Mount Hood

Get to know a major

By: Paige Scofield
Campus Life Editor

Western offers a wide variety of degrees that students can major in, many of which students don’t know are offered, or know next to nothing about. This week, in “Get To Know a Major:” receiving a bachelor of science in community health.

Maressa Milat, a junior, is working towards receiving a bachelor of science in community health with a minor in human biology. Although she didn’t come to Western for that specific major, she knew she wanted to come here. “I came to Western to attend a small school rather than a big state school,” Milat stated.

Originally Milat was going to major in nursing, but she didn’t like how competitive it was, so she switched her major to community health. “You can do so much with a major in community health,” she said. “There are a lot of careers available to someone educated in that field.” According to Western’s website, those fields include: medical care facilities, colleges and universities, public health settings, non-profit community health organizations, private businesses and building a foundation for beginning advanced/graduate level work.

“I’m thinking about taking more of a social worker job, that checks in on families, children and the elderly,” she said. “That’s something that I think is a really important job in our society.”

The community health major is described on Western’s website as a program that, “… prepares students to work with individuals, groups, and communities to promote health and prevent disease and disability. Students develop professional skills and competencies that include: assessing individual and community needs, planning and implementing health education programs, evaluating the effectiveness of health education programs, coordinating health education services, acting as a resource person for reliable and valid health information,advocacy and communication of health needs and information to multiple audiences in socially and culturally appropriate ways.”
When asked what her favorite course she had taken so far was, Milat replied, “Human sexuality is my favorite so far. I like how open everything is and there’s no judgement.” She added, “Most of our classes are taught in a lecture style, and our class size is fairly small, so it’s easy to communicate with other students and my professors, I like that a lot too.”

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu

Dispatches from the sports desk

By:Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The Korean Zombie earned a first round knockout of ninth-ranked Dennis Bermudez in his return bout.

Bermudez opened the Feb. 4 fight with strong blows, but found the inevitable lurch of Chan Sung Jung to be inescapable.

A bear of an uppercut took Bermudez to the ground. Jung was on him, delivering hits, when the fight was called.

Knockout. 2:49 in the first.

Probably a bit of an early stoppage, all things considered. But the bell was rung and what’s done was done.

I’ve been a fan of The Korean Zombie since I first found out there was a fighter with the nickname “The Korean Zombie.” A few years ago, he was one of the most exciting, rope-a-dope fighters out there.

The prevailing theme across fight media is “The Korean Zombie is back!” He didn’t have as much as ring rust as many predicted and he picked up a win in his classic style.

Belal Muhammad tweeted, “There was three years of anger in that uppercut.”

We shouldn’t be this surprised.

We may remember that he missed his fights in 2014 following a shoulder injury he suffered in his championship fight. But he’s not returning from that injury. He’s back from serving mandatory time in the South Korean Military.

That time serving not only gave him time to heal, but it was time spent keeping him fighting fit.

South Korea raises one of Asia’s strongest militaries. And in the case of Chan Sung Jung, one of the world’s toughest fighters. The soldier’s return has put his division on notice.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Happy Valentine’s Day?

By: Paige Scofield
Natural Disaster

Feb. 14th, otherwise known as Valentine’s Day, is a time of chocolates, cards, fancy dinners, broken hearts, love, frilly things, crippling self doubt, romance and candlelight. But people always seem to miss the most important aspect of the 14th, and they have been forgetting it for years. It’s Oregon’s birthday! Our beautiful state turns 158 this year, and I bet it didn’t even cross your mind. Every year I send invitations to everybody. Where were you when it was Oregon’s 150th? Making out and having fun with someone because of some stupid holiday?

Oregon was really hurt, and I was the only one at the party. It got really awkward, because it was a potluck, but all I brought was a 10 pound bag of ice for the drinks that weren’t there. We had to eat ice. There wasn’t even cake. Just ice. I also accidentally bought a block instead of crushed ice, so we literally had to use an ice pick to eat some of the worst ice I’ve ever had. I knew I shouldn’t have skimped and bought the off-brand ice.

Anyway, why do you keep taking Oregon for granted? You’ve literally lived together for years. Not to mention, who wouldn’t want to take Oregon out for a birthday/Valentine’s Day date? Oregon is absolutely stunning, and has a little bit of everything: beaches, deserts, hipsters, mountains, forests, cities and great restaurants. Valentine’s Day was created by candy companies too … Okay, I can’t do this anymore, I’m honestly just really hurt that nobody asked me out for Valentines Day. I mean I love Oregon’s birthday, but it’s too much state for me to handle and Oregon never calls back. I’m drowning in loneliness, and soon to be discount chocolate. WHY WILL NO ONE LOVE ME?

Contact the author?

Social media backlash to the new administration

By: Zoë Strickland
Managing Editor

On Jan. 24, the Trump administration ordered the employees of multiple federal agencies, including the EPA, USDA, HHS and DOI, to halt external communication with both the public and the media.

According to the New York Times, the communication halt is in place “… while the Trump administration struggles to put political appointees into position.” The moratorium on communication from those departments came after the administration began re-doing the White House website on Jan. 20, during which they deleted any mention of climate change.

As a result of these combined events, the Twitter account of Badlands National Park began posting scientific facts relating to climate change. The National Park Service then came forward and admitted that the information was being posted by a former employee who had hijacked the account and proceeded to delete what they had tweeted.

Though the National Park Service attempted to correct what had happened on their Twitter, the tweets sparked an onset of unofficial ‘resistance’ government accounts. Among those accounts are @altUSEPA, @RoguePOTUSStaff, @RogueNASA, @altNOAA and @NotAltWorld, which was originally used for the unofficial National Park Service but has since been handed off to non-government workers.

Since all of the Twitter accounts being made are working against the orders of the Trump administration, it’s unclear which accounts are being run by people inside of the the organizations. Some, like @NotAltWorld and @RogueNASA, publicly admit to being run by non-government employees.

The Rogue POTUS Staff twitter claims to be run by people within the government. Their website identifies them as the “Official White House Resistance Operation,” saying that they “are White House staffers, working at various levels, operating in secrecy to reveal hidden truths of the Trump administration to the American people.”

However, since all of the Twitter accounts are openly resisting the new administration, none of the account managers have come forth to identify themselves.

The Twitter accounts join together as part of a larger movement that draws attention to the communication halt as well as the “… recent proposals from the Trump transition team for drastic cuts in environmental science in federal agencies,” as reported by Scientific American.

Most recently, on Feb. 3, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-F.L., introduced a bill into congress that seeks to completely terminate the EPA.

The recent setbacks to the scientific community have helped draw attention to the work that has already been done by each agency. People are drawing attention to old research, such as the database that NASA introduced in August of 2016 where they post the peer-reviewed articles of research that NASA has funded. Articles on the database range from studies about how spaceflight may increase certain clinical symptoms in astronauts to if it’s possible to inhabit Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.

The rogue twitter accounts, government employee run or not, are starting a conversation that helps spread awareness for government-funded scientific research.

The science community is planning the Science March on Washington on April 22 for Earth Day. A satellite march is currently set to take place in Portland.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Review: “Rings”

By: Kiley Prom
Freelancer

Continuing the route of its predecessors, this unnecessary third movie in “The Ring” franchise follows the story of the girl who’s never used a brush, as she continues her murder streak through old pirated VHS tapes.

Updated for 2017, the characters make use of current technology such as quicktime files and cellular phones, as well as keeping to the roots by starting with the original VHS tape.

Fit with a stereotypical young love between a 26-year-old who viewers are supposed to believe is a freshman and a girl who can’t attend university for a reason they never care to elaborate on, this new installment is unnecessarily packed with plenty of cheesy romantic comedy tropes.

“Rings” follows what many horror movies have done before by casting an actress with tremendously bad acting and breathing problems, and an actor whose only memorable moments are the few times he takes off his shirt.

“There’s no hiding” from this strange plot that includes a random girl on the side of the road whose presence is confusing at best until the last 20 minutes of the movie.

The film also takes our main couple on a wild goose chase, sending them back and forth between the only three buildings in the small town of Sacramento Valley, in search of the decomposed corpse of Samara.

“Big Bang Theory’s” Johnny Galecki, or Professor Gabriel as he’s referred to in the film, makes his appearance as the occult leader of students who spends his freetime showing anyone willing to watch a film from a VCR he procured at a garage sale. His character turns the already far-fetched concept of a girl coming out of the TV into a science fair project.

Vincent D’Onofrio shows up in the latter half of the movie as the saving grace of the film, playing a very convincing role as a blind man whose character becomes much more memorable as the film goes on.

The filmography was well done, all things considering. The director, F. Javier Gutiérrez, incorporated heavy use of imagery that he featured in single framed shots throughout the film. Gutiérrez also included a lot of religious symbology such as a church, crosses, as well as a painting of the Virgin Mary that contrasted with the demonic nature of the film. The director also seemed to take some pointers from popular directors before him, cashing in on the dolly zoom effect utilized in Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Vertigo,” to create a feeling of disorientation.

The movie itself has no scary moments aside from a few jump scares you can see coming from a mile away, and some uncomfortable moments for the entomophobes in the audience.

Other than a few plot holes, such as the protagonists phone never running out of battery despite using it as a flashlight for over 30 percent of the film, and a confusing timeline, “Rings” is not bad. It’s not the best horror movie of all time, nor the best in the “Ring” franchise, but it did manage to keep me engaged for 100 minutes without falling asleep. However, the movie offers no rewatch value.

Contact the author at kprom15@wou.edu

3/4
+ Great supporting cast
– Unrealistic plot holes

Softball opens season

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Wolves softball traveled to Las Vegas for their first taste of competition in 2017. The season started hit-and-miss, and after three days of gameplay the Wolves are now at 2-3.

The first day was the hardest, as the Wolves suffered two losses. The first was a tight 1-3 to Azusa Pacific. In the second game, playing Chico State, Western Oregon went into the seventh inning with a 4-2 lead. But Chico State was able to capitalize on final mistakes, and won 7-4 in extra innings.

A high scoring second day saw Western Oregon win one and lose one. The win against Minot State came courtesy of a big fifth inning, where the Wolves scored three runs to take the lead and close out 5-4.

Senior Ashlee Lynch scored a homerun in the game, while first year pitcher Chandler Bishop recorded the win in relief.

The final loss came at the hands of Cal State San Bernardino, who scored the winning run on an RBI double in the home half of the final inning.

Senior Sammi Cadwallader pitched a shutout against Cal State Monterey Bay for the final win. Senior Kelsie Gardner scored the only run of the day in the first inning.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Creating an inclusive community

By: TK Layman
Staff Writer

Inclement weather and blustering winds showed a small but intimate turn out for speaker Kerani Mitchell’s community discussion “Exploring What Makes Us Oregonian.”

Ten people total showed up to talk about community inclusion and how they can, as a group, share stories of how they have all felt included or excluded from their particular community, and explore options to help those who may not feel welcome to be a part of their surroundings.

Kerani Mitchell, a graduate of Seattle University with a degree in international studies, started the group by leading them through a quick reflection and having them consider what brought them to the discussion. By laying out the guidelines of creating a safe inclusive space and keeping an open mind, Mitchell got the audience thinking.

Introductions led way with participants stating their name and one thing they love about their community in Oregon.

During introductions, one audience member prompted the question, “When can someone call themselves an Oregonian?” As participants pondered on what makes someone an Oregonian, they all came to terms; an Oregonian is one who lives in Oregon.

Mitchell had the audience break up into two groups to discuss times they felt included in their community, and how they can identify ways to help others feel included in their daily lives.

One member, a teacher within the community, spoke about the difference between the “golden rule” and a different concept called the “platinum rule,” giving a description of treating others how they wish to be treated, rather than how one would want.

Mitchell ended the conversation with a recording of Maya Angelou’s poem “Human Family.”

By the end the group came back together to discuss ways they can help someone who may feel excluded from their community feel more welcome. Several of the ideas discussed included having themselves step outside their comfort zones and immersing themselves in a new culture, or searching for community involvement opportunities and above all treating everyone with human decency. As the conversation died down, the words of Maya Angelou resonated over the crowd: “We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”

Oregon Humanities Conversation Project continues Thursday, Feb. 16 with the next installment, “The Space Between Us, Immigrant Refugees, and Oregon” by speaker Manuel Padilla. Starting at 7 p.m. in the Anderson Room at the Salem Public Library
Contact the author at tlayman16@wou.edu