Mount Hood

Achieving success in the field of Human Resources

Guest speaker Ophelia Yan talks to students about careers in human resources. PHOTO BY ZACH GARDNER | Staff Photographer
Guest speaker Ophelia Yan talks to students about careers in human resources.
PHOTO BY ZACH GARDNER | Staff Photographer
By CAITY ARIAS Freelancer

The student chapter of Western’s Human Resource Management welcomed guest speaker Ophelia Yan in the Columbia room Tuesday, Feb. 17. Yan presented career advice for students to use during and after college, and how to achieve opportunities in the field of human resources.

Yan’s advice can be applied to students looking into an array of career paths. The vice president of SHRM, Reina Morgan, a senior psychology major, said after college she wants to “pursue a career in industrial organizational psychology.”

SHRM’s president, Tyler Potter a senior political science major said he seeks to secure success after graduating. The varied majors among the students in the room showed that any major is applicable for working in HR.

Yan studied at Willamette University where she earned her degree of liberal arts in business. As an undergraduate, Yan was a sociology major. She now has her MBA and is certified as a senior and global professional in human resources.

Yan insists that students work while attending college for the experience. “You don’t want to graduate and start at $10 an hour just because you don’t have any experience.”

In her own experience, Yan worked at a bank and then transitioned to the HR aspect of banking.

Now, Yan works as the college relations director for the Oregon State Council. She describes her job as “securing happy and healthy employees”: helping people dispute differences and secure an enjoyable workplace environment.

During her presentation, Yan used a Venn diagram outlining what is best suited for students looking for happiness and success. In the left circle are “Things I love doing.” In the right circle are “Things I’m good at.” In the middle circle are “Things that society values.” Yan explains that an inclusion of all three circles must be met to ensure a successful career.

When seeking a career, students are advised to conduct an informational interview. An informational interview is where a person finds information about an employer to better help that person with guidance in building their own careers.

One of the best questions to ask an employer of interest, Yan suggests, is “How did you get where you are?” Gathering information about an employer will not only give ideas about how to be successful, but a connection will also be built with that employer.

SHRM allows students to dabble in the world of HR. Student chapters can plan treks where students can visit employers and companies. Guest speakers, like Yan, can also be brought in to bring more understanding to the field. Certain conferences are held for students to gain opportunities to exhibit and adapt their HR skills. These resources are just some of what are available to students that are interested in building a career in HR.

Seated volleyball is a Hit

Adam McAdams dives backwards to save the ball during a seated volleyball game. PHOTO BY ZACH GARDNER | Staff Photographer
Adam McAdams dives backwards to save the ball during a seated volleyball game.
PHOTO BY ZACH GARDNER | Staff Photographer
By KATRINA PENAFLOR Campus Life Editor

The Western Accessibility Awareness Month committee organized a seated volleyball game in the Health and Wellness Center Feb. 17.

WAAM, which was previously known as Disability Awareness Month, took place in October last year. The committee decided to move the event to February to allow more time to plan events for students to attend.

Rose Lethe, a junior applied mathematics major, is a WAAM committee member. She talked about wanting to organize, “what we thought students would want to see.”

Seated volleyball is “part of our lunch and learn series,” said Charisse Loughery, Western’s Student Conduct Coordinator and one of the event organizers. Another WAAM event is a weekly Instagram and Twitter challenge.

The rules of the game were similar to traditional volleyball except the court was made smaller and feet were allowed to slide underneath the net without penalty. Participant’s bodies also had to remain seated on the ground at all times.

The game brought a lot of attention from WAAM committee members, students, and gym-goers that all rotated in and out of the game.

Lethe said she had a lot of fun participating in seated volleyball and said it would be “great to have this at Western.”
Abby Luedman, a junior pre-ASL interpreting major enjoyed watching the game. She heard about it from one of her classes where she says her teacher has a box of activities for students: “this was one of them.”

Another attendee, senior and pre-ASL interpreting major Mylisa McGill, enjoyed watching a game like this for the first time: “I did not know what seated volleyball was,” McGill said.

