Mount Hood

Turbulence and triumph

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

In 1982, Wolves volleyball won only one game.

For their final home game, they hosted the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans, who had won the 1981 national championship. The Vulcans trashed the Wolves 2-15, 2-15, 1-15.

Despite the margins, head coach Joe Caligure said after the game, “They didn’t impress me as being number one.”

1983 saw the program hire its third new coach in three years. The team needed a solution, and Gene Krieger was chosen to solve it.
He brought in a number of high profile recruits and transfer students.

His high rate of recruitment helped the Wolves boom from a 1-22 record in 1982 to 20-15.

Joining the ranks in 1984 was all-state high school recruit setter Jody Sunde.

To test their mettle, the Wolves traveled to Hawaii to open the season. Foremost among their competitors were third-time national champions Hawaii-Hilo. The Wolves held their own and split matches, and Krieger said they should be considered among the top 10 in the nation.

Such notoriety was slow to come. To get the attention of the NAIA polls, they had to earn it. And so they did.

By Oct. 11 they had strung together a series of blowouts: 17 wins, including an eight game streak where they didn’t lose a single set.

At the end of the year they won the conference title. Krieger was voted coach of the year and the Wolves were ranked eighth in the nation.

They opened the District 2 playoffs with finesse, taking down Pacific University, 15-8, 15-7, 15-1. They further bullied their second opponents, beating George Fox 15-7, 15-10, 15-4. For the semi-final they beat second-seed Portland 15-5, 15-12, 15-7.

The playoffs were double elimination, and Portland was still alive to face the Wolves again. This time Western fell, 6-15, 11-15, 10-15.

A sudden-death final match would decide the district title.

The Wolves pulled out a tight win, 15-13, to become champions. The road to their first ever national tournament now lay in front of them: a tri-district regional playoff.

First they faced Gonzaga, and the Wolves were easily favorited over the unranked Bulldogs. The real test would be Hawaii-Hilo, who awaited the Western Oregon-Gonzaga winner.

That test would never come. The Wolves dropped the game to Gonzaga over five sets, 14-16, 15-10, 8-15, 15-3, 8-15.

There was still great pride in what the program had accomplished in such a short amount of time: from heavy underdogs to heavy favorites in two years.

In Feb. 1985, it was revealed that coach Krieger had given money to recruits. The Wolfpack Athletic Club was forming as a way to give athletes financial aid. The money its sponsors were donating had been an important part of Krieger’s recruiting, but the club was not yet active.

“I told the kids there would be money,” Krieger said in a statement. “What was I to do? Wait for the club to get together and not give the kids the money I had promised, or give it out myself? Everything was documented. I didn’t try to hide anything.”

Above board or not, the NAIA forbade “the provision of money to players by coaches.” Krieger resigned.

He was tapped by Nevada Reno to take over their coaching job, and Jody Sunde and the all-league Sue Denison intended to transfer to Reno with him. Ultimately, Reno passed on Krieger and Sunde stayed in Monmouth. Denison still left.

The 1985 Wolves, under new head coach Jim Callender, repeated their district championship and again faced Gonzaga. This time it was a bi-district playoff. This time the Wolves only had to win once to make nationals.

This time they did.

They traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first Western Oregon volleyball team to play in the national tournament.

Come 1987, Jim Callender took a new job at Division I Memphis and the Western Oregon coaching door continued to revolve. A local was selected this time: Judy Lovre, who had coached Corvallis High to four state titles.

Lovre inherited an experienced team. Only one player was lost to graduation, and she was replaced by Washington Huskies transfer Lori Sappington.

At the end of the 1987 regular season, Judy Lovre’s Wolves were ranked fourth in the nation, the first Western team to crack the top five. They won the conference and district tournaments. And they went all the way to the national championship game.

Though they lost to BYU-Hawaii, who picked up their second consecutive national title, the Wolves returned to Monmouth with another kind of victory. At second in the nation, no Western Oregon team in any sport had ever accomplished so much.

Jody Sunde and Lori Sappington were named All-Americans. They returned, for their senior year, the veterans on a team that lost many to graduation.
Despite a high turnover in players, the Wolves didn’t backslide. In fact, when they made it to the national tournament in 1988, they did even better, and won every single set in their group stage.

They advanced through the double-elimination bracket with ease until they faced Hawaii-Hilo. The Wolves lost to the Vulcans, 7-15, 11-15. They rebounded with a three-set win over Hawaii Pacific and met Hawaii-Hilo for the national title.

For the second year in a row, the Wolves earned second place. Jody Sunde was even named the Reebok player of the year.

Lovre remained head coach of Wolves volleyball until 2004. Over that time she amassed 489 victories, becoming the winningest coach in Western Oregon history. Lovre’s Wolves were the country’s most fearsome mainland team – the 41 NAIA tournament wins that Western Oregon recorded were third only to BYU-Hawaii and Hawaii-Hilo.

Gene Krieger made his coaching rebound at Westmont College in 1987, and since then has helmed many teams. In March, 2017, he landed a new gig. Beginning this fall, he will be the head coach of the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans.

Contact the author at journal sports@wou.edu

Campus music recommendations

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

“The one everyone’s talking about right now is Kendrick Lamar’s new album ‘DAMN.’ I’d recommend that one. It’s hip hop so, if you like hip hop, I’d recommend it.”
Daniel Villegas, sophomore, criminal justice

“John Mayer’s ‘The Search For Everything’ is a really good one. He uses a whole bunch of expressions in his lyrics that apply to everyone.”
Austin Monk, senior, interdisciplinary studies

“‘I’m the One’ by DJ Khaled, there are just a bunch of different artists in it.”

Tiffany Applegate, freshman, business

“I’d recommend Mac Demarco’s ‘This Old Dog,’ it’s a really good album for people who like alternative, psychedelic or indie rock.”

Lisette Cervantes, sophomore, psychology

Fighting to improve the lives of Oregon women and girls

By: Paige Scofield
Campus Life Editor

On May 11, Abby’s house hosted guest speaker Emily Evans, the executive director of the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, to present her lecture, “Count Her In.” The director of Abby’s House at Western, Dr. Aislinn Addington, introduced Evans to the full crowd of the Willamette Room, who were eager to hear the presentation.

The Women’s Foundation of Oregon’s “mission is to focus the power of women’s collective resources to improve the lives of women and girls throughout Oregon,” explained Addington. “The ‘Count Her In’ report is the first comprehensive research on this topic for more than 20 years, and now is the most expansive, actionable and inclusive analysis of Oregon women and girls to date.”

Evans explained that the “Count Her In” report was information compiled from different towns in Oregon.

“We made 14 different stops all around the state. We heard from a thousand women and girls. We had sessions in Spanish, Somali, Russian and we heard from a really good cross section based on race, education level, income, geography and age,” explained Evans. “What we heard was a really resounding understanding of what the challenges are for women and girls in Oregon. Turns out women and girls in Oregon know exactly what’s wrong, and what they told us matched up perfectly with the data.”

“If there is one thing, one single sentence that you take away from this session here today, it’s this: women and girls in Oregon are contributing an extraordinary amount to communities all across the state, and in return they’re facing some of the starkest gender inequities in the country,” stated Evans.

Evans wanted to begin with the great things that Oregon women and girls excel at in comparison to other states, rather than begin with the things they lack. So Evans began discussing the, “Eight to Celebrate,” which include: civic engagement, caregiving, minimal violent crime, highest rate of physical activities than any other state, education and health care jobs, generosity with money and time, elected at higher rates in public service than other states and Oregon girls met the state’s 2025 goal for college graduation rates in 2014.

Though these eight achievements are something to celebrate, there are still many things that need to be worked on to improve the lives of women and girls in Oregon, and those are “The Eight that Can’t Wait,” which include: violence against women, systemic racism, the cost of caregiving, gaps in reproductive health access, wage and wealth gap, economic fragility, mental health challenges and the public/private glass ceilings.

“These are the eight issues that rose to the top in three ways,” said Evans. “The first is there was a discrepancy between how men and boys in Oregon were doing, and how women and girls in Oregon were doing. The next is there was a discrepancy between how women and girls in Oregon were doing versus women and girls nationally. And the final one is that these eight were the ones that rose to the top in every single community we visited.”

The “Count Her In” report has put together a list of five things that every Oregonian can do to help make life for Oregon women and girls better, and they are, asking questions, voting, donating, sharing information and recognizing the struggles Oregonian women and girls face.

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu

The “Pageant” gets cancelled

By: Zoe Strickland
Managing Editor

This started out as a review of “Pageant,” the sophomore album of the would-be up-and-coming queer rock band PWR BTTM. However, due to recent allegations, PWR BTTM has been dropped by their label.

The record label, Polyvinyl, announced on May 12 that they were dropping PWR BTTM due to allegations that one half of the duo, Ben Hopkins, sexually coerced and assaulted people while on tour.

As a result of these allegations, the band has been taken off of the label’s website.

On March 13, Polyvinyl released a statement regarding the allegations, “Throughout our 20 years, Polyvinyl has purposefully operated on the core principle that everyone deserves to be treated with fairness and respect. There is absolutely no place in the world for hate, violence, abuse, discrimination or predatory behavior of any kind. In keeping with this philosophy, we want to let everyone know that we are ceasing to sell and distribute PWR BTTM’s music.”

Similarly, the label is offering full refunds to anyone who has purchased PWR BTTM products.

The story broke on Jezebel, where they interviewed a member of the LGBTQ+ community who accused Hopkins of being a “‘known sexual predator’ who has perpetrated multiple assaults, bullied other people in the queer community, and has made unwanted advances towards underage minors.”

Being let go from a label isn’t the only thing to happen to the band; touring members of PWR BTTM, as well as multiple tour openers, have dropped out of PWR BTTM’s upcoming tour and their management company has dropped their representation.

“These allegations are shocking to us and we take them very seriously. Further, the alleged behavior is not representative of who Ben is and the manner in which they try to conduct themselves … Our primary goal here is to ensure that a survivor of abuse has a voice, that their story should be heard and that people who cross the line should be held accountable,” read a statement from May 11 that was released by the band on their Twitter account.

The band has also set up an email account wherein survivors of assault can discuss the allegations against Hopkins. According to the statement released by the band, the only person with access to this email will be a neutral mediator.

PWR BTTM’s songs continuously preach messages of acceptance and advocacy, and Hopkins’ alleged actions represent the opposite of what the band tries to promote.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Review: “Master of None” season two

By: Alyssa James
Staff Writer

The Netflix original series “Master of None” had many positive and raving reviews with its first season, released in 2015. Over the past two years, fans have awaited the return of Aziz Ansari’s comedy series. On May 12, the second season was released for streaming on Netflix.

Ansari, actor and creator of the show, nailed the second season with fresh new episodes following Dev, a 30-year-old aspiring actor from New York, and his life. The show focuses on many aspects that truly portray what it is like to live in the year 2017. One of the best attributes within this show is the focus on technology and social media and how it relates to the young people living in today’s age. It truly represents the dating culture that is present within society regarding technology.
Along with that, there are appearances from old characters. While there are old characters present, they are not the main focus of Dev’s life in this season. Adding new characters was a good choice because it opened up many more opportunities for episodes. While the last season focused mainly on his relationship with Rachel, this season shows a different side of Dev and how he now chooses to live his life.

On a 1-to-10 star rating scale, “Master of None” deserves a 10 for authenticity and originality. Ansari shows his true talent in his show, not only as an actor but as the creator of it. It brings humor into real life situations that leave the audience laughing and wanting more. More than that, it’s a binge-worthy show and super quick to watch. “Master of None” is perfect for a student wanting to dive into a new show but not wanting to commit hours on end to watching television.

