April 2015 – Page 4 – The Western Howl

By Jack Armstrong - News Editor

Western’s College of Education has received permission to move forward with adjusting their current curriculum to better meet student needs.

In last month’s faculty senate meeting, the proposed changes were voted through unanimously. The department aims to have the reforms fully functional within the course catalog by fall quarter 2015.

All of the changes are taking place within the undergraduate program, leaving the Master of Arts in Teaching program intact.

Dr. Mark Girod, dean of the College of Education, said the changes are intended to “improve seamless transfer from community college to Western, to shorten time to degree completion, and to more tightly align courses to state and national teaching standards.”

New courses like ED 200 – Foundations of Education will take the place of the current introductory classes such as ED 100 and ED 312.

This new class also serves to align more closely with local community colleges introductory education courses so that transfer students to Western don’t lose as much progress if they choose to make the switch.

The college has also attempted to shorten time to graduation. According to the information submitted to the faculty senate, this will be achieved through a “removal of electives,” that fall outside of the education major, but double up on material covered in other classes.

This means in part that students will no longer be required to take introductory courses like a 100 level communications class, or additional electives to the education program, like business writing.

“The changes will improve rates of degree completion as well as the preparation of future educators” Girod said.

The College of Education is also making adjustments so it will attract more students to utilize the new Richard Woodcock center, set to be completed in 2016.

“The center is designed to promote collaboration, the latest technology, and specialized learning spaces,” Girod said.

Faculty involved with the College of Education are also always concerned that standards and credit requirements placed on the current students have fallen out of step with the ever changing licensure requirements for the state of Oregon.

In an attempt to better align with state standards, some new offerings are being added to next year’s course catalog. Some of these new classes are counterparts to classes already offered, but specialize in a specific area of the topics covered.

For example, one course currently offered in the college is ED 270 – Teaching and Learning with Technology. This course will remain but there will also be an alternative, ED 326 – Technology in Inclusive Early Childhood Settings (Birth-4th Grade).

Dr. Girod hopes that this specificity will help enhance the separate tracks that future educators can train for, whether that’s early childhood development, middle school, or high school.

“We seek to make our programs better and better,” Girod said. “School districts in Oregon expect excellence from us, and we will always provide.”

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Western theatre presents student-directed short plays

By Stephanie Blair
 Staff Writer

Next week, April 16-18, Western theatre students will have their an- nual chance to show off their directing prowess.

Students who have completed the two directing courses on campus, Directing and Advanced Directing, both taught by Professor Michael Phillips, will be showing one act plays. This year, three students have stepped up and chosen the plays for this year.

Natalie Piper, fourth-year se- nior theatre major, has selected “A Chance Meeting” by Frederick Strop- pel, starring Janelle Davis, Zach Warner, and Nathaniel Dunaway. The show depicts a married couple attempting to spice up their love life by exploring fantasy role-playing, but when an old friend cluelessly stumbles into the picture, things get messy.

“The student-directed one acts, I feel, are really for the students, by the students, so I picked something I thought they would enjoy,” Piper said.

The second show in the program, “The Mice Have Been Drinking Again” by Cleve Haubold, starring Belladina Starr, Declan Hertel, Samantha Dunaway and Andrew Thornton, is directed by BFA acting major Nick Kintz. The show, set in
the 1970s, is filled with hippies, gu- rus, and slapstick humor.

“It is the story of a newly married couple and their attempt to get their Zen-Buddhist cousin and roommate out of the house.” Kintz said. “It has been a blast to direct such a talented and versatile group of actors, who re- ally know how to entertain!”

The festival roster concludes with “Find of the Century” by Western’s own Nathaniel Dunaway. The one act stars Lindsay Spear and Patrick Willett in a drama about a turn- of-the-century archaeologist and the mysterious young woman who knows the secret behind his latest discovery, directed by BFA acting major Trevor Jackson.

“Directing is a strange craft; it re- quires talent as well as authority,” Jackson said. “It’s the marriage of art and leadership, and it makes for a wild, student-led night.”

This year’s festival will be held in the black box theater of Rice Audi- torium, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night. The performance is free to stu- dents with an ID.
For more information, please con- tact the theater department at theaterdance@wou.edu or call the Rice Auditorium box office at 503-838- 8462.

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Suspect turns himself in after wrecking on campus

By Conner Williams
 Staff Writer

An intoxicated man crashed his pickup truck several times on Monmouth Avenue early Saturday, April 4, including a building and a car, according to Monmouth Police Department.

Yanel Avilla Castro, a 25-year-old, of Independence went out Friday night for drinks at Main Street Pub in Monmouth. Castro ended up causing thousands of dollars in damage on his drunken journey through downtown Monmouth as well as Western’s campus.

Castro is in custody after turning himself in around 4 a.m. the same morning. According to Sergeant Kim Dorn of MPD, he is currently facing charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants and three counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver, otherwise known as hit and run.

Castro left the bar at around 2:10 a.m. and headed toward the Shell gas station at the intersection of Main Street and Highway 99W.

