Mount Hood

Ten years later…

Written by: Gretchen Sims | Editor-In-Chief     Hannah Field | News Editor

Western has been a key leader among Oregon Public Universities when it comes to sustainability practices. Ackerman Hall, as one example, was not only built to be sustained by solar power — Ackerman has two types of solar panels that reduce its residents’ energy consumption by 35 percent — but goes so far as to have a built-in, 30,000-gallon tank to harvest rainwater, reducing 50 percent of potable water usage by flushing toilets.

More recently, Western saw the implementation of the ReWOUsable To-Go Container program which has helped limit excess waste of to-go boxes. Additionally, Campus Dining has a Sustainable Dining Program that works to decrease its carbon footprint by buying from local vendors to support small businesses and sustainable practices, decreasing transportation costs, when possible, and opting to compost over throwing out leftover food. 

University Housing has also moved to establish a comprehensive recycling program to decrease Western’s carbon footprint further. 

However, Western has not always had a history of supporting calls of action for climate change or sustainability, whether coming from within the house — students, staff and faculty — or community members. 

In 2014, Mark Van Steeter, a current Sustainability Professor but Geography Professor at the time, encouraged Western to take a step further in the fight against climate change and pushed to further its sustainability progressivism. Van Steeter began advocating for divestment from fossil fuels, alongside the Environmental Club on campus.

“Unlikely, but you may ask ‘why divest from fossil fuels?’ The reason is that industry must adapt rapidly to a lower carbon energy source in order to remain profitable and contain the potentially disastrous consequences of global warming. The science is extraordinarily clear. A warmer planet is not inherently a problem, the problem is that we have based industrialized society on the assumption of a stable climate and now our population numbers which increase by a quarter of a million a day cannot be sustained if significant climate disruptions continue and grow,” Van Steeter said in an email to Tommy Love and Former Western President Mark Weiss, Sept. 22, 2014. 

The day after Van Steeter reached out to Love and Weiss, an email was sent out to students and staff that read:

“I believe it may be time to start a campaign at (Western). Since we are a small university with

minimal ties to the fossil fuel industry, it may be an easy statement for us to make regarding our

vision and integrity. It is an opportunity to give (Western) public attention regarding our investment in a prosperous future for our students.” 

On Oct. 9, Van Steeter began to receive pushback for his persistence in the divestment plan. This was said in an email from James Baumgartner, the Chair of the WOU Foundation at that time:

“However, it is not appropriate, nor can I see it as anything other than a strategy to agitate, for you to make inquiries directly to the (WOU) Foundation’s investment advisor. No such firm would make disclosures about its client’s investments to random public inquiries, nor should they, and I can’t imagine me ever asking your advisors or PE(E)RS for your investment information (much less, expect them to provide it)… I will give your request appropriate consideration. However, at this point, the Foundation has decided it will not actively pursue a fossil fuel divestment policy.” 

After these email exchanges, both a student and Western Alumni requested to present before the WOU Foundation concerning the divestment, but both were denied.

On Nov. 13, 2014, Weiss divulged in an op-ed article for the Statesman Journal that, while climate change needs immediate action, divestment was not the solution. Van Steeter responded Nov. 19, also via an Opinion piece in the Statesman Journal, urging Weiss to divest. 

A few days later, Nov. 22, student activists collected over 250 peer signatures in support of divestment. 

The Foundation responded to pressure from students and staff by conducting a hearing Jan. 9, 2015, with Baumgartner and Tommy Love, executive director of the Office of University Advancement and WOU Foundation at that time. Former Western student, Beth Bello, was in attendance at this meeting. Bello founded the Environmental Club in the fall of 2014 and acted as president until she graduated in the spring of 2016. 

Both Van Steeter and Bello reported that, in this meeting, Baumgartner informed the group that he was a paid lawyer for Tar Sands Oil extraction from Canada and the Keystone Pipeline. He then went on to tell the divestment group that fossil fuel divestment would not be on the Foundation’s meeting agenda due to an incomplete proposal. 

Van Steeter attests that “All information regarding questions was provided, but not in the appropriate format.”

Baumgartner recommended the divestment advocates present before the Planned Giving and Finance Committee of the Foundation which, if found favorable, could land them back on the agenda.

