Portland State Vanguard

VOLUME 69 | ISSUE 17

December 2, 2014

Hands up, Don't shoot NEWS

OPINION

ArTS & cULTUrE

SPOrTS

Butt out! officers. pg. PSU 6 campus goes cold turkey, bans all forms of smoking in 2015. pg. 4

The importance campus. pg. 9 of learning new skills in college, whether they are lucrative or not. pg. 8

Marketing pients. pg. 16 capstone helps local youth music nonprofit find greater success. pg. 16

Marathon.

Nigel Burtonpg. was 23let go with one year left on his contract. What does that mean for the future of Vikings football? pg. 21

Lead your

TEAM

Andrei Lintz

Earned M.A. in Sport Management from WSU

Online Master’s:

SPORT MANAGEMENT - Gain sport business knowledge - Achieve management expertise - Learn from Ph.D. faculty - Earn an affordable and respected diploma

Learn more: online.wsu.edu/sport

cONTENT NEWS OPINION cOVEr ArTS & cULTUrE cALENDAr SPOrTS EDITOr-IN-cHIEF

4 8 12 14 18 20 cOPY EDITOrS

eDitor@PsuvanguarD.com Whitney Beyer

Sabrina Parys Margo Pecha

MANAGING EDITOr

ADVErTISING MANAGEr

managingeDitor@PsuvanguarD.com Tobin Shields

Jgekeler@PDX.eDu Jordan Gekeler

NEWS EDITOr

ADVErTISING DESIGNEr

neWs@PsuvanguarD.com Turner Lobey

Tessa Millhollin

ArTS & cULTUrE EDITOr

Reaz Mahmood

arts@PsuvanguarD.com Brandon Staley

OPINION EDITOr oPinion@PsuvanguarD.com Breana Harris

SPOrTS EDITOr sPorts@PsuvanguarD.com Jesse Tomaino

ASSOcIATE NEWS EDITOr associateneWs@PsuvanguarD.com Colleen Leary

PrODUcTION MANAGEr ProDuction@PsuvanguarD.com Rachael Bentz

PHOTO EDITOr Photo@PsuvanguarD.com Jeoffry Ray

cOPY cHIEF coPy@PsuvanguarD.com Chelsea Lobey

ONLINE EDITOr online@PsuvanguarD.com Jaime Dunkle

ADVISEr

ADVErTISING ADVISEr Ann Roman

friend us on faceBook

DESIGNErS

Conrad Crespin Elise Furlan Brendan Mulligan Rico Macias-Zepeda

FACEBOOK.COM/PORTLANDSTATEVANGUARD

WrITErS

Andy Anady, Nathan Anderson, Jen Cai, Victoria Castellanos, Ruby King, Adam Lamascus, Phuoc Francis Nguyen, Jordan Paige, Jay Pengelly, Miriam Perala, Jessica Pollard, Alex Pomar, Jordan Rasmussen, Matt Rauch, Anna Suarez, Joseph Thiebes, Michael Theofelis

PHOTOGrAPHErS

Devin Courtright Adam Grace Miles Sanguinetti Christopher Sohler

ADVErTISING SALES

Tori Christensen, Bri Robinson, Dustin Clevenger

The Vanguard is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed 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 subscription issues may incur a 25 cent charge.

The Vanguard is printed on 40 percent post-consumer recycled paper.

cover design by rachael bentz and photo by jeoffry ray Š2014 porTland sTaTe universiTy vanguard 1825 s.w. broadway smiTh memorial sTudenT union, rm. s-26 porTland, or 97201

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

3

NEWS

Butt out! psu goes cold turkey, Bans smoking in 2015 JEn caI

Portland State will join the growing number of smoke and tobacco-free campuses with its own expanded policy, which goes into effect on Sept. 15, 2015.

The new policy prohibits the use of all smoking and tobacco products on campus property and the South Park Blocks between Southwest Market Street and Southwest Jackson Street, according to the official policy document.

The full policy is available through the Student Health and Counseling website, including a map of affected areas and an FAQ section.

“This is a good, strong policy and is very much in line with best practices,” said Alex Accetta, the director of Campus Recreation and a key player in the process.

“When people have asthma, when people have kids, when people are allergic to smoke, our responsibility is to create a space that’s as safe as it can be.”

PSU’s policy prohibits the use of all tobacco products, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes. The prohibition of smokeless products such as chewing tobacco and of e-cigarettes or vaporizers makes it among the stricter of campus policies, in comparison to those that only address cigarette smoking.

4

The policy is a culmination of an almost decadelong process that included two campus-wide surveys, implementation of PSU’s current smoking policy, the Clean Air Corridor and ongoing collaboration between stakeholders.

“It is definitely a community policy that a lot of people had a hand in,” said Julie Weissbuch Allina, the director of health promotion at SHAC. SHAC and Campus Recreation have been among the primary players, according to Weissbuch Allina, with the Healthy Campus Initiative Committee, Human Resources, the University Policy Committee and others.

General student, faculty and staff input were sought through a 2012 survey spearheaded by Gwyn Ashcom, a health educator at SHAC. Of the 4,005 respondents, two-thirds reported concern about environmental tobacco smoke and over 55 percent supported PSU becoming smoke free.

SHAC will be primarily responsible for overseeing the policy going forward. No designated smoking areas are included in the policy. If people choose to smoke, they will need to go off campus to do so.

The expectation is that smokers will largely comply with the policy and the em-

phasis will be on education, according to both Accetta and Weissbuch Allina.

“For the most part, what we’ve observed is smokers have been really awesome to work with,” Accetta said.

“We’re not asking people to stop smoking. We’re just asking people to take care of their fellow students and the PSU community by not doing it while they’re here.

That’s all.”

The Campus Public Safety Office will regulate ongoing smoking violations in particular areas.

“We will enforce it like any other policy within the university,” said CPSO Lieutenant of Operations Craig Whitten. Students who violate the policy can be referred to Student Conduct and faculty and staff to Human Resources.

“When I’m not in uniform and I see people smoking,” Whitten said, “I just walk up to them and pleasantly say, ‘Hey, are you aware this is a smoke-free corridor, and there’s no smoking here?’ and pretty much leave it at that.”

This is not something to argue or be confrontational about, he added.

Weissbuch Allina said an educational campaign regarding the policy will likely launch in January, assuming all the expected pieces go through. Posters, emails,

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

STUDENTS GATHEr TO SMOKE in the smoking shelter on the park blocks near the smith memorial student union.

christoPher sohler/Psu vanguarD

social media, a dedicated website and a town hall meeting are just some of the ways SHAC may go about communicating the policy.

As of Oct. 1, 975 campuses across the nation are fully

tobacco free, according to the National Tobacco-Free Campus movement. Many Oregon universities have already enacted such policies, including the Oregon Health & Sciences University in

2007 and the University of Oregon in 2012. Portland Community College and Oregon State University are smoke free, though they have not prohibited all tobacco products.

Portland State reinstates chiron Studies

NEWS

aLEX POMar

Portland State officially announced that beginning in winter 2015, three Chiron Studies courses will be offered through University Studies. These courses are taught by students and aided with faculty oversight. The courses will be available for eligible undergraduate and graduate students for credit toward their degrees.

The classes available are Citizen Journalism, Writing Through Guided Meditation and Eating in the 21st Century.

Leona Kindermann, a student with prior involvement with Chiron Studies, will lead the Eating in the 21st Century course.

“It is an incredible opportunity. As someone who grew up with two professors [as parents], I have always been drawn to the classroom,” Kindermann said in an email.

The course will study the internal and external powers that influence our eating habits, such as culture, advertising and media. It will also

work toward deconstructing one’s internal relationship with food, in terms of history, upbringing and connotations. Students will then be able to implement acquired skills in order to eat mindfully, understand ingredients and food labels and recognize how one’s choice in food can affect the community and the world at large.

Dr. Yves Labissiere, interim director for University Studies at PSU, began working in the program in 1996. With an established background in social psychology, he is also a faculty member for the School of Community Health.

“I support this endeavor.

It is another example of students owning their education, owning their knowledge, owning the process and that is what we are about. It has served already lots and lots of students and I think with the right support we will blossom,” Labissiere said.

Chiron Studies began at

PSU in 1968 and accumulated a widespread praise from the student body and community for the program’s dedication and success for nearly 50 years. These courses are unique, as they are constructed, proposed and taught by students. If the proposals are accepted, they are further developed by faculty, students and alumni.

This educational approach allows students the opportunity to take control of learning or teaching and earn credits doing so. During the term, the committee observes the courses, the progression of the student teachers and the adaptability of the learning bodies. In addition to a hands on experience for those teaching the courses, they are also reimbursed for their dedication, effort and materials.

“It is for academic programs like Chiron Studies that brought me to PSU; they offer diverse and distinctive learning experiences to not

cHIrON STUDIES INSTrUcTOrS from the 2012–13 term, including eva hamilton, current coordinator and committee chair rozzell medina, jon hurst and aaron kelly during a spring term Teach out.

Jinyi Qi/vanguarD archives

only the community and the school itself, but for the world at large, and I look forward to exploring the chances of getting involved in this program,” said first-year transfer student Nadine Boshey.

Chiron Studies has appealed to many students over the course of the program's history at PSU—whether they've been involved in the past, or are just learning about the program for the first time. This program is not only about thinking and learning in the form of a new perspective, but rather to implement this new acquired knowledge in one’s everyday life, beyond the classroom environment.

“This program teaches skills that are translatable to a lot of other work I am doing, as the bi-weekly cohort meetings focused on inclusive education, building a learning community and facilitation skills,” Kindermann said.

At the close of 2012, PSU underwent a series of budget cuts, which ultimately led to the Office of Academic Affairs’ decision to revoke the program’s funding completely.

This began what would be a three-year fight for justification toward the program.

Rozzell Medina became coordinator for Chiron

Studies as an undergraduate student in 2010. When the budget was revoked, he remained confident in the program’s potential and survival, and began volunteering at the start of 2013 lasting until October of this year. He remains in the same post and said he's glad to be paid again for his hard work.

“We have been working with University Studies on joining that academic department for over a year now, and while there are still logistics to work on, we are excited about the opportunities that collaboration is presenting,” Medina said.

