Portland State Vanguard, Volume 74, Issue 17

PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

VOLUME 74 • ISSUE 17 • JANUARY 28, 2020

NEWS PAYING TRIBUTE TO MLK IN 2020 • OPINION ASSASSINATION OF IRANIAN GENERAL PROVES RECKLESS, UNNECESSARY ARTS & CULTURE WHAT IS JUSTICE?

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CONTENTS COVER BY SAM PERSON NEWS HILL TO HALL

P. 3

CENTER PAYING TRIBUTE TO MLK IN 2020

P. 8–9

FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

P. 4

ARTS & CULTURE HI-C HAS GOT THE JUICE

ADDRESSING HOUSING CRISIS AT LOCAL TOWN HALL

P. 5

P. 11

WHAT IS JUSTICE?

P. 12

INTERNATIONAL A LOOK INTO GLOBAL CITIZENS

P. 6

OPINION ASSASSINATION OF IRANIAN GENERAL PROVES RECKLESS, UNNECESSARY

P. 13

TAAL VOLCANO ERUPTS IN PHILIPPINES

P. 7

HAVE YOU HEARD?

P. 14

PANAMA EXORCISM KILLS SEVEN

P. 7

DIFFICULT PROFESSORS: HOW TO DEAL WHEN YOU NEED THE GRADE

P. 14

FRENCH TRANSIT STRIKES WIND DOWN, PROTESTS SET TO CONTINUE

P. 10

'A QURANICALLY-BASED VISION'

P. 10

SPORTS ‘THE POWER OF SPORTS’

P. 15

EVENTS CALENDAR

P. 16

STAFF

EDIT ORI A L EDITOR IN CHIEF Dylan Jefferies MANAGING EDITOR Anthony Montes NEWS EDITORS Hanna Anderson Justin Grinnell INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Chloe Dysart ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Nick Townsend OPINION EDITOR AJ Earl SPORTS EDITOR Rich Rigney

ONLINE EDITOR Annie Schutz COPY CHIEF Hannah Welbourn CONTRIBUTORS Juliana Bigelow Jordan Cagle Melody Field Emily Price Emma Sage Emma Wallace Karisa Yuasa PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Alex Wittwer MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Owen Demetre

PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dana Townsend

A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood

LEAD DESIGNER Sam Person

STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale

DESIGNERS Brandon Pahnish John Rojas DIS T RIBU TION & M A R K E TING DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGER Dylan Jefferies T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Juliana Bigelow George Olson John Rojas

STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher To contact Portland State Vanguard, email editor@psuvanguard.com

MIS SION S TAT EMEN T Vanguard ’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills highly valued in today’s job market.

A BOU T Vanguard, established in 1946, is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. Find us in print Tuesdays and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.

NEWS

JAN. 22–24 HANNA ANDERSON

JAN. 22: POTENTIAL LEGISLATION WOULD DOUBLE FINES FOR RIOTERS WEARING MASKS

Ahead of the Oregon Legislature session, State Rep. Sherrie Sprenger introduced a drafted bill which would double the penalties for rioters with partially or concealed faces, according to Willamette Week. Currently, rioting, a Class C felony, is punishable by upwards of five years and a fine of $125,000. If the new law passed, both of those numbers would double. Former Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw suggested that masks should be banned in protests in July 2019, after the previous weekend’s protests.

JAN. 23: CANADIAN ENERGY COMPANY WITHDRAWS STATE PERMIT FOR PIPELINE

Pembina, a Canadian energy company, has withdrawn its application for a state permit for the Jordan Cove Project, a $10 billion natural gas pipeline and export center. The permit was originally filed in November 2017 but has since received multiple extended deadlines for the Oregon Department of State Lands to make a decision regarding the permit. With a deadline set for Jan. 31, the company filed for an additional two month extension on Jan. 14, which was rejected, according to Willamette Week. The company project is turning instead to a broader application from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, according to AP News.

JAN. 23: OREGON HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATE RISES TO 80%

Oregon’s overall graduation rate for high school seniors reached 80% in 2019, which is the highest the state has seen since it started keeping tighter records, according to OPB. Every student group received at least a one percent increase since 2018, according to The Oregonian, with the highest increases for students with disabilities by 3%, and 2% for low income students. Oregon’s graduation rate has consistently been one of the worst in the country, ranking No. 48 in 2018 at 78.7%.

JAN. 24: STATE REPRESENTATIVE SWORN IN WITH PROMISE NOT TO RUN IN NOVEMBER ELECTIONS

After a unanimous vote by Multnomah County Commissioners, Akasha Lawrence Spence was sworn in as the newest member of Oregon’s House of Representatives.

Lawrence Spence represents House District 36, representing a district that encompases downtown Portland and parts of the city’s west hills, which was left empty after former Rep. Jennifer Williamson resigned to run for Oregon secretary of state, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. According to The Oregonian, Lawrence Spence was chosen partially because she agreed not to run for the seat, which faces a heavy contest in the next election.

SEEKING NEWS CONTRIBUTORS

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NEWS

FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT

STUDENT ADVISOR CANDACE AVALOS RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL, RELEASES CAMPAIGN PLATFORM

COURTESY OF CANDACEFORPORTLAND

HANNA ANDERSON In an interview with Portland State faculty member Candace Avalos to talk about her campaign for Portland City Commissioner, one thing became clear immediately—she wasn’t just running to join local government; she was running to change it.

“I’m not afraid to try new things,” she said.

“I’m not beholden to the norm, I’m not beholden to ‘whatever we’ve done before is what we must continue doing’—I don’t believe that.”

Avalos, who advises Greek life and Associated Students of Portland State University, is running for a seat on Portland’s city council.

Avalos originally announced her campaign for the commissioner seat in August 2019 with an announcement video that first touched on her key issues: reforming Portland’s city government, houselessness, transportation and increasing transparency between the Portland community, government and police forces.

Avalos mentioned a number of reasons to run for the seat, including serving as the vice chair of the Citizen Review Committee, seeing dysfunction at the city level and applying for Emerge Oregon, a training program for democratic women seeking office. When

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Avalos heard Commissioner Amanda Fritz would be retiring, she decided to run.

“I was like, you know what, I’m going to take this opportunity to use my voice to talk about the things that Portland can do better,” Avalos said. “I feel that I have a fresh perspective on how we can solve our problems.”

THE ELECTION

Portland is set to hold local primary elections on May 19, with four out of the five city council seats on the ballot: the mayor, as well as three commissioners. All of the city council positions are voted on in citywide elections and serve four-year terms.

In the mayoral race, incumbent Ted Wheeler is the first Portland mayor to run for re-election since Vera Katz, who ran for re-election and remained in office for three terms before leaving in 2005, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. There are currently nine candidates competing with Wheeler for the seat, including Sarah Iannarone, a local professor, who was the first in the race to qualify for Portland’s Open and Accountable elections program, which caps large donations and matches small contributions six to one. Wheeler had opted out of the program.

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On the ballot this year are commissioner seats one, two and four. Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty won seat three in 2018, and her seat won’t be open again until 2022.

The election for commissioner position two is to fill the vacant seat left after Commissioner Nick Fish’s death. There are currently three candidates running to cover the remainder of the term until December 2022.

Commissioner position four is currently held by Chloe Eudaly, who has held office since 2017 and is running for reelection. Six other candidates are currently competing for the seat, including former Portland Mayor Sam Adams.

Commissioner position one is currently held by Amanda Fritz, who announced in April 2019 that she would not run for reelection. Five candidates are currently campaigning for the seat, including Avalos.

THE PLATFORM

Avalos’ first goal is to change the structure of Portland government, especially changing from voting in city-wide elections to district based voting.

“I think at the very minimum, we should have district representation,” Avalos said.

“Being the last city, literally the last city over

100,000 people that still doesn’t have district representation, I think is unacceptable.

Especially as our city continues to grow, and it’s clear that different neighborhoods are not being represented in the city.”

