Mount Hood

Why pets are great companions

Karlene Curtin | Staff Writer

When I first met Clover, a short hair tabby cat, it was love at first meow. Taking him home for the first time was exciting and also nerve-wracking. Adopting a cat is a lot of work, much more than what people often anticipate. There’s litter box training, grooming, feeding, vet bills and then trying to teach kitty the rules of the home.

After a year with Clover my stress levels have lowered significantly. He has become a major part of my life. He knew when I was having a rough day or if I was not feeling myself and would bring me one of his toys in hopes that it would make me happier. Then, he’d sit next to me and let me pet him.

Bringing Clover home has impacted how I deal with stress significantly. Playing with him, petting him or simply watching his sassy antics brought me joy. Many other college students, like myself, deal with stress and have expressed their furry companion being major stress reliever in their lives.

Jaclyn Spani, an education major and soon to be graduate from Western Oregon, discussed how her cat, Scout, has helped her cope with stress while attending college.

Upon asking why she wanted to get a cat in the first place, her answer was clear.

“I’ve always had a cat in my life,” Spani explained. “I found Scout because one of my dad’s friends was just going to give her up to the Humane Society since he couldn’t take Scout with him. So I took her instead.”

She also added that she wanted to get a cat because, “they’re also just so smart but independent. I knew I wouldn’t have the time that caring for a dog requires, even though they’re great, so a cat was the perfect way to go.” Since having her cat, Spani explained that it has helped her significantly when it comes to coping with stress.

“My cat has been so helpful when dealing with the stress of college. Even just knowing that she’s at home waiting for me can turn days around,” said Spani. “She is so sensitive to what I need and is always around when I’m not feeling well, (or when I’m feeling) stressed or have headaches. She’ll come up and lay on the bed with me and just purr to try and help me feel better. Knowing that there’s something at home waiting for you to play and love is so relaxing.”

Although adopting a pet is a lot of work, it can be worth it when coming home to a perfect companion.

According to the American Institute of Stress, just about any type of pet has been proven to increase their human companion’s health. Caring for an animal can act as a buffer to social isolation and other stressors that negatively impact mental health. Fortunately, this fact allows mental health professionals to certify pets as Emotional Support Animals that can overcome some housing barriers students face. College isn’t easy, but a furry (or scaly, or feathery) friend can make it a little easier.

 

Contact author at kcurtin14@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

Cocktail Corner with Mikaela: Mango Tango

Mikaela Wong | Staff Writer

When it comes to alcohol, most everyone wants a drink that “tastes good” — but what exactly does that mean? For many, it means having a drink that doesn’t taste overwhelmingly like alcohol, but still enough to know that there’s some there. Similarly, a lot of people prefer fruity, citrus-based drinks that mask the taste of alcohol, but don’t know many drinks that fit that description.

The Mango Tango is a drink specially created at the Main St. Pub & Eatery and is a crowd-pleaser when it comes to strength and taste combination. It’s a great, refreshing drink that is easy to enjoy and has an easy name to remember. This week on Cocktail Corner, we’ll teach you exactly what goes into, and how to make one on your own. Remember — please drink responsibly and only drink alcohol if you are over 21 years old.

 

MANGO TANGO

Servings: 1 drink

Ingredients:

1 lime wedge, muddled

1 lemon wedge, muddled

1 ounce guava rum

1 ounce mango rum

1 ounce triple sec liqueur

2.5 ounces sweet & sour mix

2.5 ounces cranberry juice

Ice to fill one 16 ounce pint glass

Instructions:

Muddle lime and lemon at bottom of pint glass. Fill glass with ice.

Combine guava rum, mango rum, and triple sec liqueur in glass.

Fill the rest of glass with equal parts sweet & sour and cranberry juice

 

Contact the author at mwong16@wou.edu

Photo by Rebecca Meyers

Popular floating spots to cool off this summer

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor

It’s a well-known fact to Oregonians that Pacific Northwest residents often complain about the rainy seasons, but as soon as summer starts to get real we look for ways to cool down. One way to do this is to find a nice spot to swim or float down one of the miscellaneous rivers in our state. Here’s just a few places to find such as spot.

