Mount Hood

Opinion: The price tag on Black Friday

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor

According to the American Marketing Association, Americans spent $7.9 billion just in the 24 hour Black Friday period in 2017. That’s not counting Cyber Monday, weekend sales or sales that began on Thanksgiving.

It’s been pointed out time and time again, and yet it still remains relevant: Americans spend a day being thankful for what they have, and then turn around and spend the next day fighting in lines to spend tons of money on material items.

Well, that’s not completely true anymore; it’s 2018 and many sales will likely happen online. There’s now a safer way to spend too much money during the holidays.

No one in my family ever participated in Black Friday, but a few years ago a friend convinced me to go with her. I decided to see what all the fuss was about and agreed to go. I left my house where my family was still celebrating on Thanksgiving night, and we drove to the nearest outlet mall.

I found the experience mostly underwhelming, and yet I still left with multiple bags from different stores. The signs and advertising had been screaming about deals for weeks, so my expectations were high. I went in to one shop looking for some new clothes and found…sweaters for 20% off. Or, I could buy discounted jeans, but I had to buy at least three pairs. Basically, I could have done better on a regular day in a clearance section. Or at a different store for that matter; one higher end store was selling clothes for the same price as a different retail store.

I didn’t buy that much, and I can’t even imagine spending hundreds of dollars on Black Friday. Besides the fact that I could use a new laptop, I don’t think I even need hundreds of dollars worth of material things. I don’t think anyone really does, but it’s easy to get swept up in the culture of spending and purchasing as much as possible. It seems like it should be obvious; it’s part of advertisers’ jobs to make sure people believe they need a new TV, two more new electronics and a ton of clothes. Knowing this but not caring is a privilege not everyone has.

This day essentially does nothing but add to the reasons that holidays are unenjoyable for some. It’s already heartbreaking enough to think that some people are too stressed to be truly happy during the holidays, a time that’s supposed to be about appreciating what you have, giving what you can and enjoying the festivities. Yet, events like Black Friday help taint the holiday experience for some.

Sure, people can brag about buying the most expensive gifts for their families; but, does it even cross their mind that there might be someone listening who isn’t sure their kids are going to get anything? Did they think to donate, as it’s supposed to be the season of giving? If they did donate, how does it compare to the price tags under their Christmas tree? Would they still fight tooth and nail to spend their money on someone less fortunate?

And that’s not even touching on what retail workers have to endure. Those unlucky workers that don’t have seniority will be forced to leave their families on Thanksgiving, if they get any of the day off at all. Then they have to be on the front lines of the chaos that other countries look on with horror, grateful for the distance between them and America on Black Friday.

I’m by no means innocent; as mentioned before I have participated in Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Even now, I find myself considering all the advertisements for online deals for just about every store. There’s nothing inherently wrong with enjoying shopping, or with wanting to get good deals — everyone can relate to that. However, we’ve glorified it so much that the holiday dedicated to sales has brought in extra millions every year, and every year we see on the news that some people were willing to resort to physical violence.

Blind enthusiasm for Black Friday has become a phenomenon that has spiraled out of control and ultimately brought mostly negativity to what could otherwise be a season of being grateful for what we have and helping those that have less.

 

Contact the author at rmeyers17@wou.edu

Opinion: Why to avoid using dating apps

Paul F. Davis | Managing Editor

I had just broken up with my high school girlfriend of three years and I was devastated, but also interestingly at ease. The relationship was great for the majority of the time we were together but it needed to end. We started to become distant. The time we spent together felt more like a habit than it was rewarding, we were growing apart, and we weren’t right for each other — but I knew someone was.

So what were my options? Go to the bar and find the one — well, no, I was only eighteen; flirt with everyone who I ran to — obviously, but that was too slow. I wanted something fast to help with the withdrawal of touch, of intimacy, of affection. So I went to the exact place I knew I could find someone — Tinder.

I made my profile, added pictures, typed some bio that was so forgettable I don’t even remember it now, and started swiping. It was fun, I got to look at so many beautiful people in various stages of undress and it was exciting to say the least.

“Ping,” you have your first match. Dopamine rushed, I was already hooked and the conversation started off with the most interesting sentence: “hey :).” I felt like a Casanova, smooth and ready for anything, so I kept swiping and it continued to be great. I felt like this was what I had been promised dating was like — being single was great.

