The Western Howl, Author at The Western Howl

Written by; Jude Bokovoy

Let the grounds of Western be the place to grow, as a student, future professional and, most importantly, a person.

Open-mindedness — This is the first step. Don’t let past perceptions hold one back from trying new things, befriending new people or giving something another go. On top of that, allow opportunities to come and give them no hesitation.

Adventurous employment — Apply for those interesting jobs that have been too intimidating in the past. Allow oneself to expand one’s skill set and take a leap of faith. Maybe one will shoot for the moon and find themselves among the stars. Meaning, the role in mind may not be the one obtained, but instead it will lead to a different job within the field. Doing this can build one’s resume to get a job within their desired career field right after graduation. This is normally the goal of this whole college thing, right? Who knows, maybe neither will happen and one will get or go back to a ‘typical’ college job. That’s literally the worst that could happen. Might as well try.

Push limits — Take the time here to truly learn. Learn about oneself, about all kinds of subjects, people, activities or anything really. There is such a low risk when it comes to educating oneself within the parameters of time in college. This may be the only time one is fully independent — without any ties — use this as an opportunity to explore. Whether it’s taking an interesting upper-division course without any prior knowledge, or trying a new dish, this is the time for trial and error.

Allow room for growth — The words “you’ve changed” from a friend or loved one weigh heavily over people, holding them back from trying new things, changing unhealthy behaviors and confining them to their own perception of themselves. In all honesty, it’s good, healthy and necessary to change. If there is fear of a person forcing one’s current and past ways against one, that’s an issue that they need to deal with. They’re also probably someone that isn’t good to have so closely or at all. It is crucial to allow oneself the ability to try new things, discover new passions and to even fully reinvent themselves. Imagine if everyone stayed exactly the same since they were middle schoolers. The world would be such a different place. Why confine oneself to a certain stage of life? Become the person one wants to be. Friends with the same standards will follow. If there is one thing to remember from this article, it is to allow room for growth.

Yes, study hard, complete one’s best work and get everything one can with their path of education, but, at the same time, don’t let lectures be the only thing that teaches one during their experience here. Take this unique opportunity to grow in all aspects of oneself.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

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Spice up one’s Schedule with these Course

Written by:Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

Wondering what courses to enroll in for the upcoming academic term? If one is in need of electives or simply in need of options on classes to complete a general education requirement, be sure to take a look at the list of courses below being offered next year in fall term.

Art 220: Introduction to Typography

This course introduces students to typography in studio art and visual design.

Art 311: Creativity and Idea Generation

Explore the creative thinking process and exploration by incorporating hands-on studio art techniques to overcome creative barriers.

Business 392: Management of Diversity

Learn about the practice and act of managing diversity in the workplace.

Biology 371: Structure of Seed Plants

Take a deep dive into morphology, anatomy and reproduction of seed plants from an evolutionary perspective.

Entrepreneurship 460: Entrepreneurship in Action

Gain experience in entrepreneurship through internships or practical hands-on application by working with real businesses.

Earth Science 331: Introduction to Oceanography

This course is an introduction to the topics of oceanography, which include seafloor tectonics, physical properties of seawater, air-sea interaction, ocean circulation, tides, waves, coastal processes and much more.

Chemistry 247: Foundations of Integrative Medicine

Learn about the use of integrative medicine to lead a healthy lifestyle, with a focus on diet, herbal and natural remedies, nutrition, and meditative exercises, among much more.

Communication 462: The Darkside of Family Communication

The course provides students with an introduction to the dark side of interpersonal communication in relation to family discourse and communication.

Computer Science 360: Programming Languages

This two-term sequence course provides an introduction to the principles and practices of software development.

Criminal Justice 425: Forensics in the Media

This course introduces students to forensic science as it is most commonly seen in popular media, only to compare and contrast the portrayals of these methods to the discipline.

Health 257: Health Promotion

Examine nutrition, physical activity and mental health in order to gain a greater understanding of health and well-being — also completes a general education requirement.

History 404: Gender Issues in History

The course delves into the history of men and women — as well as the study of gender relations.

