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By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

The Portland Timbers tied FC Dallas 2-2 on Sunday Nov. 30, 2015, but advanced to the MLS Cup Finals with a 5-3 aggregate goal victory.

The Timbers entered Sunday’s match against FC Dallas with a 3-1 goal advantage from the game played a week before in Portland.

Neither team could find the back of the net in the first half, but the second half was much different.

Portland scored first in the 54th minute when midfielder Diego Valeri flicked a ball into the box to a wide-open Fanendo Adi who slotted it past Dallas’s young goalkeeper.

Just when it looked like Portland would easily defeat Dallas up 3 goals, Dallas gained momentum after Striker Blas Perez was subbed into the game. Dallas defender Ryan Hollingshead scored a goal in the 68th minute to close the gap to 4-2.

Six minutes later, in the 73rd minute Perez added another Dallas goal on a header off of a free-kick from just outside of the 18 yard box. All of the momentum now belonged to Dallas and it looked like they might be able to pull off the impossible.

Dallas nearly evened things up when Perez took a wide open shot in the 18 yard box, but Portland defender Nat Borchers came out of nowhere to deflect the ball, saving an easy Dallas goal.

Portland survived wave after wave of Dallas attacks, but Portland fought back with counter-attacks.

In stoppage time and on a counter-attack, Valeri flicked the ball forward to striker Lucas Melano who dribbled the ball around the Dallas defense and slotted the ball into the back of the net with a cheeky finish, sealing Dallas’ fate.

“This is a great moment for this club,” Timber’s head coach Caleb Porter said after the game. “This is our first trophy, but we want the biggest trophy and we have one more game still to achieve that.”

Portland is the hottest team in the MLS and are unbeaten in their last eight games. The team is firing on all cylinders and their defense is coming up big like they have all year.

“I think sometimes it just felt like the only people that believed in our cause were us,” Borchers said after the match. “I’m just really proud to how we’ve responded to all that pressure. It’s not easy. We easily could have given up and called it a day in the game at Salt Lake, but we won that game. We continued to win and here we are now.”

Portland will face their toughest test yet, when they play the Columbus Crew in Columbus, OH for the biggest prize in MLS. The Crew beat out the New York Red Bulls 2-1 to win the Eastern Conference Championship and advance.

The game kicks off at 1 p.m., Sunday Dec. 6, 2015 on ESPN.

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While you were away

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

Cross country:

On Saturday, Nov. 21, sophomore David Ribich competed in the 2015 NCAA Division 11 Championships in Joplin, MO.
Ribich finished 67th out of 246 runners in the 10K Individual Championships with a time of 30:58.

Men’s basketball:

On Friday, Nov. 27, WOU dominated Notre Dame de Namur University 81-51 in their first game of the NDNU Thanksgiving Classic in Belmont, Calif.
Senior Andy Avgi (F) made his season debut for the Wolves and had a game-high 24 points in only 22 minutes of play, also adding 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Three other Wolves finished the game in double figures; senior Jordan Wiley (G) had 15 points, redshirt-sophomore Alex Roth (G) had 14 points and first year Kadeem Strickland (G) had 11 points.
On Saturday, Nov. 28, WOU defeated Holy Names University 84-75 in their second and final game of the NDNU Thanksgiving Classic.
Avgi again had an outstanding game finishing with 29 points, shooting 10 for 16 from the floor. Senior Julian Nichols (G) added 16 points and 6 assists.
The back-to-back victories improves the Wolves’ record to 6-0. The Wolfpack’s jumped six spots in the National Basketball Coaches Association Poll from No. 10 in the country in Division 11 to No. 4.

Cross country:

Men’s basketball:

Woman’s basketball:

On Friday, Nov. 27, Western fell to Regis University 53-74 in the Mines Thanksgiving Tournament in Golden, Colo.
Junior Launia Davis (G) had a season high 10 points and was the only Wolf to score in double figures. Sophomore Sydney Azorr (G) and junior Jordan Mottershaw (G) added 8 points each.
On Saturday, Nov. 28, WOU was defeated by Colorado School of Mines 47-62 in their second and final game of the Mines Thanksgiving Tournament.
Mottershaw led the Wolves with 9 points, and first year Natalie DeLong (C) posted season highs in points and rebounds, finishing with 8 points and 11 rebounds. The two losses in the tournament give the pack an overall record of 1-5.

