Mount Hood

Magma chambers mapped under Mount St. Helens

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

It has been more than 35 years since Mt. St. Helens, the most active volcano in the Pacific Northwest, erupted in 1980, and scientists are still discovering more about it.

According to a report released Wed. Nov. 4, 2015, a series of large magma chambers have been mapped miles underneath the volcano. Researchers believe the way these magma chambers are aligned could explain the 1980 eruption.

Researchers have mapped two significant chambers: a large chamber 5 to 12 kilometers below the mountain, and an even larger one 12 to 40 kilometers below the mountain.

Scientists are able to map deep magma chambers by using sensitive instruments called seismometers.

Seismometers are extremely sensitive to vibrations, and can pick up movement miles beneath the Earth’s surface.

Since vibrations travel more quickly through hard rock than through magma, scientists are able to map out the size of the chambers by taking note of where the vibrations slow down and speed up.

In order to get an accurate picture, researchers had to use 2,500 seismometers to record the vibrations from 23 large explosions.

According to the images the researchers have compiled, Mt. St. Helens isn’t the only volcano supplied by these large magma chambers. Mt. Adams and a group of dormant volcanoes called the Indian Heaven volcanic field are also likely supplied by these chambers.

The researchers will leave 75 seismometers in pace near Mt. St. Helens in order to collect more data.

Even though it hasn’t fully erupted since 1980, Mt. St. Helens is still considered a high-risk volcano, but researchers believe these new findings will help them find earlier signs of a possible eruption.

Freebie Friday fun resumes

By: Brianna Bonham
Staff Writer

Freebie Friday happens every week on campus and it is a chance for students to play games, win prizes, and even get discounts and freebies.

The event is put on by the Werner University Center (WUC) in collaboration with the Student Leadership and Activities Board (SLA).
The first Freebie Friday was Bingo Night during New Student Week.

Students collected stamps from many different clubs and organizations at Western and turned them in for Bingo cards. They then competed in a few rounds of Bingo to win various prizes.

Each prize had a theme such as “Netflix and Chill pack” which contained popcorn, candy, movies, and blankets. The “Game Night” pack had board games and candy. Students relaxed and had fun while earning free prizes.

This weekend is a scavenger hunt themed Freebie Friday where students can compete to win prizes for being the game’s champions.
The Grill, located on the second floor of the WUC, offers penny fries until 3 p.m., and Cafe Allegro offers penny espresso shots until 4 p.m.

The bookstore will also be offering a 30 percent discount on WOU imprinted items to those who participate in the scavenger hunt.

Students who want to be reminded each week about upcoming events that will be happening around campus can text “WOUWKND” to 71441 to receive updates by text weekly.

More information about Freebie Fridays and other student events can also be found on SLA’s webpage as well as in their office in WUC.

China to lift one-child policy for continued economic prosperity

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

China announced late last month that the government will lift their one-child policy, which was put into place 35 years ago in order to prevent rapid population growth.

The one-child policy was introduced in China in 1980 and was implemented to reduce the strain on resources as the country’s population and economy continued to grow exponentially.

According to the Chinese government, the one-child policy helped prevent 400 million births, which they credit with raising millions of people out of poverty. Now, however, they risk running out of young workers to support their aging population.

Data from the U.N. shows that by the 2030, a quarter of China’s population will be older than 60.

The country’s leaders made the decision to lift the policy in order to counter the risk of losing their powerful workforce, but some demographers fear it is too late to completely prevent it.

The new policy will allow all Chinese women to have up to two children.

According to the Population Reference Bureau, the new policy will result in an estimated 23 million more births by the year 2050. If almost every woman in China decides to have two children, however, the number of new births could be as high as 100 million.

This won’t stop the change in China’s worker demographic, but it will give the Chinese government more time before they see a shortage in workers.

This new policy has been implemented slowly over the past few years.

Starting in 2013, couples could have two children if either parent had no siblings. Rural couples in China were already able to have two children if their first child was a girl, and certain ethnic groups were exempt from the one-child policy.

Lifting the child limit to two is seen by some as a big step forward, especially because the one-child policy had been in place for such a long time, but others think China’s government hasn’t gone far enough, claiming that the government shouldn’t control reproductive rights at all.

Oregon posts 5300 job loses in September

By: Conner Williams
 Editor in Chief

The State of Oregon lost 5300 jobs in September, ending 36 consecutive months of job growth, according to a report from the State of Oregon Employment Department.

The decline was a fairly significant step backwards from the gain of 3500 jobs that was seen in August.
The report said that a “loss of more than 5000 jobs in a single month is a rare occurrence during the last six years.”

In September, the unemployment rate for the state rose from 6.1 to 6.2 percent, totaling 119,983 people without jobs in Oregon. However, the rate is down significantly from 6.9 percent in September of 2014.

Oregon added a total of 49,500 jobs during that 12-month period, resulting in a growth rate of 2.9 percent.

