Mount Hood

27,660 flags, 13 million lives

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

One by one, volunteers drive colorful flags into the soggy grass on Monmouth Avenue. Rain is the only sound that can be heard as the students, staff and faculty silently reflect on the annual display —  27,660 flags that represent the deaths of over 13 million individuals during the Holocaust.

“I thought it was really cool that our community would actually do something like this,” said freshman psychology major Alicia Ojeda. Ojeda was one of the numerous volunteers that helped place the flags in the ground on the evening of April 11.

First-year psychology major Brooklyn Giles reflected on how she felt helping set up the display.

“Yesterday, when I was putting them down, it was just really impactful. I couldn’t believe this happened,” described Giles. “Putting in a flag seems so simple, but to someone who was either a victim and still may be alive or a family member … it could mean more than just putting a flag in the ground for them.”

This annual display hosted by Student Engagement falls on Yom HaShoah, a Jewish day of remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust. Around the world, this day of remembrance began on the evening of April 11 and ended on the evening of April 12.

“Part of what makes this event so powerful is that it’s here and then it’s gone,” explained John Wilkins, Coordinator for Leadership and Inclusion for Student Engagement. Wilkins is in charge of coordinating the flags, signage and volunteers for the display. He noted that the display reveals a powerful and important piece of history that needs to be commemorated.

“I think we remember it so it doesn’t happen again,” said Wilkins.

Senior social science major Sara Madden is exploring the topic of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust in her honors thesis. Her interest in this topic started years ago when she visited a concentration camp in Germany. Even Madden, who has been studying this time period for years, found herself impacted by the display.

“There’s something about reading it in a textbook that doesn’t hit you the same way as actually seeing it,” Madden expressed. “It makes it so much more real and easier to relate to.”

Madden also noted that the display gives a holistic view of the victims of the Holocaust. Not only are the six million Jewish individuals that lost their lives represented, but various flags also represent people with disabilities, Spanish republicans, Polish Catholics, LGBTQ+ individuals, Roma and Sinti tribes, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Serbians and Soviet prisoners of war.

“For me, I’ve only really focused on the Jewish impact during the Holocaust,” explained Madden. “But I know there’s so many other types of people and demographics that were affected. I really like how the different flag colors emphasize that.”

A documentary called “Orchestra of Exiles” showing on May 3rd at 7 p.m. in the Willamette Room will continue the education and awareness of the Holocaust on Western’s campus.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Getting crafty with cosmetics

Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor

You’ve put together the perfect outfit from head to toe, you’re almost ready to head out the door, but at the last second you decide you need one last thing to tie your entire look together: the right lip shade. You could search through your mountain of half-used lipsticks and hope that one will be just the right hue to perfectly upgrade your style, but odds are, none are going to be exactly what you’re looking for. That’s when DIY lipsticks come in handy.

Simple to make and created specifically for you, these straightforward projects take only a few ingredients and only a couple minutes of actual time to get them created. Never again will you have to dig through endless tubes of lipstick to find the right shade – just make that shade yourself.

 

What you’ll need:

1 tube of lip balm

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon of olive oil

1 Crayola crayon of whatever color you’d like (or a different brand, just make sure it isn’t too waxy)

Optional — an old eyeshadow you don’t use in a color you like

 

Instructions:

  1. Empty the contents of the entire tube of lip balm into a microwave safe bowl. Peel the wrapping off of your crayon and add that in. Melt this in the microwave for about two minutes, or until the wax melts. Check periodically, as melting wax in the microwave can be dangerous.
  2. Add the vanilla and the olive oil to the lipstick and mix with a fork or toothpick, as it will dry and harden on a spoon too quickly.
  3. Pour the contents back into your lip balm container.
  4. Allow this to cool, which would take about an hour or so.
  5. Note: As an alternative to the crayon approach, you can use eyeshadow for a more matte look. With this option, follow all of the previous steps, but without the crayon. Between step one and step two, add as much eyeshadow as you deem necessary until you reach the right shade.

Instructions from instructables.com

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Can’t cope, won’t cope

Zoë Strickland | Editor-in-Chief

I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but the past couple years have been a bit stressful. Regardless of what side you’re on, the election has taken its toll and, in recent months, it’s hard to open up a tech device without getting piles of notifications about scandals or court trials. It’s virtually impossible to stay connected on social media without receiving countless notifications about breaking news. So, in a world where news is being shoved down the throats of the populous 24/7, how do we cope? Well, dear reader, I think we’ve begun coping with memes.

As someone who identifies as being at least moderately hoity-toity, I generally try and downplay the level of internet trash that I am. However, I’m internet trash and the internet has been excessively trashy lately — particularly when it comes to avoiding any semblance of stressful information.