WAAM events will be continuing throughout February and the beginning of March. Upcoming programs of WAAM include a lunch and learn series titled “OMG! There’s a Deaf/Hard of Hearing Person in the Room,” Monday, Feb. 23 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Willamette room, and WaWa, a Deaf rapper performing in ITC room 211 at 7 p.m., March 13.

JANE AUSTEN’S CLASSIC TAKES THE STAGE

Belladina Starr converses with Lindsay Spear on stage as couples dance during rhearsal for “Pride and Prejudice.” PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BLAIR | Staff Photographer
Belladina Starr converses with Lindsay Spear on stage as couples dance during rhearsal for “Pride and Prejudice.”
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE BLAIR | Staff Photographer
By STEPHANIE BLAIR
 Staff Writer

Thursday, Feb. 26, Western’s theatre department will be opening “Pride and Prejudice” on the main stage, directed by David Janoviak, professor and head of acting.

Based on the novel by Jane Austen, the classical romantic comedy follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet (played by third-year student and BFA actor, Janelle Davis), a stubborn and straightforward girl from a family of five girls whose mother, Mrs. Bennet (played by third-year student and BFA actor, Belladina Starr), is desperate to see all married.

Two wealthy gentlemen move to town, one of which is the brooding and reserved Mr. Darcy (played by third-year student and BFA actor, Jeff Presler), whose interactions with Elizabeth prove that first impressions are not always what they seem.
“There’s a lot of comedy in the show,” Davis said. “But, you have to be smart to get it.”

The classical feel may be daunting, similar to Shakespearian dialogue in that it can be hard to grasp at first, but the cast promises great fun.

“If you’re looking for fart jokes, you’ve come to the wrong play,” Starr said.

A two-act play, “Pride and Prejudice” has a cast of over 30 actors, spanning all grades of Western’s student body. It is a family show, though it may be a bit much for children.

“Working with the amount of people I do is incredible,” Davis said. “This is a huge cast and I interact with every single person.”

Performances are Feb. 26-28, March 4-7 at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee showing Sunday, March 1 at 2 p.m.

Theatre department productions are free to students. Admission for non-Western students is $7, general admission is $12, and seniors $10. Tickets can be purchased at the Rice Auditorium box office, 503.838.8462.

Portraits of a University: Self-proclaimed psychology nerd

PHOTO BY NATHANIEL DUNAWAY | ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
PHOTO BY NATHANIEL DUNAWAY | ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Nathaniel Dunaway meets with Western students to discuss their lives and their experiences in the world of higher education. In doing so, he hopes to find an answer to the question what does it mean to be a college student in the 21st century?

I’m from Southern California and I wanted to move to Oregon. It was between Oregon and Arizona, and Arizona was too hot. But I was ready to move out of my parents’ house, and I came up here to look at OSU.

At the airport, my mom said she’d heard about this school called Western Oregon University. So she said “Let’s just drive by and see if you like it.” So we drove by and I took a tour, and I liked it 10 times better than OSU. I liked the small classrooms.

I like teachers to know who I am. I liked the feel of the campus a lot more. I applied that night at the airport while our flight was delayed.

People are a lot nicer here than they are in Southern California. I use my grocery store example: if you’re at the grocery store in Oregon, you can have a full-on conversation with someone you don’t even know over what type of milk you’re buying.

In California, if I were to even start saying something like “oh, those milk prices” or whatever, someone would just stare at me like “why are you talking to me?” It’s fast-paced where I come from. People don’t really take the time to engage with other people. Everyone’s kind of in their
own bubble.

I remember the first time I drove up into Oregon and I got out of the car to pump my own gas, and the guy freaked out on me. But now I go back home and I’ll just sit in the car like “hello, it’s been like 10 minutes.”

I started classes fall 2013. I took the general, entry-level psychology classes, and those were the only textbooks where I could actually sit and read them front to back, and stay engaged.

When I sat down to decide my major, I just weighed the pros and cons of what I enjoyed reading and
doing. So I picked psychology. Now I know almost my entire department by name, and I like that. When I graduate, I’m gonna be sad to leave, but I think I’ll be ready to move on.

