Mount Hood

Western’s outstanding leaders

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

Leadership Recognition Night is an annual event that celebrates leadership and service at Western. The Delmer Dewey Outstanding Graduating Student award and the Julia McCulloch Smith Outstanding Graduating Student award are prized to two graduating individuals that show excellence in leadership, academics and contributions to Western.

 

Delmer Dewey Outstanding Graduating Student

The Delmer Dewey Outstanding Graduating Student award was presented to Carter Craig. Craig is a senior history major and member of the honors program. During his four years at Western, Craig was a Resident Assistant for one year, president of the Residence Hall Association for two years, a three-time member of the Incidental Fee Committee and chair of the committee in 2017 and a recent Alternative Break team member for the Costa Rica team. Craig notes that one of his favorite involvements on campus was with the Residence Hall Association.

“I have really enjoyed intentionally programming for my fellow students and the comradery among the other RHA Exec members,” commented Craig. “I think that same sense of community is also one of Western’s huge strengths.”

In his honors thesis, ‘‘To the Dishonor of God’: Religious Roots for Puritan Morality Laws During the Interregnum,’ Craig investigates the influence of religion on laws during the English Interregnum between 1653 and 1659.

“I am grateful to everyone who has supported me,” said Craig.

 

Julia McCulloch Smith Outstanding Graduating Student

 

The Julia McCulloch Smith Outstanding Graduating Student award was presented to Sara Madden. Madden is a senior social science major and member of the honors program. She is a student athlete who has competed in indoor and outdoor track and cross country for four years while sitting on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee. Madden is the president of Western’s chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society and a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Chi Alpha Sigma honor societies. Over all else, Madden has enjoyed being a student athlete at Western.

“It has such a family feel to it and has been very rewarding from the time and effort I have put in,” she explained.

Madden’s honors thesis, “The Secret War of WWII: Emmanuel Ringelblum and Jewish Resistance to Nazism in Warsaw 1943,” examines Jewish resistance during the Holocaust.

“I feel incredibly honored to receive this award,” Madden expressed. “Never in my wild dreams did I imagine receiving such an honor at this level; it’s truly remarkable.”

 

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Money management made simple

Lake Larsen | Digital Media Manager

There are a lot of lessons to be learned in college, but one of the most important is how to navigate the world of finances. I’ve laid out five simple things everyone should do to point themselves in the right direction financially.

 

1.Start a checking account

Starting a checking account is as simple as going to the local bank and speaking with a teller about how to start one and what fees are involved. Having an account is practically mandatory in today’s world.

  1. Develop a budget

Every person needs to know how much they should be spending on different bills and other random expenses. There’s no need to be exact on every cost estimate but, a general rule to follow is to always assume the expenses will spend a little more than they normally are. It allows some wiggle room in case something has gone up in price.

  1. Get a credit card

While most people think they don’t need one because they can just use their debit card, it is immensely more difficult to build credit without one. Owning and using a credit card is much easier to grow credit with as opposed to any other options. It’s not so much the card that matters as the credit score that someone develops with the card. An easy way to start and grow a credit score is to get a credit card (there are a lot of cards that have great benefits for students) and use that card to pay a small subscription fee then immediately pay off the balance.

  1. Get a checkbook

This is a simple thing that most young people overlook. While it’s not as common to see people pay for things with checks, everyone still needs a checkbook whether it be for paying rent, setting up direct deposits, a vast array of other reasons. They usually cost around $30 from a bank — and there are fun designs available for them.

  1. Balance your checkbook

This goes hand and hand with developing a budget. When ordering a checkbook, they usually come free with a Check Register, or they can be ordered online. Balancing a checkbook is easy; when something is bought, write down where they money was spent and for how much. Then, at the end of the week or month, add it all up and make sure it matches what your account says. This is an easy way to make sure there are no overcharges on a bill or account overdraws.

Contact the author at llarsen13@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

GNAC champions back again

Simson Garcia | Sports Editor

The Wolves baseball team are champions for a second time consecutively, after downing the Montana State Yellowjackets, 8-4, on May 11 in the GNAC double elimination championship.

GNAC champions for the fourth time in six years, Western had to batter up through three previous tournament games in order to reach the final. The championship run began with them taking down tournament host Central Washington, 4-3, on May 10.

Tied, 3-3, in the bottom of the ninth inning, Griffey Halle, junior outfielder, hit not only a walk-off for the team’s fifth overall, but a home run just over the right side fence. Halle was four-for-four with his at-bats. While the walk-off contributed momentum, pitching was also a game changer; four pitchers were utilized to strikeout Central 11 times.

The Wolves met the Montana State Yellowjackets in the following round of the winner’s bracket, a team they forfeited four seasonal games to due to scheduling conflicts. The forfeits affected who would be seeded first in the GNAC and, by a few games, Montana took over the top spot. Western paid no mind to seeding in a reroute of the ‘Jackets, 14-8.

The games forfeited, although, meant much to players like senior infielder Nyles Nygaard who couldn’t wait for the matchup.

“We wanted to beat them by a lot of runs, so the first game we came out and just handed it to them,” Nygaard said.

Home runs switched hands in the early innings but a more favorable one for the Wolves entered the stands in the fourth. A three-run shot, for an 8-4 lead, was delivered by sophomore infielder Connor McCord. The infielder had the green light for most of the game, hitting four of his five at bats while earning five runs-batted-in. The Wolves put on a hitting clinic, earning 19 on the game.

One more win was needed for Western, but the tone changed when the ‘Jackets returned to edge out Western, in a pivotal 6-4 result. Both teams strategized in their pitching as multiple mound visits occurred. Montana did just enough with one pitcher to hold of their opponents, and keep their tournament in play.

It came around to the final championship game, while neither team couldn’t afford to lose. The Wolves made sure their season didn’t end in the first period. Five consecutive runs started them out. Montana hit two key homers to come within two, but the game was for the Wolves’s taking. Western got their players on bases earning 13 hits and seven walks en route to their title.

Jacob Martinez, senior infielder, was named MVP of the tournament. He went 9-16 in at-bats with a .750 on-base percentage.

The championship win, however, wasn’t enough to get selected into Nationals. The team finished their season at 27-21.

“It would have helped when we went down to California early in the season if we won a couple of those close games … to win back-to-back GNAC championships is the best way to go out,” said Nygaard.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Photo by: wouwolves.com

Admiring diversity from around the globe

Caitlyn Nakatsukasa | Staff Writer

Western’s International Night aimed to break culture shocks and express the diversity of students from around the world. The event was hosted on May 11 by the International Club, an organization that promotes cultural awareness and fosters friendships with students from around the world.

“This club helps international and domestic students broaden their horizon and perspectives on cultures, individuality, and life,” said junior and International Club Vice President Berlyn Buncal. Buncal has been a member of the club since her first year at Western. “[Our purpose] is to share and let other students make friends with people they never thought they would click with too.”

Junior Faafili Papalii agreed, stating that, “the club is worldwide. It means that anyone can welcome to join and share with us.”

This is Papalii’s third year participating in the International Night as a dancer. “We help each other and the new students who need friends, directions and education,” said Papalii. “The club thinks that students are away from their families and they are far away from home, so International Club is home away from home.”

This annual event provides the audience with a wide scope of diverse cultures and acknowledges a variety of backgrounds.

“International Night is about sharing different cultures with the university and the community at an evening,” said Buncal. She believes the event helps create visibility of the wide variety of international students attending Western. “It is where people from other parts of the world can feel at home. They get to see that there are other international [students] and share their culture, something that not many have the opportunity to do.”

The event had Arabic entertainment booths such as Henna artwork, samples of tea and treats, displays of handcrafted clothes and a person that wrote guest’s names in Arabic. It gave people the opportunity to explore the lifestyles of people from Saudi Arabia.

The dinner consisted of specialty dishes from around the globe, such as ye’abesha gomen from Ethiopia, beef bulgogi from South Korea, yakisoba noodles from Japan and vanillekipferl from Germany.

The entertainment portion of the event kicked off with a fashion show extravaganza that foreshadowed the upcoming performances. International Club members had the chance to show off traditional clothing from different countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Ghana and Thailand. Members had the opportunity to flaunt clothing from their own native countries and demonstrate what they normally wear in their hometowns.

Throughout the night were various performances that represented various cultures and rituals. There was the Yasugi Bushi performance, a famous folk song from Japan that involved two participants dancing while wearing face masks. Another performance was the Bollywood dance, a performance that demonstrated many different Indian dance styles. There was even a Rubik’s Cube performance where Lianhua Zhou solved the puzzle in a matter of minutes. The Rubik’s Cube is a popular puzzle that is well-known in western culture.

The event wrapped up with the emcees thanking the audience for attending and bringing all of the volunteers and performers to the stage.

“[Tonight is] a night that we invite everyone to celebrate and promote the unity of International on campus,” said Papalii. “It doesn’t matter what race, color, or language we are; we believe in equality.”

Contact the author at cnakatsukasa15@wou.edu.

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Take a bite out of these bagels

Zoe Strickland | Editor-in-Chief

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups warm water

3 ½ cups flour (you can use bread flour, but regular flour is more useful to keep around)

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Any toppings you desire — I recommend Everything but the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s

Extra flour for creating a non-stick counter surface

 

Adapted from sophisticatedgourmet.com

 

Directions:

This recipe takes around two hours, so it isn’t for those with scarce time but these bagels are pretty great, once prepared.

In a bowl with ½ cup of the warm water, add in the sugar and yeast — but don’t mix it. Let it sit for about five minutes, or until the mixture has become frothy.

In a separate large bowl, mix the flour and salt together. After it’s mixed, pour in the yeast mixture and the rest of the warm water. Combine into a rough dough.

Once combined, place the dough on a floured countertop and begin kneading it with your hands. After about 10 minutes, the dough should be able to form a smooth and firm ball.

Put the dough ball in a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with a damp towel for an hour. The dough should double in size. Once doubled, punch the dough down and let rest for around ten minutes.

While the dough is resting, bring a pot of water to a boil. Take the dough and place it back onto a counter, dividing it into eight evenly-sized pieces — or 12 to 16 if you want to make mini-bagels.

Take each piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Some people prefer to form the balls by pressing and rolling the dough against a counter, others prefer to roll the dough in between their hands.

Once the dough balls are formed, use your finger to punch a hole in the center of the ball, spinning the bagel around your finger to make the hole larger.

After all of the bagels are formed, put groups of them in the boiling water, flipping them over after a minute. Once all of the bagels have been boiled, place your selected toppings on them and put them on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake them in a 425 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until the bagels are golden.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu

Photo by: Zoë Strickland

Exercising with a partner

Mikaela Wong | Freelancer

In this day and age, social media has proven to be an influential tool to educate a broad audience a multitude of skills – specifically, fitness exercises. This progressive movement in the area of health and wellness has brought about newfound motivation for many people of all ages.

One of the biggest trends right now is partner workouts – exercises that are based on manipulating a partner’s body weight in various positions and vice versa, such as a push-up/squat. It’s a concept that promotes exercising with friends rather than working out alone. However, many of these workouts are very easy to perform with improper form because one doesn’t only have to be very aware of how their body is moving, but they also have to be skilled enough to control their body movements in reaction to the constantly-changing body of their partner’s. The goal of partner workouts is to exercise with a friend simultaneously and have fun with it; one shouldn’t have to sacrifice the safety of their body in order to do it. Instead, there are ways to have a fun and exciting workout with a friend that maximizes progress and minimizes the potential for injury.

