Mount Hood

Wolves show dominance in back-to-back fourth quarter victories

By Jacob Hansen
Staff Writer

Last week Western Oregon University’s men’s basketball team showed their perseverance and strength by finishing strong not once, but twice late in the fourth quarter.

On Thursday Jan. 8 in the New P.E. building forward Andy Avgi secured the win over Northwest Nazarene by tipping in a shot with seconds on the clock that gave the Wolves a commanding five-point lead. On Saturday Jan. 10 the Wolves found themselves in a back-to-back battle with Central Washington University that had countless lead changes. With the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s (GNAC) best free throw shooter playing for the Wolves, Guard Julian Nichols, Western Oregon was able to come out on top 78-74 in a game that was all but easy.

“Tonight’s win was gutsy,” said head coach Brady Bergeson about Thursday night’s game. “We did a beautiful job in the second half taking care of the basketball. They clamped down defensively on us and made everything hard in the second half, but we did take care of the ball. I just thought we were a little bit more detailed with our attack in the last four minutes of the game. This was a one-possession game. It could have gone any way. Our guys showed a lot of poise closing the game out.”

Thursday night’s game was led by Western Oregon’s (13-5, 5-1 GNAC) Avgi with 18 points. Guard Jordan Wiley scored all of his 16 points in the second half and came up big in the fourth quarter. Nichols had eight rebounds, 11 points, five steals, five assists, and a pair of game ending free throws.
Western Oregon combined to shoot 24-for-59 (40.7%) from the field that also included a respectable 6-for-17 (35.3%) from three-point range. They were 12-for-15 (80%) from the free throw line, outperforming Northwest Nazarenes in all categories.

Saturday night the Wolves found Central Washington (8-4, 3-2 GNAC) to be a worthy opponent as the game went on. Both teams had streaks of their own trumping the others as they met at 10-10 early, then at 28-28 late in the half. After coming back from a 10-2 run by the Wildcats, the Wolves rallied to go into the half trailing by only a single point (38-37). With 14:20 remaining in the game forward Marwan Sarhan sunk back-to-back free throws to tie the game for the 10th time.

The game was tied for its 17th and final time at 73-73 in the final two minutes of the game. Avgi went on to score six straight and with a missed free throw by the Wildcats the Wolves would pull ahead for a final time. Western Oregon won its third straight and remains to be unbeaten at home this season with their 78-74 victory.

“We had a lot of guys step up in different patches,” said Bergeson. “The quiet difference, to me, was there was a stretch of eight or ten minutes in the middle of the second half where we really dominated the boards. It didn’t show up on the scoreboard immediately, but we would have been down six or eight or nine points had we not done that, and we were at a plus ten at some point on the boards during that stretch. That allowed us to stay within striking distance. Between that and our detail and execution in the last four minutes, that’s what did it.”

Andy “big cat” Avgi was name co-GNAC player of the week as he played a huge roll in both games. Avgi averaged 20.5 points per game last week in the wins. He shot a combined 17-for-29 (58.6%) from the field that included one three pointer. He was 6-of 7 from the line. Standing at 6-foot-6, he leads Western Oregon in eight statistical categories. This is Avgi’s first career weekly conference award as he becomes the first to earn the honor since former wolf Rodney Webster on December 22, 2013.

“It’s nice to be on top after those two wins but there is still a lot of season left,” said Avgi.

Western Oregon will play only one game this week when the Wolves welcome GNAC rival Saint Martin’s to Monmouth on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m.

Mariota great for Oregon, even better for Buccaneers

Rachel Shelley Sports Editor
Rachel Shelley
Sports Editor

Let me start this by making it clear, I am NOT a duck fan. I’m basically the opposite of a duck fan; I’m really a duck hater, although, I am a fan of Marcus Mariota. Honestly, who isn’t? The Hawaii native is highly decorated. During the Home Depot College Football Awards show in December 2014 he took home the Maxwell Award as the nation’s most outstanding player, the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback award, the Walter Camp player of the year and scored big with the ultimate feat, The Heisman. He is also the Associated Press Player of the Year and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year. The only thing this QB is missing is a national championship, thanks to Ohio State.

