Mount Hood

ASWOU Candidates

By JACK ARMSTRONG
 News Editor

New ASWOU candidates are starting a three-week process on their road to elections.

The 11 candidates will be spending their time leading up to elections learning the ins and outs of ASWOU election by-laws, introducing themselves and campaigning to the student body, and finally casting their votes.

Candidates have already presented at their first of two open forums. During the forums, the student body is welcome to come and ask questions of the candidates. Each candidate also makes a presentation about their qualifications and their intentions if they are elected.

The last open forum is scheduled to take place Thursday, April 16, from 7-9 p.m. in the Mt. Hood room of Valsetz. The meeting is open to the entire Western community.

After the final open forum, candidates will be campaigning around campus attempting to secure potential voters up until the election.

Voting begins Monday, April 20 and ends Friday, April 24, at 3 p.m. This year, ASWOU is shifting from the Portal system used in past elections to a new, OrgSync-based system.

Cat Bracken, the ASWOU elections committee chair, said “OrgSync will be faster and more efficient than having the votes on the Portal as they have done in previous years.”

In addition to OrgSync, the elections committee will staff polling stations located throughout campus where students can stop by and vote via laptop with directions and help if necessary.

The following photos and information about the candidates was taken directly from their candidate applications. Candidates responded to the question, “If elected, how do you intend to improve or change WOU or ASWOU?”

For more information on the voting process or becoming involved in ASWOU, visit the ASWOU office in the Werner Center room 121A, or call 503-838-8553.

Disclaimer: The Journal does not endorse any candidates or their policy. Photos and information were made available by individual candidates. The Journal made minor edits in punctuation and grammar for clarity.

Senator:

Colette Thomassians
First-year public policy and administration major
“I intend to close the gap between the students and their representatives. I plan to listen to students and get their input on things that affect them – directly or indirectly.”

ASWOU President:

Alyssa Chiampi Second-year public policy administration major “If elected, I want to change the current climate of ASWOU, making it a safe space for the students they serve. I would do that by ensuring that appointed cabinet members, as well as the members of the Judicial Board and Student Senate are an equal representation of the student body they serve. In my time working with ASWOU, countless students have approached me saying that they are not comfortable with the current climate of ASWOU because they feel underrepresented. Another priority of mine would be Tuition Affordability. Keeping tuition low is a high priority for the majority of students, and I would work with the newly institutionalized governing board to do so. Having the hard conversations with those board members and being able to be a voice for our students is a role that I am more than willing to assume.”
Alyssa Chiampi
Second-year public policy administration major
“If elected, I want to change the current climate of ASWOU, making it a safe space for the students they serve. I would do that by ensuring that appointed cabinet members, as well as the members of the Judicial Board and Student Senate are an equal representation of the student body they serve. In my time working with ASWOU, countless students have approached me saying that they are not comfortable with the current climate of ASWOU because they feel underrepresented. Another priority of mine would be Tuition Affordability. Keeping tuition low is a high priority for the majority of students, and I would work with the newly institutionalized governing board to do so. Having the hard conversations with those board members and being able to be a voice for our students is a role that I am more than willing to assume.”
Corbin Garner Third-year exercise science major “While external advocacy is an important part of ASWOU’s role on campus, I feel that there are other areas that deserve more immediate focus and improvement. First, ASWOU is in need of better methods to communicate with and involve our clubs and students. This is an issue I have already taken efforts to address, and can ensure the successful transition to these new methods, such as the ASWOU Representative Assembly, as they have been my major project in my first year as president. Another area for improvement is the Food Pantry that ASWOU oversees. I intend to alter an ASWOU officer’s job description to put more focus on the Food Pantry. We need to increase awareness through advertising campaigns and find new ways to reduce the negative stigma about utilizing this amazing resource, such as online food requests to reduce face time in the pantry.”
Corbin Garner
Third-year exercise science major
“While external advocacy is an important part of ASWOU’s role on campus, I feel that there are other areas that deserve more immediate focus and improvement. First, ASWOU is in need of better methods to communicate with and involve our clubs and students. This is an issue I have already taken efforts to address, and can ensure the successful transition to these new methods, such as the ASWOU Representative Assembly, as they have been my major project in my first year as president. Another area for improvement is the Food Pantry that ASWOU oversees. I intend to alter an ASWOU officer’s job description to put more focus on the Food Pantry. We need to increase awareness through advertising campaigns and find new ways to reduce the negative stigma about utilizing this amazing resource, such as online food requests to reduce face time in the pantry.”

IFC Member:

Justin Ross Postbaccalaureate computer science major “My hope is, that through the IFC, to focus the fee on where it will impact the greatest number of students while keeping tuition affordable to as many prospective students as possible.”
Justin Ross
Postbaccalaureate
computer science major
“My hope is, that through the IFC, to focus the fee on where it will impact the greatest number of students while keeping tuition affordable to as many prospective students as possible.”

ASWOU Vice President:

Kellon Hughes Third-year psychology major “I would continue the course that I have been on while being on this position, by improving the accountability of the organization. I would improve the transparency of the organization, allowing for more student input into larger decisions. Improve the accountability of the organization by continuing to preach the proper use of the funds, keep staff members accountable and supported, and interact with WOU students.”
Kellon Hughes
Third-year psychology major
“I would continue the course that I have been on while being on this position, by improving the accountability of the organization. I would improve the transparency of the organization, allowing for more student input into larger decisions. Improve the accountability of the organization by continuing to preach the proper use of the funds, keep staff members accountable and supported, and interact with WOU students.”

Senate President:

Jessica Freeman
First-year biology major with a preprofessional
emphasis
“If elected, I intend to improve the ASWOU recruitment process specifically contributing to the Senate body. After participating in the recruitment process this year, I noticed how difficult it became to recruit as time went on because students became involved with other clubs and organizations. If elected, I will focus on recruiting students early in the year in order to build a stronger senate body.”

Dean Wright
Third-year elementary/
middle education major with a history focus
“If elected I want to get ASWOU more out to the public. As the senate should be representing all students on campus, then the senate needs to be out on campus talking with students to get as much feedback as possible. If elected to Senate President I also want to bring life to the Senate, make senate something that is fun and builds leadership for the Senators. How I plan to do this by having senators partake in already established leadership activities, creating leadership workshops for them, and having weekly one on ones.”

Judicial Administrator:

Christina Sekafetz
First-year mathematics
education major
“If elected, I would improve the communication between students and their elected representatives. Students are not informed well enough about programs or events that happen around campus, including but not limited to ASWOU events, and most of them are beneficial to their education or exploring other interests.”

Jenesa Ross Fourth-year biology major “While advocating for the students of Western Oregon University is an overarching duty of any student government member, in regards to the position of Judicial Administrator, I am also excited to carry on the work I have been doing these past years. Within the Judicial Board, the Justices and I have been holding all groups within ASWOU to a higher standard. I have implemented a system of legislation review which has made the Judicial Board more efficient and effective as an interpretive body, and has led to the large scale editing of the ASWOU Constitution and By-Laws, as well as the creation of Statutes for our Clubs and Organizations. This editing process has served to clarify and clean up the governing documents, as well as rectify any deficiencies which have been noted within the documents. This has been hard work, and it is nowhere near finished since these documents have not seen a large scale editing in many years. I hope to continue this work next year with the Senators and Justices so that the Constitution and By-Laws can be clear, concise, and serve the purpose of serving WOU students.”
Jenesa Ross
Fourth-year biology major
“While advocating for the students of Western Oregon University is an overarching duty of any student government member, in regards to the position of Judicial Administrator, I am also excited to carry on the work I have been doing these past years. Within the Judicial Board, the Justices and I have been holding all groups within ASWOU to a higher standard. I have implemented a system of legislation
review which has made the Judicial Board more efficient and effective as an interpretive body, and has led to the large scale editing of the ASWOU Constitution and By-Laws, as well as the creation of Statutes for our Clubs and Organizations. This editing process has served to clarify and clean up the governing documents, as well as rectify any deficiencies which have been noted within the documents. This has been hard work, and it is nowhere near finished since these documents have not seen a large scale editing in many years. I hope to continue this work next year with the Senators and Justices so that the Constitution and By-Laws can be clear, concise, and serve the purpose of serving WOU students.”

SAB Director:

Javier Garcia
Second-year business major
“Have different events. I already learned this year what worked and what did not work with some events, so I know where to spend more time in improving.”

Maggie MacKenzie
Second-year
communication studies and dance major
“I want to bring performers that the students want to see, and put on events that students are interested in. I would love to get more students involved in SAB and involved in our events. We love to have students either perform or help put on the creation of the event, and I want to get as many students involved, if they wish, as I can. I also want to make sure that every person who attends an event feels welcomed and that we are glad they are there.”

