A 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal April 25, resulting in a devastating toll of over 8,000 deaths, according to www.npr.com.
NPR later reported that the disaster continued when a recent 7.3 earthquake struck Kathmandu, Nepal, May 12, just weeks after the first. Continuous aftershocks
occurred with magnitudes of six and five.
With the need for help being urgent, students and faculty around campus, some of which have a direct connection to Nepal, have made the effort to fundraise in support.
“My family, friends, and people back home are directly impacted from this earthquake,” said Samrid Aryal, an information systems major. “So, I decided to do what I can from here and approach the WOU community for help.”
Another student, Samhita Dixit, an international studies major, felt a personal impact from the earthquake, which drew him to get involved.
“I remember looking at the news all weekend long and just crying,” Dixit said. “It was really hard not being able to contact family and friends.”
Fundraising for the campaign, referred to as #woustandswithnepal, began with tabling in the Werner Center for two weeks, and extended to students asking the community to help.
The International Club donated $1 from each of their tickets sold for their annual International Night, and additional money was raised during henna tattoo sales at the event.
Students from Western who were involved with the fundraiser spoke with and thanked local organizations who were making their own efforts to help Nepal, like the Salem Rotary Club, who made an approximate donation of $10,000 to the Nepal Red Cross.
Volunteers have received a lot of support around campus.
Vikas Sharma, an information system major said: “We got a really good response from all the WOU community including students, staff and faculty.” President Mark Weiss and dean of students, Tina Fuchs, are among the many who donated.
“We would like to thank everyone who made this fundraising possible,” Aryal said. “The funds that we collected will make a direct and immediate impact to the people of Nepal.”
To donate, go to wou.edu/give and click “Support WOU,” followed by “Others (Nepal Relief).” Checks can be made out to the WOU Foundation, Nepal Relief Fund and dropped off at Western’s foundation office.
November 4, 2008, Proposition 8 was passed in California, amending the state constitution to ban the legal right of same-sex couples to marry. The NOH8 (no hate) Campaign, created by photographer Adam Bouska and partner Jeff Parshley, rose up in protest.
According to the campaign’s website, http://www.noh8campaign.com, NOH8’s mission is: “To promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest.”
This Friday, as a part of Western’s Pride Month Celebration, NOH8 will come to our campus.
This visual protest will take place in the Werner University Center, May 15, 12 to 3 p.m. There will be a photo shoot in the second floor lobby to document the support of Western students for their fight against hate.
NOH8 is a silent protest. Subjects are photographed with duct tape over their mouths and NOH8 painted on their faces to represent the voices being silenced by Proposition 8 and legislation alike.
Amanda Murray, a senior and interdisciplinary studies major, expressed her excitement at participating in the photoshoot, and for the NOH8 Campaign in general.
“I don’t think it’s needed so much at Western, because we’re already such an accepting community,” Murray said. “However, I think it’s great when the NOH8 Campaign comes here. Not only is it fun, because I always have a blast, but it spreads awareness of the LGBTQ+ community’s struggles.”
Patrick Harish, a junior business major, said he believes in the importance of the NOH8 Campaign’s message.
“I think that it is important due to the fact that when we are born, we are all created equal and it should stay that way,” Harish said.
Like Murray, he plans on getting his photo taken in support.
“I am going to the photoshoot on Friday because I personally want there to be love and not hate,” Harnish said.
The photoshoot is a way for anyone to get involved in NOH8’s message of equality. NOH8’s website reports that the Campaign has photographed nearly 33,000 faces, a number that includes Western students.
While it started as a reaction against the banning of same-sex marriage, NOH8 has become a protest against all discrimination, a cause aided by campuses like Western.
If you’re craving an enticing novel full of the supernatural, look no further than “Hemlock Grove” by Brian McGreevy.
This horror-thriller novel was published in 2010 and only recently began to peep out of the underground after the release of a Netflix series adaptation in 2011.
Both the novel and series complement one another, so it is advised that you read the novel and use the series as supplemental information. Netflix has signed on for a total of three seasons, allowing viewers to follow favorite characters long after the end of the novel.
Vampires, werewolves, witches, oh my! “Hemlock Grove” has it all, and more. But this is not your typical supernatural series.
