Web Designer, Author at The Western Howl

By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

The musical styling of X Lovers is self-described as “acoustic pop,” with a focus on “love, lust, and life in the modern world.”

While passing through Monmouth on their most recent tour, the band X Lovers decided to stop by Western on Feb. 10 and play for its students in the WUC.

The trio came together to create music when they were just 14 years old. Now, Jacob Ames, London Jackson, and Max Mann, 17, 18, and 19, respectively, hope to continue their career in music and find inspiration for future music from other genres, such as hip hop and EDM.

Not only did they perform for Western, they also sat down for an interview with The Journal staff. The podcast will be available to listen to on Feb. 22 on WOU’s website.

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By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

Thomas Licata, senior interdisciplinary major

What kind of music do you like?

“Weird stuff… Everything. My favorite band is actually this band [called Consider the Source]. It’s Middle Eastern sci-fi metal, but it does a lot of funk and jazz. I don’t know, they have a lot songs that are literally just like Middle Eastern folk songs on like classic instruments and then they have stuff that’s just shredding and noise solos.”

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Revenge is a dish best served cold

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

As the men’s basketball team entered their home game on Saturday, Jan. 30 against Central Washington University (CWU), the New Year’s Eve loss to the Wildcats stuck in the back of their minds.

The Wildcats would later find out that revenge is a dish best served cold as the Wolves went on to defeat CWU 85-68.

Redshirt senior Andy Avgi (F), who last week earned his third GNAC Player of the Week honor of the 2015-16 season, had a game-high of 27 points. Avgi filled up the stat sheet with seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals.

Four other Wolves hit the double-digit mark in scoring: senior Devon Alexander (G) had 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, while Senior Julian Nichols (G), senior Jordan Wiley (G) and redshirt-sophomore Alex Roth (G) each had 10 points.

CWU came out firing on all cylinders after the opening tip, and had an 8-2 advantage early in the first half.
Western weathered the storm and closed in on the Wildcats lead by shooting high percentage shots in the paint. Alexander evened the score at 22-22 with a layup and would hit a free throw to give the Wolves a one-point advantage.

Western would finish the half up 38-29, their largest lead of the first half.

The momentum from the first half carried over into final period and the Wolves continued to build on their lead with hot shooting from Avgi and great team ball. With 9:12 remaining in the game, the Wolves increased their lead to 71-46 on an Alexander three-pointer.

The lead proved to be too large for the Wildcats to come back from and the Wolves cruised to victory. In the second half, the Wolves shot a blistering 0.643 percent from the floor including going 4-of-8 from beyond the arch.

Western held CWU to a field goal percentage of 0.356 from the floor and 0.308 from distance. The Wolves shot 0.579 (33-of-57) from the floor, finishing the game with their best shooting percentage of the year.

Equally impressive was the fact that the Wolves only coughed up five turnovers in the game, with four coming in the first half and only one in the final 20 minutes of the game.

The redemption victory improves Western’s overall record to 18-2 and 11-1 in GNAC conference play. With eight games remaining on their schedule, the Wolves find themselves in a very good position to make the College Basketball Division II playoffs.

Up next the Wolves hit the road to face Seattle Pacific University on Saturday, Feb. 6. The next home game is on Thursday, Feb. 11 against the Western Washington Vikings in the New P.E. Building.

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To tank or not to tank?

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

Before the start of the 2015-16 NBA season, most sports analysts thought that the Portland Trailblazers had no chance of making the playoffs. The Blazers dismantled last year’s team who had the talent to compete for a NBA Championship and decided to rebuild.

The heart and soul of last year’s team, LaMarcus Aldridge, decided to part ways with the organization in the offseason and sign with the San Antonio Spurs in his home state of Texas. As soon as it became clear that Aldridge was gone, Blazer’s general manager, Neil Olshey, cleared the deck with the team’s high paid veterans Nicolas Batum, Westley Mathews, and Robin Lopez.

After the massive turnover in free agency, the Blazers were left with their starting point guard, two-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, and a bunch of young unproven players with high potential.

So, almost everyone, including myself, expected the Blazers to be in the hunt for a coveted ping-pong ball: a lottery pick in the upcoming draft.

But now, the Trailblazers find themselves in a very precarious situation: with a record of 24-26, the Blazers are currently the eighth seed in the Western Conference and would make the playoffs if the season ended today.

I believe that making the playoffs would be disastrous for the organization, and I think it would be best to tank the rest of the season. Yes, I am suggesting that dirty t-word.

Of course, coaches and players do not want to tank, but rather the decision is made by the front office. Loosing for players threatens millions of dollars if players are set to sign new contracts, and for coaches, a losing season can be a quick ticket to the unemployment line.

Tanking in today’s NBA landscape is common. Smaller market teams, like Portland, have a real problem getting high profile free agents to sign contracts in the offseason. That means the only way for smaller market teams to get talented players is through trades or through the draft.

If Portland does end up making the playoffs in the eighth seed, they would most likely be playing the Golden State Warriors (44-4) in the first round of a seven-game playoff series. So, could the Blazers somehow pull off the biggest upset in NBA history? No. There’s a better chance of hell freezing over.

