Mount Hood

A new time to help Tibet

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

With last week’s inauguration of a new president came an immediate question on everyone’s mind: what about Tibet?

Well, maybe not so much. President Donald Trump came to power basing his campaign on economic issues. When he did address foreign policy it usually came from an economic bent: notably his promise to renegotiate Chinese trade deals.

Unfortunately, it’s been some time since Tibet’s occupation has been a heavily discussed issue in America. But the international community has been reacting to a fresh and recent attack on Tibetan culture from the Chinese government.

Larung Gar is the largest Tibetan Buddhist academy in the world and last summer China set upon it, demolishing buildings and physically removing nuns and monks that live there. 4,500 people have already been removed as the Chinese government approaches its population target of 5,000. This time last year, over 10,000 people resided in Larung Gar.

I am reminded of last year’s calamity at Standing Rock, which saw an outpouring of support from our community. Enough to move the planned pipeline.

However America has been unable to pressure China to relax on Tibet. This has been the case ever since China soured on Soviet relations.

America has had a strange relationship with Beijing ever since former President Jimmy Carter abandoned Taiwan to exclusively recognize the People’s Republic as the Chinese government.

Trump took on the Obama Administration’s handling of China throughout his campaign. His promises of aggressive trade and renegotiations with China did excite some Tibetans. Prime Minister-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, expressed optimism in an interview with Reuters, calling Trump’s view of China a “realistic” one.

When, as president-elect, Trump accepted a phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, it became the first time that the two nations’ leaders had spoken since 1979. Some were worried that this would anger Beijing. What they fail to see is how abandoning a one-China policy would give the American government better leverage to pressure the People’s Republic on Tibetan oppression.

But if Trump is realistic on China, we should also be realistic on Trump. He could potentially be the best ever president for Tibet, but this is the man who wrote “The Art of the Deal.”

It’s impossible to rule out the idea of Tibet and Taiwan being used as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations. In fact it seems more likely from a president who campaigned based on economic issues more so than foreign policy.

Which is why activist organization in the Tibetan cause is so important. We saw the power of activism to stop government powers at Standing Rock. But international activism is severely and consistently undermined by trade relations.

If the new president follows through in establishing a tough stance on China it will only strengthen the movement for Tibet.

There is reason to be optimistic, and reason to think the actions at Larung Gar can be stopped. It’s not that Trump will be a pro-Tibet president; a firmer stance on the People’s Republic from the United States will only provide solid footing for pressure from outside of the new administration.

Organized activist movements like Students For a Free Tibet and the NGO Free Tibet lead the way for international pressure on China and they will continue to do so. In the coming years I see their position only becoming stronger.

Contact the author at bdeboer11@mail.wou.edu

In defense of the genre: musicals

By: Jade Rayner
News Editor

As an Arts major with an emphasis in theatre, I’ve learned to break apart scripts and movies and, at times, over-analyze and search for meaning in shows that I watch. A common idea among those around me is that a story must be complex or have a deeper meaning to be interesting. While that’s a valid thought, it discredits shows that focus on spectacle over plot; particularly a large portion of musicals that invoke just as much, if not more, feeling in a wider range of audiences.

“La La Land” is easily described on the Internet Movie Database as, “A jazz pianist falls for an aspiring actress in Los Angeles.” The musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone won a record-breaking seven Golden Globes awards, along with many others since its Dec. 9, 2016 release. Upon finishing the movie, I was disappointed due to the lack of a complex plot. The story is one that has appeared time and time again, especially in musicals: a woman aspires to become famous, falls in love and in the end everything works out. The simplicity is one that can easily infuriate those who go to the cinema to be served with a challenging plot filled with risky ideas. I see it otherwise.
Now, take a moment to think about how a simple plot could result in something much more impactful than one might have originally considered, specifically in the musical genre. A complex plot needs time and focus on the story in order to achieve its goal. Without the words, an audience can get easily lost, and in my case, will result in losing interest.

Musicals are an important bridge that brings enthusiasts of theatre, regular movies and TV together. Why? Because of the spectacle that the musical genre is known for. Simplicity in plot gives room for the characters to sing and dance as a way of expressing emotion, which can be consistently more attention-grabbing than spoken dialogue in a roughly two hour movie.

Along the same lines as “La La Land,” “The Last Five Years” is a fairly simple story about the relationship of Jamie, an upcoming novelist, and struggling actress Cathy from beginning to their not-so-happy ending. Although the story of the musical can be described in a single sentence, the style it’s portrayed in is anything but bland. For Cathy, the story goes in reverse chronological order, and Jamie’s side moves in chronological order. The style in which the story is told adds complexity, which works well because of the simple plot.

Next time you leave the theater disappointed because the plot didn’t open up a realm of new ideas, or make a ground-breaking statement, take a moment to reflect on how the cinematography or music affected your emotions. Power can come from more than words.

Contact the author at jrayner14@wou.edu

Remember that money talks

By: Zoe Strickland
Managing Editor

Why is it, that when someone famous is accused of a crime, it rarely ever affects them?

Last year, Johnny Depp was accused of domestic abuse by his then-wife Amber Heard. Despite clear evidence that Heard had been injured, people still took Depp’s side. Even now, after their

NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 25: Actor Johnny Depp enters the “Late Show With David Letterman” taping at the Ed Sullivan Theater on June 25, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Ray Tamarra/FilmMagic)

divorce has been settled some, including Depp’s lawyers, claim that Heard was only trying to prolong her time in the spotlight, even though she’s an actress with multiple forthcoming movies.

Abusing Heard barely put a dent in Depp’s career. According to the Internet Movie Database, he is slated to have ten roles within the next two years.

Depp is nowhere near the only celebrity whose abusive tendencies have been overlooked in favor of their career. Bill Murray, Gary Oldman, Michael Fassbender, John Lennon and Chris Brown are only some of the people who make the list.

As a society, we need to start asking ourselves why we justify spending our money supporting people who commit crimes, why we assist in breeding a culture that inherently sides with the accused.

Though the accusations against Depp had nothing to do with his career, the money and power he obtained as a result of his celebrity status most likely played a role in how the domestic abuse accusations were perceived.

People in my life have made the argument that a celebrity’s personal life shouldn’t play a role in how their professional work is viewed. I disagree.

We exist in a money-driven, power-hungry society. Consuming the work of someone who has been accused of something like domestic violence is still a form of promotion; your views and ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ are still building revenue. You’re putting money in the hands of the people who do things you don’t agree with, and money talks.

After all, when Tiger Woods cheated on his wife he lost multiple sponsorship deals. If something like infidelity can have a negative impact on someone’s career, why does abuse not result in a similar outcome?

If Disney sees that people are going to theatres to see the next “Pirates” movie, they are more likely to use its lead, Johnny Depp, in their movies.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, one in three women and one in four men will be victims of domestic violence in their lifetime. Rather than spending your money on a movie or CD by a celebrity who has committed an act of violence, consider putting that money towards helping victims of domestic violence.

You can donate to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence by going to ncadv.org.

Contact the author at zstrickland14@wou.edu.

Editor’s Note

By: Stephanie Blair
Editor-in-Chief

In light of the recent loss in our community, I felt that it was only appropriate to have our first issue of 2017 serve as a memorial for all those that were lost, both locally and globally, in 2016.

I, myself, lost my oldest brother in October and can’t begin to explain the impact that has screen-shot-2016-09-28-at-6-56-59-pmalready had on my life, let alone what will continue to happen for the rest of my life. The loss of any person is a cause for grief, but there’s a special suffering that comes when it’s someone young: someone like Alma, someone like my brother.

Grief encompasses more than death, however, because it’s a feeling of loss. Many of our students have experienced loss in the last year; loss of a loved one, loss of an idol, loss of feeling safe in our country. It’s in these seasons of intense loss that community is more important than ever.

Isolation is toxic. It feels sometimes like no one understands what’s happening in our lives but, even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean that no one can support you, can listen to you, can keep you company.

If there’s one thing I’ve found in my own struggle these past few months, it’s that community is everything. When my hometown got the news about my family’s loss, food was delivered daily to my parents, heartfelt apologies were extended; people rallied around us. I see such strong communities at Western and know that they have the same capability.

I would encourage anyone struggling this winter to join a club, pick up a part time job, start counseling, get involved at a church/temple/mosque. Do something that surrounds you with support, with friends.

Heck, if you want to come work for me, I’ll pay you and feed you pizza.

Please ask for help, even if you don’t think you need it. 2017 can be a beautiful year, but only if you’re around to see it.

Free counseling is available for all Western students at the Student Health and Counseling Center on campus; all services are confidential, and all counselors are state licensed professionals, counseling trainees, and/or graduate-level counseling interns.

A list of clubs on Western’s campus can be found on OrgSync, which can be accessed through Portal. WolfLink has all of the current job listings posted through Western’s Service Learning and Career Development Center.

Contact the author at journaleditor@mail.wou.edu

Cinema jerks beware

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

Seeing a movie in the theater is always a fun thing to do. Whether it is a date, a movie you’ve been waiting for or just a night out with friends, going to the movies is almost never a bad idea.

Lately though, people have started viewing the “please silence your cell phone” messages as a suggestion, rather than a requirement. Trying to block phone light from a few rows down with the chair in front of you is more common than it should be.
Movie theater etiquette is slowly disappearing. People are thinking less and less about others’ enjoyment of the film. Going to the movies is not cheap, and people need to take that into account before they read a text or talk to their friend while the movie is playing.

Here are a few tips to maximize your enjoyment and the enjoyment of others during a movie:

Open your candy and shake your popcorn before the movie starts.

When your drink is gone: admit defeat and stop slurping it.

Actually silence your phone, don’t put in on vibrate and be tempted to check it.

If you’re watching a horror movie, don’t laugh when a tense scene is on. It ruins the scene for everyone else.

The person in front of you can most definitely feel your foot on their chair.

Wait until you get in your car to discuss the ending of the movie.
Please don’t bring your baby to the movies.

It’s okay to whisper small comments to the person next to you, but don’t have conversations.

If your kiss is going to last longer than three seconds, do it outside of the theater.

Contact the author at anewton15@wou.edu

The 24/7 schoolweek

By: Kristin Eck
Copy Editor

I never had to turn in assignments or take tests over the weekend when I was in high school. That’s because most high schools weren’t using virtual learning platforms such as Moodle, Blackboard or Desire to Learn. These programs are intended to make the lives of professors and students easier, but in my opinion, they really just complicate our lives unnecessarily.

When I first came to Western, I remember being introduced to Moodle and not really comprehending what it was for. I soon realized that no professor uses Moodle in the same way and that, as a student, you simply have to catch on to their personal preferences. This inconsistency added anxiety and unnecessary stress to my life.

Some professors use Moodle in its entirety: posting homework, quizzes, tests and readings for you to peruse in your spare time. Some professors simply use it to post grades or readings, while others don’t use it at all.

I asked Dr. Keulks, an English literature professor at Western, how he feels about using Moodle.

“My emotions about using Moodle are mixed. Sometimes it doesn’t provide anything more than a web page would, but I’ll admit I don’t use it as dynamically as some profs do. I don’t think it’s necessary to create Moodle shells automatically for every class,” said Keulks.

Moodle shells are created for every class on campus, regardless of whether or not they’re used. He adds that, as a campus, “We’ve done good work … in making Moodle training available for faculty. The Center for Academic Innovation is always available to help, and they’ve rolled out many initiatives. With that said, I wouldn’t say that all faculty, myself included, always follow best practices. As a campus, we’re still adapting to digital environments. I’m sure it’s frustrating for students to confront this learning curve visually.”

Yes, it is frustrating. Not only is this very inconsistent but the very idea of virtual learning platforms, like Moodle, are intrusive to the student’s life. Dr. Keulks added, “I’ve now begun disabling discussion boards on my Moodle shells. I’ve heard too many students argue that being swamped by weekly posting requirements — for multiple classes — works in reverse: instead of more deeply engaging the material, they simply become task-driven.”

Dr. Keulks makes a very good point. I could be eating dinner with my family on Sunday night and have to excuse myself because my professor has a test opening at 6 p.m. When did this become okay? Suddenly professors have the right interrupt our out-of-class activities with annoying tests and deadlines. Not only do I think this is unhealthy, it’s also a violation of student’s privacy.

I personally don’t feel that it’s necessary for professors to know what time their students submit their work. If we have to use programs that require online submission, professors should only see if it is late or on-time. Frankly, if I want to procrastinate on an essay my professor doesn’t need to know that I turned it in at 11:59 p.m. This information is only useful when poking fun at a student and that is not okay.

Virtual learning platforms now provide professors the opportunity to demand twice as much from their students as before. Where are their guidelines? How do we measure this extra work in terms of student health and realistic expectations? Even if professors do have this training available to them, are they taking full advantage of it? I think it’s time that students demand the answers to these questions from their professors and universities.

Senior Ashley Letts, education major, thinks that the biggest problem with using Moodle is that, “Professors not putting grades on it, but not being available to talk about grades either. Other professors don’t use it at all, and just expect you to remember everything. Although one of my profs puts everything on Moodle, and it takes forever to find what I need. It’s confusing and irritating.”

If it’s not obvious by now, I personally dislike Moodle and all other virtual learning platforms. It doesn’t make sense to have these in place without applying some kind of control. We need guidelines. We need accountability. We need consistency.

And finally, If I’m accomplishing twice as much work for one class, then give me twice as many credits for it. If you have ever been discouraged or frustrated with using Moodle, please send me an email so we can do something about it.

Please contact the author at keck14@mail.wou.edu

Aquaculture to play a key role in global protein production

By: Brian Tesch,
Advertising Manager

With diminishing habitats, decaying fisheries and an increase in demand for Seafood, aquaculture across the globe is poised to play an important role in the future of food supply. It is unlikely that wild capture fisheries will be able to produce any higher yields in the future. In many parts of the world, wild fisheries have been experiencing a sharp decline. Most notable are the Atlantic salmon, a species that once dominated the eastern seaboard with numbers estimated in the hundreds of millions are now around 500,000. Despite ambiguous packaging and with a few minor exceptions, all of today’s Atlantic salmon you will find in your local grocery store was farm raised in an aqglobal_seafood_production-colornoaa-govuaculture facility. While the industry is easily replacing salmon demand, it has a long way to go.

On paper, fish are the most efficient source of animal protein to produce. There are many ways to compare efficiency when it comes to proteins, to simplify, we will look at the feed
conversion ratio. The ratio expresses the amount of feed by weight, to produce a protein by weight. Fish being the most efficient have a 1.2 ratio, meaning it takes 1.2 pounds of feed to produce one pound of fish. Beef and pork have ratios that are 8.7 and 5.9 respectively (taken from NOAA). The reason for its efficiency is directly related to the industry’s biggest challenge. Fish are predators and are built to consume and process more complex forms of proteins and nutrients, unlike cows or pigs. This is great when it comes to efficiency scales and sustainable production of protein, but like most things, there’s a catch. Since fish are predators they must eat other sources of proteins.

Most fishmeal today is produced from the harvest of pelagic fish less desirable for human consumption such as herring or anchovies. This poses a problem because it puts a lot of weight on herring and anchovy populations and it does not completely solve the problem of sustainable fish production. Most of the aquaculture industry is based on converting less desirable fish into more desirable fish. This is a problem because in this process, nutrients and proteins are lost. It’s important to note that populations of anchovy and herring are more likely to decrease than increase, making fish feed another limiting supply on the aquaculture industry.

So while global fishery production is very limited and mostly in decline, Aquaculture has been supplementing the growth in the seafood industry but most of that growth is based on the natural carrying capacity of smaller fish such as anchovies, which is very limited and mostly also in decline. Paired with demand for Seafood increasing as global populations set to reach 9 billion in 2050, the industry has some very limited problems. Continuing of this course, the Aquaculture industry will reach a limit in the amount of feed, therefore fish they can produce.

What is the solution?

Increasing anchovy populations is one way, but done unnaturally is outlawed. People have tried artificially increasing fish populations in the past but most have been labeled as geo-terrorists.

Most notable was Russ George in an attempt to restore fisheries in the Northeast Pacific. He poured 120 tons of iron into the ocean in 2012 in an attempt to artificially bloom algae. Iron being a limiting nutrient for algae in the open ocean. In the next following years, fishing yields quadrupled in the region, but because no scientist was brought on to the experiment, it’s impossible to prove the increase in yields as a direct result of Russ George’s ambitious experiment.

If you can’t increase populations, the only other option is to decrease the reliance of anchovy in fish food. The aquaculture industry all over the world is looking for sustainable protein substitutes for fish feed, and progress is being made. The solution is simple, find alternative food sources to raise fish on. Once the feed becomes sustainable and uses less fish, the aquaculture industry is poised to become the world’s leader in protein production due to its sustainability, efficiently and overall tastiness.

Contact the author at btesch14@wou.edu

Give audiobooks a chance

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

The first time I listened to an audiobook was when I had a job that allowed me to listen to music as I worked. Getting bored of hours of music, I decided to listen to Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” on audiobook, and it took over my life. I found myself listening to it when I was driving, when I was walking, when I was working and even while doing homework. I found it so easy to be productive while thoroughly enjoying this story.audiobooks-color

Despite how busy life can get while in school, there is a lot of leisure time. Whether it is an hour in between classes or a lazy Sunday afternoon, time spent doing almost anything can be enhanced with an audiobook playing.

This is why I think that audiobooks are a college student’s best friend. Not only are audiobooks great, but there are also audiobooks for almost every major text you’d need to read for an English class. It’s a much better experience listening to “The Odyssey” when Sir Ian McKellan is reading it to you while you’re on a run or playing video games. Plus, I’ve found that listening to audiobooks doesn’t take away from reading at all, instead, I don’t zone out or skip long passages, like I have the habit of doing.

Finding audiobooks is extremely easy too. Spotify has a huge library of audiobooks in all genres. There are lots of short stories and novels available to listen to for free. Another good source of free audiobooks is YouTube. You can find almost any classic work there, so it’s a really good place to find books for English classes.

My favorite place to listen is Audible. All you need is an Amazon account and $15 a month and you can get two audiobooks a month. This is a great way to get more recent books. While spending $15 on audiobooks a month is pretty high, you can always cancel the subscription if you think you won’t finish the book in time.

A lot of skepticism surrounding audiobooks relates back to boring readers. It’s uncomfortable listening to anyone read a book to you, but if the reader’s voice is monotone and boring, it can be a struggle to listen to. My first audiobook, “American Gods,” was a full cast audiobook, so there were many different voices throughout the book which made it very pleasant to listen to.

I’d recommend finding an audiobook of a book you’ve either already read or that you’re extremely interested in just to get a feel for audiobooks. After listening to “American Gods,” I listened to “Star Wars: Bloodlines” by Claudia Gray, which I got really into because I’m fascinated with the “Star Wars” universe.

Listening to short stories is also great because they don’t have a huge time commitment and they’re easy to balance into everyday actions. Spotify also has lots of free short stories in their library, from classics to horror. They can last anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, so they’re great to listen to while walking from class to class or at the gym. The best short story audiobook that I’ve listened to is HP Lovecraft’s “Call of Cthulhu,” but it’s a pretty scary one.

Audiobooks are a great way to kill time and keep your mind entertained and sharp. The options of what to listen to are endless with free content all over the Internet. Next time you have a break between classes or a long car ride, consider trying out an audiobook. You might not like it, but if you do, your options are virtually endless on books to listen to.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

Don’t dismiss third parties

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

If you’re like me, one of our two 2016 candidates has offered policies that resonate and you’ve got a horse in the race that is the presidential election. Chances are you’re not like me.

According to Fivethirtyeight, Clinton and Trump are our least popular candidatesscreen-shot-2016-10-25-at-8-42-55-pm ever. Yet many argue that if you don’t vote for their candidate you’re wasting your vote outright. This is, after all, an astonishingly important election. We’re told Trump with nuclear codes will lead to the end of the world, while Clinton’s aggressive stances from Honduras to Russia will lead to World War III, and possibly also the end of the world.

Trevor Noah warns that Trump will go full-dictator and says, “This could be the very last vote you ever get.” Meanwhile, Ann Coulter predicts a Clinton presidency so disastrous that this election will, “determine the survival of western civilization.”

Gosh.

Despisers of Duverger’s law have a way out. All they have to do is waste their vote.

When Gary Johnson ran in 2012, it was the first year that a Libertarian candidate cracked a million votes. He’s definitely getting at least five percent of the popular vote this year.

And that’s what it all comes down to. The third party vote is not actually about electing Gary Johnson or Jill Stein in 2016.

screen-shot-2016-10-25-at-8-43-06-pmFive percent in one election opens Federal Election Commission moneybags the following cycle, entitling a third party to around 10 million dollars of general election financing. For perspective, OpenSecrets.org calculates that the Green Party has raised $3 million this cycle while the Libertarians have pulled $11 million.

The two third parties nearly made it to the debates this year. A strong showing in the election and increased presence going into 2020 could actually get them there.

If a Libertarian or Green Party platform appeals to you, I encourage you to vote for their candidate. To lift a Trump quote, “What have you got to lose?”

The country isn’t going to fall apart just because you cast a ballot for Stein or Johnson in Oregon, a state that will go blue anyway. After all, this is not simply the election where a North Carolina Republican office was firebombed. It’s also the election where, according to Time Magazine, the Democrat Party raised $13,000 to help the Republicans with repairs. It’s an election for a country founded on a government of checks and balances.

If you don’t like your two options in 2016, a third party vote may ensure better options in 2020. At which point we will, again, reassess our country’s policies and direction and again determine our country’s next course.

Contact the author at bdeboer11@mail.wou.edu

The other side of Shkreli

shkreli-not-douchey-colorcbsnews

By: Darien Campo
Designer

The Daraprim price hike scandal was one of the most talked-about stories of 2015, cementing former Turing CEO Martin Shkreli as the “bad boy of big pharma.” Daraprim, a drug used to treat infections in HIV-positive individuals, was purchased by Turing pharmaceuticals in early 2015. In September of the same year, CEO Shkreli increased the market-price of Daraprim from $13.50 a pill to $750 a pill, causing a 5000 percent increase.

The price change was immediately criticized by pharmaceutical companies, running presidential candidates, and all of mainstream media. Through this long campaign of skewering headlines and viral media, Martin Shkreli has come to be known to the public as the new face of greed and the evils of capitalism.

It’s almost embarrassing how quickly everybody (including myself) accepted Shkreli as the bad guy and worked together to lambast him online. Mainstream media and clickbait headlines don’t tell the whole story, and so over the last year Shkreli has taken multiple opportunities to explain and defend his actions as the head of Turing. After taking the time to hear the story from Shkreli’s point of view, I found that my opinion on him did a 180. I’m not here to say that what Shkreli did was right, but if you hate the man, it should be based on fact and not sensationalism.

“I think the idea that I represent pharma is insane,” Shkreli stated in a January, 2016 Vice interview. “I don’t like most drug companies, I think most of them do a bad job-I think that I’m different.” He justifies his company’s decision, saying that the price hike only affects large corporations and not innocent users.

“We sell our drugs for a dollar to the government; but we sell our drugs for $750 a pill to Walmart, to Exxon Mobil, to all these big companies, and they pay full price because f— them, why shouldn’t they?” The higher price only applies to larger corporations whom Shkreli deems to be the true super-villains of the pharmaceutical world. Those profits are then used to fund Turing’s research and development division: developing newer, cheaper and safer drugs.

In fact, Shkreli brags that Turing spends more revenue on research and development than any other pharmaceutical company in the country: 60 percent of their revenue, in fact, versus the standard 15 percent. In an interview on CNBC Shkreli revealed that Daraprim is far from perfect and that Turing hopes to replace it with a more efficient drug.

Even after its price hike, Daraprim is one of the cheapest drugs on the market, even though it treats one of the rarest infections around. The illness that Daraprim treats is so rare that Shkreli claims most hospitals will never even need the drug but, just to be safe, Turing offers a smaller, cheaper bottle of the drug that hospitals can use to stock up with.

Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals have done everything they can to make Daraprim one of the most highly available drugs in the country. He claims that most of their stock of the drug is sold off for only one dollar; if somebody can’t find or afford Daraprim, all they have to do is contact Shkreli and he will personally give them a free supply of the drug.

Martin Shkreli does not regret his decision to raise the cost of Daraprim. “If that’s the price I have to pay to find a new medicine for dying kids, I’ll raise it even more.”

“With respect to Daraprim,” lawyer Benjamin Brafman told the press after Shkreli’s infamous congressional hearing, “I think you will see he has saved many many lives with his brilliance.”

Contact the author at dcampo13@wou.edu

Vote local

By: Marshall Guthrie
Guest Contributor

Don’t get sidetracked by the presidential election. If you care about
the cost of your rent and tuition, your access to high speed internet and marijuana policy, then you’d better be prepared to #votelocal. I say this as a Western employee and former city councilor.

It’s easy to think that the presidential election is the only reason to turn up at the polls. There’s no shortage of media coverage when it comes to that embarrassing circus. But the reality is, for students at Western, your lives are much more directly impacted by state and other local elections than by anything any of the presidential candidates can do for or to you. Not only that, marshall-guthrie-colorwou-edubut if you, the students of Western, organize your votes, you could choose the winner of every local election. Yes, every local election.

Let’s start by looking at the state representative position. This is a position that helps decide funding for higher education in Oregon and, therefore, how much your tuition will have to be to cover what the state doesn’t fund. Do you think tuition is too high? Then you’d better #votelocal.

In the last election, Rep. Paul Evans won by less than 800 votes in House District 20, which is where Western is located. There are thousands of students eligible to vote at Western. You can easily determine who represents you when tuition and education funding are determined if you #votelocal.

That same power, the power to use a student voting block to pick your elected officials, is even more true the more local you get. The Monmouth/Independence City Council sets electric and water utility rates, and influences MINET Internet rates. City Council also addresses local marijuana policy and taxes that affect your rent. In the last election, a little over 100 votes would have been enough to sway the results.

The County Commission also levies taxes and policy that affect your rent, among many other things. Things could have been different in the last election with only 11 votes. That’s not a typo, eleven votes. Do you know eleven people who didn’t vote in the last election? If so, you’ve started to clue into why students aren’t taken seriously by many politicians.

You may be wondering how you get informed about local elections; after all, it’s not like there’s a lot of city council coverage on CNN or in your twitter feed (unless you follow @marshallguthrie). Start with a google search; check out local papers like the Itemizer-Observer, Salem Weekly and Statesman Journal, or find the candidates on Facebook. Read the Oregon Voters’ Guide or talk with your friends and professors.

None of this is to say that the Presidential Election doesn’t matter. My opinion is that it has never mattered more than it does this year. But local politics are equally important, and if students get together, you can run this place. Make sure your friends are registered and voting, start conversations around local issues and get informed about the candidates. Heck, maybe even run for office next time. I have; it’s not tough. And your election will be pretty much guaranteed if you can get Western students to vote for you.

Contact the author at marshall@marshallguthrie.com.

Campus Voices

By: Ashton Newton,
Entertainment Editor

Question: Would you go to Mars?

 

 
“billyann-colorYes, because I might meet a Martian and we could have an epic love story and it would be great.”
Billyann Stempel, sophomore, education

 

 

 
“Yes I would like to go to Mars. I’ve always gael-color
een interested in other planets and Mars is one of the possible planets we could go to, so I think it would be kind of cool to check it out and see what I could do.”
Gael Marin-Valdez, senior, exercise science/pre-education

 

 

 

nathalie-bw“No, I’m very terrified of the unknown, I think. It would be a very cool life changing experience but I’d be too afraid to not come back that I wouldn’t.”
Nathalie Olds, senior, communication

 

 

 

 

“No because I don’t really know what’s out there. We can be told what’s in space but it’s not trusted.”
Karissa Torres, sophomore, criminal justice

 

“I actually signed up for the Mars colony program in 2005, unfortunately diabet
es disqualified me. Why, because frankly I’d like to get the hell off this planet and away from everybody.”
Devin Shill, senior, education

katelynn-color

 

“Probaly not because one-the time to get there, two-I have plans for my life and three-I’m not an astronaut.”
Katelynn Van Gelder, sophomore, English

 

Don’t man up

By: Keith Mathew
Photo Editor

Man up. Grow a pair. Be a man. You’re not manly enough. We all hear those phrases said to men. What people do not understand is that these seemingly harmless phrases are destructive in nature and cause many problems in our society.keith-color

As a man, I absolutely detest the use of those phrases as it puts men in a nice little box where people want them. These comments are sexist against men, I even hear women say them. That’s right folks, sexism against men, there’s a new one.

We all hear about sexism against women but many of us overlook the sexism occurring against the other sex. I have seen my fair share of documentaries and articles about how these sexist phrases can cause men to commit crimes that many people associate with that gender.

Men are more violent than other genders because when we say, “man up” to a boy who is crying, they learn they cannot express sadness in that way. Then later in life through the social conditioning of society and media, they learn the only emotion that is expressed by their sex is anger. All these emotions, which become bottled up inside, stew until they morph into toxicity. This leads to the only outburst of emotion men are allowed to show: anger.

The box that society puts men into creates the monsters that commit horrible acts against other people. I have heard of many “fights” that have happened in high school just to show they are not afraid to punch another person “just because they can”. There is no reason for anyone to do that, it is just a feeble attempt to show you’re a “man.”

Just because it’s called the patriarchy, doesn’t mean all men have a better life. The patriarchy oppresses all people, sure it benefits men a lot more but only if you fit this mold they have made for you.

Every human being is different, so we should all treat them as an individual-not a stereotype or a generalization of their gender. In my book if you identify as a man you are a man, no matter what.

Too much pumpkin spice

By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

It’s fall. Classes are back, the leaves are changing color, and everybody is drinking pumpkin spice flavored coffee drinks. I’ll be honest, I live for this season and I have my fair share of pumpkin spice lattes, but this year pumpkin spice is out of control.

It seems like everyone is trying to hop on the pumpkin spice train. I’ve seen pumpkin spice flavored Oreos, yogurt, cereal and even Hershey’s kisses. In my opinion, the majority of the pumpkin spice flavored food out there right now isn’t good. It just doesn’t capture the same feeling that a pumpkin spice latte gives me.

The whole idea around pumpkin spice has been escalating over the past couple years. Starbucks has grown more aware of its popularity, other coffee places have tried copying it, but this year is too crazy.

Enough is enough. It’s time to draw the line between enjoying pumpkin spice and overdoing it.

I love pumpkin spice; it’s the highlight of my fall. It gets me through early morning classes, warms me up on cold autumn walks, but I want to keep it at that. If pumpkin spice is overdone, I fear that it’ll lose its magic. It won’t be special anymore. Even in the fall season, you have to have moderation. Going to the grocery store and seeing pumpkin spice everything ruins that.

The only thing to do is to just ignore these products, focus on what pumpkin spice has been for me in the past, and not let the name get overdone and ruined. I don’t need to breathe pumpkin spice to enjoy fall. I need to be strong, resist the temptation of things like pumpkin spice Ghirardelli chocolate squares and stay true to what pumpkin spice really is: the best fall drink flavoring out there.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu

A new kind of sit-in

By: Burke De Boer
Sports Editor

The NFL preseason ended and games are now serious. The trial-and-error month is forgotten. Except for one moment.

Colin Kaepernick remained seated during the national anthem. I didn’t think much of it at the time, figuring he needed as much sitting practice as he could get. The San Francisco 49ers are a mediocre-to-bad team with Blaine Gabbert their mediocre-to-bad quarterback. This left Colin to fight practice team wanderer, Christian Ponder, for the backup’s seat on the bench.
Ponder had a good preseason too.

I figured Kaepernick wouldn’t throw a pass this year and I haven’t changed my mind. However, his protest will be intrinsic to the sports annals of 2016.

We’ve had a hot summer, folks. Philando Castile was killed by police while trying to show his license and registration. Alton Sterling was pinned to the ground and shot for selling CDs. Terence Crutcher was shot while holding his hands in the air.

Protests spread, often turning violent. Five police officers were killed in Dallas.

And the Democratic Party nominated a member of the old guard, whose 1990s party ramped up the War on Drugs. This escalation disproportionately affected blacks who, today, make up 40 percent of the American prison population despite being 13 percent of the general population, according to the U.S. census.

Kaepernick has brought all this summer heat into the football stadium, using his platform to bring attention to a people he feels this country has left behind. For largely the same reasons that Johnny Cash wore black, Colin Kaepernick now sits. Other players have followed suit, raising fists and kneeling.

But football is a conservative institution. Sports generally teach conservative principles from a child’s first youth league. Across the country, kids are brought up from peewee sports to blue collar work or military service.

It is in this spirit that the military has been evoked to condemn players sitting. The flag is very personal to a lot of people who have known or served alongside men and women who died protecting what the American flag represents.

It represents a country founded on the ideals of freedom. Which especially includes the freedom to critique. It is only through free democratic discussion that a country can grow. As anyone who’s played a sport knows, it is only through critique that you improve.

Whether or not you agree with his method, and whether or not you think America is already the greatest country in the world, the fact is America can still be better. The gulf between government and black communities it’s supposed to represent is one more problem that’s going mainstream.

In the hot summer of 2016, it seemed unlikely that Colin Kaepernick as a quarterback would ever be discussed by any sports panel. And then the hot summer went pro. Would Ray Lewis and Shannon Sharpe have discussed life in African-American communities on Fox Sports 1 without Kaepernick’s controversy? Certainly not. But now that discussion has come to America’s conservative institution.

Contact the author at journalsports@wou.edu

Link to attach to “according to the U.S. census” in online publication: http://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/rates.html

A Note from the Editor

By: Stephanie Blair
Editor-in-Chief

As someone who has not only read this publication every week for the last two years, and worked on it for just as long, I can hardly explain the excitement I feel about taking the role of editor-in-chief this year.

As I read over the opening statements of the last three editor-in-chiefs before me, I found myself feeling inadequately prepared to write my own.

Even more daunting is the fact that my mostly new staff and I are coming in at the height of election season, but I trust in our ability to handle the issues facing each student with grace and care.

screen-shot-2016-09-28-at-6-56-59-pmOur staff will strive to produce a paper that balances entertainment and information. The Western Journal aims to provide the truest form of journalism: a clear delivery of the facts without personal or political agenda. Our duty is first and foremost to our readers.

This will be in the forefront of our minds leading up to November, with accusations against ‘The Media’ as a heartless, faceless conglomerate tied to corporations backing specific candidates. The Western Journal is, and will remain, an independent publication. This ensures that we are not obligated to withhold facts in accordance with the desires of a benefactor or, similarly, to produce propaganda.

In the upcoming weeks, there will be opportunities for members of each party to make arguments in our editorial section, but elsewhere we will be delivering the news so that our readers may form their own opinions as well.

When writing about news on campus, our section editors and I will strive to not only to highlight more clubs and organizations in spotlight articles, but also to involve them in our conversations. This, along with the decision to continue “Campus Voices”, is in an effort to publish the voices and opinions of as many students as we can each week.

In the same vein, because this publication is by students for students, it makes sense that the best improvements will be made by our readers. And so, just as I ask our readers to trust us with the responsibility of reporting unbiased information, I ask our readers to write to us, to give us feedback both positive and negative.

For guidelines regarding submissions of letters to the editor, see the masthead on page two.

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu

Vegan

By: Jamal Smith
Sports Editor

Knowing that I was about to embark on one of the most difficult challenges of my life, one week of eating vegan, I decided to head to Fogo de Chao, an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse in Portland to fill my belly up on a week’s worth of meat.

As I sat at the table devouring mouthfuls of scrumptious prime cuts from beef, chicken, and lamb, I questioned whether I had bit off more than I could chew. Was the next week going to be a complete failure? After a night of drinking, could I avoid Taco Bell, and replace my familiar drunken meal with a vegan burrito or a vegan meatless patty that sat in my freezer?

Deep in thought, I was interrupted by a waiter who came to my table and asked, “Would you like a brandy marinated chicken thigh wrapped in bacon?” Ashamed at my reliance on animal flesh, I nodded in approval, for my mouth was full of prime rib.

To say that I love meat is an understatement. For me, a meal is not complete without some sort of meat. Then there is dairy: ice-cream, butter, milk, yogurt; all important foods in my animal-reliant diet.

By now you may be asking yourself, why then would you put yourself through the torture of eating vegan for a week? The answer is simple: I am appalled at the exploitation of animals for human consumption.

My conundrum started when one of my vegan friends posted a video to her Facebook feed of animals being mistreated in slaughterhouses and it opened up a Pandora’s Box of savagery. After watching other online videos concerning this subject, I felt sick to my stomach. It was then that I decided I would eat vegan for a week.

To prepare for my week of veganism, I stopped by Whole Foods to stock up on vegan delicacies. I plundered various fruits and vegetables, almond milk, meat substitutes, and other items lacking animal byproducts. My normal five minute trip to the grocery store took nearly an hour as I carefully examined the ingredients on the food labels.

The first day of the challenge was by far the most difficult. For breakfast I ate a banana with a bowl of cereal — with of course, almond milk. At lunch I heated up a vegan burrito which was mediocre at best. For dinner, I ate a vegan bagel and a salad medley which I smothered in caesar dressing. It wasn’t until I had half consumed the salad that I realized that the dressing that I liberally poured on the vegetables violated the challenge. I took a mental note of my indiscretion and vowed to be more careful for the remaining six days.

The next three days came and went without any hiccups; however, on the fifth day, in a drunken stupor after a night out celebrating my friend’s birthday, I stopped by Wendy’s. I’m not sure if it was the lack of meat, or if it was from all of the vodka Red Bulls that I had consumed, but their Baconator was to die for. Strike two.

When I awoke the next morning and saw the empty Wendy’s wrappers scattered on my coffee table, I have to admit that I felt a little ashamed. The caesar dressing fiasco was an honest mistake, but indulging in a greasy bacon layered burger was self-sabotage. At that point I could have given up on the challenge, but I already had a few more days left of vegan food, and my momma didn’t raise a quitter, so I decided to continue.

I finished out the challenge strong, and despite the two mess-ups, I would consider my overall results successful. The challenge wasn’t nearly as hard as I had expected; I felt great at the end, and I consumed more fruits and vegetables in a week than I had over the course of the entire year.

My advice for anyone who is thinking about eating vegan is to realize that if you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world. Just put down the meat and try again.

Contact the author at jsmith15@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalsportWOU

A Final Sendoff

By: Conner Williams
Editorial-in-Chief

What a year it’s been. For you faithful readers who have followed The Journal’s commentary throughout the school year, you know we’ve covered some big topics and made some big changes.

We’ve added in the Humor section, slapped in a weekly crossword, switched to a tabloid-style front page, and given you lots of tasty recipes to get drunk from (you’re welcome).

As we implemented all of these changes, we had one thing in mind: you.

Each decision we’ve made this year has revolved around one question: what can we do to engage and entertain our readers more? We’ve focused on the stories of the characters of Western in our Humans of Western segment, included your opinions in our Campus Voices columns, and given you some brilliantly orchestrated … erm, I mean, predicted, horoscopes to help guide you on your path to astrological righteousness.

I’m quite proud of the progress this newspaper has made; it took countless hours of interviewing, writing, designing, photographing, editing, and cultivating content to bring you a product that we can say we’re proud of, and what I honestly believe has gotten better week in and week out.

And with all of this progress in hindsight, it is with a heavy heart that I write my final column for this publication that has allowed me to express my own opinions and grievances with the world of Western. For those of you that enjoyed my columns, I thank you for your readership, and for those of you that did not, I hope at least that I have made you think about something in a different way or question your own beliefs to some degree.

Because that’s what has always been my goal: to provide validated and credible information that allows the readers to think critically, and to then form their own opinions.

Despite my best efforts, I recognize that I may just be another guy with opinions that hopes to inspire change through written word; a task that is not easily accomplished. I have attempted to sift through the mountains of BS that seep into our everyday news rhetoric, and to create a lens for you to see through said BS.

To quote one of my favorite political analysts/comedians/humanitarians, “The best defense against bullshit is vigilance … So if you smell something, say something.” We miss you Jon Stewart.

So I encourage you, reader, to lift up the gas masks that CNN and Fox News and Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton and all the other professional bullshit dispensers have attempted to slip over your faces.

Question everything. Seek further truth. Do not silently accept a politician’s word as gospel. Follow a page on social media with different views than your own. Do your best to learn something new every day, and challenge others to do the same.

Things will be changing throughout our society soon, and as one that will be graduating in a few weeks, I must admit I’m a bit intimidated. It’s a big, bad world out there, and sometimes running home to mom’s house for a hot meal and a visit with the cat seems like the best thing to do.

But feigning ignorance and submitting to the fear of the possibility of failure will get us nowhere. An important lesson to remember is that we should not be afraid to fail, but even more important is that we should also not be afraid to succeed.

To quote one of my favorite films, “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” So get out there and make it happen. Whatever it is that you decide to do, give it your all. Do what makes you happy, and do it for the rest of your life.

As we prepare for commencement, I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors and hope you may look back on your time at Western with a sense of fondness and pride.

Go Wolves!

Contact the author at cwilliams14@wou.edu or on Twitter @journalEIC

Third party’s the charm

By: Ben Bergerson
Designer

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are not the only options for president this year.

Though you may not know it from how the media represents the race, parties other than the Democrats and Republicans (known as third parties) exist in this country and in the past have had an impact on elections. This year, people with no political party affiliation will represent the biggest voting block at 42 percent of all voters. Democrats represent 29 percent and Republicans represent 26 percent.

These are near historical lows for party affiliation, and the mainstream media has said relatively little about how that affects our party system. With both of the leading candidates for president having extremely low favorability ratings, many people are turning to see what other options are out there.

There are three third parties in the US that have large enough voter registration to get on state ballots. You can check them out below, and see if any fit your political beliefs:

  1. Constitution Party
    If your problem with Donald Trump is that he isn’t conservative enough, look no further than Darrell Castle, the candidate from the CoScreen Shot 2016-05-23 at 7.50.42 PMnstitution Party. Castle is a lawyer and ex-Marine who advocates for the US to withdraw from the UN and NATO. He wants to end the Federal Reserve and is against abortions.

 

 

 

2. Libertarian Party

Though they haven’t selected their nominee, the Libertarians look likely to choose former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson again, havingScreen Shot 2016-05-23 at 7.50.29 PM nominated him in 2012 as well. Johnson is pushing for a balanced national budget, the decriminalization of marijuana, and lowering taxes. As a Libertarian he is conservative on fiscal matters, and more liberal on social matters.

 

3. Green Party

The Greens have also yet to choose their nominee, but their 2012 nominee, Jill Stein, looks Screen Shot 2016-05-23 at 7.50.15 PMlike their probable choice. She made history in the last presidential elections for receiving more votes than any other woman in U.S. history. The Greens’ campaigns focus on environmentalism, participatory democracy, nuclear disarmament, and social justice.

One last note on third parties: Many people have pointed to the 2000 election as an example of the “spoiler effect.” They argue that the Green Party candidate, Ralph Nader, stole votes away from the Democrats, thus “spoiling” the election for Al Gore and handing the presidency to George W. Bush. While this spoiler effect can be a concern for battleground states where a few votes make a big difference, here in Oregon voters have reliably voted Democrat for a few generations. Because of that, Oregonians have the ability to vote for the candidate they align with the most, rather than voting tactically against someone they don’t want. It’s something to remember as we go into what seems will be an extremely bitter political season.

How about we teach people not to rape?

By: Zoe Strickland
Staff Writer

Recently, a lot of my classes have started talking about rape culture. Being a gender studies minor, this isn’t anything new. My classes have specifically been talking about how, when dealing with rape culture, we often teach people how to not get raped instead of teaching other people to just not rape. Buckle up and prepare to listen, because this stuff is serious.

Not trying to solve the problem at the root sounds crazy and completely unreasonable, right? I think so.

Why is it that we teach children to always walk in groups, instead of teaching them about what consent is? Why do we tell girls in college to walk with their keys carefully positioned in between their fingers, instead of teaching people in college that you can’t actually consent to something if you’re under the influence of any drugs or alcohol? Why is it that even after doing all of these studies showing that sex education is important to preventing sexual assault, schools across the country still push abstinence-only education? It’s absurd.

I’ve taken multiple classes on the Western campus wherein rape culture is discussed. I’ve sat through throngs of students in various sexuality and gender classes wherein we’ve talked about how society has uniformly taught women to be afraid of getting raped and has taught men that they should be feared for potentially having the power to rape. In these classes, it goes without saying that every student found the “teach women how not to get raped” method upsetting. So, if so many people find this upsetting, why haven’t we made more strides in fixing it?

A fundamental component of this discussion is believing victims/survivors of sexual assault. I swear, if I have to sit through one more person mentioning how “sometimes people make it up,” I’m going to scream. Look at the statistics: only two to eight percent of reported sexual assaults are ruled out as being false reports. Why are we still doubting the believability of something if 98 percent of reports are true? Why aren’t we seeing how we can help people get through the traumatic event that they’ve just experienced?

These things are serious. Instead of people being afraid to walk around alone because something might happen to them, we need to start teaching personal boundaries and the meaning of consent at a young age. Young people aren’t too young to grasp the basic concept of human decency.

Contact the author at zstrickland14@wou.edu or on Twitter @nwpmagazine.

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