Where’s your Beacon been? The
Living, page 8-9
Meet Terry and Vernia
BEACON
Vol. 112, Issue 20
Living, page 7 Thursday March 24, 2011
The University of Portland’s student newspaper
www.upbeacon.net
Employee crashes car into tree outside UP
For full story, see page 5
Photo Courtesy of Christina Nelson
Tsunami ripples over UP community UP students from Japan reflect on the recent devastation
Photo courtesy of photobucket.com
Japan. It was just crazy.” While Maika could not call her family, she was able to connect with them via email. Her family is safe. Maika’s grandparents live in Sendai, in northern Japan. A couple days after the earthquake, her family heard news of her
For timeline, continue to page 2
Radiation levels reach dangerous levels at the Fukushima power plant. People within 20 miles of the reactor are advised to stay indoors.
See Japan, page 3
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A second explosion occurs at Fukushima nuclear power station. 1.4 million Japanese are without running water. More than half a million have been evacuated. USGS upgrades the magnitude of the main quake to 9.0.
family is OK. I made contact on March 13.” Senior Maika Canada, from Tokyo, was on her way to Boston, Mass. when she heard about the earthquake. During a layover in Phoenix, Ariz., Maika checked her Twitter account on her phone. “I was shocked,” she said. “I had no idea what was going on in
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230,000 people are evacuated from places near the crippled nuclear reactors. Millions of residents are without any power or water due to energy rationing. •
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The cooling systems fail in Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, and an explosion happens in the building housing a reactor in the plant. The force of the quake moved Japan’s main island, Honshu, by 8 feet. •
“Even though the factory was not close to the residential area, we felt scared,” Yuuki, whose family is safe, said. Satomi Fukumoto – another former UP student from Saitama, Japan, near Tokyo – was also at home when the earthquake hit. Like Yuuki, the earthquake was the biggest Satomi has ever experienced.
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With everything that has been happening in Japan, it is getting hard to keep all the facts straight. Here is a quick list of the things you need to know.
Seiji Oyama, junior
An 8.9 magnitude earthquake strikes off of Japan’s northeast coast. A 33-foot tsunami hits the northeast coast.
Timeline of events
“President Obama said he’ll do his best to save Japanese peoples’ lives. I feel happy in my heart.”
“I was so scared,” Satomi said in an email. “When I saw the live broadcast of the tsunami (engulfing) the towns near the sea, I just couldn’t believe what was going on.” Some UP students from Japan were in the U.S. when the earthquake hit. Junior Seiji Oyama – also from Saitama – received a text message from a friend asking if his family was OK. However, initially, Seiji did not know what the friend was talking about. “I went to the news on the Internet, and I was really surprised – oh my gosh,” Seiji said. “I watched YouTube. (There were) horrible scenes – tsunami engulfed the rice field.” Seiji was unable to make contact with his family for almost two days. “I tried to make contact with my family, but I couldn’t,” Seiji said. “I got really upset… But my
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Yuuki Ohashi – a former UP student from Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo – knew that when the earthquake hit off the coast of northern Japan on March 11, it was different from every other earthquake she has experienced. Yuuki, who was at home, could not even stand up straight. For the UP students who are from Japan, the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and its aftermath have hit close to home. About an hour after the earthquake hit, Yuuki began cleaning up her home when she felt the ground shaking again. However, it felt and sounded different than any earthquake she had been through. “My family went outside again,” Yuuki said in an email. “Then we found dark and red sky
covered by smoke.” LPG tanks caught on fire at the Chiba refinery when the earthquake hit. The fire raged for 10 days. It was extinguished Monday.
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Hannah Gray News Editor gray12@up.edu
-Rosemary Peters
Friday, March 11
Saturday, March 12
Sunday, March 13
Monday, March 14
Tuesday, March 15
NEWS
March 24, 2011
On On Campus Campus
Disaster preparedness at UP? Rosemary Peters Editor-in-Chief peters12@up.edu Portland is due to have a massive earthquake. According to scientists, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which lies about 75 miles off the Oregon coast, has a fault which produces a major quake about every 250 to 500 years. Currently, we are about 311 years out from when the last one occurred. According to Public Safety’s Environmental Health and Safety Officer Jeff Rook, the shaker that will send the ground under Portland quaking is expected to be on par with the 9.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Japan earlier this month. “Disaster is going to be inevitable,” Rook said. “With the one that strikes here, and not if but when, survival is optional.” In order to make sure the UP community is prepared for earthquakes, Rook started working with CCERT, the Community Campus Emergency Response Team. CCERT trains students, faculty and staff not only from UP but Portland Community
Saturday, Hawaii Club is hosting its 35th annual Lu’au, “Ke Ea o Hawaii,” in the Chiles Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and dinner is at 6 p.m. Pre-sale tickets are the following: first 200 students are free, faculty and staff are $10, general admission is $20, senior citizens (55+) are $15, children (5-12) and groups of 10 or more are $12 per person and children under four are free. Tickets can be purchased Friday at The Bauccio Commons from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Pilot House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or in the UP Bookstore with a sales associate. Ticket prices will increase at the door. CORRECTION In the March 10 issue, the photo for “No strings (or ropes) attached” on page 16 was submitted by Sebastian Berisford. The photo at the top of page 14 was submitted by Victoria Clark. The Beacon regrets the errors. Accuracy in The Beacon
Q: What causes earthquakes? A: The two-word answer is plate tectonics, which is motion between lithospheric plates. On their boundaries, forces build up and get released. This particular plate boundary that released its stored energy on March 11 was the boundary where the Pacific Plate dives beneath Japan. The plates are converging, moving towards each other, and the Pacific Plate bends down and dives down into the Japan trench. That’s a line of deep ocean floor, off the east coast of Japan, and the Pacific plate is a slab which is about 100 kilometers thick, and it dives down into the deeper mantle below Japan. Q: What causes tsunamis? A: To produce a tsunami, an earthquake has to move ocean water. Most tsunamis are produced by great, shallow earthquakes. And when we mean shallow, we mean 10 kilometers. This particular earthquake
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A new fire erupts at the Fukushima plant and radiation levels increase at the plant’s entrance. A 6.0-magnitude aftershock hits Japan causing buildings in Tokyo to sway.
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.
Q & A
Environmental science Professor Robert Butler discusses earthquakes and tsunamis actually initiated at about 24 kilometers depth, and then it ruptured a big patch of the plate boundary. It changed the shape of the ocean floor, and produced a big mound of ocean water. Q: What does “9.0” mean? A: There a bunch of different magnitude scales for earthquakes. The most effective scale to use is a moment magnitude scale. That actually uses information such as the displacement, the opposite sides of the fault – how far did one side of the fault move with respect to the other side of the fault – and it also uses the area of the fault that got moved. Q: Explain the risk and what possible scenarios could occur in the Portland area and at UP. A: The Pacific Northwest has three kinds of earthquakes. One kind is what would be considered to be a deep earthquake. Another kind is crustal earthquakes. These are on faults, where the North American crust is broken. There is large crustal
fault called the Portland Hills Fault. It’s immediately across the Willamette River from UP. We know the fault is capable of certainly having magnitude 6.0 earthquakes, maybe even magnitude 7.0 earthquakes. But we don’t know very well, at least, when the last earthquake occurred on that fault. That means it makes it difficult to assess the risk which is posed by that crustal fault. There is another fault called the East Bank Fault which is basically mapped to go along parallel to the East Bank of the Willamette River, and it runs under the UP campus. That fault is really hard to evaluate. We know it’s there, but we don’t have a very good idea about what risk it does or does not pose. The third kind of earthquake is what people around here in the Pacific Northwest region call “The Big One.” This is a great earthquake occurring on the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
We know the last one of these great Cascadia earthquakes, which was probably a magnitude 9, occurred on Feb. 26, 1700 at about 9 p.m. That one is parallel to this great earthquake that just occurred in Japan. It’s the same kind of plate boundary. The 1700 earthquake produced a tsunami which kind of did the mirror image of what the Japan earthquake did – that is, the Cascadia 1700 earthquake created a tsunami that arrived in Japan and caused damage. - Butler will present “March 11, 2011 Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake and Tsunami in Northern Japan: Comparisons with Past and Future Earthquakes and Tsunamis in Cascadia” today at 4:30 p.m. in Buckley Center, room 163. -Hannah Gray Engineers check the cooling and other systems at reactor number two at the Fukushima plant.
HAWAII CLUB LU’AU
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Friday night, the Bluffoons are having an Improvisational Comedy Show at the Mago Hunt Recital Hall at 7:30. Tickets are $2 per person, or $3 for two people.
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BLUFFOONS IMPROV SHOW
gallon of water per person per day,” Rook said. He said the kits should also include at least a week’s worth of food that doesn’t take much effort to prepare, such as Power Bars. A full list of supplies to include in a kit can be found on Public Safety’s website at http:// www.up.edu/showimage/show. aspx?file=7037. “How many more times before it actually happens do we need to see examples before we get prepared?” Rook said. The next CCERT class is coming up this summer. Students can contact Rook at rook@ up.edu if they want to take the class.
