Mount Hood

Westerns Administration issues additional statements on COVID-19, Valsetz Dining Hall remains open after passing inspections.

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

Multiple universities throughout the nation in high-populated areas are closing their doors for the remainder of the term and switching to online classes to counter COVID-19. As of March 10, Oregon has 14 cases of COVID-19 — or the coronavirus as it is more widely known — and no deaths. However, that’s a drastic change from just a month ago when experts suggested that Oregon would remain unaffected, and allegedly, Western faculty have been tasked with planning up to two weeks of online classes for spring term should the outbreak worsen after spring break. 

President Rex Fuller and the Director of the Student Health and Counseling Center, Beth Scroggins, have both taken it upon themselves to re-address the issue and the campus as a whole. Scroggins’ email, sent campus-wide on March 4, suggests that students who suspect they have symptoms similar to COVID-19 should not risk entering a public facility and instead call local health departments first. A campus-wide email sent by President Fuller on March 9 stated that Western is following the advice of health authorities and remaining open. 

“WOU is operating normally until further notice, and we will provide additional information as conditions warrant. We have increased cleaning of common spaces such as classrooms, computer labs and residence halls,” Fuller said. 

Students may have noticed that one of the campus spaces that has changed to accommodate these precautions is Valsetz Dining Hall. 

Albert Worotikan, the Director of Campus Dining, said that Valsetz is responsible for serving approximately 1,500 students a day and, that after a meeting with Housing last Monday, March 2, he “doesn’t take this lightly.”

“If someone is sick and we’re not prepared for it, we’re going to pay for it,” said Worotikan.

Some of the necessary precautions taken include moving the salad bar and breakfast area behind the line, so that students now have to be served instead of serving themselves — even for utensils. Fruits and baked goods are now wrapped, and sanitizer stations are readily available throughout the establishment.  

“We found those areas most concerning as areas that could be cross-contaminated,” said Worotikan.

Despite this, Worotikan said that he has seen a significant decline in student use of the dining hall. He wants students to understand that “we have the safest place for students to come and eat.”

In fact, a health inspector allegedly came to Western and reported that they were taking excellent precautions. 

Worotikan said that he has observed a rising level of student anxiety, with students even going so far as to take pictures of the sanitizing stations. But, Worotikan suggested, “this is human nature,” and added that he “would rather see students act like that than reacting if there were an outbreak and blaming us.”

Regardless, as President Fuller reminded campus on March 2, “WOU is an inclusive community with members from all over the world, and we have members who travel all over the world. With this in mind, please remember that the risk of coronavirus is not connected with race, ethnicity or nationality.”

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo by Sage Kiernan-Sherrow

Western’s 2020 Giving Day almost triples their donation from four years ago

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

After four consecutive years, Western raised approximately record-breaking $140,000 in donations during WOU Giving Day on March 4, breaking their previous record and surpassing their goal of $100,000 . WOU Giving Day was started by Emily Swart, who works as the Coordinator of Annual Giving for the WOU Foundation, after realizing that other universities were beginning to shift towards having their fundraising events in the spring. 

“I just thought ‘let’s give it a shot,’’ said Swart, who later boasted that, “we’ve grown into our success. I know other universities have attempted it, but we’ve done the best.”

Four years ago, Swart and her team of call-center operators and data analysts raised $28,000 in one day. Now, that amount has almost tripled.

The majority of constituents are alumni, but friends of the university and current and former employees also played a major role in meeting Swart’s goal of $100,000. Swart called the operation “bold” and “truly one of the most wonderful days that (she) had on campus.”

The money raised during WOU Giving Day is allocated towards specific programs or scholarships that the donor values. Much of the money will be going to programs that are facing significant cuts due to low enrollment. 

According to Swart, programs which received some of the highest donations include Soccer, the Stonewall Center, the Veterans Services Center, Choir and Softball. There were three new scholarships created, including one for a non-traditional student, but constituents also donated to already existing scholarships like the student success scholarship and the LGBTQIA+ scholarship, which had a match. One unexpected donation was from the class of 1970, who are in the process of creating a scholarship in the form of a class gift, which will be endowed.

Swart and her team also set a goal of gaining a donor from every single state; they succeeded in reaching every state except for Delaware and North Dakota, and even got a donor from Saudi Arabia. 

Swart said this turnout is proof that, “we as a campus are so close and have such strong relationships with one another that we were able to use our connections. That challenge was so special to me because it was a really good example of what this campus can do when we come together.”

She concluded by stating, “to see where it originally started to where it is now, and to know that every single dollar we raise benefits Western Oregon University students, it’s really something special.”

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo by Sage Kiernan-Sherrow

Linguistics and Writing professor, Dr. Cornelia Paraskevas, has worked around the state to redesign curriculum, advocating as much for educators as she does for students.

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

At the Willamette Promise advisory meeting last Thursday, Feb. 26, the board spent over five minutes praising Dr. Cornelia Paraskevas for her contributions to the project — and she wasn’t even in the room, according to Sue Monehan, the Associate Provost for Program Development at Western. The Willamette Promise is a project focused on designing and evaluating an accelerated credit program for high school students from Eugene all the way to the Portland Metro area. Dr. Paraskevas was one of the founding members of the project, stepping in just nine months after its establishment; now, she’s stepping down from that position, but her legacy of advocacy for both educators and students endures. 

Through the Willamette Promise, Dr. Paraskevas has led the state in innovative practices, creating models for teaching an accelerated credit program focused around the idea of college-level portfolios that are manually assessed for proficiency. This ensures that the work of college-level high school students reflects the skills they need to further their education. She has testified in front of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission on behalf of the project and spoken with faculty at other institutions, which, according to Dr. Monehan, hasn’t always been well-received, as much of her work challenges popular practices — like the five-paragraph essay. Nevertheless, by working with over 100 teachers, she has enabled approximately 1,700 students to earn college credit for Writing 121 and sometimes Writing 122.

“I watched Dr. Paraskevas work with teachers in the region and faculty around the state … I watched her and her colleagues develop resources for teachers that are changing the way teachers approach teaching in high schools, said Dr. Monehan, “she has a much richer understanding of what students can do with writing if they engage in a writing process.” At Western, Dr. Paraskevas is known as a student advocate; it took her over seven years to convince the university to adopt the Integrated English Studies program — which aids students in graduating with less credits while also gaining in-depth knowledge in a variety of English-related fields. Her other accomplishments include providing a valuable perspective by sitting on the Board of Trustees, advising and advocating for dozens of students and being an active scholar in her field — regularly publishing material. 

Of Dr. Paraskevas’ continuous advocacy for students on campus, Dr. Monehan relayed, “she’s very centered on what it is you’re learning and how it’s contributing to your learning, and making sure that everything you’re doing is for the students and their learning and not our own purposes … she’s trying to figure out how to build and enhance who students are and what they will be able to do in the world.”

Dr. Paraskevas is reportedly retiring at the end of the 2021 school year, but as Dr. Monehan stated, “I believe that she will continue to make a difference. She may be retiring, but I don’t think she’s going to stop working with our schools.”

 

Statements from Western Students regarding Dr. Paraskevas: 

Sean Tellvik: “One of my favorite things about Dr. Paraskevas is how student-oriented she is. In the classes I’ve taken with her, she has been highly receptive to content students are struggling with, and she changes her approach accordingly, whether that is by adjusting the lessons or providing more resources. To me personally, she has been supportive and encouraging, even outside of just Linguistics, which has helped me gain confidence in my abilities.”

 

Noah Nieves-Driver: “Cornelia helped me find my passion in langauges and linguistics. I am thankful to have had such an amazing teacher and person be a part of my schooling.”

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Sean: Courtesy of Sean Tellvik

Noah: Courtesy of Noah Nieves-Driver

During Black History month, part of BSU’s festivities included three-minute presentations on historically-significant black figures and events.

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

February was Black History Month, and students from the Black Student Union at Western planned many events related to the celebration of black culture. One event new to this year was the introduction of three-minute presentations on a historical figure or event related to black history, such as the Black Panthers, the Birmingham Bombings, Andrew Foster and Janelle Monaé. Tati Whitlow, the membership outreach coordinator for BSU, said the event was “highly successful because of its high turnout rate,” adding that multiple organizations came to the event — such as the Stonewall Center and Heritage Hall Government. 

Whitlow said that the idea for the three-minute presentations derived from the realization that black historical figures and events weren’t being represented in the classroom. 

“We picked people that weren’t in our history books,” said Whitlow. “We’re all constantly learning … if you’re not straight, cis and white, you’re basically blacked out of history and it’s horrifying.”

The presentations were included in the Black History Month festivities, but Whitlow says they may continue afterwards, with student support.

“It’s something we’re just now trying out … it was very fun and educational and it might be good to do on a monthly basis,” they said.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Volunteers at the Food Pantry named the last week in February “Food Insecurity Awareness Week,” with the intent to reduce stigma on campus.

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

Last week, from Feb. 24 to 28, was Food Insecurity Awareness Week at Western, which coincided with the Governor’s Food Drive and the Food For Fines event. Students at Abby’s House, who volunteer at the Food Pantry, planned educational events — like discussions about nutrition and sustainability — to bring awareness to food insecurity on campus and reduce the stigma related to it.

Rachel Bayly, the Community Coordinator for the Food Pantry, says she believes that Western is “already a fairly aware campus,” citing the two full barrels and three boxes of food collected for the Governor’s Food Drive as proof that Western is aware of and is contributing to solutions regarding food insecurity. 

Western has been the highest contributing Oregon university to the Governor’s Food Drive for the past 13 years. 

However, Western’s food insecurity rate is higher than the national average, according to Bayly, and there’s always ways in which the campus can improve its practices to reduce it. 

“I’ve been working with someone who’s on the ASWOU Senate and works at Valsetz and she came to me because she was appalled with the amount of food that was thrown out there and wanted to see what we can do as far as a leftover program with the pantry or something like that,” Bayly stated, adding that they’re likely to bring this issue to the Head of Dining in the future.

According to Bayly, there is an additional plan to combat food insecurity through a bill in the Oregon House of Representatives, which ASWOU lobbyists are currently trying to push through in the short session.

“If you are struggling with it, it’s not something to be ashamed of … There’s a problem with the system and I hope that people can feel proud that they are a part of a community that supports that and access that resource when they need that and go on later to give back in whatever way they can,” Bayly said.

Bayly stated that students interested in alleviating food insecurity on campus can help through volunteering at the Food Pantry, participating in food drives and being a supportive individual to anyone who is experiencing food insecurity by sharing the knowledge of the resources available one campus.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo by Sage Kiernan-Sherrow

Ron Swartzendruber, a pillar at University Computing Services who dedicated over 21 years of service to Western, passed away on Feb. 19.

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

Friends who knew Ron Swartzendruber best describe him as someone who built bridges — a man who connected databases as much as he connected people. On Feb. 19, he passed away at the age of 48 after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, and is survived by his wife, Whitney Ware; parents, Warren and Jackie; and brother, Erik. 

Bill Kernan, the Director of the University Computing Services department, is the man who originally hired Swartzendruber back when the university’s server was on a PC sitting in the basement of the Administrative Building. Though it was originally thought that he would only be staying for five years, Swartzendruber went on to dedicate over 21 years of service to Western as one of its main programmers at UCS. Western’s portal, as well as many other programs utlized on campus, are credited, in part, to Swartzendruber’s endeavors. The campus lost an asset in the programming world, but those at UCS lost a friend. 

Kolis Crier, the Banner Solutions and Integrations Manager at UCS, recalled the first time he met Swartzendruber, saying “he had a welcoming and happy spirit … and an infectious laugh.” Crier, whose desk has neighbored Swartzendruber’s for years, added that, “he was always engaged, he always had the answer, or was willing to share information.”

Yet, according to Kernan, he had no ego whatsoever —  a characteristic that Kernan called a “rarity” in the IT world, considering Swartzendruber’s intelligence. In fact, Swartzendruber was an active member on Quora, an online platform for sharing information, where it was discovered he made over 5,000 posts in his lifetime, many of them responses to people struggling with personal issues.

“Ron had a ministry on Quora. He helped thousands of people he didn’t know, for no other reason than the fact that he likes helping people,” said Tony Manso, the Mobile and Systems Programmer at UCS. 

In one of the last posts before his passing, Swartzendruber responded to a prompt that read “Is it good to demonize the reality of our world by making it worse in our mind and then experience it with less pain?” 

His answer?

“If we have trained ourselves to expect the worst, it would be far harder to choose anything besides staying in our comfort zone and letting life pass us by …. that’s too high a price for whatever reduction in pain we might get gain in exchange,” said Swartzendruber. 

A man who always wore Birkenstocks unless it was snowing, and who loved Sci-fi and Cliff Bars, Swartzendruber was “a teacher … and the glue between many of the staff and groups at UCS,” according to Michael Ellis, the Assistant Director of UCS.

Members of the UCS team have identified over 40 projects in which Swartzendruber was the main contributor. They are currently collaborating in order to finish what he left behind. 

“Ron’s scope was so large, that we’re just having to pick off the most important ones first,” said Kernan.

Since Swartzendruber was an avid cyclist who biked to work every day and once even across the United States, there are plans for one of his bicycles to be incorporated into a sculpture in his memory. And, there will be two services to honor Swartzendruber; one will be a private family service, and the other will be held at Western on March 14th to celebrate his contributions to the university and to his campus community.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photos courtesy of Bill Kernan, Director of UCS

ASWOU’s Lobby Day at the Capitol was spent gaining support for legislation related to food insecurity, credit transferability, and diversity resources.

Sage Kiernan-Sherrow  | News Editor

Members of Western’s student goverment, the Associated Students of Western Oregon University, and additional student volunteers had only 10 to 15 minutes to advocate for issues pertaining to the entire student body during the last Lobby Day on Feb. 6. 

As a part of the Oregon Student Association, Western’s lobbyists met with Senators Betsy Johnson and Denise Boles and Representatives Brad Witt and Paul Evans to push for legislation supporting reductions in food insecurity, ease of credit transferability and the underrepresented student taskforce. These issues, “impact students across all public universities and community colleges in the state of Oregon,” according to N.J. Johnson, ASWOU’s Director of State and Federal Affairs. 

Johnson said that their strategy was to split the team into who would speak on each issue and who would make the final legislative ask, in which the members would learn if the legislators planned on offering their support.  

“The legislators cannot be educated on every bill; our job is to share a brief summary and our insights into how that impacts us as college students … and as we don’t have a lot of time to make things happen, we chose to advocate for bills that already had some momentum going,” said Johnson. 

For food insecurity, Western’s lobbyists focused on endorsing a bill that would force the legislature to compile data on food insecurity across college campuses in Oregon. If the data reveals high instances of food insecurity, legislators would then be expected to create legislation that helps fund food pantries and prevent food insecurity down the road, informed Johnson. 

Another issue that Western’s lobbyists focused on was credit transferability. During Lobby Day, Western student Susana Cerda-Ortiz, shared her experience as a transfer student who was told she would be required to take 18 credits per term her senior year or three to four years of schooling in total to graduate, even after having already received an associate’s degree. The bill that Western’s lobbyists were advocating for in regards to credit transferability is “a portal to creating a portal,” according to Johnson, who added, “it would force the universities and community colleges of Oregon to come together and unify their process so that students can transfer more easily.”

The last legislation that Western’s lobbyists advocated for was creating more representation for students who are underrepresented. Johnson stated that underrepresentation is broadly defined and applies to more than just the following: people who grew up in rural communities, low-income students, students of color and students with disabilities. In this case, the bill they were campaigning for would, “make university and campus spaces more inclusive to those folks,” said Johnson.

Currently, legislation is in the short session, a process which takes 35 days. 

Johnson called lobbying “empowering,” stating that “it’s an incremental process; you don’t always see immediate progress, but it matters.”

He encourages students to join youth lobby groups, and asked those interested in lobbying for Western students to contact him at aswoustate@mail.wou.edu.

“I think so many things happen legally because the stakeholders impacted most aren’t at the negotiation tables or involved in the conversations. Our job as the student government is to allow students who are affected to have their voices be heard,” Johnson concluded.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Emily Wanous, OSA lobbyist

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