In 2014, Mariota threw for 42 touchdowns, with only four interceptions. He had 4454 yards and averaged 10 yards per toss. He threw at least one TD in all 41 games he played in at Oregon. He is also one of just four quarterbacks that threw for more than 10,000 yards and ran for more than 2,000 in his career in FBS history. During Monday night’s National Championship game Mariota became the first Pac-12 player to eclipse 5,000 total yards in a season. Seeing as Troy Aikman, Aaron Rodgers, John Elway and Andrew Luck were just some of the great QB’s to come out of the Pac-12, this is a huge accomplishment. If there is anything factual about Mariota’s season it’s simply this, numbers don’t lie.

As of Wednesday, Jan. 14, this 6’4 21-year-old announced he would forgo his senior year to enter the NFL draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will ultimately get the first shot at scoring Mariota for their roster, suggesting they overlook the option of Jameis Winston. How successful could Mariota be in Tampa Bay? Mike Evans, Tampa Bay wide receiver was named a member of the 2014 All-Rookie team, had 1,051 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. Wide receiver Vincent Jackson caught 1,002 yards and two touchdowns. Although the offensive line could use some work, Mariota would have the opportunity to throw the ball in Tampa Bay, and from what we’ve seen in Eugene, Oregon, this guy can throw.

In a list amongst other 6’4+ quarterbacks including Tom Brady, Colin Kaepernick, Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger, physically, Mariota is already in a pretty impressive category. Besides genetics in his favor, he is mobile, proving so with over 2,000 rushing yards at Oregon, and accuracy? He only threw four interceptions in a season. There’s no argument there. Whoever picks up Mariota is sure to be satisfied.

Unfortunately I am not an analysis for college football careers…yet….nor can my predictions on his professional career be taken seriously. The only thing I can say, and be quoted on, is that I am thankful for the representation Mariota has displayed for the State of Oregon and I am excited to see where his professional career will take him. Who knows, maybe one day if Mariota throws on a Saint’s jersey I just may have to throw on a Mariota Saint’s jersey as well.

Women’s basketball struggles before two-game road trip

By GUY PERRIN
Freelancer

The women’s basketball team hosted the Alaskan schools this past weekend and came up just short in both games. The Wolves encountered the No. 7 ranked team in the country, Alaska Anchorage University, Thursday, Jan. 8, without forward Dana Goularte, the team’s leading player in scoring (16.2 points per game) and rebounding (10.7 rebounds per game).

While the Wolves would eventually lose 61-79, they fought to remain within striking distance for much of the game, as well as out-rebound the No. 1 ranked rebounding team in the conference 36-34.

Guards Jordan Mottershaw and Katie Goddard picked up the scoring duties in Goularte’s absence, scoring 17 and 16 points respectively while forward Angie Titus held down the paint with a game-high eight rebounds.

It wasn’t enough, however, as the Seawolves (14-1, 4-1 GNAC) pressured the Wolves into 26 turnovers, which they converted into 30 points to pull away for the
victory.

Megan Mullings and Jenna Buchanan were the only players in double figures for Alaska Anchorage, with Mullings leading all scorers with 19 points and Buchanan chipping in with 15 points off the bench.

Despite the lack of double digit scorers, Alaska Anchorage used a deep, balanced attack as nine players played at least 15 minutes, with all of them contributing on the scoring sheet.

Saturday, Jan. 10, the Wolves (4-9, 1-4 GNAC) hosted the University of Alaska in a hotly contested battle in which both teams used large scoring runs to swing momentum back and forth for the duration of the game. The Nanooks (12-4, 4-2 GNAC) pulled away at the end with a string of clutch free throw shooting to ice the game.

The Nanooks came out of the first media timeout and rattled off unanswered scoring runs of 10 and seven points to take a commanding 25-11 lead midway through the first half. The lead would later grow to 15 points before the Wolves settled in and opened up a scoring run of their own, closing the half 11-1 to cut the lead to 37-32 and carry momentum into the break.

The Nanooks, however, erupted for 14 unanswered points to start the second half, opening up their biggest lead of the game of 19 points. Though the Wolves were able to recover and fight back, outscoring the Nanooks by 14 over the next 13 minutes to come within five points with just over two minutes to play, it was too little too late as Alaska was able to hit seven of their last eight free throws to put the game away.

The Wolves got surprise contributions off the bench from guards Shyla Atkins and Sami Osborne, with Atkins providing 12 points and Osborne leading the team in points (14) and rebounds (12).

