5.9.14

theJournal

Volume 14 Issue 19 | Friday, May 9, 2014

reminder:

Registration begins Monday, May 19. See your adviser.

Photos courtesy of WOU Athletic Department

Softball: 2014 GNAC Champions

by Iain Dexter Managing Editor

After winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) regular season title, the Wolves’ softball team won the GNAC Championship Tournament after defeating Central Washington University (CWU) 20-9 in the final game on Saturday, May 3 in Richland, Wash.

“As a senior I couldn’t ask for more,” said senior shortstop Melanie Pfeiffer. “It’s such an amazing opportunity that very few get to experience in their careers. This was the team to do it; we are consistent, hardworking and talented and know what it means to work together.”

The Wolves won their second GNAC Championship, the first coming in 2008, and advanced to the NCAA Div. II West Regionals as the #8seed. The Wolves lost their opening round game 3-1 against #1 California State University Monterey Bay in Seaside, Calif. on Thursday, May 8.

They dropped to the losers-bracket of the tournament and face Sonoma State University on Friday, May 9 in a do-or-die matchup to keep their season alive.

The Wolves won 3-of-4 games in the three-day GNAC Championship Tournament, facing CWU in three straight games. The championship got off to a rocky start for the Wolves, who allowed seven runs to the Wildcats in the bottom of the first inning. It didn’t take Western long to answer though, putting up eight runs in the top of the second, highlighted by junior third baseman Jourdan Williams’ grand-slam home run.

Junior outfielder Amanda Evola later hit a three-run home run in the third, followed by senior catcher Bridjet Box’s solo shot. Box mashed another two-run home run in the fourth inning to put the Wolves up 15-7. The eight-run mercy rule would have ended the game after five innings, but CWU scored two runs in the bottom half of the fifth to keep the game going.

The Wolves’ hot bats could not be doused though, scoring five more runs in the top of the sixth inning on Box’s third home run of the game, along with senior first baseman Ashlie Gardner’s three-run home run. It was enough to seal the championship for the Western, winning 20-9 after six innings.

“It was a lot of fun for our kids and pretty intense for a little while,” said head coach Lonny Sargent. “We just stuck to our plan and the kids pulled away in the second inning.”

Box and Evola each had five runs batted in (RBI) and three hits in the final game. Williams had four RBIs and Gardner added three more. Williams was also the winning pitcher, coming in as a reliever in the second inning. She threw five innings, allowing two runs.

“We have accomplished so much because if our hard work and dedication to the coaches and each other,” said Pfeiffer.

Leading up to the championship game, the Wolves had a chance to finish the tournament undefeated, but lost to CWU 5-6 on a walk-off two-run home run by the Wildcats’ Jill McDaniels. The Wolves had the lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, but could not close out the final inning.

Western had their own rally in the top-half of the seventh, scorsee

SOFTBALL page 11

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2

theJournal

Opinion

Friday, May 9, 2014

editorial

theJournal 503-838-8347

Editor-in-Chief Laura Knudson Managing Editor Iain Dexter Copy Editor Marissa Thompson News Editor Allison Opson Clement Entertainment Editor Amanda McMasters Campus Life Editor Jennifer Halley Staff Writers Rachel Shelley Designers Haunani Tomas Caitlin Martin-Frost Jimmy Wilder Web Manager Jordan Salazar Student Media Adviser Shelby Case

Submissions theJournal encourages readers to share their opinion through letters to the editor and guest columns. Submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name. Contact information will not be published unless requested. Unsigned submissions will not be printed and original copies will not be returned.

Letters to the editor may be up to 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 500 words. theJournal does not guarantee the publication of all letters or columns. theJournal reserves the right to edit for punctuation, grammar, and spelling, but never for content.

Please bring submissions to theJournal at Terry House, or e-mail them to editorinchief1314@gmail.com.

Submissions must be received by Wednesday at 5 p.m. to be considered for print.

All options expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do necessarily reflect those of theJournal or Western.

Q: Who dropped the leadership ball?

A:

Everyone

Did you vote for ASWOU?

Because not a lot of people did. The simple fact of the matter is that most elections on campus can’t seem to raise enough interest in campaign involvement and voting in general.

Only 10 percent of the student body need to vote in the ASWOU election for those results to be valid. That means one in 10 people. At most, that is perhaps three people from your English class. That small fraction is barely being sufficiently covered.

There are over 5,000 students on campus. About 533 votes were needed, and 550 came in. That’s a very slim margin. If 20 people fewer had voted (less than the population of an average floor in the dorms), the organization that runs a substantial chunk of the school would have to hang out with the polls open until two dozen people cared enough to vote.

However, lack of voting is not the only problem. There are not that many people to vote for in the first place. A majority of the positions for ASWOU had no one running for them this election. Six people ran for four positions out of the two dozen available. The candidates for president of the student body and judicial administrator ran completely unopposed.

Counting up the open seats for senate, the judicial board and the Incidental Fee Committee (IFC) members, less than a quarter of ASWOU positions are currently filled for the coming year. The heads of the branches (president, judicial chair and senate president, the latter still unknown) will have to fill all of these positions by themselves.

So perhaps no one votes because there’s no one to vote for.

