The Western Howl – Page 4 – The Western Howl

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

Fans of “The Lord of the Rings” rejoice: Warner Brothers Studios has confirmed a new batch of live-action films set in the Middle-Earth cinematic universe. The first of these, titled “The Hunt for Gollum,” is slated for a 2026 release and will focus on Andy Serkis’ character, Gollum. Serkis played this role between 2001 and 2003 in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and later reprised it in the 2014 prequel movie, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

Peter Jackson, the filmmaker for both “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and are quoted as being involved every step of the way.” Walsh and Boyens both worked on the first two trilogies with Jackson, and Serkis is set to direct and star in the film.

Other live-action films have yet to be revealed but are likely to explore author J.R.R. Tolkien’s works that have not been touched by the industry.

Warner Bros. announced in February of 2023 that the new studio leaders, Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, had brokered a deal to make multiple films based on Tolkien’s universe, which will be developed through the New Line Cinema label.

An animated Middle-Earth movie is set to be released into theaters on Dec. 13, 2024, from director Kenji Kamiyama — best known in the United States as a background artist for “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and lead animator for the “Star Wars: Visions” episode, “The Ninth Jedi.”

Set 183 years before the events of “The Lord of the Rings,” “The War of the Rohirrim” will follow a legendary king of Rohan and his family as they defend their country. Brian Cox is set to voice King Helm Hammerhead, and Miranda Otto will reprise her role of Eowyn, who narrates the film.

But even before “The War of the Rohirrim” premieres, season two of “The Rings of Power” will launch on the streaming service, Prime Video, on Aug. 29. The show takes its source material from Tolkien’s “The Silmarillion” and follows elf queen Galadriel, played by Morfydd Clark, as she and her allies defend Middle-Earth from Sauron and his forces. Season one of “The Rings of Power” was first released in September of 2022 and ran for eight episodes.

On May 14, a trailer for season two was posted to @ringsofpower on Instagram, with the caption “Darkness will bind them. The Rings of Power returns August 29 on Prime Video.”

Whether this new lineup will stun audiences following the first two trilogies will be something only time will tell.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

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Western’s spring dance concert

Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor

On May 9, 10 and 11, Western hosted its Spring Dance Concert in Rice Auditorium. Each choreographer, costume designer, lighting designer, professor and dancer brought their all to the concert.

The show opened with a lively number, titled “Not a Tango,” choreographed by Les Watanabe, a professor of dance at Western. The dance was composed of four dancers: two wearing red dresses and two wearing black suits, preening for attention. The dynamics and expressions of each character made the audience laugh throughout the show.

Tim Cowart, the department head of Western’s Department of Theatre and Dance choreographed a meaningful piece, titled “Slump.” The dance engaged the audience right out of the gate with a projector screen depicting the busy, loud streets of a big city. One could observe the pressure of society weighing down on each dancer through their intricate mannerisms. Each was trying to make themselves stand out from the crowd; a futile attempt.

“Hold on…,” choreographed by graduating senior Alia Takashima, was a spiritual, grounding piece memorializing community and friendship. The dance featured incredible formations such as using the dancers’ arms to look like tree branches in their green and brown costumes and holding each other up in lifts.

A “Hunger Games” themed piece, titled “MEMENTO MORI,” choreographed by Charlotte Hreha, was captivating and intense. The iconic whistle that sounded before the music even kicked in gave the audience a hint as to what was to come. The music also utilized the line “enjoy the show” from the arena in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” An ear-piercing scream at the end of the performance left everyone speechless.

“Wabash 64130,” choreographed by Winston Dynamite Brown, was a nostalgic performance based on Brown’s mother, siblings and hometown, Kansas City. The dancers lined up and posed for a “family photo” partway through the dance, illustrating each family member and their unique personalities.

After the intermission, “Melt,” choreographed by Valerie Bergman and Darryl Thomas, immersed the audience in an ever-shifting night sky, then an ocean and finally, a forest. A featured dancer donned a pair of pointe shoes, weaving between the other dancers. The choreographers stated that the dance was an “…urgent cry to protect our climate and an homage to the beauty and wonder of our natural habitat.”

