WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2017
Humor abounds in Western’s “All in the Timing” Page 8
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NEWS
MANAGING EDITOR ZOË STRICKLAND
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NEWS EDITOR JADE RAYNER
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CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR PAIGE SCOFIELD
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ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR ASHTON NEWTON journalentertainment@wou.edu
SPORTS EDITOR BURKE DE BOER
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PHOTO EDITOR KEITH MATHEW
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DESIGNERS DARIEN CAMPO ELISSA SORENSON
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ADVERTISING MANAGER BRIAN TESCH journaladvertising@wou.edu
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DISTRIBUTION MANAGER SAMANTHA DUNAWAY STUDENT MEDIA ADVISER RHYS FINCH
By Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor On Jan. 24, the Trump administration ordered the employees of multiple federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, Health and Human Services and Department of Interior to halt external communication with both the public and the media. According to the New York Times, the communication halt is in place “... while the Trump administration struggles to put political appointees into position.” The moratorium on communication from those departments came after the administration began redoing the White House website on Jan. 20, during which they deleted any mention of climate change. As a result of these combined events, the Twitter account of Badlands National Park began posting scientific facts relating to climate change. The National Park Service then came forward and admitted that the information was being posted by a former
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THE WESTERN JOURNAL 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 Contact information will not be published unless requested.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. THE WESTERN JOURNAL does not guarantee the publication of all letters or columns. THE WESTERN JOURNAL reserves the right to edit for punctuation, grammar, and spelling, but never for content. Please bring submissions to THE WESTERN JOURNAL at Terry House or email to journaleditor@ wou.edu. Submissions must be received by Monday at 5 p.m. to be considered for print. All opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do necessarily reflect those of THE WESTERN JOURNAL or Western Oregon University.
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Weekly update: IFC Meeting #3 Athletics, Student Engagement, ASWOU propose budgets By TK Layman | Staff Writer
employee who had hijacked the account and proceeded to delete what they had tweeted. Though the National Park Service attempted to correct what had happened on their Twitter, the tweets sparked an onset of unofficial ‘resistance’ government accounts. Among those accounts are @altUSEPA, @ RoguePOTUSStaff, @RogueNASA, @ altNOAA and @ N o t A l t Wo r l d , which was originally used for the unofficial National Park Service but has since been handed off to non-government workers. Since all of the Twitter accounts being made are working against the orders of the Trump administration, it’s unclear which accounts are being run by people inside of the the organizations. Some, like @NotAltWorld and @RogueNASA, publicly admit to being run by non-government employees. The Rogue POTUS Staff twitter claims to be run by people within the government. Their website identifies them as the “Official White House Resistance Operation,” saying that they “are White House staffers, working at various levels, operating in secrecy to reveal hidden truths of the Trump administration to the American people.” The Twitter accounts join together as
Friday, Feb. 3 the IFC meeting took place in modular 101 outside Rice Auditorium. After the committee saw presentations from all other campus organizations, the remaining - Athletics, Student Engagement and ASWOU, presented their budget proposals for the 2017-2018 school year. Student Engagement included budget proposals for campus structures such
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The new administration’s halt on external communication results in the creation of a social media resistance
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part of a larger movement that draws attention to the communication halt as well as the “... recent proposals from the Trump transition team for drastic cuts in environmental science in federal agencies,” as reported by Scientific American. Most recently, on Feb. 3, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-F.L., introduced a bill into congress that seeks to completely terminate the EPA. The recent setbacks to the scientific community have helped draw attention to the work that has already been done by each agency. People are drawing attention to old research, such as the database that NASA introduced in August of 2016 where they post the peer-reviewed articles of research that NASA has funded. Articles on the database range from studies about how spaceflight may increase certain clinical symptoms in astronauts, to the possibility of inhabitation on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. The rogue twitter accounts, government employee run or not, are starting a conversation that helps spread awareness for government-funded scientific research. The science community is planning the Science March on Washington on April 22 for Earth Day. A satellite march is currently set to take place in Portland. Contact the author at journalmanaging@ wou.edu
