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WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY | WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 VOLUME 17 ISSUE 27
news
ASWOU welcomes new crew Page 2
sports
Joey Crunkilton looks to future after baseball Page 4
campus life Remembering Brandon Lin Page 6
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NEWS
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
THE WESTERN JOURNAL
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF STEPHANIE BLAIR
journaleditor@wou.edu
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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
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PHOTO EDITOR PAUL F. DAVIS
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SUBMISSIONS
Following a three week push for student votes, the ASWOU election results are in By Jade Rayner News Editor The Associated Students of Western Oregon University began its round of yearly elections, which ran from Monday, May 1 through Friday, May 19. Week one was filled with multiple opportunities to meet candidates, including both formal and informal meet and greet events, and a candidate question forum. Due to a lack of student votes in the first week, elections were extended a second week and then a third week was added in order to receive as much input from students as possible. After three weeks of campaigning, the results are in. Jessica Freeman will be taking on the role of ASWOU President for the 2017-2018 academic year. For those who didn’t get a chance to know her during the campaigning process, Freeman’s platform read, “I have been involved with ASWOU since my first year at Western Oregon University. I started my journey through ASWOU as a Senator, where I was elected by the Senate Body to hold the position of Senate Parliamentarian, and the chair of two separate subcommittees. During my second year within ASWOU, I was elected as the Senate President, where I took the information gained as a Senator, and put it to better use. After two years in Senate, I wanted to challenge myself even more during my third year in ASWOU, so I ran and was elected the Judicial Administrator. I have been a branch head for two years now, which gives me invaluable experience and has
prepared me to run for ASWOU President. Through my three years in ASWOU, I have seen three different administrations; I have seen firsthand what tactics work and what tactics do not work for this organization. I am extremely knowledgeable and passionate about ASWOU, and with my past experiences I am the most qualified candidate for ASWOU President.” Freeman went on to explain that, “ASWOU was cut 30 percent of their budget through the Incidental Fee Committee Process during Winter Term 2017. The next ASWOU President will have to work hard and creatively in order to allow ASWOU to function at its highest with such an extensive cut. Through my experience in both Senate and Judicial Board, I am ready to dedicate my last year at Western Oregon University to ensure ASWOU is properly overseen and assists the wide range of student populations WOU has to offer. Focusing within ASWOU, I intend to challenge the positions in cabinet whose primary functions are to produce outreach strategies. The ASWOU Executive Branch has severely suffered from a lack of outreach recently, and students need to know ASWOU exists to serve them. When looking at WOU, students for many years have voiced negative opinions about the Oregon Student Association (OSA). If elected ASWOU President, I will focus on improving the relationship ASWOU and WOU have with OSA based on student feedback and how students want their money to be spent. I am a hardworking individual who is dedicated to the improvement of ASWOU as a whole. The next academic year will be an interesting challenge, and one that I have waited three years for. I am ready to take on the honored responsibility of being the ASWOU President for the 2017-2018 academic year.”
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reads that, “...Western Oregon University is an institution that prides itself on its student diversity...In the Preamble of the Associated Students of Western Oregon University’s Constitution, it reads ‘...do establish this Constitution and authorize the Student Government of the association thus formed, to represent the students of Western Oregon University.’ There are many students at WOU that don’t identify/express/conform to the sex they were assigned at birth.” Now that the bill has been approved by both the senate and the student body, “...The ASWOU Constitution Article I Section 2.a.iv. shall be changed to include gender expression and identity and read: ‘Each member of the ASWOU has the right to be free from discrimination inclusive of, but not limited to, the following areas: race, color, national ancestry, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex, age, and individuals with mental and/or physical disabilities,’” according to Referendum 3.17. Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu
ASWOU’s 2017-2018 president Jessica Freeman
Photo courtesy of JESSICA FREEMAN
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.
The new faces of ASWOU
In addition to a new president, ASWOU has also gained a new vice president. Evelyn Guzman, who in her platform stated, “I am running for Vice President because I feel like I have knowledge, enthusiasm, and skills I can contribute to ASWOU. I have been very involved since my first year at WOU and I have been learning a lot about different aspects of our community,” will now be assisting with administrative duties alongside Freeman, among other responsibilities. The positions of ASWOU senate president, judicial administrator, senator and the Incidental Fee Committee member were filled by Lila Jones, Logan Doerfler, Roger Deleon and Eric Frey. Alex Quintana was voted into the role of justice. In addition to filling executive, senate and judicial seats, Referendum 3.17 was voted in 455-47. Referendum 3.17, which “adds gender expression and gender identity to the ASWOU Constitution as areas that will shall not be discriminated against,” as explained on the voter form, had already been passed in the ASWOU Senate. In more detail, Senate Bill 3.17
NEWS
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Liberal arts education and Western Paul Hanstedt discusses the many different ways in which liberal arts education is taught
By Jade Rayner News Editor
Hanstedt ended his presentation by encouraging the Western professors in the room to discuss the different types of general education models, and which ones could work with Western’s program. He left everyone with the question, “What kind of graduates do we wish to produce?” Contact the author at journalnews@ wou.edu
Paul Hanstedt discussing liberal arts education
Date: May 15, 2017 Time: 9:22 a.m. Incident: Public Safety took an information report regarding an off campus bike theft.
Date: May 12, 2017 Time: 4:00 p.m. Incident: Public Safety was contacted in reference to a mental health incident in their office.
Date: May 15, 2017 Time: 10:10 p.m. Incident: Public Safety responded to a report about a possible drug violation in Landers Hall.
Date: May 12, 2017 Time: 8:00 p.m. Incident: Public Safety responded to a marijuana complaint in Heritage Hall.
Date: May 16, 2017 Time: 9:50 a.m. Incident: Public Safety took a bike theft report valuing $400 at Heritage Hall.
Date: May 15, 2017 Time: 12:45 a.m. Incident: Public Safety was contacted for a medical assist in Heritage Hall.
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Photo by PAUL F. DAVIS
Western Oregon University fits under the description of a liberal arts college, but as participants of the “Current Trends in Liberal Education: What’s Driving the Change?” town hall session on Thursday, May 18 learned, liberal arts education is a broad term for many different types of education systems. Paul Hanstedt, an English professor at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., held the session in order to discuss the changes in general education over time. He challenged the professor-heavy group in attendance to look at the way other colleges organize their general education programs and envision how those systems may or may not work
with Western’s curriculum. Hanstedt prefaced his presentation saying, “part of the conversation about the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ is really important...one of the things we figured out is in order for it to make sense to students, they need to have a very clear understanding, not just of what you want them to learn, but why you want them to learn.” He later went on to talk about the difficulties of fitting a continuously growing course load into a four-year degree plan using his English classes as an example. “Here’s how it’s happened in the last thirty years in our field … you’d study Chaucer, you’d study Dickens, you’d study the Brontës, George Eliot. You knew who you were gonna study… Well, then suddenly we realize ‘hey, wow, there’s a bunch of other writers from other cultures, and there’s a bunch of other literatures from all over the world,’” explained Hanstedt. “So
the cannon, what we need to cover, has spread… now we have to think not just about what to read, but about how we read it… we can’t cover everything. We just simply can’t. It’s growing so quickly.” Another issue that Hanstedt discussed was the way in which the workplace is changing, which then affects the way that colleges frame their degree programs, saying, “If 80 percent of the classes a student takes are within a major where the goal is content coverage and skill coverage, then if the student changes [their] field they’re in trouble.” Using a study done by Harvard Research Associates in 2015 that states, “93 percent of employers care more about applicant’s problem solving skills, critical thinking skills and communication skills than they do about the field that the student studied in.” Hanstedt spoke about how that can become an issue if a particular degree program focuses too much on a student’s major. “Students have to be prepared not just for what they know, but for what they don’t know.”
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SPORTS
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Photo courtesy of JOEY CRUNKILTON’S FACEBOOK
crunk at the crossroads The three-college journey of Joey Crunkilton
By Burke De Boer | Sports Writer
Western Nevada was happy to punch the not-great-student’s ticket. For two years, Crunkilton took a scholarship to play ball in the desert mountains. Both years he earned all-conference honors. But a junior college is only a launching pad. “I had offers from random schools,” said Crunkilton. “And I wasn’t sure, I wasn’t getting a gut feeling on where I wanted to go. So I ended up sending my own info out to WOU, and they were like ‘Yeah, we want you.’” Then UC Santa Barbara called. “I wanted to go to a Division I school more than anything.” Santa Barbara, however, did not go according to plan. “Division I was much more cutthroat. I kind of got chewed up and spit out by the team. It was an eye-opening year. It’s very competitive, and if you don’t stand up and prove yourself then you get forgotten about quickly. Then they redshirted me.” After a year of practicing and not playing, Joey Crunkilton was in a funk. “I was talking to the coach and he was like ‘You’re probably gonna be a backup if you come back. Probably in a similar spot to where you are right now. Not a ton of playing time.’” So he packed his bags. He had left Western waiting, but the howling of the Wolves would wait no longer. Crunk announced himself with a home run in his debut game, a tworun smash that would prove the game winner over Azusa Pacific on Feb. 4, 2016. Unfortunately, it would be his only homer all season. In the 13 games he played in April, he went hitless in nine. He finished the season with a .245 average, one of the worst on the team. “I didn’t play much towards the end,”
Joey Crunkilton slugs against Montana State Billings, scoring seven runs against them this season
he took a pause. “I got a little nihilistic last year. It was kind of a ‘Whatever’ attitude as I stopped playing.” As a fifth-year senior, that all changed. “I had the thought, this is my last year. If I only play one game I’m still gonna go for it and do my best.” For his efforts, he helped the team earn a conference championship and sweep the playoffs. The semi-final rally against Central Washington is what Crunkilton says he’ll take away most from the season. He recalls watching the Wildcats bat from the dugout. “I was freakin’ out. They go base hit, score a run. ‘All right, 1-1.’ Home run, 3-1. ‘S---.’ Another home run, 5-1, hit, hit, 7-1. I just got this sense of calm. We were like, ‘Screw it, let’s break some hearts.’” Which is what they did, scoring 12 runs in the final three innings. Crunkilton scored two and added an RBI. “And you could see Central was like ‘What the hell just happened?’” He laughed. “That game was the coolest. That was the best way to cap off the season.” With the season done and graduation imminent, Joey faces uncertainty once more. “I want to get out of the house, dude. Just quick as possible. Find a job first and then you can get a career later.” What would this career be? He spitballs a few ideal career paths, from a fitness business to an online marketing company. “I want to do something more with music. I want to really learn how to play the drumset well, and then I want to join a band. Absolute dream job: being in a rock band. That would be very fun, I think,” he nodded as he
