business – The Western Howl

February 5, 2025

Written by: Hannah Field | Editor-in-Chief

Content warning: this article discusses violence against immigrants and children

Monday, Feb. 3, saw advocates across the state of Oregon — as well as the rest of the country — join together in protest to highlight the hard work of immigrants in America. Businesses closed, civilians marched and noise was made, with many protesters flocking to the streets. The protests saw increased engagement following President Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants in America, with many communities across the county witnessing deportation trucks in their neighborhoods.

The campaign, “Day Without Immigrants,” largely criticizes Trump’s mass deportation plan, following his attempts to end birthright citizenship and working to end the temporary citizenship granted to many immigrants to work in the United States. Advocates did not attend school nor work, boycotting businesses in an effort to showcase the impact and importance of immigrants. Many businesses closed in solidarity.

A major highway in Los Angeles, California, was closed down due to a massive march — igniting further protests in solidarity across America. More than 250 businesses were closed in Los Angeles during “Day Without Immigrants.”

District data recorded general Los Angeles school attendance from 93% on average for the year down to 63% for Monday, Feb. 3 — hundreds of students.

The “Day Without Immigrants” protest first occurred in 2017, following newly-elected President Trump’s insistence on building a wall along the United States’ southern border. Students were encouraged to stay home, while advocates boycotted businesses and did not go to work. Previously, a 2006 strike followed former President George W. Bush’s immigration reform plans, modeled similarly to “Day Without Immigrants.”

Despite Trump’s consistent assurance that only illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds will face deportation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed that all illegal immigrants are criminals, considering their mere presence in the country to be against the law.

Media reports indicate an unknown, but large, number of deportations since Trump was reintegrated into office — somewhere between hundreds and thousands, children included.

Many businesses, however, could not close despite heavy hearts and desires to join in on the protests. Disadvantaged business owners and employees risk losing financial stability by closing, tied in with fear of ICE raids, leaving many immigrants scared to leave their homes and workplaces. Additionally, some feared denying their communities necessary resources, such as grocery stores, and decided to stay in operation.

Portland, Oregon, saw dozens of protesters along Stark Street, showcasing signs, flags and posters.

Contact the author at howleditorinchief@wou.edu

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Winter term clubs

Written by: Isabelle Jones | Lifestyle Editor

Looking for ways to get involved outside of classes? Western provides a plethora of clubs that can entice any type of student. Whether it’s furthering knowledge within a degree, getting to know other people in the community or creating change, Western has so much to offer — come out and join a club.

WOU ASL Club (Instagram @wouasl)

An organization for the Deaf, Deaf+, Hard of Hearing and Hearing students at Western.

Aspiring Teachers Association (Instagram @wou.ata)

Supporting future educators from step one.

Associated Students of Western Oregon University (Instagram @aswou)

Advocators for students’ rights to the Western administration as well as the state of Oregon and the nation.

Board Game Club (Instagram @wou.board.game.club)

Bring games and find new friends.

Business And Economics Club (Instagram @woubeclub)

A space for students to have discussions, speakers, workshops and networking opportunities for the business and economics fields.

Creative Writers’ Guild (Presence https://wou.presence.io/organization/creative-writers-guild)

A place where all creative writers of any writing medium are welcome to write and share their work with the guild.

Criminal Justice Club (Instagram @wou.cjclub)

This organization discusses the justice system events and issues.

CRU (Instagram @cruatwou)

“We’re real people dealing with the real problems of living out a real faith in the real world.”

Exercise Science Club

Exercise science students get to connect with different community members in order to provide members with unique opportunities, networking, recreational activities and insight into potential future professions.

Meetings on the third Tuesday of every month in the Richard Woodcock Education Center, room 208.

Fiber Arts Club (Instagram @wou.fiberartsclub)

This is a club open to anyone, be it someone who has been crocheting or knitting for years or a complete beginner interested in learning a new craft.

Filipino American Association at Western Oregon University (Instagram @faa.wou)

Encouraging and promoting the culture of the Philippines among Filipinos and other students who want to learn about the customs and culture of the country.

Gerontological Society of America Student Chapter (https://www.geron.org/)

This campus chapter focuses on sharing gerontological knowledge, expertise and interest. A welcoming space for all students interested in gerontology to participate in social events, networking and service learning.

Kappa Delta Chi Sorority Inc. (Instagram @kdchibetadelta)

A sisterhood based on serving the community, upholding the values of unity, honesty, integrity and leadership, while also prioritizing academics, service and sisterhood.

KWOU Radio (Instagram @kwoustudios)

Student-run online radio station who are blasting away tunes, growing a music library and adding to the broadcast equipment supply.

Math Club (Instagram @woumathclub)

Open to anyone; come participate in Estimathon and Pi Day.

MECHA (Instagram @mechadewou)

A group focusing on community, support, activism and advocacy.

Model United Nations (Instagram @wou_mun)

An organization participating in a simulation of the United Nations where students act as delegates and work together to solve global issues.

Monmouth Student Nurses Association (Instagram @monmouthstudentnurses)

Students practicing diversity and inclusion through community outreach projects and volunteerism.

Native/Indigenous Culture Club (Instagram @wounativeclub)

Advocating for connections and friendships among the students at WOU who identify under the umbrella term of Native/Indigenous and corresponding supporters within a purely respectful space.

Natural Science Club (Instagram @wou_natural_science_club)

Providing hands-on, real-world activities beyond the lecture and lab, offering social and academic networks for students.

Omega Delta Phi Fraternity Inc. (Instagram @wou_knights)

A brotherhood dedicated to the needs and concerns of the community, which promotes the traditional values of unity, honesty, integrity and leadership.

Pre-Med Club (Instagram @woupremedclub)

Striving to be a safe space for any interested in pre-health and provide valuable connections and resources.

Pre-Nursing Club

A resource for students interested in the nursing field through virtual and in-person events.

Public Health Club (Instagram @wou.publichealthclub)

Provides a place for students interested in community health education and public health. Opportunities in networking, leadership, service learning and pre-professional training are available. Meetings are held Mondays bi-weekly from 12 – 1 p.m.

Resonate Church (Instagram @resonatemonmouth)

Come make lasting friendships and discover the purpose that one was made for.

Spanish Club (Instagram @wou_spanishclub)

A vibrant community where those come together to explore the language and Hispanic culture through a multitude of activities in a diverse, respectful and inclusive environment.

The Northwest Passage (Instagram @wounp)

The Passage has been in publication in one form or another for 80 years, supporting the creative arts every step of the way.

Unidos Club (Instagram @unidoswou)

Building community and creating a safe and supportive environment to help empower students to bravely fight social justice issues.

Western Oregon Swing Dance Club (Instagram @wouswingdance)

Concentrating on West Coast Swing and Single-Time Swing. No experience required.

Western Oregon University Fellowship (Instagram @wou_fellowship)

Creating diverse communities where students are safe to seek answers to spiritual and faith-based questions or concerns in life.

WOU Digital Games Club

Created for the purpose of maintaining a safe space for Western students to enjoy video games, and to foster such a community at Western. Meetings are 4 – 7 p.m. on Thursdays in the ITC, room 303.

WOU Student Veterans of America (Instagram @wousva)

Dedicated to fostering a sense of belonging, camaraderie and empowerment among student veterans, active-duty service members and their families within our university community.

Thespians Club (Insta @wouthespiansclub)

The Thespians Club here at Western provides, supports and advocates for educational, social and performance opportunities.

If interested in finding out more about Western affiliated clubs, check out their Involve pages at https://wou.presence.io/

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

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Get involved

Written by: Sadie Latimer | News Editor

Macy Clemens is the program assistant for marketing and virtual engagement. In Spring 2024, she graduated from Western with a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in marketing. On campus, Clemens promotes events and is passionate about encouraging students to participate in everything Western has to offer. Because of her interest, Clemens decided that Student Engagement was the perfect place for her.

One tool that Clemens hopes students take advantage of more often is Involve, which is a website that has lists of clubs, organizations and events on campus.

“With Involve, students can explore everything happening at campus at any given time. It’s like a personal event calendar for all things at (Western), which I think is helpful,” said Clemens. “Involve offers some cool opportunities and it helps students to gain skills and build their networks.” Upcoming events on campus include the “FEM in STEM Speaker Series” Nov. 14 from 4 – 5:15 p.m., the “Show of Green” event Nov. 14 from 8:30 – 8:50 a.m. with a veteran’s breakfast the same day at 9 a.m. Additional information on those events and others can be found through Involve.

“Involve can either be accessed through (your) portal, or you can download an app on your phone,” said Clemens. Students can connect the app to their Google calendar so they are notified when there is an event coming up. For many organizations and events, students can see more information and sign up directly on the Involve app or website. It also shows users how to contact many of the groups on campus.

“It’s more than an app though — It’s a way for students to find and build a community,” said Clemens. “Involve can help you get connected on campus. And it also helps make connections that extend beyond college.”

Clemens knows that students may be nervous to try clubs or go to events that are new to them, however, she believes that the experiences students will gain from getting involved will be invaluable.

“Branching out is what’s really important,” said Clemens. “Taking that first step and going to these different events is really helpful. You might realize it’s actually a lot better, even if (you were) nervous to branch out a little bit.”

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

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Long-running businesses are going bankrupt

Written by: Sierra Porter | Staff Writer

This year has been extremely hard on businesses; the large corporate businesses we are used to seeing on every street corner have not been exempt. The pandemic and quarantine inflicted lasting effects on these businesses, and the debt that racked up is too much to handle. High costs and growing debt are not the only setbacks these businesses are facing; competition with online retailers is taking them out completely. Some of these well-known businesses have been in the game for over 50 years, and by the end of 2024, they may be gone completely.

Rite Aid — After almost 60 years, Rite Aid is losing its battle of fighting a long chain of problems including lawsuits and debt from COVID-19. Similar to other pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, Rite Aid faced several lawsuits of filling unlawful opioid prescriptions for customers — adding to the tremendous debt they were already facing. Competition from other pharmacy chains like Amazon, Costco, Walmart and Target was also another huge setback. From March to May of 2023 alone, the company losses added up to $307 million — creating an ultimate 3.5 billion dollar debt. Rite Aid has now filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy — a form of bankruptcy that allows a company to stay in business in an attempt to restructure obligations — and many of its stores have been shut down.

Bed Bath & Beyond — Bed Bath & Beyond is known for having designer furniture, home goods and good quality houseware — now they are known for accounting for one of the largest retail bankruptcies in years. The company attempted to avoid bankruptcy by shrinking its businesses and also not giving severance to the laid-off employees of such businesses. To no avail, they were forced to file for bankruptcy and shut down almost 500 stores, including their secondary stores like Buy Buy BABYs. Fortunately for Bed Bath & Beyond, their bankruptcy was bought out by Overstock.com and is now a fully online retail store.

Party City -– The party is over at Party City as they’ve been forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to eliminate their 1.7 billion dollar debt. Party City has struggled to stay afloat as they are being weighed down by their competitors. Stores like Walmart and Target have all the party supplies people need and more, so there was almost no purpose for Party City. A bankruptcy agreement will have 800 Party City stores closed but a billion dollars will be eliminated from their debt for the purpose of restructuring. There may be hope for Party City.

SmileDirectClub -– SmileDirectClub was a teledentistry company that offered more affordable and physically appealing alternatives to expensive braces. They sold teeth aligners with the goal, “to continue to provide affordable and accessible oral care to its customers without disruption.” In its short run of less than 10 years, the company racked up an impressive $900 million in debt, along with a bad reputation from other medical groups, the business never financially recovered. After only three months of filing for Chapter 11, SmileDirect went fully bankrupt and shut down for good.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

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Pursue one’s dreams and become a business owner

Written by: Sierra Porter | Staff Writer

One of the greatest attractions Oregon has to offer is its large variety of unique, locally owned, creative businesses. These include businesses like food trucks, soap companies, haunted tours, bake shops, handmade items like clothes, jewelry and so much more. With a little bit of incentive and a lot of determination, one can turn their biggest passions into a career. Who wouldn’t want to be their own boss?

One of the benefits of starting one’s own business is having full creative freedom and connecting with the community through that creativity. In recent years, there have been increasing opportunities for those who have a passion for arts and handmade crafts.

Though one may not have their own store or permanent location to sell their products, there are numerous options to put oneself out there. Oregon has many seasonal/holiday markets, sporting events, local events and festivals that are open to local artists that allow them to get a chance to sell their wares.

Getting a business on its feet can be a daunting task and renting out a spot in these types of events may not be accessible to all; don’t worry, there are ways to get one’s business out there without worrying about the starting costs. For example, the Oregon State Fair offers various types of competitions that do not require an entry fee and can provide an opportunity to get one’s name out there. Competitions like these create an opportunity for the public to learn how businesses are made and how they work — it can even give one an opportunity to sell their products to locals.

Arts and crafts are not the only self-made business that is popular right now. Food trucks have also been increasingly popular throughout the years. It’s not necessary to go to culinary school or train under a star chef to be an amazing cook with creative ideas.

Again, with a little initiative and determination one can take their favorite cuisine to the next level in their own food cart. As someone who personally works for an artisan grilled cheese truck, believe me when I say it is possible to do anything one loves to do.

Regardless of what business one would like to pursue, there are many opportunities and benefits that come with all of them. Being one’s own boss means having the ability to create a schedule that is flexible and caters to one’s needs. If additional funds are needed, one can book more events; if one needs a break, they can give themselves a grace period that won’t affect any fiscal earnings. Overall, running a local business has so many positives for the owner and those working for the business, as well as the people in the community.

Don’t just take it from me— hear some insight from the real self-made business owner of SoCheesy food truck, Gary Cooper.

Cooper created his food truck business, So Cheesy, in 2016 and it has done nothing but grow since then. The best part, Cooper says, is “…putting a smile on customers’ faces – with the abundance of negativity in today’s society being able to provide a moment of comfort, peace and joy is rewarding.”

Cooper gave the Howl some valuable tips to share with those wanting to start their own business. He admits it can be scary and, “You never know what tomorrow will bring (so) move forward with courage.”

Cooper also recommends that it’s helpful to maintain a traditional job to cover financial needs — a young business has financial pressures so having another source of income in the beginning will be beneficial in the long run. His final tip was a simple but important one:

“Constant reinvestment is a key to growing your business.”

The longer one has a business the more changes will come related to trends, increasing demand, increased opportunities as well as learning what customers preferences are. Reinvestment to cater to changes like these will guarantee your business to grow.

Cooper encourages students to pursue their own businesses after college and says it’s a “…wonderful opportunity to exercise your potential.”

The ability to create a career of one’s own, based on individual creativity and passions, is something most desire in life, and it may not be as impossible as one may think.

Figuring out what to do after college is extremely intimidating and many students have an innate fear that they’ll be stuck in a job they hate for the rest of their lives. Starting a self-owned business has many responsibilities but the benefits are all worth it. Doing something that’s easy to love every day, creating connections with others, and having the freedom to make all the decisions sounds pretty awesome to me.

Contact the author at howlstaffwriter@wou.edu

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Dollar Tree opens in Independence

A new business moves into town

Mikayla Coleman | News Editor

Everyone’s favorite store where everything is just one dollar has made its way to the Monmouth-Independence area. Dollar Tree opened at the end of September and is ready to serve the community, catering to those in the market for everything from craft wire, to duct tape, to kitchen utensils or frozen burritos.

While the campus community loves the small town lifestyle that Monmouth offers, the need to drive at least fifteen minutes to get to something as simple as Walmart or the Dollar Tree can be difficult, even for ones that have resided here for several years. Pursuing higher education is a costly endeavor that leaves many students financially straining to keep up with even the most basic necessities.

Having a Dollar Tree a walkable distance away from Western will prove useful for the many students on campus that do not have cars. Plus, Dollar Tree has many accessible and cost effective items that make it very valuable to the town’s community. They carry everything from school supplies, to hand soap, to phone chargers at a very reasonable price. They also accept Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT).

The Dollar Tree located on 1401 Monmouth St. is open for business Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Contact the author at newseditor@thewesternhowl.com

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Petals & Vines is the grow-to place for plants

Local florist Petals & Vines is blooming with beauty

Natalie‌ ‌Dean‌ ‌|‌ ‌Entertainment‌ ‌Editor‌ ‌

Family owned and operated florist shop Petals & Vines has been established in Monmouth since April 2007 ⏤ run by the charming and welcoming mother and daughter duo, Maggie Triplet and Martha Zuck. When it comes to the variety of plants and items available, they have all the bells and whistles for any customer, occasion or budget. Martha describes their inventory as having everything from buying flowers by the stem, “big and bougie” trumpet-style flowers, or “low and lush” arrangements with styles in between that can have glass vases.

Zuck stated, “I’ve lived and breathed flowers since 1995, it’s second nature to me … I love working with my mom, being involved in the small-town community, and watching customers’ kids grow up through the years,” which is her favorite part about working with her mom.

With Valentine’s Day coming up and spring fast approaching, anyone can roam around in the nearly twenty different types of plants in their shop and soak in the greenery. Daily fresh-cut flowers, blooming bouquets, tropical plants, ferns, air and household plants are just a few choices.

“As Valentine’s Day comes up, wedding and proposal season usually comes right after,” Zuck pointed out.

No matter what the event or season, there are plenty of quality arrangements, plants and gifts like decor, cards, candies and stuffed animals. Dedicated to working with customers and their budgets, Petals & Vines has “$10 Tuesdays” where there are various plants and items available for $10. There are other deals that happen throughout the year, and they also do pickup and delivery services. If there’s ever a plant they don’t have in-store, they’re happy to order it.

Located at 410 Main St W East in Monmouth, patrons should also keep an eye out for JJ, their friendly orange cat that patrols the neighborhood. Additional details can be found on their Facebook at “Petals & Vines Flowers and Gifts,” and Instagram @petalsandvines. For any other questions or concerns, check out their website, petalsandvinesflorist.com or give them a call at 503-838-1773.

Contact the author at ndean17@wou.edu

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Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR is located within the traditional homelands of the Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya. Following the Willamette Valley Treaty of 1855 (Kalapuya etc. Treaty), Kalapuya people were forcibly removed to reservations in Western Oregon. Today, living descendants of these people are a part of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians.

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“Day Without Immigrants”

Winter term clubs

Get involved

Long-running businesses are going bankrupt

Pursue one’s dreams and become a business owner

Dollar Tree opens in Independence

Petals & Vines is the grow-to place for plants

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