Mount Hood

Light up the Night

By: Paige Scofield
Campus Life Editor

The giant, 123-foot sequoia tree on Western’s campus has thrived for 129 years. Throughout these years students have been able to admire it’s height from anywhere on campus, especially during the holidays. For the past 48 years, Western has decorated the giant sequoia tree with bright lights and topped it with a shining star. This year is no different. On Friday Dec. 2, Western’s Alumni will be holding the 49th annual tree lighting event, Light up the Night: Holiday Tree Lighting. As stated by the Western’s alumni page, the event begins at 6:00 p.m. The invitation to enjoy the splendor is as follows:

Come to campus to watch the parade, hear the laughter and songs of children, build community and watch the tree light up in splendor.
The WOU Alumni Association Board of Directors will hand out complimentary hot cocoa and hot cider under the alumni tents, be sure to come say hello and grab a cup to warm your hands.
Activities for the whole family will take place after the tree lighting and will include pictures with Santa, cookie decorating, crafts and more.

This event is for all to come and enjoy.

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu

Cinema jerks beware

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Seeing a movie in the theater is always a fun thing to do. Whether it is a date, a movie you’ve been waiting for or just a night out with friends, going to the movies is almost never a bad idea.

Lately though, people have started viewing the “please silence your cell phone” messages as a suggestion, rather than a requirement. Trying to block phone light from a few rows down with the chair in front of you is more common than it should be.
Movie theater etiquette is slowly disappearing. People are thinking less and less about others’ enjoyment of the film. Going to the movies is not cheap, and people need to take that into account before they read a text or talk to their friend while the movie is playing.

Here are a few tips to maximize your enjoyment and the enjoyment of others during a movie:

Open your candy and shake your popcorn before the movie starts.

When your drink is gone: admit defeat and stop slurping it.

Actually silence your phone, don’t put in on vibrate and be tempted to check it.

If you’re watching a horror movie, don’t laugh when a tense scene is on. It ruins the scene for everyone else.

The person in front of you can most definitely feel your foot on their chair.

Wait until you get in your car to discuss the ending of the movie.
Please don’t bring your baby to the movies.

It’s okay to whisper small comments to the person next to you, but don’t have conversations.

If your kiss is going to last longer than three seconds, do it outside of the theater.

Contact the author at anewton15@wou.edu

Modern Holiday Songs

“Christmas Lights” by Coldplay will always be my favorite Christmas song. It isn’t cheerful, but it gives a feeling of hope that is unmatched in any Christmas song. “Christmas Lights” acknowledges that things aren’t always perfect and cheery in the holiday season, but there’s always hope.
-Ashton Newton

“The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You)” sung by Nat King Cole has alwayscoldplay-christmas-colorcoldplay-com been the quintessential holiday song for me. A tradition my mom and I have is that when we decorate our Christmas tree with ornaments and lights, we play Nat King Cole’s holiday album on the radio. Obviously, it’s a song that some people may consider to be overdone due to how many different artists have covered it, but the mellow tone and instrumental background of this particular version has always had a huge impact for me. Whenever I hear it, I always think of being at home with my mom in our living room and how happy that makes me.
-Elissa Sorenson

“Peppermint Winter” by Owl City isn’t a classic, by any means. However, it captures the childhood sweetness of the Christmas season while the melody leaves me slightly melancholy. Without a hint of romance, “Peppermint Winter” captures the levity and beauty of a white Christmas.
-Stephanie Blair

As a person with very little interest in stale Christmas classics, I was ecstatic when I heard that John Roderick (of The Long Winters fame) and Jonathan Coulton (of Jonathan Coulton fame) were collaborating on an album of original Christmas songs (and one Hanukkah song.)
One Christmas at a Time (2012) is a wonderfully original ten-track album for the holiday season. The songs inside are just as funny and as they are touching, and sometimes downright strange If you’re looking for a refreshing take on the season I cannot recommend these 9 Christmas songs (and one Hanukkah song) enough.
– Darien Campo

I’m a sucker for holiday music, so it’s difficult for me to just pick one song as my favorite. I enjoy most. But this year, I’ve been listening to Frank Sinatra’s, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” a lot. His voice is soft, but filled with longing and tenderness. His low, quiet extended notes to the final letter of the words,“dreams,” and, “gleams,” keeps you yearning for something you can’t quite put your finger on. Although this song can seem melancholy, it accurately performs the feeling of longing during the holidays.
-Paige Scofield

Review: “Star Wars: Catalyst”

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

“Star Wars: Catalyst” is a prequel novel to the upcoming spin off movie “Rogue One”. The novel centers around Galen Erso, who is father to “Rogue One” protagonist Jyn Erso, and Orson Krennic, the film’s antagonist. The novel is written by James Luceno, who also wrote “Tarkin” and “Darth Plagueis”. Luceno is known for bringing readers into the heads of “Star Wars” villains, and “Catalyst” is no different.

star-wars-catalyst-colorrandomhousebooks-comThe novel is not the most accessible for the average reader. The appeal of the book is that it’s a “Rogue One” prequel and “Star Wars” fans will find the locations and familiar characters fun to read about. However, the characters would just seem random without prior knowledge of the film.