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thought it over. “I also really want to learn how to fight, like boxing or jiu jitsu. I was a wrestler growing up and that was always fun. It was so much just brute effort.” Maybe one day, Joey Crunkilton will be picking music to come out of the tunnel for a fight. Or maybe some future baseball player will walk up to the batter’s box while a Crunkilton drum solo plays. Or maybe neither of these things. Whatever happens, you get the sense when you talk to Crunk, it’s going to be fun. “I guess my dream would be to just make something, create a business or a product or something, that just makes people’s lives better and makes me money. Pretty simple,” and he laughed again. Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu
Crunkilton finished the year with a .303 batting average and 33 hits
“It takes you forever to find a good walk-up song,” said the designated hitter. “It’s a very big deal. I actually didn’t decide until like the last week before our first spring games, when I had to make a decision.” The man who agonized over his soundtrack is Joey Crunkilton, who played his final season in 2017. He walked up to the stadium country song “People Back Home” by Florida Georgia Line. His music in 2016 was a hard reggae track: “Vampire” by Tribal Seeds. It’s easy to understand why Crunkilton would pay special attention to his music. In addition to playing Wolves baseball, he has played cymbals for the Western drumline. “I saw a poster, ‘Western Oregon drumline: If you know how to read music call this number, we need people.’ And I was like, ‘Well, s---, I play the drums,’” he laughs. “So I called them and ended up playing football games and stuff. That was kicka--.” This is the can-do spirit that Crunkilton brings to his game. His positive attitude reverberated through the team this year. “Crunk is a great guy to be around,” said Nyles Nygaard, junior third baseman. “He always has the biggest smile on his face and is a guy people can go to for anything.” Roll back the clock a year and we would be talking about a different Crunk. Western Oregon is his third college team, after a successful run at Western Nevada College and a less successful run at UC Santa Barbara. “Baseball was the thing, and my ticket to get my way through school,” he says. “Because I’m a good student, but not a great student.”
Photo courtesy of JOEY CRUNKILTON’S FACEBOOK
SPORTS
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Photo courtesy of WOU ARCHIVES
turbulence and triumph
Sue Denison (Left) led the Wolves team to their 1984 district championship
When Wolves volleyball turned the 1980s around By Burke De Boer Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of WOU ARHIVES
Gina Seals, member of the 1987 team, second-in-the-nation
In 1982, Wolves volleyball won only one game. For their final home game, they hosted the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans, who had won the 1981 national championship. The Vulcans trashed the Wolves 2-15, 2-15, 1-15. Despite the margins, head coach Joe Caligure said after the game, “They didn’t impress me as being number one.” 1983 saw the program hire its third new coach in three years. The team needed a solution, and Gene Krieger was chosen to solve it. He brought in a number of high profile recruits and transfer students. His high rate of recruitment helped the Wolves boom from a 1-22 record in 1982 to 20-15. Joining the ranks in 1984 was allstate high school recruit setter Jody Sunde. To test their mettle, the Wolves traveled to Hawaii to open the season. Foremost among their competitors were third-time national champions Hawaii-Hilo. The Wolves held their own and split matches, and Krieger said they should be considered among the top 10 in the nation. Such notoriety was slow to come. To get the attention of the NAIA polls, they had to earn it. And so they did. By Oct. 11 they had strung together a series of blowouts: 17 wins, including an eight game streak where they didn’t lose a single set. At the end of the year they won the conference title. Krieger was voted
coach of the year and the Wolves were ranked eighth in the nation. They opened the District 2 playoffs with finesse, taking down Pacific University, 15-8, 15-7, 15-1. They further bullied their second opponents, beating George Fox 15-7, 15-10, 15-4. For the semi-final they beat secondseed Portland 15-5, 15-12, 15-7. The playoffs were double elimination, and Portland was still alive to face the Wolves again. This time Western fell, 6-15, 11-15, 10-15. A sudden-death final match would decide the district title. The Wolves pulled out a tight win, 15-13, to become champions. The road to their first ever national tournament now lay in front of them: a tri-district regional playoff. First they faced Gonzaga, and the Wolves were easily favorited over the unranked Bulldogs. The real test would be Hawaii-Hilo, who awaited the Western Oregon-Gonzaga winner. That test would never come. The
