Mount Hood

New developments revealed in annual State of the Cities Address

Byron Kimball | Freelancer

On Feb. 7, community members, city council representatives and members of the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce came together in Smith Music Hall. Details about new city developments and 2017 milestones were revealed during this year’s State of Cities Address.

Among these new developments coming to Monmouth and Independence? A plan to revitalize Highway 99, changes to parking enforcement around Monmouth and a variety of new businesses in both downtown Independence and Monmouth. “We (at Western) look forward to working together with Monmouth and Independence,” said Western President Rex Fuller, who provided opening remarks.

The event, which was co-sponsored by the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce and ASWOU, was presented by Independence mayor John McArdle and Monmouth mayor Steve Milligan.

For both mayors, 2017 was a year full of accomplishments and milestones. The high turnout for events during the August Solar Eclipse was cited by both mayors as a strong sign of renewed tourist interest in both cities.

McArdle unveiled a new renovation initiative, charged with reviving downtown Independence. “We want a place that feels like home,” he explained.

New renovations for the Independence airport are planned as well as an extensive urban renewal project. Independence Station and the old city hall were both recently sold to developers, who plan on leasing the newly acquired space to tenants. One of whom may be an independent brewery, though McArdle’s remarks on the subject were brief.

He cited new business growth, including a chocolatier, which was said to open Feb. 10 according to McArdle. He also expressed plans for Independence to become a new training zone for World Track and Field, bringing in new business and faces. A new strategic plan for the city was also announced, one which McArdle hopes will help boost economic and technological development in the city. “We’re helping Independence become a smarter rural city,” said McArdle.

Though mayor Steve Milligan claimed more modest growth in Monmouth over the course of 2017 and coming into 2018, he remained hopeful that Monmouth would grow strong over the coming years. A new Monmouth Electric building is planned, as well as additional street renovations.

But one of the more shocking changes to Monmouth city policy in 2018 just might have to do with parking. Milligan, along with President Fuller, expressed a wish to revisit downtown parking enforcement, deterring unpermitted Western parking at independent businesses.

Two new cannabis businesses are moving into Monmouth, a move which required Monmouth city council to revise legislation in order to allow both businesses to come in. Also on the books? A Domino’s Pizza, though no opening date was declared.

Overall, Milligan emphasized his goal for the city of Monmouth: to continue to remain a reliable home for residents. “We care about everybody,” said Milligan, citing a continued effort toward last year’s addition of an ‘inclusivity resolution’, which emphasized the city of Monmouth’s commitment to support diversity.

Miriam Haugen, director of the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce, explained, “We may be two cities, but we are one community.”

Contact the author at bkimball16@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Time for political action

Natalie Dean | Freelancer

Dennis Richardson, the current Oregon Secretary of State, visited Western’s campus on Jan. 30 to promote local politics and expand education around state government issues.

Secretary Richardson spoke of his own political journey starting with his work for the Central Point City Council. Richardson noted in his speech one thing that he learned during his time there, “citizens do not come into their government office unless they have to. But when people came in, it was because something was amiss and they wanted their elected official to take action. It was an opportunity for common sense and ordinances to be balanced and resolve things citizens think are important.”

He continued by pointing out that, upon running for Secretary of State, the last Republican to serve in that position was Norma Paulus, who was elected 40 years prior. The cards were stacked against him, and Richardson explained, “it was said that it couldn’t be done. My advice is to focus on the principles you stand for and not focus on a party. I tell this to republicans, to anybody who asks me how to win (an election.) Have ideas on how to solve the problems that face the people, and run on that with the dedication to do what you said you would do.”

Later in the evening, Richardson posed an important question to the crowd, “What do you want out of your life?” he asked. “When you die, people say nice things about you if they have something to say. Wouldn’t it make sense to say ‘when I leave this life, here’s what I want to be remembered for.’. I want to be known as a good man, a civil servant, an honest man, a person of integrity, a hard worker. These are all important to me, and I’m trying to live up to it, because it’s not going to happen otherwise. So, what do you want to be remembered for?”

Richardson spoke on one current Oregon issue: the foster care system.

“The time for talk has passed, the time for action is now. Those that think it’s a broken system will not be surprised,” he said. “We have auditors who have been on the job for over 10 years, and they said this was the most difficult audit they had done … But these are issues that must be addressed if we are going to change the system and serve our most vulnerable population, which are the children.”

Secretary Richardson finished the speech by answering a final question from the crowd: how can college students become involved and educated in local politics? He urged folks to vote and seek out education, to reach out to local legislators and to ask questions. He encouraged all students to be actively engaged and in turn, create the world they would want their own children to live and thrive in.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Stay updated on the Tuition Advisory Committee

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

What is the Tuition Advisory Committee?

           The Tuition Advisory Committee is a committee composed of Western students, faculty and staff that want a voice in how tuition dollars are spent. Led by President Rex Fuller and interim Vice President for Finance and Administration Jay Kenton, the open meetings encourage an honest dialogue between students and administration on budget cuts, tuition increases and effectively spending student dollars.

How can students get involved?

Students are the basis of Western. If a student has ever felt like their thoughts and opinions are not being taken in account by the administration, this is the opportunity to voice concerns. Students can give opinions on whether they’d rather see tuition and fee increases or department budget cuts to make up for a shortage of funds. Are students willing to pay more tuition dollars if that means an increase in staff salaries? Additionally, should more money be put toward fee remissions or scholarships for low-income students? These are all important decisions that the administration needs to make, and students now have an opportunity to give their opinion on how student dollars are spent.

 

Will tuition increase next year?

Tuition is expected to increase no more than five percent next year. Money that goes to funding the university comes from tuition dollars and state funding. There is expected to be a shortage of $130 million, which could lead to a tuition increase. In future Tuition Advisory Committee meetings, the administration will prepare proposals for cuts ranging from one to five percent and students can give input on the proposals.

           

When is the next meeting?

           Feb. 16 at 11:30 a.m. in RWEC 104. The dialogue will continue between administration and students and more information on the university budget and potential tuition increases will be discussed.

Helping Western students succeed

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

Week five can be a stressful time in a college student’s life. When midterm exams, essays and projects start to pile up, the Student Success and Advising Office can be an important resource to keep on track and receive academic help.

The Student Success and Advising Office aims to support students and provide them the tools they need to be successful in their academic and career goals. One of the major services provided by the department is free peer tutoring for Western students. Every student can take advantage of these tutoring services by simply clicking the “WCS” logo on Portal and making a tutoring appointment for a current class. Tutoring through the Student Success and Advising Office is available for most humanities, linguistics and social science classes.

Tutoring Coordinator and Student Success Specialist Carly DelaBarre emphasized that the peer tutors undergo extensive training in their position. This includes teaching to multiple learning styles, multiple intelligences, and general communication skills to effectively assist students in need.

Even if students don’t require tutoring for specific classes, DelaBarre encourages everyone to seek help at the Student Success and Advising Office, “I would really love students to know that they can come in and see us if they have a 4.0,” she explained. “I want to help you. I want to make sure that your time management is solid, study habits are solid, and your classes are going well. I genuinely care about every single student that comes in here … I have students from all different grade levels and all different backgrounds come in and see me regularly, and I wish more students did that.”

Student Success Specialists like DelaBarre can help with everything from test anxiety to studying for specific learning styles. When asked what advice she would give students during midterms week, DelaBarre replied, “It’s so crucially important to manage your time well … Take care of future you by planning now for the future.”

Visit the Student Success and Advising Office in its new location, the old Student Health and Counseling Center next to the WUC, starting on Feb. 12.

For more information on the resources that the center offers, visit wou.edu/advising.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Giving a voice to student concerns

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

Current Western students may have noticed a recent email in their inbox from university president Rex Fuller. The email emphasized Western Oregon University values such as community, diversity and respect, and introduced the recently developed Bias Reporting Form. But what is the Bias Reporting Form and what does it mean for Western students?

The form was created as a result of a bias-related incident that occurred in Monmouth last year. The individuals involved in the incident noted that there was not a clear path that they could follow to report what had happened. The university CARE Team, a team composed of staff members from various departments, took it upon themselves to create this form in hopes that it would simplify the process of reporting bias-related incidents for students and community members.

The Bias Reporting Form can be found on the Division of Student Affairs webpage on Western’s website. Students that have experienced or heard about a bias-related incident have the opportunity to complete the form online. Within the document, there is an option to remain anonymous and list details of the incident. The CARE Team then reviews the Bias Reporting Form and finds resources for the students involved.

“That’s our primary goal: to support students,” explained Tina Fuchs, Dean of Students and CARE Team Chair. “And continue to evaluate best practices in terms of how we address issues that might be coming up on campus.”

The CARE Team is made up of individuals from several campus departments including Campus Public Safety, the Student Health and Counseling Center, Student Success and the Vice President for Student Affairs. Fuchs explained the importance of this team, stating, “This gives us an opportunity to have all of those experts come in and look at that and do the best we can to support our students. I think by bringing multiple people together to do that, we’re giving them the best opportunities. We’re responding in the best way we can.”

Fuchs explained that the name “CARE” stands for Campus Assessment, Response and Education Team. In addition to supporting student concerns, the CARE Team also gives training and presentations to students regarding working with distressed individuals and responding to information on sexual misconduct. Fuchs emphasized, “We’re not just a response team. We’re also a team that educates.”

President Fuller hopes that the bias reporting form will be an easy and accessible method of incident reporting. When asked why the form is important to have available, Fuller replied, “The process is intended to support our campus values that were reaffirmed in the recent strategic planning process. These values are community, diversity and respect. I believe that all universities, especially Western, have a sacred trust with society to be places that are safe for all members of their respective communities.”

Find the Bias Reporting Form at wou.edu/student and contact Tina Fuchs at fuchst@wou.edu for more information.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

WOU Campus Garden provides locally sourced food

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

Located behind the old education building is a small patch of land known as the WOU Campus Garden. The garden, now eight years old, aims to give students and community members the opportunity to learn how to garden while providing fresh produce to nearby food banks.

According to the WOU Campus Garden website, the mission of the garden is “to show how we can grow vegetables and fruit locally and sustainably. We want to see the garden being used as a practical and educational resource for the whole campus community.”

Campus Garden Coordinator Chrys Weedon is a junior studying American Sign Language. Weedon was excited to get involved with the campus garden first as a volunteer and now as the garden coordinator.

“My mom is an avid gardener, she’s been gardening since before I was born and I have a huge garden at home,” Weedon explained. “It’s just very therapeutic and you kind of lose track of time, at least for me, and I just really wanted to get involved with that. I miss it being here at school.”

The garden is run entirely by volunteers and supervised by communications professor Dr. Emily Plec. Volunteers help maintain the area by weeding, planting various types of plants and spreading awareness through tabling and events. Volunteers set their own schedules and have the first pick for the variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs planted in the garden. The rest of the plants produced by the garden are given to Western’s food pantry — where both students and community members alike can take advantage of the fresh produce.

The WOU Campus Garden practices organic gardening by only using organic compost for the plants and never spraying them with pesticides or herbicides.

When asked why a garden is important on campus, Weedon replied, “I think it’s important to have fresh food. I think a lot of college students don’t have the best diet just simply because they don’t have the resources… We grow good food. And it’s important also because it helps the environment. I think that mass farming can be very detrimental to the environment so the more food we can grow ourselves, the better.”

For more information on the WOU Campus Garden or how to become a volunteer, contact Chrys Weedon at cweedon16@wou.edu.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Western discusses wellness

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

The Jan. 24 Health and Wellness Fair at the Peter Courtney Health and Wellness Center provided an opportunity for students to learn more about all aspects of health, from physical fitness to mental well-being. The event, organized by the Student Health and Counseling Center, focused on presenting students with the variety of resources available to them both on campus and within Polk County.

Student Health and Counseling Center employee Crystal Ross provided information and resources at the fair. When asked why health and wellness is important, Ross explained, “I think it’s important for anybody, but especially students’s general well-being. You’re already so stressed from studying and classes, and some students work on top of that, so just trying to keep a balanced, healthy lifestyle on top of your stressors. And sometimes you get sick or you get hurt and it’s nice to have a doctor’s office on campus to come to.”

Ross also stressed another important aspect of the SHCC: counseling. “We also have the mental health counselors, so if you’re stressed you can come and talk to somebody. It’s just a great service that we can offer to our students.”

A variety of organizations were in attendance. Oregon Reproductive Health and Planned Parenthood answered questions regarding reproductive health for college students. The WOU Food Pantry and LifeSource Natural Foods informed students on the importance of nutrition and healthy eating for overall physical health. Local fitness centers such as Firehouse Crossfit in Monmouth and Timberhill Athletic Club in Corvallis gave students information on their businesses.

Resources for all ages were available at the fair, including Polk County Public Health and YMCA Independence. YMCA employee and youth basketball coach Karissa Torres explained how the organization plays an important role in health and fitness. “I think for youth in particular, sports definitely creates a better path. Involvement at a young age is really positive for someone’s future.”

Additionally, many Western clubs and organizations were represented at the fair including the WOU Campus Garden, Safe Zone, Peer Mentors, the WOU Community Health Club and Campus Public Safety.

Contact the Student Health and Counseling Center at health@wou.edu for more information on health and wellness.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

Photo by: Sam Dunaway

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