Mount Hood

JANE AUSTEN’S CLASSIC TAKES THE STAGE

Belladina Starr converses with Lindsay Spear on stage as couples dance during rhearsal for “Pride and Prejudice.” PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BLAIR | Staff Photographer
Belladina Starr converses with Lindsay Spear on stage as couples dance during rhearsal for “Pride and Prejudice.”
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BLAIR | Staff Photographer
By STEPHANIE BLAIR
 Staff Writer

Thursday, Feb. 26, Western’s theatre department will be opening “Pride and Prejudice” on the main stage, directed by David Janoviak, professor and head of acting.

Based on the novel by Jane Austen, the classical romantic comedy follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet (played by third-year student and BFA actor, Janelle Davis), a stubborn and straightforward girl from a family of five girls whose mother, Mrs. Bennet (played by third-year student and BFA actor, Belladina Starr), is desperate to see all married.

Two wealthy gentlemen move to town, one of which is the brooding and reserved Mr. Darcy (played by third-year student and BFA actor, Jeff Presler), whose interactions with Elizabeth prove that first impressions are not always what they seem.
“There’s a lot of comedy in the show,” Davis said. “But, you have to be smart to get it.”

The classical feel may be daunting, similar to Shakespearian dialogue in that it can be hard to grasp at first, but the cast promises great fun.

“If you’re looking for fart jokes, you’ve come to the wrong play,” Starr said.

A two-act play, “Pride and Prejudice” has a cast of over 30 actors, spanning all grades of Western’s student body. It is a family show, though it may be a bit much for children.

“Working with the amount of people I do is incredible,” Davis said. “This is a huge cast and I interact with every single person.”

Performances are Feb. 26-28, March 4-7 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee showing Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m.

Theatre department productions are free to students. Admission for non-Western students is $7, general admission is $12, and seniors $10. Tickets can be purchased at the Rice Auditorium box office, 503.838.8462.

Portraits of a University: Self-proclaimed psychology nerd

PHOTO BY NATHANIEL DUNAWAY | ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
PHOTO BY NATHANIEL DUNAWAY | ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Nathaniel Dunaway meets with Western students to discuss their lives and their experiences in the world of higher education. In doing so, he hopes to find an answer to the question what does it mean to be a college student in the 21st century?

I’m from Southern California and I wanted to move to Oregon. It was between Oregon and Arizona, and Arizona was too hot. But I was ready to move out of my parents’ house, and I came up here to look at OSU.

At the airport, my mom said she’d heard about this school called Western Oregon University. So she said “Let’s just drive by and see if you like it.” So we drove by and I took a tour, and I liked it 10 times better than OSU. I liked the small classrooms.

I like teachers to know who I am. I liked the feel of the campus a lot more. I applied that night at the airport while our flight was delayed.

People are a lot nicer here than they are in Southern California. I use my grocery store example: if you’re at the grocery store in Oregon, you can have a full-on conversation with someone you don’t even know over what type of milk you’re buying.

In California, if I were to even start saying something like “oh, those milk prices” or whatever, someone would just stare at me like “why are you talking to me?” It’s fast-paced where I come from. People don’t really take the time to engage with other people. Everyone’s kind of in their
own bubble.

I remember the first time I drove up into Oregon and I got out of the car to pump my own gas, and the guy freaked out on me. But now I go back home and I’ll just sit in the car like “hello, it’s been like 10 minutes.”

I started classes fall 2013. I took the general, entry-level psychology classes, and those were the only textbooks where I could actually sit and read them front to back, and stay engaged.

When I sat down to decide my major, I just weighed the pros and cons of what I enjoyed reading and
doing. So I picked psychology. Now I know almost my entire department by name, and I like that. When I graduate, I’m gonna be sad to leave, but I think I’ll be ready to move on.

The thing about going to college is that it’s become the new high school diploma. A bachelor’s degree wasn’t what it was 20 years ago. You’re not going to go out and find a high-paying job right away. It’s just not gonna happen. So you have to further your education. I have to. There’s
nothing I can do with a psychology bachelor’s. So I’ll get my master’s in psychology, then my Ph.D., and I’m going back to California for that.

I’m such a psychology nerd. Psychology, for me, was just relatable. I think that’s really important. Everything I’m learning is relatable. With each class, I’m liking it more and
more. And it’s great that I can use what I know to help my friends and family, and hopefully later on I’ll be able to help people I don’t know. I’m not losing my steam for psychology. I love it.

