Vol. 115, Issue 15 February 6, 2014
The BEacon
Every Thursday
The Student Voice of the University of Portland Since 1935
Stressed about where to live next year? See our housing guide
Administrators speak out on cultural diversity issues raised at the BYU game
The future of fitness at UP
Living, p. 8-9
Opinions, p. 13
News, p. 2
Students learn hard lessons from winter break-ins Two off-campus homes are victims of burglary during a spike in crime in the University Park neighborhood
Olivia Alsept-Ellis Staff Writer alseptel14@up.edu Senior Ben Mesches returned to his off-campus rental home after spending the holidays with family, only to discover a scene of chaos. The TV was missing, his guitars were taken from his room and there was broken glass on the floor from where burglars had entered the home. During the same Christmas week, another empty offcampus house, home to junior Emily Bliven, also discovered a burglary. Now, a month later, the students speak about living in their once-ransacked homes. Although they said the ordeal has been frustrating and scary at times, the students said it could also be considered a learning and growing experience. According to the Portland Police Bureau’s Crime Statistics, during the week of Dec. 22, the University Park neighborhood experienced a spike in reported crime, which includes burglary, larceny, theft from a vehicle and theft of a vehicle. These houses were just two victims out of 12 combined crimes in these categories. Currently, the crimes are under investigation by Portland Police, but both houses
report that they have not been updated about any leads. Insult to Injury “Our house is completely ransacked,” Mesches texted his housemates: seniors Devin Helmgren, Jackie Ackerson, Sam Schelfhout, Rachel Van Nes and recent graduate Matt Tominaga. “That (text message) ground my whole evening to a halt,” Helmgren said. “One second, you’re getting ready for bed. And the next second, you’re thinking, ‘OK, what do I do now?’” Mesches said that when he first came home, he tried to rationalize why the TV was missing until he finally realized that it had been stolen. He continued to update his housemates on the extent of the loss as he discovered it, some items not being as obviously missing as the TV. “I thought, ‘oh well that all sucks for them,’ but I didn’t leave anything valuable at home,” Van Nes said. “And then Ben called me and said, ‘Rachel, your car is stolen.’ Aww man, I thought I had gotten off the hook.” When the housemates returned home, they found their rooms in a state of disarray. “All of the bedrooms had been turned over. Things on the shelves were on the floors. Things in the
Olivia Alsept-Ellis | THE BEACON
Senior Ben Mesches had multiple possessions stolen from his home over winter break, along with his five other housemates. According to Portland Police, there was a spike in crime in University Park Christmas week. desk – floor,” Helmgren said. Ackerson’s bedroom experienced a strange and unknown damage. Her bed sheets had tears and “strange marks.” “I wasn’t going to sleep with those sheets,” Ackerson said. “I just bought new sheets.” Once they were back, Mesches said they all decided to
Theme houses face changes Kathryn Walters Copy Editor walters14@up.edu For many UP students, February is not just the season of rainy days and valentines, but also the annual housing selection. The options can be overwhelming: on or off campus? Traditional dorm or Haggerty/Tyson? UP or nonUP rental? But students who planned to live in the various on-campus theme houses now have some big changes to consider. The four theme houses - the International House, Faith and Leadership House, Green House and Honors House - will no longer be housed in the Haggerty and Tyson apartment-style residence halls. Instead, in collaboration with the International Student Services, Campus Ministry, the theology department and the Moreau Center, the Faith and Leadership House and International House programs will be reorganized into “faith and formation ambassador” and “global ambassador” programs. Students who are interested in
sleep in the living room together for protection – or, at least, for the feeling of protection. “We were all on edge and spooked and hadn’t seen each other in a while,” Helmgren said. “But at some point that night, they came back.” As the house slept together in the living room, metaphorical
Dialogue about diversity continues
UPDATE:
Lydia Laythe Staff Writer laythe16@up.edu
Nastacia Voisin | THE BEACON
Members of the International Club (left to right) freshmen Jasmeen Kaur and Misaki Matsushita, junior Mikayla Posey, senior Rylan Suehisa, sophomore Marina Ozaki and senior Laura Kehoe enjoy shiritama zenzai, a traditional Japanese food, for their Japanese Movie Party Feb. 1 in the International House. faith or international issues can live in the traditional residence halls and promote these topics within their own halls. Residence Life is also interested in creating a sustainability ambassador position for each dorm in the future. Meanwhile, the Honors House will move off campus. Christopher Haug, director of Residence Life, said these changes are meant to foster community and cohesiveness
across all the residence halls. “I found that a lot of the folks that are invested into the theme housing were so invested in the theme housing that they maybe didn’t have as much time to devote to the other halls,” Haug said. “So how can we be thinking creatively about making sure that the good work that is happening in the theme housing, is happening around campus?” See THEMED HOUSING, page 5
lightning struck again: Mesches’ car was stolen as it sat in the driveway. He said that it was likely the same burglars who broke into the house because he realized they had stolen his keys. The housemates said that it was disturbing to know that See OFF-CAMPUS BURGLARIES, page 5
Two weeks ago, students attended a UP men’s basketball game wearing sombreros and shouting rude and vulgar phrases in Spanish. This incident elicited responses from students, faculty and staff, as well as responses from University President Fr. Bill Beauchamp, the Athletic Department, Residence Life and ASUP. What began as one incident of cultural appropriation sparked campus-wide discussion on cultural sensitivity and longterm change. President Beauchamp In a letter addressed to UP Students, Faculty and Staff, University President Beauchamp expressed a desire to create a more safe, respectful and inclusive campus. According to Beauchamp, the new Presidential Advisory Committee on Inclusion will be addressing this
issue. “Our work in this area will never be complete, but we must remain committed to making sure that the University of Portland is a welcoming and respectful community for all who call The Bluff home,” Beauchamp said. Athletic Department According to a statement by Director of Athletics Scott Leykam, “the Athletic Department is finalizing a Fan Code of Conduct that will, in partnership with Residence Life, Student Activities and Public Safety, clearly articulate action steps to prevent and handle situations that may arise in the future.” Residence Life Chris Haug, director of Residence Life, spoke at the ASUP meeting Feb. 3 about changes in residence life, including the possible See CULTURAL DIVERSITY, page 2
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NEWS
February 6, 2014
New recreation center to break ground in May Nastacia Voisin Staff Writer voisin15@up.edu Nearly seven years after receiving the first donation towards building a new recreation center, UP is three months away from breaking ground for the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center. The Center, which will open in fall 2015, will be roughly triple the size of Howard Hall and cost $23 million to build. The building is the last major RISE Campaign project and will feature three gymnasiums, several fitness rooms, a rock climbing wall and new equipment. Last December the Board of Regents chose to name the center after Fr. Bill Beauchamp to honor the work he’s accomplished during his presidency. It’s a project Jim Ravelli, vice president for University Operations, said “is long overdue.” Part of the reason it’s taken so long is the cost of the building, according to Laurie Kelley, interim vice president for University Relations. According to Kelley, they’re $3 million away from their goal, and they’re confident they will reach it. “It’s a lot of money to raise for one building, and there have been so many competing projects,” she said. The new Recreation Center was modeled after other campuses’ successful fitness centers, and will continue the University’s theme of brick and glass. Kelley and Ravelli hope that the new modern, open and well-lit Recreation Center will be a social space as well as an athletic one. “It’s going to be a place where people can convene,” Kelley said. “It’s going to be another meeting space where people can create new communities.”
More than just a place to work out Part of the social aspect will come from having a wellness suite – a health education and advising space where students, faculty and staff can attend classes or receive one-on-one fitness counseling. “We wanted pieces of it to be not just weights and exercise space and a basketball court,” Ravelli said. “We knew it was important for people to get information for programs and education.” Two of the most important design criteria of the building were flexibility and space. Howard Hall was built in 1927, and according to Brian Dezzani, director of Recreational Services, it’s struggling to serve students’ needs. Joking that upon entering Howard Hall you, “need to hold your arms up and keep the walls up,” Dezzani added seriously that, “we have students that flat out don’t come here because of our recreation center.” According to Dezzani, the size and condition of Howard Hall drives students to find alternative workout spaces – or even alternative schools. A new recreation center, Dezzani said, will be a huge draw to students who want to establish healthy life choices. “I think the admission tours will actually come in the rec center instead of just walking past it,” said Dezzani. Dezzani thinks the quality and size of the building will appeal not just to students, but to faculty and staff as well. He encourages students to give him input in person or by email on what they hope the new recreation center will offer, as there are still choices being made about what will go inside the building. Public Safety moves to the Haggerty/Tyson parking lot The almost 14-month project
David DiLoreto | THE BEACON
Photo Courtesy of UP Marketing | THE BEACON
The field that is the site of the Office of Public Safety, and the parking lot adjacent (above), will be the location of the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center. UP will break ground for the center in May. involves razing the current Public Safety building sometime between March and April.
