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Isaiah Burns
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Tasha Sayre
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Noah Carandanis
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Sarah Applin
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Anish Kumar Arumugam
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JJ Christensen
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Liam Schmitt
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Lilli Rudine
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Vaishnavi Srinath
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Reaz Mahmood
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TENSIONS RISE BETWEEN PSU ADMINISTRATORS AND PSU-AAUP
BUNSIS REPORT CASTS ALTERNATIVE PICTURE OF PSU BUDGET DURING PERIOD OF LAYOFF NOTICES
NOAH
Portland State University American Association of University Professors (PSU-AAUP) members donned their red shirts and held up their pickets to march from the Vanport Building to the Neuberger Center on Oct. 17. The center is home to the office of PSU President Ann Cudd where union members would protest the notices of layoffs which Non-Tenure Track Faculty (NTTF) members had received.
Signs reading “cutting programs means cutting people” and “working conditions create learning conditions” were contrasted with the PSU crest hanging by the president’s office door.
Union leadership demanded to speak with President Cudd, and after hours of waiting, a tense conversation with PSU-AAUP President Emily Ford ensued.
“We came up here today to ask President Cudd to reverse the cuts of nearly 100 of our co-workers who were notified on Tuesday of a layoff,” Ford said. “I asked her to reverse the cuts, I asked her to settle a fair contract now.”
The notice sent out is being referred to as a “notice of a notice.” According to one NTTF’s layoff notice, an official notice of termination will be sent on or before Dec. 15. If a termination notice is received, that faculty member’s posi -
tion will end June 15, 2025. For NTTFs who don’t have continuous appointments, that termination will come on Jan. 1 according to Ford.
When President Cudd was leaving, a union member asked if she would reverse the cuts and settle a fair contract.
“I’m sure we’ll settle a fair contract,” Cudd responded.
As the PSU-AAUP’s Nov. 30 contract expiration deadline looms, bargaining is still in full swing between the union and the PSU administration. With approximately 90 hours at the bargaining table, only five tentative agreements have been made according to an email sent out by PSU-AAUP. The PSU-AAUP also released an alternative budget analysis by Howard Bunsis— an Accounting Professor at Eastern Michigan University—that disputes the University’s picture of the budget. These factors along with the layoff notices have inflamed tensions between the union and administration.
“PSU is in a solid financial position. This conclusion is supported by solid bond ratings, which are assigned despite the declines in enrollment, and are supported by solid reserves and annual excess cash flows,” the Bunsis report concluded. “The number and salaries to administration are increasing much larger and faster
than salaries for instructional faculty and academic professionals.”
The report also claims that the University is over-accounting for the University pension, Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) and Other Post Employment Benefits (OPEB) to the tune of $140 million.
According to Andria Johnson—the Vice President of Finance and Administration for PSU—this number does not impact PSU’s operating budget at all.
“What he’s talking about is an entry that we do on our financial statements that’s on top of things,” Johnson said. “We do have to pay into PERS but that’s not built into our operating budget. It doesn’t come out of E&G [Education and General funds]. It doesn’t come out of auxiliaries or restrictive funds or anything. It is literally an accounting entry that’s done on the top once all the books are closed.”
The nuances of the budget analysis are complex and dense to someone not familiar with finance. Yet the overall tone of the administration’s view of the budget and PSU-AAUP’s analysis on the budget is readily apprehended.
“I think their budget is pessimistic,” Ford said. “There has not been a year in my 14 years at Portland State University where
CARANDANIS
Union supplies such as t-shirts and signs were given out to members who attended the speak out.
NOAH CARANDANIS/PSU VANGAURD
they’ve said we have to cut and we have no money, and then at the end of the year there’s a surplus. I’ve never seen that.”
Though the Bunsis report does paint a more optimistic picture of PSU’s budget, the PSU administration was not convinced of this financial reality being proposed.
Johnson explained that Bunsis’ analysis looks at the finances of PSU from an audited financial statement point of view which lumps everything together.