McGreevy focuses on the macabre: vampires replaced by Upirs, a stronger, darker breed than what we are accustomed to. Lycanthropy is hereditary, with dire consequences following those who attempt to become one outside of natural law. This book is full to the brim with blood, impressive imagery, and complicated characters.
Peter Rumancek, a werewolf from a gypsy family, moves to Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania to start a new life with his mother. There, a string of grisly murders lead townsfolk to instantly blame him, assuming the newcomer is the base of all their problems.
With Peter trying to clear his name, fate would have it that he befriends Roman Godfrey. Known for his wealth and influence as the spoiled son of Godfrey Institute, the town’s largest company, Roman plays a key role in the two’s investigation.
Ultimately, this book has its ups and downs. If you can keep track of an entangled web of characters and how they are all connected to one another, this is the book for you. If you are not squeamish and enjoy a good, dark read, McGreevy delivers to a whole new level.
Next time you are craving vampires and werewolves, flavored with variety and seasoned with a hint of Gothic literature, look no further than “Hemlock Grove.”
Western’s student-run campus radio station KWOU now has an official app available through the Apple iTunes Store.
The app, called “KWOU: Western Oregon Radio,” is free to download, and features common radio and podcast app features, such as “Listen Now” and “The DJs,” the latter of which gives a rundown of the station’s 20 DJs and shows, including Space Legs, Renegade Riley, and Domination Nation.
“It has been a long process to finally get it out,” said KWOU Station Manager Iain Dexter. “But, we appreciate the work that Bruin Mobile from UCLA has done to help get this out. I am extremely excited to finally have the app ready for students and the Monmouth community to download and make access to our station much easier.”
“Weekly Schedule,” “Events,” and instant connection to KWOU’s various social media platforms are also available through the app, as well as information on how to get involved with the radio station, a part of Western’s student media.
The app requires iOS 7.0 or later, and is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
“I’m looking forward to seeing KWOU grow through this introduction to mobile devices, which is what most people use to listen to music and the radio” said Clara Pratt, KWOU’s technical engineer.
KWOU joins Abby’s House as the two student-led organizations on campus with apps available through the iTunes Store.
“With any new technology, there are always initial kinks to work out,” Dexter said. “Currently, we are updating information, but you’ll always have access to our music and shows.”
In addition to the app, listeners can access KWOU at wou.edu/kwou.
The surge in indie games has brought with it a new genre of game: interactive slapstick. Funny games used to be games where you do a thing, someone says a joke, repeat. While those games still exist in fine form (“Portal 2” is a prime example), there is a new sort of comedy game that derives humor from its physics or controls.
Below is a list of very fine examples of the genre, and all come with high recommendations from me.
“Surgeon Simulator 2013”
This game is an example of an absurd control scheme used for humorous effect. In “SS2013,” you must perform complex surgeries with the use of only one hand.
The arm and hand are controlled with the mouse, and each of the fingers and the thumb are operated with the A, W, E, R, and Spacebar keys on your keyboard.
Picking up a scalpel becomes a gargantuan task, never mind using it to any great effect.
On more than one occasion, I’ve taken the heart I’m to transplant and accidentally thrown it full force into the patient’s face and watched it fall to the floor, never to be seen again. After many failed attempts, I finally completed the operation by removing everything from the man’s chest cavity and plopping the heart in. This is good enough in “Surgeon Simulator.”
“Goat Simulator”
The other main type of interactive slapstick comes from odd usages of physics. The developers of “Goat Simulator” left in every bug and glitch that didn’t crash the game, created a monster that plays like a demented “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater,” awarding points for tricks and stunts like running up walls, getting thrown across the map by a speeding truck, or knocking over a crowd of people by headbutting some poor sap into them.
That’s all you do; run around the map and cause mayhem as a goat. And it somehow never gets old. Every time you fire it up, you find some new way to mess with everything.
“Octodad: Dadliest Catch”
“Octodad,” a fusion of the above two methods of interactive slapstick, is a heartwarming game by Young Horse Inc. about a suburban father trying to be the best dad and best husband that he can possibly be while keeping his dark secret safe from the world, and even from his family; his secret being that he is, in fact, an octopus.
The player must guide the titular cephalopod through simple activities, like making breakfast, while controlling each of his super-elastic limbs individually.
But you also have a secret to keep, so you must fight against your rubbery appendages and try to accomplish these mundane tasks as mundanely as possible.
You’ll be doing well, walking around the kitchen, making small talk with your family, and then one false move later you’ve thrown the milk across the kitchen, and then as you go to retrieve it you knock over some chairs, and that sends your leg flying into the air and you flip into the wall, and after much hilarious flailing, you finally deliver a bowl of cereal to your daughter, who thanks you wholeheartedly. And all is right.
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships were held this past weekend on the Wolves home turf to showcase the outdoor track season as well as giving those going a chance to prepare for the National meet.
The first highlight came from Emmi Collier who became the first Wolf to win an individual title in the shot put since 2006. Her lifetime personal best came Friday, May 8, en route to win the shot put with 13.89 meters.
Jeremy Moore was able to step on the podium Friday after a 45.34 mark in the discus to give him a second place finish overall.
For the runners, preliminaries took place Friday. Rochelle Pappel raced the 100-meter hurdles, qualifying for finals in 14.46 seconds. Laura Patrick raced the 100 to qualify for finals in 12.36.
In the 400 hurdles, seniors Audrey Hellesto and Laura Knudson raced to keep their season alive, qualifying for finals in 1:04.31 and 1:04.96, respectively.
The men’s side included Aaron Whitaker finishing the 400 in 49, finishing seventh and qualifying for finals. Standout first year Cody Warner earned a spot in the finals in the 100 with 10.67 and the 200 in 21.68, taking second in both events.
Kaleb Dobson raced the 400 hurdles, winning his preliminary race in 54.18. In the 800, All-American Badane Sultessa, Josh Dempsey and Josh Hanna all earned spots in Saturday’s finals. Sultessa won the prelims with a time of 1:51.46.
On Saturday, senior Rebecca Laible defended her individual title in the triple jump with 11.79 meters. She won the event by 1.50 inches and also achieved a season-best to end her career at Western. Kylie Reinholdt took third in the event with 11.69, a life-time best.
Stephanie Stuckey raced the 1,500, placing third in 4:35.26. Emily Wetherell threw a lifetime best mark of 48.70 in the hammer throw while Amanda Short and Sheila Limas De La Cruz finished third and fourth, respectively, in the javelin. They both threw lifetime bests in 44.12 and 44.04 meters, respectively.
The men took home two individual titles when Sultessa won the finals of the 800 in 1:52.31. He became the Wolves’ third 800 champion since 2011. First year David Ribich took home his first conference title in the 1,500 in 3:50.58, a lifetime best.
Warner finished in second place in the 100 after finals while Dobson finished second in the 400 hurdles after the finals race.
The men’s team finished with 88 points in the conference standings, placing fourth overall after the two days. The women’s team placed fifth with 62 points.
The last opportunity to race during this outdoor season takes place on May 21-23 in Grand Rapids, Michigan at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships. The Wolves will wait for the announcement of what times qualify to earn a spot in the meet.
By Jerry Creasy president of the business and economics
You may be wondering why you should be concerned about some boring free trade agreement that few people know anything about, but I’m here to tell you that it plays a significant role in the future of the labor market that us college students will soon become a part of.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a relatively new free trade agreement being spearheaded by the U.S. and about a dozen other Pacific Rim countries, including Canada, Chile, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
The agreement on the U.S side is currently stalling in the Senate, as the vote to “fast-track” the legislation was struck down on Tuesday, which would have essentially allowed the agreement to be pushed through on a quicker agenda.
It is supposedly designed to ease the flow of goods and services in order to grow businesses and the economy, but since the legislative hearings of trade agreements occur in secret, it is difficult to tell what the text of the proposal actually says.
In order to really understand something like the TPP, we first need to understand what free trade is.
Free trade is designed to create open markets between countries. This means imported and exported goods and services should not be taxed or tariffed by countries engaging in trade with each other.
The opposite of free trade is fair trade, aptly named even though it doesn’t really create “fairness,” so to speak. The idea behind fair trade is to protect industries and services being produced within a country from being infringed upon by another country.
For example, when Hyundai, a Korean car company, exports a car to the U.S, the U.S. may impose a tariff, which is an import/export tax, so that it is closer to the price that American car manufactures can afford to charge customers in the U.S. However, this hurts the global economy because we are not focusing on something we could be competitive at. All we are doing is causing the price of cars to be higher than necessary.
The benefit to free trade is that it creates more competition between countries and can lead to specialization in the goods and services being produced. Specialization makes economies more efficient and wealthier in the long run. This is because countries are then able to focus more on a few products and services and, therefore, produce them better than one country would if it tried to make everything it wanted or needed all on its own.
If you as an individual tried to grow your own food, brew your own beer, make your own clothes and design your own computer, you would not be very well off because you don’t have the time or resources to do all of those things well.
However, if I only made clothes and you only grew food then I could trade my clothes for your food and we would both be better off. That is why when individuals, or countries in this case, trade with each other they focus on a few things and then trade those with another country for something else.
For instance, the U.S focuses on pharmaceutical drugs while China focuses on the manufacturing of consumer products such as children’s toys. This is incentive for free trade. It makes it easier for countries to trade their specialized products with those of other countries.
This is in part why the TPP is being pushed through and why many other free trade agreements in the past, such as the European Union and the North American Free Trade Agreement were passed. However, it may not be the only reason that this deal has been drafted.
Unfortunately, little is known about the TPP by the general public. The trade agreement has been in the developmental stages since its drafting date all the way back in 2005, and the process to put this trade act together has been all but transparent. Much of it has taken place behind closed doors with both the public and even Congress to some extent held in the dark.
Initially, four countries signed the agreement and then the others came on to negotiate while others were still in the prospective stages. In the last five years or so, negotiations have been slowly rolling along with many of the decisions occurring in secret. However, WikiLeaks has been successful in obtaining some information on the deal, but it pales in
comparison to how much we don’t know.
In more ways than one, the TPP may be particularly damaging to some industries and demographic groups in the U.S.
Back in the early 1990s, the passing of NAFTA reportedly resulted in the “relocation of some 700,000 jobs, 61% in manufacturing,” according to an article by Jana Kasperkevic of The Guardian.
However, if you buy the free trade argument on the whole, the economies of those engaged in free trade will improve even though it will result in the shifting and changing of some industries. This kind of outsourcing of manufacturing jobs is notorious for being one of the main causes of the decline of the American dream, on which a person is able to rely on the abundance of a high-paying job in the U.S. It is also seen as one of the reasons that wages have stayed stagnant in this country for so long. A loss of decent full time jobs is painfully felt by American workers, resulting in resentment of free trade agreements and the government officials who support them.
The passing of this act could be very beneficial to U.S corporations with stake holdings in any of the countries involved. According to WikiLeaks, many parts of the TPP will result in a significant amount of increased freedom for transcontinental businesses, such as Nike. In fact, Nike is one of the main supporters and happened to be where President Obama decided to speak to the public on how great TPP would be for everyone involved.
The President claimed it will help improve working conditions overseas while simultaneously creating a stronger workforce here at home. It is curious, however, that President Obama chose Nike headquarters as his platform for his speech, as has been one of the companies most notoriously known for sub-par working conditions in its manufacturing plants overseas where it outsourced a number of jobs.
It is difficult to say whether or not this agreement would actually be worth it for the global economy or, more importantly for American college students, whether or not it would stand to benefit the U.S. job market.
Another key component of this deal is that one of the largest Pacific Rim countries is being intentionally left out of the deal.
You guessed it: China.
The deal is somewhat aimed at countering China’s influence amongst the Pacific Rim, since the country is infamous for manipulating its currency so that it is worth less than others and thereby incentivizes businesses to buy products made there rather than from North America or Western Europe.
Another issue is that many of the corporations resemble oligopolies to an extent with major shares of the markets that they compete in. This means they have very few competitors and thus have a huge effect on the market. This could give them significant power and influence over the details of this agreement so that it benefits them.
With an increasingly competitive labor supply, it may become harder for graduating college students to find work. Some jobs will be shipped overseas not only in the manufacturing sector, but other areas as well. Others will have wages forced down as competition from foreign countries becomes fiercer. Additionally, when large companies have such a large impact on the economy, wages could decrease, along with employment.
We will just have to wait and see how this pact plays out, but for now it’s up in the air.