2015-2016 ASWOU leadership positions up for election

By Conner Williams
 Staff Writer

The student government positions of the Associated Students of Western Oregon University are open for all-student elections starting the week of April 20 -24.

The ASWOU General Elections Applications are due by today, April 3 by 5 p.m. Once all of the applications have been processed, the candidate list will be announced and made public on Monday, April 6.

According to information from Cat Bracken, elections committee chair and ASWOU director of public relations, the election process spans for about three weeks, and each contender has the opportunity to campaign for his or her desired position.

The first week, April 6-10, is “mainly informational, where the candidates learn the campaign rules,” Bracken said.

The second week, April 13-17, is Campaign Week. Bracken said that week is “where the candidates campaign to the students to try and secure possible voters.”

During these first two weeks, there will be two candidate forums in which students have the opportunity to ask each candidate questions. Then, once the campaigning and forums are finished, voting will begin.

The system for voting in this year’s election is set to change slightly from voting systems of past elections.

“In the past, voting has been done through the Portal,” Bracken said. “The hope for this year is to hold the voting through OrgSync.”

Bracken said, “I am working with Megan Habermann and our OrgSync Campus Coordinator to try and make this possible.”

Profiles of all the candidates will be featured in The Journal prior to the elections.

Once the votes have been counted, the elects will begin their terms at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 1 and will then hold office for one academic year, through spring term of 2016.

Bergeson Resigns

By Rachel Shelley
 Freelancer

Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Brady Bergeson will be leaving Western after four years as head coach of the men’s basketball program. Bergeson heads to Regis University in Colorado, another NCAA Division II team, as the new men’s head basketball coach.

Bergeson led the Wolves to season and program highs this past season, finishing with a record of 69-45 (.605) through his career. He also leaves with the seventh most wins as a coach in school history.

Ten All-GNAC players, one GNAC Player of the Year, one GNAC Newcomer of the Year and the first NCAA basketball All-American in Western men’s basketball program history and
have played under Bergeson.

He also led the 2014-15 season team to Western’s first-ever GNAC regular season title and the first tip to the NCAA Division II National Tournament as part of the West Regional.

During the same season, Bergeson broke the 20-win season mark, the first time since the 1996-97 season as well as the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II national ranking. Western ranked as high as No. 15 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Poll.

“The national ranking is a great honor. It’s something that is in the history books and our kids and fans can be proud of. Additionally, we are proud that we have been able to give national recognition to our university,” Bergeson said in an interview Feb. 4.

Prior to coaching at Western, Bergeson earned his master’s degree in negotiation, conflict resolution and peace-building from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2007 after earning an undergraduate degree in psychology with honors from Chapman in 2000.

At Chapman, Bergeson played point guard where he finished his four years with a 66-34 record and was the Student- Athlete of the Year and team captain during his senior year.

Final Four

Western has entered the final stage of the process to replace retiring university president Mark Weiss.

After Weiss announced his retirement, a search committee was created to help select his replacement. As of March 30, Western had announced four finalist candidates to take
over the position: Dr. Rex Fuller, Dr. Fernando Delgado, Dr. Margaret Madden and Dr. Christopher Ames.

According to current Western president, Mark Weiss, the most important consideration in selecting a new leader is to look for a candidate who “has distinguished themselves
as leaders and understand the importance of institutions like Western, and the difference we make in the lives of our graduates.”

Weiss said, “I am delighted to say that each of our candidates has shown this potential from their previous work in a university structure.”

It is clear from the brief biographies in the most recent press release published by the search committee that all of the candidates have served at similar levels of higher education administration before being considered for Western’s presidency.

Fuller served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Eastern Washington University (EWU) since 2010. Fuller oversaw the development of the EWU College of
Health Science and Public Health.

Delgado serves as provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls since 2009. Delgado began his career in education administration
serving as a dean for both MSU-Mankato and Hamline University.

Since 2002, Madden has served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at State University of New York (SUNY) – Postdam. Her focus was in expanding and improving
the network of campuses that comprised the widespread SUNY.

Ames is currently the vice president for academic affairs at Shepherd University in West Virginia. He supervises seven academic deans in addition to the school’s division II
athletics program.

The committee tasked with selecting the possible candidates was organized by Judy Vanderburg, director of human resources, and contains a wide range of individuals representing Western, the alumni and the Oregon University System.

The committee is chaired by Jim Francesconi who is a member of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. While the search committee has made their recommendation of the four finalist candidates, OUS has the final decision of who will actually be appointed.