“Chiron is an academic activity, and as such, ought to have the same kinds of oversight, assessment, direction and coordination as all of our academic curricula activities do,” Dr. Labissiere said.

In 2013, Chiron Studies directors appealed the administration with the hope that they would reconsider the previous decision to revoke funding. After spending several days reviewing the proposed agenda, administration again rejected and said they would work toward finding Chiron Studies a proper home among active programs.

As a result of the endless rallying, the tenacity to preserve the program and its widespread support, Chiron Studies advocates finally received positive results for their three years of hard work.

Dr. Labissiere said that there were many challenges with securing Chiron Studies.

However, those who back the program did not let this deter them from continuing to advocate for the program.

“I think that Chiron Studies was a really nice fit. University Studies seeks to be a very dynamic curriculum; it aligns with the mission of the university, which is to “let knowledge serve the city,” and in that regard it really needs to be dynamic because it has to be current, updated and responding to the emergent needs of the local community and faculty expertise,” Dr. Labissiere said.

“When our budget was eliminated in 2012, we were in the midst of Chiron Studies' most prosperous era in several decades, in terms of the number of students taking our classes. I hope that PSU students will rally around this wonderful program again now, so that we can pick up where we left off,” Medina said.

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

5

NEWS

Professor finds similarity in viruses SSV1, HIV JOSEPH THIEBES

In the Portland State Center for Life in Extreme Environments, professor of biology Ken Stedman has unlocked the structure of the virus Sulfolobus Shibatae Virus 1 (SSV1) which bears a striking resemblance to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Stedman said the similarity came as a surprise. His research on biological organisms in volcanic hot springs focuses on understanding how life is able to thrive in extreme conditions.

Stedman explained that this particular virus was originally discovered in Japan in the early ’80s, and that similar viruses are found in many places around the world.

“Wherever there’s a volcanic hot springs [which is] acidic, high temperature [up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit]…most of the time you’re going to find viruses that look like this one,” Stedman said.

The structure of the virus SSV1 has the appearance of two HIV frameworks stacked on top of each other, which may help scientists get a better understanding of HIV in the future, according to Stedman.

“We had no clue that it was going to be anything like this until we got this detailed model,” he said.

The viruses are perfectly safe for humans, according to Stedman, who said he's

not worried about exposure to them.

“I'm more worried about falling into the environment that they live in, because that would be way worse for me. Boiling acid is not good for us. It's fine for them,” Stedman said. “Whenever we go in there, we're incredibly careful about how we collect. There are places we don't sample, because it's just too dangerous.”

Stedman began looking at the structure of the virus to get clues about how it is able to survive in such conditions.

“We hadn't gotten this kind of detailed structure until just now,” Stedman said.

Collaborating with the University of Texas Medi-

cal Branch at Galveston, Stedman and his team combined hundreds of images of the virus.

“From that, we were able to get a much more detailed structure than ever before,” Stedman said Stedman's lab has received funding from NASA for a variety of projects. His research adds to the quest for understanding how life developed on Earth, and whether it could have also developed on Mars or other planets. Because the beginning of life on Earth occurred in extreme surroundings, studying current forms of life in similar conditions may tell us about our own beginnings, according to Stedman.

Stedman emphasized that while the similarity in structure between the virus SSV1 and HIV may help scientists to understand HIV better, these early results don't guarantee any future breakthroughs for HIV research.

“As always in science, you come up with the best explanation you can, until you get more data,” Stedman said. “We've got some preliminary indications that this could be really cool and interesting, but who knows?”

Understanding its structure is just one of many projects related to the overall investigation of the virus, according to doctoral student Eric Iverson.

CRIME BLOTTER

Week of Nov. 24-30

Jordan Paige

November 24

November 25

Student Conduct

Criminal Mischief

Montgomery Housing At approximately 1:25 p.m. officers accompanied housing staff to investigate a report filed after a staff member fulfilled a work order from the student occupant.

The report contended that the room had been trashed, smelled bad and was scattered with syringes. Officers found the room unoccupied, and “cooker” with traces of what is believed to be heroin. The room has been secured, though the student has not been apprehended.

6

“We're interested in learning more about the biology of the virus and how it interacts with its host,” Iverson said.

Each summer, Stedman and his assistants travel to Lassen Volcanic ­ Natural Park to collect samples.

The location is fascinating, according to PSU alumnus and research assistant ­David Goodman.

“There's fumaroles steaming with sulfur and it's like another planet. It's like walking into Mordor,” Goodman said.A film is currently in production that focuses on Stedman's work, entitled Edge of Life.

The latest research will be featured on the cover of V­irology on Jan. 15.

Extended Studies Building Just before 5 p.m. officers responded to reports of graffiti found on a whiteboard. The graffiti, a left facing swastika in green marker with a dollar sign drawn over it, was reported as a possible statement against international students. Officers dismissed the possibility of the graffiti as a hate-crime.

November 26 Detox

Lincoln Hall Officer David Troppe was dispatched to the intersection of Southwest Broadway and Mill Street at approximately 1:35 a.m. to investigate reports of an intoxicated female who seemed to need help.

Non-student Linda Hernandez was found leaning against the school building.

Hernandez requested to be taken to detox. Officers fulfilled her request and provided her transportation to Hooper Detox.

Car Theft

Parking Structure Two Around 10:28 p.m. Officer Jonathan Buck took a car prowl report from a student parked between the first and second floors on the north side of the building.

The student had returned to his car to find that his driver side rear passenger window had been broken out and his backpack containing a laptop and textbook had been stolen. Lost property was valued around $995.

Next to the vehicle, a small black backpack was found and identified as the be-

Vanguard | December 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

longings of a non-student, James Seaman, who confirmed that the belongings were his. He informed Officer Buck that his belongings had been secured in the car of his student girlfriend who had parked on the top floor of the same structure.

Seaman’s girlfriend reported that her car, too, had been broken into.

November 28 Exclusion

West Heating Plant Officer Nichola Higbee discovered two non-students, identified as Leo Robinson and Ginny Burdick, scavenging the locked dumpsters around 10:40 p.m.

Officer Higbee dispatched Officer Brian Rominger, Officer Chris Fischer and Sergeant Robert McCleary to assist. The officers called to

Robinson and Burdick several times before having to climb under the locked gates to make contact. Robinson has a lengthy criminal history including methamphetamine possession and sale.

After a search, Robinson was determined clean. However, officers discovered two dirty syringes on Burdick, which she admitted were for methamphetamine use.

They were each issued a campus exclusion.

Danae Murphy found the suspect. The suspect admitted to having stolen the burrito and purported that he stole it because he had not come prepared to spend the night studying in the library. A search of his backpack revealed that he had multiple snacks.

The suspect also had five warrants for Criminal Mischief out of Columbia County and was arrested on his warrants.

November 30 Felony Arrest

Branford Price Millar Library At approximately 10:35 p.m. a student reported that his half-eaten burrito had been stolen from his desk on the third floor. The student witnessed the so-called “burrito bandit” retreat into a study room where Officer

Read the full crime blotter online at psuvanguard.com

OPINION

Looking good in the long run The Cuddlefish

by Adam Lamascus In the beginning, before your new significant other comes over, you prepare. You look your absolute best every time you see them.

Then, you’ve been together long enough that the relationship is no longer new, and eventually you might even move in together. You realize that you just don’t have the time to look your best whenever you see them. Does it concern you? Should it concern you?

How do you, and how much do you, worry about grooming standards after you’ve been with your partner in the long term?

Please don’t assume that this piece is just one (extremely nerdy) guy going, “Meh, be lazy and stop freaking out.” I know that’s the stereotype about guys, and I’d like to dispel that myth before we proceed. I spoke at length with my girlfriend, and the issue has been discussed amongst other friends in the past. I also did some Internet research to see what people who make their money off of questions like this have to say. (Spoiler alert: I cannot fathom how people actually listen to the advice columns in gossip rags like Cosmopolitan.)

To some degree, it is inevitable that your overall grooming standards will slip a bit in front of your long-term partner.

That’s totally fine and normal, especially when you live together. You will wind up being sick, tired, unkempt, stressed, lazy and too busy for really doing yourself up.

Some general reduction of your average level of done-upness is to be expected. Keep that in mind, and neither panic nor judge when it happens. Likewise, if your partner starts to fret because you are no longer clean shaven every time you see them, that’s a problem that you may want to discuss with them.

The real issue though is not whether your grooming standards will slip, but rather how much they will slip, and with what severity.

Obviously, this varies from person to person, and relationship to relationship. My girlfriend said that any such reduction should be “small but significant,” and after some initial

Photo illustration courtesy of David Tran through Creative Commons

confusion about exactly what she meant by that, I am inclined to agree.

As mentioned before, getting really groomed up takes work, and people just don’t have the time. You will also find times when one of you is too sick, too tired or too something else to get ready. It happens.

Furthermore, and much more importantly, couples like that are being exposed to the “behind the scenes” stuff, if you will, and such stuff is often highly personal and very intimate. This intimacy and vulnerability make it very important that both partners are open-minded and kind. My girlfriend summed it up nicely with the phrase: Don’t be a dick about it.

Most of the (awful) relationship advice from places like Cosmo or Men’s Health make it sound like if you aren’t Adonis all the time, your partner will find you fat/ugly/lazy and leave.

These assumptions, and the fact that many of Cosmo’s sex tips

will get you hospitalized, mean that in short, you should generally ignore these magazines.

The one decent piece of advice I read concluded that if you “let yourself go” too much, the problem isn’t simply that your partner loses attraction for you. Such long-term laziness tells your partner that you don’t think they are worth keeping yourself attractive for, and whether they consciously think that or not, it will tend to have an impact on your love life. So don’t panic and try to be decked out all the time, and also don’t turn into a total slob.

If you do feel like your significant other is letting themselves go to the point where it is negatively impacting your relationship, then talk to them. Have a quiet, non-dramatic and kind conversation about the issue. Being told that you need to improve in such a way by somebody important is never fun, so keep that in mind as you speak to them.

Vanguard | December 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

7

OPINION

Bucket list 101 Lessons from my final term

The Front Row

by Breana Harris

Last spring, I was adjusting my plans so I could graduate at the end of fall term when my advisor told me I was two credits short of the required overall credit total. I’m sure many students have been in similar spots. Universities wonder why their retention rates are low, when the requirements in place usually make finishing school as difficult as it could possibly be. But two credits really wasn’t that bad.