The Western Howl, known at that time as the Western Oregon Journal, reported on previous meetings discussing divestment in Nov. of 2014. “…in attendance at the meeting was Tommy Love, executive director in the Office of University Advancement and WOU Foundation. Love said divesting is a complicated issue and the foundation wants to make sure they do what’s right,” wrote Laura Knudson, a former Editor-In-Chief.

Also in that article, Love reportedly said, “‘I don’t want students to think that the foundation and myself do not recognize the issue of climate change…’ Divesting is ‘one way to do it, but let’s have a campus-wide conversation to address global climate change.’”

“Unfortunately, I am not surprised that (Western)’s Board has chosen to ignore student voices and undeniable scientific evidence on the issue of climate change. During our meeting with the board in January of 2015, the chair of the WOU Foundation, Jim Baumgartner, revealed that he was a paid lawyer for Tar Sands Oil extraction from Canada and the Keystone Pipeline. He made it abundantly clear that he was worried about his personal investments and had no intention of voting to divest due to this conflict of interest. I think the entire divestment team lost hope at his words,” said Bello. 

Bello is now a teacher at North Salem High School and teaches AP Human Geography, following in Van Steeter’s footsteps. 

“At the time of our meeting, (Western)’s mission statement included the assertion that (Western) ‘Continuously improves our educational, financial, and environmental sustainability.’ One of our main arguments in the divestment campaign was that (Western)’s board was not living up to its mission statement. Nine years later, the university has removed all mention of environmental sustainability and global citizenship. I have to admit, I think it’s because they realized we were right,” said Bello.  

While the Board meeting did not end in the divestment group’s favor, Bello still managed to take something away from the experience. 

“In a way, the board’s decision not to divest from fossil fuels has empowered me. It took time, but it helped me to understand the terrible cost of human greed and how insignificant my efforts were in combating that. If we had gotten what we wanted, I might have thought that creating change is easy — all you have to do is collect signatures and wave signs and point out hypocrisy — but that’s not true. Change has to come from the top. Only constant economic pressure from citizens will force governments and industries into changing,” said Bello.

This meeting was not wholly unsuccessful for those in favor of Western’s divestment from fossil fuels. 

A Socially Responsible Fund was established in 2016, which promised a divestment from fossil fuels when the fund reached $20,000. 

“(The WOU Foundation) did make a fund that does not invest in fossil fuels or tobacco, but to my knowledge, it’s just sitting there with a small amount of money in it. And not promoted at all,” Van Steeter said.

Van Steeter, himself, donated to the fund alongside a small group of colleagues however, no changes have been spotted in regards to the promotion of the Socially Responsible Fund from 2016, the same fund that Mark and two other colleagues donated to close to eight years ago.

“On the divestment scene, I submitted to the faculty senate (a proposal) and the faculty senate passed it, approved it. But the faculty senate is simply an advisory body. And the foundation, more or less, kept telling me to get lost and would agree to meet with students, but then basically do nothing. It was a pretty interesting experience seeing how you can play like you’re acting with integrity, but you aren’t… It was a little humbling,” said Van Steeter. 

More recently, a member of the Monmouth-Independence Climate Task Force, a community group, approached Western with an idea that could both make the campus more sustainable and save the the college money — all at little or no cost due to federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act  One task force member, Skip Wenz writes a column for several newspapers in the Willamette Valley titled “Your Ecological House.” While this column first started as a sustainable home renovation guide, it has now turned into a discussion about climate change. 

Wenz also was the founder and Director of the Ecological Design Program at the San Francisco Institute of Architecture, and has worked in the sustainability field for several decades.

Wenz first met solar expert, Dan Orzech of the Oregon Clean Power Cooperative, at a church in Salem that had recently installed solar panels — Orzech led this project, as well as a project to install solar panels at Oregon State University. 

In 2022, President Joseph Biden signed the IRA, providing major tax incentives for not-for-profit institutions to switch to clean energy. Wenz thought that this might be a good opportunity for Western.

“He and I, and a couple of members of our little group actually scoped out a map, a Google map, of the campus online. And he had a couple of ideas of where, you know, just from looking at the map, where some (solar panels might go),” Wenz said. 

It was around this time when Wenz began to correspond with Western’s Current President, Jesse Peters. Wenz pitched an IRA funded solar panel installation idea to Peters.

