Mount Hood

“Selma” Marches into ITC

By: Amanda Clarke
Staff Writer

ITC 211 was full of students on Tuesday not for a class, but for a screening of the movie “Selma.” This movie screening was one of several events held on campus for MLK week at WOU. It was a free event and students were welcome to come on their own or to earn extra credit for certain classes. It was cosponsored by the Student Leadership Activities board and the Black Student Union.

“Selma,” directed by Ava DuVernay, focuses on the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, one of the civil rights movements that Martin Luther King Jr. led.

This march took place 1965 with the aim of highlighting racial injustices and helping to pass the Voting Rights Act.

“With MLK celebration week we try to do something each day,” said Melissa Larson, chair of the MLK committee and director of disability services, when asked about why they had chosen to show the movie.

Bringing comedy to campus

By: Joleen Braasch
Staff Writer

DC Ervin, named LA’s funniest comedian in 2011, will be bringing the laughs to Western’s campus on Friday, Jan. 22 in the Pacific Room of the WUC.

With a unique style and strong stage presence, Ervin has separated himself from other comedians; he is not afraid to laugh with the audience, and his exaggerated facial expressions and impressions get the audience going.

Ervin touches on subjects that everyone can chuckle about, like actors overdoing it in cookie commercials, feeling uncomfortable at ATMs in the middle of the night, and how hard it is to stifle your laughter when somebody falls at the gym.

Ervin’s father, also a comedian, introduced him to art of comedy at a young age. Ervin began his career in the Bay Area of California and is currently eliciting laughs in the Los Angeles comedy scene.

Ervin may be a funny man, but his reasons for success are more serious. His dreams of becoming a comedian were not rooted in simply making people laugh, but in becoming a role model for the two most important people in his life: his daughters.

When he’s off the stage, Ervin also writes, produces, and stars in his own short films and sketches.

This event is brought to WOU through the Student Activities Board and is free to WOU students.

Service project commemorates MLK Jr. Day

By: Rachael Jackson
Staff Writer

On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Service Learning & Career Development office went to the Marion-Polk Food Share’s community garden in Salem with staff, children, and students. The rain took a break for the SLCD and community volunteers for a surprisingly warm afternoon of gardening.

While only 14 of the 30 students that signed up for the event showed, they ended up completing a job expected to take three hours in only two.

Student volunteers cleaned up the dried plants and composted the earth, adding a layer of bark dust before heading out.

Adry Snorradottir Clark, the director of SLCD, said that the students see “that even though you have a career, you can still find time to get involved in something you are interested in. A lot of volunteers there had a passion for gardening.”

Having Western students involved in this service for the food share has an even bigger meaning than helping the Marion-Polk community.

“We’re excited to work for that organization because they are the ones that supply our food bank with food,” said Clark. “The students got to meet some of the community volunteers and see that they really care, they got to see that you can make a difference.”

Speaker, singers, and sweet potato pie

By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

Spirits were roused when the Pacific Room’s doors in the WUC opened to the public for the MLK commemorative dinner on Wednesday, Jan. 20.

The guests were greeted with the sight of beautifully laid out tables laden with water, iced tea, and warm cornbread. Tickets cost $3 for students, and it was well worth it.

The buffet dinner included fried chicken, collard greens, black-eyed peas, and macaroni and cheese followed by a dessert of peach crisps, much like cobbler, and small squares of sweet potato pie.

The Portland Interfaith Gospel choir sang two spirited songs to signal the start of the event. Then, President Rex Fuller, introduced Dr. Eddie Moore, presented a beautiful speech on racism and MLK’s dream.

He posed the audience the question, “Are we moving?” While people may think that progress is being made, there are still inequities prevalent in society regarding race and gender.

He said that one thing college students could do to help defeat racism was to rid themselves of personal biases and become more self-aware in how they act and treat others.

After Dr. Moore’s speech, the essay prizewinners were announced. The event closed out with two more songs performed by the gospel choir.

