Mount Hood

Musical guest, Deac Guidi, and staff serenade Smith Hall

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

On April 30, 1997, Ellen DeGeneres came out on her sitcom, “Ellen.” In an episode titled “The Puppy Episode” when she tells her therapist, played by Oprah Winfrey, that she is attracted to women, making “Ellen” the first sitcom to feature a gay main character.

In honor of this landmark, Western’s SafeZone program puts on a biannual performance titled “The Coming Out Monologues.” The Monologues are performed on or around SafeZone’s birthday, April 30.

“On April 30, 2000 was the Millennium March on Washington for LGBTQ Equality. That’s why we picked that date for the SafeZone birthday,” said coordinator CM Hall. Hall, with the help of Ted deChatelet, manages the show every two years.

The SafeZone program started at Western in 2006, and according to their website, “seeks to form an allying network of students, faculty and staff committed and trained to provide safe, non-judgmental and supportive contacts for all WOU community members regarding LGBTQ+ issues.” This program provides the campus with community events and Ally trainings. SafeZone partners with Abby’s House, Stonewall Center and Triangle Alliance to produce the Monologues.

“I was a queer student during a very different time at Western. The early/mid-90’s — when the faculty, admin, staff, and students were silent or hostile and there just weren’t many of us, or any out faculty or staff to gain support from,” commented Hall. Since Hall returned to Western as a staff member in 2006, she has been working to change Western’s community for the better.

“Western feels entirely different. It’s become such an affirming and supportive place for folks who have different sexual and gender identities … It further validates and normalizes our lived experiences,” Hall said.

The Coming Out Monologues are stories authored and performed by Western students, staff and faculty. The stories are funny, serious and often heartbreaking.

“They are a representation of the diverse and unique experiences of people who identify within the LGBTQ+ community and/or as straight allies,” described Hall.

This year’s performance included six student performers: Aeron Esch, Hannah Bachelor, Hannah Hardcastle, Maria Bercerra, Max Groshong and Tyler Martin. Staff members performed as well: Annika Joy Barnett, Chrys Burcham, Rebecca Chiles and Chad A. Ludwig.

The first show took place in 2015, then was performed again in 2017. The turnout is always substantial, and it’s commonplace to need extra chairs on standby.

“The most fulfilling part for me is audience response and reaction. How folks really connect and resonate with someone’s story — even if that audience member isn’t LGBTQ,” said Hall, “there’s an electricity and bond in the room as we watch folks share their stories. Their truths. We all feel let in on someone’s journey and it’s a really special and sacred experience.”

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

Review: “Endgame” is a fan service film

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Even as someone who got into “The Avengers” franchise relatively late and has yet to watch all of the movies, I was super impressed by “Infinity War.” Naturally, then, I was very excited as the “Endgame” release date got closer and closer. I researched theories online, and even created a few of my own in anticipation of the film. By the end of premier night, though, I found that I had lost all my previous enthusiasm. In fact, I was fairly disappointed.

It seemed as though all the wonderful suspense built up in “Infinity War” crashed and burned within the first half-hour of the newest film. From the beginning, every “plot twist” seemed like the most convenient one to explain why the story progressed the way it did. All of a sudden, Thanos had morals. Scott Lang shoots out of a van and has the answer to the biggest plotline Marvel has been building up to in the past 10-or-so years. And Thor is fat now.

It’s not that the movie itself lacks intricacies, it doesn’t. The intricacies are just predictable. Time travel has been a theme repeated in multiple movies less successful than the Marvel cinematic universe. Although “Endgame” tackled time travel in a comprehensive way, and it was something that a fair amount of people anticipated, the way this movie arrived as time travel as a solution seemed a little rushed and I was left wondering why no one had thought of it earlier. This feeling intensified after Tony found the “secret” of time travel within 20 seconds of trying even though it was mentioned earlier in the film to be nearly impossible.

Another disappointment was how the most powerful avenger factored into the storyline. The “Captain Marvel” movie was released so soon before “Endgame” that I was sure that she would have a prominent role in this film as well. Captain Marvel got very little screen-time, and was only used as a last-ditch, “oh yeah, there she is” plot device.

