Mount Hood

Real Time Class Availability returns

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

While students may not think very much about the way that they find their classes on a daily basis, a significant percentage of Western students became upset when they learned that the Real-Time Class Availability feature had been removed from Western’s Portal.

Noticing this frustration among students, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kathy Cassity, turned to Honors Program Director Gavin Keulks to get a feel for student approval or disapproval for the new system along with why.

“Our registrar’s office works extraordinarily hard to develop or reimagine processes for everyone’s benefit,” said Keulks, acknowledging the effort that went into the new scheduling system.

With that said, however, Keulks also noted that the way students responded to the new system was primarily negative.

“I think their intentions were in the right place with this change, but the regular real-time availability function is beloved by students, well formatted and easy to use, so that made changing it harder than anticipated,” said Keulks.

After sending out a survey at Dean Cassity’s request, 83.3% of students surveyed indicated that they either “strongly disapproved” or “disapproved” of the new system, citing ease of use, speed and layout as their primary reasons for disliking the new system.

With this information in hand, Amy Clark, the University Registrar, shared the news with students via email on April 30 that they would now have both options to choose from.

“The Real-Time Schedule View is back by popular demand,” said Clark.

Having delivered this update, Clark then shared with students some of the benefits that using the new system could have, if they were willing to learn the different format. With the new system, students can use the enhanced search feature to find classes based on location, instructional method, course attribute, title, days of the weeks, start and end times and/or credit hours.

Both of these options are now available for students to use on Western’s website.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Western’s Dance Department hosts 2019 Spring Dance Concert

Mikaela Wong | Staff Writer

Western Oregon University’s annual Spring Dance Concert commenced over the weekend, May 9-11, and with it, brought intricate dance routines incorporating styles such as ballet, neo-classical, and contemporary. The various dance styles were accented by bold costumes and makeup which further emphasized the themes of each piece.

One piece called “To Become Without Fear” consisted of black clothing, dark makeup and jerky movements which highlighted the theme of conquering one’s fears and hardships in hope for a better life. Ali McCarthy, a senior English major, expressed the difficulties she faced portraying a much more intimidating style of dance.

“I’m so used to doing ‘pretty’ kind of dancing which is more flowy, has proper movements and is a lot of fluid (movements),” said McCarthy. “This is more scary, edgy and like possessed kind of dancing so it got me out of my comfort zone.”

Sharon Oberst, one of the main choreographers, announced her retirement after 32 loyal years in the school’s dance department. Her piece, “End Pointe”, captured both the beauty of the pointe dance technique and the sentiment of the end of her legacy at Western. Pointe is a form of classical ballet and is a technique that requires the dancer to support all their body weight on the tips of their fully extended feet whilst wearing specific pointe shoes which have special material in the front to support them.

Eva Batenhorst, a junior pursuing a double major in dance and biology, was the soloist in Oberst’s piece and expressed her gratitude to the soon-to-be-retired choreographer.

“This the final dance that she choreographed for it and she blessed me with a solo in it, so that’s awesome,” said Batenhorst. “I haven’t done a pointe (piece) since senior year in high school and this will also be my last time doing a pointe piece.”

The final piece of the show was called “Into the Mystic” and seized the attention of the audience through mesmerizing light-up props and baton spinning while telling an enticing love story. The intricacy of the movements along with the long duration of the piece itself made the skills of the dancers even more palpable.

Throughout the show, various dancers in different costumes performed expressive pieces that showcased not only their physical capabilities, but also their ability to portray emotion through facial expressions, interactions between dancers and purposeful body movements. The variety of dances included dancers from all kinds of different backgrounds and experiences, while the clean-cut dance routines and articulate costumes reflected the hard work and practice that the dance department had invested in the last six months.

“We try to take it as professionally as we can and not a lot of people realize how much we really put in,” said McCarthy. “Everybody has a place here which is nice because you can have any level and someone is going to find a place for you.”

