Mount Hood

Volleyball moves north

Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor

Wolves volleyball garnered a dual loss while on the road.

On Sept. 28, the Wolves headed to Burnaby, B.C. to face-off against Simon Fraser University. The game was a series of close scores and inevitable misses. Junior Alisha Bettinson scored the first kill of the game, putting the Wolves on the board. The first set was close, but had the Wolves leading by a marginal 25-22.

The Wolves lost momentum as the sets progressed, surrendering the win to Simon Fraser. The remaining three sets totaled 22-25, 17-25 and 16-25, respectively.

Bettinson was the star attacker of the game against Simon Fraser, racking up 19 kills.

On Sept. 30, the Wolves continued their tour to Bellingham, Washington to face off against No. 10-ranked Western Washington University. The game ended in a 0-3 loss for the Wolves.

From the beginning of the first set, Washington held the lead against the Wolves. This culminated in a 25-11 lead for Washington at the end of the first. The two remaining sets saw similar fates, with the Wolves coming in short at 17-25 and 14-25.

Against Washington, the team saw a season-low hitting percentage of 0.032.

Wolves volleyball is currently ranked last in GNAC. The team has a chance to redeem themselves at home on Oct. 7, where they will face the Montana State Billings. The Wolves beat the Billings 3-1 in their 2016 game.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Another fish bites the dust

Illustration by Elissa Sorenson
Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor

When I was growing up, my mom told me and my brother that we weren’t allowed to have pets that we couldn’t easily flush down the toilet. Though this has since changed, the overall sentiment is still true — fish are easy.

It’s culturally accepted that we shouldn’t get attached to pet fish. They’re thought of as one of the most disposable living beings that you can have. So disposable that we give them away to anyone who is willing to grab a plastic cup.

Every year, a club on campus gives out feeder fish during new student week. For those who don’t know, feeder fish are inexpensive fish that are often bought in bulk and used to feed other large aquatic animals such as sharks and larger fish.

As “Finding Nemo” taught us all: fish are friends, not food. Or, in this case, not gimmicks.

Feeder fish aren’t meant to be kept as pets, they’re meant to be prey. That’s why it’s a miracle that any fair or carnival fish lasts longer than a few weeks. Like other mass-bred animals, such as chickens, feeder fish are raised in restrictive environments that then have a negative impact on their overall health. When bred, they’re kept in crowded tanks and underfed- all in an effort to keep them from growing.

Because feeder fish are supposed to be used as food, they’re cheap.

A company that specializes in selling feeder fish, www.livefeederfish.com, has a package of 1000 goldfish for $200. Giving away goldfish is a low-budget operation, which is why it’s so naturally appealing.

I don’t particularly have a problem with the existence of feeder fish; it’s natural for larger fish to eat smaller ones, so they serve a purpose.

My problem comes when integrating students into the mix. Going to the fair as a child and getting a goldfish is one thing; you’re young and your parents will most likely be taking care of it. Getting a goldfish as a reward for filling out a survey during an over-crowded event is completely different. Students who are just coming to college need to learn how to take care of themselves before they should learn to care for another living thing.

It’s a fish, but it’s still work. Are they going to remember to feed it before they go to their night class? Do they have a car to drive to get food and tank-cleaning supplies? Do they even have a sufficient sink to clean the tank in? Fish, especially ones like feeder fish that have been raised in less-than-great environments, require specific tank temperatures, a tank large enough that it won’t further stunt their growth, food and aquarium maintenance.

Giving away a living creature shouldn’t be an afterthought. It shouldn’t be a reward for a student who devotes thirty seconds to filling out a piece of paper. If a student truly wants a pet fish, they should devote time to thinking about whether or not they have the resources to take care of one.

What happens over Thanksgiving or winter break when a student goes home? Who’s going to take care of a fish in an empty dorm?

That is, if it makes it past day four.

 

Contact the author at zstrickland14@wou.edu

Review: “If It Was A Smile”

Stephanie Blair | Editor-in-Chief

For fans of folk and indie rock, a must-hear album is coming your way — Joseph Demaree and the Great Smoking Mirror: a guitar- and cello-playing duo from Portland, Oregon, will release the band’s 10-track, debut album, “If It Were A Smile,” on Jan. 16, 2018.

The group is composed of frontman Joseph Demaree, who contributes vocals and guitar to the tracks, and Miranda Shapiro, who is featured on vocals and cello. The band describes their sound as “mellow and dreamy with an indie rock edge,” with influences spanning from Duke Ellington to Hank Williams, to The Velvet Underground, to Leonard Cohen named.