Engineers connect an electricity cable to a reactor at the Fukushima complex. Abnormal levels of radiation are detected in milk and spinach from areas near the plant. Radioactive iodine is reportedly found in tap water in Tokyo.
Friday and Saturday night, “Country Strong” will play in the Buckley Center Auditorium at 10 p.m.
Jeff Rook
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‘COUNTRY STRONG’
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Tonight, Mr. Corrado will be held in the Buckley Center Auditorium from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mr. Corrado is a man pageant fundraiser for Holy Cross Charities. The event is free.
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MR. CORRADO
the water bottle ban that was implemented last year. The Bauccio Commons has three days worth of food that could sustain up to 3,000 people. “We have at least that much product on campus during the academic calendar,” Kirk Mustain, the general manager of Bon Appétit, said in an email. “Obviously we would amend the style of service and offerings but I feel confident that we would be able to take care of the university community.” Back-up generators are in Franz Hall, Shiley Hall and Public Safety that can run for a week or two at full capacity. “In an emergency situation we wouldn’t be running them at full capacity,” Rook said. According to Rook, secondary items would not be powered up to make the generators last longer. The school also has an agreement with Belfor Property Restoration so UP could receive a back-up generator for the Chiles Center within 24 to 48 hours of an emergency. Finally, Rook encourages everyone to make a 72-hour kit for his or her place of residence. “Each kit should have one
Engineers get a power line to the Fukushima plant. Fire trucks bring overheating reactors and fuel storage tanks under control. The crisis level is raised from four to five on the seven point international scale of gravity for atomic accidents.
Tonight, LXG will host the Manquisition, a satirical mock trial of prominent men on campus, in the Terrace room in The Bauccio Commons at 6 p.m.
College and Portland State University as well. According to Rook, 75 to 80 percent of people who respond in an emergency situation are volunteers. The purpose of the CCERT program is to make sure the University of Portland has some prepared volunteers. “It’s disaster medicine,” Rook said. “It’s learning how to take a cardboard box, strip it down and use it for splinting.” On April 1, CCERT will have a four-hour field experience day where members will utilize their training to size up a fake emergency situation and extricate victims from the emergency. They will also practice search and rescue as well as triage skills. “There are one to two Public Safety officers to a total student body of over 3,000 plus faculty and staff,” Rook said. “You are in a situation where you are completely overwhelmed. We want to make sure our campus members are better prepared.” UP has also taken steps to prepare for a disaster. According to Rook, UP has a small stock of Koldkist water bottles on campus, despite
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MANQUISITION
Chinook helicopters and fire engines dump water on nuclear complex to cool overheating reactor.
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Continued from page 1
Wednesday, March 16
Thursday, March 17
Friday, March 18
Saturday, March 19
Sunday, March 20
Q & A
Q: What happened in Japan to cause the nuclear crisis the country is experiencing? A: The reactors did well in the earthquake, but it was the tsunami that got it. It looks like the water may have flooded the pumps and controls. The plant was probably experiencing hardware issues. Also, it is not just water that entered the plant – it is ocean bed, topsoil, mud and seawater. That is not good for electronics and seawater is highly conductive and corrosive. Q: Concerns have been raised in the media about trace
NEWS
The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net 3
Physics Professor Mark Utlaut answers your questions about nuclear power amounts of nuclear radiation from Japan hitting the West Coast. Could this happen? If so, what would the ramifications be? A: In general, radiation is something to be concerned about. It is radioactivity. If it interacts with biological material it can cause genetic problems. Any time there is an explosion, stuff goes up and then falls back down and stays residually around the explosion. To get here from there by wind is problematic because of the way currents go., though they run south of us. Places
in California would be more affected. Q: Are there steps people can take to protect themselves from radiation if there ever is a nuclear radiation emergency? A: People can take iodine, but we naturally get iodine from living near the ocean. People in Kansas who don’t live near the ocean put iodine in their salt. However, if you take too much, there are problems that way. Basically the government would help if there was a real problem – they want you to pay taxes after all.
Q: The decommissioned Trojan Nuclear power plant is about 40 miles outside of Portland. All the uranium from the power plant still sits in bins on the property. Are there any health risks that could pose? A: We are upriver from the Trojan Nuclear power plant. Even if there is an earthquake, nothing would probably happen. Q: Could Hanford, a power plant in central Washington with an active reactor, be an issue? A: Maybe. We’re down river
from Hanford, and Hanford is a colossal nightmare. They’ve buried stuff for years. I don’t know how water gets to Columbia there. They don’t know what it is doing to the water. -Rosemary Peters
UP senior fundraises for Japan relief Danielle Castro is selling t-shirts, proceeds will go to the Red Cross
Rosemary Peters Editor-in-Chief peters12@up.edu Senior Danielle Castro has strong ties to Japan, so when she heard about the 9.0 magnitude earthquake on March 11, she was concerned. “I have family in Okinawa,” Castro said. “Everybody on my mom’s side is from Okinawa.” However, Castro’s family is OK. “They had enough time to evacuate,” Castro said. The epicenter of the earthquake was closer to the northeastern coast of Japan, and the tsunami didn’t affect Okinawa as badly as places such as Sendai, more than 1,100 miles northeast of where Castro’s family lives. According to CNN, 9,487 people had been confirmed dead and 15,617 officially listed as missing – a total of 25,104 – as of 9 p.m. (AEDT) yesterday as a result of the quake and tsunami. About 387,000 evacuees – including those affected by the damaged nuclear plants – are staying in around 2,200 shelters with limited food, water and other supplies, according to the Kyodo News Agency.
Shortly after hearing about the crisis, Castro visited the website threadless.com where she entered a t-shirt design contest. For every t-shirt sold during the course of the contest, 25 percent of the proceeds went to the Red Cross to be donated to Japan. After crunching the numbers, Castro realized if she took her shirt design and sold the shirts on her own, she could raise more money. “I wanted to raise more money than what was going to be coming off of this competition,” Castro said. Castro approached UP’s Marketing Department with her idea and Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communication Laurie Kelley responded. “Danielle came to the marketing office and talked with my colleague John Furey about this idea she had for the t-shirt competition with threadless,” Kelley said in an email. “I loved her design and knew she would be successful in trying to sell them to raise money for the Red Cross.” In the end, Kelley connected Castro with UP alumnus Mike Thompson. “UP alum Mike Thompson of
Taylor Made T-Shirts printed the shirts at an extremely low cost so that more proceeds could go to the Red Cross,” Castro said in an email. When designing her shirt, Castro incorporated symbolism into every figure that appears on the white cotton tee. “Rays of sunlight from a Japanese sunrise come over the father and his child, revealing shadows of a Samurai spirit,” Castro wrote on her website. “This design acknowledges the history of Japan and what Samurai embody: honor, endurance, tradition, and hope. In the sun, you’ll see the seismograph drawing of the 9.0 earthquake to acknowledge the tragedy, but the father and son walk on.” Castro said the money raised will go straight to Japan. “Japan has been an ally,” Castro said. “With Hurricane Katrina, they sent over about $13 million and the government also gave money to the Red Cross.” Castro sold over 100 shirts with the International Club at Espresso UP yesterday. While selling shirts last night, Castro and the International Club set up a booth for students to fold purple origami paper cranes.
Photo Courtesy of exclaimorange.com
Senior Danielle Castro’s t-shirt design. T-shirts are $10, and all of the proceeds go to the Red Cross. Their goal is to fold 1,000 cranes she said. because it is a sign of well wishes Shirts can be purchased for in Japanese culture. In order to $10. Castro is selling the shirts to reach 1,000 cranes, they will have people who contact her via email students fold at other events. at castro11@up.edu. She is also “Just keep the people of Japan selling them on her website. in your thoughts and prayers,”
JAPAN: Japanese students reflect on situation Continued from page 1
Tuesday, March 22
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Japanese residents start hoarding bottled water after testing shows radioactive matter in tap water is at levels unsafe for infants. Officials evacuated some workers from the Fukushima plant as a black plume of smoke billowed above a reactor. Japanese government expands food restrictions after the health ministry said tests detected radioactive material at levels exceeding legal limits. CNN reports 9,487 people had been confirmed dead and 15,617 officially listed as missing – a total of 25,104. About 387,000 evacuees are staying at 2,200 shelters, according to the Kyodo News Agency. •
Monday, March 21
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Plant operator of Tokyo Electric Power Co. said high levels of radioactive substances were found in seawater near the plant. American schoolteacher, 24-year-old Taylor Anderson who had been missing, is found dead.
support that Japan is receiving. “The American Navy came to Japan – I really appreciate that,” Seiji said. “President Obama said he’ll do his best to save Japanese peoples’ lives. I feel happy in my heart.” - Rosemary Peters and Ona Golonka contributed to this story.
