Mount Hood

This week in completely made up horoscopes

The Western Howl Staff

Theme: Midterms

 

Aries 3/21-4/19  

The mania that has set in from not sleeping in 3 days will never go away. 

 

Taurus 4/20-5/20

Going to sleep at 5am and waking up at 2pm seems to be working so why change it? 

 

Gemini 5/21-6/20 

Week 8. Is it over yet.

 

Cancer 6/21-7/22

The guy sure looks like plant food to me.

 

Leo 7/23-8/22

I’m going to Mcdonalds, you guys wanna tag along?

 

Virgo 8/23-9/22

The Sands Of Time Have Reached Their End. To Prepare For Your Finals, You Must Transcend.

 

Libra 9/23-10/22

If we all gather at the same time and day on Moodle, could we crash the site? Let’s put the team in teamwork. 

 

Scorpio 10/23-11/21 

Don’t cry because it’s over, cry because it happened

 

Sagittarius 11/22-12/21

Don’t mind. Don’t mind.

 

Capricorn 12/22-1/19

Spent all week catching up with my classes only to realize I forgot to do a project, lol what’s good y’all

 

Aquarius 1/20 – 2/18

Procrastinate, stress, cram, forget assignments, cry, rinse and repeat ⏤ it’s week 8 buckos.

 

Pisces 2/19 – 3/20

Week 8? More like breakdown 80. 

Veteran Resource Center participates in nationwide PAVE program

The Veteran Resource Center provides veterans and their dependents with specialized academic advisors

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

In America, the number of veterans and dependents interested in pursuing higher education rose 3% after the addition of Chapter 33: Post/9-11 educational assistance to U.S. Code Title 38—VETERANS’ BENEFITS, reported in a study by Liang Zhang of New York University.

To accommodate incoming veterans, in 2012 an organization associated with the University of Michigan known as M-SPAN — Military Support Programs and Networks — launched a pilot version of their initiative known as PAVE — Peer Advisors for Veteran Education — intending to ease the transition of student veterans from the military to college, increase student veteran retention rates and improve student veterans’ academic performance.

After their successful pilot, M-SPAN launched a nationwide campaign, gaining 42 campuses including Western Oregon University.

“I was initially interested in forming a peer advising program because I was witnessing the success of other mentorship programs,” said Western Veteran Resource Center Director Colin Haines.

Haines reported reaching out to fellow colleges that were already participating in the program; after receiving information on how the program functioned on their campuses, Haines determined that PAVE would benefit Western veterans and their dependents. Starting officially in 2019, the Veteran Resource Center began offering the services associated with PAVE.

“It’s a unique program,” said senior exercise science major and team leader of the PAVE program Adam Dryden. “Incoming veterans or dependents are paired with an upperclassman familiar with Western’s academics and the different Veteran Affairs benefits.”

In years prior, incoming first-year veterans or dependents were assigned to a general university advisor specific to their major. Dryden explained that VA benefits are different from most financial aid, so general advisors may not be as familiar with their structure compared to a member of PAVE.

Additionally, Dryden explained that while advisors are required to be upperclassmen and be a veteran or a dependent, candidates are required to go through a short certification program.

“I think it’s effective,” said Dryden. “It takes a few hours to complete. You run through scenarios and then you get a certification at the end.”

Despite the challenges imposed by COVID-19, PAVE has maintained 36 first-years using VA benefits. Dryden explained that while PAVE is meant to serve underclassmen, transfer students are also welcome to participate in the program.

“We want to help in any way that we can,” Dryden explained.

For more information or questions regarding PAVE, visit the Veteran Resource Center website at wou.edu/veterans/.

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

 

An Election Year to remember

Polk County sees almost even distribution of Republic and Democratic voting 

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

Last Saturday, Nov. 7, media outlets across the country announced former Vice President Joe Biden as the projected winner of the 2020 presidential election. The Associated Press reported President Elect Biden had amassed over 76 million votes as of Nov. 10, surpassing former First Lady Hilary Clinton’s near 66 million votes from 2016.

Currently, the national popular vote in the 2020 election is separated by 3.3% with mail-in and absentee ballots still to be counted.

Historically known as a blue state, the popular vote in Oregon was separated by 16%, with the Democratic Party nominee receiving 1.3 million votes and the Republican Party nominee receiving around 945 thousand votes, according to results.oregonvotes.gov. 

In Polk County, the voting margins were similar to the national voting margins; Polk County, a predominately red area, had high voter turnout on both the Demoractic and Republican sides, resulting in a purple presidential race. 

In 2020, the Democratic nominees received 47% of the total 48 thousand Polk County votes in comparison to the Republican nominees receiving 49%. In 2016, current President Donald J. Trump received 47% of the total 41 thousand Polk County votes available in contrast to running mate Hilary Clinton, who received 40% of the total votes available in Polk County, with the remaining 13% spread between independent candidates.

Between each recent presidential election year, Polk County saw a 17% increase in voter turnout. Statewide, Oregon saw a 1% increase in voting from the 2016 general election to the 2020 election. Nationwide, it’s been reported that there has been an 18% increase in voter turnout from the 2016 presidential election. Trump attributes this to voter fraud, citing Pennsylvania as his most relevant example. 

“We were up by nearly 700 thousand votes in Pennsylvania,” said Trump in a White House briefing room on Nov. 5. “I won Pennsylvania by a lot and that gets whittled down to, I think they said now we’re up by 90 thousand votes, and they keep coming and coming and coming, they find them all over, our numbers started miraculously getting whittled away in secret.”

However, none of the president’s claims or lawsuits have been contested by any of the courts due to lack of evidence. Currently, Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris are projected to be the next leaders of America come January 2021 ⏤ unless Trump’s team provides evidence of massive voting fraud taking place in the major swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. 