“Based on this information, there’s no budgetary issues,” Johnson said. “However, that’s not how accounting at public universities work. Public universities follow the Governmental Accounting Standards Board for our accounting practices which require us to put things into different funds… they’re segregated for the purpose of carrying on specific activities or attaining certain objectives in accordance with special regulations, restrictions or limitations.”
There are three main categories which funds fall into in PSU’s operating budget. There are Education and General (E&G) funds, non E&G funds which account for service departments and designated operations and then restricted funds. There also are capital funds, usually coming from the State of Oregon, which can only be used on buildings.
“[In] our audited financial statements, they don’t break it up like that,” Johnson said. “All the money gets smushed together so there’s a little bit of discrepancy there because not all funds can be intermingled in that way. We can’t just come in and say we’re going to take this and we’re going to pay this over here with it… Oftentimes when you’re looking at the auditor’s financial statements it’s going to tell you a story that does not necessarily match the story of our operating budget.”
The number looming over the budget discourse is the purported $18 million budget deficit that the University is facing. This is an E&G deficit which arises from two primary causes according to Johnson.
With student enrollment steadily declining and costs continuing to rise, the administration sees the costs as simply outpacing the revenue the University can bring in through tuition and student enrollment.
This, along with Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s spending cap on higher education, the state allocation which had been growing for PSU is coming to a stop. According to Johnson, the University has also benefited from higher education emergency relief funds which helped mask the budget deficit and allow PSU to build its reserves.
One conclusion of the Bunsis report that has sparked outcry is the claim that administrator’s salaries continue to increase at a much faster and larger rate than faculty and academic professionals, whose division is facing $12.5 million in cuts according to an email sent out by PSU-AAUP.
“Bunsis actually refers to institutional management as a pure upper administration,” Johnson said. “That is not the case. He makes this case that administrators’ salaries are growing. Can I tell you what’s in that bucket? Our campus public safety is in that bucket. My budget office is in that bucket… We have people in research and graduate studies that fall under institutional management… So there’s kind of a misnomer about what administration is… It does not necessarily mean that we’re paying people like me, vice presidents and above or deans, a lot more. It means that that category overall is growing.”
The announcement of the new Performing Arts and Culture Center which will be built on PSU’s campus utilizing $300 million in state bonds hurled PSU’s mission to revitalize downtown to the forefront while faculty were receiving layoff notices.
“The effort is going into concrete and steel, $300 million or so going to the state for bonds to build concrete and steel to revitalize a university that has no faculty left,” Ford said. “That’s not a university.”
In the announcement of this performing arts center from President Cudd’s office, Cudd noted that the project has no bearing on PSU’s E&G funds which are composed of annual academic operations. According to Cudd’s message, the funding for this project is paid for with auxiliary reserves that cannot be used for academic operations.
“It’s what we call a once in a century opportunity, and while the timing is not perfect, if we aren’t engaged now and looking toward the future… we will have missed this opportunity,” Johnson said. “It is something that we can’t just not do and let it go by the wayside.”
The administration hopes that newer buildings and a revitalized campus will help remedy the decline in student enrollment and attract new students, according to Johnson. Along with these capital projects, one of the pillars of the University’s financial sustainability plan is academic program revitalization and curriculum stewardship.
Using Gray Decision Intelligence—a software program that collects data relating to academic programs and management— PSU is evaluating academics based on student trends and employment prospects post-graduation, according to Johnson.
Though the administration claims that academics are continuously valued even in the midst of cuts, Ford expressed skepticism regarding the big ideals Cudd laid out at convocation.
“I was optimistic that there would be collaboration and at convocation President Cudd asked us to dream big,” Ford said. “I don’t know how we can dream big about a future for PSU when around 100 of our co-workers are being told they may not be here. It’s very hard to dream big under those circumstances.”
Though these layoff notices are demoralizing, Ford continues to remain hopeful about the faculty’s resilience.
“I’ve been speaking with people who received these notices of layoff… [and] when I’m speaking with people what I’m hearing is their concern for students,” Ford said. “Each and every one of my coworkers who received a notice of layoff is so angry that they’re willing to fight. They’re willing to stand up for their students.”
Katie Cagle—a Staff Member at PSU—echoed Ford’s belief that these notices have only further emboldened union members in their fight for a fair contract.
“I think this is really activating the community and I think the University should not expect faculty to go quietly,” Cagle said. “It feels like we’re at this existential point where we can double down on practices that have not served us in the past, or we can get creative and intentional and relational and address this tension.”
Jennifer Kerns—a Teaching Associate Professor of History at PSU since 2000—is among the NTTF who received a notice of layoff.
“I know that a lot of my colleagues are distraught, concerned, stressed—and those are not ideal working conditions,” Kerns said. “It is difficult to know that potentially your whole life is going to be upended and just continue to walk onto campus with a smile on your face.”
Sarah Dougher is another NTTF Member who received a notice of layoff. She has been teaching at PSU since 2004 and works full time as a teaching assistant professor in the University Studies Program—a program in which all NTTF members were issued notices of layoff according to Ford.
“I feel really sad [about] the commitments that I have set down and the roots I have allowed to grow in the programs that I am working in… [and] about how you would have to walk away and rip those roots up and what would be left for students,” Dougher said. “We have to work together to come to a just solution for our students.”
NOAH CARANDANIS/PSU VANGUARD
PSU-AAUP members gather in front of the Vanport Building before marching towards the Neuberger Center.
PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
HOW CELEBRITY ADMIRATION CAN VIOLATE
BOUNDARIES
Through a message to fans written in an iPhone’s notes app on Aug. 23, Singer and Songwriter Chappell Roan sparked significant dialogue about the nature of celebrities and the dynamics of fan interactions—particularly concerning the boundaries of consent and emotional labor.
This message instigated immediate backlash for Chappell Roan, with many fans taking the boundaries set in place and weaponizing them against Chappell Roan. This has been compared to the phenomenon of parasocial relationships—one-sided connections where fans develop emotional attachments to celebrities, feeling as though they know them personally. Experts argue this has been amplified by social media as celebrities share intimate glimpses of their lives, fostering a false sense of familiarity.
As a society, we find ourselves in a situation where modern technology offers us unprecedented levels of connectivity.
“With social media, celebrities can really engage with their fans in a way that’s just different… It’s not through journalists,” said
Maura Kelly, PSU Professor of Sociology.
“It’s not through paparazzi, but that they can share whatever they want of their personal lives. And many celebrities do share a lot of what they’re doing kind of day-to-day, their thoughts, their feelings, their experiences.”
“It certainly can lead fans to kind of feel like they know those celebrities in the same way that they know their friends and family in everyday life,” Kelly said. “But of course, it’s one-sided, it’s imaginary… These parasocial relationships are not real relationships.”
Kelly noted the levels of fame that, for example, The Beatles held in the 60’s and the screaming teenage girls who followed suit.
“This kind of thing has always been there, but it’s more ramped up in the age of social media because there’s so much more access to celebrities than there has been in the past,” Kelly said. “Social media has changed the nature of parasocial relationships, but those kinds of relationships have always existed.”
Anna Shoemaker—a Musical Artist from Philadelphia—is currently in the process of releasing her second album, Someone Should
Stop Her (SSSH). Shoemaker described her debut album as similar to a “diary entry” or “word vomit.”
“...We had a lot of rewrites, a lot of refining, a lot of thought, not for better or for worse, it just kind of was a different process…” Shoemaker said. “We put a lot more thought into tying up every loose end and making sure that all the writing is cohesive and that we are really telling a story.”
This album has been in the works for two years.
Shoemaker has passionately embraced her lifelong dream of making music since she was a child with no persona or defining separation between herself and her creative work as a popular artist.
“[Within] my debut album… I exaggerated a few things… but this album is really, really personal and it is a breakup album,” Shoemaker said.
Shoemaker is an artist who authentically connects with her audience by sharing personal experiences, making her relatable in today’s all-around challenging social landscape.
Shoemaker noted that with heartbreak comes valuable lessons.
“...You have to get your heart broken to grow and you have to go through these really difficult periods and I think I went through a really, really difficult period and this album is about that,” Shoemaker said. “I’m excited for what’s to come after that period.”
As Shoemaker continued to remain vulnerable in her music, listeners resonated with her music on a more intimate level.
“It’s really beautiful when people can connect and relate to your music, but… it’s only one part of you,” Shoemaker said. “I think it’s only natural to want to know more about the artist, feel like you know them, or feel connected to them… At the same time… it’s not really the artist’s job [to share]. I feel like a lot of times artists are expected to do a lot of things that have nothing to do with what they actually want to do. Like for me, I just want to write my songs and I want to play my songs, but I find myself, [having to] do a lot of explaining of things.”
Shoemaker expressed the vulnerability that comes from having her personal life so closely intertwined with her art.
SARAH APPLIN
Anna Shoemaker opens on stage for musician Joe P at Polaris Hall.
SARAH APPLIN/PSU VANGUARD
“It’s a little bit scary because there is no separation between me and my art already,”
Shoemaker said. “There’s nothing really protecting me from it… but it’s also like I wouldn’t rather have it any other way and I don’t want to be ungrateful when people want to talk about stuff, so it’s just finding a balance.”
This all raises the concern that famous artists have the right to maintain individuality and private lives despite their public personas—even while fans often feel entitled to emotional labor from celebrities.
“This kind of conversation really reminds me of the Sociologist, Arlie Hochschild, her concept of emotional labor, which she defines as the work of managing other people’s emotions in the context of paid work,” Kelly said.
“In Hochschild’s work and work that’s come after, it’s consistently documented how women are expected to do more emotional labor in jobs of all kinds compared to men,” Kelly said. “So I think in thinking about celebrities, when dealing with fans, celebrities are supposed to smile for the selfie with the fan, regardless of how they’re actually feeling. They’re expected to be respectful and loving to fans that are not always respectful and loving to them.”
Shoemaker highlighted that female artists often face greater scrutiny and pressure to fulfill
guys are able to be a little bit more [like] rock stars,” Shoemaker said.
“I think that women are expected to be more grateful than men,” Shoemaker continued. “I think when men are like, ‘F you, I don’t want to talk about it,’ they’re [considered] cool and they’re mysterious, but then if a woman, like if Chappell Roan says it, everyone’s like, ‘you’re so ungrateful, you don’t care about your fans…’’’
Kelly echoed this perspective, pointing out the larger cultural implications of these expectations on celebrities, specifically Chappell Roan, and particularly, how they navigate their boundaries with fans.
“I think that’s where kind of the Chappell Roan controversy kind of comes into this, where is the place for celebrities to kind of put down some boundaries and say, ‘Hey, I’m in this, I understand what it means to be famous in our culture, and I signed up for that,” Kelly said. “But what I didn’t sign up for was people non-consensually touching me. What I didn’t sign up for was people being rude when I just didn’t feel like taking that picture with them.’”
“One of the things that I thought was really interesting about the Chappell Roan comments in particular was how she connected her experience with fame to women’s everyday experiences of harassment,” Kelly said.
This connection highlights the broader societal issues surrounding gender and consent, illustrating how challenges faced by celebrities can reflect the everyday experiences of many women.
“In the Instagram post, one of the things that she wrote was ‘women don’t owe you shit.’ I think it’s really interesting that she didn’t say ‘celebrities don’t owe you shit’ or ‘I don’t owe you shit’ and instead she’s really
situating her experiences on that continuum of harassment that all women face…” Kelly said. “I think that was a really interesting way for her to try to connect with her fans and say ‘like, yes, I’m obviously in a different situation because I’m famous, but the kinds of things that I’m experiencing are an extension of the kinds of things you’re experiencing in your everyday life.’”
