Mount Hood

Coffee fiends rejoice

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

Do you ever find yourself studying in the library, when you’re suddenly overcome by a strong craving for food and caffeine?

Well, my fellow coffee fiend, worry no more. Hamersly Library is completing its latest improvement: a new café.

The café will be called The Press, and it is set to open on April 13. The opening date has changed a few times due to unexpected delays, and it is still subject to change.

So why build a café, something that creates a lot of noise, in the library?

According to Dr. Allen McKiel, director of library services at Hamersly, the noise was part of the reason.

“Studies of library usage over the years have resulted in a conceptual shift in understanding environments conducive to and supportive of studying,” said McKiel. “Libraries have been converting their spaces from ubiquitous quiet areas with tables and hard backed and bottomed chairs […] to a variety of study areas that have […] different noise level zones.”

McKiel said the increased noise level shouldn’t be a problem, since students generally don’t study on the noisier first floor of the library.

“We expect the first floor to get a bit noisier, but it is generally not the place where students who prefer quiet spaces study,” he said. “As a student, I used to study in the cafeteria where there was a lot of undifferentiated noise—white noise. The quiet places just made any little noise stand out, which I found disruptive.”

McKiel said a café in the library would benefit students who want to study for longer periods without stopping.

“The decision to put the café in the library arose from the studies that indicated that food and drink were an integral part of the study habits of many students,” he said. “Having food available in the library encourages longer stretches of studying, since leaving the library to find food tends to disrupt and provide distractions that often prevent a return to studying.”

The Press will offer more food items than Café Allegro, and can be expected to be open longer hours (Monday to Thursday 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. and closed Friday and Saturday.)

Tips for a safe spring break

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Spring break is just around the corner, and many of us are anxious to leave campus and celebrate our time off the college way: with alcohol.

But before you hop in your car and say bottoms up, you should probably stop to consider a few things.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) published a study that shows nearly half of all college students binge-drink.

Binge-drinking is defined as drinking five or more drinks within a two-hour period.

Trever Jackson, Campus Public Safety officer for Western, says that excessive drinking is a problem even when it’s not spring break.

“We get a lot of people who become too intoxicated and end up causing problems,” he says. “People will drink, then take it too far, and it becomes unsafe for them and other people. We end up having to deal with that quite a bit on breaks as much as any other time.”

Rebecca Chiles, director of Public Safety, says the biggest things to keep in mind are your choices concerning alcohol and drug use.

“I think we get a little relaxed, or comfortable, with groups of people when we’re having a good time,” she says. “Then you wake up the next morning and your phone’s missing, or your laptop’s missing, or your wallet full of money’s missing. I think just be vigilant about the people you’re with.”

Chiles says it’s important to surround yourself with people you feel safe with to reduce the risk of dangerous situations.

“People are going to drink, so my best advice is to do it with someone you know and love and trust,” she says. “Have a designated person who’s going to be the safety person and look out for everybody—someone who will have your back and take care of you if a safety situation arises …”

Allen Risen, Occupational Environmental Safety Officer for Campus Public Safety, says another important thing to consider is travelling.

He says that during spring break, most of the students leave campus.

“Campus is pretty much dead,” he says. “Most of the students who live on campus are gone … Usually everything’s pretty quiet.”

Risen says that if you choose to travel, pack a blanket and extra water in case of an emergency, and make sure your belongings are locked up tight at home.

Officer Jackson also offers some words of advice about travelling during the break:

“Be in contact with your loved ones. Let them know when you’re leaving, what route you’re taking, how you’re getting there, when you arrive. If you’re travelling in your own vehicle, make sure it’s travel-worthy.”

The last thing you want is to be stranded on a highway in the middle of nowhere. Jackson mentioned that some car shops will do free “trip checks” to make sure your car is able to handle a road trip.

Your local Les Schwab is one such place. They will check everything from your tires and brakes to your oil—all for free (but, of course, they won’t fix anything for free).

Contact the author at awilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @awilsonjournal

2 New Digital Production Rooms in Library

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

Hamersly Library recently constructed two new digital production rooms, found in HL 221 and HL 222. The first specializes in audio production, and the second in video. Both rooms come equipped with a Mac and Dell for user preference, and each computer holds various programs for manipulating audio and video.

“This whole space is a work in progress. We plan on opening up the area for a full service desk so that people can receive help whenever they need it,” said Scott Carter, digital production and publishing specialist for Hamersly Library.

There are also several other computers set up in the alcove with media production software on them, in case a full production room is not necessary.

“This is one place that anyone on campus can come without needing special permissions,” said Carter.

If you would like to reserve a room and experience the brand new production centers, go to wou.edu/dmc

Better Safe than Sorry

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor


The first documented case of drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) occurred in February of this year.

Despite daily adherence to Truvada, a preventative drug against the contraction of HIV, a gay man has tested positive for HIV. The strain of HIV was reported as one that was multidrug resistant, which explained how it was contracted regardless of the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis.

This drug allowed people who are at very high risk of getting HIV to prevent infection by taking a pill every day. This included exposure to HIV through either sex or the use of injected drugs. 

The failure of this drug had not yet been reported in any other individuals, which made this case an exceedingly rare one.

According to POZ.com, none of the 1,400+ high-risk individuals taking pre-exposure prophylaxis through the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis program have contracted HIV to date, despite their very high rate of other sexually transmitted diseases.