Currently, the entire city of Portland votes for all five seats on the city council.

Changing to district-based voting was one of the major recommendations in a report by the City Club of Portland released last year, which also inspired Avalos to look into local government reform.

This is especially subject to change as Portland enters its charter review—a process required to happen every 10 years and is set to happen again in 2021. According to the City Club of Portland, each of the commissioners chooses four members to serve on the Charter Review Committee, who will then review the structure of Portland’s government and recommend changes. If a supermajority of the committee agrees, the changes go to the voters.

“Over the years, there have been many different efforts to change the government, but they have all failed,” Avalos said. “I really feel that it needs to come from within city hall, because at the end of the day, it doesn’t necessarily benefit city hall or commissioners to change the way that they have power, but I think it benefits the people. That’s what I care about.”

Other than the structure of city government, her campaign mentions five other key issues: houselessness, public safety, transportation, the environment and workforce development.

“I’m looking to improve the relationship between the police and their communities, because it’s such an important role,” Avalos said. “When you’re given this authority to oversee a community, and you have lethal means of doing that, there’s a huge responsibility and accountability that needs to come from that.”

As she talked about her campaign, one thing remained consistent. She was determined to bring a fresh perspective to local government, which was also motivated by working at PSU and so closely with PSU students.

“I’m proud to build up young people in the process, because that’s something I’m very passionate about.” Avalos said. “So I’m excited to bring them along and to inspire them to want to do this too. I mean, that’s what I do with student government and running this campaign—win or lose, [it’s] no different.”

NEWS

ADDRESSING HOUSING CRISIS AT LOCAL TOWN HALL

REPRESENTATIVES EARL BLUMENAUER AND RASHIDA TLAIB DISCUSS HOUSING JUSTICE WITH PORTLANDERS IN LOCAL TOWN HALL MEETING

JUSTIN GRINNELL All it takes to end houselessness is to get rid of one aircraft carrier, according to Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib who represents Michigan’s 13th district.

On Jan. 25, a packed Jefferson High School auditorium in Northeast Portland erupted with standing ovations while hosting a congressional housing justice town hall featuring Tlaib and Oregon’s own Congressman Earl Blumenauer. The town hall was an official congressional event that allowed Portlanders to express their concerns regarding the current housing crisis. “[Tlaib] is the first Muslim woman to serve in the Michigan legislature and one of two Muslim women elected to congresss," said Deborah Kafourey, Multnomah County chair, who gave an introduction at the event.

Tlaib is also a member of “the squad”—an informal group of congresswomen that includes Tlaib as well as Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D–N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D–Minn. and Ayanna Pressley, D–Mass.

"I'm kinda nicknamed among the squad as the mama bear because I'm the eldest of 14,” Tlaib said. “I have seven younger brothers [and] six younger sisters and they really have equipped me with everything I need to take on the biggest bully in the world right now."

While waiting outside Jefferson High for town hall to begin, Portland State alumni Willis Homann gave his reason for attending: "Houselessness is such a big issue in Portland, and I want to see what some of our elected officials are doing about it."

Robert Heard, also a PSU alumni, wanted "to see what our representatives thoughts and feelings are towards the homeless situation. Not only in our city, but in America in general."

Heard is a housing specialist who works for a local nonprofit.

"I help folks in the shelter get back into housing," Heard said.

In order to afford a one-bedroom apartment, a Multnomah county resident needs to earn an hourly wage of $23.73, much more than Portland’s current $12.50 minimum wage, according to the National Low Income Association’s “Out of Reach” report.

"Let me be clear,” Blumenauer said after thanking attendees.

“The housing crisis is...not an accident. This crisis is the result of a series of misguided policies, blatant discrimination [and] short-sightedness."

Blumenauer went on to say: "Discrimination against homeownership is the largest single source of income inequality in this country." Blumenauer recommends “[incentivizing] caps on rent increases" as well as "triple the funding for housing for the elderly and people with disabilities" as ways to end this discrimination.

In response to critics who say the government can't afford housing legislation, Blumenauer suggests reforming tax incentives for developers and the mortgage interest deduction that currently “[funnels] the benefits to the top 5% of the population.”

As applause for the congresswoman quieted, Tlaib shared her experience working with a southwest Detroit neighborhood near an oil refinery. Many community members suffered from respiratory illnesses.

"We're literally the frontline community of what doing nothing looks like on these issues, especially on housing," Tlaib said.

Tlaib’s district is the third poorest of the 435 in the House of Representatives.

Despite the statistics, Tlaib said her district was able to raise homeownership among African Americans from 7% to 50% and those renting are only paying 20–30% of their income toward rent.

Tlaib promoted the Building Our Opportunities to Survive and Thrive (BOOST) Act and intended to fund the act by repealing President Trump's 2017 tax cut, which Tlaib referred to as a “shareholder payment plan."

“The largest transfer of wealth in American history was the republican tax cut,” Blumenauer said. “[The tax cut] gave too much to the wrong people...it created zero jobs.”

According to Tlaib’s congressional website, the BOOST Act is meant “to address poverty and provide relief for low- and moderate-income households by introducing a new tax credit for working class individuals and families.”

The town hall opened up to a question and answer session.

Portlanders’ questions covered such subjects as regional housing actions, labor protections in legislation and mortgage interest deductions.

Homann was able to ask how the representatives planned to reintegrate those who have faced traumas associated with houselessness.

Tlaib didn’t have a solution but acknowledged that houseless trauma is a serious issue and would like to see a facility like urgent care that can properly treat the symptoms of houseless trauma.

"I'm still struggling to figure out how to do that,” Tlaib said.

"I don't think we have had a full conversation about what that looks like."

After the town hall, Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty—who was among the attendees—said in a brief interview: "I'm so excited that [Tlaib] is joining Earl around housing first...and really identifying what affordable housing really looks like, [because] on Portland City Council I ask that just about every week.”

In a similar interview, Tlaib was asked what she would say to a college student struggling to get by during the housing crisis.

Her response: "I just want them to know there's an incredible movement that talks about structures versus policies and we’re taking a deeper dive into dismantling what I think is painful economic oppression.”

REP. RASHIDA TLAIB DELIVERS AN IMPASSIONED SPEECH ADDRESSING HOUSELESSNESS IN AMERICA AT JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL ON JAN. 25, 2020.

EMMA WALLACE/PSU VANGUARD

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INTERNATIONAL

FORMER NISSAN CHAIRMAN CARLOS GHOSN AT A PRESS CONFERENCE IN BEIRUT, LEBANON. MAYA ALLERUZZO/AP IMAGES

CHLOE DYSART, EMMA SAGE Using international jurisdiction—or a lack of—to flee prosecution is nothing new, as seen in cases such as Roman Polanski, Edward Snowden and even the Dali Lama. However, the issue of “global citizenship” ignites a bigger conversation about citizenship, the faults of the justice system and challenges to sovereignty.

The recent escapades of Carlos Ghosn, a fugitive auto executive, have exposed more than a man fleeing internationally from so-called injustice. Ghosn, the former head of the Nissan and Renault auto industry, recently gained immense notoriety after fleeing Japan—where he was charged with financial wrongdoing.

According to various sources, no one could fully explain how he escaped.

One of the many elements of Ghosn’s story that defies expectations is the fact that he is a citizen of three countries—none of them Japan, where he was set to stand trial. A Brazilian, Frenchman and citizen of Lebanon all in one, Ghosn now joins a growing club of international fugitives from justice who have all fled from the country in which they were subject to prosecution for a series of very different crimes. The case of Polanski in particular shows that even when an extradition treaty is present, the country may still decline to extradite the accused.

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Now that Ghosn has escaped, he appears to have a good chance of staying out of prison; Lebanon has no extradition treaty with Japan.

The FBI’s list of fugitives and their presumed locations shows the popularity of leaving the country in which one is charged with a crime.

However, this method of evasion goes two ways.

For example, American sex tourists have, in the past, been impossible to prosecute when they’ve committed crimes in countries such as Thailand, although the 2003 U.S. Child Protection Act has helped some of these prosecutions become reality.

Globally, the ability to travel has vastly outpaced the ability of various government agencies to catch and prosecute criminals. Chris Carey, a prosecutor and professor of criminal justice at Portland State, commented, “That’s why you have extradition treaties, things like Interpol, because we recognize that crime is international and is becoming increasingly sophisticated, whether it’s a phishing scam, or a cyber attack. That the geographical jurisdiction of countries becomes less and less relevant in an age of global crime where a lot of it can be committed thousands of miles away.”

If the accused has resources, justice can only be served to the extent that the accused consents to remain and face trial. “I think what makes [Ghosn’s case] different is that he’s a

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corporate executive with pretty close to unlimited resources,” Carey said. “Can you buy your way out? Yeah, looks like you can. That might be the lesson from this case.”

The inquiry of Ghosn’s resources does not stop at his reported $120 million fortune; it also includes his multiple citizenships.

“It really raises this issue that jurisdictional claims for a long time have been based on the assumption that citizenship is held by one place and held by one person,” Carey said. “And that when you work within the operations of that, that country has jurisdiction over you. He’s clearly a global citizen…His idea that if you’re a citizen of multiple countries you don’t have to be accountable to any of them. Which is the first set of problematic areas.”

“To be a global citizen, what does that mean?

Citizenship usually requires allegiance to something, but there is no global country or entity.”

Ghosn’s triple citizenship is made possible because assigning citizenship is an area in which varies country to country. Some countries, such as the United States, assign nationality based on jus soli, or a child’s birth inside the country’s borders, creating political terms such as “anchor babies.”

Others, such as some European countries, assign citizenship to a child based on the par-

ents’ citizenships. Therefore, it is possible for a European family to continue to accrue more and more citizenships for their children through transnational marriages, with each parent passing down their citizenship(s) to their child.

Other methods of obtaining citizenship include naturalization or membership in a certain ethnic or religious group, such as Israel’s Law of Return. However, for any child born into multiple nationalities, there could be another mere miles away who has no citizenship at all.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees describes statelessness as a major humanitarian crisis. “Today, millions of people around the world are denied a nationality.

As a result, they often aren’t allowed to go to school, see a doctor, get a job, open a bank account, buy a house or even get married.”

The inverse is true for those with multiple citizenships: it becomes possible to enjoy all of those things in addition to the right to reside in any of the countries indefinitely.

It is not always possible to state conclusively whether the fugitive is fleeing persecution or true justice. Ghosn claimed that his trial in Japan was unjust and the legal system is corrupt. What changes his highly publicized escape will bring to the process of releasing similar inmates on bail, remain unknown.

INTERNATIONAL

TAAL VOLCANO ERUPTS IN PHILIPPINES, 40,000 EVACUATED KARISA YUASA

A WOMAN STANDS AMID AN ASH-COVERED PARK NEAR TAAL VOLCANO IN TAGAYTAY, CAVITE PROVINCE. AARON FAVILA/AP IMAGES

The Taal volcano—the second most active volcano in the Philippines—erupted on Jan. 13, spewing a plume of ash and steam approximately 1 km into the sky and leading to the evacuation of an estimated 40,000 citizens.

The UN reported that as of Jan. 21, more than 271,000 people and 37,000 acres of agricultural land were affected. The estimated cost of damages and losses to agriculture and fisheries alone is $62 million.

Taal is situated on an island in Taal lake known as Volcano Island and is located approximately 40 miles south of the Philippine capital of Manila. Volcano Island has 47 craters, each created when magma came in contact with groundwater, creating an explosion.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the alert status of the Taal volcano from a level 3 of magmatic unrest to a level 4 of hazardous eruption imminent at 5:30 p.m. Philippine Standard Time on Jan. 12. The volcanic unrest progressed into a magmatic eruption at 2:49 a.m. PhST on Jan. 13.

Starting on Jan. 12, PHIVOLCS strongly recommended the total evacuation within a 14-km radius of the Taal Main Crater as it has been identified as “high risk.” According to the UN, it is estimated that approximately 460,000 people live within the 14-km radius danger zone.

The eruption caused the Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport to close overnight, canceling over 500 flights. The

Philippine stock exchange also halted all trading on Jan. 13 in response to the volcanic eruption.

The eruption covered the island and the surrounding area with a layer of ash.

PHIVOLCS stated that “fine ashfall can cause irritation and breathing problems... long-term exposure may be harmful to respiratory health.”

The Philippines Health Secretary Francisco Duque III stated that hundreds of villagers have been treated for respiratory infections, hypertension, diarrhea, skin lesions, flu and coughs in evacuation centers in relation to the eruption as reported by The Washington Post.

Tagaytay, a city mostly within the 14-km high-risk area, is a popular tourist spot for its cool climate and scenic views of Taal. The Washington Post reported that due to ash fall and eruption-related earthquakes, power went out throughout the city, affecting approximately 200 restaurants and 170 hotels.

According to PHIVOLCS, “the Philippine Seismic Network plotted a total of 731 volcanic earthquakes since 1:00 p.m., Jan. 12, 2020.

176 of these registered at magnitudes M1.2– M4.1 and were felt.”

Although the Taal volcano’s eruptions have calmed since the initial eruption, as of Jan. 23, continual seismic activity has kept Taal at an alert level 4, leaving residents uneasy about future eruptions.

PANAMA EXORCISM KILLS SEVEN EMILY PRICE

Ten people were arrested on Jan. 15 in Panama for the killings of seven indigenous residents of Ngabé Buglé— Panama’s largest indigenous community—in a religious cult ritual. The group accused are called “A New Light of God.” The incident occured in the remote jungle-clad hills of Ngabé Buglé, where residents must walk long distances along muddy and steep narrow roads to hail boats in order to reach other villages. The indigenous communities there are mostly cut off from the modern world.

Local prosecutor Rafael Baloyes reported that investigators found a makeshift church at a ranch in the area. “They were performing a ritual inside the structure. In that ritual, there were people being held against their will, being mistreated,” Baloyes told The Guardian. Machetes, knives and a ritually sacrificed goat were found at the scene.

“People were dancing and singing and nobody paid attention because we knew that they were in the presence of God,” said Evangelisto Santo, the leader of a tribe in the area, to the Chicago Tribune. “No one expected this.”

Approximately one mile from the building, recently dug graves were found with seven bodies. The victims included children, a pregnant mother and a 17-year-old woman.

“They searched this family out to hold a ritual and they massacred them, mistreated them, killed practically the whole family,” Baloyes said.

Police raided the property and freed 14 other captives who were then airlifted by helicopter. Police first arrived when news broke that three escaped villagers made their way to a hospital for treatment.

Mario González, the supposed grandfather of the child victims, stands primary suspect for the crimes.

Dina Blanco, a survivor of the attack told her account of the incident to NBC News: “I felt something hit my head, and then I don’t know what happened to me. I dropped to my knees.

When I came to, they kept telling me not to open my eyes.”

The sect has been operating in the area for approximately three months, according to The Guardian. The Ngabé Buglé are Panama’s largest ingidenous group, but suffers the greatest rates of poverty in the country, according to a report by Panama America.

The kidnapping and torture began Jan. 11 after one of the members said to have received “a message from God,” Baloyes told BBC News.

Leader of the Youth Association of the Ngäbe Buglé, Ricardo Miranda, issued a statement to Telemetro, saying that the incident acted against Christianity in the region.

“We demand the immediate eradication of this satanic sect, which violates all practices of spirituality and coexistence found in the Holy Scriptures,” Miranda told The Daily Beast.

