May 2016 – Page 8 – The Western Howl

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Laremy Tunsil had a bad week. In a manner of minutes, the NFL prospect watched Screen Shot 2016-05-01 at 8.55.58 PM millions of dollars blow away in a cloud of smoke, literally and figuratively.

Tunsil, a highly touted offensive lineman from Ole Miss, arrived at the NFL draft on April 28, expecting to hear his name called in the top six picks. However, just minutes before the draft was set to commence, a video surfaced on his social media account allegedly showing Tunsil smoking a substance out of a gas mask bong.

According to Tunsil’s agent, Jimmy Sexton, the video posted to Tunsil’s social media account was the work of a hacker.

The incriminating video made NFL teams hesitant to select the 6’ 5”, 305 pounder, and Tunsil’s draft stock plummeted. Tunsil was finally selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 13th pick; a fall from grace which ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter says cost Tunsil $7 million by falling seven spots in the draft.

Then in an even more bizarre twist, an image was posted on Tunsil’s Instagram account showing an alleged conversation between Tunsil and Ole Miss assistant athletic director, John Miller, about paying the electric bills and rent of Tunsil’s mother. Sexton also claimed that a hacker was behind the leak.

As an aspiring professional athlete, Tunsil should have taken better care on what he puts on his social media account, whether set on private or not. Sure, almost everyone has at least one skeleton in their closet, but Tunsil should have realized that every single one of his actions would be scrutinized under a microscope.

It is safe to assume that Tunsil is regretting that $7 million bong rip.
Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

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Blazers nip the Clip

Screen Shot 2016-05-01 at 8.55.46 PM

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

When the Portland Trail Blazers were down 0-2 in their best of seven first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, all hope seemed to be lost. The young Blazer squad appeared to be outmatched and seemed to lack the weapons to defeat the Clippers in four out of their final five games of the Western Conference series.

While many fans and sports analysts considered the series all but over, the underdog Blazers saw it as an opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong yet again. History was also against the Blazers, as only two out of 53 squads since 2009 have ever come back from a 0-2 deficit.

In their first two games against the Clippers in Los Angeles, the Blazers were absolutely dominated in every facet of the game, losing both games by at least 20 points. After going down 0-2, the Blazers hoped that they could feed off the energy from the Rose City crowd and make the series interesting, and that they did.

In game three, Portland came out with a sense of urgency and defeated the Clippers 96-88.

Then in game four, the Blazers took care of business and came away victorious with an assist from Clipper’s All-Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, who both had to leave the game with season-ending injuries. Paul fractured his hand and Griffin re-aggravated a quad injury that has plagued him all season long.

With the freak injuries to the Clippers’ best two players, Portland went from underdog to the favorite overnight. Being a favorite was an unfamiliar position for the Blazers who have embraced the underdog role all season long, which left many sports analysts wondering how each team would respond.

In game five back in L.A., the Clippers started the game with great energy, and outplayed the Blazers in the first half. However, the Clips ran out of gas and the Blazers took advantage and won the game 108-98.

With the advantage now going to the Blazers, Portland had a chance to finish off the fledgling Clippers back on their home court. Led by point guard Damian Lillard’s 28 points, the Blazers squeaked out a 106-103 victory taking the series 4-2, and the entire city of Portland celebrated as confetti fell from the ceiling of the Moda Center.

The Blazers will now play the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs. Golden State will be without their best player, Stephen Curry, who went out with a sprained knee in game four of the first round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. Curry could come back as soon as May 9.

Portland has already defied expectations for the season. Although they are underdogs going into their matchup with Golden State, they are right where they want to be, so don’t be surprised if they find a way to shock the world yet again.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU.

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This week in WOU history

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

May 3, 1998, Campus Public Safety responded to a report of a man wielding a handgun outside of Valsetz Dining Hall. Five police cars promptly arrived on campus only to discover that the handgun was a toy cap gun. The cap gun was a prop being used by actors for WSTV, Western’s former student-produced television station. The students involved, despite having a reasonable excuse for possessing the gun look-alike, faced charges of inciting a riot and disorderly conduct.