“He gave me the name of somebody there that he wanted me to write, who I did write two or three times and never heard back from,” Wenz said. 

“I’m not sure what, if anything, could happen (because of The Inflation Reduction Act). From what I know, the best way for this college to get its hands on federal money (is) to do more solar stuff. (Western could) hire (Orzech) as a consultant to plan a solar installation with IRA funding, because he’s an expert and he’s done it on several (occasions). Western Oregon is qualified, it’s a type of institution that they specifically designed this money to go to,” said Wenz. 

After not getting a response to his numerous emails, Wenz stopped pushing. 

“I didn’t wanna push too hard because I didn’t wanna alienate anybody, especially Jesse Peters… he did what a good administrator does, which is, send me to somebody else… And for all I know, you know, somebody over there is already working on it, but I haven’t heard anything about it,” Wenz said. 

Sustainable practices are usually associated with climate change, but there would be other benefits that Western could gain by switching to a local power source such as solar panels. 

“If you are replacing a consumable, like electricity, that you are buying from someone else, with what we could call capital expenses, which is equipment you buy once, and then you can use it for 20 years, you’re stabilizing the costs of the power you generate, and so the fluctuations in the electricity market won’t affect you as drastically. If you either set it up as a microgrid to be independent from the larger grid, or you add local storage, you buy resiliency in the case of natural disasters,” said Stephen Howard, a member of the Monmouth-Independence Climate Task Force. 

Howard’s interest in climate issues began when he was a student studying architecture — which led to an interest in urban design. During his nearly 25 years in the industry, Howard has learned that “…a lot of the solutions, certainly not all of them, but many solutions, to the climate (are) in the urban design space, in terms of how our buildings are built and how we access services and work and school. Where you live and how it’s developed (has) a lot to do with your personal carbon footprint, more than what you choose to buy or what you own.”

Howard mentioned that the Monmouth-Independence community that surrounds Western would also benefit from the university generating its own electricity with the installation of solar panels. 

“This is an indirect benefit to Western, but the amount of electricity that our community pulls from Bonneville, we pay a certain rate, a wholesale rate to Bonneville, and as the amount of electricity our community demands goes up, we will eventually hit a higher tier price for that electricity, so the more electricity we generate locally, the more we push off that date of having to pay more for our power. So whether it’s Western, or the local governments, or the school district, or individual homeowners, the more local power we generate, the cheaper we keep our electricity,” Howard said. 

Upon contacting President Peters for a comment, he offered one statement and redirected the rest of his questions to the Director of Marketing and Communications, Maureen Brakke, who also acts as the Public Information Officer for Western.

“Though it can be a slow and difficult process, (Western) has taken steps over the years to address sustainability. This is particularly important in a time of rapidly changing climate, and even small actions can make a difference. I have no doubt that the students and employees in our community will continue to find ways to be part of the solution,” Peters said. 

Brakke commented on some ways Western Students have previously practiced sustainability. “Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, (Western)’s residence halls had a Green Team whose purpose was to implement and coordinate the residence hall recycling program which included collection and maintenance of centralized recycling locations throughout the residence halls. Additionally, they provided educational programming that increased environmental and sustainability awareness within the residence halls. This program isn’t currently active but it is a sustainability initiative that they plan to bring back soon,” said Brakke. 

It has yet to be seen who is in charge of the initiative or when it will be revived.

“Regarding your foundation investment question, the WOU Foundation Board established a Socially Responsible Fund in 2016, and we will continue to seek growth in that account. The leadership at the Foundation has changed a lot since then, but we are exploring new ways to promote and grow the fund,” Brakke said. 

The WOU Foundation did not respond to Van Steeter’s emails or calls in his effort to provide accurate, up-to-date information regarding the fund. 

“We hope to continue to make ongoing improvements to reducing, reusing and recycling on campus, and become more energy efficient, looking at using more efficient appliances, lighting, etc. Our community is also engaged in more walking, biking, carpooling and using our local Trolley, we encourage our community to continue to utilize these more environmentally friendly modes of transportation when possible. We also actively plant new trees where we have to remove trees on campus. As a public university, we follow Oregon state laws and policies regarding environmental regulation,” said Brakke.