But weeks later, that initial rush wore off and the good feeling that app gave me in the beginning started to change. I would talk to someone and we talked about everything; I felt sparks fly. She was cute, she was smart, she was incredible by all measures. I would type well thought out responses to everything she said. Laughing crying emojis flowed like koi through a pond… I was naively smitten. I would press send and wait for a response, but none ever came. I was crushed. I felt like just another guy (what’s his name?) in a stack of cards. Reflecting back it made sense to why they didn’t respond. I was over-eager, and what did it matter if they didn’t respond to me? They could always find another person to talk to. I was part of the game and that was my value, just another step along the road. I was just as lost as I had been before joining — being single was awful.

So I became jaded but addicted and kept swiping, doing exactly what they had done to me, talking and sometimes never responding to them, making them feel just as devalued as I had felt before. But, like me, they were just another card in a deck so it didn’t matter. With time I started to say things and make decisions I wish I hadn’t said or made. I was still single, but worse, I was becoming a monster that I despised.

Tinder never made me feel any of these things directly or made me make the decisions I had made, but when you insert thousands of horny or heartsick (or both) young adults into one app, it’s doomed to happen. So for those still wanting to be a part of Tinder, or any other dating app for that matter, please discover enough self-love to know that you are more than a card in a stack. And have enough respect for the people behind those cards to know that they deserve your respect too. Ohh… and I’m still single.

 

Contact the author at pfdavis14@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Paul F. Davis

Evil Ackerman elevators

Cora McClain | Copy Editor

The spooky season might have passed, but something sinister seems afoot in Ackerman Hall. Though the elevators seem like a convenient way to get up and down from the residence halls on the upper floors, especially when living on the 4th floor, taking the stairs might be a better choice, and not just for your health.

Ask any student living in Ackerman, and they’ll tell you the elevators can do some pretty weird things, and a few swear these anomalies are caused by demon infestation, ghoulish haunting or a creepy presence. As for myself, a few events have led me to tend to choose a perilous four flights of stairs over equally perilous creepy elevator quirks.

Stepping into elevator 1 after grabbing some late-night tacos from Koyotes with fellow hall-mate Rylie Horrall, a freshman exploratory major, all was normal…until it wasn’t.

On our way up to the 4th Arbuthnot, the elevator stopped on the third floor, but the doors didn’t open. There was a still silence in the claustrophobia-inducing metal box as we looked to each other and thought that maybe someone had pushed the button on the third floor; but, as the seconds stretched on to a minute, we were worried that perhaps the elevator was stuck.

That was until suddenly the elevator began to descend. We both looked to each other with dumbstruck looks and frantically slammed our fobs and pressed the button for the fourth floor. Without hesitation, the elevator then switched gears as it reached the second floor, and we began ascending again, and proceeded to rush out of the elevator as soon as the gate opened. And thus, the elevator by the front desk was dubbed, “Demon Elevator” by Horrall.

However, it seems like the passengers of elevator 2 also undergo ghoulish activity as well. In passing, ther occupants of the fourth floor describe violent shaking when ascending, copious amounts of time taken for the elevator to land and the elevator beginning to descend before the gate closes. Even more chilling happenings have occured.

“I was on the fourth floor, going down to the first floor,” recalled staff member Chrys Weedon, “and all of a sudden it stopped at the third or second floor and the door opened. No one was there. It stayed open for longer than normal, and then it shut and we went back down.”

Later, after she had told me this story, Weedon texted me saying how after pressing the fourth floor button, “the door stayed open and the tone that’s played at every floor glitched…and kept playing the same tone like an alarm was blasting and then the doors closed and it beeped one more time and stopped.” She closed the statement saying, “def haunted.”

Whether you believe in ghosts or ghouls, there’s no denying that there is something strange going on in Ackerman’s elevators. However, take these stories with a grain of salt as they don’t occur every time the elevator goes up or down, carrying some stressed and overworked college students, who probably need a bit more sleep, but as off-chance anomalies. I will attest to the fact that the elevators of Ackerman are just as safe as any other elevator on campus, as the lighthearted jokes of the ‘Evil Elevators’ are akin to fun ghost stories to share with friends, and great motivators to stay healthy and take the stairs.

 

Contact the author at cmcclain17@wou.edu

Illustrations by Rachel Hetzel

Guest Editorial: ASWOU endorses ballot measures

Nathan Soltz | ASWOU Senate President

Two weeks ago, ASWOU became the first student government in Oregon to endorse on ballot measures. We recommend the following: YES on Measure 102 and NO on Measures 103, 104, 105, and 106.

Before the ASWOU Senate considered endorsing, I reached out to the Oregon State Legislature Legislative Counsel. Legislative Counsel is the team of attorneys who draft legislation and answer legal questions for legislators and their staff. As I work for Senator Frederick, I asked them during the September legislative days if a public university’s recognized student government was legally prohibited from taking positions on ballot measures and I was told, essentially, that there shouldn’t be a problem. After that, we received a legal opinion from the Attorney General also stating that student governments have the legal ability to endorse ballot measures (Department of Justice opinion no. 8289). The Attorney General’s opinion referenced an opinion from the Attorney General in 1985 which stated that student governments could not take positions on ballot measures; however, it continued that since then, Oregon law has changed and the law in question no longer exists. Therefore, student governments are no longer prohibited from taking these positions.

With this guidance, on Monday, October 15th, the Senate unanimously passed the resolutions. On Wednesday, I received an email from WOU’s general counsel telling me that it was illegal for ASWOU to take positions on ballot measures. I responded with the Attorney General’s opinion and he said, in effect, that he doesn’t care what the Attorney General says. I then met with the ASWOU President, Vice President, and Senate President Pro Tempore and we all signed a letter I wrote stating that we are proceeding with the endorsements, as is our legal right and ethical duty. On Friday, we met with the general counsel and during that meeting, he essentially conceded that yes, the law in question has been changed, but he is still upholding an old legal opinion even though the Attorney General’s updated legal opinion is directly contrary. So, after about an hour, we presented him with our letter.

The ASWOU government is steadfast in its defense of student rights. The WOU Administration has also taken the stance that our student clubs and organizations cannot take action on the ballot measures either. However, in the opinion of the State of Oregon, we do have that right. If your club or organization would like to take action, please do and reach out with questions. ASWOU is leading this effort and other universities are looking to follow suit.

More information on the election – including our recommendations on measures and neutral information – is available at the ASWOU table upstairs in the WUC and in the ASWOU office downstairs in the WUC. The ASWOU government is your student government. If you want further information, including any of the documents I’ve referenced, would like to get involved in Senate, or want to learn more about ASWOU, please don’t hesitate to contact me. And don’t forget to VOTE BY NOVEMBER 6th!

Contact the author at aswousenpres@wou.edu

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in guest editorials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Western Howl.

Letter to the Editor

Nathan Soltz

I was glad to see the Howl covering the ongoing gubernatorial race. However, I became troubled when the column on Governor Brown very clearly pointed out what her “critics have complained about,” but nowhere did Buehler’s column state criticisms about him and one doesn’t have to look far to form a long list: wanting to repeal Oregon’s anti-racial profiling law, voting to take away health care from 430,000 Oregonians, and opposing increases in school funding are just a few of his umpteen questionable stances.

Additionally, Buehler’s column called him “a pro-choice candidate who both believes in climate change and supported the legalization of gay marriage.” However, both the Planned Parenthood PAC of Oregon and NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon have endorsed Governor Brown and unambiguously stated that Buehler, who voted against the Reproductive Health Equity Act and supports stripping access to safe and affordable abortion services from 350,000 Oregonians, is not pro-choice.

Regarding “believing in climate change,” accepting scientific consensus is a low bar for praise and it should be noted that Buehler voted against Oregon’s Clean Fuels bill to reduce carbon pollution and he opposed a moratorium on fracking. He also received an “F” rating from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters while Governor Brown received their endorsement.

While Buehler supports basic rights for members of the LGBTQ community, he is running against the country’s first openly LGBTQ governor and has even questioned Governor Brown’s commitment to supporting the rights of the LGBTQ community. Also note that Governor Brown has received the endorsement of the Basic Rights Oregon Equality PAC.

While voters should be informed about the gubernatorial candidates and I appreciate the Howl’s article attempting to do that, it’s important that voters know the truth about the candidates instead of just what one would like people to believe.

Say hello to Gritty

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Monday, Sept. 24, a date that will live on for all time. The National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers presented their newest addition to the organization. No — it was not a new offensive star; no — it was not the signing of an all-star free agent. It was the announcement of Gritty, the Flyers’s new mascot.

Sprinting through a thick blanket of smoke, the crowd was blessed with this… creature. Dawning a bright orange Flyers uniform, black hockey shorts, and a helmet to match Gritty was a gift to not just hockey fans but every man, woman, and child in the entire world.

Initially he was met with criticism for this long, bright orange scroungy fur, long beard, twisted hair and aggressive googly eyes. However, many quickly came to realize Gritty is much more than just a mascot, he is a hockey hero.

Other mascots simply represent the name of the team. A bear mascot for the Bears, a dolphin for the Dolphins, an eagle for the Eagles. But not Gritty. Gritty is what can best be described as a muppet that was injected with 50 cc’s of adrenaline straight to the heart.

He represents what were once known in the NHL as the “Broad Street Bullies” due to their fearsome play style. And nothing puts fear into your heart quite like a massive, hairy, open-mouthed tongue hanging out creature staring into your soul with his googly eyes.

He sets himself apart from other mascots by being an abomination of a mascot. Some teams want a strong and masculine mascot. Others want something cute and cuddly. Gritty is not strong nor cute. Instead of being strong, he has an enormous beer belly. Instead of being cute, his terrifying stare would make children cower in fear.

That is why Gritty is great — he is a nightmare. Mascots have fun by dancing around the field and getting fans excited. Gritty is instead caught falling on his head at mid-ice during his premier game. Normal mascots take cute pictures with fans, Gritty mimics the Kim Kardashian “Break the internet” photoshoot with a Gatorade bottle and his frightening looks.

In Gritty’s short career thus far, there is one moment that stands out more than others. Within mere minutes of his announcement, the Flyers rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, responded on Twitter to Gritty.

“lol ok” read the Tweet from @penguins, the official Twitter of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins have a history of league dominance, winning a total of five Stanley Cups. But this did not scare Gritty. His response, from @GrittyNHL, was short, but packed a punch.

“Sleep with one eye open tonight, bird.”

 

Contact the author at llarsen13@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of  @GrittyHNL 

Letter to the Editor

From Campus Recreation Facility Supervisors

We have been happy to see all of the students back in the Health and Wellness Center this Fall term. Already this term we have seen over 50 percent of the student population through our doors which is fantastic. Yet, the last thing we want to do is make all these people feel attacked or uncomfortable to workout or be in our facility. Over the summer, staff at Campus Recreation had numerous discussions about how we should enforce, or quite plainly if we should even have a dress code. This is a hot topic of discussion at collegiate gyms all across our country at the moment. For us here at WOU Campus Recreation and most other collegiate gyms, we do not want our dress code to be about what is appropriate or not, we want it to be about the safety and health of our students and peers.

We (Campus Recreation) have researched the topic and are more than willing to sit down with any student or student group to explain the risk factors about skin infections within gyms and recreation centers. An example of this type of skin infectious bacteria is CAMRSA (Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) which is transferred from the skin to any surface. Hypothetically, if you are sitting on a piece of equipment or pad with your skin directly touching it and the person before you didn’t clean off where their skin touched, this can transmit that bacterium to you. Even if you have a sweaty shirt on you still have a barrier to the equipment or pad which has the potential of reducing disease transmission.

Our main thing here is that we want to limit your skin contact with all these gross bacteria. Yes, we try and clean the equipment as much as we can, and we ask that you clean the equipment before and after you use it as well, but you can never be too careful. Of course, we can’t prevent you from sweating at the gym and working hard, but we ask everyone to consider your health and safety when you are choosing what to wear to help us keep everyone healthy. By cleaning equipment, personal hygiene, and wearing proper workout materials that cover your body, (students can take) important (actions) to prevent the spread of germs and diseases.  

To clarify, wearing a tank top or razor back tank top is not against our clothing policy. Our only goal is to educate everyone. However, you still need to wear a shirt that covers your chest, abdomen, back and side areas from hip to armpit (including your midsection) at all times while in our facility. All our staff is also working through how to approach this issue, so if you ever have questions or concerns don’t be afraid to have a conversation with us at the front desk or talk to the staff member upstairs!

We want all students to leave as healthy as they were when they came in.

 

This letter is in response to an editorial titled “The reality of gym dress-codes” published in Issue 2 of the Western Howl.

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