 

Contact the author at mwong16@wou.edu

Photos by Paul F. Davis

This week in completely made up horoscopes

[fruitful_tabs type=”accordion” width=”100%” fit=”false”]

[fruitful_tab title=”Aries 3/21-4/19″] The star dog Cooper graces you with his presence and wishes you the best. He knows you need it. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Taurus 4/20-5/20″] Sorry Taurus, the stars are busy right now, please leave a message after the beep. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Gemini 5/21-6/20″] Time to plant your garden, Gemini. Get it done now, and your odds of harvesting one salad’s worth of vegetables by the end of the season will be likely-ish. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Cancer 6/21-7/22″] Listen, I don’t even know what I am having for dinner. How am I going to help you with your crappy life. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Leo 7/23-8/22″] The mitochondria is the alpha of the horde. Don’t touch it because it will bite you. Ow. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Virgo 8/23-9/22″] ~live, laugh, love~ “Ugh yas, that honestly represents me so well like tbh you just wouldn’t get it.” [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Libra 9/23-10/22″] The stars would like to thank caffeine for sponsoring this week’s horoscopes. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Scorpio 10/23-11/21″] P E T T H E D O G [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Sagittarius 11/22-12/21″] Girls are great. Treasure the ladies in your life, Sagittarius. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Capricorn 12/22-1/19″] In six months it’ll be October. Happy half birthday-month, Pumpkin King. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Aquarius 1/20-2/18″] YEEAASS END OF THE TERM!!! Wait what? We’ve still got three weeks to go? Oof. Hold in there, Aquarius. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Pisces 2/19-3/20″] I know, I know… I am sorry we just have to end things…. It’s been four years, Western. It’s hard for me to … but I just need to leave. You’ll find someone else, don’t worry. [/fruitful_tab]

[/fruitful_tabs]

 

Guest Opinion: Western should accommodate for all the different student study needs

[fruitful_alert type=”alert-Info”]Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in guest opinions are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Western Howl.[/fruitful_alert]

Suzana Carroll | Guest Contributor

We all know someone that does their best work late at night, but does Western accommodate them? Hamersly Library closes at 12 a.m., and does not reopen until 7:30 a.m. the next day, with only one small space open for 24 hours. Students who live on campus have the lounges in their respective dorms that are available to them at all hours, but what about those that cannot focus in the lounges or at home?

There needs to be more 24-hour study space available to individuals that live both on and off campus. There does not need to be an entire building dedicated to being open 24 hours but there definitely needs to be more than one room that is available; perhaps the bottom floor of Hamersly Library, so students can have tables, whiteboards, books/computers available to them and most importantly, a place where they feel they can focus and be productive.

By opening a bigger study space more student jobs could be created, and it would cater to those students who are more functional in the night hours. It would also allow for them to work on whatever they need to get done. Western has approximately 6,000 students, and only having one small 24-hour study space is very limiting and does not seem very inclusive to those who need to leave their living space to do their homework during night hours.

With Monmouth being a small town, late-night study spots are very limited. I interviewed a student who I saw was working in the 24-hour room and they said, “We need a bigger space on campus that can hold more than 30 people maximum because sometimes it gets pretty loud in the room and it becomes harder to focus on what I need to get done”.

The 24-hour room is open to anyone in the Monmouth/Independence area who wishes to use it. Opening a larger space would ensure that everyone who needs to use the resources that Western provides has a chance to and does not feel that the hours limit their abilities. Like most things, opening a space for a longer period of time results in higher costs. However, the library lights do stay on all night long, and the 24-hour room does not have constant supervision. While there would probably be added costs to student payroll to keep the floor supervised, it would only add up to about $80 per shift before taxes. There are many students that are night owls and would love to make the extra money while being able to do their own work. This idea has been implemented at various state universities such as Portland State, Oregon State and University of Oregon.

While there is a higher cost for student employment, keeping a larger study space open for 24 hours will most likely benefit and accommodate a large population of students and others who utilize the Western Oregon library because it allows for those individuals to have a quiet, constructive study space at night.

 

Contact the author at scarroll15@wou.edu

To publish a response, contact the editor at howleditor@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

Opinion: Major keys of physical activity

Paul F. Davis | Managing Editor

As college students, some of us often wish we could switch our major (wouldn’t it be nice to be an art major for a day?), but for obvious reasons, that usually isn’t possible. But if you could, in a short period of time, know the most important pieces of information from a specific major, why would you not learn those things? Well, now’s your chance. But more importantly, I believe it’s the duty of each student to learn as much as you can about as many subjects as possible, because it could get you out of a bad position. Here’s an opportunity to learn about a major that you might not be involved with.

I am a graduating senior from Western’s Exercise Science Program and I have learned about all the main fields that have anything to do with exercise. I have built multiple research-based exercise programs; I know how to most effectively teach a person how to do a novel task; I can help anyone make long term change happen in their fitness and nutrition habits; and most importantly, I can tell you if protein powder will actually get you yoked.

