Daily Vanguard January 14, 2010

Event of the day

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2010 • PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY • VOLUME 64, ISSUE 50

Party Near the Park is taking place today!

Come out and learn about various student groups and activities, meet student leaders and enjoy free food from Zab Thai.

When: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: SMSU, second floor lounge

WWW.DAILYVANGUARD.COM • FREE

INSIDE NEWS Senate takes OUS report to task Student Senate creates task force in response to Frohnmayer Report PAGE 2 Campus Connections News for students, by students PAGE 3

Arts

Not your grandma's pie Pacific Pie Co. offers tasty Australian pies with low prices and quality ingredients PAGE 4

Sex obession and a pencil-thin mustache Youth in Revolt's adult humor and ridiculous plot make up for the same ol' same ol' indie tricks PAGE 5

Sports

Skating out of the gate Rose City Rollers to open season this weekend with home tourney PAGE 6

Photo courtesy of Stock Xchng

Bedbugs infest popular offcampus housing Carrie Johnston Vanguard staff

Student residents of the Park Plaza are dealing with a rampant bedbug infestation and have contacted Student Legal and Mediation Services for help.

“We believe the apartment management took the least expensive route instead of the most effective,” said attorney Lynn Clark.

Notices were sent out in August alerting tenants of a pest inspection.

However, in early September, after inspection of the units in question, many tenants noticed bites. Fumigation simply caused the bugs to spread throughout the building located on the corner of Southwest Park and College streets, according to resident Kris Thomason.

The apartment managers of the building, which is owned by Riverstone Residential Group, declined to

Pest Plaza comment on the infestation.

The initial incidents of bedbugs were treated on a case-by-case basis by fumigating individual units. The problem with this approach was that it merely chased the bugs to the next room—the only way to eliminate the pests entirely is to fumigate the whole building.

Thomason asked the apartment management to have her apartment re-inspected. But on Thursday, Sept. 17, the day after a scheduled inspection, she was told that pest control was prevented from entering her apartment due to a lack of authorization.

After authorizing the inspection, her apartment was finally fumigated and Thomason thought she was free of bedbugs, but they returned three days later. This time, they bit her everywhere.

“I had to go to the doctor because of an allergic reaction,” Thomason said. “The bites were swelling to the size of eggs.”

Another student who moved into the building in late October was

bitten and went into anaphylactic shock—a severe reaction similar to bee sting allergies, Thomason said.

The resident couldn’t return to the building, though the apartment managers are holding her deposit and furniture until she pays to break her lease. Clark is working with the managers to negotiate a settlement.

This student’s out-of-pocket expenses for damages have risen to $6,000.

Melissa Ward, who lived at Park Plaza in 2009 from September to December, was bitten within two weeks of moving in.

“I called the apartment manager and they said they would spray, but it only kept the bugs away for a week,” she said.

According to Clark, breaking the lease, paying to clean her things and getting rid of infested furniture cost Ward approximately $3,000.

Most of her clothes are still in bags waiting for the managers to get them

BUG continued on page two

Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard

Pest plaza: Park Plaza has a Bedbug

infestation

Less waste, more action Climate Action Plan and recycling are focus of PSU’s 2010 sustainability efforts Gogul Krishnan Vanguard staff

Campus sustainability advocates are thinking ahead, but working now, to impact the environment. The release of a university Climate Action Plan and waste reduction through recycling are two main goals of the Campus Sustainability Office in the new year.

“During the first half of this year, our focus will be on (the) Climate Action Plan,” said Noelle Studer-Spevak, campus sustainability manager. “We are trying to spread the awareness about it to all departments in the university.”

The Climate Action Plan (CAP) was originally due out in September 2009, but its release was pushed to this Friday to better prepare the working document, which will serve as a template for PSU’s 40-year plan regarding sustainability.

“We are going to come up with a very good draft for a climate action plan by this weekend,” Studer-Spevak said.

The Campus Sustainability Office (CSO) will submit the CAP to the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) in support of its aim to model ways to eventually eliminate global warming and to educate on

the dangers of climate change in the hopes of achieving carbon emission neutrality.

The following actions will be taken as a part of this plan: An energy conservation study of campus buildings, a greenhouse gas audit and an incorporation of Transportation and Parking Services’ strategies for energy conservation, as well as work with the Office of Information Technology to develop a plan for meeting the goals of ACUPCC. Barry Messer, Urban Studies and Planning professor, is working with a class of students on the CAP, StuderSpevak said. CSO is also working with the Portland State Green Team, which consists of university employees and students interested in issues related to energy conservation.

“While we would like to continue working with the Green Team on the Climate Action Plan, we also would like to start working on waste reduction,” Studer-Spevak said.

CSO is trying to save money through reducing its paper usage by 30 percent, and is choosing to invest its funds in energy conservation projects that will see payback within five years or less. For instance, CSO will replace old equipment with new energy-efficient equipment.

“We are working with student government to create a four-year Green Fee that would create a dedicated fund for energy conservation projects with paybacks of five years or less,” Studer-Spevak said.

Through the Green Fee project, CSO hopes to establish the following:

Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard

Sustainable planners: Sustainabiliy coordinator Noelle Studer-Spevak and long-term sustainability Planner Fletcher Beaudoin.

- FlexPass subsidy: Provide a subsidy to decrease the cost of the current FlexPass program. This is the first of many steps to create a universal pass for all students at PSU - Special sustainability projects fund: Establish a student-governed, grant-issuing committee for smallscale sustainable capital projects, such as bike parking stations, bikes for the new bike loan program, water bottle refilling stations, etc.

- Conservation and renewable energy manager: Provide a living-wage salary for a new energy manager, who will focus on coordinating energy efficiency projects, in addition to managing the Green Revolving Loan Fund - Green Revolving Loan Fund: A fund to support sustainability projects that will result in long-term savings for students; such projects include energy-efficient lighting, energy and water conservation projects and highly efficient computer labs “The Revolving Loan Fund will be

self-sustaining and grow over time as the funds are constantly revolving or being used, earned back and reinvested,” Studer-Spevak said.

Portland State is competing with other universities in RecycleMania, in which all participating universities try to produce a minimal amount of waste and produce as much recycled material as possible. CSO is spreading awareness of the need to recycle and reduce waste in all departments so that they can work together to win the competition.

Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) is another project that CSO will work on this year. It involves preparing a report based on campus data, such as utility bills, and submitting it to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

Students are welcome to send comments and questions regarding the CAP to greencampus@pdx.edu.

Vanguard 2 | News January 14, 2010

NEWS

Sarah J. Christensen Editor-in-Chief Virginia Vickery News Editor Theodora Karatzas Arts & Culture Editor Richard D. Oxley Opinion Editor Robert Britt Sports Editor Shannon Vincent Production Manager Marni Cohen Photo Editor Zach Chastaine Online Editor Robert Seitzinger Copy Chief Robert Seitzinger Calendar Editor Jae Specht Advertising Manager Judson Randall Adviser Ann Roman Advertising Adviser Illustrator Kira Meyrick Production Assistants Bryan Morgan, Charles Cooper Williams

Writers Will Blackford, Bianca Blankenship, Tyler Carter, Corrie Charnley, Meaghan Daniels, Erica DeCouteau, Sarah Esterman, Amy Fylan, Natalia Grozina, Patrick Guild, Rosemary Hanson, Steve Haske, Nadya Ighani, Carrie Johnston, Mark Johnston, Tamara K. Kennedy, Anita Kinney, Gogul Krishnan, J. Logue, James MacKenzie, Sharon Rhodes, Wendy Shortman, Weston Smith, Catrice Stanley, Amy Staples, Nilesh Tendolkar, Robin Tinker, Vinh Tran, Katherine Vetrano, Allison Whited Photographers Aaron Leopold, Rodrigo Melgarejo, Liana Shewey, Adam Wickham Copy Editors Noah Emmet, Amanda Gordon Advertising Sales Ana SanRoman, Jae Specht, Wesley Van Der Veen Advertising Designer Shannon Vincent Contact Editor-in-Chief 503-725-5691 editor@dailyvanguard.com Advertising Manager 503-725-5686 ads@dailyvanguard.com The Vanguard is chartered to publish four days a week as an independent student newspaper by the PSU Publications Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers, and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration. One copy of the Vanguard is provided free of charge to all community members, additional copies or subcription issues may incur a 25 cent charge. The Vanguard is printed on 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

Copyright © 2009 Portland State University Vanguard 1825 SW Broadway, Smith Memorial Student Union, Rm. S-26, Portland, Ore., 97201

Marni Cohen/Portland State Vanguard

Senators conducting business: The group deliberating on its resolution to create a new task force intended to formulate a response to the Frohnmeyer Report.

Senate takes OUS report to task Student Senate creates task force in response to Frohnmayer Report Sarah J. Christensen Vanguard staff

The Student Senate formed a two-year task force at its meeting Tuesday night to address the recommendation to financially restructure Portland State. The recommendation was made in a report to the Oregon University System last fall, in which former University of Oregon President David Frohnmayer suggests that Oregon’s largest universities become public corporations.

On Nov. 16, President Wim Wiewel informed the Student Senate that the report would be released the next day. In response, the ASPSU executive staff immediately created an ad hoc committee to further investigate the report.

Wiewel recently informed ASPSU about a Jan. 29 presentation to a

BUG |

higher education subcommittee referred to as the “reset” committee.

“We want to have written responses from ASPSU that are clearly defined and researched,” ASPSU President Jonathan Sanford said, as a reason for forming both the task force and ad hoc committees.

On Friday, Jan. 29, Wiewel and presidents of other Oregon University System schools will address the subcommittee, which was appointed by Gov. Ted Kulongoski to look at the performance of postsecondary education. The idea behind the formation of the committee is that if the current funding model for schools isn’t working, legislators should consider figuratively pushing a ‘reset’ button.

The committee’s members come from state organizations, such as the Oregon Department of Human Services, the Oregon State Board of Higher Education and the Northwest Regional Education Service District.

In the Student Senate meeting, ten senators voted to approve the

formation of the task force­—none opposed and three abstained.

The resolution lays out a two-year timeline for the completion of the task forces’ goals, which include making a recommendation on behalf of ASPSU before the 76th Oregon Legislative Assembly in 2011 as to how it should proceed on Frohnmayer’s suggested restructure.

“I’ve spoken with Wiewel and he said that nothing will be presented (about the restructure) during

this special session,” said Daniel Lyons, Student Senate president pro tempore.

The committee will most likely be up and running by the end of next week’s senate meeting.

“I already have about three or four senators that are wanting to be on this,” Lyons said. “And then I already have three students that want to be on this task force.”

Goals of task force Task Force makeup: 7 appointed members, 3 senators and 4 students at-large 4 additional ex officio members from PSU faculty or staff Ex officio members: ASPSU President or designee, ASPSU Student Fee Committee Chair or designate, ASPSU Constitutional and Judicial Review Board Chief Justice or designee

- Research issues and concerns of a PSU restructure - Conduct student surveys to measure attitude and understanding - Hold public meetings to engage and educate the student body - Gather comprehensive data and create a final report - Develop recommendations for key leaders at PSU

from page one

Student tennants bugged by insect infestation in off-campus housing dry-cleaned. She is still pursuing litigation through Student Legal and Mediation Services (SLMS).

According to research done by SLMS, bedbugs are not native to the United States. They were eradicated in the 1960's with the pesticide DDT, but can hitch rides on luggage and clothing from international travelers.

Bedbugs typically hide behind walls, ceilings and inside furniture, emerging at night to feed by biting sleeping tenants. Even if an occupant moves out, they must throw away or treat their belongings with a hot-water wash or dry cleaning.

The student who went into anaphylactic shock moved out the next day, but the apartment manager is

still holding her belongings. They refuse to refund her deposit or return her things until she pays to break her lease, according to Clark.

Meanwhile, Thomason is waiting until her lease is up in February to move. She has her bed legs submerged in bowls of water and Murphy’s Wood Oil. This is part of a method called ‘isolating the bed,’ which keeps bugs from crawling up bedposts onto the linens.

Her mattress is wrapped in an AllerZip cover, the mid-beam legs are coated with Vaseline and she washes her sheets and blankets twice a week in hot water. Since starting these methods, the bites have minimized to one every two

to three weeks.

However, between doctor bills, dry cleaning, laundry expenses and hotel lodging while the exterminators fumigated the unit, Thomason has spent approximately $250.

www.bedbugger.com and www.bedbugsnorthwest.com offer information about which Portland buildings have histories of bedbugs.

If you are a student and have a tenant-landlord or any other legal issue, contact Student Legal and Mediation Services.

Park Plaza

Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard

CAMPUS CONNECTIONS

Soto

News for students, by students

Peace Corps volunteer numbers soar in Corvallis The Peace Corps recently announced the top volunteerproducing metropolitan areas and states in 2009. The greater Corvallis area was ranked as second in volunteers per capita, finishing only behind Ithaca, N.Y. In Corvallis, 11.0 out of every 100,000 citizens volunteered in the Peace Corps in 2009, working in one of the 76 countries currently being occupied. The city of Corvallis had 52,950 residents as of 2003, according to a survey conducted by the Oregon Secretary of State.

“A lot of it has to do with having a university in the town,” said Melanie Forthun, a Peace Corps public affairs specialist. According to the official website of the Peace Corps, 93 percent of volunteers are single or unmarried, which also describes many college students at OSU. The state of Oregon finished fifth in per capita in the ratings. Out of all current Peace Corps volunteers, 210 call Oregon home.

“The application process is not easy,” Forthun said. “It includes a written application and interview process, as well as legal and health background checks. Then we look into the education you have and how that could be useful in one of the places where the Peace Corps are currently in need of that service.”

The Peace Corps’ roots can be traced back to 1961 at the University of Michigan, where John F. Kennedy challenged Michigan students to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries.

Since then, nearly 200,000 people have volunteered in 139 countries.

“Oregon State has great programs that correlate well with the Peace Corps’ mission, from health to education to the forestry program,” said Forthun. “In fact, OSU just joined the Peace Corps Master’s International program in the College of Forestry.”

The program, Master’s International, is more than 20 years old and already includes over 60 academic institutions nationwide, according to their official website.

OSU graduate students in forestry can study in one of three new programs while also completing

a 27-month service project in the Peace Corps, typically in Africa or Latin America, according to information from OSU. David Zahler, a senior instructor in the College of Forestry at OSU, said in a press release that the Peace Corps has stated that forestry is area needing more help. The Peace Corps’ website also shows that agriculture and environment volunteer areas account for less than a quarter of the volunteering currently taking place.

For more information about the Peace Corps or Master’s International, visit the Peace Corps’ website at http://www.peacecorps.gov.

—Ryan Gunderson, Daily Barometer

Police chief rules Taser use on student was justified Three and a half months after a University exchange student from China was shocked with a Taser in his own apartment, Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns announced his adjudication decision.

Concluding a 60-day internal investigation, Kerns issued a statement Tuesday declaring an officer’s use of a Taser on the student was “within policy.”

Kerns’ adjudication approved every action police took in response to the Sept. 22, 2009 trespassing call at the student’s West 11th Avenue townhouse, including the act of entering and searching the apartment, conducting a trespassing investigation and using force with a Taser.

According to police reports, Officer Judd Warden entered the apartment where police were dispatched to find a young man lying under a blanket. After the man was unresponsive to requests that he remove his hand from under the blanket, Warden fell to the ground for an unknown reason.

In the incident report, Warden said when the man continued to move after he was asked not to, Warden shocked him with his Taser.

Shortly thereafter, Warden learned that the apartment complex manager made a mistake and that the 19-year-old man was not a trespasser, but a new tenant of the complex. He also discovered that the student spoke very little English and

hadn’t understood any of Warden’s commands.

Eugene Police Auditor Mark Gissiner said he took little issue with Kerns’ decision. He had only one qualm.

“I concur with him on all the issues except the use of the Taser—I thought it was inconsistent with policy,” Gissiner said. Based on the police report of the incident released in the fall, “I just didn’t see the same level of threat the office said he saw.”

The City of Eugene’s Taser policy currently authorizes the use of stun guns against a person who “displays the intent” to engage in aggressive physical resistance to police.

Kerns said in the report that the case’s end does not signify the end of its impact on EPD as an organization.

The department, he said, has much to learn from the incident.

“We do not have a comprehensive policy on warrantless entries into homes, as some departments across the country do,” Kerns wrote. “We will work with the Police Commission and Police Auditor to significantly enhance both policy and training on this very important issue.”

Kerns also mentioned that the point at which police use a Taser should be clarified in the department’s Taser policy, and police must also work on their “cultural competence” to decrease language barrier issues.

Gissiner agreed. “We need to gain understanding of the different cultures that exist in our community,” he said.

Gissiner also suggested that property managers send their employees a text message when a property is rented so that in the future, no other property manager will mistake new tenants for trespassers.

—Jenn Hughes, Daily Emerald

Vanguard News | 3 January 14, 2010

News Editor: Virginia Vickery 503-725-5690 news@dailyvanguard.com

Go Green video winners Photo courtesy of Rudy Soto

Rudy Soto, student and former ASPSU president, will officially announce his run against Commissioner Dan Saltzman at Cleveland High School on Monday, Jan. 21, which is Martin Luther King Day. On Monday, he became the sixth candidate to file in the race for a city council seat held by a threetime incumbent.

"This is what I think will help people the most," said Soto, 24, who is a member of the Oregon National Guard and will graduate in June 2010 with a degree in liberal studies.

During Soto's 2007 campaign for student-body president, his win was challenged and the Oregon Attorney General's office intervened.

Soto is currently a member of Mayor Sam Adams' committee studying the Rose Quarter redevelopment and he is an intern in Commissioner Nick Fish's office.

In fall of 2009, PSU, with the help of ASPSU, sponsored a video contest wherein students and student groups showed how they "went green."

Here are the winners: David Keller, individual category winner PSU Environmental Club, group category winner Take Back the Tap!, grand prize winner The student-run Programming Board chose the winners.

Although the contest has ended, videos can still be posted to the Portland State YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ portlandstateu

Vanguard 4 | Arts & Culture January 14, 2010

Arts Editor: Theodora Karatzas 503-725-5694 arts@dailyvanguard.com

Billboard Top 10 Week of Jan. 9 Pop Song: “Bad Romance” Artist: Lady Gaga Song: “Replay” Artist: Iyaz Song: “TiK ToK” Artist: Ke$ha Song: “Fireflies” Artist: Owl City Song: “Sexy Chik” Artist: David Guetta ft. Akon Song: “Whatcha Say” Artist: Jason Derulo Song: “Empire State of Mind” Artist: Jay Z and Alicia Keys Song: “3” Artist: Britney Spears Song: “Already Gone” Artist: Kelly Clarkson Song: “Down” Artist: Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne Rock Song: “Break” Artist: Three Days Grace Song: “I Will Not Bow” Artist: Breaking Benjamin Song: “(If You’re Wondering If I Want To) I Want To” Artist: Weezer

ARTS & CULTURE

Not your grandma’s pie Pacific Pie Co. offers tasty Australian pies with low prices and quality ingredients Bianca Blankenship Vanguard staff

Going out to eat in Portland can generate thoughts of Indian, Thai and Greek cuisine, among plenty others, but what about Australian fare? If there is a gap in our foreign food choices, Pacific Pie Company has come to fill it with tasty, savory meats and veggies, all piled into a golden crust.

Though the company has had its flour-covered hands involved in local farmers’ markets since last summer, its southeast storefront officially opened on Jan. 6. For the first time, the shop’s pies are now available five days a week.

Taking cues from the popularity of meat pies in Australia, the husbandand-wife team that owns Pacific Pie Co., Chris Powell and Sarah CurtisFarley, decided to bring their flakeycrusted creations to Portland last year.

“We came here for the food culture,” said Curtis-Farley. “Also, sourcing ingredients locally is really important to us.”

The shop is certainly an appropriate fit for Portland. Not only are the pies a welcome addition to local cuisine, the company’s dedication to sustainable practices is also commendable. Their vegetables are bought locally from small farms and vary according to season. From beef

and buffalo to chicken and lamb, all the meat is humanely raised and free of hormones or antibiotics. These, too, are purchased locally from small farms.

They’ve also developed relationships with other businesses, like the Laurelwood Brewery, which supplies them with Space Stout for use in their Beef and Stout Pie. Aside from a solid business plan, Pacific Pie Co. deserves good credit for its pies, which are simply delectable. The Golden Lamb Curry Pie, for instance, is stuffed with tender chunks of lamb, organic potatoes and yams, all smothered in an Indian-style curry sauce. The buttery, flakey crust is heavenly,

but don’t expect to find it in any cookbooks—Curtis-Farley came up with the pastry recipe herself.

Meat pies in Australia are generally not so gourmet. Good luck trying to find a Southwestern Buffalo Pie— which is made with mole sauce— or a Moroccan Chickpea Pie in the Outback. More common are simpler concoctions of meat and potatoes or vegetables. But Curtis-Farley and Powell are passionate about good food, and they keep a reasonable price on the pies. A $6.50 pie is more than enough food to fill up on.

Curtis-Farley even ventured back to Australia—she’d lived there eight years—after convincing a popular meat pie shop, Stone Hut Bakery, to

teach her their pie-baking secrets.

After a week, she was a pie whiz.

Not only has the couple come up with their own pastry recipe, but they also make their own sausage for the Australian-style sausage rolls. The smaller—and cheaper— pasties (pronounced “PAH-stees”) are another option, as well as the traditional Australian sweets.

If the words ‘pie’ and ‘Portland’ conjure images of the Whiffies Fried Pies food cart, it’s not surprising.

Being fried, Whiffies’ popular pies are a little more artery-clogging, though also delicious. The food cart will likely continue to make its mark as a greasy, late-night, sobering-up option, while Pacific Pie Co. might draw a more, well, sober crowd.

That is, until February, when the shop hopes to start a calendar of Friday night events. The idea is still in the works, but Powell and CurtisFarley hope to host some weekend fun, as well as occasionally bring in local farmers for presentations on sustainable farming practices.

Pacific Pie Company 609 SE Ankeny St., Suite C Tue through Sun., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Curtis-Farley

Pacific Pie Co.: Rows of golden, flakey pies just waiting to be consumed.

Song: “Uprising” Artist: Muse

Getting the girly sound right

Song: “If You Only Knew” Artist: Shinedown Song: “Wheels” Artist: Foo Fighters Song: “Kings and Queens” Artist: 30 Seconds to Mars

Soprano extraordinaire set to release her first label album next month

Song: “Check My Brain” Artist: Alice in Chains

Robert Seitzinger

Song: “Savior” Artist: Rise Against

Vanguard staff

Song: “1901” Artist: Phoenix

—Billboard

Photos by Marni Cohen/Portland State Vanguard

Soprano vocals, softly plucked guitars and plenty of piano? Yup, Elaine Lachica makes a very girly brand of music, and she does it well.

Lachica hails from Baltimore, Md., and is now based out of Brooklyn, N.Y. Her classical voice and piano training led to stints as a soprano soloist with the Waverly Consort and the Rebel Baroque Orchestra, as well as her performance during the Mostly Mozart Festival.

Her name buzzes on the classical music wire, and this year will mark the release of her first label album, I Think I Can See the Ocean, through New York label Stunning Models on Display (Will Stratton, The Receiver).

She will also tour with a live ensemble, though she will not make it to the West Coast just yet.

However, Ocean will be available in a few short weeks and her earlier EPs, 9 and Apolune, are still floating around.

It’s worth picking up if you’re scoring a soft night at home, by yourself or with a dating mate, complete with candles and a hot bath.

Do note that where it excels as an album of dulcet tones and feminine mystique, that success was Lachica’s specific goal. This lovely brunette rarely wavers from her steady pace of graceful, sweeping soundscapes—this is not an album for running, working out at the gym, driving fast or any other activity that uses lots of energy.

Truth be told, the first thing my testosterone-laden mind thought of when this album began was reading a book near a window as it rains outside. That said, this is a solid album for those dreary winter afternoons between class here in Portland, and it merits at least checking out Lachica’s MySpace (www.myspace.com/elainelachica).

Elaine Lachica

I Think I Can See the Ocean Stunning Models on Display Out Feb. 23

Sex obsession and a pencil-thin mustache Youth in Revolt’s adult humor and ridiculous plot make up for the same ol’ same ol’ indie tricks

This week at the NW Film Center: The BQE Brooklyn Queens Expressway Sufjan Stevens, U.S., 2009 “Sufjan Stevens’ The BQE is a vivid symphonic and cinematic exploration of the infamous Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, a major traffic artery that severed neighborhoods and contoured waterways with the brute force of modern urban planning.

Commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of its Next Wave Festival, Stevens’ film and music tell a quintessentially American tale employing animation, time-lapse photography, in-camera editing, slow motion, and post-production mirror effects that transform urban blight into a splendor of graphic compositions.”

Sarah Esterman Vanguard staff

If there is one thing that Michael Cera is good at, it’s playing Michael Cera. He has that adorably awkward thing about him that makes him undeniably lovable and it seems that filmmakers have taken notice. Ever since his portrayal of George Michael Bluth in Arrested Development, Cera has been awkwardly attempting to woo and bed hot, quirky women on screen.

Cera’s version of Nick Twisp in Youth in Revolt does little to deviate from this trend. Nick is the incredibly intelligent teenage son of Estelle ( Jean Smart) and George (Steve Buscemi). Divorced and seeing other people, Nick’s parents have less-than-desirable personalities.

Estelle, who can’t stand being single for long (in fact, after an officer stops by to inform her of her scam-artist boyfriend’s—played by Zach Galifianakis—heart attack, she begins sleeping with him), uses her son’s child support to support herself. George, on the other hand, is dating a woman at least 10 years his junior, and would rather not pay child support in the first place.

Without the support of his parents, Nick is often left to his own devices.

A self-proclaimed “voracious reader of classic prose,” he has a better vocabulary than most adults.

Determined to lose his virginity soon, he seems to have an unhealthy obsession with sex (the first scene opens with Nick pleasuring himself).

But, because of his awkward dorkiness, it seems pretty clear that Nick isn’t going to lose his virginity anytime soon.

Enter Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), quirky, hot girl and daughter of crazy, religious parents.

On a vacation of sorts (Estelle’s slobby squeeze scams some sailors, so they have to leave town for awhile) to the Restless Axles trailer

Vanguard Arts & Culture | 5 January 14, 2010

park in Ukiah, Calif., Nick is taken with the naughty and cool air about Sheeni.

Nick is actually able to win her affection, but he must soon go back to Oakland, Calif. He and Sheeni devise a plan to bring him back to Restless Axles: Sheeni will find a job for George in Ukiah and Nick will have to get himself kicked out of his mother’s house. The first part of the plan proves to be easy, but even after Sheeni secures George a job, Nick has still yet to do something bad enough for Estelle to kick him out.

Knowing what he must do, Nick invents his alter ego: Francois Dillinger. Francois is Nick, but with a twisted moral compass, silly-looking mustache and a nicotine addiction. It’s almost as if Francois is a completely different person. The audience gets to watch as Nick and Francois argue back-and-forth. It’s reminiscent of the classic “angel and devil on the shoulder” quip, but in this case, the devil always wins, because Francois is Nick. Though he often gets in way over his head, Nick trusts this side of himself, because he earnestly believes it will get him into Sheeni’s pants.

Ultimately, this is another one of those indie-flick, coming-of-age films (you know the type: doodled font for the title, lots of indie music by bands you’ve never heard of, etc.).

Though we may’ve seen it before, strong acting and a rollercoaster of a plot make Youth in Revolt an original.

Jan. 16, 9 p.m.

Count Base: Then as Now, Count's the King Gary Keys, U.S., 2008

Youth in Revolt Directed by Miguel Arteta Now Playing Photo courtesy of www.outnow.ch

Youth in Revolt: Yet another film where Michael Cera is awkward and uncomfortable to hip music.

W a n Vanguard t ed:

Arts Writer

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arts@dailyvanguard.com

“Best known for his long tenures with both Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald, drummer Ed Thigpen has played on more than 900 albums with nearly every important jazz musician of the 20th century. McGlynn, whose essential film portraits have sketched musicians as diverse as Howlin” Wolf, Louis Prima, Art Pepper, Charles Mingus, and Dexter Gordon, probes many aspects of Thigpen”s life as a musician, teacher, historian, and world traveler.

Fellow musicians Horace Parlan, Billy Taylor, Carsten Dahl, Tomas Frank, and others explain why Thigpen, who has lived in Copenhagen for the past 37 years, is so respected by musicians and loved by jazz fans all over the world.”

Jan. 17, 5:30 p.m.

All screenings are in Whitsell Auditorium 1218 SW Park Ave. Free w/ PSU ID. —www.nwfilm.org

Vanguard 6 | Sports January 14, 2010

SPORTS

Sports Editor: Robert Britt 503-725-4538 sports@dailyvanguard.com

Costliest sports collectibles Mark McGwire 70th HR ball, 1998 HR chase $3,005,000 Honus Wagner 1909 baseball card (2007 sale) $2,800,000 Honus Wagner 1909 baseball card (2007 sale) $2,350,000 Honus Wagner 1909 baseball card (2008 sale) $1,620,000 Honus Wagner 1909 baseball card (2000 sale) $1,265,000 Babe Ruth bat, first HR in Yankee Stadium $1,265,000 Babe Ruth sale contract (Red Sox to Yankees) $996,000 Babe Ruth 1933 inaugural All-Star Game HR ball $805,000 Barry Bonds 700th HR ball $804,129 1914 Cracker Jack complete baseball card set $800,000 Babe Ruth 1934 Tour of Japan game-worn uniform $787,859 Barry Bonds record-breaking 756th HR ball $752,467 Hank Aaron 755th HR ball $650,000 “Shoeless” Joe Jackson game-used bat $577,610 —ESPN Sports Almanac

Vikings head to Northern Colorado for first conference road game Rosemary Hanson Vanguard staff

The Portland State women’s basketball team is on the road and headed for Greeley, Colo., where they take on the Northern Colorado Bears tonight. It will be Portland State’s first conference matchup on the road and the fourth Big Sky game for both teams.

First tip-off is set for 6:05 p.m. at the Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.

A look at the Bears: Currently 8–8 overall and 1–2 in the Big Sky, the Bears won their first conference game against Northern Arizona at home, but have lost their last two games to Weber State and Idaho State on the road.

Junior guard Courtney Stoermer and senior guard Whitley Cox led the Bears in points last season, and both are doing the same this year.

Last season, Cox became the first player at Northern Colorado to eclipse the 1,000-point mark.

This year, Cox has chalked six 20-plus point games, been selected the conference Player of the Week twice and is currently on a 14-game streak of double-digit scoring.

Stoermer, not slouching in her season, is riding a 15-game doubledigit scoring streak of her own.

The Bears have performed better on their home court this year, racking up a 5­–1 record in Greeley and a 3–5 record on the road.

A look at the Vikings: Coming off an impressive two-win weekend, the Vikings are one of only two teams that remain unbeaten in Big Sky play. They are now 9–7 overall and 3–0 in conference.

Last weekend, Portland State’s game against Montana State took them from a 20-point deficit at the half to a 69–62 win. Senior guard Claire Faucher led with 28 points—25 of which came in the second half.

Portland State then took on Montana, which they won in a nailbiting 49–47 finish. Sophomore guard Eryn Jones and junior forward Kelli Valentine led with 11 points each, and a last-minute steal

by Faucher ensured a win.

Bring on the Bears

Past matchups: The Vikings have walked off the court as victors in the past four meetings with Northern Colorado, including a 89­–82 win in the 2007–08 Big Sky Tournament.

In the last four games, Portland State has won by an average of 18.5 points per game—two of which the Vikings won by more than 20 points. The Vikings’ best shooting percentages of last season came against the Bears.

Game coverage: Live stats and audio of the game will be available on www.goviks.com.

Bear hunting: The Vikings look to remain undefeated in Big Sky Conference play as they take on Northern Colorado tonight.

Aaron Leopold/Portland State Vanguard

Skating out of the gate Rose City Rollers to open season this weekend with home tourney James MacKenzie Vanguard staff

Ready. Set. Roll.

The Rose City Rollers, Portland’s all-female roller derby league, kicks off the 2010 derby season at the Portland Expo Center on Saturday night.

The opener marks the beginning of the league’s fifth season and features all four of Portland’s home squads squaring off in tournamentstyle play.

The Rose City Rollers are comprised of nine individual roller derby programs. Four local teams, the Break Neck Betties, the Guns N Rollers, the Heartless Heathers and the High Rollers, compete against each other throughout the season.

All-star members from the local teams fill the rosters of two traveling teams, the Axels of Annihilation and Wheels of Justice, to compete at regional and national levels.

Three additional teams offer local roller derby training, exercise

programs and opportunities for teens to compete in the sport.

Saturday’s tournament will be double-elimination format, pitting the High Rollers against the Guns N Rollers, while the Heartless Heathers face off against the Break Neck Betties. The winners of each match will then fight for first-place seeding.

The matches will be abbreviated, with each consisting of a single 30-minute period, half the length of a normal match.

General admission tickets are available and pricing starts at $16.

Arriving early is recommended, as general admission seats are not guaranteed. For guaranteed seating, the Rockstar section is available for $24. Tickets can be bought at TicketsWest locations or through www.rosecityrollers.com.

Doors open at 5 p.m., and the first match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

The Rose City Rollers are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports a variety of local charities, including the Portland Women’s Crisis Line, Oregon Humane Society and the Sherie Hildreth Ovarian Cancer Foundation.

Guns N Rollers: The Rose City Rollers kick off their fifth season of roller derby action this weekend at the Portland Expo Center.

Photos courtesy of Joe Schwartz

etc.

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Vanguard Etc. | 7 January 14, 2010

Friday

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Center for Transportation Studies: A Review of Empirical Findings Noon to 1 p.m.

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Native American Center Free dinner for students and guests Francois Truffaut’s Jules et Jim 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

5th Avenue Cinema $6, $4 w/ PSU ID

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New Studio Theater 1600 SW Fourth Ave., Suite 110 $6, $4 w/ PSU ID

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Liberty High School gymnasium 21945 NW Wagon Way Robotics tournament that is free and open to the public Francois Truffaut’s Jules et Jim 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

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POP CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE

Improving on charity

Adam Wickham/Portland State Vanguard

p:ear is taking steps to help homeless youth by improving their standard of food Katherine Vetrano Vanguard staff

With the bustle of everyday challenges, it’s easy to forget that some have it much harder. As we get on TriMet buses, streetcars and MAX trains, those less fortunate are everywhere—sitting on benches downtown, wrapped in blankets under doorways, maybe even asking for some change outside a coffee house. Many people choose to look the other way.

One person who doesn’t ignore them is Joy Cartier, assistant director of p:ear. Along with Beth Burns and Pippa Arend, Cartier developed p:ear, an acronym that means project, education, art and recreation for homeless youth. The three friends initially met at the Salvation Army Greenhouse Alternative Learning Center. But when the agency debunked, they decided to get together and see what they could do on their own.

What they did was a whole lot. p:ear, located in downtown Portland, seems to have productivity spilling out of its windows. The programs offered at p:ear include everything from photography, studying for the GED exam, acrylics, music and cooking.

“The programs we offer take kids out of the urban context and into a more natural setting,” Cartier said.

Youth can come in and practice with instruments or art supplies on their own, and they have the opportunity to learn about various art forms from skilled volunteers.

One crucial art offered is the food program. Cartier said it began by thinking about food in social programs differently.

“We were kind of appalled at the food being served by social services,” Cartier said. “Trust me, I’ve served plenty. I knew that if I had to serve

one more Beanie Weenie or Potato Poofy, I was going to lose it.”

Because of the significance of healthy eating, the three women of p:ear decided to take a different approach at the usual food offered to the homeless.

“We wanted to serve the kind of food we wanted to eat,” said Cartier.

“So we asked restaurants we went to if they were willing to donate one hot meal a month.”

And many agreed. Some restaurants that participate are Dot’s Café, Dragonfish Asian Café, Old Wives Tales, Pazzo Ristorante, Park Kitchen, and Vita Café, in addition to many others.

But the weekly meals given are not the only way homeless youth can eat a substantial and nutritious dinner: The members of p:ear are always encouraged to learn how to cook.

Several instructors from both the Oregon Culinary Institute and the Western Culinary Institute come in and offer their teachings in a fun, relaxed setting that’s more like cooking with your family than an actual class.

“It’s not like every Thursday, you come in and learn how to cook a meal,” Cartier said. “It’s more like ‘hey! We’re makin’ dinner here!

Come help us make dumplings!’”

According to p:ear’s website, pearmentor.org, this program helps over 350 homeless and transitional youth a year. Looking at this kind of number, it’s evident that the creators and all who donate time and money to p:ear are contributing to their simple, yet crucial, goal. To become a part of p:ear, see the information below—because helping the community doesn’t have to only take place during the holidays.

p:ear

338 NW Sixth Ave. 503-228-6677 www.pearmentor.org

Youth outreach: p:ear is stepping outside the box with creative relief programs.

Vampires, Nurses and The Slaves,

oh my!

What could be better than Czech cinema and live music?

Robert Seitzinger Vanguard staff

It’s happened to all of us: We get a new pair of earrings and our sexual attractiveness goes way up. Of course, it’s not all of us that don the new jewelry and draw the attention of vampires.

Valerie and her Week of Wonders follows a young girl as she discovers her sexuality, and the film uses a rich blend of symbolism and surreal imagery to spin its tale. Based on the written work of V’Ít zslav Nezval, Czech director Jaromil Jireš adapted the story for the silver screen in 1970, casting the then-13-year-old Jaroslava Schallerová as Valerie.

Schallerová’s age drew much controversy, given the film’s flirtations with incest, bisexuality and general bacchanalia. Valerie is stalked by the Weasel, a shape-shifting vampire complete with thinly veiled

hints of being Valerie’s father, who makes attempts to ravage the child throughout the film. Only Eagle, a character suggested to be Valerie’s brother, wards off the Weasel’s crusade to pervert young Valerie.

There are scenes of dark, macabre grittiness to match anything seen on modern-day shows that test our thresholds of obscenity, such as Dexter or The Shield. The film ultimately saves face because of Valerie’s persistent innocence amid the sexuality and horror show. Gothic themes, seductive clergymen and even threats of rape and execution do not siphon the wonder from Valerie’s childish eyes, and Jireš… does a solid job of pacing this coming-of-age story—it’s never so fast that viewers miss the precocious Valerie’s development, nor so sluggish that her maturity and sexual awakening are as awkward and drawn out as your own was.

The film has another pull to it, insomuch as the music included in, and inspired by, Valerie is on par with many great films from the early 1970s. Case in point, Holocene is screening the film tonight with an accompaniment of various Portland bands that will offer their interpretations of the soundtrack.

Photo courtesy of Nilina Mason-Campbell

Nurses: Providing dreamy indie-pop to go along with a creepy cinematic adventure.

Nurses, a group noted for their spacious electronics and vocals that are overt yet easy on the ear will delight attendees with their almostspooky tones that will complement the atmosphere of the film nicely.

Gulls, the brainchild of beatbuilding genius Jesse Johnson, will bring some steady groove and enhance the surreal moments on the soundtrack. Self-described gothicsurf artists The Slaves round out the show, and they’re the X-factor in the lineup: There’s really no predicting how exciting or frightening their sound will be.

That, of course, is the ethos behind Valerie: It can be scary, enthralling, political, sexual or even

instructional. Guys with limited awareness of the trials that girls brave as they mature will have their eyes opened by the film, and the opportunity to enjoy a great film coupled with a superb night of music is not to be missed.

FIN de Cinema: Valerie and her Week of Wonders

With live music by Nurses, Gulls and The Slaves Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St. Tonight, 8:30 p.m.

Free, $2 suggested donation 21+

Vanguard Arts & Culture | 8 January 14, 2010

Eight things not to say to a vegetarian “Bet you’d love a bite of my sausage love.”

“But where do you get your protein from?”

“You still eat bacon though, don’t you?”

“I’m veggie too…I just eat chicken and fish.”

“I’m veggie Monday through Saturday, I just can’t miss my Sunday roast.”

“When you say you’re veggie babe, does that mean you don’t enjoy any meat at all (said with a wink and creepy smile from drunk men in clubs).”

“So you’re vegetarian.

What about the poor carrots…don’t you think they scream?”

“You don’t look like a vegetarian…you look really healthy.”

—caterersearch.com