Mount Hood

Campus Squirrels Found Dealing Heroin

Some of Western’s furry friends were recently discovered to be furry fiends Thursday afternoon when an immense underground substance-trafficking operation was uncovered in the garbage receptacle outside Campbell Hall.

Monmouth police apprehended 169 squirrels in a bust orchestrated by Monmouth Police Chief Darrell Tallen. Three squirrels were killed in the raid after they fired on officers with assault weaponry. Two were killed by gunshot wounds and the third was crushed when a pallet of that sweet, sweet brown sugar collapsed on top of him. The Journal could not reach any of them for comment.

Discovered in the (estimated) 3,000 sq. ft. makeshift warehouse/processing plant were several dozen pallets holding almost a ton (2000 lbs.) of “horse as pure as the driven snow,” according to Doof Trooply, Intrepid Reporter, who managed to sample some of the squirrels’ product. Also seized was an amount of cash totaling 1.6 million dollars in bundles of $2000, only two of which he was able to make off with before he was noticed.

“Fuzzball” Malone, squirrel kingpin, was quoted as making cute nibbling noises and tiny, giggly squeaks as he waited for processing at the police station; these utterances were interpreted to be lazy “Breaking Bad” references. He declined to comment on whether or not he knew that Breaking Bad was about meth rather than heroin, so The Journal is forced to assume he did not.

Malone was once before arrested in connection with a series of hits put on the local opossum community, known as a hotbed of all kinds of illegal activity, though mostly prostitution. He escaped his enclosure at Oregon State Penitentiary early last year. He is expected to begin serving a life sentence in solitary confinement later this month.

“We don’t really know how to sentence animals,” said OSP warden Jeff Premo. “So life seemed appropriate, I guess.”

Monmouth PD fears that this squirrel-run operation, despite its size, was not the only source of heroin in the area. If you have any tips on where more of these dope-peddlers might be located, please let me know, and I will pass the information onto the police for you.

Rain messes with softball’s mojo

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

March 5 was supposed to be the Wolves’ home opener, but Mother Nature had other plans. The rain came down in droves and forced Western’s double-header against Saint Martin’s University to be postponed until a not-yet-decided future date.

By Sunday, the weather subsided, and the Wolves traveled to Ellensburg, Wash. to play a double-header against Central Washington University. Although the Wolves gave a valiant effort, they inevitably fell short 5-7 in the first matchup and lost 6-7 in the second.

In the first game, junior infielder Kelsie Gardner had three hits in only four at-bats, and she also smacked a home run in the third inning to even the score at 2-2.

In the seventh and final inning and down 4-7 to Central Washington, the Wolves put pressure on the Wildcats when Knowles hit a sacrifice ground-out which sent freshman infielder Ryanne Huffman home to close the gap to 5-7. Unfortunately, that was the closest the Wolves would get.

After the loss, the Wolves looked to get even with the Wildcats in the second of their back-to-back matchups. With the score even at 1-1 going into the second inning, junior Destiny Kuehl crushed a two-run homer to give Western the 3-1 lead.

The Wildcats fought back and started scoring relentlessly, tallying six runs over the next three innings. The Wolves showed grit and determination to come back from the deficit, and a homerun from Ashlee Lynch in the sixth inning brought the Wolves within one run on the Wildcat’s lead.

In the final inning the Wolves were unable to find an offensive spark, and the Wildcats escaped with the victory.

The two losses bring the Wolves’ overall record to 7-10 and 0-2 in GNAC conference play.

Western looks for their first GNAC conference win when they host Montana State University of Billings (MSUB) for a double header on Friday, March 11 at 1:00 p.m. and then at 3:00 p.m. Then the following day, Saturday, March 12, the Wolves again host MSUB for another double-header; the first game starts at 12:00 p.m. and the second at 2:00 p.m.

All four games will be played on Western’s Softball Field.

Contact that author at jwilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Graduating Off-Step

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By: Megan Clark

You know what’s really great? Graduating.

Graduating is what we all strive for, it’s the end goal. Well, I guess a career and paycheck is the end goal, but let’s not get too picky.

There’s this ideal picture that accompanies graduating: standing alongside peers, dressed in a red gown, poised to toss the tasseled cap.

However, many people, like myself, graduate out of sync with everyone else. Instead of graduating spring term alongside peers, some students graduate the term before or the term after, making graduation seem a little less impactful and a little less happy.

Tuyen Bolten, senior interdisciplinary studies major, is graduating this term as well.

“I do not have any friends graduating with me at the end of winter term, so my feelings about graduation have been altered slightly,” said Bolton. “I always envisioned graduating college with my closest friends by my side, and I am the first of my friends to graduate.”

Even though we can walk alongside our friends for graduation, it’s weird having to walk early (in the case of summer or fall graduates who walk in spring) or come back after three months for the ceremony.

All of the build up of working toward this one spectacular moment seems kind of anticlimactic once you realize you have to wait to seal the deal.

On coming back to Western for graduation, Bolten explained her mixed feelings on the issue, saying, “[It’ll be] happy to be back in a familiar place that became home for three and a half years, but saddening because I no longer see the same faces I got used to seeing daily.”

I know I’m going to be sad not being able to see my friends on campus everyday, but I’m looking forward to standing next to them for graduation once spring term ends.

Being campus life editor has been a really great experience and I’m happy to step down and pass the torch. It’s been fun, see you in three months!

Contact the author at meclark13@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOU_campuslife

Aren’t finals the worst?

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By: Rachael Jackson
Staff Writer

Nothing takes the sunshine and warm vibes out of the spring air quite like finals week. Well, that and the relentless torment of cold rain that seems to plague us as of late. The point is, finals are a drag.

As much as they suck, you have to dig in and try to get through. For most students, this means studying for hours, a tedious task by any measure.

Some students, like Tanner Parker, senior computer science major, like to study in places that provide a place they can easily ask a professor for guidance.

“I normally study in the ITC; when you’re there you are usually around [computer science] professors if you run into a problem and need help,” said Parker.

Another student, Carliee Leach-Provancha, senior history major, said she stays in bed to study because it provides a quiet, ambient space.

Alec Wynkoop-Roberts, junior English major, says he likes anywhere that provides a quiet and comfortable space near food.

“[Coffee shops] also usually have an assortment of baked goods to chow on,” explained Wynkoop-Roberts. “Studying makes me very hungry.”

Keeping a snack on hand can keep your mind busy while studying. Combine your favorite snack and place for a truly divine studying experience.

“I study at the library on the second or third floor or the WUC. I like it quiet, sometimes silent. I have to have my headphones playing an array of music from Childish Gambino to Tegan and Sara,” said Alyssa Chiampi, a third year public policy and administration major.

“Gummy bears and americanos get me through my studying times,” concluded Chiampi.

Contact the author at rjackson13@wou.edu or on Twitter @rachealyjackson

Refugees allowed to compete in 2016 Olympic Games

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Yusra Mardini, a 17-year old Syrian refugee, boarded an inflatable boat with 20 others and embarked on the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. 35 days into the voyage, when the boat’s motor broke, Mardini, a competitive swimmer, jumped overboard and pulled the boat for three and a half hours until they safely reached the shore.

After boarding a train that zipped across Europe, Mardini finally made it to Berlin, Germany where she now calls home, at least temporarily. But the girl with no country or flag was given hope last week when the International Olympic Committee announced Mardini and other refugees could compete in the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.

Mardini is one of 43 athletes to be considered to represent a team made up exclusively of refugees, although the committee estimates as many as 10 athletes may make the cut. The committee stated that the nomination criteria include sporting level, official refugee status from the United Nations, and personal situation and background.

“We have all been touched by the magnitude of this refugee crisis,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said to reporters after a two-day executive board meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. “By welcoming the team of Refugee Olympic Athletes to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, we want to send a message of hope to all the refugees of the world.”

“Having no national team to belong to, having no flag to march behind, having no national anthem to be played, these refugee athletes will be welcomed to the Olympic Games with the Olympic flag and with the Olympic anthem,” said Bach.

Bach’s statement highlights the growing concern for the world’s refugee crisis. According to the latest statistics compiled by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in 2014, the UN’s refugee agency estimated that there are 59.5 million refugees displaced around the world. Not since World War II have the numbers reached so high.

Because the refugee numbers continue to climb, the International Olympic Committee was obligated to make a statement, and they delivered, sending a message to the entire world.