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

Student reactions to the presidential election

Western students speak their mind on the results of the 2020 presidential election

Stephanie Moschella | Digital Media Manager

 

“Tbh kind of shocked but I’m not mad”

Name: Kendra Acker

Year: First-year

Major: Education

 

“I’ve cried, cheered, and created an endless cycle of worry in my head.”

Name: Maddie Endicott

Year: Sophomore

Major: Political Science 

 

“THANKGODTHANKGODTHANKGOD”

Name: Abbie Funk

Year: Junior

Major: Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences 

 

“I feel like I can breathe again and I hope for our country. I’m no longer afraid.”

Name: Felicia Martinez

Year: Junior

Major: Communications Studies

 

“Beyond ecstatic, I didn’t know just how excited I was until I heard the breaking news!”

Name: Chris Smith

Year: Junior

Major: Public Policy and Administration

 

“Oh thank god”

Name: Steve Richmond

Year: Senior

Major: Communications Studies

Opinion: The gentrification of Independence-Monmouth

With the popular food trucks in Indy-Mo gone, it brings up questions on gentrification

Stephanie Moschella | Digital Media Manager 

Gentrification is defined by Google as “the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new business, typically displaying current inhabitants in the process,” but I’m sure a lot of people didn’t catch the underlying racist speech in the definition of this word itself.

Poor, urban, Black, drugs, Mexican, Hispanic, uneducated, streets, hood, slums, the projects. The ghetto. 

The shifting of neighborhoods, the betterment of the community, cleaning up the slums. “We’re doing it for the kids!” “We’re making it more appealing for new tenants!” We’re dusting the streets of the people of color that were once there, and replacing them with a year long process of construction. We’re mixing the color of their skin with the cement being poured to smooth and blend out their edges.

We see this pattern repeatedly against marginalized communities. They’re given unreliable scraps of society only to have the rug pulled under them at any given moment to make room for the wealthy, improved and traditionally acceptable. However, this destruction of culture and revenue to the community is only noticed by those who’ve carved a space for themselves through their sweat and blood. 

These renovations deemed for the “betterment” of society only goes to show that the creativity of young, marginalized groups will always be deemed as lesser and disposable. The black square on your Instagram account will never be enough to make you understand, because you will never understand. 

Those that live in the Independence-Monmouth area probably know that the food trucks that were in The Annex left. Whether or not they were kicked out with only a 12-hour notice or asked to leave months ago doesn’t matter — this community has been stripped of a beautifully unique aspect, only to be replaced by “clean” commercial spaces and unaffordable apartments. 

Gentrification colloquially means the process where a neighborhood garners wealth and where the population becomes more rich, more young and more white. There’s no hiding what Indy-Mo is becoming, forcing its residents further and further out. Sure, it’s just Independence to Monmouth, but this exact thinking is what happens when people get too complacent, and eventually, kicked out. 

Contact the author at smoschella20@wou.edu

 

See what Dexter has been up to in the latest upcoming season

Get ready for Dexter’s dangerous comeback in 2021

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor 

Showtime surprised fans of the well-loved show “Dexter” with an announcement that the series will come back on air for 10 episodes, with the confirmed returning cast of Michael C. Hall and showrunner Clyde Phillips. Although the rest of the cast cannot be listed quite yet and people are still speculating on where the storyline will go, it’s been reported that production will begin early 2021 and the  tentative premiere date is next fall. 

Showtime originally aired “Dexter” in 2006, receiving many Emmy nominations and a Peabody Award throughout the years. In 2010, lead actor Hall received a Golden Globe for his role of Dexter.

During the eight seasons of the show ⏤ totaling 96 thrilling episodes ⏤ fans lost a lot of favorite characters and quite a few of the characters they loved to hate. This upcoming season comes as a pleasant surprise, since the last season left fans bewildered and out in the cold.

Although there’s still a decent amount of time until the newest season is released, one can bet that this series revival will most likely hold even more twists and turns. Hopefully, we can find out what the former Miami blood-spatter analyst has been up to, and see what damage has occurred since the show ended in 2013.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Spoken word poetry by WOU Alum is entertaining and educational

Smash through boredom with spoken word poetry, “Smash the Lense”

Natalie Dean | Entertainment Editor 

Big waves have been made in the community with Ty Brack’s latest work, a spoken word album titled, “Smash the Lense.” Brack, a current poet, educator and youth organizer, is also a proud Western alum, gaining his bachelor’s degree in 2007 and his master’s degree in 2013. Brack is used to being immersed in the local creative scene, with experience as the former editor of The Northwest Passage and a former sports writer for The Western Howl. 

Using his artistic talents and experiences, “Smash the Lense” consists of 13 spoken word pieces that manage to artistically capture the current reality of our world. With relevant and expressive titles like, “Liesol Protest,” “Covid-19 Dream” and “Letter from Lockdown,” folks can dive into the smooth synths mixed with meaningful cultural messages. Absorb it any time with exclusive online access on Bandcamp under “Ty.Brack.”

Along with spreading art and the message of unity during tough times, all of the proceeds brought in from “Smash the Lense” will be donated to Talking Ownership PDX — a non-profit organization dedicated to renovating and reviving Black-owned homes in Portland and combating the continuous gentrification in the area. The overall goal is to raise awareness and funds for the community with the help of passionate volunteers and advocates. They aim to raise $500 for Taking Ownership PDX, which equates to 85 full album buys; with the albums priced at only $7 each, anyone can check out this exclusive online album and soak it in. To find updates on the fundraising efforts for Taking Ownership PDX, check out @ty.brack.poetry on Instagram.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu 

 

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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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