Chappell Roan fosters a sense of solidarity amongst her fans, especially those who identify as women or members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Chappell Roan’s boundaries reinforce the message that everyone deserves respect and autonomy, regardless of their public status.
Similarly to Chappell Roan, Anna Shoemaker understands the vulnerability of sharing art that is deeply personal with the public.
“…Songwriting is like the worst parts of your life wrapped up in a nice pretty bow, sounding nice, sounding cool and that’s kind of my similar internet presence where I feel like I can be honest and I can be vulnerable online… to an extent,” Shoemaker said. “No one actually wants to hear you crying on the ground… Maybe if you do like a scream in tune with the song, then it [expressing heightened emotion] is cool.”
Anna Shoemaker, currently on tour with Joe P, commented on her upcoming album.
“…I’m just kind of completely stripping it back to how we started and it’s just really [made] me think about how important the writing is to me,” Shoemaker said. “I think that on this album, the thing I’m most proud of is the writing and how much thought and care I put into it.”
Shoemaker’s second album, Someone Should Stop Her will be released on all platforms on Feb. 21, 2025.
Local A&C Events
MILO LOZA
Portland Afternoon City Tour
Various locations
Nov. 5, 2 p.m.
$85
A guided tour of Portland highlights including Pioneer Square, Rose Garden and more.
ANORA in 35mm
Hollywood Theatre Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m.
$10+
A new Cinderella story based on a sex worker from Brooklyn.
Disney On Ice: Magic in the Stars
Veterans Memorial Coliseum Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
$25
Classic Disney stories come alive on ice with fan-favorite characters.
David Sedaris
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m.
$55+
Humorist and author Sedaris shares insights and new works utilizing his iconic storytelling style.
Fyrbread Fest
Director Park
Nov. 9, 11 a.m.
Free
Celebrate Native American culture with live drumming, storytelling and local Indigenous vendors.
Melodies of the Animal
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Nov. 10, 2 p.m.
Explore the vast and fascinating animal kingdom with your Oregon Symphony.
Comedy Open Mic
Cheerful Tortoise Nov. 11, 9 p.m.
Comedy on campus, with sign ups at 8:30 p.m. and a feature comedian at 10 p.m.
Anna Shoemaker playing the guitar and singing at Polaris Hall.
SARAH APPLIN/PSU VANGUARD
SATIRE: THE END ISN’T NEAR ENOUGH
MILO LOZA
For most of my life, the prospect of the world ending has been a lingering fear in the back of my mind. The thought is nearly impossible to escape. From our media to our education system, it’s becoming common knowledge that existence as we know it is ending.
Of course, this fear is not irrational—I’ve taken a biology class. I know the parts-per-million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has reached uncontrol lable levels, consistently breaking records. I know that species are dying at such a rapid rate that we may be witnessing the start of the sixth mass extinc tion. I know there are over 12,000 nuclear warheads around the world.
With that being said, as these issues go on, my fears are shifting. I am no longer afraid of the world end ing—I’m actually starting to be concerned that it will never end.
While everyone is bracing for the apocalypse, I’m ac cepting that it’s already here, deteriorating my life in the form of an overflowed inbox. Each and every day, I face an unrelenting hoard of emails. No matter how many times I unsubscribe from Baskin Robbins—because of that one time I wanted 31 cents off—I always find them back from the dead. Y3K can’t come soon enough.
So far, I have prepared myself for the apocalypse but never once stopped to consider that, somehow, I may end up living a long life. I haven’t actually prepared by purchasing a bunker or a crank and I don’t have as many cans of beans as I should—but mentally? I’ve been preparing. I am less of a doomsday prepper and more of a doomsday acceptor.
Listen, I would love to hoard gold and precious met als for bartering around the wasteland, but I’m already too busy trying to survive day to day. As our population grows, rent is getting higher and my AC doesn’t battle climate change for free. My landlord hands me pieces of paper each month that are more terrifying than the Book of Revelations.
