The Western Howl, Author at The Western Howl

Released on Netflix, upper-class society in “Bridgerton” gets saucy

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌

Netflix’s latest hit “Bridgerton” follows the peculiar family of the same name, showcasing the adventures of the eight siblings and their search for love and happiness. Inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels, this romantic drama was released Dec. 25, 2020. Starring Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor as main leads Simon Basset and Daphne Bridgerton respectfully, the debut season ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 for good reason — imagine Gossip Girl meets Pride and Prejudice.

Bridgerton showcases life in London’s high-society in a fictional post-racial Regency era. Audiences can find elaborate sets and costumes, quick-witted characters and steamy scenes which make it a quintessential romance drama. One of the biggest puzzles in this show is in discovering the identity of Lady Whistledown ⏤ the character narrated by Julie Andrews ⏤ who acts as the town’s anonymous author of a scandalous tabloid.

Most of the themes present in the show were paired with fairly historic views of status and class, gender roles, marriage and love. There was plenty of humor throughout the show that kept the episodes well-paced, but there is a larger discussion to be had with certain themes that come up, and some parts where viewer discretion is advised. For example, episode six contains scenes of sexual assault and rape.

With their high-class lifestyle comes murder and mystery ⏤ all displayed in elegant ballrooms, sprawling gardens and quaint drawing room parlors. Netflix goes one extra step by taking these details of elite life in London and pairs modern music made classical by the Vitamin String Quartet — like Billie Eilish’s “the bad guy,” Shawn Mendes’s “In My Blood” and Maroon 5’s “Girl Like You.”

The storyline is developed enough to hold the audience’s attention while leaving wiggle room for a possible next season, and has enough gossip to keep the viewer intrigued. The big reveal of Lady Bridgerton could have been saved for future seasons, as it apparently was in the books, but it was worth it to know in the end.

Overall Review: A strong 3.8/5 because of the wardrobe choices and the treats they eat look ridiculously good, but there’s always room for improvement.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

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Get swole without the gym

Campus Recreation offers fitness services during COVID-19

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

Since COVID-19 regulations began last April, many fitness facilities have had to find alternative ways to serve patrons. Western’s Campus Recreation currently offers a number of services to help keep Western students fit through the pandemic ⏤ including equipment rentals, Instagram Live workouts and monthly fitness challenges.

Through a new program called Rec Where U Room, Campus Recreation is letting students rent fitness equipment for free from the Health and Wellness Center. Plus, they’re giving away a free resistance band with every pickup. Schedule a pickup time on imleagues.com/wou to rent items such as jump ropes, hand weights and yoga blocks for two-week periods or balls and other outdoor equipment for the day. Madalyn Olson, a student facility advisor for Campus Recreation and a 2020 Western alumna, assured that the equipment is well sanitized and safely handled.

“There’s no direct interaction between staff and patrons,” Oslon added, “and staff touches everything with gloves.”

In addition, Campus Recreation has been hosting live workout sessions on their Instagram page @woucampusrecreation. Yoga sessions happen every Monday and Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. and pilates is on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:45 p.m. Added on this winter term is circuit training on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m., where viewers can utilize equipment rented through Rec Where U Room. Don’t worry about missing a live session — all of their streams are posted on their IGTV page.

Campus Recreation also presented Run for the Dream on Jan. 18. Through Feb. 1, students are challenged to walk or run 54 miles in remembrance of the 54 miles Martin Luther King Jr. walked to Montgomery, Alabama. Any student who sends in a photo of their participation to @woucampusrecreation on Instagram or hammerlez@wou.edu will be entered into a raffle for a free T-shirt, and anyone who completes the 54 miles automatically gets a free T-shirt.

Virtual intramurals, in the form of esports, are also being hosted by Campus Recreation. Sign up on IMLeagues to participate in the NFL Playoff Pick’em, or join a “Super Smash Bros.” or “Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War” league.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

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Super simple slow cooker soups

Two slow cooker soup recipes for the winter months

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

Combat the cold weather with a hearty soup recipe, like ham and potato or taco soup. Set it and forget it in a slow cooker for maximum convenience, and freeze some for later to enjoy a hot, easy meal for chilly days to come.

