By: Jade Rayner
News Editor

Enrique Santos
Year: Junior
Major: Theatre
Answer: “All the steps you have to go through to graduate.”
Article:
Western’s 160th Commencement ceremony will be taking place at McArthur Field and Stadium on June 17.

Students planning to walk this year should have already gone through the steps necessary to graduate at the end of the spring 2017 term. For those planning to graduate in the spring 2018 class, now is the time to start the application process.

The first step is to apply to graduate. Before applying, students should verify that the information in their DegreeWorks is correct.

As the Office of the Registrar noted on the application for an undergraduate degree, “we recommend that you apply three terms before your anticipated graduation term.”

The application can be found at wou.edu/registrar/forms.

Once the application is complete, it must be turned in to the Office of the Registrar, located in room 104 of the Lieuallen Administration Building. A fee of $50 will be charged to the student’s account.

Following the application process, students must sign up for commencement using their Portal. The spring 2017 deadline to do this was May 12.

Students with the desire to walk at commencement will then need to proceed to step three, which is ordering a cap and gown. This can also be done online by visiting bookstore.wou.edu.

All deadlines and links to information regarding the steps to graduate, as well as suggestions on how to make the most of commencement are listed online at wou.edu/graduation.

Mandy Storm
Year: Sophomore
Major: English Literature
Answer: “I would say the new bill that’s trying to be passed. The pre-existing conditions
bill for healthcare.”
Article:
On May 4, 2017 the House of Representatives voted to pass the American Health Care Act.
According to govtrack.com, the AHCA “is the House Republicans’ leading proposal to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act and ‘defund’ Planned Parenthood.”
Although the bill passed the House of Representatives, it still needs to go through the Senate.
One part of the bill, regarding pre-existing conditions, has sparked a large amount of discussion on social media.
However, the New York Times stated that, “While the bill could weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions and result in much more expensive insurance, the effect ultimately rests on states and insurers. More important, the bill does not specify what a pre-existing condition is, nor does it allow insurers to deny coverage outright, although potentially they could set premiums beyond the reach of some sick consumers.”
For those wondering how the AHCA could affect their health insurance, it is best to address those questions with their insurer.
Also keep in mind that while the bill was voted to pass by the House of Representatives, it still needs to go through the Senate before the bill can become law.

Ashley Flores
Year: Senior
Major: Psychology
Answer: “I would really like to know more about inclusive contraceptives and resources for queer sex ed.”
Article:
“Gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth face particular challenges in the achievement of sexual health due to lack of support in the settings that traditionally promote positive youth development—schools, families, peers, and communities,” states the LGBT Health and Development Program at Northwestern University’s website, impactprogram.org.

Anyone, no matter what their sexuality, can find an extensive guide to a plethora of contraceptive options on Planned Parenthood’s website. Their guide includes information on the effectiveness of each method, whether or not a particular method prevents the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and how to use them.

Also included on plannedparenthood.org are links to help those who need asistance obtaining different types of contraceptives either for free, or at a low cost confidentially.

There are also sexual education resources that mix creativity with information, one of which is Girl Sex 101, a “road trip in a book” as described by huffingtonpost.com.

Created by Allison Moon and illustrated by kd diamond, the book uses a mix of comics and sex education to create a sexual resource guide, with a focus on women.

“I want everyone who reads it to find useful information for their own sex life. I want lesbians, bisexuals, queers, trans folk and even straight people to see something of themselves reflected in the pages, and hopefully learn about their own bodies and the bodies of their lovers,” explained Moon in an interview with The Huffington Post.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu