Mount Hood

SWANK allows Western students to stream movies for free

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

This fall, on-campus residents will have access to a free movie streaming service. The company providing the service is called SWANK. Western has branded this service “ResLife Cinema.”

The Housing and Dining Committee decided not to renew their contract with MINET two years ago, and thus left Western with limited entertainment options. After a lengthy search for replacements, the committee chose SWANK.

Aside from offering a wide selection of shows and movies, SWANK places a strong emphasis on educational programming. Ryan Jennings, an analyst programmer for computing services, performed the setup for this new service.

“Our Resident Assistants (RAs) can now request and select nearly any film they wish to build a program around, for free,” said Jennings. SWANK provides discussion guides along with films to help staff start dialogues around important topics, such as identity, mental health, sexual violence and more. Residents can also take part in monthly polls which provide feedback about what kind of content they would like to see.

Madeleine Hannah, senior humanities major and a resident of Ackerman hall, commented that, “I think it’s really beneficial…not everybody has Netflix or Hulu, or ways to nicely stream things, so it’s good to have access to that.”

Sabrina Smith, junior ASL/English interpreting major, brought up another point.

“I think it’s cool because when me and my roommates want to have movie nights we can just put it on instead of using people’s Netflix, because most of them share with their families and parents and they’re like, ‘oh we can’t actually watch this, cause my parents might see it.’”

Western organizations can also create their own channels and upload content to the site. “Since the product is new to us we have yet to explore this option,” Jennings commented, “however it might be a nice to upload a replay of latest (Western) sporting event, or allow residents to develop their own custom content to share with others.”

All on-campus residents have access to this resource, and there is no account set-up required. ResLife Cinema can be accessed through the WOU portal. The link is located under the “My Programs” tab, and is titled “ResLife Cinema (SWANK).”

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Volunteering with local art organizations can help emerging artists

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

The art profession is notorious for being one of the most competitive communities in the world. It can be difficult to get involved, especially since rural areas, such as Monmouth, have less access to art education compared to urban areas, according to the U.S. Department of Education. But there are resources near the Monmouth area that are helping to support student involvement in the arts.

The Salem Art Association offers many opportunities for emerging artists. They offer workshops on marketing yourself and connecting with established artists. Professor Paula Booth, Director of the Cannon Art Gallery, is along-time volunteer at the Salem Art Association. For artists struggling to get their art into the public eye, Booth says “they need to be spending not just the time making art… but (they) also need to be working on marketing (themselves) all the time.” Professor Booth says that about 50 percent of an emerging artist’s time should be spent marketing themselves.

The Salem Art Association provides volunteer opportunities in their galleries, teaching positions, and a residence program. The Association also holds an arts festival every year in the summer, and the volunteer opportunities there are endless.

When asked on the importance of getting involved, Booth said, “If you want to be in a certain field you have to go out and meet the people who are doing what you want to do.” Volunteering is a great way to meet people and to connect with the organizations that match your interests. To see a more comprehensive list of opportunities for involvement, visit salemart.org.

Salem also offers an art walk, held the last Friday of every month. Artists hold regular meetings every Thursday at 5 p.m. at the Prism Gallery, which is located in the Reed Opera House in downtown Salem. The Salem Art Walk includes a group theme show, also held at the Prism Gallery. Anyone can inquire about being involved in the group shows. Each month a different taphouse or bar hosts the After Party, at which committee members and artists can be found. To find out more information, visit salemartwalk.com.

In the end, volunteering can also lead to work. Booth recalled her own journey with volunteering, noting “I was just volunteering when I was interested…took on more responsibility as a volunteer…then I was able to eventually get a job.”

Connecting with organizations and artists in the surrounding community seems imperative for emerging artists. When it comes to on-campus opportunities, the theater department and the arts department are always offering different opportunities depending on the time of year — that’s why it’s important for students to get in contact with their professors about volunteering.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Interview with the Student Health and Counseling Center

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

Students have many helpful resources on campus for a variety of needs. One such resource is the newly opened Student Health and Counseling Center. The center offers certain health services free to students taking at least six credits. These services include counseling and mental health assistance. To get an idea of student health patterns from the perspective of a staff member, I sat down with Assistant Director of Wellness Education Craig Wimmer and Wellness Educator Pam Medzegian of the SHCC about the most common causes of student visits and what we can learn from these experiences.

In response to the question of advice the SHCC wants students to know, the answer is first and foremost that students should not hesitate or feel embarassed to make an appointment or come in. The staff is there to help solve problems and help educate about preventative care. Wimmer also notes that students should make an effort to be health conscious even when healthy.

“If we’re talking about traditional students, they’re in a pretty good place in their lives in terms of their overall health. They’re not thinking about chronic long term things. So I think this is a point in their lives where they start to learn why these things are important.” said Wimmer.

I asked whether there was any advice they had that for students that might be helpful in saving them a trip to the clinic. Instead, I got somewhat different, but more helpful advice.

“It’s not necessary to wait until you have a problem; until you’re sick or you’re having a mental health crisis,” he told me. Wimmer and Medzegian’s focus at the SHCC is preventative health, meaning they’re there to help students avoid having preventable health issues.  They explain that it’s better to visit for something minor and avoid having a bigger problem surface later, even if it just means stopping by to pick up a free cold kit.

Students can also make appointments for 30 minutes in the new R&R room, which includes a massage chair, space to meditate, a range of music or sounds to choose from and a full spectrum light to help clients with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Staff like these two also have outreach events such as ones that involve alcohol education and, most recently, free flu immunizations on campus.