as operations and student employment, leadership, inclusion and the Student Activities Board. With their proposed budgets for the year, they look to reup their contract with OrgSync, the web application hosting all on-campus organizations. Athletics holds the highest budget on campus and is looking to add safety
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NEWS
Creating an inclusive community By TK Layman | Staff Writer Inclement weather and blustering winds showed a small but intimate turn out for speaker Kerani Mitchell’s community discussion “Exploring What Makes Us Oregonians.” Ten people total showed up to talk about community inclusion and how they can, as a group, share stories of how they have all felt included or excluded from their particular community, and explore options to help those who may not feel welcome to be a part of their
Photo by TK LAYMAN
surroundings. Kerani Mitchell, a graduate of Seattle University with a degree in international studies, started the group by leading them through a quick reflection and having them consider what brought them to the discussion. By laying out the guidelines of creating a safe inclusive space and keeping an open mind, Mitchell got the audience thinking. Introductions led way with participants stating their name and one thing they love about their community in Oregon. During introductions, one audience member prompted the question, “When can someone call themselves an Oregonian?” As participants pondered on what makes someone an Oregonian, they all came to terms; an Oregonian is one who
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lives in Oregon. Mitchell had the audience break up into two groups to discuss times they felt included in their community, and how they can identify ways to help others feel included in their daily lives. One member, a teacher within the community, spoke about the difference between the “golden rule” and a different concept called the “platinum rule,” giving a description of treating others how they wish to be treated, rather than how one would want. Mitchell ended the conversation with a recording of Maya Angelou’s poem “Human Family.” By the end the group came back together to discuss ways they can help someone who may feel excluded from their community feel more welcome. Several of the ideas discussed included having themselves step outside their comfort zones and immersing themselves in a new culture, or searching for community involvement opportunities and above all treating everyone with human decency. As the conversation died down, the words of Maya Angelou resonated over the crowd: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.” Oregon Humanities Conversation Project continues Thursday, Feb. 16 with the next installment, “The Space Between Us, Immigrant Refugees, and Oregon” by speaker Manuel Padilla. Starting at 7 p.m. in the Anderson Room at the Salem Public Library Contact the author at tlayman16@wou.edu
Graphic by DARIEN CAMPO
Community members gather at Salem Public Library to discuss inclusion of all Oregonians
Kerani Mitchell challenges community to discuss inclusion in Oregon
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
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CAMPUS LIFE
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Photo by PAIGE SCOFIELD
Get to know a major: bachelor of science in community health By Paige Scofield | Campus Life Editor
competitive it was, so she switched her major to community health. “You can do so much with a major in community health,” she said. “There are a lot of careers available to someone educated in that field.” According to Western’s website, those fields include: medical care facilities, colleges and universities, public health settings, non-profit community health organizations, private businesses and building a foundation for beginning advanced/graduate level work. “I’m thinking about taking more of a social worker job, that checks in on families, children and the elderly,” she said. “That’s something that I think is a really important job in our society.”
The community health major is described on Western’s website as a program that, “... prepares students to work with individuals, groups, and communities to promote health and prevent disease and disability. Students develop professional skills and competencies that include: assessing individual and community needs, planning and implementing health education programs, evaluating the effectiveness of health education programs, coordinating health education services, acting as a resource person for reliable and valid health information, advocacy and communication of health needs and information to multiple audiences in
Activism through education Western Accessibility Awareness Month begins with a seminar about disability and ableism
By Ashton Newton Entertainment Editor
Photo courtesy of OREGONSTATE.EDU