There are so many issues that I have to fight through all the time—sometimes every day. There are morn ings when I wake up hungover, find my phone is not charged and that I’m also very late. So why would I ever want them to clean up the garbage island in the Pacific?
Every day that the Yellowstone Volcano doesn’t erupt, I find myself waiting for a bagel—twenty whole minutes, then another five minutes! And when the staff gives it to me, it’s just a plain, warm bagel with out any cream cheese or toppings on it—because I like it that way.
Now my dear reader, if I was confident I was going to live a long healthy life in a stable world, do you think that I would waste my precious time waiting for a single stale donut? The answer is no—yet, here I am, caught between mundanity and catastrophe. Every year that we get closer to electric cars saving the world makes me more and more nervous that the mundanity will continue forever. It’s gotten to the point where I’m rooting for Exxon.
I exist in a world that is neither ending nor improving. Back in my day, straws were respectable tools and ice cubes lasted until dessert—but we’re trying, aren’t we? Maybe our focus should be not on doomsday or when it will come—nor how. Doomsday is merely the chaotic accumulation of all the frivolous days we have lived. It’s too late to recycle—let mother nature wag her fin ger at us. If you can learn to be the chaos of today and embrace the mayhem, then maybe one day doomsday will, instead, fear you.
JENELLE DE LEON/PSU VANGUARD
THE SCIENCE OF “TOUCH”
QUANTUM PHYSICS REVEALS WE NEVER ACTUALLY TOUCH ANYTHING
Have you ever wondered why your physics teacher seems to float through the classroom, defying gravity with every step? Well, prepare to have your mind blown because according to quantum physics, they actually are!
In fact, we’re all floating, all the time. Don’t believe me? Buckle up, because we’re about to dive into the weird and wonderful world of atomic interactions that will make you question everything you thought you knew about touch.
When we touch an object, our senses perceive its solidity, texture, temperature and various other characteristics. This sensation isn’t simply contact between our skin and the object itself. It’s actually an interaction between atomic forces at an incredibly small scale.
Every tangible thing in our universe is made up of atoms, which consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. Interestingly, there is mostly empty space between these particles.
“If you think about the act of sitting on a chair, what’s happening is that you have your pants and the chair filled with atoms that are mostly empty,” explained Jack Straton , PSU Assistant Professor of Physics. “... [take] a hydrogen atom, for instance, if the nucleus is the size of a big chair, then the electron is living in a realm that’s sort of the distance of Gresham or Hillsboro.”
As you reach out to touch something—like your phone screen or a doorknob—the atoms of your fingers and those of the object engage in a fascinating interplay. As they draw near, a repulsive force comes into play, an electromagnetic force.
When two electrically charged particles approach each other closely—they will exhibit either attraction or repulsion, depending on the charges involved. In the case of touch, it’s all about repulsion.
“What is keeping us from falling through all that emptiness as we try to sit on a chair?” Professor Straton said. “...The electric field turns out to be much stronger than the gravitational field. It’s actually the electrical repulsion of the atoms in the chair and the atoms in your pants shoving against each other that keeps you from falling through… we’re literally floating on electrical fields.”
Another reason atoms cannot physically touch is Pauli’s Exclusion Principle. This principle states that two or more quantum particles cannot occupy the same space. So, if we’re not actually touching anything, why does it feel like we are? The answer lies in our remarkable brain.
Drake Mitchell, Professor Emeritus of Physics at Portland State University, offered a straightforward explanation.
“We’re experiencing it because we got a nerve impulse,” Mitchell said. “A brain doesn’t know anything except what gets sent to it. The trick has to happen on the outside. Once it’s a nerve impulse, your brain’s set up to deal with it. You know, we’re going to say, ‘Ooh, that’s hot. I better let go of it.’”
Essentially, what we perceive as touch is not truly the connection of matter, but rather how our brain comprehends the interaction of electromagnetic fields.
The interaction between atoms encompasses more than just electron repulsion. There are other factors that contribute to our sense of touch, such as chemical bonding.