JOSE GONZÁLEZ AND HIS DAUGHTER, HELD BY A POLICE OFFICER, LEAVE THE HOSPITAL IN SANTIAGO, PANAMA, JAN. 16, 2020. ARNULFO FRANCO/AP IMAGES

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COVER

FIVE PRINCIPLES OF KIN

The great majority of Americans these opposing attitudes. They a but unwilling yet to pay a signifi

But too quickly apathy and disin when the next logical steps are passed in a crisis mood after a B but no substantial fervor survive of legislation.

No great victories are won in a w of a whole people without the to than this will not create a new s more sophisticated token ameli

Certain industries and enterpris a supply of low-paid, under-skill nonwhite labor.

JUSTIN GRINNELL Portland native, Portland State alumni and scholar Dr. Daymond Glenn gave his blunt take on diversity in higher education on Jan 22. In Glenn’s words: “I’m a free Black man, I don’t work for anybody but myself; I’m just gonna tell you the truth as I see it.”

PSU hosted its Martin Luther King Jr. tribute 2020 event in the Smith Memorial Student Union ballroom. According to Interim President Stephen Percy, who spoke at the event, the tribute was meant to “reflect, remember and reconnect to the important work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” as well as “[reimagine] diversity in higher education.”

The keynote presentation featured Glenn, whose research includes such fields as “the college experiences of undergraduate Black males attending predominantly white institutions” and “the intersections of race, faith, hip-hop and justice in society.”

Glenn is also the founder and senior pastor of the Portlandbased Cultural Soul Project Church which, in his words, is “dedicated to addressing the needs of people of color in inner city urban America through the lens of the African American experience.”

“People think I only care about Black folk,” Glenn said about the initial reactions he receives when people hear “AfricanAmerican experience.” But according to Glenn, “This couldn’t be further from the truth, but I am a Black man. I own that, and that is my lived experience, my lived reality, that is my truth.”

On the night of the tribute, in front of the ballroom entrance, a line wrapped around the third floor hallways of SMSU as attendees waited for doors to open. Not long after were the rows of black folding chairs filled with students, faculty, administration and other members of the community.

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Among the attendees were Janvier Gasabato and Wilondja Mashimango, both PSU sophomores. In an interview, Gasabato and Mashimango shared their perspectives on the progress of diversity since MLK and the civil rights movement.

“I feel like we’ve made some progress and people have come together and work together,” Gasabato said. “But we still have a long way to go.”

According to Mashimango, progress in diversity may appear to have been made, “but if you really look close we are still at the same place.”

Gasabato is originally from Rwanda, and Mashimango is from the Congo. Both now reside in the Portland area.

Julia Seydel, another PSU student in attendance, said in response to the same question: “I’m absolutely an optimist ‘til I die...I do think we are making progress toward social justice.”

The event began with James Weldon Johnson’s “Black National Anthem” as sung by Brandi Alberti and was followed by Julie Caron, interim vice president of global diversity and inclusion.

Caron thanked event planners and gave a land acknowledgment in honor of the indigenous people whose lands the Portland metropolitan area is built on.

Percy, following Caron, closed his welcome speech with a quote from Dr. King about being vigilant in moving toward equity and freedom: “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

After a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and Bill Withers’ “Lean On Me” by vocalist LaRhonda Steele and an introduction from Walter Ghant, director of PSUs Veterans Resource Center, Dr. Glenn took the stage.

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Glenn gave thanks to everyone who The absence of brutality and un organized and took part in the event presence of justice. then gave some background on his earlier research, which “exists within the - DR. MA context of critical theory.” According to Glenn, it’s “a profound analysis on systems and structures and how they perpetuate sometimes inequitable institutional culture.”

By critical theory, Glenn said he is referring to the Frankfurt school of critical theory.

“We’re gonna look at systemic, structural and institutional cultural transformation through the lense of a radical King,” Glenn said continuing his presentation.

An excerpt from a letter written by King was projected above the stage which, according to Glenn, expressed the early stages of King’s “transformative theory [and] philosophy.”

Part of the excerpt said: “[Capitalism] started out with a noble and high motive, viz, to block the trade monopolies of nobles, but like most human system[s] it [fell] victim to the very thing it was revolting against. So today, capitalism has outlived its usefulness. It has brought about a system that takes necessities from the masses to give luxuries to the classes.”

“A lot of [King’s] theory that existed, he talked about early in his life through a love letter in 1952 to his sweet girlfriend at the time Coretta Scott,” Glenn said. “You can’t do work for the people, by the people without love...and Martin Luther King profoundly had a sense of love.”

According to Glenn, King’s ideas in the excerpt are also “a profound way to talk about how we need to reimagine diversity work within the context of institutional life.” In the “spirit of

COVER

KINGSIAN PHILOSOPHY

ricans are suspended between They are uneasy with injustice significant price to eradicate it.

d disinterest rise to the surface s are to be taken. Laws are er a Birmingham or Selma, urvives the formal signing

in a war for the transformation the total participation. Less new society; it will only evoke amelioration.

erprises are based upon r-skilled and immobile

nd unregenerate evil is not the

. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DR. DAYMOND GLENN ANSWERS QUESTIONS FROM THE CROWD IN SMITH BALLROOM. EMMA WALLACE/PSU VANGUARD hip hop,” Glenn “remixed” the excerpt and called it “a love letter to the academy.”

Part of the remix said: “[Integration] started out with a noble and high motive, viz, to give people of color access to a high quality education, but like most human systems it [fell] victim to the very thing it was revolting against. So today, an integrationist approach to education has outlived its usefulness. It has brought about a system that marginalizes cultural identity and is used as an insidious vehicle to socialize people of color to the values of the elite.”

For Glenn, when institutions, like those of higher education, bring people of color in and aren’t able to properly support them there becomes “a little bit of civil unrest.” Developing diversity programs in higher education, while beneficial, isn’t enough.

That’s not to say Glenn feels that people doing diversity work have bad intentions, but rather he feels “there’s a whole lot of talk about the rhetoric of diversity, [but] there’s not a lot of result on the ground that [he’d] like to see.”

“We have to stop thinking about diversity as just this thing that cosmetically changes environments,” Glenn said. “But power doesn’t change, ideology doesn’t change, and the arbiter for how historically underrepresented or marginalized populations are successful is through a lens of that elite.”

“I think we need to deconstruct that and dismantle that altogether,” Glenn said.

In his experience as a chief diversity officer and diversity director, Glenn has noticed that institutions often view offices of diversity as “repositories” and aren’t playing a pivotal role in these institutions as one of their “power brokers.” Glenn recommended placing offices of diversity in other major offices in institutions such as human resources and finance.

According to Glenn, “If you want to be for real about diversity work...think about it ideologically as a systemic response to disparities that exist.”

Glenn went on to comment on diversity in Portland as a whole, saying that some people of color have made it into positions of power, but that is not representative of “what is really going on on the street.”

“One person of color who gets a position that is highly...relegated to the margins” is not an indicator of social progress, Glenn said. “That sounds like that Portland pseudo-liberalism stuff.”

Ghant made a joke in his earlier introduction about predominantly white Portland: “I’ve known Dr. Glenn for sometime from afar, but we have several things in common...we are both native Portlanders and Oregonians and African American; that makes us somewhat of a unicorn here in Portland.”

Mashimango made a similar remark with regard to PSU: “It’s not easy to spot a person of color. You have to wander everywhere.”

Glenn continued onto his experience consulting for various institutions about their own diversity offices and has found that most are a “cosmetic representation” and not nearly “transformative” enough.

Keeping the presentation in line with a tribute to King, Glenn gave five principles of “King-sian” philosophy that he recommends to transform higher education systems.

“We need to put people in power who have a different lived experience, a [different] lived reality and a different cultural sensibility in positions of power that can help change the institutions in different ways,” Glenn said near the end of his keynote presentation.

The event concluded with a questions and answers session moderated by PSU graduate student Jasmine Taylor.

After the event, Seydel said in an email: “I appreciate [Glenn’s] emphasis on systemic changes, and that PSU has the courage to host a speaker who calls them out on how to do better. I hope that the Board of Trustees takes Dr. Glenn’s words to heart as they interview potential candidates for PSU’s presidency.”

