Vol. 17, Issue 21 (April 12, 2017)

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 21

Page 3 The possibility of lower enrollment could raise future tuition

Page 9 Western student dances her way through college

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NEWS

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

THE WESTERN JOURNAL

345 N. Monmouth Ave. Monmouth, OR 97361 Student Media Department TERRY HOUSE NEWSROOM 503-838-8347

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF STEPHANIE BLAIR

Vital information in the palm of your hand Reach Out provides resources and aims to combat campus sexual assault

journaleditor@wou.edu

MANAGING EDITOR ZOË STRICKLAND

journalmanaging@wou.edu

NEWS EDITOR JADE RAYNER

journalnews@wou.edu

CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR PAIGE SCOFIELD

journalcampuslife@wou.edu

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR ASHTON NEWTON journalentertainment@wou.edu

SPORTS EDITOR BURKE DE BOER

journalsports@wou.edu

PHOTO EDITOR PAUL F. DAVIS

journalphoto@wou.edu

DESIGNERS DARIEN CAMPO ELISSA SORENSON

journaldesigner@wou.edu

COPY EDITOR KRISTIN ECK

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ADVERTISING MANAGER BRIAN TESCH journaladvertising@wou.edu

WEB MANAGER GEANELL BERNARDO journalweb@wou.edu

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER SAMANTHA DUNAWAY STUDENT MEDIA ADVISER RHYS FINCH finchr@wou.edu 503-838-9697

SUBMISSIONS 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 Contact information will not be published unless requested.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.

By Jade Rayner News Editor Sexual Assault Awareness Month is here and, while it’s important year-round to know the resources available to survivors of sexual assault, April is dedicated to raising awareness of this issue.

According to http://www. nsvrc.org, one in five women and one in 16 men will be a victim of completed or attempted sexual assault while in college, yet more than 90 percent of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report it. Additionally, 40 percent of colleges and universities reported not investigating a single sexual assault in the past five years.

Reach Out is a free application that is working to prevent campus sexual assault or provide resources for survivors of it. The application is available to download on Apple and Android devices. Currently there are 2,500 schools listed in the Reach Out database, each of which has their own customized resources available to users.

The creation of Reach Out was “somewhat unexpected” according to www.capptivation. com.

“During the summer of 2014,

Civil rights for all Court of Appeals finds that discrimination based on sexual orientation is in violation of the Civil Rights Act

By Zoë Strickland Managing Editor

after graduating college, three of my friends from high school - Jack Zandi, Racquel Giner, and Zach Csillag - and myself often found ourselves hanging out at my house, talking about our post-grad plans,” explained Billy Sadik-Khan, a partner of Capptivation and one of Reach Out’s data maintenance team members. “Right around that time, the issue of sexual misconduct on college campuses was garnering more attention from the media and lawmakers … and so it started coming up

in our conversations.”

Sadik Khan went on to say, “We discussed things like our experiences with sexual misconduct at our own colleges; if we had known anybody, what exactly the right thing to do is if someone tells you they’ve been assaulted; what resources are available to you, etc. We all came up with different answers, realized that we couldn’t possibly be the only people looking for this information. We identified a need for students to have all this crucial, hard-to-find,

Infographic courtesy of GENPROGRESS.ORG

often difficult to understand information in an easy, intuitive and accessible format. What better way to provide this information than directly on someone’s smartphone?”

When searching Western Oregon University on the Reach Out application, users can find local safe places and emergency contacts, including the Polk County Sheriff ’s Office, West Valley Hospital and the Monmouth Police Department.

Sexual assault reporting options, information on Title IX and a guide on what you can do if have been a victim of sexual assault or know someone who has, can also be found on Reach Out. Schools also have the ability to manage the customized information if they choose to through an online console on www.capptivation.com.

“We believe that the cost of college tuition for a young student should not implicitly include, on top of room and board and a meal plan, a significant chance of being sexually assaulted” stated SadikKhan.

For more information about Reach Out and ways to get involved, visit www. capptivation.com.

The application can be downloaded for free on both the App Store and Play Store.

Contact the author journalnews@wou.edu

On April 4, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit made the decision that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“We conclude today that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a form of sex discrimination,” Chief Judge Wood stated in the opinion release.

This decision was brought to court in an 8-3 vote.

When making the decision, the court tried to follow the intent of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. One section of Title VII focuses on unlawful employer practices, such as, “... to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual ... because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin; or to limit, segregate, or classify his employees or applicants for employment … because of such individual’s race, color,

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at

religion, sex, or national origin,” as stated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The appeals case was kickstarted after a 2014 lawsuit by Kimberly Hively, an adjunct instructor at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, wherein the instructor claimed that her sexual orientation prevented her from being hired-on as Continued on page 12

NEWS

By Jade Rayner News Editor In an email sent to Western faculty and staff on April 4, President Rex Fuller laid out upcoming changes and work going into the 2017-2019 biennial budget.

According to the message, Oregon’s seven public universities sent the Higher Education Coordinating Commission multiple scenarios regarding possible budgets.

The HECC is a 14 member volunteer commission responsible for advising the governor, Oregon legislation and the chief education office on higher education policy, as stated on oregon.gov. Some of the HECC’s duties include, “... the development of biennial budget recommendations for public postsecondary education in Oregon,” as well as, “... making funding allocations to Oregon’s public community colleges and public universities.”