Wolves dropped the game to Gonzaga over five sets, 14-16, 15-10, 8-15, 15-3, 8-15. There was still great pride in what the program had accomplished in such a short amount of time: from heavy underdogs to heavy favorites in two years. In Feb. 1985, it was revealed that coach Krieger had given money to recruits. The Wolfpack Athletic Club was forming as a way to give athletes financial aid. The money its sponsors were donating had been an important part of Krieger’s recruiting, but the club was not yet active. “I told the kids there would be money,” Krieger said in a statement. “What was I to do? Wait for the club to get together and not give the kids the money I had promised, or give it out myself? Everything was documented. I didn’t try to hide anything.” Above board or not, the NAIA forbade “the provision of money to players by coaches.” Krieger resigned. He was tapped by Nevada Reno to take over their coaching job, and Jody Sunde and the all-league Sue Denison intended to transfer to Reno with him. Ultimately, Reno passed on Krieger and Sunde stayed in Monmouth. Denison still left. The 1985 Wolves, under new head coach Jim Callender, repeated their district championship and again faced Gonzaga. This time it was a bi-district playoff. This time the Wolves only had to win once to make nationals. This time they did. They traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first Western Oregon volleyball team to play in the national tournament. Come 1987, Jim Callender took a new job at Division I Memphis and the Western Oregon coaching door
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continued to revolve. A local was selected this time: Judy Lovre, who had coached Corvallis High to four state titles. Lovre inherited an experienced team. Only one player was lost to graduation, and she was replaced by Washington Huskies transfer Lori Sappington. At the end of the 1987 regular season, Judy Lovre’s Wolves were ranked fourth in the nation, the first Western team to crack the top five. They won the conference and district tournaments. And they went all the way to the national championship game. Though they lost to BYU-Hawaii, who picked up their second consecutive national title, the Wolves returned to Monmouth with another kind of victory. At second in the nation, no Western Oregon team in any sport had ever accomplished so much. Jody Sunde and Lori Sappington were named All-Americans. They returned, for their senior year, the veterans on a team that lost many to graduation. Despite a high turnover in players, the Wolves didn’t backslide. In fact, when they made it to the national tournament in 1988, they did even better, and won every single set in their group stage. They advanced through the doubleelimination bracket with ease until they faced Hawaii-Hilo. The Wolves lost to the Vulcans, 7-15, 11-15. They rebounded with a three-set win over Hawaii Pacific and met Hawaii-Hilo for the national title. For the second year in a row, the Wolves earned second place. Jody Sunde was even named the Reebok player of the year. Lovre remained head coach of Wolves volleyball until 2004. Over that time she amassed 489 victories, becoming the winningest coach in Western Oregon history. Lovre’s Wolves were the country’s most fearsome mainland team - the 41 NAIA tournament wins that Western Oregon recorded were third only to BYU-Hawaii and HawaiiHilo. Gene Krieger made his coaching rebound at Westmont College in 1987, and since then has helmed many teams. In March, 2017, he landed a new gig. Beginning this fall, he will be the head coach of the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans. Contact the author at journalsports@ wou.edu
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CAMPUS LIFE
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
By Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor
The words of a loving friend Remembering Brandon Lin
By Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor “He was one of the nicest, most selfless and caring people I have ever met. He was always there for his friends whenever they needed help,” said Emma Henry, friend of Brandon Lin. “Brandon and I were very close. We spent hours talking about anything
more interactive,” explained MaciasTorres. “So they decided to go with comedians.” When asked why they think it’s important to have events like this on Western’s campus, Macias-Torres replied, “Because it helps students that identify in these different cultures. It helps them feel more connected to our community. I personally felt more connected last year. Not only did it get me involved in school, but it made me feel more connected as a Latina person, because somebody is acknowledging my culture and not only that, they’re celebrating it.” “I think that it’s important to note that this event is for everyone it’s not just for Latin identifying people,” said Macias-Torres. “It’s open to the community, so you can come from anywhere and still participate in the event. A lot of people assume it’s just for one demographic, but it’s for everyone.”
team player that was always ready for a new adventure,” explained Henry. When asked what message Brandon left with his friends and family, Henry replied, “I think Brandon’s message would be ‘just do it.’ He was always very adventurous and was willing to try almost anything at least once. I think this would be his message because he had told me how before coming to Western he had a hard time making friends, especially at a community college, and also being on the shyer side,” explained Henry. “When he first got here he was determined to make the best of his college life and have fun. By making a friend in his hall he was able to branch out and meet new people and try new things. Whenever we would go out and try something new he was always the
first to try it, he encouraged his friends also to be open minded and always try something new.” “There are too many wonderful things and memories I wish could share about Brandon, but at the end of the day what I really want people to know about Brandon is that he was a very, sympathetic, sincere, reliable, generous and adventurous guy,” said Henry. “He was very much loved by all his friends and family. To put it simply, he was a great son, brother, friend and guy. Although he may not be here with us physically he has left a mark on everyone he met and will always be in our hearts,” concluded Henry.