Western offers a wide variety of degrees that students can major in, many of which students don’t know are offered, or know next to nothing about. This week, in “Get To Know a Major” receiving a bachelor of science in community health. Maressa Milat, a junior, is working towards receiving a bachelor of science in community health with a minor in human biology. Although she didn’t come to Western for that specific major, she knew she wanted to come here. “I came to Western to attend a small school rather than a big state school,” Milat stated. Originally Milat was going to major in nursing, but she didn’t like how
Pictured above: Dr. Kathleen Bogart
Western Accessibility Awareness Month started off with a presentation from Dr. Kathleen Bogart, assistant professor of psychology at OSU, called “Looking Beyond Face Value: The Psychology of Disability and Ableism.” Dr. Bogart opened with a discussion of what disability was and ways that society views it. She asked the audience to imagine a community where everyone had the same disability and how society would then view someone without that disability. Dr. Bogart went into talking about facial expression disorders. Having
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Pictured above: Maressa Milat
socially and culturally appropriate wa ys.” When asked what her favorite course she had taken so far was, Milat replied, “Human sexuality is my favorite so far. I like how open everything is and there’s no judgement.” She added, “Most of our classes are taught in a lecture style, and our class size is fairly small, so it’s easy to communicate with other students and my professors, I like that a lot too.” Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu
facial paralysis herself, Dr. Bogart has had the drive to study the psychology behind facial paralysis for most of her life. Dr. Bogart has conducted and published research studies using focus groups to try pinpointing the emotions of individuals with facial paralysis. One goal is to raise public awareness of facial paralysis and moebius syndrome, to teach people to see past it. Dr. Bogart talked about the idea of activism through education. Part of this idea is Moebius Awareness Day on Jan. 24, a day dedicated to educating and spreading awareness about moebius syndrome, a rare condition that causes facial paralysis. The take home message of the presentation was to be both a thoughtful and an adaptive communicator to everyone everyday. Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu
CAMPUS LIFE
Western kicks off Accessibility Awareness Month with seated volleyball By Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor To continue the beginning of WOU Accessibility Awareness Month, members of WAAM held an event in the gym of the Health and Wellness Center to play seated volleyball. Seated volleyball is a paralympic sport for athletes with disabilities. The rules and scoring aspects of the game are still the same as in volleyball. The court is the same size as a badminton court, and the net is lowered almost all the way to the ground. The ball can be hit with any limb as long as the buttocks is on the ground, the buttocks also includes laying on the back and shoulders. The movement of
the sport consists of sliding back and forth across the court by using hands or elbows. Jennifer Taylor, an assistant professor in the Division of Health and Exercise Science, led the event. Although the event was small in numbers, those participating were smiling and enjoying the activity. To begin, Taylor had the participants run drills by sliding themselves through small cones so they could get used to the movement. Then, after explaining the rules, they jumped in for a few practice games. It began with only four players on each team, but as they played, a few people began to join making each team a little bigger. Although the group that attended the event was small, that did not affect the large amount of fun the participants had while playing Seated Volleyball. WAAM is going to be having events all this month. To find schedules and to see posts made by WAAM follow them on instagram @wou_waam.
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Photo by PAIGE SCOFIELD
Bump, set, spike, slide
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu
Pictured above: participants play seated volleyball
Don’t believe the myths, learn the facts Photo by KEITH MATHEW
Professor Kim Potowski visited Western to discuss misconceptions about Spanish language
By Jasmine Morrow | Staff Writer
Pictured above: Professor Kim Potowski presents her session
The College of Education, the Spanish Department and the Bilingual Teacher Program at Western asked Kim Potowski, a professor of the Department of Hispanic and Italian Studies at the University of Illinois in Chicago, to present her session: “Spanish in the U.S.: Myths and Realities,” in the Richard Woodcock Education Building. On Feb. 3, professor Potowski began the seminar by asking the group of people attending five facts or myths about the Spanish language.The trick was that they were all myths. The questions/statements
included: “The United States is the fifth largest Spanish-Speaking country in the world,” “Spanish is not recognized in the ‘Diccionario de la Real Academia,’” “Some things that people say in U.S. Spanish is ungrammatical,” “Spanglish is a random mishmash of English and Spanish and is destroying Spanish,” “The goal of Spanish teachers should be to eliminate ‘Spanglish’ and have students pass for monolingual.” Professor Potowski then explained why these were all myths. To begin with, the U.S. is the second largest Spanish-speaking country. It’s