First things first: no, protein powder will not get you yoked alone. Hypertrophy, the scientific name for muscle growth, only occurs when you overload your muscles. This overload then stimulates the process of repair. This process of repair is what eventually leads to yoke-ness and in order to repair, materials to rebuild are needed; in this case, this requires protein. Protein, which is uptaken from your diet, will then be passed along to areas of overload. The key here is that muscle growth is linked to overload or the amount of exercise you do, not the levels of protein consumption or the type of protein you are consuming. However, if you struggle to meet your base levels of protein needs, your body will not grow. It will instead stay the same or even atrophy, the opposite of hypertrophy. So, if you struggle to consume enough protein from diet alone, then you should definitely supplement with protein powder.

When it comes to trying to change our diet or our exercise levels we are often told the exactly wrong things to do. Diet-wise, we are often told to diet, which cuts out all carbs, or we are told to just eat cabbage soup for a week. Exercise-wise, we are told that one 90-day program will get us “RIPPED” or “toned.” But these changes are too extreme for most, and most in turn lose no weight or don’t change their activity.

The most effective way to change long term is to make small changes in everyday life to create healthy habits. Instead of going on that cabbage diet that will ruin your mood, start by eating the same foods and reducing portion size. Instead of working out while some overly-aggressive man screams at you through the TV, go on a walk and jog consistently to build a workout habit. For those that don’t eat healthy and don’t workout because their habits say so, change your habits with small changes and then your body will follow.

What should I do when I build a workout program? Well, the American College of Sports Medicine gives a few specific tips to maximize your workouts. To get better at running or biking, you should try to run or bike at least 20 minutes, but optimally more, three times a week — but five is best in order to be more fit. For weightlifting, you should be lifting weights two to three days a week with 24-48 hours of space between workouts at two to four sets of eight to twelve reps.  

So much more could be said about so many different subjects in the world of exercise science but hopefully this article helps to satisfy your desire to learn about new subjects and gives you tools to be a healthier human. If anything, you should remember that if you want accurate information about how to be more healthy, don’t trust that fitness model or celebrity, trust exercise professionals because like any subject that can be studied in college, it’s complicated.

 

Contact the author at pfdavis14@wou.edu

Mother’s Day at Western: Showing appreciation for moms who are students

Caity Healy | Editor in Chief

Mother’s Day: A time to celebrate the maternal figures in our lives who have helped us reach the point we are at now. Whoever that person is for you, an important date is coming up. Falling on May 12 this year, this holiday gives us an opportunity to thank mothers for all that they do.                                                                                                                                         

It’s no secret that being a mother is a difficult thing to be. Add student to the job title, and the position just became all-the-more demanding — and all-the-more rewarding. Three mothers shared what it’s like to be both a student and a mom, and discussed some of the obstacles they’ve overcome and experienced to reach the point that they’re at now.

[fruitful_sep]

Demeter Finch

Demeter graduated high school in 2001. Since then, she’s been trying to get her bachelor’s degree, going to school off and on for 18 years. For the past six years, she’s been married. About four years in to her marriage, the two took notice of something.

“We started asking … ‘Why do we have no babies yet?’ And we were told … I couldn’t have kids,” said Demeter.

So, she continued pushing forward with school. However, about one year ago, she received news she didn’t think she ever would: “I found out I was 16 weeks pregnant,” said Demeter.

“The same week I found out I was in the Interpreting Program, and the same week I got accepted to Seabeck, I found out I was pregnant.”

When speaking with Demeter, the amount of love she felt for her daughter, Persephone, was obvious.

“She still doesn’t sleep through the night. She’s a mommy’s-girl,” said Demeter. “She’s very opinionated — she’s just my mini-me.”

Being both a mother and a student, Demeter has faced some obstacles as she attempts to finish out her final year at Western.

“For all of her firsts, I don’t necessarily want to miss those but I know I have to keep coming to school and finish what I started for her,” said Demeter. “So definitely, as a mom, the guilt of leaving her at home … sometimes it’s not always easy. Especially with the added idea that I didn’t think I would ever have her … she’s super special so I need to be there.”

But despite all of the struggles she faces, the thing that helps her pull through is her perseverance.

“I think that people think ‘oh it’s not possible’ — but it is possible. You just have to pick and choose what your priorities are,” said Demeter. “If you have something that you want to do, just hold on to it. You can get it no matter what, just keep pushing.”

