Mount Hood

Los hombres plantan cara a los comportamientos tóxicos

Bailey Thompson | Editor de noticias

In her New York Times article, Maya Salam defines toxic masculinity as “what can come of teaching boys that they can’t express emotion openly; that they have to be ‘tough all the time’; that anything other than that makes them ‘feminine’ or weak.”

Aiming to discuss this concept with the Western community, Abby’s House and Omega Delta Phi joined together on Jan. 24, seeking to start a conversation.

Leading the two-hour discussion, Aislinn Addington, director of Abby’s House, and Tim Glascock, director of the WOU CASA and Campus Suicide Prevention programs, shared the vision they had for the conversation.

“It’s about exploring what it means for all of our campus men to play a positive role in preventing sexual assault, dating violence and stalking,” said Addington. “It’s about what that means for our whole campus community.”

Glascock then communicated that people can start by simply listening to the experiences of those around them.

“We want to recognize that everyone has a story to tell, and we’re here to hear those stories and to connect with one another,” said Glascock.

Individuals then shared stories of how toxic masculinity has impacted their lives. And, while each person had their own unique story, there were some ideas that could be tracked throughout many: toxic masculinity is often used as a defense, intersectionality can contribute to the different masculinities seen in various communities and identifying harmful gender stereotypes is necessary before people are able to combat them.

After the discussion I spoke with Keith Mathew, a senior community health education major and Abby’s House advocate, who shared his perspective that toxic masculinity is not a problem exclusive to heterosexual men.

“It is apparent in all kinds of relationships, and the example I shared about another man who was messaging me for romantic reasons had such a narrow definition of masculinity,” said Mathew. “I think it’s important to show that gay men — we’re not all perfect. We’re not the perfect woke community. We still have our issues that we’re figuring out.”

Additionally, Erik Morgan, senior philosophy major and ASWOU Vice President encouraged men to realize that there are others out there who looking to engage in these conversations.

“Men helping other men overcome toxic masculinity — that’s one of the most important drivers,” said Morgan. “It just can’t be any single person. It has to be an entire movement: not just one, but the many.”

If students would like to learn more about toxic masculinity or contribute to the conversation, they can contact Addington at addingtona@wou.edu or Glascock at glascockt@wou.edu.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en howlnews@wou.edu

Foto cortesía de Bailey Thompson

Christopher Coleman speaks on living life to the fullest

 Bailey Thompson | Editor de noticias

A sold-out event: fried chicken dinners, award-winning essays and a keynote speaker. On Jan. 23, the Pacific Room of the Werner University Center was filled to the brim for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Dinner. This event, which was sponsored by the University Diversity Committee, benefited the WOU Food Pantry.

After dinner, the top essayist in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Essay Competition, Natalie Gomez, read her essay “I Don’t Give up on the First Try” before the crowd.

Gomez’s essay challenged those present to be strong and to stand up for the same values that Dr. King sought to protect while he was alive.

“Modern man suffers from a kind of poverty of the spirit which stands in glaring contrast to a scientific and technological abundance; We’ve learned to fly the air like birds, we’ve learned to swim the seas like fish, and yet we haven’t learned to walk the Earth as brothers and sisters,” said Dr. King in a speech on Feb. 27, 1967.

“Society has come so far in science and technology; however, my mother and I cannot walk down the street without sideways glares or stares for using our Spanish,” read Gomez. “Something was made very clear to me, not for my own doing, that I was brown. Labeled like a crayon. I wasn’t the only one.”

After sharing her story, the final element of the event was the keynote speech by Christopher Coleman — a man with a story of triumphing over life’s circumstances.

Shortly after birth, Coleman was brought back from being declared dead, and his parents were told that he would live in a severely confined manner with what they thought were both physical and mental disabilities. 45 years later, he has become the first person in his large family to graduate from college, and he works as a life coach, keynote speaker and author.

In his speech, Coleman emphasized that, even though there are obstacles that some people have to face, it is vital for them to not let it define who they are.

We cannot conduct ourselves as second-class citizens,” said Coleman. “We cannot let our circumstances dictate our character … to rise above expectations, we must embrace who we are.”

With this mindset, Coleman explained how it can be dangerous to see ourselves as unequal to others because this can lead to either pride or low self-esteem.

“Equality is understanding there is no one in the universe more important than we are and no one in the universe is less important than we are,” said Coleman.

Anyone who is interested in learning more about Coleman’s life story can find additional information at christophercoleman.net.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en howlnews@wou.edu

Foto cortesía de Bailey Thompson

Western community rallies against hate

Bailey Thompson | Editor de noticias

Back in November, an instance of hate speech graffiti was found in the Monmouth community which consisted of swastikas and the words “Proud Boys” and “MAGA.”

The following day, organizations at Western began releasing statements that renounced the behavior and promised action.

“We had two students — Logan Jackson and ZZ Braatz — suggested that we do a march in response to this. So, we started planning late November or early December, and it was a three-step process,” said Kelsey Murray, Ackerman Hall Resident Director and one of the march’s organizers. “The first part was that we put up ‘End Hate’ signs that link to the bias-motivated incident response form, we did tabling for a week where we advertised the campaign as well as the march and then the third part was the march.”

Leading up to the march, a committee was formed, and they tabled to spread awareness in the community for the upcoming event.

On the morning of the march, Jan. 26, members of the Monmouth and Western community came together to listen to speakers as they made signs.

“The graffiti placed here is not only a manifestation of a larger act, but an escalation of hate that must be conquered,” said Monmouth City Councilor Christopher Lopez. “To oppose bad things in this world, we must not only feel the good and embrace it, but act upon it. This togetherness, love, caring, openness, kindness and understanding only has power when it is paired with action.”

Building off of this idea, Linda Williams read sentiments in a letter from Representative Paul Evans about how vital it is for people to combat hate that they see around them.

“Something has happened in our nation, state and community. Somehow, we have drifted into treacherous waters,” wrote Evans. “We have tolerated a downward spiral in our basic civility and…respect. We have allowed the fragile fabric of our union to unravel.”

Moving forward, though, Evans also offered a message of hope.

“Hate has no place in America, in Oregon or in our community…we are one — together against bigotry, intolerance and racism. Together we can defeat hatred through compassion and empathy,” said Evans.

The final speaker before the march was Nathan Soltz, ASWOU Senate President, who shared his perspective on the act of hate.

“I thought it was really difficult to put into words what my visceral reaction was because, as a Jew, when these events happen I feel compelled to remember the hatred that the generations before me faced,” said Soltz. And while…gross ignorance isn’t really as noticeable today, the bigotry persists. And it can be seen really obviously in the graffiti, but it can also be a lot more subtle.”

Soltz then explain how this bigotry can take a number of forms.

“It can take the form of someone crossing the street when they see a person of color walking towards them on the sidewalk,” or “an unqualified man telling a qualified woman how to do her job … someone thinking that someone with a disability is somehow less important … not recognizing that someone’s gender is what they say it is, not what you think it is,” said Soltz.

Rounding out his remarks, Soltz shared how disappointed he was that the Monmouth Police didn’t acknowledge this incident of graffiti to be “threatening.”

“I hate that we have to actually have a march against hate — that we have to stand up and say that being a Nazi is bad, because apparently today that’s no longer a given,” said Soltz.

At this point, the marchers practiced their chants and were ready to head out. The whole group marched through town and all the way to the site of the graffiti near Southgate Park, where city officials had agreed to let participants write countering messages in chalk on the sidewalk.

“I’m sure that the incident of vandalism really made them feel isolated, and I hope that the community feels a little less alone,” said Murray at the end of the march. “And I hope that the people who attended the march feel more empowered to be the active bystander and to stand up to hate that they witness. Especially in our current political climate, I hope that they feel that they can make a difference.”

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en howlnews@wou.edu

Foto cortesía de Ashlynn Norton

Midterm Madness

Cora McClain | Editor de textos

Rachel Hetzel | Diseñador

 

Esta semana en horóscopos completamente inventados

[fruitful_tabs type="accordion" width="100%" fit="false"]

[fruitful_tab title=”Aries 3/21-4/19″] The stars are having a brain fart. Maybe you should make up your own horoscope this week Aries. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Taurus 4/20-5/20″] Hahaha what an amazing and relatable comic. It was probably made by someone super cool. Stop reading this and go admire it. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Gemini 5/21-6/20″] You know what time of year it is, GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SZN! Where them Thin Mints at?! [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Cancer 6/21-7/22″] Studying… Netflix… studying… Yep, Netflix. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Leo 7/23-8/22″] Grab a chair and stand on it. Versatile. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Virgo 8/23-9/22″] The stars noticed as you walked past the people tabling in the WUC, immediately pulled out your phone and pretended you were reading something very important just to avoid any eye contact/act like you didn’t even notice the people staring directly at you, waiting for your attention. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Libra 9/23-10/22″] The stars see midterms in your future, Libra. Aren’t we insightful? [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Scorpio 10/23-11/21″] If you disappear into the forest, your student loans won’t be able to follow you. It’s science. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Sagittarius 11/22-12/21″] Sometimes people are just exhausting, Sagittarius. Good luck out there. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Capricorn 12/22-1/19″] Remember that movie “Surf’s Up 2” with all those penguin surfers? Me neither. [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Aquarius 1/20-2/18″]

The stars know how you’re getting through midterms: with a healthy amount of sleep…actually it’s more like 13 cans of pure caffeine that keeps you up for three days straight with zero crash and all the insomnia.

The stars are #notsponsored by Bang [/fruitful_tab]

[fruitful_tab title=”Pisces 2/19-3/20″] I have a big old question for you, Pisces… Why does my foot look like this? [/fruitful_tab]

[/fruitful_tabs]

 

Opinion: Western student’s thoughts on why Western is struggling with enrollment.

Paul F. Davis丨Managing Editor

It’s no secret that Western Oregon has recently struggled with maintaining and gaining new students. Doing a little bit of research on Western’s website any person can stumble upon data that says it all: since fall of 2010, Western has lost more than one thousand students. In total, Western has lost 17 percent of peak enrollment even though the state of Oregon’s total number of students in undergrad programs have trended upwards in the same period according to Oregon’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission.

But what is even more concerning is that Western’s graduation rate has trended down as well from 46.5 percent to 39 percent. For some perspective, the state average is 63.2 percent. So not only is Western not getting as many students, but they are also not getting as many students through college with a degree. This statistic naturally raises the question — why is this happening?

At first glance the biggest factor which seems to have crippled Western’s attendance is the Oregon Promise, the biggest drop in attendance corresponded with its passing, which is “a state grant that helps cover tuition at any Oregon community college for recent high school graduates and GED test graduate,” according to the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission. But since The Oregon Promise’s creation its promise has continually weakened to the point that it would be more accurately called the Oregon Support Promise.

Another secret that everyone knows but no one talks about is that Monmouth is more boring than your grandmother’s figurine convention by big city standards. Monmouth lacks the food and leisure options a university in a larger town would have. So majority of first-years go home over the weekend because there is so little to do. Because of this, they don’t spend time making friends with the people that surround them that are essential to creating connection to the university.

In addition to the lack of connection, there is a lack of gainful employment, something that is absolutely necessary for a majority of students to take care of the minimum costs associated with existing and attending college full time. So often students have to export their work outside of Polk county, which requires a student to drive at least 20 minutes — but often further — to get to Salem, Keizer, Corvallis or even further which not only decreases the students overall take home money, but it also takes up precious free time.

But Western isn’t just an innocent victim, it has institutional wide shortcomings that clearly need to change. The classes are not monitored for quality in an effective way. Yes, the institution asks students to review professors at the end of the term, but it is so easy to neglect the reviews. Make it so each student has to review professors before students can sign up for next term’s classes if you really want to get the full picture.

Professors also have no peers reviewing their classes for student participation and quality of instruction. Because of this there are times where it is completely okay for a professor to arrive to class with nothing but a voice and few notes to jot down on the board. Tenure and Head of Department titles aside, challenge your professors to do more than just repeat a presentation that they made seven years ago. Challenge them to be more; challenge them to be better because the university needs it.

This was not written to say Western is doomed — this was written out of love for the institution and the amazing experiences a person can have while attending school here. That’s why I want Western, faculty and students both, to actually hear these problems in the hope that we together can find a solution. Because at the rate Western is losing students, if changes aren’t made then there may not be enough students to pay to turn the lights on.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en pfdavis14@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of London Illustrated News

Jubilee’s just desserts

Rebecca Meyers | Editor de estilo de vida

There’s a new place in town — specifically, in downtown Independence. The previously empty corner store on Monmouth Street is now Jubilee, a dessert bar that also serves coffee, wine, mimosas and beers. The shop, under the same owner as Salem’s Sugar Sugar, is noticeable by its simple lit window sign.

In my opinion, Jubilee has a lot of pros. For one, it’s very open inside and a lot of effort clearly went into the appearance and feel of the shop. It’s a cute place with a laid-back atmosphere, which perfectly fit the lazy afternoon when I went.

The menu is clearly laid out and categorized by sparkling drinks, coffee and tea and desserts. The desserts, consisting mostly of baked goods such as cupcakes and tartlets, are the main attraction so far. While not all of their options are gluten free, they still have a number of them on their display, such as the chocolate cake. I tried one of my favorite combinations with their dark chocolate caramel filled tartlet, which was rich but very enjoyable. I also sampled their butterscotch crumble cupcake, which was a little sweeter but had a good balance between the sweetness and the more bitter chocolate crumble; I almost wished I’d gotten that instead.

The making of Jubilee is still in progress, however, a detail to consider when visiting. Their hours may be inconsistent, but they are currently open most days from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. They are also still working on honing their recipe for the ice cream jubilee, a kind of homemade ice cream that they plan to have as a main selling point on their dessert menu.

The only main downside to Jubilee is the lack of foods other than dessert. The drinks menu is ideal for a brunch, but as of now the food options are limited to sweets without any breakfast foods. However, the business is still new and it will be interesting to see if they decide to expand the menu. It will also be interesting to see if what they choose to do with the back room, which is currently only used for reservations for private parties.

Overall, I enjoyed my visit to Jubilee and will likely return in the future, both for a butterscotch crumble cupcake and to see if there are any changes.

 

Póngase en contacto con el autor en howllifestyle@wou.edu

Foto cortesía de Ashlynn Norton

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La Western Oregon University de Monmouth, Oregón, está situada en el territorio tradicional de la tribu Luckiamute de los Kalapuya. Tras el Tratado del Valle de Willamette de 1855 (Tratado Kalapuya, etc.), los kalapuya fueron trasladados a la fuerza a reservas del oeste de Oregón. En la actualidad, los descendientes vivos de este pueblo forman parte de la Tribus Confederadas de la Comunidad Grand Ronde de Oregón y el Tribus Confederadas de los Indios Siletz.

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