Web Designer, Author at The Western Howl

Dear Esmeralda,

One of my close friends may be “ghosting” me. She and I have known each other since middle school. We roomed together during our freshman year of college. I was the first person she came out to. I helped her move into her new apartment last summer.

Over winter and spring break we both went back to our hometown and I was excited that we could see each other. I had reached out to her on multiple occasions, but my texts usually go unanswered. When I do get a response, it’s typically, “Sorry! I’m just too swamped!” I know she made time to see another friend who ranks higher than I do in the “who to see” list. It still hurts.

Am I being too sensitive? Too self-centered? I’m worried that this is her way of breaking ties with me and I’m just not taking the hint. An outsider’s point of view would really help, even if it’s a harsh truth.

Sincerely,
Lost in Life

Dear Lost in Life,

Long lasting friends are always the hardest to lose. I get you there, friend. Deep breaths! Coming out to a friend is a big deal however, people do change (especially in college). Looking around at the people I know from high school (thankfully, I don’t know many of them now) and even the first year here at WOU! God! I came into college as a straight cis male! Look at the goddess that is me now!

Schedules are complicated and maybe the other friend’s schedule fit in better to hers? Maybe this is someone she’s interested in? Not sure how your friend identifies or the gender of their friend but that is a very good possibility that this person could be her boo-thang.

Personally I don’t think you are being too sensitive- no tea, no shade, no pink lemonade. I do think you’re going to have to realize that your friendship may be over with this person … I’m so very sorry for you dear. Sometimes even the closest friends grow apart. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, dear. I wish you the best!

All my best,
Esmeralda

The Western Howl

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Club Spotlight

By: Rachael Jackson
Campus Life Editor

Lee Lindley, senior earth science major, is a reluctant leader of the Environmental Club. Started a little less than two years ago, the club hasn’t gained much traction in the way of student participation.

Lindley was ecstatic to have my group join him. Usually it’s just him.

With my group of miscreants, we made an even four. We drew posters, discussed solar panels, and joked about being Planeteers (from the ‘90s show, “Captain Planet and the Planeteers”).

Making posters isn’t exactly the purpose of the club; Lindley would prefer having a chance to get out and hike with the group, or go to places in Oregon that are in danger due to human encroachment.

“I have been a member since last Spring. It has always been pretty low attendance. Beth [Bello, political science major] was the leader previously, but work has made it so she can’t be as active. I don’t really have time for the group either, but it has to be done. We need to keep the group going so we can try and get funding for things like composting bins in every building.”

Lindley is hoping he can get more members soon through recruiting at campus events, but he needs help.

“A group has to stay active for two years to get funding, but with just me it doesn’t really feel like a club. We need to get more young people into the group. I really need people to help with tabling during new student week and spirit week.”

Interested in joining? Meetings are in HSS 230 at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Find them on Facebook at “WOU Environmental Club.”

Contact the author at rjackson13@wou.edu or on Twitter @rachaelyjackson.

The Western Howl

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Cocktail Corner

By: Rachael Jackson
Campus Life Editor

Bloody Marys are a brunch tradition. Though perhaps not as flashy as their sweeter counterpart, the mimosa, they remain symbolic of this late morning meal. Also going for them is their ability to squash the most debilitating of hangovers. Fight fire with fire, I always say.

Olivia, my eldest sister, loves a good Bloody Mary and as such has a quick and easy recipe. Not exactly my go-to drink because of the savory quality, there remains something enthusiastically social about the Bloody Mary that begs to be shared with close friends in large quantities.

Here is the basic recipe she goes by: Clamato (or V8), Demitri’s mix, Worcestershire sauce, and vodka.

Olivia prefers Clamato over V8 because it’s not as thick and provides a better flavor. Add Demitri’s mix (find it at the liquor store) to the Clamato, add in a few extra splashes of Worcestershire. Demitri’s has Worcestershire in it already, but add a couple extra splashes because it’s good for you (probably).

Just pour it all into a pitcher, eyeballing the ingredients and tasting the mix as you do. Add ice to the pitcher, your glass, or both.

If you’re having a brunch with friends then I suggest you all split the cost on a bottle of Kettle One vodka for your bloodies. It isn’t the economical choice, but choosey day drinkers choose Kettle One. Trust me on this.

Most importantly, unless you are some kind of animal, you will need to garnish your drink.

Some suggestions for garnishes include: bacon/salt rim, celery, bacon, jerky, shrimp, olives, pepperoncinis, pickled asparagus, pickled beets … the possibilities are boundless. We popped in fake bacon for my vegetarian roommate, even. Set up a garnish bar and have your friends ride their very own trains into flavor station.

Send your Bloody Mary recipes and pictures to the author at rjackson13@wou.edu or via Twitter @rachaelyjackson.

