VOLUME 15 ISSUE 13 | WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY| FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015
Science, storytelling and sock-puppets
“No Belles” and the adventure of Portal Theatre By NATHANIEL DUNAWAY Entertainment Editor
PHOTO BY NATHANIEL DUNAWAY | ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
“Portal. noun: a door, gate or entrance. A way in. Any entrance or access to a place.” This is the definition provided by Portal Theatre’s website, and it helps to paint an accurate portrait of the mission statement this small, Portland-based theatre company strives to uphold. Portal Theatre wants to take you somewhere. Created by Western associate professor of theatre Michael Phillips, Portal Theatre is a devised theatre company, meaning that their scripts are not the work of a playwright, but instead are created through the collaboration and experimentation of its members. Last summer, the company took their very first show “No Belles” to Scotland to perform at the world-renowned Edinburgh
Western alumna Kimberly Wilson (center) performs a beat poem about scientist Marie Curie while theater professor Michael Phillips (right) provides background music.
IFC Debates Budget Allocation and Student Fees for 2015-2016 By JACK ARMSTRONG News Editor The Incidental Fee Committee (IFC) is one of the most important student organizations on campus that many probably don’t know much about. Most students who are not heavily involved in extracurricular activities or athletics don’t have much of a reason to come into contact with the IFC, but the committee’s decisions affect each and every student on campus. The group meets during the winter quarter of each academic year to decide on a budget for the incidental fees that
Campus Life
are a part of tuition for everyone who attends Western. As IFC Chair Quinn Forner explained, the fees cover “enhancements for student life that are outside of academics.” In other words, these fees fund the parts of student life that aren’t covered under general tuition such as athletics, campus recreation including Health and Wellness, and student services such as Wolf Ride. This year’s fee of $322 per term was decided upon last year during a series of annual meetings and debates. The council meetings are observed by a small group of faculty advisers including Dr. Gary Dukes, vice president of student affairs and Darin Silbernagel, director of business services. While faculty and staff are present on the council, the only members who can cast a vote and make a decision are current Western students. This means that student leaders such as members of the Associated Students of Western Oregon Continued on Page 3
Cyber-Stalking Workshop Learn the behaviors and how to protect yourself. PAGE 6 Flashback Friday The Origin of Wolfie. PAGE 7
Festival Fringe. “It’s daunting to take your first show to the biggest festival in the world,” said Phillips, “where you’re competing with 3,200 other shows for audience and press. But, we were in a great venue … [and] we managed to get five press reviews. To put that in perspective, many shows go the entire festival without a single review.” All of the reviews for “No Belles” were positive, earning raves from “The Scotsman,” “The Cult Den,” “Broadway Baby,” “Arts Award Voice” and “The Public Review.” One reviewer said, “I know it’s early in the month but this is my show of the Fringe this year and anything else will have to be truly great to beat it.” The focus of “No Belles” is women in science, and how they’ve gone undervalued and virtually unrecognized by the Nobel Prize committee for decades. The statistics are dismal: of the 566 winners of the Nobel Prize for Science, only 15 of them have been women. Some of these women -- as well as some who
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Thefts Increase Sharply on Western’s Campus By JACK ARMSTRONG News Editor The campus community at Western has been experiencing a recent rise in reported thefts. The Public Safety Office issued a campus-wide email earlier in the week detailing some basic measures that students can take to ensure that they are not the victims of theft. Students should always try to keep belongings on their person at all times; items like backpacks, purses, phones, and gym bags are easy targets when left unattended. Both students and faculty with assigned offices are encouraged to close and
lock the door while not in the office; even stepping out for a minute can be enough time for a potential thief to snatch belongings. Drivers are asked to make sure that car doors are locked when parking for the day, and always leave any valuables in the trunk or out of site so they are not catching the eyes of a passerby. One of the biggest issues on campus in recent terms has been the increased theft of bicycles. Public Safety recommends that riders should purchase a U-Lock like a Kryptonite if possible, as these types of locks are much more difficult for thieves to remove. Remember to always lock both the
front wheel and the frame to the structure to avoid a thief simply removing the front wheel and taking the frame. If students must leave belongings somewhere, Public Safety suggests looking into renting a locker. There are many buildings across campus that have lockers available for rent to students. The Health and Wellness Center has both term and day use lockers available for gym goers looking to keep their items safe during workouts. Day use lockers in HWC are secured with personal locks supplied by the student. The most important tool in theft prevention, howevContinued on Page 3
Opinion
Sports
Online Classes
Men’s Basketball
Cyber Attacks
Women’s Basketball
Reasons why hyrbid classes should be preferred. PAGE 10 Being safe in an age of cyber warfare. PAGE 11
WWW. W OU. ED U/ WES T ERNJOU RN AL
Wolves ranked top 25 in country for the first time. PAGE 5 Wolves upset No. 8 Seattle Pacific. PAGE 4