Overall, “Endgame” wasn’t a completely terrible movie. The fight scenes were done well and creative, per usual. Also, I love the Hulk so I wasn’t too sad about the amount of screentime he received. But for a three hour movie, it felt fairly empty plot-wise and most of the big events were predictable, especially in the last big fight scene.

 

Overall Rating: “Endgame” is an enjoyable movie, but I found it was more enjoyable if you don’t go in with any kind of expectations.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of marvel.com

Meet your Western Oregon Rugby Pacific Coast All-Stars: Caver and Treat

Caity Healy | Editor-in-Chief

It began on April 13, as four Men’s Rugby players took to the pitch after being invited to try out for the Pacific Coast All-Star team: Joey Caver, Matt Cornish, Kai Segundo and Trever Kahunahana. After Caver had been pulled aside and asked to join the team on the spot, the three others patiently awaited to hear whether or not they had performed at the level the coaches were wanting. May 1 was the day they’d hear the news, but before they could, another player was met with a surprise.

On April 29, senior Alex Treat was asked if he wanted to join the All-Star team. He wasn’t one of the original four invited to try out, so when he was contacted, he didn’t exactly see it coming.

“From what I gathered, they were watching film on some of the other guys, and while they were watching film they saw me playing … and then they decided they wanted me on the team,” said Treat. “I got a text from the head coach, and basically he said ‘hey we want you on our team. We want you to come play with us in Houston.”

Upon receiving the news that he was now an All-Star, he couldn’t help but feel eager.

“I was incredibly excited. I felt very honored to be selected and to go and perform,” said Treat. “I kind of thought my season was done, but I’m glad it’s not.”

On May 1, after weeks of waiting, the names of who would be on the team were released — out of the four Wolves who tried out, Caver was the single name presented to represent Western, with Treat added on, as well. Now, they’re preparing for what’s to come.

“I am running and working out, doing drills, practicing some skills stuff — just trying any way I can to be in the best shape possible to perform,” said Treat.

On May 11, Caver and Treat will be flying out to San Diego for a rugby camp. There, they’ll get to know their new teammates and learn how they play, as well as how their coach wants the team structured.

“I’m nervous, but I’m more excited than nervous. I’ve been training for this since I started playing rugby, and I’m just happy for the opportunity to go out and play … I couldn’t have gotten here without my teammates,” said Treat.

Catch the two in action on May 23, as they’re heading to Houston, Texas for the All-Star tournament.

 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

Photo by Caity Healy

Athlete Profile: Staying on track with Rachel Bayly

Caity Healy | Editor-in-Chief

“It’s such an integral part of my life, and I don’t know how it got to that point. I can’t imagine my life without sports,” said Rachel Bayly. A cross-country and track athlete in her junior year as a Wolf, Bayly has been involved in some sport — either cross country, track or basketball, and at times, all three — her entire life. So accustomed to that setting as part of her everyday life, it altered the way she experienced her time her at Western.

“Coming here … the team was such a family. So it made that transition to college so much easier,” commented Bayly.

But on top of the close-knit community she built with those around her each day, it changed her college experience in other ways, too.

“It teaches me time-management,” said Bayly. “It’s just this understanding that … I’m going to go to school but I’m also going to take on this other thing.”

Bayly grew up in Moscow, Idaho. A small town with a population around 25,000, according to census.gov. Although there’s often an idea that small towns leave teens with nothing to do, Bayly always kept herself busy.

“I was a three-sport athlete back in high school,” said Bayly. “So, definitely a lot going on. There was a one-day break between cross-country and basketball. I was always going.”

Aside from athletics, Bayly maintained a full schedule.

“My mom owns a daycare back in Moscow, so I worked at the daycare … So I’d get out of school, go and pick kids up from elementary school, take them back, do homework with them, then I’d go to practice,” said Bayly.

Any free time that Bayly came across usually happened during the summer. When she had it, she took advantage of it.

“There’s not a lot to do in Moscow,” explained Bayly. “But I’d go downtown with friends. I have a lot of family in Moscow … so weekends with family, barbecues and stuff like that.”

The small town charm that Bayly found with Moscow actually played a part in why she ended up coming to Western.