A performer plays piano on the plaza
and everything. We talked almost every day. He was a great listener and very supportive, every time I was upset or bawling my eyes out he was always there to talk, even when he couldn’t talk right at that moment he would always make sure to call me or text me when he was free just to make sure I was okay. He was super caring.” On May 9, Western student Brandon Lin died after a car accident in Portland. Lin majored in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in literature. He lived on campus in Ackerman Hall and was preparing to serve as a peer mentor in the fall. “It was easy to talk to him. He was always fun to be with. He made even the most simple and mundane task fun. His goofy nature always brought a smile to his friends. He was a great
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Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu
Photo by PAUL F. DAVIS
The Multicultural Student Union hosts 26th annual Nuestra Fiesta Latina
Photo by PAUL F. DAVIS
a day of celebration
On May 19, the Multicultural Student Union hosted their 26th annual Nuestra Fiesta Latina on Western’s campus. The event lasted all day for the community of Western to enjoy. During the day the Werner University Center’s plaza was filled with people who surrounded booths and food carts. “During our day event, we had churros with ice cream, we had tacos by catering, carnival games that we put out, we had airbrush tattoos and a photo booth that printed actual pictures,” explained Katherine MaciasTorres, a sophomore psychology major and campus advocate for the Multicultural Student Union. All of the food was fairly inexpensive, for instance the $2 tacos, but some lucky passerby-students received coupons for free churros or tacos. However, the carnival games, photo booth and airbrush tattoos were free to those who wished to enjoy their splendor. The Nuestra Fiesta Latina had three parts in total for the event. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Multicultural Student Union held the festival in the Werner University Plaza. Then from 6:30-8 p.m. they hosted a dinner with comedic entertainment and dancing entertainment and then to finish the celebration, the Multicultural Student Union hosted a dance, or “Baile,” to end the night with a bang. During the dinner portion of the Nuestra Fiesta Latina, there was live entertainment in the form of Traditional Mexican Dancing and comedians. “We usually have a mariachi band, but this year’s coordinators wanted to have something else, and something
A musician from the Nuestra Fiesta Latina
Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu
CAMPUS LIFE
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
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Alternative Break Teams and Service Learning and Career Development Center hold Flee Market for a Cause By Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor
On May 16, the Alternative Break Teams and Service Learning and Career Development Center teamed up to put on the Flea Market for a Cause on the Werner University Center Plaza. The Flee Market contained gently used, donated professional and semi-professional clothes for students of Western to buy. “This event specifically is to help
students who are trying to enter the professional world,” said Courtney Cunningham, a junior early childhood education major. “It helps them start off with a set of attire that’s going to help them be successful in the professional world. It really helps out the students, and we’re thinking of them when we hold these events. Like, ‘what do they need, what do they want and what is going to help them the most?’” All of the money made from the Flee Market will go towards sending students from the Alternative Break Team to help in different countries around the world. Along with reselling clothes, the Alternative Break Team also made baked goods to sell.
“We have three teams,” explained Cunningham. “We have our Costa Rica team, a Peru team and a Thailand team. The Costa Rica team works with at risk youth, in one of the poorest communities in Costa Rica, and then Peru works with animal care and Thailand specifically helps with education. These events in general are to help our students who are on the teams, be able to go on these trips and experience these new things, and help people all over the world.” If one felt like they missed the chance to donate or help the Alternative Break Teams travel around the world, it’s okay, because they are always accepting donations.
Students working at the “Flee Market”
“This happens every year, so if anyone else still wanted to donate, they can contact Kathryn Plummer in the Service Learning and Career Development Center,” explained Cunningham. “She’s kind of the one running this. You could also contact any of the Alternative Break Team Leaders.” All clothes donated now can be used for next years Flee Market for a Cause, so feel free to get rid of professional and semi-professional clothes that are no longer needed, to help Western students help others. Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu
21 and up With a nice atmosphere and wide variety of cocktails and wine, the restaurant Crush Wine Bar and Tasting Room gives patrons a place to relax and have a drink. Even college students get tired of the bar scene, and Crush gives customers an opportunity to have a drink without yelling over music. This week I tried one of Crush’s signature cocktails called the Marionberry Whiskey Smash. The cocktail contained muddled mint, lemon, simple syrup, marionberry whiskey and blackberry puree. When I first got the drink, I expected to be able to really taste and find the whiskey, but was pleasantly surprised with a much stronger taste of mint and lemon, with only a hint of marionberry. Honestly, the mint was my favorite part of the cocktail. Crush used mint that smelled so fresh, as if it had just been picked for my drink. It took me back to my home laying in my front yard with my nose right next
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Photo by PAUL F. DAVIS
helping western students help others
Crush Wine Bar and Tasting Room’s Marionberry Whiskey Smash: a cocktail review By Paige Scofield Campus Life Editor
