The Vanguard ’s ASPSU election endorsements
NEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ARTS & culture............ 6 OPINION........................ 10 ETC................................ 13 SPORTS........................ .. 14
Harris Foster for president, Krystine McCants and Kismet Kilbourn for SFC opinion page 12
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Portland State University TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013 | vol. 67 no. 55
‘Education should be free’
Mayor prioritizes school funding Education and police reform discussed in Mayor Charlie Hales’ State of the City address Ashley Rask Vanguard Staff
and paying rent,” said Lamar Wise, a student at the University of Oregon and a board member of the Oregon Students of Color Coalition. “How am I supposed to make a better future for myself and my family when I have to take out loan after loan to get an education?” “After I learned that student debt is higher than credit card debt [nationwide], I got worried,” said Deyalo Bennette, a junior at PSU majoring in philosophy. He wants his brother and sister to be able to attend school, and not get priced out of an education.
Adequate school funding was one of the major themes of Mayor Charlie Hales’ State of the City address on Friday afternoon. The speech, held at the Governor Hotel, was followed by a questionand-answer period where citizens were able to ask Hales questions about everything from how he planned to promote citizen involvement to ways he would address the homeless problem. “We are not done building a great city,” Hales said. Hales opened with a description of how he helped his father build a house at age 16. The metaphor showed that Hales was a builder of Portland. “Some repairs are in order,” Hales said. The three major needed repairs Hales pointed out were issues regarding the city budget, public school funding and creating a safer city. Though these are big concerns to tackle, Hales remains optimistic.
See Rally on page 2
See Mayor on page 5
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Taking to the streets: Students approach the Capitol on Thursday. About 50 Portland State students rallied in Salem for more education funding. Around 450 students total attended the event.
Students urge legislators to ‘open the door to Oregon’s future’ Coby Hutzler Vanguard Staff
Hundreds of students from Oregon’s community colleges and public universities descended on the Capitol building in Salem Thursday to voice their concerns about mounting student debt and proposed tuition hikes. The rally, organized by the Oregon Student Association, drew about 450 Oregon students. Around 50 of them were from Portland State; 30 went
down to Salem on a bus rented by PSU’s student government and 20 others were already in Salem lobbying legislators as part of the overall effort. The group marched several blocks from a rallying point to the Capitol building, chanting slogans such as “Can’t stop! Won’t stop!” and “No Cuts! No Fees! Education should be free!” They were lobbying for an increase in state higher
education spending to the tune of $850 million for four-year universities, $510 million for community colleges and $15 million for the Oregon Opportunity Grant. According to an OSA press release, these increases “will help stabilize funding for higher education in Oregon and prevent sharp tuition increases next year.” While these increases were certainly supported among student protestors, tuition spikes and student debt were also salient concerns, with most in attendance having a story to share. “For multiple terms I’ve had to choose between paying for textbooks
Cambodian song and dance in the spotlight Miss Cambodia headlines cultural event Kari Nelson Vanguard Staff
On Sunday, Portland State students, faculty and community members waited in line in front of the Smith Memorial Student Union ballroom to experience Cambodian culture at the Cambodian Culture Show put on by PSU’s Cambodian Student Association. This is CSA’s first year back at PSU after a few years’ absence. The Cambodian Culture Show was the group’s largest event this year, put on to celebrate and spread awareness of Cambodian culture. “Cultural education is so important,” said Dechen Dolkar, a master of
ceremonies for the evening and CSA’s public relations coordinator. “There are little kids here, and older people, and we just want them to know that this culture is still being preserved and we are still practicing it—it’s not gone.” The theme this year was the lotus flower, representing renewal and the beginning of good things. The evening opened with a buffet of authentic Cambodian cuisine catered by Mekong Bistro. “We wanted to stay as authentic as possible, and Mekong Bistro is one of only two authentic Cambodian restaurants in Portland,” CSA President Malisa Tep said. Dechen took the stage with the other master of ceremonies, Sokho Eath, to introduce Cam Bunna and See Cambodia on page 2
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The lotus flower: Students from PSU’s Cambodian Students Association danced the “Coconut Dance” at Sunday’s Cambodian Culture Show.