Mount Hood

Advice for Newbies

By: Amanda Clarke 
Staff Writer

The first year on campus can be a difficult one. Here are some helpful tips from other students for first-year students to make the transition easier:
1. Get involved!
Getting involved on campus can help combat homesickness. It can also lead to meeting new people and trying new things. “Get involved however you can!” said Kristen Case, a junior biology major. Joining clubs and going to events on campus can help create friendships and keep you active, both mentally and physically. College is the perfect time for trying new things; don’t miss out on the opportunities available to you.

2. Stay in touch with your family and friends back home.
“Text your parents, but not in class,” said Avi Goldberg, a sophomore early childhood education major. Keeping in touch with family and old friends after leaving home can be difficult with so much to do with regards to school work and everyday life on campus. Even just a quick text letting them know how you’re doing can ease their mind and maintain the important bonds of your support system.

3. Know your resources.
You can get textbooks from various resources to save money. Textbooks can be rented through Inter-Library loaning as well as directly through the library for up to 10 weeks, which can save money in the long run. You can also get textbooks from online retailers, local used bookstores, or peers who no longer need theirs. Most things you need to purchase on campus can be found off campus, frequently at far less cost. However, the campus community does provide a lot of avenues that should be taken advantage of. For example, the tutors in the writing center are always willing to help and the Stonewall Center is a good resource for the LBTQ+ community.

4. “Go to class!” – Austin Davis, sophomore criminal justice major.
You are paying for your classes, so get the most out of them by going to class, listening to the lectures, and involving yourself in group discussions. Not only will you be able to understand the material better, but professors will remember your name and the amount of work you put into their class. “Apply yourself!” said Shelby Worthing, a junior economics major. It could be the difference between a B and an A. Sometimes it’s hard to expend that much effort, but laziness and procrastination spell doom for the average college student.

5. “Stay on top of your graduation requirements!” – Megan Clark, senior English major.
Looking at your graduation requirements when you are a freshman will help you to look ahead at what classes you need to take in the future. Sometimes a class will only be offered every other year, which can make finishing graduation requirements hard if it isn’t offered until your junior year. Be sure to check in with your advisor, both to lift holds and check out your requirements, and be sure to keep tabs on DegreeWorks and the upcoming academic calendar.

6. Be considerate and keep up with your chores.
Your parents aren’t around to clean up your mess anymore. Forgetting your laundry in the wash can create a hassle for other people within the living quarters. If you forget your laundry, sometimes people will have to move it so they can do their own. “Set a timer for your laundry because the texting app is not always accurate and sometimes out of order,” said Jessica Donahue, a sophomore forensic chemistry major. Keeping up with chores can show your consideration for others and reflects well on your character. “Clean your room before your parents visit,” said Goldberg. While it’s important to make a good impression on visiting parents, cleaning your room, and keeping it clean, will create a more organized living space for you. This can cut down on anxiety, stress, and the terror that comes with losing something important in the chaos of your room.

7. Explore your off-campus options.
“Don’t be limited to on-campus experiences; look for fun things to do around town,” said Clark. While there are a lot of events that happen around campus, there are also community happenings off campus in the Monmouth and Independence area such as sporting events, movie nights, and concerts that the cities put on. Eating out all the time isn’t the healthiest or cheapest option, but neither is eating at the dining hall all the time. Try and go to the grocery store once in a while and pick up something cheap and healthy.

Comedian to preform on campus

By: Brianna Bonham
Freelancer

Comedian Billy Sorrells visited Western Friday, Oct. 2, 2015 and put on a stand-up show entitled “Friday Night Live.”

Sorrells is a comedian and filmmaker based out of Las Angeles, but his performance travels take him beyond California’s borders.

He has a YouTube channel (billysorrells) where he posts weekly videos, and he has appeared in the popular YouTube series “Sh-t Black Girls Say,” and he has been featured on BET interviewing celebrities on the red carpet.