“Monmouth reminded me of Moscow. The farm fields all around, the trees… it’s really nice,” said Bayly. She also added that she came here because, “it was kind of the size of the school I was looking for … and then also the fact that the coach asked me to run on the cross country team was really exciting.”

Now a student at Western, Bayly’s major is interdisciplinary studies with focuses in early childhood education and social science. With that, she hopes to go into policy making to help low-income families afford high quality care for their children. But her absolute dream job goes even deeper than that.

“It’s hard because I’ve always had this vision of every kid in the United States having access to high quality early care … and every kid is loved and cared for in an awesome environment — I have no idea how to make that happen,” said Bayly. “So maybe my dream job would be a CEO of a nonprofit that’s doing amazing things for kids, or maybe a really influential policy writer … So I don’t know, I’m still figuring out the path.”

As a student in a town that’s 419 miles away from where she calls home, Bayly still manages to find ways to keep herself busy outside of her sport of the season.

“I like to read. I’m reading “Game of Thrones” right now so I’m avoiding social media because I don’t want spoilers from the show,” said Bayly. “I like hikes and being outside … my sister and I just went on a backpacking trip over spring break … And, of course, working with kids whenever I can.”

For those curious, Bayly’s favorite hike she has ever been on was to Opal Creek, when she went early in the season with her roommates last year, and her favorite book of all time was either “Kite Runner” or “Lord of the Rings.”

As for her future as an athlete, Bayly expressed emotion towards one sport that she has been neglecting in recent years.

“I really miss basketball, and I’m hoping to get into a rec-league or something,” she said. As for running, though, her plans for the future are clear.

“I love running,” Bayly said. “I can’t imagine my life without running, so I’ll definitely keep that up.”

 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

Photo by Paul F. Davis

Spring Intramural leaderboard: The top teams of each sport

Softball:

 

Co-Rec Sunday Night League

Broke Bat Mountain 4-0

Benchwarmers 3-1

Always Going Deep 3-1

Swingers 2-1

Misfits 2-2

Masterbatterz 1-2

Dunder Mifflin Inc. 0-4

Wait for it…. 0-4

 

Co-Rec Thursday Evening League

Basic Pitches 2-0

Soft balls 2-1

The One Hit Wonders 1-1

Bad Apples 1-2

Rolling Bunts 0-2

 

Men’s Monday Evening League

Opihi Lickahz 2-0

Rippin Magoos 1-1

Dirty Ball Bags 1-1

Blue Ballers 0-2

 

Soccer:

 

Co-Rec Tuesday/Thursday Evenings

Los Linguistas 3-0

Look ma, no hands 1-0

Head Game Strong 1-1

Your Goalie’s Nightmare 1-1

Dunder Miffln 1-2

Grace & The Funky Bunch 1-2

Team World 0-2

 

Volleyball:

 

Co-Rec Competitive

Killah Hawaiians 5-0

Bumpin’ 2-2

Meow Down 2-3

Wait for it…. 0-4

 

Co-Rec Recreational Monday/Tuesday Evenings

Incomprehensibilities 5-0

Scott’s Tots 5-1

Work for sets 2-4

I’d hit that 0-4

 

Co-Rec Recreational Wednesday/Thursday Evenings

The Agents 3-2

Spiked Tea 2-2

S.S.F.F.F.A.F.F. 0-4

NO VOLLEYBALL FINAL 0-0

 

Men’s/Women’s

Joey’s Men’s VB Team 4-1

Ball Busters 3-2

Bumping balls 2-2

Meet the Blockers 2-3

Mas Hits 1-4

Celebrating Earth Day

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

With crowds of people moving from station to station — enjoying the warmth of a sunny Saturday in the Grove — Green Team members and volunteers in blue t-shirts helped explain the many activities that were included in Green Team’s Annual Earth Fair on May 4. Although Earth Day may have passed a couple weeks ago on April 22, the members of Green Team were still eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with the Western community at large.

As one of the organizers of the event and Green Team’s Treasurer, Liv Geisler-Wagner shared some of the things that were featured in this year’s Earth Fair event. A few of the just-for-fun elements included tie dye t-shirts, volleyball, food, Sibling Weekend stations, face painting and henna tattoos, but there were also a number of stations with practical crafts that attendees could use in their day-to-day lives as well.

