Mount Hood

Review: “KOD”

Simson Garcia | Sports Editor

J. Cole’s “KOD” arrived on April 20 and, while he’s progressed and improved as an artist, his new project regressed towards the end.

While varying styles of instrumentals are constructed, ranging from newly stylized modern trap beats to old-school hip-hop influences, Cole’s narrative is what keeps “KOD” afloat. “KOD,” or “Kill Our Addiction,” is based around Cole learning to cope with some of the problems his current generation is also dealing with. For instance, in the album’s trailer, Cole revealed part of how the album developed, “If I turn on the TV right now, it’s not going to be long before an advertisement pops up that says ‘are you feeling down? Have you been having lonely thoughts?’”

Cole tries to grasp the listener consciously. He touches on multiple addictions his generation has been afflicted by and how they might cope with each: technology, drugs, sex and alcohol. But the messages are deeper and, at times, have a double meaning. Cole engages the listener to closely analyze the problems they may also have faced.

For example, “ATM” is a track about the obsession of money and the American dream, and how the dream consumes people. In the refrain he repeats, “Count it up, count it up, count it up, count it,” then responds sarcastically with “Can’t take it when you die, but you can’t live without it.”

“Photograph,” too, deals with obsession as it’s about a boy’s strong interest toward a girl’s social media account — though he’s never met her in reality.

While I get the many interplaying themes, and completely appreciate the diversity KOD strings together, because hip-hop truly needs an army of poets to talk about different issues — they’re simply outnumbered by the invaders of trap music — at KOD’s core is the current generation’s endless addiction to things. Technology is one “Photograph” spoken of as well as drug addiction that’s layered throughout several tracks.

But “KOD” struggles to hold together until the very end. Cole is so invested in topics related to addiction and unwillingness to heal, it’s not something you can re-listen to, and nod your head until the end. Upon finishing, I found it to be a sad case of an endless cycle of our society’s problem with addiction, especially with drugs and alcohol. It’s only right since Cole displays through the songs what he’s undergoing and how hard it is to overcome. I understand that aspect. But it’s not together because there’s an unfulfilling resolution to “KOD,” which could be due to Cole supposedly crafting the album in short time.

Just as important, the instrumentals became too melancholic for my liking. Even though I dig jazz samples and classic hip-hop rhythms, the beats encoded with the messages didn’t keep me vibing. “KOD” is listenable, attention grabbing through the first seven tracks, but towards the end kept me questioning and hopeless.

Only two tracks I can say are completely catching me by the ear and will get more than a few replays.

The piano sounds from “The Cutoff” are reminiscent of Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents,” an all-time favorite of mine. In the song, he talks about friends he’s cutoff and the stages they went through until their relationship eventually split, something I’ve come to face with recently.

Second, “ATM” has this message and tempo I was hoping the latter half of “KOD” would include more of. As I mentioned earlier, the lyrics are about the sad affair we have with money, but Cole’s beat and flow carries the song. Even though he states things like “without it I’m miserable,” he comes in with a force vocally. I love how he’ll say something like “I’m stacking this paper, it’s sort of habitual,” but while doing, there’s a sense that he’s basically insisting to be conscious about the idea of money, as he states with “proceed with caution, I heard if you chase it only results in, a hole in your heart.”      

I’ve only listened to “KOD” two times over. While a step up from his previous release, “4 Your Eyez Only,” “KOD” was a complete miss when compared to his penultimate “2014 Forest Hills Drive” album, but, like Cole says in “The Cutoff,” time will only tell who is on his side, or “KOD”’s side.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Photo by: dreamville.com

Who taught you how to drive?

Zoë Strickland | Editor-in-Chief

I can count on more than two hands how many times in the past month I’ve almost been hit on Western’s campus — as a driver, as a passenger and as a pedestrian. I’ve never been in a car accident, but it seems like the drivers in the commuter/staff lots on campus are trying to change that. Add to it the fact that a quick look at the most recent public safety report shows that of the four on-campus calls that CPS received between April 24 and April 28, three were in regard to automobile-related incidents.

Instead of the usual calls for alcohol use and bike thefts, our campus has apparently taken to running amok in cars.

The transgressions happening with drivers aren’t ones that would be fixed with a refresher course on how to drive. Rather, people are just failing to pay attention to their environment — or they’re just completely lacking consideration for pedestrians and other drivers.