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big earthquake, since there are still many aftershocks. Regardless, she is hopeful. “I appreciate those people who work for saving Japan,” Satomi said. “I really hope these efforts will bring bright future in Japan soon. I want to do what I can do as much as possible.” Seiji is also happy about the
The World Health Organization (WHO) declares “no immediate health risk” for shortterm exposure to food contaminated by radiation in Japan. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory commission reports the U.S. is safe from harmful levels of radioactive releases from Japan.
according to Satomi and Yuuki. Even though Japan is in the midst of a natural disaster, students are hopeful about Japan’s recovery. “People are helping each other,” Yuuki said. “I saw lots of cooperation and warm behavior during this difficult time.” Satomi worries about another
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grandparents. “I guess it was about two days later, they heard from my grandparents,” Maika said. “They are doing OK.” During the natural disaster, Japanese people were asked to conserve electricity. Satomi, Yuuki, Seiji’s family and Maika’s
family are all trying to save electricity. “Some days ago, every family was asked to save the electricity because the nuclear plant was stopped by the earthquake,” Seiji said. “My family also tried to save electricity.” The area has had scheduled blackouts since March 14,
Wednesday, March 23
A more in depth timeline can be found at: http:// www.swedishwire. com/component/ content/ article/34:globalnews/9027:japandisaster-timelineday-by-day
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NEWS
March 24, 2011
Taking a look at safety Potholes create problems for drivers around UP Philippe Boutros Staff Writer boutros14@up.edu
Will Lyons Staff Writer lyons14@up.edu
“I didn’t mean to freak you out,” said a threatening man on the UP side of Willamette Boulevard while psychology professor Deana Julka was walking home from teaching her senior seminar class on Feb. 28. This individual followed Julka for about three blocks after she crossed the street to avoid him. Eventually, Julka had to walk into traffic in order to get in the light of passing cars to thwart the individual’s advances. “Once the headlights were on him, he put this thing into the back of his pants,” Julka said. Now knowing if the man had a weapon of some sort, she walked in the street with the lights of the car for a few blocks before running the last half block back to her house. “It was definitely frightening,” Julka said. “I’ve been living in the neighborhood for 14 years and things like this happen.” Despite the close call, Julka remains positive. “I still do feel safe here,” Julka said. “I wouldn’t live here with my family if I didn’t.” Incidents like what happened to Julka periodically call into question the safety of the University Park neighborhood. UP offers services to help
Deana Julka students proactively stay safe. Public Safety holds a women’s self defense class in Mehling Hall at the beginning of each semester. Students are encouraged to call Public Safety for an escort if they find themselves in an unwanted situation, and Public Safety Director Harold Burke-Sivers helps those who live off campus to protect their apartments and rented houses. “I do written safety evaluations,” Burke-Sivers said. “Most of the evaluations I do aren’t university-owned houses.” The best way to avoid dangerous situations might be paying attention. “I don’t want people to stay in the halls because they are concerned about off campus safety, but students do need to be aware of the risks around,” Mehling Hall Director Holly Allar said.
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“I jog without earbuds in, in order to be aware of my surroundings,” Julka said. “I carry pepper spray in my purse just in case,” sophomore Hannah Kintner said. “Let people know if you’re going out alone,” Director of Public Safety Harold Burke Sivers said. “Walk with your car keys in your hands. They can be a good weapon in a pinch,” Mehling Hall Director Holly Allar said.
Will Lyons | THE BEACON
Photos by Alissa White| THE BEACON
cost a little over $100,000, and they would try to get it done this summer if funding is available. “When it comes to funding priorities on campus, it’s buildings first, then utilities, and then asphalt comes last,” Haines said. “But things have been looking pretty good money-wise recently.” Due to recent construction work at The Bauccio Commons and The Chapel of Christ the Teacher, the road leading there is also in need of repair.
Error: cannot connect to server Rosemary Peters Editor-in-Chief peters12@up.edu
Safety ideas for all: •
The University of Portland’s Physical Plant recently repaired some of the potholes in the main parking lot behind the Pilot House, but they are only temporary fixes, due to budget restraints. “We fixed them as best we can,” Assistant Director of Physical Plant Faye Beeler said. The potholes affect many UP students, faculty and employees as well as visitors to the campus. “I’m glad they did something about it,” freshman Zachary Hyrndej said. “I had started to know by heart which parts of the parking lot were the bumpiest. It was getting pretty bad since the beginning of the semester.” After rainfall, potholes tend to form when the water disrupts the base material under the surface asphalt, creating a void. The asphalt can no longer support the weight of traffic and potholes develop. Apart from causing an uncomfortable ride, severe potholes have the potential to damage cars. “Some student bent her rim and flattened her tire because of a pothole many years ago,” Jim Haines, the sports fields maintenance manager, said.
“When you drove across it you could feel it in your teeth,” Haines said. “This sounds silly, but I tripped because of a pothole once on my way back from Villa,” freshman Katy Stevens said. Physical Plant temporarily repaired the potholes by filling them in with asphalt. However, this treats only the symptoms, not the problem. The real problem comes from how the parking lot was originally constructed, according to Haines. “The main parking lot was built in the early 40s, when standards were lower,” Haines said. “They just scraped the ground and put the gravel on it. People were used to the rattling because they were driving Model T’s and stuff.” Facilities and Construction Director Paul Luty told Haines that re-paving the unfinished section of the parking lot would
On March 9, around 9 p.m., the University of Portland’s server experienced technical difficulties and was inaccessible for approximately three hours. UP Systems Administrator Ming Qi was the technical support staffer on call that night. He received the phone call from Public Safety that the server was down. “There were two servers with all the files on them,” Qi said. “One server was having problems, and we had to move the files to a different server.” According to Qi, two servers are clustered together so that one is a backup for the other. Paul Disbury, director of Information Technology, says that when the first server fails it is supposed to “fail over” to a secondary server, which is supposed to work in conjunction with the primary server to access the storage unit. None of this is supposed to be noticed by the user on the other end of the computer.
However, the access problem occurred when the first server failed over to the secondary drive. Technical Support was aware of the server’s age, and the department has been in the process of moving files over to a new enterprise class storage device called Netapp. “My goal is to completely decommission the Left Hand (the current main storage unit) within a few weeks,” Disbury said. “I want to keep the Left Hand as a sand box to play in.” In light of the recent accessibility issues, Disbury has sped up the estimated timeline for getting the new storage device up and running and to make sure all critical data is moved over to the new server. Currently, Disbury’s technical group is in the process of moving over the U drive, which is the drive for faculty and administration. “We should have the U drive moved over after the end of the weekend,” Disbury said. The P drive, where all of the students’ files are located, will be the next drive to migrate over to the new server. Completing this move should take about three weeks.
The UP Public Safety Report 1. March 11, 12:44 p.m. - A student reported an assault. Portland Police Bureau and Public Safety continuing investigation.
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2. March 14, 11:19 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a noise complaint about a house in the 6400 block of N. Willamette. The renters were compliant, and they kept the noise down.
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3. March 15, 7:24 a.m. - A student reported a theft from his vehicle parked in front of a University-owned house in the 5300 block of N. Willamette. The student was advised to come to Public Safety, and a report was also filed with PPB. 4. March 16, 3:16 a.m. - Public Safety contacted a suspicious person near the Chiles Center. The person stated he was picking up cigarette butts. He left the campus without any confrontation.
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5. March 18, 1:10 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a medical call at the Bauccio Commons. A prospective student fell and turned his knee the wrong way. He was provided an ice pack and a knee wrap. No other medical action was taken.
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The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net 5
Employee and husband injured after car collision near campus From page 1 Caitlin Yilek Staff Writer yilek12@up.edu A longtime Bon Appétit employee, Gwen Johnson, and her husband are still in the hospital after their car crashed into a tree near the University of Portland’s main entrance early March 20. According to Johnson, who has worked in The Bauccio Commons for 11 years, her husband Phil was driving her to work around 6:30 a.m. when he fell unconscious behind the wheel. “My husband had a stroke,” Johnson said. “It got out of
control. We hit a tree.” The Johnson’s station wagon ended up at a 45-degree angle after it hit a tree next to the bus stop outside Shipstad Hall. “There were branches laying all over the street, and it looked like the car hit the tree head on,” senior Christina Nelson said. Nelson was driving back to campus from the airport on Sunday morning when she saw the aftermath of the collision. According to the Portland Police Bureau, two calls were placed to 911. Paul Hesser, a UP alumnus who lives across the street from the University, said the collision woke him up. “I heard a loud thud,” Hesser
said. “When I heard the noise, I knew a car had been hit. “ Hesser said he jumped out of bed, put on his shoes, grabbed his phone and keys and ran out the door. “I called 911 as I was walking to the car,” Hesser said. “When I got to the driver’s side of the car, I asked if they were OK.” According to Hesser, Johnson said no, and her husband was unresponsive. Both Johnson and her husband are being treated at Legacy Emmanuel Hospital. Johnson said she is bruised, and her injuries include fractured ribs and vertebrae in her neck. Johnson is expected to be discharged from the hospital today.