The album begins with dialogue that’s been faded and distorted with an effect that’s reminiscent of early 20th century radio broadcasts — this is a part of the story-driven element of the album, which reappears at the beginnings or ends of various tracks. After the initial bit of conversation comes the first song, which opens with the album title as its first line.

The album would pair with a melancholic montage in a Wes Anderson-esque indie film, or a rainy day of doing the dishes for non-cinematic persons. The tone of the album left this listener with an ache in her heart and the story, a longing for a resolution that would come in the final track: 10 minutes that left me only half-satisfied.

Those with a love for dynamic changes within an album will be disappointed. While the sound is pleasant, each track is extremely similar. Without the interwoven bits of theatrical dialogue between tracks, it could very easily be mistaken for one 46-minute long song. Every track on the album is a waltz, with most featuring the same drumline and extremely similar picking patterns on guitar.

The sound and story isn’t for everyone, but, if you would enjoy hearing a Johnny Cash/David Bowie/Ayreon collaboration album — this is it.

 

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu

Music is in the air

Alexandra Martin | Entertainment Editor

Music is a great way to fill any amount of silence with melodic noise. “Spotify has a wide selection…it’s the only way I stream music,” said Ethan Gilbert a junior computer science major. Whether a person is walking to class, driving down the road or finds themselves anywhere in between, streaming music has replaced the classic mp3s and there are about a million ways to get your music fix.

Mary Goodale, a senior communications major, still relies on purchased music but also uses popular streaming services, “I use Pandora or the Google Music app on my phone. I use Pandora when I want a wide range of music I don’t have on my phone and I use Google music when I want to listen to music I’ve purchased throughout the years.”

Surprisingly, many students around campus use more than one streaming service, depending on their mood such as Maria Krueger, a sophomore psychology major, “I like Spotify because the playlists you pick are more specific than when you listen on Pandora. But, I listen to Pandora when I don’t know exactly what I want to listen to and am feeling random.”

Spotify caters to a person’s musical interests with unique playlists and Pandora’s random selection method is great for scratching that musical itch that a person isn’t quite sure how to reach otherwise.

While there is an innumerable amount of other free options including AccuRadio, SlackerRadio and TuneIn, most music streaming services have one thing that most people can agree is possibly the worst kind of interruption when in the middle of a deserted highway or during a high-intensity workout: commercials. However, for a monthly fee these heinous interruptions can be avoided on most streaming sites. Go figure.

One such service, Spotify Premium, is partnering with Hulu to provide unlimited listening and commercial free access to hundreds of shows and movies for students at the discounted price of $4.99 for 12 months.

 

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Newsflash: WOUNews is no news

Stephanie Blair | Editor-in-Chief

I know I may be a little biased on the issue as an aspiring journalist in the age of fake news and  “alternative facts” but this is the opinion section, so hear me out.

@WOUNews is not news — and no, that’s not The Western Journal’s handle on social media.

Ever since I arrived at Western in 2014, it’s bothered me that the public relations sector of the school — officially known as “Marketing and Communications” — has slapped the name “WOU News” on the school’s social media accounts. And, I know, a social media account by any other name would still look as sweet, but this is a line I can’t bear to see crossed.

Public relations is not news — it’s propaganda.

The word “news” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a report of recent events.” Reporting the news is not what a public relations team does: they report good news. The kind of news that will bring up enrollment and increase donor funding, but not news about things which would damage Western’s image — like the racist graffiti that was painted in April on a door in the Wolfpack Village, targeting a student living across the street from the university.

WOUNews and WOU Stories provide a shining image of Western alongside cute memes and artistically shot photos of our campus rather than a realistic picture of what being a student at Western is like. And I can’t fault them for that — it’s their job.

It is the responsibility of a PR team to make their employer attractive to the public and to handle any blemishes on that employer’s image with grace. On the other hand, it is the responsibility of a reporter to inform the public of the truth about recent events.

The dichotomy between a news source and a PR department is a strong one, though it may be subtle at first glance.

I’m not trying to say that public relations is an immoral profession or that it shouldn’t exist — simply that we should call a spade “a spade.”

Hey, Marketing and Communications — give it up. You’re a spade, babe.

 

Contact the author at sblair13@wou.edu

The end of DACA hits close to home

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

The Trump administration ordered a termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, on Sept. 5. According to npr.org, this program protects nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants that entered the United States as children. This policy, put into place by former President Barack Obama in 2012, protects those individuals from deportation and grants work permits to those who qualify.