The new recreation center will consume the entire space Public Safety is currently occupying,
See NEW RECREATION CENTER, page 4
CULTURAL DIVERSITY: UP community responds to insensitivity Continued from page 1 implementation of Residence Hall ambassadors. These ambassadors would operate as leaders in residence halls and help facilitate intellectual, spiritual and cultural conversations outside the classroom. One would focus on diversity. “We just went through a painful situation a week and a half ago with the ‘Los Pilots’ incident at the Chiles Center,” Haug said at the meeting, “Not that the global ambassador position could’ve solved any of that. But wouldn’t it have been cool if we already had that venue for conversation? Maybe a student leader (could have) already networked with people of different cultures and pulled together a cultural conversation.” ASUP ASUP senators Anthony Montoya and Samantha DeLucchi co-sponsored
Resolution 14-02 which proposes splitting the ASUP Awareness Committee into two separate committees. Currently the Awareness Committee is comprised of two subcommittees, one focusing on diversity. Resolution 14-02 would make those subcommittees into standing committees, which insures the topic of diversity would be discussed more often. DeLucchi is also pushing the expansion of leadership roles in the diversity committee to allow non-international students to head that committee. Montoya said the leadership expansion was reflective of the expansion in their definition of diversity. “We’re expanding the definition of the (diversity) committee to not just include ethnicity or national origin, but all matters of diversity including homosexuality and gender identity,” Montoya said. Beyond internal changes,
ASUP is also putting time and energy into external efforts toward diversity awareness. DeLucchi is planning an event for Diversity Dialogues Week Feb. 24-28, which would consist of a panel of students discussing their experience of diversity and adversity. In addition, Vice President Elvia Gaona will attend the upcoming Academic Senate meeting Feb. 11 to discuss including diversity as a topic in the curriculum and to receive faculty and staff feedback. Student, Faculty and Staff Group Multicultural Programs Coordinator Bethany Sills is helping facilitate meetings between students, faculty and staff. The newly-formed group began meeting to address the initial cultural insensitivity issue, but has now shifted its focus to maintaining the cultural dialogue on campus. While the group is still in the brainstorming phase,
they’ve considered developing cultural competence training models for freshman orientation, freshman home base groups, residence halls and campus clubs. This group is also considering hosting a panel during Diversity Dialogues Week, possibly in collaboration with ASUP. Anyone can join the group by contacting Bethany Sills at sills@up.edu. Overall, this group aims to shift focus from one incident and look at the bigger picture. Their goal is to continue the dialogue about diversity and inclusion on campus. Junior Yuri Hernandez, one of the students who confronted the group wearing sombreros, said the group is also focusing on educating students, faculty and staff. Hernandez said educating people in cultural sensitivity involves challenging their ideas in ways they may have never been challenged before. “I think it’s because they’ve
never had to analyze their privilege,” Hernandez said. “They don’t see it as racist because they get to choose not to. They’ve never been challenged to think like that.” Senior Tadeu Velloso, another member of the group, said everyone needs to refocus their questions about the issue of cultural awareness and sensitivity. “It started a lot of conversation, which is ultimately the goal,” Velloso said. “That’s the thing that’s frustrating is people being like, ‘Well if that’s cultural appropriation, what about the fact that Villa Maria wears the kilts? Or what about if Mexican students wear sombreros?’ People want a definition about where is the line. There is no line unfortunately. There is no right or wrong answer. There is no line. The line is defined by the person that’s offended.”
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NEWS
Kurt Berning returns to Villa Maria Taylor Tobin Staff Writer tobin16@up.edu After spending a summer in rural Kenya teaching high school students, traveling to both China and Cambodia with the E-Scholars program and studying in Norwich, U.K. on a Fulbright grant, 2012 UP graduate Kurt Berning has returned to where he started at UP, and served as an RA for two years: Villa Maria Hall, as the newest hall director. “I never thought that I would be coming back, especially as hall director, because the position was filled and it’s usually an all year thing,” Berning said. “It’s very rare for what happened to happen.” Before the job offer, Berning was planning to leave for Nicaragua for a few years. However, after attending the Villa Man Auction last fall, it was apparent to him that Villa needed a change. The community had undergone much confusion over the sudden and unexplained departure of their previous hall director, Danny Zimmerman. “Talking to the guys there – the RAs, the residents, the people – I sensed that Villa was just a little off. This was two weeks after it happened,” Berning said. “You could tell that there was a lot of emotion there, and there was a huge need for someone to come and pick up and move forward.” Berning felt he could be that person. “That was very compelling for me. I saw that and thought, ‘Wow maybe this is something where I can come back and lend a hand to a place I know well and get it back on track,’” he said. “It was mostly just seeing the need and thinking ‘I could do a good job at this. I think I could come back and stabilize things and keep it moving forward.’” Junior RA Derek Block is grateful for Berning’s return and compassion to get the Villa brotherhood back on its feet. “He’s making some sacrifices to help our community get better,” Block said. “I really appreciate that.” Berning is excited for spring semester, because it gives the Villa guys a chance to make their mark in events and fundraisers they are personally interested in. “He encourages us to do things that we want, like planning events ourselves, and making them happen,” junior Community Assistant Sean Norgard said. One of the biggest things that he wants students to focus on is engagement and excellence. He said that Villa’s atmosphere provides encouragement for residents to get involved and make their mark. “Right now we are working on making a Villa history area, where more people can see it; it’s not just an oral tradition, but people can see what we’ve done,” Norgard said. “Especially with Villa Drum Squad. We’ve
On Campus INTRO TO INTERNSHIPS Thursday, Feb. 6, 4:15 p.m. in Career Services. Program will cover basic types of internships, the benefits of participating in an internship and how to find one. AFRICAN AMERICAN READ-IN Thursday, Feb. 6, 5-7:30 p.m. in St. Mary’s Lounge. Hear students read pieces from African-American authors, poets, playwrights or songwriters.
David DiLoreto | THE BEACON
Berning talks to sophomore Nick Ramsey about lunch. Berning returned to Villa Maria Hall to fill the spot left by the sudden departure of former hall director Danny Zimmerman. traveled over 10,000 miles. It’s kind of a big deal.” Berning added that Villa is an environment where everyone’s personality is able to thrive.
“He’s making some sacrifices to help our community get better. I really appreciate that.”
Derek Block junior
“Villa has always prided itself in including people that might be excluded in other settings,” Berning said. “Instead of being cast out as weird or odd, peoples’ traits are embraced as positive qualities. You don’t have to be a certain mold to be a Villain, or to be appreciated, you just have to be open, happy and excited to live here, and people will accept you in. I want to continue to build that, making Villa not about individual friend groups, but
about a wider brotherhood.” In his free time, Berning enjoys playing staff sports and reading. “I read a lot. I switch between non-fiction, life-changing books and fantasy,” said Berning. “I try to make most of my reading meaningful. I get tired of reading books about other worlds. I’m like, ‘This is great, but I need to think about improving this world and learning.’” Berning has already cofounded a non-profit, Global Ade, with fellow student and friend Kenny King, during their time in the E-Scholars program together. Global Ade supports education in developing countries, mostly in Cambodia. They give money to people on the ground with ideas to improve the current education systems and existing projects that need expanding. “(King) now just quit his job to work on it full-time,” Berning said. “It’s so cool to think that there is a tangible result of that
program. For him it’s like, ‘We did this and now I’m doing it for real after college,’ and that’s really cool.” After graduating, Berning studied education policy of developing countries at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, U.K. though a Fulbright grant. “I just had so much fun; it really exposed me to a new level of diversity and experiences,” Berning said. “On so many levels it was fulfilling — on the academic, personal and travel levels.” Although he has only been working on campus since Nov. 31, Berning can already feel the difference in his role. “My chance now for impact is very different than being here as a student,” Berning said. “I’m coming to UP with a lot of perspective. I have a completely new set of responsibilities, and that’s very exciting.”
GRACE AND CINEMA Thursday, Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m. in Shiley 301. Fr. David Guffey, Director of the Film, Television and Video Department with Family Theater Productions in Hollywood presents “Grace and Cinema.” Movie snacks provided. PILOTS AFTER DARK Friday, Feb. 7, 10-11:30 p.m. Live Music: Tony Smiley 11:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. Trivia Night. Saturday, Feb. 8, 10-11:30 p.m. A Capella After Dark featuring five student groups from UP and Lewis and Clark College. 11:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. KDUP DJ Otto Streckler AKA Fidel Cashflow. CPB PRESENTS “THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE” Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m. in Buckley Center Auditorium. LIFE AFTER THE ENGLISH MAJOR Monday, Feb. 10, 4 p.m. in Franz 128. Hear alumni from the last ten years share their stories and answer questions. Accuracy in The Beacon
The Beacon strives to be fair and accurate. The newspaper corrects any significant errors of fact brought to the attention of the editors. If you think an error has been made, contact us at beacon@up.edu. Corrections will be printed above.
