Mount Hood

Mask Mandate Soon to Be Lifted in Oregon

Oregon’s mask mandate may be lifted earlier than expected, according to OHA

Mirella Barrera-Betancourt | Staff Writer

Big news may be coming to Oregon in response to recent COVID-19 safety updates. According to a data scientist at Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon could be reaching their threshold for lifting the indoor mask mandate very soon.

As of now, Washington and New Mexico have become some of the latest states to drop their COVID mask mandate for indoor and school environments. The Oregon Health Authority has the current mask mandate in Oregon scheduled to be lifted on March 31. However, according to various sources, this day might arrive sooner than expected. Some even speculate that it may occur before St. Patrick’s Day. 

The news became live after an observance of omicron cases and hospitalizations dropping across the state, as well as nationwide. As a result, the United States may no longer be considered to be in a state of “constant crisis.” 

According to OHA, in order for the mask mandate to be lifted, the state needs to be at 400 or fewer total cases of COVID hospitalizations. As of Feb. 22, hospitalizations have fallen to below 600 cases in Oregon, beating the rough estimate for March 4 by a week and a half.

“OHA will continue to monitor the trend and consider lifting the indoor mask requirement for public places earlier than March 31 if the number of hospitalizations decreases to 400 earlier,” said Oregon’s state epidemiologist Dr. Dean Sidelinger. 

If the statewide mask mandate were to be lifted, it would mean the removal of masks for all regardless of vaccination status. Before this mask mandate is lifted, Western and OHA remain adamant in their encouragement for all citizens to wear their masks indoors and outdoors.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

Looking for a place to get your booster?

Places you can get your booster shot in and around Monmouth

Mollie Herron | News Editor

Western hosted a vaccine clinic on Feb. 11 at Gentle House to give students who needed it their COVID-19 booster shot. They offered Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for any student who met the requirements for each.

For students who have not yet received their booster and are still looking for where to do so, here are some local vaccine clinics that will be popping up soon.

On Feb. 25 the Oregon Child Development Coalition will be hosting a clinic from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Also on Feb. 25 Western will be hosting a clinic at Gentle House from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. There will be another clinic at Gentle House on March 4 from 2 – 6 p.m. 

If those times are still hard to make, the best thing to do is schedule an appointment at a local pharmacy. Some popular spots include Walgreens, Rite Aid or Safeway. New clinics and events are being announced every day, so keep an eye out for what works with individual schedules.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

“The Tinder Swindler”

Review: “The Tinder Swindler”

Camille Lenning | Entertainment Editor

Pretty much everyone can agree that Tinder is a cesspool of catfishers and hookup culture, but many are on it looking for love anyway — however, the new Netflix documentary, “The Tinder Swindler,” might make viewers think twice about being on the app. 

Directed by Felicity Morris, the producer of Emmy winning documentary “Don’t F**k With Cats,” this examination of a notorious Tinder con artist tugs at the heartstrings of viewers while still accurately presenting the facts of the case. 

The film is about Simon Leviev, real name Shimon Yehuda Hayut, who used Tinder to convince women he was a wealthy man looking for a long term partner, and gradually conned them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

We are first introduced to Cecilie Fjellhøy, who was on Tinder just looking for Disney-level true love. We later meet Pernilla Sjoholm, who was never romantically involved with Leviev but traveled with him as a friend. The documentary features his long term girlfriend Ayleen Charlotte, who dated Leviev for 14 months before she found out he was scamming her. Between the three of them, Leviev conned them out of about $410,000. 

Throughout the film, we see how Leviev masterfully manipulated these women into believing he was being pursued by his “enemies” who wanted him dead. He convinced them that the only way to keep him safe was to send him money, which he then spent to con other women in the same way. 

The documentary does a fantastic job of conveying the emotions of these women and how bad their situation was, and continues to be. We hear voice memos of Leviev begging these women for money, and threatening them when they don’t send it. We also see text message exchanges between him and each woman, paired with their personal accounts of what he would say and do to convince them of his lies. 

Overall, I think “The Tinder Swindler” is a very well made documentary. The editing and the story combine perfectly to give viewers an emotionally charged yet factually sound film that makes viewers want to punch a wall or start a petition, 7/10.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Black History Month Reading List

Book recommendations by Black authors for Black History Month

Sarah Austin | Lifestyle Editor

February is Black History Month, and what better way to observe it than diving into powerful books by black authors? Reflecting on what it means to be Black and teaching the struggles they have gone through ⏤ and still experience today ⏤ can even start at a young age. By continuously talking and teaching about slavery, segregation and racism we are one step closer to closing the gap and making a more inclusive and accepting society. Check the two lists below for 16 book recommendations to read as an adult, and 12 books to read to younger children. 

