Mount Hood

Life after college and the climb to get there

By: Shaylie Pickerel
Staff Writer

For all those students that will be graduating soon, all your worries and curiosities of what it’ll be like after college have been addressed.

On Nov. 1, the Service Learning and Career Development office put on a, “World after WOU,” event in the Werner University Center. During this event, Western students had the chance to ask questions and visit with alumni about what life is like after college. Set up like speed dating, groups of students received eight minutes with each alumni and then switched tables when the timer was up. There were alumni from as recent as June 2016, as well as alumni from 1994 and 1967. It provided a wide variety of experiences and advice for students to learn from, as well as opened work opportunities.

One thing that all the alumni agreed upon was the importance of meeting people. When asked what the best way to find a job or career path after college was, Bella Borja, an alumni from June of this year, said, “The most helpful thing is networking and meeting people.”

All the alumni had varying responses, but all underlined the theme of knowing people. “It’s about who you know, not what you know,” said Kelly Noack, an alumni from 2013. The alumni also gave students great advice on what to do and what not to do in interviews, the importance of organization and how helpful it can be to have public speaking skills.

Having organizational skills isn’t just important for school, it’s a valuable everyday life skill. “You’ll want to keep organization skills with you throughout college and life. It’s not only helpful to you, but you’ll also be able to help others more,” said Arielle Schultz, an alumni from 2015 said.

It’s clear that having such a simple skill can make you valuable in a work environment as well. If any soon to be graduates or any students who want to get ahead of the curve and be put on the right path, you can always contact the SLCD at slcd@wou.edu, or find them in the Werner University Center room 119 from Monday to Friday. Wolf Link is also a great way to stay connected on all job openings, internships and volunteer opportunities.

Contact the author at: spickrell15@wou.edu

Top twenty finishes for Ribich, Rufener

cross-country-ribich-colorwouwolves

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

David Ribich was selected to the All-Region cross country team as Wolves runners closed out their season at the NCAA Division II regional championships.

Reliable racers Ribich and Kennedy Rufener were again the top Wolves finishers. The contest was hosted by Montana State University Billings on Nov. 5.

Ribich came in 15th overall for the men’s race, a 10,000 meter course, crossing the finish line at 30:36.07.

The women’s course was a 6,000 meter track. Rufener claimed a 27th place finish as she crossed the finish line at 22:11.25.

Competitive racing down the ticket lead the women’s team to place 11th overall on the scorecards while the men’s team placed 14th.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

The greatest bull bash of all time

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Beneath the lights of the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Cooper Davis sat on the back of a white speckled bull named Catfish John.

The 22 year-old Texas cowboy was behind two clear favorites to win the Professional Bull Riding title going into the fifth and final go-round.

J.B. Mauney. A two time world champion, Mauney rode the only 90-point ride of this year’s competition just the day before. Mauney just might be the best in the world.

Kaique Pacheco was the one on top of the leaderboard. Many consider him the next-to-be best in the world. If he won the 2016 golden buckle he would no longer have to be “next.”

Catfish John is an ornery snot. He was raised up by a North Dakota outfit that was crowned the PBR contractors of the year.

But this was Davis’ last chance.

Cooper Davis was not alone in hunting after Mauney and Pacheco. The Cherokee Kid Ryan Dirteater had a personal best season. He was ranked fourth in the world and first in the event. Though he hadn’t won a round in Vegas, he was the only one to go 5-for-5, successfully riding a bull every single night. This was despite the fact that he lacerated a lung in August.

It’s not every year that the deciding round comes this late. In 2015 Mauney had the whole deal sealed by round four. In fact, with four title seekers in round five, this was the closest championship race in PBR history.

Davis had been on top of Catfish John before. The two met in Sioux Falls earlier this year, where Davis rode the bull and got eight-eight points out of him.

When the chute opened in Vegas, bull and rider came out in a blast. Catfish John got to spinning to the right, in a tight circle. The bull moved in a reliable pattern. Little variation, lots of velocity.

Just like in Sioux Falls.

When the scores came in he had a 91 point ride and took the lead in the standings.

The last go-round came to end the whole event. Pacheco could take the lead back.

The young gun was joined by his countryman Guilherme Marchi. The old man has 14 more years of experience than Pacheco. Also unlike Pacheco, he wears a cowboy hat when he rides, not a helmet. And while Pacheco is the ideal height and weight for a bull rider, the six foot Marchi is a lot bigger than most in his profession.

Vegas has always been kind to Marchi. He was now ranked sixth in the world despite not being in the top ten when the first night kicked off.

In the championship round he drew Red Rover. Red Rover, the bull that’s never been rode.

Or never had been, until Guilherme Marchi rode him.

He got 87.5 points off of Red Rover, enough to finish second in the entire event. Dirteater was named the event winner after going 6-for-6 with a last ride on Brutus.

Pacheco was not so lucky. When he got thrown in the final round, it finally decided the world champion.

And the winner of the tightest title race in PBR history was a 22 year-old Texan named Cooper Davis.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Wolves fall to Azusa Pacific University

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

Wolves football was stifled on the road by Azusa Pacific University. An improved second half performance didn’t translate to points and Western fell, 8-33.

Early on, three-and-outs became the standard for the Wolves as the powerful defense of 13th ranked APU kept forcing on the punting unit.

Partway through the third quarter, Nick Duckworth replaced starting quarterback Philip Fenumiai. Fenumiai only completed one pass on the day, thrown to running back Torreahno Sweet for no gain.

Duckworth went 11-for-20. Wideout Paul Revis became his most reliable target, including the 70 yard pass that became the Wolves’ only touchdown. Duckworth finished with 165 yards.

“In the first half I noticed we had some favorable matchups, especially with Paul,” Duckworth said. “Looking ahead to Simon we just have to get the ball into our playmakers’ hands. We have a lot of weapons on offense.”

This week the Wolves go north of the border to face Simon Fraser University. Duckworth and Revis lead the Wolves to steamroll over SFU earlier in the year.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

The Tuition Choice: Western gives it’s students the power to decide how they pay tuition

tuition-choice-colorwou-edu

By: Jade Rayner
News Editor

Western Oregon University offers countless opportunities to its students, but one of many that sets Western apart from other universities is the option to choose your own tuition plan upon once being admitted to the university.

The Tuition Choice gives students the power to choose how they want to be billed for tuition in their four years here at Western. The choice outlines two plans: the Tuition Promise, a new plan that offers students a guaranteed fixed-rate tuition for their first four years as an undergrad at Western, and the Traditional Plan which is subject to potential annual tuition increases.

According to the WOU Admissions website, the Tuition Promise is a “save later” plan that is outlined to save students money in the long run. A first time student this year, 2016-2017, on the Tuition Promise would begin with a tuition rate that is about 4.2 percent higher than the 2015-2016 rate, but it will remain unchanged for four years. While the student is estimated to pay more in their first two years at Western, they are set up to potentially save more in their last two years due to annual tuition increases.

On the other hand, the Traditional Plan is a “save now” tuition plan that starts at a lower price, but will shift with annual tuition changes. For a student beginning their undergraduate at Western in the 2016-2017 year, they are estimated by WOU Admissions to save more than $1,000 on tuition and fees in their first year than a student on the Tuition Promise. It is estimated that opposite to the Tuition Promise, the Traditional Plan will save more their first two years, but could end up spending more than the Tuition Promise price their last two years.

When comparing the numbers on the graph provided on the WOU Admissions website, a student could save more altogether on the Traditional Plan, but it isn’t guaranteed since tuition rates are subject to change annually. With the Tuition Promise, a student may end up spending more at first, but there is the potential to save money if tuition rates increase at an unexpected rate.

