Mount Hood

2015 Pastega Award winners announced

By Jack Armstrong
News Editor

Western has announced the 2015 winners of the Pastega awards. Dr. Kevin Walczyk has been selected for the Excellence in Scholarship award and Dr. Maureen Dolan has been selected for the Excellence in Teaching award.

The Pastega awards are an annual honor given to two professors selected by students, faculty and the administration. According to Western’s website, the awards were created by “noted Oregon philanthropist Mario Pastega.”

Pastega donated to Western annually and part of that money was used to recognize educators who strove to push the students and the university to higher levels of excellence. The first recipients of the awards were honored in 1985, and it has been an annual ceremony since.

According to the Pastega Award website, the Pastega family made a $40,000 donation that was matched by the Oregon University System in 1997 to maintain the awards well into the future.

The Excellence in Teaching award is given to a professor who “engages, inspires and educates students to the greatest possible learning.”

The Excellence in Scholarship award is given to a professor who maintains “significant and enduring scholarly or creative achievement,” alongside their professorial duties. This can include ongoing research or publishing articles.

The decision on which professors will be honored is handled by the Pastega committee.

Chair of the committee Tom Bergeron said, “the work of choosing is done by the recipients from the two previous years,” in addition to a member of student government, and President Mark Weiss.

Last year’s winners were professor of history David Doellinger, awarded for Excellence in Scholarship, and the director of the writing center, professor of English Katherine Schmidt, was awarded for Excellence in Teaching.

The award is accompanied by a $1,000 honorarium.

Dr. Kevin Walczyk: Professor of Music

Dr. Kevin Walczyk grew up in a musically diverse family, and as a result he was exposed to an array of musical knowledge and styles from an early age.
This knowledge and exposure soon turned into a passion and he continued his musical pursuits throughout his time in college at Pacific Lutheran University and University of North Texas.

While attending university, Walczyk shifted his interests from playing and enjoying music to composition. Walczyk said that composition seemed “unexplored and invigorating.”

Upon his graduation, Walczyk looked for a way to translate and convey his passion for composition to the younger generation, which pushed him to move into teaching.

As a first generation college graduate for his family, Dr. Walczyk said he chose to teach at Western in 1995 largely because of its reputation for excellence in serving first generation college attendees such as himself.

He also said he expressed interest in helping to build Western’s fledgling music program, and as a result he was given the opportunity to help orchestrate program development. The chance to involve himself in the new program featuring modern music composition and jazz techniques was both challenging and intriguing.

Walczyk said, “I am not only training future musicians, I am training future teachers, future mentors, and future role models of our society who will pass on their passion to future generations.”

Speaking about the award itself Walczyk said “this is a very humbling honor, particularly when one considers the number of outstanding faculty on the WOU campus.”

Dr. Maureen Dolan: Professor of Sociology

Earning a Ph.D. in Sociology in 1993, Dr. Dolan specializes in Latin American studies, class analysis, state theory, and gender studies.

Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Maureen made her way to Western in the same year, and she began teaching a wide range of classes under her umbrella of specialties.

Many of these attribute back to her interest in Latin America, which stems from a study abroad opportunity in Chile taken during her own years as a student.

Being taught by exiled Brazilian scholars was just the start of an in-depth trip in the South American country. While there, Dr. Dolan immersed herself in the local customs and agriculture, collaborating with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Agriculture in regards to agrarian development.

In this case, agrarian development is a set of factors, including technological and economical, that may have an effect on agricultural practices.

In relation to the entire trip, Dolan said “it was important in my formation of an understanding of sociology as a discipline that is critical, public, and engaged in the practice of social justice.”

Today, Dr. Dolan lives in Salem with her family following the creation of a service-learning course known as the Latino Mentor Program in 1996. Through educational and community outreach like the mentor program, Latinos are helping areas in Oregon that are underserved.

This community movement can involve tutoring programs in schools locally, and now even internationally since the program has spread to Mexico, Nicaragua and Argentina. The groups working with the international segment of the program focus on incarcerated youth and even the LGBTQ community.

“It is also a great honor to work with WOU students who bring their energy and insight to the Latino Mentor Program,” Dolan said. “In the development and expansion of the program, I have listened to my students and followed their lead in identifying our involvement in community projects.”

Dolan said she considers the Pastega Award “a great honor to be recognized by the WOU community for developing a curriculum that links teaching, research and service in the Latino Mentor Program.”

Summary of Bills 1.15, 4.15, 6.15

In addition to the breakdown of ASWOU’s relationship with OSA and Oregon Senator’s Letter to the Editor, here is a summary of the amendments concerning ASWOU’s involvement with OSA:

 

Bill 1.15

Senate Bill 1.15 pertains to the operations of ASWOU and ASWOU senate, specifically the ASWOU president’s ability to use executive orders. Bill 1.15 would give the ASWOU president a broader scope in which to use executive orders, and it would modify the current standards for communication between the president and the senate when utilizing executive orders.

A vote of YES on Bill 1.15 would expand the ASWOU presidential power to use executive orders as explained above.

A vote of NO on Bill 1.15 would maintain current standards for use of executive orders by the ASWOU president.

Bill 4.15

Senate Referendum 4.15 asks the Western student body whether or not they want to maintain ties to the Oregon Student Association (OSA). OSA is a student-run organization that works with state legislators to increase the access to, and affordability of higher education in Oregon. Currently membership to OSA costs Western students a total of $28,839 per year, and the total will increase to $29,679 in the 2015-2016 academic year.

A vote of YES on Referendum 4.15 would end Western Oregon’s relationship with the Oregon Student Association.

A vote of NO on Referendum 4.15 would maintain Western Oregon’s relationship with the Oregon Student Association.

Bill 6.15

Senate Bill 6.15 proposes the creation of the ASWOU Representative Assembly. The ASWOU Representative Assembly would be a monthly gathering of student groups, clubs, and service departments (NonTrad, Veterans, etc.) to discuss issues and concerns around Western’s campus. These meetings are intended to address concerns of ASWOU interaction and representation of student groups and organizations.

A vote of YES on Bill 6.15 would create the ASWOU Representative Assembly.

A vote of NO on Bill 6.15 would maintain current ASWOU representation of student groups.

Letter to the Editor

Any attempt to withdraw membership from the Oregon Student Association on this campus is an attempt to silence students and diminish statewide student power.

The OSA is the only statewide, student-led, student-run advocacy group that works to ensure that all Oregon students have access to an affordable and accessible college education. The OSA represents over 120,000 students across Oregon, and it is with that collective statewide power that they are able to effectively advocate for students in the state legislature. Every student at Western benefits immensely from being a member of the OSA and withdrawing membership will be a detriment to all. Please help save statewide student power by voting NO on Bill 4.15 in the upcoming student government elections.

As Western alumni and former student body presidents, we know the importance of the OSA to every student on this campus. The OSA is the organization elected officials rely on to bring a student voice to issues facing higher education in Oregon. Western Oregon students have built incredible collective statewide power and fought for amazing legislative victories that have only been possible because of the work done by the Oregon Student Association.

The OSA fights every year to limit tuition increases and make college more affordable and accessible.

By leveraging its statewide power and influence, students won a tuition freeze for in-state undergraduates on this campus for the last two years.

OSA is also the only lobbying organization that fights for an increase in financial aid.

The OSA was also the leader in winning the long fight for Tuition Equity in Oregon.

The OSA ensured that students had representation in the new government structure at Western and pushed to safeguard student control over the student incidental fee on campus.

These triumphs for Western students would not have been possible without the leadership of and collaboration with OSA.

The OSA not only benefits student through legislative victories, it helps make students better leaders on campus. Through on-campus training and campaigns, the OSA developed us as student leaders and made it possible to affectively advocate for Western students on the statewide level. The ongoing training and development that the OSA provides is essential for creating good leaders at Western. Without the OSA, we would not be the leaders and people we are today and Western would not be the campus it is today.

The OSA is the only advocacy group in Oregon that always puts college students first. Withdrawing membership from the OSA is a huge mistake for Western students to make. Not only would it weaken Western students’ ability to work with other students across the state, it would severely limit students’ influence and power in the state legislature.

Since ASWOU students sit on the Board of Directors for the OSA, then changes could be made from within rather than attempting to duplicate efforts without this collaborative effort statewide. Leave nine other campuses in the state to go it alone is short sided and not strategic.