Looking at the rest of the Western Conference I find it highly improbable that the Blazers could come out victorious against any of the teams ahead of them in the standings, with the exception of Houston (No. 7) or Dallas (No. 6).

As a longtime Blazers fanatic I am sick and tired of my team making the playoffs only to be eliminated in the first round. Sacrificing the rest of the season would give the Blazer’s the best chance in improving their talent for the future by building through the draft. That’s how Portland got Aldridge, Lillard, Greg “Glass Bones” Oden, and Brandon Roy.

With more than half the season in the books, the Blazers have surpassed most sports analyzers’ expectations and my own. The players and coaches should be proud, but the Blazers front office should make the decision to pull the plug on the season.

In an offseason press conference, Olshey said that he and Paul Allen, the Trailblazers owner, were not worried about the next five minutes, but rather the next five years. If that’s truly the case then tanking is their best option.

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Wear red this Friday for heart health

By: Rachael Jackson
Staff Writer

Heart health isn’t exactly something many college students have on their minds. However, after a proclamation made by President Obama last year declaring February to be named American Heart Month, it became clear that is an issue that affects all American students.

The American Heart Association (AHA) warns that 98.9 million Americans aged 20 and older have total blood cholesterol levels over 200. A cholesterol level over 200 can be indicatied of cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and congestive heart failure.

Presently, heart disease is the number one killer in America.

It’s important to start young with heart disease tests – the AHA recommends starting at age 20 and continuing every five years. Because of genetic factors, even with a healthy diet and exercise regimen, a person can still be at risk.

ASL interpreting major and junior, Crystal King, said that taking fitness classes at the school has shown her the importance of eating right and consistent physical activity.

“I think being educated in cardiovascular disease as a college student makes me think more about it,” said King. “I don’t worry about getting a heart attack now, but I know it could happen in the future.”

The first Friday of February is known as National Wear Red Day, so if you see someone on campus wearing red they might just be supporting this cause.

If you are looking for more information, stop by the Student Health & Counseling Center to meet a physician or give them a call at 503-838-8313 to set up an appointment for ch

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“Lobby Hero”

By: Joleen Braasch 
Staff Writer

If you’re looking for a fun weekend full of drama in all the right ways, head over to Rice Auditorium tonight, Feb. 5, or Saturday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. to see Kenneth Lonergan’s play, “Lobby Hero.” Follow young security guard, Jeff, as he gets himself wrapped up in murder, strained loyalty, elusive truths and costly justice.

Graduate student Natalie Piper, who is currently in the MAT program working toward a license in high school theatre, chose to direct “Lobby Hero” because she feels that it addresses race and gender issues present in today’s society.

Piper also chose “Lobby Hero” because she wanted to provide opportunities for student-actors who are working in the genre of contemporary realism, a straightforward and realistic approach to art.

The art of theatre calls for many important artistic roles: actors, directors, and stagehands, to name a few.

Piper’s favorite role is directing; she loves seeing everyone and everything work together in order to create her vision and bring it to life. And, unlike the actors, she gets to sit in the audience and watch people react.

Are you interested in murder, justice, and Piper’s vision? Visit Rice Auditorium at least a half-hour before the show begins to pick up your ticket. WOU students pay $7 for admis

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Always Funny and Ever Wise: Poison Waters

By: Justin Oehler
Freelancer

From living in California to being a new kid in Portland, Poison Waters is fabulous and funny. She has been doing drag for almost thirty years and is as popular and vivacious as ever.

Poison Waters, according to her website, has had experience working with the Women’s Inter-community AIDS Resource and currently acts as camp director at a summer camp for kids who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Full of jokes and wisdom, she told it like it is. At the Out and Proud dinner on Jan. 3, Waters told the gathered crowd all about her early life as a quarter Mexican, a quarter Native American, and half black, gay boy.

As the keynote speaker for the dinner, she shared her experiences with the audience. When she moved to Portland, she said it was the blackest city she had ever lived in. She mentioned how much she enjoyed being surrounded by people of color at the dinner, saying she was excited not to be “the raisin in the rice patch.”

She came from a very supportive, diverse family and spoke on how lucky and happy she was to be in that situation. Yet, she knew she was “odd” for a long time and her mother and sister did too by telling her, “You know you gay, right?”

She shared worries that many people face, saying she felt like an alien waiting for the mother ship to come pick her back up. Feeling different and out of place, even when supported by family, is difficult, especially as a young person part of the LGBT*Q+ community.

However, Waters noted that, as she has gotten older, much the world has changed for the better with regards to the LGBT*Q+ community as well as People of Color (POC).

She was so pleased to see that young folks don’t need to go through what she saw back in her day. Her “intersectionality” was a popular topic of discussion for Waters.

She first wanted to become a drag queen and embrace the diversity of the gay community when her drag mother, Rosie Waters, inspired her to become her true, fabulous self.

She seems to have a joke for every occasion and never missed an opportunity to tell one. Even still she had moments of seriousness and during the show and gave valuable advice for young POC, Queer people, and drag queens.

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.

WOU in love with X Lovers

HoW

Revenge is a dish best served cold

To tank or not to tank?

Wear red this Friday for heart health

“Lobby Hero”

Always Funny and Ever Wise: Poison Waters

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