Most people might solve the problem with a yoga class or two, but I decided to do something different. I graduated from a performing arts high school, so I had been on stage many times growing up. But I developed a love for musical theater that I was never able to do anything with because I simply can’t sing.

I wasn’t born with one of those naturally impressive voices.

In fact, I am naturally quiet and anxious, and I barely even spoke before acting brought me out of my shell. I’m still asked to repeat myself constantly, and my mother tells me to stop mumbling at least once a week.

Despite all that, I decided to spend my two credits on a beginning voice class.

GUEST ILLUSTRATOR: JORDYNN ALEXANDER

8

Vanguard | December 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

I have a huge admiration for people who can sing. I saw a touring production of Les Misérables when I was 14 that pretty much changed my life, and ever since then I’ve been a musical junkie. I’ve seen Rent in Los Angeles, Cabaret in New York, Wicked in London and many more.

Most of the gifted young singers I went to high school with would tell me that anyone with the proper training can learn how to sing, but I figured I’d never be able to afford expensive voice lessons so I wouldn’t know if that was true or not.

So the opportunity to take beginning voice at Portland State and even just see what was involved was almost like crossing something off my bucket list. Who knew?

At the end of my undergraduate career, I have become very used to taking English and writing classes. And I have taken some wonderful and fascinating ones from some amazing professors that I won’t soon forget. But the thing is, I’m good at writing. I’m good at picking out important themes in literature and writing papers about them. I majored in the thing I am best at, and while I am very lucky to be able to say I enjoy it too, not feeling challenged can take its toll on you.

Sometimes, I would experience a writing professor who was willing to push me to the next level and break down my work, sentence by sentence, to make me consider the meaning of every word and syllable. I love that. But taking beginning voice with five other people has been a much different sort of challenge. I was in a class where I did not start off the best, or even that good. I was probably the least experienced. For a couple weeks, I considered switching to yoga or something, because I thought I’d be a dismal failure. Then I learned things that I didn’t even begin to know, and I progressed and got better.

I practiced! As someone who can write a paper an hour before class and get an A (I know, I’m sorry), working for something was not really in my skill set. It was refreshing and exciting to look at an assignment—even if it was a song—as something to really work through and figure out.

I am pretty old to be learning from scratch, but that’s the great thing about it. I might never be Adele, but I’m walking away with knowledge and ability that I really earned. Most likely, singing will have no practical use for me. Ever. But who cares?

It’s difficult to say that you should invest money in taking more classes that won’t pay off financially. I’m as poor as the next person, and my biggest struggles at PSU have involved not knowing where my next meal is coming from far more often than they’ve involved academia.

But if there is one thing that I’m taking away from my final term, it’s that you can’t scoff at the value of really learning something. It can excite you, give you confidence and make you see yourself in a different light. It’s not entirely easy to step into an arena you know nothing about, but I believe that everyone should try it at least once before they graduate.

Put some time into enriching the person you are, not just your job prospects. I don’t tell you this from a place of financial privilege at all. I just think that it’s important not to put yourself in a box and tell yourself what you can and can’t accomplish, because almost everyone can accomplish more than they know.

Accessing your professors

OPINION

GUEST ILLUSTRATOR: STEPHANIE SZABO

The Campus Oracle

by Nathan Anderson

On a campus of roughly 30,000 students, it’s easy to feel lost among the vast number of people seeking higher education. This is especially true when many of us are non-traditional students with jobs, families and other commitments off-campus. Because of this, it’s important to know how to navigate through the crowds and make the most of the college experience.

One of the most important skills that we can master is the ability to stay in contact with our professors. Whenever questions arise about coursework or assignments, it is in our best interest to get those questions answered thoroughly and in a satisfactory manner.

Professors are and should be the first go-to person in case of confusion over course content or a lecture topic. While forming study groups and having contact information for fellow classmates is important, knowing when and how to get in contact with your professor is vital.

Using email is one of the best ways to get questions answered. Assuming that an urgent, immediate reply to a query isn’t necessary, a quick email will likely produce good results.

However, there a few rules that must be followed to ensure a speedy response.

Remember that professors receive dozens, perhaps hundreds of emails every day. Be very clear in your subject line so that your email will stand out. Keep your email short, professional and to the point. If a professor doesn’t answer your email within two or three days, send a polite follow-up.

If all this fails to generate an adequate response, or you need an answer quickly, visiting the professor during their office hours is the logical next step.

The Oregonian recently reported that Portland State ranks near the bottom in professor accessibility. This was based on an unscientific poll conducted by the Princeton Review, in which college students were asked a single question relating to professor accessibility. PSU was ranked seventh worst.

I must say that in my short time at PSU, I don’t share that opinion. All my professors are easily accessible and keep their office hours as promised.

My philosophy professor has been extremely accessible, staying after class to answer questions and direct students to further readings that might assist in understanding the course material.

She keeps office hours as promised.

My computer science instructor has taken the time to sit with students to answer questions on programming and other lecture subjects, and he has been more than willing to help students overcome stumbling blocks in the homework. His office hours are kept, and he welcomes all comers who have questions or concerns.

Likewise, my math instructor has stayed after class, answering questions and providing extra examples. She also keeps her office hours and is happy to answer questions during that time.

Of course, some professors have a preferred method of contact. For instance, I had a calculus instructor who carried a cell phone that was just for student questions. We were to email him only after an attempt to call him failed. So, keep that in mind.

We have a responsibility to get the most out of our college education. PSU is a wonderful institution and makes learning easy and accessible. As long as we, the students, know how to access the vast amount of information at our disposal here on campus, our time will be well worth it.

Vanguard | December 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

9

OPINION

Feminist literature holds up

Cherry Bomb

by Anna Suarez

My comrades on my journey toward gender equality pose the question, “What is your favorite piece of feminist literature?”

I have always been a reader of classic literature. My bookshelf is full of Kate Chopin, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Shakespeare. My love for classic literature meshes into my activism.

I always tell my peers that my favorite pieces of feminist literature, or books that have climbed mountains for feminism are The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan and All My Pretty Ones by Anne Sexton.

As I recommend these titles, I am told these books are outdated or do not explore contemporary feminist themes.

Though these books were published 50 years ago or more, they explore troubling issues women face in a timeless and beautiful manner. I can relate to the characters. Even in a Victorian woman from New Orleans, I can see parts of myself.

The Awakening is a powerful story in which a woman discovers a passion for existence inside herself, which once seemed so unattainable. Victorian New Orleans woman Edna Ponteiller experiences this as she hears the beautiful sound of a piano. She finds in herself a desire to explore, love and embrace her sensuality. Throughout Edna’s journey, she feels a deep connection with the ocean.

Chopin’s ability to capture beautiful liberation inspired me, a 20-year-old college girl, to have my own kind of awakening after a debilitating breakup. I found myself exploring facets of my personality that I did not know existed—a passion for the arts, adventure and sensuality.

The Awakening not only enriched the lives of Victorian women, it also caused a primordial wave, which immerses women centuries later. I hope for women everywhere to experience an awakening.

De Beauvoir, existentialist philosopher and writer of the groundbreaking book The Second Sex, encourages women to experience an awakening as well. De Beauvoir explores the effect of women remaining in a subordinate position, which is that they lose their sense of selves. She advocates the regaining of the self through what she calls “the art of living.”

De Beauvoir asks women to explore literature, art and philosophy, but most importantly, to transcend high above the role of “The Other.”

De Beauvoir exposes how women’s role as “The Other” causes nonreciprocal and violent sexuality. De Beauvoir explains how vocabulary in sexuality is oppressive. Men describe

10

Guest Illustrator: Nate Corrado

a sexual experience with a woman as war or the pillaging of a city. Men seek to conquer women as pieces of territory. In regard to virginity, a woman who engages in sexuality becomes polluted, therefore less desirable.

This notion of women’s sexuality is still present in our culture. Women are shamed for being sexual, and the pressure to remain pure hurts young women. De Beauvoir’s themes in The Second Sex are still aspects of contemporary feminism.

Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique awakened the country in 1963. Written during a time when women's issues were not accessible and women could not google reproductive justice, Friedan brought feminism into the kitchen.

The most poignant aspect of The Feminine Mystique is Friedan’s ability to name the problem, which had no name for much too long. Housewives described feelings of unfulfillment, boredom and depression, but the worst part was that they could not explain why.

Friedan is a brave revolutionary. She inspired a multitude of women to fight for their own sense of self. The Feminine Mystique outlines women’s struggle to fight patriarchy with research. Over the past 50 years, we have progressed to the point in which women are able to hold jobs that do not include baking pies or cleaning a house, but The Feminine Mystique must continue to be acknowledged for its vast historical impact.

Vanguard | December 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

This book has touched the lives of many women in a profound manner and contributed to social and political progress.

Labeling Friedan’s revolutionary masterpiece as irrelevant is offensive.

Anne Sexton, a poet and former housewife, expresses similar angst. In her collection of poems, All My Pretty Ones, she explores not only the cultural oppression of women, but also the struggle she experienced in the 20th century as a woman suffering with mental illness. Though it has been 50 years since Sexton’s poems were published, the issues described in her poetry are still relevant to 21st century women.

The issues presented in Sexton’s poetry are communicated in an abstract and artistic manner, which impacts women in different ways. One of her poems in All My Pretty Ones describes her experience of having an abortion and the culturally imposed guilt that she felt as she drove home through the mountains. Sexton’s feminism is lyrical, captivating and heartrending.

I encourage women everywhere to explore these beautiful books. I believe each one of them has made a home in my heart and resonates with me every day. I have faith that these pieces of literature will remain powerful and continue to inspire women, just like they inspired me and countless women before me.

cOVEr

Hands up, don't sHoot a letter from the editors

This week’s double feaTure focuses on issues of safeTy, gun violence, police bruTaliTy and racial prejudices Over the past week, Portland State students gathered to protest against the upcoming vote to arm PSU Campus Public Safety Officers, a Missouri grand jury did not indict Officer Darren Wilson for the killing of 19-year-old Michael Brown, and Officer Wilson resigned from his position with the Ferguson Police Department.

