Mount Hood

What happened on campus during break?

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

Date: 12/14/2019

Time: 9 p.m.

Location: Lot J near the Stadium

Incident: Public Safety discovered a marjuana violation

 

Date: 12/20/2019

Time: 11:15 p.m.

Location: Lot J near the Stadium

Incident: Public Safety responded to a report of two subjects arguing in the parking lot.

 

Date: 12/21/2019

Time: 8:40 a.m.

Location: 1777 Taylor Street, Eugene, Oregon

Incident: Public Safety responded to a report of a theft of WOU property off campus in Eugene.

 

Date: 12/30/2019

Time: 9:19 a.m.

Location: The Administration Building

Incident: Public Safety responded to a medical assist 

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

War and Peace

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

To commemmorate the 75 anniversary of the end of World War II, twenty-six Oregon communities — including Independence — have plans to plant seeds salvaged from the trees that survived the Hiroshima bombing on August 6, 1945. Called “peace trees,” the Ginkgo seeds are a poignant symbol contrasting growing national fears — and the subsequent memes  — of a potential “WWIII,” triggered by President Trump’s authorization of a military strike in Iran on January 3. 

In Independence, the seeds are to be planted in the Inspiration Garden at Mount Fir Park. Run by the Master Gardeners, the Inspiration Gardens boast medinal plants, fruits and vegetables, a rose garden, and a book box for admirers to peruse — all nearby Ash Creek and the creatures therin. Portions of the garden also serve as a research facility for Oregon State University; wanderers can observe the fruits and vegetables grown but are asked not to pick them, as they are used for educational purposes.

The idea to plant a peace tree in the Inspiration Gardens came from the collaborative efforts of the Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Community Trees, and the Founder of One Sunny Day Initiative — Hideko Tamura-Snider. A Japanese native, Snider founded OSDI to “educate the public about the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons and plants seeds of peace, hope and reconciliation among people of the world, through educational presentations and cultural exchange programs,” according to their website. 

The hopes presented in OSDI’s statement and the purpose of the trees is a study in irony, as tensions rise following Iran pulling out of the 2015 nuclear trade deal on January 5 — previously abandoned by President Trump in 2018 — stating that they will no longer abide by the restrictions reflected by the deal. 

The Ginkgo tree that the seeds are collected from rests in the Shukkien Garden in Hiroshima, “where many people came asking for water and shade after the Atomic bombing,” according to a youtube video titled “Introduction video Green Legacy Hiroshima.” And, despite recent political occurances, the goals of the volunteers of that project remain the same, as Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiativie Co-founder and Coordinator states, “we want to pass (the tree’s) message to future generations. We hope to deliver this love from all of us to you.”

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Four out of five Oregon representatives approved President Trump’s impeachment

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

Although most of Western’s students probably know by now that the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump on Dec. 18 for abuse of power and obstruction of congress, some may be wondering how Oregon’s representatives contributed to that decision, as well as how students may be affected going forward. 

Oregon currently has five representatives in the House: Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Greg Walden, Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader, respectively. Of those five, four are alligned with the Democratic Party and one is alligned with the Republican Party. During voting, all four Democratic representatives voted for both articles of impeachment, while Republican Representative Walden, voted against. Their votes combined with the remainder of the House, resulted in 230 votes for impeachment regarding the article for abuse of power, 197 against, and four abstaining from voting; for the article referrng to obstruction of congress, 229 members voted for impeachment, 198 voted against, and four abstained. 

While the majority voted for President Trump’s impeachment, the margin was narrow, and now the Senate must hold a trial to convict the president in order to remove him from office. Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are both registered Democrats, but the Senate’s 100 members are still overwhelmingly Republican, and according to The New York Times, at least 20 Republican votes would have to sway in order to gain the two-thirds majority required to officially remove President Trump from office. And while President Trump may have made history as only the third president to be impeached by the House of Representatives, no president has ever been impeached by the Senate — although Nixon stepped down beforehand. 

While President Trump awaits trial, he has continued to be active on Twitter and also authorized an airstrike, killing Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and igniting fears of war. Students might be particularly worried because of misinformation revolving around the draft and its link to FAFSA. However, FAFSA only provides a way to register for the draft if one hasn’t already done so after they turned 18; the draft is not currently active.

