Mount Hood

Can’t cope, won’t cope

Zoë Strickland | Editor-in-Chief

I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but the past couple years have been a bit stressful. Regardless of what side you’re on, the election has taken its toll and, in recent months, it’s hard to open up a tech device without getting piles of notifications about scandals or court trials. It’s virtually impossible to stay connected on social media without receiving countless notifications about breaking news. So, in a world where news is being shoved down the throats of the populous 24/7, how do we cope? Well, dear reader, I think we’ve begun coping with memes.

As someone who identifies as being at least moderately hoity-toity, I generally try and downplay the level of internet trash that I am. However, I’m internet trash and the internet has been excessively trashy lately — particularly when it comes to avoiding any semblance of stressful information.

Hear me out: I love a good vine compilation and I live for crappy Kermit/tea combinations. However, at least throughout my own journey through the internet, it seems like people are using humor more and more to just avoid the reality of what’s going on in the world around them. Instead of having compelling conversations about rights or privacy, people are instead posting images that use sarcasm as a way of conveying information — it’s like the extreme version of people who only got their news from watching “The Colbert Report” or “The Daily Show.” It works by bare-minimum standards, but it could definitely be better.

Take, for example, the most recent Mark Zuckerberg case: a trial wherein Zuck’ had to stand before Congress because of a Facebook security breach. Rather than hearing actual news about the trial or the questions and comments made, my feed was clogged with jokes about his hair, his makeshift booster seat and comments about his childlike demeanor. Though some of the jokes made were harmless, they detract from the issue at hand. In cases like these, they can get in the way of information that could be beneficial — especially since Facebook reports having over one billion users. Where people should have been concerned about the security breach and the power that Facebook has, they were instead focused on infantilizing a grown adult.

Though I think that memes are a way of avoidance, there’s also an argument to be made in favor of memes as a way of allowing people to detract from reality in a way that’s positive for their mental health. Humor can be healing, and it’s important to acknowledge that.

Many marginalized groups use this type of online humor to connect with people that share similar circumstances.

“Increasingly, identity-based virtual communities are becoming invaluable tools for fostering solidarity and healing, and for providing humor in the face of socio-political adversity,” explained writer Ludmilla Leiva in a March 2017 piece for Wired. “Finding amusement in dire circumstances has been both empowering and cathartic, and though I still participate in other types of activism, memes have become my favorite form of resistance.”

While I think that using different media to form relationships with people in your community is important, that isn’t all they’re used for.

Instead of blindly jumping on the newest internet bandwagon, I think we should start evaluating the ramifications of the ‘harmless’ jokes we share on social media. Are we doing it as a way of contributing to the conversation, or as a way of withdrawing from reality?

Contact the author at zstrickland14@wou.edu

Here is what’s in a name

Stephanie Blair | Copy Editor

Every year on Yom HaShoah, these disturbing little flags are planted around campus to educate passersby about the effects of the Holocaust and — debatably — honor those whose lives were lost in concentration camps. There are different colors for different groups, and a key so you can read which groups are represented by what.

It is this sign that I take issue with. Having attended Western for four Shoahs now, I am disappointed to say that Western’s signage still uses an ethnic slur to refer to an affected group: the Roma and Sinti tribes. The word I’m referring to, which I’ll write just once in it’s full form for clarity, is gypsy.

And that may not seem like something upsetting to you. It’s a word that, as Americans, we were raised to associate simply with the idea of being a free spirited nomad. We heard it in a Fleetwood Mac song, we know the Broadway musical — even recently, Netflix has released a show under that name, Lady Gaga released a song with that title in 2013 and “Saturday Night Live” used the word freely in two skits in the last two weeks. This is a present issue even today — even on our campus, so let’s take a quick history lesson.

“Europeans imposed the word “g—y” on Romani when they came to Europe, believing that we originated from Egypt because of our dark features,” the National Organization for Women explained in a blog post. “Romani have a history of persecution in Europe; it is estimated by Roma historians that over 70 to 80 percent of the Romani population was murdered in the Holocaust, a fact that is little known or recognized. Even lesser known, Romani experienced chattel slavery in Romania for over 500 years ending in 1860.”

A name given to a racial group by white Europeans who were then oppressed by said white Europeans and whose culture is now used as a cheap costume for Halloween and “festival” season. It feels so familiar…

Not to mention that Roma women, stereotyped as sexually loose and untamable, were forcibly sterilized in Europe as recently as the 1990s. So, there’s that.

