to the life or health of the mother or is a result of rape or incest.

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NEWS

WINTER TERM KICKS OFF WITH CLASSROOM TRAILERS TRAILER PODS TO HOUSE CLASSROOMS AND OFFICES UNTIL 2019 ANAMIKA VAUGHAN

JENNY VU Neuberger Hall officially closed for its $70 million renovation, which means Portland State classrooms, departments, financial aid services and admissions offices previously housed in Neuberger have been relocated to pods, aka portable classrooms.

The trailers will be used for the duration of the renovation, slated to finish by fall of 2019.

Western Hemlock on SW Park and Jackson, Ponderosa Pine on SW 4th and Lincoln and Douglas Fir on SW 12th and Market comprise the three new trailer pod sites.

The trailers come fully carpeted and equipped with projectors, windows and regular desks used in other buildings on campus. Western Hemlock and Douglas Fir include bathrooms that require a PSU ID card to access.

“I don’t mind them. They’re definitely not ideal but it’s better than nothing,” said student Elise Stinnett, who is wtaking a class in Western Hemlock this term.

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Some students and professors complained that the thin trailer walls cannot insulate classrooms from neighboring trailers or the busy streets outside. Some pods also came without whiteboards. However, according to Project Manager Cameron Patterson from PSU Capital Projects and Construction, six new whiteboards will be installed in classrooms next week.

“I’m not excited about paying tuition and getting banished to trailers, but I think that the temporary buildings are better than the Parkmill building, which is still horribly inaccessible,” said Devon Roberts, another student taking a class in Western Hemlock.

PSU’s Parkmill building, located on SW Park Ave. and SW Mill St., has neither elevators nor ramps. Second-floor classrooms are only accessible by narrow staircases. In contrast, each pod is fitted with an accessible, non-slip steel ramp.

More information about the Neuberger renovation is listed on the project’s web page.

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PSU STUDENT ROUNDS THE CORNER OF NEWLY PLACED CLASSROOM PODS LOCATED ON CAMPUS. BRIAN MCGLOIN/PSU VANGUARD

NEWS

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NEWS

WHERE, OH WHERE, WILL MY MONEY GO? HIGHLIGHTS OF SFC DECISIONS FOR STUDENT DOLLAR SPENDING IN 2018-19 COLLEEN LEARY Portland State Student Fee Committee met Dec. 6 and Jan. 3 to finalize deliberations on its budget for Fiscal year 2019, beginning July 1, 2018.

Each term, PSU students pay an incidental fee, currently set at $238 flat rate for full-time students. Funds collected from the incidental fee are budgeted for PSU groups and organizations known as Fee-Funded Areas.

FFA’s include Associated Students of PSU, campus resource centers, PSU Student Media, Athletics, Campus Rec and several other student organizations.

CHANGES TO 2018-19 INCIDENTAL FEE RATES

SFC members approved a students will see a $2 increase in students’ incidental fee for 2018–19. Currently, students enrolled in 1–11 credits pay incidental fee rates between $73 and $223 per term, plateauing at $238 for 12 credits and above.

Next year, students taking eight or more credits will pay the new flat rate of $240 with lesser rates for 1–7 credit enrollment.

For a full list of SFC FY19 budget allocations, visit psuvanguard.com

TOP 5 BUDGETS IN SFC 2018-19 ALLOCATIONS 1 2 3 4 5

Athletics $3,669,903 Campus Rec $2,383,870 Student Activities & Leadership Programs* $1,327,857 Smith Memorial Student Union $1,255,814 Helen Gordon Child Development Center $1,228,480 *SALP funds several student organizations using incidental fees.

DEAR PORTLAND Guest Submission: Myles Boyns, recent PSU graduate

Viking Voices is an open platform, rolling submission Op-Ed column open to all students, faculty and staff of Portland State.

Submit your thoughts, stories and opinions to: opinion@psuvanguard.com Please provide your name and major or affiliation with PSU. No submissions over 600 words.

Submissions are voluntary, unpaid and not guaranteed to be published. All submissions will be reviewed and selected by the Vanguard Opinion Editor.

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Dear Portland, I may be writing this letter a few months early, or possibly even a few years. I’d only feel safe writing this letter to you if I was isolated from the rest of the world, which is what I’ve done.

I remember the first time we met: I heard you were coming to visit my high school in Arizona and I thought, why not? This was during my senior year, and I already had an idea of where I wanted to attend college. My goal was to move to Oregon and study journalism at the University of Oregon, but something told me to check out Portland.

I was fascinated by your presence. I loved how nontraditional you seemed. I don’t believe in love at first sight, but I knew you had something I wanted to explore.