President Fuller’s email relayed that the most optimistic budget scenario presented to the HECC, “... provided about $940 million for the four-year campuses -an increase of about $275 million over the 2015-17 budget.

This budget represented the true increase in cost and increase of 20% for universities.” The scenario was then sent to the governor as part of the HECC request.

Fuller stated that, “The universities decided to convey this aspirational budget scenario to the HECC, in part, because of the possibility that the corporate gross receipts—Measure 97—would pass in November 2016.

As we know, Measure 97 failed in the 2016 election.”

Had Measure 97 been passed, it would have increased the corporate minimum tax for corporations with at least $25 million in Oregon sales, as explained on ballotpedia.org. The goal of the measure was to use the increased revenue to fund education, healthcare and senior services.

Fuller’s email goes on to say that, “... the Governor’s recommended budget (GRB) set $667 million for the Public University Support Fund (PUSF), which is about $115 million below the amount needed to cover increased costs … the GRB also did not fund the Sports Lottery that is used by Western to support graduate student

Students could pay the price for low enrollment

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Photo courtesy of WOU.EDU

The potential of lower enrollment at Western for 2017-2019 raises the possibility of increased tuition

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Western’s President Rex Fuller at a staff presentation

scholarships and student athletes.”

Because of this, Fuller explained, “It is likely that Western, like all public universities, will be facing a shortfall in PUSF funds. This will require each campus to consider a combination of tuition increases, use of reserves, and budget cuts.”

Though work will continue to be done in an attempt to increase higher education PUSF funding, budget cuts are being planned out.

“The cuts will need to be conceived in light of the newly approved Strategic Plan and will not reduce our ability to enroll students in classes

...it is likely that Western, like all public universities, will be facing a shortfall in PUSF funds In January 2017, the Board of Trustees was presented a budget that assumed a 10 percent increase in tuition and enrollment; Western now has a clearer idea of what the admissions and expected enrollment for fall 2017 will be.

On March 1, Western’s first-time first-year student enrollment was 20 percent lower compared to last year at the same time. Overall, it’s estimated that the number of new first-year students from Oregon will be lower.

Because of this, the modeled budget will reflect a 10 percent increase to tuition and a five percent decrease in enrollment, leading to an assumed deficit of around $3 million per year, as laid out in Fuller’s email.

they need to graduate,” wrote Fuller.

“However, greater care in matching our course scheduling to account for fewer students and changing student demand will, in all likelihood, lead to fewer sections of some courses and some reductions in the number and/ or variety of some course electives.”

Western’s Strategic Plan, titled “Forward Together: 2017-2023,” was created by a 25 member committee that includes Western faculty, students and alumni.

The plan was developed over a nine month process beginning in April 2016, then sent to the Board of Trustees for approval. According to the Strategic Plan, which is available on wou.edu, the plan, “... is

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organized around five institutional priorities: student success, academic excellence, community engagement, accountability and sustainability and stewardship.”

The fifth priority, sustainability and stewardship, is geared towards enhancing financial sustainability through enrollment and fiscal strategies, maintaining access and affordability with regard to the cost of attaining a degree and to diversify and expand revenue sources, as mapped out in the plan.

Currently, budget plans are not set, and need to be reviewed. Once plans are reviewed, the budget proposals will be shared with the University Budget Committee. The recommendations from the committee will then be considered in the development of the final 2017-2019 budget which will be presented to the Board of Trustees for approval.

Fuller concluded his message to Western staff and faculty stating that, “In this environment of decreasing resources, we must begin planning for these expected budget shortfalls … by utilizing our Strategic Plan and the process I have outlined, I am confident that Western will make budget decisions that support our effort to achieve our mission and strategic initiatives that are described in our Strategic Plan.”

Contact the author at journalnews@ wou.edu

CAMPUS LIFE

Being a better leader and establishing your “WHY” Western hosts Focus on Leadership conference

By Shaylie Pickrell Staff Writer

Photo by PAUL F. DAVIS

On April 8, the day-long Focus on Leadership conference was held in the Werner University Center. This year, it was mixed with the Greek Summit event for fraternities and sororities on campus. The whole day was set up to give students the opportunity to attend multiple sessions, lunch and listen to the keynote speaker, Justin Jones.

Megan Habermann, the associate director of Student Leadership and Activities, discussed what her hopes were for the annual event. She hoped, “That students learn new leadership skills and to allow them to improve on anything they hope to improve on.”

This event underlined the importance

of going outside of comfort zones and pushing those limits to better oneself.

When asked what advice she would give to aspiring leaders, Habermann replied, “Don’t be afraid to try something you may not normally try.” This piece of advice was an important and recurring theme throughout the conference.

After the introduction, students had the choice to attend two different sessions before the keynote speaker presented, one of which was “the Importance of an Introverted Leader.”

During that session, Marlene LopezCruz went over the difference between being introverted and extroverted, what introverted leaders bring to the table and how to push introverts to their full potential.

She emphasized a few important strengths that introverted leaders have; they think first and talk later, they embrace solitude, they have great listening skills and they are very taskfocused.

Closed school, open pool Health and Wellness Center opens its pool for local students

By Jasmine Morrow Staff Writer

Jennifer Sprueill keeps a watchful eye on swimmers

When asked what the importance of being a leader was, Lopez-Cruz said, “To develop leadership skills and to be able to communicate effectively and work with a wide range of people.”

