Mount Hood

Men’s basketball, 11-3 overall, geared up for conference play

DSC019652
PHOTO BY NEIL GRAVATT STAFF PHOTGRAPHER

 

The Western Oregon University
men’s basketball team brought in the
New Year with a bang as they concluded
a nine-game winning streak.
Scoring more than 100 points in
their last two games and breaking a
single game 3-point record (20), the
Wolves were looking unstoppable.
The Wolves lost on New Year’s
Day by a close seven-point margin
(76-83) at Seattle Pacific University.
They were able to rally just two days
later after a long road trip to Billings,
Mont., to solidify another conference
win against Montana State
University (72-64).
The Wolves are currently 3-1 in
the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
and 11-3 overall. They rank
second in the GNAC in scoring
defense, allowing only 65.1 points
per game, as the Wolves have not
allowed more than 83 points to be
scored in a single game so far this
season.
The Wolves are led by guard Devon
Alexander who has started 30
games in a row and leads the GNAC
with 2.1 steal per game. Alexander
also leads the team with 2.9 assists
per game.
Starting alongside Alexander is
guard Jordan Wiley, who is averaging
8.7 points per game along with
2.7 rebounds a game. Wiley leads
the team with 30 3-point field goals
this season.
The dynamic duo constantly
threatens teams with their speed
and range abilities as Alexander has
17 3-pointers of his own this season.
A lot of the opportunities come
from point guard and notorious
“dime-dropper” Julian Nichols as
he ranks third in the GNAC in assists
per game handing out five assists
per game. Nichols also leads the
GNAC in 3-point percentage hitting
50 percent (14-for-28) of his shots.
Forwards Andy Avgi and Lewis
Thomas dominated the paint for
the Wolves with a combined 176
rebounds this season. Avgi earned
GNAC honorable mentions as a
redshirt sophomore and looks to
continue his impressive career as
he scored double figures in 13 of
14 games this season, including a
season high 26 against Alaska Fairbanks
on Dec. 4.
Avgi is also tied for first in the
GNAC in blocked shots per game,
rejecting an average of 2.8 shots per
game.
A big relief for Avgi and Thomas
is forward Marwan Sarhan. Standing
6 feet 8 inches and weighing in
at 220 pounds, his presence is a force
on the court. Averaging over eight
points a game, Sarhan can be a game
changer as well.
He scored 13 points and pulled
down a team high of seven rebounds
last week in their win against Montana.
Head Coach and Western Oregon
alumnus, Brady Bergeson had his
eyes set on the conference championship
during his fourth year on the
job.
“Sometimes growth is steady;
sometimes it comes in bursts,”
Bergeson said. “Ours is steady.”
With 14 games left in the season,
the title as champion is still up for
grabs.
“The two games this weekend are
crucial,” Bergeson said. “It’s a very
balanced conference.”
Western Oregon played their first
home game of 2015, Thursday, Jan.
8, against Northwest Nazarene University
before welcoming Central
Washington University on Saturday
Jan. 10, which tips off at 7:30 p.m.
The Northwest Nazarene Crusaders
entered Thursday’s game with an
overall record of 4-9 that includes a
2-1 record in GNAC play.
The Crusaders are on a two-game
win streak as they beat rival Central
Washington last weekend. They lead
the all-time series against Western
31-24.
Central Washington enters the
game at 7-3 overall and 2-1 in
GNAC games.
Northwest Nazarene snapped the
Wildcats five-game win streak as
they look to bounce back. They trail
in the all-time series 43-54 against
the wolves.
“We need to play the way we play
and make opponents adapt,” said
Bergeson on this weekend’s games.
“There isn’t really an X factor, we
just need to stick to what we do, and
we’ll be fine.”
The Wolves will play three of their
next five games at home before hitting
the road for 5-of-7 games in
February to close out the regular
season.