impossible to be agrammatical when a whole community says it the same way, this is only possible with the first rule of grammar. Second, the first Spanish word was put in the dictionary on Sept. 30, 2012. Third, Spanglish is rule governed and there is code switching, word borrowings, extensions and calques. People usually think of U.S. Spanish as ungrammatical because it’s not preferred. The reason why people who are fluent in both Spanish and English sometimes use both languages in a single sentence is because it is a marker
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of their identity. Sixty percent of the population is bilingual/multilingual and 20 percent of the bilinguals are in the U.S. Studies show that two-way bilingual is the better way to learn English and Spanish, they can also be better readers and speakers. Professor Potowski concluded the presentation by saying, “Respect the language and culture of U.S. Latino Communities.” Contact author at jmorrow16@mail. wou.edu
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SPORTS
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Get amped for baseball
Softball opens season Wolves go 2-3 in Desert Stinger Classic
Photo courtesy of WOUWOLVES.COM
By Burke De Boer | Sports Editor
Brady Miller was named a third team All-American
By Burke De Boer | Sports Editor The Wolves were ranked second in the GNAC preseason poll, and pitcher Brady Miller was named an All-American as high hopes were extended to Western Oregon baseball. The college baseball season is upon us. It would already be here, but Western Oregon’s opening pitch was delayed on account of weather. Last weekend’s rain postponed a double header against Corban. And so excitement continues to build as the Wolves wait to get the 2017 season under way. The preseason coaches’ poll placed Western Oregon second in the GNAC, with one vote for first place. Northwest Nazarene, the team that beat the Wolves for the GNAC championship
in last year’s 8-9 title game, remain on top. Then the National College Baseball Writers released their preseason rankings, where the Wolves and Northwest Nazarene tie for 10th place in the western region. The Baseball Writers also named their preseason All-American rosters. Junior pitcher Brady Miller made the All-West first team and the AllAmerican third team. Miller was last year’s GNAC pitcher of the year, going 10-2 with a 3.14 ERA. The Wolves will open their season this weekend in Fresno. After some time on the road, their first game at home is a double header on March 4.
By Burke De Boer | Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of WOUWOLVES.COM
Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu
Patriots astonish in Super Bowl finish New England beats Atlanta 34-28 for championship
Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu
Sammi Cadwaller posted a 1.70 ERA in four games on the weekend
The Wolves look to improve on 2016’s title appearance
Wolves softball traveled to Las Vegas for their first taste of competition in 2017. The season started hit-andmiss, and after three days of gameplay the Wolves are now at 2-3. The first day was the hardest, as the Wolves suffered two losses. The first was a tight 1-3 to Azusa Pacific. In the second game, playing Chico State, Western Oregon went into the seventh inning with a 4-2 lead. But Chico State was able to capitalize on final mistakes, and won 7-4 in extra innings. A high scoring second day saw Western Oregon win one and lose
one. The win against Minot State came courtesy of a big fifth inning, where the Wolves scored three runs to take the lead and close out 5-4. Senior Ashlee Lynch scored a homerun in the game, while first year pitcher Chandler Bishop recorded the win in relief. The final loss came at the hands of Cal State San Bernardino, who scored the winning run on an RBI double in the home half of the final inning. Senior Sammi Cadwallader pitched a shutout against Cal State Monterey Bay for the final win. Senior Kelsie Gardner scored the only run of the day in the first inning.
It’s America’s biggest sporting event of the year, and this year the Super Bowl featured the most incredible comeback in its history. After a miserable opening where they could only advance the ball by way of Falcons penalty yards, the New England Patriots found themselves trailing 21-3 at half. They then rallied to push the Super Bowl to its first ever overtime and claim the victory. Head coach Bill Belicihik must have
delivered quite the locker room speech. Or maybe the Patriots got amped up by Lady Gaga’s amazing halftime show. Or maybe the Falcons simply ran out of gas. At the end of it all, Tom Brady walked away as the only quarterback to ever earn five Super Bowl rings. He joins legendary linebacker Charles Haley as the only two players to get a
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full hand of jewelry. The comeback completes a year of thrilling championships. From the Cavaliers and Cubs both rallying from 3-1 down to Clemson last second toppling of Alabama, the past year has boasted a smattering of storybook finishes. Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu
SPORTS Dispatches from the sports desk: The Korean Zombie rises from the grave By Burke De Boer | Sports Editor