In her opinion, to further leadership skills, one should, “Attend workshops, conferences, clubs and organizations, even classroom groups can give you a good opportunity to further your skills.”

After the first session ended, students gathered to listen to Justin Jones, the keynote speaker for the day. Jones emphasized the importance of the “WHY:” why we do things and how that impacts what we do, which impacts when we do it which, in turn, impacts how we do it. He also emphasized how your “WHY” shapes the type of leader you are and how you’re going to continue doing what you do to benefit you best.

“Don’t just be like anyone, be better for everyone by being the only you,” Jones stated. He went on to explain the many kinds of leaders there can be, and how people often react to certain leadership roles.

After the keynote speaker presentation, students attended lunch and then had the opportunity to attend

six more smaller sessions before the end of the conference. This event not only emphasized how to improve leadership skills, but also pushed the ideas of why leaders do the things they do, as well as taking chances to ensure a better leadership path.

On April 7, Western’s Health and Wellness Center held a “No School Swim” event for students from the local high schools, middle schools and elementary schools to come and enjoy a day in the pool when their classes had been cancelled.

According to Western’s website, the event is a time for the whole family to have fun and release some energy with some aquatic games. It’s a great activity for kids to be active, but have fun while doing so. This is the fourth time the Health and Wellness Center has opened its pool for students to enjoy themselves on a day off from school.

Melissa Bergeland, the event coordinator and assistant director, said, “We know if kids are out of school, they need something to do. We don’t want them to drive their parents crazy, we don’t want them to get into trouble, so we want to give them something to do. So, we offer this extra REC swim in there so that they can come play in the water.”

There aren’t any specific games or activities that are planned out for the participants, but they have the water basketball hoop or the water volleyball net put up so participants can choose what they wish to do in their free time at the pool.

Bergeland finds this event important because it teaches kids and parents about water safety, and allows Western to connect with the community. The lifeguards on duty during the No School Swim event are student employees from Western. One of the lifeguards, Jennifer Sprueill, sophomore criminal justice major, has lifeguarded this event four times. Another student, Jennifer Lindley, junior early childhood education major, has only lifeguarded the No School Swim event once. Both Sprueill and Lindley agree that the most important thing about lifeguarding is the water safety and keeping people safe. They just want people to have a safe and enjoyable time and have things run smoothly.

“Lifeguarding has always been associated with kids; keeping them safe and having fun with the kids” said Lindley.

Though the event was small in numbers, they are hoping to get the word out and so more participants show up for the next No School Swim.

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Contact the author at spickrell15@wou. edu

Photo by MARK DREVDAHL

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The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Justin Jones explains establishing your “WHY”

Contact author at jmorrow16@mail. wou.edu

CAMPUS LIFE

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

5 Photo courtesy of ALPHACHIWOU.ORG

Looking for new recruits

Alpha Chi Omega extends a hand to those interested in Greek life

By Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor

to let students of Western get a peek into what Alpha Chi Omega is like. They also held small socializing events from April 4-6 in the Santiam Room of Werner University Center for those who were

“

It gives [students] that opportunity to be a part of Greek life without having to go to a large school

interested in learning more information about Alpha Chi Omega.

Alpha Chi Omega’s website describes the sorority as, “An organization about you: unique, talented, genuine women looking for a fun and meaningful way to enhance your college experience.”

Alpha Chi Omega has been a part of

The fork goes on the left The Service Learning and Career Development Center hosts Etiquette Dinner

By Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor On April 10, Western’s Service Learning and Career Development Center hosted an Etiquette Dinner in the Pacific Room of the Werner University Center. The Etiquette Dinner was held to teach students the “proper” way to interact in a formal business dinner setting.

This event featured keynote speaker Mindy Lockard, an etiquette consultant.

Lockard is an internationally known etiquette writer and speaker. For over a decade, Lockard has worked with colleges, businesses and corporations, speaking about the power of interpersonal interactions. She has been in many magazines because of her work, including “Forbes Women.”

Western’s campus for almost two years, and has been spreading information not only about their sorority but also about violence against women.

“Every Greek organization has a

“It is such a pleasure to be here tonight.

I think this is my sixth year on campus doing this dinner,” said Lockard. “It is an honor. I travel around the country and around the Pacific Northwest doing these workshops and I’ve always loved it when I get the chance to come to Western.”

Throughout the five course meal that was served, Lockard taught the participants the correct way to set a table, hold silverware, eat, drink and other valuable tips to dine properly, including how to correctly butter bread.

This event was held to help students get comfortable in situations like dining in a high class restaurant, because when going into the business world, most of the discussions and events revolve around dinner.

Shelby Worthing, senior economics major and Service Learning and Career Development Center employee, helped coordinate the Etiquette Dinner. She explained that the dinner, “... is really great, because in our society, today, we

philanthropy service part of their organization, and ours is domestic violence awareness,” said Colette Thomassians, junior exercise science major, and Alpha Chi Omega vice president of recruitment. “Basically, we table, we work with the Center for Hope and Safety in Salem, to just make sure

don’t just graduate college and then get a job.”

“There’s a lot of networking that’s involved,” continued Worthing. “You might be out to dinner with someone or interviewing over a dinner … it’s a great learning experience. This is about manners, and we need those everywhere.”