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NEWS
February 6, 2014
NEW RECREATION CENTER: moving Public Safety across the street Continued from page 2 including the 28-space parking lot. Director of Public Safety Gerald Gregg said Public Safety will be moving across the street to the space in and behind Haggerty 100. New walls will be put up, and the last four parking spaces of the Haggerty garage will be converted to office space. Gregg said the transition timeline is aggressive, but that the move won’t put pressure on the running of Public Safety. “We don’t need anything special,” Gregg said. “Two
things are critically important: accessibility and visibility.” Gregg said that Public Safety’s new location is a hightraffic area and will have better signage, making the office more noticeable. “I think it will be every bit as accessible,” he said. “The actual space will function better for us.” Ravelli said the location for the new recreation center was decided after considering factors like the importance of open spaces on campus, proximity to the Chiles Center, city regulations and the size of the new building. Like many details such as
staffing and equipment choices, the creation of more parking space to make up for what is being lost is still being worked out. No swimming for now One aspect the new center will be lacking in its first phase of development is a swimming pool. Ravelli said there are a lot of tradeoffs in planning the Center, and the exclusion of a pool was a budgetary choice. “We wrestled with the decision on whether to put a pool in it or not,” Ravelli said. The estimated cost of adding a pool was $3 million, not
including operating costs, and the final decision was to create extra gym space instead. Senior Walker Ross, a member of UP’s water polo team, said he thinks from the university’s perspective, it’s a fair choice. He’s been swimming his whole life, and realizes that building a swimming pool is both a risk and an expense. “You’re going to dig a hole next to a building, flood it with water, and hope it doesn’t leak,” Ross said. At the same time, he feels UP will fail to attract serious swimmers if they don’t make the investment.
However, a pool is part of the second phase of development. Infrastructure will be put in during the building of the center (called Phase One) to reserve space on the site to build a pool at a later date (Phase Two). Ravelli and Kelley are optimistic about the success of the building. “We’re standing behind what we say,” Kelley said. “We’re not just saying ‘heart, hand and mind’ when we talking about education at the University of Portland. We really want being fit to be part of the experience here.”
The UP Public Safety Report 1. Jan. 30, 9:52 a.m. - Officers made contact with a suspicious person. They were soliciting for a petition and were asked to leave campus; they were compliant.
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2. Jan. 30, 2:01 p.m. - Officers contacted a suspicious person behind Kenna Hall. Individual was trespassed from campus.
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3. Jan. 30, 2:30 p.m. - A student reported harassment by their roommate. A report was taken and issue was referred to the student conduct process. 4. Jan. 31, 7:54 p.m. - A staff member reported two suspicious persons in the Anchor. Officers made contact with the individuals and they were trespassed from campus.
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5. Feb. 2, 11:20 a.m. - Student reported the theft of their bike from outside of Shipstad. The bike was found to have been confiscated by Public Safety for an improper secure and was returned to the student.
For a complete interactive public safety report visit www.upbeacon.com and click UP Crime & Fire Log under the News tab.
NEWS
www.upbeacon.com
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OFF-CAMPUS BURGLARIES: students cope Continued from page 1 the burglars had the audacity to return while they were all inside. “I called the police and reported my car missing, but they said, ‘Your car wasn’t stolen, it was impounded,’” Mesches said. “I said, ‘No, I think it was both. I think it was both stolen and then impounded’...We found out it was impounded in front of this apartment over on Lombard.” “And they took all the spoons” While Mesches’ car is back in his possession – the only damaged sustained was a lone cigarette burn within the few hours it was stolen – no other items have been recovered. Currently, the housemates can attribute a wild assortment of missing items to the winter break burglary: two Xboxes, a Wii, N64 controllers and games, 10 different instruments, amplifiers, a desktop computer, a TV, a passport, credit cards, a student ID, a bike, jewelry, perfume, backpacks, pens and pencils, journals, a graphing calculator, clothing and shoes. The burglars even smashed the piggy banks and took the contents, leaving shards scattered across the floor. The other burglarized household went through the same experience. Junior Emily Bliven said that her house became aware of the burglary just after Christmas. “I couldn’t come home immediately so until I could see it, I had all these weird dreams about the stuff they could have taken,” Bliven said. The back door window had been smashed. Items now missing are the vacuum cleaner, TV, a passport, a laptop, a guitar, jewelry, backpacks, a toolbox, a lamp and food items. However, many of the items the burglars took have left the
housemates scratching their heads. “They took all the coffee in the house,” Bliven said. “We had just a bunch of half-used coffee things that they took.” The other house too had an assortment of odd items stolen. “The thing that really gets me is that some of the stuff they stole just doesn’t make sense. They took my almond milk,” Ackerson said. “They left the VCR but they took the cord that connects the VCR to the TV. Who does that?” “And they took all the spoons,” Van Nes added. What Hurts the Most However, students discovered that much of the stolen property was high in sentimental value – the measure of the offense cutting even deeper. “I had a tin Barbie lunchbox with all of my little treasures from Europe. So it had a bunch of different coins and playing cards and salt from Austria,” Bliven said. “I don’t know what they’re going to do with that. Probably just throw it away.” Ackerson said she is hurt most by her bike being stolen. “To be honest, it was a really (broken) bike,” Ackerson said. “But that was the last thing my grandfather had given me. So, for all that I complain about it, it was really special.” Both households said they felt targeted in some way by this attack. “(The burglars) obviously had been watching us, because normally we have five cars here and they had all disappeared over winter break,” Bliven said. “And they must have been watching for when my housemate went home for Christmas.” The other house traced credit card purchases of the stolen card in order to know the day of their burglary: it was on Christmas
Eve. “If they knew to come at that time, they had to have known we were college students,” Van Nes said. “Because we were only gone for a week.” Although Director of Public Safety Gerald Gregg is aware of the crimes, they technically fall outside of Public Safety’s jurisdiction. Gregg also said that assuming that the houses were targeted is a loaded statement. “I don’t believe anyone is necessarily targeting students,” Gregg said. “However, it seems somebody went through the North Portland neighborhood and committed property crime.” Staying Safe, but Still Spooked The students are still living in the homes that were broken into, with new locks and glass windows fixed. However, they noted that alarm systems won’t necessarily make them feel much safer. “It makes me feel vulnerable, even now,” Bliven said. “If somebody got in here again, they could take everything again.” Bumps in the night aren’t met with ignorance but fear. “Now I’m really paranoid about them coming back. I watch any new cars outside of our house,” Helmgren said. “And if I hear a noise when I think no one else is home, it freaks me out.” The students have shaped their behavior to uphold more alert house practices. “We always set the (house) alarm when we leave and we know now that we can talk to our neighbors before we leave,” Ackerson said. “Tell them, ‘I’m going to be gone, so if you see any activity, it’s not me.’” Gregg agreed that students can take precautions to ward off burglars in the future. “It never hurts to leave some porch lights on,” he said. “Let
neighbors, who aren’t leaving, help keep an eye on things. That said, you can do everything right and somebody may think, ‘Hey that house looks empty, I’m gonna go see what I can find.’” The students, however, have dealt with the emotional impact of the theft in their own ways. Ackerson, Van Nes, Mesches and Helmgren all run UP’s improv team, The Bluffoons. They’ve sourced hilarity as a primary method of coping. “I’m really thankful that
Graphs by Emily Strocher | THE BEACON
we’re all comedians,” Helmgren said. “That’s how we’ve handled this. By laughing at it. Like, they took all the spoons! That’s pretty funny.” Bliven said materialism has little power over her. “They’re thieves and they can only have power over you if you let them,” Bliven said. “If you think about the things that have been taken from you as things you didn’t really own in the first place, then it doesn’t seem all that bad.”
THEMED HOUSING: looking to build community Continued from page 1 Although some details have yet to be ironed out, according to Haug, the global or faith and formation ambassador positions will work similarly to the student justice coordinator position in each residence hall. Students would apply to be a faith and formation or global ambassador and one of each would ideally be placed in each residence hall. Even though they are on their own in their respective dorms, ambassadors would still convene and collaborate with the other ambassadors across campus. “We’re helping to build more leaders, and the goal is to build more leaders across campus, always,” Alex Hermanny, associate director for housing, said. Beth Barsotti, assistant director of faith for Campus Ministry and an adviser for the Faith and Leadership House, said the new ambassador format will allow faith-minded students to be
a support and resource for their dorm. “If we want these students to help create a Christian culture on campus, being off campus would make it hard to be leaders,” Barsotti said. “In the halls, there’s more chance for social networks and creating community.” According to Haug, the units vacated by the theme houses will be made available to other students. With the support of the Office for Student Affairs, the decision to enact these changes happened late last semester, which compressed time considerations for some students who had planned to continue living in theme housing in its current format. Junior Kim Turner, who currently lives in the International House and had planned to continue living there next year, found herself and her friends unexpectedly faced with the option to move off campus. Although Residence Life offered the International House the use
of two University-owned houses next door to each other, one of her main concerns for the future of the International House was that having an off-campus location would make it harder to students to access. “I think it’s a lot more uncomfortable to walk up to some house and knock and ask if this is the International House, whereas on campus it’s a lot more comfortable for people to come,” she said. Michael Pelley, director of International Student Services and an adviser for the International House, said he would have liked the International House to stay in Tyson Hall but realizes that Residence Life should make changes when it feels they are necessary. “We would have preferred to stay in Tyson, absolutely. However, at the same time, residentiality is a really big part of our campus and it has to grow always. And if it doesn’t grow it can get real stagnant,” he said. In the end, some of the
current International House students decided to apply for two separate units in Tyson/ Haggerty, while other students in the house decided to move off-campus independently. Two units were necessary because only theme houses are allowed to be coed, and since both male and female International House students wanted to stick together in Tyson/Haggerty, the men and women had to apply separately. However, others see theme housing moving off campus as an opportunity. English professor John Orr, director of the Honors Program, said having a large offcampus space to host events in the Honors House will help bring all Honors students together. “I think this is in some ways a great opportunity for the Honors Program, because one of the things we have not had is a space,” Orr said. “I don’t want to suggest that that will be an absolutely public space, but it will be a space where we can host events and do various things which will be good, I think, for
group cohesiveness.” Junior Stefania Hajnosz, a current resident of the on-campus Honors House in Tyson Hall, plans to live in the new Honors House next year and thinks the new off-campus location will be good for hosting more events, something she thinks Honors could improve on. “I think that’s the goal of having a theme house and I don’t think we’ve done the best job doing that. I think we have some plans for this semester so we’ll see how it goes, but for next semester, we’ll have more events,” Hajnosz said. Although the theme housing changes are significant, Haug said theme housing is still an important part of campus life. “In no way we’re disbanding the themes. We’re rethinking it,” Haug said. “We’re rethinking how they fit in line with our Holy Cross approach to residence life, and we’re really excited about the new leadership opportunities that we’ll be able to help support.”