Hear me out: I love a good vine compilation and I live for crappy Kermit/tea combinations. However, at least throughout my own journey through the internet, it seems like people are using humor more and more to just avoid the reality of what’s going on in the world around them. Instead of having compelling conversations about rights or privacy, people are instead posting images that use sarcasm as a way of conveying information — it’s like the extreme version of people who only got their news from watching “The Colbert Report” or “The Daily Show.” It works by bare-minimum standards, but it could definitely be better.

Take, for example, the most recent Mark Zuckerberg case: a trial wherein Zuck’ had to stand before Congress because of a Facebook security breach. Rather than hearing actual news about the trial or the questions and comments made, my feed was clogged with jokes about his hair, his makeshift booster seat and comments about his childlike demeanor. Though some of the jokes made were harmless, they detract from the issue at hand. In cases like these, they can get in the way of information that could be beneficial — especially since Facebook reports having over one billion users. Where people should have been concerned about the security breach and the power that Facebook has, they were instead focused on infantilizing a grown adult.

Though I think that memes are a way of avoidance, there’s also an argument to be made in favor of memes as a way of allowing people to detract from reality in a way that’s positive for their mental health. Humor can be healing, and it’s important to acknowledge that.

Many marginalized groups use this type of online humor to connect with people that share similar circumstances.

“Increasingly, identity-based virtual communities are becoming invaluable tools for fostering solidarity and healing, and for providing humor in the face of socio-political adversity,” explained writer Ludmilla Leiva in a March 2017 piece for Wired. “Finding amusement in dire circumstances has been both empowering and cathartic, and though I still participate in other types of activism, memes have become my favorite form of resistance.”

While I think that using different media to form relationships with people in your community is important, that isn’t all they’re used for.

Instead of blindly jumping on the newest internet bandwagon, I think we should start evaluating the ramifications of the ‘harmless’ jokes we share on social media. Are we doing it as a way of contributing to the conversation, or as a way of withdrawing from reality?

Contact the author at zstrickland14@wou.edu

Beauty shouldn’t hurt

Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor

When you test out a new mascara to see what it can do for your lashes, do you think about the animals it was tested on before it reached stores? When you’re applying your eyeliner in the morning, do you think of how those ingredients were applied to an animal’s shaved skin, causing incredible irritation without any pain relief, before you were able to purchase it? The sad reality is many cosmetic brands that you’ve been using for as long as you can remember are guilty of exposing animals to the harsh testing done to create those different products. According to onegreenplanet.org, while animal testing is not required by the Federal Drug Administration, there are still 100 million animals that are subject to these painful tests every single year.

If you were unaware of this, or if you were aware but simply could not find a good option to replace the cosmetics you use now, I’ve compiled a list of cruelty-free options that will make it an easy transition away from brands that choose to test on animals.

You don’t have to say goodbye to the looks you know and love; instead, just recreate the new look with cosmetics that won’t cause anyone pain. Because when it comes down to it, beauty shouldn’t hurt — for people or for animals.

 

Foundation

If you used: MAC Pro Longwear Foundation

Try instead: Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation, priced $35 at Sephora

 

Mascara

If you used: They’re Real Benefit Mascara

Try instead: Milani Lash Trifecta Mascara, priced $7.99 at Target

 

Liquid Eyeliner

If you used: Maybelline’s Line Stiletto Ultimate Precision Liquid Eyeliner

Try instead: e.l.f. Cosmetics liquid eyeliner, priced $2 at Target

 

Blush

If you used: MAC Powder Blush

Try instead: Too Faced Sweethearts Blush, priced $26 at Macy’s

 

Eyeshadow

If you used: Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow Slate

Try instead: Urban Decay Naked Basics, priced $19 at Ulta Beauty

 