I applied to Portland State with the hopes of becoming a Viking. I was a shy, awkward kid in high school, and the last thing people expected me to do was apply for an out-of-state college. They didn’t think I would last the transition from Arizona to Oregon.

After applying to several other nearby colleges, I still awaited your answer. After being accepted to other schools, I still waited for your answer. What took you so long?

I remember when you finally reached out to me. I was just starting track practice and my coach asked me, “Where are you going for college?” I told him I was waiting for you. Seconds later, you wrote me a letter offering me admission to PSU. The kid in me came out at that point—jumping in the middle of the field with screams of joy.

As time went by, my anticipation increased. I was ready to see you for the first time and nothing was going to stop me. The first time I saw you in person I thought you were strange. I’d read about the ‘Keep Portland Weird’ slogan, but damn, I wasn’t expecting you live up to it.

Exploring you during our first weeks together, I felt a sense of premature teenage-love: I loved what I saw and what was around me. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

My parents told me to focus solely on school for my first term. However, as soon as school started, I decided to get a job. Since I wasn’t participating in sports anymore, I felt the need to stay busy and earn my own money.

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 16, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

I didn’t put all my effort into school that term, earning a 2.1 GPA. It was the worst I’d ever performed in school. Soon after, I received an eviction notice telling me I had 72 hours to make a payment before I’d be kicked out of student housing.

All the stress got to me, causing me to shed tears for the first time as an adult.

The next term I turned my anger into motivation and earned a 3.5. Academically, things got better, but it didn’t solve my other problems.

People took advantage of my weaknesses while I was with you.

I typically hide my emotions because I’m afraid of what I’ll become if I don’t. I’m afraid one day I’ll snap and all hell will break loose. At these times, I didn’t want to be around people, so I ran— and ran, and ran, and ran—until I felt like stopping.

Running is a practice I use to isolate myself, reflect on life and calm my mind. A practice used to escape my reality, to keep my inner demons from escaping. I pointed the finger at you to blame.

I felt like the innocent, generous, happy kid inside me had died.

You turned me into a darker person who was now in an even darker place. I lost every little shred of self-confidence. I lost my smile. It’s hard to smile when you feel your spirit is blind, looking for a speck of light.

Although some friendships fade away, I have friends who stuck by my side. A good friend told me, “Continue to be a light. God put you there for a reason.” So I woke up.

My eyes opened and my spirit was able to see again how I remained on my feet to serve a greater purpose. I felt as though you were a professor giving me test after test to see if I would give up.

You knew what you were doing all along.

You taught me things nothing but God could. Most importantly, you taught me how to deal with life and move on. To that degree, I thank you.

Although one day I’ll say goodbye, I will always carry a piece of you in my heart and in my soul. Thank you for teaching me what life is all about.

Love, Myles Boyns

ARTS & CULTURE

‘THE RITE (AND RIOT) OF SPRING’ COLTON TRUJILLO

Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring caused one of classical music’s most famous, exaggerated scandals. Rite’s debut on May 29, 1913, made history by nearly starting a riot in the audience.

Stravinsky premiered two other ballets, Firebird (1910) and Petrushka (1911), in the years leading up to Rite’s premiere, and both met with positive reviews. With a packed theater the night of the debut, two groups sat in the audience: the upper class elites who had an expectation of beautiful music and the middle class concertgoers who were happy to support anything that conflicted with the elites’ vision.

Divided into two parts, Adoration of the Earth and The Sacrifice, Rite’s ballet tells a story of pagan Russian rites and human sacrifice. The show opens with a solo bassoon melody based on an Eastern European folk song. It is said the booing started during the introduction.

Vaslav Nijinsky choreographed primal and unorthodox movements. One dancer recalled, “With every leap, we landed heavily enough to jar every organ in us.”

The audience wasn’t in the mood for Rite’s groundbreaking music. Harsh dissonances—a collection of notes, resulting in a crunchy and uncomfortable feeling—with complex and tricky rhythms at ear-blasting volumes certainly didn’t help the already upset audience.

Catcalls, hisses and boos launched from the audience after the curtain rose on the stomping dancers. It is said the two groups of concertgoers began fighting among themselves, throwing objects and brandishing canes like weapons.

The objective truth of Rite’s debut is lost to history and has been discussed ever since its premiere. Was it the music that caused the riot or the choreography? Was there truly a nearriot, or was there simply an unruly audience whose expectations were not met? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

The Oregon Symphony took on this infamous piece in 2012 and again this weekend, Jan. 13–15, in their “Sounds of Home” series—this time with a unique multimedia take thanks to New York–based stage and multimedia designer Matthew Haber.