PSU students, faculty and staff gathered to rally against the arming of CPSO and to voice concerns at a preliminary Board of Trustees meeting, which will vote on the proposal on Dec. 11. At the same time, the Portland community took to the streets in opposition of the grand jury’s verdict. Several Portland community members were arrested during the week’s protests. Protesters shut down highways, and Portland Police Officers used smoke grenades to disperse crowds.

The following stories examine these events from the perspective of PSU students and Portland community members.

Students rally against arming of cPSO

bLAcK STUDENT UNION rEPrESENTATIVE DEYALO bENNETTE speaks against the proposal to deputize campus police.

JESSIca POLLard

Students gathered in front of the Smith Memorial Student Union on Nov. 24 to rally against a resolution being considered by the Portland State Board of Trustees to have deputized Campus Public Safety Officers on campus.

Portland State’s Student Action Coalition planned the event with cosponsorship with the PSU Student Union, the Portland International Socialist Organization, the Black Student Union, Don’t Shoot Portland and Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights.

“Don’t let PSU become the next Ferguson,” read a mes-

sage written in chalk on the sidewalk.

Teressa Raiford, the communications director for DSP, also spoke to the crowd.

“Do not answer the call of diversity with fear,” Raiford said about the 2014 freshmen class, which is said to be the most diverse incoming class PSU has ever had.

Raiford encouraged protestors to email board members en masse, urging them to vote no on the resolution.

Members of the crowd stressed the need to search for alternatives to arming PSU’s officers.

“We want to find a better way. None of us believe guns

are the answer. Guns do not mean safety to us…It’s going to create a culture of fear, and we want to spend our money on more progressive things.

We’re really passionate about involving students,” said PSUSU and ASC member Christina Kane.

The board almost voted on the resolution at their first meeting of fall term, Kane said.

“I think the main thing that has been really difficult about this process is just the unfair amount of time that we have to present what we’re thinking. Even, you know it’s repsee cpso on page 13 aDam grace/vanguarD staff

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

11

cOVEr

portland takes to tHe streets, calls for reform after ferguson

JOrdan PaIgE

Following the Nov. 24 announcement that a grand jury had decided not to indict Ferguson, Missouri Officer Darren Wilson on charges of murder against unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, Portland community members convened on Nov. 25 in front of the Portland Justice Center.

Organized by the Albina Ministerial Alliance Coalition, between one and two thousand gathered to protest what they deemed institutionalized racism. Police watched from the sidelines while choppers buzzed overhead.

“We must use these moments of injustice as a movement—a movement that will raise social consciousness,

a movement that will mobilize and organize citizens, a movement that will work to change laws, to change the system and to change the soul of America,” said Dr. LeRoy Haynes, chair of the AMA Coalition.

The night before, nearly 200 protesters took to the streets for a demonstration in solidarity with the Brown family and in opposition of the grand jury’s ruling. Beginning in the south Park Blocks, protestors blocked intersections and marched onto the steps of the Justice Center. The crowd quickly dispersed after some began chants of “All cops in the ground, justice for Michael

Brown,” and a banner bearing the phrase “Fuck you, neoliberal fascist pigs,” was unfurled.

Mayor Charlie Hales also responded to the grand jury’s decision and recognized the community’s need to demonstrate.

“The situation in Ferguson did not occur in a vacuum,” Hales said in a statement.

“We are fully prepared to support the people who choose to publicly demonstrate. We will work to facilitate safety for all demonstrations.”

The jury’s decision reignited longstanding frustration with racial marginalization in the U.S., one that is not all-too foreign to the Portland community, Haynes said.

“Hopes have been crushed,” Haynes said. “Once again, we realize that the criminal justice system in America is painted with racial bias. We know from our own experience here in the city of Portland the brokenness of the criminal justice system and law enforcement.”

Haynes named Kendra James, James Chasse, Aaron Campbell and Keaton Otis as he recounted the times that, in Portland alone, justice was denied to families of color, of the poor and the mentally ill. It has been more than 10 years since Kendra James, an AfricanAmerican woman, was fatally shot in 2003 by law enforcement and a grand

jury declined to bring her killing officer to trial.

“History is calling us once again as a noble people in America,” Haynes said.

When one speaker asked the members of the crowd who identified as white, the majority raised their hands.

Multicultural Affairs Director for the Associated Students of Portland State University Tony Funchess said he wasn’t necessarily surprised.

“There should have been a whole lot more from our community, but you have to understand what we’ve been through,” Funchess said.

“When we show up it’s not, ‘We’re gonna show up for a couple hours or it’s

cute and it’s fun and we’re out here.’ It’s really a life and death scenario for us and our community,” Funchess said. “There is a level of safety we have [to] take to protect ourselves while we are pained with the injustices that are happening in our communities. So I thank each and every one of you showing up and holding space for someone who cannot be here, for someone whose voice was silenced.”

Funchess has been working with his colleagues within ASPSU to provide students with a supportive space. On the night before the protest, PSU held a vigil for students.

ASPSU also provided creative art space for students to DEMONSTrATOrS display signs during a protest against police violence on nov. 24.

Jeoffry ray/vanguarD staff

12

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

cOVEr express themselves and the Student Health and Counseling Center has been available to students as well.

“Folks are hurt. We all want to believe that this time will be the time and it’s very painful to be let down like that. It’s very painful to be let down over and over again,” Funchess said.

Despite speaker pleas for protesters to remain peaceful, the impassioned chants boiled over and protesters began to shout that they wanted to do more than gather.

“Don’t sing to Jesus, he’s dead!” one protester yelled out as Marilyn Keller, a Portland singer, sang a hymn.

“I don’t know why you guys don’t shut it down, right now!” another protester yelled at the AMA Coalition organizers at the podium. He turned to the audience, “You’re just going to march when you’re told?”

The organizing demonstrators maintained that the protest was to remain peaceful. When it was clear that rEV. JESSE JAcKSON speaks to a crowd of protesters ahead of a saturday night march through downtown portland.

Crowds again convened at the Justice Center on Saturday. An hour and a half prior, Wilson resigned from the Ferguson Police Department.

Reverend Jesse Jackson addressed the protesters, who seemed more organized than Tuesday night’s demonstrators. Later, protesters participated in a collective march through downtown Portland.

“In a real spiritual sense, tonight Michael Brown is more alive than his killer.

For we feel the spirit of jus-

tice and decency around the world. People [are] marching in Portland, Seattle, in Mississippi and Maine. People are marching in Hong Kong and London. The people are marching all around the world saying ‘Forwards by hope, not backwards by fear.’

We are not going back. We are not going back,” Jackson said.

Speeches from Jackson and several Portland activists followed a similar theme: Civil disobedience is a weapon which violence dismantles.

Many activists encouraged protesters to remember that the protest would be most successful by not engaging police and creating more violence.

“We must take the pain of Ferguson [and transform it] to the redemptive reconciling hope of love. Red and yellow, brown, black and white—we are all precious in God’s sight.

Everybody is somebody,” Jackson said.

Despite pleas from the organizers of the protest not to engage the police, several protesters used the march as an opportunity to instigate clashes with officers. One protester danced on a stilloccupied police SUV. When the protester ran away and escaped arrest, police formed riot lines and, when protesters didn’t back away, began using flash grenades against the crowd.

Protesters argued about whether they should instigate officers by storming the

Broadway Bridge. Relations boiled over as a black protester asked white protesters to stop engaging the cops.

“I’m not even a minority. I’m out here; I’m willing to bleed for you!” a white protester yelled back. “Don’t tell me what to do. I do what I like,” another said.

In front of the Portland City Jail on Southwest Second Avenue, protesters staged a diein by laying in the street and playing dead to symbolize the people fallen victim to police brutality. Officers declared that anyone participating in the die-in would be under arrest. Nine adults and one juvenile were arrested. Police reports maintain that no reporters were arrested, despite speculation on Twitter. As the die-in demonstrators were rounded up, they broke into chants: “We didn’t break the law! We didn’t break the law!”

Because of a long day’s travel, Jackson did not march with the protesters. Instead, he held a brief press conference inside the Justice Center, during which he elaborated on the importance of unity in civil disobedience.

“We're building walls where we should be building bridges. The result behind those walls is ignorance and fear and hatred and violence.

There's too much hatred and too much violence. We must fight this force with all our might to maintain our struggles,” Jackson said.

During this time, Associated Students of Portland State President Eric Noll and Vice President Rayleen McMillan shared the results of a poll of 1,050 PSU students. Fiftyeight percent opposed armed forces, with 37 percent in support and 4 percent neutral, Noll said.

“The people on the board are human beings too. They very much care and have empathy in this situation. We saw this when they decided not to vote on the resolution [at an earlier meeting],” Noll said.

While PSU President Wim Wiewel was not present, a statement from him was read aloud.

It stated that the time to act is now and urged board members to vote yes on the resolution.

“The ultimate strength in the university lies in its ability to attract and retain students and faculty. But that depends in part on a community wide belief that help is ready always and nearby—the kind of help that can actually help,” Zerzan said.

Zerzan was interrupted mid-closing statement by a chorus of sarcastic clapping from protesters in the crowd.

One trustee asked the crowd to quiet down.

At one point, protesters handed jars of rice to some board members. Each jar contained an estimated 30,000 grains of mixed rice to represent the diversity of PSU’s student body. A small container with a few grains

was placed on top of the jar to represent the board.

“We see what’s happening with police brutality all over the United States, all over Portland. In the wake of Ferguson, [Missouri] in the wake of all the murders. There are too many names to even count…We think it would disproportionately affect different communities on campus,” Kane said.

Potential alternatives include required conflict resolution training for freshmen, as well as many other possibilities, Kane said.

Noll expressed confidence that the board will listen to the student body and ASPSU. The board will officially vote on the resolution on Dec. 11.

some of the audience members would not settle down, Haynes addressed them: Those who wish to protest peacefully, move to the south side of the Justice Center; those who do not continue marching north.

Those who continued marching eventually disrupted traffic by entering and temporarily disrupting traffic on both I-5 and I-84, as well as the Morrison, the Burnside and the Marquam bridges. Police deployed pepper spray and seven were arrested. By 10 p.m. the crowds began to disperse.

Back at the Justice Center, Haynes shook his head and remarked that the blind could not lead the blind. Still, the crowd marched off into the dark and chanted, “No justice! No peace!”

over the weekend

Jeoffry ray/vanguarD staff

cpso continued from page 11 resentative in the meetings.

