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Obama implements new FAFSA changes

By: Zoe Strickland
Managing Editor

Last year, President Barack Obama announced that there would be changes made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. According to the FAFSA website, there are two changes that students should be aware of.

Starting this year, the FAFSA will be available to fill out starting Oct. 1. However, the completion deadline of June 30 has remained the same.

In addition to the new opening date, President Obama has announced that students and families will report earlier income information. In the past, students have been required to report their tax information for the current school year as a part of the FAFSA application process. Starting this year, students will report their tax information from the previous year.This means that for the 2017-18 FAFSA application, applicants use their tax information from 2015.

According to the FAFSA website, these changes have been implemented so that “more students and families will be able to complete their FAFSA using income information imported electronically from the IRS […] rather than submitting applications with income estimates that may need correcting, or […] waiting until the previous year’s tax return has been filed.”

Western will be hosting FAFSA completion workshops in room 108 of Hamersly Library from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3-6. If you’re interested in attending one of the workshops, bring your FAFSA username and password, as well as your 2015 tax information.

To begin your FAFSA application independently, visit fafsa.ed.gov.

More information about the changes to the FAFSA can be found at studentaid.ed.gov/sa.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Summertime news (or lack thereof)

We at The Western Journal wanted to let you know that we’re out of the office from now until New Student Week begins on September 18. Thank you for your readership and support throughout the last year. If you think that this year was a big one for you, we cannot wait to show you what’s in store for next year. We can’t divulge anything yet, but we’re excited to share it all with you starting in the fall. Until then, have a great summer.

Love,

The Western Journal Staff

Homeward Bound buses people out of town

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

A new program that was recently approved by the city of Portland is trying to help solve the city’s homeless crisis.

The program’s name is Homeward Bound, and its mission is to provide free bus tickets to homeless who meet the qualifications.

According to the Oregonian, it was approved by Portland in mid-March, and will receive at least $30,000 from the city. The program began, and the first bus tickets were issued, earlier this month. On its first day of operation, 40 people had signed up.

The city of Portland doesn’t want to simply move its homeless problem to another area. KGW reports that the bus tickets only go to individuals who will have somewhere to stay at their destination, and who are prepared to have follow-up meetings with their caseworkers three months after their placement.

Marc Jolin, the initiative director of A Home For Everyone, another organization trying to address homelessness, told KGW this about the program:

“We had homeless people in the community who had other permanent housing options, but didn’t know to ask for the support. They wound up being stuck here for long periods of time, weeks or months.”

According to the program’s advocates, it will only serve to help people who are stuck in an area with no family or support.

However, Portland’s homeless crisis may have in-part been caused by similar programs across the country.

An investigation by KGW in 2013 found that participants in similar programs claimed to have a place to stay in Portland, but they ended up back in the streets.

With Portland’s Homeward Bound program requiring follow-up meetings with caseworkers, the city hopes it won’t have the same results as other programs. If a participant is found homeless during their three-month check-up, the program will help the participant find similar organizations.

You can learn more about Portland’s Homeward Bound program by dialing 2-1-1.

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

Academic Excellence Showcase: a brief explanation and history

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

Last week was the 11th annual Academic Excellence Showcase at Western, but you may still be asking yourself what it was all about.

The Showcase started in 2006, and it is a way for Western students to show off their hard work from the year. It was created when the Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences decided to expand on the academic excellence awards that Phi Kappa Phi organized annually.

Over 350 students present material they’ve been working on, whether it’s academic research or creative activities. It is interdisciplinary, and includes anything from scholarly research papers to the performance of a dance routine.

“The PURE Task Force identified many ways to help facilitate and enhance undergraduate research experiences,” the Program for Undergraduate Research Experiences said in their message to the audience during the first Academic Excellence Showcase. “One of the proposed mechanisms was to facilitate greater participation by the entire campus in celebrating our students’ accomplishments.”

Dr. John Minahan, Western’s president during the first Academic Excellence Showcase, also had a message for the audience.

“There is no better way to demonstrate the value of a Western Oregon University education than through the work of our students,” he said.

“These abstracts of student presentations represent the outcomes of a university that knows the importance of research and scholarship,” Minahan said.

“Through this year’s Academic Excellence Showcase, Western Oregon University is demonstrating that undergraduate scholarship and creativity are distinguishing characteristics of our university.”

The event was planned in 2006 to be a part of Western’s 150th anniversary, but it has been an annual event ever since.

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

Discover MI Town encourages community engagement

 

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

An overcast Saturday was not enough to stave off participants of the Discover MI Town event hosted between both Monmouth and Independence on May 21.

Colorful plastic bags boasting the logo of the event were held by many as individuals moved from one shop to another, led by a Monopoly-inspired map of various places around both towns.

This reporter’s route consisted of the following stops: Arena Sports Bar & Grill, Three Legged Dog, Petals & Vines, Rogue, Main Street Ice Cream Parlor, and Crush Wine Bar & Tasting Room.

Screen Shot 2016-05-23 at 7.32.15 PMShops each hosted their own unique way of welcoming players of Discover MI Town Monopoly. While Arena Sports Bar & Grill offered a triple-threat sampler of beers with a side of their famous hot wings, Petals & Vines offered buttons and pins from a basket on their counter.

“Personally, my offer is just letting you sample whatever drinks I have in stock right now,” stated Joshua Brandt, the owner of Crush Wine Bar & Tasting Room.
Over 27 businesses participated in the spotlight and helped to sponsor the event, ranging from eateries to larger businesses such as Goodwill Industries.

The event was hosted by the Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center and managed by Jean Love.

A free shuttle service was also offered between both towns’ focal points to encourage visiting all possible pitstops mapped out for the day. This also supported individuals who wished to partake in the multiple opportunities to imbibe throughout the day without worrying about transportation between stops.

To sweeten the deal, a grand prize raffle was offered to individuals once they purchased tickets – filling out a small business card once they were given their wristbands.

The winner of this raffle would take home an entire table of goodies ranging from bottles of Rogue to shirts and soccer balls – an estimated worth of over $700 in tangible goods. Owners of shops were to donate a physical item and could donate gift certificates on top of that if they wished.

For a full breakdown of the shop’s that participated, go online to: http://bit.ly/1s27XXS
Contact the author at Jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOUjournalnews

Fighting Fireworks

By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

For nearly two weeks, residents on and around campus reported hearing popping, banging, and otherwise generalized firework noises across the surrounding areas.
“We don’t know what it is for sure,” reported CPS officer Trever Jackson, “but reports on the sounds lean towards fireworks.”

Jackson reported hearing the noises himself while working shifts on campus, and would shortly after receive phone calls from concerned students.

“Unfortunately, it’s difficult working with noise complaints without much else to go off of – no one was injured or saw anyone doing it, which makes it difficult to track,” Jackson said.

Another problem with noise on campus, especially quick-burst sounds created by fireworks, is that it can be very troublesome to pinpoint.

Campus Public Safety would receive multiple calls in a row, each stating a different place the caller believed the sound to be coming from, whether it be near Gentle House, Koyotes, and so on.

One evening, people reported seeing a group of individuals running from where the noises had recently been heard. By the time officers arrived, the group had gone and there was no trace of mischief.

Both Campus Public Safety and the Monmouth Police are currently working in tandem to stop the noisemaker, but in the recent week there has been very little activity reported in regards to fireworks sounds across campus.

If you have any information on possible suspects or need to report more firework activity, please contact Campus Public Safety’s non-emergency line at 503-838 8481.

Contact the author at Jberesheim11@wou.edu or on Twitter @WOUjournalnews

26 pounds of drugs seized in Salem bust

By: Alvin Wilson
Staff Writer

A large drug bust that occurred in the Salem/Stayton area earlier this month resulted in the seizure of 26 pounds of drugs, 15 guns, several vehicles, and over $450,000, according to the Statesman Journal.

On May 10, officers with the Salem Police Department arrested seven people in the Salem area. The next day, officers with the Stayton Police Department arrested three. Lt. Steve Birr, of Salem PD, said the arrests in Salem triggered those in Stayton.

With Monmouth’s proximity to Salem, one might expect the recent bust to reduce the drug supply or trigger arrests in the area. But according to Detective Mike Strack, a member of the Polk County Interagency Narcotics Team, the bust in Salem is unlikely to affect drug trafficking in the Monmouth area.

“The drug bust in Salem/Stayton doesn’t have much affect on our area, as drugs come in from various places,” said Strack.

Despite this, Strack said the drug businesses in Independence and Monmouth are sometimes synonymous with Salem.

“Many of the people who reside in Salem and are into drugs come into Polk County to do business, as it’s more rural,” he said. “… Drug users commit crimes of opportunity and look for easy targets.”

He said the frequency of students leaving their cars and bikes unlocked makes Monmouth a popular destination for people looking for something to sell for drug money.

Drug abuse is often more apparent in small towns, and Monmouth and Independence are no exceptions.

“Drug abuse in Monmouth/Independence is common compared to any other city,” said Strack. “Sometimes it may seem like drug abuse is worse in a small town because you can see it more in a smaller population.”

Western isn’t a school that is known for rampant drug use. Strack attributes this tame appearance to both the legalization of marijuana in Oregon and the fact that many student offenders aren’t tracked by the university.

“… drugs are handled differently on campus as opposed to off campus, Strack said. “When students are arrested or cited for drugs in the community, they are dealt with through the city and county courts and [Western] does not track this information.”

The most recent drug bust involving Western was four years ago, when seven people, including three students, were arrested for trafficking drugs on campus.

The bust in Salem might scare some traffickers into temporarily halting business. But, according to Strack, users will always find a way to get their fix—even if their supply is restricted.

“Addicts will always find where the drugs are at,” Strack said. “If you cut off a supply in one area, they branch out or a new dealer steps in to fill the void.”

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

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