 

The Willamette River in Corvallis

True, the Willamette isn’t known to be the cleanest — particularly near Salem. Fortunately, there are a few places that are upstream of the State Capitol. The distance from Willamette Park to Michael’s Landing in Corvallis is a nice 30-45 minute float, and a short drive from one end to the other to make it easier.

 

The Mary’s River in Corvallis

For a small, out of the way spot that the locals love to swim in, the Mary’s River runs right behind Avery Park. One entry point features a rope swing into one of the deep ends of the river. The rest of the river is fairly shallow and easy for the less-confident swimmers to navigate.

 

The McKenzie River in Eugene

For a longer float, and a bit of a longer drive from Western, Eugene is home to, among other things, the McKenzie River. With a starting point of Island Park in Springfield and an endpoint in Alton Baker Park in Eugene, this float route is a few hours long.

 

The Deschutes River

Perfect for a weekend trip in Central Oregon, the Deschutes River in Sunriver is a popular scenic place to float. Start at Harper’s bridge and get off at Benham Butte for a ride of about three and a half hours, or get off at Sunriver Marina for half the time.

 

Contact the author at howlifestyle@wou.edu

Photo by Rebecca Meyers

Molly Mayhead: An interview with a professor

Karlene Curtin | Staff Writer

Going to office hours, getting to know professors and connecting with them is an important aspect of one’s college career. Meet Molly Mayhead, a professor of communication studies at Western Oregon University.

 

What was your original goals as an undergraduate student?  

I wanted to teach high school english and speech classes. From there, I wanted to coach the high school speech and debate teams.

 

Why did you choose to get a PhD?

I had a conversation with one of my advisors and mentors who was also my speech and communications professor. They told me that becoming a communications professor is something I probably would find more interesting and rewarding.  

 

Where did you go to college?

I went to Western Oregon University to receive my bachelors and then went on for my PhD at Penn State University.

 

Favorite class to teach?

Three classes: Argumentation, Freedom of Speech and Rhetoric of the Women’s Movement.

 

What were you like in college?

It is important to mention I was a first generation college student and came to Western on several scholarships. This made me very studious with my studies and also a nerd. I also lived and breathed competing on the speech and debate team.

 

Some fun facts:

Favorite color: Purple

Love: The Seattle Mariners

Favorite Animal: Dogs

Dream vacation: Anything on a beach, with clear blue water and drinks that have umbrellas.

Contact the author at kcurtin14@wou.edu

Photo by Caity Healy

Picnics and prizes: The 51st annual Juried Student Art Exhibition

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

To celebrate the opening of an exhibition featuring student art, a picnic and award ceremony was held on the lawn of Campbell Hall on Monday, May 13. This gallery has occurred every year for 51 years, and is a juried exhibition, meaning that a juror was hired by the Cannon Gallery to review Western student’s submitted artwork and get the final say in what pieces made it in. Every year, a different juror is hired.

The juror this year was Patricia Vazquez, who holds a BA in Graphic Design and Education and a MFA in Social Practices. Vazquez splits her time between Portland, Oregon and Mexico City, Mexico. Due to a prior teaching engagement, Vazquez was unable to attend the event, but she selected two pieces to receive a juror’s choice award, which includes a $100 prize awarded to each artist. Cory Timmins received one of those awards, along with several others, for a video piece titled “House Hunters Multinational.” Timmins is senior pursuing a degree in Art and Design.

“It was validating to just be selected for the show,” Timmins said. “To win awards on top of that felt incredible. It feels like my art career is off to a great start.”

Many other awards were given out, including awards for best digital piece and best non-digital piece, art faculty recognition awards and outstanding art students in upper level division courses awards.

This year’s student exhibition included art pieces from many different mediums, including mixed media, sculpture, graphite sketches, digital art and oil painting, and covered a broad range of themes such as social justice, consumerism and body image.

“Students from the gallery internship class did a ton of work accepting the pieces, in addition to Paula Booth, who runs the gallery,” commented Timmins.

Every year, the gallery sends out an open call for any Western student, no matter their major, to submit their work for critique.

“We could submit up to six pieces and pay a small fee to have our work critiqued,” explained Timmins.