The big question after any Rite performance is inevitably, “How was the bassoon solo?”

Principal bassoonist Carin Miller Packwood played the infamous solo this year. Her sound pierced the dark hall and filled it with a full, emotionally strained tone. A multimedia display, projected in two large sections above the stage, began shortly after she started playing.

Adoration of the Earth paired with a floral display blooming as the earth came to life. Vivid colors accompanied the music before giving way to a depiction of pagan dance. The display become a wash of gray and dreariness, foreshadowing the rest of the piece’s story with dead trees and wasteland terrain.

The moving shapes and images on screen tied to every note.

Nothing was left out, from the piccolo shrieks being paired with a racing rainbow of colors to the percussion dictating when certain shapes rose and fell. At one point, when the

NEW YORK–BASED STAGE AND MULTIMEDIA DESIGNER MATTHEW HABER. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OREGON SYMPHONY music’s ominous dissonance grew, the shapes gave way to a stony, desolate earth that moved with the fluidity of water, following every contour of the melody in a queasy manner.

Near the end, as the final section began building, the music’s explosiveness was met with fiery images crawling across the screen in a foreboding manner at the conclusion.

The Oregon Symphony played beautifully. Maestro Carlos Kalmar shaped the music with precision and clarity, even while it at times had a primal, animalistic energy.

There are almost as many interpretations of Rite as there

are orchestras, and Kalmar found a balance between a riotinducing rendition and a crisp, over-perfect one. The music lends itself to being wildly energetic, and Kalmar brought that out in a way that connected beautifully with Haber’s vivid images playing above the orchestra.

Check out the Oregon Symphony in the coming months as they put on concerts ranging from film music from Pirates of the Caribbean and John Williams to Gustav Mahler’s massive Seventh Symphony. To read more about The Rite of Spring and its history, check out NPR and Classic FM.

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 16, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE

‘I WAKE UP SCREAMING’ GOES DEEP IN NOIR ANDREW GAINES

Director Bruce Humberstone’s thriller I Wake up Screaming (1941) features a mix of flashbackheavy noir and comedy as it tells the story of a New York boxing promoter (Victor Mature) railroaded for the murder of a star (Carol Landis) whose career he had been building.

Early Hollywood icon Betty Grable stars in a rare dramatic role acting alongside genre heavies such as Laird Cregar and Mature, the latter of whom would go on to be better known for historical epics such as Samson and Delilah and Zarak. The idiosyncratic casting results in a film that switches genres on the fly, creating an unpredictable narrative.

The plot keeps the audience guessing with murky character motivations and frequent flashbacks uncovering previously unknown details. That said, it’s never too difficult to follow, especially if you have any love for the noir tropes like the dirty cop or the rakish protagonist forced by a bad rap to harden up and take matters into his own hands.

The film’s opening half lets the mystery take a backseat to several comedic scenes that set the stage for murder. Mature’s straight-man character carries many lighter moments throughout the film. He’s a delight to watch go up against Cregar’s bad cop.

Grable, however, might deliver the most impressive performance in the film as the sister of the murder victim.

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Though she cut her teeth on studio comedies, she brings a lot of gravitas to the role. While Grable never fits the femme fatale archetype, her motivations aren’t always clear, and her coy dialogue with Mature keeps the audience guessing about what’s really happening.

Pay special attention to the film score. It’s less a full soundtrack and more a case of “we only had money to license one song, and by God, we’re going to use it.”

That song is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”—yes, the song from The Wizard of Oz—and you can count the scenes that don’t use it on two hands.

Landis’ character’s origins mirror Oz’s plot arc: A girl living a humdrum life is pulled into a world of glamour she could only imagine, then returns home, but the return home is replaced with an untimely death at the hands of a mystery assailant.

Despite the musical choices, I’d highly recommend I Wake up Screaming for both noir lovers and viewers who are new to hard-boiled detective films. It’s a relatively easy entry point into film noir and injects enough humor and non-traditional pacing into the proceedings to surprise veterans of the genre.

I Wake up Screaming screens Jan. 19– 21 at 5th Avenue Cinema. Admission is $4–5 or free with a PSU student ID. For more screening information, visit 5thavecinema.com

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 16, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

20TH CENTURY FOX

OPINION

YOUTUBE SMALL CREATORS CAN SURVIVE THE ‘ADPOCALYPSE’ Routine Ruminations

by Jesika Westbrook If you spend any amount of time on YouTube, you’ve likely heard of the “YouTube Adpocalypse.” The term was coined in early 2017 when content creators started to see their videos demonetized in mass quantities and stricter regulations fall on initial monetization.

