Mount Hood

WOU Students for Life hosts guest lecturer

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

WOU Students for Life Club welcomed Jim Schultz, a pastor and Ph.D. candidate, to speak on Feb. 22 before a group of community members, opening a scientific and philosophical conversation about abortion on Western’s campus.

Addressing a number of pro-life arguments and offering a time for questions, Schultz shared a presentation titled “Making the Case for Life on Hostile Turf” that was designed to equip individuals to engage in civil discourse at a time when a number of people are quick to dismiss pro-life arguments.

Before beginning any sort of conversation about the legality and morality of abortion, however, Schultz emphasized that it is important that people on either side of the debate have a full understanding of the science of the unborn and the process of having an abortion.

“When the abortion issue gets brought up, pro-choice people don’t usually want to talk about ‘what is the unborn’ and ‘what happens to the unborn during an abortion’ as much as they want to talk about privacy, women’s equality, reproductive rights, reproductive health,” said Schultz. “Those are the euphemistic terms used to take us off the scent of … what happens to the unborn during an abortion. We are saying that that is the primary issue and those other issues, although important in themselves, can’t rise to the level where it makes it okay to kill an innocent person.”

Schultz also emphasized the belief that, ultimately, the majority of arguments that are made in favor of abortion are grounded in the belief that a fetus is not a human person. Using what he referred to as the “trot out the toddler” test, Schultz shared that arguments such as “anti-choicers want to force poor women to bring another child into the world” and “abortion allows women freedom to pursue careers” would not seem logical if it was being offered as justification for killing a two-year-old. As he described it, very few people would morally support the killing of a child just because they are living in poverty or interfering with their mother’s career opportunities.

From this point, Schultz said that it is necessary for a pro-life individual to provide evidence for the personhood of the unborn. To this end, Schultz presented a number of quotes from leading, secular embryology textbooks that affirmed this notion.

“The development of a human begins with fertilization, a process by which the spermatozoon from the male and the oocyte from the female unite to give rise to a new organism, the zygote,” wrote T.W. Sadler in “Langman’s Medical Embryology”, one of the works cited by Schultz.

Schultz also offered a number of quotes of those who practice abortion, conceding that abortion intentionally kills living human beings.

“I think we have deluded ourselves into believing that people don’t know that abortion is killing,” stated former Planned Parenthood president Faye Wattleton in a MS Magazine article titled “Speaking Frankly”.

If these things can be established, then Schultz concluded that “there is no essential difference between the embryo you once were and the adult you are today that justifies killing you at that earlier stage of development. Differences of size, level of development, environment and degree of dependency are not good reasons for saying you could be killed then but not now.”

However, Schultz repeatedly emphasized one thing: there is never a good reason not to be loving and gracious to people when you talk with them about abortion. Whether someone has had an abortion or holds a strong contrary opinion, it is better to approach the situation in a way that is loving people, not judging them.

If students would like to learn more about the WOU Students for Life, they can contact the club’s president, Gemma Cowan, at gcowan15@wou.edu.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

The Nat Turner project brings three mini-exhibits to the Cannon Gallery

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Nat Turner was a Black man that led the 1831 Southampton County slave rebellion — the only large-scale slave rebellion in American history. It is after him that the Nat Turner Project is named, a project whose goal is to give a voice to artists of traditionally marginalized groups.

The two members of the Nat Turner Project are Melanie Stevens and maximiliano. They state their mission statement as follows: “NTP allows artists of color to go beyond the usual initial expositions inherent in presenting art borne of marginalized perspectives to a dominant culture; allowing artists of color freedom to create or express their own language within and without the parameters of racial commodification or designation.”

The project has recently introduced three new mini-exhibits into the Cannon Gallery of Art in Campbell Hall. Artists Carla Javier-Brea, Holland Andrews and Alejandra Arias Sevilla are on display in the gallery, which opened on Feb. 20.