Literature 421: Studies in British Literature

The course provides students with the opportunity to explore and delve into the works of prominent playwrights — perfect for theater geeks and lovers of literature and the arts.

Psychology 400: Human & Animal Bond

Take a look back at the history of the relationship between humans and domesticated animals and learn about how this relationship provides various important life functions.

Spanish 415: Extraordinary Bodies in Spanish Culture

In this course, students will analyze movies, text and art that represent “extraordinary” themes in Spanish cultures. The course will be taught in Spanish.

Sustainability 380: Environmental Conservation

This course is an introduction to the study of environmental conservation, with a focus on greenhouse warming and deforestation.

Writing 399: Special Studies – Script Writing

The course will teach students about writing screenplays for television and movies.

Writing 405: Professional Concerns

Learn about the subjects and life skills applicable in the professional workplace, such as job searching and interview skills. It will also familiarize and assist students with the development of resumes, portfolios and cover letters.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

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Dreamy Charcuterie

Written by: Mikayla Coleman

It’s spring, which means it is the perfect time to entertain and treat oneself with the most versatile and easily-shareable spread — the charcuterie board. Use the list below to construct and tailor one’s dream charcuterie board.

Cheese — Make sure that one’s cheese choices are well-rounded. One should choose from the many different textures of cheese —including soft, semi-soft and hard. Some soft cheeses to choose from include Brie, mozzarella, ricotta, feta, Gorgonzola, Bleu or goat cheese. Some semi-soft cheeses include cheddar, havarti, Monterey Jack, Muenster, provolone and Gouda. Hard cheeses include Asiago, Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Meats — Meat can make a great pair with many of the foods included on the board. Prosciutto, salami, turkey, ham, pepperoni or bacon are some great choices — experiment with different flavors and spices of one’s favorite meats.

Fruits and Vegetables — Some great fruit options include strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apples or pears. Sometimes including a dried version of a fruit can give a refreshing texture change along with fresh fruit, like dried apricots, mango, cranberries or raisins. Some good vegetables to consider include olives, mini bell peppers, cucumbers, pepperoncini or pickles.

There are many creative ways to cut one’s fruits and vegetables to get a picture-perfect board.

Nuts — Add some diversity to one’s board by including a variety of almonds, cashews, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pecans, hazelnuts or pistachios. One can choose to include raw, candied or salted nuts, or spice it up by adding nuts with different seasonings. Trader Joe’s has a “Everything But the Bagel Nut Duo” that has cashews and almonds seasoned with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sea salt, garlic and onion — it truly hits the spot.

Crackers and Bread — Some great bread choices include sliced rye, sourdough or french baguette. There are a plethora of different crackers to choose from, one might have a favorite brand to fall back on such as Ritz or Club crackers. My personal favorite is Trader Joe’s Pita Bite Crackers. To be inclusive with one’s cracker choices, think about including gluten-free options, such as Simple Mills Rosemary Almond Flour Crackers.

Spreads and Dips — Include a variety of different spreads to dip one’s favorite items in such as fruit spreads, hummus, hot honey or almond butter.

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

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Unhinged Hot Girl

Written by: Ruth Simonsen

“Twist” – Korn

“Peaches” – Jack Black

“Flamingo” – Kero Kero Bonito

“Ocean Man” – Ween

“Even Flow” – Pearl Jam

“Chelsea Dagger” – The Fratellis

“UZUMAKI” – Machine Girl

“Ram Ranch” – Grant MacDonald

“The Home Depot Beat” – The Home Depot

“Barbie Girl” – Aqua

“Friday” – Rebecca Black

“Photograph” – Nickelback

“Massive” – Drake

“D–ked Down in Dallas” – Trey Lewis

“Beyond the Sea” – Bobby Darin

“Life’s Incredible Again” – Michael Giacchino

“Coconut Mall (From “Mario Kart Wii”)” – Arcade Player

“Never Gonna Give Your Up” – Rick Astley

“Fruit Salad” – The Wiggles

“Guren no Yumiya” – Linked Horizon

“Crazy On You” – Heart

“Affirmation Song” – Doggyland, Snoop Dogg

“Frog On The Floor” – 100gecs

Contact the author at rsimonsen20@wou.edu

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Art Fest 2023

Written by: Gretchen Sims

The second annual Art Fest was held on May 17. Western students, along with select high school and community college students, were invited to showcase their artwork in select WOU Art Galleries for a chance to win awards and prizes. The 55th Annual Juried Art & Design Student Exhibition has taken over gallery spaces in the Instructional Technology Center and Campbell Hall until June 9. The high school and community college works were located in the Hamersly Library, but were taken down after the awards ceremony.