Which brings me back to this sign. If this had happened once and then been corrected, this piece wouldn’t be published. But the organizers of this event have been approached before, yet no change has come.

So now, in a free publication, I’d like to make a public call: change the damn signs. I’m in my last term of my senior year and I have 600 print credits — I’ll reprint them for you. I really don’t mind. I think it’s a negligible cost to respect the dead, as well as the living.

Contact the author at sblair13@wou.edu

Photo by: Share.america.gov

 

The 50 hour week

Zoë Strickland | Editor-in-Chief

 

When I set out to apply for college four years ago, I didn’t think that my full credit schedule would be coupled with an equally full work schedule. And, while I love my job and value the education I’m getting, I find it interesting that higher education is one of the only places wherein you’re supposed to devote 100 percent of your time and energy on your education as well as to whatever job(s) you may have. Instead of focusing on their education, more and more students are having to decide what to prioritize: their grades or their livelihood.

The more I talk to my peers, the more I find students who are taking an upward of 15-20 credits per term and working 25-30 hours per week. These students are then committed to doing class or work for 40-50 hours per week, while still having to find the time to do the homework for each of their classes. It’s no wonder college students are known for anxiety and caffeine-addiction.

To an extent, taking on hours at work while managing school can be beneficial.

“I think the combination of work and school has impacted my role as a student in both positive and negative ways,” noted senior Amanda Owren, who has maintained an average of 16 credits per term, while working 25-30 hours per week. “Working so many hours alongside homework has forced to truly take responsibility for my time — but sometimes so much that my entire week consists only of work, school/homework and then what little sleep I can fit around the two.”

However, there’s also a question of whether the benefit outweighs the choices that students have to make in order to manage both their school and work schedules. As someone who, for the greater part of her higher education, took 20 credits while working 30 hours per week, I’d be lying if I said that I always prioritized my schoolwork over my professional work.

There is at least one system in place at Western to help students who may be struggling financially; the WOU Food Pantry is available to students as well as people in the community. However, students still have other necessary expenses that may not be aided by the food pantry or any financial aid they may receive.

“I know that a lot of students do needs jobs in order to pay rent, tuition and the cost of living,” said Matthew Ciraulo, a junior who averages 16 credits per term and works around 30 hours per week.

“(Working) changed my role as a student because suddenly I have to figure out whether it’s worth going to class, or having the money to get groceries,” said Linzy Griffin, and alumnae who took an average of 18 credits per term and worked 40 hours per week across multiple jobs. “When you are attending a university for a quality education that you already have to take loans for, it’s a very bitter pill to swallow when it comes down to choices like that. Or even calculating what assignments aren’t worth doing, to take some time for self care or even an extra shift.”

Even for students who love their jobs, the combination of working while in school can take its toll. If anything, it makes it more difficult to prioritize the things you have to do.

“I think that its impact is a little bittersweet because I do love what I do, and this is valuable experience that I can use for getting into grad school or a job,” explained Ciraulo. “On the other hand I struggle academically, because I have prioritized work over school … Learning for me is getting the work finished when I should actually be absorbing what I’m doing.”

While it’s not my personal belief that professors should give slack to students in these situations, I think it’s important to recognize student commitments in a holistic way. Though many students take on jobs as a way of paying their tuition, there are things besides lowering tuition — like lowering textbook prices, reevaluating if assignments are beneficial or just busy work and trying to develop a better understanding of the commitments that students have — that could be done as a way of aiding those students who have to devote time to their work.

Though it’s clear that stretching oneself thin can be a result from taking on a heavy workload, Owren has found that it’s also had an impact on her availability to explore new opportunities: “Working alongside classes has definitely forced me to pass on potential career development opportunities in my major, in favor of picking up hours to afford my necessities.”

Education at Western shouldn’t suffer because of student schedules, but there are things that the school can consider doing to help struggling students. After all, if a student has to forego class or an assignment to make ends meet, are they really getting the best out of their education?

In regard to some of the changes Western can consider making to help students who are balancing a busy work schedule with a busy class schedule, Griffin suggests: “More online classes, even hybrid classes. More options on times, it always seemed that I could only work nights because of classes … Being more frugal with textbook pricing … Shoot, even more (financial aid) for rent. That’s the real killer.”

The schedules of students aren’t going to change overnight, and neither is the way we handle students with busy schedules. The difference comes when we think critically about the busy schedules of our peers and try to address the causes.

“I wish teachers would take into account that many students in their classes don’t decide to work four jobs because they want extra spending cash, but is a necessity if they want to pay their bills or rent,” said Ciraulo.

Contact the author at zstrickland14@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Male Privilege

Paul F. Davis | Photo Editor

As an upper middle class white cis-male living in the 21st century, I am probably one the most privileged people to ever walk this earth, and this privilege has allowed me live in something of a bubble. This bubble helps me be awfully unaware of some the worst parts of our culture: fearing being shot in the back because a police officer thought my phone was a gun — I don’t even think about the police — or walking through the world expecting the worst — I expect the best — and especially I don’t have to deal with any of the problems most women have experienced or experience every day.

So I asked a few of my closest female friends and family about their least favorite things they have experienced related to being a female to illuminate what an average woman may go through that I never would.

“When I go parties or the bar I feel as if I can never fully relax … because I have to keep a lookout for anything that could happen to me or my friends. And when I see certain men at those parties I take my girl friends and we leave because I know they are trouble and I don’t want anything to happen to me or my friends,” said Rachel, a current student.

“In the past when I was running an LA Fitness, there would be times when people would come up to me and ask for the manager and I would respond with ‘I’m the manger, how can I help you’ and they would talk down to me as if I wasn’t qualified to be the manager, even though I was being professional and polite,” said Kelly, a graduate of Western.

“It’s not that he touched me or said anything extreme it was just the way he singled me out sometimes in class and looked at me that made me feel super uncomfortable,” said Abby about a former professor she had while attending Oregon State University.

“I have large breasts and I love them, but there are points when I hate them just because of how often they are stared at. So I wear clothes that don’t emphasize them so I don’t have to deal with it,” said Lauren a current student at Oregon State University.

After hearing about these experiences from some of people who I love the most in this world, I feel nothing less than thankful that I don’t have to deal being made to feel as less or feeling uncomfortable or feeling being stared at, but I have to demand that we change our actions as a society because if we do nothing, nothing will change and our future women will experience these moments time and time again. Which is something I don’t want any female person to experience.

I’m not going to sit by passively because change starts in one person and spreads so I’m going to actively work to prevent these things by changing my own behavior and by being responsive when my female counterparts experience something sexist. And lastly, I am going to ask you to do the same because no woman deserves to feel less or experience less just because they are female.

Contact the author at pfdavis14@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

Let’s talk about sex

Sam Dunaway | News Editor

As a graduating senior, I’ve spent my 180 credits exploring all the subjects that Western has to offer. From dance to psychology, my elective credits were put to good use in investigating fascinating subjects that help explain the world around me. My favorite of these classes was Human Sexuality, and I implore every Western student to take this class at some point in their college career.

I signed up for this class because I had mutual friends taking it and figured the subject would be interesting. In today’s society, sex isn’t something that’s discussed in a healthy and honest way. This class looked like a good opportunity to have an open discussion about a topic that most individuals are discouraged from talking about.

The class that I was in, taught by Amy Hammermeister Jordan, addressed many aspects of human sexuality. One topic discussed in the class was gender stereotypes and the harm that can come from placing harsh expectations on kids from the time they’re toddlers. Expecting boys to be emotionless, strong and dominant, and girls to be submissive, dainty and polite can restrict how they view themselves and express themselves to the world.

The three biggest influences on young kids are parents, peers and the media. Kids start to learn how they should be behaving, what restrictions they have on their life choices based on their gender and how to conform to society’s expectations by rejecting their true self.

I’ve personally felt the weight of gender stereotypes my entire life. Being expected to dress a certain way, sit like a lady, smile, don’t talk out of turn: these messages can be extremely harmful. From this class, I learned how not to perpetuate these stereotypes and how to encourage the next generation to be their true selves.

Human Sexuality introduced a topic that hadn’t considered before taking this class: talking to kids about sex. Sexual education in schools is extremely limited and often nonexistent. Some schools and communities believe that, by not exposing kids to the topic of sex, they are less likely to engage in it. Unfortunately, this view of sexual education is common, but the reality is that education is powerful, and when young adults have accurate information and honest communication about sex, they have the tools to make positive decisions. When sex is a taboo topic, kids seek out less reliable sources of information and are more likely to make harmful choices.

With the topic of human sexuality, it was important to address all different types of sexuality. An open discussion about the LGBTQ+ community provided a safe space to ask questions, clarify definitions and educate students about the community. If you’re like me and have no idea what queer, pansexual or intersex means, this class helps explain these terms to create a more educated community at Western.

The most important thing that you can learn from this class is the definition of consent. While talking with friends and people that are close to me, it’s obvious that they have a very unclear definition of consent, and this is because education about consent is often not taught in schools, leading most people to only have a slight idea of what the word means. While many individuals rely on vague and often misleading body language and physical cues for consent, they don’t realize that consent is verbal, affirmative and ongoing.

Unfortunately, we can’t talk about sex without talking about sexual assault. Sexual assault occurs far too often and can have a tremendous impact on an individual’s physical and mental health. Something anyone and everyone can take away from this class is how to help a survivor of sexual assault who has confided in you.

First, let them know that they have options, but never choose their path of healing for them — they can choose to report the crime, see a mental care specialist or they may do nothing at all. Listen to them, believe them and don’t question them. The first person that an individual confides in after sexual assault can change their path of healing for the rest of their life.

It would take much more than a page-long article to explain all the tremendous things that this class taught me. But all in all, talking about sex is important. Open, honest communication can lead to a healthy view of human sexuality, accurate knowledge of consent, better communication with a romantic partner and sexual education in schools that emphasizes knowledge instead of ignorance.

If you have a few extra elective credits to use, I’d highly recommend taking this class. You won’t be disappointed.

Contact the author at sedunaway13@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

 

Guns in schools

Lake Larsen | Digital Media Manager

Never in my life did I think I would have to worry about being shot while at school. But my senior year of high school, a student came into my school with a firearm and, right after lunch, proceeded to shoot themself in class.

While this was a suicide and not an attempt on other lives, just the thought that someone at my own school came in with a loaded firearm frightened me. I always believed my school was safe, yet now my high school is on a list where someone has lost their life due to guns being within school walls.

In the wake of the Parkland shooting, an idea has been circulating that hopes to put an end to gun deaths in schools: the arming of teachers with firearms. At first, the ever present yelp of “good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns” seems to fit, but does this actually work? Does a teacher with a gun stop a school shooter? I’d like to call into question this good over evil mentality and the impact that giving teachers firearms would really have.

The first step in arming teachers would be to select which teachers you want to carry firearms and to train them. For argument’s sake, let’s say there are a number of volunteer teachers ready and willing to carry firearms. If you want a teacher to react in an emergency situation like a police officer, train them like one. However, the basic idea of training already brings a dilemma: a teacher’s time.

Being a teacher, you have to put genuine time and effort into each lesson you teach. Planning lessons, grading homework and tests and even just responding to emails takes a lot of time. So, on top of all the work teachers are already asked to do, they then have to train for an active shooter situation so they can effectively try to extinguish a threat.

If you skip over the potential cost to schools needing to supply this training to teachers — which is already a huge thing to overlook — you have to ask: would this time spent training be paid? If it is, that means teachers would be more inclined to carry, as it is a more fiscally responsible choice. In many school districts across the country, classrooms are severely underfunded and staff grossly underpaid. That means if a teacher either wants to make enough money to afford living or have extra money to fund their classroom with basic necessities, they have to moonlight as a pseudo-police officer.

However, what if training is volunteer based so the time is unpaid? That means you’re only drawing from teachers who have enough time to adopt a sort of second job. This job being one that takes away time from an educator trying to impact a students life for the better and instead devotes it to trying to be a hero during a mass shooting. Already, the idea of arming teachers means asking underfunded schools to divert funds away from educating our youth to instead supply firearm training to underpaid teachers. It is either this or making teachers pay for their own training. Or, even worse, just treating a school like the wild west and letting untrained teachers run around freely with guns. None of the options seem too great.

The next issue faced would be the selection of a firearm. If a teacher chooses some variant of a rifle or shotgun, that means it would need to be stored in a locked desk or safe — if you want the weapon to be stored safely, that is. In the event of an emergency, the teacher would have to go to the gun safe, unlock it, load the gun, then locate and stop the threat, resulting in precious time lost.

However, I believe the most likely firearm for a teacher to wield would be a semi-automatic handgun, due to their compactness making them easy to conceal. But just because the gun is hidden, doesn’t mean it’s safe. Having a gun on you at all times means at any point in time you could accidentally discharge the weapon — something that has already happened in a school this year.

Last, the main point in teachers carrying guns is to protect the students in the event of a shooting. During an active shooter situation, the armed teacher would be expected to react in a way to stop the threat.

In the high stress environment of an active shooter situation, the teacher would need to remain calm, find the shooter and take them out. Expecting them to stop the shooter would mean the armed teacher would need to abandon their class full of students, potentially putting them in danger. A simple misidentification of someone as a threat means the teacher could kill an innocent person. But if the teacher were to stay in their classroom, then that means the shooter is free to continue causing harm.

The general notion of having any faculty member on a school campus carrying a weapon is not only dangerous, but fiscally irresponsible. I do believe there are teachers out there capable of stopping a threat, but this comes at much too high of a cost.

At face value, you might think a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun, but this is just flat out wrong. A police officer with excellent training stops a bad guy with a gun. If you want school campuses to be safe, maybe it’s time to consider gun control that doesn’t force firearms into the hands of teachers.

Contact the author at llarsen13@mail.wou.edu

Photo by: aadl.org

A glimpse from behind the counter

Caity Healy | Lifestyle Editor

Earlier this school year, for the first time, I decided to get a job working in the food service industry. It was the first real customer service position I had ever gotten, and it has already taught me so much.

In the few months I’ve worked this job, I have experienced a plethora of questionable interactions with people; I’ve had people come up to me at the front counter and pretend to “make it rain” with dollar bills, I’ve had a woman come up to me and scream in my face for something I didn’t do, I’ve had endless sighs and comments such as “really?”, or “you’ve got to be kidding” thrown at me due to the fact that I didn’t have specific food ready — that we don’t even advertise as having ready. Not to mention, numerous inappropriate comments about my appearance, prank calls and eye gazes have been gestured towards me.

I want, for just one second, any one of these people to step into my shoes — my incredibly uncomfortable, non-slip shoes, that is. Then they might understand why none of this is okay. They’d understand what I go through on a daily basis; I work anywhere between six to 10 hours in a given shift, my breaks are short, I’m running all over the place trying to get things done quickly and, all the while, I have to make sure that I have a smile on my face and that customers are being served very quickly. When you have the added factor of difficult customers that are for some reason “always right,” it can be exhausting.

In no way am I trying to throw myself a pity-party — I chose to take on this position and this workload. That being said, I honestly think that if at some point in everyone’s life they worked a customer-service job, I wouldn’t have to deal with these kinds of problems.

Working customer service is a great way to learn about several important aspects of life. You learn how to be more patient. Being on the other end of the counter teaches you how things work. There are times where I have 10 orders in front of someone, and they get upset if they have to wait 10 minutes. I’m sorry, did you want me to just magically make those tickets disappear? You have to wait your turn, and if you were in my position, you’d understand that.

You also learn how kindness can go a long way. A nice comment or a “keep up the good work” can actually put a genuine smile on my face. And finally, you learn why you should be understanding and respectful of the people who are serving you.

On the other hand, customer service can offer so many other great things. You learn about the lives of people that you otherwise wouldn’t have known. For instance, I’m beginning to learn the names of several regulars and about the many things that go on in their lives. Just asking “how has your day been?” has led to several conversations with random people, and often times it really brightens their day to have someone to talk to. It can be an incredibly rewarding experience that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

While I have had several experiences that make me question why people are the way they are, I’m beginning to notice a pattern. Most of my frustrating experiences have been with people of an older generation. The younger ones are typically more respectful and willing to wait and work with me rather than just immediately get upset and throw a fit. It almost feels as if the older generation has become so removed from what it means to work a customer service job that they have higher expectations than what can actually be met. However, the consideration coming from the younger customers seems like a positive sign to me; the future is bright and the younger generation has a more empathetic attitude that is understanding and respectful towards customer service employees. I hope that carries on over time.

As for everyone else, you may want to consider picking up a customer service position at some point. Maybe then you can begin to understand why things happen the way they do, and why you shouldn’t be blatantly impolite toward the people who are serving you. But, hey, if you’re going to be disrespectful, at the very least, could you leave a tip?

Contact the author at chealy16@wou.edu

Photo by: Paul F. Davis

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