May 6, 2005, students in professor Jordan Hofer’s Anthropology 399 class prepared fundraisers in an attempt to figuratively adopt a chimpanzee. The final project for this Primatology course, instead of a paper or speech, was to raise funds to sponsor an orphaned chimpanzee with the Jane Goodall Institute. One fundraiser was a raffle for a gift basket which included a stuffed chimp, candy, and a movie coupon from Blockbuster.

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Oregon DHS fails all 13 federal child care standards

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

Screen Shot 2016-05-01 at 8.50.07 PM
Recent federal report findings regarding Oregon’s Department of Human Services’ responsiveness to child welfare concerns show the department is failing in all 13 standards.

Originally, a 2008 review reported that the state’s department was failing in 11 of 13 standards. With the new 140-page assessment is required every six years and directly impacts federal funding.

After the results of the 2008 assessment, Human Services was given an implementation plan to bring the department back up within standard range.

However director Clyde Saiki wrote an email to all state legislators stating that it was clear the agency did not appropriately implement or track the plan.

The assessment covers areas of child welfare such as the amount of child maltreatment cases, how many of those cases were recurrent, cases that were not conducted with sufficient investigations, and the timeliness of how cases were handled.

Current assessment results, reported by the Statesman Journal, show only 50 percent of cases were addressed in a timely manner, with some of these cases receiving timely responses 15.5 percent of the time.

Due to the shortcomings within the department now presented with this recent assessment, Governor Kate Brown stated that she is disappointed with the review and has ordered an investigation.

Becca Philippi, a 2016 WOU graduate in early childhood education, reported having her own difficulties with Child Protective Services.

“I worked with preschool age children from at-risk families, and we worked closely with [Child Protective Services] on several issues,” said Philippi. “They are severely understaffed there and have way too much on their caseload.”

Philippi mirrored the problems stated in the report, saying, “… issues are not responded to in time or sometimes fell through the cracks completely.”

“When I worked in the public schools, there wasn’t a system in place, and there were multiple instances where I was concerned for a student but frustrated that I couldn’t help the child farther than reporting what I noticed,” said Philippi.

Multiple times within her work, Philippi dealt with students coming into class exhausted or hungry with stories of not eating or sleeping.

Brandon Sherrard, a 2015 Western graduate with an education degree, now works as a licensed substitute teacher who is a mandatory reporter.

“I have no experience with reporting cases as of today,” said Sherrard. “This news is a shock. [It] makes me feel like we’re failing our children.”

If it is suspected that a child is being abused or neglected, please contact your local Department of Human Services office or the police immediately. Polk County has a dedicated child abuse hotline, which can be reached at 503-378-6704 or the Toll Free Marion County Human Services office at 800-854-3508.

Contact the author at Jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter at @WOUjournalnews.

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Horoscopes

Aries 3/21-4/19
Aries, the tattoo you just got on your left leg is spelled wrong. Check it, double check it, and show it to a friend over 30. I’m totally right.

Taurus 4/20-5/20
Your astrological sign has now been changed to Libra. Please refer to the horoscope below.

Gemini 5/21-6/20
Hop on the fourth bus headed to Dallas on May 3 at the stop right in front of the WUC. Proceed to the left side of the aisle and sit seven rows back. Look under the seat for your next instructions.

Cancer 6/21-7/22
Spill the tea, Cancer. I want to hear all the juicy details about your encounter with the campus dreamboat.

Leo 7/23-8/22
You’re lookin’ like a flavor blasted, xtra cheddar Goldfish cracker this morning, Leo. Use this to your advantage.

Virgo 8/23-9/22
You will be delivered one of those glorious sushi burritos tomorrow by a close friend.

Libra 9/23-10/22
You’ll wake up in a tub of vegan marshmallow cream tomorrow, Libra. What does this mean? Is it a euphemism? Is it the hot new slang the teens are saying? Just embrace it.

Scorpio 10/23-11/21
When you hear the song “Milkshake” by Kelis playing within the next week, jump far to your right. You will narrowly miss getting hit by a ceiling tile. You’re welcome.

Sagittarius 11/22-12/21
Java Crew’s blended chai lattes are straight crack. Is this a horoscope? No, but I needed a place to post this statement.

Capricorn 12/22-1/19
If you promise to name your baby after me, I’ll give you a really good, non-pregnancy related horoscope next week, Capricorn.

Aquarius 1/20-2/18
Unironic plaid.