Volleyball:

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Wolves finished their season on a sour note with a three set loss to University of Alaska Anchorage in their season closer.

The set scores were 21-25, 16-25 and 11-25. The loss saw Western close out their year with an overall record of 8-21 and 5-15 in GNAC conference play which placed them tied for eighth in the GNAC.

Volleyball:

On Saturday, Nov. 21, the Wolves finished their season on a sour note with a three set loss to University of Alaska Anchorage in their season closer.
The set scores were 21-25, 16-25 and 11-25. The loss saw Western close out their year with an overall record of 8-21 and 5-15 in GNAC conference play which placed them tied for eighth in the GNAC.

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Wolves dominate Concordia 92-59

By: Jamal Smith 
Sports Editor

The Western Oregon men’s basketball team crushed Concordia University (CU) 92-59 in their GNAC conference opener on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015 in Portland, Ore.

This game was the first-ever meeting between the two schools in GNAC conference play. Concordia joined Division II and the GNAC conference earlier this year.

WOU took the lead before the ball was tossed up at midcourt due to an administrative technical foul called against CU. Senior Jordan Wiley (G) made the free throw to give the Wolves a 1-0 advantage.

The first five minutes of the game belonged to the Wolves who outscored the Cavaliers 17-3.

CU came within 9 points of lead on two occasions in the first half, but could not chip away at the lead any further thanks to Western’s stifling defense. The first half ended with the Wolves up on the Cavaliers 45-29.

In the second half, the Wolfpack continued their consistent play on both sides of the ball. WOU outscored the Cavs 47-30 in the half and kept a double-digit lead throughout.

Redshirt-senior Andy Avgi (F), the 2014-15 GNAC Player of the Year, led all scorers with 27 points on 10 for 16 shooting from the floor. Avgi excelled from distance, shooting 4 for 5 from the beyond the arch and also adding 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Wiley was one of three Wolves in double figures and had a season-best 21 points on 7 for 10 shots fired.
Freshman Kadeem Strickland (G) filled up the stat sheet tallying 13 points, 5 assists and 3 steals.

Defense and ball security played a key role in the Wolves’ victory.

WOU committed only 8 turnovers leading to only 4 points off of turnovers and created 22 Cavalier turnovers leading to 27 points. The Wolves also had a season high 13 steals and held the Cavaliers to just .420 shooting from the floor.

The 92 points scored for the Wolves was their high mark for the season. As a team, Western shot .507 from the floor and .464 from the three-point line. The Wolves held every possible statistical advantage.

With the decisive victory the No. 4 ranked Wolves improved to 7-0 overall and 1-0 in GNAC conference play.

Next up, the Wolves host Montana State University-Billings (2-4) on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015 at 7 p.m. in the New P.E. Building.

You can purchase tickets online or in person on game day at the box office.

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Terrorism around the world

By:Brianna Bonham
Staff Writer

Terrorist attacks are no stranger to the modern world. On Nov. 13, 2015 and the days surrounding, the world mourned with many countries as terrorism made its appearance once again. In the light of the Paris attacks, many terrorist attacks around the world were overshadowed.

The news coverage of the Paris attacks was significantly more than the attacks on Baghdad, Beirut, Yola, and Kano, even though some of those attacks took place on the same date.

The terrorist attacks on Paris, Baghdad, and Beirut were reported to have been carried out by the Islamic State militant groups. Both attacks on Nigeria are suspected to have been carried out by the extremist group Boko Haram, but neither attack has been claimed.

In light of the attacks on Paris, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter promoted awareness for the attacks by offering banners or stickers to add to profiles so that users could show their support for the country.

Twitter social justice activist Shaun King (@ShaunKing) used Twitter to promote awareness of the terrorist attacks around the world. Twitter users enacted hashtags such as #PrayForHumanity.

Baghdad, Iraq
According to the Al Arabiya News, a suicide bombing killed 19 civilians and injured 33. The bombing occurred in the Al-Ashara al-Mubashareen mosque during a funeral south of Baghdad.
The attacks were claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group according to Al Arabiya News. Two roadside bombs near Sadr City in north Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded at least nine.

