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Mount Hood

Western Women’s basketball stumbles to undefeated Northwest Nazarene

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

An undefeated and sixth ranked Northwest Nazarene University stood as the last opponent for the Wolves Women’s basketball before school came back in session for Winter Term. Since the beginning of break, Western had won two of the last three matches but the Nighthawks were a mighty opponent. Northwest Nazarene had won their last three matches by an average of 23 points.

In the first quarter, the Wolves looked up to the task against the Nighthawks. The relentless home court defense halted any attempt of an offensive run of more than just a couple of points. This flurry of defense was complemented by barrage of precise shooting. The unranked Wolves managed to find a multiple-score lead at the end of the first quarter.

Western’s women fought to hold this lead but after a three minute tug of war, the visitors showed why they are top ranked. The Nighthawks started firing on all cylinders to climb their way to a nine-point lead over Western. Their offense put up 16 points while their defense smothered the Wolves, giving up only a tight seven points.

After the half, the Wolves were in desperate need of something to slow the offensive momentum of Northwest Nazarene. Unfortunately for Western, the hopes of finding their way back into the game quickly grew to a much bigger task than they were ready for. Rebounds and steals by the Nighthawks helped extend their lead to 13 before the Wolves took a timeout to slow the momentum.

Halfway through the third the Wolves huddled together, looking for anyway to fight their way back into the game. Shortly after the timeout, Western saw a glimmer of hope. Back and forth steals between the teams followed with a couple of good layups for Western shrank the Wolves deficit to only nine before taking another team timeout.

Building off this small run, Western hoped to mount a comeback. The process of chipping away at the Nighthawks lead continued with a good three-pointer and a block for the Wolves. These brought the women to only eight points down. But another late quarter run smothered any hopes of a Wolves third quarter comeback.

The fourth quarter showcased a tremendous offensive effort by the Nighthawks. With a comfortable 16-point lead over the Wolves, all hopes of a comeback seemed like a longshot. Although the Wolves never stopped fighting, they never saw Northwest Nazarene’s lead shrink to less than 14 points. With only seconds left, the Wolves sank back to back free throws. The final score settled at 90-70.

Western heads up to British Columbia for their next match against in-conference opponents Simon Fraser University. While the Wolves have seen a slow start to their season up to this point, having four wins to their six losses, the next match with the Clan looks to be a big one for the Wolves. The 6-5 Clan sits directly above the Wolves in the GNAC rankings.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Winter break sports recap

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Dec.10 Western Men’s Rugby ranked 30 Nationally

After being named the Co-Champions of the Northwest Conference, Western Men’s Rugby obtains the national ranking of 30. This is the first time in program history they have been nationally ranked.

Dec.10 Women’s basketball cruises past Northwest Christian University 79-62

Dec.14 Bo Highburger of Western Football named a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award

Senior economics major Bo Highburger was named a finalist for the award that recognizes defensive players achievements from schools in the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA. Highburger was one of two GNAC players to receive this honor after a record-breaking senior season for the Wolves.

Dec.14 Men’s basketball comfortably beats Hawaii University at Hilo 80-69

Dec.16 Men’s basketball continues streak in Hawaii against Emmanuel College 76-64

Dec.17 Men’s basketball member Riley Hawken named as GNAC Player of the Week

Junior business major Riley Hawken earned the title after his double double against Emmanuel College.

Dec.17 Men’s basketball team named as GNAC Team of the week

The Men’s basketball team earns the honor of GNAC Team of the week after they continue on a five game win streak in Hawaii.

Dec.17 Men’s basketball falls to #7 ranked University of California San Diego 73-63

Dec.18 Women’s Soccer names a new head coach for upcoming season

After a subpar season finishing at 5-9-3 the Women’s Soccer team named Kacey Bingham as the new head coach. Bingham has a total of 12 years experience as a collegiate head coach. She has a overall record of 219 wins, 53 losses and 13 ties at the head coach position.