“I think each of the artists, all of whom I’ve been long time admirers of, are using print and illustration in these really beautiful, soft, and intimate ways.  Each of them, of course, is very different,” said Stevens. “However, I think the that the way Alejandra Arias Sevilla’s work combines the formalities of print and language with social engagement pairs nicely against the rhythmic flow of Holland Andrews’ thoughtful studies of space and body. And Carla Javier-Brea creates these amazing characters that whisper of worlds past and future; memories long gone but lingering on.”

Javier-Brea was born in Berkeley, California to a Dominican family. Her passion for the Dominican Republic’s history and mythology heavily influenced the pieces hanging in the exhibit. “Criaturas que Nacen del Viento” is a series of drawings that are, according to the artist, “executed entirely in graphite, as a form of meditation… a representation of childhood, natural curiosity, and an embrace of the parts of our heritage that modern day colonialism still looks to erase.”

Holland Andrews is a self-taught artist based in Portland, OR, whose exhibit “Low Synth Bass” focuses on representations of the human body and ponders on the nuances of being seen. Andrews’s illustrations are simultaneously minimal and emotional.

The exhibit’s program writes: “frequently highlighting themes surrounding visibility, vulnerability, and identity, Andrews chooses to create a world in which subversion of the status quo is seen for its elegance and power.”

Alejandra Arias Sevilla is a Mexican artist who is also based in Portland, OR. Her work “los susurros de mi ser” focuses on: “the limbo and duality of two opposing identities.” Sevilla’s pieces are done in letterpress and consist of stories and poems in both her native Spanish and in English, touching on the reality of code-switching and hiding parts of her identity in order to assimilate. The intricacy of Sevilla’s work reflects the experience of intersection of two cultures and two identities.

“Garima Thakur gave us this amazing opportunity, and we have been fans and following the work of Carla, Alejandra, and Holland … and love to be able to exhibit it and pay them,” commented maximiliano.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of 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″] Everyone else may be cold, but you’re the smart one staying warm because you still haven’t put your Christmas sweaters away yet. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Taurus 4/20-5/20″] Sorry the stars abandoned you for so long. We thought you’d be okay on your own, but I guess not. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Gemini 5/21-6/20″] The stars predict that you will come across a large sum of money this week. Like 50 or 60 cents or something. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Cancer 6/21-7/22″] What did you do without me? Telling you what to expect from your life every week? Maybe that’s what I was telling you… [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Leo 7/23-8/22″] The Kool-Aid Man has some beef with chicken strips. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Virgo 8/23-9/22″] Ok if we don’t get at least one more snow day this term the stars will literally throw a fit. Not cool, weather. Not cool. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Libra 9/23-10/22″] Sorry, the stars are closed today due to snow. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Scorpio 10/23-11/21″] Burn it down, Scorpio. BURN IT DOWN. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Sagittarius 11/22-12/21″] You can sleep when you’re dead, Sagittarius. Deal with it. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Capricorn 12/22-1/19″] SNOW! AHHHHHH!!11!!1! [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Aquarius 1/20-2/18″] I’m sorry, the stars are currently too busy to deal with your problems… please leave your message after the beep. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Pisces 2/19-3/20″] A bean walks into a room. It’s actually a cat. Interesting. Don’t judge a word by its letterS, Y’ALL. [/fruitful_tab]

[/fruitful_tabs]

Is Jar Jar Binks Secretly a Sith Lord?

Rachel Hetzel | Designer

Jar-Jar Binks is one of the most hated characters of not only the Star Wars franchise, but of the movie industry in general. It’s understandable; he’s a failed attempt at a comic relief character clueless, cowardly, idiotic and impossibly lucky. Or is he? Because, as Obi Wan Kenobi taught us in “A New Hope”, “In my experience, there is no thing as luck.” So perhaps it’s not luck. If not, the only logical explanation is that Jar-Jar is a member of the Sith.

There are many theories surrounding the enigma that is Jar-Jar Binks. The most agreed upon theory, started by Reddit user Lumparoo in 2016, is that Jar-Jar is a powerful Force-user conspiring with Darth Sidious. In addition to this, some believe he either trained, or was supposed to become Supreme Leader Snoke, or that he is a reincarnation of Darth Plagueis.