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February 6, 2014
LIVING Your new favorite app arrived
UP: a family affair Parents pass on Pilot pride to children
Clare Duffy Staff Writer duffy17@up.edu Often students think of their friends on campus as a second family, but there are actual families on campus that have made UP their second home. Several members of such families shared what it’s like to learn, work and live with one’s family at the University of Portland. Mother and daughter: Jamie Powell and Grace Powell Many mothers and daughters bond over their shared love for pedicures or “The Breakfast Club,” and while these things may also be true, junior Grace Powell and mother Jamie Powell, program manager at the Garaventa Center, are able to bond over their shared experiences at UP’s Salzburg study abroad program. Jamie went on the Salzburg trip when she was a student at UP, and brought her daughter Grace with her to Salzburg reunions from a young age. Years later, Grace went on the Salzburg program as a sophomore, and now she and her mother will attend this summer’s reunion together as Salzburg alumni. While Salzburg connects both Grace and Jamie, Grace said that it also provided her with “the independence from having my parents.” In addition to knowing about Salzburg from an early age, Grace also grew up attending University of Portland basketball games with her older brother, also a UP alum. While Grace considered attending other universities, she and Jamie both agreed that choosing UP, given their family connection, has been a positive experience. “I think I see my mother more than any other college student. It’s nice to get to stop in and just have a conversation,” Grace said. Although they are family, Grace and Jamie get to see two different sides of events or issues
Kristen Garcia | THE BEACON
(Above) Junior Grace Powell and mother Jamie Powell both participated in the Salzburg study abroad program. (Below) Maureen Briare, Jim Kuffner and sophomore Raina Briare represent three generations of UP students. that occur on campus. “It’s two different perspectives, she’ll hear one thing that’s happening with the employees and I’ll hear it from the students,” Grace said. Overall, the Powell women have good things to say about being on campus together. “She really embraces so much of college life,” Jamie said, “so it’s really fun.” Grandfather, mother and daughter: Jim Kuffner, Maureen Briare and Raina Briare Attending University of Portland was a natural option for sophomore Raina Briare because of her family history of studying and working at UP, which spans three generations. “We’ve just always been in the neighborhood and it’s all I’ve ever known, and my mom works here so of course there are benefits to that,” Raina said. In addition to having her mother, alumna and Associate Director for Music and Campus
Ministry Maureen Briare, on campus, Maureen’s father, Jim Kuffner also works at UP. Kuffner works as the assistant vice president for Community Relations for the university, and this year marks his 30th as an employee. Kuffner earned his master’s degree at UP, and four of his five children followed in his footsteps by becoming Pilots, including his son Joe Kuffner, assistant director for media relations at UP. Kuffner, Maureen and Raina have all experienced perks of hav-
Kristen Garcia | THE BEACON
ing family on campus like chance run-ins and the feeling of a shared experience. They don’t feel there are downsides because, “you can be as close or as far apart as you want,” Raina said. Beaming, Kuffner explained the pride that comes from having his family so intertwined with UP. “The expression, ‘You bleed purple,’ is true. For me, there’s a deep sense of pride in the sense that I know how rigorous the academic requirements are here,” Kuffner said.
Running for their lives
Students turn to running for stress relief, relaxation, socializing and health Taylor Tobin Staff Writer tobin16@up.edu The thought of lacing up running shoes and hitting the pavement for a jog might make you cringe. But for some students, it’s a necessary stride to meet goals, a time to reflect on busy schedules, or, simply, a way of life. They may not be on a UP cross country team, but these students still put in the miles in pursuit of that runner’s high.
Treading their own road
Sophomore Colleen Koenig looks at running as a necessity to her health. “In college, especially when it’s super busy, I find it as a
stress relief. I feel physically ill if I don’t run for a couple days,” Koenig said. “It’s an addiction; it’s a state of mind.”
“Running is something you can do for five minutes or five hours. You make it what you want it to be.”
Colleen Koenig sophomore
Koenig comes from a family of runners. She started running with her mom when she was in elementary school, but wasn’t very serious about it until she joined her high school cross country and
track teams. “In high school we were training three times a day. We were crazy, it was too much. Now I just do my own thing,” Koenig said. “You have to adapt for what you’re training for and how you’re feeling.” Junior Corey Nelson knows it is a good week when he can get more than a few runs in. “Running is a really great way to smooth out your thoughts and focus on what you need to get done, but in a stress relieving kind of way,” Nelson said.
A social event
Junior Grace Christensen also notes that running can be a great See RUNNING, page 7
Taylor Tobin | THE BEACON
Sophomore Jenna Warner started running as training for select soccer and now races in triathlons and half-marathons.
With the launch of Paper Monday, Facebook blew its own iPhone app out of the water. But this beauty looks nothing like the clunky blue and white interface filled with updates about babies and puppies you’re used to. While Paper’s interface was initially a bit jarring because it is so different from the original Facebook app, after a day of use I can’t imagine going back. The horizontal scrolling and sliding were second nature after a few minutes, and the sleek and modern design, not to mention the Helvetica Neue UltraLight font, are a game-changer in social media mobile design. My favorite feature is the topic-based sections that are a mix of recent and popular posts. The sections are curated for its users by an editorial team within Facebook, rather that the users aggregating the content for themselves. Users can choose up to 10 sections. One of these sections must be the Facebook newsfeed, but other sections include “Headlines,” with top news stories, “Cute,” with baby animals and Zooey Deschanel galore and, my personal favorite, “Flavor,” featuring food articles and blogs. Sometimes I open Facebook out of habit or boredom while waiting in a line even if I don’t actually care that a girl I met at summer camp in middle school is “so lucky to be engaged to her best friend.” But now, I can ignore my acquaintances’ happy news by sliding to the right and learning about Olympic prep around Sochi, Russia or how to make garganelli with a fennel and veal sausage sauce. Facebook left the current app available, likely to prevent uproar over a sudden and extreme change. So if modern and innovative isn’t your thing or you don’t have an iPhone (Paper is currently iPhone only), feel free to look up that hottie from your night class on the original app. -Kelsey Thomas
LIVING
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RUNNING: competition and advice Continued from page 6 time for socializing. “Running by myself gives me time to reflect, but if I’m running with somebody else, there are some great conversations,” Christensen said . Koenig has found that her deepest friendships in life have resulted from either being teammates with someone, or just running with someone for fun.
“Once you get past the pain... it can become one of the most fulfilling things out there to participate in.”
Corey Nelson junior
“When you’re out there with just one other person, and you’re at the point when you’re pushing yourself (while running), there’s nothing between you. You’re seeing (each other) in your rawest states,” Koenig said. “It lets you connect.” Sophomore Sully Cothran made great friends in high school through his cross country and track teams, and misses that aspect of sport-playing while in college. “The groups were always full of good people,” Cothran said. “College schedules can be irregular and it is hard to keep to the
program without the schedule and support of a team.”
Pursuing goals
For freshman Alicia Angotti, running is not only a time to relax or reflect, but to meet goals. “I quit soccer (after high school),” Angotti said. “I needed another goal.” Angotti is currently training for her first race, the Windsor Green Half Marathon in Sonoma County, Calif. in May. She started to run seriously last semester, but lost momentum when she had to take time off due to a calf muscle tear. This time around, Angotti is healthy and well prepared to train. Angotti created a schedule that alternates between running, resting and cross and strength training to avoid injury. Angotti gets inspiration to run from others who have trained for long distances, especially from her old soccer coach, who is a marathon runner. “If they can do it, I can do it,” Angotti said. When the demands of select soccer increased before starting to high school, sophomore Jenna Warner started running seriously. Since then, she has competed in a triathlon every summer. She has also ran half marathons for the past three summers. However, Warner doesn’t only run to compete. She too uses her time while running as a reflection
Taylor Tobin | THE BEACON
Junior Grace Christensen runs along N.Willamette Blvd. Christensen recommends new runners ease into running slowly to enjoy the exercise. period during her busy schedule. “Running for me is the time when everything is quiet. It’s a time when my thoughts become most clear. It’s really relaxing,” Warner said. “Running is a good exercise and makes you healthy in the long run, but the mental benefits are just as great as the physical ones.”