Books for adults

  • “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • “Citizen: An American Lyric” by Claudia Rankine
  • “The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother” by James McBride
  • “The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X” by Les and Tamara Payne
  • “Exiles of Eden” by Ladan Osman
  • “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
  • “Heavy” by Kiese Laymon
  • “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi
  • “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison
  • “Long Way Down” by Jason Reynolds
  • “Magical Negro” by Morgan Parker
  • “Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools” by Monique W. Morris
  • “Race Matters” by Cornel West
  • “Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era” by Ashley D. Farmer
  • “They Were Her Property” by Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers
  • “Well-Read Black Girl” by Glory Edim

Books for youth

  • “Brown Girl Dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson
  • “Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad” by Ellen Levine
  • “It’s OK to Be Different” by Sharon Purtill
  • “Juneteenth for Mazie” by Floyd Cooper
  • “My Hair is a Garden” by Cozbi A. Cabrera
  • “The Other Side” by Jacqueline Woodson
  • “Saturday” by Oge Mora
  • “Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o
  • “Tar Beach” by Faith Ringgold
  • “This Book is Anti-Racist” by Tiffany Jewell
  • “The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963” by Christopher Paul Curtis
  • “Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice” by  Mahogany L. Browne, Olivia Gatwood and Elizabeth Acevedo

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

 

 

“The Inevitable Shadow” opens

Western art professor examines death in new exhibition

Camille Lenning |  Entertainment Editor

All artists deserve a place to showcase their work, and Western art and design adjunct professor Sung Eun Park has found one in the Well Well Projects gallery in Portland. 

Well Well Projects was founded by artists in January 2021 with the goal of giving local artists an exhibition space they can control. All 12 members pay a small fee to use the gallery, which resides in the Oregon Contemporary — a popular art center in Portland’s Kenton neighborhood. 

Park’s exhibition, “The Inevitable Shadow,” is shared with artists Alyson Provax and Kelda Van Patten, and examines nostalgia, longing and death, with a focus on how the pandemic has affected these themes. 

Park works primarily through sculpture and mixed media art, and her piece in the gallery, called “Dressing Room,” is part of a bigger series she has been working on over the last year. 

“The ongoing series that I’ve been working on is an investigation into ‘good death,’ a reflection of mortality — the inevitable shadow that forces us to accept the prospect of death,” Park said of the series, “(life and death) is kind of like a coin, and a coin has two sides.”

The inspiration for “Dressing Room” came from the Netflix docuseries “The Casketeers,” which follows the daily lives of Māori funeral directors in New Zealand. In this funeral home, there’s a room called the dressing room, where bodies are clothed for funeral services. 

This final moment between death and burial intrigued Park, and she began to wonder about the different connotations to the act of “dressing.” Doctors dress wounds to heal them, we dress ourselves before we begin our day — Park examines the similarities between these actions and how people prepare for the inescapable end. 

“When the body passes through the dressing room, it heals all the wounds it suffered during the life journey,” Park writes in her artist’s statement. “Before the body disappears, it puts on new clothes and, once again, starts a new journey.” 

“The Inevitable Shadow” will be open for viewing on Saturdays and Sundays between noon and 5 p.m. until Feb. 27. Find the Well Well Projects gallery at 8371 N Interstate Ave. #1.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

The new word game Wordle has taken the world by storm

The simplicity of this word game has attracted the attention of millions

Mollie Herron | News Editor

One of the world’s newest online game hyperfixations is Wordle. For those who have not yet played it, Wordle is a game that gives players six tries to guess a five letter word. With each guess the player is told which letters are not in the word, which ones are but not in the right place and which letters are in the correct place.

The simple strategy game has taken the world by storm and one of the large contributing factors is the fact that it has remained free for so long, but that may not be the case for much longer. Wordle was recently purchased by the New York Times, which has caused many players to worry about the possibility of it becoming paywalled, requiring a subscription like most of their other games.

The creator, Josh Wardle, has expressed joy about his deal with the New York Times as it was part of the inspiration behind the game and he appreciates the way they respect their players. Wardle graduated right down the road at the University of Oregon with a Master of Fine Arts in Digital Art which he used to create one of the most popular games right now.

Many copycat games have emerged since Wordle’s overwhelming success. In app stores there are multiple games with the same basic puzzle, but claim to be better because the player can solve as many puzzles as they want rather than the single puzzle a day format Wordle has. These copycats include ads and in app purchases so their creators can turn a profit. 

Wordle’s success has also brought attention to a different game on app stores with the same name. When Steve Cravotta, creator of the unrelated Wordle app, realized the profit he made was intended for Wardle, the two decided to donate the funds to Boost! West Oakland. The organization focuses on tutoring and mentoring students through the sixth grade in West Oakland. Wardle’s efforts to give back to the community with his newfound success should encourage others with fresh ideas to think about giving back to the younger generations. 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Valentine’s Day on campus

Western celebrates Valentine’s Day with Candy Grams, self-love and a Valentine’s bash

Mirella Barrera-Betancourt | Staff Writer

This Valentine’s Day, Western saw a variety of enjoyable campus wide events put on by groups, including the housing residency committee and the Freedom Center.

On campus, the housing residency committee hosted a variety of different events.

Presented by the Ackerman and Barnum Hall committee, Candy Grams were made available for students to have delivered on Valentine’s Day. Whether the candy was for a friend, lover or oneself, little notes of love and encouragement before a day of classes were a fun activity for all. 

If Candy Grams were purchased at Heritage Hall, an additional 25 cents was charged. All proceeds from the sales were donated to the Food Pantry on campus.

The Heritage Hall committee also hosted a Valentine’s Bash, which took place on Feb. 11 in the Pacific Room in the WUC. To add to the excitement, attendants of the bash were given the opportunity to enter a raffle with prizes including a 32-inch Roku Smart TV, a JBL speaker and a new Hydro Flask.

Another Valentine’s Day event hosted outside the housing community was the Freedom Center’s “Self love is the best love” event. The Freedom Center took the holiday to remind students about the importance of self-love by making self-care packages readily available for students on the second floor of the Werner University Center.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

 

 

WOU logo

Facebook   Instagram   Twitter  YouTube  LinkedIn  wouTV

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.