In response to the audience’s reaction during his show, Sorrells said, “I got such a warm reception from you guys, and I’m very appreciative… I am definitely looking forward to returning to Western.”

Sorrells started his stand-up career by performing at college campuses. Given his origins on college campuses, he continues to enjoy performing at campuses around the country.

His show ran almost two hours in length, and an audience of about 60 students listened as he told stories about his childhood, past relationships, and experiences in his life.

Sorrells then held an interactive questions segment that students enjoyed. Students interviewed him and, in return, were given a short story. When asked to talk about the most interesting audience member he’s had, he told an elaborate, funny story about a couple that fought in the middle of his show.

“Find what you’re most interested in, find the best person doing it, and look at what steps they had to take to get there… make everything personal,” stated Sorrell, advising to people that want to be stand up comedians, or are looking at a career in entertainment.

He urged aspiring entertainers to make things personal so that the audience can more easily relate.

Black Rain: Confronting Memory and Language

By:Megan Clark 
Campus Life Editor

The art installation precariously hanging in Hamersly Library is part of a larger art installation that will stay at Western from Sept. 21, 2015 to Dec. 4, 2015. The art showcase titled Black Rain, was created by Yukiyo Kawano.

Kawano is a second generation Hiroshima bomb survivor, and works as an artist in Portland, Ore. The first floor installation features two low-hanging, large sculptures surrounded by origami cranes.

The two large structures are “Fat Man,” the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and “Little Boy,” the bomb dropped on Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The cranes are symbolic of peace; students are invited to fold one and contribute to the work.

On Oct. 7, 2015, the artist was able to come to Western and give a talk about her show.

Kawano discussed the victims of the bombings. There are a “vast amount of hibakusha (bombing victims) living in the shadow, who didn’t have a voice … I’m hoping that my art creates a safe environment to talk about these issues.”

When asked about her process – which Kawano said can be very messy – the artist also mentioned the feelings she experiences during the artmaking process. Kawano stated, “I ask myself, ‘Who am I really, to spend so much time on art?’” She dwells on the fact that she comes from a culture where women are expected to be domestic; breaking this social norm causes her a lot of guilt.

The artist’s work is very personal to her, which can be seen in the use of her own hair to sew together the bombs. When asked about this, she said, “My hair going down the drain, when I wash my hair is so horrifying for me … it links to a horror site that I saw again and again growing up in Hiroshima: the loss of women’s long black hair due to radiation sickness.”

A member from the audience asked her about the Fukushima nuclear disaster that happened in 2011. “Fukushima is happening now,” Kawano replied, “but it will be history very soon….part of the past is now contaminated.”

Her art pieces on the second floor are of a much smaller scale in comparison to the large bombs. One wall is lined with sketches of “Little Boy;” the pages feature the same repeated image of Kawano wearing her grandmother’s kimono, which had been used to make the bomb.

Across from this, the sketches for “Fat Man” lay out on a table, overlapped with a transparent sheet. Printed on the sheet are conversations that Kawano had had with bomb survivors, both in Japanese and the English translation.

Referencing how language and memory can be ever changing and easily distorted, Kawano said, “When changing the language, the meaning and nuance can shift, so there is a veil.”

In the past, “Fat Man” and “Little Boy” have been accompanied by Butoh, a style of Japanese dance theater that arose in 1959. According to Kawano, “The movement is capturing the unseen and listening to the silence.” The dance can symbolize konpaku, the space between life and death, which, according to Kawano, allows people to confront their own uncertainty.

She hopes to find dancers at Western who might be interested in Butoh, hinting that during the time the installation is at Western, a performance could accompany her piece.

In response to the first floor installation, Leona, a graduate student working on her master’s in teaching, said, “It’s interesting… it’s forcing me to look at art from a different angle.” Jerrie Lee Parpart, exhibit and archives coordinator, said that she felt Kawano’s art fit well with the other World War II era art being displayed at the library now and in the future.