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017 The Korean Zombie earned a first round knockout of ninth-ranked Dennis Bermudez in his return bout. Bermudez opened the Feb. 4 fight with strong blows, but found the inevitable lurch of Chan Sung Jung to be inescapable. A bear of an uppercut took Bermudez to the ground. Jung was on him, delivering hits, when the fight was called. Knockout. 2:49 in the first. Probably a bit of an early stoppage, all things considered. But the bell was rung and what’s done was done. I’ve been a fan of The Korean
Wolves on a hot streak By Burke De Boer | Sports Editor Men’s basketball continued its dominant streak with two wins at home last week. This extends the winning streak. The Wolves beat St. Martin’s 82-73 in a Feb. 2 home match. Junior forward Tanner Omlid lead the scoring with 23 points. The defense shutting St. Martin’s down opened the door for a lot of points, as the Wolves forced 16 turnovers and scored 22 points off of turnovers. Junior forward JJ Chirnside grabbed 8 rebounds and made 3 blocks, while Omlid added 5 rebounds, six steals and 2 blocks of his own. Chirnside also contributed 15 points of offense. The game saw a few lead changes as the teams sparred through the first half. But after halftime it was all Wolves. Western Oregon lead by as much as 16 throughout the second half on their way to the 9-point win. Three dunks were slammed in by Omlid and Chirnside through the second half. Tanner Omlid continued to put on a clinic when Seattle Pacific came to Monmouth on Feb. 4. He scored 18 and made 15 rebounds and 10 steals on his way to a triple-double. The Wolves took down Seattle Pacific, 84-70 in the GNAC Game of the Week. Junior guard Ali Faruq-Bey and
JJ Chirnside both put up 17 points. Coming off the bench, junior guard Demetrius Trammell scored 11 to make it four - Wolves with double digit points. Trammell lead the much stronger bench performance, which saw the Wolves’ reserves score 27 while the Seattle Pacific bench was held to four.
Senior forward Yanick Kulich also contributed 8 points in 10 minutes off the bench. “We are just playing a lot harder and we’re all on the same page now,” JJ Chirnside said on the team’s recent form. “We’re moving the ball well and getting better on the defensive end. We’re getting stops which leads us to transition points.” The Wolves are on the road this week, and will face Western Washington,
injury he suffered in his championship fight. But he’s not returning from that injury. He’s back from serving mandatory time in the South Korean Military. That time serving not only gave him time to heal, but it was time spent keeping him fighting fit. South Korea raises one of Asia’s strongest militaries. And in the case of Chan Sung Jung, one of the world’s toughest fighters. The soldier’s return has put his division on notice. Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu
one of the last teams they lost to before going on the win streak. “We’ve learned a lot from them,” Chirnside said. “We just need to keep getting better everyday ‘til then.” Western Washington are the topranked team in the GNAC, but have only a single game advantage on the third-ranked Wolves. Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu
Tanner Omlid posted Western Oregon’s triple-double since 2003 Photo courtesy of WOUWOLVES.COM
Omlid, Chirnside lead scoring in week of home wins
Zombie since I first found out there was a fighter with the nickname “The Korean Zombie.” A few years ago, he was one of the most exciting, rope-adope fighters out there. The prevailing theme across fight media is “The Korean Zombie is back!” He didn’t have as much as ring rust as many predicted and he picked up a win in his classic style. Belal Muhammad tweeted, “There was three years of anger in that uppercut.” We shouldn’t be this surprised. We may remember that he missed his fights in 2014 following a shoulder
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ENTERTAINMENT
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Time for a laugh
By Ashton Newton Entertainment Editor
Western students have been hard at work on the upcoming theater production “All In The Timing.” Written by David Ives, “All In The Timing” is a set of six one-act plays that focus on wordplay. The play is directed by Western’s own, Dr. Kent Neely, and also stars six Western students. Each one-act has its own characters and comedic style, so each actor gets to play multiple characters throughout the production. “Each of the one acts heavily relies on the absurdity of language, specifically talking about [Universal Language] we literally speak gibberish for about half of it,” said Lindsay Spear, a junior in the Bachelor of Fine Arts acting program and cast member. The one-acts featured in “All In The Timing” include “The Philadelphia,” “Universal Language,” “Mere Mortals,” “Sure Thing,” “Words Words Words”
and “Variations on the Death of Trotsky.” “They’re all really funny. David Ives was a smart guy and he really used that
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Editor’s Picks By Ashton Newton Entertainment Editor
Photo courtesy of NBC.COM
Editor’s Recommendations “Runescape” is a special kind of game. It’s one that has lasted the test of time, still going strong after 16 years. With over 80,000 players still actively playing, “Runescape” is still an increasingly popular game. “Runescape” is an online fantasy game where your options are endless. You can take on almost any fantasy role imaginable, levelling up your many skills as you go. The game also