Enough berating. Why does this matter? Who cares if these positions go unfilled?

Let’s take a look at the title for ASWOU: Associated Students of Western Oregon University. The “associated students” part stands out. That’s us. At least, it should be us. Furthermore, they work for us. They turn pages and poke things with sticks. They consider as many sides of an argument as they can hear and evaluate the outcomes. And all in the interests of the students.

This campus needs students involved in running and especially in voting. Involvement on campus is the only way to make anything happen at Western. A large part of that is putting people in office, people who will take the direction of the students who support them.

The positive impact of voting for ASWOU candidates can have ripple effects that will make our community better and stronger in the years to come.

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News

Friday, May 9, 2014

3

attention theJournal wants you!

Because of recent staff turnover, theJournal is seeking more freelancers. There are opportunities to write for every section. If interested, contact: Allison Opson Clement | News Editor newseditor1314@gmail.com Amanda McMasters | Entertainment Editor entertainmenteditor1314@gmail.com Iain Dexter | Managing Editor sportseditor1314@gmail.com Jennifer Halley | Campus Life Editor campuslife1314@gmail.com

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If interested in writing opinion or editorial content please contact: Laura Knudson | Editor-in-Chief editorinchief1314@gmail.com

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theJournal

News

Friday, May 9, 2014

Coming this fall:

Geographic information science program and assistant professor

by Allison Opson Clement News Editor

Western now offers a program in geographic information science (GIS), the study of geographic information systems. Students can enroll for the 2014 fall term for either a minor or a certificate accreditation.

As part of the introduction of the program, Dr. Melinda Shimizu has been hired as an assistant professor of GIS at Western.

Dr. Stephen Taylor said he and the other program advisor, Dr. Mark M. Van Steeter, are working to get classes in place, as registration takes place in two weeks.

“It takes awhile to get things off the ground,” said Taylor of the efforts to launch the program. “We’ll see where it goes.”

Although the program is being marketed primarily to students in fields such as natural science, Taylor considers it widely applicable to a variety of disciplines.

“It’s marketable – it’s one of the fastest-growing fields out there,” said Taylor. “It’s a very good tool for employment.”

“A student who earns this minor or certificate could certainly go on to be successful as a GIS scientist as I did, but they could just as easily go into industry, government, or business,” said Shimizu. She said the program provides students with a solid foundation in GIS, but one that can be taken and applied to a wide variety of areas.

The certificate program was approved by the Oregon University System (OUS), and the minor was approved by Western’s faculty senate.

“The Department of Geography has worked closely with the Department of Earth Science over the last several years regarding GIS courses,” said Van Steeter. “We worked together to point out to the administration how important this program is for the future of WOU and our students.”

The new minor will be housed in the Department of Earth and Physical Sciences division of Western, in the Natural Science building on campus.

“We expect students from a variety of disciplines to take part in the GIS minor, but initially it will likely be primarily students from geography and earth science until the reputation builds,” said Van Steeter. “This is a very marketable skill for both geography and earth science students. GIS is an important part of almost any discipline these days.”

Geographic information science (GIS: GIScience) is the study of geographic information systems (GIS: GISystems), the technology of location and information. This includes the use of co-spatial technology (such as that used in GPS, Google Earth, etc.) and positional systems to identify a specific location, and connects all of that with information.

“That’s essentially what your phone’s doing when you’re driving around,” Taylor said of the geospatial information systems that provide near-real-time data about the user’s surroundings.

Outside the classroom, remote sensing such as aerial photography and satellite imagery is used by geologists and earth scientists, for areas like earth management and hazard management.

“The GIS minor will give students a solid grounding in

GIS science, tools and theory,” said Van Steeter.

“It’s an interdisciplinary tool,” said Taylor of GISystems, appropriate for students of geography, computer science, criminal justice and many other fields in a “wide variety of applications.”

According to Shimizu, GIS students can expect a handson approach with instruction in the computer lab where

“

I personally can attest that having a GIS certificate on my resume helped me get an interview and the job at a consulting firm in Phoenix. It is definitely an in-demand skill set, especially for jobs in research, resource management, government, criminal justice, consulting and business.

DR. MELINDA SHIMIZU

”

Soon-to-be Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Science at Western

they will learn to use software like ArcGIS, Adobe Creative Suite and IDRISI. “The new GIS minor/certificate program is, in my opinion, a very exciting new opportunity for WOU students: having experience with spatial technologies and understanding the science behind them is absolutely a key skill for many jobs today,” said Shimizu. “I personally can attest that having a GIS certificate on my resume helped me get an interview

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and the job at a consulting firm in Phoenix. It is definitely an in-demand skill set, especially for jobs in research, resource management, government, criminal justice, consulting and business.”

Since 1999, only one class on the subject has been offered at Western, according to Taylor. This one course has now been expanded to a four-course sequence.

Part of the expansion includes the possibility for more example applications, said Taylor. Although they won’t be utilizing actual satellites, they will manipulate images, as well as working on programming and other computer tools, which will include hydrologic modeling and three-dimensional earth modeling.

Western uses Esri ArcGIS, “a platform for designing and mapping solutions through the application of geographic knowledge” as defined by Esri’s website. The mapping program has been available to Western since 2000 as part of a lease agreement with OUS, as other schools employ it for their own, more extensive geographic information science programs.