The Wolves played an excellent 3-point defense, forcing the Nanooks into eight percent shooting from behind the arc; however, the team struggled without Goularte’s inside presence, allowing the Nanooks to outscore them in points in the paint 48-32.

The Wolves traveled north Thursday, Jan. 15, to play Western Washington, who’ve won the past three games. The team then travels across the Canadian border to battle the Simon Fraser Clan on Saturday, Jan. 17.

Flashback Friday: Hold Steady

By Logan Emonds
Freelancer

All universities have their annual traditions that welcome new students onto campus.

For Western Oregon University, their tradition involves cement, nails and a name.

The “Freshman Walk” as it is known, has been a tradition at the university since 1958 when freshman first began etching their names into wet cement during the construction of new sections of sidewalk that surrounded the football stadium.

This is how the new students kick off their college education at WOU.

The tradition has been a long withstanding one; over the years students have scraped their names into the sidewalks of Jackson, Stadium and Church streets – even scraping down nicknames or different aliases.

The oldest signed sections of the sidewalk begin on the south end of campus by the Health and Wellness Center on Jackson.

Even though the sidewalks surrounding the campus have been finished for many years the tradition is still carried out.

When it is time for a new class of freshman and transfer students to sign their names into the cement sidewalks, an old section is ripped up to allow for a new section and more names.

In a 1997 letter to Tom Hanson, Lotte Larsen of the University Archives said that many of the students not only leave behind their names but they also leave their “nicknames and symbols they like: peace symbols, flowers, smiley faces, soccer balls, etc.”

These symbols and nicknames are in a similar fashion to the names themselves: a record of the past.

Taking a walk down the sidewalks surrounding McArthur Field – Western Oregon’s football stadium – allows one to envision what the new freshmen of years past viewed as important.

On a more personal level, students such as Ashleigh Hawkins enjoy seeing the signatures on the sidewalks of family members that have attended WOU in the past.

Her uncle Brent Chapman attended WOU in the late 1980s to the early 1990s and “seeing his signature on the sidewalk would be really cool.”

The problem is finding the specific signature of an individual, as there are “so many signatures on any given spot that it is difficult to find your own even though you know where you put it,” Hawkins said.

In today’s continuation of the tradition, students now paint their names on the sidewalks instead of etching them into cement.

Hamserly Library showcases exhibits on boycott movements and World War I

By AMANDA CLARKE
Freelancer

Hamersly library, with help from the American Friends Service Committee, the Center for Study of Political Graphics as well as Dr. Henry Hughes, an English professor at Western, and his wife, are currently displaying new exhibits on boycotts and World War I.

The exhibits are located on the second and third floors of Hamersly library. A reception was held on Wednesday, Jan. 14, in which visitors attended to view the exhibits. They had the chance to speak with others about the exhibits while enjoying provided refreshments.

The second floor displays the exhibit titled: “Boycott! The Art of Economic Activism.” It is sponsored by the Center for Study of Political Graphics and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization looking to promote peace and justice.

“I think of them as the watchdogs for global social justice,” Jerrie Parpart, the Exhibits Coordinator and Archives Assistant, said.

The exhibit features 58 posters showing boycott issues from around the world for issues such as: GMO issues, workers rights and several other international issues.

Historical and contemporary boycott movement booklets are available with pictures and information about the posters as well as information on the sponsors and their work throughout the world.

“This exhibit [on the second floor] deals with social justice and the one upstairs is World War I which also habits social implications,” Parpart said.
“They’re showing you things that are easily lost in our society.”

The third floor displays the World War I “Reverberations of the Great War” exhibit, with library of congress pictures and memorabilia from the grandfathers of
Dr. Hughes and his wife, Chloe. This display includes awards, letters and poems written both to and by soldiers, and army supplies that had actually been used in the war.

“When something is so far in the past, it’s easy to forget and we think about Iraq and Afghanistan and the horrors of war and World War I was such a tragic war and so many young people were killed,” Dr. Hughes said. “I’m really into poetry and I tried to select poems that really reflect disillusion with war. That war was a key war in breaking down the romance and the patriotism.”

Hamersly Library began to display exhibits for students in 2000, when the library was built. The exhibits are there to increase knowledge of what happens in the classroom.