Advice for runners
Christensen’s advice for those who plan to start running now is to not take it too fast. “Start slow. Don’t push yourself too hard right away, because you won’t enjoy it,” Christensen
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“We’ve really categorized exercise as unenjoyable, but what we forget it that our bodies are meant to be moving all day.” Warner encourages others to take up running, because it’s something that you can make entirely your own. “There are no expectations for anybody. Running is something you can do for five minutes or five hours. You make it what you want it to be. If you want to do it for exercise, or you want to make it competitive, it’s up to you,” Warner said. “It has a benefit no matter how you want to do it.”
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said. “The longer you do it, the harder you can push yourself, and the more you end up enjoying it.” Nelson adds that it can be painful when you first start to run, but the benefits that you receive in the long run are worth it. “Once you get past the pain, which can happen in a matter of weeks, it can become one of the most fulfilling things out there to participate in,” Nelson said. Koenig adds that in today’s society, exercise can get a bad rap. “In our culture, exercise is seen as a chore, rather than an enjoyment activity,” Koenig said.
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LIVING
February 6, 2014
Housing survival guide Par
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Deadlines: - Online Housing Application and $100 Deposit due Feb. 24. -Housing Selection March 1-5.
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Deadlines: -Housing Application and $100 Deposit due Feb. 10. -Housing Selection Feb. 19.
Cost per semester for UP dorms and apartments Double or Triple Room at full occupancy with:
Meal Plan 1 - $5,246.50 Meal Plan 2 - $5,384.00 Meal Plan 3 - $5,501.50 Meal Plan 4 - $6,334.00
Single Room or Triple Room at double occupancy with:
Meal Plan 1 - $5,821.50 Meal Plan 2 - $5,959.00 Meal Plan 3 - $6,076.50 Meal Plan 4 - $6,909.00
Double Room at single occupancy with:
Meal Plan 1 - $6,317.50 Meal Plan 2 - $6,455.00 Meal Plan 3 - $6,572.50 Meal Plan 4 - $7,405.00
PROS: Support from community “You really get a chance to have students build communities that are consistent,” Hermanny said. “We really want people to feel like that they have a family from the minute they get there. You have the benefit of an RA staff, hall director and pastoral resident all in one place.” Hall traditions “The halls have traditions that you may not find somewhere else,” Hermanny said. Traditions: Villa Maria Hall: Annual Man Auction, Mehling Hall: Ice Cream Crawl, Christie Hall: Christie Pub, Shipstad: Mr. and Mrs. Shipstad
Easy access to community “You can meet people pretty easily,” freshman Schoenfeldt Hall resident Andrew Leigh said.
CONS: Limited freedom “Residence halls can be a challenge (for students) who want to do their own cooking, who want to take care of themselves, and make all of these decisions,” Hermanny said. “Some students find the meal plan to be an added expense they don’t really want.” Lack of space “When you live in a dorm you have to share all of your space with everyone,” senior Hannah Robinson said.
Restrictions: Apartments in Tyson and Haggerty are only available to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Rates for Hag/Ty are the same as residence hall rates
PROS: Fully furnished “They’re furnished which is really appealing to students,” Hermanny said. “A lot of them like that they have a full kitchen, that they have access to cable television and Internet provided by the university.” Unique traditions “They have a lot of really cool traditions that have started this year like the Oktoberfest,” Hermanny said. “The community of Haggerty/Tyson is of older students and we want to understand that and treat them differently than they were treated as a first-year student living in a hall.”
Closeness through proximity “I really like living in the apartment style housing because you get a lot closer to who you’re living with in your unit,” senior Marissa Birmingham said, who lives in the Honors House in Tyson. There’s less of a dorm life community, you don’t necessarily know everyone else, but you get to know your apartment really well.”
CONS: Less community than residence halls “You don’t see many of the people that live down the way because you live in an apartment that’s pretty contained,” Hermanny said. “You may not see as many people as you would see on a residence floor.”
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with people you can have honest conversations about money with. You want to find someone that is as clean as you are. That can be hard, (but) it’s totally worth it in the long run.” Along with figuring out whom to live with, students must decide where to live. With so many options, the decision can be tough. Let’s make it easy.
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Rates for UP-owned houses range from $1,750 - $2,080 per semester per person. The houses do not close over winter break, so your rent is covered during this time as well.
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Deadlines: -Housing Application and $100 deposit due Feb. 10. -Housing Selection Feb. 19. -Rental Preview this Saturday, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.
For students that wish to live in a non UPowned house, they must take on the tasks of house hunting, negotiating and paying rent, and interacting with an outside landlord. Senior Hannah Robinson, who lives on a non UP-owned property, advises other students to get in contact with house owners early.
Prices range from $725/month $2614/month, according to Zillow and Trulia listings for University Park Neighborhood:
*For more information on housing and selection times and locations by hall, go to up.edu/housing. *Residence Hall prices for the 2014-2015 school year subject to change.
PROS: More freedom “You have extra freedom,” Hermanny said. “You don’t have staff around, which people find appealing. You get to live in a house community which looks a lot like it will after graduation.” UP as landlord “Your bill is still from Student Accounts and some students can apply their scholarships to certain things depending on the ways they are set up,” Hermanny said. “P-Plant is available to come when you need them, so I’ve never had to deal with a landlord,” senior Kay Bodmer said. “It’s nice that the rent is rolled into our tuition.” CONS: Extra expenses “You have to set up your utilities, cable, Internet, an account with the Portland Water Bureau, the gas and electric company,” said Hermanny of both UP-owned and non UP-owned rentals.
Older buildings “Most of the UP houses are older than the other rental houses in the neighborhood, so most of our appliances are not as new,” senior Kay Bodmer said. “(The houses) take on a little more wear-and-tear because people are switching in and out each year.”
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preparation, the transition can be smooth and stressfree. Associate Director for Housing Alex Hermanny suggests that one way to aid the process is finding the right roommate or housemates to live with next year. “I think you want to find people that have similar expectations to what a roommate or housemate is going to be,” Hermanny said. “You want to be
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With the UP rental preview this Saturday and housing application deadlines approaching in the upcoming month, students are scrambling to select roommates and residence halls, secure off-campus houses and sign leases. Sorting out whom to live with, where to live and affordable pricing can be a confusing and catastrophic process, but with proper
www.upbeacon.com
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Neelon Writer 7@up.edu
LIVING
PROS:
Realistic living situation “The next step up (from living in a dorm) is living in a house offcampus where you are making your own choices about how you want to live and what you want to do with your free time, what kind of life you want to have before you graduate and go off into the real world and get an apartment,” senior Hannah Robinson said.
CONS: Dealing with a landlord “Living off-campus, you have to develop a new relationship with a landlord,” Hermanny said. “You are working with someone you may or may not know and you may or may not know how well that will work out in responding to maintenance requests and other questions you have.” Extra expenses “You have to set up your utilities, cable, Internet, an account with the Portland Water Bureau, the gas and electric company,” said Hermanny of both UP-owned and non UP-owned rentals. All headshots by Emily Neelon Design by Emily Strocher and Kate Stringer
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FAITH & FELLOWSHIP
February 6, 2014
Atmosphere of holiness at Our Lady of Lourdes Senior Kari Hill reflects on her visit to Lourdes, France on the anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s appearance to St. Bernadette Soubirous
McKena Miyashiro Staff Writer miyashir17@up.edu The grotto at Massabielle in Lourdes, France has been a site for religious pilgrimages for millions of people since the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to 14-year-old St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. After a series of apparitions of Mary to Bernadette, Bernadette was told to dig in the mud with her hands. As she did, a spring of water began to flow. 67 miraculous healings have been recognized at Lourdes since 1858. The Catholic Church celebrates Our Lady of Lourdes on Feb. 11, the anniversary of the first apparitions of Mary. Kari Hill, a senior English major at UP, visited Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France in the summer of 2010. Hill was part of a youth pilgrimage that journeyed through different areas of Europe visiting different churches and pilgrimage sites. Q: How did it make you feel once you saw Our Lady of Lourdes? A: It was amazing. Really, it was kind of like something out of a dream. It was really cool
because I’d grown up in a really small Catholic school and I always heard about the stories of Bernadette. We had a VHS when I was really little of the Bernadette story and I’d seen a bunch of movies about it over the years. And finally just going to the place that she actually was ... seeing the cave ... you know, where the grotto is, and just seeing the church that was built there. And just everything. It was pretty amazing. Q: Did your visit enrich your faith? A: Yeah, it’s a very spiritual experience and just being there in itself. And the biggest thing in Lourdes is, of course, the healing waters that Mary told Bernadette to go dig in the grotto with her hands. And when she dug there with her hands, a spring came up and this spring had healing properties and it’s basically the miracle of Lourdes ... where people go and bathe in the waters and receive this grace of healing. They have fountains with spouts laid all over the walls and people can splash themselves with the water. You can really feel a sense of spirituality about it. The entire time I was there, we were filling up our water bottles and just
Photo courtesy of Kari Hill
The grotto where Mary appeared to Bernadette in 1858 in Lourdes, France. The Church recognizes 67 miraculous healings linked to the water at Lourdes. drinking that water all the time. There was just a great sense of a joy just to be there. Q: If given the chance, would you recommend for others to see Our Lady of Lourdes? It’s definitely a place that you want to go because people don’t think of Lourdes usually when they think of traveling around Europe. And it’s an extremely small town and it’s really off the map. When I was in Salzburg, I
wanted to go back to Lourdes but I couldn’t find train connections or anything to get there. It’s really hard to get there, but once you get there, though, there is something about it. There’s just an atmosphere of holiness. The church is amazing. It’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. So is the countryside. Q: What is the message of Lourdes to you? A: Appreciate the little things.
