Mount Hood

Humans of Western: Bethany McWhorter, senior, English Literature major

By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

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“I love writing, I love the power of words and how they can make an impact … I use poetry as a coping mechanism for a lot of things. My nephew recently died and he was two months old. And so I was able to dig really deep and find the beauty in this tragic situation, and kind of process my pain that way. And it helped a lot of people, because my family read it and it helped them kind of see things in a different perspective.”

“I was a sophomore in high school and my family was going through a really difficult time … I had no motivation, no drive to do anything. And I was sitting in my third period class, this is how well I remember this, I got a call, my teacher came back and said, ‘You need to go to the office right now.’ Like, I didn’t do anything, I’m a good kid. So, I go to the office and my dad is sitting there and my dad’s got tears in his eyes…He’s like, ‘We gotta go right now, we got to get to the hospital.’… So he rushes me out, we get down the stairs and he starts laughing. He goes, ‘I had to get you out, we’re going to the coast for the day … I had to throw in all the dramatics, because if this wasn’t Grammy award winning, I don’t know what is.’”

“I used to be really hardcore, just pro-life, anti-abortion, but then I started talking with people, people who have had abortions, who’ve been through this, who’ve lived it. We talked about regret, all of the emotional stuff that goes along with it. And I believe that they should have a choice. I’m still pro-life, just for the record. I still believe that, you know, if abortion can be avoided, it should be. But I understand the value of choice.”

Delectable delights at Urban Deli

By: Megan Clark
Campus Life Editor

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Urban Deli specializes in tortas, fresh squeezed juices, and natural milkshakes, which are akin to smoothies.

Tortas are a type of flatbread sandwich, which are piled high with a variety of fresh ingredients.

The tortas cost between $5 and $7 and include a choice of meat, tomato, avocado, refried beans, onion, mayo, and the option of added jalapenos or chipotle sauce. Their juices and milkshakes run between $4 and $6 and are made fresh to-order.

David Valencuela, one of the owners of Urban Deli, originally hailed from Los Angeles, California. He wanted to open a Mexican deli in Monmouth to get away from the hustle and bustle of LA.

In response to asking why he chose to make tortas, he responded, “I’ve never seen this kind of food in this place.”

I bought a chicken torta, for $5. The torta came with all of the previously listed ingredients, squeezed between two slices of rather fluffy flatbread, and breaded chicken breast.

It was tasty, if a bit rich, due to the fatty ingredients of avocado, beans, and mayonnaise. On another day, I purchased a tuna melt for $6, which was also hearty, filling and full of flavor.

If you are craving the ingredients present in Hispanic food, or want an alternative to Subway, this is definitely a good option. It certainly filled me up; I could have saved half of the sandwiches for another meal.

The restaurant itself is located close to campus, behind the picnic table by Koyotes.
Its decor is an interesting mashup of industrial and urban, featuring aluminum siding and parking meters. Right now, the restaurant is run by Valencuela’s family, though there are plans to eventually hire on local chefs and workers.

The service is quick and, while you’re waiting, you can watch the food being made.

Casa Burrito brings the heat

By: Brianna Bonham
 Staff Writer 

Casa Burrito is a bright orange building off Highway 99W, taking the place of Big Town Hero; it’s hard to miss it.

When walking up to the restaurant, the customer has two options: the faster option, in which you eat outside where burritos, tacos and quesadillas are served, or eating indoors for a sit down restaurant style service.

The building, on the whole, is colorful and filled with music.

For the outdoor option, there is a student discount. If a student shows his or her student ID, they can get $5 burritos or $1.50 tacos. Casa Burrito is working on implementing a senior special.

The service was fast, friendly and very helpful. They offer a wide variety of meats, toppings, sauces, and salsas. There are options for everyone. The restaurant was very clean, comfortable and accessible.

The food was excellent, truly authentic Mexican food.

I sampled five different tacos, shredded pork, marinated pork, steak, chicken, and carne asada. Each meat was grilled along with jalapenos and onions until they were caramelized.

The chef then dressed the tacos with sauces, onions and jalapenos. There were radishes and limes on the side to help cut the heat of some of the spicier salsas and sauces.

The meat was nicely seasoned, and cooked well. The marinated pork was my personal favorite. It was topped with lime juice, cilantro and fresh onions.

The manager, Miguel Garcia, said, “It’s a good location, good food, good service, reasonable prices and a student discount … [this] makes it good for college students.”

Across Borders: Reaching out to Refugees

By: Emily Pate
Staff Writer 

This past summer, Eriqa Hermen backpacked across most of Europe, where she saw the Syrian refugee crisis first hand. On Oct. 19, 2015, she hosted a talk at Western entitled Across Borders: Europe and the Syrian Refugee.

Though originally Dutch and Finnish, Hermen has recently become a Swedish citizen. She spent the 2013-14 school year in an exchange program at Western.

While visiting this month, Hermen was asked by Dr. Gudrun Hoobler, a German professor Hermen met in her time at Western, to share her experiences of the refugee situation.

“I want people to see the other side of it, so to speak,” Hermen stated. “I want to show you these are the human beings who live there, who are not part of the [Islamic State], who are just trying to have a life.”

After listening to Hermen speak, Alyssa Chiampi, junior Public Policy Administration major said, “It was really eye-opening … to get information that was real and raw.” After hearing about first hand experiences, she said, “[It] made the issue a lot more real.”

Jena Liebscher, first-year and ASL Interpreting major, also stressed the importance of awareness. After listening to Hermen’s talk, she said that the best way to help is to “find out exactly the facts and information about the situation.”

Hermen showed Seeking Asylum, a “60 Minutes” clip that aired Oct. 18, 2015, which documents refugees’ experiences. The video can be found on CBS News’ website.

On the United Nations Refugee Agency’s website, it states that there are 4,180,631 registered Syrian refugees as of Oct. 19, 2015. The UN estimates the funding requirement for the refugee crisis at just over $4.5 billion, but states that they have only received 41% of what is needed.

Hermen shared her personal experiences of the refugees’ impact on Europe, largely seen in the growing presence of the police, the unreliability of transportation, and protests both for and against immigration.

On her travels, she met people who had given up their apartments or even entire hostels as housing for refugees.

One of the ways Western students can offer aid, Hermen says, is to find and spread knowledge about the refugee situation. Hermen also stated, “You can always give money. It’s cliché, but it’s true.”

Students gather together for bonfire

By: Megan Clark 
Campus Life Editor

The annual Bonfire Kickoff to Homecoming Week occurred on the lawn outside the math and nursing building the evening of Oct. 12, 2015.

The bonfire was accompanied by the school pep band, a KWOU DJ, and Western’s cheerleading squad.

The Western “W” shaped effigy fire blazed for a good hour and a half before burning the separate pile of stacked wood to cinders. During the fire, students could watch a pie eating contest and snacks were offered to students at no cost.

Marilisa Peña, a senior forensic science major said, “I didn’t come the last few years, so I thought I’d come out. I think it’s pretty awesome, I don’t normally go to bonfires as large as this.”

The bonfire was a successful way to start off the week, pulling in a large crowd of observers brimming with school spirit.

“I’ll be honest, I’ve always been disappointed in our school spirit, but there’s quite bit [tonight] … I’m hoping we can amp it up,” said Shannon Haas, a senior computer science major.

Barbara Dearing, executive director of intercollegiate athletics, and Arne Ferguson, head football coach, were also in attendance.

Dearing urged students to keep the spirit going for the upcoming football home game against Central Washington, Saturday, Oct. 17 after their huge victory last week over the previously no. 6 team in the nation.

“We need you to come out and root us on,” said Dearing.

Campus is blushing

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By: Brianna Bonham 
Staff Writer

Pink is the official color to promote breast cancer awareness. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, Western decided to name Wednesday, Oct. 14 Pink Out day, on which students are told to wear pink.

According to cancer.org, 231,840 women are expected to develop new cases of breast cancer in 2015, and 40,290 of those cases are expected to result in death.

Many students are affected by breast cancer in some way, and Pink Out day is a day to raise awareness and ask questions about something so insidious and impactful.

“Breast cancer awareness is very important to me because I had a mentor that became ill with breast cancer. It was scary to watch someone I look up to go through that,” said Daniela Diaz Rodriguez, a first year elementary education major at Western.

When asking Brayde Rothe, a first year majoring in public policy, what hope meant for him as his mother went through treatment, he replied “It means survival. I’m glad we have a day for it because I was told by the doctor to give up hope. Never give up hope.”

When asked what advice he would give to someone dealing with breast cancer, either personally or by affiliation, Rothe replied, “Always think the glass is half­full, there’s always the next day and the day after that … As long as you stay hopeful, everything is going to be okay.”

Whirlwind of Buns at Fundie Run

By: Megan Clark 
Campus Life Editor

The annual Fundie Run, where scantily clad runners race through the streets of campus, took place at 6 p.m. Oct. 14, 2015, in front of the WUC.

The racers donated two pieces of clothing each to gain entry into the run, after which they stripped down to their skivvies and sneakers. The clothing will be donated to the Union Gospel Mission Thrift Store.

At 5:30 p.m., the runners starting showing up, looking like a normal crowd of college students– some possibly heading to the gym, others seeming to have just come from class. That all changed once six o’clock struck and clothes were removed. Around 30 students, in various degrees of undress, lined up at the starting line.

They raced a mile long stretch that started in front of the WUC, wrapped around the back of campus, and came back through the main thoroughfare.

“What better way to go ‘yeah I’m in college and I’m gonna just have a lot of fun and do something dumb.’ I also appreciate that it’s for a good cause,” said Jacob Howard, a senior education major who has participated in the race since he started at Western.

Students were sure to look their best, picking out their ensemble specifically for the event.

Carter Craig, sophomore history major, showed up to the event with a ‘jammy pack’– a fanny pack with speakers in it. His underwear fit the fun theme of the run as well. Carter said, “They say ‘go nuts’ on them and have pictures of squirrels.”

Howard stated that he color coordinated his headband to his underwear. He also wore socks emblazoned with the school’s initials.

“I always pick out something special, just for the day, you know, for a bit of confidence … anytime I gotta represent this university, I wear my WOU socks,” said Howard.