The event lasted for two hours and, while the participants were eating, Lockard would walk around and correct them or answer any questions that came up.

“I really want to encourage you to be bold” said Lockard, “I want to encourage you to use and refine these skills, so that when you get into a situation professionally, that you can really be bold.”

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu

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that women feel safe in their lives.”

Alpha Chi Omega will be hosting an event on April 26 on Western’s campus called “Denim Day” to support women who were blamed for their sexual assault because of what they were wearing. This is one of the many events that Alpha Chi Omega puts on for their philanthropy services.

The sorority will continue to table in the Werner University Center from April 10-13. If interested and looking for more information on Alpha Chi Omega, visit them on facebook at facebook.com/wouaxo, on instagram @ wou_axo, or contact Alpha Chi Omega by email at wouaxo@gmail.com.

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of PAUL F. DAVIS

The Greek life on Western’s campus is slowly starting to grow, and the sorority Alpha Chi Omega is still recruiting for members.

“The Greek life here on our campus isn’t super large like OSU or U of O,” said Meghan Doerfler, sophomore Bachelor of Fine Arts major and Alpha Chi Omega assistant vice president of philanthropy. “So, having Alpha Chi Omega being able to recruit in the spring and winter is a good opportunity for girls who are interested in joining Greek organizations to see, ‘oh, hey, I can join this organization if I want to.’ It gives them that opportunity to be a part of Greek life without having to go to a large school.”

From April 3-6, the sorority held tables in the Werner University Center

Sorority sisters wrapped up in Greek Life

Participants prepare for their five-course meal

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SPORTS

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Photo by MARK DREVDAHL

John Knight Twilight hosted at Western

Wolves track and field compete in home meet

By Burke De Boer Sports Editor

The windstorm that swept through Oregon April 7 and 8 left a lot of trouble in its wake, but nothing Wolves track and field couldn’t handle, and sophomore Olivia Woods was named the Women’s Track GNAC player of the week.

The men’s team took second place and the women’s team took fourth at the home meet.

Sophomore Matthew Haglund competes in the third heat of the 800-meter

Woods won the women’s 400-meter race with a time of 57.06.

Wolves runners took the entire top three in this race, as juniors Megan Rose and Suzie Van De Grift finished behind Woods with times of 58.16 and 58.32, respectively. Western secured 28 of its total points from the 400-meter race, first-year student Grayson Burke also finished in the top eight. Her time of 59.30 was good enough for a fifth place finish.

Senior Aaron Whitaker won the men’s 400-meter, crossing the finish line at 49.41.

He was soon followed by junior Cody Warner, who took second place with a time of 50.03.

Wolves runners took the top three spots in the men’s 800-meter as well.

Sophomore AJ Holmberg finished in the pole position with a time of 1:54.52. Sophomore Dustin Nading finished in-step with Holmberg with a second place time of 1:54.60. Senior Michael Chin was the third across the finish line, finishing in 1:55.26.

Two more Wolves finished in the top eight, as sophomore Parker Mason’s time of 1:58.55 was good enough for fifth place and first-year student Curt Knott 1:59.44 finish was able to secure seventh. Knott’s time was the best of the second section.

The event racked up 30 points for the men’s team.

Senior Nicole Maurmann secured Western Oregon’s fourth victory of the meet when she finished the women’s

1500-meter with a tie of 4:43.79 Wolves posted no victories in the field events but put up a strong showing and were still able to pick up points.

Senior Kathryn Pitts took third place in women’s triple jump with a distance of 10.78 meters. Meanwhile sophomore Kolton Koenig-Rohde took fourth in the men’s triple jump at 12.97 meters.

First-year student Mariah Gronbach then put up a personal best distance in the women’s discus throw, sending the discus 40.65 meters for a fifth place finish. In the men’s discus, junior Keegan Allen was able to pick up a point with a 10th place throw of 44.49 meters.

Allen also came in ninth in the hammer throw, heaving it a distance of 47.44 meters.

The women’s hammer throw saw two Wolves round out the top eight to pick up three points; junior Sylvia Dean took seventh with a distance of 46.99 meters while sophomore Alecia Falck secured eighth place with a throw that measured 45 meters even.

First-year student Halie Korff took seventh in the women’s javelin, with a distance of 39.59 meters.

The men’s team finished with 108 total points, second only to the team from Clackamas Community College.

The women’s team finished with 73 points.

Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu

Golf championship settled in sudden death playoff round

By Burke De Boer Sports Editor

Justin Rose was never far behind.

Rose, an English national, previously won the U.S. Open in 2013 and had finished in the top 10 in both of the last two Masters.

The Sunday round saw South African golfer and 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel surge from eighth place at two under par to third place at six under par.

Rose took the lead in the final day, but Garcia fought back to tie things up again. The two leaders finished the round still tied, at nine under par, and entered into a sudden death playoff.

Garcia sunk a birdie putt from 10 feet to win the playoff and secure his first majors championship.

Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose entered the back nine tied for the lead at eight under par on the last day of The Masters, April 9.

In his 18-year professional career, the Spaniard Garcia had finished top 10 in The Masters three times.

His appearances in the four major championships amounted to four second-place finishes in 22 top 10 showings.

But never first place.

He had led to varying degrees Contact the author at journalsports@ throughout the four day contest, but wou.edu

Photo courtesy of SPORTINGNEWS.COM

Sergio Garcia wins The Masters in dramatic finale

Sergio Garcia celebrates in the aftermath of his victory

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SPORTS

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

home weekend goes away

Softball goes 2-2 while playing as the home team in Nampa, Idaho

By Burke De Boer Sports Editor

In what was slated to be the home opener, the weather chased Wolves softball away to Nampa for four games against Northwest Nazarene.

The Wolves and Crusaders split the series, with two wins apiece.

Sophomore Haley Fabian pitched the first game of the series, a 5-1 win for the Wolves.

Fabian pitched a complete game, striking out three and allowed just the one run off of eight Northwest Nazarene hits. Her effective pitching left a solitary runner stranded in five

Chasing the Stanley Cup National Hockey League playoffs set to begin

By Michael Crowder Freelancer The 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs have finally arrived. The brackets for the first round of games are looking to be intense.

Notably, Canada has five qualifiers for the playoffs this year. After being completely shut down in 2016, Canada is looking to challenge American teams at every step of the Stanley Cup’s progression.

The playoffs kick off Wednesday, April 12, with the Boston Bruins vs.

Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens games.

The Rangers and Canadiens find themselves locked to play off in the

scoreless innings, as she gave up the one hit then shut down the rest of the side.

The win improved her record to 7-6, her first time having a winning record as a starting pitcher this season.

The game opened up with an explosive first inning. Northwest Nazarene, still playing as the away team despite relocating venues, batted first.

The first at-bat of the day resulted in a double, which was soon batted in for the Crusaders’ only run of the game.

The Wolves responded in their half of the inning by putting up three hits and two runs. Senior Kelsie Gardner hit a double in the first at-bat, then advanced to third off a hit by sophomore Ryanne Huffman. Gardner stole home for Western’s first point. Huffman was later batted in by first-year student Ashley first round.

Both the Rangers and Canadiens are neck and neck with overall wins in the past season. Their injured players are all expected to be in sufficient condition to play in the first rounds of the playoffs.

The Canadiens won the Atlantic Division with their aggressive presence this season. The Rangers managed to be a 100-point team in the Metro Division. Expect to see good hockey as these two teams compete fiercely.

The Washington Capitals and the Toronto Maple Leafs are following up on April 13.

The Capitals have been a dominating monster of a team, taking the Metropolitan Division this past season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made it this far this season, but their cadre of rookie players is looking at an intimidating challenge. The first round will see if the Leafs have it in them to survive the Capitals and continue on into the playoffs.

Another first round of games to note has two long-term rivals butting

Doyle.

The bottom of the fourth saw the Wolves batting come alive again, which opened with another hit for Doyle. Firstyear student Gabriella Alonso came on to pinch run for her, and was later batted in by senior Mercedes Green.

Sophomore Chyanne Rimer later hit a double for two RBIs, as sophomore Courtney Lau Hee and junior Zoe Clark both scored runs.

The second game of the day went to eight innings before the Wolves won the decision, 2-1.

Junior Lizzet Dominguez was the starting pitcher, but the win went to Sammi Cadwallader’s closing performance. Cadwallader came onto the mound in the eighth inning with the score knotted up at 1-1 and two runners on base.

Senior Ashlee Lynch scored the first run of the game in the fifth inning, when she was batted in by a Huffman single.

A Crusaders run scored in the seventh inning tied the game but three pop flies

by Western batters in the bottom of the inning sent the game into extra innings.

Cadwallader came on in the eighth inning with a runner on first and second. A strikeout and a double play kept the Crusaders scoreless. Alonso then scored the winning run in the Wolves’ half of the inning.

April 8 was the second day of action in the series and the Wolves dropped

both games.

The first game saw Northwest Nazarene hit a grand slam in the third inning and never look back as the Wolves went on to a 4-6 loss. Gardner hit two solo home runs herself in the game, while Lynch also hit a homer with one runner on base.

The fourth and final game of the weekend saw the Wolves lose 3-6.

First-year student Kaylee Harmon picked up her first two runs of the season in the second day’s games, her second coming in the second inning of the second game off a Gardner RBI. Senior catcher Ku’ulei Siolo scored a run in the fourth inning, the batted in Ashlee Lynch in the fifth.

But it wasn’t enough for the Wolves to win. The 2-2 weekend saw Western Oregon progress to an overall record of 16-15, with a 3-7 conference record.

The Wolves have moved up one spot in the GNAC standings, now ahead of Simon Fraser.

Their next chance at a home opener comes Saturday, April 15, in a double header against Concordia.

The Wolves remain the only team in the conference who have yet to play a home game this year.

heads; the Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators will face off to eliminate one another right at the getgo.

Nashville was expected to have a breakthrough of a season after acquiring key players such as PK Subban to bolster their team.

Coming against the first-in-Central Division in the first round of the playoffs can spell only a hard time for

the Predators. Especially given that the Blackhawks will surely not pull any punches to ensure their rival goes home without the Stanley Cup. In another notable game, the Edmonton Oilers have ended what was the longest playoff drought in hockey, and will face the San Jose Sharks.