Other web-based applications may be used in the future, said Taylor, depending on how the minor develops.

The certificate program is essentially the same thing as the minor. The only real difference, according to Taylor, is that although it is not necessary to already have a bachelor’s degree, typically those who work towards certificate options for skills training tend to be post-baccalaureate.

“This would be a good starting point for students who want to go on to more advanced studies,” said Taylor. “It’s a good gateway.”

Shimizu said that her background in both geology and GIS will bring a blended perspective that is especially useful in developing a cross-disciplinary program like the GIS minor/certificate.

“I truly enjoy sharing this technology with students and helping them learn about the wide range of possibilities available with GIS and remote sensing,” said Shimizu.

Shimizu hopes to develop the program and bring in courses Western does not currently offer, as well as involve students in geospatial research.

Shimizu will start in September 2014 as the new assistant professor of geographic information science. She is currently finishing her PhD from Arizona State University (ASU), and earned her GIS Certificate from the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning at ASU. Taylor said that his role in the program will change to one of mentoring her and helping her get the GIS minor up and running.

“Coming from Phoenix, I am certainly excited to leave the brown desert and scorching summer for the pleasant Willamette Valley and trees,” said Shimizu. “I am also looking forward to starting the next step in my career and becoming a part of the WOU community.”

“We basically just need to get the word out and students will quickly be drawn to the GIS minor,” said Van Steeter.

theJournal

News

Friday, May 9, 2014

Anticipated guests to attend this year’s ‘Night of Freedom’

Kevin Boss, NFL Giants’ tight end comes to Western to for a Q-and-A, along with Jennifer Unangst, co-founder of the House of Engedi

by Laura Knudson Editor-in-Chief Aimed at opening discussion of faith among Western students, Wednesday Night Bible Study at Praise Assembly in Monmouth will be hosting “Night of Freedom” May 16, 7 to 9 p.m. in New PE. The event will host NFL tight end Kevin Boss as well as speaker Jennifer Unangst and the band Zeb and the Mzungus who will perform songs from their album “In the Beginning.”

Wednesday Night Bible Study, attended mostly by Western students, is putting on the event for the second year in a row.

“The whole idea is that we would blow all of the preconceived ideas about Jesus out of the water,” said Scott Schindelar, Bible study pastor. He added it would be great to create an environment where conversation can happen on neutral ground.

“When I was in my atheistic college days I would have told you that Christians were idiots,” Schindelar said.

He added that if you asked him back then, he might have used some choice words saying Christians had to follow a bunch of stupid rules. Schindelar wants to share that and use it to get people talking.

Kevin Boss, former tight end for the New York Giants, will be giving his testimony, followed by a Q-and-A. Boss is also a former Western tight end.

“I know a lot of people will not go to church, but they will come listen to Kevin Boss and feel free to ask any questions they want,” Schindelar said.

Schindelar wants to stress that questions during the event do not have to be spiritually based.

“They can be about how he handled the pressure of, in his rookie year winning a superbowl, coming from a small division 2 school.”

Jennifer Unangst, co-founder of House of Engedi, a halfway house for women who have been sexually assaulted or exploited, will also share her story at the event.

“Jennifer has a pretty insane story,” Schindelar said. It includes her recovery and transformation after being molested, going through depression, having an abusive boyfriend who tried to kill her and selling her body to feed her drug addiction.

“In the six years I have been here I am shocked, and I mean shocked, at the amount of the people that have part of Jennifer’s story,” said Schindelar. “I have gotten emails, texts, one-on-one conversations with students that have gut-wrenching stories and it has been shocking to me.”

He said some of the most well-put-together student athletes that one would think have everything together have sat down with him and told him how they almost took their lives.

“People are so well-put-together on the outside that my jaw hits the floor when they tell me their issues,” Schindelar said.

The statistics that 1 in 4 women have been sexually assaulted by the time they get to college is not a statistic to him anymore. “It is a reality for me now. I have faces to that statistic,” he said.

Last year’s event had a turnout of around 150-200 students, which is less than they had hoped for, according to Schindelar. The goal is to just get people talking he said.

“You never know what the response is going to be,” said Schindelar. “Let’s just see what happens and we will respond accordingly.”

5

ITC 003 floods, no damage reported

by Allison Opson Clement News Editor The Physical Plant responded to a report of flooding in the Instructional Technology Center (ITC) at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 8.

A urinal valve was stuck on in the bathroom of the ITC 003computer lab, behind the main building, leaving water to continue flowing until it drenched of the floor.

According to Tomy Kment, assistant director of the Physical Plant and facilities maintenance supervisor for Western, a professor called in the incident that morning.

Timothy Wallen said he and Alex Britton, both of the Physical Plant, just extracted all the water and shampooed the carpets for good measure. They left large fans on to dry the carpet more quickly, in part to prevent mold from growing.

At least one class was canceled on Thursday due to the flooding, but the room was anticipated to open again by this morning. According to Wallen, with no technology harmed, there shouldn’t be any permanent damage.

“It’d be worse if something like that happened on the weekend and no one was there to catch it,” said Wallen.