As a driver, I get it — pedestrians have no problem with walking into the middle of the street at the last possible second. However, in environments like parking lots, last-minute walking is less of a problem. Instead, undefined walking spaces make it so pedestrians can pretty much go anywhere. Because of this, the problem is rooted in both a lack of awareness on the part of the pedestrian and a similar lack of caution while rounding corners or trying to snag an open spot on the part of the driver.

According to research performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding pedestrian accidents, there were 5,987 pedestrians killed in traffic accidents in 2016. Though the NHTSA doesn’t have statistics regarding pedestrian injuries in 2016, their 2015 report stated than an estimate 70,000 pedestrians were injured in traffic accidents. For Oregon specifically, the NHTSA preliminary data for 2017 estimates that there were 1.81 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 people in the state, or 75 pedestrians killed in traffic accidents. Frankly, these statistics are absurdly high.

The problem with reckless driving around campus isn’t just a pedestrian-centered issue; though people do need to watch for pedestrians, they also need to watch for fellow drivers. I’ve been in empty lots on campus and have still somehow been nearly t-boned by cars that are speeding around corners. More often than not, this happens when people are first entering parking lots. It can be difficult to remember to slow down from the street, but it’s safer for all of those involved.

For people who are in a rush to make it to their class or job on time, I have some tips for you. First off, when you turn a corner while snaking around a parking lot, know that there is most likely either a car or a person that will be around that corner. Western doesn’t have many students, but it has enough to have moderately populated lots, particularly during the in between-class periods of the day. Second, when you come bounding into a parking lot, try and take a survey of the area and take note of any cars that may be pulling out. I’ve seen numerous people back into other cars as they drive past looking for a spot. And third, for the pedestrians: be smart about when you decide to walk places. Wait until a driver stops before barrelling across the street. We all joke that drivers can ‘pay our tuition,’ but none of us really want that to happen.

I’m sure everyone will agree that they don’t want to pay for hitting another car, so it’s time to weigh what’s more important: making that meeting or protecting yourself and the people around you. As the term begins to come to an end and everyone gets more stressed, try and take a break before rushing around campus — a CPS report shouldn’t be just a catalog of car accidents.

Contact the author at zstrickland14@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Western marks 16th straight appearance in GNAC playoff

Simson Garcia | Sports Editor

With the GNAC Baseball playoffs quickly approaching, four more in-season games were played on April 28-29. The Wolves secured a playoff spot after splitting the first two games against the Central Washington Wildcats, 14-6 and 5-3. Both teams, having already clinched a playoff seed, continued to jockey for GNAC tournament positioning, but it was the Wolves that defeated the Wildcats two more times: 8-5 and 4-3, with the latter score coming off a walk-off home run.

The hits came and plenty of contribution was divided among the Wolves roster in their first win against the Wildcats. Six players hit more than once in the 14-6 route.

Outfielder Griffey Halle, first-year, was the first on the attack as he put it past the fences for the first two runs of the second inning. Senior Jacob Martinez, outfielder, also provided contribution, running in three that helped add to a 8-1 lead in the fourth inning.

The Wolves ran up the score from then on and the ‘Cats could not make up ground.

Sophomore pitcher Alex Roth earned his fifth win in his five strikeout performance and has not lost a game throwing.

Unable to follow up on the hitting performance, Western had only one player, senior infielder Jay Leverett, hit twice in the rematch. The game was knotted, 3-3, by the sixth, but Central — having led the GNAC in total plate appearances — had just a few more at bats and base runners to earn the victory.

Central kept the appearances on home plate and bases in tact for game three. The Wolves planned to do the same. In the fourth, they ran eight players on bases to bring the game within one, 3-2. Both teams played through the pouring rain and, after a rain stoppage of 48 minutes, the Wolves came back.

Three infield throwing errors in a row from Washington produced three straight runs for a 7-5 Wolf lead. In the seventh, the Wolves scored one more after an unearned Martinez run in from third base.

One more game was played between the two. After having already hit two walks offs for wins within the last 16 days, first-year outfielder Spencer Bennion made sure his third would come again when it was needed in the extra eighth inning. With two outs and the score at 3-3, Bennion hit the ball clear over right center field for the final decider.

The Wolves will face the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks for their final four in two doubleheaders. Each doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. times.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Photo by: wouwolves.com

WUC changes coming this fall

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

Ever since the joining of Wolf Express and Caffe Allegro during the summer of 2017, the space previously occupied by the Wolf Express convenience store has remained empty. But students coming back to Western in fall 2018 will find the space filled by a brand new, reservable conference room and an office and work space for the Student Activities Board.