Awards were presented to various students after a long day filled with engaging art across campus. While some awards offered money, some added the opportunity for the student’s art to be commemorated permanently in several buildings on campus and in the new Monmouth Town Hall.

This year’s juried exhibit was judged by Chelsea Couch. The six $50 Juror’s Awards were given to Chawni Childress, Michael Holley, Mnemosyne McKay, Morgan Amerson Horton, Quinlan Elise and Lillian Roth.

The Dean of Liberal Art and Sciences Award offered three $100 awards to outstanding students. These were presented to Annabelle Bullock, Lillian Roth and Quinlan Elise.

The Serendipity Purchase Award is one of the most prestigious awards that is given out each year. The art piece that wins this award will be permanently displayed in the Werner University Center. This beautiful tradition was awarded to both runner-up, Anthony Quinones, and winner, Emelie Shay.

The Dean of Education Purchase Award is also unique in the fact that the selected art piece will get to be the next installment in the Richard Woodcock Education Center’s art collection. This year, the winner of this award was Quinlan Elise.

The City of Monmouth Arts and Culture Purchase Award was given out to the student whose art will be displayed in the new Monmouth City Hall. This honor was presented to Melody Barrett.

The Wolfstore Award gives its winners a $50 gift certificate to the Wolfstore — to be redeemed for art supplies or Western merchandise. This year, three of these awards were given to Violet Babbitt, Mikayla Coleman and Anthoney Quinones.

Last but not least, the Faculty Recognition Award, given to this year’s most outstanding art & design student, was presented to Anthoney Quinones.

Western’s student artists presented strong and high quality work, showing evidence of a fantastic year of creation.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

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YouTube has become what it sought to destroy

Written by: Nicholas Sarysz

Paid broadcasting and television entertainment have been long-unrivaled video mediums since they were popularized in the 1950s. This remained true even in the earliest days of the internet, until the public release of YouTube in 2005. By January of 2016, the site received over 25 million views per day, and today that daily number is in the billions.

As the name “You”Tube suggests, the content produced on the platform consisted of real, everyday people making videos to share with one another. This whole concept is what pushed YouTube forward, as even companies that released videos on the platform in its early stages embraced its personal feel. It was never about what made executives the most money, or creating big-budget productions — keyword “was.”

With time, everything evolves, but it is not always for the best. The thing that once separated YouTube from paid broadcasting and television has fully taken over the platform — money and corporate executives. This shift was a long time coming, but fully took place in May 2019, when the Indian music label T-Series passed famous YouTuber PewDiePie for most subscribers on the platform. Fast forward to today and almost all of the top YouTubers are either a company or have formed one for their content. Mr. Beast, for example, does not have the same company structure or goals as T-Series, since he is considered a “YouTuber,” yet they are valued at the exact same amount — $500 million. As of now, PewDiePie remains the only channel in the top 20 on the platform that is not a company.

Individuals that seek to entertain on the platform are just unequipped to properly compete with the budgets, crew and equipment that these companies have to create content. Thus, there are now YouTube Shorts, which are just bootleg TikToks. Small creators now find themselves attempting to please the YouTube algorithm and gain popularity through these shorts because keeping people’s attention for less than 60 seconds is far easier to do than competing with the long-form content that the large companies are already creating.

Admittedly, a large part of this shift is on all of us. Oversaturated clickbait content is only popular because we are the ones that decide to click on it. Since it gets the most views, it makes the most money, gets pushed the most by the YouTube algorithm and continually gets recycled and recreated. As genuine connection and creativity diminish on the platforms, so do our attention spans.