Wallen and Britton were called in before 8 a.m., and had cleaned up by 9:30.

“We get water once in awhile that gets places it’s not supposed to,” Wallen said, adding that the problem is not one to worry about too much.

Kment said that there has been a problem in the same room before, but not as bad as another incident in Werner University Center, last term.

He said commercial Sloan valves can have this problem, caused by only a speck of rust or debris in the piping.

“It’s not usually a problem unless the amount of water overcomes what the small drains will handle,” said Kment, which was the case in this particular unit. “We try to be proactive in changing out the guts in the valves,” usually at about five-year intervals.

According to Kment there are between 2,500 and 3,000 Sloan fixtures on campus, each taking up to an hour to change the parts for, and there are a limited number of plumbers employed by Western.

“This can almost be a full-time position just taking care of these for someone,” said Kment.

“Our crew works like crazy to keep things like this from happening but sometimes they are just out of our control.”

On this and all other occasions, said Kment, the Physical Plant tries to respons with a crew equal to the task at hand.

“It wasn’t our normal responsibility, but we’re all here to do what we need to do,” said Wallen. According to Wallen, who is listed as a painter, most people at the Physical Plant should have an additional position label of “and miscellaneous,” for the additional random work they do beyond their job title.

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theJournal

Campus Life Friday, May 9, 2014

One big family.

Literally.

Jonatan Santillan Year: Sophomore Event: 5,000-meter and 10K Q: What does your twin do? Do you wish he was on the same team as you?

J: David goes to University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. He also runs cross country and track for UPS. Yes, I wish me and David were on the same team like back in high school. We share a lot of great memories from back then and that would have been fun to continue in college.

by Jennifer Halley Campus Life Editor

H

aving a set of twins on a sports team can be a big deal. But having two sets of twins? That’s a bit unusual. However, Western’s track and field team is used to the bizarre by now. This year’s team has two sets of twins, a pair of brothers and four current participants who have twins outside of the team. Not to mention a seta of twins who recently left the team, and another set of twins who graduated in 2012 and have a younger brother who is also on the team. Hard to keep count of them all? Let us break it down for you.

Kody Rhodes

Year: Senior Events: 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay

Q: Do you think having family relations on the team is interesting or no?

J: Yeah, it’s interesting to see how other family members/twins interact with each other and compare that to the way David and interact.

Q: What does your twin do?

K: My sister, Kali, goes to Oregon State, she is majoring in human development and family science. Kali and I both did track in high school and we both did the same exact events [110/100-meter hurdles, 300-meter intermediate hurdles, 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay].

He had twin sisters that ran middle distance on the track team and graduated in 2012.

Q: What do you think about there being so many twin siblings on the team?

K: I had no clue there was so many, I was only aware of four sets and two sets that were actually on the team.

But as a twin, it’s not really a big deal.

It’s exactly like having another sibling so it’s not that weird when I see twins or know that someone has a twin.

Q: Do you find that twins/siblings compete against each other?

K: I think there is always a natural competitiveness to try and beat your sibling. But overall, I think there is a very supportive environment between the twins on the team. They both want the other to do well and succeed.

Bertin & Javier Cortes Year: Junior Event: 10K

Q: What is a funny story that happened to you and your twin during practice?

B: A funny thing that happened was my freshman year, one of the seniors on the team thought it would be funny to suggest a crazy hard work out.

Coach told us to go on a run and pretend to actually do the work out. We went on a run and actually walked the whole way. When we got back we pretended like we were exhausted form the workout which we hadn’t actually done. Our teammates actually thought that we did the workout.

Q: Are you two close?

B: Yes, me and Javier are very close.

He is my best friend. He is my training/ running partner. He helps to push me during hard workouts/races, the only person I can count on for everything.

Curtis Everetts Year: Senior Event: 800-meter On being compared to his sisters: “There was some added pressure and there is a lot of comparison to my sisters. Coach Johnson had told me that the only reason I’m on the team is because of [them].”

His thoughts about there being so many twin siblings on the track team: “It gets kind of weird; it was really confusing at the beginning of the year. [But] it adds to the famiy vibe.”

On his sisters: “Megan works for the state and Janelle is an assistant track coach at Corban University in Salem and is getting her master’s in teaching.”

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theJournal

Campus Life

Friday, May 9, 2014

7

The Hardie Boys:

Garrett & Matson

Kolby Childers

(left) Year: Sophomore Events: High, long, and triple jump

Year: Freshman Events: 400-meter, 800-meter and 4x400 relay.

Her thoughts about there being so many twin siblings on the track team: “When I first came to college and told the cross country team that I was a twin, everyone seemed so excited and started naming twins that were on the team and it amazed me how many twins there were on the team.”

(right) Year: Senior Events: 110-meter hurdles

Kolby

On her twin sister: “My twin sister is Klaire. She is in the Navy and stationed in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor. We are completely opposite people. She didn’t run track in high school. Whenever I see the twins on the team, it makes me sad that me and my sister aren’t together doing the same thing.

Q: What do you guys think about there being so many twins/siblings on the team?

M: It helps with recruiting; [the coaches] knew about Garrett through me.

Everybody gets along really well and having family on the team makes it easy.

G: It helped me get into [track].

Q: Are you guys close?