Joleen Braasch, a senior education major, said, “I really appreciate Yuki’s work. She did a wonderful job at evoking emotion. And that’s what we need to avoid future nuclear situations; we need to remember.”

Getting reviewed: Associate Collegiate Press critiques The Journal.

MeganColor

By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

Last year, The Journal submitted a selection of its work to The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP), an organization that critiques and gives rankings to collegiate newspapers.

Recently, the critique was returned and The Journal was selected for a merit award, and given mark of distinction in the category of Photos, Art & Graphics. In the category of Photos, Art & Graphics, the ACP marked the paper at 145 out of 150 possible points.

The paper was given an overall honor rating of 701. The honor rating of 701 places the paper in the second-class rank, the third best rating in the scale.

According to their website, ACP “promotes standards and ethics of good journalism” by offering reviews and comments about college and university newspapers.

The critique was broken down into multiple categories; The Journal scored well in Layout & Design and Coverage & Content, though it scored highest in Photos, Art & Graphics.

According to the judge, Shawn Murphy, The Journal should “keep up the photo coverage. This is a strength.” Though The Journal received high marks, there is still room for improvement in others.

Conner Williams, The Journal’s editor-in-chief, has also been selected as one of ten finalists for Story of the Year in the Editorial and Opinion category. Williams was nominated for his April 2015 opinion piece titled “Up in smoke: The ethical dilemmas of a convenience store clerk”.

When asked about the paper’s direction for the new school year, the Editor-in-Chief said, “For this year, we’re going to increase our social media and online presence, conduct investigative reports, especially in editorial pieces.”

Williams also focused on “making sure all stories go through rigorous copy editing to make sure all stories are as accurate as possible.”

With the judge’s comments in mind, The Journal hopes to improve its scores in the other categories and rank even higher for the next ACP review.

Western welcomes students back to a new year.

By: Amanda Clarke
Staff Writer

For Western’s New Student Week (NSW), which took place Sept. 20-26, first-year students were invited to walk the red carpet and learn more about WOU’s campus and their fellow students.

The theme of this year’s NSW was “HollyWOUd: Lights, Camera, Take Action!” Freshmen had the opportunity to learn more about Western through a variety of events held during the week.

Austin Davis, Peer Leaders Understanding Students (PLUS) Team Member and a sophomore Criminal Justice major, said that the theme for NSW was selected after vigorous brainstorming by the whole PLUS Team.

“There was so much you can do with this theme,” Davis said, “the theme we chose was very inclusive, we didn’t leave anyone out.”

The PLUS Team at WOU helps new students during registration, Summer Orientation Advising and Registration and NSW in order to ensure students feel more comfortable about starting college life.

Peer Mentors and PLUS Team members work together in order to help first-year students get to know one another. Freshmen were required to attend several events to teach them more about Western’s campus.

There were multiple hour-long sessions which helped students learn how to write essays, use DegreeWorks, and become certified in Leadership, as well as other events that involved other subject areas.

Some events promoted student bonding and teamwork, such as volleyball and capture the flag. There were also excursions to Portland and Lincoln City on Saturday.

Julianna Deckter, a freshman accounting major, said that the events on campus “have been fun. They’ve been very lively, and inclusive, and just fun in general.”

Students were also able to learn more about various clubs, job opportunities, and local businesses through several large-scale events, including the Welcome to Monmouth/Independence Fair in the Grove on Sept. 23.

The fair offered a wide range of free merchandise for students to take home including bags, posters, live goldfish, and food.

Allie Highberg, a first-year elementary education major, said, “I have really liked pretty much everything that we’ve done. All of the meetings we’ve had were fun and educational.”

Highberg also stated that she learned something new every time she attended events, of which there was a wide-variety.

Students also had a chance to sign their names on the sidewalk between the Grove and the Old PE building in Western’s colors: red, white, and black.