“[Pre-exposure prophylaxis] has done very well so far with helping reduce the spread of HIV, and I think that what it’s done well also needs to be recognized,” said John Goldsmith, senior English major and Triangle Alliance President for Western.

On campus, Triangle Alliance partners with the Stonewall Center for World AIDS day on Dec. 1 to help raise awareness. Both of these organizations have also partnered with the Peer Mentor program for sex education programs.

In future years, there may be more events hosted by Triangle Alliance that focus on this topic. For Spring Term, Triangle Alliance meetings will occur in Ackerman 141 at 5 p.m. 

With any sexually transmitted disease, chances of being infected are severely reduced when precautions are taken. It is recommended that one get tested frequently and with every new partner, and to know your partner’s HIV status. 

Use condoms, avoid injecting drugs, and limit the number of sexual partners, if possible. And use other preventative measures, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis or sterilized injection tools, as needed.

“I think that this issue is not isolated to the LGBT*Q+ community, as anyone has the potential to contract HIV,” Goldsmith said. “All people who are sexually active need to take their sexual health more seriously.”

“My heart goes out to the person afflicted, and I hope they will receive all of the treatment they need,” said Goldsmith.

It can take three to 12 weeks for an HIV- positive individual’s body to produce enough antibodies for a test to produce correct results. Many individuals do not show signs or symptoms of HIV until much later, although some may experience flu-like symptoms within two to four weeks after infection.

HIV testing most commonly takes place in three forms: as a blood test, urine test, or as an oral swab. Testing is also highly confidential and is often paired with a consultation regarding HIV itself.

The Student Health and Counseling Center offers HIV testing for roughly $17. The result turnaround for an HIV test averages two days.

To schedule an appointment for testing, please contact the Student Health and Counseling Center at 503-838-8313.

Contact the author at jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @woujournalnews

Insane in the membrane

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

While lice may have a reputation of popping up in small children within the school system, outbreaks are possible wherever high populations of people gather. Now, recent reports state that “super lice” have shown up within the last few years.

“There are a number of theories as to how “regular” lice have mutated into “super” lice,” said Jennifer King, FNP-BC, Medical Services Director at Western’s Student Health and Counseling Center.

“Most likely, it is due to incorrect usage of over-the-counter treatments, either by not using enough product or leaving the solution on the scalp for an insufficient amount of time to kill the lice,” King continued. “Based on research, it has been found that lice can mutate genetically and become resistant to traditional OTC treatments, [also known as] pyrethroids.”

These super lice have spread to over half the country, including Washington, California, and Arizona.

In 2000, the over-the-counter treatments of pyrethroids were 100 percent effective in the removal and killing of head lice. Now, those numbers have dwindled to just 25 percent effectiveness in recent trials.

To combat the mutated lice, Lice Clinics of America has developed an FDA-approved treatment called AirAlle, reports FoxNews.

“We use heated air, and we dehydrate the lice and eggs in a single treatment,” said Claire Roberts, CEO of Lice Clinics of America, to KSDK.com.

“It takes about an hour, and we guarantee it,” Roberts continued.
Each treatment of AirAlle costs about $170, which may be out of a college student’s budget range.

“If there is a concern about resistant head lice, a.k.a “super lice” we recommend scheduling an appointment here at the health center for evaluation and prescription treatment,” encouraged King.

Some suggestions to reduce the chance of spreading lice can be found through the Center for Disease Control. The CDC recommends a few of the following tips: avoid head-to-head contact, avoid sharing clothes – especially hats, and try not to use an infected individual’s objects, such as pillows or hairbrushes.

If you do happen to become infected, machine wash all clothes and bedding in hot water, then dry at the same temperature. Fumigation sprays are not necessary as they are not meant to treat lice. Wash all other possibly infected objects, such as hairbrushes and towels, in hot water as well. Lastly, vacuum and wipe down the affected living areas, such as bedroom and living room.

Once lice have left someone’s body, they quickly dehydrate and die within one to two days, but cleaning ensures less chance of the lice finding their way back to a body. Lice eggs also require a specific temperature, one found close to the scalp, in order to hatch. Investing in specialized lice picks and combs may help combat the further spread.

“To help control a head lice outbreak in a community, it is imperative that we provide information to prevent the spread of lice. The student health center utilizes social media, including Facebook and Twitter as well as email to share information about a number of general health topics and concerns,” said King.

“While lice are irritating and uncomfortable, the good news is that they don’t spread disease, according to the CDC,” said King.

Contact the author at jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOUjournalnews

Strike Averted

ASWOUlogo

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

After nearly a year of debating, and just before the mediation date, WOUFT and Western’s administration have come to an agreement.

The university decided to give the union what it has been asking for: a 10 percent pay increase for non-tenure-track faculty.

“The University did indeed accept our offer as is, with non-tenure-track faculty getting five percent each year for the two year contract, which was the 10 percent we were holding out for,” said Mark Perlman, president of WOUFT. “And no other take-backs in other areas,” Perlman added.

The previous offer from the university included cuts to things such as faculty development and traveling funds, but the proposal that the university accepted gave NTT faculty their raises without the need for cuts.

According to Perlman, this is a much-needed move forward.

“WOU salaries will go up over $50,000 for the step one assistant professors, which is essential for us to be able to hire new faculty,” he said.

“But even with all of this, WOU faculty salaries will still be about 15 percent below comparable universities, so there is still progress to be made in the future to get WOU faculty salaries where they should be.”