“I was working inside when I saw this guy in a white truck pull up to pump one, and then he flew across the lot over to pump five where these other two guys were,” said Matt Cheney-Estes, the store clerk on shift during the incident.

“He got out of his truck and tried to get these two guys to fight him,” said Maddie Cole, a witness to the altercation at the gas station.

Cheney-Estes went outside to confront Castro, and then he returned inside to call the police, at which point the man sped out of the lot and onto Main Street in Monmouth, headed back in the direction of Monmouth Avenue.

Around 2:24 a.m., MPD started to receive multiple calls, including the one from Cheney-Estes. Castro turned right onto
Monmouth Avenue North and then crashed into 110 N. Monmouth Avenue, the building complex that houses Homestead Property
Management as well as several other businesses.

“That was the first hit and run,” said Dorn. “He then continued on Monmouth Avenue and proceeded to hit a parked car
and a tree, finally wrecking his truck in the grass area in front of the WOU education building, hitting a lamppost and a sign.”

Castro then abandoned his vehicle and set out on foot, eventually turning himself in to the police shortly afterwards.

Cheney-Estes said that a police officer came to the Shell later looking to collect witness statements and told him that Castro had caused upwards of $45,000 in damage.

“I can’t verify those figures yet, but the damage is going to be costly,” said Dorn.

If you have any additional information regarding the incident, please contact the MPD non-emergency line at-503-838-1109.

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Track divides team to succeed in three meets

By Jack Armstrong
 News Editor

Western’s track and field team split their athletes between three separate events this past weekend: the San Francisco Distance Carnival, the Stanford Invitational, and the Linfield Jenn Boyman Invitational.

The Wolves saw the most success at the San Francisco Distance Carnival. Junior shot putter Emmi Collier won her event overall throwing 12.96 meters, beating the competition by more than four inches. Men’s shot putter sophomore Jeremy Moore finished
third in his division with a throw of 14.81.

Freshmen hurdle runners Kaleb Dobson and AJ Holberg set season best times in the 400-meter hurdles. When asked about the preparation required of hurdle runners, fellow
freshman Rihei Grothmann said: “we do a lot of technical warm ups, like bounding and other exercises targeting our specific events.”

Grothmann was quick to point to the increased intensity of college track training.
“The training has definitely intensified from high school levels, but so far it has been fun,” Grothmann said.

Grothmann placed 13th overall in the 110 hurdles at the Linfield Jenn Boyman Memorial Invitational. The Linfield event resulted in six athletes setting personal bests. Sophomore Amanda Ditzhazy broke the five-minute mark for the 1,500, a career first for Ditzhazy who finished 9th overall.

Another freshman duo attending the Linfield Invitational, Alecia Falck and Sheila Limas De La Cruz, also posted season and career highs in the hammer toss, hitting 36.40 and 39.06 meters respectively.

The Stanford Invitational saw junior Badane Sultessa finish third and junior Josh Hanna finish sixth in the 800. Senior Rebecca Laible placed ninth in the triple jump while first-year Cody Warner finished ninth in the 100-meter dash finals.

The Wolves track and field will compete Friday, April 10, beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the annual John Knight Twilight event. The meet takes place on McArthur Field in Monmouth. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for non-WOU students, and free for WOU students.

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Rushing to the finish line

By AMANDA CLARKE
 Staff Writer

Kappa Sigma fraternity held multiple events for students April 6-10 during their Rush Week. Events included dodge ball, a game night consisting of video games and cards against humanity, tricycle races, and a “Sig N Slide.”

The fraternity set up a booth outside the Werner Center last week and this week to promote their events and hand out flyers to students.

Hayden Harms, a junior ASL major, said that the turnout for game night was really good.
Devyn Thurman, a junior history major, and also a Kappa Sigma member, said the process for the rush week included every member of Kappa Sigma at Western giving ideas for events “that would be beneficial for meeting prospective members as well as involving other students as much as possible.”

“The goals of Kappa Sigma are to promote leadership, scholarship, relationships with the community as well as personal growth,” Thurman said. “In my experience, all of the gentlemen in Kappa Sigma are dedicated to developing themselves, each other, and relationships with the community.”

The Western Oregon chapter of Kappa Sigma began in May 2013 and currently has 31 active members.

Thurman also said that while the events are “mainly for reaching out to prospective members of the fraternity, [they are] also to show the students at the school that are not involved in Greek life that we are still interested in providing a fun and exciting environment for everyone.”

Thurman added, “Unfortunately in my opinion, there has been a negative attitude surrounding the development of Greek life at this institution, but we are definitely motivated and dedicated to changing that.”

The events were mainly for people to “come, hang out and get to know the brothers,” said Roberto Gomez, a senior economics major, who is also involved with Kappa Sigma.
Church Street was closed Wednesday morning for the tricycle races.

Dolan Kasnick, a senior criminal justice major, raced nine times. He said he enjoyed “the chance to break away from all seriousness of college.”