Beirut, Lebanon
According to CNN, a pair of suicide bombers killed 43 civilians and about 240 civilians were injured in the attacks. Also according to CNN, a would-be suicide bomber told authorities that he was sent by ISIS [Daesh].
The Lebanese authorities believe that the bombers were part of a sleeper cell group. A sleeper cell is a terrorist that blends into society until told to act. In this case, the cells were reportedly created and dispatched by ISIS [Daesh].

Paris, France
The attacks in Paris left 137 people dead, and hundreds wounded, according to BBC News. The attacks occurred minutes apart in restaurants, a concert hall, a stadium, and bars. Many attackers wore explosive vests, and used guns to shoot civilians.
The New York Times called the attack “Europe’s worst terrorist attack in 11 years.” A video was posted of ISIS [Daesh] claiming responsibility for the attacks, according to CNN.

Yola and Kano, Nigeria
The bombings that took place in a marketplace in Yola were allegedly carried out by two girls, one 11 years old, and one 18 years old. An official from the National Emergency Management Agency gave a toll of 32 dead, and 80 injured, but hospital officials gave an even higher toll according to CNN.
400 miles northwest, two collective bombings killed 15 people and injured over 123 in a mobile phone market in Kano.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the prime suspect is reportedly Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group. The group operates mainly out of Nigeria, but has become the most deadly terrorist group in the world according to the Global Terrorism Index 2015.

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No Frills 2017

By: Brianna Bonham 
Staff Writer

During a General Assembly meeting on Nov. 19, 2015, Western’s Residence Hall Association (RHA) and all Hall Governments met to discuss issues such as Hall Of The Year points, the budget, Turkey Baskets, and much more.

The Residence Hall Association was celebrating coming back from the Pacific Association of College and University Residence Halls (PACURH). A small group of members from Western represented the school at the conference this year.

PACURH is an event where RHA organizations from across the west coast gather to discuss upcoming legislation and educational seminars concerning…

As the group celebrated, Roz Lethe, ARA of Heritage Hall, and Ashley Cooper, ARA of the Barnum, Butler, Gentle and Landers quad on Western’s campus, presented a PowerPoint and educated the conference about No Frills 2017.

No Frills 2017 is an opportunity for Western Oregon to host a unique conference on weekend in February of 2017 to be decided.

No Frills is a business conference where Residence Hall Associations from across the west coast will meet and discuss bids and legislation. 150 people would be attending the conference, four representatives from each school, the Regional Board of Directors, and special guests.

If the school is chosen, the weekend will consist of meetings and talks broken up by meals, awards ceremonies, and team building activities.

The possibility of Western hosting the conference creates an opportunity for the university to show off some campus spirit and hospitality to other schools in the region.

Lethe and Cooper are looking for volunteer chairs to head committees dealing with the ceremonies, volunteer coordination, transportation and hospitality facilities, school spirit, and financing.

The group is currently looking for 18 chairs in total.

For more information about getting involved with the No Frills 2017 conference bid, contact Roz Lethe or Ashley Cooper via their WOU emails.

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The speed of light

By: Jenna Beresheim 
News Editor

Li-Fi, the bigger and faster brother to Wi-Fi, has recently garnered a lot of public attention despite the fact that it has existed for years.

Light Fidelity, or Li-Fi, is said to be over one hundred times faster than what Wi-Fi is currently capable of in terms of transmitting data to devices.

The difference is in how the data is accessed – through light bulbs.

The concept is a visual form of Morse code, where visible light communication transmits messages through binary code using household light bulbs.

Harold Haas, German physicist and professor at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, is the creator of this concept, and has been working for years to test the idea in labs.

But now testing has begun to move into French hospitals and other high-traffic public areas for a true test of its capabilities.

In his TEDGlobal presentation in 2011, Haas said, “The way we transmit wireless data is by using electromagnetic waves, in particular, radio waves. And radio waves are limited, they are scarce, they are expensive, and we only have a certain range of it.”

Haas later founded pureLifi, a company focused on nurturing his invention to full market readiness.

The company’s vision statement as reported by Inc.com reads, “To be the world leader in Visible Light Communications technology enabling ubiquitous, high-speed, secure data networks wherever there is illumination.”

Currently, Li-Fi boasts features such as efficiency through use of light bulbs rather than other delivery methods like routers, ability to place sources everywhere, and security.

The last of these three means that light, which cannot travel through walls, allows transferred data to be much more secure from potential hackers.

There are also a few fundamental drawbacks which keep Li-Fi from being available for general use quite yet.