As a tribute to their grandmother, Manda Oliver choreographed “Annee des Marguerites,” which translates to “Year of the Daisies.” The dance utilized flower props as a symbol of healing, along with beautiful green and purple costumes. Every dancer lifted each other up and made sure nobody was left behind.

“CYCLICAL,” choreographed by senior Madison Malveaux, began with no music, only the carefully composed rhythm of stomping feet. The piece had the perfect combination of chaos and order and conveyed how the two interacted with each other.

Before the last dance, it was revealed that Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner, a beloved dance professor, will be leaving Western after 14 years. “Las Caras Lindas” featured eight dancers in bright, traditional dresses sitting around a table. Gutierrez-Garner said, “Thank you for sitting at the table of my pedagogy.” It’s safe to say that Gutierrez-Garner left her mark on all of Western.

Every single dance was unique and stood out from one another. The crowd could never guess what was coming next and was entertained for the full two hours of the show. Thank you, Western Department of Theatre and Dance, for your incredible effort and continuous talent.

10/10.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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Actor Bernard Hills dies at 79

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

The death of actor Bernard Hill was announced on May 5, 2024 by a representative of Lou Coulson Associates, the British talent agency of which Hill was a member. The agency’s statement did not include or mention his cause of death since Hill led a private life, despite his roles in major blockbusters. He was 79 years old.

Hill was a well-known actor in British television, specifically on the British Broadcasting Channel, BBC, but his biggest roles were that of King Theoden in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic.”

Hill is considered a movie icon by many. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Titanic” earned one billion dollars at the global box office: Hill was the first person to be in two movies that achieved these numbers. “The Return of the King” and “Titanic” both won 11 Oscars, which means Hill starred in two out of the three movies ever to achieve such success — the 1959 film “Ben-Hur” is the third.

Former co-stars of Hill’s took to social media to share their grief for the loss of the actor.

“So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you,” actor Elijah Wood posted to X, previously Twitter. Wood then quoted “The Return of the King:” “For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”

Karl Urban also shared his grief for Hill on Instagram, “To the King. Rest in peace, Bernard.”

Urban and Wood starred in “The Lord of the Rings” alongside Hill, Urban playing Eomer, the nephew of King Theoden, and Wood playing Frodo Baggins, the trilogy’s main protagonist. Hill’s Titanic co-stars did not comment on the actor’s passing.

Hill worked for years in British theater and television. Those close to him said he would often claim his role as Yosser Hughes, from the 1980 movie “The Black Stuff,” as the role that changed his life. He would go on to reprise this role in a miniseries, “Boys from the Blackstuff.”

Hill was set to reprise his role in the BBC drama “The Responder,” starring alongside Martin Freeman, another actor in the Middle-Earth Cinematic Universe — Freeman played Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” trilogy.

“I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did,” said actor Billy Boyd, who played Peregrin “Pippin” Took in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. “He will be sorely missed.”

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

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Beachy tunes

Written by: Ruth Simonsen | Digital Media Manager

“The Song You’ve Been Waiting For” — Coast Modern

“All Your Life” — Still Woozy

“Little Foot Big Foot” — Childish Gambino

“Lucky” — Rainbow Kitten Surprise

“Be Sweet” — Japanese Breakfast

“Guru” — Coast Modern

“Roly Poly” — Mt. Joy

“Why Do You Feel So Down” — Declan McKenna

“Summer’s Over” — Jordana, TV Girl

“Cinderella” — Remi Wolf

“Dive” — Coast Modern

“My Kink Is Karma” — Chappell Roan

“Feel It” — d4vd

“OMG” — Suki Waterhouse

“Westcoast Collective” — Dominic Fike

“1st Time” — Bakar

“Is It True” — Tame Impala

“Talk” — beabadoobee

“See The Light” — Stephen Sanchez

“Weekend Friend” — Goth Babe

“Sexy Villian” — Remi Wolf

“Window” — Still Woozy

“Hollow Life” — Coast Modern

“Alive!” — Bakar

Contact the author at howldigitalmediamanager@mail.wou.edu

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Men’s lacrosse team resurrected

Written by: Liberty Miller | Lifestyle Editor

Western is home to nine intramural club sports teams that compete in organized intercollegiate competitions. While these sports generally perform well, they are not sanctioned by Western’s athletic administration, which often results in a lack of funding, recruiting and little to no recognition.