There are a lot of things to take into consideration when discussing this theory. One of the main problems concerns the Rule of Two there can only be two Sith at a time, a Master and an Apprentice. The Rule of Two was put in place by Darth Bane, and it ensures that only the strongest Sith survive. The apprentice will eventually attempt to kill the master, and then train their own apprentice.

According to this rule, if Jar-Jar was a Sith along with Sidious, then Darth Maul, Darth Tyrannus and Darth Vader should have never existed. Sith, of course, operate on lies and deceit, and this rule has been broken before… so it’s possible Jar-Jar could be a “secret” Sith.

Darth Plagueis was devoted to discovering the power to cheat death and create life he also wanted to put an end to the Rule of Two. Sidious, however, killed him in his sleep before he could discover this secret… or did he? Darth Plagueis could have been successful, and learned  how to harness the power of the midichlorians to manipulate life, and somehow attached his life-force to the weak minded, easily corruptible, Jar-Jar Binks. Sith expect their apprentices to kill them, so by not revealing his success, Plagueis could have resurrected himself after Sidious’s inevitable betrayal.

Many fans were expecting “The Force Awakens” to reveal Jar-Jar as Supreme Leader Snoke. Obviously, that was not the case. Jar-Jar could have trained him, though. The book trilogy “Aftermath” goes over events that took place between “The Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens”. In these books, Jar-Jar meets a “disfigured orphan” whose “scar tissue runs up from his jaw, over the hole that used to be his ear, and to the scalp.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

So, let’s get into the most agreed upon part of the theory: Jar-Jar and Sidious were conspiring together. For a bumbling fool, Jar-Jar had way too many major plot influences. He is the reason Senator Palpatine rose to power in the senate, and later gained the emergency powers that allowed him to destroy democracy and bring the Galactic Empire to life. The two are practically inseparable throughout the prequels Jar-Jar is constantly at his side, convincing others to give him more power.

It’s also important to note how Jar-Jar uses hand movements and can be seen mouthing words during key conversations with characters, much like Jedi do when using their mind tricks. Now, why else would Sidious keep such an embarrassment around? I mean, come on they’re even from the same planet, Naboo, and considering the size of the Star Wars universe, that can’t be a coincidence. Perhaps Jar-Jar was the Phantom Menace the whole time?

Jar-Jar can also frequently be seen using the Force during combat. Reddit user Lumpawarroo has done some thorough analysis of Jar-Jar’s fighting style. It’s very similar to Zui Quan, a style used by Shaolin Monks which is what Jedi are based on. Throughout the prequels, Jar-Jar performs several Force jumps, including a perfect 20-foot twisting somersault a type of stunt only Force-users are ever seen doing. He takes down a battle droid tank by himself, and multiple droids with a blaster tangled around his ankle.

If that’s not enough evidence for you, George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars franchise, and several actors have pretty much confirmed that there is more to Jar-Jar than what was revealed. Lucas wanted the prequels to mirror themes of the trilogy.

In the documentary “The People vs. George Lucas”, Lucas explains his inspiration for Yoda, saying, “Yoda really comes from a tradition in mythological storytelling fairy tales of the hero finding a little creature on the side of the road who seems very insignificant … but who turns out to be the master.”

I, along with many others, believe that Jar-Jar was supposed to be Yoda’s equal opposite, and that Yoda was supposed to fight Jar-Jar in “Attack of the Clones” instead of Count Dooku. Count Dooku was a hastily-written, last-minute character thrown into the plot to replace Jar-Jar.It’s widely believed that Lucas worried that revealing Jar-Jar as the main villain was too risky, because of the backlash and hate from fans. Lucas was even quoted saying “Jar-Jar is the key to all of this.”

Ahmed Best, the actor who portrayed Jar-Jar, confirmed the theory on Twitter and during an interview. Addressing the Darth Jar-Jar theory, Best tweeted “I will say this, it feels really good when the hidden meaning behind work is seen.”