According to Western’s website, “the OUS Board will be making the final decision regarding the next president since the first WOU Board of Trustees doesn’t become active by law until July 1, 2015.”

Before OUS can consider their final decision, the search committee and the Western board of trustees will make a recommendation of their first choice candidate from the four finalists.

Part of the discussion concerning the committee’s vetting process will take place behind closed doors, but the Western community and student body will have a chance to participate through campus interview sessions of the four finalists.

The candidates will be participating in various activities through the first two weeks of spring term, and each candidate will participate in an open hearing style interview in which students and faculty along with the community are welcome to ask questions.

As of today, Delgado and Ames have already participated in their open forums and community receptions.

Madden will have her open forum April 6 from 3:30-5 p.m. in Rice Auditorium to be followed by community reception in the foyer from 5-6:30 p.m. Fuller is scheduled to have his open forum April 7 from 3:30-5 p.m. in Rice Auditorium. The community reception for Fuller is also in the auditorium foyer from 5-6:30 p.m.

After each forum, attendees are asked to fill out a campus reaction survey online (https://wou.edu/president/presidentialsearch/) located in a link below their respective profiles on the presidential search website. This survey will ask respondents basic information about their role at Western and their reactions to the candidates during the events.

The results of the survey will be combined with the results of the private interviews conducted by the committee before they submit their candidate recommendation to OUS.

Weiss, who previously served at Western as the vice president of finance and administration, said he “under-went a similar procedure of vetting and recommendations for my initial position.” Weiss was appointed to the presidency by OUS four years ago.

After Weiss officially retires, he hopes to stay as involved in campus as is appropriate.

“I expect to attend campus-related events but I am mindful that with my retirement I must provide clear separation, respectfully, for the new board and president,” Weiss said.

“I can tell you this has been the most gratifying position I’ve had the pleasure to have because of the positive impact this institution makes in the lives of so many of our students,” Weiss concluded.

The new president will officially be taking office July 1, 2015.

For more information regarding the presidential search, resumes and biographies of possible candidates, or the timeline for the appointment of a new president, go to https://wou.edu/president/presidentialsearch/ or contact Judy Vanderburg at vanderj@wou.edu.

Child Care and Development Center Receives Prestigious Award

IMG_011123
Kids take a break at award-winning Child Development Center. PHOTO BY SHANNEN BROUNER – CAMPUS PHOTOGRAPHER

 

By JACK ARMSTRONG
News Editor

Western’s Teaching Research Institute and Child Development Center was recently awarded a five-star rating by the Oregon Quality Rating and Improvement System.

TRI-CDC, Western’s child care center, is located in Todd Hall. Students, staff, faculty and community members’ children between the ages of 30 months and 10 years can spend their day at the center enrolled in a variety of classes and activities while their parents attend or teach class across campus.

TRI-CDC director Ingrid Amerson said, “having TRI-CDC on campus is a huge draw to perspective faculty and students.”

For 35 years, the center has been open to Western’s community of parents. According to Amerson, the center offers an opportunity for busy student-parents to “know that their child is being cared for in a safe and stimulating environment”
The center also offers an opportunity for Western students, who are focused on education and early childhood development, to volunteer and hone their skills.

Students can “volunteer in our program to enhance their skills working with the children, and learn about developmentally appropriate practices through hands-on experience,” Amerson said.

Amerson also said that students have the opportunity to “work in our Center when positions become available,” allowing for interested students to gain resume-building job hours.

TRI-CDC offers new parents a wide range of parenting-centric seminars and classes. According to Amerson, parents have the chance to learn more about the child-rearing process at the center at least twice a year.

The draw of TRI-CDC for prospective students and faculty with children has been boosted by the Oregon QRIS awarding the center its highest rating of five stars.

Oregon’s Early Learning Division oversees the Oregon QRIS, a rating system developed by early childhood development experts from Western.

The award is a certification by Oregon state officials that TRI-CDC has “demonstrated to the state, the community and the families that we excel to the highest levels in the
essential standards that support quality learning for all children,” according to Amerson.

“We worked hard to achieve this award,” Amerson said.

TRI-CDC spent more than a year compiling a portfolio that demonstrated the center’s proficiency in a number of state standards such as learning and development, family
partnerships and business practices among others.

The five-star rating lasts for three years, at which point TRI-CDC will have to prepare another portfolio for review. Amerson said the center will definitely “go through a process for the rating to be renewed.”

