Mount Hood

Nearby haunted houses inspired by Halloween

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

Halloween is just a couple weeks away, and the spookiness theme is appearing all around town. Some like to get into the spirit by giving themselves a few good scares. Horror movies might do the trick, but they’re not the same as interactive experiences. Fortunately, there are plenty of places nearby to do just that. Here are some of nearby haunted houses for full immersion into the Halloween season.

 

The Fear PDX

Portland is home to The Fear, whose website calls itself “Portland’s largest Halloween event.” Admission to The Fear’s locations gets visitors four haunted houses for the price of one. This location is currently open every Friday and Saturday until November 3rd as well as a few weekdays. Hours vary by day, but for a complete listing, visit fearpdx.com

Address: 12301 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97230

 

Fearlandia

Located in Tigard, Fearlandia is split into two main sections: TJ’s backyard and Into the Darkness. It also has a date night package option for pre-purchased tickets. This haunted attraction is open from 7-11 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, but will be open on Oct. 31 as well.

Address: 16255 SW Upper Boones Ferry Rd, Tigard, OR 97224

 

The Nightmare Factory

Located in Salem on the campus of the Oregon School for the Deaf, the Nightmare Factory was once featured on an episode of “Extreme Makeover”. This interactive haunt has options for group discounts as well. The Factory is open Fridays, Saturdays, and most days the week of Halloween.

Address: 999 Locust Street NE, Salem, OR 97301

 

The Frightuary

Found in the Eugene fairgrounds, The Frightuary is a three part attraction that includes exhibits and actors. Visitors can enter Thursdays through Saturdays as well as the Oct. 30-31.

Address: 796 W 13th Ave, Eugene, OR 97402

Note: some attractions warn that those with heart problems or who are prone to seizures should not enter. Students should make sure they are safely enjoying the haunted attractions.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

Independence’s new restaurant Valkyrie Wine Tavern review

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor

Downtown Independence has seen a number of recent changes. One of these is the addition of the Valkyrie Wine Tavern on Main Street. The tavern is still somewhat under construction, but is now functional and open for business. Curious as to whether this new location could be a potential hangout for students, I headed there for dinner last week to get a sense of the place.

The interior of the tavern is certainly unique. For the moment, sitting placements are somewhat sparse. The bar takes up the main focus of the room, expanding about halfway out into the room lengthwise. Past the bar is more available seating for a sit down evening.

As for the decor, the theme is that there isn’t really one. Among the more noticeable features are a half stuffed bison attached to the chimney of the small fireplace and a fake suit of armor against the wall. On display as well are some of the restaurant’s wine collection. Once adjusted to, the overall effect is not terrible for those that don’t mind a somewhat eclectic and laid-back environment.

The menu is fairly small, but still allows for a decent variety with options. It’s split into sides, small dishes and larger dishes. I went with a friend, so we each ordered something different and sampled both meals. I ordered the Muffaletta sandwich, which came with a side of salt and vinegar chips, and my friend ordered the steak, which came sides of salad and fries. We also got a side of smoked butter and bread.

My dinner, consisting mainly of Italian meats, was fairly enjoyable — as my friend pointed out, “it’s hard to go wrong with a sandwich”. The steak, however, was well seasoned and paired nicely with the salad. I did thoroughly enjoy the smoked butter and bread, which was both tasty and well presented.

While the tavern is currently only open in the afternoons and evenings (visitors should note that Google does not give the correct hours), the owner, Savannah Pearce, told me that they will consider opening hours up to brunch.

For students interested in a new dining spot with character, the Valkyrie Wine Tavern is a good consideration. However, the restaurant does have a no minors policy, so it’s a location best enjoyed by students who can legally enjoy one of the many wine options the tavern offers as well as the food.

Overall Rating: I would recommend this restaurant

Address: 301 S Main St, Independence

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

An interview with an international exchange student

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

Western is home to students from all over the world. Some of them come through international exchange programs, and came into Fall Term only having studied America in textbooks. They face the challenge of studying in a foreign language in a place many of them have never been to. During their time here, they will hopefully get to know more Western students and share some of their culture in return.