The WUC Advisory Committee, a group of representatives from all offices within the Werner University Center, created a subcommittee to redesignate the space after it was vacated. An application process invited student organizations and campus departments to apply for the 1,040-square-foot location on the second floor of the WUC.

After an interview process with the applicants and a recommendation by the subcommittee, 60 percent of the space was granted to the Student Activities Board.

“Our whole main goal with that space is to not only create a programming space, but we also want to create a community space, a work space, and storage,” explained SAB director Matthew Ciraulo.

SAB is currently located on the first floor of the WUC and this expansion would almost double their working area. Ciraulo noted that, with the growing number of students attending the board’s events, they are hoping to continue the organization’s growth and get more people involved.

“We really want to make it a welcoming space. We want people coming in, asking questions, and getting to know SAB,” he expressed.

While 60 percent of the area was designated for SAB use, the other 40 percent will hold a reservable conference room similar to the Little D and Rogue rooms in the WUC. The conference room is going to come fully equipped with a flat panel screen, SMART capabilities and room for approximately 14 individuals.

“The conference rooms are some of our most reserved spaces in the building,” explained WUC Advisory Committee chair Patrick Moser. “I think it’ll be really popular.”

The committee is in the process of drafting designs for the space so that the conference room and SAB office will be completed by the beginning of fall 2018.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu.

 

A bike shop made real through passion

Paul Davis | Photo Editor

Turning a passion into something tangible is much easier said than done — often the “what-ifs” or the questions of how to accomplish the goal in mind can block a person from seeing their idea fully through. However, those what if’s were overcome by the owners of The Bicycle Shop Monmouth, Graham Howard and Brendon Gallant.

Howard is a transplant from Michigan who moved to Oregon in 2010 while racing bicycles and  has lived in Salem ever since. Gallant was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and moved to Oregon to attend Willamette for undergraduate and graduate school.

“We met while racing in the local road racing circuit in 2010 and we have been friends since,” said Howard.

Not only did they stay friends over the years, but they also discussed how to manifest their love of biking into a potential reality.

“Me and Graham often talked about how can we translate our love for bikes into something real,” Howard said. “Something that can pay the bills.”

And The Bicycle Shop Monmouth has done exactly that: made a love of bikes into something valuable.

From bike chain lube to a new helmet, The Bicycle Shop Monmouth carries everything you could possibly need as a bike rider. And, if you’re not currently a rider, they could get you started with a new bike, ranging from one of their frankenbikes, a bike created from the components of multiple bikes to bring together one higher quality bike, to one of their top of the line racing bikes. But the product they are most excited about is their selection of E-bikes, which allow you to enjoy riding with the assist of an eco-friendly electric motor which means that you can get anywhere with little to no effort and no impact on the environment.

However, their most rewarding and favorite work comes in the form of restorations. One of their most recent projects was an old Merlin bike that was in disrepair, which they then transformed into a modern day high-end road bike with the look of a classic Fixie.

For anyone in search of a new bike The Bicycle Shop Monmouth on Main Street is open and ready for business. Howard and Gallant love to see their customers and help them find a new appreciation for something they hold near and dear to their heart: taking a good, long ride on a bike.

Contact the author at pfdavis14@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Take a break from midterms

Zoë Strickland | Editor-in-Chief

As it gets to be the middle of term, it’s important to hit the books and study for midterms. However it’s also important to take some time and explore all of Western has to offer. Here are some events on and off campus that can provide you with a reprieve from studying.

The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival has been extended by one week — rather than closing on April 30 as planned, the festival’s last day is now slated for May 6. For those who want to get out of the Monmouth-Independence area, the festival can provide a break from studying. In addition to roaming the tulips, festival-goers can pick up food and purchase their own flowers. For people who choose to go specifically on the weekends, they can also take advantage of hot air balloon rides and a craft marketplace. Admission for the festival is $5 per person or $20 per full car.

There are a myriad of different on-campus music events happening this week. All of the events are free for Western students and offer a wide variety of tunes to listen to. On Wednesday, May 2 at 7:30 p.m., the music department is holding a showcase of current piano students and their work. The following day on May 3, junior Emmaly Basabara will be performing her junior violin recital. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. Rounding out the week of music events is a Friday night performance by the Salem String Quartet. The show is on May 4 at 7:30 p.m. as well. For those who are interested in seeing the string quartet, prices vary: $8 general admission, $5 for students and senior citizens, or free with a Western student ID.