Harms said the turnout was “bigger than anticipated.” The event was originally a social event put on by the Willamette Chapter of Kappa Sigma, and the Western chapter asked to borrow it from them.

Kappa Sigma also offered free hamburgers and soda to students.

Anyone was able to participate in the tricycle races after signing a liability waiver. Each participant was allowed six pushes total down the hill, and whoever made it past the duct tape at the bottom first was the winner.

The tricycle races were just for fun, but every participant received a free Burgerville milkshake coupon.

Harms also said to expect more events.

“We might do this event again next year,” he added.

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Chiropractors don’t crack bones?

By EVELINA RAMIREZ
 Staff Writer

As college students, finding the necessary care and health advice can sometimes cause a headache. Knowing where to direct your questions can also be confusing.

However, on Wednesday, April 8, Western hosted its annual health fair on the Health and Wellness Center’s basketball courts to provide students with information and answer their questions about health.

While sitting at the check-in table, Sarah Fox and Alyssa Raimer both agreed that the fair served a dual purpose: to inform Western of the resources available to students in all aspects of health and well-being and to promote healthy behavior.

At the check-in desk, students were given a stamp card to take with them to the booths. Once fully stamped, the card could be entered in a raffle to win prizes like a Magic Bullet, a Fitbit or a bike.

Representatives from the Student Health and Counseling Center, Monmouth Fitness Club and Alcohol Anonymous had booths on display with a variety of valuable information regarding health, addiction and personal issues.

Medical organizations such as Salem Health, Corvallis Clinic and the Dallas Health and Vitality Center displayed their important information via eye-catching poster boards and free samples.

The Dallas Health and Vitality Center promoted healthy free samples such as power drinks and cranberry-orange muffins. The muffins contained one of their products called Nutracleanse, which is an all-natural food fiber from organic sources. They also displayed an array of their supplements: chewable Vitamin D gummies, Dairy Enzymes and Vitamin B12.

One of the booths helped to ease the stress dealing with finances can cause.

“We answer common questions from students about building credit and overall financial
wellness,” said Christina Budiselic, a sophomore elementary education major.

Life Source Natural Foods, a grocery store in Salem, filled its booth with information on its organic, GMO-free fruits and vegetables.

For about 21 years, Life Source has provided customers with the purest produce by eliminating harmful pesticides embedded within the food. They also label their grocery aisles with gluten-free labels, to make it an easier shopping experience for customers.

The booth offered a basket full of sweet, organic carrots for students to munch on while wandering on to other booths.

Dr. Marty, from Thornton Chiropractic located in Independence, explained, “People have misconceptions about what chiropractors do. We do not crack bones; we deal with the nervous system and always treat the cause, not the symptoms.”

There was a massage chair placed in front of the booth for those who wanted to sample a chiropractic massage.

The health fair is held annually, and has been for over a decade, providing knowledge about health resources available in and around the Monmouth area.

The Western Howl

Home »

Western theatre presents student-directed short plays

By Stephanie Blair
 Staff Writer

Next week, April 16-18, Western theatre students will have their annual chance to show off their directing prowess.

Students who have completed the two directing courses on campus, Directing and Advanced Directing, both taught by Professor Michael Phillips, will be showing one act plays.

This year, three students have stepped up and chosen the plays for this year.

Natalie Piper, fourth-year senior theatre major, has selected “A Chance Meeting” by Frederick Stroppel, starring Janelle Davis, Zach Warner, and Nathaniel Dunaway. The show depicts a married couple attempting to spice up their love life by exploring fantasy role-playing, but when an old friend cluelessly stumbles into the picture, things get messy.

“The student-directed one acts, I feel, are really for the students, by the students, so I picked something I thought they would enjoy,” Piper said.

The second show in the program, “The Mice Have Been Drinking Again” by Cleve Haubold, starring Belladina Starr, Declan Hertel, Samantha Dunaway and Andrew Thornton, is directed by BFA acting major Nick Kintz. The show, set in the 1970s, is filled with hippies, gurus, and slapstick humor.

The festival roster concludes with “Find of the Century” by Western’s own Nathaniel Dunaway. The one act stars Lindsay Spear and Patrick Willett in a drama about a turn-of-the-century archaeologist and the mysterious young woman who knows the secret behind his latest discovery, directed by BFA acting major Trevor Jackson.

“Directing is a strange craft; it requires talent as well as authority,” Jackson said.
“It’s the marriage of art and leadership, and it makes for a wild, student-led night.”

This year’s festival will be held in the black box theater of Rice Auditorium, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night. The performance is free to students with an ID.

For more information, please contact the theater department at theaterdance@wou.edu or call the Rice Auditorium box office at 503-838-8462.

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.

College of Education initiates curriculum reform

Western theatre presents student-directed short plays

Suspect turns himself in after wrecking on campus

Track divides team to succeed in three meets

Rushing to the finish line

Chiropractors don’t crack bones?

Western theatre presents student-directed short plays

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