Be extremely wary of any attempts to limit the collective student voice in Salem. We need students across the state to work together in order to achieve real victories for affordable and accessible higher education in Oregon. Please support statewide student power and the continued membership in the OSA by voting NO on Bill 4.15 in the upcoming student government elections.

As a group of former Western student body presidents we ask you to vote NO on Bill 4.15.

Max Beach ASWOU President 2008-2009
Evan Source ASWOU President 2009-2010
Yasmin Ibarra ASWOU President 2010-2011
Jonathan Farmer ASWOU President 2011-13
Krystonia Kotoa ASWOU President 2013

Gym Etiquette: The Do’s and Don’ts of Frequenting the HWC

By Conner Williams - Editorial Editor

The Health and Wellness Center hosts, on average, 5,440 users per week, according to Rip Horsey, director of campus recreation. It can become cluttered and busy at peak times, and following these simple tips will make everyone’s workouts better and their experiences more enjoyable.

Disclaimer: This list was not obtained from the Health and Wellness Center. It was compiled by the editorial editor of The Journal.

1. Put your weights away
weights
• This is number one for a reason. Seriously, put your weights away.

2. Wipe down your equipment
• This falls in close accordance with number one. Nobody wants to have to use a bench or machine that is covered in your sweat. Great job on working hard, but please clean up after yourself.

3. Don’t idle on machines or stations
• Everyone rests between their sets, but that doesn’t mean the machine or bench then serves as a place to take a load off while you text away. Get off your phone, and let someone else work in.

4. Do your exercise at least 5 feet away from the mirror
• We all know the key to building big arms is to stare intently at yourself while doing curls, but that doesn’t mean you need to stand directly in front of the dumbbell racks. Leave enough room so that other people can grab and put away the weights they need.

5. Use headphonesheadphones
• Nobody wants to hear your music, or you singing along to it. Attention-seeking behavior is just plain obnoxious. Go to Bi-Mart and buy a $6 pair of Skullcandy earbuds.

6. Use a spotter
• There is a thin line between arrogance and ignorance. If you’re going to attempt a lift that you know you can’t do more than twice or will struggle with, ask someone to spot you. We’re all happy to help, just as long as we don’t have to lift all the weight for you because you want to show off with some immovable heavy weight.

7. Wash your hands after using the restroomD5812
• This one is pretty self-explanatory. According to the Center for
Disease Control and Prevention, washing your hands prevents illnesses and the spread of infections to others. Who would’ve thought? Thousands of hands touch the gym equipment every day, so let’s try to keep it as sanitary as possible.

 

 

 

 

8. Don’t take over someone’s station or machine8933661-fitness-vecteur-icones
• You just saw that person using that piece of equipment, so before taking it from them, ask if they are done. If not, ask if you can work in with them. Most people are happy to share equipment. After all, this is a public gym.

9. Be aware of your surroundings
• Don’t blindly walk around the gym with your eyes glued to your phone. There are people everywhere, and running into someone can cause a very dangerous situation.

10. Use deodorant
• This cannot be stressed enough. You may not be able to smell yourself, but the rest of us can, and it isn’t pleasant. Go buy a $2 Speed Stick, and keep it in your gym bag.

11. Keep the between-set conversation to a minimum
• You’re here to work out, not to chat and take up valuable gym space. If you need to take a phone call or text someone, do it off to the side of the weight floor.

12. Keep your workout tips to yourself
• Unless someone is performing an exercise with excessively poor form that can cause injury to themselves and/or others, your fitness advice probably isn’t welcome.

13. Try not to stare at other peoplestare
• This one mostly applies to the men of the gym crowd. We’ve all been caught creeping at least once, but try to keep it on the down low, and don’t make anyone uncomfortable by conspicuously staring wide-eyed while they’re mid-deadlift.

Fairy Tale Films on the Rise

By Emily Pate
 Freelancer

This spring, Disney released “Cinderella,” the latest in their live action fairy tale adaptions, following last year’s “Maleficent.” According to the International Business Times, these two films will soon be joined by similar adaptations, including Emma Thompson’s “The Beauty and the Beast,” as well as “Mulan,” “The Jungle Book,” and numerous others.