According to Glassdoor.com, a website that compiles information about salaries, the average salary for an assistant professor at Western is $50,746. At the University of Oregon, assistant professors make $69,884, and at Oregon State University they make $87,948.

Not all of the schools in Oregon are comparable because of their size differences, but Western’s assistant professor pay is already 39 percent below the national average, according to Glassdoor.

Not all assistant professors at Western are non-tenure-track, but there are a considerable amount who are, and they will soon have a more competitive salary.

Perlman said he was happy about the success, but even happier that the negotiations are over.

“The whole bargaining team is happy to conclude bargaining, and there are a lot of good things in the new collective bargaining agreement,” he said.
He continued to say that the union had gained many new members over the course of the negotiations, but Perlman said it’s now time to think about finals week.

“The members of the bargaining team are going to get a welcome break from union activity, and need to focus on grading papers and final exams,” he said. “They did a lot of work in bargaining, and deserve a huge amount of credit.”

Perlman said on Tuesday that the deal had not been finalized by the other union members yet, but he was confident they would support it.

“The formal contract ratification vote by the union members is set for Thursday afternoon,” he said, “but I have no doubt that they will approve it.”

Contact the author at awilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @awilsonjournal

Super Tuesday had me like…

By: Conner Williams
Editor-in-Chief

As the presidential candidates competed for delegates on Super Tuesday, the day in the election cycle where more delegates are at stake than any other day, I talked with several Western students about their thoughts on the election.

Rosario Peralta, a staff member at the Writing Center, said that she feels the election has been civil to an extent.

“I feel like it’s pretty civil, but at the same time, we have a lot of candidates that are extremes, which doesn’t happen all the time,” she said. “I think it’s civil from the candidates’ perspective, but I don’t necessarily think it’s civil based on how the media portray things.”

“I think it’s kind of a hot mess,” said Peralta. “I was listening to the radio recently and they said ‘We never thought we’d live in a world where Donald Trump could be the winner,’ and apparently that’s the world we live in […] it’s overwhelming and terrifying.”

Peralta said that the issues she finds most important in this election are education and immigration. She is a U.S. resident, but not a citizen, so she cannot actually vote in the election. Despite this, Peralta said that she does her best to campaign and advocate for the candidate(s) that she thinks address her concerns the most.

“I think how we treat other countries and people who come into our country is a big thing for me,” said Peralta.

Taylor Waite, a senior english major, said that she is frustrated with the way the election is turning out thus far.

“I feel a little frustrated from the way that politics are cultured now and are treated as reality TV,” she said. “It’s more about who can make more of a show out of it.”

Waite said that education and loan reform are among her top concerns in the election.

“Education is huge for me in that I’m paying for college,” she said. “I think [free education] is going to be the future of our country.”

“I’m also concerned about the job market because I’m a senior, for one, and coming out with a bachelor of arts, I’m not guaranteed a job,” said Waite.

Amanda Jester, a sophomore criminal justice major, said that she is excited for the election since it will be her first time voting.

“I think since it’s the first election I can vote in, it’s fun for me since I can actually participate in it,” she said.

“I want the focus to be on improving education and social services rather than military spending and things like that,” said Jester. “I also think that women’s health and women’s reproductive rights are huge issues for me.”

Jessica Esparza, a senior english major, also said that she has a hard time believing that Donald Trump is doing as well as he is.

“I think it’s kind of a joke right now,” she said. “I thought that Trump was going to a be a joke at first, and now he might actually be the Republican candidate.”

“I thought it was going to be a publicity stunt, but he just never went away,” said Esparza.

As the polls closed at the end of the day Tuesday, Donald Trump found himself still in the lead for the Republicans with 319 delegates, according to data from The New York Times. Ted Cruz follows shortly behind with 226, Marco Rubio with 110, John Kasich with 25, and Ben Carson with eight, though Carson has announced he will be suspending his campaign. In order to secure the party’s nomination for president, a Republican candidate needs 1,237 delegates.

Hillary Clinton stretched her lead to 1,052 delegates, while Bernie Sanders currently has 427. 2,383 delegates are needed for a Democrat to secure the party’s nomination for president.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC

ASWOU receives two percent budget cut

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

The Incidental Fee Committee plans to increase the amount of money students pay each term in fees while decreasing the funds for some programs.

ASWOU is one of the programs that will see cuts in its budget, but only by a small percentage.

This year, ASWOU received $294,239 from the Incidental Fee funds. This amounted to 6.9 percent of the total IFC budget.

Next year, the committee will only allocate $290,699—or 6.6 percent of the total budget—to ASWOU, which is a two percent cut from this year’s budget.
ASWOU’s budget gets distributed to many different areas, according to Sofia LeVernois, director of business and finance for ASWOU.

“All the clubs at the university fall under ASWOU,” said LeVernois. “You have funded clubs and non-funded clubs. Non-funded clubs are not funded by IFC, and then you have the other umbrella of clubs that are funded by IFC.”

Some student organizations that receive IFC funds from ASWOU are the Art Club, Triangle Alliance, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlánand (MEChA), and the Business and Economics Club.

LeVernois said the clubs can spend their money on anything from food and refreshments to guest speakers.

Other than that, she said ASWOU’s funds go toward sending their members to Oregon Student Association (OSA) meetings. OSA is a nonprofit student advocacy group that represents 110,000 Oregon students.

“We have our payroll account, and we have OSA. That helps our OSA representatives go to the different board meetings that they have to attend,” she said.

ASWOU also pays for a retreat for its members at the beginning of the year.

“It’s all to help the office function so we can be at our top point to represent and help students,” LeVernois said.

The budgets for all clubs and ASWOU departments will be reduced evenly, according to Levernois, so no clubs will be affected more than others.

She said the cuts won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible to work around.

“After talking with Corban, it was decided that we would be able to handle a two percent cut,” said LeVernois. “We have to cut back, but it’s not really preventative. It can be a burden, but there’s things to alleviate that. It’s difficult, but it’s about reallocating.”

Contact the author at awilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @awilsonjournal

Portland’s Polluted Air

PortlandCleanAirColor

By: Jenna Beresheim 
News Editor

Back in May 2015, Oregon regulators discovered that federal researchers located heavy metals in moss samples throughout the Portland area. However, these regulators did not partake in their own testing until October.

The culprits were later detected as Bullseye Glass Company, a glass company promoted for the use of colored glass in art and architecture, and Uroboros Glass Studio, which manufactures glass for lamps, architectures, and kiln forming.

Results for testing Bullseye came back in January with shocking results: 159 times the safety goal of arsenic in the air, and 49 times the safety goal for cadmium.

Cadmium poses risks of lung cancer and kidney damage, while arsenic offers lung, skin, and bladder cancers.

Other elevated levels of toxic metals, such as lead and nickel, also became apparent with more testing across the Portland areas.

The amount of toxicity has become so bad in areas that residents within a half-mile of the two glass factories are encouraged to withhold from eating food grown in backyard gardens.

Another health recommendation is to wash hands after coming in contact with soil found within contaminated areas.

“It’s crazy that people can’t even eat from their gardens – it’s against everything Portland,” said Leanne Cook, a Western alumna who commutes from Portland to work at the National Center on Deaf-Blindness.

“I live right in the heart of the affected area but wish I could say I noticed a difference, I know there is one, but I can’t tell that there is,” Cook explained. “It’s frustrating to know that long-term this could have major effects on Portlandians’ lives.”

One woman speaking out against her current health problems is Sarah Livingstone, a Portland resident who lives just five blocks away from Bullseye.

“This past month I had three trips to the ER for not being able to breathe right,” Livingstone reported to the Oregonian.

Livingstone later revealed that doctors had discovered fluid in the lining of her lungs on Jan. 23 and had asked her to hold off on her second pregnancy.

“I feel like it hasn’t been talked about enough,” Cook defends, “I’m trying not to think about it.”

Kate Brown followed up with the findings, stating that she expected ‘rapid action’ from environmental regulators, as well as more money from legislature to deal with the current amount of air pollution.

Currently, both companies have voluntarily stopped the usage of such chemicals in their production of glass while more soil tests are underway.

For a short, informational video on the topic at hand, click here: http://bit.ly/1WHGjZ8

Contact the author at jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOUjournalnews

WOU student jobs, are they at risk?

By: ​Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

Oregon legislators have approved Senate Bill 1532, which will allow the state’s minimum wage to reach $15 by 2022.

Western Oregon University may be affected by this bill, especially those student workers who are employed on-campus.

“Based on my early calculations, I believe it [Senate Bill 1532] could add up to 3-5% on student employee costs next fiscal year in my area,” stated Patrick Moser, the Director for Student Leadership and Activities.

“How that affects student employment in my department is highly dependent on how the Incidental Fee Committee chooses to address the budget issues of minimum wage increases,” Moser continued.

Moser also reported that, as far as campus budget impact, the Business office is already starting to study the issue at hand and how best to handle the situation.

“We are still in the middle of our budget process and determining all of the information,” commented Brandon Neish, the manager for the Budget Office.

This change in minimum wage could affect how many available job positions occur on campus, as it may prove more difficult to support as many workers at such a large increase in paycheck per person.

For students, more money in less time worked could prove to be a very appealing incentive. Although, at the same time, it could also result in cuts to student jobs, even current ones, in order to have certain student-run positions remain afloat.

After nearly four hours of heated debate, the bill cleared the Senate with a vote of 32-26. While just outside, demonstrators barricaded lawmakers within the House chamber, pounding on the walls and chanting.

According to The Oregonian, the bill would give pay increases to more than 100,000 workers, with some receiving nearly $6 more an hour.

The plan would take an estimated six years, starting the wage raise in July this year to $9.50-9.75 and ending in 2022 with ranges of wage depending on location. Portland’s urban growth boundary would see $14.75, midsize counties would reach $13.25, and “frontier” areas would expect $12.50 per hour.

The Coalition to Defend Oregon Jobs includes a wide range of individuals who fought against Senate Bill 1532.

“A massive wage hike kills small business jobs and forces schools and local governments to cut services or raise property taxes,” the Defend Oregon Jobs website proclaims. “Fixed-income seniors, working families, and college students will feel the sting.”

Contact the author at jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOUjournalnews

Apple-FBI in heated battle over your privacy

AppleColor

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Apple is refusing to give the FBI access to encrypted data on one of the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone.

The FBI has requested that Apple build the technology necessary to decrypt the data that they currently can’t access.

Bob Broeg, professor of computer science at Western, described encrypted data as being a sentence with the letters jumbled up. To find the correct order, you have to have a key.

“With most encryptions today, you have two keys,” he said. “One is a public key that you can use to encrypt something, but you can’t decrypt it without a private key. So, anybody can send an encrypted message, but only the person with the second key can decrypt it.”

Apple encrypts some of the data that is stored on their phones to protect the privacy of the user, but the government still has access to metadata, according to Dana Schowalter, assistant professor of communication studies.

“The government can find metadata whether or not it’s encrypted,” she said. “They can find—on our phone records and things like that, they can determine when we text somebody.

“But if you iMessage somebody else, for example, that’s encrypted. It doesn’t show up on your bill, and therefore can’t be subpoenaed from the phone company because they don’t necessarily keep records of that.”

The FBI wants access to encrypted information on one of the San Bernardino shooters’ phone, but Apple is afraid of future privacy violations that could occur if the government receives access to this technology.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, sent an open letter to Apple customers.

“While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products,” Cook said in the letter. “And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.”

Schowalter agrees about the importance of our freedom of privacy.

“When that information is encrypted, I think people value that because it means the information is protected,” she said. “In an era where almost nothing is protected, having at least some content that could be protected is very valuable.”

Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg has publicly supported Apple’s decision, but, according to a Pew Research poll, 51 percent of Americans think they should submit to the demands of the FBI.

The FBI is arguing that Apple’s encryption policy is interfering with their ability to protect the public.

Schowalter is skeptical of this argument.

“If you take a look at what they’re asking Apple to do, I think there is some security case for being able to access that information,” she said.

“But at the same time,” she added, “asking for this backdoor seems to be a huge overreach, and I don’t think the government has shown that they can exercise restraint in what they’re collecting and how they’re using that information.”

Broeg thinks that Apple should help the FBI, but not by providing a backdoor to the government.

“I think if there was an error that the FBI needed to figure out, Apple could decrypt it for them,” he said. “But it should probably stay somewhat encrypted.”

Schowalter said the long term effects might be similar to what we saw with the Patriot Act.

“I don’t think people really notice when they’re being spied on now, so I think it just adds a layer of distrust,” she said. “I think we, in the fearmongering that happened after 9/11, consented to all sorts of breaches of our basic human rights to privacy. I think it sets a very dangerous precedent.”

Contact the author at awilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @awilsonjournal

Students make voices heard

IFC Graphic (pie chart)

By: Conner Williams
Editor-in-Chief

Facing a plethora of funding cuts and a potential $14 increase in the quarterly incidental fee, a group of Western students gathered in the WUC’s Pacific Room to join in on the discussion with the Incidental Fee Committee.

Preliminary decisions have set the fee to increase to $341 per term for the 2016-2017 academic year, nearly 4 percent more than the current year’s fee.

The committee is comprised of students, faculty members, and administrators and has the responsibility of determining the amount of funding that the clubs and organizations at Western receive. They do so by analyzing current budgetary needs for each department and then decide on a fee that each Western student must pay each quarter. Open hearings allow students and members of the Western community to speak directly to the committee about their concerns.

Jacob Higgins, a third year biology major, attended the hearing on Feb. 22 to advocate for the Natural Science Club and to give his thoughts on the fee itself.

“I guess the way to prevent the cuts is to add to the fee,” said Higgins. “But I think that if [the IFC] would explain what [the fee] was and that it benefits every student, people would be willing to understand that it’s not a big deal.”

Higgins said that the funds allow the club to take several students on trips for spring break each year, and he hopes that those trips will continue.

“The club is important to me. We have staff members come and speak to us about a bunch of different subjects, and that helps us learn as well,” he said.

Holli Howard-Carpenter, head coach for Western’s women’s basketball team, said that the current funding makes it difficult for the team when they have to travel for away games.

“We only have 12 on our roster, but we’re only funded to travel 10” […] “We have to fundraise for the remainder of that so that everyone can travel,” Howard-Carpenter said.

Jasmine Miller, a sophomore education major and guard for the women’s basketball team, reiterated the notion that a reduced budget causes complications for athletes on the road.

“When you go to a restaurant you only have $10” Miller said. “Today, like what can you really get for ten dollars? […] You have to fuel yourself to perform right and it’s hard to do that sometimes on the budget that you have.”

Miller then noted that funding for athletics benefits the entire student body, not just the athletes.

“We want to get enrollment up in the school, so that these funds are not as much of an issue,” she said. “If we’re able to go and travel to these tournaments and wear our new gear and look right and represent our school, it’s going to help everybody, not just the girls’ basketball program.”

“We’re here to help everyone, that’s what we want to do,” Miller said.

Lilaah Jones, a third year gerontology major, said that sports teams should have to do more fundraising for themselves rather than receive increased funding from IFC.

“I know that a lot of clubs here are doing fundraising, and I don’t see other sports doing that,” Jones said. “I’m in the WUC a lot, so I see all kinds of clubs tabling and fundraising.”

“As a student, it’s hard to see what sports are doing to raise money for themselves,” Jones said.

Jones then noted that an increase in the fee makes it difficult for students that attend Western because of its relatively cheap price tag.

“I know that as a first generation college student, [Western] is a good choice financially. I don’t want this fee to be a reason that someone can’t afford to go here,” Jones said.

Emmi Collier, a senior exercise science major with a focus in P.E., said that she understands the burden that the committee itself has when deciding on the fee for each year. Collier also throws for Western’s track team.

“They have a really hard decision because they have to take a lot of money from every single student and put it towards programs that benefit that specific student or programs that benefit other students,” Collier said. “I think that’s a really hard job and I give them kudos.”

“I think for right now they have a pretty sufficient process. I really love that they do the open hearings and they actually get the student input because I think that’s a really big deal,” Collier said.

Sam Stageman, a junior forensic chemistry major and representative from the Triangle Alliance, agreed that the open hearings are beneficial for students.

“It’s really nice to hear how each organization is helping out all the different students,” Stageman said. “They’re not just cutting wildly and all that, they’re actually wanting our input and that’s great.”

Currently, preliminary decisions call for a total increase of $67, 997 in the IFC budget from last year, plus an additional $4,777 with enhancements, bringing the total IFC budget for the 2016-2017 academic year to $4,378,474.

Three IFC-funded organizations have currently been approved for enhancement requests. 13 departments are set to receive cuts, three will gain additional funding, and three will remain the same, as per the preliminary decisions.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC.

Managing Editor Katrina Penaflor contributed to this report.

Thief-like malware says “pay up”

By: Conner Williams
Editor in Chief

An unnamed individual has lost all of the data in their personal and departmental drives connected to Western’s server when the machine in use was infected with a computer virus.

According to an email notification from Michael Ellis, assistant director of University Computing Services at Western, the user was browsing a beer site that had advertisements on the page that “pointed to infected webpages in Switzerland.”

Ellis noted that the virus, formally referred to as “Ransomware,” used vulnerability in Adobe Flash player to download the virus onto the machine. Ransomware then laid dormant for several hours and began encrypting files late into the evening. In the morning, the user logged onto their machine and found a pop up note that explained what happened and asked for a ransom amount in order to unlock the files, or else they would be deleted within 24 hours. The requested ransom amount was not specified in the email.

All of the user’s files in their H drive and I drive were lost, but UCS reported that they were able to restore all network files to previous versions after a lengthy process. Ellis reported in the email that the UCS security infrastructure blocks about 400 intrusion attempts per hour.

UCS then gave several pieces of advice for protecting one’s files:

1. Don’t store files on your local machine – desktop or C drive. Use the H and I drive for all documents.
2. Never click on a link sent in an email, unless you know the person that sent it.
3. Do not use your office computer to browse sites of a personal nature
4. Avoid using Internet Explorer as much as possible. UCS recommends the use of Chrome and Firefox as primary browsers.
5. If you see a strange message or pop up on the screen, do not click on it.

For more information, contact the UCS service desk at (503) 838-8925

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC

Scalia’s successor: to nominate, or not to nominate?

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

President Obama found himself in an unusual situation after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died on Feb. 13.

When there is a vacancy in the Supreme Court, the president nominates a successor to be approved by the Senate. Some presidents, such as Ronald Reagan, appointed as many as two Justices.

Obama has already appointed two Justices during his time as president: Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

What makes his situation unusual is that a vacancy in the Supreme Court appeared in his last year as President.

The most recent time this occurred was in 1988, when Reagan nominated Justice Anthony Kennedy during his last year as President.

With the unexpected death of Scalia, Obama now has the opportunity to nominate a third Justice—something that conservatives in the Senate think he shouldn’t do.

Obama’s authority to nominate another Justice is outlined in Article II of the Constitution, which is also known as the Appointment Clause.

Many Republican leaders have been vocal about their disapproval, saying that he shouldn’t be able to nominate another Supreme Court Justice despite the Appointment Clause.

According to NPR, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R) said the vacancy should not be filled until there is a new president.

Although some Republican leaders, including presidential candidates, have displayed their unwillingness to confirm any nominations made by Obama, others have said they will at least consider any nomination he will make.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R) told the Washington Post that he would “wait until the nominee is made before I would make any decision,” adding that he doesn’t want the Republican party to “fall into the trap of being obstructionist.”

The Senate has the last word when it comes to nominations to the Supreme Court, so they can, in fact, deny Obama’s nomination.

One way the Senate can deny a nomination is by refusing to hear it. If the nomination isn’t debated, it can’t be confirmed.

Another way they can deny it is by allowing the Senate Judiciary Committee to hear the nomination and vote against it—which is a real possibility because the committee has a Republican majority.

If neither of those options work, or aren’t appealing enough, Senators can block the nominee from proceeding to a final vote by filibustering.

It is still unclear which method, if any, they will choose.

Contact the author at awilson15@wou.edu or on Twitter @awilsonjournal

Western talks equality with Merkley

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) visited Western’s Werner University Center on Feb. 5 to discuss his new bill, the Equality Act, with a small audience of students.

According to Merkley’s website, “The Equality Act amends existing federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, and Federal jury service.”

Merkley’s visit started with a story about the events that eventually led to him writing the Equality Act.

In 2013, Merkley helped lead the effort to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in Congress.

“During that battle, it was really interesting because it was very hostile, very emotional,” said Merkley. “I remember driving into the underground parking at the Capitol and having people kind of tap on my windshield, hold up placards to my windshield, yell and scream at me, tell me what a horrible person I was.”

“But I felt like a very good person,” he continued. “I felt this was the right thing not just in terms of our constitutional vision of fairness, opportunity and equality, but in terms of fundamental human rights.”

But that bill didn’t pass because the House of Representatives refused to debate it on the floor.

“The House of Representatives was led by the other party, the Republican party, which was not willing to do this,” said Merkley. “We felt that we had the votes in the House of Representatives, but to win the vote it has to be held, and the leadership of the house refused to do so.”

This prompted Merkley to write a new piece of legislation.

“We decided it was time to talk differently about this,” he said. “It was time not to talk about chipping away here or there, it was time to simply say our LGBT community deserves the same fundamental laws against discrimination that are enjoyed by Americans in regard to gender, ethnicity, and race.

“The bill that I wrote is about utilizing the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a foundation.”

The Equality Act already has 40 cosponsors, but it hasn’t passed yet.

“I don’t think that my Republican majority colleagues are going to hold a hearing on the bill,” said Merkley. “So, what are we doing in the meantime? We are building a stronger coalition.”

He said they are recruiting companies to endorse the bill, and they already have 20 Fortune 500 companies on board.

“We’d like that to be 200 Fortune 500 companies,” he said.

Merkley said one Republican recently agreed to cosponsor the bill.

“Mark Kirk of Illinois, who had been a partner of mine with the Non-Discrimination Act, endorsed it,” he said. “So, we can now call it a bipartisan bill.”

So, what’s next for the Equality Act?

“Really, the next step right now is building awareness of it, getting citizens to lobby their house and senate members to become cosponsors, and getting the corporate world to endorse it,” said Merkley.

End to negotiation draws near

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Negotiations have been winding down as President Rex Fuller and his negotiating team look for ways to settle with WOUFT.

Fuller has been criticized by the union for not yielding in his effort to keep the operating revenue above 15 percent. Because of the volatile nature of university revenue streams, Fuller said they are still trying to stay within the boundaries they previously set.

“University funding really only consists of two components these days,” said Fuller. “One would be the state funding, which is based upon state allocation, and the other is tuition. Tuition accounts for a greater percent today than it did 40 years ago, so it does matter.”

The university compiles information about future state funding, projected enrollment rates, tuition rates, and other expenses, and then bases budgetary decisions off of the projections.

Tuition is expected to increase by three percent every year. Enrollment is expected to be flat next year, but by 2018 it is expected to begin increasing again.

“Even with those three percent forecasts, and even with enrollment growth reversing the trend, we start to have a situation where we begin to erode into our 15 percent reserve,” said Fuller.

The 2016 Operating Budget for Western includes everything in the university’s most current proposal, and it shows Western’s operating revenue falling below 15 percent by next year.

Fuller and his negotiating team both see this as a risk, but Fuller believes it will be worth it, saying “I believe that gives us time to rebuild the enrollment pipeline. The bet I’m making as a president, if you will, is that we’ll actually exceed these enrollment figures.”

Fuller said that there’s a problem with most of the school’s funds coming from tuition, since the Western Promise has locked in the tuition rates for about half of the students.

This means that when the university increases tuition rates, it will be hard to predict how much of an increase in funding it will bring.

“Therein lies the financial risk, which is part of the reason why we have the 15 percent reserve,” said Fuller.

Fuller admits that a compromise must be made to settle with WOUFT, but he doesn’t agree with some of the claims the union has made about his side of the negotiations.

“I think one of the things that has been said is that the university is stalling,” said Fuller. “I would say that’s contrary to all the evidence I’ve seen.”

Fuller says that he and his negotiating team have been active in trying to resolve the negotiations from the beginning.

“We have changed proposals to be responsive to the concerns of the union,” he said. “We were prepared to go to mediation in January; the union was not.”

Fuller says the university is close to settling with WOUFT and that he is ready to consider any proposal they might offer.

“One of their emails said they believe that we could solve it within the amount of money on the table, and I stand ready to consider something we haven’t considered yet,” said Fuller. “We work on this every week—anytime that there’s an opportunity to adjust.”

Mark Perlman, president of WOUFT, says there is no risk of a faculty strike, suggesting that they are working on reaching an agreement as well.

Former WOU students convicted of rape and sexual abuse

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By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

Two male former Western Oregon University students were recently convicted of rape and sexual abuse of a female student in 2014.

According to the Statesman Journal, Robert Godeaux Savoy III, 23, was convicted of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, and third-degree sexual abuse.

Christopher James Weekly, 23, was convicted of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree sexual abuse, and third-degree sexual abuse.

The two-day trial took place in the Polk County Circuit Court before Judge Norman Hill.
Both first degree rape and first degree sodomy are considered Measure 11 offenses, and as such they carry mandatory minimum prison sentences of eight years and four months.

Both Savoy and Weekly are not considered students at Western as of 2014 and are being held in Polk County Jail.

Their official sentencing took place Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. in Polk County Circuit Court.

“In my role, I feel that justice is being served for this victim,” admitted Dr. Mary Ellen Dello Stritto, the Director of Abby’s House on Western’s campus.

“We’re the victim advocates here, it’s a positive outcome,” continued Dello Stritto.

Abby’s House is a resource and referral site on campus that supports individuals in any trouble they are experiencing in their life. Some examples listed were sexual harassment, pregnancy, mental health, stalking, housing, substance abuse, LGBT*Q issues, and more.

There are currently fourteen trained student advocates to respond to crises by supporting an individual, aiding them in considering their options, and allowing them to make educated choices about the next step in handling the issue at hand.

“Our assistant director Andrea Hugmeyer, and myself are confidential advocates who can support a victim without needing to be mandatory reporters,” said Dello Stritto, “that’s something we can offer, whereas our student advocates are still mandatory reporters.”

Abby’s House is a non-discriminatory safe zone for all students that is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the other three days.

“We’re here to support survivors – which means all students, survivors are men as well,” encouraged Dello Stritto.

Another campus support system that works closely with Abby’s House is the Student Health and Counseling Center.

“Our professional staff provides students at WOU with quality primary health care, information, referral services, counseling, and educational services,” said Jaime Silva, Director of the Student Health and Counseling Center.

“In situations of rape and sexual assault, we provide students with compassionate, confidential, and supportive services to help them feel validated and also to help them make informed decisions about their situation,” continued Silva.

The Student Health and Counseling Center is open during school hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers emergency appointments as well as a host of resources and hotlines for support during weekends or closed hours.

“We talk to students about the resources available to them and help them be in as much control of their situation as possible,” said Silva.

One final resource, as means of prevention, can be found in the on-campus club Green Dot.
“A green dot is any behavior, choice, word, or attitude that promotes safety for everyone and communicates utter intolerance for sexual violence, partner violence and stalking,” reports the Green Dot website.

Green Dot offers multiple trainings to aid in prevention of these intolerances, as well as hosting weekly club meetings.

For more information regarding Green Dot, contact club president Dacota Ashwill at dashwill12@mail.wou.edu.

“Turning the Tide” on college admissions

By: Katrina Penaflor 
Managing Editor

The expectation levels for college admissions varies across the field. Typically, schools take a balance of GPA, SAT or ACT scores, and an accumulation of extracurricular activities.

In a recent New York Times article, OP-ED writer Frank Bruni addressed a study titled “Turning the Tide,” which discussed the flaws in the college admission process, primarily at the Ivy-League level. He went on to say how a university’s expectations and approval process may not benefit students at every income level.

Western’s application process, in comparison to non-Ivy-League or private universities, is primarily standard, meaning that when a student applies, Western takes into account their transcript, SAT or ACT scores, and a completed application.

SAT and ACT scores are not required for the WOU admissions process if the universities GPA requirement of 2.75 is met, but they are beneficial for scholarship purposes.

Like Western, “a growing number of colleges have made the SAT or ACT optional,” said Bruni in his article.

“Some of those alterations would simultaneously level the playing field for kids applying to college from less advantaged backgrounds,” said Bruni, who continued to point out the correlation between household income and standardized test scores.

An additional point “Turning the Tide” made was the negative effects college admissions have on high school students.

Not only can they cause a heavy workload with additional Advanced Placement (A.P.) courses—which are not available in all high schools—and extracurricular activities, but the pressure of becoming an ideal candidate can bring increased anxiety.

“Poorer high schools aren’t as likely to offer A.P. courses, and a heavy load of them is often cited as a culprit in sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression among students at richer schools,” said Bruni.

Western has tried to combat the stressful application process by heading directly to high schools and having students apply in an environment familiar to them.

“Something that we do to make it more convenient, and reduce that stress and make it more WOU focused, is we do instant Wolf onsite,” said Luanne Carrillo, admissions counselor and multicultural recruitment coordinator.

This means the university will work with the students’ counselors and faculty to ensure the necessary paperwork is acquired and the students only worry about their application and application fee.

This provides the opportunity for any questions about the processes to be directly answered and students will receive an admissions decision the same day.

Possible changes or reassessments can even go back to what is acceptable on a high school level.

Carrillo suggests, “looking back at the high school concept and saying ‘should you all still offer D’s?’ because D’s are not passing for a university.”

As “Turning the Tide” suggests, finding well-rounded students goes beyond the number of club activities and SAT scores. It is a university’s job to see how their admissions requirements can shape the behavior of potential students, and if that is happening in a positive or negative fashion.

10,000 year old mammoth unearthed beneath OSU

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By: Brianna Bonham
Staff Writer

The bones of a 10,000 year-old mammoth were unearthed early last week while doing renovations on Oregon State University’s (OSU) Reser Stadium. Crews found the remains of the mammoth and other mammals in the end zone of the stadium.

The crews found the bones of a bison and a camel, along with the femur of the mammoth. After finding the bones, OSU spokesman Steve Clark said, “Our archaeologist believes this could have been the location of a pond, a watering hole for these animals, or a place they came to die.”

According to Oregon History Project created by the Oregon Historical Society, the discovery of mammoth bones is not uncommon in Oregon where mammoths and mastodons roamed.

According to an old newspaper article that was posted by The Oregon Historical Society, Joel Palmer, who was an influential Oregon pioneer, found mastodon bones in Dayton. Dayton is a 50 mile drive from Corvallis and Western is directly between the two.

The article also states that one of the first recorded discoveries of proboscidean remains in Oregon was in 1858-1859, when a settler found a mastodon tusk in Polk County.

“I think finding mammoth bones, or any fossils on campus would be really awesome. Considering the fact that there were bones found so close to here, there could be a chance that there are bones at Western!” said Becca Tew, a first year elementary education major at Western.

Just after the bones were found, the crew called Loren Davis, an associate professor of anthropology at Oregon State University.

“It just goes to show there’s a whole world of the past that exists underground. It’s so neat we could find it here at Reser Stadium,” said Davis. “As you’re watching a football game, you can think, beneath your feet, lie the bodies of extinct animals that relate to the past.”

OSU has now created t-shirts featuring a mammoth on the football field with the phrase “#DAMBONEYARD” on the front.

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