Dec.18 Men’s basketball finale against Dallas Baptist University in Hawaii cancelled

The head coaches of Western and Dallas Baptist University mutually agreed to cancel their match scheduled for Dec.18. This cancellation was due to a medical emergency from the match prior to Western and Dallas Baptist’s game.

Dec.19 Women’s basketball earns big win over Notre Dame de Namur 79-60

Dec.19 Volleyball hires a new head coach for the upcoming season

After their sixth consecutive losing season, the Wolves’s volleyball program hired new head coach Stacy Metro. Metro is stepping up from coaching at the high school level to take the helm of Western’s program. She has 19 years of experience including several years as the assistant coach at the University of Oregon.

Dec.29 Men’s basketball massacres Portland Bible College 129-33

Jan. 3 Women’s basketball falls at home to Central Washington University 65-78

Jan. 3 Men’s basketball loses close match in Alaska to Alaska Anchorage 57-61

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Upcoming on-campus entertainment

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Jan. 11:

Event: Rainbow Dance Theatre

Description: The Rainbow Dance Theatre group returns to Western with two works entitled “iLumidance” and “The Garden of Earthly Delights.” The performance will feature dancers using ultraviolet light and electroluminescent wire. Western students get in for free. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 the day of the show. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Location: Rice Auditorium

 

Jan. 17:

Event: “Mama Mia! Here we go again” sing-a-long movie night

Description: A showing of the second movie in the “Mama Mia!” franchise will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Free popcorn and snacks will be provided.

Location: Werner University Center Willamette Room

 

Jan. 18:

Event: Visiting artist John Gorka

Description: John Gorka is a folk musician who released his 14th album in January of 2018. From 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Gorka will hold a free songwriting workshop in which attendees will get his take on the craft. RSVPs are encouraged and can be found on the WOU event calendar webpage.

Location: Rice Auditorium

 

Event: John Gorka performance

Description: After his workshop, Gorka will perform his original music. Tickets are free for WOU students. Otherwise, they are $25 in advance and $30 the day of. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Location: Rice Auditorium

 

Feb. 4:

Event: Todd Davis poetry reading

Description: Environmental writer Todd Davis will come to WOU to meet with students and give a poetry reading. The reading is open to the public and starts at 4:30 p.m. This event is free.

Location: Hamersly Library room 107

 

Feb. 20:

Event: Paul Roberts concert

Description: WOU has invited musician Paul Roberts to perform for students and community members. Western students get in for free, and general public tickets are $8. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

Location: Smith Music Hall

 

March 5:

Event: Chamber and Guitar Ensembles

Description: The Chamber Ensembles, directed by Dr. Keith Karns, will perform in a concert with the Guitar Ensemble, directed by Christopher Woitach. The performance will start at 7:30 p.m. Western students are admitted for free, and the general public can purchase tickets for $5.

Location: Smith Music Hall

 

March 15:

Event: Western Oregon Voices

Description: Western Oregon Voices will perform their winter term concert. The ensemble’s performance will be directed by Dr. James Reddan. The concert starts at 7:30 pm. Public tickets are $5, and Western students get in for free.

Location: Rice Auditorium

 

This is not a comprehensive list of all the winter term arts events. To see more events, visit the Western events calendar at http://calendar.wou.edu/.

 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

In memory of Dr. Hautala

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

Dr. Robert Hautala, or “Dr H.” as he was affectionately called by his students, was for many a beloved professor of exercise science at Western who passed away on Dec. 14, 2018. Dr. Hautala spent his final days visiting family for the holidays in Rhode Island.

As was written in his obituary in the Glaucester Times, Dr. Hautala was born Jan. 19, 1948 and grew up in Rockport, Massachusetts. After earning his bachelor’s degree at Springfield College, his master’s degree from The University of Denver, and his doctorate at The University of Northern Colorado, Dr. Hautala had a successful career teaching physical education at a number of institutions.

For the last 14 years before his retirement, Dr. Hautala worked at Western Oregon University. Some of the communities that Dr. Hautala was especially connected to at Western were the Division of Health and Exercise Science, the Western athletics program and the Honors Program.