M: Yeah, we’re pretty close. I would define us as close.

Q: What is it like having each other on the team?

M & G: It’s fun.

Q: Do you guys compete against each other?

M: We will both high-jump against each other.

G: I like us pushing each other.

Zach

Scott & Drew Larson (left) Year: Senior Events:1,500-meter and 3K

Zach Trask

(right) Year: Senior Events: 1,500-meter and 800-meter

Q: Do people ever get you mixed up?

D: Average at least once a day.

S: People always get us mixed up. But after meeting us and getting to know us, they tend to figure our personalities out.

Year: Sophomore Event: 400-meter hurdles

Q: What do you think about there being so many twin siblings on the team?

Z: I love it! Never in my life have I ever seen so many twins and siblings.

Q: Do you think it helps the team out in any way?

Z: Yes, I think that it does. I think that when a team is really close with each other, it builds better chemistry and you compete better and for me, my twin is who I’m closest with.

Q: Who is your twin and what does he do?

Z: My twin lives in Corvallis and attends Linn-Benton Community College and studies in the agricultural sciences. It makes me so sad that I don’t have Matt to do handoffs with or work out with every day like we did in high school.

Q: What do you want to do when you graduate?

Z: Edcucation. I plan to be a high school German teacher.

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Q: Do you guys think having twins on the team helps it out in anyway?

D: I think it’s a good thing that we have that; creates more of a family atmosphere.

S: It allows people to make an easier connection to everyone else and it’s always nice being able to pick on someone else.

Q: Are you guys in competition with one another?

D: Yes it brings a competitive nature; you get that family feel where you’re cheering on your brother but at the same time you don’t want to lose to him.

S: We are always in competition with each other. Though, we are always rooting for one another to excel to their best potential.

theJournal

Entertainment Friday, May 9, 2014

PI aff CK ’s

Book of the Week

St

8

‘Under the Skin’ gets under my skin

By Dominic Paul Freelancer

“Game of Thrones�

by George R.R. Martin

by Iain Dexter Managing Editor Book one of the epic fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire,� written by George R. R. Martin, is set in the expansive lands of Westeros and Essos. The novel presents a rich backstory that creates its own, vast world spanning millenniums, enthralling readers across the world and inspiring the TV show “Game of Thrones.�

The book follows predominantly the Starks, a noble, highborn family living in the cold North of Westeros. Ned, the father of the family, has been given the “honor� of being named Hand of the King to his dear friend King Robert Baratheon. Accepting the offer would mean leaving his homeland of Winterfell and entering into the corrupt, southern capital of King’s Landing, but refusing could mean hurting his relationship with the king. Meanwhile, the children of the former king make their own plans for overthrowing the throne, and a rising danger in the far North continues to be ignored. Winter is coming.

Photo by Eatrunread.com

Photo by Behance.net

Have you ever watched something that just leaves you wondering, “What the heck? Did, did that just happen? Is this for real right now?� Well that’s how I felt walking out of the theater after watching “Under the Skin,� a film directed and co-written by Jonathan Glazer, and starring Scarlett Johansson.

The film is a British-American science fiction work based off the 2000 novel of the same title. Johansson plays an alien who takes over the body of an attractive Scottish woman. Using the promise of sex, she lures unsuspecting men into her van and then proceeds to harvest their flesh, all the while being monitored by another alien who took the body of a male motorcyclist. Taking pity on one of her victims, she lets him escape. However he is tracked down and killed by the motorcyclist, who then proceeds to chase Johansson all across Scotland.

This is one very strange, yet tantalizing film. It doesn’t follow the normal narrative standards that most movies do, and the standard moviegoer is either going to be extremely bored halfway through, or left completely lost at the end. I luckily knew enough about the movie going in that I wasn’t left completely bewildered by the ending.

I’m in a bit of a stalemate here. I really liked this movie. “Under the Skin� relies on the art of filmmaking, rather than expositional dialogue, to tell a story and create a vivid sense of atmosphere. Glazer has done a wonderful job of directing, and he and cowriter Walter Campbell have written a truly haunting piece. Some of the visuals presented were really disturbing, not because of gore, but because of the way

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these scenes are written and filmed; it’s absolutely stunning and I applaud it for its techniques.

Johansson should also be applauded for a great performance, presenting a character who starts out completely un-relatable but tries her hardest to become so by the film’s second half. Her character and performance were captivating and fit the mood of the film perfectly.

However, one thing I’m worried about is the common moviegoer. Now, anyone who actually decides to go see a movie that isn’t being constantly publicized will be left completely lost. That is, unless they are willing to do far more cognitively than what is normally required when watching a simpler movie, like “Spider-Man.�

If you go into this movie without knowing anything except that Scarlett Johansson is in it, pay attention to what’s being presented to you. What are you seeing? What are you hearing? Pay attention to these pieces of information and let your brain piece them together and come to a conclusion. By the end of the movie, you will have a better understanding of what it is you just saw, and you are less likely to get bored halfway through the film. It sounds hard, but trust me, it’s easier than it sounds.

If by the end of the movie you are still left absolutely confused, then here is what I suggest: go home and do some research. I know most people hate to have to do more than just watch the movie, but sometime that’s just what the director wants you to do, is look something up. Be interested enough in what you just watched to learn more about it.