 

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, there are several ways an individual can qualify for the benefits of the DACA program. The recipient must be under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012 and have entered the U.S. before the age of 16. They must also have lived in continuously in the United States since 2007. To benefit from the DACA program, the recipient must currently attending school, have completed school, or be an honorably discharged veteran. Additionally, an individual must not be a convicted felon or pose a threat to public safety or national security. The work permits and deportation deferrals that this program grants must be renewed every two years.

 

The decision made by the Trump administration requires Congress to pass a replacement for DACA before the program’s recipients start to lose their protection on March 5, 2018. One avenue for DACA recipients to gain citizenship may be through the DREAM Act, introduced by Sens. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. The DREAM Act – Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act – would grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of qualifying individuals that entered the United States before the age of 18.

House Speaker Paul Ryan spoke out about the need for Congress to find a solution to the issue. Ryan stated in an interview with Wisconsin talk radio WCLO, “These are kids who know no other country, who were brought here by their parents and don’t know another home. And so I really do believe there needs to be a legislative solution, that’s one that we’re working on, and I think we want to give people peace of mind.”

After the announcement by the Trump administration, Western’s President Rex Fuller sent a statement to all students regarding the impact on student DACA recipients. President Fuller reaffirmed the safe, caring and inclusive nature of our community, stating that, “It is (his) sincere hope that Congress will act quickly to correct this decision so that our currently enrolled DACA students can fulfill their dreams and WOU will continue to be a place where future DACA students succeed.”

DACA recipients range from young children to adults in their 20s and 30s. At Western, they are classmates, college graduates, coworkers and friends. In 2016, Western students Juan Navarro and Cristina Garcia Toche started the Unidos Club, a student run organization that acts as a support system for DACA recipients and individuals who identify as undocumented.

“Several students don’t feel comfortable talking about their status especially during times like today. It takes a lot of courage to say that you’re undocumented,” said Cristina Garcia Toche, the current president of the club. “Ever since we started Unidos, several students no longer feel like they are living in the shadows — we have created a family. We have stayed united during difficult times. We still have so much to learn and grow from each other.”

Toche stated that she wants to inform Western’s community of the organization and how it can support these individuals.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Tracking the Wolves

Stephanie Blair | Editor-in-Chief

Soccer

The women’s soccer team holds a record of 0-2-1 in the conference, after a tied game on their home turf against Montana State Billings with a score of 1-1. Results of the Sept. 26 match against Concordia were not available as of press time.

Wolves soccer will return to Western Oregon’s soccer field on Sept. 30 to face Seattle Pacific.

 

Cross Country

The men’s cross country team has taken every spot on the podium over the course of their first three meets for the season — first, then third, then second. The team is being led primarily by senior, national record holder in the distance medley relay and last year’s GNAC Male Athlete of the Year David Ribich.

The women’s team has had more trouble finding their footing this season, having taken fourth, ninth and then fifth as a team in their first three meets.

The next time students can catch the Wolves cross country teams competing in Monmouth will be on Nov. 4 for the NCAA Division II West regional meet — the last meet before nationals, hosted in Indiana this year. However, the next meet is only a short drive away, in Salem at Bush Park for the Charles Bowles Invite.

 

Football 

Western’s football team has had two near-victories in conference thus far, losing their first game by a single touchdown and their most recent game by a single point in overtime. See our coverage by Zoe Strickland. Overall, the team’s current record is 1-3.

Students will have their next chance to support the Wolves at home on Oct. 14, when they’ll be facing the Wildcats from Central Washington University.

 

Volleyball

Wolves Volleyball team, led this year by new coach Tommy Gott, is very young this year, with only six upperclassmen on the roster. They currently hold a record of 1-3 in conference play, with a 5-6 record overall. They fell to Central Washington University on Sept. 23 after falling short of points in all three sets: 17-25, 21-25, 22-25.

Senior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson led the team in game stats for the Spet. 23 game, with 16 kills on 42 swings. Junior and outside hitter Mariella Vandenkooy followed in second position for game stats, with 6 kills.

Western fans will be able to cheer for the Wolves at home next when the team faces Montana State Billings on Oct. 7 in the New PE building.

 

GNAC Student Athletes of the Week

Each week, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference recognizes athletes who have excelled in their sport. Over the first four weeks of selection, seven Wolves have received this award.

 

Aug. 28 – Defensive Volleyball Player: Mackenzie Bowen, junior

Sept. 4 – Women’s Soccer Player: Alyssa Tomasini, first-year

  Defensive Football Player: Bo Highburger, junior

Sept. 11 – Defensive Football Player: Curtis Anderson, redshirt first-year

    Special Teams Football Player: Adrian Saldana, junior

Sept. 18 – Defensive Football Player: Tyler Johnson, senior

    Men’s Cross Country Runner: David Ribich, senior

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