HAM AND POTATO SOUP

Start to finish: 8 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 8

3 ½ cups potatoes, peeled and diced

⅓ cup celery, chopped

⅓ cup onion, finely chopped

1 cup ham, diced

3 ¼ cups water

6 chicken bouillon cubes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

5 tablespoons flour

5 tablespoons butter

2 cups milk

Stir all but flour, butter and milk into a slow cooker. Cook on low for six to eight hours; check the tenderness of the potatoes.

Minutes before serving, melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour then gradually add milk, stirring constantly over medium heat until thick. Stir this mixture into the slow cooker.

Let cook for 15 to 20 minutes more. Serve and top with optional toppings like bacon, green onions, cheese or sour cream.

Recipe from momswithcrockpots.com

TACO SOUP

Start to finish: 7 hours

Servings: 4 to 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 ½ cups yellow or red onions, diced

2 to 3 cups chicken or beef broth

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

One 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

One 4-ounce can chopped green chiles

1 ¼ cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen

2 ½ teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and onions and cook for two to three minutes, until the beef is browned and the onions look soft around the edges. Use a spatula to break up the ground beef into smaller pieces as it cooks. Remove from heat and drain some grease if desired.

Combine the beef, onions and remaining soup ingredients in a slow cooker and stir. Cook on low for six to seven hours. Upon serving, top with toppings such as crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, cilantro, red onion and lime juice.

Recipe from simplyrecipes.com

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

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The signs vote on the best form of chicken

The Western Howl Staff

Chicken Nuggets or Tenders?

Aries ⏤ 69 cents for chicken nuggets.

Taurus ⏤ Yes.

Gemini ⏤ One of each obviously

Cancer ⏤ Nuggets

Leo ⏤ Why, are you buying?

Virgo ⏤ What Scorpio said.

Libra ⏤ The ones from Lunchables

Scorpio ⏤ Nuggets, dino ones specifically. Anything else is subpar.

Sagittarius ⏤ raw????? uwu

Capricorn ⏤ Tenders FTW

Aquarius ⏤ b r e a s t

Pisces ⏤ nuggets with honey mustard 10/10

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This week in completely made up horoscopes

The Western Howl Staff

Theme: Things Joe Biden would say

Aries 3/21-4/19

That’s what I love about highschoolers. I get older, they stay the same age.

Taurus 4/20-5/20

I’m not racist because I’m friends with the Obama’s. They’re very clean.

Gemini 5/21-6/20

Catch me on the YouTube livestreaming the inauguration

Cancer 6/21-7/22

I would say

Leo 7/23-8/22

That’s all folks

Virgo 8/23-9/22

Don’t play games with me, kid.

Libra 9/23-10/22

Just Biden tings uwu rawr XD

Scorpio 10/23-11/21

Finally, my dogs can live like royalty

Sagittarius 11/22-12/21

HI OBAMA I MADE IT

Capricorn 12/22-1/19

Forgetting is the greatest ability we have

Aquarius 1/20 – 2/18

We did it, folks

Pisces 2/19 – 3/20

I’m getting teary eyed at the possibilities.

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WOU finalizes purchasing agreement with Wise Education for new proctoring system

Western expands pilot of new online proctoring system Wise Proctor

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

Western’s Academic Innovation Department has launched a broader version of the proctoring system Wise Proctor.

In spring 2020, the transition to remote instruction raised concerns about testing integrity.

“Academic Innovation investigated different remote proctoring solutions and ultimately selected Wise Proctor for a pilot,” said Academic Innovation Director Michael Reis.

After a summer test trial, Western moved forward with a large-scale pilot currently funded by Library & Academic Innovation. Reis explained that the department rearranged savings from temporary operational changes brought on by COVID-19 in order to fund the program. At this time, Western does not require or intend to require professors to use Wise Proctor; but, in departments like biology, some professors have opted to enter the pilot program.

