Mount Hood

Monmouth community and Western students join to create a safer city

By:Jade Rayner
News Editor

The movement to declare Monmouth, Oregon a sanctuary city is one that began roughly two months ago by a concerned member of the community and has gained a growing amount of support since then.

HOMESTEAD, FL – NOVEMBER 16: Demonstrators including students from local high schools as well as a college rally in front of Homestead City Hall against President-elect Donald Trump and are asking that the city be used as a sanctuary city and their respective schools be sanctuary campuses on November 16, 2016 in Homestead, Florida. Mr. Trump has said he will crack down on so-called Òsanctuary citiesÓ or cities that donÕt help federal authorities seize undocumented immigrants. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

There is no concrete definition for what it means to be as sanctuary city; it varies from place to place. For a city to declare sanctuary status, it’s stating that it will protect its citizens from unlawful prosecution from federal immigration, relating to the Oregon law ORS 181A.820 that states: “No law enforcement agency of the State of Oregon or of any political subdivision of the state shall use agency moneys, equipment or personnel for the purpose of detecting or apprehending persons whose only violation of law is that they are persons of foreign citizenship present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.”

According to information provided by Western student Hector Virgen-Marquez, the proposal to make Monmouth a sanctuary city was brought to Monmouth City Council by Patty Dixon, a concerned member of the community that was trying to help other community members. She was met by a motion from city council member Laurel Sharmer, but it was not met with a second. Therefore, the proposal did not pass.

Upon hearing about this, Virgen-Marquez explained that, “Marshall Guthrie the director of the Student Enrichment Program had heard of this, and rallied a few students together to make a second proposal. He contacted students from MEChA de WOU, and UNIDOS and brought six motivated students together to propose, for a second time, that Monmouth declare sanctuary city status.” The students involved were Evelyn Guzman, Sandy Estelle, Juan Navarro, Jaime Hernandez, Aminadab Diaz and Hector Virgen-Marquez.

Additionally, Western student Erika Azua and Dr. Maureen Dolan, Professor of Sociology led an outreach committee to reach out to other members of the community, Western administrators, businesses and clergy leadership.

During the Feb. 7, 2017 Monmouth city council meeting, the six Western students brought up the sanctuary city proposal. Much like the first time with Dixon, the proposal was met by a motion from council member Sharmer, but no second was offered by the remaining city council members. “Needless to say, this was a great defeat, as we had failed to prove to our council members that this is an important topic that deserves discussion in a public setting such as this. But regardless, that only helped fuel energy to push us to try again,” Virgen-Marquez stated.

When asked what it would mean to the Western community for Monmouth to declare itself a sanctuary city, Hector Virgen-Marquez replied, “… it will show the students at Western that the city they live in also cares about them, and for those who are currently under a degree of fear – it shows that they are able to go out to the city without feeling uncomfortable and anxious of federal prosecution.”

These students will be bringing the proposal to the Monmouth City Council again on Feb. 21, 2017.

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

“Hard to Believe” documentary aims to raise awareness of organ harvesting

By: Byron Kimball
Freelancer

On Feb. 23, Salem resident Timothy Gebhart held free viewings of the 2015 PBS documentary “Hard to Believe” for local residents. Directed by Ken Stone, the documentary concerns the practice of forced organ harvesting from Chinese prisoners.

Filmed in the style of a police procedural, “Hard to Believe” is one of many documentaries in recent years that aims to raise awareness of the issue.

A CNN report done on June 24, 2016 claimed that China was “… still engaged in the widespread and systematic harvesting of organs from prisoners.”

As the documentary discusses in further detail, the organs, ranging from kidneys to hearts, are often harvested from a person shortly after execution. The organs are then sold to so-called “transplant tourists,” who travel from all over the world to China for life-saving organ transplants.

For Gebhart, the issue is personal. He is a long-time practitioner of the meditation practice Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, which has been outlawed in China since 1999. Many of the victims of forced organ harvesting are fellow Falun Gong practitioners, according to www.stoporganharvesting.org.

When asked to share his thoughts about both organ harvesting and the documentary, Gebhart responded, “Not too many people are aware of organ harvesting in China or of the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. We have found that once people know of this issue, and are familiar with it, it is much easier for change to occur.”

He suggests that viewers emboldened to action after viewing the documentary help raise awareness through social media and by writing to their local legislators.

Viewers who wish to learn more about forced organ harvesting are encouraged to visit both www.hardtobelievemovie.com and www.stoporganharvesting.org to learn about the practice and find out what they can do to help.

Contact the author at bkimball16@wou.edu

Possibility of life beyond Earth

By: Zoe Strickland
Managing Editor

After decades of searching for the possibility of life beyond Earth, scientists have found what they were looking for. On Feb. 22, NASA announced that a new solar system containing seven Earth-size planets was discovered.

TRAPPIST-1 is located in the Aquarius system and is around 40 light-years away from Earth. The exoplanet system was named TRAPPIST-1 after a telescope in Chile. Researchers using the Chilean telescope found the first two planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system in May of 2016. The five remaining planets were discovered using the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, which enabled them to have a more in-depth examination of the planets.

The research effort to locate and classify the planets was led by the scientific research team at the University of Liege.

“The seven wonders of TRAPPIST-1 are the first Earth-size planets that have been found orbiting this kind of star … It is also the best target yet for studying atmospheres of potentially habitable, Earth-size worlds” said Michael Gillon, leader of the team of astronomers that discovered TRAPPIST- 1, in a press release put out by NASA.

Though the seven planets are a similar size to Earth, they boast different features. All of the planets in the newly discovered system are closer to each other in orbit than the planets in our own solar system. According to the report that NASA put out, “If a person were standing on one of the planet’s surface, they could gaze up and potentially see geological features or clouds of neighboring worlds, which would sometimes appear larger than the moon in Earth’s sky”.

Though scientists are still trying to find information regarding the makeup of the planets, they have found details that indicate whether the newly-discovered planets could be habitable. “While the other planets in the system could only have liquid water over a small part of their surface, these three planets e, f and g could contain oceans similar to those on Earth, ” said Julien de Wit, a post-doctoral student at MIT who is in charge of heading up the atmospheric studies of the planet, in a University of Liege release.

In addition to the difference in planet proximity and makeup, TRAPPIST-1’s star has features that mirror the sun. According to the University of Liege press release, the star of TRAPPIST-1 is classified as an ultra-cold dwarf, which means it’s both smaller and significantly colder than the sun.

Though the discovery of the new planets has jolted the scientific world, there is still a significant amount of research to be done. In 2018, NASA is sending the James Webb Space Telescope into space to look for more information regarding TRAPPIST-1.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Voices raised at Salem rally

By: Stephanie Blair
Editor-in-Chief

Domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors, advocates and loved ones of survivors gathered on the Oregon Capitol building’s steps on Feb. 22 to support the services and protections infor survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Despite the low-number of attendees and the cool, overcast weather, the crowd was lively and garnered a large amount of television coverage.

The rally began with speeches from various survivors and state officials, after which some attendees went into the capitol building to speak with senators and house representatives, as well as to find more information about how to support the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force, who partnered to organize the rally.

The mission statement of the OCADVS, a non-profit founded in 1978, as stated on their website is to promote “… equity and social change in order to end violence for all communities.” The coalition aids crisis centers and other resource centers for victims with training, connection to other centers and communities as well as providing other technical support, like posting job opportunities on their website.

The other sponsor of this event, Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force, has three main programs: the Prevention Program, the Sexually Assault Training Institute and the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program. These three branches each help to provide training and resources for organizations and communities.

According to the OCADVS, one in four women and girls in Oregon will experience domestic violence in their lifetime and one in five are sexually assaulted in their lifetimes.

On campus, Abby’s House provides resources for those struggling with or who have been affected by sexual and relationship violence. Trained student advocates are available to aid those in need.

If you would like to volunteer with Abby’s House, contact them by email at abbyshouse@wou.edu or by phone at 503-838-8219. Information is also available at the Abby’s House office, located in room 106 of the Werner University Center.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu

21 and up

By: Paige Scofield
Campus Life Editor

My Bloody Valentine? More like my bloody mary. February, the month of love and the color red is the perfect month to enjoy a nice, red bloody mary. Crisp and delicious, this drink will make your morning or evening one for the better. The recipe is as follows:

What you need:
1 1⁄2 ounces vodka
3 ounces tomato juice
The juice of one lemon
1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 drops Tabasco sauce
pepper
salt
1⁄4 teaspoon celery salt
1⁄2 tablespoon prepared horseradish (optional)

Directions:
Add ice to glass. Mix Vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, Pepper, celery salt and horseradish and pour in glass. Garnish with lemon or lime wedge, celery stalk, green onion or pickled green bean.
Please drink responsibly and enjoy.
Recipe courtesy of the user riffraff on Food.com

Contact the author at journalcampuslife@wou.edu

Protesting in peace

By: Jade Rayner
News Editor

On Sunday, Feb. 19, an estimated 1,010 people gathered in front of the Oregon State Capitol building in Salem for the Immigration Rally: part of the Immigrants’ March on all 50 State Capitols protest that took place on President’s Day weekend.

According to the event’s Facebook page, the purpose of the rally was to empower all citizens, foreign or native, and to stand “in unity and solidarity with all immigrants.”

In contrast to the pouring rain and heavy wind that lasted for the duration of the event, both the speakers and attendees alike held their heads and their signs high to spread the message that they, immigrants, weren’t going anywhere.

Western students Gabe Heredia, a senior community health/education major, and Madelyn Hay, an interdisciplinary studies major were two of the many students attending the rally. When asked what brought them to the event, Hay replied that, “One of the biggest reasons we wanted to come is Gabe’s family is actually immigrants … that’s something that kind of struck with us. Like if this had happened 50 years ago, we never would have met … they were given their chance and we think everyone deserves their chance.”

Salem resident Taylor Emery was also among the many who stood in protest.

“I’m here today because this is something that I passionately believe in, and I wasn’t able to go the Women’ March … so I’m here to support the immigrants that supported me at the Women’s March,” Emery explained.

“I want to try and be involved as I can … this is just something that I think shouldn’t even be an issue. Diversity is needed.”

Contact the author at journalnews@wou.edu

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Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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