to the fresh mint growing next to our flowers. I’d take a mint leaf and chew on it. Distinctly tasting sweet at first, and then a strange earthy aftertaste. That’s exactly what I was tasting when I was enjoying Crush’s Marionberry Whiskey Smash. I assumed it would taste overwhelmingly like marionberry, but I was excited to taste nostalgia from my childhood in the form of mint. I give this cocktail five stars and two thumbs way up because of its minty freshness and easy to drink qualities. Crush Wine Bar and Tasting Room is open Monday through Thursday from 12-10 p.m., Friday from 12-11 p.m. and Saturday from 3-11 p.m. They’re located at 105 Main St. E., in Monmouth. If you’re of age, make sure to pop in and give the Marionberry Whiskey Smash a try. Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu
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ENTERTAINMENT
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
A night of laughs
Comedian Pete Lee performs at Western
By Nick Ketcham | Freelancer
Although there were more flags than people in the Werner University Center Pacific Room on the evening of May 15, the air was casually laced with
Western Oregon University as part of a coordinated effort between the Western Student Activity Board and his nationwide college tour, during which he has visited over 500 colleges. Just a little over a week prior, Pete Lee was standing before the nation in his first appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, one of his many appearances on national television. Pete has performed on Comedy Central, NBC and CBS, and has been a cast member and writer for major programs such as Fuse T.V.’s “Video on Trial,” VH1’s “Best Week Ever” and the NFL “Top 10’s.” Pete Lee described himself as a soft, pleasant midwesterner from small Photo courtesy of THECOLLEGEAGENCY.COM town Wisconsin. Throughout the anticipation as Pete Lee, nationally entire performance, Lee showcased his acclaimed comedian, approached the sensitive side with various jokes about stage. love, life and crying so hard in public Pete stood before the students of that actual babies stop crying just to
Review: “Alien: Covenant” Ridley Scott’s latest “Alien” film is horrifying, but flawed By Ashton Newton | Entertainment Editor Photo courtesy of ALIENCOVENT.COM
“Alien: Covenant” is a horror movie. That’s completely clear from every promotion and based on the movies that came before it, but “Alien:
Covenant” doesn’t wear the mask of a horror movie. The film appears to be an epic adventure film with an ensemble cast and a rich backstory, but there’s a
lot more going on. The diversity of settings helps to give “Alien: Covenant” an adventuremovie feeling. Jumping from location to location, the film explores some intriguing locations and forces viewers to be on their feet, nowhere is ever safe. It takes a long time for any horror movie tropes to pop up in the film. Setting the stage as an action and adventure movie, the main focus is put on the characters and the experiences and trials that they’re going through. The events of 2012’s “Prometheus” played directly into the movie. Michael Fassbender reprised his role as the antagonist. “Alien: Covenant” helped to make some of the confusing parts of “Prometheus” more clear, without serving as a direct sequel. Where “Alien: Covenant” shines the most is in its characters. The crew of The Covenant are an entertaining group of people who are easy to get attached to right away. On their way to a planet for a colonization mission, the crew is composed of couples, which makes the characters more emotion-driven. Even the smallest side character has something dear to them, which makes all the tragedy and triumph in the film much more personal. Having 15 crew members highlighted in the film, not everyone gets a lot of screen time. When a very small character with hardly any lines makes an extremely dumb choice or an avoidable error, it really stands out and is distracting. This happens multiple times in the film, characters who don’t really add to the plot will make
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wonder “how much poop does that guy have in his diaper.” In addition to having funny, unique jokes, Pete interacted with the audience and was able to quickly react to joke opportunities. For example, the squeak of a chair resulted in an accusation that “somebody in the back had stepped on Mariah Carey.” Despite his busy schedule, Lee took time at the end of the show to interact and take pictures with fans. He also took a brief moment to plug social media accounts as well as a recent segment he did on “The Tonight Show,” which you can watch on his YouTube channel. Contact the author at nketcham16@ wou.edu
an unrealistic choice that jeopardizes things for everyone. It’s noticeably lazy writing, and “Alien: Covenant” relies on it at times. These characters are brought to life by stunning performances all around. Michael Fassbender plays two different androids and is able to set their character traits apart very well. Katherine Waterston gave an incredible performance as the film’s protagonist, Daniels, as she struggled through loss, survival and lots of aliens. The aliens were the most disappointing part of the film. Not only were the special effects low quality, but the aliens weren’t even the central threat in the film. “Alien: Covenant” felt more like a movie talking about the dangers of artificial intelligence than a horror movie about aliens. Michael Fassbender gave a fantastic performance as the film’s antagonist, but so much so that the actual aliens feel like less of a threat. Rather than relying on jump-scares, “Alien: Covenant” follows the footsteps of its predecessors with intense, horrifying scenes of violence and gore. These scenes are necessary for the plot and for the “Alien” franchise, but they’re definitely not for weak stomachs. “Alien: Covenant” is an intense film with great performances, but the focus on Michael Fassbender’s antagonist takes away from the horror aspect of the film and that lowers the quality considerably. Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu
ENTERTAINMENT
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
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Western student recitals Three end of the year senior recitals from Western music students
Hannah Hazlewood’s senior recital on May 16 put an emphasis on vocal performance. Performing a musical, “Once Upon A Dream,” that incorporated music from other musicals, Hazlewood’s senior recital included other actors and singers as well to put on an entertaining show about love and dreams. The recital included music from musicals such as “Into the Woods,” “Enchanted,” “Cinderella” and more through six scenes that told the story of a young
(Pictured from left to right) Yuzhou Huang, Emily Dalziel, Hannah Hazelwood, and Cole Aldred during the senior recitals
woman finding love. The musical was narrated by Eli Schenk and included vocal performances from Laura Killip, Cole Aldred and Scott Dickens.