In the end, it’s important to foster open, productive conversations about climate change. It’s easy to advocate for climate change by sounding alarms about the negative consequences of not taking action, but “…that’s really only half the conversation. We need to spend at least as much effort imagining how much better things will be when we get this right,” said Howard.

“I think as much as we need the warnings of what could go wrong, we also need something to look forward to. And without both, I think it’s a lot harder to get people on board, avoiding something that seems sort of nebulous and negative versus having a goal to reach for. And so I would encourage the campus, whether it’s the student body, or the staff and faculty, or everybody combined, to really think about the positives and what we could have if we put the work in now to build a better future,” Howard continued. 

“For a while, losing the fight for divestment made me feel hopeless, but I don’t feel that way anymore. It taught me about the insidious and pervasive reach of the oil industry. The whole experience taught me that I have a voice that can be used for change, and even if that change doesn’t happen overnight, I am one of countless people that will collectively use our voices to transform the world,” said Bello. 

“I’m not saying that we should throw all our money into sustainability and then have the rest of the university collapse,” said Van Steeter. “But we need to start putting it on the agenda whenever we’re making decisions… I would love to have Western be this icon of a small public university that focuses on sustainability and offers these really high-quality programs with small class sizes. We have all the tools to do that — (Western is) really just beautiful.”

Van Steeter remains hopeful that someday the college will divest from fossil fuels.

Contact the authors at howleditorinchief@wou.edu and howlnews@wou.edu 

ASWOU elections

Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor

The Associated Students of Western are expecting to elect President Brenda Rocio Martinez, Vice President Fernando Robles and Judicial Administrator Morgan Pemberton into office for the 2024-2025 academic school year. The trio is running as a team and remains unopposed.

Expected incoming president, Rocio Martinez, described herself as a proud first-generation Latina student at Western. “I am running for ASWOU President to represent and support all students who want their voices heard. My candidacy is driven by my understanding of the unique challenges and aspirations of being the first in my family to pursue higher education,” she wrote on Presence, the website permitting for the ASWOU election.

“I am committed to using my and others’ perspectives to advocate for crucial changes that support our diverse student populations, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued.”

Rocio Martinez explained her initiatives to be primarily focused on bridging connections between students and higher-ups in attempts to “enrich the university experience.” Simultaneously, Rocio Martinez pledges to expand relationships, resources and support for everyone.

Robles, running for Vice President, left a statement as well: “I’m running for vice president because I would want to make an impact on campus.”

Judicial Administrator candidate Pemberton stated, “I’m running for judicial office because I care deeply about our campus community and making sure everyone’s voice is heard… One thing you should know about me is that I’m all about diversity and inclusion. I truly believe that embracing our differences makes our community stronger and more vibrant.”

Pemberton also promoted creating a collective judicial system that properly reflects the campus’s values and promotes fairness and equality in the community.

ASWOU opened elections March 8 and cannot conclude until 10 percent of the student body has voted — allowing for enough student voices to be heard so that the results can be deemed fair.

All other open positions allow for write-in candidates, meaning that anyone may be named to potentially fill the position. The write-in positions include the following: Senate President; three openings on the Incidental Fee Committee; 11 openings for ASWOU Senate: Senate Candidates; and three openings for the ASWOU Judicial Board: Judicial Candidates.
As of May 29, voting is still ongoing. To vote, students must list their V number and certify that they are Western students and will abide by the election results.


Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

A love letter…

Written by: Lili Minato | Freelancer

The most underdog a wolf can get, Waldo, a.k.a. “Wolfie” was employed as Western’s mascot for only five years. While he looks like a vintage Build-a-Bear with his black and brown fur, his red eyes emit a feeling of danger. 

His tongue falls from his mouth in a dorky fashion and a singular sharp tooth can be seen — Waldo seems to be the mascot equivalent of a chihuahua with no teeth. Waldo is a dog, not a wolf — and he brings a sense of pack comradery that only wolves know best. 

Waldo is disliked by many. In Leanne Merrill’s “Math of Voting” class, he is consistently voted last compared to the 1981, 1988 and 2006 mascots. His head is left to gather dust in Western’s buildings, nobody leaves flowers and letters to appreciate him like he deserves. 

Yes, some may describe him as “nightmare fuel,” but others consider him to not be threatening enough to defend Western sports teams. Is he too scary, or not enough?