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Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu

Contact the author at mcrowder12@ wou.edu

Photo courtesy of JAPANTIMES.CO.JP

Photo courtesy of WOUWOLVES.COM

Kelsie Gardner (L) and Ashlee Lynch combined for three home runs on the weekend

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The New York Rangers celebrate entry into the playoffs

ENTERTAINMENT

A wonderful collection of lightning rods and flawed gods

By Ashton Newton Entertainment Editor Fans of comics and superhero movies are well aware of the lives of Thor, Loki and Odin. This is exactly what pulled author Neil Gaiman into the world of Norse mythology and began his inspiration for his narrative collection of Norse myths.

“Norse Mythology” is Neil Gaiman bringing his narrative style to ancient Norse myths and, for the most part, it makes for an incredible experience.

Initially, I was very put off by the book. The first few chapters are a very dense, mundane read that feel more like a textbook than a collection of stories. The chapters are short, but are packed full with names, attributes and brief histories of many different gods.

It’s not the best way to start, but it’s necessary to understand the characters in the stories that follow.

The stories themselves are great.

Gaiman makes Norse mythology accessible and fun for newcomers and his focus on Thor, Loki and Odin give fans of those characters a deeper look at their origins and roots.

Review: “LA Divine” Cold War Kids’ new album is great in all the right ways

By Ashton Newton Entertainment Editor Cold War Kids became alternative favorites with their 2007 album “Robbers & Cowards.” Recently, their single “First” blew up and put them on lots of people’s radars.

Their newest album “LA Divine” released last week and is easily one of the best albums yet. After years of experimenting and reworking their sound, “LA Divine” is an incredible album that finds Cold War Kids at the best they’ve ever been.

characters of Thor, Loki and Odin, since the book’s main focus is on them. Characters like Balder, Frey and Heimdall don’t get enough enough time in most stories to form their own voices, so Gaiman takes over.

“Norse Mythology” is a fantastic look into the world of Norse myth.

The characters are more alive than ever before and Gaiman brings his

The band released two singles leading up to the full album release.

“Love Is Mystical” is an upbeat, danceable tune that quickly blew-up on the radio. The band collaborated with Bishop Briggs for the single “So Tied Up,” which was a bit of a let down compared to the first single. The collaboration with Bishop Briggs isn’t very strong: her presence in the song is weak, especially for being the only collaboration on the album.

All of “LA Divine” held my attention, each song standing wonderfully on its own. The song “No Reason To Run” was the highlight of the album for me. The track blends Cold War Kids’ upbeat, fast paced sound with some of the most heartfelt lyrics in the whole album.

All songs on “LA Divine” are pretty short. The 14-song album zooms by way too quickly, with some tracks only 30 seconds to a minute. “LA Divine” is

so good that it deserves to be played over and over, I just wish it didn’t go by so fast.

The album ends with “Free To Breathe,” a slow, emotional tune that ends the album on a weak note. Cold War Kids puts most of their focus in the album on up-tempo danceable alternative music, so ending the album on such a slow note feels disconnected

masterful writing to these narratives, breathing new life into these old tales. Though the book is short and some stories are a bit boring, “Norse Mythology” is a great read for anyone interested in Norse myths.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of LATIMES.COM

Review: “Norse Mythology”

Gaiman uses his knowledge of mythology from “American Gods” and “Anansi Boys” to breathe new life into these old tales. The characters seem very alive; their feelings and emotions jump off the page.

The book begins with the creation of the world, then moves into stories about the gods and their adventures and origins and ends with Ragnarok, the end of everything.

Some of the stories end up feeling weak, however. “The Master Builder,” for example, finds the gods dealing with a man who is wagering Freya, the sun and the moon on whether or not he can build them a wall in one season.

This story feels long and drawn out, the tension of whether the gods will prevail disappears and is replaced by hope that the story will end soon.

Other stories are entertaining throughout. “The Death of Baldur” is easily the most heartfelt and compelling story in the book. The side characters feel as alive as the main characters and I found myself not wanting the story to end.

My biggest criticism of “Norse Mythology” is that it’s too short. The book ends way too quickly, especially considering that it deals with such a rich mythology. Four or five more stories could easily fit into the book and further add to the depth of the characters.

There are times when the characters do feel really weak. Gaiman has a habit of writing dialogue as Gaiman, rather than the characters that he is writing.

This isn’t as much of an issue with the

Neil Gaiman, author of “Norse Mythology”

from the rest of the album.

“LA Divine” is the best Cold War Kids album yet. Each song stands on it’s own and rarely are there times without great written lyrics and feettapping goodness.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of UCRTODAY.UCR.EDU

8

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

(Left to right) Dan Gallucci, Matt Avoriu, Nathan Willett and Jonnie Russel of Cold War Kids

WOU.EDU/WESTERNJOURNAL

ENTERTAINMENT

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Artist spotlight: Kristie Martinez

9 Photo courtesy of SCOTT BELDING

Western student follows her passion of dance through education

By Ashton Newton Entertainment Editor

Western student and dancer, Kristie Martinez

For Western student Kristie Martinez, senior dance major, following her passion is what college is all about. Dancing since she was three, Martinez says that she has always known that she wanted to dance.

“For the most part I just always thought that I would be a dancer, so education is now something I’m tackling because I want consistency in my career,” said Martinez.

Martinez moved to Oregon from the California Bay Area with her daughter to attend Western’s dance program.

“I moved up here to pursue the academic end of dance, I decided randomly that I wanted to be a professor of dance,” said Martinez. “I’d been doing a lot of the small companies in the Bay Area and a lot of modern companies, and pay isn’t always great and rarely do you get health benefits.

Turn the music up

Many concerts are set to happen locally over the next several months

By Alyssa James Staff Writer As the weather begins to warm up, students may be wondering what to do in their free time. For music fans, the answer is simple: go to concerts. Seeing a band or artist live may require some planning and cost, but the memories can last a lifetime. Over the next few months, a variety of different artists will travel to Oregon to play their music.

Based originally out of Seattle, Fleet Foxes is an indie folk band who

There really is no assurance.”

“I randomly said teaching makes sense for me now, so I just went for it.

Someone told me about Western and I applied and got it and moved my daughter and I up here. Immediately I was notified through the dance department here that one of the professors, Darryll Thomas, that him and his wife run a company and that if you wanted any possible teaching jobs to get your resume in immediately.”

Through that, Martinez was connected to the Rainbow Dance Company, who she has been with ever since.

“I joined the company and I’ve been with them for three years. I’m going to continue with them for a fourth year before I go to grad school,” said Martinez. “It’s a touring company, we perform in the spring dance concert,

we go to Canada a lot. I love it, it allows for a lot of creative freedom.

I can continue my performance and then pursue the academic end. It’s been a good blend.”

Martinez says that her biggest accomplishment of a dancer has been finding her voice.

“When I found a style of dance called “release technique,” it’s an antimovement to the formatted Graham and Limon, it’s all about freedom and releasing, using organic movement.

When I found that it was like ‘yeah, that’s me, that’s what I want.”

When she’s not dancing, Martinez also loves cooking and reading about mythology. Martinez loves that many rituals can be shown and told about through dance, which has helped to influence some of her dancing at Western.

“I’m actually a mythology nut. I love mythology and cultural anthropology.

I love to read books on myth and my overall goal of dance is to merge the two. I’ve done two pieces here at Western, one was based on voodoo ritual and the second was based on the Native American process possession and their beliefs on that.”

Martinez’s goal is to be a dance professor and have a resident company.

“I want to leave some sort of teaching philosophy. I have one mentor here, Les Wantanabe. To me, he’s one of those teachers whose lessons will be repeating in my mind for the rest of my life. I want to be that teacher, if I could be that one day, that’d be awesome.”

made their way onto the music scene in 2006. After taking a break in 2103, they came back in 2016 and now have a new album, “Crack-Up,” planned to release on June 16. They will be performing at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland on May 18 and at Edgefield in Troutdale on Sept. 16.

For a concert that is more local, The Sleep Millennium, an indie space-rock band, will be playing at The Space Concert Club in Salem for their debut performance on May 21.

This event is 21-plus and will cost $15.

More information will be provided at spaceconcertclub.com. To experience a fresh new sound, this concert is worth checking out.

From a small town in the United Kingdom, Ed Sheeran pursued music vigorously. Last month, he released his third album “Divide.” With that new album, he is also on tour and will be coming to the United States. For the pop-lovers, he will be at the Moda

Center in Portland on July 30. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.com from $39.50 to $89.50 depending on seats.

A throwback band for many, Rooney started up in 1999 and is still performing today. Categorized as alternative and indie rock, their latest album, “Washed Away,” came out last year. They planned to come to Portland last December but rescheduled their concert for this upcoming July 26 at the Doug Fir Lounge. The show is 21plus and tickets for this show cost $16 and went on sale April 7 on ticketfly. com.

A British rock band, Catfish and the Bottlemen, will be playing at the Roseland Theater in Portland on May 27 and at the Moda Center on Aug. 2. Although they started the band in 2007, they began to be more noticed with the releases of their first three singles followed by their debut album “The Balcony.” Following that, in 2016

they put out another album entitled “The Ride.” Tickets for the Roseland show are $25 and can be purchased through Roseland Theater’s website.

For those who enjoy spending time at music festivals, Musicfest Northwest’s Project Pabst will be happening on Aug. 26 and 27. Project Pabst is a two-day musical festival taking place in Portland. Beck, who broke into the scene in 1985 and has been present ever since, will be performing on the 27th during the festival; this event is 21-plus. Tickets are available at ticketfly.com and range from $65 for a one-day pass to $99 for a weekend pass.

No matter the preference of genre, there are concerts happening locally for all to enjoy.

WOU.EDU/WESTERNJOURNAL

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Contact the author at ajames16@mail. wou.edu

10

HUMOR

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

This week in completely made up horoscopes

Compiled by Western Journal Staff Aries 3/21-4/19

Taurus 4/20-5/20

Gemini 5/21-6/20

Cancer 6/21-7/22

No one gets your puns, Aries. It’s time to stop trying to force them.

It’s time to stop moving your phone charger everywhere, Taurus. One of these days you won’t find it and your phone will die.

So, here’s the thing …

You smell.

Leo 7/23-8/22

Virgo 8/23-9/22

Libra 9/23-10/22

Scorpio 10/23-11/21

I know it’s kitten season Leo, but resist the urge. A cat is a 20-year commitment that you don’t have time for.

Get real, Virgo; you can’t hide inside forever. Accept that you have allergies, then embrace the sweet rarity of Oregon sunshine.

