Mount Hood

Western talks equality with Merkley

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) visited Western’s Werner University Center on Feb. 5 to discuss his new bill, the Equality Act, with a small audience of students.

According to Merkley’s website, “The Equality Act amends existing federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in education, employment, housing, credit, and Federal jury service.”

Merkley’s visit started with a story about the events that eventually led to him writing the Equality Act.

In 2013, Merkley helped lead the effort to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in Congress.

“During that battle, it was really interesting because it was very hostile, very emotional,” said Merkley. “I remember driving into the underground parking at the Capitol and having people kind of tap on my windshield, hold up placards to my windshield, yell and scream at me, tell me what a horrible person I was.”

“But I felt like a very good person,” he continued. “I felt this was the right thing not just in terms of our constitutional vision of fairness, opportunity and equality, but in terms of fundamental human rights.”

But that bill didn’t pass because the House of Representatives refused to debate it on the floor.

“The House of Representatives was led by the other party, the Republican party, which was not willing to do this,” said Merkley. “We felt that we had the votes in the House of Representatives, but to win the vote it has to be held, and the leadership of the house refused to do so.”

This prompted Merkley to write a new piece of legislation.

“We decided it was time to talk differently about this,” he said. “It was time not to talk about chipping away here or there, it was time to simply say our LGBT community deserves the same fundamental laws against discrimination that are enjoyed by Americans in regard to gender, ethnicity, and race.

“The bill that I wrote is about utilizing the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a foundation.”

The Equality Act already has 40 cosponsors, but it hasn’t passed yet.

“I don’t think that my Republican majority colleagues are going to hold a hearing on the bill,” said Merkley. “So, what are we doing in the meantime? We are building a stronger coalition.”

He said they are recruiting companies to endorse the bill, and they already have 20 Fortune 500 companies on board.

“We’d like that to be 200 Fortune 500 companies,” he said.

Merkley said one Republican recently agreed to cosponsor the bill.

“Mark Kirk of Illinois, who had been a partner of mine with the Non-Discrimination Act, endorsed it,” he said. “So, we can now call it a bipartisan bill.”

So, what’s next for the Equality Act?

“Really, the next step right now is building awareness of it, getting citizens to lobby their house and senate members to become cosponsors, and getting the corporate world to endorse it,” said Merkley.

End to negotiation draws near

By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Negotiations have been winding down as President Rex Fuller and his negotiating team look for ways to settle with WOUFT.

Fuller has been criticized by the union for not yielding in his effort to keep the operating revenue above 15 percent. Because of the volatile nature of university revenue streams, Fuller said they are still trying to stay within the boundaries they previously set.

“University funding really only consists of two components these days,” said Fuller. “One would be the state funding, which is based upon state allocation, and the other is tuition. Tuition accounts for a greater percent today than it did 40 years ago, so it does matter.”

The university compiles information about future state funding, projected enrollment rates, tuition rates, and other expenses, and then bases budgetary decisions off of the projections.

Tuition is expected to increase by three percent every year. Enrollment is expected to be flat next year, but by 2018 it is expected to begin increasing again.

“Even with those three percent forecasts, and even with enrollment growth reversing the trend, we start to have a situation where we begin to erode into our 15 percent reserve,” said Fuller.

The 2016 Operating Budget for Western includes everything in the university’s most current proposal, and it shows Western’s operating revenue falling below 15 percent by next year.

Fuller and his negotiating team both see this as a risk, but Fuller believes it will be worth it, saying “I believe that gives us time to rebuild the enrollment pipeline. The bet I’m making as a president, if you will, is that we’ll actually exceed these enrollment figures.”

Fuller said that there’s a problem with most of the school’s funds coming from tuition, since the Western Promise has locked in the tuition rates for about half of the students.

This means that when the university increases tuition rates, it will be hard to predict how much of an increase in funding it will bring.

“Therein lies the financial risk, which is part of the reason why we have the 15 percent reserve,” said Fuller.

Fuller admits that a compromise must be made to settle with WOUFT, but he doesn’t agree with some of the claims the union has made about his side of the negotiations.

“I think one of the things that has been said is that the university is stalling,” said Fuller. “I would say that’s contrary to all the evidence I’ve seen.”

Fuller says that he and his negotiating team have been active in trying to resolve the negotiations from the beginning.

“We have changed proposals to be responsive to the concerns of the union,” he said. “We were prepared to go to mediation in January; the union was not.”

Fuller says the university is close to settling with WOUFT and that he is ready to consider any proposal they might offer.

“One of their emails said they believe that we could solve it within the amount of money on the table, and I stand ready to consider something we haven’t considered yet,” said Fuller. “We work on this every week—anytime that there’s an opportunity to adjust.”

Mark Perlman, president of WOUFT, says there is no risk of a faculty strike, suggesting that they are working on reaching an agreement as well.

Former WOU students convicted of rape and sexual abuse

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By: Jenna Beresheim
News Editor

Two male former Western Oregon University students were recently convicted of rape and sexual abuse of a female student in 2014.

According to the Statesman Journal, Robert Godeaux Savoy III, 23, was convicted of first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, and third-degree sexual abuse.

Christopher James Weekly, 23, was convicted of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, second-degree sexual abuse, and third-degree sexual abuse.

The two-day trial took place in the Polk County Circuit Court before Judge Norman Hill.
Both first degree rape and first degree sodomy are considered Measure 11 offenses, and as such they carry mandatory minimum prison sentences of eight years and four months.

Both Savoy and Weekly are not considered students at Western as of 2014 and are being held in Polk County Jail.

Their official sentencing took place Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. in Polk County Circuit Court.

“In my role, I feel that justice is being served for this victim,” admitted Dr. Mary Ellen Dello Stritto, the Director of Abby’s House on Western’s campus.

“We’re the victim advocates here, it’s a positive outcome,” continued Dello Stritto.

Abby’s House is a resource and referral site on campus that supports individuals in any trouble they are experiencing in their life. Some examples listed were sexual harassment, pregnancy, mental health, stalking, housing, substance abuse, LGBT*Q issues, and more.

There are currently fourteen trained student advocates to respond to crises by supporting an individual, aiding them in considering their options, and allowing them to make educated choices about the next step in handling the issue at hand.

“Our assistant director Andrea Hugmeyer, and myself are confidential advocates who can support a victim without needing to be mandatory reporters,” said Dello Stritto, “that’s something we can offer, whereas our student advocates are still mandatory reporters.”

Abby’s House is a non-discriminatory safe zone for all students that is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the other three days.

“We’re here to support survivors – which means all students, survivors are men as well,” encouraged Dello Stritto.

Another campus support system that works closely with Abby’s House is the Student Health and Counseling Center.

“Our professional staff provides students at WOU with quality primary health care, information, referral services, counseling, and educational services,” said Jaime Silva, Director of the Student Health and Counseling Center.

“In situations of rape and sexual assault, we provide students with compassionate, confidential, and supportive services to help them feel validated and also to help them make informed decisions about their situation,” continued Silva.

The Student Health and Counseling Center is open during school hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers emergency appointments as well as a host of resources and hotlines for support during weekends or closed hours.

“We talk to students about the resources available to them and help them be in as much control of their situation as possible,” said Silva.

One final resource, as means of prevention, can be found in the on-campus club Green Dot.
“A green dot is any behavior, choice, word, or attitude that promotes safety for everyone and communicates utter intolerance for sexual violence, partner violence and stalking,” reports the Green Dot website.

Green Dot offers multiple trainings to aid in prevention of these intolerances, as well as hosting weekly club meetings.

For more information regarding Green Dot, contact club president Dacota Ashwill at dashwill12@mail.wou.edu.

“Turning the Tide” on college admissions

By: Katrina Penaflor 
Managing Editor

The expectation levels for college admissions varies across the field. Typically, schools take a balance of GPA, SAT or ACT scores, and an accumulation of extracurricular activities.

In a recent New York Times article, OP-ED writer Frank Bruni addressed a study titled “Turning the Tide,” which discussed the flaws in the college admission process, primarily at the Ivy-League level. He went on to say how a university’s expectations and approval process may not benefit students at every income level.

Western’s application process, in comparison to non-Ivy-League or private universities, is primarily standard, meaning that when a student applies, Western takes into account their transcript, SAT or ACT scores, and a completed application.

SAT and ACT scores are not required for the WOU admissions process if the universities GPA requirement of 2.75 is met, but they are beneficial for scholarship purposes.

Like Western, “a growing number of colleges have made the SAT or ACT optional,” said Bruni in his article.

“Some of those alterations would simultaneously level the playing field for kids applying to college from less advantaged backgrounds,” said Bruni, who continued to point out the correlation between household income and standardized test scores.

An additional point “Turning the Tide” made was the negative effects college admissions have on high school students.

Not only can they cause a heavy workload with additional Advanced Placement (A.P.) courses—which are not available in all high schools—and extracurricular activities, but the pressure of becoming an ideal candidate can bring increased anxiety.

“Poorer high schools aren’t as likely to offer A.P. courses, and a heavy load of them is often cited as a culprit in sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression among students at richer schools,” said Bruni.

Western has tried to combat the stressful application process by heading directly to high schools and having students apply in an environment familiar to them.

“Something that we do to make it more convenient, and reduce that stress and make it more WOU focused, is we do instant Wolf onsite,” said Luanne Carrillo, admissions counselor and multicultural recruitment coordinator.

This means the university will work with the students’ counselors and faculty to ensure the necessary paperwork is acquired and the students only worry about their application and application fee.

This provides the opportunity for any questions about the processes to be directly answered and students will receive an admissions decision the same day.

Possible changes or reassessments can even go back to what is acceptable on a high school level.

Carrillo suggests, “looking back at the high school concept and saying ‘should you all still offer D’s?’ because D’s are not passing for a university.”

As “Turning the Tide” suggests, finding well-rounded students goes beyond the number of club activities and SAT scores. It is a university’s job to see how their admissions requirements can shape the behavior of potential students, and if that is happening in a positive or negative fashion.

10,000 year old mammoth unearthed beneath OSU

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By: Brianna Bonham
Staff Writer

The bones of a 10,000 year-old mammoth were unearthed early last week while doing renovations on Oregon State University’s (OSU) Reser Stadium. Crews found the remains of the mammoth and other mammals in the end zone of the stadium.

The crews found the bones of a bison and a camel, along with the femur of the mammoth. After finding the bones, OSU spokesman Steve Clark said, “Our archaeologist believes this could have been the location of a pond, a watering hole for these animals, or a place they came to die.”

According to Oregon History Project created by the Oregon Historical Society, the discovery of mammoth bones is not uncommon in Oregon where mammoths and mastodons roamed.

According to an old newspaper article that was posted by The Oregon Historical Society, Joel Palmer, who was an influential Oregon pioneer, found mastodon bones in Dayton. Dayton is a 50 mile drive from Corvallis and Western is directly between the two.

The article also states that one of the first recorded discoveries of proboscidean remains in Oregon was in 1858-1859, when a settler found a mastodon tusk in Polk County.

“I think finding mammoth bones, or any fossils on campus would be really awesome. Considering the fact that there were bones found so close to here, there could be a chance that there are bones at Western!” said Becca Tew, a first year elementary education major at Western.

Just after the bones were found, the crew called Loren Davis, an associate professor of anthropology at Oregon State University.

“It just goes to show there’s a whole world of the past that exists underground. It’s so neat we could find it here at Reser Stadium,” said Davis. “As you’re watching a football game, you can think, beneath your feet, lie the bodies of extinct animals that relate to the past.”

OSU has now created t-shirts featuring a mammoth on the football field with the phrase “#DAMBONEYARD” on the front.

University offers 10 percent, but at what cost?

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By: Alvin Wilson 
Staff Writer

Western Oregon University Federation of Teachers (WOUFT) was offered a chance to finally get what they’ve been asking for: a 10 percent pay increase for non-tenure-track (NTT) faculty over the biennium.

But after examining President Rex Fuller’s letter to staff and students, Dr. Mark Perlman, philosophy professor and President of WOUFT, was left unsatisfied.

“His letter makes it sound like he’s being Santa Claus with big fat raises and I think it’s awfully dishonest for him to make it seem like that,” said Perlman. “But what he didn’t put in the letter that he sent to everybody, including all of the students, was what they cut to do that.”

Fuller’s letter included information about the national averages for raises among university staff. According to Inside Higher Ed’s website, average annual raises nationwide in 2014-15 ranged from 1.0 to 2.4 percent.

In comparison, WOU’s proposed salary increases range from seven to 15 percent.

“Of course seven to 15 percent looks like a lot, and if we were already at the average salary we would be happy to get the average raise nationwide,” said Perlman. “But we’re so far below the average that even if we agree to this package we’ll still be significantly behind.”

In earlier negotiations both parties agreed that the cost of raising NTT staff salaries by 10 percent would be $210,000. It was recently discovered, however, that the actual cost would be $126,000.

How the university was able to reduce the cost by 40 percent is still unknown to WOUFT, according to Perlman.
To pay for the $126,000, the university’s proposal would reduce summer term pay for instructors and reduce course reassignments, which give professors a small break to do research.

“If you have a research project, you can apply for one of these course reassignments and get one course off on your teaching load to do that research,” Perlman said. “10 years ago we fought to get those things in the contract, and [Fuller] wants to eliminate them — or at least the ones that cost money.”

The proposal would have reduced the summer term pay for professors from 20 percent of their normal salary to 19 percent.

“If we were getting, per credit, the same amount we get for the normal academic year, it should be 25 percent,” Perlman said. “So, it’s already only 20 percent and he wants to cut it.”

Another reason WOUFT didn’t accept the proposal is that they didn’t have enough time to meet and discuss it. The offer came with a deadline, which Perlman said wasn’t long enough.

“I’ve been bargaining since ‘98, and nobody’s ever given us expiration dates,” said Perlman. “They say on Wednesday, ‘We want our answer on Monday.’ Well, we didn’t have time to have the team meet.”

Perlman believes that the university can pay for the $126,000 if they account for sabbatical, retirement, and healthcare cost reductions.

“If you go on sabbatical you get paid less than your normal pay,” Perlman said. “Personally, I’m on sabbatical for the next three springs, and I get paid 60 percent of my normal pay. They’re saving over $5,000 on me this spring, and over $5,000 on me next year. So that $210,000 didn’t include the fact that for me, personally, they’re saving $10,000.”

“There’s also the issue of what they call Other Personnel Expenses, or OPE, which is things like taxes and healthcare payments,” continued Perlman.

According to Perlman, the most expensive health plan is PEBB Statewide, Kaiser Permanente is less expensive, and there are even cheaper options than that.

“If I pick the cheap plan, then [the university] will save money,” Perlman said. “So, we said, ‘How many people are picking the least expensive plan, and how much money are you saving?’ They won’t say.”

Perlman said that with retirements, sabbaticals, and healthcare savings, among various other savings, there should be enough to cover the cost of raising NTT staff salaries by 10 percent. They already found an extra $84,000 in the budget and Perlman thinks there’s more.

“Our numbers guys have done the calculations on this, and we think that there’s a lot more than they’re saying,” Perlman explained. “We think, if they do the math a little more robustly, they will find that there’s way more than the $84,000.”

Before WOUFT agrees to any proposals, Perlman said they want to know exactly how much the university will save when retirements, sabbaticals, and healthcare savings are accounted for.

“They promised us that information and haven’t given it to us,” he said. “Every day that they stall, the faculty [is] more angry that we’re not finished.”

Student confirms rapper B.o.B.’s theory

By: Katrina Penaflor 
Managing Editor

Debates are all the rage these days. I mean, look at all that stuff going on with politics. But the latest one that has the peoples’ attention, or at least whoever checked in on what B.O.B was tweeting on Jan. 24, is whether the earth is round or flat.

A WOU sophomore, who wishes to remain anonymous due to fear of immediate fame, spoke about the science behind this fiasco.

I felt he would be an accurate source since he was carrying a leather briefcase in the science building and claimed to have watched every episode of “Planet Earth” on Netflix.

“Yes, I believe the earth is flat, just like B.o.B. does. He’s only saying what everyone has been thinking forever,” said the sophomore, who for clarity reasons we’ll call Bob (Not to be confused with B.o.B. Look for the periods, people).

Bob went on to give the simplest explanation he could think of that he believed would convert all the “haters.”
“I dropped a basketball on the ground the other day and it didn’t go anywhere. If the earth was round that thing would’ve rolled all the way to the equator. It’s simple science,” he said.

Bob then proceeded to show me a variety of Instagram photos he took during a recent road trip to California where he pointed out all the “totally flat earth shots,” which were just large fields of grass.

“I’ve been on Google earth too. They try and trick you there with a round earth, but zoom in and keep clicking around—it’s all flat.”

Bob said he is grateful for B.o.B for speaking up about something so important. He also thanked his professors in the science department. He felt his former physics classes gave him the knowledge to back up B.o.B.’s claims: “Look, this is my second time taking physics 211. I think I know what I’m talking about.”

Well, after all that, I’m definitely convinced. To side with what B.o.B. himself tweeted, “once you go flat, you never go back.”

The accuracy of these events may be skewed because I wrote the entire thing in yellow crayon on yellow paper. For questions regarding this story please contact TheseAreNotRealE

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