Waldo is the best mascot because of his subjective ambiguity. A rival sports team may laugh at his awkward qualities, but once they go up and look into his eyes, they’re petrified. 

Waldo is a guard dog in that way, he brings comfort and safety to his own while defending them against others. His heroic nature is not appreciated enough, because some may find him just a little too dorky to be intimidating. 

This retired mascot used to bring joy to Western students, but now his head sits in a glass box, alone and unloved. Students walk past him each day without even glancing his way. We must end Waldo’s suffering by starting to appreciate him more. 

We must support and love his lack of typical wolf qualities, as it makes him different and unique. His comically long tongue has value along with adding importance to his personality and character. 

While he might not have many teeth, he sure packs a bite to battle off other intruding mascots. His fuzzy body invites comfort for those in need. 

There is more to Waldo than what meets the eye. He represents Western to the fullest because of his uniqueness. People may see themselves represented in him, through his lovable and awkward qualities and mannerisms. All one needs to do is open their heart, even if it is to one of the uglier and goofier mascots that Western has to offer. 

Contact the author at lminato22@mail.wou.edu

Upcoming events

Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor

May 23 — 

The S’More You Know

6 p.m. at the firepit outside of the Werner University Center

Join the Office of Student Conduct in roasting marshmallows and making s’mores outside on campus with a chance to walk away with some prizes.

May 24 —

4-Hour Workshop with Jessica Rehfield Community Building: Safety Concerns

12 p.m. in Campbell Hall

Salem artist, Jessica Rehfield, will be returning to offer advice, feedback and reviews on previously submitted artistic proposals. This event will be open to all students and campus organization affiliates.

ASL Club: ASL Club’s 30th Birthday

6 p.m. in RWEC 101

The ASL Club will be celebrating 30 years of registered clubhood on campus. The event will be held in ASL only.

May 28 —

ASL Club: Video Game Night

6 p.m. in RWEC 202

Catch the ASL Club hosting a group game night in ASL only. The calendar posting cheers “Let’s go, gamers!”

May 29 —

Free Meditation Group on Campus

6 p.m. in the Santiam Room of the Werner University Center

“Join us Wednesday night for gentle yoga stretches, guided meditation, Yoga Nidra and kirtan music meditation.”

John Proctor is The Villain: Spring Theatre Department Production

At a rural high school in Georgia, a group of lively teens are studying ‘The Crucible’ while navigating young love, sex ed, and a few school scandals. Holding a contemporary lens to the American classic, they begin to question who is really the hero and what is the truth, discovering their own power in the process. Alternately touching and bitingly funny, this new comedy captures a generation in mid-transformation, running on pop music, optimism, and fury, writing their own coming of age story.”

According to the calendar description, Guest Faculty Director Raissa Fleming will be directing, and the play will run May 29, 30, 31 and June 1 at 2 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m. and June 1 at 2 p.m. will be interpreted in ASL. The show will be viewed in Rice Auditorium at 344 Knox St N, Monmouth, OR. Lot B on Knox Street will host free parking.

Students get in free with their student ID. General admission tickets are $14, while student general admission is $8. Tickets for senior citizens and Western faculty and staff are $10.

“Advisory: John Proctor is the Villain contains racist/sexist micro aggressions, depictions of grooming and abusive relationship dynamics, discussion of sexual assault and exploitation.”

May 31 —

Ho’ike 2024

5 p.m. in the Pacific Room of the Werner University Center

“In Hawaiian, Ho’ike means ‘to show or exhibit.’ Ho’ike at (Western) is a show that will exhibit our culture through student performances. Similar to a Luau experience, at Ho’ike, you get to enjoy Hula performances, a traditional Hawaiian dinner, a chance to win local/Hawaiian goods and so much more.”

Tickets for Western students cost $12 and public tickets are $15.

June 4 —

ASL Club – Deaf LGBTQ+ Panel

6 p.m. in RWEC 202

In celebration of Pride month, ASL Club will be hosting a panel acknowledging Deaf Queer individuals and groups. The event will be in ASL only.

June 5 —

Groove in the Grove

8 p.m.

“Get groovy” and participate in plenty of activities, games and DJ performances.

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

Western’s spring dance concert

Written by: Claire Phillips | Entertainment Editor

On May 9, 10 and 11, Western hosted its Spring Dance Concert in Rice Auditorium. Each choreographer, costume designer, lighting designer, professor and dancer brought their all to the concert.

The show opened with a lively number, titled “Not a Tango,” choreographed by Les Watanabe, a professor of dance at Western. The dance was composed of four dancers: two wearing red dresses and two wearing black suits, preening for attention. The dynamics and expressions of each character made the audience laugh throughout the show.

Tim Cowart, the department head of Western’s Department of Theatre and Dance choreographed a meaningful piece, titled “Slump.” The dance engaged the audience right out of the gate with a projector screen depicting the busy, loud streets of a big city. One could observe the pressure of society weighing down on each dancer through their intricate mannerisms. Each was trying to make themselves stand out from the crowd; a futile attempt.

“Hold on…,” choreographed by graduating senior Alia Takashima, was a spiritual, grounding piece memorializing community and friendship. The dance featured incredible formations such as using the dancers’ arms to look like tree branches in their green and brown costumes and holding each other up in lifts.

A “Hunger Games” themed piece, titled “MEMENTO MORI,” choreographed by Charlotte Hreha, was captivating and intense. The iconic whistle that sounded before the music even kicked in gave the audience a hint as to what was to come. The music also utilized the line “enjoy the show” from the arena in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” An ear-piercing scream at the end of the performance left everyone speechless.

“Wabash 64130,” choreographed by Winston Dynamite Brown, was a nostalgic performance based on Brown’s mother, siblings and hometown, Kansas City. The dancers lined up and posed for a “family photo” partway through the dance, illustrating each family member and their unique personalities.

After the intermission, “Melt,” choreographed by Valerie Bergman and Darryl Thomas, immersed the audience in an ever-shifting night sky, then an ocean and finally, a forest. A featured dancer donned a pair of pointe shoes, weaving between the other dancers. The choreographers stated that the dance was an “…urgent cry to protect our climate and an homage to the beauty and wonder of our natural habitat.”

As a tribute to their grandmother, Manda Oliver choreographed “Annee des Marguerites,” which translates to “Year of the Daisies.” The dance utilized flower props as a symbol of healing, along with beautiful green and purple costumes. Every dancer lifted each other up and made sure nobody was left behind.

“CYCLICAL,” choreographed by senior Madison Malveaux, began with no music, only the carefully composed rhythm of stomping feet. The piece had the perfect combination of chaos and order and conveyed how the two interacted with each other. 

Before the last dance, it was revealed that Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner, a beloved dance professor, will be leaving Western after 14 years. “Las Caras Lindas” featured eight dancers in bright, traditional dresses sitting around a table. Gutierrez-Garner said, “Thank you for sitting at the table of my pedagogy.” It’s safe to say that Gutierrez-Garner left her mark on all of Western.

Every single dance was unique and stood out from one another. The crowd could never guess what was coming next and was entertained for the full two hours of the show. Thank you, Western Department of Theatre and Dance, for your incredible effort and continuous talent.

10/10.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Tuition increase

Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor

All seven public, four-year universities in Oregon plan to raise tuition costs from three to five percent for the 2024-2025 academic school year.

Oregon State University’s in-state and full-time students will be expected to pay $14,400 per year; University of Oregon students are expecting more than $16,100; while Portland State University students can expect a $11,800 tuition. All three universities have the highest enrollment rates in the state.

Maureen Brakke, the director of marketing and communications at Western, made a statement in a post to the Western’s home website. “The Tuition Advisory Committee, which includes students, staff, and faculty, submitted a proposed five percent tuition increase, which was accepted by President Jesse Peters and presented to the Board of Trustees on April 17,” said Brakke.

In the same post, Peters shared his sentiment: “We take pride in offering students a tailored educational experience, fostering a sense of belonging, and delivering quality support services. We have worked hard to maintain affordability without compromising the exceptional quality of education and services that define Western,” Peters said.

Western, being the second least expensive public university in Oregon out of the seven, will increase tuition to nearly five percent for resident tuition and 4.86 percent for non-resident undergraduate tuition.

Eastern Oregon University, the least expensive public four-year university, will be resting at about $1,000 less than Western, with students expected to pay approximately $11,000 for in-state, full-time enrollment tuition.

Graduate tuition will rise by five percent, with no variation regarding residency. Summer 2024 tuition rates will be increased at the same rate as the 2024-2025 academic year cost.

In 2023, tuition at Western was raised by 3.09 percent for the 2023-2024 academic school year. Pre-pandemic, the 2017-2018 school year increased tuition by 6.4 percent, with the 2018-2019 school year having a proposed 4.03 percent increase, although it has not been confirmed whether or not this increase occurred. 

The 2019-2020 school year was approved for a 2.33 percent raise, equivalent to four dollars per credit, alongside the 2021-2022 school year receiving a 2.17 percent increase in tuition for resident undergraduate students.

The next academic year will leave Western at a higher tuition rate of about 18.85 percent at least since 2017 at the earliest, not including the suspected 4.03 percent increase from 2018-2019, and leaving out nonresident rates, which tend to be higher than resident tuition.

Statistics from Datausa.io reflect Western, in 2021, as having a 91.6 percent acceptance rate for incoming students but a graduation rate of less than half, at 48.3 percent. The same website lists Western’s tuition is $14,724 less than the national average overall from all Masters Colleges and Universities in the country.

Nationally, college average costs inflated nearly 12 percent annually from 2012 to 2022 according to educationdata.org.

It should be noted that the Incidental Funding Committee approved all requested base-level funding and additional funding requests at Western without raising student incidental fees. When discussing tuition rates, this excludes all fees such as health service fees, building fees, access to the recreational center, room and board costs, late payment fees and online course fees, alongside any other expenses students may be expected to pay.

“This slight tuition increase reflects our dedication to sustaining the excellence that makes us truly extraordinary,” said Peters in the latest statement — last year, when tuition increased by 3.09 percent, he said, “Our students are not just numbers; they are the future leaders of Oregon and the world, and we always look for new and innovative ways to support them.”

Contact the author at howlnews@mail.wou.edu

TTPD

Written by: Hannah Field | News Editor

Taylor Swift’s newest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was finally released April 19. During the announcement speech at the Grammy Awards show Feb. 4, Swift held up two fingers in a peace sign — alluding to her double album drop — when announcing her eleventh studio album. Fast forward to meeting Swift at midnight, fans listening to the 16 tracks of “The Tortured Poets Department” were surprised at 2 a.m. when Swift dropped an extra 15 songs.

The production of the album rested in the hands of Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff of the band Bleachers, longtime friends and collaborators of Swift who heavily utilized synths, keyboard tunes and distortion techniques. Track one, “Fortnight,” is sung alongside Austin Post, also known as Post Malone, while Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine is featured on track eight, “Florida!!!”

The album itself appears to be the lovechild of Swift’s last original album release “Midnights” and the pandemic-created sister albums “Folklore” and “Evermore.” While officially being a pop genre album, much of the album is backed by a soft piano and utilizes strong lyricism as Swift sings about various tragic topics, such as heartbreak, abandonment and the nuance of fame.

The 31 songs have topped the charts, being the first album on Spotify to reach one billion streams within a week as well as being the platform’s most-streamed album within one day at 300 million. Despite breaking records, the album has been surveyed heavily in the media — with many fans turned anti-Swiftie and strangers criticizing what they consider to be odd lines, off-beat tunes and a lack of true poeticism, rather antithetical to the tortured poet of “The Tortured Poets Department.”

However, most critically condemned is Swift’s apparent past relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, with multiple songs dedicated to their previous interloping. Although nobody knows definitively which songs are about Healy, many fans presume at least “Fresh Out The Slammer,” “But Daddy I Love Him” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” to be in regards to Healy — with the latter being a direct descriptor of Healy’s behavior during and after their time together.

“The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” the second installment of the album, contains the song “thanK you aIMee,” which, in all capital letters, spells out KIM — which fans presume to be about Kim Kardashian and their nearly decade-long feud.

Overall, the album explores the themes of unrest, misunderstanding, dying romance and Swift’s complex relationship with fame. Very few songs, if any, are considered joyful pop hits, and the most upbeat song of all, “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” is likely one of the most “miserable.” It’s an album for the tortured poets of the world reeling from personal loss in one way or another — and, according to the Swifties, more is coming May 3. Although, in typical Swift fashion, she’s likely got more tricks up her sleeve to keep the guesses coming and the songs streaming.

8/10.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.mail.edu