Before retiring in 2018, Dr. Hautala gave an interview with Lisa Catto which stated that Dr. Hautala “served as a faculty senator and on a lot of committees, including the Executive Committee, the Pastega Awards Committee, the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee, two University Professional Learning Communities, the Honors Committee, the Maurice Initiative Prize Committee and the University Center Advisory Committee.”

An active member of the Western community, Dr. Hautala was known by many to be faithful in watching nearly all of the athletics events and every one of the women’s basketball and volleyball games during his 14 years at Western. Outside of his life in Monmouth, Dr. Hautala was also very passionate about fly-fishing and learning about his Finnish heritage.

As one of his colleagues and his close personal friends, English professor and Honors Program Director Dr. Gavin Keulks has an extremely high regard for the character of Dr. Hautala.

“Bob was an honest and loyal man who lived, like his mentor Thoreau, close to his values,” said Keulks. “He valued his children, students, and friends, and was always available for a talk or a drink. More than that, he was present. He never made you feel like he had something better to do when talking with you.”

In addition to his many qualities as a friend, Dr. Keulks also expanded on the ways that his presence was impactful to the school as a whole.

“His attendance at the gym, faculty senate, arts performances and sporting events was steadfast and definitely made Western special,” said Keulks. “He will be missed by many, and I still struggle to accept he’s gone.”

In order to honor the legacy of Dr. Hautala at Western, a scholarship fund has been set up in his name and a celebration of life will be hosted during Winter Term, although the exact date has not been decided upon yet. Dr. Hautala’s wishes were that there would not be a funeral, so a memorial service will be held instead.

For those interested in donating to the Bob “Dr. H.” Hautala Student Success Fund to honor Dr. Hautala’s memory, they can send a check with “Dr. H” or “Hautala” written on it to the WOU Foundation, or they can donate online at https://wou.edu/give. On the donation page, use the drop-down menu to select “other” and write Dr. Hautala’s name in the tribute section.

More details about Dr. Hautala’s celebration of life will be released at a later date.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Gavin Keulks

Public policy and administration major profile

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

As someone who is passionate about politics and working towards positive change in his community, student NJ Johnson has found that the public policy and administration major has just what he needs to help him achieve his goals. A sophomore at Western, Johnson is very involved on campus and appreciates having so many opportunities to expand on the skills he learns in the classroom.

“Growing up in a small town and going to a school with an atmosphere like Western, I’ve always had a passion for developing small communities,” said Johnson. “And I started out as a political science major when I came to Western, but with public policy I thought it just allowed me to get a little more focused on the kind of work I want to do one day.”

Hoping to become a city manager in the future, Johnson has a concentration in city and county government — one of the many concentration areas that students can choose within the public policy and administration major. Johnson added that his advisor, Dr. Mark Henkels, was instrumental in helping him find a concentration that would work well for him.

The other concentration options available include state and federal government, management, human resources, health policy and administration and corrections and law enforcement.

One thing that Johnson appreciates about having a concentration is that it provides him with the opportunity to take a variety of different classes, whereas the political science major has a bigger core that leaves less room to explore.

In his second year, Johnson is just beginning to take upper-division classes, and he is enjoying the environment of those smaller, discussion-heavy classes.

“It was small enough where we could share ideas with each other, ask really good questions, and have a class discussion that was big enough where you were getting a lot of diverse viewpoints to listen to and ask follow-ups on,” said Johnson.

In addition to providing him with an engaging class atmosphere, Johnson also notices a number of ways in which his major requirements connect to his work and leadership experiences on campus.

“For me, it all comes back to the major theme of helping people,” said Johnson. “On campus I work as a Resident Assistant in Heritage Hall (and) I serve on the Honors Committee as the Sophomore Representative. And, with both of those, it involves working on a team to help a larger group of people, which is ultimately what I aim to do with my public policy degree.”

For any Western students who might be considering a degree in public policy and administration, Johnson wants them to know that public policy and administration is a more versatile major than people might expect.