Wolves fall in Alaska during three-game road trip

By GUY PERRIN
 Staff Writer

The women’s basketball team traveled far north this past weekend to take on the pair of Alaska schools. On Thursday, Feb. 5, the Wolves suffered a tough defeat at the hands of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, falling 60-47.

“The two losses in Alaska have made our team really motivated to get wins at home this week,” said guard Jordan Mottershaw. “We have to refocus and take care of our home court. We know from our last two games that we need to put more emphasis on rebounding.”

Western (5-14, 2-9 GNAC) started slowly and trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before battling back behind the duo of forward Dana Goularte and Mottershaw (11 points each) to cut the deficit to three points early in the second half.

The Wolves, however, would never get closer as the Nanooks (13-9, 5-7 GNAC) used a 20-point performance by Benissa Bulaya to pull away and secure the victory.

“We’re working on controlling what we can control and playing together,” said forward Sami Osborne. “We’re striving to finish these last few weeks off strong, fighting our way up for the sixth spot and working towards playing to our full potential as a team.”

On Saturday, Nov. 7, the Wolves faced one of the best teams in the country, No. 2 ranked Alaska-Anchorage. The Seawolves (22-1, 12-1 GNAC) flexed their muscles from the opening tip, jumping out to a 19-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game en route to a 77-51 victory.

Goularte and Mottershaw led Western (5-15, 2-10 GNAC) in scoring for the second straight game, scoring 10 points each while Osborne pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Alaska-Anchorage got a major boost from their bench as Sierra Afoa and Jenna Buchannon scored 15 and 14 points respectively in reserve.

“Anchorage is one of the best teams in the nation and I credit that to their work ethic and mental toughness,” said head coach Holli Howard-Carpenter. “A takeaway from that game is that we have to do everything with a purpose: cut hard, set solid screens, make the extra pass, finish every play with a box out.

“It really is about how well we can execute the “little things” and also being mentally tough when faced with adversity. Basketball is a game of runs and we must focus on limiting our opponent’s runs and extending our own,” Howard-Carpenter said.

The Wolves return home to host Simon Fraser University on Thursday, Feb. 12 and Western Washington University on Saturday, Feb. 14 for the Play4Kay game to raise Breast Cancer Awareness.

Baseball annihilated in San Diego tournament 1-7

By RACHEL SHELLEY
 Sports Editor

Baseball finished out their eight game tournament in San Diego 1-7 before starting another three game series in Seaside, California, Saturday Feb. 13-15.

The Wolves met Point Loma Nazarene University of San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 5 for their four game match-up, tied at three after nine innings, the match-up would be resumed on Friday. After two extra innings, the Wolves fell 4-3 after a
walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the 12th before the next nine innings of game two.

“The team is really focusing on trusting the process and the plan our coaches have set for us,” said infielder Garrett Harpole.

During Friday’s game, the Wolves out-hit PLNU 14-10 but despite statistics, PLNU was able to score five runs in the second inning, giving them a 9-4 edge at the end of nine innings.

Western was led by infielder Marcus Hinkle who went 4-for-4 and two runs. Outfielder’s Matt Taylor and Cody Sullivan had three hits each while first baseman Nathan Etheridge batted in two PLNU players.

Lefty pitcher Clark McKitrick started early for the Wolves, only allowing six runs, two earned, on two hits. Pitcher and lefty pitcher Michael Bennett and Spencer Trautmann added 6.1 innings together only allowing three runs on eight hits, striking out five.

Hinkle would put the Wolves on the board in the top of the third after Etheridge’s single to bring him home from third. Sullivan went to hit a double
in the top of the seventh, bringing in Etheridge from second. The last two runs came in the top of the eighth with a single by Taylor, bringing in Harpole and Hinkle off a sacrifice fly by Etheridge.

The doubleheader was played on Feb. 7 where the Wolves won 17-0 and then lost the last game 2-0. In the first game, Taylor led the Wolves with a 4-for-6 performance at the plate. Harpole had six runners batted in and went 3-for-4 while Hinkle also added three hits in the first game victory.

The second game of the double header did not see the same scoring abilities from the Wolves, unable to capitalize in the top of the second in scoring position and PLNU unable to score until the sixth inning, the second game of the doubleheader and the last game in the eight game tournament ended 2-0 in favor of PLNU.

“We obviously didn’t get off to the start that we were looking for,” said head coach Kellen Walker. “This is a tough group. We will make the adjustments that we need to in order to get this thing where it needs to be.”

The Wolves will travel back to California on Friday, Feb. 13 for a four-game series in Seaside against California State University Monterey Bay starting at 2 p.m.

“I think going into this weekend we need to understand that as much as this is a team sport, we individually need to have success in crucial situations,” Taylor said. “Offensively, we need to get guys on and manufacture runs by moving runners over early in the game. Defensively, we need to take care of the ball and throw
strikes. We are confident we are the better team, we just need to show up from pitch one.”

Track and field prevails at Washington State University Indoor meet

The Western track team had a strong showing last weekend at the Cougar Indoor
meet, hosted by Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. on Feb. 7.

Several Western runners placed in the top five in their respective heats and numerous others posted personal best performances.

The highlight of the day was when Josh Hanna took home the victory in the 800m,
finishing with a time of 1:54.36, over a second faster than the next fastest runner. In the mile, Brady Beagley finished second ahead of several runners from Division I schools, posting a time of 4:19.58.

He would follow that up later in the day with a third place performance in the
3,000m run with a time of 8:47.49. David Ribich and Zach Holloway would also place in the top 10 in the 3,000m with times of 8:56.40 and 9:04.28, respectively.

“I feel like racing the 3k with some teammates was more of a tune up for the meet
this weekend,” said Beagley. “It is always nice to have teammates by your side in a race. It makes the race feel more comfortable and relaxing.”

For the hurdles, Kaleb Dobson ran 8.47 seconds in the 60m race, winning his heat.

He then improved to 8.44 seconds in finals where he took fourth overall. Aaron Whitaker would take eighth overall in the 400m run with a time of 51.78 while teammate AJ Holmberg finished ninth in 52.71.

“Meets give me experience because I’ve never ran indoor before,” Holmberg said.
“I definitely like Pullman more because it’s more comparable to what conference will be like.”

On the women’s side, the big news of the day came from the weight throw, where all four competitors for Western posted personal records. Emmi Collier (14.26m), Allison Cook (13.5m), Alex Green (13m), and Leah Nicklason (10.78m) threw personal best distances on Saturday.

On the track, Rochelle Pappel finished sixth in her heat of the 60m hurdles in 9.24 seconds, advancing her to finals where she improved to 9.14 seconds. Audrey Hellesto and Suzie Van De Grift finished second and third overall in the 400m, finishing in 1:00.60 and 1:00.62 respectively.

Bailey Beeson would finish sixth overall in the 400m with a time of 1:00.94.

Stephanie Stuckey posted a new personal record in the 800, finishing fourth overall with a time of 2:20.44.

“The meet in Pullman really put into perspective where I’m at in my fitness and
helped me mentally see how my race will go in Boise, Idaho,” Beeson said. “Going to meets together and all the work we do in practice is helping us set up the team for success in Idaho.”

The Wolves will travel back to Seattle to participate in the Husky Classic on Feb. 13-14 and the Husky Open on Feb. 15 inside the Dempsey Indoor Facility

Western reaches 20 wins in season, first time in 18 years

By JACOB HANSEN
 Staff Writer

Western men’s basketball team boarded their bus last week to play Central Washington University on Thursday, Feb. 5, and then Northwest Nazarene University on Feb. 7. The Wolves would extend their win streak to 10 by coming though with wins in both venues.

By winning the last two games (20-3, 21-1 GNAC), for the first time in school
history, the team has now moved into the Top 20 in both National Association of Basketball Coaches and the DII Media Poll Sponsored by Division II Sports Information Directors of America.

“It’s definitely a great accomplishment as a team and individually to contribute
to that,” said guard Devon Alexander. “We are, however, aware that we haven’t accomplished our overall goal just yet, so we put the rankings and stuff behind us for now. We still have a lot of work to do.”

The win against Central Washington University (12-6, 7-4 GNAC) was not an easy win. With a final score of 78-71, the Wolves had to overcome a 10-point deficit
early in the second half before forward Andy Avgi put the final nail in the coffin with a breakaway dunk to finish the game.

Avgi had 27 points of the night with 11-of-15 shooting and was backed up by Alexander who had 15 points of his own. Guard Julian Nichols contributed in all aspects of the game with eight points, seven rebounds and a game-high eight
assists before leaving with an injury late in the final minutes.