Photo Courtesy of Paul Hesser
According to Johnson, her husband is in the Intensive Care Unit and is still unconscious. Tamee Flanagan, a marketing manager for Bon Appétit, said Johnson will be taken care of. “A bunch of us (at Bon Appétit) are her friends,” Flanagan said.
“We will take care of her pets, groceries and rides.” Flanagan visited Johnson at the hospital after the accident. “We are so glad that no one was hurt,” Johnson said. “We are so sorry about that tree.”
LXG recognized as exemplary program Portland’s Archbishop presented League of Extraordinary Gentlemen with a national award, recognizing the campus ministry program for facilitating personal development
Jocelyne LaFortune Staff Writer lafortun12@up.edu
On Thursday, March 10, Archbishop John Vlazny presented UP’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (LXG) with an award from the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA), recognizing the program as an exemplary campus ministry program. About 50 students and faculty members attended the event, which was held in the Terrace Room. LXG was recognized with an award for “Facilitating Personal Development,” according to Director of Campus Ministry Josh Noem. Each year, the Catholic Campus Ministry recognizes six campus ministry programs as exemplary programs. Programs receive the award for excelling in different areas such as forming
the faith community, educating for justice and developing future leaders, according to the CCMA website. Stacy Noem nominated LXG for the award, and the program was selected from nominations from across the country, according to Josh. “It is a huge honor for the program,” Josh said. “To be selected for this award, especially on a national level, is really incredible.” LXG also received the May Dunn award in October from the Northwest Association of Student Affairs Professionals (NWASAP).
LXG is built on four core values and ideas: brotherhood, the search for truth, justice and service and exploration of authentic masculinity. Students are challenged to explore the question, “Who Bryan Brenize | THE BEACON am I, and what do I believe?” The award recognizes campus “Something that you discover programs that display innovative when you start talking about programming, according to Josh. ‘Who am I?’ is that you start The League of Extraordinary talking about ‘Who am I going to Gentlemen began four years ago become?,’” senior LXG member with a just handful of freshman boys as a way to get more men Jason Weeks said. “And that is involved in campus ministry. what LXG is all about.” Students are divided into Now over 70 students participate small groups, which meet every in the program, along with 14 couple of weeks to participate faculty and staff mentors. in conversation about their
experiences. “The beauty of LXG is that it is so simple,” Director of Student Activities and LXG mentor Jeromy Koffler said. “It is just us guys being guys.” In his brief address, Vlazny emphasized the importance of building meaningful relationships. “They are not easy to form,” Vlazny said. “But they are essential.” Vlazny also spoke of his childhood in Chicago, and how his move to Portland was made easier by the support of the community. LXG gives UP’s men the opportunity to form deep, meaningful relationships. “The LXG meetings were the first times I felt comfortable being open with other guys,” senior Nick Etzel said. “These are the guys I go to when I need to talk to someone.”
UP teamwork takes flight
UP mechanical engineers place 13th in competition after months of work and frustration Will Lyons Staff Writer lyons14@up.edu Last Friday and Saturday, UP mechanical engineers got 13th place out of 35 teams in the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Aero Design West Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. The “Co-ed Civilian Team,” composed of seniors Anastasia Borok, Alec Devereaux, Madeline Alanko and Rian Throckmorton, concluded a year filled with struggle, creativity and triumph. According to Borok, the annual SAE Aeronautics Competition brings together mechanical engineering students from across the country as well as international students to put their theories into practice by building remote controlled airplanes. “We started designing the plane in late September and began building in October,” Borok said. “We had more than a couple of 15-hour days throughout the
building process.” Since this competition is also a senior capstone project, professor of mechanical engineering and faculty adviser Dakshima Murty knows how important it is for them to own their work. “They spend an enormous amount of time working on the project,” Murty said. “I’m only here to guide. It’s truly the students own work.” The UP engineers designed and crafted every specification of the plane, except for the engine, which was streamlined for the competition in order to put all the teams on an even playing field. “In the competition you had to use all natural, non-carbon fiber materials,” Devereaux said. “For example, we used Balsa wood for the frame because it’s so light.” Each member of the Co-ed Civilians built a part of the plane, and before winter break, they put all the pieces together. “Interfacing everything was probably the most difficult part of
the building process,” Borok, who constructed the main body of the airplane called the fuselage, said. This semester the teams put the
“I almost cried I was so happy when it got off the ground.”
Anastasia Borok, senior
finishing touches on their planes, composed papers for the written component of the competition and prepared their accompanying oral presentations before shipping the planes down to Fort Worth for the competition. “Thanks to Dr. Murty’s fluids lab last year we got second place on the written component of the competition because we got really good at writing reports,” Borok said. After giving their oral presentation on the Friday of the
competition, the UP seniors were ready to see their planes take flight early Saturday morning. For four hours, the Co-ed Civilians were unsure if their plane would be able to complete a single lap around the airstrip. “On our first flight the plane got caught by a gust of wind and crashed into a tree,” Borok said. “The crash broke our propeller, tore the bottom of the fuselage and smashed part of the wing.” After the crash, all the UP engineers worked together to try and get the Co-ed Civilian’s plane off the ground again. “Both of the other UP teams dropped what they were doing to help us get the plane fixed,” Devereaux said. “We couldn’t have fixed the plane in enough time without them. It became a UP goal to get one plane off the ground.” In the fifth and final round of the competition, the Coed Civilians stepped up to the runway again.
“At this point, we were wondering if we were even going to bother fixing it if it crashed again,” Borok said. After a couple moments, the plane lifted off the ground and circumnavigated the airstrip before touching down for a clean landing, according to Borok. “I almost cried,” Borok said. “I was so happy when it got off the ground.” “I yelled, ‘We built an airplane!’” Devereaux said. With a successful flight under their belt, the Co-ed Civilians slipped smoothly into 13th place. “Just seeing what we made complete, its intended purpose was so gratifying,” Borok said. With the competition complete, the memories of hard work paying off will always stick with the seniors. “This whole experience is probably the highlight of my time at UP,” Devereaux said.
LIVING
6 March 24, 2011
Local non-profit helps girls find the perfect prom dress Elizabeth Vogel Staff Writer vogel11@up.edu Photo courtesy of Abbyscloset.org
Cassie Passon’s prom dress is unique for two reasons: one, it doesn’t sit in her closet collecting dust. Two, it was free. “The dress I got for senior prom is my favorite dress and I love it,” Passon said. “Anytime there is a formal event I wear it.” Passon, a junior at UP, is one of thousands of girls who have benefited from Abby’s Closet, a local non-profit that collects used prom dresses and gives them to high school girls. The organization started in 2004 when 18-year-old Abby Egland was packing to go to the University of Oregon. “I was cleaning out my closet, and I got to my prom dresses. I wanted them to go to another girl,” Egland said. Most girls agree that prom dresses are special. Even though it will never be worn by them again, they still want it to go to good use. “(Abby) didn’t want to give it to Goodwill where some guy could pick it up and use it as a Halloween costume and trash it,” Passon said. Abby and her mother, Sally Egland, came up with a solution: why not find a way to give the dress to a girl who needs it and who will cherish it? This idea gained momentum and manifested as Abby’s Closet, which is now organizing its seventh annual dress drive.
Egland estimates around 2,500 girls will get prom dresses from Abby’s Closet this year. Abby’s Closet takes donations until the giveaway event. Passon is in charge of organizing all the college campus dress drives, including ones at Portland State
Photo courtesy of Cassie Passon
“The dress I got for senior prom is my favorite dress and I love it.”
Cassie Passon junior
University, Marylhurst University, Willamette University, Reed College and UP. There is a box in the Moreau Center where prom dresses will be collected until
March 25. The Orleans Candle Co. on Lombard also collects dresses year round. According to Passon, UP students donated 16 prom dresses last year. Having benefitted from the event, she is passionate about the organization and what it does for young women in the Portland community. She encourages girls to donate dresses. Passon still remembers going to the giveaway in high school. “It’s a really long wait, but it is definitely worth it,” she said. The event is set up like a store, with dresses organized on racks based on size and style. Volunteers are available to help girls find the dress they need. To make sure the girls feel comfortable, all volunteers are women who are out of high school. “High school girls can’t work at the event in order to avoid any ‘she saw me here’ issues,” Passon said. Passon was not impressed when she first saw her floor-length black and white gown hanging on the racks she wasn’t impressed, but as soon as she tried it on she knew it was the one. She made it work even though it was a bit short. “I wore flip-flops to prom so it would reach the ground,” she said. Seeing girls find the right dress is one of Egland’s favorite things about Abby’s Closet. But
Radiohead’s ‘King of Limbs’ is King Music Review Philippe Boutros Staff Writer boutros14@up.edu The release of a new Radiohead album is as monumental in the music world as the election of a new pope is in the Vatican. Strangely enough, there are only three things all Radiohead albums have in common: Thom Yorke’s hauntingly beautiful voice, the ability to be simultaneously experimental and mentally enthralling and their extremely different styles. “King of Limbs,” Radiohead’s newest (and in my opinion, best) album, sounded completely underwhelming the first time I listened to it. I had pre-ordered the album two weeks prior and when I heard it came out a day early, I immediately cancelled the rest of my day’s plans. The first time the album’s short 37.4 minutes went by, I went through a mild depression. It’s not that any of the songs were bad, but rather that none seemed to live up to the hype.