The thing about going to college is that it’s become the new high school diploma. A bachelor’s degree wasn’t what it was 20 years ago. You’re not going to go out and find a high-paying job right away. It’s just not gonna happen. So you have to further your education. I have to. There’s
nothing I can do with a psychology bachelor’s. So I’ll get my master’s in psychology, then my Ph.D., and I’m going back to California for that.

I’m such a psychology nerd. Psychology, for me, was just relatable. I think that’s really important. Everything I’m learning is relatable. With each class, I’m liking it more and
more. And it’s great that I can use what I know to help my friends and family, and hopefully later on I’ll be able to help people I don’t know. I’m not losing my steam for psychology. I love it.

Flashback Friday: Dean of Women and namesake of Todd Hall

Jessica Todd, standing in front of the dormitories. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
Jessica Todd, standing in front of the dormitories. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
By KATRINA PENAFLOR
 Campus Life Editor

Today, Todd Hall houses psychology offices, the modern language department, the Child Development Center and Teaching Research Institute. But what some students might not know is the hall itself was actually once a dormitory that housed female students who attended the Oregon Normal School, a former title of Western.

And the woman in charge of the students was Jessica Todd.

Todd originally came to the Oregon Normal School to work as a critic teacher, a supervisor of student teachers. She later became the dean of women, which was her highest title at the institution.

She also played a major role in the funding of what we now call Todd Hall, which was built in 1912, and the Cottage, built in 1917.

Additionally, Todd watched over the students living in the dormitory. She was known for her no-nonsense attitude, and for graciously taking girls of the school and turning them into respectable women.

In the October 1923 edition of The Oregonian, Louise Shields wrote: “Miss Jessica S. Todd, dean of women and head of the dormitory, has been a potent factor in working the miracle in the young women who are to be teachers” and “leaders in communities throughout the state.”

She had a “my way or the highway” type of attitude, said Jerrie Lee Parpart, exhibits coordinator and archives assistant at Hamersly Library.

Although she had a stern attitude, even rumored to have closed the door to the dormitory on girls who arrived after curfew, Todd cared deeply for the students. They were of the upmost of importance to her. The girls of the dorms showed their equal respect and gratitude towards Todd by dedicating a tulip tree to her.

According to an April 2, 1929 article in the student newspaper, The Lamron, “The Senior Cottage girls pleasantly surprised Dean Todd by dedicating to her, her home state tree as a token of lasting appreciation and friendship.”

Todd was frugal. She worked hard to save the university money and eventually saved the institution enough to add an extension to Todd Hall, giving it a music room and west wing.

Part of Todd’s work in forming girls into women was organizing formal Sunday dinners and Wednesday dress dinners, where students were allowed to invite family members or boyfriends. The girls at the dinner would alternate being heads of the table, handling etiquette and table rules.

“Even such a matter as table manners leaves its mark upon a girl’s general self-control,” Shields said.

One of Jessica Todd’s additions to the dormitory was the “Painted Alley” which was designed after a Parisian Café. It has also been known to be the spot where girls would sneak boys into the dorm.

Todd later retired in 1931; her hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed. As said in a tribute written to Todd in The Lamron, in 1931, “For nineteen years she has capably directed the dormitories, making them truly beautiful and inspiring places in which to live. She has worked patiently through stress and storm, guiding and helping.”

In October 1944, The OCE Lamron also wrote: “The dormitory was named for her in the recognition of her many years of service to the school,”

Todd died in 1944 in Pennsylvania, but it is rumored that her ghost or presence lingers around the university, continuing to watch over students and her former dormitories.

Love spreads throughout Western

PHOTO BY SHANNEN BROUNER | PHOTO EDITOR
PHOTO BY SHANNEN BROUNER | PHOTO EDITOR
By AMANDA CLARKE
 Staff Writer

Project LOVE, an event dedicated to loving yourself and created by Western student Karlie Holmgren and sponsored by Student Leadership and Activities, was in the Werner University Center Feb. 9 to Feb. 11. There was a booth in the WUC for the three days, manned by volunteers and Holmgren herself.