In terms of public exposure, the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams alike have had a fair amount of success, but many club sports teams face challenges with recruitment that leave them with limited options for competition. While the Western lacrosse team has historically been a powerhouse program, their lack of players resulted in a forfeit of conference play last year.

The team was even featured in an article written by Andrew Golden for the Lacrosse All-Stars, a media outlet and brand for the sport. The article, titled “What Happened to Western Oregon Lacrosse,” stated that, “About ten years ago, a school with under 4,000 students in a non-traditional area won their conference six straight times and still holds the record for most conference championships. That school is the Western Oregon Men’s Lacrosse program.” Golden observed that the last posted roster on the website was in 2022, so while the team did not appear to play in 2023, there is a chance they will come back the following year. His article proved to be true, and with a fresh coach and majority freshmen roster, they are rebuilding the program from the ground up.

This grassroots operation of revitalizing the team’s former glory was not in vain — first-year Coach Wyatt Livengood actively recruited the vast majority of the team, and the newly minted group recently finished an undefeated season within their division of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association.

Jack Livengood was a regular player during the season, and when asked about their absence from the MCLA last year and subsequent success during the 2024 conference, he stated, “Last season we didn’t have enough players to field the team, so we didn’t have a season. This year we barely had any players. We had 11 players, there’s 10 on the field, so that’s one sub. Always running around, that’s a lot of hard work. It kind of brought our team together, and we had the mentality that we just have to work together.”

Chris Skelton was a benchmark player for the team this season after his hiatus during the canceled 2023 season. Skelton described why he chose to return to the sport, saying, “I just saw a bunch of dogs out here and I thought, this will be fun. That’s all I saw. We’ve got a bunch of young kids, our team is mainly freshmen and we have no seniors this year, we just had a lot of potential and a lot of commitment — basically, a lot of energy out here. That was kind of what brought me back out here, it was a whole new team, mindset and coach, and it’s been so much fun this year.”

Will Panagakis, a freshman on the team, discussed his experience with facing competition within the club Lacrosse conference. “It’s kind of like, when you step up to the plate, you’ll realize that we’re in the big leagues and I gotta step up. When you step on the field, I don’t know how to explain it — it’s like a wake-up call really, because everyone is so much bigger than you’re expecting.”

When asked about the recruiting prospects for their following season, Skelton said, “We’re expecting a low amount of guys come in, but we’ve been searching up schools, going and watching their games this past week and a couple weeks ago, we’ve been talking to some of the (high school) seniors, and we’ve got a good amount of interest and kids actually want to come to Western next year, so that’d be fun to see what they actually do.”

Panagakis added, “We were undefeated in the league, so if we get a couple more people we should be pretty good next year. In our league, we play Gonzaga, Central Washington, Puget Sound, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt) and Pacific Lutheran University. Mostly California and Washington teams, but in the spring we’ll play the Ducks (University of Oregon) and the Beavers (Oregon State University).”

Caden Lampert implored students interested in club sports to test the waters: “If you want to go out and be active, just come out and try it. It doesn’t hurt to say you’re not going to but at least come out and see what it’s all about, because you may love club sports and you may want to keep playing it,” Lampert said.

Panagakis encourages Western students to attend club lacrosse competitions: “If you want to attend a game, I’ve brought a couple of people and they said it was one of the coolest sports they’ve ever come and watched. You don’t understand it when you’re watching it, and that’s the best part — there’s a whole bunch of stuff going on at all times. Lacrosse is something that’s happening at all times, and that is why I like it so much. If you want to come to a game, they’re so entertaining and you should definitely come,” said Panagakis.

Skelton also had a message concerning the lack of coverage for club sports and what students can do to make a change. “Show up and show out, basically just that. I mean, rugby’s playing, swimming’s competing, soccer’s playing, lacrosse is playing, everyone should just show up and have fun and support your team. You all go to Western, so just support everybody.”