According to the report, the job losses were spread across eight industry groups, with four of those eight contributing the most, including:

• Construction: -1800
• Retail trade: -1600
• Professional and business services: -1300
• Leisure and hospitality: -1600

“… It’s too early to tell if the losses are just a blip in the recovery or a signal of a slower growth this autumn,” said Nick Beleiciks, Oregon’s state employment economist.

While many industries did have a decline in jobs, two industries expanded during the month of September:

• Government: +1300
• Healthcare: +800

An article from The Oregonian claimed that the numbers could turn out to be different after more accurate adjustments are made once the complete data becomes available.

Lock it up

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

Jennifer Halley, a fifth year English major, and several neighbors in the area, awoke to the fact that their cars had been broken into and any valuable contents stolen, on Oct. 26, 2015.

“I heard a lot of shuffling and thudding going on in and around my neighbor’s car and storage unit,” recounts Halley, “I assumed it was my neighbor just making a lot of noise, and almost went outside to tell him to be quiet, but I fell asleep instead.”

This break-in had occurred sometime after midnight, and also included the theft of Halley’s bike, along with valuables from the other two vehicles.

Brianna Bonham, first year social science major, was also contacted by Public Safety on a separate account to inform her that the car beside her own had been broken into.

“They told me my car was fine, that there was just a couple pieces of glass on the hood, and that was it,” said Bonham, who was asked by Public Safety to describe both her car and the affected vehicle, as well as if she was aware of the broken window.

Rebecca Chiles, the Director of Campus Public Safety, urges students and Monmouth residents to keep all valuables outside of their vehicles.

“If you don’t want it stolen, don’t leave it in your car,” Chiles reminded, “and don’t forget to register your bikes with us.”

“A lot of students think we’re only open eight to five like the rest of campus,” admits Chiles, “but we are open and available 24/7.”

While Bonham was not personally affected by this event, it still raised awareness to the fact of what could happen.

“It made me a little nervous about my car because they were right next to each other, so I was concerned that it might happen to my car too,” said Bonham.

“This event made me feel violated and really angry,” said Halley, on the other end of the spectrum, “it made me question how safe I feel here.”

Halley’s advice follows the same vein as Chiles’: don’t keep important things in your car. Another important tip is to actually close the windows and lock the car before leaving, and to hide valuables to make the vehicle less tempting.

“Keep your eyes out, and be aware,” Halley said, “you always think ‘it will never happen to me’, and then it does and it sucks.”

ACP individual award winners

By: Katrina Penaflor
Managing Editor

The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) announced the winners for the national Pacemaker and Individual Awards at the National College Media Convention in Austin, Texas, Oct. 31, 2015.

According to the organization’s website, ACP “promotes the standards and ethics of good journalism as accepted and practiced by print, broadcast and electronic media in the United States.”

The Journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Conner Williams, was nominated for the individual awards under the “Story of the Year” category.

Sections in the category included “News,” “Feature,” “Sports,” “Editorial/Opinion,” and “Diversity.”

Williams’ piece, “Up in smoke: The ethical dilemmas of a convenience store clerk” was a top ten finalist for “Editorial/Opinion,” receiving an honorable mention after the final judging.

Rhys Finch, student media advisor, said, “Regardless if a student receives first prize or an honorable mention, to be considered on the national level for your writing is exemplary. Honors such as these put not only the student in the national spotlight, but the campus publication as well.”

The top award for “Editorial/Opinion” went to Leah Johnson, from the Indiana Daily Student, for her piece titled “Color of conscience.”

Williams’ placement in his category puts him among the top ten writers in the country for editorial writing, an accomplishment that should not go unnoticed.

“I am incredibly proud to be advising Conner, who has proven himself to be a strong, and improving, writer as well as an ambitious Editor-in-Chief,” said Finch.

The Journal wishes Conner congratulations on his achievements in editorial writing.

ASWOU election

By: Katrina Penaflor 
Managing Editor

ASWOU recently held a special election to fill the vacant positions of Vice President, Senators, and Justice.

The initial voting threshold for the election to be legitimate is 10 percent student involvement (students casting votes), but for this election ASWOU was only able to get 5.6 percent participation.

The committee ultimately decided to accept the 5.6 percent student vote and not wait for it to reach 10 percent.

The final results elected Dean Wright Vice President with 233 votes.

Newly elected Vice President Wright, senior and elementary middle education major, said he is excited for his opportunity to serve students in this role. Wright went on to add, “I look forward to the work that ASWOU is going to accomplish this year, and I encourage any students interested in ASWOU to come to our office and talk with me.”

“ASWOU is very excited to have a Vice President as willing and excited to serve WOU students as Dean Wright is,” said Jenesa Ross, ASWOU Judicial Administrator and Elections Chair. “He has already started work and is working very hard to catch up on what has been happening the past six weeks,” she concluded.

Courtney Thomas, receiving 260 votes, was elected as the fourth Justice to the Judicial Board. Ross adds in her enthusiasm for what Thomas will bring to the table.

The final decisions for Senators are still awaiting approval for grades and judicial checks.

The Journal will update the information when the final Senators are announced.

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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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