Chemical bonds allow electrons to attach to imperfections on the surface of objects, creating friction. This friction is an aspect of our perception of touch. It makes groups of particles tangible and enables us to interact with our surroundings.
Professor Mitchell provided an insightful analogy to explain friction and slippery surfaces.
“Even though atoms aren’t directly touching each other, what we perceive as touch is actually the interaction of electrons at the outermost surface of atoms,” Mitchell said.
“...Consider the atoms in a metal: the nuclei are relatively stationary, not jumping around,” Mitchell explained. “There’s some minor vibration due to thermal energy, but overall, the nuclei maintain fixed positions… As a result, there’s a periodicity to the electron clouds surrounding these nuclei, creating a consistent surface at the atomic level.”
To add another layer of complexity to our understanding of touch, let’s consider the quantum nature of electrons. These tiny particles exhibit a characteristic called particle-wave duality, meaning they can behave both as particles and waves. They can be present in multiple places simultaneously and even interfere with themselves.
“We can’t say that the electron is a particle going through Gresham and Battleground and Hillsboro… and back to Gresham,” Professor Straton said. “...It doesn’t work like a planet… if I’m sitting in [a chair]... the electron can sometimes be dancing on my nose right here, and it can also be dancing on the tip of Mount Hood… it travels not as a particle around the atom, but… as a wave… of probability.”
Because of electron wave packets overlapping each other, it can appear as if objects are being touched when their atoms never truly come into contact.
“Since these electrons are in a vague cloud, sometimes dancing on my nose, sometimes on the tip of Mount Hood,” Professor Straton said. “...there’s a finite probability that the electron that I think is mine, is actually jumping over and landing on a person next to me. And their electrons are jumping over and landing in an atom in me. That’s a very small probability, but it’s not zero. …we don’t touch people, and our electrons can be shared with other people.”
Philosophers and scientists have long debated the question of existence and our interaction with the world around us. Various theories—such as the concept of the Middle Way or the Boltzmann Brain theory—attempt to explain our existence by suggesting that it may not be as straightforward as it seems. In the grand scheme of things, understanding touch reminds us humbly of our limited perspective and the vast universe that extends far beyond it. It encourages us to question, explore and genuinely appreciate the fabric of existence in which we participate.
Professor Straton leaves us with a final thought.
“One other paradox is that even though we don’t touch the world around us, it is in no sense entirely separate from us,” Professor Straton said. “That is, as we attempt to walk across a carpet by pushing our foot backwards, it is the responsive force provided by the carpet that moves our foot forwards (of course transferred to us through changing electrical fields).”
“...So, while we don’t touch the world, we are simultaneously dependent on the service the world offers us to move through it. So instead of a nihilistic response to the information that we don’t touch the world around us, we should bless that world always for its many kindnesses to us.”
The next time you’re sitting in class, remember that you’re not actually sitting on the chair—you’re hovering ever so slightly above it.
This mind-bending reality doesn’t make our experiences any less real or meaningful. If anything, it adds a layer of wonder to our everyday interactions. We’re not just living in the world— we’re constantly engaged in a complex dance of particles and forces that allow us to perceive and interact with our environment.
So the next time someone tells you to “get in touch with reality,” you can smile, knowing that you’re always just a little bit out of touch—and that’s exactly how the universe wants it to be.
ANISH ARUMUGAM & VAISHNAVI SRINATH
ABBY RAYMUNDO/PSU VANGUARD
DEVIN SINGH/PSU VANGUARD
DEVIN SINGH/PSU VANGUARD
HALEY HSU/PSU VANGUARD
VANGUARD CROSSWORD
Answers in stories
11/4/24
Down:
1. There are 12,000 of these types of warheads in the world.
3. Faculty job notices that ignited protests over PSU budget priorities.
4. The big, looming end that seems to keep missing its cue.
7. One of the items that the report claims PSU over-accounted for.
Across:
2. An interaction between atomic forces at an incredibly small scale.
5. The crafted image celebrities show versus their real selves.
6. Every tangible thing in our universe is made up of these.
7. One-sided relationship, often developed with celebrities.
8. Analyst who claimed PSU is in a stronger financial position than reported.
9. Celebrity facing backlash for an iPhone notes app message in August.
for 10/28
2. An interaction between atomic forces at an
8. Analyst who claimed PSU is in a stronger financial position than reported.
9. Celebrity facing backlash for an iPhone notes app message in August.
MILO LOZA
Answers
1) Turnip, 2) Clash, 3) SFC, 4) SALP, 5) Werewolf, 6) RAR, 7) Cabaret, 8) Deficit, 9) Punk, 10) Thing, 11) Squash, 12) Gourd
Community & Wellness Resources UPDATED WEEKLY
By Milo Loza
Happening Soon
Live at Lunch
SMSU Parkway North 101
Nov. 5, 12 p.m.
Free for Students
Live performances every Tuesday and Thursday during lunchtime.
An Iliad
Lincoln Hall Boiler Room Studio
Nov. 7, 2 p.m.
Free for Students
A play based on The Iliad, followed by a creative writing workshop for Veterans.
Trans Family Gathering
Vernier Science Center
Nov. 7, 4 p.m.
Free for Students
Social gathering for trans families to connect and celebrate empowerment.
PNP - Music Video Night
SMSU Parkway North 101
Nov. 7, 5 p.m.
Free for Students
Enjoy iconic 2010 pop music videos with free popcorn and drinks.
Diwali
SMSU Ball Room
Nov. 9, 5:30 p.m.
Free for Students
Celebrate Diwali with vibrant lights, cultural performances and festive treats.
Kedi
5th Avenue Cinema
Nov. 10, 3 p.m.
Free for Students
Explore a Turkish city through the eyes of its enchanting, beloved street cats.
Resources
PSU Basic Needs Hub
SMSU Suite 435
Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Free for students
Helps students access resources such as funds, food, housing, employment, childcare and health support.
PSU Food Pantry
SMSU Basement
Tues 10:30–4:30 p.m., Wed 9–1:30 p.m., Thur 12–5:30 p.m. and Fri 10:30–5:30 p.m. Free for students
Access to free groceries in a welcoming, equitable, trauma-informed way. Must be enrolled in at least one credit for summer or fall.
SMART Recovery Meetings
University Center Building 340 E Times vary Free
In peer recovery, students with shared experiences connect to reduce stigma and build a campus recovery community.
SHAC Weekly Online Parent Support Group
Online
Thursdays 11 a.m. Free
Come together as parents in a relaxed setting to support each other, share ideas, collaborate and commiserate.
Women’s Resource Center Online
Mon–Fri, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free
Confidential advocacy services to students who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, violence and stalking.
Oregon Energy Fund
Varying Locations
Mon–Fri, hours vary Free
Provides energy bill assistance to low-income Oregonians to support household stability.
Wellness
SHAC Mind Spa
UCB Suite 310
Mon–Fri (by appointment)
Free for students
Solo space to experience biofeedback, light therapy, meditation, massages, relaxation and more. Must be enrolled in at least five credits for summer or fall.
Opioid Overdose Reversal Training
SHAC, Suite 340E
Mon 10–12 p.m. & Fri 2–3 p.m.
Free for students
Pick up free opioid overdose reversal medication and get a 10-minute training on how to use it.
Mindful Meanderings
Listen on Spotify
Available 24/7
Free
PSU-produced podcast about being mindful while outside, practicing gratitude, finding joy and being in the moment.
Wellness & Health Action Team
Follow on Instagram
Available 24/7
Free
WHAT is a group of peers who educate on health topics specific to PSU students.
Outdoor Workshop Wednesdays
Watch on Youtube
Available 24/7
Free
PSU Campus Recreation Center staff videos about topics ranging from Leave No Trace and plant identification to hiking spots and land acknowledgments.
BORP Online Fitness Studio
Watch on Zoom
Mon–Sat, hours vary
Free
Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program’s (BORP) virtual exercise classes for people with physical disabilities.