“We have reusable dryer sheets, which are basically just old t-shirt scraps you can make at home,” said Geisler-Wagner. “You put a couple drops of essential oil in a jar with some vinegar, and then we put t-shirt scraps in there. You just throw one in with your laundry when you put it in the dryer — the exact same as a dryer sheet. Then you can reuse them as many times as you want.”

Geisler-Wagner also mentioned a couple of other easy, creative things that students could do with their old household items.

“We also have plastic bag bracelets, which is a good way to reuse your plastics since a lot of plastics, including the bags, can’t be recycled,” said Geisler-Wagner.

In order to test student knowledge on recycling, Green Team also concocted a game which asked students to determine which items from a given set were able to be recycled.

And on another practical note, Green Team also chose to coordinate efforts with the Physical Plant in order to plant flowers on campus — right on the edge of the Grove.

While students who attended the Green Team Earth Fair received a number of specific strategies they could use in the future, Geisler-Wagner shared that there are other simple resources that those who didn’t attend can use to get involved as well.

“Google is your friend,” said Geisler-Wagner. “Most of what we do is Googling ‘sustainable crafts’ or ‘how can I reduce my plastic consumption’ or ‘how can I be greener in a dorm?’”

Students also have a fitting resource in Green Team themselves, and Geisler-Wagner conveyed that there are a number of ways that students can be in contact with them

“Our office is in Heritage. So, if you’re in Heritage and you’d like to stop by, if the door’s open, we’re there,” said Geisler-Wagner. “We have our office hours poster on the door… And if they don’t live in Heritage, they can also email us, and we can let them in if we know they’re coming.”

In addition to this, interested students can also contact Green Team on their social media accounts, and Geisler-Wagner can be reached directly at ogeislerwagner16@wou.edu.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

Changes are coming to the Western Business Office for the 2019-2020 academic year

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

Looking forward to the future of Western, there are some financial changes that will be unavoidable; however, there is a team who is actively dedicated to keeping Western affordable for upcoming generations of Wolves.

For the 2019-2020 academic year in particular, there are a number of significant changes to the Business Office and to tuition rates that will heavily impact the financial opportunities of Western students. Setting the tone, while many of Oregon’s public universities have either reported higher numbers or have not shared their tuition rates for next year yet, Western has committed to an increase of only 2.33% for undergraduate residents, which was decided by the Tuition and Fees Advisory Committee.

Evelyn Guzman, Erik Morgan and Ailyn Angel — student leaders and representatives on TFAC — shared what it was like for them to come to this decision.

“The administration is really great for doing this even before the House Bill (3381) was passed — they’ve listened to student voices, whereas a lot of other universities haven’t,” said Angel, a senior interdisciplinary studies major on the committee. “You never feel like you’re asking a dumb question, and they really allow us to be a part of the decision-making process.”

In addition to this small tuition increase, Western has also shown its commitment to affordability through other things like keeping the cost for room and board flat and keeping the incidental fee increase under 5%.

Another way that Western is making financial changes for the benefit of students relates to the Tuition Promise plan.

“When WOU Promise was initially created, it was an environment when double-digit tuition increases were very common… But since that time, the environment has changed and there is now a very low tuition increase, so it turns out that what they set out in their plan is more expensive than if they were without the plan,” said Dr. Karaman, Vice President for Finance and Administration. “Dr. Fuller always felt that it’s the right thing to do to give the lowest of the available rates. So, this year we just said, ‘let’s go ahead and do it.’”

Dr. Karaman credits Dona Vasas and Camarie Campfield, the Bursar and Budget Manager, as being instrumental to bringing these changes about as well.

A final couple of updates from the Business Office that will impact Western students beginning next academic year are that seniors will no longer have to pay a $50 fee to apply to graduate, and students will also have 30 days beyond when the term starts to pay their bill.

“Students are here for academics. Yes, they need to pay their bill, but let’s make sure that their bill isn’t impacting their academic achievement,” said Vasas.

Although there are a number of things to keep track of, the staff at the Business and Financial Aid Offices is dedicated to serving any students who have questions about how these changes could be impacting them.

“The overall goal is that we want Western to be the most affordable public university in the state of Oregon, and we also want to make sure that students don’t go into debt,” concluded Dr. Karaman.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

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