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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INTERNATIONAL

FRENCH TRANSIT STRIKES WIND DOWN, BUT PROTESTS SET TO CONTINUE

‘A QURANICALLYBASED VISION’

EMMA SAGE

After 46 consecutive days of striking from transit workers in France, transportation has resumed after an announcement from the French rail union.

The strike was the longest transportation strike in French history and affected nearly 4.1 million Parisians who take the metro every day.

Problems with the pension reform plan were at the center of the strike and were exposed when the Paris Opera, including its troupe of ballet dancers, went on strike. They staged a public performance to protest the fact that under the new proposed universal pension plan, they would see their retirement age for a full pension raise from 42 to 64—which, for a dancer, they say is not feasible. As of mid-January, the Paris Opera had reportedly lost 14 million euros from cancelled shows during the strikes according to The Guardian.

The Paris metro, at the center of much of the debate, has been impacted the most: for 46 days of disturbance since Dec. 5, only two out of sixteen lines were running fully. As of Jan. 25, only three lines remain at reduced service, with all others back to normal.

The prolonged inability to use the metro resulted in both positive and negative changes to Parisian life; people walked and cycled more, but there was also a rise in pickpocketing, injuries, frustrations and massive economic loss.

In many cases, those in the banlieue—the outer metropolitan area of Paris—struggled the most, with one even walking 30

km to work. Parisians and the French in general are divided in their perception of the various protests and strikes. One article pointed out that “France has had a rail strike every year for 72 years since 1947, according to the state-owned SNCF railway company.” But the pension reform at the heart of this year’s unrest affects many more than just transit workers, which may explain the stoicism or even nonchalance with which many French citizens handled the 6 weeks of controlled crisis.

The past year in France has been characterized by a period of widespread civil unrest.

In November 2018, rising prices and taxes on gasoline sparked the infamous Gilets Jaunes protests, which have now partially merged with massive strikes coupled with fierce protests in opposition to proposed pension reforms. Journalists around the world are asking why the French, who have relatively strong labor laws, seem to be so much more likely to strike, protest and engage in other forms of civil disobedience.

Faced with government opposition, the protests have won a few concessions but have not achieved their main objectives. Some unions say their fight will continue. Commentators worry that with the transit workers voting to break the strike, union hardliners or unaffiliated protesters may turn to even more extreme measures to make their dissent heard.

Although the metros are starting to run again, the ballerinas are still on strike, and the larger issue remains unresolved.

FRENCH “YELLOW VESTS” PROTESTERS IN ANGLET, FRANCE TAKE TO THE STREET IN ANGER AGAINST PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON. BOB EDME/AP IMAGES

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DR. AISHA MUSA SPEAKS ABOUT HER TRANSLATIONS OF THE QURAN AT PSU’S URBAN CENTER ON JAN. 22.

ALEX WITTWER/PSU VANGUARD CHLOE DYSART Dr. Aisha Musa, a PSU and Harvard alumna, spoke on campus Jan. 22 to educate on the word of the Quran, specifically on the concept of inter-religious relations and multiculturalism.

Musa graduated from PSU in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies with a Middle East focus, and returned to graduate in 1992 with a master’s degree in General Arts and Letters with a specialty in Arabic language and applied linguistics. Musa continued to Harvard where she got her Ph.D. in Arabic and Islamic studies.

She has since devoted her time to writing and teaching in the areas of translation of classical Arabic texts, Quranic interpretation, women’s issues, Islamic law and modern-day reformist and neo-traditionalist movements.

The lecture, titled A Quranically-Based Vision of Multiculturalism & Inter-Religious Relations, aimed to shed light on the literal meanings of the Quran and how it can be applied to modern conflict.

Musa began to feel that interpreting the Quran on these topics became essential when movements in Europe attempted to ban the Quran as hate speech.

Corinne Hughes, the outreach coordinator for the Middle East studies program said events like these have the end goal of educating those in the community about Islam.

“This talk is particularly important because religion, in general, is just a political topic now,” Hughes said. “I think if we have speakers who are able to shine a light on the inside, and with a perspective that is broad and inviting and founded in a lot of knowledge, then we’re doing a good thing for the community.”

Musa aims to use a holistic interpretation when applying the Quran. “When I say holistic interpretation, I mean that each part of the text is read together. It’s not read separately;

every verse on the topic I take with all the other verses within the Quran as an entire text,” Musa said.

Two key interpretive principles used in the readings are tafsir al-quran bil-quran, which translates to “explain the Quran with the Quran,” as well as al-asl fil-kalam al-haqiqa, which translates to “the fundamental principle of speech is literalness.”

Musa pointed out two different verses in the Quran that encourage and embrace differences.

One of the verses, 49:13, which reads, “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another,” showing that differences among us are purposeful according to the Quran, Musa explained.

“Different cultures are something that God intended,” Musa said. “For a religious Muslim I think that’s an important idea: That God in the scripture that God has revealed, if you believe that the Quran is from God, then for God to say ‘these differences are a sign of God, a sign of God’s greatness,’ then that makes the differences a positive thing, not a negative thing,” Musa said.

Another referenced verse, 5:69, reads: “Indeed, those who have believed [in Prophet Muhammad] and those [before Him] who were Jews or Sabeans or Christians—those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness—no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.”

Musa believes that scripture like this is how the Quran accepts religious and cultural differences, a common misinterpretation of Islam.

Musa said she hopes that those who attended the event “walk away less afraid of Islam than they might have been when they came in, and that they have a better idea of what the Quran says on the issues that we talked about.”

ARTS & CULTURE JULIANA BIGELOW Hundreds of local young creatives arrived at a dimly lit secondstory studio space in Northeast Portland ready to be transported into the world of High Capacity.

The collective has held past events in Portland, but none with the reach of the launch of Jan. 18. The night marked the release of their first magazine issue—a zine-sized magazine packed full of writing, art and photography from the Portland creative community.

Ronnie Lee, a co-founder, said, “For the first issue, instead of accepting submissions we decided to just reach out to artists in the community we’ve built that align with our vision to really create an issue that’s as true to what Hi-C is as possible.”

Hi-C, as the local creative community calls it, is headed by three young people: Pilar Violet and Chuey Vitela, who are currently located in Portland, and Ronnie Lee, who is located in New York City.

Vitela described Hi-C and his motivation to join the collective by saying, “High Capacity is essentially the antithesis of your average DIY publication or collective. I personally was tired of having to consume only white people’s art exclusively from various other art spaces, and Portland is notorious for having a lack of inclusion.

We’re trying to set a new standard.”

Hi-C juice boxes were distributed with every sale of the magazine, and by 8 p.m. they littered the counters, floor and tables of ThirdRoom, the small creative studio where this event and past events have been held. The crowd began to buzz as local talent started to take the stage.

Among the roster was Dog, Whitney of Snake Dance, Selina, ThyThy, and PSU student Letjoux. Their spoken word, looped melodies, drum grooves and powerful yet gentle vocals filled the room and the crowd felt the magic. People swayed, embraced their friends, joined in and created a space where every artist was cheered on and raised up.

The collective is currently based out of both Portland and NYC. In a few weeks, Violet will be moving to NYC as well, changing the dynamic. However, Portland as a city has influenced and will continue to impact the collective immensely.

A dedicated member and supporter of the collective from the beginning explained, “Hi-C wouldn’t exist without the artists in Portland submitting their work, time, and energy to High Capacity. Without them, Hi-C would be an empty and flavorless juice box.”

And Portland creators seem to love the direct and grounded nature of the publication. PSU sophomore Nia Musiba, whose graphic design work was featured in the first issue, praised the collective saying that it has a “goal of being able to highlight artists and creators without having to jump through hoops that people encounter with more mainstream publications. Also, there is the diversity component in mind, highlighting POC artists and creators where other places don’t.”

Violet, the art director and co-founder of the collective, started it with these exact goals in mind.

“I just had so many friends who would share their personal work with me. Their writing, their drawing, their music, their whatever, and I found in—particularly with writing—nobody ever shared it.

The glass door of the gallery world, like art school institutions, very much...feel like you need to present yourself into a packaged box and have a poetry book that’s already done and neatly tied up and written in times new roman. To even be considered an artist you need to have these polished things, and that’s not what art is.”

“I was seeing so many incredible things being made by my community like these people are my family, and I wanted to make a space for them.”

From the juice boxes covering the floors, to ThirdRoom filled beyond capacity on the day of and the echoes of support shown on Instagram the days after the event, it seems that High Capacity has truly created a space for Portland’s young creative community. With Pilar’s transition to New York soon, there is uncertainty as to what exactly will happen next, but the goals seem big.

Pilar described a variety of potential upcoming events and noted they have pages of ideas she and the other collaborators have to sort through before determining some of their next moves. Despite the uncertainty, Hi-C will remain a strong space for young creators in Portland, and there is one thing the collective wants their audience to know: our capacity to create is deadly!

WHITNEY FROM SNAKE DANCE (LEFT) CHEERS ON SELINA (RIGHT) DURING THEIR PERFORMANCE. COURTESY OF RACHEL FRICHETTE

If you would like to stay updated on upcoming High Capacity events and opportunities you can follow them @highcapacitymag on Instagram.

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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ARTS & CULTURE PANELISTS (FROM LEFT) JOHN HAROLDSON, SHANNON WIGHT AND JUSTICE ADRIENNE NELSON AT THE ALBERTA ROSE THEATER. COURTESY OF TOJO ANDRIANARIVO

WHAT IS JUSTICE? JORDAN CAGLE Is justice punitive or rehabilitative? Should carrying out justice come from a place of love or a place of retribution? What role does democracy play in the justice system?

Three individuals—Justice Adrienne Nelson, John Haroldson and Shannon Wight—have spent much of their lives devoted to seeking out justice and understanding how it works within the current system. During the Think and Drink event put on by Oregon Humanities on Jan. 22 at the Alberta Rose Theater, a crowd poured into the soldout show to hear what these players within the justice system had to say.

Nelson is the first African American to sit on the state’s highest court. She was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court in 2018. She won re-election for a six-year term in 2019. Her desire for justice evolved from an event in high school where she was purposefully passed over for valedictorian despite having the highest GPA in her school, simply because of the color of her skin. She was involved in a lawsuit in the state of Arkansas that corrected the injustice bestowed upon her—making her the first black valedictorian in the state.

Haroldson is the district attorney of Benton County.

He was elected in 2008, making him the first MexicanAmerican DA in the history of the state. His beginning in the field came simply from, “a fixation on justice.”

Shannon Wight is deputy director of the public and criminal justice reform organization Partnership for Safety and Justice. She has 20 years of experience reshaping criminal and juvenile justice systems in Oregon and Louisiana.

She began her career interning in a houseless shelter in Washington, D.C. where she saw rampant discrimination against minorities.

The role of the criminal justice system in the United States is under debate throughout the country. To these three individuals, one thing is certain: the system is flawed.

Haroldson said, “We all inherited an imperfect system. It’s critical for us to recognize that.”

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“I think it is actually designed to do what it is doing, and that is the fundamental problem,” Wight replied with a roar of applause from the audience.

“I don’t call it the justice system,” Justice Nelson added, “I call it the legal system, because I know it’s a structure.”

They went on to describe a rigged system that is supposed to constitute justice in the country.

Haroldson shared an anecdote from early in his career when a well-meaning but unqualified court interpreter almost led to his client, a young Latino man, accidentally pleading guilty. “And the lesson that I took away from it was that when our communities are not represented in positions of leadership, no matter what system it is, that there will be injustices no matter how good the intention is,” Harldson said.

People of color are dramatically underrepresented in positions of leadership within the legal system. Nelson brought up the importance of underrepresented individuals serving juries. “You need democracy in the form of a juror,” Nelson said. “I am sure if many people in this room tonight got a jury summons they would not be excited about it. And that’s fair, because it is intrusive, it takes away your time.”

If one cannot afford to take a day off of work, then they cannot afford to engage with the legal system. When juries are made up of a similar demographic time after time after time, precedent is set in a certain direction.

A diverse jury is important, but only one step in creating an equitable justice system. Wight, the community organizer, was quick to point out that only about 5% of criminal cases have the chance to go before a jury. The other 95% end in a plea deal.

Wight explained, “The criminal justice system is an antidemocratic tool. People being convicted of crimes not being able to vote, that makes no logical sense. It is literally a way of marginalizing voices.”

Each speaker gave a concrete example of changes that could positively impact the legal system. Nelson offered

her examples: “Every person who comes into our legal system should have legal representation...In a civil case most of the time people are self-represented, which [is to say], unrepresented. We are seeing people come to our courts that are being held accountable to legal standards as if they are lawyers. I think that it would be an incredible thing to have everyone...have an attorney that can help them navigate that system.”

“I work for an organization that tries to make change so I have two hundred ideas that I will try and pretend are only two,” Wight said. “One way is to shrink [the justice system]. We want to be thinking about what victims are getting as well as people convicted of crimes...think about the ways we can do justice differently.”

“We are at a historical time of demographic conversion across this country where the majority will change, but we have not kept up with that demographic change in positions of power in all systems, including the criminal justice system,” Haroldson said. “In other words, if there isn’t a lot of diversity among judges, we really need to ask if there is a lot of diversity among lawyers across the board.”

“Is there enough diversity in law schools?” Haroldson continued, “Is there enough diversity in colleges? Now, what would the world look like if every person had an opportunity to get a college education and they didn’t have to pay for that. What would that look like? What impact would that have on our justice system?”

The legal system and justice are not automatically intertwined. “Justice requires two components to exist,” Haroldson said. “One, you must have community. Second, you must have love. You got to care about the community and if you don’t care about the community you don’t have justice.”

To see more events similar to the one described in this article, go to oregonhumanities.org.

OPINION

ASSASSINATION OF IRANIAN GENERAL PROVES RECKLESS, UNNECESSARY SOLEIMANI’S DEATH INCREASES REGIONAL TURMOIL MELODY FIELD President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize an airstrike on General Quasem Soleimani was impulsive and wrong for the United States and its safety. However, the accidental missile strike of a Ukranian passenger plane by Iran seems to have shifted the focus away from Soleimani’s death—for now.

Iranian citizens seemed to prove loyal to their government when Soleimani, a major general in Iran, was killed by the U.S. military on Jan. 3 after Trump’s authorization. On the day of his funeral, millions of mourners filled the streets, according to state-run television.

The people of Iran, whether they were nationalistic or subversive, came together to express fear and sadness for their country.

Soleimani had been closely watched by the U.S. for years and was purposely left untouched because of the fear that killing him would upend U.S.–Iran relations.

The conflict the airstrike caused was what previous administrations had avoided for so long. With this tension lingering heavy over Iran, they were quick to shoot down the first sign of threat, which sadly, ended up being no threat at all.

Five days after Soleimani’s assassination, a Ukrainian passenger plane flying over Iran was shot down during a missle strike on a U.S. base in Iraq. The Iranian government initially denied responsibility for the incident; three days later, they admitted to being at fault for the accident.

This immediately changed Iranians’ relationship with their government, which they had just connected with so deeply over Soleimani’s death. Iranian citizens grew furious at the Iranian government for shooting down the passenger plane.

Ukraine alleged that Iran wouldn’t have ever admitted to the fault if not having investigated the plane wreckage themselves, according to The New York Times.

The incident proved to be a reason for Iranians to mistrust their supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and their government altogether.

Instead of crowds of people in the street weeping together, there were crowds of people outraged at the incident and how their government was handling it. Many people throughout cities in Iran grouped together to protest, some even shouting “Khamenei is a murderer!” according to The New York Times.