Interval training is a type of training in which an athlete will alternate between two different types of exercises that require varying amounts of effort and speed, and have been proven to be an effective type of training that is safe and modifiable. Whether you and your partner are alternating between one workout and the next, or you do the same workouts at the same time, each person can focus on their steady exercise without having to rely on the inconsistent stability of their partner or even their own.

 

Example Workout: Full Body

Partner 1:

  1. 20 second push up
  2. 10 second rest
  3. 20 second plank
  4. 10 second rest
  5. 20 second mountain climbers
  6. 10 second rest

Partner 2:

  1. 20 second jump squat
  2. 10 second rest
  3. 20 second wall sit
  4. 10 second rest
  5. 20 second high knees
  6. 10 second rest

Contact the author at mwong16@wou.edu

 

Dedication illuminated through dance

Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor

One by one, the audience shuffled to their seats and waited in anticipation for the art they’d soon witness. After some time, the lights slowly dimmed to full darkness. With a hush that consumed the room and the sweeping of a curtain, it was time for the show to begin.

The 2018 Spring Dance Concert took place from May 10-12 in Rice Auditorium. Showcasing the work and dedication that went into 10 different performances, audience members showed up and supported the art that their friends, family and peers had worked to perfect.

The show displayed the work of students, alumni, and the Rainbow Dance Theatre, as all worked together to put on the two and a half hour production.

From the eyes of a viewer, what was seen was nothing short of phenomenal. Opening with a performance titled “Last Light,” choreographed by senior Andrew De La Paz, audiences saw animalistic forces charging after the dying light presented by soloist senior Alaina Meyer. Ultimately, the piece showed that no matter how hard the force attempted to steal the light from her, she would not surrender.

This piece set the scene for the rest of the concert; from then on, audiences were able to see more dark material, with visuals that would send shivers down one’s spine and had perfectly chosen music to match.

These dance performances didn’t shy from tackling controversial topics, such as the stereotypes surrounding different races brought to light in “One,” choreographed by senior Tunya Dhevaphalin.

“Each piece told a story,” explained dancer sophomore Noah Nieves Driver. “Whether it be one of determination, grief, or just for pure entertainment … (each was) full of everyone’s heart and soul.”

Art was exhibited within each performance; the set designs, the lighting that flawlessly reflected the mood of the piece, the film used in choreographer Kristie Lauren’s “Chalk, Chalkboards, and Classroom Covens,” and even the painting produced on the spot by Professor Gregory Poulin in “Men Dancing: the Painter,” choreographed by dance professor Darryl Thomas in collaboration with the dancers — all left the audience in awe.

Behind the curtain, what made the production of this art possible can be seen.

“A lot of preparation went into the Spring Dance Concert,” said dancer sophomore Maria Krueger. “We put five months worth of rehearsal time in, with practices twice a week for two hours each practice.”

Krueger was a part of two performances: “Last Light” and “False Hologram.” She added that, on top of the work she and the rest of the crew put into the pieces, there were also “two previews during that time, where the dance facility overlooked the dances and helped students perfect their pieces.”

With numerous dancers involved, choreographers, costume designers, lighting designers and more, the hours on top of hours and immense passion put into the production was evident.

Following the final piece, “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” choreographed by Valerie Bergman and professor Darryl Thomas, both a part of the Rainbow Dance Theatre, the show came to a close. As the faces of each performer made their way to center stage to take a final bow, much of the audience gave a standing ovation to show their respect and admiration towards everyone involved.

Driver noted that as he was taking his bow, he felt “sadness that the run is over … and happiness to finally have free time again.”

“It felt amazing to perform these pieces, to show off five months of hard work,” added Krueger.

As the lights brightened the room and the audience made their way down the rows and out of the auditorium, those involved in the show were greeted with the smiling faces of all of their supporters, waiting to congratulate them on the work they had done.

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photos by: Paul F. Davis

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