Mount Hood

Anthropology student sheds light on Islam

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

At Bazaar International Market in Corvallis, a variety of food products from across the Middle East line the shelves, cuts of fresh halal meat are available daily and a collection of teas invite curious customers. This is where anthropology major Elliot Paulson spends a good portion of his time gathering research and information for his senior thesis titled “Mainstreaming Halal: A Growing Niche Market in an Oregon University Town.”

Paulson became fascinated with Islam while taking a Middle Eastern religions class and a Middle Eastern history class at Western. It was while he was enrolled in the Anthropology of Islam class that he was considering a topic centered around Islam for his senior thesis.

“Americans have one view of what a Muslim is,” Paulson explained. He claimed that many individuals think of Islam as solely a Middle Eastern religion and tend to stereotype the individuals that follow the faith. “What Anthropology of Islam taught me is that’s not the case.”

After much consideration, Paulson decided on the topic for his senior thesis: halal food availability in Corvallis. Specifically, Paulson aimed to find out why the halal food market is growing in Corvallis and what demographics are purchasing halal food.

Halal is an Arabic word that refers to anything that is permitted or lawful. It describes food that follows the dietary standards stated in the Qur’an and prepared according to Islamic law. Stated by the Islamic Council of Victoria, Islamic law requires the humane treatment of animals before slaughter, prohibits the consumption of pig products and holds several other high standards for halal food.

Paulson interviewed Muslim community members at the mosque in Corvallis and visited family-owned markets and large stores like Safeway to get an idea as to why halal food has been growing in popularity in Corvallis. Paulson speculates that the ethnic diversity of Corvallis may play a part, as well as many non-Muslim individuals seeking out halal products because of the humane slaughter of the animals.

Paulson hopes that his research can help inform people about the religion.

“There’s an element of fear that surrounds Islam,” said Paulson. “I think that a lot of it comes from just not being familiar. And something like food, especially something like halal, can be normalized.”

He also believes that visiting a mosque or talking to Muslim individuals can benefit many individuals; “I think everyone needs to step out of their comfort zone and just interact with people that you might not normally interact with. You’ll probably meet some fascinating people that way.”

Paulson added that the skills he gained working with diverse individuals at Western helped with his research, explaining that “the more that you can respectfully work with people that are not from your own circle, the better you’re going to do.”

Whether it’s trying halal food, visiting a mosque or taking a class about Islam, Paulson encourages everyone to learn more about the faith and explore Islam.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

 

Protesters demand congressional action on gun control

Byron Kimball | Freelancer

Standing in solidarity with the victims of the Feb. 14 Parkland, Florida shooting and other acts of gun violence, hundreds of protesters gathered on the capitol steps for Salem’s own March for Our Lives rally. The event also served to demand Congressional action on gun control legislation. Simultaneous marches across the country saw hundreds of thousands of protesters march upon various cities, including Washington D.C.

Salem’s March for Our Lives rally was organized by students from local high schools and Willamette University, with Willamette student Allison Hmura taking a prominent role in coordinating the event.

“I am very interested in this particular march because it is student-driven and we need politicians to endorse common sense gun laws,” said Hmura in the event’s press release.

Also, helping organize the event was Lila Gardner, a Western senior who coordinated Western’s walkout on March 14.

A number of speakers presented at the march, including student organizers, state representative Paul Evans, state senate candidate Deb Patterson, Marion county commissioner candidate and former Willamette University professor Shelaswau Crier and Levi Herra-Lopez, the Executive Director of the community advocacy organization Mano a Mano.

Students made impassioned pleas for stronger action on gun violence. Among their demands, March for Our Lives organizers called for age limits on gun purchases, universal background checks on firearm purchasers, bans on some semi-automatic weapons and demilitarizing police forces across the country.

McNary High School senior Raul Marquez called for intersectional racial justice.

“We will stand in solidarity with all who seek justice (against community violence),” said Marquez.

Julian Holman, a Howard Street Middle School student, emphasized the dangers that marginalized communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, face from gun violence; “Imagine cutting hate murders in half. Imagine the lives we could save,” Holman expressed.