If you still would like to know more about the movie before going in, then by all means, go ahead.

Look up the movie on Wikipedia, but only look at the blurb at the top of the page that tells you who directed it, wrote it, stars in it, and a little info on what it’s about. That is all you need to know. This is a very good film, but to really enjoy what you’ve seen, you have to be able to analyze the art instead of stare at it.

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9 theJournal Open Mic Night: Open to Talent Entertainment

Friday, May 9, 2014

by Erik McFarland Freelancer Tuesday May 6th at 6:00 p.m. in the Summit Room of Werner University Center, Western Oregon University’s second “Open Mic Night” premiered.

For an hour and half, the room was filled with sunset light, singing, and poetry. Open to all students, the event offered a glimpse of the passions that drives much of Western’s student body.

The first performer played her guitar and sang original pieces that spoke of life, loss, and a forbidden yet electrifyingly tempting love.

Next in line was senior and Communications major, Barbara Ketchum, along with her roommate Hailee Parker, a junior here at Western.

With Ketchum on the ukulele, the duo sang a melodic duet, covering Plain White T’s endearing song “1, 2, 3, 4”.

Following their act was another pair, senior and Political Science major, Heather Worthing, and freshman and Business major, Shelby Worthing. As Worthing played the ukulele, they sang a harmonious cover of Ingrid Michaelson’s “The Way I Am”.

Jen Brummet, a junior Spanish major, shared poem about a small bee’s discovery of true love.

The bee, who the audience later found out was Brummet herself, finally found a truly caring love in the support and sympathy of her friends.

Western Junior, Sean Fujinaga, sang two country songs, “Amarillo by Morning” by George Strait and “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker, with a bit of a Hawaiian flair.

Jo Bruno, a senior and Anthropology major, shocked the audience with a candidly uncensored and unapologetic Spoken Word poem about selfdiscovery in a rough and not so innocent life, titled, “#ACupOfJoBruno”.

Brandon Sherrard, a senior and Education major, finished off the performances with three, very personal poems about drunk driving, relationships, and gender roles.

Another, possibly lesser known, show of talent was of the two women who organized and pulled off the whole event: Cheyenne StandingElk, Historian of Student Activities, and Kara Kelsey, a generous volunteer. They ended the night with an announcement about available positions in the ASWOU student body. StandingElk and Kelsey both encourage students to apply.

Dance Tonight

Top: Heather and Shelby Worthing singing “The Way I Am.” Bottom left: Barb Ketchum and her roommate Hailee Parker perform at Open Mic Night. Bottom right: Sean Fujinaga plays his guitar as he sings “Amarillo by Morning” by George Strait.

Only appearing for the second time on Western’s campus, Open Mic Night was a marked success.

“There’s such a variety of students, it’s really cool,” said Nathan Stark, a freshman who attended the performances.

“I thought everyone did really well,” Kelsey said. “We hope to have one on the first Tuesday

of every month.”

Open Mic Night is open to any and all Western students who want to sing a song, recite a bit of original poetry, or just want to make people laugh with some stand-up comedy. Serving tea, coffee and food from the Wolf Grill, it is the perfect place to explore and share a bit of passion and inspiration.

The Pantry Dropper

DanceTonight

10 P.M. till 2 A.M. Werner Center Pacific Room $1.00 Admission Fee or 1 Can of Non-Perishable Food www.wou.edu/student/westernjournal www.wou.edu/student/westernjournal

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Sports

Friday, May 9, 2014

Men’s lacrosse headed for Nationals

by Iain Dexter Managing Editor

Western’s men’s lacrosse club advanced to the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) National Championships after finishing the regular season with an undefeated record of 14-0.

“I have no doubt in my mind that we can and will hang with the best next week,” said junior defenseman Griffin Caster. “We’re here to shock the world and show everyone how true lacrosse players play the game.”

The Wolves took part in the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) Playoffs, but after winning their first game, the Wolves took their first loss of the season against Western Washington University (WWU).

“One thing we can learn from losing is that anyone can be beat on any given day,” said senior defenseman Cooper Smith.

Western lost 12-10 to WWU in the PNCLL finals, but still qualified for the national championships as the #8-seed.

“This year at the national tournament, we are looking to run the tables,” said Smith. “We have the best seed we have ever had and the confidence to [win].

They won game one of the playoffs 24-5 over Gonzaga University on Saturday, May 3. Senior midfielder Taylor Dougan led the team with seven goals and one assist. Senior attacker Jacob Bohince had five goals and one assist, while junior attacker Brandon Determan added four goals and two assists.

The Wolves have four of the top six scorers in the entire MCLA Div. II with Dougan ranked first with 66 goals and 89 total points. Senior attacker Clay Malensek is ranked third in points with 87, Bohince fifth in points with 82 and second in goals with 65 and Determan sixth in points with 81.

“We have so many people who are versatile and can work well with anyone on the team,” said Smith. “It has really helped put us in the position we are in.”

They will take on #9-seeded Savannah College of Art and Design in Irvine, Calif. in the first round of the MCLA Div. II National Championships on Monday, May 12. The Wolves will need to win four games to be named national champions.