“It seemed like everybody so far has been very friendly, and I hope it impacts them to be more social and connect more,” Davis added. He said the week went well.

Some of the keynote events of the week included the Dating Doctor, David Coleman, a hypnotist, and the Variety Show, which took place on Saturday evening.

On the back of the New Student Session Booklets that were handed out, students were able to fill out a “VIP Pass” in order to have a chance to win a prize. Prizes included WOU swag, a TV, an iPad Mini, a GoPro, and a gift card to the campus bookstore.

The acts at the Variety Show included multiple dancers, an electric guitar performance, several comedy groups, a monologue from “Laughing Wild,” and a piano/voice performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”

The PLUS Team also put together a video of the various events that occurred during New Student Week and had an additional dance performance that followed. Throughout the Variety Show, drawings were done randomly by a PLUS Team member to announce the winners of the “VIP Pass” prizes.

Deckter said she feels like this year is “going to go easy.” Adding, “I definitely feel like the community is very welcoming and you’ll have support no matter what.”

 

Changing of the Guard.

By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

This past summer, Western Oregon University appointed a new university president, Dr. Rex Fuller.

President Fuller’s past positions include provost and vice president of academic affairs at Eastern Washington University (EWU).

During his time at EWU, he developed a long list of achievements and recognitions, all of which can be found on his WOU webpage. In addition to his other numerous accomplishments, Dr. Fuller was involved with developing student success and community college dual admission programs.

Hoping to bring his expertise to Western, Dr. Fuller said “WOU has a reputation of being student focused…we hope to continue to build on the success we’ve already had.”

He has also stated that Western will undergo an accreditation process to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of current academics according to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities standards, which will then be addressed in 2016.

When asked about implementing EWU programs at Western, Dr. Fuller pointed to the dual admission program saying that it could be implemented; especially given the existence of the Oregon Promise.

The Oregon Promise financially assists students seeking a community college education.

President Fuller has also been supportive of interacting with the local community, both at EWU and at Western. “I believe the university is a vital component of the greater area and the community, in particular the city of Monmouth, but also the city of Independence, as well as the mid-Willamette Valley,” said Fuller.

He also mentioned that students could get involved with the community through service learning projects or clubs.

Fuller is also reaching out to Western alumni, with plans to “invite them back into the wolf den.” Fuller said that through the alumni and their associations with organizations, Western students can find greater opportunities for internships and employment.

Looking to the future, Dr. Fuller hopes to increase “our academic array and presence in Salem” in order to help working professionals pursue their graduate degree through “hybrid opportunities that involve face to face meetings and other means.”

When they are not occupied with university related business or unpacking from their recent move, President Fuller and his wife, Susan, can be found around the Monmouth community, trying the local cuisine and wineries.

Exploring the inspirations behind different art forms

By Katrina Penaflor
 Campus Life Editor

The Northwest Passage celebrated the release of its spring issue Tuesday, May 26 in Hamersly Library. The party showcased students’ published work with a reading and was accompanied with music courtesy of KWOU radio.

Northwest Passage is a literary magazine equipped with creations of poetry, short stories, writing, art, and photography all submitted by members of Western’s community.

Emily Pate, a senior English major, was among the presenters. Her poem “The Fishwife” was inspired by a conversation she had with the Northwest Passage editor in chief, Bethany McWhorter, where they discussed a piece of Pate’s fiction that included the term fishwife.

“I realized that it is a very interesting word, and wanted to write a poem that explored potential meanings not usually associated with it,” she said.

“‘The Fishwife’ is about growing older, and how that changes someone’s perceptions, both about themselves and the world around them. Aging transforms both the body and the mind, so I wanted to depict that,” Pate said.

Poet and fifth-year elementary education major Emily DuMond presented powerful poems titled “You are needed” and “Bravery” that depicted the topic of suicide.

“I hope that my writing will reach those who need hope, that it will raise their spirits enough so that they think this life is worth living,” DuMond said.