Tinder: where lonely hearts connect

By: Rachael Jackson
Staff Writer

Tinder was released to the world in 2013 as a fast paced dating app. It quickly appealed to those between the ages of 18 and 34 as an easy way to find dates and casual sex. There was an outcry from the media and citizens of the world that Tinder was creating a “hook-up culture” and destroying the establishment of dating.

Along with those citizens, are WOU students who aren’t too keen on the idea of finding dates through Tinder.

“I think it’s kind of dumb and that people should meet in person. Get out of their comfort zone,” said a Western student that wished to remain anonymous.

Many feel that Tinder is shallow. It may feel strange to simply swipe right for those you like and left for those you aren’t digging based solely on a few pictures and a short profile description. There is something to be said for meeting someone in person and seeing if sparks fly, but using Tinder could have its benefits, too.

Tinder sets up an environment in which both parties are on equal footing and have mutual understanding of what the other wants.

Tinder could also be useful for college students because it makes finding people while stuck living on a small campus easy.
College students can meet people both on campus and in nearby cities easily, all it takes is adjusting the desired distance. Going to cities like Salem, Corvallis, and Portland can be difficult and expensive for most students, but meeting people through text first may give the incentive to travel.

Andrea Coffee, a senior education major, found her current boyfriend through Tinder. As of now, they’ve been together almost 6 months.

“I wasn’t expecting to find a relationship,” Coffee said. She continued that it’s a great app “if you’re looking to just ‘hang out.’”

Using Tinder may not be for everybody and safety precautions should be taken when meeting a stranger in person for the first time. However, this app could prove useful for lonely college students looking for more than friendship.

Chinese New Year at WOU

By: Brianna Bonham
Staff Writer

This year, the Chinese New Year falls on Monday, Feb. 8. There are exciting times in store for this New Year, including a presidential election. In 2016, The Fire Monkey makes its first appearance since 1956. The Fire Monkey represents leadership and competition.

In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt won the presidential election against Herbert Hoover. 1932 also marked the third year of The Great Depression. President Roosevelt won the election again in 1944, another Year of the Monkey.

In 1954, Elvis Presley began performing across the south. In 1968 both Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were both assassinated. In 1980 began the Reagan Revolution and Reaganomics.

In 1992, iconic bands and artists such as Dr. Dre, The Beastie Boys, and REM released albums. 2004 was the last year there were new episodes of Friends aired.

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, the International Club at Western is holding a Chinese New Year celebration on Feb. 8. The cost is $6 for ID holding students.

For more information, keep an eye out for flyers around campus!

Who knew goatskin could sound so good?

By: Rachael Jackson
Staff Writer

Ten Strings And A Goat Skin will perform at the Rice Auditorium in an event free to WOU students, Friday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Hailing from the Prince Edward Island of Canada, this English-French bilingual band bends and fuses the genre of traditional Irish music and Acadian sounds with their interpretations of modern and world rhythms.

The bulk of their songs are played in the style of trad music, which is fast-paced and upbeat – it is something to dance and have fun to. They blend in sounds of bluegrass, traditional Scandinavian music, and other world music in a seamless way that makes the fusion seem natural.

Jesse Périard, guitarist, brothers Rowen Gallant, violinist, and Caleb Gallant, percussionist, come from Acadian heritages themselves, giving them a close understanding of the culture.

Périard and Rowen Gallant comprise the ten-string part of the musical group, while Caleb Gallant is the goatskin, because, traditionally, goatskins are tanned and stretched to cover a drumhead.

Acadia is the Eastern coastal region of Canada that includes the Maritime provinces and part of present-day Quebec. The French settled the region in the seventeenth century until Irish and Scottish immigrants began settling in the Maritime provinces.

With just the three instruments, the band creates a full sound that seems almost textural, as if the music has a physical feeling. This is an attribute that can be hard to achieve even with the most technologically advanced music equipment.

For being so young– all members are under 25– they have an outstanding understanding of their instruments that is sure to entertain audiences of varied backgrounds and tastes.

Take care not to miss this performance. The concert should be a fun and lighthearted entrance into the weekend that will lift spirits and ensure a prolonged good mood.

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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.

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