Mount Hood

Changes are coming to the Western Business Office for the 2019-2020 academic year

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

Looking forward to the future of Western, there are some financial changes that will be unavoidable; however, there is a team who is actively dedicated to keeping Western affordable for upcoming generations of Wolves.

For the 2019-2020 academic year in particular, there are a number of significant changes to the Business Office and to tuition rates that will heavily impact the financial opportunities of Western students. Setting the tone, while many of Oregon’s public universities have either reported higher numbers or have not shared their tuition rates for next year yet, Western has committed to an increase of only 2.33% for undergraduate residents, which was decided by the Tuition and Fees Advisory Committee.

Evelyn Guzman, Erik Morgan and Ailyn Angel — student leaders and representatives on TFAC — shared what it was like for them to come to this decision.

“The administration is really great for doing this even before the House Bill (3381) was passed — they’ve listened to student voices, whereas a lot of other universities haven’t,” said Angel, a senior interdisciplinary studies major on the committee. “You never feel like you’re asking a dumb question, and they really allow us to be a part of the decision-making process.”

In addition to this small tuition increase, Western has also shown its commitment to affordability through other things like keeping the cost for room and board flat and keeping the incidental fee increase under 5%.

Another way that Western is making financial changes for the benefit of students relates to the Tuition Promise plan.

“When WOU Promise was initially created, it was an environment when double-digit tuition increases were very common… But since that time, the environment has changed and there is now a very low tuition increase, so it turns out that what they set out in their plan is more expensive than if they were without the plan,” said Dr. Karaman, Vice President for Finance and Administration. “Dr. Fuller always felt that it’s the right thing to do to give the lowest of the available rates. So, this year we just said, ‘let’s go ahead and do it.’”

Dr. Karaman credits Dona Vasas and Camarie Campfield, the Bursar and Budget Manager, as being instrumental to bringing these changes about as well.

A final couple of updates from the Business Office that will impact Western students beginning next academic year are that seniors will no longer have to pay a $50 fee to apply to graduate, and students will also have 30 days beyond when the term starts to pay their bill.

“Students are here for academics. Yes, they need to pay their bill, but let’s make sure that their bill isn’t impacting their academic achievement,” said Vasas.

Although there are a number of things to keep track of, the staff at the Business and Financial Aid Offices is dedicated to serving any students who have questions about how these changes could be impacting them.

“The overall goal is that we want Western to be the most affordable public university in the state of Oregon, and we also want to make sure that students don’t go into debt,” concluded Dr. Karaman.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

Hawai’i Club’s 12th Annual Lūʻau

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

While many students may be consumed with the stress of midterms and other exams, a number of Western’s Hawaiian students took time on May 4 to come together and focus their attention on other important things like home, family and unity. As Hawai’i Club’s 12th Annual Lūʻau, the club’s biggest event of the year, members of the Hawaiian community pulled out all the stops to make sure that everyone had a fun and relaxing evening.

For the first portion of the event, guests were free to settle in, mingle, visit the Hawai’i Club store — a table which sold t-shirts, stickers, Hawaiian foods and more — and go eat a catered meal. For dinner, attendees could choose any variety of kalua pork, chicken, tofu, rice, macaroni salad and pineapple. They could also choose from a couple of different coconut-flavored dessert options.

The program began when a Pu shell was blown and a group of dancers walked onto the stage, performing a Hawaiian chant. The Hawai’i Club President, Sophia Grace Kalei Ho’omaikai Kala’i Igarta, started it off, and a number of girls followed along after her.

The theme for the 2019 Lūʻau was ‘Stories of the Pacific.’

“Storytelling and oral traditions are an important aspect of Polynesian culture, and we aim to share our stories here tonight,” said Igarta, a junior at Western.

While each of the numbers highlighted beautiful hula choreography, music, dancers and costumes, they also carried a myriad of underlying meanings that made them more personal and significant for those dancing them. For the show as a whole, though, Igarta shared the inspiration behind the theme.

“Are we honoring and embracing the knowledge of our ancestors? Are we being respectful to ourselves, to our kuhana and to others? Are we taking care of the ʻāina, the land? How are we living our lives?” said Igarta. “It’s an important question with what we see going on in the world right now.”

In between each number, the emcees for the event, Anthony Pablo and Susie Krall, shared the meaning behind each of the choreographed pieces. While some honored various elements of nature — the waves, the mountain tops and even seaweed — there were others that were more specific to one person’s experiences.

For one of the dancers, Tatiana-Marie Whitlow, her solo dance ‘Ka Wailele o Nu’uanu

was dedicated to the memory of a mentor who had passed away. And, to honor that person, she danced to a song that was written by a man who had recently lost his father.

“Look at the waterfall on the left and know that it will always be there” said Krall, translating part of the song’s melody. Krall also emphasized that “It’s really important that we remember our traditions and acknowledge the people who came before us.

On top of the many meaningful dances, Pablo also helped to ensure that the event was engaging for the audience through the use of a couple of games that pull on Hawaiian culture: a cheehoo contest and a pidgin contest.

According to the blog Hawaii Chee, “’Cheehoo!’ is exclaimed when you are celebrating or if something is exciting.” So, while this was something that audience members did on their own throughout the performances to mark their enthusiasm, it was also something that a couple of audience members volunteered to compete in.

Later in the evening, Pablo also led participants in a contest where volunteers read a statement of Hawaiian pidgin to the best of their ability. In both of these games, participants were able to celebrate Hawaiian culture while simultaneously letting loose and having fun with loved ones.

To rouse the crowd in a final number, Hawai’i Club had arranged for a traditional dance that brought everyone together.

“As our program comes to a close, we’d like to welcome Tava’e Sina Sofa to the stage… and share with us the Taualuga. It’s a very special dance in Samoan culture which is often given to the chief’s daughter,” said Krall. “She is given the honor to represent the village through dance. She represents the dignity and honor of her village, and it is often performed as the grand finale of celebrations or other social functions.”

During this performance, a young woman danced alone, brought to the floor by a chaperone, as members of the crowd cheered and brought money forward to throw at the girl’s feet as she danced.

Finally, the club ended their celebration by singing Hawai’i Aloha — a Hawaiian anthem — as a group, standing, holding hands and swaying to the music they created with only their voices.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photos by Ashlynn Norton

Denim Day event supports sexual assault survivors

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

While DIY denim coffee mugs and bookmarks might draw people’s attention for being cute, Abby’s House and Alpha Chi Omega had more in mind when they organized a Denim Day event on April 25 in the Werner University Center. Instead of celebrating an iconic fashion contributor, Denim Day is actually a time when people all over the world come together in support of sexual assault survivors.

“Denim Day was created after a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court,” said Lisette Cervantes, Bilingual Advocate Outreach Coordinator at Abby’s House. “An 18-year-old girl was raped, but the conviction was overturned because the Justice felt that, since the victim was wearing tight jeans, that the perpetrator needed help to take them off… so that implied consent. So, the next day, women in the Italian government wore jeans to work in solidarity for the survivor.”

Even though this event happened back in 1992, it is just as important to remember today.

“Denim Day is important for people to recognize and be aware of because, while we would like to say that we as a society have progressed quite a bit in the past 17 years since this original incident, we haven’t come as far as we would like to think sometimes,” said Helen Goodyear, Vice President of Philanthropy for Alpha Chi Omega.

Goodyear also pointed out that, even though the numbers associated with sexual assault conviction can be discouraging, it is important to keep fighting to eradicate this problem in the world around us.

“The goal of Denim Day is to educate people on how they can help be a part of the solution to the issue and can help shut down the pervasive nature of rape culture in our society,” said Goodyear. “We want to recognize that the overturning of sexual assault convictions is something that still happens today and that we can be a part of changing the conversation around sexual assault.”

Cervantes similarly shared that her goal was for people to work towards “breaking down the victim-blaming and showing people how they can be active listeners and advocates as well in their personal life … Start by believing is a big thing in just showing support for people.”

Although not everyone has experienced sexual assault personally, Goodyear shared that there is another reason that people should care: it affects the people around you.

“People we love are afraid to pursue legal action, not because the crimes they are accusing their rapist of are horrendous, but because they don’t want those heinous crimes to reflect back on them negatively as a victim,” said Goodyear.

For anyone at Western who would like to learn more about resources available to survivors, a few of the notable ones include peer advocates and confidential advocates at Abby’s House in the Werner University Center, RAINN, The Sexual Assault Resource Center of Oregon and The Center for Hope and Safety in Salem.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

Showing support for those affected by sex trafficking

Caity Healy | Editor-in-Chief

“If you encounter a person in your professional or personal life that you think has been trafficked, your role isn’t to get a disclosure — it is to create a space that is safe and non-judgmental so that the survivor can experience support and access services in the future.” This quote was given by Ashley Anstett, who currently works for Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force. On April 18, Anstett came to Western to discuss a topic that is too often ignored: sex trafficking.

