Daniel, Author at The Western Howl

BY RACHEL SHELLEY
AND CHIANNA TOLTON
SPORTS EDITOR
AND FREELANCER

Western Oregon University Volleyball
had their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference
(GNAC) win of the season in Lacey,
Wash. against Saint Martin’s University Saturday
Oct. 25, where they finished 3-1 (25-
12, 25-19, 21-25, 25-21) in the match.
Leading the team offensively was redshirt
freshman outside hitter Alisha Bettinson,
who added 10 kills and five aces for the
Wolves.
“We’ve been really close in a lot of
matches this year,” said Bettinson. “We finally
put everything together to put ourselves
on top.”
Senior setter Jordin Ramos added a
team-high 24 assists while freshman setter
Kiana Cash dished out 18 for the Wolves.
Senior opposite hitter Hannah Deede and
redshirt freshman middle blocker Sydney
Blankenship grabbed nine kills and a teamhigh
four blocks each.
Four Western players added doubledigit
digs led by sophomore outside hitter
Christie Colasurdo with a match-high 26.
Western started off on a 7-2 run in the
first set followed by a 6-3 run by Saint Martin’s
to bring the score within two, 10-8. Bettinson
got her third service ace of the first set
to bring the Wolves on a 6-1 run, bringing
the score to 16-10. The Wolves scored an unanswered
five points before closing the opening
set with a 4-1 run.
The second set saw an early 10-3 lead
by the Wolves where they were able to keep
their momentum with a 7-1 run and finishing
the set 25-19. The third set was won by
Saint Martin’s, where the Saint’s scored the
final seven points after being behind to earn
the 25-21 victory.
The fourth set opened up with the
Wolves scoring the first five points. Ramos
began the 6-2 lead with a kill. The score was
tied at 20-20 after the Saint’s made a run but
the Wolves were able to finish the set and the
match with 5-1 run, earning the Wolves their
first GNAC conference win.
“Error free is carefree,” said senior outside
hitter Sam Moore. “We really took that
into the match and the scores showed it.”
Moore had eight kills, three blocks and an
ace contributing to Saturday night’s success.
The Wolves welcome University of Alaska
to Monmouth Saturday, Nov. 1 where play
will start at 7p.m.

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A Touch of the Supernatural

BY STEPHANIE VILLALOBOS
FREELANCER

Students got a new take on Halloween, and a taste of the supernatural, as they wandered down the halls of Todd and Campbell Hall in search of ghosts. Professional ghost hunter Ross Allison visited Western Tuesday night and presented on what it means to hunt the supernatural to over 100 students.

Allison gave students a brief history on ghosts, and paranormal activity, shared his experiences of work he performs on a daily basis.

After his speech, Allison took students through Todd Hall, Campbell Hall and The Cottage in a ghost hunt, which provided students a hands-on experience of what he does for a living.
According to Allison, he is the only full time ghost hunter in the Pacific Northwest, and is the founder of A.G.H.O.S.T. (Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle-Tacoma).

He teaches students Ghostology 101 at the University of Washington and Tacoma Community College. Examining the unknown has allowed Allison to travel around the world and be featured on several television programs including The Learning Channel’s “America”,

MTV, CMT, CNN, A&E, The Discovery Channel and many more. He is planning to write several books and Western will be featured in one of them.

“I have always been curious about this kind of stuff and I believe there is something out there; people just need to keep an open mind,” Allison said. He said his main focus and goal while being a ghost hunter is to always be honest and follow “PDP” (Passion, Dedication, Patience).

He also allowed students to use his equipment, which included EVP Recorders (Electronic Voice Phenomena). This type of equipment detects human – sounding voices from any unknown source.
Throughout the night, Allison gave students the opportunity to interact with the unknown and ask questions.

“I really enjoyed being part of the ghost hunt, and getting to try something I would’ve never thought about doing,” said first year- David Hoover.

“There was definitely something interesting here at Western, and I would love to come back with my team and take a better look.” Allison said.

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Movie Review: The Best of Me

by Haunani Tomas, Managing Editor

My friends and I decided to watch “The Best of Me” twenty minutes before show time on a Friday night. In other words, there was no time for some pre-movie plot research and I did not read the Nicholas Sparks’ novel.

I was unprepared and completely blindsided for assuming this movie would be a romantic tale comparable to other cliché chick flicks like “Titanic” and “The Notebook”. But, if you liked those movies even the slightest bit, you’ll be head over heels for this heartbreaker. Side note: I am not one to cry in movies or grovel at the cuteness of couples but this movie was an isolated incident.

Dawson Cole (James Marsden) and Amanda Collier (Michelle Monaghan) return to their hometown in Louisiana after receiving news about the passing of their mutual friend, Tuck. Tuck’s will requests the two to fulfill his final wishes together: pack up his belongings and spread his ashes at his cabin

Key word: together.

Flashback to a high school Dawson (Luke Bracey) running away from home, after refusing to help his family with a drug deal, to meet a young southern belle named Amanda (Liana Liberato) for a first date.

Dawson wanders aimlessly to find a place to sleep for the night. He comes across a garage and falls asleep in a sweet classic car.

Tuck finds Dawson the next morning, recognizes that he is the only good Cole in the family and takes him in without hesitation.

The Cole family, notorious for their drug and criminal activity, is the polar opposite of the Colliers: a Kentucky Derby-esque pedigree.

Mr. Collier attempts to bribe Dawson into leaving his daughter. Although we understand Mr. Collier’s desire for his pride and joy to be unaffiliated with the white trash clan that is the Coles, Dawson is an extraordinary exception.

Although they hail from opposite sides of the tracks, Amanda and Dawson are perfect for each other in the way that Mondays are for football and chips are for salsa. They are the type of couple that single sorority girls regard as their (high) relationship goals.

They literally bring out the best in each other.

Obviously, something happens that prohibits this exemplary high school sweetheart love, which will not be discussed.

Fast forward 21 years: while spreading Tuck’s ashes at his cabin, the old couple realize Tuck’s tacit final wish is to bring Amanda and Dawson back together despite their prolonged disconnect of two decades.

“The Best of Me” reminds us of the depth of a first love, the desire that arises when it is disallowed and the beauty of a feelings that ascend a decades.

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Taking Action

 by Shannen Brouner

The Journal spoke with Green Dot about their mission on campus and how students can become active bystanders to help diffuse high-risk or potentially harmful situations for others.

Bystander intervention involves indentifying high-risk situations and acquiring the knowledge, tools and confidence to act.

“Confidence holds a lot of people back from acting,” said Stephanie Delker, co-outreach coordinator for Green Dot, a club working to reduce power-based violence.

Bystander theory supports the idea that the more bystanders present in high-risk situations, the less likely they are to take action, she said. However, if even one person stands up, it gives others the courage to do the same.

According to Green Dot, being an active bystander can take many different forms. For example, if you are at a party and happen to see someone add any substance to an unattended drink, you could react by “accidentally” spilling the drink.

In a similar situation, if you saw a friend who had had too much to drink, you could make sure they get home safely, Delker said. Or if you heard a group of people verbally harassing someone you could tell them to stop. In any high-risk situation you can make a decision to do something, and this action, no matter how large or small is what Green Dot advocates for.

Delker explains that being an active bystander can also involve making simple choices about “stepping away from rape culture” and consciously avoiding language and actions that perpetuate rape culture in society.

For more tips about how to be an active bystander, view the October edition of Student Health 101, attend Green Dot meetings on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Hamersly Library Room 107, or attend one of Green Dot’s bystander intervention trainings.

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Campus Blotter

The following information is from the public records of Campus Public Safety

BIKE THEFT

At 2:07 p.m. Oct. 20 in Heritage Hall, Public Safety was contacted in reference to a bike theft where a bike was taken from the Heritage/Landers bike rack.
At 4:14 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Landers bike rack, Public Safety took a bicycle theft report. The bike was taken from the Heritage/Landers bike rack.
At 10 a.m. Oct. 22 at Hamersly Library, Public Safety took a report of a stolen bicycle. The bike was valued at $200.

DAMAGED PROPERTY

At 2:45 a.m. Oct 22 in Maaske Hall, Public Safety took a report of a broken window. A custodian noticed the broken window that was attributed to high winds earlier that day.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

At 10:02 p.m. Oct. 23 in Ackerman Hall, Public Safety was contacted in reference to a possible sexual harassment.

BREAK-IN

At 12:33 p.m. Oct. 24 in the Natural Science building, Public Safety was contacted in regards to activity in a professor’s office. The professor reported that someone may have gained access to his office, due to an unknown thermos that was left there, and potentially used his computer. However, computing services determined that no one had logged in, and the investigation concluded that there was no damage or security breach.

VEHICLE FIRE

At 4:43 p.m. Oct. 24 on Stadium Drive, Public Safety was contacted in regards to a vehicle that had caught fire. The fire was extinguished, with no harm done to anyone. This vehicle has caught fire before due to a heater malfunction.

MARIJUANA VIOLATION

At 11:17 p.m. Oct. 24 in Heritage Hall, Public Safety was contacted in regards to the odor of marijuana.

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Finding a Voice

BY JENNIFER HALLEY
CAMPUS LIFE EDITOR

Every nine seconds in the U.S., a woman is abused by her partner; one in three women worldwide are involved in domestic violence relationships; and every year, nearly 1600 women were murdered by their intimate partners.

Sexual and domestic violence does not just happen to women, though; this affects men, too.

Take Back the Night, an event organized by Abby’s House, gave voice to survivors of sexual and domestic violence on Wednesday night in the Werner Center.

“In 2013, in Oregon, there were 34 domestic
violence fatalities. That’s a huge number of
people for one state; imagine the global effect.”
DEBORAH THOMPSON
DIRECTOR OF SABLE HOUSE

Every October, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, survivors come forth and tell their story in a safe place, as well as raise awareness throughout campus.

Jenna Beresheim, a senior who was at the event, said that sexual assault is a problem on campus “but one that is swept under the rug by victims who blame themselves or feel ashamed and embarrassed.

“This is a hot topic right now in schools,” Beresheim added.

Deborah Thompson, executive director of Sable House – a resource center for victims of domestic and sexual assault – gave an educational speech about “violence against humanity” and how sexual and domestic violence is an epidemic that is spreading globally.

“In 2013, in Oregon, there were 34 domestic violence fatalities,” Thompson said. She paused briefly, and then added: “That’s a huge number of people for one state; imagine the global effect.”

After the speech, the room went quiet for 30 minutes while a gong was hit every nine seconds to represent each time a woman was abused by her partner.

During this silence, audience members were encouraged to speak up about their personal experiences.

While they spoke, the room became heavy with emotion as people cried. Abby’s House advocates offered tissues and hand-squeezes.

As time went on, more people spoke up as the gong went off in the background. More tears were shed and more voices were heard.

The lack of men at the event was noticed, specifically by the men themselves that had participated in the event.

“I think it is vital for men to be a part of this issue,” Cody Bindrim, one of the men, who came to Take Back the Night, said. Bindrim is a sophomore at Oregon State University, but came to support his friend and be a part of this cause.

Gage Barnhurstd also came as a supporter of the event. As a man, he also believes he should take responsibility for sexual violence towards women.

“It makes me embarrassed,” he said of being associated with the perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence. Barnhurstd added that a man’s basic instinct is to protect a woman. So “if you have a drive
to protect, why not use it?” he said.

Take Back the Night ended with a candlelit walk around campus to remember those affected by sexual and domestic violence, and to take a stance against it.

Students also carried a mattress around in honor of sexual assault victim Emma Sulkowicz, a student at Columbia who felt as though her university’s response of doing nothing to penalize her perpetrator was wrong. Sulkowicz vowed to carry that mattress to each class until her attacker was expelled.

Throughout the candlelit walk, students chanted statements such as “Yes means yes, no means no,” and “we are women, we are men, together we fight to take back the night.”

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Landers closed as enrollment stalls

The closure of Landers was occupancy-driven, according to Associate Provost David McDonald. Last year, Gentle hall was shut down for the same reasons.

“We peaked and kind of stayed right there,” McDonald explained Western’s admissions trajectory. For the last four consecutive years, he added, Western’s enrollment has been relatively stable. “Last year was a one-student difference; you can’t get much more stable than that,” McDonald said.

Western lost 30 students from 2011 to 2012, but added one between 2012 and 2013 according to the Oregon University System (OUS) Institutional Research Services. This is a fairly stable trend, said McDonald; he calls this a plateau Western has reached.

Western’s retention rate for freshmen is 75.1 percent, compared with the OUS average of 82.1 percent, and Western’s graduation rate is at 51.2 percent, while the OUS has a 60.5 percent rate.

The goal, according to McDonald and Tina Fuchs, dean of students, is to have full residence halls on campus. When there are fewer people, shutting down one hall means that the others have higher occupany.

“It’s better for our students this way,” McDonald said. With Landers closed, buildings are fuller and students live in larger community groups.

“Students living on campus are highly successful academically,” said David Sundby, the interim associate director of housing. “That’s why we have that first-year living requirement.” Part of the goal, according to him, is to get freshmen connected to campus. “The best we can do is make the experience as positive as possible,” Sundby said.
With Landers closed, the Housing Office and Physical Plant have a chance to inspect that facility, said Fuchs; this is also a chance to evaluate the entire residential system.

“We want to take a step back, evaluate out facilities and see what it means for the future of housing,” said Fuchs. “What it comes down to is, ‘What are we going to do?’”
Landers was constructed in 1970, making the building 44-years-old this year. According to Fuchs, the rule of thumb is that a building has between 30 and 50 years of good use, so Landers is due for an overhaul. Nevertheless, it remains structurally sound.

“That’s a long time for a facility to be operating without major improvements,” said Fuchs.
A committee will be formed soon to decide what to do with Landers. They will be looking also at Barnum, Butler and Gentle Halls. Fuchs will be on the committee, as well as representatives from the Physical Plant as well as student representatives.

“Trying to build housing without student input, that would be ridiculous,” said Fuchs. “The goal is to get feedback going on.” She hopes to update one floor of Landers and then get input on the improvements before continuing.
According to Fuchs, the group will be guided in part by Western’s master plan, which gives some goals and objectives for housing, but won’t be tightly restricted.

“It’s a good roadmap for us to at least use as a guide, but I also recognize that we have limitations in terms of what we can do,” said Fuchs. Some of those are fiscal limitations, but there are also challenges in dealing with older buildings as well.
For example, Landers was constructed with cinderblocks, which makes full renovations challenging, since those walls are difficult to work with.

“This is not a decision that I would take lightly,” said Fuchs.
According to Fuchs, students tend to gravitate towards the newer residence halls on campus, Heritage and Ackerman, so it makes sense to shift everyone into those locations.

“We went through last year with a lot of empty beds in all our buildings,” said Fuchs.
Plans for the following year are made from projections that are based on numbers of applications for housing received each week. Over time, said Sundby, those estimates become clearer, yielding more accurate predictions for the future.

“More students leave over the course of the year than come in,” said Sundby. This attrition means that, even by the end of the year, fewer people live in on-campus housing; according to Sundby, that makes it important to start with fuller rather than emptier buildings.

The closure of Landers is projected to save Western about $200,000 dollars over the course of this year.

“It helps offset any other expenses,” Fuchs said. “We don’t have as much revenue because we don’t have as many people living on campus.”

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
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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WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

Volleyball serves up first conference win

A Touch of the Supernatural

Movie Review: The Best of Me

Taking Action

Campus Blotter

BIKE THEFT

DAMAGED PROPERTY

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

BREAK-IN

VEHICLE FIRE

MARIJUANA VIOLATION

Finding a Voice

Landers closed as enrollment stalls

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