The center is currently looking to expand its operations to further benefit the Western parent community.

Amerson said that by mid-spring the center will be “refreshing both our indoor and outdoor learning classrooms with new furnishings to give us an up-to-date environment.”

TRI-CDC is also partnering with other programs such as Central School District, Community Action Head Start and Polk County to open the Central Child Development Center.

The new center is focused around teen parents with infants and toddlers. Amerson said “enrollment will include children of Central High School teen parents” as well as infants and toddlers of Western students and faculty.

Funding for these expansions will come in part as a direct result of the five-star rating. As a reward for the TRI-CDC receiving five stars, the Oregon QRIS awarded the center $3,500 in grant money.

The work toward improvement is unfinished even after the rating was announced.

“Continuous quality improvement is the heart of the QRIS. Our field is changing quickly with new research helping us determine how to best meet the needs of our children and families,” Amerson said.

For more information about the TRI-CDC, how to enroll a child, or the center’s programs, contact Ingrid Amerson at iamerson@mail.wou.edu or call 503-838-8783.

ASWOU looks to improve student input

By CONNER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer

In mid-February, the Associated Students of Western administered a representation survey through the OrgSync portal page.

According to ASWOU President Corbin Garner, the email prompt to take the survey was sent to about 6,800 students and faculty alike.

About 155 people have participated in the survey thus far. Anyone that has yet to take it has until the third week of April. The survey will be active until the upcoming ASWOU elections.

To take the survey, participants must be logged in to their WOU Portal page and select the green OrgSync link at the top of the page. A link to the survey is on the OrgSync home page and takes about five minutes to complete.

The survey has two sections. The first four questions ask students if they feel ASWOU effectively represents their interests and concerns, with answer options ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” and a “neutral” middle response.

The second part of the survey says that ASWOU is “evaluating models of representation for its students on campus, in the community, and to that state,” and then asks students which model they feel does a better job representing them.

The first model “encourages cooperation with other university student governments to accomplish a broader student movement and its goals.”

This external model of representation allows ASWOU to coordinate with and learn from other student governments more often and effectively by attending conferences and other state and federal events.

The second model is an internal one that differs from the external model in that, according to the survey, it “encourages cooperation with different student groups on campus: with administrators, staff, and faculty to accomplish goals for the university as a whole.”

The internal model focuses on representing the students and faculty at Western and identifying issues that affect students directly.

The survey then asks participants their school year, as well as which groups on campus they are involved with.

The survey has resulted in a 39.10 percent response of “somewhat agree” that ASWOU’s student representation is effective, and a 4.49 percent response of “somewhat disagree” for the same category.

Garner mentioned that it was important to note that about 45 percent of respondents stated that they “know little” about ASWOU.

“These results have led to the implementation of changes in policy,” Garner said. One of the proposed changes involves a requirement for all ASWOU executives to take one hour per week of their scheduled time to go out on the campus and talk to students.

The goal is to hopefully provide a greater base of knowledge about ASWOU itself, as well as address any concerns students might have.

Garner encourages students and faculty to take the survey, as it allows ASWOU to gain an understanding of their effectiveness and find ways to improve.

Door Debut

Photo By Shannon Brouner - Staff Photographer
Photo By Shannon Brouner – Staff Photographer

By CONNER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer

Construction of Western’s bookstore is expected to be finished as of today, March 13. Construction of the door began on Feb. 23.
The old door was a roll-down-style fire door that had many technical issues.

Whenever the electricity to the old unit was shut off, intentionally or not, the door would close suddenly without warning, creating an extremely hazardous condition for anyone nearby.

“This happened multiple times, and each time the manufacturer came out to fix it, it cost the university thousands of dollars,” said Chris Rupp, textbook purchaser for the bookstore.

Rupp also added that instead of spending excess money on numerous attempts to fix the issue with the old door, the new door could have been purchased sooner instead.

According to Patrick Moser, interim director of the Werner University Center, the cost of the new door amounted to about $32,000. Moser also said the frequent need for repair made it cost prohibitive to keep the old door.

“The new door is also more aesthetically pleasing,” Moser said, while additionly offering increased safety and functionality features.

While still remaining fire safe, the new door is transparent, and it opens on frame-mounted hinges like a traditional door.

“It allows students and customers to have the ability to actually see into the store, unlike the previous one,” Moser said.

The new door is expected to last longer and be more cost effective than the old roll-down-style unit.