Before working as part of the Task Force, Anstett worked at the Sexual Assault Resource Center as a confidential advocate for survivors of domestic sex trafficking. Before that, she worked with domestic violence offenders and juvenile sex offenders — a part of her professional history that she deems very important.

“It gave me an appreciation for the dynamics that create the complexities around domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking,” said Anstett, “which all have roots in power and control.”

When it comes to sex trafficking, which is defined by state.gov as “the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion,” there are some things that Anstett notes students should do when they come across someone they think has been trafficked.

“Honor survivor experience and support them. It is important to meet them where they are at,” Anstett said. “There are a lot of misconceptions that these youth and young adults need to be ‘rescued’ when many don’t identify as victims.”

Anstett went on to add that, “every survivor’s story is unique: from how they entered into the life, to what their experiences in the life, and their ability or choice to leave. Every trafficking survivor deserves to have someone in their corner supporting them, supporting whatever their dreams are.”

While there are some definite red flags that are associated with sex trafficking, it’s important to note that just because they are present, it doesn’t mean it is happening. That being said, some of the red flags include, “a lot of unexplained cash and jewelry or shoes and expensive purses, multiple cell phones, and (an unwillingness) to make choices or decisions on their own, or if there is a clear dynamic between partners where one partner is clearly in control of everything,” explained Anstett.

If students think someone they know might be a victim of sex trafficking, there are some things they should do.

“Be a place that someone feels safe coming to where they won’t feel judged or shamed,” said Anstett. “Even if they are in the stages of change where they are just contemplating, but not ready to leave the life, being a non-judgmental presence that supports them in who they are so they know there is someone loving and consistent that will be there no matter what is an incredibly important piece of empowerment.”

To close, Anstett wanted to add one last takeaway she hopes students will remember.

“I want people to understand that traffickers are adept at finding someone’s vulnerabilities and exploiting them,” Anstett said. “It is important to come alongside survivors and support and empower them … by giving them choice and agency in their lives.”

There are many resources students should know about in regards to sex trafficking. For help and support, Anstett recommends students look at the Polaris Project, which can be reached at 1-888-373-7888. They can also reach out to the Safety Compass, which is confidential advocacy for youth and young adults between ages 12-15 in the Marion, Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah counties, and can be reached at 971-235-0021.

 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

The 26th Annual Pow Wow is celebrated at Western

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

From the moment that the First Grand Entrance began, the energy within the Werner University Center’s Pacific Room was lively and infectious. Dancers both young and old joined together on April 27 for the 26th Annual Pow Wow held at Western, a time meant to celebrate the Native American culture and community.

Before anything else could happen, a few of the community’s elders burned sage to cleanse the arena, walking slowly past the crowd so attendees could take in the sage and direct it up over their heads to rid them of any negative energy.

On top of this physical cleansing, the Pow Wow leaders also welcomed a community elder up in order to acknowledge the Creator in prayer before moving forward.

“I’d like everybody to pray for what’s happening in the world today. There are people that are suffering out there — we need to bring that out, and we need to talk about it,” said the elder woman. “There’s a lot of things going on now that are focusing on the murdered and missing native women, and I’d like to pray for those people and their families … Pray for our world, pray for our animal families, our sacred waters, our people that are fighting for the protection of Mother Earth … A Pow Wow is a place where we share our culture with non-natives — to bring an understanding for all of us to be together, to live together, to work together.”

Once this was accomplished, the dancers lined up outside of the room, behind the Color Guard carrying the flags into the room, to kick off the First Grand Entrance. With the American flag, Oregon flag and the Eagle Staff — which is a Native American flag — leading the way, the dancers followed the beat of the head drum as they danced into the hall to start the event.

While there was a certain amount of structure within the 12-hour-long event, the majority of the emphasis was placed on simply spending time as a group — honoring the growth and service of many of its members.

In particular, with both the First and Second Grand Entrance, Master of Ceremony Nick Sixkiller took time to recognize the Veterans who were present at the event, having each one introduce themselves and having the crowd express their gratitude for having fought for the United States. Then the host drum, a group called Bad Soul, played a song in honor of indigenous veterans — those present and those who weren’t.

“Please give honor as you listen to this song to people who went overseas to fight battles to protect our country, who paid the ultimate price and didn’t come home,” said Sixkiller. “Think of those people who went to war to protect our land and what we now call the United States.”

As a part of this Grand Entrance, the host drum played three songs: one for entry, one for the flags and one that was the victory chanting song.

Another group that was honored during the day was the young women who were running for Miss Grand Ronde — a royalty pageant held annually in Grand Ronde, Oregon. These girls took turns introducing themselves along with what they would be running for in their upcoming competition.

Outside of the pageant contestants, another young girl who received special recognition during the event was named Rhianna, as she was moving from the youth category to the teen category. To mark this occasion, her family went up before the group and spoke a few words about their daughter and the young woman that she is becoming. Rhianna is a 7th grade student with a 4.0 GPA. She has also recently gotten into leatherworking, and her family is very proud of her.

As a gift, Rhianna’s relatives had taken time to make her a new outfit for her time in the teen category, and they also gave gifts to the head drum and to Multicultural Student Union for their role in honoring their daughter.

After all of these special agenda items were acknowledged, the dancers readied themselves for the numerous phases of competition ahead of them. While there were certain times that all of the dancers took to the floor together, the majority of the dances were competition-based — groups of tiny tots, youth, teens, women or men competing against others within their own category.

This type of pattern continued throughout the day, with dancers competing from 12 p.m-12 a.m with only a two-hour break for dinner. Then, at 7 p.m., the Second Grand Entrance commenced — with repetitions of the ceremonial songs and the honoring of the veterans. And, once again, the dancers competed by category for a number of prizes that were given to the winners.

While much of this activity took place within the Pacific Room, there were also a number of vendors spread throughout the lower level of the WUC, selling traditional Native American garments, jewelry and more.

One vendor who wanted to send a message through her clothing was Rowena Jackson, an enrolled Klamath tribal member and vender from Eugene, Oregon. Jackson’s booth primarily sold graphic tees of her own design — ones designed to make a powerful statement.

“It’s my newspaper on a t-shirt,” said Jackson, expressing her hope to communicate injustices to the people around her.

“You know the current president… how he works — just wants to sign everything away and it’s all about money. ‘Who cares about the environment? Who cares about the fish in the water? Who cares about humans eating healthy food?’” said Jackson.

Among the issues that Jackson hoped to bring to light were the pipeline the government is looking to build near Coos Bay, breaking treaties with the Native American people and ignoring the missing and murdered indigenous women who haven’t received justice.

“We’ve been stomped on, and when we get back up we get stomped on again. But we keep rising,” said Jackson.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photos by Ashlynn Norton (top) & Paul F. Davis (bottom)

Introducing the ASWOU candidates

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

 

Kevin Figueroa: President

“I am running for this position because I believe I can bring forward the advocacy students deserve and even beyond that. I believe that I am the best for this because of my experience within the ASWOU student government and have seen the inner workings of the government and administration and believe I can continue the amazing service and dedication for the following year. Entering ASWOU was one of the most exciting moments for me to begin my journey of having a position where I can amplify the students around me to better represent their desires and have all their voices heard within our community… In the event that I am elected, I will improve the diversity and communication between every clubs to ensure they have a voice among the campus.”

Photo courtesy of Kevin Figueroa

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Erik Morgan Jr.: President

“As a third-generation WOU student, I have come to love the WOU community and wish to continue serving the students of WOU as President of your student government. As a member of the ASWOU government for two years, I am the most experienced candidate running for President. As President of ASWOU, I will work to bridge the gaps between ASWOU and other advocacy departments on campus. This includes having regular meetings with organizations and their leaders such as the Veterans Resource Center and the Stonewall Center, co-organizing events with other departments, and working with the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and WOU administration so that we can be united in our messaging and mission. In this spirit of cohesive government, I am proud to be running alongside a group of dedicated individuals to serve the WOU student body. As such, I hope you will join me in voting for Monica Cerda Ortiz for Vice President, Abe Garibay for Senate President, and Daniel Woolf for Judicial Administrator.”

Photo courtesy of Erik Morgan Jr.

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Monica Cerda Ortiz: Vice President

“I am excited to be running for ASWOU Vice President! As the Vice President of your student body, I will work within the executive branch to advocate for student rights. I have a lot of experience working as a student leader and I look forward to using that experience to be an effective Vice President. I have served as a Multicultural Representative Coordinator for the past two years, an Unidos Executive member for two years, and have been the President of Unidos for the past year. You may also know me from PLUS Team, WOU Ambassadors, Multicultural Student Union and many other activities around campus… I encourage you to also vote Erik Morgan for President, Abe Garibay for Senate President, and Daniel Woolf for Judicial Administrator.”

Photo courtesy of Monica Cerda Ortiz

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Conner Price: Vice President

“I would like to make sure that everything behind the scenes is running smoothly, and that the students are getting the best benefits possible. I would like to make sure that everyone is receiving the best education possible.”

Photo courtesy of Conner Price

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Abe Garibay: Senate President

“For the past two years, I have worked as a cabinet member in the executive branch of (ASWOU). In that time, I have witnessed the advancements that have been made to help represent the student body through two different administrations. Although ASWOU has come a long from where it was two years ago, there is still progress to be made in truly representing the student body. The Senate has been the driving force of so much of the change in ASWOU and I am resolved to keep it on the track of becoming an active voice for students on our campus … Alongside Erik Morgan as President, Monica Cerda Ortiz as Vice President, and Daniel Woolf as Judicial Administrator, I will work to make the student senate a deliberative body which genuinely works alongside and fights for students.”

Photo courtesy of Abe Garibay

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Daniel Woolf: Judicial Administrator

“I am excited to be running for ASWOU Judicial Administrator. As the head of the Judicial Board, I will enforce effective policies that benefit all WOU students. I will personally work with clubs to ensure they understand and have input on the policies affecting them. I am currently the ASWOU Senate President Pro Tempore, so I am very familiar with the ASWOU governing documents which will allow me to successfully lead the Judicial Board interpreting them.

I am also running alongside A New ASWOU. I proudly endorse voting for Erik Morgan for President, Monica Cerda Ortiz for Vice-President, and Abe Garibay for Senate President. Together, we will work towards an ASWOU that better represents students and works to enact positive change within the WOU community.”

Photo courtesy of Daniel Woolf

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Rachel Bayly: IFC

“The Incidental Fee Committee is an opportunity for students to be directly involved in decisions about tuition and services at WOU, but few students know about what the fee does or how the process for setting it works. I have two years of experience on the Incidental Fee Committee, and I’ve seen that in reality a very small number of students are influencing this decision. If elected for a third year on the committee, I plan to seek out and encourage more student involvement, so next year’s IFC can make a decision that is truly reflective of WOU students’ desires.”

Photo courtesy of Rachel Bayly

 

Student veterans hosts campus-wide Easter egg hunt

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

Brightly colored orbs are being carefully placed all around Monmouth Avenue — waiting to be found. All throughout the week leading up to Easter Sunday, students might notice the ongoing Easter egg hunt that is being hosted by WOU Student Veterans of America from April 15-18.

Just by returning any eggs that they find to the Veterans Resource Center in the lower level of the Werner University Center, students will win a prize.

“We hide eggs on Monmouth Avenue on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and students have all week to come in and win a prize,” said Cole Hendren, Communications Officer for SVA. “Each person is allotted two eggs per day, and then you can only win one of the major prizes.”

While the majority of the prizes are smaller things like candy, the club is also giving away board games, sporting equipment, gift cards to local restaurants and more. Some of their bigger prizes include a 55-inch Smart TV and a Roku.

How can students win prizes like the TV, then?

“You’ve got to find the right egg,” said Hendren. “Each egg has a little note inside, and the note has a number. Then the number corresponds to a list that we have where the numbers are connected to each prize… so we have no idea putting them out which ones they are.”

Reflecting on their hopes for the event, Stephanie Mahoney, SVA Chapter President, shared that the club is trying to make this one of their biggest community events of the year.

“We’ve been trying to make this one of our club traditions to make this an annual event to let people know that we’re here as well as to connect with other students,” said Mahoney.

Hendren also shared how this event is strategically placed to reach out to students at a time of the year when many might feel sad at not being able to go home to their families.

“I think, for a lot of kids who can’t go home for Easter but who do celebrate it, this is a cool deal,” said Hendren. “It’s a nice ‘hey, you’re not alone.’ We’re all here together, and if you can’t go home, that’s okay.”

Looking forward to the rest of the year, a few of the SVA events that Mahoney and Hendren are excited for are a headstone cleaning on Memorial Day, a banquet with the Veterans Resource Center and a panel during Diversity Week where student veterans share their experiences.

One final thing that Mahoney and Hendren emphasized is that the WOU Student Veterans of America is not exclusively a club for veterans — anyone can join.

“When you have a group like this where a bunch of veterans get together, it gives you a sense of family again,” said Hendren.

Students can learn more about the Student Veterans of America by visiting them in the Veterans Resource Center of by attending one of their biweekly club meetings that take place on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. in WUC 108.

 

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

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