Evans condemned the National Rifle Association for their role in lobbying members of Congress to halt gun control legislation, stating, “I believe (gun) rights come with responsibility. I believe it’s time for common sense legislation.” Evans recently supported House Bill 4145, a bill that was signed into law by governor Kate Brown on Feb. 16. The bill, which prevents convicted domestic abusers from legally obtaining firearms, was one of the first gun control bills to follow the Parkland shooting.

After a musical performance by Western first-year Zyel Crier, marchers took to Salem’s streets. A small group of counter-protesters, bearing rifles and signs, stood across from the large crowd of assorted March for Our Lives protesters as they walked down Court Street. The counter-protesters dispersed quickly as the march continued on.

Shelaswau Crier, mother of Zyel Crier and the Democratic candidate for Marion County Commissioner,  emphasized the need for action in the face of gun violence. : “The time for us to act is now.”

Contact the author at bkimball16@wou.edu

Photo by: Oregonlive.com

ASWOU Representative Assembly strives for inclusivity

Zoë Strickland | Editor-in-Chief

Once per month, the ASWOU Representative Assembly meets to discuss and collaborate on ways to improve inclusivity on campus. The most recent meeting took place on March 1.

The board, which consists of a representatives from a myriad of different areas on campus — Abby’s House, MECHa and MSU, amongst others — was founded in 2015, with current ASWOU president Jessica Freeman as founder of the legislation.

“When I was writing legislation to create ARA, our goal was to create a board where ASWOU could work with clubs and organizations on a more personal level,” said Freeman. “We wanted every club and organization to be heard equally, regardless of their size.”

The primary concern of the most recent meeting was Diversity Week, which is scheduled to take place the week of May 14.

According to Ailyn Angel, Student Multicultural Board Chair for ARA and Director of Multicultural Advocacy for ASWOU, events for the week will consist of “a movie screening, a talent show, and different panels.” She added that, “As of right now, things aren’t set in stone, but we are working on finalizing an outline of the week soon.”

Also on the ARA agenda was further discussion of building more multicultural spaces on campus for clubs: “This space would be similar to how MSU has their own space, but for clubs like MEChA, Unidos, and BSU,” said Angel. “In attempts to achieve these goals, clubs are drafting letters to the administration describing what they want this space to entail. We are also outreaching for participants for diversity week to have panels, safe zones, and performances.”

Though the assembly is comprised of different organizations on campus, the meetings are open to all students. However, Angel noted that, “they must have permission for speaking privileges … and do not have voting rights. Despite this, I encourage students to come and give their input on these conversations, especially if you are interested in putting on an event for diversity week or being a part of ASWOU next year or being a club representative.”

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu

Writing to fight domestic violence

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

Western student Jamare Davis picked up a pen and notepad in the summer of 2017 and began writing, expressing his thoughts and feelings on an issue that he’d witnessed firsthand and one that he believed all people should be aware of: domestic violence.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men will experience physical abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Davis, a senior criminal justice major, recognized this issue and sought out ways to make it more visible.

“If it was more publicized, I feel like people would be more aware of it,” Davis explained. He commented that, all too often, people are afraid to talk about it.

Davis has been an advocate at Sable House, a domestic and sexual violence resource center, since August 2017. There, he helps answer phones and organize donations. Additionally, he worked as an intern at Abby’s House, the Center for Equity and Gender Justice at Western.

When training for his advocate position, Davis struggled with the issue of domestic violence.

“How can people do this?” he remarked. To process his thoughts, Davis started writing poetry that addressed interpersonal violence.

It was Davis’s poem, “A Piece of Her,” that sparked the conversation to hold an event that brings the topic of domestic violence to light and allows individuals to creatively express their feelings, as Davis had done with his writing. With the help of Aislinn Addington, director of Abby’s House, a working group was formed that consisted of several individuals that felt passionate about this topic and wanted to contribute.

The “Hear Me Now” event was held on March 5 in the Willamette Room. Contributions included poetry, painting, mixed media and a dance performance. The gallery was open for students to view all day, and performances in the evening were open to whoever wanted to share their work.