Sophomore Josh Hanna (top) in the men’s 800-meter, junior Rebecca Laible (left) in the women’s triple jump and sophomore Jeff Howard in the men’s 100-meter at the OSU High Performance. Photos by Rachel Gosney

Track and field set for conference championship

by Iain Dexter Managing Editor Western’s track and field teams completed their regular season with two meets in the Oregon State University (OSU) High Performance in Corvallis, and the Pacific Twilight in Forest Grove. Both meets began Friday, May 2.

“Last weekend was a positive and productive venture,” said head coach Mike Johnson. “We continue to focus on building on our strengths and are even identifying some new opportunities.”

Senior Madison McClung had a recordsetting run in the women’s 100-meter at the OSU High Performance. McClung was tied for the school record of 12.04 seconds, but broke her own mark with a finish of 12.01.

She finished third in the race and is currently second in the event in the entire Great North-

west Athletic Conference (GNAC).

Junior Tyrell Williams continued to put up strong race times, nearly breaking both the school and GNAC records in the men’s 200-meter. Williams won his race with a time of 21.15 and will be competing in the GNAC Outdoor Championships.

Sophomore Josh Hanna improved his NCAA Div. II provisionally-qualifying mark in the men’s 800-meter, finishing in a time of 1:50.45. The time is the second fastest in GNAC history in the event and the fastest this season.

“It was a great opportunity,” said Hanna.

“I think I’ve got a lot more I can do if I get the opportunity to really open up.”

The women’s triple jump featured another conference best with junior Rebecca Laible’s 38-4.25 (11.69 meters) jump. She is automatically qualified for the GNAC Outdoor Championships and was just short of a

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provisional mark in the NCAA. Sophomore Jeff Howard won the men’s 100-meter in a time of 10.86, just one-hundredth of a second off his top mark on the season. Howard has an automatic qualifier for the GNAC in the 100-meter.

Sophomore Rochelle Pappel improved her best time in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. She finished in a time of 14.54, fourth best in the conference this season and an automatic qualifier for the championships.

Western will next host the GNAC Outdoor Championships at McArthur Field beginning Friday, May 9.

“The team always seems to be ready to do their best,” said Johnson. “The nine track and field teams in the GNAC present a wonderful challenge. In the past three years there has been tremendous growth in the scholarship awards of the other institutions.”

theJournal Wolves struggle in final tune-up before playoffs

Sports

Friday, May 9, 2014

SOFTBALL from Front Page

by Rachel Shelley Freelancer Wolves’ baseball lost two games 4-9 and 4-11 to Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) in their final regular season games Friday, May 2 and Sunday, May 4.

The Wolves finished their regular season with a record of 29-19 overall and a record of 22-10 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). They took home the conference regular season title for the 13th straight season the previous week, with the GNAC Championships scheduled to begin Thursday, May 8, but a rainout pushed the start back to Friday.

“The team that executes the best is going to win [the tournament],” said head coach Kellen Walker. “It’s not a secret recipe. The team that plays the cleanest and best baseball is going to come out on top.”

Western honored 12 seniors that played in their final regular season game at home on Sunday. The long list of seniors comprised shortstop Josh Solemsaas, catcher Will Chavarria, second baseman Parker Miles, utility man Will Minice, outfielders Chris Bradshaw and Daniel McNabb and pitchers Taylor Hetrick, Matt Minnich, Kody Stone, Vince Ampi, Chase Tokunaga and Spenser Watkins were honored after the game by their teammates, coaches and fans.

The first inning of game one was scoreless until junior second baseman Jake Whisler hit a run-scoring single that brought home McNabb and Bradshaw and then scored Whisler and junior infielder Garret Harpole with a double to left field. LCSC evened the score with three runs in the top of the third. McNabb hit a triple that brought in Miles in the top of the fourth but the Wolves would not score again.

The teams combined for 26 hits on Friday with McNabb and Miles with two hits apiece.

Watkins allowed seven hits and four earned runs through four innings. Watkins struck out three batters and walked one.

“We need to be able to throw strikes and play defense,” said Whisler. “You can’t expect to win when you walk guys and make errors. That’s why we didn’t do well against LCSC and we will need to change that in order to be successful this weekend in the tournament.”

The Warriors of LCSC are second in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, 13-2 against GNAC opponents this season and are now 4-1 against the Wolves this year after the 11-4 victory on Sunday.

The Wolves trailed 4-0 early in game two, but got a two-run double from Harpole. Solemsaas brought in Harpole with a groundout later in the inning to cut the lead to 4-3. LCSC added six runs total during the fifth, sixth and seventh innings and cruised the rest of the way to vic-

Junior third baseman Garrett Harpole bats. The Wolves are the #1-seed in the GNAC Championships hosted by Western.

Photo by Iain Dexter

tory. Junior catcher Michael Sherwin hit a double down the left-field line, scoring McNabb for the Wolves’ final run. Junior pitcher Eric Huson allowed four earned runs on five hits in two innings. The Wolves had two errors in the game and used nine total pitchers.

The Wolves begin their postseason at the second annual GNAC Championship, hosted once again by Western. The two-day tournament brings in #2-seeded Central Washington University and #3-seeded Saint Martin’s University for the round-robin, double-elimination tournament.