“It can be difficult to ensure academic integrity and fairness in an online system,” said Assistant Professor Gareth Hopkins, “and so this is a way to try to ensure that in my classes.”

According to Hopkins, there had been a desire for a proctoring system by several biology faculty members for classes that are important prerequisites for programs such as medicine, dentistry and nursing. However, some faculty have opted out of using the system.

“My main reason is to ensure equity in my classes,” said Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemistry Dr. Feier Hou. “What if a student does not have a camera on their computer? What if the student has poor internet connections…? What if the student is not comfortable showing their household to the proctor or me?”

Hou had heard from other universities that their proctoring systems had given false positive results to students with learning disabilities for having different eye movements when they work on an exam.

However, Wise Education President Ian Hartley said the company has researched body movement extensively.

“We’ve got a very advanced AI algorithm,” said Hartley. “We’ve trained on hundreds of thousands of photos and scenarios in the real world. It’s detecting all the things that you’d want while eliminating false positives.”

Hartley assured that the company was built on prioritising student privacy and students are made fully aware they are being filmed by giving their consent while using the program and Wise Proctor is not downloadable software that has access to your computer at all times

For professors who have chosen not to use the new system, some have altered how they give quizzes and exams entirely.

“I realized that the traditional way of testing … may be testing more on students’ ability to take tests or perform under stress, than on their knowledge in chemistry,” explained Hou. “So I made my big exams open-book, and rewrote the exams so that they contain more open questions where students have to explain and show their … understanding of the materials.”

Additionally, Hou acknowledged that some students might see her as a “push-over” and cheat on exams, but she reported a vast majority of her students are not like that.

“I choose to trust my students, and if someone is going to cheat, they will eventually get the consequences later in their lives,” said Hou.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

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Ryan Kelly hosts virtual comedy show

Student Activities Board holds online comedy show starring TikTok comedian Ryan Kelly

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

On Jan. 2, the Student Activity Board announced on Instagram that their first major event for the term would be comedian Ryan Kelly ⏤ known online as Youth Pastor Ryan ⏤ who will perform in a virtual stand-up comedy event featuring interesting life experiences.

Despite his namesake and going to a Christian school for 18 years, Kelly is not actually a youth pastor. In his Twitch trailer, Kelly explains he looks like what people would imagine a youth pastor might look like.

In St. Louis, Illinois, he began doing comedy as an improviser. According to ryankellycomedy.com, he had received training from iO Theater ⏤ formerly known as The ImprovOlympic ⏤ The Second City, The Groundlings Theatre and School and Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. In college, he was interested in new life experiences and began performing stand-up comedy. According to neon-entertainment.com, he often draws inspiration for his comedy routines through experiences including: surviving a plane crash, being tackled inside the National Security Agency and negotiating deals while being mugged.

“I needed something,” said Kelly when asked why he does comedy. “I needed something to give purpose and joy.”

His favorite part of comedy is when the whole room laughs.

“Because laughter is a very binding thing,” explained Kelly. “(I try to) make the bigger guys laugh because when you do that it shows a diffusal and makes people feel like they are safe.”

Kelly explains that this comedic approach brings shyer people out of their comfort zone in a natural way.

“Once everyone’s at peace then being able to hit jokes where people feel comfortable and they all laugh is a beautiful moment. Having a full crowd laugh together, they’ve all become friends and they don’t even know it,” explained Kelly.

To view the virtual comedy show taking place on Jan. 13 at 6 p.m., go to Engage and click the Zoom link located in the event’s advertisement. To learn more about Ryan Kelly, view him on Twitch @youthpastorryan where he posts gameplays, TikTok @youthpastorryan or on YouTube @Youth Pastor Ryan.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@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.

Review: “Bridgerton”

Get swole without the gym

Super simple slow cooker soups

The signs vote on the best form of chicken

This week in completely made up horoscopes

WOU finalizes purchasing agreement with Wise Education for new proctoring system

Ryan Kelly hosts virtual comedy show

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