As a first time student at Western Oregon University you had the chance to choose your own tuition plan. It is important to note that the plan you chose sticks with you for four years, and cannot be changed after your first class here at Western.

An opportunity to love and support yourself and others

By: Jasmine Morrow
Staff Writer

Triangle Alliance is a social organization and club on campus for the LGBT+ community, as well as anyone else who wants to join. There’s a meeting every week on Wednesdays from 4-5 p.m. in the Health & Wellness Center room 301

The meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 2 began with everyone introducing themselves to the group to participate in what they call the Whip Around. Triangle Alliance’s Vice President, Sydney Culpepper, talked about and described polyamory. Discussing with the group that polyamory is being in a committed relationship with two or more people with consent and understanding.

During the hour meeting, the attendees also participated in events and games. On a slideshow were bad movie plot descriptions and everyone had to guess the movie title. It got somewhat competitive, but in the end, everyone had fun and was laughing at the horrible and funny plot descriptions. While people were guessing the movie titles, President Casi Healy gave everyone an incentive ticket. Incentive tickets are handed out at meetings and serve as an opportunity for meeting attendees to win a prize. The prize this week was a rainbow colored lanyard.

Towards the end of the meeting, there was an opportunity to talk about what is going on in everyone’s lives; the good and the bad. If someone shared something sad, Sam Stageman, the activities director, would pull up pictures of puppies to lighten the mood and to make everyone feel better. The meetings are always helpful and everyone is supportive of one another. There are upcoming events that the Triangle Alliance is hosting, look around campus for posters to make sure you don’t miss a wonderful time.

Contact author at jmorrow16@mail.wou.edu

Supporting those with diabetes this November

By: Sadie Moses, 
Freelancer

29 million people face Diabetes face every day. November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, and awareness has become more important than ever before.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 1 in 11 people have the disease, while 86 million are at risk to contract it. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. It can lead to diabetes-inforgraph-colordiabetes-orgconditions such as heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, blindness and eye problems.

The most important part of this month is simply getting informed.

Diabetes is diagnosed as either one of two types. Type one is characterized by the body’s failure to produce insulin. Usually, type one is genetic. Therapy can help people with this type live long, normal lives. While less people are diagnosed with type one, those people are generally youth from childhood to age 20, meaning that many are college students.

Type two, on the other hand, is the most common form of diabetes, characterized by the body failing to use insulin properly and caused by either genetics or lifestyle choices. While those in the early stages of this type may not need glucose supplements, type two is known to get worse over time, and most need medications later on.

People with diabetes can face hypoglycemia, also known as insulin shock. It is a condition where one has abnormally low glucose levels that can result in a wide range of symptoms.

Left untreated, hypoglycemia can lead to severe conditions such as seizures or unconsciousness. Treatment involves consuming something with 15-20 grams of simple carbs or glucose.

While diabetes does not increase the chance of catching an illness, becoming ill can cause harmful complications. Because of this, the ADA recommends getting flu shots every year.

For students on Western’s campus, we can be aware of this issue by helping out our friends and community in supporting those with diabetes in their day-to-day lives.

Diabetes can make it hard for students to do schoolwork. “If my blood sugar gets too high or too low, it affects my ability to concentrate and sometimes even stay awake,” said an anonymous student with type two diabetes.

Students living with diabetes have their good days as well as bad, and we can be supportive through all of them. Get informed, and know the truth about the disease.

Western Oregon University

Facebook   Instagram   Twitter  YouTube

WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY
345 Monmouth Ave. N.
Monmouth OR 97361

503-838-8000 | 1-877-877-1593

Tools

Campus Maps
Canvas
Find People
Portal
Virtual Tour
WOU Email
Technical Support

Resources

A-Z Index
Accessibility
Academic Calendar
Class Schedule
Jobs at WOU
Partnerships
Student Services

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.

Accessibility    Public Records    Privacy    Student Consumer Information

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.