Then I turned the volume up, the lights off, shut my blinds and listened to it a second time. That made all the difference. The album isn’t only composed of songs, but of colors and sensations. It’s aurally administered LSD. Listening to “King of Limbs” may have been the holiest experience of my life. I could imagine the Dalai Lama stepping down from being the spiritual leader of Tibet in order to become a Radiohead groupie after listening to the album. There are a couple tracks off the album that are required listens to all non-deaf members of the UP community. “Give Up the Ghost” heart-wrenchingly showcases the ease with which Yorke stretches his vocal range. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, “Lotus Flower,” the catchiest goshdarn song since Elvis Presley shook his booty to “Hound Dog,” has the interesting side effect of pushing listeners to dance like epileptics during electroshock therapy. On an intriguing side note, within 24 hours of the the album’s release (or, if you count time like
sometimes, she said, they get dresses that no one believes will find a home. She described one in particular.“It was like an eighties floor-length black lace and pink dress,” she said. “One of those dresses that we thought was so gross.” Nonetheless, a girl tried it on and fell in love with it. In fact, said Egland, it even looked good. “When she put it on, half of us started crying,” she said. Egland now works full time at Nike, but she still makes time for Abby’s Closet. “It consumes our lives, especially right now,” she said. “It’s become part of what I do, so I’ve worked it in.” Egland describes Abby’s Closet as “women helping women,” and she hopes that in the future more and more girls will get the whole prom experience from it. Egland finds the work extremely rewarding. “You see the girl that picks your dress, and you know it’s going to live on with new memories,” she said.
Photo courtesy of Abby Egland
Abby’s Closet founders Abby Egland and her mother Sally.
Abby’s Closet by the numbers
• This year is the seventh annual giveaway. • Last year, about 2,100 girls got prom dresses from Abby’s Closet. • Last year, UP students contributed 16 dresses.
What You Can Do? • Donate your dress to the Moreau Center until Friday or Orleans Candle Co. year round. • The dress giveaway is April 2-3 at the Double Tree Hotel near Lloyd Center. • Go to abbyscloset.org for more information.
The Beacon spent spring break at the College Media Convention in New York.
Courtesy of americanoise.com
I do, after 38.5 runs through the album) an indie band out of Los Angeles called the ROBOTANISTS managed to cover the entire album, crazy basslines and all, and post it online. For free. It’s an interesting take. Yorke’s vocals, for example, are replaced by a chorus of unearthly female voices. It’s definitely worth the free, UP-compatible download. As always, there are rumors that this is Radiohead’s last album. Thankfully, the last song off the album, “Separator,” ends with Yorke crooning “If you think this is over/Then you’re wrong.” I can’t wait for those heathens to be proven wrong.
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School of Nursing brings mannequins to life Alissa White | THE BEACON
Amanda Blas Staff Writer blas13@up.edu You may have watched movies with animated toys like “Toy Story,” and “Chucky,” but the School of Nursing brings a whole new meaning to dolls coming to life. The School of Nursing’s
Learning Resource Center is home to two of the most lifelike dolls you will ever come across: high fidelity mannequins. “They sweat, bleed, open their eyes, drool and have a heart beat and pulse,” Mary Oakes, the School of Nursing’s simulation program manager, said. “They even pee on command.” These lifelike and technologi-
cally advanced mannequins have been used by the School of Nursing since 2004. Each mannequin costs $84,000. Thanks to donors, the School of Nursing was able to obtain the mannequins to encourage stronger learning in their program by providing students with a more realistic experience. “They’re the same ones used by the military, medics and physi-
cians when it comes to training,” the mannequins are inanimate. Oakes said. “It’s so funny because they Nursing students first meet do a good job when they’re in these mannequins toward the end there because they’re worried of junior year and will continue to they’ll hurt them,” said Septemwork with them throughout their ber Nelson, director of the School senior year. The School of Nurs- of Nursing’s Learning Resource ing believes that junior and senior Center. “But they can’t. They’re year students are ready to move mannequins.” on to the practice caring for real Yet, the way the nurses treat patients. their inanimate patients shows “As students they are prelearn more conpared to work cepts and progwith real ones. ress in their “It warms learning, the my heart functionality of when we have the mannequins a (simulated) must increase,” patient and Oakes said. students will This inhold their crease means hand or comproviding stufort them,” dents with a Nelson said. more realistic “The caring experience. behavior real“The high ly gets to me.” Vernia Huffman Alissa White| THE BEACON fidelity manM a n y nequins show nursing stuthe actual symptoms we’re look- dents find the realness of the maning for in clinical settings,” Duke nequins to be helpful. said. “You can do a more in-depth “You can train a lot quicker assessment.” because you can actually pracBesides being incredibly re- tice your skills,” senior Sarah alistic, the mannequins also have Westbrook said. “They may not multiple personalities. be alive, but it still gives you a The two mannequins play chance to practice.” more than 10 different patients However, some students have between them, ranging from a mixed feelings about their first 70-year-old man who resemble experiences with the mannequins. Sean Connery to younger pa“It was nerve wrecking,” jutients like 3-year-old Kimberley nior Daniel Truong said. “I had to Wright. Created by Oakes, the pa- take it slow. But it will help me tients’ profiles help add to nursing gain experience for the real thing students’ experiences with each and for the actual work.” patient having a story to share. Senior Susan Toffler did not “The nursing instructors have like working with the mannespent a lot of time developing quins at all. each patient’s story,” junior Mad“I strongly disliked SIM eleine Lougee tests,” Toffler said. “It always said. “They’re adds humor very stressto the experiful.” ence.” On the According other hand, to Oakes, the Lougee sees patients’ perworking with sonalities and these lifelike stories are esmannequins pecially memoas an enjoyrable. In fact, able learning some students experience. even talk about “The manTerry Van Dyke the patients nequins are a Alissa White| THE BEACON they work with fun, innovaas if they are real tive way to simupeople. late patient-nurse interaction,” “Vernia has a really good sense Lougee said. of humor in case you didn’t know Despite the varied array of that,” Lougee said, talking about opinions, the School of Nursing one of the mannequins. “She has believes working with the mangreat fashion sense, too.” nequins is a valuable experience. Though the mannequins are “I would say most students made up of nothing but steel, wouldn’t report it as fun before or rubber, wires and computers, during their experiences,” Nelson students sometimes get so lost in said. “But they do find it helpful their lifelikeness that they forget afterwards.”
8 March 24, 2011
Where
has your
Kevin Kadooka | THE BEACON
Planted in Portland Above: Sophomore Kevin Kadooka at Saturday Market. Left: Senior Megan Osborn on her front porch. Below Left: Junior Jefferey Sanchez and Senior Roman Bonczek in their Haggarty Hall kitchen. Below Right: Freshman Sarah Hansell at a local park. Bottom Right: Sophomore Amanda Blas by the Voodoo doughnuts truck in downtown. Bottom: left Sophomore Scott Chia inside his car. Megan Osborn | THE BEACON
Will Lyons | THE BEACON
Copies in California
Left: Freshman Will Lyons and friend, Julie A Francisco.
Right: Freshman Luke Riela on the coast of M
Rachel McIntosh | THE BEACON
Sarah Hansell | THE BEACON
f PJ Marcello | THE BEACON
Scott Chia | THE BEACON
Amanda Blas | THE BEACON
Wayward to Washington
Left: Sammie the dog and sophomore PJ Marcello hanging
Right: Junior Joanna Goodwin celebrating her Grandma’s 9
More Beacons in Montana
Over to the Oreg Coast
Immediate Left, Top: Se Will Blowers at the Oreg Coast.
Immediate Left, Bottom nior Jocelyne LaFortune at the Oregon Coast. Courtesy of Will Blowers
Courtesy of Lindsey Irish
Junior Lindsey Irish in Missoula on her horse Simsy.
Roya Ghorbani-Elizeh | THE BEACON
Jocelyne LaFortune | THE BEACON
Far Left: Senior Roya Gh bani-Elizeh enjoying the with her Beacon.
The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net 9
Design by Andrea Jackle | THE BEACON
been?
Alissa White | THE BEACON
Beacon on the Members of the Moreau Center Border Plunge along the wall that separates Mexico from the Border United States.
Luke Riela | THE BEACON
Ainsbury, outside Pirate Cat Radio in San
Mendocino.
Joanna Goodwin | THE BEACON
g out in Seattle.
94th birthday in Olympia.
Hot off the A group from the E-Scholars program on the Great Wall outside Beijing, China. Great Wall
Lisa McMahan| THE BEACON
gon
enior gon
m: Juphoto
hore coast
In a New York minute
Rosemary Peters | THE BEACON
Left: Junior Hannah Gray and friend, Jake Goicoechea, in Washington Square. Above: (from left to right) Juniors Caitlin Yilek, Rosemary Peters and Hannah Gray on the New York subway. Hannah Gray | THE BEACON
Right: Junior Rosemary Peters outside Radio City Music Hall.