The Western Howl

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Celebrating Native Culture for 23 years

By: Amanda Clarke 
Staff Writer

Western Oregon University celebrated its 23rd annual “Multicultural Student Union Pow Wow” with the theme “We Live By The Beat of Our Drums.”

A pow wow is a Native American cultural celebration that is conducted through song, dance, and food as a means to bring community together. Represented at the event were those of the Siletz and Grand Ronde tribes.

The pow wow allows Western students and the community to learn about the Native American culture. By witnessing and partaking in activities, students and people within the community are given a chance to experience the culture in a different perspective that perhaps they haven’t had before.

Although the Multicultural Student Union has been holding the event for 23 years, there have been other club sponsored pow wows held in the past. In 1937, the Eastern Oregon Club, which was composed of students from east of the Cascade Mountains, held a powwow at Western as well.

The Multicultural Student Union Pow Wow is held in order to allow students to experience traditions of the Native American community, which includes different forms of dancing, such as traditional dancing, grass dancing, and other categories.

“In my opinion with serving the Multicultural Student Union, it is important for anyone in the local community and Western to be educated on the Native American culture,” said Samantha Valdez, a member of the MSU and one of the co-coordinators for the pow wow.

The event hosts dancers, vendors who sell traditional Native American supplies, and drums. Every year, the event is open to everyone and includes a competition for people of all ages.

Raffle tickets were given out and amongst the prizes were paintings, a Pendleton blanket, and jewelry.

Contact the author at aclarke14@wou.edu.

The Western Howl

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My Slightly Diatribic Soapbox

By: Jenna Beresheim

Okay, everyone, today’s topic makes me roll up my sleeves and dust off the old soapbox for a good cause in need of advocating. This hot topic is especially close to my little gendernoncornforming heart, so buckle up, buttercups.

The issue at hand is in regards to people being so uncomfortable with their bodies (and those bodies around them) that god forbid they have to deal with a transgendered* human sharing the same restroom. What is the fear here stemmed from? In my lifetime, I have never seen another human’s bits while using the restroom, and if I have, it was my own fault. The only occurrence I could think of would be accidentally stepping into a stall that was not locked properly, in which we both made mutually shocked faces at one another and apologized in such a stream of syllables that I had no chance to actually see anything besides the whites of their eyes. Nor did I want to see anything, mind you.

Certain states are so uncomfortable with the thought of letting someone pee that they have began to ID individuals at the door. I mean, kudos for creating the completely useless job of a bathroom bouncer. But if you were going to employ someone to check your genitals, why not simply employ someone to keep it safe from the assumed (and completely nonexistent) threats of the Trans* community? Some have even gone so far as to encourage children in schools to rat out Trans* humans using the restroom that does not correlate with their assigned birth gender.

Hold up.

So, instead of letting someone use the restroom like a human being, we are now blocking and even denying, a basic human right. Trust me, transgender* individuals just want to use the bathroom – get in and get out. Just like everyone else. Especially as the gender that said individual identifies with. Imagine being forced into the opposite bathroom of what you identify with – it would be loads of uncomfortable for both parties. You’re a girl now crammed into the guy’s restroom, and vice versa. There would be heated looks, crude comments, and no doubt a shriek or two.

As a human who identifies as genderfluid, my gender fluctuates on the daily and often ranges anywhere from masculine to feminine, and wherever the hell I feel like in between. It’s a nightmare for my wardrobe, but it’s how I feel, and it took me years to develop enough understanding of myself to be okay with that. If I am dressed in masculine attire and identify more along that gender, I typically choose gender neutral restrooms. Even outside of the restroom it can be tough – I have had dressing room attendants inform me that I had picked out male pants (probably because their measurement system is much better, duh) and little old women explain to me how I would look much better in a dress and some makeup.

Thankfully Western is fairly accommodating and the people around me are understanding, but other areas are not so trusting or understanding. I may be a lesbian, but I use the bathroom like everyone else (not to dispel rumors that all LGBT*Q+ individual’s waste is rainbows and sprinkles). And, like everyone else, I use the bathroom just for that. To go to the bathroom, maybe check quaffed hair meticulously like a neurotic parrot, fix clothes, and strut out like I own the place. Sometimes I cut down the steps if I’m in a rush, but note that at no point was I a threat to, or even interacted with, anyone else.

This is exactly the problem. The focus is on a completely nonexistent issue. Sexual predators typically do not choose bathrooms of all places to attack someone, and it is a typical event for people who do not even identify in the specific gender-assigned bathroom to use it in emergency situations. How many times have you seen a girl give up waiting in the line of 20 plus people and just hop into the men’s instead? If we can choose to use whichever one we want to, why can’t the Trans* community have that same choice?

Everyone has to pee, so get over it. There is no statistical evidence regarding all of this “bathroom bill” hubbub. So, go about your business, and only yours, and flush your bias on the way out.