Creators found new regulations focused on keeping content advertiser-friendly, but why did YouTube shift in this direction in the first place?

In February 2017, many of YouTube’s major marketers started pulling out after discovering that some of their ads were appearing on videos that “tout[ed] extremist views.” It is evident that these occurrences were in the minority, but the repercussions rippled throughout the YouTube community.

The most obvious and vocal creators affected were ones with large followings, such as news channel creator Philip DeFranco. When the Adpocalypse first hit, he saw his ad revenue tank an extreme 80 percent. Similarly, comedy podcasters Ethan and Hila Klein of h3h3Productions saw their revenue plummet by 85 percent. While some channels seemed to level out, those with more questionable content are still feeling the burn.

While marketers are returning to YouTube—because c’mon, that’s a huge market only an idiot would pass up—content creators are not out of hot water yet. Tweets from Ethan Klein in late April show new options marketers can use to further narrow the scope of videos they allow their ads to be on.

As shown in the shared image, marketers can choose certain sensitive subject exclusions, such as sensitive social issues and

profanity or rough language. As you can imagine, the latter can easily affect a huge number of content creators.

Dropped an F-bomb? Talking about whatever drama is coming out of the White House? Say goodbye to that sweet ad revenue.

YouTuber Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg responded with a running joke that to stay monetized he has now become “Family Friendly Pewds,” as well as made his channel a “Christian Channel.” I can’t say his satire isn’t based on truth. These restrictions can be severe to the point of becoming second-hand censorship.

However, it is not only large creators who are affected.

YouTubers such as RiceGum, who bragged about a $60k month being a low earning month for him, will still be making a chunk of change even with such significant drops. When the Adpocalypse hit, the creators I found myself most concerned with were smaller and handle content that’s not really considered mainstream.

Two in particular are Rob Dyke and Nick Nocturne, aka Night Mind. Dyke churns out videos that focus on true crime, strange occurrences and serial killer case files, to name a few.

Watching his channel, he went from a team of people creating high quality, daily content to weekly videos that are practically slideshows with voice-overs. Still enjoyable, but not what he was able to and aspired to do pre-Adpocalypse.

In an April vlog, Dyke explains how the new advertiser-friendly rules will heavily restrict the horror community among other related topics. A specific line from the guidelines says that to be advertiser-friendly, content must be suitable for all ages. This includes children. The bottom line for creators was be G-rated or lose monetization.

These restrictions seem to have lightened in recent months, evident since PewDiePie still manages to cram three ads into a 10-minute video, and YouTuber idubbbz, whose comedy can be described as vulgar and offensive, is still monetized.

Night Mind represents the other end of the content creation spectrum: content that does not have a particularly large following, nor does it hold mainstream appeal. He is known for picking apart horror web series in an intriguing and extremely in-depth manner. With a typical viewership of 50–150k per video, he won’t exactly rake in the cash.

Noticeably, not many of his videos appear to be monetized, and if they are, the ads are low quality from companies that probably aren’t shelling out too much dough either. So where does he find the funds to keep his channel afloat?

Enter Patreon. Both Rob Dyke and Night Mind utilize this crowdfunding site for creators. Dyke’s audience donates a whopping $8,542 a month, and Night Mind is bringing in a smaller, but still impressive for a channel of his size $3,592 a month. While not what they could be making off of ad revenue, it’s still enough to keep these awesome channels running.

Is Patreon the future of YouTube and online content? For smaller and less mainstream creators, it at least seems to be a viable option. What it comes down to is YouTube is getting its act together on how it handles marketers and increasing transparency with how its algorithms affect creators. Until then, the best we as viewers can do is turn off Adblock and dig into our pockets to find $1 a month to give to our favorite small creators to keep independent content alive.

ELENA KIM

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 16, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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OPINION

FREE YOURSELF FROM THE BAD NEWS BARRAGE MEDIA’S OMNIPRESENCE IN OUR LIVES IS LEADING TO AN INCREASE IN STRESS DISORDERS Mystery Flavor by Jordan Ellis

Media headlines throughout 2017 delivered one dismal news story after the next. In this information age, troubling events bombard us from almost anywhere, and as important as it is for us to be informed citizens, it shouldn’t be at the expense of our emotional well-being. In August 2017, two-thirds of Americans reported getting at least some of their news from social media. Even if we aren’t directly seeking out news updates, they pop up in our news feeds, phone notifications, newspaper stands on the sidewalk and our conversations.