Once outdoors, Li-Fi is unavailable. Haas hopes to link outdoor lights, such as street lamps and traffic signals, to Li-Fi sometime in the future.

This movement towards Li-Fi would also increase light pollution, as lights would have to be on to be able to use the product, inconveniencing users if they do not wish to have lights on at all, or not turned on enough to stream Li-Fi.

These limitations mean that Haas’ product would do well in highly populated or trafficked areas and buildings, such as hospitals, airplane cabins, and offices.

At the moment, there is no move to usurp the big brother Wi-Fi, but rather to work in tandem with Li-Fi.

Many companies are already looking into retrofitting their products to be compatible for both means of data usage.

For a full breakdown of Haas’ invention, his 13 minute presentation at TEDGlobal can be found here: http://bit.ly/1bJ1yJ2

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Every Campus a Refuge seeks shelter for Syrian refugees

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

In an attempt to help refugees of the Syrian civil war, a professor at Guilford College in North Carolina has started a project called Every Campus a Refuge.

Every Campus a Refuge is an initiative that encourages colleges and universities to work with local refugee placement agencies to house a refugee family for 90 days during the resettlement process.

Diya Abdo, the Guilford College professor who created the program, explained the inspiration behind his idea during an interview on NPR.

Abdo stated, “When the pope called on every parish in Europe to host a refugee family, I began thinking deeply about that call for cities to become a place of refuge.”

“I thought well, a campus is very much like a city. We have facilities for housing. We have medical facilities. We have hundreds of human beings with various skills. We have cafeterias,” said Abdo, “So why not, why not take on the Pope’s call and become a refuge?”

Abdo believes university and college campuses can make the transition stage for refugees much easier.

“When refugees come in, they’re only given a one-time stipend – each refugee. And that stipend they’re supposed to use to pay rent, to pay for food, for transportation,” Abdo said.

“But if a campus houses them for those 90 days, after which they’re supposed to become self-sufficient, then they don’t have to use that stipend and they don’t have to worry about all the things they need to worry about. What they can do in those 90 days is focus on adjusting culturally, emotionally, psychologically.”

But is this initiative something all universities should participate in?

Dr. Paula Baldwin, assistant professor of communications here at Western, said the program sounds great, but there is a lot to consider when thinking about housing a refugee family from a completely different culture.

Dr. Baldwin said, “My question is: where would they be housed? Do we have the space? Do we put them on a food program like the residential food plan, or do we try to put them in a faculty space where they would have a kitchen?”

“How can we respect their cultural needs while helping them acclimate? When we think about housing them, we have to think about all of these factors,” said Baldwin.

Even though it might make us feel good, it’s really not that simple, Baldwin explains.

“We think about it very simply. We’re offering them refuge. We’re offering them shelter. Sometimes we do good deeds and we think, ‘okay, we got a roof over their head and food in their bellies. It’s good, right?”’

“It’s a great idea, and I think it’s a great teaching moment, but we need to think beyond that,” Baldwin said.

She said it would be important to integrate them into the community so they don’t feel excluded.

“Think about how they could be integrated into our community. They could go and speak to classes about their experience. When we see somebody’s story, and we hear them, it brings it to life for us. It makes it real in a way that it isn’t when we read it in the news.”

When asked if Western would make a good refuge for Syrian refugees, Baldwin said only if we thoroughly consider everything.

“It’s not about putting a roof over their heads and giving them some food. They’re already stressed. They’ve already gone through so much trauma that we cannot even imagine. As long as we think that through, I think we’re a great candidate. It’s a beautiful campus. It’s a little bit healing to be here.”

The governor of North Carolina has publicly stated his opposition to the placement of Syrian refugees in the state, and representatives of the state have asked Guilford College to rescind its offer to house refugees.

“But we stand firm by our offer,” Abdo said. “And in fact, we feel that this is an excellent opportunity for institutions of higher learning to intervene in the discourse around the refugees. If campuses around the U.S. say no, we will take in the refugees, then that radically provides a positive welcome.”

For more information about Every Campus a Refuge, visit www.everycampusarefuge.org

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.

Portland Timbers advance to the MLS Cup final

While you were away

Wolves dominate Concordia 92-59

Terrorism around the world

No Frills 2017

The speed of light

Every Campus a Refuge seeks shelter for Syrian refugees

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