Rosemary Peters | THE BEACON
FAITH & FELLOWSHIP
10 March 24, 2011
Creede Caldwell Guest Commentary “Guess what? We’re walking on water.” I couldn’t resist the admittedly corny joke. Deep cracking noises echoed through the ice as we strolled across the lake. The midnight Minnesota air nipped at our noses. Josh, Thomas and I traded grins as the ice settled beneath us. We were in Minnesota to represent UP at a conference on best practices for involving the college male. The purpose of the conference was to discuss and analyze the severe drop in male participation in extracurricular activities throughout the country. We attended to make a presentation on our growing UP men’s group, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (also known as LXG). After the conference had concluded for the day, we seized the opportunity to explore the campus of St. John’s University. Granted, strolling across ice several feet thick was not particularly hazardous. Still, the experience provided a thrill that spoke to the issue we had been discuss-
Be a man: join LXG ing all day: the problem of involving men in activities beyond the games Dungeons & Dragons or Halo. The men I know are starved for excitement and activity. That hunger can be appeased by a multitude of sources, as simple as a walk in the dark or complex as defending the galaxy from the Protoss and Zerg. Perhaps men are thirsting for more excitement; more targeted and more engaging activities. LXG has undergone great expansion since its inception four years ago, making it an exciting time to be a man on our campus. For example, we are aiming to get men involved in service trips tailored to our groups, building community, and encouraging a safe but engaging environment of storytelling that leads to deeper reflection and discussion about the truths that define our lives. Service is an equally viable option for action. Over the past few years, we have encouraged gentlemen to get involved with LXG local service events at the Oregon Food Bank, Volunteers of America and the Downtown Chapel. We also played a role in planning this year’s Hunger Awareness Week by planning a campaign of writing letters to Congress for foreign aid policy reform. Our service experiences
have been full of fellowship and the joy of sharing our gifts with the Portland community and the world. One of the striking aspects of the conference at St. John’s was that just because the men gathered had serious issues on their minds, they did not become or behave any less like college-aged men. Jokes were traded, ironies were enjoyed and friends were made. This, perhaps, is one of the aspects of a male personality that fuels the need for action: even in the face of serious tasks, we approach life with a uniquely male sense of humor that leaves nothing untouched. Photo submitted by Josh Noem LXG is reaching out in Villa Maria Hall Director Ben Helms and Villa Hall Assitant Hall Direcan effort to share that sense tor Teige Weidner talking with members of the League of Extraordinary of humor with the entire UP Gentlemen at a gathering in February. campus through an event couraged to enjoy our humorous Creede Caldwell is a senior called Manquisition: on March 31 examination of the modern man. Mechanical Engineering major. at 7:00 p.m. in the Villa Lounge, He can be contacted at we will be grilling three promicaldwell11@up.edu nent male role models from the university about their own masculinity, making them defend League of Extraordinary qualities about themselves that Gentlemen’s Manquisition defy the stereotypes of the modern man. In the style of Stephen Colbert and Monty Python, we March 31 at 7:00 p.m. in the Villa will leave no stereotype unMaria Lounge turned. All are welcome and en-
OPINIONS
The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net 11
Let’s get (earthquake) prepared Here in the U.S. the major earthquakes that have happened in the past few of years have seemed far away from us. We may have contributed to charities that support the relief effort or seen pictures on the news, but it is difficult to wrap your head around the devastation in places like Haiti, Chile and Japan. For many of us, these are places we have never been and may never go, but the natural disasters that have occurred in these far-off destinations should teach us a lesson at home. The lesson is old, and one the Boy Scouts have made immortal: Always be prepared.
Not to be Debbie Downer, but here in the Pacific Northwest we have reason to fear earthquakes like the one Japan has just experienced. The exact same type of fault line, called a subduction zone which caused the earthquakes in Japan and Chile, is present right here the Pacific Northwest. This fault line would be the cause of what anyone who has taken Coach Bob’s natural disaster class knows as “the big one.” Namely a giant earthquake that has been expected to hit the Pacific Northwest for many years, one similar to the 9.0 earthquake that happened in this region 311
years ago. These large earthquakes are usually spaced between 250 and 500 years apart from each other, so we are now in a window in which one is likely to occur. It may surprise many who have seen footage of the recent devastation in Japan that the country was considered highly prepared for an earthquake of this magnitude. Japan is considered an eight out of 10 in preparedness, while the U.S. is considered a five. Portland is one of many cities with old buildings that are not retrofitted to withstand large quakes. According to The Or-
egonian, in 2010 half of Oregon schools were considered high risk for collapsing during an earthquake of large magnitude. At UP, we should be taking as many precautions as possible, like bolting down large furniture that could shift in a quake. The school currently has an earthquake response plan in place including stored food, water and supplies for up to three days. UP has done well so far in preparing for emergency response. But they should go even further to ensure that all of the older buildings on campus are properly retrofitted to withstand a quake of great magnitude.
The fact is that in the last few years we have been given more than enough examples of the amount of devastation large earthquakes can cause. There is simply no excuse not to take action to make our city and our university as safe as possible, especially given the region’s risk. Despite the great amount of devastation that occurred in Japan, many more lives would have been lost had the country not been so prepared. So instead of wringing our hands and talking doomsday about the risks, let’s prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
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.
Diversity in major: Where students diverge Amanda Blas Staff Commentary UP was buzzing about diversity during the week of diversity dialogues. From accepting it to realizing there’s more to it than skin color, race and sexual orientation, Diversity Dialogues Week had UP students engaging in diversity left and
With such a selection, you can imagine the huge diversity that exists when it comes to students’ majors. But the sad thing is a lot of students don’t
jor? You have it so easy!” or “You’re so lucky! You don’t do anything in your major!” You’ve probably heard it all before, and sadly, you might have even been the person who was guilty of saying it. But the next time you feel the need to judge someone else’s major, think about this: How much do you really know about their major? Do you know how much work they have to do? Or how much time they spend studying for it? How about what struggles they face in their major? Do you know what they have to do to overcome them? More
www.foreveryoungadult.com/2011/02/25/the-other-side-of-the-rainbow/
right. With all this talk about diversity, it made me think, why not talk about one of the biggest diversities we have on campus. Say, the often unrecognized diversity of majors? Going to UP, we have the chance to pursue over 30 different majors, from accounting to biology to music to philosophy.
Submission Policy
Letters and commentaries from readers are encouraged. All contributions must include the writer’s address and phone number for verification purposes. The Beacon does not accept submissions written by a group, although pieces written by an individual on behalf of a group are acceptable. Letters to the editor must not exceed 250 words. Those with longer opinions are encouraged to submit guest columns. The Beacon reserves the right to edit any contributions for length and style, and/or reject them without notification. University students must include their major and year in school. Nonstudents must include their affiliation to the University, if any.
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appreciate this diversity at all. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone criticize somebody else’s major with a comment like, “That’s your ma-
than likely, the answer is no. There’s so much we don’t know about other majors. The same goes for diversity, too. We don’t know about every religion’s beliefs or every culture’s practices or every race’s customs, but
that doesn’t stop us from accepting them and appreciating their uniqueness and differences. This is because accepting diversity means choosing to not be ignorant, especially when it comes to things we aren’t too familiar with. Why should it be any different when it comes to diversity of majors? Sure, differing majors isn’t even close to being a controversial subject when it comes to the discussion of diversity. But the bottom line is, it is still diversity and should receive respect and acceptance as well. After all, would you want someone to judge you simply because of your major? I don’t think so. Embracing diversity doesn’t mean just accepting the big things; it means understanding that you should embrace the little differences as well. So if you can wrap your minds around embracing the bigger differences, why not do one better and accept the little ones too? Amanda Blas is a sophomore sociology and organizational communications major. She can be contacted at blas13@up.edu.
THE BEACON Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief. . . . . . . ����� Rosemary Peters News Editor . . . . . . . . . . ��������� Hannah Gray Opinions Editor . . . . . . �������� Megan Osborn Living EditoR �������������� Roya Ghorbani-Elizeh Sports Editor . . . . . . . . �����Aaron O’Connell Copy Editor. . . . . . . . . . . �������� Lisa McMahan
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PJ Marcello, John McCarty, Bruce Garlinghouse, Elizabeth Vogel, Jocelyne LaFortune, Caitlin Yilek, Sarah Hansell, Philippe Boutros, Amanda Blas, Will Lyons, Corey Fawcett, Rachel McIntosh, Joanna Goodwin and Luke Riela.