ESPN anchor Stuart Scott passes away at 49

Rachel Shelley Sports Editor
By Rachel Shelley
Sports Editor

ESPN lost a legend
on Sunday, Jan. 4. Stuart
Scott was 49 years
old and was diagnosed
with cancer in 2007.
He was the catalysis to the new century of
the way sports was broadcasted, and one of
the most memorable and inspiring faces on
television.
Scott was not only an actor starring in
television shows and movies like “Drumline,”
“Herbie: Fully Loaded” and “The Longest
Yard,” but also a father to two daughters,
Taelor and Sydni, a Jimmy V Award winner
at the 2014 ESPY Awards and, most importantly,
one of the staples to the change and
improvement of the way sports was reported
on television.
Known for his enthusiasm, love and passion
for sports, unique style and catchphrases
such as “BOO-YAH,” “as cool as the other
side of the pillow,” and “he must be the bus
driver ‘cause he was takin’ him to school,”
Scott used his inspiring and entertaining
personality to impact everyone around him
on and off the air.
In 1993, Scott entered ESPN during the
creation of ESPN2 as a frequent on SportsSmash
and SportsNight before earning a seat
in SportsCenter and covering some of the
largest events in sports.
Scott covered the NBA and NFL for
ESPN and in 2002, was named studio host
for the NBA on ESPN.
By 2008, he had earned lead host for NBA
on ESPN and ABC where he anchored the
NBA finals and SportsCenter’s prime-time.
Covering the NBA finals from 1997 until
2014, Scott became a familiar face and a
familiar voice, anchoring some memorable
sports history and using his fancy catchphrases
to capture exactly what sports is
about: passion and enthusiasm.
Scott was not only a memorable and historic
figure on ESPN and to the public, but
also an inspiration and a fighter.
In December 2012, Scott’s illness returned
and he began sharing more details with the
public, including that he only missed ESPN
for chemotherapy treatments every other
Monday and that he would train at a mixedmartial
arts gym afterwards.
For someone battling such a debilitating
disease, he was determined to prove nothing
could slow him down or decrease his experiences
in life.
“When you die, it does not mean that you
lose to cancer,” Scott said during his acceptance
speech at the 2014 ESPYS. “You beat
cancer by how you live, why you live and in
the manner in which you live.”
The impact upon athletes and colleagues
has shown bright through their public remembrances
and statements on how much
of a pioneer Scott was for this organization
and for those around him.
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry
Fitzgerald expressed his thoughts on Scott’s
passing through Twitter with this statement:
“Stuart Scott was more than a great father;
he was a most cherished friend, a signature
sports anchor and entertainer, more
than a prophet for the power of mass communications.
He became the voice of daily sports on a
national level at a time when sports communication
was proliferating into a phenom
enon that changed the way we digested the
heroics of athletic prowess.”
Los Angeles Lakers and NBA legend
Kobe Bryant was also greatly impacted by
Scott’s passing.
During a post-game interview he was
asked about his reaction:
“The sports world lost a legend. I certainly
grew up wanting to be on SportsCenter just
to have him comment on a highlight or two
of mine. He’s really changed the vernacular
of sports and added such a, kind of a hip-hop
culture to the sports game. He battled hard,
I can’t say enough about what an inspiration
he’s been.”
Besides the inspiration Scott instilled
in so many young athletes, professional
athletes he was interviewing, viewers, coworkers
and public figures, he truly was a
pioneer, “Hall-of-Famer,” to SportsCenter
and ESPN.
Since the beginning, his personality and
style slowly created a positive growth to the
way we view and broadcast sports.
He will forever be remembered and continue
to inspire those around him to live life
to the absolute fullest, as cool as the other
side of the pillow.

Flashback Friday: A feature exploring the Hamersly Library University Archives

BY ELIZABETH LOWRY
FREELANCER

 

With the rapid growth of the American population in the 1800s, the time had come for a revolutionary form of mass transit to originate.

Through the nation’s introduction to steam locomotives, even small towns such as Monmouth became familiar with railway transportation.

Monmouth was once home to not one, but two railroads: The Oregonian Railway, later known as Southern Pacific, and the Independence and Monmouth Railway Company. However, the I & M was the railroad Monmouth citizens could call their very own.

In “Monmouth, Oregon: the Saga of a Small American Town,” Scott McArthur writes about the I & M’s principal shareholder, Independence banker, Herman Hirschberg’s claim to having the shortest railroad in the country.

While no one ever cared to check the accuracy of his statement, with only 2 ½ miles of track — stretching from Second Street west along E Street in Independence and ending at Warren and Jackson Streets in Monmouth — it wasn’t hard to believe.

In the I & M’s 1895 annual report, the grand total cost consisting of both construction and equipment stood at $22,702.77. This included the 12-ton locomotive which cost $4,045.32, the passenger car at $2,157.98 and the flat freight car with a price of $385.

McArthur documents instances of trains barreling down the tracks and killing livestock that had wandered in front of its nearly unstoppable path.
McArthur also described instances of runaway cars and overloaded trains that almost did not make it up the street.

The Jan. 31, 1974, edition of the Polk Sun details the inaugural run of the I & M. The initial trip took place on Aug. 25, 1890 and transported 143 passengers, who paid five cents each to board, from the Southern Pacific depot in Independence to Monmouth.