“We expect them to come out swinging,” said McNabb. “We’re just going to attack both teams with intensity. We know they both can play and we’re going to do our best to keep them contained.”

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“

The team that executes the best is going to win [the tournament. It’s not a secret recipe. The team that plays the cleanest and best baseball is going to come out on top.”

KELLEN WALKER

”

Baseball Head Coach

ing three runs to take the lead. Senior Danielle Harcourt had the go-ahead RBI single to give the Wolves their short-lived lead. Freshman of the Year second baseman Kelsie Gardner finished 2-for-4 in the game with a two-run home run and a double. Junior pitcher Kelli Demianew pitched a complete game, but lost after giving up six runs in as many innings.

The Wolves defeated the Wildcats 8-4 in the teams’ first matchup of the tournament Friday, May 2. The win moved Western into the championship where they awaited the winner of the losers’ bracket game. The Wolves trailed 4-2 after two innings, but scored six runs in the fifth inning to take a commanding 8-4 lead.

Ashlie Gardner had her first home run of the tournament while her younger sister Kelsie Gardner finished 4-for-4 at the dish. The sibling combo accounted for five of the team’s RBIs in the game. Demianew relieved Williams in the second inning and picked up the win after shutting out the Wildcats for five and one-third innings. She only allowed two base runners in the game.

Western may have never had a chance at the conference title if not for a comefrom-behind victory in their opening game of the tournament against Saint Martin’s University (SMU).

The Wolves trailed SMU 0-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, but tied the game with two outs and two strikes on senior shortstop Melanie Pfeiffer’s RBI double. Demianew, who started the game for Western, pitched a shutout inning in the top half of the eighth, setting up the stage for Williams. After Evola’s single and Box’s sacrifice bunt, Williams launched a walkoff two-run home run to send the Wolves to the 3-1 victory.

“We have had the motto to ‘finish’ every at bat, every play, every inning and every game,” said Pfeiffer. “This has been so powerful in our way of playing. Each and every one of us have the same goals and it has shown through our constant ways of playing for each other.”

Western never faced #2-seeded Western Washington University, who were defeated by CWU and SMU in back-to-back games to knock them out.

After losing game one of the West Regionals, Western faces Sonoma State University in the losers-bracket to keep their season going Friday, May 9.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” said Sargent. “Our kids are just really excited to be a part of this. The seniors are going to relish it and hopefully the new players can learn from it.”

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theJournal

12 The Tail-End Friday, May 9, 2014

David Plett:

by Jennifer Halley

The Guy in the Civil War Outfit Campus Life Editor

Everyone knows him as “the guy in the Civil War outfit.” He walks around Western’s campus in just that – a blue Civil War uniform, complete with a knapsack typical of that era. This is David Plett, an actual person with a name and a story.

David is definitely one of a kind. “I want to be the oddball, do something different,” he said. He was born in Denver and, after moving around, he finally settled in Monmouth during the spring of 2012, declaring himself as a history major with a minor in public policies and administration or, in his words “a fancy form of political science.”

His love of history started when he was young. Growing up with brothers who loved the Civil War, and surrounded by relatives who served in the Navy – four generations, to be exact – David’s passion for history was only naturally nurtured by his surrounding environment.

“I have been a civil war reenactor for 10 years now,” David said. “I’ve been dressing up in weird clothes officially for 10 years. My brothers were involved and once I hit the golden age of 14, I could partake as well.” He added, “Growing up with two older brothers, we were always into military stuff.”

Thus his passion grew, as he not only participated in Civil War reenactments, but also traveled to local elementary schools to educate younger generations about the Civil War and history in general.

“I want to promote the local reenacting community [and] try to get people involved or for them to come and watch,” David said when asked why he wears the Civil War costume on campus. “But ultimately, it’s a passion of mine.

It’s a lifestyle of mine that has been fostered by my parents and through my own activity for a long time. If it works don’t’ fix it, you know.”

On a more serious note, David stated, “An important thing for any college student [to know] is that passion is what drives you. You need to have passion to develop your goals.”

David is a man of many talents. When he is not keeping history alive, he can be found in the Werner University Center playing the piano, with most of what he plays being learned by ear or recalled from memory. This talent was also fueled by his family, particularly his sister, who taught him to play. David has raw talent when it comes to music though.

“I know the basics so I can make up the rest,” he said. “A lot of what I play is traditional music; Irish, Americana music especially, it’s a variety. I have hymns, dance tunes; pretty much whatever strikes my fancy I’ll learn to play by ear.”

Hymns are especially important to him, as he is an active member at Faith Lutheran Church in Independence.

Outside of reenactments, church and school, David is happily involved with his girlfriend, Amy, who also participates in Civil War reenactments. That is how they met, in fact, and, while having known each other for seven years, they have been together now for about a year.

When asked what he wants to do after he graduates, David said that, “Lord willing,” he wants to carry on the family tradition of joining the Navy and then, after that, “I want to end up working for the National Park Service,” he said.

This summer, David is acting in numerous Civil War reenactments throughout Oregon. Two of those are relatively local, one in Willamette Mission State Park during the July fourth weekend and one in Fort Stephens over Labor Day weekend.

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