“Central Washington is really difficult to stop,” said head coach Brady Bergeson.
“They never let down with their attack. Our guys spent everything they had to get
this one done.”

In a similar match-up, it was the Wolves impressive game finishing skills that
made the win a possibility while playing Northwest Nazarene University (10-12,
8-4 GNAC) last Saturday. Alexander lead the team offensively as they mounted a
9-1 run in the game’s final two-minutes to give Western their 20th win of the season in a fashionable and dramatic comeback contest.

Alexander had a game-high 19 points, a game-high six steals, and four clutch
free throws in the final 30 seconds of the game to seal the deal at 66-62. Avgi had 15 points and a gamehigh eight rebounds as he was once again a dominant force in the paint.

“Our kids gutted themselves to find a way to win tonight,” Bergeson said. “It was an exhausting, physical, hard-fought game. I’m so proud of our young men.”

Western posted its first season with 20-or-more victories since the Wolves went
20-9 during the 1996-97 season as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. In the 94-year history of the program, Western has registered 20-ormore wins only 14 times that included two stretches of four straight seasons from 1979-83 and 1993-97.

“The rankings aren’t our main focus; it’s the game in front of us, but it is nice to have that recognition,” said Avgi.

The Wolves traveled to Washington Wednesday Feb. 11, to play Saint Martin’s
University in the ROOT sports game of the week, where they won 66-56. This will
sum up three away games in six days for the Wolves as they hope to take home a W
for the second time this year against Saint Martin’s.

The Wolves will then return home to welcome Western Washington University on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.

“In the Aeroplane Over the Sea:” 17 Years Later

By DECLAN HERTEL
 Staff Writer

Everyone has a piece of art that speaks to them like no other, and for many people, that work is their favorite music album. There are few more potent ways to learn about who someone is at heart than to listen to their favorite album. Just by knowing that a piece of music speaks to them on some deeper level allows you to connect to them through the music.

This week marks 17 years since the release of my favorite album, Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,” released Feb. 10, 1998. It is everything I love about music, and one of only two albums to ever make me tear up (the other being Cage the Elephant’s “Melophobia”). It is heartbreaking, scary, beautiful, and strange.

And I believe it to be perfect.

The album can best be summed up as “absolutely fearless.” Jeff Mangum, the reclusive genius behind the band, clearly just did not give a damn if anyone liked the record, electing to be completely honest and let the work speak for itself.

All the songs carry an urgency of spirit, a sense that he had to get these words and melodies out of his body right now lest he collapse in on himself. His voice cracks and wails, his lyrics are nigh impenetrable on the first listen, and the songs are musically simple with no frills and a lot of lowfi energy. The drums blast, the bass is fuzzed within an inch of its life, and the guitar tracks clip all over the place.

One gets the sense that when songs like the raucous “Holland, 1945,” the band purposefully pushed their equipment right up to the breaking point.

The songs themselves are simple and unpretentious, using simple chords and melodies with unbridled passion and energy. All the musicians on the record are self-taught, including some who learned instruments specifically for recording this record, and this dedication is apparent all through the album.

Upon deeper listening, one finds the method to all the madness: the record is a concept album about plant-like people, a two-headed fetus in a jar, Mangum’s own life, and Anne Frank.

It expresses the rage, hope, loneliness, despair, sexuality, sensitivity, fear,
and love of these strange characters as their worlds change and go up in flames around them.

The whole album lays out an atmosphere of darkness, but within that darkness there is hope for these doomed misfits that they might find love and comfort in their unique existence.

There is apprehension about the future, but because of this uncertainty, we must now “lay in the sun and count every beautiful thing we can see,” as Mangum sings on the title track.

“Aeroplane” speaks to me like no other record ever made. It would be impossible for me to articulate exactly why that is, so I’ll settle for this: please seek this record out. Even 17 years after its release, I could not possibly give “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” a high enough recommendation.

Western Oregon University

Facebook   Instagram   X  YouTube

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY
345 Monmouth Ave. N.
Monmouth OR 97361

503-838-8000 | 1-877-877-1593

Tools

Campus Maps
Canvas
Find People
Portal
WOU Email
Technical Support

Resources

A-Z Index
Accessibility
Academic Calendar
Class Schedule
Jobs at WOU
News
Explore WOU
Partnerships
Student Services
Freedom of Expression

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
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.

Accessibility    Public Records    Privacy    Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.