When asked her opinion about the best part of being involved in the exhibition, Timmins responded: “Being surrounded by other amazing work is the best part of being featured in the show. We have so much talent at Western. I’m inspired in my classes by my peers and even more in awe when I’m in the gallery. There’s so much artwork to love.”

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Rita Frey

Salem String Quartet visits Smith Hall

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

According to their website, the Salem String Quartet was named the Quartet in Residence with the Camerata Music Society, the music society of the Mid-Willamette Valley that provides free chamber music events to the public. On May 16, the Salem String Quartet visited the stage of Smith Music Hall.

The quartet’s website reports that the four string players met while performing in Salem in 2008 and naturally came together to form the group. They have been performing in the valley since June 2017.

The Salem String Quartet is made up of violist Brandon Correa, cellist Katherine Perks and violinists Caius and Sigrun Oprea, who are married. The quartet members are from all over the world — Caius Oprea was born in Romania, Sigrun Oprea is native to South Africa, Correa was raised in Honolulu and Katherine Perks grew up in Idaho.

On the night of May 16, the quartet performed three movements of Op. 11 written by American composer Samuel Barber, and No. 2 in G Major, Opus 111 by German composer Johannes Brahms. For the latter song, the group performed as a string quintet, as they were joined by violist George Thomson, the current Director of Orchestras at West Salem High School and Conductor of the Corvallis Youth Symphony.

Salemstringquartet.com describes the group’s performances as “a uniquely satisfying blend of versatility, inspiration, energy, quality and experience.” This explanation also applied to the group’s Smith Hall performance. The show was passionate and lively, as well as one of the most highly attended Smith Hall events this school year.

Similar to most 2018-2019 art performances, the Salem String Quartet’s performance was free for Western students. The quartet will perform one free event every year until 2021 as part of the Camerata Music Society’s concert series, and will participate in other events with the organization.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo by Paul F. Davis

Softball: A 2019 wrap-up

Paul F. Davis | Managing Editor

While most students were in class thinking about what they wanted to do the upcoming weekend instead of listening to their professors, Western Oregon’s Softball team was making history. The Wolves’s Softball team tied Western’s all-time best win/loss record with 33 wins and 18 losses — a record which was set in 2008. This near record-setting performance also earned seven players the title of all-GNAC: 1st team — Ayanna Archeneaux and Ryanne Whitaker; 2nd team — Tyler Creach and Cheyanne Rimmer; Honorable Mention — Kennedy Coy, Hayley Fabian and Maddie Mayer.

This led Western to earn the No. 2, in their seventh consecutive appearance, in the GNAC Championship.

The tournament was double elimination and started on May 2, lasting through May 4. It was located at Porter Park on the campus of Concordia University in Portland.

The Wolves started off by competing against the No. 3 seeded Concordia. On May 2, Concordia put the pedal to the metal, won its first-ever game at the GNAC Championships and beat the wolves with ease, 5-0.

The next make-or-break game was played against No. 4 seeded Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on May 3. The Wolves were, again, held scoreless, 0-3. Concordia scored two runs in the opening inning and ended any shifts in the score by scoring the final point of the game in the sixth frame.

After two consecutive losses in the GNAC Championship, all Western could do was wait to see if they would be invited to NCAA DII Softball championship. Spoiler alert — Western was selected and was given the No. 4 seed in the Western Region. Two other teams from the GNAC, which marked the first time in conference history three teams had been selected for the tourney, would also to get the chance to be national champions.

Western’s first game of the national tournament was played on May 9 against the San Francisco State Gators located at Eagles Field on the campus of Concordia Irvine. Western then lost, 3-6.
The following day, May 10, Western beat both Concordia Portland, 1-0, and then the San Francisco State Gators, 1-0, at Eagles Field to avoid elimination. This was made possible by first-year Maddie Mayer’s once-in-a-lifetime performance, delivering two showstopping shutouts which allowed Western to sneak into the finals.

Playing against the host team, California Irvine, on May 11, Western was going into its fourth game in three days. In what would be Western’s final game, the three-day-stretch proved to be too much for the historic Wolves. Western lost 0-5. With the season now over, the softball team can come home proud that not only did they help make history, but they proved that they are one of the best of the west.

 

Contact the author at pfdavis14@wou.edu

Photo by Paul F. Davis

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