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OPINIONS
12 March 24, 2011
The Beacon Abroad Laura Frazier Staff Commentary http://www.allthingsdistributed.com/2008/12/
“Are you wearing a purple scarf?” I would later put it together what that question had been, but thanks to a heavy British accent, in that moment I had no clue what I had just been asked on the phone. So I spun around, looking for wherever the voice had come from. The London Heathrow airport was huge, and here I was searching for the random person I would be living with for the next three months. Thankfully, my new host mom
Beacon reporters write about their experiences overseas. saw me first. I couldn’t believe her house when we pulled up. Quaint would be the polite way to describe it, but extremely small is more fitting. In a neighborhood of brick houses, 31 Potter Street is identical to the one next to it. Inside, I struggled to haul my huge suitcase up the very narrow stairway and around the very narrow corners. I soon realized that tight-fitting quarters are to be expected. The AHA London Centre, where I take my classes, is four skinny floors high and sandwiched between two other buildings just like it. I can tell that a rapidly growing population and not enough open space resulted in all buildings going up, as opposed to out. A month later, accents and small spaces are only some of the million things to which I have adjusted. London is spectacular and completely different from living in Portland. I am amazed with the variety London has to offer. There is every kind of ethnicity and culture. Each one has a presence in the city: Brick Lane is known for its Indian food and
ens lived in. I can see the Tower of London and Big Ben across the river Thames. Some buildings still host scars from the 1940 bombing of London. In the center of Camden town is an old graveyard that was transformed to a public park when it was threatened by the growing city. I love London for all the stories it can tell me. It seems impossible to compare UP to school in London, yet in some small ways their features blur together. I am still required to do my homework, though the city is more tempting than probably anything else could be. But the beauty in studying here lies in the chances to live what I am learning about. Never before have I been so immersed. After studying the complex workings of British Parliament, I am off to see the live debate. I can listen to a lecture on Enlightenment era art, then go to the British National Gallery and see all the paintings in the textbook. After reading a Shakespeare play, I am lucky enough to then see it on the stage. Yet still the overall concept is
community, of sy l Chinatown rte ou 3.htm r c 06 me zie is constantly Fra SD10 a Fra P aur e L p busy and the -Ta ey of ith s -W court e Portobello road o am -Fr Phot oto market is burstPh d oi lar ing with Scottish /Po om c . s crafts and old the psd ia l ffic o American high same. I have . ww /w p:/ t school lettergreat professors to t h men jackets. And learn from and motivated of course the Londonclassmates to work with. ers, in their pea coats and Though I hardly have scarves, are everywhere. In time to miss anything from such an international city, I can home, I do envy the simplicity experience pieces of so many dif- of Portland. The massive size of ferent culture, and I am thankful London can be overwhelming at for the opportunity. times, and I have found myself Chaos dominates this city, missing how manageable Portpushing me past the point of ever land is. And I miss the view of slowing down. Between the rush Mount Hood and the green grass of the morning commute, with of Cathedral Park down by the people squished into every cor- river. I miss casually playing inner of the tube carriages and the tramural sports and hanging out night scene that never dies down, in The Commons. it seems as if people never stop But all of those things will be moving. there when I get back. For now, But I love it. I thrive on how I couldn’t be happier in any city hectic it is. At times Portland but London. can’t offer me anything, but London offers me everything. Laura Frazier is a sophomore I am in constant awe of the English and history major. She history that permeates from evcan be contacted at ery wall. Around the corner from frazier13@up.edu AHA is the house Charles Dick-
OPINIONS
The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net 13
Corporations are the problem A reasoned consideration for a new world order Braden Behan Guest Commentary What is the biggest problem with the world today? War? Famine? Oppressive Drug Laws? Poverty? Nay, it is none of these. It is the corporations! They cause all the problems of the world. As long as corporations are allowed to be corporate and spew their products and materialism in the world, we will never be truly free from their grasp. See, what corporate apologists don’t understand is corporations only care about is money and making a profit at the expense of
Faces on The Bluff
good, earthly people. Corporate greed takes over society and tells us what is right and what is wrong. What they are really doing is spreading their corporationy lies and making more money. The more money they make the more corporationy they become. When that happens people get oppressed. They make laws, that are, like, supposed to be passed by our representatives but are usurped by money and corporate greed. You know what these laws are called? Corporate laws. Was your mind just blown? Mine was. Now that we know the problem, I bet you are wondering what the solution is. Prepare for some knowledge. This solution isn’t something that can be found on the shelves of any corporate supermarket or in some corporate factory. The solution is threefold.
First, we need to reorganize society in such a way that benefits everyone and not just the corporate fat cats. For starters, we can have these places where people come together and exchange goods and services. Like, one person will grow food, and another person will take care of people when they get sick. And another could open peoples’ minds to the true state of affairs. Pretty mind blowing, huh? Now let’s expand on that idea for a bit. These people could, like, create a bunch of other utopias like this, and they can, like, exchange their goods and services with each other. It’s going to be huge! Second, we just need to get rid of the means by which the corporations control our lives: money. Without money people could have as much stuff as they wanted. The corporations design
things that break so we have to buy more things. Without money we could just make things that work. Like, this way people, instead of exchanging money for goods, people would exchange, like, the most commonly accepted commodities for goods. Without money the corporations would be forced to stop being so corporationy. In conclusion, we have just laid out how we can effectively take down the corporate machine. Without their money and with the implementation of utopias, we can create a better world free of their corporationy ways. Only then can we implement our third step: legalize it! Braden Behan is a senior mechanical engineering major. He can be contacted at behan11@up.edu.
Allie Rackerby, sophomore, engineering management
to have a kid. However, it isn’t until my hypothetical child becomes two years and three months old that I suddenly and magically become mature enough to see for myself how amazingly awful (yet unquestionably hipster) Pabst Blue Ribbon is. That just doesn’t make sense. If you’re ever bored on a Friday night and feel like a laugh, hang around in the lobby of your dorm with whoever is manning the front desk. Keep in mind that peak hours for drunk hunting are between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. Hoardes of stumbling, disheveled freshmen (if they can figure out how the front door works) will come piling in within that key time frame. We freshmen can be pretty stupid. Away from our homes for the first time, we’re responsible for everything from our
eating habits (beware the Cove’s chicken strips) to our grades and keeping our rooms clean(ish). College is a training ground for life, and, not to sound cliché, we learn more through our mistakes than through our successes. This stigma against ‘underage’ drinking has got to end. We have the highest drinking age in the world. The only country with a higher drinking age is Saudi Arabia (to the uninformed – alcohol is illegal in Saudi Arabia). I am a fan of how UP treats underage drinking. For the most part, the people who get caught are the people who do stupid things. The parties they shut down are, for the most part, too loud and too raucously obvious. The reason the American college system is world-renowned is because it gives people the chance to learn about how to function in the real world, under
the light-handed guidance of a benevolent administration. Our drinking policies don’t fit in with that at all. I’m sure that we wouldn’t have had the whole Dance of the Decades debacle if kids didn’t feel the need to drink too much too quickly behind closed doors. We wouldn’t have a Blufftumbler if drinking were seen less as a catalyst for fun and more as a guarantee of a terrible Sunday.
“To be a jumper.”
By SCOTT CHIA Photographer
We asked:
What would you choose as your super power?
“To pause time.”
Reduce drunken ruckus: Lower the drinking age Philippe Boutros Staff Commentary In my short semester and a half here at the University of Portland, I have been to exactly 14 off-campus house parties that have been shut down by Public Safety (and only two others that have been busted by the Portland Police Bureau). See, I do think Public Safety is providing the entire campus community with a commendable service by doing this. It’s downright inhumane to expose uneducated freshmen to the likes of Keystone Light, Miller “High Life,” or Natural Ice (pro tip: there’s nothing natural about it). But there is a nationwide problem that we have to address, and it isn’t underage drinking. It’s the whole concept of “underage.” Can somebody please explain the logic behind our system? When I turned 16, I was given a piece of plastic with my picture on it that gave me permission to drive a twoton slab of steel at 75-miles-an-hour. When I turned 18, I was deemed wise enough to spend my money on cancersticks (also known as coffin nails), to sign a lifelong contract with an organization that would fly me around the world for the express purpose of killing people, to get married (in a ‘traditional’ marriage, but that’s another subject) and
David Lee, sophomore, mechanical engineering
Philippe Boutros is a freshman philosophy and political science major. He can be contacted at boutros14@up.edu.
“The power to heal anyone.” Gabby Sucher, junior, psychology
“Be a Hawiian on command.” Jordan Heintz, junior, mechanical engineering
“To read minds.”