Despite the misunderstanding, it is an indicator that while the country is waiting for the Senate to begin the trial, questions about the impeachment process have sparked people to become more politically aware — particularly young people. Students at Western and across the nation will have a major role to play in the upcoming 2020 election; whether President Trump is removed from office or not, the country is watching.

 

Updated on Jan. 16, 2020

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Don’t compromise your health, practice safe sex

Rylie Horrall  | Lifestyle Editor

College is a time for many people to start their journey to independence; most start making their own decisions — places they will be living, jobs they plan to pursue and various lifestyle choices, such as who they decide to be in a romantic or sexual relationship with. The majority of students had at least a small sex education lesson during their middle or high school years, but the information taught can be pretty basic without going into ways to safely practice sex.

The biggest lesson in sex ed — in my own personal experience — was to avoid pregnancy, and the easiest way to do that was through abstinence, because, to quote my high school health teacher, “it was the only way to 100% avoid pregnancy.” The topic of ways to safely have sex wasn’t touched on, but it’s important to know when deciding to participate in sexual activities.

Using a condom can be among the easiest ways to practice safe sex, as most can be found or bought generally without difficulty. The Health and Wellness Center has male condoms available for students at Western to take for free, located on a shelf in the main lobby area. Both male and female condoms can be purchased with ease at convenience stores, health centers and supermarkets. 

It’s important to make sure they are being used effectively and correctly, as complications can arise if not. The risk for sexually transmitted infections increases dramatically, and potentially the risk of an unplanned pregnancy. Be sure to check the expiration dates and quality to make sure they aren’t damaged or compromised in some way.

Another way to stay on top of safe sex is to get tested as often as needed. If there’s an infection to be treated from previous sexual interactions but it goes unnoticed, it can lead to health problems. Some, however, don’t have any symptoms and people could be unaware of their presence, so getting tested will help an individual to continue to be up-to-date on their health. 

While participating in sexual activities, another surefire way to ensure safety isn’t jeopardized is to avoid engaging in sexual activity when inebriated. Important decisions can be forgotten while under the influence, or actions — such as putting on a condom — can be done poorly and incorrectly. 

It’s important to exercise safe sex if or when engaging in sexual activity, but a final key component is to communicate with partners to secure that everyone is on the same page. 

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

New year, new you: how to stay on top of resolutions

Rylie Horrall  | Lifestyle Editor

When the end of the year rolls around, many people decide to create resolutions for the new year, whether it’s fun goals to accomplish or ways to improve the way someone is currently living. A potential problem that arises from these resolutions is accidentally or intentionally dropping them not long after declaring them. Here are some tips to try and help stay on top of those New Year’s resolutions.

A simple fix that seems to be trending is to invest in a planner; not only could that assist in planning out resolutions in general, but it can also help with staying on track for the future. By using the planner, goals can be set for each day, week or month — depending on the goal itself and how often someone feels they need to be doing it.

Alternatively, merely writing down aspirations for the new year can be effective. By creating a checklist, goals can be tracked and marked off with ease. Writing down resolutions in a notebook is a simple way to do this, or even inputting them into a checklist style note on a smartphone. A fun way to keep track of resolutions is to write each individual goal on a sticky note and place them somewhere that will be seen every day. For instance, the sticky notes can be placed on the wall, the door to the bedroom, around a mirror or miscellaneously placed across the surface of a desk.

Setting reminders on a smartphone can also be beneficial to those struggling to maintain new year objectives. By going into the calendar app, an event can be set up on a day of the person’s choosing, and it can be set to repeat whenever and however long is desired. This way, a person can check their progress each day, week or month, or it can be simply a way to remember while the resolution is still fresh and potentially forgettable.

Lastly, tell family and friends about any New Year’s resolutions so they can assist in the process of keeping them. They can provide support and encouragement when first starting out, or if a goal starts to become particularly challenging. They can serve as a pep squad of sorts to make the process of completing the objective easier, or even help with completing the goal by actively encouraging, which in turn can make the activity more enjoyable as a whole. 

A final thing to keep in mind is that it’s okay to fall behind on resolutions; things can happen in life that alter plans previously made, but anyone can pick themselves back up where they left off.