We get two minutes each, that’s not enough time to say anything,” said PSU student Leona Kindermann.

Following the rally, the crowd headed toward University Place Hotel, where the board hosted a special committee on public safety.

special committee on public safety Protesters stood in the room using the “mic-check” method to gain the attention of attendees. The demonstrators, led by PSUSU member Ricky Benner, thanked the board for focusing on campus safety.

“The actual number of armed officers would be very,

very small,” said Vice President for Finance and Administration Kevin Reynolds.

Reynolds and Campus Public Safety Chief Phillip Zerzan introduced two scenarios to the board in a presentation.

Scenario 1 would cost $1.5 million and involve 17 armed officers on campus. There would be three armed officers on campus at all times, Zerzan said.

Scenario 2 would cost around $1.1 million and involve fewer officers, with two armed officers on campus at all times.

The presentation also highlighted that non-deputized CPSO lack the ability to respond to reports of armed subjects, stop vehicles, engage in high-risk behaviors and make certain arrests.

“We do not have the ability to respond to an active shooter,” Zerzan said.

When the floor was opened to the public, speakers included students, community members and faculty.

CPSO Officer Chris Fisher and Officer Gregory Marks spoke during this time.

“As a Campus Public Safety Officer, I consider myself a part of this community, and I consider PSU my second home,” Fisher said.

“I have and will continue to do so, but in all fairness, the efforts I put into performing these tasks should come with the training and equipment necessary to keep both me and the community safe,” Fisher said.

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

13

ARTS & CULTURE

No, 'Speed Racer.' No. Classic anime update fails to hit Mach 5

5TH AVENUE CINEMA PRESENTS SPEED RACER 510 S.W. Hall St. Friday, Dec. 5, 7 & 9:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 & 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7, 3:00 p.m.

Free

MIRIAM PERALA

Sometimes bringing your favorite childhood cartoons back from their animated graves can be pure magic. This is not one of those cases.

The 2008 Speed Racer remake may have shown great promise with its star-studded cast and near cultish following, but the product itself fell way short of the finish line.

Here, played (for some reason) by Emile Hirsch, Speed Racer, is set up as a young driver who’s willing to do anything for the sport he loves. And despite myriad subplots—Is his brother really dead? Will this destroy the family? Does winning matter? Will he ever kiss his girlfriend?—racing is truly the star of this film.

Supposedly Speed Racer broke major ground in terms of its visual fidelity and effects. But coming at it retroactively, and with an artistic eye that’s never quite appreciated anime, the feature is more annoying than it is impressive.

When the film’s ‘50s fashion, futuristic technology and pop art color palette come together you get an image that’s as lively as it is epileptically abrasive. Now, were the CGI less apparent or at least less liberally applied, this might all seem very cool.

Unfortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that the biggest cameo the film can boast belongs to the green screen.

Speed Racer’s cast still managed to scrape together enough chemistry to keep

this film rolling, but you can’t help but wish they’d either committed more to the anime aesthetic or waited until effects technology could’ve made the futuristic elements more believable.

Had it taken a Scott Pilgrim vs. The World approach and incorporated more captioning, transitions and an artistic angle, rather than the literal depiction of impossible technologies, it might’ve been more visually successful.

In terms of content, Speed Racer is technically aimed at families and younger audiences, but its mature cast and rather dark themes leave the film failing to fully satisfy either audience.

There’s too much low comedy for adults, a little too

much flirtation for children and far too many flashbacks for my taste. But would I call it the worst movie I’ve ever seen? No, but it’s certainly not the most captivating way to spend your night.

Considering the shoes it had to fill, it’s hard to say whether or not this movie was truly successful. But when set back-to-back with the legacy of the original cartoon, this film is at best forgettable.

It’s hard to imagine that any film boasting the former Wednesday Adams (Christina Ricci) and star of Into the Wild (Hirsch) could warrant such a sentence, but for some reason Speed Racer just lacks that fifth element of intrigue.

That being said, I would still suggest that any fan of the franchise at least give this flick a glance, if not for any other reason than to see their attempts to translate the vintage classic into a more modern setting.

But if that’s not enough to entice you, then just remember that you’ll have a prime opportunity to watch a handkerchief-donning Emile Hirsch crying over the art of driving. Which is itself a true masterpiece.

Over the course of 17 songs, it is clear that Ariel Pink has a lot to say in his classic nihilistic, self-deprecating and creepily lustful manner.

Leaving the Haunted Graffiti moniker behind, Pink shows once more his tremendous ability to craft a wide array of catchy pop songs, perverting

the very notion of pop music at every turn.

While billed as a solo act on Pom Pom, Pink collaborates with legendary producer Kim Fowley, among other musicians, throughout the album.

Beginning with “Plastic Raincoats in the Pig Parade,” a psychedelic romp that occasionally sounds like a carnival, Pink establishes his heavy use of metaphor and vocabulary, a theme which continues throughout the album.

On the dark, bass-heavy “Not Enough Violence,” he sings: “Time is up your doomsday clock sealed / Carry the cross, boy, and make your bed / In a place where all is unknown / Face behind the mask of the sky / Halfway spinning to a better place / In the body of a man mind of a girl.” It’s dark, existential stuff, but what’s most

shocking about it all is that the rest of the song is ostensibly about a “body farm.”

Pink is somewhat of an untrustworthy narrator both in his songs and in interviews, but he invites his listeners to join him in his freak show world nonetheless.

It doesn’t all sound so dark and foreboding, however. The prerelease single “Put Your Number In My Phone” is still as much of a jam as it was when it was first released. It’s lackadaisical, dreamy pop-making and a staple of lovelorn playlists for years to come.

Honestly, nearly every song on Pom Pom is completely listenable on its own, making Pom Pom feel almost like a greatest-hits collection of perverted pop ballads and psychedelic tunes.

While the music is almost universally pleasing, lyri-

cally Pink can come across both as the creepy uncle and as the uncle that always told the best jokes. At this point in the album you have to decide if you think Pink is funny, if you hate him for calling fellow 4AD artist Grimes "stupid and retarded," and if you think he's a mysoginist based on his lyrics.

He’s divisive, that’s for sure— and he knows it. It’s hard to separate the irony from the man, and at times it’s unclear if there is an ironic shell at all.

On the bass-driven “Sexual Athletics,” Pink jokes: “Let’s go to the emotional Olympics!” only to be met with a chorus of boos. The boastful first half of “Sexual Athletics” then dissolves into a lo-fi psychedelic plea: “All I ever wanted was a girlfriend all of my life.”

His almost pedophilic humor balanced by his lovesick

yearning is a constant conflict throughout the album.

Take the bouncy “Black Ballerina” for example, wherein we overhear conversations about a boy’s first visit to “the number one strip club in L.A.” The creepiness of the whole thing is undercut by one of the catchiest choruses in recent memory, another successful attempt in misdirection by Pink on the album.

Pom Pom once again proves that Ariel Pink is the king of perverted-pop, as he crafts a versatile assortment of styles and genres into something that is both memorable and distinctly Ariel Pink throughout.

Pom Pom is an album that is incredibly easy and fun to listen to, considering its hour-long running time, and is definitely worth a listen if you can stomach who Ariel Pink presents himself to be.

Warner Bros/2008

The sonic weirdness of Ariel Pink's 'Pom Pom' jordan rasmussen

Pom Pom, Ariel Pink’s recently released double album on the British label 4AD, is an amalgamation of slick pop tunes spanning the sonic spectrum, including elements of synth-drenched new wave and scuzzy postpunk, mixed with easygoing soft rock.

4AD Records/2014

14

Vanguard | December 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

Portland Review lit quarterly publishes first issue of year

ARTS & CULTURE

Journal release event hosts author readings Andy anady

Portland Review, the university literary journal, celebrated their first quarterly release of the school year at Ford Food & Drink on Nov. 14. The journal is presently available for $12, and a yearly subscription costs $30.

The Review has been publishing local and national writing and art since 1956, and includes genres such as poetry, fiction and nonfiction.

The art included in the Review varies, and can be anything from digital art and ink illustrations to photography.

Alex Dannemiller, editorin-chief of Portland Review, said the Fall 2014 issue carries nonfiction pieces from all over the world, including Chicago, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and as close as Washington.

Most literary journals base each of their issues around a central theme. Dannemiller said there is no central theme to their most recent issue.

“While not intentional, there are a lot of shared themes about identity and what surrounds it, such as culture, race and sense of place,” Dannemiller said. “There are works that explore names, defending the character of the speaker, and deal with death of family and strangers.”

Even the forms of the writing are varied and distinct.

While older forms of media, such as literary journals, are susceptible to stagnation and loyalty only to more traditional forms of writing, Portland Review doesn't hesitate to print flash fiction or writing that straddles the line between poetry and prose.

This issue includes a wide array of art, too—paintings, sculptures and photos that

strike, weigh down, startle and calm. Such pieces include a rubber Jesus rescued from a vending machine (Amy Leach), to a photo of a grainy, old house put in great relief by some mysterious light (Christopher Woods), to a digital illustration of disquieting ruins in the woods (Joshua “Skull” Dixon).

The release party hosted three different authors who contributed to the journal.

Sasha LaPointe, of Nooksack tribal heritage, a poet and nonfiction writer from Seattle, read “Blood Running,” an essay linked to a larger project with the same themes.

LaPointe explored the parallels between her own experiences and those of her female relatives and ancestors as indigenous women facing colonization and historical trauma.

LaPointe’s great aunt was married to a Scottish man, who married her only because he could exploit the marriage and her land.

The whole ordeal was wildly emotionally abusive, with LaPointe's great aunt forced to live in a shack behind the house that the man had built. LaPointe describes her essay as a story that “goes back and forth between my life and hers, and links historical trauma with today.”

The second piece LaPointe read was an excerpt from a larger project she's creating: A memoir of her time living on a reservation. Very recently, LaPointe returned to the trailer her family had lived in after 20 years of it being left abandoned.

LaPointe delved into what happens to a place after 20 years, and what LaPointe

referred to as the “strange structure nature makes.”

She's been published by Us, a journal for indigenous women, and was recently hired as an intern for Copper Canyon, a nonprofit publisher.