Due to their outside perspective, I was curious as to what Western and Monmouth look like from the standpoint of an exchange student. To answer this, I had a chat with Krystal Wang, a foreign exchange student from Shanghai, China. She arrived here in early September, just before Fall Term started, and is a senior business major.

My first questions had to do with first impressions. I asked what she had noticed early into her visit here.

“The homework,” she told me. According to her, the workload for students here is heavier than she is used to, and Chinese students are not assigned as much outside of the classroom. She also mentioned that the Western campus was big compared to her campus back in China, a detail I found interesting as it is considered relatively small here.

I then asked what Wang missed most so far from her hometown.

“Chinese food. I like hamburgers, but other things I am not very accustomed to.”

When I asked what she liked about Monmouth so far, she commented that, “I like the sunshine, and the air is cleaner here,” adding that “In my town, the industry makes the air less clean.”

As an Oregonian, I was not used to people saying they liked our state for the sunshine. However, it was a nice reminder to enjoy some things I take for granted, like our relatively mild weather and fresh air.

Another similar reminder came with her answer to my next question of what surprised her about our country.

“Maybe the atmosphere in the classroom…[There is] more freedom. We can voice our opinions. Where I’m from, we mostly just listen to what the teacher says.”

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Meyers

Tips for living on-campus

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle editor

Even those who have never lived in the residence halls have heard of the struggles. They’re usually small, often crowded and shared with a few hundred students. However, residence hall life doesn’t have to be as miserable as some make it out to be. As someone who lived in residence halls, I know the struggle of trying to be resourceful when the most common piece of advice is to pack lightly.

The first piece of residence hall survival is finding out what can be done with a limited number of appliances permitted in most of Western’s halls. One thing I didn’t enjoy was not having a kitchen. I didn’t want to be the typical college student living off of ramen for a whole school year. A simple example is smoothies made in a small blender for breakfast or a snack. It’s also possible, as I found out, to microwave regular pasta. This just goes to show that the key to living the best residence hall life is creativity.

Some things about residence hall-life merely have to be faced head on. Sharing the various facilities can be rough, but it’s unavoidable. It may take a while, but it’s usually possible to work out a routine that doesn’t clash with other residents.

When asked her advice for those living in residence halls, senior community health major Setareh Entagh, an RA for three years, said, “You can make the most (of it) by just getting involved with your hall. That can be by hanging out in the hall with hallmates, going to programs, studying together, et cetera. If you’re always in your room or outside of the hall you miss out on making friends and being a part of a community.”

For a final, slightly less utilitarian tip, my advice is to go all out in decorating. Put up all the posters or wall hangings with cheesy sayings on them. String lights everywhere. Make it a place you can comfortably study, eat and even hang out with friends. It may not be considered home for everyone, but it can be made the next best thing.

 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton

 

In the Western Howl’s original publication of this article, we referred to residence halls as “dorms.” This has been corrected.

We apologize for a comment we made comparing the appearance of the residence halls to prison cells. We have removed the comment.

 

Opinion: From the Sports Desk

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

“Football is on solid standing at Western… If we get (to add more games to the schedule) with the Lone Star (conference) then we’ll be playing football for the next 50 years at least,” stated Athletic Director Curtis Campbell. His voice gave me no doubt that he held this belief very near and dear, but the facts seemed to point another direction.

Thursday, Oct. 11, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Campbell about the financial status of Western’s athletics. During the interview it became abundantly clear that Western struggles to compete at a high level athletically due to the inability to fully fund any of the varsity athletics.

“We are the lowest funded school in our conference. We offer the least amount of scholarships in every sport. We are at the bottom of the list,” said Campbell about our ability to offer scholarships.

“In football…you can offer 36 full scholarships. We offer about 15. In baseball you can have nine, and we have three. In track and field you can have 12.7 and we have three. So were the lowest funded school in our conference.”

This inability to fully fund athletics comes at the cost of success.

“The more scholarship dollars you have, the more competitive you are — the teams that are winning in football, and in basketball and in baseball. The teams that are winning are the ones that have the most scholarships to award.”