“In general, I think society tends to treat mental health better, and that gives us access to students needing support,” Wimmer said in response to the number of counseling clients, which has a seen a sharp upturn this year. The good news is that this means many students are taking full advantage of the resources available to them and are taking the time to invest in mental health.

College is a time of learning to take care of oneself and direct their own lives. This includes taking time to invest in self-care and health, both physical and mental. When flu season hits, or anxiety starts to kick in, the SHCC staff is there to help see students through the challenge.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Meyers

Cheesecake recipe

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

Making a nice meal instead of going out usually comes with the satisfaction of having put a lot of effort into the result as well as the comfortable, familiar atmosphere. But why stop at dinner? There are plenty of dessert recipes to accompany a nice night in either alone or with guests. For those who really want to impress said guests, or just enjoy trying something new, this recipe offers a unique option for a homemade dessert. On top of that, it’s surprisingly simple.

 

HOMEMADE CHEESECAKE

Start to finish: 1 hour

Servings: One standard pie pan

Crust:

1 ½ crushed graham crackers

¼ cup confectioners sugar

5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon butter, melted

⅛ tablespoon salt

Filling:

2 cups cream cheese

2 eggs

⅔ cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the crust ingredients. Using the crust mixture, take the pie and and spread the mixture on the bottom and sides evenly.

Make the filling by mixing the cream cheese (at room temperature) with the sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth again. Pour the filling into the pie pan on top of the crust.

Place the cheesecake in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove and let sit. The filling may not look fully settled at first. After letting sit, refrigerate until it’s ready to serve.

Serve plain or with desired toppings.

(Recipe from kingarthurflour.com)

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Meyers

Where to get student discounts

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

It’s a well known fact that college can be expensive. Many students face the challenge of being financially conscious and responsible, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to treat themselves every so often. Fortunately, the rest of the world has become aware of the modern student’s situation and have created student discounts to take full advantage of, both online and in the real world.

Many well-known websites and commonly used apps offer student discounts. Amazon Prime, which includes two day shipping on a vast number of items as well as a streaming service, offers a unique experience for students. For most users, they can expect a one month free trial and then a charge $99.99 yearly. For students, however, there is instead a six month free trial and then a yearly charge of $49.99. The Amazon Prime membership is useful for students who wish to rent textbooks to save some money, as the website offers textbook rentals that arrive in only a few days.

Spotify, a popular site and app for streaming music, now offers a combined discount on Spotify Premium and Hulu. Students have the exclusive opportunity to pay only 99 cents for the first three months and then only $4.99 after that.

Most discounts that can be found in the real world allow for students to enjoy their recreational time. For example, Cinema 8 in Independence offers discounts for both matinee and evening showings. Students wishing to see a matinee pay only $7.50 and only $9 for an evening showing.

AMF Firebird Lanes in Salem doesn’t have a daily discount, but does have College Night. This means that on Thursdays students get unlimited bowling for only seven dollars as well as other discounts on the menu.

College life can be rough on the wallet. It’s not uncommon to find students worrying about current or future finances. However, discounts are reminders that it’s still possible to enjoy life as a student without breaking the bank.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Low time commitment extracurricular activities

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

Being a student in itself is very time consuming for most, but many college students are also forced to juggle assignments, work and social life, as well as some other commitments like extracurriculars. Working students know the struggle of trying to piece together a schedule that stills allows basic necessities like eating and sleeping.

While certain extracurriculars and school involvement activities look tempting, it can be hard to find a slot in the calendar to fit them in when life is constantly busy. For the student dedicated to both academic and financial success, here are some extracurricular activities that won’t make too big of a dent in that already limited time supply.

 

Intramural Sports

Those who have seen recent articles of the sports section may already know some about intramural sports. Essentially, they are more casual teams than the club sports, and anyone can join. More information can be found at Western’s website.

 

Peer Tutoring

For students with a 3.0 GPA or higher, there’s the option to become a peer tutor and help other students understand their course material. According to Western’s website, tutors can typically expect two to six hours of tutoring appointments to be booked per week. An upside to becoming a peer tutor is that students have the option of volunteering or being in a paid position. For more information, go to wou.edu/advising/tutoring.

 

Conversation Partners

This is one of the least time consuming activities that will also help another Western student. By signing up for conversation partners, you agree to meet with a foreign exchange student once a week for a minimum of an hour. All that’s required is having a casual conversation with the other student, as this will help improve their conversational English skills. Conversation partnering is ideal for students who like schedule flexibility and are interested in learning about other cultures. If interested, contact the program managers at cp@mail.wou.edu

 

SAB activities

Western’s Student Activities Board regularly organizes events for students to enjoy. For those who are interested in casual, fun activities to get into the school spirit, it’s easy to find a calendar of events on Western’s website or on the bulletin boards in the WUC. These have the benefit of not being mandatory and easy to work around a schedule.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Wolves’ scoreboard

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Date Sport Opponent Score

Varsity
10/6 Football @ Texas A&M Kingsville W 13-7
Women’s Soccer vs. Simon Fraser University L 1-3
Volleyball vs. Western Washington University L 0-3
Cross Country Conference Crossover @ Lewis University Men place 9th
10/9 Women’s Soccer vs. Saint Martin’s University W 1-0

Club Sports
10/6 Men’s Soccer vs. Willamette University L 0-7
Lacrosse vs. University of Portland W 7-5
Lacrosse vs. Humboldt State University W 6-2
Lacrosse vs. Montana State University L 3-10
10/7 Men’s Rugby vs. Central Oregon Community College L 15-19
Men’s Soccer @ Central Oregon Community College W 5-2
Lacrosse vs. University of Montana L 2-9

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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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