McArthur describes a humorous moment during the inaugural run. Upon reaching Beeler Hill on Jackson Street, the train’s engine stalled due to the equipment being new and stiff. The men on the train helped push the train up the hill before climbing back aboard and made a triumphant, if somewhat asthmatic, entry into Monmouth.

Over the course of the day, the railroad was able to collect 543 fares staying at five cents each as locals continued to ride back and forth between Independence and Monmouth.

In the first 11 months of operation, making six trips daily, the I & M transported a total of 47,031 passengers.

In 1902, the I & M leased tracks from Southern Pacific in order to expand its transit to nearby towns Airlie and Dallas.

By 1909, the I & M added a small gasoline powered passenger car to their company, dubbed “the Peanut Roaster.”

In an undated article of the Monmouth Herald, the small car is depicted as carrying its own turntable in which the operator used to swivel the car around on the tracks for the return trip.

While the I & M boasted three locomotives, two passenger cars, and two freight-passenger cars in 1913, profits soon declined in the wake of the affordable automobile.

In the I & M’s income statements, transcribed in “Moody’s Manual of Railroads and Corporation Securities,” passenger earnings went from as much as $3,617 in the years 1911–1912 to an abysmal $30 in the years 1914–1915.

The I & M ended service officially in 1918.

Western Oregon staff member performs in “Dr. Dolittle”

BY JENNIFER HALLEY
CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

 

For this weekend only, Salem’s community theatre, Pentacle Theatre, is presenting the musical “Dr. Dolittle,” at Central High School in Independence.

Patrick Moser, interim director of Werner University Center, is one of the performers.

The play is designated as a fundraiser for Pentacle, and according to Moser, all proceeds go to the theatre itself and its future productions.

“Dr. Dolittle” is an extra production by Pentacle and is produced with a limited set. It is based off the books by Hugh Lofting, as well as the Fox movies, starring Eddie Murphy.

The production starts Friday, Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m., with two performances at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9. A final matinee will be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10.

Students Share Their Talents through Karaoke

BY AMANDA CLARKE
STAFF WRITER

Open-Mic Night was held in the Willamette Room of the Werner University Center by the Student Activities Board on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.

Members of the audience volunteered and sang karaoke songs.

“It gives students a break and a chance to get their talents out,” said Kara Kelsey, a member of the SAB.

There was a wide variety of music, including Spanish songs, songs by the Beach Boys and “Happy Birthday,” which was performed for one of the audience members.

“I really like to get the audience involved,” SAB Small Programs Coordinator Kevin Alejandrez said, who participated in the karaoke and let the audience pick the song he sang.

Members of Kappa Delta Chi also performed.

The next Open Mic Night will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

Growing English tutoring program serves international students well at college

BY ALI ALJOHANI
 FREELANCER

FOR MORE INFO
WHAT: Free English language tutoring
WHO: International students and other non-native English speakers
WHERE & WHEN: 12 to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday in APSC 501, and 7 to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday in room 228 in the library (by drop-in or appointment)

 

With international student enrollment rising, Western created an English Tutoring Center (ETC) last fall to help non-native speakers of English practice their language skills.

Last term, tutors provided 160 hours of assistance to 59 individuals, who visited the ETC a total of 153 times.

According to Dr. Robert Troyer, linguistics professor and director of the ETC, international students need support for the reading, researching, speaking, and listening demands of other classes and of informal situations.

He said that the ETC is meant to provide whatever English help students want, from help with assignments to conversation practice.

Western had 351 international students enrolled this fall.

Most have taken English classes with professors who focus on the understanding of the language, but the professors in university classes focus on the topic.

As a result, some international students have a hard time getting the information from their classes.

“Our international students enter WOU often with little exposure to English outside of English classes for language learners,” Troyer said.

The ETC helps students with speaking, listening, and reading comprehension including reading source materials and paraphrasing them for use in academic papers – basically everything except writing which students can get help with from the Writing Center, Troyer said.

Tutors must have specific skills to be allowed to provide their services. “All of the tutors except one have been through or are currently working on a Certificate Program for Teaching English as a Foreign Language,” Troyer explained.

“I recruit tutors from our TEFL program because they are undergraduates who have the specific skills needed to help international students with English – and being tutors gives them more experience working with language learners.”

The ETC provides jobs and experience for students. There are both volunteers and paid positions. The ETC is open 32 hours per week, with at least one, and sometimes two, tutors present the whole time.

“I have always loved helping people, and I have a passion for languages, so becoming an English Tutor made sense,” said ETC tutor Alex O’Neil, an ASL studies major and linguistics minor.

“I love meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds, and I enjoy learning from my students as well as helping them.”

Because American and international students have different cultures, there is a gap between them.

O’Neil advised her fellow tutors to assure their students that they are in a safe place and that they can speak their mind, and don’t have to be embarrassed by their language skills.

She said that everyone has some area to improve in, and that they will figure it out. Also, some students are more focused on accuracy, so they take their time gathering their thoughts, she added, counseling patience for tutors.

“The ETC is a great program, with kind tutors,” said international student Abdulaziz Aleid. “They help me with speaking, listening,
and reading. Also, the ETC is a chance for the international students to know more about American culture.”

One final word of advice from O’Neil is directed toward American students: “I think it would be awesome if we just talked with them in and out of class, to help them feel more welcome.

Obviously, it would be nice if we could make study groups with them, but even going as far as to talk with them about their home country and their interest
is a step in the right direction.”

No appointments are necessary, but the web page tells who is tutoring at which times. From the search box in the upper right corner of any WOU webpage, type
‘English tutor’ to find the webpage with hours, locations, and tutors.

Veteran Success Center supports ex-military students

BY ALLISON OPSON CLEMENT
NEWS EDITOR

The Veteran Success Center helps college students who’ve served in the military connect to each other and find resources they need.

It offers a space for the variety of presentations and meetings it hosts, as well as a hang-out area.

The center opened its own location in the Werner University Center earlier this year, and is growing as a resource to student veterans.

“There does need to be something out there for student veterans,” said Veterans Coordinator Kyle Rodgers. “College is hard for anybody.”

With the added challenges vets face re-entering academia, it’s important that they have somewhere to turn when they need help, he explained.

A 2012 study by the Colorado Workforce Development Council estimates that 3 percent of student veterans graduate from university; 88 percent drop out within their first year.

Rodgers says that those numbers may not an entirely accurate reflection of current trends, at Western in particular, but noted that such reports can highlight a major problem that needs to be addressed.

“Some of the stuff is pretty minor,” Rodgers said of the challenges student veterans have to deal with. “But then, some of the stuff is pretty serious.”

Cody Knight, veteran liaison, said that the age and experience gap between traditional students fresh out of high school and military veterans can create a huge divide.

The Veteran Success Center helps people navigate their GI Bill benefits gaps and caveats, which may have a significant impact on the ability of a veteran to continue their education.

Student veterans are supposed to have a full ride to college, and yet their drop-out rates are consistently above average, in some cases by a wide margin.

By and large, Rodgers said, the GI Bill is still a big advantage, but negotiating through it takes some work.

“All that stuff kind of compounds,” Rodgers said. The center can help bridge the gap to success. There are hundreds of programs to support veterans, and he can tell them where to look.

Drop in support groups and other meetings are held on Tuesday. Along with Rodgers, two work study students are paid by the VA. All three are veterans.

According to Knight, more people are coming in this term, now that news of the Veteran Success Center on campus is spreading.

Rodgers’ role focuses on the recruitment to and retention of veterans at Western. Students who are connected to campus are more successful academically, and are less likely to leave. Rodgers says he tries to put on at least one program every week or every other week.

One presenter helps with resumes; another helps with financial planning.

“Even though you’re 22, 23, and expected to know all this, you don’t,” Rodgers said.

In addition to helping individual veterans, if many people have the same problem or idea, Rodgers can help them get together and make it actionable.

“We can then bring a collective voice to ASWOU or the administration,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said that it is important to get the Veteran Success Center and the people it supports involved in the community.
They helped with the Toys for Tots drive, and Rodgers said that he is trying to raise more awareness this term; for fall, he said, it was a learning curve figuring out what works to get veterans’ attention.

“We bring our collective knowledge here to help each other,” said Dolan Kasnick, the third member of the center’s team. The center is intended to help get ex-military students better connected to campus, and help them succeed in their time here.

Having the center also helps out the rest of campus, said Rodgers, because it frees up the registrar’s office from veterans’ questions, which helps streamline their process more, and they may be able to provide more assistance.

Veterans should come to the center, first, even before approaching the Registrar’s office.

Western’s Veteran Success Center is also home to an affiliated chapter of the national Student Veterans of America (SVA), which is dedicated to providing help to ex-military members, for graduation and beyond.
This allows the center to offer SVA-exclusive scholarships and additional opportunities to Western’s student veterans. Western’s SVA chapter has about 40 members.

“It’s nice to be able to come in here to talk to other guys who know what you’re talking about,” Knight said.

Kasnick said the goal is to collaborate to help today’s veteran students, and also to enrich the life of future returning military service members at Western.

“It’s that whole thing of not having to go it alone,” Rodgers said. “It’s nice to at least know where resources are.”

The Veteran Success Center is located in room 108 of the WUC.

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Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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