Vanessa Hudgens as the passionless Emily Lock in “Powerless”
Lindsay Spear and Nick Hulscher as Dawn and Don in “Universal Language”
characters, it’s nice to see how everyone handles different characters and different one-acts.” “There’s only six of us, so we were
It’s not a serious show. You should go into it expecting to laugh. Don’t expect some serious tragedy because it’s really the opposite
to create comedy. That’s a big part of it. It’s just a really enjoyable show,” said Nick Hulscher, a sophomore in the Bachelor of Fine Arts theater program and cast member. Asked about working with the rest of the cast, Spear responded, “Everybody has brought their own style of comedy to it. Since we’re all playing different
Photo by AMBER HOLLAND
Western students hit the stage in the winter performance of “All in the Timing”
almost all there every night for rehearsals and since we all already knew each other and it was such a small group, we got close really quickly and that let us connect on more of a personal level in the scenes,” added Hulcher. Recounting her favorite part of being on the cast, Spears adds, “‘Universal
features hundreds of quests to take players on journeys and adventures throughout the world. Having played “Runescape” for over ten years on and off, I can fully recommend playing. Even in college, chopping some trees after class is a great way to wind down. While Runescape’s playerbase has significantly decreased over the years, updates are still being made and new players are joining all the time. Editor’s Disparagement The new DC comics show “Powerless” on NBC has a lot of potential. Set in the DC Universe, “Powerless” follows the powerless employees of Wayne Security in Charm City. The premiere was nothing but a tacky
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Language’ is probably one of the the hardest plays I’ve ever been in because I start off speaking English, but as it goes on I speak more and more of this gibberish language Unamunda and at one point we’re supposed to scat in this Unamundan language and the one day we finally got it right we both started screaming. It was so much fun.” “It’s not a serious show. You should go into it expecting to laugh. Don’t expect some serious tragedy because it’s really the opposite,” said Hulcher. He describes the set as a comedy club with a brick wall in the background. “All in the Timing” runs in the Rice Auditorium Black Box studio Feb. 9-11 at 7:30 p.m. with an additional 2:00 performance on the 11th. Tickets are $14 or $8 for a Western student. Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu
workplace comedy. With cheap jokes and poor performances, “Powerless” makes terrible use of its star studded cast, which includes Alan Tudyk, Vanessa Hudgens and Danny Pudi. With every bad joke the show also threw in the name “Bruce Wayne” or “Batman.” Fully aware that the DC aspect is the only selling point, “Powerless” drowns viewers in poorly timed references. Only the premiere has aired, but if the show doesn’t improve greatly, it’ll get cancelled in no time. For those curious about watching it, I’d say it’s a complete waste of time at this point. Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu
ENTERTAINMENT
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
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Review: “Rings” “Rings” provides decent entertainment, but falls short of the other films in the franchise
Continuing the route of its predecessors, this unnecessary third movie in “The Ring” franchise follows the story of the girl who’s never used a brush, as she continues her murder streak through old pirated VHS tapes. Updated for 2017, the characters make use of current technology such as quicktime files and cellular phones, as well as keeping to the roots by starting with the original VHS tape. Fit with a stereotypical young love between a 26-year-old who viewers are supposed to believe is a freshman and
Photo courtesy of IMDB.COM
By Kiley Prom | Freelancer
a girl who can’t attend university for a reason they never care to elaborate on, this new installment is unnecessarily packed with plenty of cheesy romantic comedy tropes. “Rings” follows what many horror movies have done before by casting an actress with tremendously bad acting and breathing problems, and an actor whose only memorable moments are the few times he takes off his shirt. “There’s no hiding” from this strange plot that includes a random girl on the side of the road whose presence
Samara Morgan iconically crawling out of a television
is confusing at best until the last 20 minutes of the movie. The film also takes our main couple on a wild goose chase, sending them back and forth between the only three buildings in the small town of Sacramento Valley, in search of the decomposed corpse of Samara. “Big Bang Theory’s” Johnny Galecki, or Professor Gabriel as he’s referred to in the film, makes his appearance as the occult leader of students who spends his freetime showing anyone willing to watch a film from a VCR he procured at a garage sale. His character turns the already far-fetched concept of a girl coming out of the TV into a science fair project. Vincent D’Onofrio shows up in the latter half of the movie as the saving grace of the film, playing a very convincing role as a blind man whose character becomes much more memorable as the film goes on. The filmography was well done, all things considering. The director, F. Javier Gutiérrez, incorporated heavy use of imagery that he featured in single framed shots throughout the film. Gutiérrez also included a lot of