After the poetry readings, a slide show showcased the art and photography that was published.

The work ranged from colorful screen prints depicting the effects of socially accepted vices to photographs of Haystack Rock.

Senior art major Jeanine Newsome talked about her untitled oil painting of an unmade bed. She said the piece reflected the “soft and calming nature when you go to sleep.”

The publication’s success is all thanks to students actively submitting their work and the editing work of English major and Northwest Passage editor-in-chief senior Bethany McWhorter.

“It has been a difficult process publishing issues this year, but I have been surprised by the turn out of creative works displayed by the talented students at [Western],” McWhorter said. “I hope that student involvement continues to grow in the coming year.”

She added, “it has been a wonderful experience working on the Northwest Passage and the wonderful staff of student media.”

Northwest Passage release party

The Northwest Passage will celebrate the release of its spring issue, Tuesday, May 26 at 5:30 p.m. in Hamersly Library room 107. The literature and arts magazine is a collaboration of poetry, short stories, photography, and art all created by the Western community. The party will include students reading and showcasing some of their work published in the spring issue.

Bethany McWhorter, editor-in-chief of the Northwest Passage said, “It’s been an interesting journey this term with the production and now the release of this issue, but I’m very pleased with the final product. I’m looking forward to where the next editor takes it next year.”

Nuestra Fiesta Latina

The Multicultural Student Union organized a Nuestra Fiesta Latina or “Our Latin Party” celebration, Friday, May 15. The event featured live salsa, merengue, and bachata music in the plaza by performers Conjunto Alegre, along with games and a photo booth. Following was a speech about bilingual education by assistant superintendent of the Oregon Department of Education, David Bautista. The night concluded with a dinner, dancing, and more performances by Mariachi Calavera and Ballet Folklorico Tlanese.

“The Voyage of the Hokule’a”

By Jenna Beresheim
 Staff Writer

Students and Monmouth community members recently attended a trip through the Polynesian islands, eating authentic meals and watching traditional dances, all for under $20.

Saturday, May 16, Western’s Hawai’i club hosted their 9th Annual Lu’au, in tandem with the Nesian Club.

The Lu’au hosted over 20 dances ranging from Tahiti, Samoa, Aotearoa, and more. The evening started off with a dinner full of traditional foods such as Kalua pork, Poke, Mac Salad, and coconut cake.

Between rounds of dances, volunteers were called to the stage to participate in fun games, such as trying to pronounce Pidgin – an accent based off of English with its own Hawaiian flair.

“Performing at this year’s Lu’au was a really great experience for me, especially as a first year student,” Erica Sanchez, first year dance major, said. She choreographed three dances for this Lu’au.

Other choreographers were Kamaka Keawekane, Tolu Tafai, Nikki Ki, Tavae Sina, Melody Andrada, Kaua Kauahi-Daniels, Courtney Costa, and Gianne Pabustan.

“I feel that we did great, but the main thing is that we had fun,” said Tafatolu Naea, a junior pre-fire service administration student and president of the Nesian Club. “It’s always a pleasure to show others a taste of our Polynesian culture and dancing is a big part of it.”

Naea has participated in both Lu’aus the two years he has attended, saying that, “I’m glad we got to represent some of the different Pacific Islands such as Fiji, Aotearoa, Tahiti, Hawai’i, but especially my home land and the heart of the pacific islands, Samoa.”

The club’s energy and passion was showcased in smiling faces and powerful dancing, even with a few whooping “Cheehooos!” from the crowd and dancers alike.

“Shout out to a good friend Alyssa Carvahlo who’s a senior and in the Hawai’i club,” Naea added. “She played a huge role in putting the Lu’au together. You the one!”

This was the final year of Carvahlo’s participation as a Western student, as she will be graduating in a few weeks with the class of 2015. Carvahlo even created a dance as tribute to all of her friends and connections as a parting gift to the club.

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