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

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Formula One back in United States for Miami Grand Prix

Written by: Jaylin Hardin | Sports Editor

The Miami Grand Prix hosted a plethora of talent in recent weekends, where Formula One and the Formula One Academy both held their most recent Grands Prix. Both races ended on the podium for McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Bianca Bustamante — first for Norris and second for Bustamante. However, there is an importance in the presence of the Academy racing in Miami, Florida.

Historically, there have only been five female drivers in the male-dominated motorsport, and only two have ever completed a Grand Prix or scored points on a Formula One Circuit.

Competing from 1958 to 1992, these drivers became pioneers in a sport where they were not initially welcomed.

In 2004, Formula Women was created for female drivers and ran for three seasons before its ultimate cancellation in 2007, and in 2019 the W Series was also introduced, but was once again canceled and cut short after three seasons — both due to financial reasons.

However, following the cancellation of the W Series in 2022, Formula One announced it would be funding its own all-female racing academy, to promote and prepare young drivers for higher levels of competition.

There are currently 15 drivers in the Academy, with three drivers on one of the five teams. Additionally, 10 drivers are sponsored by one of Formula One’s teams, while the five not sponsored by a Formula One team are then sponsored by the series’ partners.

While the first season’s races were not broadcasted — a decision that received pushback from fans — Formula One Academy received huge support from across the globe, as women and girls were finally able to see representation in the male-dominated sport.

A large contribution came from the Formula One drivers, some including Lewis Hamilton, Charles LeClerc and Lando Norris and their brands promoting their sponsored cadets. These sponsored drivers wear the teams’ livery and colors on their cars, as well as participate in press conferences, media tours and dual race weekends at select tracks. The Miami Grand Prix was one such race weekend.

Both sets of drivers had practice sprints on the track, as well as qualifying races to see where in the grid they would be placed, before it cumulated in the Grand Prix race May 5. The Academy races once more than Formula One does, to give the drivers more experience on the track.

With Formula One Academy racing at 11 p.m. EST in the final race that Sunday, May 5, they were set well ahead of Formula One’s race that evening at 4 p.m. EST.

Alpine driver Abbi Pulling went two for two in Miami, pulling ahead of McClaren driver Bustamante by a margin of 3.8 seconds in the final laps. Bustamante was looking to right the mistakes she made in the first race, and ended up creating a seven-poll difference in her results — going from P9 to P2.

McLaren was also extremely successful in the Formula One race later that evening. Drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri began the race in P5 and P6 respectively, and while Piastri failed to finish in the top ten, Norris secured his first win.

Before the race, it had been 539 days since a non-Red Bull or Ferrari driver had won a Grand Prix, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen leading the charge in wins, followed closely by Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles LeClerc. Sainz is currently not signed to a team for the 2025 season, with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton signing to Ferrari.

Norris was the only driver in the Formula One circuit to make podium appearances while also having no wins under his belt, a total of 16 appearances. In 2021, after a victory at the Russian Grand Prix slipped through his fingers, fans on Norris’ Instagram dubbed him “Lando NoWins,” a nickname he would ultimately change to “Lando NowWins.”

“About f—–g time! Finally! Finally! I’m so happy,” Norris had cheered to his race engineer. Formula One racers are connected to their engineers via radio comms. Norris is also the first McLaren driver to win in a United States Grand Prix since 2012 — Hamilton was the last driver to do this at the Austin Grand Prix.

Two teams dropped new livery for the Miami Grand Prix for their vehicles: Scuderia Ferrari and Visa Cash App Red Bull — VCARB.

On April 23, 2024, Ferrari began teasing their livery reveal by posting images to Instagram of Sainz, LeClerc and their vehicles in a 3D style with the caption “Coming soon.” Other posts soon followed of the team and crew wearing blue uniforms.