Yuzhou Huang performed seven pieces for his senior piano recital on May 18. The performance showcased Huang’s piano ability with songs from Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin and more. Huang played music through close to a hundred years of classical composers, beginning with Scarletti and ending
Review: “Goths”
The Mountain Goats’ latest album is unique and well-written, but dragged down by a few unmemorable songs
with Chopin. The performance ended with Huang thanking his parents, who couldn’t make it to the recital due to their jobs in China, but it was recorded to send to them later on. Huang also took a moment to thank his professors before playing his final song.
written in 1777, to a work of Dmitri Shostakovich’s, written in the early 20th century. Other composers performed include Frederick Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn and Claude Debussy. Dalziel also took time to thank her professors, students and family for supporting her.
Emily Dalziel’s senior recital took place on May 19. She performed pieces Contact the author at from five different composers on the journalentertainment@wou.edu piano. The composers ranged from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s piece,
songs. “Stench of the Unburied” also doesn’t match up well to the quality of the album. “Goths” isn’t the best Mountain Goats album, but after 16 albums, that’s a lot to ask for. “Goths” gets a lot right in it’s lyrical storytelling and use
By Ashton Newton | Entertainment Editor The Mountain Goats’ 16th album, “Goths” opens with the pre-released song “Rain in Soho,” a serious, dark tune that sets the album up with engaging lyrics and a catchy melody. Lyrical storytelling is the highlight of “Goths,” almost every song is very lyricheavy and strays away from the normal conventions of songs, through means such as blurring the lines between verses and choruses. “The Grey King and the Silver Flame Attunement” stood out in this respect. The storyheavy verses are matched by the simple chorus that says “I’m hardcore, but I’m not that hardcore.” “Goths” also uses lots of experimental instruments that aren’t typically heard in the indie folk genre. The album doesn’t use guitar like The Mountain Goats have in the past, instead, the album is mainly held up by drums, piano and bass. This choice sets “Goths” apart from previous albums and makes for a fresh sound. Horn instruments
Photos by PAUL F. DAVIS
By Ashton Newton | Entertainment Editor
are also present in songs like “Paid in Cocaine” and “For the Portuguese Goth Metal Bands.” This gives these songs a classical feel and works well. “For the Portuguese Goth Metal Bands” is one of the best tracks on the album. Not only does it have a unique sound with horn instruments and a mellow tone, it puts most of its focus on the verses. The song has a two-line hook in between the longer verses, rather than a chorus. This puts a lot of emphasis on the storytelling aspect of the song and makes for one of the most memorable songs on the album. “Goths” is a unique and well done album, but there are a few songs that fail to be memorable. “Unicorn Tolerance” caught my eye because of the title, but the song, itself, fell flat. The song sounds like a generic attempt at an indie tune and zooms by without anything specific really standing out. The album begins and ends strongly, but the middle holds some of the weaker
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of experimental instruments, but a few weaker, generic sounding songs keep it from being truly amazing. Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu Photo courtesy of MOUNTAINGOATS.COM
HUMOR
When you find yourself in times of trouble, Bo Burnham will come to you. Speaking words of wisdom, “#Deep.”
Compiled by Western Journal Staff
GEMINI 5/21-6/20
Dude, have you ever seen a full-on silverback gorilla? It’s absolutely nuts. That thing could tear you apart.
Get to know your history; read some fish poems.
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VIRGO 8/23-9/22
It’s almost ice tea season, Leo. But that doesn’t mean you have to sip it all day long. Get me?
SAGITTARIUS 11/22-12/21
If you’re looking for a little pick me up during your classes, try buying yourself scented markers. Unleash your inner child.
SCORPIO 10/23-11/21
We’re sorry, but the horoscope you are trying to reach is not available. Please close the newspaper and observe the arrangement of the stars more closely before returning.
Dont quit school yet, Taurus. You’re almost there, just four more weeks!
PISCES 2/19-3/30
TAURUS 4/20-5/20 LEO 7/23-8/22
If you only eat the M&M’s in your trail mix, just buy M&M’s!
AQUARIUS 1/20-2/18
CAPRICORN 12/22-1/19
LIBRA 9/23-10/22
CANCER 6/21-7/22
ARIES 3/21-4/19
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The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
The stars are telling me that you’re looking in all the wrong places. Your keys are under your couch.
Don’t underestimate the power of the high five, sweet Virgo. The stars are telling me that it will help put some pep in your step this week.
The stars are saying something about re-evaluating your moral alignment. Don’t make decisions based on a two-word descriptor, Sagittarius.