Pisces 2/19-3/20
John Stamos is the man who has been following you.

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Students swallow midterms in an effort to avoid taking tests

By: Katrina Penaflor
Managing Editor

Madeline Meyers, a twenty-something philosophy major, has come across a new solution to getting out of taking a test:

“Just swallow it.”

The trend Meyers has coined as “di-testing” (you know, like digesting but you eat a freakin’ test) is happening all over campus.

“You really have to make a scene out of it. Get dramatic, crumple up the paper, and scarf it down in front of your professor. They’ll think you’re crazy and you’ll definitely get out of the test,” said a sophomore student who wished to remain anonymous.

But what is the success rate? Will consuming a packet of paper really get you out of taking a midterm? Won’t teachers try to reschedule?

“Sometimes,” said Meyers. “But if you really freak them out, the teacher will probably just give you a pass at taking it. It’s a much simpler solution to actually studying.”

Simpler? Something tells me chewing and consuming multiple pages of printer paper is not easier than actually studying for a test.

Ava Belle, a fitness instructor on campus who teaches several of the yoga and Pilates classes at WOU, has her own opinion. “This stuff won’t fly, not on my watch. I had a kid try and swallow a yoga mat the other day. That was the last straw.”

Some say the reason behind the di-testing is an increased amount of stress among students, especially seniors who are on the verge of graduating.

I spoke with a senior, currently enrolled in 22 credits if the di-testing was worth giving a try. They responded, “Honestly, I’ll literally try anything at this point if it means less work and still being able to graduate.”

Roger Phillips, a freshman, was asked why he participated in di-testing, and if it had anything to do with stress.

“Stress? No. I’m not really all that stressed. I wasn’t even trying to get out of taking it. I saw this kid next to me do it, so I followed him and ate the biology midterm. I thought it was part of the exam process.”

I didn’t even bother to try and ask him another question after that. I simply left the interview, closed out this story, and continued on with my life.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu or on Twitter @JournalKatrina

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Winter has arrived

By: Conner Williams
Editor-in-Chief

Screen Shot 2016-05-01 at 8.42.15 PM Warning: This article contains spoilers. Read on if you’ve already seen the premiere, or if you’re some sort of savage that reads spoilers.

April has come, and that means winter has finally come with it. Well, you know, Westerosi winter.

For those faithful readers of Martin’s beloved series, unlike me (I’ve got all the books, I just need to dedicate about a decade of my life to read them), season six comes as an annoying reminder that the TV series is now separate from the books. I’ve been told by a reader of the books that it’s been that way for a while, but now the series is actually ahead of what has happened in the written timeline.

Despite this, about 10.7 million people tuned in to watch the premiere, with about 3 million of those in the form of online streaming, reports TV.com. Compared to “The Walking Dead’s” season six finale that had about 14.2 million viewers, “Game of Thrones” didn’t quite live up, but that could be due, in part, to it being on a premium channel instead of basic cable.

The main question that’s been floating around in everyone’s mind is whether or not Jon Snow is really dead. I hate to break it to you, but this episode didn’t do much to reverse the dozen stab wounds that he was so graciously awarded “for the Watch.” However, those that give faith to the Lord of Light still remain hopeful at the presence of the Red Woman at Castle Black.

Across the Narrow Sea, Arya Stark battles with her new gift the Faceless God has bestowed upon her in full-on Daredevil style; Cersei Lannister faces the reality of losing another child as the deformed Mountain guards her in her King’s Landing keep; Tyrion and Varys come to terms with the fact that they won’t be leaving Meereen anytime soon; Jorah Mormont and Daario Naharis continue their search for the fleeing Khaleesi; the Sand Snakes of Dorne betray their prince; Sansa Stark finally meets her mother’s former protector; and Melisandre shows her true form much to the dismay of eyeballs everywhere.

You can watch the episodes on HBO with a purchased subscription through your cable provider or stream them on the HBO Now app, which is currently offering a free month for new users. New episodes premiere every Sunday at 9 p.m. PST.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC

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.

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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.

Idiot of the week

Blazers nip the Clip

This week in WOU history

Oregon DHS fails all 13 federal child care standards

Horoscopes

Students swallow midterms in an effort to avoid taking tests

Winter has arrived

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