Contact the author at ajames16@mail.wou.edu

Interaction and understanding

By: Jasmine Morrow
Staffwriter

The Community Lecture Series is an event that happens every month on Western’s campus where many of Western’s professors get the opportunity to lecture and discuss issues that they think need to be brought to the attention of Western students.

This month, Dr. Robert Troyer presented his lecture entitled, “Global Learning: Bring the World to WOU Students.” Troyer is an associate professor of linguistics and the academic advisor for international students at Western. In his lecture, Troyer discussed why diversity is so important to have on campus and in one’s life.

With diversity, everyone can grow and learn from one another. Interaction can be helpful to understanding different cultures, by communicating with different students and faculty, taking multiple types of coursework, studying abroad, joining clubs and going to events on campus. Everyone comes from different backgrounds, different countries and speaks different languages. Comprehending different languages can be difficult, because of everyone’s individual dialects. During the presentation, Troyer had the group do a listening practice, where he played a Hong Kong woman speaking English. With that exercise, the audience was able to hear the differences between an American accent and the woman’s accent.

Listening to different accents can help one become more confident with listening and comprehending other people’s ways of pronouncing words. Sometimes there is a subconscious stereotype with accents and it can be harder for the participating speakers and listeners. Familiarity leads to an increased comprehension. It’s a two-way street, it all depends on the attitude of the two people listening and speaking.

Understanding language diversity can be extremely helpful for future knowledge, because the world population is growing, and everyone has to learn to live with each other. Within the Global Community, understanding can go a lot more smoothly if those who live in it strive to truly understand one another.

Troyer wanted people to get an idea of diversity at Western and help the students understand diversity. Diversity is extremely important to him because his family is bilingual and multiethnic. His research is on different minorities and languages that are in multilingual situations.

Learning diversity is all about seeing different perspectives. People in different cultures are going to do things differently than what one is used to seeing, and accepting that is crucial. Troyer had the group he was presenting to read an article titled, “Seek Out Strangers” by Dan Everett. In the article, Everett explained how it’s difficult for someone to learn something from the people around them – people who are culturally the same as them. They have to go out and learn from different cultures and accept diversity.

Contact the author at jmorrow16@wou.edu

Community spotlight: Second Chance Books

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Just down the road from Monmouth sits Second Chance Books, a used bookstore tucked into Main Street, Independence and a wonderland for book lovers. Shelves stand seven feet tall filled up with books of all genres. The store extends back through narrow corridors that are lined with even more books that lead to poetry, drama, travel and much more. Cozy chairs sit in some aisles welcoming customers to come in and stay a while.

“We opened in 1991. We were originally across from Highway 99 and then we moved to this location about eight years ago,” said Dina Carter, co-owner of Second Chance Books.

Dina runs the store alongside her husband, Steve Carter. The store is open seven days a week and provides something fun to do on lazy Sundays.

“Students get in a little bubble up in Monmouth and don’t seem to know that there’s anything over here, which isn’t all that far away,” added Carter. “We’re also open on Sundays too, where not a lot of places around here are.”

Second Chance Books doesn’t just sell books, they buy used books as well.

“If customers bring in their books that they don’t want, we’ll give them half of what we’ll sell it for in trade credit and that credit can be used for half of what they pick up at the store,” said Carter.

There was also a book signing being held in front of the store. Activities such as that can be found on Second Chance Books’ Facebook page.

Dina and Steve Carter also enjoy supporting Western, they’ve donated to the Smith Fine Arts Series and they’ve donated gift certificates to auctions at Western.

“I’m always happy to see students in and I’m always encouraged that they want the physical book as opposed to the electronic gadget,” added Carter.

Second Chance Books can be found right on Main Street Independence and is open seven days a week. Check out more on their Facebook page or online at their Abebooks.com page.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

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