You know, Bernadette was just an ordinary young girl and people didn’t respect her all that much as an individual. And yet, Mary appeared to her and she spread this message and she asked her to have a church built where the grotto was. And people actually did. And now it’s a central place for Christians to come together. Answers have been edited for brevity.
OPINIONS
www.upbeacon.com 11
EDITORIAL Getting beyond ‘UP is so white’ This school is so white. Probably everyone at UP has said this sentence, followed up by a good-natured, self-deprecating joke about just how white we are. And there is nothing wrong with joking about UP’s whiteness. If we didn’t, we’d be kidding ourselves. Nor is there anything necessarily wrong with UP’s student body being heavily white. But there is something wrong when UP’s heavily white student body forgets that there are, in fact, minority racial groups on campus. That’s what happened during an incident in the Chiles Center two weeks ago when students wore sombreros, shook maracas and yelled profanities in Spanish for an unofficial “Latin Night.” “It’s not because we’re just (a group) of mean boys,” said sophomore Temo Ledua while apologizing for the incident at
an ASUP Senate meeting last Monday. “It’s a lack of education about cultural insensitivity.” As Ledua pointed out, the “Latin Night” incident did not arise from malicious racism, but from ignorance. Part of the problem is we think we’re whiter than we really are. In 2012, almost 30 percent of UP students were nonwhite. Forty percent of this year’s freshman class identifies with some minority group. Maybe we think we’re so white because Portland is, as an entire city, overwhelmingly white. Al Jazeera America published a report last year pointing out that at 76.1 percent white, Portland is the whitest major city in the U.S. But the fact is, even though Portland is the whitest city in the nation, the city is presented to the public – and even to us Port-
landers – as even whiter than it really is. Someone who’s never been to Portland but watches “Portlandia” and reads blogs about Portland’s foodie food scene might get the idea that everyone here is a cookie-cutter hipster – brooding, young, skinny, white. But one in four Portlanders is not white. This is especially crucial to remember for UP students, since North Portland is one of the most diverse parts of the city. Only a mile and half from campus is Roosevelt High School, the most racially diverse high school in the state. Well under half of Roosevelt students are white. But because many of us stay within the UP bubble, we know little about nonwhite Portland. Of course, racial ignorance is not the only type of ignorance. The issue is not just about
whiteness, but about privilege in general. UP students tend to make fun not only of the University’s whiteness, but also its wealth. Certainly, our student body comes primarily from an upper-middle class background, but we must remember that this is not true for all students. UP does have students from working class backgrounds and students who are the first members of their families to go to college. It’s time for UP students to fight the ignorance that often accompanies privilege. It’s time for us to stop saying merely that UP is rich and white and start recognizing and appreciating different backgrounds on campus. Fortunately, we have opportunities to do this. This evening, students and faculty will gather in St. Mary’s Student Center for the African American Read-
In, where they will celebrate African-American writers by reading their work. Later this month, Student Activities will hold its annual Diversity Dialogues Week to talk about UP’s diversity. So get out there and educate yourself. Go into Portland and explore not only the dominantly white places you’re familiar with, but also the places you don’t know as well. Read about the troubling racial history of Portland and find out what you can do to make a difference. And remember that even though UP is indeed so white, it is not only white.
EDITORIAL POLICY
The editorial reflects the majority view of The Beacon Editorial Board. The editorial does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the collective staff or the Administration of the University of Portland. Other submissions in this section are signed commentaries that reflect the opinion of the individual writer. The Student Media Committee, providing recommendation to the publisher, oversees the general operation of the newspaper. Policy set by the committee and publisher dictates that the responsibility for the newspaper’s editorial and advertising content lies solely in the hands of its student employees.
Don’t get an internship – work at summer camp Kate Stringer Staff Commentary You want a kick-ass internship this summer. Your parents and professors want you to get a kick-ass internship this summer. But you need to work at summer camp. I worked at Seattle’s Catholic Youth Organization camp for two of my college summers. I wish it had been all of them. Because during those two summers,
I learned more about myself, life and faith than any internship, class or homily has ever taught me. But I need to learn how to be a leader, you’re probably protesting. Be the leader of a cabin of kids for a week. Lead their energetic, complaining bodies up the mountain to watch the sun set and lead them back down. Pack them in canoes and make them follow you across a lake to sleep in the woods for a night. Teach them how to construct water-proof shelters, build a campfire, cook their dinners perfectly, eat their burnt dinners
without complaining, make a forest toilet, properly pee in the forest toilet and fall asleep 50 miles from their parents, teddy bear and warm bed.
“When you sit down for that interview, tell your future employer what you know about being a team player: empathy and selflessness.” Kate Stringer senior But I need to develop skills for the workplace.
Hang out with middle school boys who have just encountered the terror that is puberty. Take them to the archery range and bring them back with the same number of fingers and eyes that they left with. Make them fall asleep, especially the ones that are too cool to be homesick. Lead them adventuring through bogs, brambles and blackberry bushes. Do it after you’ve had five hours of sleep for five nights in a row. Do it when you’re hungry and haven’t showered in four days. Do it with a prayer that sounds like this: God, I can’t do this. Help. Learn patience, listening,
stamina. Stamina. Stamina. But I need to address my personalized career goals first. Do you think your employer wants to hear about you and your plans, your goals, your ambitions? When you sit down for that interview, tell your future employer what you know about being a team player: empathy and selflessness. Tell them about when you made that stupid mistake of playing “Hear You Me” by Jimmy Eat World to put your cabin of high school girls to sleep, and how inSee CAMP, page 13
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Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief.. . . . . . . . . . . . Kelsey Thomas News Editor. . . . . . . . . . . �������� Sarah Hansell Living Editor ������������������������������ Kate Stringer Opinions Editor. . . . . . . ��������Philip Ellefson Sports Editor . . . . . . . . . �������������Katie Dunn Design Editor . . . . . . . . . �������� Shellie Adams Asst. Design Editor. . . . . ������� Emily Strocher Copy Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathryn Walters
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OPINIONS
February 6, 2014
Internet access is a basic human right Parker Kimball Guest Commentary Internet censorship is very much a real thing, though as Americans we hardly feel the pangs of the practice. Our freedoms allow us almost limitless power to access, publish or view anything on the Internet. There is some moderate Internet censorship for many democratic countries. For others, however, governing authorities will increase censorship to ridiculous levels. In order to limit access to news and events such as elections, protests and riots, several countries around the world increase Internet censorship to levels that infringe on what many people agree is a basic human right: access to the Internet. Internet censorship varies greatly on a country-to-country basis. While many countries in the Americas are considered to only have little to no censorship in place, countries such as China, Iran, Syria and Vietnam are infamous for strict control of Internet access. In China, Internet censorship is largely impacted by what is commonly referred to as “The
Great Firewall.” Beginning operations in 2003, this Great Firewall – official called the Golden Shield Project – uses various means of censorship. These methods include IP blocking, DNS filtering and redirection, URL filtering, packet filtering and connection resetting, according to an investigative report conducted in 2002 at Harvard University. It is no surprise that in March this year, Reporters without Borders, a Paris-based international nongovernmental organization that advocates freedom of the press, listed China as a “State Enemy of the Internet.” In their annual report, Reporters without Borders includes reports of censorship tactics discovered that different governments use. According to the Reporters Without Borders “Internet Enemies Report 2012,” a country may, in order to prevent unwanted digital content from spreading, “cut off communications by blocking SMS messaging and by shutting down Internet access and mobile phone services in a temporary or targeted manner.” Egypt in late 2011, Syria in 2012 and Sudan this year all have gone so far as to hit the “kill switch,” completely shutting off all Internet communications, sometimes for days at a time. This sort of drastic measure seems to come into play only during times
of extreme political unrest, such as the events of the Arab Spring. According to the 2012 “Global Internet User Survey,” there is sufficient data to support the claim that access to the Internet should be considered a basic human right. The United Nations has declared that the Internet had “become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights.” And countries such as France and Estonia have even pronounced Internet access a human right according to a New York Times article published early last year. The pervasive censorship practiced in parts of the world is a violation of these (hopefully) soon-to-be-recognized human rights. Governments everywhere may need to place some form of limited censorship for the betterment of all users, but these extreme cases of censorship – the flipping of the “kill switch” and the Great Firewall – demonstrate a practice that has gone too far. This limits the communication with the citizens of these countries. It now infringes on the rights of the citizens everywhere. Parker Kimball is a junior computer science major. He can be reached at kimball15@ up.edu.