Contact the author at jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @woujournalnews to share your thoughts and feels

The Western Howl

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Republicans on the issues

In the overwhelming amount of political rhetoric that occurs, it seems as if the Republican candidates are always talked about in a sarcastic, joking manner. That makes for good headlines and clickbait material, but it often increasingly polarizes the two parties and leads to the apprehension of obtaining information simply based on the fact that the Republican candidates are made out to be so ridiculous. This story focuses on the three Republican candidates’ top five key issues and a short explanation, as per their campaign websites.

Donald Trump (donaldjtrump.com)
1. Building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico – eliminating illegal immigration
2. Repealing Obamacare – creating a new free-market system that gives affordable care
3. Creating new trade policies with China – making China admit to currency manipulation and eliminating trade tariffs
4. Veteran’s Administration reform – ensuring veterans have benefits they need
5. Tax reform – simpler tax brackets and the elimination of an income tax for some

Ted Cruz (tedcruz.org)
1. Restoring the Constitution – giving power back to the states and limiting the power or the federal government
2. Protecting Second Amendment rights – ensuring that citizens have the right to bear arms
3. Securing the border – ending amnesty and increasing deportations
4. Defending the nation – rebuilding the military, defeating ISIS, and protecting the homeland
5. Standing with Israel – maintaining American-Israeli alliance in the Middle East

John Kasich (johnkasich.com)
1. The Kasich action plan – reducing the size and scope of the federal government
2. Electability – Kasich believes he has the best chance at beating the Democratic nominee
3. Education – leaving standards up to the states and local municipalities rather than the federal government
4. National security – defeating ISIS, strengthening the military, and working with world allies
5. A Conservative approach to better healthcare – repealing Obamacare and “providing better care instead of more care”

These are the issues that our Republican candidates have deemed to be the most pressing as they have been listed on their respective campaign websites. Much of these issues have little to no explanation on how they will be enacted, which I think says something in itself. It is interesting because often politicians tell us what are the most important issues to be focusing on, and then run their campaigns around those issues, rather than the citizens choosing what issues are most important, and then backing a candidate that best reflects those interests. Personally, I do not identify with any of these candidates’ platforms because none of their ideas align with my own; there is no talk about higher education and student loan debt reform, no plan for reducing income inequality or closing the wage gap for women and minorities, and nothing on addressing climate change. Despite my own personal opinions, this column was not meant to sway you to vote red or blue, but rather to show what these candidates have decided are the most important issues facing the United States right now. It’s up to you to decide if you agree with them, or not. Stay tuned for next week’s column from the left side of the aisle.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC

The Western Howl

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Should skateboarding be included in the Olympic Games?

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Every four years, on the eve of the Summer Olympics, a question quietly spreads across the world of sports: should skateboarding be included in the Olympic Games?

Currently, skateboarding will not be featured in the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil; however, Olympic organizers have proposed adding skateboarding along with baseball/softball, karate, sports climbing, and surfing to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

The Olympic committee will deliberate and will come to a decision by August of this year. The proposal includes both men’s and women’s events in Street and Park with an envisioned 80 athletes split equally among genders.

Skateboarding’s possible inclusion in the biggest sporting event in the world has many people in the skateboarding community ecstatic.

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk thinks the addition of skateboarding to the Olympics would help to legitimize the sport and bring worldwide attention to the skateboarding industry.

“It is exciting that skateboarding could possibly be included in the Olympics,” Hawk said in an interview with TIME. “This is not only a great opportunity for our sport and the skaters, but also for the Games. It is now more important than ever to preserve the unique culture of skateboarding which makes our sport so appealing and relevant.”

Professional Polish skateboarder and founder of Exposure Skate, Amelia Brodka, sees the Olympic inclusion as an opportunity to showcase women’s athletic abilities in a sport dominated by men.

“I am excited about the idea of getting skateboarding into the Olympics,” said Brodka in an interview posted on the International Skateboarding Federation website. “If managed by the right people, this could be a lifetime opportunity to expose women’s skateboarding to a global audience and to get many more girls involved into our sport.”

Although there has been major proponents of skateboarding’s inclusion into the Olympics, there are also those who disagree. More than 5,500 self-proclaimed skateboarders have signed an online petition asking the International Olympic Committee to not include the sport in the Olympics because they consider skateboarding a lifestyle.

“Skateboarding is not a ‘sport’ and we do not want skateboarding exploited and transformed to fit into the Olympic program,” stated the online petition. “We feel that Olympic involvement will change the face of skateboarding and its individuality and freedoms forever.”

It is yet to be seen whether skateboarding will be added to the Olympics in 2020, but one thing is clear; either way, not everyone is going to be happy.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportwou

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.

Dear Esmeralda

Club Spotlight

Cocktail Corner

Celebrating Native Culture for 23 years

My Slightly Diatribic Soapbox

Republicans on the issues

Should skateboarding be included in the Olympic Games?

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