YouTube has not only aligned itself alongside paid broadcasting and television but has even gone so far as to intertwine itself well within it. YouTube not only offers a Premium — no advertisement monthly subscription to its platform — but even has “YouTube TV.” Now, you can stream live television, as well as movies and shows all on the platform that originally rivaled it. On top of this, YouTube takes 45% of ad revenue money from creators that are monetized on the platform, which leads these large creators/companies to further implement sponsorships on their uploads.

Brand deals and sponsorships have become commonplace for every content creator on YouTube, as have merchandise sales, crowdfunding and additional subscription content. These additions not only further the corporate dominance on the platform, but make it feel like content creators are milking their viewership in ways similar to online video game microtransactions.

A lot of this sponsorship comes with the compromising of artistic integrity among creators. With more of these creators vying for sponsors’ attention, many creators resort to sensationalism, sacrificing authenticity and genuine connection with their audience.

Of course, all of this can be looked at in a more positive manner. The addition of corporate budgets on YouTube opens the door for a much higher and more professional level of production. With this, comes the fact that YouTube has transcended from a niche video-sharing platform to a powerful force in shaping pop culture. Frankly, it’s probably the only worldwide video-sharing platform that still has hope for a bright future. In order for YouTube to flourish into the platform it was meant to be, it must navigate the delicate balance between corporate interests and creator authenticity, which requires a collective effort from creators, viewers and the platform itself.

Truthfully, that’s nothing more than a euphoric hope. Monetary greed and our collapsing attention spans are no foundation for anything positive. It’s all downhill from here.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

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Western to lift vaccine mandate

Written by: Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

Western will no longer require students and faculty to receive the primary doses of the COVID-19 vaccination — a change in policy effective on June 30.

Beth Scroggins, director of the Student Health and Counseling Center, announced the plans of the change in university protocol via an email sent to current students last month, quoting a message from President Jesse Peters, Ph.D. In the message, Dr. Peters equally encourages current students to continue following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and remain up-to-date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters.

Director Scroggins said that the decision to eliminate the vaccine requirement was a result of extensive “group effort” with the community, with consideration taken into the county numbers, other university protocols, the statewide and university vaccination rate, as well as CDC and OHA guidelines.

“There is a lot that goes into each decision around COVID, including lifting the vaccination requirements,” Scroggins said. “We felt we’re at a good place where it’s safe to lift the requirement.”

The lifting of the vaccine mandate consequently means the discontinuation of mandated isolation for students in on-campus housing who test positive, as well as self-reporting through the student portal. However, the university still highly advises students, staff and faculty to be considerate of the people around them, and to continue isolating in residence halls if symptoms appear or contact with an infected person is suspected. This applies to any illness.

“If you’re sick, have symptoms, stay home, regardless of what you’re sick with,” Scroggins said.

Butler Hall, which is the residence hall designated for students who test positive, will remain open to students who wish to isolate themselves from the community. Testing services and rapid self-testing kits will also remain available for students at the Student Health and Counseling Center.

The change in protocol regarding the vaccine arrived two months before the end of the spring term and conclusion of the 2022-23 academic year. However, it is not exactly surprising for the community.

The Federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 expired on May 11, which Scroggins says was also taken into consideration in the decision to lift the vaccine requirement. With the public health declaration soon expiring, colleges and universities across the country were quick to do away with their vaccine mandates. This includes Oregon State University, which will no longer require the vaccine beginning June 16.

This slew of changes in university policies and protocols instigated controversy on many university campuses, as well as sparked safety concerns for students and faculty.

Scroggins addressed this concern, stating, “I’m sure not everybody likes every decision. I just really want to emphasize how thoughtful (Western) is on the decisions they make. I want people to feel comfortable that a good decision was made with the information that we had.”

For any questions and concerns regarding Western’s COVID-19 protocol, students should contact the Student Health and Counseling Center.

Contact the author at howlnews@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.

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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.

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Spice up one’s Schedule with these Course

Dreamy Charcuterie

Unhinged Hot Girl

Art Fest 2023

YouTube has become what it sought to destroy

Western to lift vaccine mandate

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