SUDOKU SEE OPPOSITE PAGE FOR SOLUTION
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OPINIONS
ADMINISTRATORS ADDRESS COMMUNITY ABOUT INCLUSION AND CULTURAL SENSITIVITY Fr. Bill Beauchamp
Scott Leykam
University President
Director of Athletics
Dear UP Students, Faculty, and Staff: Like many of you, I was distressed to hear about the recent incident at the men’s basketball game. Throughout spring semester last year, we as a community engaged in ongoing conversations that arrived at two important truths: first, that every member of our community should feel safe, understood and respected on campus. Second, that the University of Portland must be committed to ensuring that we are an open and inclusive community where all feel welcome. This incident reminds us once again that we as a community still have work to do. I want to assure you that, though the Ad Hoc Presidential Advisory Committee on Inclusion has concluded its tasks, we as a community must pick
up where they left off. Their outstanding report, “Inclusion at the University of Portland: In Service of a Diverse, Global Church in a Pluralistic World,” is available on PilotsUP and provides us with various recommendations of what our next steps might be. This semester, we are determining the charge of the new Presidential Advisory Committee on Inclusion and inviting various members of our campus community to commit their time and talents to this important endeavor. Our work in this area will never be complete, but we must remain committed to making sure that the University of Portland is a welcoming and respectful community for all who call The Bluff home. Sincerely,
Fr. Bill
To the Campus Community: As The Beacon reported on Jan. 30, there was a recent incident at one of our men’s home basketball games that was unfortunate and misrepresentative of what Pilots Athletics is all about. The Athletic Department is finalizing a Fan Code of Conduct that will, in partnership with Residence Life, Student Activities and Public Safety, clearly articulate action steps to prevent and handle situations that may arise in the future. This year, more than any year in recent history, we have enjoyed great support from our student sections at Merlo Field and the Chiles Center and we deeply appreciate the student body’s enthusiasm and support. With that being said, we regret that some UP students
Bridget Bimrose Guest Commentary I was born in Peru and lived part of my childhood and youth in Latin America. I chose the path of assimilation and I genuinely enjoy my life in the Pacific Northwest. There are often times when I walk into buildings, look around and notice that the only people who share my native tongue and features are serving food and mopping floors. Many people will never fully understand the implications of those feelings. If you can’t be what you can’t see, what are my options and who are my heroes?
“Celebrating culture and diversity enriches the human experience. Engage with people of different backgrounds and beliefs.” Bridget Bimrose manager of Creative Marketing The race and multicultural issue can be polarizing, and there are no easy answers. We should not rush to label heroes and villains. I believe that celebrating culture and diversity enriches the human experience. Engage with
people of different backgrounds and beliefs, travel abroad and get out of your comfort zone. It’s not about banning sombreros or getting rid of holidays. It’s about celebrating cultures with history, traditions, literature, music, dance, food and art! That’s what we do on St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo and other cultural holidays. We come together to laugh, share and enjoy. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California were all viceroyalties of the Spanish colonial empire and part of Mexico until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mexican and Latin American culture are a part of U.S. history. Do not reduce it to sombreros and drunken cheers at a basketball game. It’s troubling that a stereotype is embraced because there are limited representations of Latinos in the mass media. It doesn’t mean we aren’t here and
CAMP: The happiest you’ve been Continued from page 11 stead of drifting into a peaceful slumber, they all began bawling at the memory of every dead relative and pet turtle they owned. Tell them how tired you were, but how you sat with them until 2 a.m., drying tears, vowing to read them only Winnie the Pooh
for the rest of their lives. I don’t think having fun is in the how-to manual for getting a job. Then don’t tell anyone you had fun. But you will. You will be the happiest you’ve been in your life. You will have memories you can’t shake out of your head, of dancing around the campfire on the shores of Lake Hannan, sparks exploding into orange and
on The Bluff
by David DiLoreto
What is your favorite Winter Olympics sport? Dominic Lazzaro sophomore political science were disrespectful and made fellow members of the student body uncomfortable during a recent home basketball game. The Athletic Department will not tolerate unacceptable fan behavior at any of our athletic contests. Our goal as an Athletic Department is to wholeheartedly support both the University’s mission statement and Statement on Inclusion. We are committed, and looking forward to, being a part of more detailed and timely discussions on these issues as UP continues to broaden and deepen awareness about matters of inclusion which impact us all and make our community stronger. Sincerely,
“Hockey, clearly. Because it is routinely referred to as a gentleman’s sport.” Lucy Link sophomore psychology
Scott Leykam
Put down the sombrero If you aren’t a minority, don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t find offensive. That is a dialogue that should begin within the Latino community.
FACES
the census numbers reflect our relevance. Being collectively mindful and mutually respectful is in the best interest of all people in this country. Please be educated, respectful and kind when you celebrate diversity. Randomly throwing on a sombrero and frantically dancing around waving the Mexican flag at a basketball game is offensive because you are reducing our grandparents, our parents and our cherished cultural heritage into a painful stereotype. Do us all a favor, put down the sombrero and pick up a book, preferably written by one of many respected and acclaimed Latino authors. Respeto, tolerancia y unidad, por favor. Gracias. Bridget Bimrose is the project manager of Creative Marketing at UP. She can be reached at bimrose@up.edu.
“Bobsled, because you ride a bullet down a track.” Eric Stricker freshman undeclared
“Downhill ski-jump, because it’s really cool and super epic.” Tommy Wilson junior undeclared
SUDOKU SOLUTION
yellow fireworks, the setting sun and douglas firs a pink, blue and green blur as you jump up and down, strumming and screaming your favorite camp song: And it feel so good to be alive. Kate Stringer is a senior English major. She can be reached at stringer14@up.edu.
“Curling. It’s the most fast-paced and exciting to watch.”
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February 6, 2014
Brent Crouch: volleyball’s newest Pilot Cassie Sheridan Staff Writer sheridan15@up.edu A Ph.D. in philosophy is not something you would necessarily expect from a Division One volleyball coach. However, Brent Crouch, UP’s newly selected women’s volleyball coach, possess just that. Crouch has been an assistant coach at St. Mary’s, a large WCC rival, for the past four seasons and helped the Gaels finish in the top three in the extremely competitive West Coast Conference. Crouch’s passion for coaching goes beyond the court. He has a particular focus on the strong relationship between coaching and teaching and the benefits that result from this bond, both on the court and in the classroom. “The kind of problem solving and attitudes towards learning that are developed in classrooms are the kinds of things you want your athletes to possess on the court,” Crouch said. “A strong and valuable student athlete culture should emphasize this importance and grow from it. An athlete that is performing well in the classroom is going to perform better on the court.” UP seems the perfect fit for a man that values the equal importance of being both a student and an athlete and wants to develop a culture that emphasizes this
relationship. The complex differences of teaching and coaching explain why one would not find this highly educated guy in Buckley Center teaching an intro to philosophy class. “I consider coaching and teaching to be so incredibly similar,” Crouch said. “You are teaching drastically different things but you are still teaching. I think essentially what led me out of the classroom and onto the court is my need for competitive environments that I couldn’t find in philosophy classrooms. The culture was a little too isolating for me.” That’s not to say that Crouch doesn’t have enormous amounts of experience on the court. While at St. Mary’s as an assistant coach and recruiter, Crouch also served as head coach of the beach volleyball league, leading them to the best record in the NorCal consortium. After a few frustrating seasons for the Pilot’s volleyball team (0-27 in 2013), Crouch’s passion for competition and his desire to establish a new culture for the UP program is exactly what is needed to reinvigorate the program. “He came in with a lot positive energy and was just really calm” said freshman middle blocker Makayla Lindburg. “He was really open to us and excited despite our record last season. It’s been really positive.”
The UP administration is excited about the new energy to invigorate what has been a slumping program. “Brent is a great addition to the Portland family,” said Scott Leykam, UP athletic director, in a press release. “He is an educator at his core and has a clear passion and vision for our program.” The team has been working with Crouch since his arrival at UP about a week ago and has already started reworking its skill set. Crouch has a lot of things he wants to begin working on to develop immediate positive results. “The first thing I am going to start doing is just beginning to develop a new culture of learning and team chemistry, those are a foundation that cannot be understated,” Crouch said. “In terms of volleyball skill sets, there are certain things that can quickly lead to success on the court. Serving is a largely undervalued skill in general, that can lead to very large successes quickly and it is definitely going to be something that I start developing immediately.” The team is excited to begin developing a new game plan for its 2014 season. “We are doing a lot of work from the ground up,” said sophomore outside hitter Emily Liger. “Since we do have a lot of time before the season starts and we need change, it’s definitely good.”