Yolande Mabika couldn’t be happier at the committee’s announcement. Mabika, a refugee who fled the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the 43 athletes to be considered for the team.

“I cannot fight for my country,” Mabika said in an interview with The Guardian. “I will fight for the Olympics, I will fight for all the refugees in the world. Judo is my life. It helped me escape war, to take another path.”

Contact that author at jwilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Wolves win GNAC tournament

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

The men’s basketball team came into the GNAC tournament riding a wave of momentum from such a successful season. After winning the GNAC regular season title, the Wolves looked to keep the magic alive when they traveled to Lacey, Wash. last weekend, in a do-or-die scenario, and when the dust settled, the Wolves came out on top yet again.

Western’s first matchup on March 4 in the GNAC tournament semifinals pitted the Wolves against Seattle Pacific University, a team Western played and beat twice in the regular season. Both of those games went into overtime, and the Wolves found a way to escape with a victory.

The game didn’t take an overtime period for the Wolves to come away with the 58-57 victory, but it did take a clutch jumper from senior Julian Nichols (G) with just seven seconds left in the game to give Western the edge.

Nichols finished the game with 14 points, and senior Devon Alexander (G) led the Wolves in scoring with 19 points. Senior Andy Avgi (F), the 2015-16 GNAC Player of the Year, tallied 10 points, seven rebounds, and one block.

Western started the game sluggish, and Seattle took advantage, taking a 15-6 lead in the first seven minutes of the game. The Wolves fired back with hot shooting from Alexander and Nichols and tough team defense and got their first lead of the game at 21-19 off of an Alexander layup. The rest of the first half went back and forth, and the Wolves found themselves up 32-31 going into the break.

In the second half, the Falcons had the early advantage, but again the Wolves fought back and showed their never say die mentality they have had all season long. With 0:25 remaining in the game and SPU up 57-56, Nichols dribbled down the court and hit a jumper in the paint which all but sealed the Wolves’ semi-final tournament victory.

The Wolves’ amazing nail-biting victory propelled them into the tournament finals against the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, March 5. Earlier in the month, Fairbanks brought Western back to reality when they defeated them in Alaska 87-78, but the Wolves would have the last laugh, defeating the Nanooks 78-71 to take the GNAC tournament.

Alexander followed up his stellar performance on March 4 by dropping 16 points and battling for 10 rebounds. Senior Jordan Wiley (G) also had 16 points, redshirt sophomore Alex Roth (G) had 14 points, and Avgi had 12.

Fairbanks came out firing on all cylinders to start the game and had the lead for nearly the entire first half, but the Wolves never let the Nanooks advantage get above seven points. The first half ended with Alaska up 34-31.

The second half went back and forth with fifteen lead changes, but Western pulled away in the final minutes after Alexander nailed back to back three-pointers and Wiley and Nichols iced the game with free throws. Alexander’s consistent play in both games earned the senior the GNAC tournament MVP honors.

Because Western won the GNAC conference, the team earned an automatic bid into the NCAA West Regionals. Up next, the No. 1 seed Wolves will host the No. 6 seed Humboldt State today at 7:30 p.m. in the New P.E. Building.

Contact that author at jwilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

Cocktail Corner

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By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

This week for Cocktail Corner, I went out on the town with Ben Bergerson, linguistic major and designer at The Journal. We went all the way to exotic Independence, paid a visit to The Three Legged Dog, and sampled some of their highly praised mixed drinks.

I asked for a fruity surprise and was brought the Bourbon Renewal off of their menu. It consisted of bourbon, obviously, Creme de Cassis, lemon, and bitters.

The bourbon was very distinct and noticeable in the drink, and the Creme de Cassis, a blackberry liquor, provided a subtle, mellow fruitiness. It was a bit one-note and flat, as the bourbon overshadowed the other flavors present.

Bergerson ordered the Seelbach off of the menu, a wonderfully fizzy drink full of citrus zest. The ingredients were listed as bourbon, Gran Gala, bitters, and champagne. Unlike the Bourbon Renewal, the Seelbach was exciting, both in flavor and texture.

The bourbon acted as an accent that accompanied the delightful citrus bite, and the effervescence and overall tone of the drink was, according to Bergerson, “simply delightful.”

Contact the author at meclark13@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOU_campuslife

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