Iran started out with immense support after Soleimani’s death; but when that mistake was made, that support was lost.

Without the tragedy of the Ukrainian plane crash in Iran, there may have been more room for a U.S.–Iran conflict to occur much quicker than either country could handle.

However, had the U.S. showed restraint in the assasination of Soleimani, this tragedy would never have happened.

BRANDON PAHNISH

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OPINION

HAVE YOU

HEARD? THE TRANSIT EDITION AJ EARL Have you heard about the move to retire the Type 1 MAX trains? You could be riding on a brand new train in 2021 with softer seats, more room and extremely cool digital stop screen. This means the Type 6 will finally lead to the removal of high-floor trains that bar many people with mobility issues and large items in hand like bikes. This means a more accessible ride for everyone, which leads me to…

Folks, please make way in the priority seating area. It’s absolutely rude to stare at someone with a mobility device or service animal or an elder asking for a seat. At times it can be cruel, even. In case you aren’t sure what the seating is for, TriMet has a guide for you on its

website. In short, if you can, please let those who are elders or disabled sit in this area. And if you are either of these (or both) remember that for your safety and security, these areas are open to you. Bring on the Type 6!

If you’ve heard about TriMet at all, then I’m certain you’ve heard about the PSU Viking Pass, an all-term transit pass available just before classes start each term. Naturally, this means you’ve missed out for this term, but don’t worry: it’ll be back open in a few weeks in advance of Spring Term. But wait, there’s more! TriMet now offers reduced fare options for those with low or no income, something a lot of students can relate to. Portland State’s Student Transit Program website has details for you.

And another thing: Can Trimet make Blue Line MAX trips to and from Gresham terminate and originate on campus more often?

Having a direct line east that continues on beyond Gateway would be helpful to a lot of students, increasing access to more affordable areas of town that many students inhabit.

Service realignments are hard to justify, especially those that split a line in two, but different models of expanded service exist, such as extension of the Yellow Line Metrorail service in Washington, D.C. to serve portions of Maryland. This service has proven so successful at both reducing crowding and expanding ridership that it’s been made permanent.

Finally, have you heard about the Rose Quarter I-5 expansion? In case you haven’t, the Oregon Department of Transportation is essentially mandating a widening and re-

configuration of I-5 north of I-84. At nearly a billion dollars, the project is a pricey piece of roadway. Funding and operations costs are so contested at this point, however, that the final environmental impact statement has been delayed to study congestion pricing at the behest of Governor Kate Brown. Here’s an idea, though: how about paying for more MAX service and environmental friendly buses?

Expanding roads, laying more and more concrete, funneling more cars through the city?

That’s just not sustainable!

DANA TOWNSEND

DIFFICULT PROFESSORS: HOW TO DEAL WHEN YOU NEED THE GRADE AJ EARL

From undergraduates to post-graduates, difficult professors can be an obstacle to success in your school career. A quick poll of classmates and a scan of RateMyProfessor suggests students at Portland State have a lot of opinions on the methods and approaches of various faculty. With an overall rating of 3.4 according to RateMyProfessor, PSU is fairly average as it comes to student complaints and disagreements—rather surprising given RateMyProfessor’s reputation as an outlet for mostly extremely negative comments.

With so much on the line, what can you do?

What should you do? Remembering the power differential at play in student-professor relations, students are often left in a fog when dealing with a professor that makes their education difficult.

Here are some great tips and advice on dealing.

READ THE SYLLABUS CAREFULLY, AND ASK AS MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR PROFESSOR’S EXPECTATIONS AS YOU NEED TO

Understanding the professor’s basic guideline for the course is the first step in putting yourself on more steady ground. Even more importantly, being able to recognize deviations even when they don’t impact

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your performance in the class is a good way to stay ahead of the curve before unwanted surprises trip you up.

you’re falling behind due to a problem with the teaching, it’s a good idea to ask classmates about their own experiences.

LEARN TO RECOGNIZE SIGNS OF UNFAIR TREATMENT

TALK TO YOUR DEPARTMENT CHAIR OR ADVISOR FOR SOME GUIDANCE

The only basis upon which complaints can be filed in the first place is a clear recognition of what was unfair about your treatment. Documenting periods when unreasonable requests are made or when a professor makes lessons inaccessible to you are extremely pivotal if you need to raise the issue.

TALK TO YOUR PROFESSOR REGULARLY IF IT’S NOT UNCOMFORTABLE

Having an open line of communication prior to escalating a problem is important, but remember to only do so if you feel safe to do so. While retaliation is not allowed for filing a complaint, you should still avoid putting yourself in an unsafe position. Furthermore, it’s likely you can better understand your professor’s approach this way.

ASK A CLASSMATE FOR THEIR VIEW ON THE ISSUE

Sharing grades among classmates isn’t a crime; it’s usually not even frowned upon. If you feel like

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

Be sure that anything that might impact your life as a student is communicated clearly to your advisor or the department chair. It’s fair to involve heads of the department in these issues, especially if they can help defuse the situation. Your advisor, too, can be a major help, and their position is there for this kind of thing.

Finally, remember to take a breath and take a minute. Sometimes the difference between a misunderstanding and coming to an agreement is the amount of time it takes to stop and just think about this again.

There is no reason to accept abuse of any kind from professors. For complaints about potential discrimination or sexual harassment, visit the Global Diversity and Inclusion website’s Equity and Compliance page for information on unacceptable conduct and how to file a complaint ( https://www.pdx.edu/ diversity/complaint).

DANA TOWNSEND

THE ‘ POWER OF SPORTS’

SPORTS

AUTHOR MICHAEL SERAZIO DISCUSSES HIS LATEST BOOK WITH PSU STUDENTS, PORTLAND COMMUNITY

RICH RIGNEY

What is the relationship between sports and religion? Technology? Ideals of manhood?

Professor Michael Serazio, author of Your Ad Here: The Cool Sell of Guerrilla Marketing, visited Portland State on Jan. 21 to discuss his latest book, The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture.

Serazio’s book examines the many ways sports have become not just intertwined with American culture but how they are a reflection and explanation of various aspects of the culture.

In his lecture, Serazio raised the question, “Why do we love sports so dearly when it costs so much?”

Originally published in April 2019, The Power of Sports “was a project that was four years in the making,” Serazio said. A sports enthusiast himself, Serazio acknowledges in his book the ability sports has to help one endure “in every sense of the word—existentially, palliatively.” At the same time, however, he is aware “it does so at an enormous cost.” Serazio describes his book as “an attempt to understand that ‘medium,’ that social glue—its causes and consequences: economic, political, and cultural.”

What exactly does this enormous cost look like? Think hundreds of billions of dollars.

“Overall, the sports industry is worth somewhere between $200 and $700 billion, and much of that spending is quite frankly irrational,” Serazio said. “Frequently, taxpayers will fund stadiums and arenas when the rich ownership of those franchises could—and should—just as easily pick up the tab; a dollar spent by a municipality on a sports facility is a dollar that doesn’t go toward other collective priorities—education, transportation, et cetera.”

Serazio opens his book with a quote from sports scholar Michael Real: “Ignoring [mediated sports] today would be like ignoring the role of the church in the middle ages or ignoring the role of art in the Renaissance; large parts of society are immersed in [it]. . . and virtually no aspect of life is untouched by it.”

This perceived overlap between sports and religion is in many ways what inspired Serazio to write his book.

“It started with a curiosity,” he said. “I was really fascinated by how similar the experience of sports and religion was.”

“Sports tells us what right and wrong is,” Serazio said.

“It tells us what good and evil is: our team is good, the other team is evil. Those are religious things. It provides a message about how to perfect your body, which is also something religion often tries to teach people.”

“But most of all, sports provides—and I think this is the point of religion—provides a way for people to get

together with each other, to find community,” Serazio said. “There’s a real lack of community in our era. And religion had historically been the thing that helped people deal with that. I think sports are the thing now that help people deal with that.”

But what about those who couldn’t care less about sports and the X’s and O’s that come with it? For those out there who wouldn’t know Tom Brady from Tom Selleck, there may be the question, what could this book possibly have to offer that would be of interest or relevance? “In many ways, it was kind of [my] motivation for doing the book,” Serazio said.

“The book is meant to tell a story about sports that allows a bigger story about politics and gender and American culture to be told,” he explained. “I find sports to be a representation of those bigger issues and a window into those bigger issues as well. If someone is interested in learning about where America is at in terms of the issues of our time, I think that’s what the book hopefully describes.”

Throughout the book, Serazio examines the everchanging world of sports and the position sports hold within society. “Over the last quarter-century, sports have ballooned in slow motion before our eyes,” Serazio said. He added, “Sports are our most powerful cultural mirrors.”

With the world of sports constantly changing and evolving, Serazio shared one of the changes he hopes might take place in the future. “I would like to see investment in coverage and resources for women’s sports,” he explained. “Especially women’s soccer, because I think there’s a lot of upside there for audiences to get into it.”

So, why care about sports? While it’s true, sports are, ultimately, ‘just a game,’ it would seem their ability to explain and reflect the fundamental experiences of American culture is what allows them to be so much more. As Serazio puts it, “What makes sports special is that it can tell us about non-sports issues.”

Serazio currently works as an associate professor at Boston College, where he has taught a course called Sports Media and Culture for more than six years.

Serazio describes The Power of Sports as “kind of the backbone for how I structure the course.”

In addition to his two books, Serazio has contributed scholarly work to the Journal of Communication and several others. Before becoming a professor, Serazio spent time as a staff writer for the Houston Press; his essays have also appeared in The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic, to name a few.

DANA TOWNSEND

PSU Vanguard • JANUARY 28, 2020 • psuvanguard.com

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Jordan Cagle

JAN 28–FEB 3 ART

MUSIC

FILM & THEATRE

COMMUNITY

‘FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!’ HOLLYWOOD THEATRE 7:30 P.M. $9 Three sadistic go-go dancers break free from their nightclub and race out to the desert to stir up some mayhem.

BUILDING BRIDGES TO EQUITY INTERCESSION HAPPY HOUR W/ STEPHEN FOWLER LUCKY LABRADOR BREW PUB 4:30–6 P.M. FREE Stephen Fowler will be talking about his experience with the school-to-prison pipeline.

CHRISTOPHER BROWN QUARTET THE 1905 7 P.M. $7 • 21+ The Christopher Brown Quartet takes R&B songs from the ‘80s and gives them a jazz feel.

‘THE BERLIN DIARIES’ OREGON JEWISH MUSEUM 7 P.M. $10–15 Staged reading of Andrea Stolowitz’s The Berlin Diaries. This play follows the journey of a woman who goes back to Berlin to discover the truth about her unknown ancestors.

WOMEN AND ANXIETY - SELF CARE STRATEGIES AND MORE THINKSHOUT 5:30–7:30 P.M. FREE Emelie Gagliardo, MA, LCP, a specialist in treating women with anxiety, will be sharing tangible ways women can alleviate anxiety in their lives.

THU JAN 30

LONE GRAVE BUTTE CAMERAWORK GALLERY 9 A.M.–5 P.M. FREE Second to last day to check out the collection of photography from Ashland based photographer John Wimberly.

PSU’S FINEST: JOSEPH MAMMARELLA & ENZO IRACE GROWLER USA 5 P.M. FREE Enjoy your local PSU musicians, Joseph Mammarella & Enzo Irace both jazz guitarists and a good beer.

‘PARASITE’ CINEMA 21 3:45 P.M. & 9:20 P.M. $7–10 If you haven’t had a chance to see this South Korean thriller with class conflict undertones, now is your chance.

SHANROCK’S TRIVIOLOGY EASTBURN 7 P.M. FREE • 21+ Compete for the opportunity to win cash or prizes—the host has been awarded the title of Best Entertainer in North Portland.

FRI JAN 31

SEEING IT THROUGH: A VISUAL MANIFESTATION OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY’S LEGACY IN PORTLAND MULTNOMAH COUNTY CENTRAL LIBRARY 10 A.M.–6 P.M. FREE An ocular and auditory retelling of the Black Panther Party in Portland.

WEIRDO DISCO NO FUN LATE NIGHT FREE No Fun presents DJ Kennel Jitters in this monthly disco night that incorporates disco as well as punk jams into the evening.

‘SORDID LIVES’ TWILIGHT THEATRE COMPANY 8 P.M. $18–24 This story follows a god-fearing Christian family in Texas who come together at the funeral of their matriarch.

BREAKFAST ON THE BRIDGE! STEEL BRIDGE 7–9 A.M. FREE FOR BIKE RIDERS Brought to you by Shift on the last Friday of every month. If you are a bike rider and want to engage with other community members, this is a great place to do it.

A DROP OF WATER ELISABETH JONES ART CENTER NOON–5 P.M. FREE A collection of works from 11 different artists centered around the water crisis we are currently living in.

BOOMBOX, ETHNO WONDER BALLROOM 9 P.M. $17 Great display of some fusion music that incorporates elements of house, electronic rock, blues and funk.

‘THE WAYS WE COPE’ ALBERTA ABBEY 2 P.M. $10–15 An expressionistic performance incorporating a variety of different disciplines and presented by Red Balloon Theatre Collective.

14TH ANNUAL HO’IKE POLYNESIAN DANCE SHOW PCC SYLVANIA CAMPUS 6 P.M. $25–65 See early or late shows, stay for dinner, and participate in a silent auction to help increase awareness and interest in Hawaiian culture and history.

RISK: THE ART OF UNCERTAINTY WATERSTONE GALLERY 11 A.M.–4 P.M. FREE This group exhibit is an exploration of vulnerability, failure and courage.

WAVE ACTION RONTOMS 8 P.M. FREE Mellow alternative music that would be a great cap to the weekend.

‘THE STING’ 5TH AVENUE CINEMA 3 P.M. $5, FREE W/ STUDENT ID Get free popcorn and see classic films that are a refreshing break from mainstream cinema. This week is The Sting, starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw.

VANCOUVER DRAG BRUNCH HEATHEN BREWING’S FERAL PUBLIC HOUSE 11 A.M. $5 Perfect way to kick off your Sunday morning.

EAT COLOR LUKE’S FRAME SHOP 10 A.M.–6 P.M. FREE A collection of abstract works from artist Aremy Stewart.

RON STEEN JAM THE 1905 7 P.M. $5 • 21+ Ron Steen is known as the Godfather of Jazz Jams in Portland. His jams are truly something to behold whether you are a fan of jazz or not.

‘PUSHOUT: THE CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK GIRLS IN SCHOOLS’ WARNER PACIFIC UNIVERSITY 6–8:30 P.M. FREE A documentary film revolving around the criminalization of black girls and girls of color in schools.

KARAOKE FROM HELL DANTE’S 9 P.M. $3 • 21+ Show them what you got.

TUE JAN 28

PAGAN JUG BAND FORD FOOD & DRINK 6:30 P.M. FREE • 21+ Folksy bluegrass Americana with a hint of cajun and blues—covers and originals included.

NORTHWEST ART COUNCIL: A NECESSARY IRRITANT PORTLAND ART MUSEUM 6:30–7:30 P.M. FREE The final lecture on Garth Clark’s international tour is an opportunity to learn about the evolution of ceramic art from one of the most prolific scholars on the subject.

WED JAN 29

BILLIONS AND BILLIONS MULTNOMAH ARTS CENTER 9 A.M.–9:30 P.M. FREE A collection of works by Jonathan Barcan inspired by a lecture from Alan Watts titled “The Wiggly World.”

SAT FEB 1 SUN FEB 2 MON FEB 3