Project LOVE showed variety each day with a different event at the booth. On the first day, students were able to write sticky notes with words of encouragement for their homes. The following day, there was an opportunity to take photos in a photo booth. The final day, students could take slips to write compliments for their friends and loved ones.

“Each day we promoted simple ideas — whether it was writing positive notes about yourself around your house, taking a picture to capture your own beauty, or passing out compliments to family, friends or random people,” Holmgren said.

Holmgren said she hoped to reach out to different groups of people walking through the WUC. She said February had always been a time to celebrate love for another person.

The purpose of the event was to help remind people to love themselves. Because media typically defines beauty and love for people, it can sometimes be difficult for someone to see their own beauty and to love themselves.

“It is an empowering message,” said Janessa Rook, a junior public health major.

Jordyn Ducotey, a junior communication studies major also attended the event.

“When those impractical expectations are not met, many people fail to see their beauty,” Ducotey said. “This event reminded people that they are beautiful and that loving yourself is important.”

Holmgren also said that Project LOVE was working toward trying to show that beauty should be defined in your own terms.

“Your own individual beauty is why you should love yourself,” Holmgren said.

Holmgren said she hopes that Project LOVE “affected people on campus by simply reminding people they are worthy of their own love.”

“Sometimes, all we need is a reminder,” said Holmgren. “that’s what Project LOVE was there for.”

Faculty members discuss tenure

By CHELSEA HUNT
 Staff Writer

To Maria Dantas-Whitney, professor of bilingual education and ESOL, tenure means recognition and duty. For Thomas Rand, professor of English literature, having
tenure creates an association between him and the university that he is proud of.

Even though some students have heard the term tenure, not all fully understand what it means and how it works. Tenure, essentially, brings job security. Teachers who have tenure cannot get fired unless they display inappropriate behavior or
poor teaching.

This security allows teachers the ability to take risks. As a prime example of this freedom, Rand cited Grover Krantz, who was a professor at Washington
State University. Because Krantz had tenure, he had the freedom to pursue cryptozoology in his research of Bigfoot, which would otherwise have been too risky a pursuit for a professor.

Faculty who have tenure have the title of associate professors and professors. Those who are on the tenure-track are often assistant professors.

Both tenure-track and tenured faculty receive salary increases along a regular salary step system.

Those seeking tenure go through a series of reviews by different levels of the university, from the division chair and their peers, to the dean, and finally to
the provost.

Dantas-Whitney, as chair of the teacher education division, plays an active role in reviewing other faculty members. She calls this “a very rewarding experience.”

In order to receive tenure, and after receiving tenure, professors must display good teaching, scholarship, and service.

According to Sue Monahan, dean of the college of liberal arts and sciences, “faculty who earn tenure are expected to be strong teachers and to maintain a scholarly presence in their academic field.”

Faculty are also expected to be active members of professional and local communities.

For faculty hired on the non-tenure track, these responsibilities are still relevant, even though they are not working toward receiving tenure.

Non-tenure-track faculty can also provide high quality teaching to students and research to their scholarly communities.

Debbi Brannan, who is a non-tenure-track assistant professor of psychology, brings her own experience to her department.

“Having conducted cross-cultural research and my applied research experience has been a nice addition to an already strong and diverse department,” Brannan wrote in an email.

Non-tenure-track faculty, depending on their level of education and their role at the university, are designated as lecturers, instructors, or adjunct professors.

Some, like Brannan, are assistant professors.

These faculty do not receive the same salary step increases as tenured and tenure-track faculty do.

They do receive some increases on top of their base salary, which is based on the highest degree they have received.

Tenure status can have some impact on students. Monahan wrote in an email that one example of this is how tenured faculty play a strong role in creating curriculum
and assessing students’ success.

Judy Vanderburg, director of human resources, said that hav- ing tenured faculty provides ac- cess to their discipline, but that all the faculty of different tenure statuses “Contribute to all of our students’ education.”

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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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