Samantha Heathcote | THE BEACON
Patrick Tomassi,sophomore, mechanical engineering
14 ď ? March 24, 2011
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Featured Pilot of the Week: Alex Ferrero
Joanna Goodwin Staff Writer goodwin12@up.edu
A handful of grunts and sighs are heard around the Tennis Center at the men’s tennis practice. Under it all, with any missed shot or inadequate hit, unintelligible Spanish phrases expel out of Alex Ferrero in fits of athletic frustration. Born in Almeria, Spain, 1991, his life has always been focused on tennis. “I started playing when I was 10 years old because my dad plays,” Ferrero said. “I played with him and that is when I decided I wanted to be a pro-player.” The route he took to making his dream a reality was different from the path others may have taken in the states, but he was driven to succeed. “When I was 17, I joined a high level group of 10 guys that traveled all around Europe to different tournaments,” Ferrero said. Back in those days, Ferrero lived and breathed tennis. “I completed high school online so I could focus on tennis, but now there is a big difference. This is harder because I have to change my mind between tennis and school,” Ferrero said. The combination of schoolwork and sports may be something he has never really experienced before, but Ferrero says he has been working hard to stay motivated. “It is a really hard thing to go to practice all day and then have to write a 10-page paper when I
don’t want to do it, but you just have to do it anyways,” Ferrero said. Head coach Aaron Gross and assistant coach Henry Oldham discovered Ferrero the same way everyone seems to be discovered these days: the Internet. “Oldham is Spanish-speaking so that created communication through email,” Gross said. “We researched his results, got emails from recruits and were able to see how he did in pro-tournaments.” Even Gross said that he has made a fantastic adjustment. “He started mid-year, and he could have chosen to come in with the idea to adjust to the team or adjust the team to him,” Gross said. “He adjusted well and didn’t need any special treatment even though this is his first time living in a new country.” Despite only joining the team in mid-January, Ferrero has assimilated nicely to his new surroundings, thanks to the support that he gets from the rest of the team. “Before, on my other teams, you would just think about yourself, you would even compete against your other teammates. I just had my coach for support. But here, we are thinking about everyone and cheering each other on,” Ferrero said. Fellow teammate, Geoff Hernandez, is proud of his new doubles partner. “He came in, right off the bat, ready to fill the role very well,” Hernandez said. “He is doing a great job at working with Aaron to improve aspects of his game.” Ferrero is new at doubles but he is excited about the new expe-
This week in sports Men’s Basketball The Pilots dropped the opening game of the 2011 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament to the Hawaii Rainbows last Tuesday, ending their season. It was the third time in a row the Pilots have lost in the first round of the postseason, and the first postseason victory since 2004 for the Rainbows. The Pilots graduate Luke Sikma, Kramer Knutson, Jared Stohl and Jasonn Hannibal this year.
Track
Joanna Goodwin | THE BEACON
rience it is giving him. “I prefer singles better, but I am starting to like doubles,” Ferrero said. Hernandez loves when they get the opportunity to play together too. “I think our big and little contrast fit together well, we are always yelling and screaming in Spanish, always supporting each
other. It’s really fun,” Hernandez said. The team considers the addition of Ferrero to the UP team to be great and are interested to see how he will continue to progress. “He just has to keep competing,” Hernandez said. “He is so great now as a freshman, I can’t imagine where he’ll be as a senior.”
TSUNAMI: UP Baseball surges on Continued from page 16 who started in the Pilots first game, said the evacuation took a toll on the team. “No one got a good night sleep, and it was hard to focus with all the distractions,” Johnson said.
The effects were apparent early in the Pilots’ second meeting with Hawaii. The Pilots didn’t recover after giving up four runs in the first, despite holding the Runnin’ Rainbows scoreless in the last seven innings. The team was able to return to their hotel before the third game of the series, and the good night’s
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sleep proved to be a much needed one. The Pilots trailed 5-1 going into the seventh inning, but scored nine runs in the last three innings to grab their second win of the series, beating the Rainbows, 10-7. “It was really nice when things calmed down and we real-
ized there was no real danger. For a minute we were all a little worried, and the whole thing was a big distraction,” Johnson said. Aside from baseball, Melby added it was nice to be able to enjoy the Hawaiian paradise. “We always get excited about the Hawaii trip. I mean, its spring break and it’s Hawaii. So it was relieving that we were still able to enjoy all the things Hawaii has to offer,” Melby said. The Pilots finished the series 2-2 after losing the final game on a Hawaii walk-off homerun in the 10th inning. The team then returned to the mainland to face Air Force in another four game series. The Pilots lost all four games. Portland’s home game against Concordia was postponed due to rain and is being rescheduled. The Pilots were scheduled to face Seattle University in a twogame series on Friday and Saturday, but due to a weather forecast that calls for rain, the Pilots will begin the series today at Joe Etzel Field. They will still play on Friday.
The Pilots began their outdoor season for 2011, competing at the Oregon Preview. Senior Dana Morgan recorded the top finish for the women’s team in the 3000m at 9:42.18, while Junior Alfred Kipchumba recorded the top finish for the men’s team in the 3000m (and a top 3 finish overall), with a time of 8:29.52.
Men’s Golf Pilot senior Jake Wagner led the Pilots in last weeks Oregon Duck Invitational, shooting a team-best 217. Wagner was the only top-20 finisher for the Pilots, who finished 14th overall in the tournament. Next, the Pilots will travel to the Braveheart Classic, which will be held in Beaumont, Calif. April 11-12.
Women’s Golf Last week the Pilots placed 14th in a the Lumberjack Shootout, led by Pilot freshman Sara Banke, who shot a 232 and tied for 44th place in the tournament. The Pilots will wrap up their season in Hollister, Calif., on April 18-19 in the West Coast Conference Championships.
(courtesy portlandpilots.com, WCCsports.com)
Pilot of the Week Alex Ferrero is a different type of tennis athlete Page 15
I H SPORTS THE BEACON
16 March 24, 2011
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Photo Courtesy Jeff Melby
Photo Illustration by Rosemary Peters
Courtesy Oregonlive.com
Pilots deal with tsunami, Hawaii sends Pilots packing early, Rainbows in Hawaii team looks to young players, recruits Pilot baseball goes 2-2 against the Hawaii Rainbows after a tsunami scare evacuated their hotel Bruce Garlinghouse Staff Writer garlingh13@up.edu When senior Matt Mardesich’s class was asked who had the most exciting spring break story, his hand quickly shot up. “I survived a tsunami,” Mardesich said. While the baseball team was in Hawaii facing the University of Hawaii in a four-game series, a 9.0 earthquake hit the coast of Japan, sending Pacific coastlines into a panic. After news of the quake reached Hawaii, state officials forced residents on the coast to head to higher ground. The Pilots were staying in a hotel on Waikiki Beach. They left the hotel after being there for only hours
and headed to sophomore J.R. Bunda’s house, located further inland. The Pilots found out about the quake after their first game, a 5-1 win as sophomore right-handed pitcher (RHP) Chris Johnson allowed only two hits in seven innings. “We started hearing about the earthquake from the parents after the game but didn’t realize how serious it was until we got back to the hotel,” Johnson said. “Then we started hearing police sirens and were soon told we had to leave the hotel and head to higher ground.” Many of the players had to sleep in a nearby church and and had to improvise their sleeping arrangements. “I used pew cushions as a bed, an old couch cushion as a pillow and a cushion as a blanket,” sophomore Jeff Melby said. “Needless to say, I didn’t get a very good night sleep.” While no physical damage came of the warnings, Johnson, See Tsunami, page 15
PJ Marcello Staff Writer marcello13@up.edu
After reaching their school record 3rd straight 20-win season, the men’s basketball team lost to Hawaii in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The men’s team traveled to Oahu for the tournament where they faced the University of Hawaii in the opening round. The Pilots led for much of the first half, but a late 25-12 run put the Warriors up 38-32 at half. From there, the Warriors kept the lead, ending the game in a 76-64 loss for UP. “It was a learning experience. As a team it was nice to go to Hawaii but we are disappointed with the end result and we have to use it to grow and get better for next year,” junior Nem Mitrovic said. Coming into the game, the Pilots were shooting an impressive 41 percent from beyond the arc. However, against the Warriors the Pilots struggled and only hit 35 percent from three point range.
According to the Pilots, though they came home with a loss, they have a lot of great memories from the season and a lesson from the tournament that will leave them hungry for next year. “This is the third year in a row that we have made it to the postseason and the third straight year that we lost in the first round of a tournament,” junior guard Eric Waterford said. “We want another opportunity and a different outcome.” Overall, the Pilots believe they overachieved this season and are happy with the progress they have made over the past few years. “A lot of people thought this would be a rebuilding year for us. We take pride in the fact that we aren’t just a team with a couple good seasons,” Mitrovic said. “It’s nice to see the program getting some respect. When I was a freshman, this was a considered a small school without much tradition. It’s changing, and I’ve been able to witness that change.” Next year’s seniors are looking to make history by being the most successful class ever for Pi-
lots basketball. “If we have a good fourth year we’ll be the first class with no losing seasons,” Waterford said. “The program has come a long way and we want to work hard our last year because we have big goals.” The accomplishments of the past three seasons have re-defined Portland’s basketball reputation which has garnered the attention of both media and recruits. The Pilots will be losing seniors Jared Stohl, Luke Sikma, Kramer Knutson and Jasonn Hannibal this year. To replace them the Pilots have a strong recruiting class this year led by three star prospect Kevin Bailey (whose highlight video is mustsee material), three point specialist David Carr and power-forward Dorian Cason. “We have some key pieces to fill next year and we’re excited about the freshman class from this year and the new incoming class,” Mitrovic said. “Whether it is a freshman or a returner, we’re going to need people to step up and we’ll find out who those people will be.”