Water is clinically proven to both prevent and cause death, so stay safe y’all.
EDITORIAL
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
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Why linguistics should be taught in public education A future where students get answers to why ‘and’ can’t start at the beginning of a sentence By Kristin Eck | Copy Editor
It’s time that people in the linguistics world stop differentiating themselves from people in the “real world.” I’m excited for the opportunity to live in a future that will incorporate linguistics into the public education system. When I tell people I’m a linguistics major most of them assume I either know or am studying multiple languages. I tell them that linguistics is more about understanding how language operates as a system, rather than the physical expression of language as seen through various world languages. In other words, I study linguistics and I’m shockingly fluent in only one language. Many of my discussions end in confusion about why someone would ever study such a non-applicable subject. To many people, linguistics is considered a fairly new field of research that didn’t really gain traction until the ‘70s with Noam Chomsky’s work on cognitive linguistics. I’m no expert in linguistics. In fact, I’ve barely dipped my toes into its imperceptible depths. But as an undergraduate student with a passion for what I’m studying, I can attempt to answer the questions that seem to have so many puzzled: what will I do with linguistics and what is it even good for? I’ll start off by saying that I believe linguistics should be widely taught in public education. I’ll even be so bold as to say that linguistics could easily replace traditional grammar lessons and greatly improve the rate at which people of all ages acquire second languages. Have you ever had a teacher tell you not to start a sentence with but? Or not to use “that” after a semicolon? Or not to switch tenses in a sentence? We’re told not to do very specific things in public education but are never told why. Linguistics has the answers. Linguistics has the potential to improve reading and writing skills while bettering language acquisition and cross-cultural understanding. I recently read an article about two educators in New York, Mary Moran and Patricia Paugh, who successfully incorporated linguistics into their third-grade urban classroom in an
effort to achieve academic literacy. Their daring venture paid off and their students improved not only their writing and speaking skills, but also their critical thinking ability. Moran and Paugh had to accommodate common challenges found in urban classrooms and they were discouraged that some of their students struggled more than others. Many of their students came from different backgrounds, some with English as their second language, and struggled to assimilate to their learning environment. The biggest challenge for the educators was trying to get their students to understand how to use appropriate language in specific genres, primarily academic writing. Their project was aimed at bringing
interact with the community. The students were given journals and were told to write down common words they observed and anything they found interesting. The farmers and volunteers at these sites also helped educate the students and taught them about planting, weeding and the importance of good soil. When the students returned to the classroom, they would free-write in their journals about what they had experienced, using the terminology that they learned that day. These experiences and lessons helped students understand how to write academically by connecting reallife experiences to their writing and making them relatable and memorable to the students.
context into the classroom so students could relate to what they were being taught and understand how language was used differently in various fields. They started by accumulating thematic collections of texts, such as, gardening books, books about animals and cookbooks. From their collections, Moran and Paugh decided that a gardening unit would suit their classroom curriculum for fall semester without encroaching on their state’s mandated core curriculum. The garden unit gave students the opportunity to work in their school and community gardens, as well as go out to local farmer’s markets and
As I mentioned before, their efforts paid off and the students literacy increased year after year. By cultivating the students’ language awareness, their students were able to identify certain language features present in different genres and use them appropriately. The focus on student-generated knowledge, rather than curriculumbased knowledge, gave the students confidence to utilize the knowledge they had acquired. They eventually went on to share their knowledge with Contact the author at keck14@wou.edu other students in the school. In linguistic terms, Moran and Paugh were incorporating two linguistic theories of learning. The first Photo courtesy of THEGUARDIAN.COM
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is called Critical Pedagogy of Place, which involves the physical spaces of communities that we often take for granted and is aimed at making education personally relevant to students. Additionally, CPP is designed to mold students into active, helpful members of their communities by giving them contextual relevance in relation to what they’re learning. The second is similar to CPP but focuses more on language; Systemic Functional Linguistics aims to connect language to social contexts. SFL is important in this story because the educators observed how common core language arts lessons are designed to be as a received set of skills. SFL is different in that is focuses on the function of language, and it’s the function of language that drives its purpose in society. These are just two linguistic theories that I believe could vastly improve our education system. It’s difficult to remember what it was like learning to write because English-speakers who grew up in the public education system learned that skill at such an early age. However, many students don’t have the privilege of growing up in an Englishspeaking household where things at home have the same name as they do in the outside world. But besides helping people with language acquisition, theories like SFL simply make more sense from an educational standpoint. Currently, language arts, writing and grammar are taught as a specific set of skills that students must master. Students are given no explanation as to why they’re learning this stuff, and if an inquisitive student dares to ask for an explanation, most of the time they won’t get a satisfying answer. I am excited to be a part of a future where SFL and CPP could be universally incorporated into the education system. I’m also proud to say that Western is one of the few schools in Oregon that actually require teachers to study linguistics. While I don’t plan on making a career out of teaching others, I do hope to further research in this field, research that advocates for linguistics making its debut into the “real world.”
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TAIL-END
The Western Journal Wednesday, May 24, 2017
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