Edie Rylander, a writer and poet from Portland, read her poem that was published in the Review, as well as a few excerpts from a project she's also working on called “The Farmer's Daughter.”

When completed, the latter will be a series of vignettes, all of which take place in a small town struck by tragedy after tragedy. The narrator is another citizen of the town, well-informed, but in no way omniscient.

Rylander has been published in Black Heart Magazine, Nailed Magazine, Gobshite Quarterly and will have a story of hers published in a collection of stories called The Untold Gaze, which will be coming out next year.

Kelsey Camacho read a poem entitled “What the Sky Tells Us” and a personal essay, “Lake Lot.” Both involve Camacho returning to places important in her past, like the spot next to a radio tower where she would stargaze with a friend, and the lot near her childhood home that she and her friends frequently visited.

Camacho admitted to struggling with living in the past, and that these works are a way of immortalizing these moments in her life and exploring why she needs to do so.

She has her bachelor's degree in English and creative writing from Elon University, and worked as a nonfiction editor for Colonnades, the arts and literary journal at Elon.

CHRISTOPHER SOHLER/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard | December 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

15

ARTS & CULTURE

Senior capstone raises funds for local music nonprofit Class helps with marketing, funding for at-risk youth program Victoria Castellanos

The Portland State senior capstone class Marketing for Nonprofits held a fundraiser at Crush Bar to benefit a local nonprofit called My Voice Music on Sunday. MVM aims to provide music therapy to youths with behavioral and mental differences, primarily those living within the foster care system or in mental health treatment centers.

The capstone encouraged community involvement with a focus on marketing for a nonprofit organization. The class was broken up into teams that worked on different aspects of the marketing process.

Cody Porter, outreach coordinator for the project, said it was occasionally a challenge to do outreach as opposed to fundraising, as there are few ways to gauge the effectiveness of marketing. Like many of the students in the course, Porter did not have much prior marketing experience.

“When I was going through the courses for the capstones, I could’ve taken the easy way out, but I wanted to do something applicable and helpful,” Porter said. “I’m doing it because it builds good relationships between PSU and the rest of the community. At the end of the day, I know that my efforts, no matter how small, are meaningful.”

For MVM, every dollar counts. The organization has expanded exponentially since Executive Director Ian Mouser founded it in 2008.

The nonprofit has continued to flourish since Mouser won a coveted Skidmore Prize in 2011 for his long-time commitment to the nonprofit sector.

The prize, administered by

16

Willamette Week, gave MVM the public exposure it needed to grow. They now work with around 1,500 children per year, 75 percent of which live in institutionalized facilities.

The benefits of music therapy are highly touted, and Mouser had his own reasons for believing. Prior to founding MVM he was working as a treatment counselor in a residential facility. Mouser found his role to be that of a glorified security guard in an often unsafe environment and knew something had to change.

“I brought music in as a way to cope, almost for myself, and I began to play my guitar. I got to see them for the first time with rosy cheeks and bright eyes in a vulnerable state where they were allowed to be just boys,” he said.

“I was able to form a rock band out of the six boys in my unit.

Through that experience they were working together and the power dynamic was diminished.

We could be people together.”

A new tune Nearly a decade later, thousands of Portland children have discovered their inner rock star, and Mouser’s devotion has led to a thriving nonprofit.

“We’re expanding our model of using rock and roll and pop music that identifies with youth culture within environments that are not normal experiences. Using music as a therapeutic tool in a normalized way. We’re also helping other organizations implement their own therapeutic music programs,” Mouser said.

A staff of volunteers, many of them student leaders, work in

Trademark: My Voice Music

partnership with over 20 other organizations to bring music therapy to those who need it.

Mouser was happy to extol the dedication of the high school students that serve as mentors.

“Our older students are our greatest assets. They’re high energy, they are the secret weapon to our rock camps.

The younger kids really look up to them, much more than they would ever look up to myself,” he said.

The new year will signal big changes for MVM. Feb. 1 will mark the grand opening of the nonprofit’s recording studio space.

Mouser views My Voice Music Studio as an asset to young Portland musicians from all walks of life. The

Vanguard | December 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

recording equipment provided is professional-grade and a huge resource. MVM students will be able to participate in song writing workshops and recording labs, as well as learn how to distribute their music.

“Social entrepreneurship is the next chapter of our legacy. We’re no longer just targeting one group, but all of Portland. Our goal is to have this space pay for itself. If we can do that, we’ve really created a model that’s sustainable,” Mouser said.

Creating a feasible model was what the capstone was all about. One group in the class focused on creating a template for other companies to use to implement music therapy,

while another produced a presentation for corporations describing MVM and its mission.

School of rock Hugo Gonzalez-Venegas, head of the fundraising team, had similar reasons to Porter for choosing the Marketing for Nonprofits capstone.

“I’m a political science major, so I wanted to do something completely unrelated to my field. I wanted to utilize a capstone to learn a new skill and help out a nonprofit,” Gonzalez-Venegas said.

The fundraising team has faced challenges of its own, but they hope to raise $1,000 for MVM which, according to the MVM website, would be

enough to send five kids to rock camp.

“What we wanted was to have two kids perform, but we are holding it at a bar so kids can’t come. We’re improvising by having a DJ that has agreed to perform for free,” he said.

Gonzalez-Venegas was enthusiastic about the community connections they had made and the class’ contribution to MVM. “They showed us their space, what they do and how they are trying to get on their feet. Our instructor JoAnn [Seibe] has done a great job organizing the class so that MVM will have a really viable product that they can use in the future.”

ArTS & cULTUrE

green note a cappella student group hits high note Group to release debut album, hosts music showcase ruBy KIng

If you’ve ever made your way between the Smith Memorial Student Union and Cramer Hall buildings on a Tuesday afternoon, chances are you have run into a crowd of congregated singers serenading passing students.

This is Green Note, Portland State’s own a cappella group. The group is still fairly young, having been founded only five years ago. Green Note was originally founded as an all-girls a cappella group, but turned coed in its third year.

Adrienne Wallace, the coordinating manager for the group, and Chris Stumpf, the marketing manager, both joined in the group’s fourth year.

“We’re still a fairly new group in the a cappella world, and I want to make the group a bigger deal on campus.

That’s my goal this year,” Stumpf said.

Recently, Green Note has been gearing up for one of the most important moments in the group’s history with the scheduled release of their

first full-length album, set to debut this December.

“As far as coed groups go, we have a very unique sound.

Our music director [Ian Adams-Dirks] is a really talented beat boxer,” Wallace said. “He can arrange a song and know what it’s supposed to sound like, and add a beat and our own flare. We have a very congruent sound.”

The album is titled Kicked Out, inspired by the group’s many experiences with being kicked out of free basements during their recording process. A preview EP with three tracks was released at Green Note’s latest showcase on Nov. 15.

The album has been in the works for several years, and the group has received input from Grammy Award winning producer Bill Hare, who has worked with numerous high profile a cappella groups, and on projects such as Glee.

While the casual observer might think that a cappella groups largely focus on performance, it is actually quite

common for groups to release albums. There are even a cappella album competitions, which is something Green Note has targeted as their next goal.

The recording process differs greatly from putting together a live performance.

“It’s not like we’re in a room and you put a mic in front of all 16 of us. It’s all individual, each person goes in and records their part, and we just kind of layer it in,” Stumpf said.

Green Note is layered with genuine drive and positivity, crediting much of their success to the support PSU has given them.

“We’re a tight-knit family who loves to sing together, and we support each other in every aspect of life and we’re really happy to be putting out this first album,” Stumpf said.

group effort Members of Green Note are not only organizing the performances, but they’re also

getting on stage to perform.

Green Note is a completely student-managed group. As with all of the group’s coordinators, Wallace and Stumpf are students and performers.

“I make sure everything is functioning well, everyone is showing up and wearing what they’re supposed to be wearing, and doing some event planning,” Wallace said.

Surprisingly, not all of the singers in Green Note are music students. Stumpf, for example, was looking for a creative and musical outlet when he switched his major from music. Wallace and Stumpf agreed that despite members’ majors or skill levels, everyone in the group has immense talent.

“This is my third year in the group, and they’re all my best friends,” Stumpf said. “We are the biggest family, always there for each other outside of rehearsal and performances.”

Having that foundation of friendship has aided the group immensely. Going into a performance, Green Note GrEEN NOTE a capella group performs during a 2013 concert.

courtesy of green note

is able to create a more comfortable atmosphere for singing, something that Stumpf credits to the group’s close, personal ties.

Wallace said the group’s closeness has helped executive decisions run more smoothly, something she has noted more since she began serving as an officer for the group.

“We have a lot of discussions and we talk about, ‘Okay is this really what we want to do and is this what everybody agrees on,’” Wallace said. “We all are either comfortable enough to share our opinions if we don’t agree, or we just all agree.”

Green Note has three annual performances per year, each of which fall at the end of a school term, respectively.

“It’s a way to really focus the group, we have a mission at the end of each term to put on a great show that people are going to pay to see,” Stumpf said. Green Note showcases are typically held on campus and admission is free for students.

Liesl Dittrich, a student who attended the group’s latest showcase, noted the group’s enthusiasm and ability to engage their audience.

“It was fun, and very different from any other concert.

It was very involved, because they really wanted to have the audience get involved in standing and dancing and screaming,” Dittrich said.

Green Note also competes at the International Collegiate A Cappella Championships every year. This January, the championships will be held in Tualatin, Oregon for the first time.

To compete, each group is given 12 minutes to perform a set, starting off with a catchy opener, followed by a ballad and ending with a punchy closer. The competition is divided into a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final round.

While Green Note has yet to make it past the quarter-final round, the group is confident this will change in the future.

diverse genres Unlike many a cappella groups, Green Note performs a variety of genres including pop, rock, R&B and jazz.

Stumpf said the most obscure song they’ve ever performed is “Let it Die” by the Foo Fighters.

“That song is really hard.

It’s very rockish and grungy.

You wouldn’t expect an a cappella group to do that,” Stumpf said.

Stumpf said many popular a cappella groups focus on uplifting pop songs, but that it doesn’t necessarily matter what genre groups pull from as long as the performative aspects and audience engagement are a priority.

“It’s not a traditional choir. A cappella brings in that performance aspect, and so you have to be excited and you have to be performing,” Wallace said.