When first writing his poem, Davis didn’t think he would be reading it for an audience months later. But he was just one of the many performers that evening.

“I didn’t think that I was going to be involved in it,” Davis said. “I’m still in awe.”

“Hear Me Now” gave students and community members the opportunity to express themselves and address the issue of domestic violence in an artistic manner. Davis’s poem and the numerous other works of art displayed at the event helped to spread awareness and visibility of this topic and inspire positive change against domestic violence.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Western students participate in the National School Walkout

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

At 10 a.m. on the morning of March 14, nearly 250 Western students, staff and administrators left classrooms, evacuated offices and gathered in front of the Werner University Center. There, students of all backgrounds, races, genders and political beliefs joined schools across the nation in participating in the National School Walkout, a nationwide movement to end gun violence.

The walkout, according to ABC news, was one of over 3,000 scheduled events around the U.S. The purpose of the event, stated by the National School Walkout campaign was to “demand Congress pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship.”

Each individual involved in the National School Walkout had their own reason for participating. For sophomore early childhood education major Ellie Oven, that reason was acknowledging the lives lost to gun violence.

“I walked out to honor the students that have lost their lives to school shootings, and to remember those teachers and administrators who lost their lives trying to protect those students,” said Oven.

For others, like junior humanities major Bridget Reaume, it was about being part of the larger movement.

“It’s really easy to feel like we don’t have a part in the bigger movement … Especially not being home in Portland where I can feel a lot more of the movement happening, it feels really nice to feel as though I have a hand in the change,” said Reaume. “To see other people coming together and wanting to make the same movement and have the same goals that I have, it really feels we have a chance at changing things.”

Western’s branch of the event, organized by senior gerontology major Lila Gardner and senior interdisciplinary studies major Alyssa Chiampi, gained support early on from University President Rex Fuller. Fuller sent an email to all faculty and staff on March 6 notifying them that this event was being planned and encouraging staff to support participating students.

Fuller expressed, “I believe this action is consistent with Western’s values and our strategic plan which states that our community will strive toward a ‘caring, safe environment for the cultivation of peace, civility and social justice; connections extending beyond the classroom, across campus and into our local and global communities.’”

Gardner and Chiampi felt overwhelmed by the amount of support from faculty and administrators, as well as the number of individuals that participated in the walkout on Western’s campus.

“Getting involved in a young age is really difficult when you’re in an area that doesn’t support your activism,” Gardner explained. Her goal was to get people more involved in voicing their opinions, stand in solidarity with hundreds of students around the nation and work toward positive change.

When asked what she hopes students take away from the walkout, Chiampi replied: “I really hope they take away that belief that they can do really anything they want to.” Gardner added that she hopes students “believe in their voices, their beliefs and their passions, and … always fight as passionately as (they) can for it. Even if two, four, five people show up or 250 people show up. Fight for it.”

 

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Women of Culture event honors diversity

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

Education, awareness and celebration marked the various events and displays involved in Western’s annual Women of Culture celebration sponsored by Multicultural Student Union.

The purpose of the Women of Culture events are to honor the diversity of women from a wide variety of cultures and bring awareness to issues that affect these women.

As Western’s website explains, “This event is inclusive for any member of the WOU community in the pursuit of educating our campus on the importance of women’s rights within different traditions.”

MSU worked with several campus departments, including the Veterans Resource Center and Abby’s House, to make this week possible. The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs presented the “I Am Not Invisible” exhibit which displays the stories of several women in Oregon who have served in the United States military and whose service is often forgotten. Abby’s House presented the Herstory Tour, an informative historical tour of women from various backgrounds and cultures.

In addition to these events, MSU itself hosted a dinner with keynote speaker Shelaswau Bushnell Crier. Bushnell Crier described her background and family life in Louisiana and the difficulties she experienced as a woman of color in the South. She was goal-oriented as a teenager and attended Rice University before moving on to Yale Law School and eventually working at Willamette University in Salem. She is an outspoken advocate, speaking at events such as the Salem Women’s March in 2017, and is continuing her community activism by running for the position of Marion County Commissioner.