However, when the team released images of the livery May 1, fans were less than thrilled. Rather than the all blue car they were expecting, the livery now bore eight blue HP logos in varying sizes. Reactions to the livery varied, but all voiced their disappointment, “Ferrari and disappointing fans – the saga continues,” said Instagram user @desaiiiyash15. “(One) month marketing, (one) million posts, for this…”

The chameleon livery that VCARB unveiled May 3 received a more positive response from fans of Formula One, the “oil slick” look inspired by the colors of Miami and the chameleon Cash App Visa card.

“The suits. The livery. VCARB ate everyone up, I fear,” said Instagram user @khemkheang_art21. Many others shared this reaction and suggested the team use the livery for the rest of the season.

While Formula One Academy will not race again until June 21 – 23 in Barcelona, Formula One will be in Emilia-Romagna for the Italian Grand Prix May 24 – 26. Races will stream on the Formula One Network and ESPN+.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

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Tuition increase

Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor

All seven public, four-year universities in Oregon plan to raise tuition costs from three to five percent for the 2024-2025 academic school year.

Oregon State University’s in-state and full-time students will be expected to pay $14,400 per year; University of Oregon students are expecting more than $16,100; while Portland State University students can expect a $11,800 tuition. All three universities have the highest enrollment rates in the state.

Maureen Brakke, the director of marketing and communications at Western, made a statement in a post to the Western’s home website. “The Tuition Advisory Committee, which includes students, staff, and faculty, submitted a proposed five percent tuition increase, which was accepted by President Jesse Peters and presented to the Board of Trustees on April 17,” said Brakke.

In the same post, Peters shared his sentiment: “We take pride in offering students a tailored educational experience, fostering a sense of belonging, and delivering quality support services. We have worked hard to maintain affordability without compromising the exceptional quality of education and services that define Western,” Peters said.

Western, being the second least expensive public university in Oregon out of the seven, will increase tuition to nearly five percent for resident tuition and 4.86 percent for non-resident undergraduate tuition.

Eastern Oregon University, the least expensive public four-year university, will be resting at about $1,000 less than Western, with students expected to pay approximately $11,000 for in-state, full-time enrollment tuition.

Graduate tuition will rise by five percent, with no variation regarding residency. Summer 2024 tuition rates will be increased at the same rate as the 2024-2025 academic year cost.

In 2023, tuition at Western was raised by 3.09 percent for the 2023-2024 academic school year. Pre-pandemic, the 2017-2018 school year increased tuition by 6.4 percent, with the 2018-2019 school year having a proposed 4.03 percent increase, although it has not been confirmed whether or not this increase occurred.

The 2019-2020 school year was approved for a 2.33 percent raise, equivalent to four dollars per credit, alongside the 2021-2022 school year receiving a 2.17 percent increase in tuition for resident undergraduate students.

The next academic year will leave Western at a higher tuition rate of about 18.85 percent at least since 2017 at the earliest, not including the suspected 4.03 percent increase from 2018-2019, and leaving out nonresident rates, which tend to be higher than resident tuition.

Statistics from Datausa.io reflect Western, in 2021, as having a 91.6 percent acceptance rate for incoming students but a graduation rate of less than half, at 48.3 percent. The same website lists Western’s tuition is $14,724 less than the national average overall from all Masters Colleges and Universities in the country.

Nationally, college average costs inflated nearly 12 percent annually from 2012 to 2022 according to educationdata.org.

It should be noted that the Incidental Funding Committee approved all requested base-level funding and additional funding requests at Western without raising student incidental fees. When discussing tuition rates, this excludes all fees such as health service fees, building fees, access to the recreational center, room and board costs, late payment fees and online course fees, alongside any other expenses students may be expected to pay.

“This slight tuition increase reflects our dedication to sustaining the excellence that makes us truly extraordinary,” said Peters in the latest statement — last year, when tuition increased by 3.09 percent, he said, “Our students are not just numbers; they are the future leaders of Oregon and the world, and we always look for new and innovative ways to support them.”

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
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.

Accessibility Public Records Privacy Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

Middle-Earth cinematic universe expands

Western’s spring dance concert

Actor Bernard Hills dies at 79

Beachy tunes

Men’s lacrosse team resurrected

Formula One back in United States for Miami Grand Prix

Tuition increase

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