Stumpf said the experience of performing in an a cappella group is very different from that of a traditional choir or band.

“At band concerts, the audience focuses solely on the music. At our concerts, we want the crowd to be active.

It’s a louder audience, but we feed off of that energy,” Stumpf said.

“We want you to be screaming, we want you to be dancing and clapping along with us. We want you to enjoy the show, but we also want you to feel like you’re an active participant.”

Portland State Green Note’s debut album Kicked Out will be available for purchase this December. The group can be found on Twitter at @thegreennotepdx for important announcements and deeper insight into their rehearsal process.

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

17

ETc

event calendar tuesday, dec. 2

clas faculty research brown bag series: paradoxical Thinking where: clas dean's office conference room, cramer hall, room 335 when: 12–1 p.m.

Is it possible to grapple and accept two opposite ideas at the same time?

What does it say about you if you can? Why would we want to think about two different ideas at the same time? Professor Rob Gould attempts to talk about the idea of paradoxical thinking, and how we can use it to move progress forward.

This presentation is part of the College of Liberal Arts “faculty brown bag seminar” series. They are a set of informal talks that offer a forum for professors to share their work with colleagues and students. These sessions are open to all students and faculty, and participants are encouraged to bring and eat their lunch while watching. FREE

Wednesday, dec. 3 thursday, dec. 4 advising & career services: writing resumes & cover letters

where: university services building, room 402 when: 3–4 p.m.

Resumes and cover letters have been a staple since the early 20th century as a means for applying for work. Yet many young people who are beginning their careers for the first time have little to no experience in crafting these essential documents.

Advising & Career Services is always excited to offer a workshop to help all students through the process of creating exceptional resumes and cover letters.

Whether you are applying for a work study job on campus, a highly competitive internship, or to become a vice president of an up and coming new company, this workshop can help you begin the process of finding the job you need.

This event is free and open to all students. FREE

Triangle productions presents: ‘5 lesbians eating a Quiche’ where: Triangle productions, 1785 n.e. sandy blvd. when: Thursday–saturday at 7:30 p.m.; sunday at 2 p.m.

Set in middle America during the mid ‘50s, 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche follows a group of widows in the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein in their quest to make the perfect quiche for a community competition. However, as the sudden threat of atomic bombs grips this small town with fear, these women begin to share their deepest secrets.

This play is a fun farce that is filled with commentary, and yet silly enough to make you laugh. The show runs until Dec. 20. Tickets range between $15–35 depending on proximity to the stage, but does offer free on-site parking.

workshop with a pro: preparing friday, dec. 5 for your interview (presented music forward! a holiday by intel) concert where: school of business administration, room 170 when: 4–5 p.m.

Advising & Career Services tries to find leaders in our community to come and share their expertise with students about how to apply for jobs, interview, craft resumes and much more. They are excited to host Diane Hwang, a marketing manager at Intel who will share what she thinks it would take to get hired at a company like where she works. She will describe how to get your resume into the “yes” pile, how to prepare for an interview, describe the right kinds of questions you need to ask during an interview, and then finally how to follow up once you are done.

Come take advantage of this rare opportunity, and benefit from a seasoned business woman. This event is free and open to all students. FREE

featured event

where: portland children’s museum, 4015 s.w. canyon rd. when: 4–8 p.m.

Thanks to their corporate sponsors, the Children’s Museum can offer free admission to their

psu free

FREE

If you have an event to submit for consideration for the calendar please contact the managing editor at:

managingediTor@ psuvangaurd.com *Inclusion is left up to the discretion of the managing editor.

21+

open To public 21 & over BrenDan mullligan

STArTING IN 2015 i can't smoke on campus anymore. Thanks obama!

traDemark holiDay ale festival

courtesy of m.o. stevens/creative commons

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

free admission days at portland children’s museum

THE VANgarde

where: pioneer courthouse square, 701 s.w. sixth ave. when: wednesday–saturday, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.

18

MUSIC FORWARD! is a wonderful holiday concert that benefits music scholarships for the College of the Arts. Featured in the event will be a diverse range of music performances, including orchestra, jazz, choir, taiko drumming and more! All performers will be school of music faculty and students. While tickets for non-students are $25, students get in at only $5 at the PSU box office. Come support your fellow students, and see a great holiday show.

FREE

2014 portland holiday ale festival

Come participate in the 19th annual Holiday Ale Festival, Dec. 3–7. Come taste over four dozen distinct ales that have been specially designed to be enjoyed in the cold weather. There will be featured everything from Belgians, barleywines and CDAs, to winter warmers, porters and stouts for your tasting pleasure! For a complete list of beers, see holidayale.com. Despite being held outdoors, the festival attracts over 15,000 attendees. To try and beat the lines that oh-so-often form at beer festivals, try showing up Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday where lines might be shorter. Tickets are $80, and only available for ages 21+.

where: lincoln performance hall when: starts at 7:30 p.m.

building the first Friday of each month. Founded in 1946, the museum is the sixth oldest children’s museum in the country, and sees over 316,000 children a year. Cost should never be a barrier to making sure that your family can share special moments and build memories. Take this opportunity to come see the museum this holiday season.

ETc

Horoscopes BrandOn STaLEy

Aquarius jan. 20–feb. 18

Many wise people have found great revelation by pushing their bodies to their limits, Aquarius, but you are not one of them. Not this week, at least. Your catharsis will come, but not now. You’re still a college student. Respect that, for now.

Pisces feb. 20–march 19

A song echoes across the solar system, Pisces, and you are particularly attuned to its melody. Pause and listen to this soothing song of silence from time to time. This week will be hard, but you are rightly equipped.

Aries march 21–april 19

Dread gates have opened between the stars, but not for you, Aries. This week your friends will find themselves intertwined in the dramatics of life. You’ll need to choose to play the referee, but walking away will bolster your own sanity.

Taurus april 20–may 20

This week the sunless sea glares in your favor, Taurus.

The sea beckons you to consume only that which will make you stronger. Focus on your fruits, and get lots of sleep.

Gemini may 21–june 20

We have reached the terminus of reason, Gemini, and thus you must walk this week without reason. Give into the throngs of madness, dance with shadows and treat yourself to some fast food.

cancer june 21–july 22

The end is near, Cancer. The end of this term, that is. Keep this ending in mind as your winter break begins, for every ending is a beginning and every beginning an end. You might not understand it now, but you will.

Leo july 23–aug. 22

Scorpio oct. 23–nov. 21

Virgo aug. 23–sep. 22

Sagittarius nov. 22–dec. 21

Libra sep. 23–oct. 22

capricorn dec. 22–jan 19

John F. Kennedy once said jazz saved his life. Search the books of his life for this quote and you will not find it, for it is a fact from another world, Leo, and I have seen it. Look for the improbable this week, and believe.

Love will find you this week, Virgo. It will find you and it will harry you, but you will be better for it in the end.

Endure the hardships of love and the failings of other people this week. Your reward is nigh.

You must discern the truth from the advertising, Libra.

It is of grave importance.

If you fail to do so, you will find yourself worse for wear.

Peel away the lies and feast on what you find beneath; knowledge is your power.

Your fate this week, Scorpio, is that of a Grecian urn: storied and mythic, but cyclical.

You keep getting yourself into these painful predicaments, thinking them of greater importance than they truly are.

Smash the urn and tell your own story.

Learn from this success, Sagittarius. It was as much a surprise to you as anyone else, but the results are repeatable.

Dissect your progress and learn from it. Do not shy away from the immensity of the task. You need this growth.

Keep an eye out for a friend in need, Capricorn. Not everyone is bold enough to ask for help, but you are kind enough to recognize a wanderer caught in the squall of emotions. Lend a hand and guide them through the storm.

elise furlan/Psu vanguarD

sudoku

crossWord

8 6 9 6 3 7 4 9 2 1 3 8 1 8 1 7 3 6 9 5 6 8 9 1 2 6 2 1 8 5 6

Create and solve your Sudoku puzzles for FRE E.

Play Sudoku and win prize

s at:

prizesudoku.com

The Sudoku Source of

“Portland State Vanguard�.

Š Puzzles provided by sudokusolver.com

acrOSS 1 Horse and trap for a fairy (6) 5 Erect principal feature of a wall (4-4) 9 Opener hit runs, returning after disastrous debut (2 ducks) (8) 10 One following Parisian woman? – one briefly loved by 24 (6) 11 Mobile rang and spoiled start of drama – like Mousetrap (6-6) 13 Setter devours books – what a fairy! (4) 14 Writer's surrounded by old flames – thereby things can get heated (4,4) 17 Outlined short comedy piece to journalist (8) 18 Section of Plato is about Greek character (4) 20 Pure uranium, untreated with aluminium, goes into meltdown (12) 23 The weaver's an ass (6) 24 Greek 22 bewitched by 5 (8) 25 Characters not of the standard height will remain at base (5,3)

courTesy of alberichcrosswords.com

26 King gives orders to soldiers retreating north (6) dOWn 2 Raised wolf for money once (4) 3 Toils hard, raising support for educational aid (9) 4 In which 2 would be 10 (6) 5 Puck heartlessly stealing food is running around like chicken that's headless (5,10) 6 Greek 22 who was well heeled? Hardly (8) 7 Greetings heard from Scottish town (5) 8 Make Holy See contract indefinitely to be unorthodox (10) 12 Being watchful, observing through the window (7,3) 15 In money matters, a European is doing nothing (9) 16 In short, a man and a woman have love for nightingale (8)

19 Lieutenant with 23 i-in company (but not in the same company as 23) (6) 21 Takin' out member of chivalric order (5) 22 Leander's love is a bird with no 23 (4)

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

19

SPOrTS

la BamBa MIcHaEL THEOFELIS

TIEGbE bAMbA does some of his best work up around the rim.

Devin courtright/Psu vanguarD

Tiegbe Bamba, Portland State’s 6-foot 6-inch, 205 pound senior forward, has helped the Vikings basketball team get into an early season stride. From an opening night takedown of the Trojans in Los Angeles to an overtime thriller at home, Bamba has shown his impressive playing ability.

Born in Sarcalles, France, Bamba came a long way before becoming the Vikings' breakout player of this early season. He originally moved to Texas and began playing basketball at Snow Junior College in 2011. Not only was the adjustment to collegiate basketball in America jarring, but upon starting at the school, Bamba was unable to speak English.