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photo by: pexels.com

MVP Corner: Lillard Time

Simson Garcia | Sports Editor

The NBA’s 2017-2018 season will be one to remember. James Harden and LeBron James have played up to MVP standards and, while both are heavily favored for the award, Damian Lillard’s breakout year should also be worth consideration. He’s had an MVP type year, no doubt, and here are a few unique reasons why.
Let’s break away from the obvious as Lillard’s helped the Portland Trail Blazers surpass expectations by sporting records better than San Antonio and Oklahoma City, teams with multiple stars. He’s upped his game in shooting, passing and even defense apparatuses this year. Without him, Portland certainly wouldn’t be where they are now. But MVP caliber seasons have something that sticks out from the rest.
Last year, 42 triple doubles, the most ever in a season, helped award Russell Westbrook the MVP. Lillard certainly has a few things up his sleeve this year, too, that puts him in MVPn conversations among NBA pundits. Known in his career for clutch performances during crunch time, the numbers tell it this year and should help place him in consideration for the award.
Down to the wire is where it counts — it’s what fans remember. Everybody remembers MJ and Kobe’s clutch moments. This season showed that Lillard is better than both Harden and James by a mile when the game’s in the balance. In one of the most clutch situations — the free-throw line — Lillard has followed through making 33-36. This was when the game was under five minutes left while neither team was ahead by more than five points, according to NBA Miner.
If stretched a few feet further out to three-point, he’s still better than Harden and James when one considers this interesting stat: Lillard improves his three-point percentage in clutch situations by .385. James drops by .045. Harden declines by .067. In fact, both drop off drastically in free-throw percentages as well.
When one remembers remarkable MVP-like seasons with wire-to-wire finishes — and Lillard’s had many — they’ll remember his time. That’s now.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Photo by: oregonlive.com

Wolves get even with Cavs

Simson Garcia | Sports Editor

A move to Concordia’s softball facility in Portland changed Western’s playing field as rainouts caused a shift of four home games. But the Wolves evened up the series from April 14-15.
Game one went to the Wolves and their junior pitcher, Haley Fabian, who took command, carrying them to a 3-0 victory. The Cavaliers could not get more than three at-bats throughout the innings. In all, Fabian threw 5 strikeouts, and allowed only three hits and a walk. Fabian’s pitching helped open up the game for the offense to score, running three in, in her complete game shutout.
Concordia was kept scoreless to start the second game as Western’s junior infielder Ryanne Huffman led the way. With 18 runs batted in on the season, she showed for it after a triple allowed for her and first-year utility Tyler Creach to score it 2-0. The game was a back and forth jostle after Concordia came back slashing to a 3-2 lead. The Wolves loaded the bases in the fifth that helped tie the game and returned the advantage in the sixth, 4-3. But the Cavaliers found their niche, and scored four straight runs in the final inning for the 7-5 win to tie the series.  
The Wolves’s early batting order has had a knack for striking initial momentum in games this season and set the pace for the rest of game three. Creach, usually first in the batting order before Huffman, who’s hit to a .405 batting average with 10 RBI’s up to game three’s meeting, did so. The speedy utility scored on all four at-bats shaping the game in Western’s favor and eventual win, 8-4, and series advantage.
Concordia, however, wanted to even things up and made that clear in the final meeting. They’d score six runs up until the seventh. Sophomore outfielder Ayanna Arceneaux and Creach found RBI doubles one right after the other to help score three, but it only avoided a shutout as the Cavaliers prevailed, 6-3, to even the series.
Softball’s scheduled for another four games from April 21-22. They’ll go toe-to-toe with the Montana State-Billlings Yellowjackets. The first throw in game one is at noon. The games are subject to change in case of rainouts.
Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Photo by: wouwolves.com

Bringing students together, one egg at a time

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

The WOU Student Veterans of America and Residence Hall Association took on the role of the Easter bunny during the second week in April, for their second annual Easter Egg Hunt. Eggs scattered around campus invited determined students to take part in the search in order to win prizes and candy from the veterans center.

WOU Student Veterans of America president Shane Follett explained that the Easter Egg Hunt was an idea brought back from the Student Veterans of America National Conference in 2016. He was excited to implement something that would get student veterans involved on campus.

“For me, the primary purpose is to get that interaction between military and non-military affiliated students,” Follett expressed. The event also helped advertise the center itself as a place where both veterans and non-veterans can hang out, do homework and connect with other students.

“It lets people know that the vet center is here, we do have one on campus,” said Follett. The 2017 Easter Egg Hunt helped to build connections between student veterans and the community, which is one reason why the club was named Chapter of the Year at the 2018 SVA National Conference.

Members of SVA and RHA woke up bright and early every day, sometimes in the middle of the night, to hide nearly 75 eggs along Monmouth Ave. There they waited until students came to campus in the morning and began to search.

Instructions inside the eggs informed students to stop by the Veterans center to claim their prize. This included board games, candy, bluetooth speakers, Rokus, iHomes and the grand prize of a 50-inch 4k TV.

Follett enjoyed seeing students walk into the veterans center with excitement and walk out with a prize.

“It is getting people in the door. They are coming in and interacting with veterans that they may have had a class with and not even known they were a veteran.” He also noted that there is a stigma that exists around veterans, and events like these help to break that down. Follett explained, “It’s definitely getting the larger student population more comfortable around veterans.”

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

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