During an interview with Jamie Stangroom, Best said “…there’s a lot about it that’s true … Because of the backlash, and rightfully so, Lucasfilm backed off from Jar-Jar a lot.”

Best also confirmed the existence of a deleted scene where Palpatine confides in Jar-Jar his plans to “wreak havoc,” saying that it “would really give great credibility to the Darth Jar-Jar theory.”

In 2017 The Star Wars Show live streamed a Star Wars celebration, during which Liam Neeson, who played Qui-Gon Jinn, also confirmed the Darth Jar-Jar theory, saying “(Jar-Jar) did go to the Dark Side.”

As Yoda once said, “fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering”. Suffer no longer, don’t let your hate of Jar-Jar cloud your judgement. Use your feelings, and accept the truth of Darth Jar-Jar.

Contact the author at rhetzel18@wou.edu

Illustrations by Rachel Hetzel

Stay ahead with apps that help with studying

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

Advances in technology have made it so that students have to have at least some degree of technological competence. Grades, research and, often, even studying is done largely online. Though this opens up many opportunities as the web is world wide, it can also mean the sheer amount of information and sources can be overwhelming, and keeping track of everything can be time consuming.

Fortunately, the need for some organization when it comes to studying has been recognized by those that engineer apps. Whether the need is a digital schedule to keep everything straight, an organized way to study material, or help with research, there’s an app for that.

 

Timetable (Android) or Class Timetable (iOS): These two are online time management systems that can be synced to various devices, making it easier to keep deadlines organized.

myHomework planner (Android and iOS): As is suggested in the name, this app is like an online planner that helps keep schoolwork straight.

StudyBlue (Android and iOS): This app lets students make their own flashcards and quiz themselves before tests.

GoConqr (Android and iOS): Another useful study tool, this app has various layouts for studying, such as flashcards and concept maps.

Easybib (Android and iOS): This app creates citations for research. It can do various formats, such as MLA, APA and Chicago. However, it’s not always completely accurate, so additional help from the Writing Center can also be beneficial.

Office Lens (Android and iOS): This app takes pictures of schedules and notes and turns them into online formats such as documents that can be downloaded and shared.

LinkedIn Learning (Android and iOS): This extension of LinkedIn has instructional video courses for studying subjects such as software and business.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Questions you should ask your adviser

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor

Advisers are one of the many resources students have access to at Western. Their goal is to help students on their path to graduation, as well as help them approach life after graduation. However, sometimes knowing the right questions to ask can be tricky, especially for newer students.

In my personal experience, meetings go best when there’s specific topics to discuss, rather than just hoping the adviser will have the exact answers needed without any context. Here are some questions to consider that can help an adviser meeting run more smoothly and be more successful overall.

 

“How do I use DegreeWorks?”

It may not seem like the first question to ask as DegreeWorks is fully accessible on a student Portal account. However, as many quickly discover, there are layers to DegreeWorks that can quickly become a long and confusing list. It’s important to understand it, as it’s the best way to check on the status of graduation requirements.

 

“Is there anything I should get out of the way?” or, “How do I prioritize?”

Sometimes, when students are particularly unlucky, two classes required for graduation are offered at the same time on the same days, making it impossible to take both. This can make students on edge about getting all their requirements done. Advisers can help show students how to determine which classes will most likely be offered again soon, which won’t be and which classes can possibly be replaced with others if necessary compared to the ones that are absolutely required.

 

“What other requirements do I need to know about?”

Some majors have requirements beyond just the core classes. Education majors, for example, need to arrange for certain tests to be taken, and others require experience outside one of Western’s classrooms. Asking questions like this early on will help avoid reaching the last term before graduation only to find out there’s a requirement missing.

 

“What opportunities should I look out for?”

There are a variety of different opportunities that can be easily found on campus, such as career fairs or coffee talks with recruiters, but sometimes it’s hard to find ones specific to our majors. Advisers often know of either starting points or specific opportunities, such as internships or other certifications at Western, and asking them for help can be faster than searching alone.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu