Portland State Vanguard, Vol. 73, Issue 17

OH SHIT OH FUCK PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

VOLUME 73 • ISSUE 17 • FEBRUARY 19, 2019

COVER PSU MAY LOSE ACCREDITATION • OPINION RAP HAS BECOME MORE INFLUENTIAL THAN THE BEATLES • ARTS & CULTURE THE MUSICAL DRUG OF CHOICE WILL HAVE YOU TRIPPING OUT

CRIME BLOTTER

FEB. 11–19

CHLOE DYSART FEB. 11 Suspicious person

At approximately 8:37 p.m. it was reported that someone was holding a knife in the third story bathroom of Lincoln Hall. CPSO and Portland Police searched the building but were unsuccessful.

A follow-up revealed the person was not holding the knife but keeping it in their back pocket.

FEB. 14 Suspicious person

CPSO responded to a report that a male was being disruptive, pulling down posters and closing fire doors on the first floor of the Urban Center. CPSO found a person of interest who was escorted out of the building and warned about their behavior.

FEB. 15 Suspicious behavior

CPSO responded to a report that a male was filming a student as they walked through Cramer Hall.

FEB. 16 Reckless endangerment

Liquor law violation

At approximately 11:30 p.m. residence hall staff reported and referred four underage students in possession of alcohol in Ondine residence hall.

FEB. 17 Disturbance

CPSO responded to reports of an assault between two non-students at University Pointe apartments at approximately 3:42 a.m. No injuries were sustained and the two parties were separated.

FEB. 19 Death Investigation

At approximately 7:46 a.m. CPSO found a deceased person outside the Millar Library after a call for a welfare check. Reportedly there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and the case was referred to the Multnomah County Examiner’s Office for review.

At approximately 9:07 p.m. CPSO received a report that someone was throwing rocks off the sky bridge between Karl Miller Center and Smith Memorial Student Union. Rocks were found on the street below, but there were no signs of the perpetrator.

CONTENTS COVER BY ROBBY DAY

NEWS WRC POISED TO REPLACE QUIET STUDY LOUNGE WITHOUT STUDENT APPROVAL P. 3

PSU ADMIN RESPONDS TO CHARTWELLS PRICE INCREASE P. 4

32ND AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT

P. 10

ARTS & CULTURE PORTLAND COMPANY LAUNCHES NEW VEGAN WATERCOLOR PAPER

P. 11

EDITOR OF SCHOLARLY JOURNAL TALKS PEER REVIEW PROCESS

P. 5

THE MUSICAL DRUG OF CHOICE

P. 12

INTERNATIONAL THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD

P. 6

KING OF THAILAND BLOCKS SISTER’S BID FOR PRIME MINISTER

P. 7

OPINION RAP RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME

P. 13

COVER PSU ACCREDITATION AT RISK

MEDDLING MEDICATION

P. 14

P. 8–9

BLOODY OBSESSED

P. 15

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN REMAINS DISCOVERED IN PLANTERS

P. 10

EVENTS CALENDAR

P. 16

STAFF EDIT ORI A L EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nada Sewidan MANAGING EDITOR Marta Yousif NEWS EDITORS Chris May Anamika Vaughan INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Lukas Amsden ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Cervanté Pope OPINION EDITOR Taylar Rivers

ONLINE EDITOR Sangi Lama COPY CHIEF Hannah Welbourn COPY EDITORS A.M. LaVey Ryan O’ Connell Contributors Sabrina Achar-Winkels Pete Bensen Shandi Hunt Maggie Lombard Madison Cecil Sophie Concannon Chloe Dysart Alexei Marin-Cortes McKinzie Smith Delaney White

PHO T O & MULTIMEDI A PHOTO EDITOR Bo Koering MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Emma Josephson PRODUC TION & DE SIGN CREATIVE DIRECTOR Savannah Quarum LEAD DESIGNER John Rojas DESIGNERS Robby Day Lisa Dorn Danielle Emeka

DIS T RIBU TION & M A R K E TING DISTRIBUTION & MARKETING MANAGER Chris May T ECHNOL OGY & W EB SIT E STUDENT MEDIA TECHNOLOGY ADVISOR Corrine Nightingale TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANTS Damaris Dusciuc Long V. Nguyen Annie Ton A DV ISING & ACCOUN TING COORDINATOR OF STUDENT MEDIA Reaz Mahmood

STUDENT MEDIA ACCOUNTANT Sheri Pitcher To contact Portland State Vanguard, email info@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 every Tuesday and online 24/7 at psuvanguard.com Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @psuvanguard for multimedia content and breaking news.

NEWS

FEB. 13–15 SOPHIE CONCANNON

FEB. 13: PORTLAND WITHDRAWS FROM FBI ANTITERROR TASK FORCE The Portland City Council voted 3-2 to withdraw from the FBI’s task force aimed at uprooting terrorism, citing a “deep distrust” with the program’s ability to investigate potential threats without infringing on civil rights, according to The Oregonian. The Joint Terrorism Task Force gives Portland law enforcement the ability to access federal agencies’ information on potential terrorist activities and is supported by Police Chief Danielle Outlaw, Mayor Ted Wheeler and law enforcement officials in Portland. Residents and activists said the task force has targeted left-leaning groups as potential terrorist threats while treating organizations like the KKK as victims, according to Willamette Week.

WRC POISED TO REPLACE QUIET STUDY LOUNGE WITHOUT STUDENT APPROVAL

FEB 14: SENATE CONFIRMS WILLIAM BARR AS ATTORNEY GENERAL The United States Senate confirmed William Barr in a 5445 vote as the second attorney general to serve under the Trump White House. Barr served as attorney general under former President George H.W. Bush from 1991–1993. Barr was appointed in place of Matthew Whitaker, who acted as temporary attorney general after President Donald Trump requested Jeff Sessions’ resignation on Nov. 7 after Sessions recused himself from the Mueller investigation. Barr has come under scrutiny for a memo he published supporting Trump’s decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey. Barr said the act should not be considered obstruction of justice.

FEB 14: BEZOS BACKS OUT OF PLANS FOR HQ2 IN NEW YORK CITY Amazon CEO and owner Jeff Bezos announced the company would be pulling out of plans for a secondary headquarters in New York City after local opposition from union workers and vocal criticism of the $1.5 billion in incentives toward Amazon, according to CNN. Freshman representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D–New York, also criticized the headquarters installation after complaints of inhumane conditions with no resolution in Amazon warehouses. The headquarters project was supported by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio as well as 70 percent of New York residents due to the project’s sizeable projected income and potential creation of 25,000 jobs. Plans for the headquarters will continue in northern Virginia.

FEB. 15: TRUMP DECLARES NATIONAL EMERGENCY OVER SOUTHERN BORDER President Trump said he would declare a national emergency to facilitate the building of a southern border wall. Contradicting previous statements that he would not declare an emergency, Trump said he would direct over $6 billion toward a border wall after Congress refused his requests, according to Politico, which previously culminated in a 35-day government shutdown. Trump said he declared the emergency because the nation faces a so-called acute crisis, but later attributed the move to expediency, saying “I didn’t need to do this. I would rather do it much faster,” according to The Atlantic.

THE QUIET STUDY LOUNGE IN SMSU MAY BE THE NEW LOCATION FOR THE WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER. BO KOERING/PSU VANGUARD CHRIS MAY AND ANAMIKA VAUGHAN A decision to begin the process of moving Portland State’s Women’s Resource Center to the fourth floor of Smith Memorial Student Union is getting pushback from SMSU’s Advisory Board and members of student government, who oppose the displacement of the Quiet Study Lounge currently occupying the space.

The Space Allocation Committee, which decides how space is utilized on campus, voted on Nov. 28 to reallocate the QSL’s space to the WRC. Reasons for the choice included concerns over significant wayfinding, security, confidentiality and accessibility challenges faced by the WRC in their current location, as well as an effort to increase the center’s visibility.

According to Jason Franklin, director of campus planning and design, the move is a done deal. “The WRC can move in at any time,” he stated in an email. “But there are a number of improvements that would have to made first.”

According to the SMSU Advisory Board, they were not consulted prior to the decision by SAC, despite commitments that their approval would be sought for space considerations in SMSU. “[SAC] say they take the SMSU Advisory Board’s recommendation into serious consideration since we work with the building the most closely and also have students representing student interests,” said Emily Korte, Associated Students of PSU director of university affairs and a member of the SMSU Advisory Board.

Smith Advisory Board has student representatives but no students currently sit on SAC. The WRC withdrew a request for the space in early 2018

with the understanding that an alternative option would be explored, according to Franklin.

“In September 2018, the WRC concluded that a viable solution other than them being in the QSL was not forthcoming,” Franklin stated. “So they again requested the space. In November 2018 the SAC approved the request and believed that due to the accessibility and safety issues, a decision should not be delayed further.”

Korte said she agrees the WRC belongs in SMSU, but feels that the QSL space is not a good fit. Many students, including members of ASPSU’s University Affairs Committee and the SMSU Advisory Board, have expressed opposition to the decision.

In a January 2018 memo sent to SAC, the SMSU Advisory Board pointed to a 2015 student survey reporting quiet study spaces were the number one priority for use of SMSU. Korte also pointed out that students have already spent over $132,000 renovating the QSL between 2009–2013.

“Since the WRC is taking over the QSL, they will need to build offices and refurnish the space,” Korte said. While the costs of that are still being estimated, the current figure is upwards of $150,000, according to Korte. “The QSL will also not be moved and students will lose that study and lounge space because there are no other plausible options for a new lounge within Smith currently.”

The University Affairs committee is proposing a resolution to the ASPSU senate to preserve the Quiet Study Lounge on Feb. 18.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

3

NEWS

PSU ADMIN RESPONDS TO CHARTWELLS PRICE INCREASE

SMITH KITCHEN IN SMSU, OPERATED BY CHARTWELLS. BO KOERING/PSU VANGUARD

ANAMIKA VAUGHAN The Portland State Administrator overseeing PSU Eats’ exclusive contract with the university has acknowledged his role in a miscommunicated increase in catering prices for students, and elaborated on issues surrounding catering exclusivity and liability.

THE 300 PERCENT INCREASE INCIDENT A recent 300 percent price increase to the PSU Eats student snack menu was actually a price correction, said Michael Walsh, director of housing and residence life and contract administrator for Chartwells, the parent company of PSU Eats.

Although PSU Eats rolled back the price increases on Jan. 31, the prices on the snack menu still need to be corrected, and Walsh is currently working with Chartwells to introduce the changes slowly over a longer period of time.

“In this particular situation they had loaded the numbers in incorrectly,” Walsh said. “Which was [Chartwells’] fault, and then they wanted to correct it. That’s not an increase. I could have said no, but I actually said yes.”

Chartwells had accidently submitted wholesale prices for their 14-item snack menu, asking Walsh afterward if they could correct it to reflect the actual retail price. Walsh agreed, assuming the price correction would be small.

Walsh said if he had known how large the increase would be, he would have said no.

“If I had been more diligent, I would have asked for a side-byside,” Walsh said. “I just kind of assumed it was a small correction... so I learned my lesson there.”

There was no announcement of the price changes, and student leaders expressed alarm when they noticed costs for some events had doubled from the previous year.

“We thought it was a mistake because it was so much more expensive,” said PSU Programming Board Co-director Lindsey Pham. “But they said it’s not.”

4

“For a year and a half, student groups have been getting the most incredible deal ever, which is great,” Walsh said.

“But then [Chartwells] put their prices back up to the normal retail prices which is, you know, shocking because there is such a huge change.”

“I’m working [the correction] out so that it will [increase] slowly over the next 18 months,” Walsh said. “I’ve already told [Chartwells] about the whole budget issue—budgets are done 12–18 months in advance—so we’re trying to work it out so that they’re able to plan for [it] a little bit better.”

Chartwells also has another 3 percent price increase approved for next year based on inflation and increased food service costs, which Walsh said is a little below typical year-to-year increases.

Associated Students of Portland State University recently released a survey in response to the price increase and rollback to gather student experiences with Chartwells.

THE EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT PSU currently has a 10-year contract with PSU Eats, which guarantees them exclusive catering rights for any event taking place in Ondine Residence Hall, University Place Hotel, Smith Memorial Student Union and Viking Pavilion, as well as exclusive rights to alcohol service in Lincoln Hall.

“To do a contract, there’s pretty much no other way you’re going to get a company to come and [provide services],” Walsh said. “You have to grant exclusivity. A lot of schools are exclusive on their entire campus, so we were able to limit it to just a certain number of areas.”

The contract includes a requirement that all freshman students living in residence halls purchase a meal plan, a pledge from Chartwells to contribute $2 million toward a new dining hall if a new student residence building were ever constructed and a 12.5 percent commission for all catering services to PSU.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

Walsh said the commission money—which is estimated at $12.5 million a year—goes toward maintenance and repair costs for all catering and food service operations.

“So the commission goes to pay for things like that,” Walsh said. “Everything from the forks that people eat off of to the dishwashers to the ovens, everything that we provide, we have to pay for that stuff.”

PSU does not receive any commission for the PSU Eats meal plans.

LIABILITY Students or any other party hoping to host their event with outside catering are permitted to do so with a waiver. However, the waiver also removes any liability for PSU and Chartwells if something goes wrong.

“What they take on is all the liability for not using our food service provider,” Walsh said. “So they’re accepting liability for any food-borne illnesses, any damages caused by people providing the food, anything like that. It completely waives Chartwells’ and PSU’s liability, so it’s actually a big responsibility.”

This means the student groups themselves are open to being sued, among other things, by injured parties who attend nonChartwells catered events.

“We ask to see proof of insurance by the provider and we have to see their health permits so they’re permitted by the county to operate,” Walsh said. “And then we also have to make sure we see their food handlers cards. So we’re very careful about that, but it’s ultimately up to the student group to make sure all of those things are in place.”

According to Walsh, there have not been any cases of foodborne illness or damage relating to an outside catering service.

NEWS

EDITOR OF SCHOLARLY JOURNAL TALKS PEER REVIEW PROCESS SHANDI HUNT In light of the recently published hoax studies, a Portland State professor and academic journal editor said the success of the hoax articles indicates a failure of the peer review system as a whole, not a failure of those who authored them.

PSU Professor of History and Editor for the scholarly journal, Pacific Historical Review, Marc Rodriguez, explained, “there was a failure—not so much on the part of the faculty member that did this act of satire or rebellion—but it was a failing of the peer review system to do its job.”

Following the publication of the hoax studies, an anonymous op-ed was published in Vanguard, critiquing the actions of the professors who submitted the hoax articles.

“This created quite a bit of discussion among journal editors about the process and what peer review means,” Rodriguez said. “What I thought was interesting was none of the responses tended to come down in favor of the views expressed by the anonymous faculty.”

Another point made in the op-ed is that academics are under stress to publish even when they’re busy.

“It’s my view, and I think the view of most editors, that if faculty are stressed it doesn’t mean they should do an inadequate job of review,” Rodriguez said. “It means that they should say no to the journal or not review something.”

Most scholarly journals are edited by faculty recruited for the editorial positions by academic associations. When a professor or graduate student does research and preparation for an article, they send it to a journal. The article is then stripped of any self reference so it can go through a blind review.

“We read it and take it seriously,” Rodriguez said. “And if we don’t think that it’s up to our standards or if we don’t think it’s actually serious…it’s rejected.”

Rejection rates vary by journal. Prestigious journals such as Nature come in just under an 8 percent acceptance rate, while other journals which have fewer submissions or different selection criteria have higher rates.

If the journal editors or the editorial review board think the draft is serious and meets their standards, they then seek out scholars in the article’s particular field to undertake the peer review process. “[Editors] ask professors around the country to take a look at the draft which has no one’s name on it,” Rodriguez said, explaining that blind review is intended to remove bias from the review process and to mitigate the influence from a professor’s longstanding network.

This network is “about who’s powerful in the academy,” Rodriguez said. “For example, Ivy League faculty tend to have power...people listen to them and CNN wants to interview them.”

A study done by a team at Google showed the double-blind peer review process does in fact have an impact on how positively peer reviewers receive academic papers. This supports the idea that academics might receive more favorable reviews based on their name power alone, according to The American Council on Science and Health.

The reviewers prepare a so-called readers report for the journal. “Some of these are wonderfully detailed and help-

LISA DORN

ful; some are less so,” Rodriguez said. If a reviewer submits an inadequate review or a one-sentence response, editors are not likely to push the article forward. If all of the reviews are weak, the journal will search for more reviewers.

After an article gets reviewed, the author gets commentary back from the editor on what to fix, such as factual errors or weak sources, giving the author the chance to revise and resubmit their work.

“Sometimes this process can go through four [to five] cycles of revision,” Rodriguez said, adding that he has seen authors who have done three to seven separate review processes to get an article published.

When the peer reviewers have decided the article fits specific disciplinary requirements, they inform the editors they believe it’s ready for publishing.

“If the referees are in support, the editor [sometimes in consultation with the Editorial Board depending on policy] makes a decision to accept the article, or after review, reject it,” Rodriguez explained. “Sometimes professors don’t like the review process because it’s taking too long and they’ll go to a journal that is known to have looser standards.”

These “looser” journals are known among academics to fast-track the process, and have published with less scrutiny and fewer reviewers than what is standard. “[The process] might take a while, but in the end the more [the article’s] been tested and [the more] hard questions have been asked in the review process, the better the final [product],” Rodriguez said. “More undergraduates will read it in their classes and more people will cite it for the next 25 or 30 years because it was well done.”

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

5

INTERNATIONAL

THIS WEEK

3

around the

WORLD Feb. 10­­–17

4 2

5 1

6

1

Feb. 11–17

IRAN

Iran celebrated the 40th anniversary of the 1979 revolution on Feb. 11, which is recognized officially as the day when revolutionary forces overwhelmed Iran’s military and ousted the U.S.-backed monarch Mohammad Reza Shah from power. As reported

by Al Jazeera, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed the tens of thousands of people who had gathered in Tehran’s Azadi Square to celebrate amid heightened security. Iranian-owned news outlet Tehran Times reported rallies in 1,000 cities and 10,000 villages celebrating the anniversary across Iran despite rainfall and snow.

Separately, the country was rocked by a suicide car-bomb attack on Feb. 13 in which 27 members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard—an elite military wing of the Armed Forces—were killed along with 10 others injured. The attack took place in the Sistan and Baluchestan Province located along the border with Pakistan as a bus transported the special forces members between the cities of Zahedan and Khash. According to Haaretz, Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni group whose name means Army of Justice in Arabic, has claimed responsibility for the attack, demanding rights for the Baluchi ethnic minority.

6

2

Feb. 12

NEW YORK, U.S.

Renowned Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was found guilty in Brooklyn, New York on Feb. 12 following a three-month long trial. The jury—whose identities were kept anonymous during the trial over concerns for their lives—reached a unanimous verdict after six days of deliberation, VICE reported. Guzmán was convicted on 10 counts of federal indictment involving drug smuggling, murder, money laundering and possession of weapons and will now face life in federal prison with no possibility of parole. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 25.

3

Feb. 13

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

The European Union, headquartered in Brussels, has blacklisted Saudi Arabia along with Panama and four U.S. territories due to their lax financial controls associated with terrorism financing and money laundering, Reuters reported. The list—which has previously included countries such as Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen and North Korea—has doubled from 16 to 32 locations that the EU deems too financially lenient, as reported by Forbes. While the decision does not necessarily prohibit financial

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

relations between business within EU member states, it does create extra hurdles and greater scrutiny for processing payments with countries and territories deemed high-risk.

4

Feb 13–14

WARSAW, POLAND

Representatives from over 60 countries attended a two-day summit in Warsaw organized by the Trump administration to discuss Middle East security, with talks mainly revolving around Iran. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused Britain, France and Germany of attempting to “break American sanctions against Iran’s murderous revolutionary regime,” The New York Times reports, after which representatives from the three European countries responded with criticism toward the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, often dubbed the Iran Nuclear Deal.

5

Feb. 15

JAPAN

Following decades of discrimination, Japan’s government approved a bill on Feb. 15 which formally recognizes the Ainu people, an ethnic minority indigenous to Japan who mostly

reside in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido. As reported by The Japan Times, the unprecedented bill would officially recognize the Ainu as indigenous while creating more policies designed to support communities and traditional practices, with its overall purpose to “realize a society where the Ainu people can live with their ethnic pride, which will be respected.”

6

Feb. 15–16

NIGERIA

On the eve of the country’s general elections, at least 66 people, including 22 children and 12 women, were found murdered in Nigeria’s central state of Kaduna on Feb. 15 across eight different villages, with Deutsche Welle reporting the violence was likely related to sectarianism in the region amid the country’s upcoming election. With polls just five hours from opening the following day, the election was declared postponed until Feb. 23 by the Independent Electoral Commission, as the country’s two main presidential candidates—current President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party—each blamed the other for the postponement, as reported by The Guardian.

INTERNATIONAL

KING OF THAILAND BLOCKS SISTER’S BID FOR PRIME MINISTER LUKAS AMSDEN Thailand’s Election Commission disqualified Princess Ubolratana Mahidol on Feb. 11, stating that “royals exist in a status above politics” after King of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn publicly opposed his elder sister’s bid for prime minister in a palace statement.

“Involvement of a high-ranking member of the royal family in politics, in whatever way, is an act that conflicts with the country’s traditions, customs and culture, and therefore considered highly inappropriate,” the king said in a statement.

The palace stated, in spite of Mahidol’s written relinquishment of her royal titles, “she still maintains her status and life as a member of the Chakri dynasty,” and furthermore, “all royal family members adhere to the same principles...and cannot take any political office because it contradicts the intention of the constitution.”

Mahidol’s sudden announcement as sole prime ministerial candidate for Thai Raksa Chart party threatened to upend the first national ballot since the military coup in 2014 that ousted ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra, younger sister of exiled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra according to Reuters.

“I have accepted the Thai Raksa Chart Party nomination for prime minister to show my rights and freedom without any privileges above other fellow Thai citizens under the constitution,” she announced to her followers on Instagram for the upcoming election on March 24.

Thai Raksa Chart is a party loyal to Thaksin and in direct opposition with the head of the ruling military junta and current Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who spearheaded the 2014 coup as commander in chief of the Royal Thai Army. Both Yingluck and Thaksin are living in exile after being convicted in absentia of corruption-linked crimes. Thaksin Shinawatra has been accused of subverting the power of Thailand’s royal institution while Chan-ocha has declared himself an ardent defender of the monarchy, as reported by The New York Times.

Mahidol, the eldest child of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, relinquished most of her royal titles in 1972 after marrying American Peter Jensen, whom she met in her time as a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has since starred in Thai soap operas and a movie. Mahidol returned to Thailand in 2001, performing royal duties under the title of “Daughter to the Queen Regent,” despite not regaining her full royal titles.

On Instagram, Mahidol defended herself as a “commoner” who held “no privilege over the Thai people in accordance with the constitution.”

Political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University noted, “The withdrawal of her candidacy will cool the political temperature because it would have renewed tensions and polarization,” in reference to the political divide characterized by the rural supporters of Thaksin and the military and conservative royalists.

With Mahidol’s withdrawal, the Thai Raksa Chart party is without a candidate and the affiliated Pheu Thai party could be dissolved. Both parties are proxies for the Shinawatra family, who haven’t lost a democratic election since 2001. According to Supalak Ganjanakhundee, a long-time observer of Thai’s political climate and editor of the Thai daily newspaper The Nation, “for Thaksin, Ubolratana was really the perfect choice to connect to the palace. In addition, she would have been like a shield for him from attacks by the junta. Nobody would want to compete with Ubolratana as a candidate for prime minister.”

KING OF THAILAND MAHA VAJIRALONGKORN, RAMA X OF THAILAND. COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

7

COVER

PSU ACCREDITATION AT RISK UNIVERSITY RECEIVES A FAILING GRADE FOR ASSESSMENT COMPLIANCE

CHRIS MAY The regional organization that provides accreditation for over 150 schools in seven states has given Portland State two years to improve its processes for defining and assessing student learning outcomes, or the university risks probation and the potential loss of its accreditation.

In a Jan. 28 letter, the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities notified PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi the university “is now out of compliance with the NWCCU standards for accreditation.”

“This is a big deal,” said Provost Susan Jeffords in a Feb. 4 report to the Faculty Senate. “This is of such seriousness that I thought it ought to be the only topic that I report to you about.”

According to the NWCCU, accreditation is “a voluntary process of recognizing educational institutions for performance, integrity and quality that entitles them to the confidence of the educational community and the public.”

Brian Sandlin, PSU’s accreditation and state authorization coordinator, said losing accreditation means losing access to federal funds. “In many instances, you stop being a school.”

PSU was also cited for the same issue in 2015.

Accreditors serve as the gatekeepers between colleges and of billions of dollars in federal aid, funds that in many instances are borrowed by or awarded to students through grants, student loans and financial aid.

Several high-profile cases in recent years have found private universities culpable for taking massive amounts of federal financial aid while providing subpar instruction, deceptive marketing practices and inflated graduation and job placement rates.

Last year, United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos reinstated a controversial accreditor of for-profit colleges that had previously been found by the Obama administration to exhibit “a profound lack of compliance”

8

with its most basic responsibilities as an accreditor.

“University accreditation really ensures that universities are good stewards of federal funding they receive,” Sandlin said. “It’s a protection for the students.”

Like other regional accrediting organizations, NWCCU applies a wide range of standards to schools such as PSU. A major criterion is a robust and engaged assessment of student learning activities along with evidence of those activities.

According to an internal report sent to the NWCCU, currently less than half of PSU’s undergraduate programs and roughly one-third of graduate programs have official plans to assess student learning activities, also known as “pro-

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

gram level student learning outcomes.” Additionally, 37.3 percent of undergraduate and 30 percent of graduate programs are actually carrying out those plans.

Sandlin said his current understanding of the minimum threshold for achieving compliance requires at least 50 percent for both assessment plans and assessment activity.

In her report to Faculty Senate members, Jeffords said she wanted to go further. “I think for an institution such as PSU, that cares as deeply as we do about student learning and the outcomes of student learning, even 50 percent is not a number to which we should aspire.”

Unlike some universities with a centralized office that oversees assessment, PSU uses a decentralized model where programs have control over the process.

“I wish we had showed more progress,” Sandlin said.

“It’s not something that I can affect.”

This year will be the third consecutive year the university conducts an annual survey asking department chairs if learning outcomes are in place, whether assessment plans exist and whether they’re being followed. The results of that survey will be included in a progress report submitted to NWCCU in the fall.

PSU has roughly 120 undergraduate and 100 graduate programs which require posted learning outcomes and internal assessment plans.

The department of mathematics, for example, has a list of 16 learning outcomes posted online. Included are items such as “awareness of the limitations of technology,” “ability to ask the right questions to learn something new or apply something known to a new situation” and “proficiency in oral and written communication of mathematics to peers as well as people with less mathematical background.” “[Program-level student learning outcomes] are over-

COVER

arching skills that are taught throughout the classes and measured at various points in the program,” Sandlin explained. “In some instances, students may not even know that their work is being assessed in this way.”

In addition to defining broad learning goals for students in their programs, departments are also responsible for outlining how they will assess the progress of those goals and opportunities for improvement.

If a learning outcome is that students are able to write an in-depth term paper, a department may have a core course include a paper assignment. A rubric would then be applied to writing samples from the assignment to assess whether students were learning what professors were trying to teach them.

“These are deep and meaningful practices about how we commit ourselves not only to identifying what we hope students learn while they’re here, but assessing ourselves and our ability to support them in doing so,” Jeffords said.

“How do our practice and support systems align so that we ensure students are actually achieving the learning outcomes that we have articulated?” Jeffords continued, “That is serious business—maybe the most serious business that we do while we’re here.”

PSU Office of Academic Innovation works with departments who have not identified learning outcomes or made assessment plans.

OAI was not available for comment before press time.

Sandlin said programs that struggle with meeting assessment requirements typically lack confidence or training on how to do it, don’t feel it’s helpful or the program itself can’t come to agreement.

“We are required to do this. In my experience, there are some faculty members who are very good at this, who are open to it, who are willing to try new things; but this is a skill that’s not often taught during their professional preparation.”

DANIELLE EMEKA

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

9

INTERNATIONAL

HUMAN REMAINS DISCOVERED IN PLANTERS CANADIAN LANDSCAPE KILLER SENTENCED FOR THE MURDER OF LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS

32ND AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT FOCUSES ON REFUGEES

JOHN ROJAS OFFICER FROM THE ADMINISTRATION FOR REFUGEES AND RETURNEE AFFAIRS REGISTERING A SOMALI FAMILY AT A RECEPTION CENTER IN DOLO ADO, ETHIOPIA ON JUNE 11, 2012. COURTESY OF UNICEF ETHIOPIA

MADISON CECIL Bruce McArthur, also known as the landscape killer, was sentenced to life in prison on Feb. 8 after his arrest in January of 2018 McArthur became the prime suspect behind serial disappearances of LGBTQ individuals when Toronto Police unearthed human remains from more than a dozen planters at a house where he worked as a gardener.

Initially, McArthur was charged with the murders of five men, but pled guilty to eight counts of first-degree murder during his trial.

At the time of his arrest, police found a ninth victim tied up in McArthur’s bed. He will be eligible for parole after 25 years.

The murders began in 2010 and continued until 2017.

“All or most of the victims were vulnerable individuals who were lured to their death,” Judge John McMahon said via NBC news. “The accused exploited his victims’ vulnerabilities, whether they involved immigration concerns, mental health challenges or people living in a secretive double life.”

Among the victims were several men who were periodically houseless, a refugee who would soon be deported and married men who had not yet revealed their sexuality to their families.

“My pain and suffering will always be there as long as I live,” stated Umme Farzook, the wife of Soroush Mahmudi, one of McArthur’s victims via The Telegraph. “And I will constantly be reminded of how my beloved and innocent husband was brutally murdered.”

10

McArthur, a freelance landscaper, would dismember his victims before burying them in the planters of his clients’ homes. The majority of his victims were from the LGBTQ community.

Prosecutors acknowledged authorities had ignored concerns from gay Toronto residents over the years.

“For years members of the LGBTQ community in Toronto believed they were being targeted by a killer,” the case’s prosecutor Michael Cantlon said via The New York Times. “They were right.”

According to The New York Times, the string of murders has prompted an investigation into the Toronto Police Service and how they handle missing person cases. The investigation specifically focuses on if the police allow the sexuality or race of the missing persons to affect their work.

Toronto authorities were only able to locate a prime suspect after a man who was well-known in the area was taken. Although the first investigation into the missing men proved fruitless, McArthur was listed as a witness in the second.

In 2016, he was accused of choking a man, who escaped. No charges ever came from this incident and McArthur was not considered a suspect in the disappearances. The police officer on the case is facing charges of professional misconduct as reported by BBC. Authorities reported finding photographs of McArthur’s victims stored on his computer.

Many of the photos had been taken after his victims’ deaths. Six were taken with fur coats and other props. The police have yet to reveal a motive for McArthur’s murders.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

SABRINA ACHCAR-WINKELS African leaders came together in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to seek a long-lasting solution for the issue of displaced persons in Africa. The issue was discussed at the 32nd African Union summit, focusing on refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons.

The African Union was created to tackle problems and instill a sense of unity in the continent. According to Al Jazeera, the AU has declared 2019 the year of “Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons,” with goals of finding durable solutions to the issue.

Leaders from 55 countries across the continent went to Addis Ababa for their annual summit.

Malcolm Webb, an Al Jazeera journalist, was skeptical anything concrete would come out of the African summit, noting the “African Union doesn’t have a particularly strong track record in preventing or [intervening] in the conflicts or political crisis that caused people to flee their homes in the first place.”

The summit was marked by the appointment of Egyptian President AbdelFattah el-Sisi as chairman of AU and was criticized for not addressing human rights violations carried out in Sudan, Zimbabwe and Congo. South Sudan’s

President Salva Kiir signed a peace treaty with rebels concluding a civil war that has ended at least 50,000 lives. The AU also pledged to work alongside the UN in instilling peace in Libya.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the world is currently facing one of the highest levels of displacement in history, with 65.3 million people displaced by war, internal conflicts, drought or poor economies. Among those displaced, 21.3 million are refugees and over half are under the age of 18.

“If we are to put the numbers into perspective, 22 million refugees represent twice the population of Tunisia,” said Vera Songwe, UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of UN Economic Commission for Africa, in her opening remarks at the summit.

Sub-Saharan Africa hosts more than 6.6 million refugees, according to UNHCR. Out of the 6.6 million, Uganda hosts 1.4 million refugees and the rest are spread throughout Sudan, Ethiopia, Congo and Kenya, making Africa second in number of displaced persons in the world.

At least one person is forcibly displaced every two seconds around the world as a result of conflict or persecution, according to the UNHCR.

ARTS & CULTURE

PORTLAND COMPANY LAUNCHES NEW VEGAN WATERCOLOR PAPER

OBLATION PAPERS AND PRESS. ALEXEI MARIN-CORTES/PSU VANGUARD MAGGIE LOMBARD At first glance, Oblation Papers and Press may seem like any other hip store in the Pearl District. A wide storefront catches your eye and a sandwich board beckons you to come inside. However, once you enter the store, you’ll find that it’s not just a cute stationery shop—it’s an entire urban paper mill.

Amid the clacking of typewriter keys, the buzz of shoppers and the soft chittering of the store’s parakeets, this letterpress print shop, hand bindery and boutique is producing some of the most innovative paper on the market, and that includes their new, vegan handmade watercolor paper.

A soft launch for the new paper was held on Feb. 16 with Oblation now being the first watercolor paper producer on the West Coast. They’re also one of the few mills in the world to offer paper that is handmade, cruelty-free and made from 100 percent recycled materials. While the product will be officially released to the public at a trade show in Austin, Texas on Feb. 24, this event at their brick-and-mortar store drew a modest crowd of artists and shoppers eager to try the paper out for themselves. With paints, brushes and paper samples on an accessible table, as well as cups of wine from the Portland-

based Woven Wineworks, the event was a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Overseeing the paper was Oblation’s master paper maker Kalin Stoev, though he simply calls himself a “paperman.”

With a master’s degree in painting from National Academy of Art in Bulgaria, Stoev has years of experience with watercolor paper, which lends well to his paper-making craft. He proudly compared the quality of his paper to the quality of Arches, a French company who he considers to have set the standard for watercolor paper. However, Arches uses gelatin to size—a process in paper production—their paper, making it non-vegan, as gelatin comes from animal byproducts. In explaining the market for a vegan watercolor paper, Stoev said, “A lot of artists... they are sensitive and would like to be animal-free, crueltyfree.” He later followed up on that, saying that many artists “can’t work on something that requires sacrificing animals.”

While customers tried out the paper and Stoev gave tours of his production area, the quality of the product was clearly visible. It held water and pigment remarkably well while remaining fresh, shiny and staying true to the intensity of the paints.

The process of making handmade watercolor paper begins with huge, stiff sheets of recycled cotton and ends with durable paper, making stops along the way in powerful pulping machines, intermingling with all-natural pigments and crystal clear water. Stoev’s production room is tiny, loud and lit by a single dangling lightbulb, yet it bursts with artistic liveliness. His pride and satisfaction with his paper was palpable. It’s always fascinating to see some of the simplest things in our lives broken down into their steps of creation, and paper is certainly no exception.

Somehow, putting a brush to Oblation’s paper felt more powerful than using a pad from a chain store. It felt like it was making a statement—art comes from the heart of an artist, and paper should come from the heart of the paperman.

Oblation Papers and Press is one of those unique stores that lets you see their manufacturing area. Through huge glass windows, you can see workers delicately and expertly working on their craft. When you visit and shop at Oblation, you know exactly where your paper is coming from, and you have the peace of mind that it’s made with the earth, animals and humans in mind.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

11

ARTS & CULTURE

PETE BENSEN Playing the official record release show on Feb. 8 for their new album, Uckhole Futah, On Drugs proved themselves to be a band that can put on an energetic, exciting, memorable and engaging live show, where simply being present feels like a vivaciously transcendent experience unto itself, and one who excels in crafting high quality and thoughtful songs.

“We are a band that procrastinates to the very last fucking minute; we’re really good at it,” said Cameron Gates, who plays drums for the band. He also said that despite having six months to write the album, they did so in about three weeks.

On Drugs formed four years ago, consisting of Elias Avila on vocals and guitar, Derek Housh on vocals and bass, Steve Gartman on guitar and Cameron Gates on vocals and drums. On Uckhole Futah, On Drugs flex their apparent ability to straddle a comedic, uncaring punk rock attitude, with something more thoughtful and pensive. They lace erratic, quirky, lively and bustling garage rock songs with sobering and impassioned ballads, blending the two together until they become seemingly inseparable. The album opens with “Bees,” a track that slowly builds and results in spastic, busy guitar licks complemented by smooth, soaring falsetto vocals. The next track, “Science Isn’t Real,” is comedic, wild and eccentric, with lyrics such as “deny Bill Nye,” and “Kim Jong-Un’s ill,” followed by the ardent and anthemic song “Squish.”

The whole album flows effortlessly, moving back and forth between strange, outlandish and exhilarating punk rock energy and a sort of comforting angst that most of us are familiar with. On Drugs have this balance down to a science. During their set, one member asked the crowd if they wanted a fun song or a sad song, joking that a song couldn’t be both. However, despite their own words, On Drugs prove this not to be the case. They have found the balance between exciting and comforting, between extraordinary and familiar.

In comparison to the band’s previous work, Avila said the album is less serious. “[We were] less focused on trying to sound like something. We said ‘let’s make the dumbest thing we can.’”

On this album, On Drugs effortlessly demonstrates what punk rock should really be about—freedom. They don’t seem bound by musical expectations, either their own or others’. Perhaps equally important, it’s abundantly clear how much all four of the band’s members care about what they're doing. They collectively concurred that without On Drugs they would all be “a lot more broken.”

PHOTOS BY PETE BENSEN

12

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

RAP RULES EVERYTHING AROUND ME

OPINION

THERE IS NO WAY TO ESCAPE RAP WHEN EVERY SONG EMBODIES IT

TAYLAR RIVERS Rap music has influenced pop music more than The Beatles.

One of the greatest impacts on pop music is rap music and the culture that follows.

The sound that was once exclusive to one community has become the soundtrack for everyone. The rise of the genre can be attributed to a number of things, making it near impossible to debate the fact that rap rules right now.

Rap is a vocal technique, while hip-hop is a subculture. Anyone can learn how to rap, but hip-hop is a lifestyle that is worn in by communities of color. Having a creative platform to give voice to that community is the heart of rap.

Rapping first gained popularity in the United States in the 1970s as a voice for the streets, especially among Black teenagers. But it wasn’t until 1979 when the Sugarhill Gang came onto the music scene and released their famous hit “Rapper’s Delight,” that people began to notice the genre. Often rap is referred to as a pop-culture game changer, but it is rarely credited with revamping the very structure and sound of popular music as we know it.

Streaming services have given rappers the opportunity to be discovered by huge audiences. SoundCloud, for example, reportedly reaches 175 million global monthly users.

Spotify has over 96 million subscribers and continues to grow rapidly; one popular hip-hop playlist curated by the platform, RapCaviar, has nearly 9 million regular listeners. Once the Billboard charts began taking all streaming data into consideration in 2013, hip-hop gained ground. In turn, Top 40 radio took notice.

SAVANNAH QUARUM

Though a portion of it may be recreational at times, rap is more than just a music genre. In the midst of political turmoil and otherworldly problems, young people of color are turning to music to find an outlet. Music has long been a source of comfort for people, but in specific regards to POC, music has been a platform to voice their struggles. The standard for rap is not the same as it used to be; the bar is lowered for fans or especially artists. On the other hand, the visibility of those who have broken through the boundaries, thanks to social media and various streaming platforms, are higher than ever before.

The Grammys are evolving as well. In years past, Album of the Year nominations often included one rap project, tokenizing the genre.

This year, rap dominated the category, thanks to artists like Cardi B, Drake and Donald Glover. Five out of the eight nominees for Record of the Year are also rap artists.

For fans of American hip-hop, this recognition is long overdue. “It was kind of a ‘Well, duh,’ moment,” said Ross Scarano, Billboard vice president of con-

tent. “Rap has been the most dominant force in American culture for years.”

“Hip-hop is the single greatest revolution in the U.S. pop charts by far,” said Armand M. Leroi, a professor of evolutionary developmental biology at Imperial College London.

Leroi, Matthias Mauch, Robert MacCallum and Mark Levy at the same university conducted a study that analyzed 30-second snippets pulled from 17,094 songs, representing 86 percent of all the singles that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 50-year scope of the study. The goal of this study was to reveal the greatest influence in popular music.

They ignored traditional genre classifications and instead looked at differences in chords, rhythms and tonal properties, then assigned each song to one of 13 groups based on the patterns they found. The results of this study concluded that hip-hop has single-handedly controlled charts and influenced mainstream artists more than any other genre.

Despite the sonic similarity, the genre is not entirely exclusive to one sound or message. Kendrick Lamar often challenges political structures and Jay-Z examines the complexities

of marriage and wealth distribution. Artists such as Chance the Rapper and DRAM are high-spirited, while their more emotional counterparts Lil Uzi Vert and the late Lil Peep reflect on substance abuse and heartbreak. In addition to this, you have hit-makers and chart-toppers including the likes of Drake and Nicki Minaj.

In an era of increasingly complex identity politics, the perspectives that rappers share hit home. “There’s a craving for more complicated art,” Scarano said. But for many listeners, it’s also more relatable art.

The increasing rise of rap music in mainstream has not fallen upon deaf ears. When something that was exclusive to a certain community is up for grabs, there is bound to be tension. Qualifications have been put to question, but the growing diversity of the category has left confusion as to who has the say so. Moreover, the increasing trajectory of rap is simply blurring the integrity of the community by borderline saturation.

As rap has become the sound of the mainstream, the sonic landscape of the genre has become more diverse in an effort to reflect the now wide audience. The new American dream may just have Sicko Mode playing in the background.

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

13

OPINION

MEDDLING MEDICATION PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES NEED TO ADDRESS SIDE EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS DELANEY WHITE Despite the supposed benefits of medication, antidepressants cause serious sexual side effects that have made them frustrating to use, and big pharma companies need to address this.

One of the more common—though not frequently talked about—side effects of medications is sexual dysfunction, whether it’s erectile dysfunction, inability to orgasm or disinterest in sex.

Having to broach the subject of sexual side effects can be awkward for patients, so it remains unresolved. It’s a difficult choice that has impacted people’s relationships whether or not they continue to take the pills.

A lacking sex life can lead to a deteriorating partnership, yet neglecting mental health will do the same thing. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young adults, and going off of medication to avoid side effects is a reason people aren’t getting the help they need. This is especially frustrating since these are side effects that could be addressed.

Depression and anxiety are becoming more and more common among young adults, and the rate of psychotropic medication use is rising with them. According to the National Association of Mental Health, one in five young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 have a diagnosable mental illness. A study done by the University of Michigan found 15.6 percent of undergraduates and 13 percent of graduate students had some form of depression or anxiety disorder.

Psychotropic drug prescriptions are going up as well.

Psychotropic drugs encompass antidepressants, anti-anxiety and mood stabilizers, such as Prozac, Zoloft or Lamotrigine.

Research conducted by the American Psychological Association indicates 24.5 percent of college students are taking some form of these.

Yet with the side effects, college students aren’t always willing to continue using medication or even start them to begin with.

As a college student who is experiencing sexual freedom, a lack of sex drive would be incredibly frustrating.

The most common type of antidepressant prescribed is an SSRI, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Half the patients who get SSRIs report a sex-related symptom, said Bradley N. Gaynes, MD, MPH, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina.

According to Mayo Clinic, these are the most likely to have sexual side effects due to the overload of serotonin. Antidepressants raise levels of serotonin in the body, which allows for feelings of calmness and lowered anxiety. However, that same sense of calmness and stability may lower your libido. It prevents the hormones that cause our bodies to respond to sex from transmitting their message to our brains. Essentially, antidepressants are dialing down our sex drive.

In addition, according to a Johns Hopkins Health Alert called “The Challenge of Antidepressant Medication and Intimacy,” up to 90 percent of people who experience antidepressant-related sexual dysfunction stop taking their medication prematurely.”

For most college students, this can be a trade-off they aren’t sure they’re willing to make.

The issue is not that sexual dysfunction due to antidepressants is not discussed—there are numerous outlets that have conducted research on the details and reality of living with the side effect. The issue is there are no viable solutions. The only proposed solutions are changing medication, adjusting dosage or pairing the current intake with another medication.

14

JOHN ROJAS Though all are plausible options, each of them would mean risking your mental stability for a certain period of time with only a hope that it would subdue the side effect.

In response to the vast amount of research and complaints surrounding the side effects of antidepressants as well as other medications, big pharmaceutical companies have only further strayed away from addressing them. In fact, beginning in 2017, the FDA reported they were considering the removal of pharmaceutical companies being required to disclose the side effects of their medication in general. Overturning the responsibility of

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

these companies to inform customers how select prescriptions will affect them is grossly negligent.

Large pharmaceutical companies typically do not have the best interest for their customers. Their intent is to make the most money, and if that means to continue production of medications that have so many negative impacts which cause people to stop taking them, then so be it. Side effects will always exist because of the way medicine reacts with preexisting conditions and also the foreign chemical compounds entering our body, but that does not mean they have to exist at the rate they are now.

OPINION

LOOKING UP SERIAL KILLERS IS NOT AS PECULIAR AS IT MAY SEEM

MCKINZIE SMITH If you ever find yourself looking on the Wikipedia page of American serial killers, you are not alone. That morbid feeling of captivation mingled with disgust is familiar to us all. Though there are people quick to judge this eery fascination, being interested in serial killers is actually normal.

Research shows that our obsession is partly neurological.

Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist and lecturer in psychiatry at Cardiff University, has multiple theories to explain why our brain latches onto details of crimes and the serial killers that commit them. The neuroscientist coined the act of obsession as “desperate addicts of human misery.” According to him, one possibility is that reading about serial killers may cause the release of cortisol, a precursor to adrenaline, into the body, which gives us a sort of rush.

Another reason for the obsession in infamous crimes is that serial killers often look no different than the average person.

The only difference is their murderous intent. Sometimes hot, charming people do terrible things. Though the phrase “serial killer” conjures up images of a faceless, twisted or dark individual, the real men behind these crimes don’t always look like we expect them to.

“He just doesn’t look like the type to kill somebody,” one woman said during the original 1979 Ted Bundy trial. This mindset may be responsible for why people are intrigued with serial killers. As criminologist Elizabeth Yardley puts it, “Serial killers are like chameleons in that they can blend into normal everyday life, they look like average guys and some of them are even quite charming. They don’t look like the predatory monsters that we

see in the movies, so there’s this idea that they could be your neighbor, they could be anybody and you wouldn’t know, and so there’s that undercurrent of fear.”

Additionally, this interest in the stories surrounding serial killers are thrilling and entertaining to divulge in. “Serial killers are for adults what monster films are for children,” Yardley said in an interview with Shortlist. “It’s this scary fun. It’s something that’s grisly and horrible and engenders fear in you, but you can observe it from a safe distance.”

Cults of personality surrounding serial killers have existed for some time now. According to research conducted by Ryan Bergeron at CNN, the 1970s had a bizarre boom in murderers, prompting FBI agent Robert Ressler to coin the term “serial killer” to articulate the nature of the crimes. Along with Bundy, famous names such as John Wayne Gacy or the Zodiac Killer made waves in the media during this decade.

Scott Bonn of Psychology Today believes that the serial killer “represents a lurid, complex and compelling presence on the social landscape.” If you find yourself in a deep rabbit hole of Dahmer research, you can chalk it up to regular human curiosity, but as interesting as the killers may be, it’s important to remember there are families and friends who’ve lost loved ones to the actions of these men.

Pursue your interest, but do so with discretion. Keep in mind that the horrific crimes perpetrated by these murderers are more than scary tales; their actions have caused unknowable grief and desolation. A healthy balance of curiosity with respect never hurt anyone.

DANIELLE EMEKA

PSU Vanguard • FEBRUARY 19, 2019 • psuvanguard.com

15

Cervanté Pope

FEB 19–FEB 25 ART TUE FEB 19

“BLACK FUTURES MONTH” WHITE GALLERY MON–WED: NOON–5 P.M., THU–FRI: NOON–6 P.M. • FREE

MUSIC TV GIRL, GEORGE CLANTON DOUG FIR LOUNGE 9 P.M. • $15

FILM & THEATRE

COMMUNITY

WED FEB 20 THU FEB 21 FRI FEB 22 SAT FEB 23 SUN FEB 24

GAME FACE CURIOUS COMEDY THEATER

INDIVISIBLE TUESDAY WORLD TRADE CENTER

Feel free to dance the night away to LA’s TV Girl and their electro-dream pop.

EVERY TUE 9:30 P.M. If you feel like improv may be your thing, hit up Game Face, since the audience gets to join in on every bit.

11:30 A.M. EVERY THIRD TUE UNTIL DEC. 17 • FREE Join other concerned constituents as they try to implement change by discussing policies with Sen. Jeff Merkley’s staffers.

FYRE PDX THE TUBE 9 P.M. • $15–20

‘THAT MONSTER: AN ALLEGORY’ WHITSELL AUDITORIUM 7 P.M. • FREE

Live out that Fyre Fest fraud in the most hilarious and Instagrammable way possible.

Not only is this the world premiere of That Monster: An Allegory but filmmaker Silvia Kolbowski and curator Kari Rittenbach will examine the concept of cultural collusion in an open discussion.

SCHOOLHOUSE SUPPLIES CELEBRITY SPELLING BEE REVOLUTION HALL 7 P.M. • $25

“SURFACE/INTERRUPTED” OREGON COLLEGE OF ART AND CRAFT MON–SUN: 10 A.M.–5 P.M. • FREE

GRAVEYARD GOSSIP, ZANDER YATES, ERIC STALKER HAWTHORNE HIDEAWAY 9 P.M. • $5 • 21+

These works by Morgan Buck, John Whitten and Rachel Wolf play with the notions of optical illusion.

This weird mix of dark synth-punk, Americana and slight doom-folk should be interesting.

29TH ANNUAL CASCADE FESTIVAL OF AFRICAN FILMS PCC CASCADE AND HOLLYWOOD THEATRE THU–SAT THROUGH MARCH 2 • FREE

“EDITION SCHWARZE SEITE” PASSAGES BOOKSHOP TUE–SAT: NOON–6 P.M., UNTIL MARCH 23 • FREE

MAESTUS, NINTH MOON BLACK, THE SWAN THIEF TONIC LOUNGE 9 P.M. • $10

JOEL MCHALE HELIUM COMEDY CLUB

Selections of texts by Franz Kafka, Mark Twain, Friedrich Nietzsche and more are presented with woodcuts and etchings

by Anne Bussow and Eckhard Froeschlin.

Get ready for a night of soul-crushing, Pacific Northwest black-doom with some new material from Maestus.

For fans of Community and those old enough to remember Talk Soup.

Every fourth Friday, the Norse Hall hosts a night of random activities and dancing, with a whole 18-piece band called the Pranksters. Come be hilariously corny.

“ANTHELION” RUSSO LEE GALLERY TUE–FRI: 11 A.M.–5:30 P.M., SAT: 11 A.M.–5 P.M. AND BY APPOINTMENT • FREE

HUNGRY HUNGRY HIP HOP MISSISSIPPI PIZZA PUB AND LOUNGE 8 P.M. • $5 • 21+

‘FOUR LAST THINGS’ NEW EXPRESSIVE WORKS 7:30 P.M., FEB. 24: 2 P.M. • $25

Amory Abbott explores occurrences that are “opposite of the sun,” like fire, darkness and the prospect of the apocalypse.

From spoken word and crazy audio/ visuals to actual live music, this monthly showcase shows just how diverse Portland’s hip-hop community can be.

Presented by Corrib Theatre, this production of Lisa Tierney-Keogh’s powerful play is about a woman battling depression and how it affects those around her.

QUEER QUEST: A GAMING ADVENTURE TO BENEFIT THE Q CENTER Q CENTER 6 P.M. • $25–125

PNCA OPEN LIFE DRAWING PACIFIC NORTHWEST COLLEGE OF ART 5:30 P.M.–8:30 P.M. • FREE • 18+

MUSIC AT THE MOVIES II LINCOLN PERFORMANCE HALL 3 P.M. • $5–25

SCARY HOME COMPANION STAR THEATER 8 P.M. • $10–13 This spooky take on A Prairie Home Companion is hosted by Portland’s self-

Curated by Safiyah Maurice, this exhibition celebrates the future of Black people and culture with mixed-media works from Sadé Beasley, Habiba Abdul Rahim, Bettina Judd, Lisa Jarrett and Lamarra Haynes.

“EM DASH” AMPERSAND GALLERY AND FINE BOOKS WED–SUN: 11 A.M.–5 P.M., THROUGH MARCH 24 • FREE Maria Calandra, Jay Gaskill and Erik den Breejen share a group exhibition of their works, loosely inspired by the em dash and its fluidity of purpose.

To celebrate Black History Month, this festival is sharing more than 30 films from big and small name directors from 18 African countries.

FEB. 22 AND FEB. 23: 7:30 P.M., 10 P.M. •

$27–40

MON FEB 25

Happening every Sunday through May, PNCA will host these open sessions to all adults. Drawing horses and easels will be provided, but bring your own choices for other materials.

The Choral Arts Ensemble is back to tackle some of their favorite musical pieces from movies such as La La Land, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and more.

ABSTRACT SHOWCASE GALLERY 903 MON–SAT: 10:30 A.M.–5:30 P.M., SUN: NOON–5 P.M. • FREE

MONDAY WORSHIP INAUGURATION CHURCH BAR 8 P.M. • FREE, ALL AGES UNTIL 11 P.M.

REVOLUTION COMEDY CURIOUS COMEDY THEATER 7 P.M. • $5

This is the first in hopefully a long-running series of DJs nights where screamo, emo and metalcore are played to help you remember your scene days.

The last Monday of the month just got so much better with this monthly series that blends comedy and saying “fuck you” to Donald Trump.

Gallery 903 celebrate random bits of abstract art every year, and this year’s exhibit will definitely be visually intriguing.

Not really any big celebrity names, but everything raised goes toward Schoolhouse Supplies, a nonprofit that provides free supplies to students in need.

ADULT MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID PROVIDENCE PORTLAND MEDICAL CENTER 4:30–8:30 P.M. • FREE This free class teaches how to recognize when someone is about to have a mental health crisis and how to properly help them. No matter how stigmatized mental health is, this is important info to know.

THANK GOODNESS IT’S FOURTH FRIDAY (TGIFF) NORSE HALL 7:30 P.M. • $8

To all the queer D&D players out there, this one’s for you. All experience levels are welcome, and everything earned goes to helping the Q Center.

WIZARD WORLD COMIC CON OREGON CONVENTION CENTER 10 A.M. • $40 It’s the last day to nerd out in the most wizardly way possible.

proclaimed second scariest woman, Screamvina.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE–SPINOSAURUS: LOST GIANT OF THE CRETACEOUS NEWMARK THEATRE 7:30 P.M. • $27.25–47.25 Paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim lectures in depth about the largest predatory dinosaur discovered so far.