“It’s a way to teach between the lines,” Parpart said. “I try to find topics that are a three to five year period and will cover multiple disciplines.”

Exhibits are suggested by faculty and artists who ask to display their work. The library, faculty, sponsors, and students arrange six different displays each year.

The exhibit featuring boycott movements will be displayed through Feb. 15, and the World War I exhibit lasts through March 20.

“I think it’s important not to forget our past and to see the impact of what it has to day and what changes can happen through them,” Parpart said.

Police Officers Defeat Firefighters in First Responders Basketball Game

Kappa Sigma hosted the first annual
1st Responders Charity Basketball game
Thursday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. in the New PE
building. Polk County Fire District played
against the Monmouth and Independence
Police Departments. The event was held to
raise money for local emergency responders
to keep homes in the area safe, as well
as to provide a rush week event for Kappa
Sigma. Admission was free and open to the
public.
Kappa Sigma members cut their hair into
Mohawks before the game at Cutz Barber
Shop, and encouraged others to do so as
well. The proceeds from the haircuts went
to help raise money for the first responders.
“The turnout and the participation, the
support of the community was good,” said
Hayden Harms, a Kappa Sigma member.
“If we do it a second year, we’ll make it even
bigger and better.”
A raffle was at half time for prizes such
as gift cards to local restaurants like Yeasty
Beasty and Main Street Ice Cream, as well
as movie tickets to the Independence Cinema.
Spectators who made a basket from the
half court line also won prizes.
“I think it was very successful,” Harms
said.

Facebook-like program brings campus together

By ALLISON OPSON-
CLEMENT
News Editor
Beginning this term, students have access to OrgSync, a system coordinating clubs and organizations on campus, including a comprehensive calendar.

According to Kara Kelsey, ASWOU’s director of clubs and organizations, the goal is to get everything centralized.

“Its value is providing student leaders and student organization members with a new more interactive way to communicate with members and other student leaders through a one-stop platform,” said Ekpeju E-Nunu of Student Leadership and Activities (SLA).

All the information is in one place, including an events calendar. Events can be approved through the system, without the organizers needing to run around to different offices any more.

“We really want people to get into this, but we realize that technology can be confusing,” said Caitlin Bracken, ASWOU’s director of public relations. If students need help, they can ask ASWOU, or the Office of Student Leadership and Activities.

“Any time your implement a new system, there’s going to be growing pains,” said Megan Habermann, assistant director for SLA but added, “Students are already utilizing OrgSync in a lot of ways.”

The more they use it, she said, the more they’ll get used to it, and come to love it.

According to E-Nunu, the system works by letting each student organization create their own individualized portal to communicate with members, talk with smaller committees, set tasks for these groups, and even work on smaller projects. OrgSync also enables students to create a way to publicize their events to a campus wide calendar and also advertise their social media sites.

“It’s like a bigger, better, all-encompassing Facebook, if it was only for Western,” explained Bracken. “We want it to be a one-stop-shop where you can instantly find something.”

Bracken said that OrgSync is the way to make everything really easy and streamlined for students. She considers the program to be pretty user-friendly.

“It’s only going to be great if we can get people to use it,” Bracken said. “Our hope is that, if we put everything on OrgSync, then students will go there.”

There are polls and news feeds, as well as a place to ask questions, and forums for discussion. Plus Team applications are already available on OrgSync.

“It’s good advertising too,” Kelsey said. Students can look at clubs on campus, and request to join them. According to Bracken, because everyone uses posters, students may develop poster blindness.

Bracken said that her ultimate vision is to make OrgSync a place that is everyone’s first thought of where to go to learn more about things on campus. She added that they want feedback, and to hear people’s opinions, because then they can make changes and keep improving the OrgSync system.

According to Habermann, the process of acquiring the program began last year. Together, ASWOU and SLA asked the IFC committee for the total cost, about $26,000, she said, for three years’ use of OrgSync.

That cost will need to be paid again to continue usage, but ASWOU and SLA have started factoring that cost into their budgets, so they won’t be asking for that full amount from IFC every three years.

Habermann stressed that setting up a profile to get started literally takes two minutes, and it’s an easy first step to take to getting more connected to campus. OrgSync can be found in students’ Portals.

“The more people that use OrgSync, the better and better it will get,” said Bracken. “It’s such a good investment for our students.”

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