In a turbulent political climate, it makes sense that we want to be informed. In his article “How to Stay Informed Without Losing Your Mind,” author and behavioral designer Nir Eyal reflects on his own post-election news consumption. “I told myself that I was staying informed, that this was part of my civic duty—and that not staying up-to-date 24/7 would leave me politically ignorant and impotent,” he said.

The fear of being underinformed or ignorant is valid and understandable in today’s world. We’re apprehensive about having politicians and leaders pull the wool over our eyes. The pursuit of staying informed can become a way to push back against them. But when does viewing the news cease to serve and begin to consume us?

An American Psychological Association study last year found “more than half of Americans say the current political climate is a very or somewhat significant source of stress.” Surrounded by easily accessible news sources, we are therefore constantly reminded of our stressors.

Steven Stosny, Ph.D., coined this phenomenon “headline stress disorder,” observing, “For many people, continual alerts from news sources, blogs, social media and alternative facts feel like missile explosions in a siege without end.”

In this onslaught of information, attempting to stay informed ceases to be helpful. For me, upsetting news stories can become overwhelming and incapacitating. Lying in my own pit of despair over the status of our world doesn’t promote change or make me a better citizen. Instead, it tempts me to renounce the world and become a hermit.

The detrimental effect news can have on emotional wellbeing isn’t an anomaly, either. Psychologists are studying more and more the links between news consumption and mental health.

Along with amplifying pre-existing depression and anxiety, exposure to negative news can trigger “compassion fatigue, becoming less sympathetic to the plight of others over time due to an overabundance of stories of violence and suffering in the media.”

Wanting to stay informed is one thing, but when it comes to the news, overconsumption of information isn’t helpful.

Despite how unavoidable current events seem to be through technology, here are some practical things you can do to avoid this news overload:

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ROBBY DAY — Set a concrete limit on the amount of time you actively consume news media. Maybe give yourself 15 minutes in the morning to get up to date, or only check news sites once per day.

— Get rid of news apps on your phone, or turn off their notifications. This way the news doesn’t have to follow you everywhere.

— Go old-school and read the newspaper. Online hyperlinks can suck you into a never-ending string of story after story. Newspapers are self-contained; you can read them, get informed and move on.

— Remove politics from your social media. Google Chrome has plugins that block political keywords from your news feed. Or finally, unfollow that friend with the political posts.

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 16, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

— Seek out positive news to keep things in perspective.

Conventional news sites tend to focus on the negative and catastrophic, making it look like the world is falling apart. Online sources like Good News Network and TODAY’s Good News page can give you a healthy dose of optimism to counteract all the bad news.

Be mindful of your news habits and do what works for you.

There is no set number of articles to read in order to be a good, informed citizen. If you feel overwhelmed, chances are you need to take a step back from the news, and these limits don’t have to be permanent. Limits can simply provide a temporary break if that’s what you need. In essence, it’s a tough world out there, so treat yourself gently.

THANK YOU

THANK YOU Last month, members of Vanguard’s team sponsored a community of Portlanders living without homes during the winter months.

Thanks to the generosity of individual donors, we raised over $700 in financial donations to provide daily supplies for surviving the cold, wet elements. We also collected over $3,000 in item donations from the Portland businesses listed below.

On Portland’s icy Dec. 25 morning, we delivered a U-Haul packed full of gifts and hot meals to a group of very thankful—and now much warmer—Portlanders and pets in need. We are humbled by and grateful for the generous donors who made this possible.

Danny is a Portlander currently living without a home. He told Vanguard

volunteers playing guitar keeps him feeling sane on difficult nights spent outdoors. In November 2017, Gresham Police seized Danny’s guitar in a sweep of his tent

community. Thanks to a generous donation from Southeast Portland’s Artichoke

Music, Danny received a new guitar on Christmas morning. He said he’s been playing every day since.

Colleen Leary/PSU Vanguard

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 16, 2018 • psuvanguard.com

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WE’RE HIRING AN ONLINE EDITOR

The online editor is up to date on current and emerging social technologies. They know how to use these channels to most effectively connect readers to Vanguard content. The online editor also oversees current and new user accounts, online web categories and hyperlinks and SEO considerations within online articles. The position requires a time commitment of 20 hours per week.

Online editor responsibilities include but are not limited to: • Coding • Familiarity with WordPress • Web content management • Social media content production • Journalism and graphic design skills • Eagerness to lend ideas and suggestions • Updating online article gallery • Attending weekly staff meetings and collaborating with editorial staff on a consistent and active basis

Please see student eligibility requirements listed above for all open positions. The editor receives $1900 per term through an Educational Leadership Service Award. Position starts immediately. Visit PSUvanguard.com/jobs to apply.