 

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Album Review of the eclectic album “Fine Line” by Harry Styles

Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

Harry Styles is no longer just an old member of the boy band One Direction, but rather a talented and diverse artist. “Fine Line” is Styles’ second album, released in December of 2019. It received much acclaim and was number three on the UK Album Charts and number one on the Billboards 200.

The album had a different sound than his first album, “Sign of the Times” which was more peaceful and almost folk, while “Fine Line” dabbles in rock, pop and some psychedelic soul, while also touching back on the more peaceful folk with a couple songs.

Most of the songs on the album have the core elements of love, sorrow and exploration. In an interview with Rolling Stone he said that the album was “all about having sex and being sad.” Styles also mentioned being more adventurous in the album which is evident with his hit song, “Watermelon Sugar” a summer bop that sounds far different from anything else he has produced. Then his song “Lights Up” touches on self-acceptance and rejection, and seems like a cry of freedom. This transitions right into “Cherry” a peaceful melody with calming guitar, going back to the warm folk he has done before.

One song that really stood out to me in its uniqueness is “To Be So Lonely” it has a different sound than the rest of his songs, and sounds quite uplifting but the meaning touches on some negative qualities of himself and going through heartbreak.

His final song on the 12-track album, “Fine Line” is one of his deepest songs about a relationship that causes more harm than good. It starts quite melancholic, just Styles gently crooning about someone whose love can be bought. The song then builds with more instruments and reaches a fever pitch before coming back down, quite possibly representing the ups and downs that he went through in his relationship or in life. 

An interesting thing that I noted was the difference in the album cover of “Fine Line” and “Sign of the Times.” The stark contrasts between the covers properly showcase how different the two albums are; his first album is dark and moody, while “Fine Line” showcases Styles in white pants and a pink shirt in a psychedelic bubble. It seems to be a visual of how he is pushing himself as an artist with his latest album.

Overall Review: “Fine Line” is an album that I cannot get enough of, it has a little bit of everything, if someone needs a sad song to cry to, there are several, if someone needs to be pumped up, that’s also an option. Styles created an eclectic masterpiece that dives into some of his vulnerabilities, and pushed his normal boundaries when creating music. I highly recommend this album to anyone really, it has enough elements to connect to most people.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Decompress with all the Netflix originals coming out January 2020

Never Retallack  | Entertainment Editor

Most people may think that January 2020 is the time to try and follow their New Year resolutions; let’s be honest, it’s the start of a new term and the perfect time to decompress with everything new coming to Netflix this month.

This year Netflix is unleashing a tidal wave of original shows and movies, here is a list of what to expect:

Available Jan. 1: “Ghost Stories,” “Messiah,” “Nisman: Death of a Prosecutor,” “Spinning Out,” “The Circle.”

Available Jan. 2: “Sex, Explained: Limited Series,” “Thieves of the Wood.”

Available Jan. 3: “Anne with an E: The Final Season,” “All the Freckles in the World.”

Available Jan. 4: “Go! Go! Cory Carson.”

Available Jan. 8: “Cheer.”

Available Jan. 10: “AJ and the Queen,” “Giri / Haji,” “Harvey Girls Forever!: Season 4,” “The Investigators: Season 2,” “Medical Police,” “Scissor Seven,” “Until Dawn,” “Zumbo’s Just,” “Desserts: Season 2.”

Available Jan. 13: “The Healing Powers of Dude.”

Available Jan. 14: “Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.”

Available Jan. 15: “Quien a hierro mata,” “Grace and Frankie: Season 6.”

Available Jan. 16: “NiNoKuni.”

Available Jan. 17: “Ares,” “Hip-Hop Evolution: Season 4,” “Sex Education: Season 2,” “Tyler Perry’s A Fall From Grace,” “Vivir dos veces,” “Wer kann, der kann!.”

Available Jan. 20: “Family Reunion: Part 2.”

Available Jan. 21: “Fortune Feimster: Sweet and Salty,” “Word Party: Season 4.”

Available Jan. 22: “Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak.”

Available Jan. 23: “The Ghost Bride,” “October Faction,” “SAINT SEIYA: Knights of the Zodiac: Season 1 / Part 2.”

Available Jan. 24: “The Sun,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 3,” “The Ranch: Final Season.”

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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