Photo courtesy of Liz McClellan

[fruitful_sep]

Arianna Stone

Arianna’s story began by her moving to Australia after graduating high school in 2008 to work, save money, and practice her photography. When she moved back to the US in 2011, she became a full-time photographer. After difficulties keeping her photography business alive with Patrick, her then business-partner, now husband, the two began facing even more obstacles.

In 2013, the home they were renting burned down. From there they’d couch hop, until they moved in with parents to save money. In 2014, they got married, bought their first home, and Arianna became pregnant with their first child, Eleanor. When she was born, Arianna became a stay-at-home mom.

Soon, Arianna and Patrick realized they weren’t making enough to save for important life events. Due to that, paired with several other reasons, they decided to go back to school. Arianna attended Chemeketa Community College where she earned her associate degree and had her second child, Henry, in 2018. Now, she is in her junior year at Western.

With her and her husband both attending school, there are certainly some challenges.

“Scheduling is so much harder when you have little people to take care of,” said Arianna. “I can’t just take whatever classes I want to take, whenever I want to take them.” On top of that, she added that getting care for her two children can be very expensive — so much so, that she had to pick up a full-time job while being a full-time student to pay for it.

Struggles aside, there are several reasons that Arianna feels that her experience is rewarding, as well.

“My daughter got to be at my community college graduation … and that made me so proud,” she said. “My daughter will see me do this, and know that nothing is impossible for her.”

Arianna made it clear just how important her children are to her.

“We all have our reasons for attending college, and my kids are a big part of mine,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Arianna Stone

[fruitful_sep]

Liz McClellan

In 1991, Liz graduated high school and began her college education at Chemeketa Community College, planning to go into teaching. After a couple of years, she left, started working, then came back — this time at Portland Community College, where she got a degree in dental hygiene.

For 21 years, she worked as a dental hygienist. During these years, she had her daughter, Annika, and her son, Liam. But, eventually, she was ready to go back to school to continue her education in teaching, taking one year online at Oregon State University, and the rest at Western Oregon.

As a single mother, an obstacle she faced was trying to figure out how to support herself to go back to school. But luckily, she has a huge support system. So much so, that she keeps a list of all of the people who have been a support to her over the years.

“I have a little notebook, and anytime I get help from someone or even a kind word — and my kids are on that list, too … as well as their dad, and step-mom — they go on the list, and the list is very long,” said Liz. “It’s not a solo journey.”

Having the support of her children was incredibly important to Liz. When she was transitioning back into being a student, her whole family sat down to figure it out. The response she got from Annika and Liam made the transition easier.

“I got their support to do this, so that really helped. But it’s hard to miss things,” said Liz. Her decision was not only supported by her children and family, but also by other moms.

“A lot of moms who had had children were like, ‘You should just go for it, and don’t worry about what anyone says.’ And I just got some really good encouragement from other women. So that’s what I want to do,” said Liz. “Go for it, you can do it.”

Photo by Caity Healy

 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

Fanny packs: utility you can make stylish

Cora McClain | Copy Editor

Fanny packs — they’re not just for great Aunt Martha, they can be for you too. Just look around campus and I’m sure you’ll see these trendy packs popping up on the waists of students. As a huge advocator for fanny packs, it appals me to see people hating on what is obviously the most ingenious invention humanity ever stumbled upon.

Keeping your hands free and back or shoulder painless, this waist-slinging pack allows you to do more while still holding all of your important items. And there’s another thing, with a limited amount of space — though some can be quite spacious with many pockets — you only take the necessities with you wherever you go and are not bogged down by unnecessary things.

However, some people feel adversed to these glorious little hip pouches due to their cringe-factor. But guess what; like all trends, the fanny pack trend is coming back around.

Celebrities are highlighting just how viable these little utility packs are. “The Cut” attributes the explosion of fanny pack fashion to Kendall Jenner and her vast collection of fanny packs.

Whether on the street like Rihanna, or on the red carpet like Jimmy Kimmel, a fanny pack can enhance any outfit. Have a nice black dress? Pair it with a sleek black fanny pack. Want something a little more out there? Try out a clear or iridescent snake skin pack. You can even wear them over your shoulder or across your torso to up the trend factor! The options are endless and relatively cheap if you order on Amazon. If you’re wanting to go a little more fancy, can even get designer fanny packs from Louis Vuitton or Prada.

Give these trendy little packs a try, and you might just become a fanny pack fannatic too.

 

Contact the author at howlcopyeditor@wou.edu

Photos by Paul F. Davis & Ashlynn Norton

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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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