And why not, with how popular these new versions have been? In fact, the recent wave of fairy tale retellings has even been enough to catch “Saturday Night Live’s” attention, which refers to both “Maleficent” and “Cinderella” in their parody trailer of a live-action “Bambi” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Many of Disney’s most popular recent movies have been a retelling of fairy tales. “Frozen,” according to the Daily Mail, recently became the fifth highest grossing film of all time. The only four that have earned more are “Avatar,” “Titanic,” “The Avengers” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.” This means that, of the five films that have made the most money globally, three are adaptations of preexisting stories.

“Frozen” is a new version of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen.” The Disney version of this story was then adapted to television in ABC’s “Once Upon a Time”; the Huffington Post reports there are currently stage and on-ice versions in the works. Disney has also recently released the film “Into the Woods,” an adaption of a play of the same name, which was – in turn – an adaptation of the many fairy tales that take part in its plot.

These films and TV shows are just a few of the fairy tale adaptations that can be found in recent media. There are also, among many others, the ongoing show “Grimm,” which presents a new view of the family most famous for recording fairy tales, and “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters,” which transforms the classic story into an action film. The number of these new versions only seems to be rising.

As an adult watching the animated films of my childhood, I often wonder why the characters do what they do. What does Maleficent try so hard to hurt Sleeping Beauty? Why does Cinderella stay in a house where she is unhappy?

These new adaptations try to supply the answers, but what never changes is the fact that fairy tales are good stories. There are infinite ways to tell them – evident by the skyrocketing popularity of the genre, and as they shift for new mediums and audiences, I’m sure there will be even more versions in the future. I, for one, am hoping so.

Solitary Women

By Nathaniel Dunaway
 Entertainment Editor

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing a pair of films that, as well as sharing the fact that they are both great movies, share similar themes, chiefly that of the complicated female protagonist on the edge of society. They involve ladies who are loners, who are strange, and are therefore unwelcome strangers to those around them. Before breaking down each film more, I’ll just say this: both are highly recommended, and both are currently playing for a limited time at the incomparable Salem Cinema.

“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”
3 paws out of 4

The first word that comes to mind when thinking about this film is “style.” It’s dripping with it. Shot in gorgeous black and white and self-described as “the first Iranian vampire spaghetti western,” “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is the story of The Girl, a nameless, lonely vampire, played by Iranian-American actress Sheila Vand.

The Girl stalks the streets of Bad City, a small hamlet of perpetual squalor, where there is (among other things) a ditch full of corpses that no one seems to pay much attention to. Newcomer Arash Marandi also stars as a greaser punk who becomes transfixed by The Girl. The cat that plays Arash’s pet cat in the film is also a great performer. The film is based on a graphic novel by Ana Lily Amirpour, who also directed.

In a recent interview with “The Moveable Fest,” Amirpour, when asked why she gravitates towards horror, replied: “Do you think it’s a horror film? If there’s a vampire in the story, you’re in a certain realm. But I think it’s more like a John Hughes film than it is a horror film.”

My only disclaimer is that if you’re put off by black and white movies or by subtitles, do the following: get over it, and go see this movie.

“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter”
3 ½ paws out of 4

In 2001, a Japanese woman named Takako Konishi was found dead in a snowy field in Minnesota. According to an article by Paul Berczeller in “The Guardian,” a misunderstanding between Konishi and the local police a few days before her death led to the media believing she had died while looking for the money hidden by Steve Buscemi’s character in the film “Fargo” (in reality, Konishi’s death was ruled a suicide). This led to an urban legend surrounding the event, and that urban legend led to the film “Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter,” which takes this seemingly absurd premise and runs with it, to deeply troubling results.

Directed by David Zellner, the film stars Japanese actress Rinko Kikuchi (“Pacific Rim”) as Kumiko, a socially awkward, solitary woman living in Tokyo, who is obsessed with treasure-hunting. On one of her adventures, she discovers a damaged VHS copy of the film “Fargo,” and believes it to be a clue to finding a large stash of money, which Steve Buscemi’s character in the film buries in a field. Convinced of the movie’s authenticity, Kumiko steals her boss’s company credit card and travels to Minnesota to find a treasure that isn’t actually there.

The film does an expert job of sticking with Kumiko, focusing loyally on her quixotic journey, and of making Minnesota feel more foreign to the audience than Tokyo. Like “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” Kumiko also features an impressive performance by an animal, this time a pet rabbit named Bunzo.

My disclaimer for this film, the first half of which is entirely subtitled Japanese, is the same: get over it, and go see it

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