Spring cleaning applies to your email, too, Libra.

It’s time to bring that unread-number down to under 100.

The stars believe in you, Scorpio. Success is your own decision.

Sagittarius 11/22-12/21

Capricorn 12/22-1/19

Aquarius 1/20-2/18

Pisces 2/19-3/20

Having all your building’s laundry machines break sucks, but you can make it through. At least it’s only week two.

You’ve actually been left-handed your entire life.

Hurricanes happen on a predictable scale.

Break free, young fishy.

Get to the pool early this year, Pisces. It’ll be cold, but you’ll be there before it’s cool.

Illustrations by ELISSA SORENSON

The scientific community estimates that there are at least 100 stars in the known universe.

Truly astonishing.

WOU.EDU/WESTERNJOURNAL

EDITORIAL

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

11 Photo courtesy of STARWARS.COM

The poster for “The Force Awakens” is full of old characters and fresh faces

so what’s this about a star war?

By Ashton Newton Entertainment Editor “Star Wars” is easily one of the most important parts of my life. I’ve been watching those films since before I can remember. My Christmas tree is mostly “Star Wars” ornaments, my bookshelf is covered in the novels and my Lego collection is not the kind I’d show a girl after a first date.

I frequently get asked what I think the best “Star Wars” film is and it usually breaks into a long, passionate rant. It’s time to set these opinions in stone.

The best film in the franchise is “Episode V: Empire Strikes Back.”

This film has it all: intense battle scenes, compelling characters, a huge expansion of the “Star Wars” universe and one of the most intense plot twists in movie history. “Empire Strikes Back” is dark, iconic and easily the best “Star Wars” film around.

My second favorite is an unpopular opinion. I think the second best “Star Wars” film is “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.” The writing is atrocious, the acting is almost worse and Lucas’ vision didn’t quite translate to screen the way he wanted, but that doesn’t change the fact that “Revenge of the Sith” is a huge, beautiful film in the universe that I love

oh-so-much.

I don’t watch “Star Wars” because it’s a well written piece of art, I watch “Star Wars” because I love the politics, I love the history, I love the mystery. I believe that “Revenge of the Sith” is a beautiful bridge between the prequels and the original trilogy that expands the universe more than any other film did.

The third best is “Episode IV: A New Hope.” One must give credit where credit is due. “A New Hope” is a simple film, but one that shaped this entire trilogy and my life. Compared to the other films, it’s very small but without it there would be no “Star Wars.”

Tied for fourth is “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi” and “Episode VII: The Force Awakens.” These are both great films with huge flaws. “Return of the Jedi” is repetitive with the second

Death Star. Also, it irritates me that the Galactic Empire is taken down by a bunch of cute tree bears. The film doesn’t finish out the series as largely as I would want and that definitely brings it down.

“The Force Awakens” is also a really great movie that brings in new characters and revamps the series. My problem with it is that it is essentially a redone “New Hope.” A group of people, against all odds, work together to destroy a giant planet-killing superweapon. I really didn’t need to see that a third time.

The worst two films are “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” and “Episode II: Attack of the Clones.” Scientifically explaining the force, romantic subplots, Jar Jar Binks and overdone politics make for a pretty lackluster two movies.

There are some great parts of those The iconic “Star Wars” logo

Photo courtesy of THESTATESMAN.COM

A “Star Wars” bestto-worst analysis

films though. Seeing the Jedi in all their glory is extremely satisfying and characters like Count Dooku and Jango Fett went down as instant classics. The novelizations are also very well-written and help to fix some of the things that the films got wrong. On my movie watching list, however, they sit at the bottom.

My honorable mention is the most recent spinoff movie “Rogue One.” Overall, “Rogue One” is a mundane film that is easy to fall asleep to in the first hour, but the last act of the movie puts the “War” in “Star Wars” more than any other film does.

The stakes are high and remain feeling high, the loss feels real and tragic and the action scenes are dark and intense. Before “Rogue One,” battle scenes never felt very intense. Mostly because it’s obvious that the main characters would survive and good would win. “Rogue One” blurs those lines a bit and makes for a great battle sequence.

“Star Wars,” to me, is the most exciting fictional universe around.

The lore is rich with mystery and there are hundreds of doors that could be opened. Whether the film is good or not, all “Star Wars” movies are important and help to create one of the best series in entertainment.

Contact the author at anewton15@wou. edu

WOU.EDU/WESTERNJOURNAL

TAIL-END

Photo courtesy of VOX.COM

12

The Western Journal Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Continued from page 2 a permanent member of staff and later let go from the adjunct position that she had held.

Though the court found that discrimination based on sexual orientation is in violation of the Civil Rights Act, they didn’t make an official ruling in the case of Hively vs. Ivy Tech.

In Oregon, discrimination based on sexual orientation is already prohibited under

the Oregon Equality Act of 2007: “The Oregon Equality Act forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity or expression in several critical areas,” states the Lambda Legal website.

These critical areas include discrimination in employment, public accommodation, housing and financial transactions, jury service, state institutions, foster parenting and public school education.

INQUIRERS WEEKEND April 20-22, 2017

If you feel that you’ve been discriminated against in either of the above listed settings because of sexual orientation or gender identity, you can find out more about filing a complaint with the Bureau of Labour and Industries on oregon.gov.

Contact the author journalmanaging@wou.edu

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