Katie Dunn | THE BEACON
New volleyball head coach, Brent Crouch, fit right in with the team this week as he demonstrates a play for the setters during practice. Crouch is ecstatic about his move to Portland and the Northwest. A self-labeled “foodie,” he is excited to begin exploring the copious meal opportunities the city has to offer as well as the many outdoor adventures in the area. “I am a very outdoors-oriented kind of guy,” Crouch said. “(Mt.) Hood has great opportunities for snowboarding and the Gorge has beautiful hikes. The
only challenge is going to be continuing to surf. I guess I’ll just have to get some shark repellent and a wet suit and hit the coast.” Crouch is largely unconcerned about the past records of the Pilots’ program and is excited to begin developing a firm foundation for the team with strong performance on the court and in the classroom.
Pilot in the Spotlight
SPORTS Do you have any superstitions or pre-game rituals? I always take a 45-minute nap on game day. Like 45 minutes exactly, and then we have shoot around. And then we have pre-game meal. And then we just go out and play the game. Being from the Northwest, what is it like playing in the WCC? It’s great. The WCC has beautiful schools – all with beautiful campuses, so it’s nice to get down to California for a little bit and see some sun. But it’s also great because you see people that you played against in high school in the conference. What is one of your favorite memories with retiring coach Jim Sollars? Well the past three years with him have been awesome. I’ve loved him as a coach. One of my favorite memories is every year we go over there for Thanksgiving to his house and have dinner together. It’s so awesome of him to treat us like his children.
Shellie Adams| THE BEACON
Kari Luttinen Guard Junior Seattle, Wash.
Your 21st birthday falls on the same night as the Loyola Marymount game. Is there any added incentive to win because it is your birthday? Yeah! It would be awesome to get a win on my birthday that would be the best present ever. I’m definitely excited for the 21st.
www.upbeacon.com Do you hope to play basketball after you graduate from UP? I always wanted to play overseas after college if I got the opportunity, but we’ll see how that goes. Where would you want to play? Honestly I don’t know, somewhere in Europe probably. But I don’t really have a preference. Why did you decide to play at UP over the other schools you looked at? I love the team, like the girls, my teammates are awesome. Our team chemistry is awesome as well. The coaching staff is great. It’s a great academic institution, also. So I think those three coupled together was a decision maker for me. What is your favorite thing to do after a game? Eat. What has been your most memorable game and why? I think last year we played Gonzaga at Gonzaga and we lost, but I think it was a really big, pivotal moment for us growing as a team, maturity-wise, and just playing together. I think that we all found that we kind of clicked for the first time in a while, which was really nice. - Maggie Hannon
Not your average Blazers game coverage Lydia Laythe Staff Writer laythe16@up.edu The last time I touched a basketball was in eighth grade. My blonde hair was tied back in two braids. I was wearing a navy blue jersey tucked into shorts that were a little too big for me. Our mascot was the “Villa Victors,” but we barely won half the games we played. I was one of the starting five for our team and one of the tallest – which if you know me, reveals how small the rest of the players were. But while I may not have been the best basketball player in the world, I still know a little bit about the game itself. So when the Portland Trail Blazers lost 98-81 against the Memphis Grizzlies last Tuesday, I had some semi-intelligent thoughts. First of all, the Grizzlies’ defense was simply better than the Blazers. In my eighth grade days, I was known for being a “scrappy” defensive player, meaning I would hit balls out of opponents’ hands and leap after balls headed out of bounds. So watching the Blazers, I knew they could be doing better. Don’t get me wrong, I love my
Blazers: La-Marky Mark, Lil-y, and Rolo; but their defense was just sub-par. The Blazers barely got rebounds and didn’t made a three-pointer until the fourth quarter. From the start, the Grizzlies were leading the Blazers in double digits. I’ve watched The Blazers before, so I know they’re capable of really exciting games, but they just weren’t on their game like usual. They stumbled when faced with screens and sometimes only half-heartedly attempted to get around them. The Grizzlies dominated in shooting. While Lillard’s shots hit the inside of the rim and bounced out, Grizzlies players sunk nearly every shot they took. The highlight of the game, for me, was a short video they showed during a time-out of all the Blazers listening to music and trying to guess who the singer was that they were listening to. At first, almost all the players couldn’t identify an Elvis Presley song. But nearly all of them could identify Taylor Swift and that made me laugh so hard. “Oh, Taylor,” Robin Lopez said fondly. Totally unrelated to basketball, I know, but it was so funny.
And finding a reason to laugh during such a sad game was a victory in and of itself. But despite the disappointment against the Grizzlies, the Blazers came
back and won against the Toronto Raptors last weekend (106-103). So I believe they can still make this eighth grade MVP proud.
This week in sports Men’s Basketball The Pilots beat Santa Clara last Saturday and fell to No. 23 ranked Gonzaga last night 71-66. They are 6th in the WCC and 13-11 on the season. Their next game is against Loyola Marymount next Thursday in the Chiles Center at 7 p.m.
Women’s Basketball The women fell to San Francisco and beat Santa Clara last week to begin the second half of WCC play. They are now 6th in the WCC and have a 12-10 record. Their next games are tonight against Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Chiles Center.
Track & Field The UW Invitational yielded great results for many Pilots including personal bests and heat wins.
Women’s Tennis The Pilots beat the University of South Carolina - Upstate and fell to Oregon to start the season.
Men’s Tennis The men started the spring season out with two losses to University of Washington and UC Santa Barbara. They play Seattle U and Liberty next Friday and Saturday at home. (courtesy portlandpilots.com, WCCsports.com)
Lydia Laythe | THE BEACON
Beacon reporter Lydia Laythe attends a Portland Trail Blazers game with her boyfriend, sophomore Ryan Lambert.
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February 6, 2014
THE BEACON
www.upbeacon.com
Go to upbeacon.com to see more pictures from the women’s basketball team’s win over Santa Clara last weekend. Kristen Garcia | THE BEACON
David DiLoreto | THE BEACON
A group of Villans (left to right) sophomore Patrick Casale, junior Ryan Kain, sophomore Taylor Spooner, sophomore Sky Nelson, freshman Sawyer Reid, freshman Connor Saben and sophomore Joel Simard focus on their games of FIFA during the fourth annual “FIFA for Freedom” tournament.
Futbol and philanthropy: Villa FIFA tournament draws largest crowd yet Maggie Hannon Staff Writer hannon15@up.edu
Four years ago, a small group of Villa Maria Hall men decided to get together for a FIFA tournament in their room. Last weekend, that same tournament, since dubbed “FIFA for Freedom,” had 64 students participate and raised $800 for charity. “It kind of started my freshman year. Me and my roommate and some buddies in our wing, we did an end-of-the-year FIFA tournament and it was only a four-person tournament back then,” senior Paul Auxier, who commissioned the annual event, said. “So then the next year, me and Nick Mancinelli, we just said ‘hey, we might as well make this a really cool event, blow it up a little bit.’” The following year the tournament grew to 30 people, and last year it increased to around 50. This year’s event on Feb. 1 was the largest group yet. $600 of the $800 raised will go to Athletic Club (AC) Portland, while $200 will go to the Villa Kiva account.
The tournament is set up to mirror the FIFA World Cup. Jerseys from around the world hang on walls and teams start out in groups of four, where the top two in each round advances to the knockout rounds. After that, it is single elimination until one team wins. “The knockout rounds get kind of intense,” Auxier said. “It’s mostly just for fun until you get to the quarter-finals, or semifinals, or the final game where you’ve got 50 people crowded around one TV.” A draft was held on the Monday before the tournament to pick the teams that each student would play with. “Everyone puts his or her name into the Cup, which is the trophy. I just pick their name out and then they get pick a club like Chelsea or AC Milan,” Auxier said. It was not until the second year of the tournament that it was made into a fundraiser for the Villa Kiva account, which is a micro-loaning nonprofit that gives loans to third world entrepreneurs. AC Portland was introduced in the tournament’s third
year. “It takes a lot of planning, but I have a lot of friends that help out and partnering with AC Portland, they donate a lot of cool prizes. With all the prizes, we can raise money through silent auction or raffle tickets,” Auxier said. Auxier was inspired to donate money to AC Portland through his experience as a student justice coordinator, volunteering with the organization. AC Portland is a nonprofit that empowers local students through afterschool soccer programs. “I did some coaching and tutoring at Cesar Chavez K-8 off Portsmouth,” Auxier said. “I’ve done volunteering through AC Portland for two to three years now, it is just such a great organization.” Although there was steady competition throughout the tournament, the students never forgot about the charitable nature of the event. “I was playing against guys who are really good, but they helped me during the game. It’s a charity event so it’s still for something bigger than competition,” senior women’s soccer
player Micaela Capelle said. Through spending time with other students, the tournament not only gave money to charity, but also strengthened the student community. “It’s a really cool event because the money goes to charity and we get to play video games. As a community we all get together and have a good time,” freshman Peter Nguyen said. Whoever wins the tournament takes home a large trophy until the next tournament the following year and has their name engraved on the trophy. “The original founders, me and Nick Mancinelli, made the final four along with Sean Norgard, and Nick Ramsey,” Auxier said in a follow-up email. “The real winners were the children of Portland.” Although Auxier is graduating this year, he hopes the tournament continues once he is gone. “I think Villa is built on a lot of traditions,” Auxier said. “I definitely think some underclassmen would like to take it over after I graduate.”
David DiLoreto | THE BEACON
Junior Sean Norgard