From May 10 to May 12 Western’s dance department will be hosting the 10th annual Spring Dance Concert. The concert will feature numbers choreographed by students, faculty and Rainbow Dance Theatre. Tickets are $8 for students with a Western ID, $10 for senior citizens and $14 for general admission. Those who are interested in attending the dance concert can purchase tickets at the box office in Rice Auditorium.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu

Photo by: Elissa Sorenson

Barber’s propelled by his pursuits

Simson Garcia | Sports Editor

Numerous passions have kept junior Bernard Barber determined. In football, rugby, his major in business and his dream of firefighting, Barber contains a love for those things he’s committed to.

The way Barber sees it, a love for what he does tells him he’ll never have to work a day in his life — something his mother instilled in him since childhood.

A desire has always been there for him: football became his first love, growing up 10 minutes from the beach in west Long Beach, California. The game drove him up through his Lakewood High School days, to joining Western Oregon’s football team in his first year attending, to flag football and, now, rugby.

Not stopping at the football return or the rugby drop: ambition, fervor and will positioned Barber to excel in multiple sports. He’s thrown himself into the net of all that Western Oregon’s club and intramural sports offer.

This term, he’s signed up to play in intramurals for softball and volleyball, and soon will be involved in basketball.

In a day’s work, once these obligations are met with his teammates on the field or on the court, and after much time has been spent expelling efforts to the many demands from those sports he’s in, Barber will drive up to Keizer to work in his managerial position at Sonic.

“There’s different personalities, customers you have to deal with, but it’s taught me how to prioritize, and different obligations” said Barber. Prioritizing and keeping the right balance in anything, in general, is another lesson his mother raised him with.

Barber said sometimes he knows he’ll have to miss practice because of a work schedule, but it’s something he says he’s learned to manage.  

Understanding the different obligations of the various sports and activities he’s in, Barber has found not only the right leverage, but success even with some of the constraints.

He was a part of Western’s all-star intramural flag football team that competed in the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association championship in January 2018.

But football, the friendships he inherited with it and the family bond that’s been created has also had a strong influence to his willingness to be involved in many campus sports.

“The first thing I did when I came here was sign up for football, but I didn’t know anybody,” Barber noted. So, he built connections, like rugby teammate Chris Davis, who urged him to play rugby his first year. Since then, Barber’s started in every rugby game he’s played in.

“Ever since then, I’ve met people who I now call my brothers. It would be weird if I go a day without seeing them,” said Barber.

His competitiveness and work ethic may have been ignited at the age of six, after first experiencing the workings of his grandfather’s fire station and the engine he worked on during weekend visits. Looking back on the experience now, Barber mentions that his grandfather’s coworkers, “the ones that were on the same engine as him, say to me he really took a passion for what he did, and I’ve always looked up to him, as I have several pictures of us being at the fire station.”

Barber says becoming a fireman has been a dream since being around the fire station a number of times as a child: “I will never forget it, and at the time you’re just amazed at what’s around you …  But after studying up and going to seminars, I know that this is 100 percent what I want to do.”

If there was ever an urgent demand for firefighting, Barber realizes that time is now.

“I feel comfortable knowing the steps to become a fireman, I know what to do after I graduate, I know classes I need to take, I know the physical shape I need to be in,” he explained.

From the summer until late fall of 2017, California experienced some of the worst wildfire hazards on record.

According to the LA Times, the ten most destructive wildfires in California history have all occurred between September and December. Barber saw what happened in his home state and, after hearing from friends who live around the San Bernardino area and of the effect the recent fires have had on them, Barber has felt a calling to help communities in need.

But Barber’s relieved he’s one year away from graduating, and how soon he will get his chance to pursue a firefighting dream with efforts to aid. He’s hoping to attend fire school after graduation.

After college, he also plans to have a business career to fall back on. While he’s working on his degree, he’s narrowed his focus to marketing.

Barber commented, “I’d like to own my own business. I’ve always been a good people-person and business is something I can always fall back on. My mom is the CEO of her business and so that’s a big reason why I’m in pursuit of that.”

Through the sports he’s involved in, degrees he’s focused on and embellishments of multiple activities, the work he’s putting in now can only move Barber forward in pursuit of his ultimate dreams and aspirations.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

 

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