In Issue 3 of The Western Howl in the article titled, “Opinion: From the Sports Desk” I expressed how football may be on its deathbed due to the monumental cost and microscopic size of the conference. After speaking with Campbell, it became apparent to me that football is not only dying, it’s killing off the sports around it.

“We don’t have the funding…We are the lowest funded school in our conference” Campbell repeated over and over.

The question that kept occuring to me, if Western was struggling so much to fund all the athletic programs, why not condense the amount being offered?

When asked about adding programs, Campbell said, “We’re not funding the varsity sports we currently have… When you fully fund the sports you already have, then you start adding sports. But we’re so far away from that.”

But wouldn’t lowering the amount of programs offered allow the rest of Western’s athletics to thrive?

In 2008, when Western Washington University ended their football program, Eileen Coughlin, vice president for Student Affairs and Academic Support Services said to Tim Booth, Associated Press Sports Writer in his story “WWU Ends Football Program; Ensures Excellence of All Other Sports“, “Ending the football program will allow intercollegiate athletics to meet budget reduction targets, and, most importantly, to protect the quality of the remaining intercollegiate sports,”

Maybe Western Oregon should take a page from Western Washington’s book and protect the sports around football. Because if football stays for 50 years, other sports might not.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Western Men’s Rugby pounces on Seattle University Redhawks

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

After losing a nail biter to Central Oregon Community College on Oct. 7, Western’s Men’s Rugby looked to bounce back against the Seattle University Redhawks. With the sun shining on their backs, the Wolves didn’t waste any time asserting their dominance over Seattle University.

Two minutes into the first period, the Wolves scored off of a breakaway run and made the conversion to quickly bring the score to 7-0. The Redhawks showed they were ready for a fight as they bullied their way down the field, scoring a try and missing the conversion, making the score 7-5. The feverish battle between the teams looked to make for a close match, but Western wasn’t looking for another at home loss.

Tries were scored back and forth until the end of the first period where the score sat 14-10 with the Wolves on top. But for the Wolves, the best was yet to come.

Lighting up the scoreboard, Western found themselves scoring 17 unanswered points throughout the 2nd period. Every large gain by the Redhawks was met with an overwhelming defensive effort and an even more powerful offensive push. Cheered on by hoots and hollers from the crowd, the Wolves rumbled their way to a now lopsided score of 38-10.

In the final quarter the Redhawks showed some signs of life. Outscoring Western 15-14 in the period, the Redhawks hoped to claw their way back into the game. However this effort was no match for the dominant 2nd period. As time ran out, Western finished on top with a score of 52-25.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Western Lacrosse stands tall against the Rippers

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

The freashman heavy Western Lacrosse team took the field on a sunny Oct. 14. The Wolves were pitted against the Rippers, a men’s league team, for their home debut of the fall lacrosse season.

Previously the Wolves split their last four tournament games with two wins and two losses. With this matchm Western hoped to gain experience and add to their winning column.

The first quarter was messy for Western. Unable to win a faceoff, the Wolves quickly fell into a 0-2 hole before finally finding the back of the net. Poor defensive play led to Western falling to a 2-4 score at the end of the first.

“We were playing against an offensive set we hadn’t practiced against. The different look took us a bit to react to,” said senior history major and defenseman Bryce Hinkle.

The Wolves finally found their offensive footing in the second quarter. The senior led offense found the cage six times to capture the lead over the Rippers. Visibly tired, the Rippers offense struggled to hold a possession while the deep bench of the Wolves lead to an offensive run.

Not ready to give up, the Rippers came storming back in the 3rd quarter. After a couple of missed shots and poor goalkeeping from Western, the Rippers buried four shots to bring the game within three points.

It was anyone’s ballgame as the clock began to run in the final quarter of play. Carrying off their momentum from the third, the Rippers fought their way back to bring the game within one. Great defensive efforts were made on both sides of the field as the Rippers battled to retake the lead.

With just a handful of minutes left to play, the Wolves’s offense cemented their lead with a pair of goals. Western lacrosse’s home debut came to a finish with the Wolves on top, 14-11.

 

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

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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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