At its core, “Catalyst” is a detailed history of how the Death Star came to be. The iconic space station’s history is muddled with confusing mentions in both “Episode II” and “Episode III”. The novel puts all of that confusion to rest: “Catalyst” is the origin story of the Death Star.

“Catalyst” is an interesting book that is weighed down heavily by its lack of direction. Characters float from situation to situation without really any strong reasoning behind it.

The “Star Wars” timeline can be confusing at times. Jumping between forms of government three times: The Republic, The Empire and, most recently, The New Republic/First Order. “Catalyst” deals with the Republic and Empire eras, but without prior knowledge of the political systems, the shift would seem weird.

The book shines in the character relationships. Erso and Krennic’s rich history is intriguing. The best part of “Catalyst” is getting immersed in the struggles that the characters face. They have all have relatable struggles and flaws.

“Catalyst” is not the best “Star Wars” novel that has come out, but it is not the worst either. The interesting history of the Death Star and the rich characters are brought down by the book’s lack of a strong overarching plot. The book is perfect for diehard Star Wars fans looking for something to keep them busy until “Rogue One” releases on Dec. 16.

Please contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

7/10
+ Death Star History
+ Interesting characters
– Thin overarching plot

Winning in the New P.E.

By: Burke De Boer 
Sports Editor

Women’s basketball remains unbeaten at home after well rounded team play beat Oregon Tech 59-50.

Oregon Tech came into the game with five wins. Their talent showed through their statistics, where they were able to keep up with Western in terms of forcing turnovers. They were able tobasketball-color take better advantage of these turnovers, as they outscored the Wolves 11-15 on points off turnovers.

They also took more shots than Western, and at one point in the third quarter lead by ten points.

Ultimately, good ball distribution helped the Wolves team overcome the Owls.

Jasmine Miller, junior forward, and Kaylie Boschma, sophomore guard, each scored 10 points to lead the team on scoring.

Sydney Azorr, junior guard, was close behind coming off the bench, with nine points of her own. The Western bench contributed 25 points while Oregon Tech’s bench could only put up eleven.

Prior to hosting Oregon Tech, the Wolves traveled to Chico, California for the Coslet Classic where they suffered their first two losses of the season.

Shelby Snook, junior guard, put up 34 points over the two games. Jasmine Miller scored 29 in the tournament, including a career-best 19 points against the host team Chico State.

The Chico State game came down the buzzer when Snook attempted a three point basket that would have sent the game to overtime. Instead the ball bounced off the rim and Chico State took the victory, 67-70.

The team are at home for the rest of term, where they will open conference play. They host Seattle Pacific on Dec. 1 and St. Martin’s on Dec. 3.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Fishnets, puns and full-body contact

By: Zoe Strickland
Managing Editor

It’s time for roller derby.

The Panty Raiders boasted a nearly threefold win in their bout against the Thrill Kill Kittens. After a combined 50 jams, the scoreboard totaled 246-90.

The bout was hosted on Nov. 12 at The Madhouse, the home of Cherry City Roller Derby, a Salem-based flat track derby league.

The amount of points earned may seem drastic, but roller derby is no stranger to high scores.

“You have four blockers from each team, and you have one jammer. The jammer wears the star on her helmet, and she’s the only one that can score points,” explained Jab-her ‘jaws, a three-year native with the Thrill Kill Kittens. “So the object of the game is to get your jammer through one time around and then every opposing blocker that she passes gets (her) a point.”

The bout started off strong with Tiny Tank scoring the Panty Raiders their first four points in the first jam. The Thrill Kill Kittens got a slow start and landed their first points during the fourth jam. Each jam is a two-minute playing period that can be ended early if the lead jammer puts their hands on their hips, signalling an end to the period.

The final scores at halftime were 128-37, foreshadowing the Panty Raiders’ eventual victory.

Juno Nothin’ powered through the second jam of the second half, earning the first points of the second half and gaining the Thrill Kill Kittens a promising ten points.

The 14th jam of the second half started off with Thrill Kill Kitten jammer Flex Appeal being benched for a penalty, only to be allowed back on the track early because of a penalty on the part of Panty Raiders jammer Lucy Skates n’ Diamonds. The dual jammer penalty resulted in there being no lead jammer during the 14th jam.

Roller derby is high-energy and ruthless, but every person at the bout exuded a strong sense of community.

“I play roller derby because I love the athletic sport of it, and I also love the girls that I play with. We really do become like a family … you just really get to know each other … I started for the athletic aspect, but I stayed because of my team and my league,” said Cherry Pi, a skater with the Panty Raiders who has been involved since the Cherry City league was founded seven years ago.

“The league is like one whole big family … It’s a great release; it’s a great way to have fun and the adrenaline is amazing. And at the end of the day we all love each other and we all support each other,” Jab-her ‘jaws added.

The bout continued on for another 12 jams, resulting in the Painty Raiders holding the Thrill Kill Kittens hostage with a final score of 246-90.

The Rydell Belles face the Dolls of Anarchy in the next home bout on Nov. 19. Tickets are sold online at cherrycitygirls.com or in a select number of locations in Salem.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu