covid – Page 2 – The Western Howl

Independence Cinema reopening after COVID closures

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

In February, movie theaters in Oregon were permitted to reopen under the official Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. However, some movie theaters such as the Independence Cinema delayed their reopening, citing concerns for the new strains of COVID-19 and wanting more viable movies to showcase in the theaters.

“The hardest thing on a small business so devastated by these closures would be to reopen only to have to close down again,” said Independence Cinema in a Feb. 23 Facebook post. “We did it this fall, and we could not repeat that scenario and survive.”

However, on March 10 the local theater announced that it would be reopening its doors on April 9.

“This was a very careful decision,” said a March 10 Facebook post, “with lots of planning, waiting and watching. We feel confident that everyone is ready to safely enjoy family entertainment again.”

The current plans for reopening entail operating daily with limited showtimes and adhering to industry-wide safety standards called CinemaSafe. Under these guidelines, all theaters are expected to require staff and patrons to wear masks, social distance audience members, increase ventilation where possible, provide hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content, disinfect the auditorium between showings, train staff on COVID-19 symptoms, make online tickets available for patrons and minimize cash transactions. In each state, theater capacity size varies depending on state governments mandates; in Oregon, it is contingent on a county’s COVID risk level.

As of March 26, Polk County Health officials reported the county qualified for the moderate risk level by having a 2% positivity rate and 72.3 cases per 100,000 people over the course of 14 days. As a result, Independence Cinema will have a maximum capacity of 50%.

At this time, the theater does not have an official schedule for their showings, but according to their Instagram page, they plan to open with “Voyagers,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” “Nobody,” “Chaos Walking,” “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Tom & Jerry.”

To ensure patron safety, the theater is implementing an RSVP system that can be done either online at www.independencecinema8.com or in person at the ticket counter located outside the theater.

If patrons are not comfortable with watching movies in person, the theater is still offering to-go concessions.

For further information or questions, visit their Facebook page @independencecinema8 or their Instagram @indycinema.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

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Northwest Housing Alternatives finishes College Manor renovations and mural

Northwest Housing Alternatives hosts big reveal of Monmouth project

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

During Spring Break, Northwest Housing Alternatives ⏤ a not-for-profit developer of affordable housing in Oregon ⏤ completed the renovations on College Manor apartment complex.

Starting back in Aug. of 2020, the organization began revamping the interior design, mainly with the replacement of existing, domestic and wastewater systems and updating the bathrooms. External renovations included siding and window replacements on North and South elevations, exterior stairs and enclosure replacements, adding accessible ramps and walkways, mow strips, sealcoat and restriping the parking lot.

“Affordable housing that is well cared for is an increasingly rare resource all across Oregon, especially in smaller/rural communities,” said Northwest Housing Alternatives housing developer Clayton Crowhurst. “Ensuring that this property continues to be … affordable for many years to come and isn’t sold to a market rate developer that will raise rents and let housing vouchers expire is critical.”

Over the course of the build, the update encountered setbacks, including a four-week delay due to COVID-19 and the Sept. Oregon wildfires, replacing moldy refrigerators and collecting funding.

“The most challenging part of any project like this is obtaining the funding to do it and then getting the many different funders and attorneys involved to all sign off on the project,” said Crowhurst. “The closing process occurred right at the start of COVID and came in right under the wire as several other projects had major funders pull out at the last minute due to fear about what the economy was going to do.”

However, the project was able to be fully funded by the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, Housing Partnership Fund and a perm loan with Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credit. During COVID and the wildfires, Crowhurst stated the cost of materials rose significantly, causing a challenge to remain within budget. According to Crowhurst, the construction team of 80 to 100 people remained within budget, totaling $4,553,747 for labor and cost of materials.

In addition to the construction, Northwest Housing Alternatives implemented a mural ⏤ painted by Portland artist Heidi Schultz ⏤ to showcase during their small presentation to the public.

“The two of us just kicked back and forth a few different design ideas,” said Crowhurst, “and we really settled on the oak tree … It encompasses the themes of growing but also being sturdy and providing shelter during changing times. It captured a bunch of those things that embody our organization.”

Crowhurst explained that the organization is not out to make a quick dollar, and genuinely cares for its people. Being able to provide 3,000 Oregonians with a place to call home every single night ⏤ because housing is a human right and no one should have to choose between food, housing or healthcare ⏤ makes him proud to be affiliated with Northwest Housing Alternatives.

Although there were renovations done to College Manor, current rents will not be increased. For more information about the organization, visit their website at https://nwhousing.org/#.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

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Making Spring Break safe

Five precautions to take if traveling for Spring Break

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

This Spring Break may look similar to the one in 2020, but luckily, we’ve had much more time to prepare for 2021. While the Center for Disease Control and Prevention continues to discourage unnecessary travel, it cannot be denied that many of us are ready to get out and enjoy the break. If leaving home or school for Spring Break, follow these tips for safe travels.

Consider household members: Remember that traveling can also put roommates and family at risk for COVID-19 upon returning. Plan a trip with household members to keep social circles small, and self isolate for one week after arriving home. Or, hold off on traveling entirely if someone is at high risk for contracting COVID.

Plan ahead: COVID regulations change constantly, and every place has different requirements for travelers. Research the destination’s local, statewide and nationwide regulations about travel, lodging, entertainment and eateries beforehand. Get tested for COVID one to three days before leaving, and print out negative test results to present just in case.

Car or plane?: While planes have great air circulation, crowded airports do not, making contracting COVID more likely when traveling by plane. Road trips are easier to maintain social distancing, even with stops for gas and rest areas. Packing food from home can also prevent exposure at restaurants or grocery stores. If still planning to fly, double check requirements for travel ⏤ such as presenting a negative COVID test ⏤ and try to avoid layovers.

Pack the new essentials: Among a toothbrush and a phone charger, some new items have become essential for travel. Don’t forget to pack masks and extra filters, hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content, disinfecting wipes and disposable gloves. Always wear a mask in shared spaces, like rest areas and hotel hallways, and use hand sanitizer regularly if soap and warm water is not available.

Take it outside: The COVID virus is much less likely to spread in well ventilated areas where social distancing can be maintained, so try to spend Spring Break outdoors. Take a day trip to a park or beach, go camping or enjoy outdoor activities such as swimming and hiking. If visiting with others, sit outside to eat and chat if possible.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

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West Valley Hospital moves second vaccine distribution site to WOU

Western’s Pacific Room is being used to allocate COVD-19 vaccine during Phase 1A

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

Last week, West Valley Hospital relocated their second distribution site for the COVID-19 vaccine from the Polk County fairgrounds to Western’s campus.

“We were able to put up our first week there,” said Pathway Program and Community Outreach Administrator Jenny Von Derahe. “We moved here because it’s a central location and the technology is adequate for our needs.”

According to Von Derahe, the clinic was furnished in a day with the help of hospital facility workers, the environmental services team and kitchen staff.

“It feels safer and more comfortable than the fairgrounds,” said Polk County resident Wendy Brockhouse. “It just seemed weird in the big old barns … this just seems more a part of the community and safer.”

At this time Western is not charging West Valley to rent out the Pacific Room. According to Von Derahe, Western is not funding employment for the workers or volunteers of the clinic, however there are discussions of potentially allowing Western students interested in the medical field to volunteer at the clinic. Additionally, the clinic is not administering vaccines to administrators, faculty, staff or students unless they qualify within Phase 1A.

“One positive that’s come out is the collaborations that have taken place,” said Western Alumnus and District 1 Polk County Fire Chief Ben Stange.

Stange explained that Western has worked extensively with the community to facilitate a functional clinic on its campus.

“The Pacific Room would normally be used for this or that … but we (Western) can’t have events so it’s available. So what can we do to help the larger cause,”said Stange.

According to the Oregon Health Authority, Polk County has partially vaccinated 8.5% of its population and fully vaccinated less than 1% of the population.

“It’s been such a huge deal to our people,” said Stange. “We were transporting positive patients every couple days, and it’s been difficult to see. The opportunity to actually hands on start to fix a problem that we’ve really felt we’ve had zero control over has been nice.”

Stange explained that, just like other health care professionals, their focus is to take care of people during emergency situations.

“There hasn’t been anything really till this moment that we’ve felt like we can do to make a large impact,” said Stange.

At this time, West Valley is charging a $60 administration fee for the vaccine that will be billed to the patient’s insurance. If uninsured, the hospital waives the fee. Due to the unpredictability of vaccine dose delivery, clinics are not open daily. To learn about hours and vaccination qualifications, visit their website at salemhealth.org.

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

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COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Oregon

Oregon enters Phase 1A of vaccine delivery initiative

Sydney Carpenter | News Editor

In late December, select Oregon residents received doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

To deliver the vaccine to all Oregonians, the state has implemented a three-phase rollout plan. On Jan. 5, Oregon began Phase 1A of its vaccination schedule. In Phase 1A, the Oregon Health Association lists in its plan: hospital workers and first responders, elderly and those involved in their care, prison doctors, clinics serving high-risk groups, visiting nurses/home health care providers, other health care providers and funeral home workers to be vaccinated first.

Over 51,000 Oregonians have received the first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine since the beginning of 2021, whereas only nine people have completed the two doses required for full vaccination according to covidvaccine.oregon.gov. Currently, the CDC reports Oregon has delivered over 117,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine and over 121,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Currently Pfizer and Moderna are known to have three major differences, including age restrictions, temperature storage requirements and length of time between each dose. In comparison to Pfizer, the Moderna vaccine can be kept at -4 °F, whereas Pfizer’s must be kept at -94 °F. Additionally, a person must be at least 18 years old or older to receive the Moderna vaccine and the two doses must be administered 28 days apart in comparison to Pfizer’s 21-day separation, which has an age restriction of 16 years.

On Dec. 22, West Valley Hospital in Dallas received its first shipment of Moderna vaccine according to a press release by Salem Health.

“For decades, West Valley Hospital has been providing a wide range of quality care to residents of Polk County,” said West Valley Hospital Chief administrative officer and licensed registered nurse Brandon Schmidgall in the press release. “Today we begin offering a new and historic service — the COVID-19 vaccine — first to our health care heroes, but eventually to our small-town community.”

As of Jan. 5, Polk County has vaccinated 1% of an estimated 82,000 residents according to the OHA. Local clinics like Western’s Student Health and Counseling Center have not received COVID vaccines yet; although, on Dec. 22, Oregon added educators to the list.

“Teachers have recently been added to Phase 1A and who that all includes will need to be more clearly defined by OHA,” said Polk County Public Health Administrator Jacqui Umstead. “We will work with Western Oregon University, and other local educational institutions to ensure that both staff and students have access to the vaccine, when it is their turn.”

Contact the author at scarpenter18@mail.wou.edu

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Editorial: Current information keeps our staff and students safe

Increased communication is crucial to the community

The Editorial Board

It has been a little over nine months since students from Western and around the world have adapted to a new, virtual lifestyle. All things considered, Western has done as much as they can to provide us with a safe environment. However, there is a need for more transparency with information regarding positive cases, and further precautions to be taken on campus.

Some of the controversies started when Western took a long time to announce that fall term would be taught virtually, leaving students abroad scrambling to prepare for another stressful term. And then, Western failed to be clear with their community about the number of COVID-19 cases.

Information regarding the number of positive coronavirus cases has been notoriously hard to track down due to privacy concerns. However, the university can disclose these numbers while still respecting the patient’s privacy. Plenty of other universities disclosed their numbers to the community, all while respecting the boundaries of privacy. Oregon State University reported a total of seven confirmed cases as of Nov. 4; and, Southern Oregon University has 19 confirmed cases — they even specified if the individual lived on or off campus. Additional information is posted on both of the university’s websites, under “OSU-Cascades Dashboard” and “SOU COVID-19 Cases.”

Eventually, Western followed suit. Now, as of Nov. 16, there are less than 10 confirmed cases in the community. This information, while originally hard to find, is now updated and available at wou.edu/coronavirus/.

While it is reasonable to respect the privacy of positive patients, Western shouldn’t have left their community in the dark for as long as they did. These numbers inform whether or not safety protocols are working or if they need to change.

With those things out of the way, it’s safe to assume that some students of Western appreciate the improved effort. But now, a new problem has arisen in regards to COVID testing for both staff and students. When further researched, it is inconclusive if free testing is offered for staff.

If you were to look on the COVID-19 webpage — which is ridiculously difficult to navigate by the way — they detail the steps you can take if you are seeking testing. However, the webpage doesn’t help you understand whether or not you should seek a test in the first place. How are students who may be asymptomatic supposed to know what to do? None of this is specified.

The problem is if you check “yes” on the CDC’s survey that you’ve been in contact with someone who tested positive, they will tell you to wait out the 14-day isolation, and if you develop symptoms at the end of that period, you go take the test. While there’s quite a bit of information regarding symptomatic cases, there’s not a lot of specification for asymptomatic cases, which leaves folks uninformed.

Western is a smaller school with already limited funding and budget cuts left and right, so we may be tight on funding, but that doesn’t mean that people deserve to be uninformed. Transparency with Western students and the greater community is what establishes a trusting and close-knit feeling for everyone, especially for a small town like Monmouth.

Students who are looking for information on testing can find it at wou.edu/coronavirus/students. If an appointment needs to be set up, call the Student Health and Counseling Center at 503-838-8313.

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Six ways to celebrate Thanksgiving during COVID

Enjoy Thanksgiving together while social distancing

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

COVID-19 has impacted nearly every aspect of our lives, including celebrating holidays. It’s important to stay safe and protect loved ones by maintaining social distancing and adhering to state and national guidelines. Here are some new Thanksgiving traditions to try with family and friends this year.

1) Virtual gathering: With numerous communication options available ⏤ such as FaceTime, Skype, Google Meet and Zoom ⏤ scheduling a virtual meeting with family and friends can be a good replacement for in-person celebrations. Each family can prepare a feast at their own tables while enjoying the company of others through a computer screen. Set a laptop at one end of the table and chat away.

2) Exchange Thanksgiving dishes: If loved ones live nearby, consider swapping side dishes. Have each household make one side dish — mashed potatoes, a casserole or a salad to name a few — and leave a dish on one another’s doorstep. If close relatives live some distance away, band together with neighbors to create a contactless potluck.

3) Share recipes: As opposed to cooking for one another, design and send loved ones recipe cards. Go old-fashioned and send a notecard in the mail, or simply text and email the recipes. Send them ahead of time so that everyone can make each other’s favorite dishes on Thanksgiving Day.

4) Movie marathon: Enjoy some holiday classics with the household or watch one of each person’s favorite. Use Teleparty ⏤ a Google Chrome extension ⏤ to watch along with friends and family, no matter how far they are. Leave movies playing all day, or begin the morning by watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade before jumping into movies.

5) Outdoor games: If the weather permits, try hosting some games outdoors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, gathering outdoors promotes social distancing and is better ventilated than indoors. Cornhole, soccer, bocce ball and Kan Jam are just a few games to be played outside, or simply toss around a football.

6) Give back: There are also many ways to help in the community this Thanksgiving. Collect canned foods and nonperishable goods to donate to a local food bank. The Food Pantry at Western is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for two hours each day; check their website — wou.edu/foodpantry — for updates. Alternatively, donate money to local organizations and charities, or cook a meal for a homebound neighbor.

No matter how Thanksgiving is celebrated this year, remember to maintain social distancing when possible and wash hands often.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

Western Oregon University’s Land Acknowledgement
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.

Accessibility Public Records Privacy Student Consumer Information

WOU prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by WOU.

Independence Cinema showings begin April 9

Northwest Housing Alternatives finishes College Manor renovations and mural

Making Spring Break safe

West Valley Hospital moves second vaccine distribution site to WOU

COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Oregon

Editorial: Current information keeps our staff and students safe

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