“Depending on your concentration, you can do a lot more with it than just work in government or even in the public sector,” said Johnson “Every corporation in the private sector needs a policy analyst, so there’s a lot more that you can do with it than just governmental things.”

If students would like to learn more about the public policy and administration major, they can find information at wou.edu/publicpolicy.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Western’s winter festivities

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

As students return from Winter Break, the numerous events of Winter Term are just getting started. Although not all events for this term have released information yet, there are several that Western students can put on their calendars now to look forward to during the rainier months in Monmouth.

 

Western’s 163rd Birthday — Jan. 18

From 12-2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 18, Student Engagement is going to be hosting a celebration in the Werner University Center in honor of Western’s 163rd Birthday. To commemorate this occasion and all that has been accomplished since the school’s founding, students can enjoy free cake and a photo opportunity with Wolfie.

Anti-Hate Planning Committee and March — Jan. 26

In response to the hate speech found near campus Fall Term, several campus organizations and Monmouth PD are coming together to organize an anti-hate march that will take place on Jan. 26 from 10:30-12 p.m. To prepare for this, there will be a planning committee that meets Jan. 9, 16, and 23 from 3-5 p.m. in the Werner University Center’s Santiam Room that anyone is welcome to join.

Lots of Love for the WOU Food Pantry fundraiser — Feb. 1-28

For the whole month of February, the Student Veterans of America at Western Oregon University will be hosting a food drive competition that will benefit the WOU Food Pantry. Various clubs on campus will compete to raise the most non-perishable food items for the food pantry on campus.

Out and Proud — Feb. 5-8

The Multicultural Student Union is presenting a number of events from Feb. 5-8 in celebration and support of the LGBTQ+ community. Amongst these events, there will be a Queer People of Color Panel, a night of presentations and dinner with keynote speaker Mia Vargas, a movie screening and the Black and Red Ball.

Women of Culture Celebration — March 4-8

Aiming to honor diversity in women from a variety of different communities, the Multicultural Student Union is hosting its annual event that will feature presentations and activities throughout the week. For their 2019 event, Shelaswua Bushnell Crier will be the keynote speaker at the Women of Culture Celebration Dinner on March 6 from 6-8 p.m. in the Columbia Room in the Werner University Center.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

This week in completely made up horoscopes

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

[fruitful_tab title=”Aries 3/21-4/19″] Christmas sweaters are so last year, Aries. It’s time to put the sweaters away. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Taurus 4/20-5/20″] Hey Taurus, lets just pretend 2018 never happened. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Gemini 5/21-6/20″] Look, Gemini. We tell you your horoscope EVERY WEEK. And what do we get in return? Literally not even so much as a THANK YOU CARD? 2019 is the year of reciprocity. Maybe think about giving back to the stars who devote so much time to you… [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Cancer 6/21-7/22″] Set your alarm clock one hour before you have to get up, we know it will take you that long to decide it’s worth it. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Leo 7/23-8/22″] NOOOOOooOOOOooooOooOOOoOOOoo0oooo. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Virgo 8/23-9/22″] The stars suggest you make your resolution include something about actually attending class this year. Or nah. You do you. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Libra 9/23-10/22″] The stars have a resolution for you, Libra: try actually listening to us this year. Not that you’ll stick to it. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Scorpio 10/23-11/21″] The stars almost forgot to submit your horoscope this week, Scorpio. Big mood, right? [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Sagittarius 11/22-12/21″] New year, new term, new you, right? Wrong! You know you’re still the same stone cold fox you always have been, Sagittarius. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Capricorn 12/22-1/19″] School’s back. Time to learn how to read and write again, Capricorn. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Aquarius 1/20-2/18″] New Year’s resolutions are a nice way to fix regrettable decisions made on New Year’s Eve. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Pisces 2/19-3/20″] I know all that small talk over the holidays killed your soul but get ready, there’s more! New classes love small talk and small talk loves to crush your soul. Enjoy <3 [/fruitful_tab]

[/fruitful_tabs]

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