Freshman Advocate for MSU and Western sophomore Chris Linares helped plan the events for Women of Culture. Linares explained that, “Women have faced many obstacles and challenges throughout history, and sadly there are still cases where in today’s date, they still do … Even the smallest victory can make an impact, so as a society, we need to celebrate everything that women have and still are facing.”

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Sam Dunaway

Giving back to Western students

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

In a time of rising tuition rates and unpredictable government funding for higher education, several departments on Western’s campus rely on donations from outside sources. Western’s Giving Day on March 6 played an important role in fundraising over $40,000 for Western students and programs.

Giving Day is an annual event sponsored by WOU Foundation that aims to collect donations from Western alumni, donors, staff and students. The donation goal set by Annual Giving Coordinator Emily Swart was $34,500, mirroring Western’s address at 345 N Monmouth Ave. This was nearly $13,000 more than was raised in 2017, but Swart was confident that the campus-wide event would be a success.

“We had donors out there that wanted to support Western, we just needed to reach them in the right way,” she explained.

WOU Foundation set out to achieve this goal by reaching out to alumni as well as individuals that had supported Western in the past. Additionally, activities such as Java Match — where staff and students we asked to match the price of their coffee from The Press — and Giving Day Happy Hour — where the Alumni Board increased all donations by $18.56 — promoted the philanthropic nature of the day.

Giving Day donations were gifted to a multitude of different departments, from Abby’s House to Athletics. Swart expressed excitement that many individuals donated to unrestricted scholarships. This allows Western to award scholarships to a wide range of students without academic restrictions. She emphasized that every dollar donated on Giving Day is going back to students.

Swart’s passion and excitement for Giving Day was instrumental in making it more successful this year than ever before, but she attributes the achievement to each individual that came forward to enrich student life at Western.

“I have this feeling that faculty, staff, students – we walked a little taller that day and we were a little prouder of our university,” said Swart. “At the end of the day, it was all about Western Oregon students.”

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Student voices are heard by the IFC

Sam Dunaway | Sam Dunaway

The results of the Incidental Fee Committee’s final decision took a turn as the committee departed from their previously established preliminary budget allocations. Notable changes to the budget include a complete funding of both ASWOU and Student Media, which were preliminarily subject to a budget cut, and increased enhancements for Athletics.

This change of decision, stated by multiple IFC members, was influenced by over 100 students voicing their opinions on the proposed budget via open hearings and feedback forms. Additionally, the IFC chair Eric Frey voiced his opinions in a statement to the rest of the committee showing support for both ASWOU and Student Media, two of the three departments that were proposed cuts in the preliminary budget.

The ASWOU budget was approved for full funding, with a recommendation by the IFC that a referendum be added to the spring term ASWOU elections. This allows the student body to vote on whether they’d like to stay or leave the Oregon Student Association, the main topic of the proposed cut.

The IFC approved fully funding all departments with the exception of a 0.3-percent cut to Student Engagement Operations to reduce the evening hours of the Werner University Center. Enhancement requests from Student Engagement, Student Activities Board, ASWOU and Wolf Ride were granted. Several enhancement requests for the Athletics department were approved by the committee including new helmets and uniforms for the baseball team, hurdles and poles for track and uniforms for the volleyball team.

After the approval of these budgets, the total Incidental Fee for fiscal year 2019 is $363 for fall, winter and spring, and $167 for summer term. This is a 4.01-percent increase from 2018.

While increasing the overall fee is difficult for many already struggling students, Frey believes that this can be resolved by an increase in enrollment.  He explained in a statement to the committee: “If we all can reach out and bring more enrollments to the university we can continue to fund these areas and hopefully ensure that all IFC funded areas receive the funding required to sustain the community our university has created.”

Students made their voices heard throughout this process and ensured that the Incidental Fee Committee made decisions that best represent the needs of Western students.

 

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

LGBTQ+ activist encourages honesty and bravery

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

“Find something that scares you just a little tiny bit, do that thing, and then repeat steps one and two. And pretty soon you’ll find yourself doing extraordinary things.” This advice was just a small portion of the empowering and genuine speech given by LGBTQ+ rights activist and founder of United Equality Consulting, Shannon Scott.

Scott visited Western to discuss topics including her own personal life story, actions individuals can take to create a more trans-affirming space and her struggles and triumphs in life as a transgender woman.

Born and raised on a ranch in Montana, Scott struggled throughout her teenage years and near 12 years in the United States military with her gender identity. She noted that once she decided to take the first step in being honest with herself about her identity, she was moving in a direction of authenticity.

“For each terrifying step I took, I felt a little bit more complete,” Scott explained. “After years of lying to the world around me about who I was, I was able to finally set down that burden of lies and replace it with the ease of honesty.”

Scott began her work in human rights advocacy after moving to Portland in 2011. She started volunteering with the Human Rights Campaign, the “largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization” according to hrc.org. Now as a member of the Board of Governors, Scott is responsible for planning Human Rights Campaign activities in Portland. Additionally, Scott founded United Equity Consulting, an organization that provides LGTBQ+ education and training for companies and their employees.

Three pieces of advice were given by Scott to support the LGBTQ+ community in schools and workplaces: first, she advised everyone to add their pronouns to the signature line of their email, as this demonstrates personal and organizational support of diversity and inclusion; second, Scott noted the importance of having a safe location where everybody can go to the bathroom, emphasizing inclusion for all, not only transgender-identifying individuals; and, third, she advised that students and employees find out if there’s a written transgender inclusion policy at their school, work, or other organizations that the student is involved in.

Sam Fennell, Stonewall Center coordinator on Western’s campus, described the importance of having Scott tell her story for students.

“Shannon Scott was a crucial person to bring to campus because of the representation she brought,” Fennell explained. “Her story is one of hundreds of stories of transgender people who have faced discrimination because of their identities …  For a lot of people struggling with their identity and how to overcome similar obstacles, seeing someone who has accomplished so much gives them the drive and support to continue being their true authentic selves.”

Scott closed the speech with a request from the audience of students: “I want you to see yourself and everybody in here as exactly what you are,” she encouraged. “You are the leaders of equality. You are the agents of change. And together, you will lead this organization into the future.”

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

 

Western students to aid in natural disaster relief

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

For students that wish to make a meaningful impact by serving others, travel nationally or internationally and experience life outside of their comfort zone: Western’s Alternative Break program may be a great place to start.

The Alternative Break program, organized by the Service Learning and Career Development center, allows students to spend winter, spring and summer breaks serving others. This community service may be achieved regionally, nationally or internationally and aids in a wide variety of issues including working with children in impoverished areas, community beautification projects and animal conservation.

Two Alternative Break teams are preparing to aid in natural disaster relief efforts during spring break. A group of six students and two advisors are traveling to Houston, Texas to assist in community recovery from Hurricane Harvey. The other team, composed of ten students and two staff advisors, is traveling to the Columbia Gorge to help with relief from the forest fires that affected the area in fall of 2017.

“I want to help serve the Columbia Gorge community because the fires in that area were very devastating,” commented Tiffany Lewis, Alternative Break co-leader for the Oregon team. “Many people love the Columbia Gorge and I want to help restore that area in any way I can.”

All Western students are welcome to apply to be an Alternative Break team member. Students must be enrolled at Western in all terms between application and departure, and be in good academic and judicial standing.

Daisy Chavez, leading alongside Lewis, chose to get involved in this program to grow as a leader and challenge herself. Chavez has previously served on Alternative Breaks in Jamaica, Honduras and Peru.

“Being on these trips have taught me so much: new cultures, new experiences, and how to love service even more,” explained Chavez. “Service and exploring new places is something I really love, so participating in service trips really fulfills my passion for service and traveling.”

Chavez encourages students to get involved in the program and apply: “I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to do service as well as merge into a new community. Service teams have made my college experience so much better because they have helped me grow not only as a person but as a leader as well. I have also met so many great people and have created memories that will last a lifetime.”

Visit wou.edu/slcd/ab for more information on the Alternative Break program and how to apply for future service opportunities.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Alternative break program staff

 

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