religious symbology such as a church, crosses, as well as a painting of the Virgin Mary that contrasted with the demonic nature of the film. The director also seemed to take some pointers from popular directors before him, cashing in on the dolly zoom effect utilized in Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Vertigo,” to create a feeling of disorientation. The movie itself has no scary moments aside from a few jump scares you can see coming from a mile away, and some uncomfortable moments for the entomophobes in the audience. Other than a few plot holes, such as the protagonists phone never running out of battery despite using it as a flashlight for over 30 percent of the film, and a confusing timeline, “Rings” is not bad. It’s not the best horror movie of all time, nor the best in the “Ring” franchise, but it did manage to keep me engaged for 100 minutes without falling asleep. However, the movie offers no rewatch value. Contact the author at kprom15@wou. edu
Photo courtesy of IMDB.COM
+ Great supporting cast
Having not brushed her hair in decades, Samara looms in “Rings”
- Unrealistic plot holes WOU.EDU/WESTERNJOURNAL
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HUMOR
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
More like, happy birthday, Oregon By Paige Scofield | Hopeless Romantic Feb. 14, otherwise known as Valentine’s Day, is a time of chocolates, cards, fancy dinners, broken hearts, love, frilly things, crippling self doubt, romance and candlelight. But people always seem to miss the most important aspect of the 14th, and they have been forgetting it for years. It’s Oregon’s birthday! Our beautiful state turns 158 this year, and I bet it didn’t even cross your mind. Every year I send invitations to everybody. Where were you when it was Oregon’s 150th? Making out and having fun with someone because of some stupid holiday? Oregon was really hurt, and I was the only one at the party. It got really awkward, because it was a potluck, but all I brought was a 10 pound bag of ice for the drinks that weren’t there. We had to eat ice. There wasn’t even cake. Just ice. I also accidentally bought a block instead of crushed ice, so we literally had to use an ice pick to eat some of the worst ice I’ve ever had. I knew I shouldn’t have skimped and bought the off-brand ice.
Anyway, why do you keep taking Oregon for granted? You’ve literally lived together for years. Not to mention, who wouldn’t want to take Oregon out for a birthday/Valentine’s Day date? Oregon is absolutely stunning, and has a little bit of everything: beaches, deserts, hipsters, mountains, forests, cities and great restaurants. Valentine’s Day was created by candy companies too … Okay, I can’t do this anymore, I’m honestly just really hurt that nobody asked me out for Valentines Day. I mean I love Oregon’s birthday, but it’s too much state for me to handle and Oregon never calls
Photo courtesy of OREGONLIVE.COM
Happy Valentine’s Day?
back. I’m drowning in loneliness, and soon to be discount chocolate. WHY WILL NO ONE LOVE ME? Contact the author?
Photo by KEITH MATHEW
Valentine’s nay A guide to happy loneliness this Valentine’s Day By Ashton Newton | Hopeless Non-Romantic Fifty point two percent of Americans are single, yet around the time of Valentine’s Day, stores fill up with heart shaped chocolates, roses and those atrocious teddy bears. As part of the 50.2 percent, I vowed this year to make good use of all of these Valentine’s Day products, while also fully embracing my loneliness. I made it my mission this February to buy as much Valentine’s Day decorations and candy as I could, but without letting the love aspect play a role. First, I bought an adorable stuffed dog holding a heart. The cashier smiled at me, but she had no idea of my true intentions. With a knife, I removed the heart and now I have a perfectly normal stuffed dog. Take that Valentine’s Day. Next, I stocked up on heart-shaped milk chocolates. I turned the heart shaped container into an awesome frisbee, then melted the chocolate down and poured it over a bowl of vanilla ice cream which I ate while binge watching “Planet Earth.” Again, take that. Ever notice how sharing champagne or sparkling cider never seems right? This Valentine’s Day I
bought bottles just for myself to fill a mug with and I couldn’t be happier. I spent three hours last night filling out Valentine cards. They were all from me, addressed to flattering adjectives that describe me. I’m going to be so happy when I see them on the 14th. Candles always go on sale around Valentine’s Day. It’s the perfect time to place them around the bath tub and watch Hulu for an unreasonable amount of time. The day after Valentine’s Day, all the heart shaped
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chocolate that wasn’t sold is extremely cheap. This Valentine’s Day I plan to make a game plan of all the stores I’ll hit up in order to reap the benefits of unsold chocolate. However lonely life gets, I just remind myself how awesome frisbees are, how great chocolate is and how being alone isn’t so bad if you love yourself. Don’t contact the author, he’s satisfied being alone. .
EDITORIAL
Practicing intersectional activism is a necessity when trying to fight for equal rights By Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor The past 19 days have been full of marches and protests. From the National Women’s Marches across the country to the Science March that’s being planned planned for Earth Day, people are trying to make sure that their voices are heard. The National Women’s March was one of the largest marches in history; people of all genders and nationalities came together to express their opposition to the inauguration. Among those protesters was a large volume of white, able-bodied, cisgendered women. Hell, the hats that were being knitted for the Women’s March were essentially a
representation of cisgendered genitalia. I get that people tend to feel attacked when you bring this up, but this is something that should be brought up. My problem with white cis-women showing up in droves to march comes when you compare the crowds at the Women’s March to the crowds at nearly every other protest or march around the country - crowds that get less attention because this section of the population isn’t there. The public are more likely to reflect positively about an event if white women are there; it makes no sense, but that’s institutionalized prejudice for you. The amount of people marching across the country was massive; it was great. But where are those crowds of people during Black Lives Matter protests? Where are they during the uprise against the Dakota access pipeline? What are they doing to help the Flint water crises? If you marched or wanted to march at the National Women’s March, remember to keep your views intersectional. Remember that there are people who may not have an identity similar to yours that still need to be supported. Transgender and gendernonconforming people need to be supported. People with disabilities need to be supported. People of different races need to be supported. Just because a protest or march may not apply to you, doesn’t mean you can dismiss it and just not pay attention. When you look at how many people protested in Portland after the election
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and then look at which of those people actually voted in the election, there’s a massive disconnect. The Oregonian reported that of the 112 people arrested at the protest, only 28 percent of them actually voted and that 32 percent voted but didn’t turn in their ballot. Even though the Women’s March exists as a result of the anticipated anti-women policies of the current administration, CNN reported that 52 percent of white women voted for Donald Trump. This halfhearted attempt at showing discontent won’t get things done. The people who are against the Trump administration and their policies have four more years - activist efforts shouldn’t be confined to just the months surrounding the election and inauguration. All of these marches and protests mean nothing if you pick and choose which causes to support. Just because you obtain rights that you’re comfortable with, doesn’t mean the job is done; it just means that you are currently more privileged. Protests and activism are a vital part of our rights as citizens - why not take advantage of that right? In our current digital age, you don’t have an excuse for not being an active member of society. If you can’t make it to a protest, you can still talk about it. You can still stay educated, you can still educate other people.
People gather in Salem, Oregon for the National Women’s March Photo by STEPHANIE BLAIR
The women’s march doesn’t stop here
The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
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The Western Journal Wednesday, February 8, 2017
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IFC Meeting
Continued from page 2 improvements to the Women’s Softball field, adding an NCAA required safety netting to the dugouts. Their fear is that if the IFC cuts funds, they will have to reallocate funds to make sure equipment is kept up to date in terms of safety standards, as well as reducing the number of athletes who attend road games. Teams attending road games typically fly to their locations. The Athletics department stated if the budget was reduced, they would have to travel by bus, increasing the number of hours traveled and the amount of class missed for student-athletes. Before ASWOU gave their presentation, they asked to reallocate funds from their non-specified account to cover their trip for Student Lobby Day, a day for student’s to speak with state representatives about their school experience and encumbrance of student loans. ASWOU asked for $500 to cover the travel costs, and it caused some trepidation from the IFC Committee. After discussion, the motion passed to reallocate travel expenses for Student Lobby Day 7-1-0. The next meeting is Friday, Feb. 10 where the committee will make their preliminary decision on the budget before opening the floor to hearings. Contact the author at tlayman16@mail.wou.edu
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