He made quick work of his time at Snow, averaging 11.5 points and seven rebounds a game. After a coaching change, Bamba decided to take his talents to Midland Junior College and immediately stepped in while upping his rebound average to eight a game.

Things looked to be rolling as Bamba was a year and

G 3** ;L 789()28 -( 7%896(%=7 Volunteer with us and earn a free desktop computer or shop in our thrift store for affordable technology including laptops, smart phones, AV equipment, classic consoles, and more.

If we don’t have it, we’ll help you find the best place to get it. www.freegeek.org 1731 SE 10th Ave.

20

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

Mon-Sat 10-6

a half into his college education and rapidly picking up English fluency while becoming a force on the court, but things were about to take an unfortunate turn.

Nineteen games into his sophomore season Bamba suffered a left Achilles injury that brought his year of basketball to a grinding halt. The healing process proved long, and when Bamba signed on to play for the Vikings he was still in need of a lengthy rest to get back to full strength.

Bamba’s junior season was spent rehabilitating and building chemistry with his new teammates as the Vikings went just above .500.

Coach Tyler Geving knew that his team was going to be mightily improved once Bamba was ready to hit the floor, and his production this season has shown the coach was right. His early season performances have also proved that Bamba has retained his aggressive nature on the court and can still hold his own after his difficult injury.

In the season opener on the road, where PSU has struggled in the past, at University of Southern California, Bamba was able to act as an offensive powerhouse. He led the Vikings in both points and minutes played while shooting a scorching 73 percent from the field (8–11). Though the team’s field goal percentage was low (39 percent), Bamba defied the slump and hit all of his shots from downtown. His heroics didn’t end there, as he was dominant on both ends as he lead the team with six boards and racked up a team leading four steals, four times the amount the Trojans could muster.

The next two games at home saw Bamba take less shots, but his importance to the team never wavered. Against Wil-

lamette, Bamba only took four shots but made 50 percent of them and did a little of everything to help the Viks secure a dominating 84–63 win. His line ran six points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists, while he was wherever Coach Geving needed him.

Bamba had a slow start in PSU’s third game against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where he was slowed by foul trouble.

Three early fouls, one a technical, forced Bamba onto the bench and lead to him logging the least minutes of any Vikings starter.

The forward from France had his tough day continue as the game headed to overtime tied at 81. While Bamba only had two points and four rebounds, he was able to come up huge for his team when he was fouled with under a minute to play. He hit one of the free throws and grabbed the game's final rebound on a missed three by SIUE, allowing the Vikings to run out the clock and seal the W. To help push the team to a 4–0 start, Bamba was able to again lead the team in scoring against Cal State Northridge. Shooting 70 percent on his way to 18 points and eight rebounds while playing all but one minute of the game, he surely proved he was who Geving was leaning on.

Bamba has returned ready for this season and shown the capability of utilizing his multidimensional talents to help the team win. Whether it's being the leading scorer, pestering the other team into turnovers or securing a game clinching win with a rebound, Bamba is all over the court. With him healthy for the entire season, it’s hard to predict the ceiling for a determined PSU team.

SPOrTS MATT PrONESTI readies to return serve.

ScOrES

UPcOMING

PSU Men's basketball

PSU Men's basketball

psu 63 psu @ universiTy of porTland cal sTaTe norThridge 55 wed. dec. 3, 7:00 p.m.

Top Performers: Tiegbe Bamba with 18 points and rebounds.

psu oregon

Top Performers: Dashaun Wiggins with 15 points and 2 steals.

59 81

psu @ uc riverside sat. dec. 3, 5:00 p.m.

psu vs. csu bakersfield sat. dec. 13, 1:05 p.m. stott center

PSU Women's basketball

psu oregon courtesy of larry laWson/Psu athletics

douBling doWn on psu tennis

Top Performers: Ani Avanessian with 12 points and 5 rebounds.

long beach sTaTe psu

Top Performers: Alicia Carline with 10 points and 5 blocked shots.

PSU Women's basketball

56 psu vs. navy 63 fri. dec. 5, 7:00 p.m. stott center

62 58

psu @ gonZaga sun. dec. 7, 2:00 p.m. .

psu @ universiTy of porTland fri. dec. 12, 7:00 p.m. stott center

PHuOc FrancIS nguyEn

Since Mitch Somach’s singles title win in the fall season of 2011 at the Corvallis City Championships, Portland State men’s tennis hadn’t won a main draw title until juniors Wil Cochrane and Matt Pronesti accomplished the feat during the Nov. 7–9 Pacific Northwest Intercollegiates held at Kirkland’s Central Park Tennis Club. It was also the first time PSU has won a main draw doubles in four years, which was during the 2010 fall season at the Utah State Fall Invitation by Chris Rice and Roman Margoulis. Cochrane and Pronesti went through a three match stretch that included wins over Eastern Washington’s Farrar and Ness , University of Washington’s Puscalau and Raman, and in the finals defeating Gonzaga University’s Chip and Varas. In their debut as a pair for PSU, they made it a run to remember. Cochrane expressed what it meant for him to win the doubles title, “It means a lot because we put a lot of work in and for me three years now, is significant

because it was kind of my first time breaking through, I felt.

It was a big moment for me and everybody, as well.”

Pronesti and Cochrane grew up together a short drive away from one another. They trained at the same facility and also played in leagues since they were 10 years old. “I don’t think there are any other teams in the Big Sky that have played as long as me and Matt have. I know that when he is down at certain moments, I know how to talk to him, to bring him up.

Same to him, if I’m down, he knows how to talk and pick up the slack for me. That is huge because in doubles you won’t be always playing at a consistent high level.”

To cap off an impressive weekend, Cochrane also won the backdraw of the fourth singles flight. “Anytime I can finish the weekend with wins feels good. I had to beat some tough opponents, in which I feel I performed some of my best tennis. Doubles and singles are two different sports mentally and tactically, and we have to do well in both.

To win at both just gives me more confidence that I can hopefully transfer into wins during the season.”

A common theme for this team is their camaraderie.

Five of the players are from Oregon who grew up playing each other when they were younger. These reunions of players, along with many other players from various backgrounds, make this a close-knit group. They support each other on and off the court. By having this support present at their matches, the players receive an extra boost. “When you hit a big shot down the line, it’s silent, it is a different feeling when you hit a down-the-line winner and everybody goes “ahh.” To receive that energy from your teammates and know they’re rooting for you is huge.”

The team has set their goal to reach the conference postseason for the first time in their history. Cochrane believes with the pieces they possess they have what it takes to make it happen.

“I think we made a big im-

provement from last year; we added a lot of new talent to the team, and our returners, Brent, Ian, myself and Nate, have improved greatly with another year of experience under our belts. Taking that into this fall, it proved that we are a better team than we were last year with the results that we got. Having a lot of good wins and going deep into the tournaments.”

One school they'll be on the lookout for in the Big Sky is Sacramento State. They have 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and are 11-time Big Sky Conference Champions.

From 2009–13 they made five consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament with Big Sky Championships.

It would mean a great deal for this group to achieve their goal. An impressive fall season has given a belief to the team that they’re going to be playing in the Big Sky Conference postseason for the first time in PSU history. “Anytime you can do something for the first time in history— whether how big or small—is a big deal.”

PERCENTAGE ON 3-POINT SHOTS FOR TIM DOUGLAS WHO IS SHOOTING AT THAT PACE WHILE LEADING THE VIKINGS IN MINUTES PLAYED

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

21

SPOrTS

Burton fired fuTure of psu fooTball in flux MaTT raucH and JESSE TOMaInO

In a not-so-shocking development last Wednesday, Portland State announced the firing of head football coach Nigel Burton. This announcement came less than a week after the Vikings wrapped up a losing season by falling to the Big Sky Conference Champion Eastern Washington University Eagles by a score of 56–34.

The Vikings failed to make the playoffs once again, with a record of 3–9. Burton took over for Jerry Glanville in 2009, and during his reign as head coach the Vikings’ record was 21–36.

In a statement released by the university, PSU’s Interim Athletic Director Valerie Cleary said, “We appreciate what Coach Burton has done for the program, but we believe new leadership gives our talented players a chance to make a fresh start. Coach Burton had a good second year, and he was very successful at recruiting players from Oregon and Washington, and has two former players now playing in the NFL. We have great student athletes

and staff. They deserve the chance to be successful.”

The firing surprised very few, as Burton didn’t have much success at PSU. Other than producing two players who now play in the NFL, the Vikings haven’t done much.

In the meantime, Bruce Barnum, the Vikings’ offensive coordinator, will serve as interim head coach until a new coach is hired. As for Burton, he has one year left on his contract for which PSU is obligated to pay him $187,500.

There's a lot of speculation about where PSU will go from here. The firing of Burton had the local sports media Twittersphere wondering the same thing. John Canzano tweeted, “Portland State fires football coach Nigel Burton…3–9 season.

No AD. No head football coach. What’s left?” KATU’s Craig Birnbach tweeted, “Tough timing for @PSU_ VIKINGS. fire head football coach Nigel Burton before they have a new A.D.” They got it right on the money.

These are “tough times.”

What's left for the Vikings?

Only time will tell.

PSU’s current situation, however, goes far beyond having no athletic director and no head football coach.

They're also dealing with a myriad of other problems facing the program. PSU cannot even come close to filling seats at Providence Park, the student population does not attend games, and the marketing firm they hired to solve these problems is failing miserably at doing so.

What's left? What do the Vikings have to do to turn this program around? One train of thought is that the first thing that needs to happen is the football team needs to start winning games. No one wants to watch their team lose week after week while standing outside in the driving wind and pouring rain. If the Vikings can find the right coach to turn this thing around and start winning, then maybe— just maybe—the firing of Nigel Burton will have been the first step needed to right the ship.

In the context of Division I football, a salary at the level that Burton was drawing makes it difficult to attract a quality coach. Assistant coaches at the high-profile schools in the southern end of the Willamette Valley make more than that, although FCS rivals like Eastern Washington pay Beau Baldwin, their conference champi-

onship winning football coach, only $113,000.

Adding to the difficulty of building a strong program is a campus administration that seems to think PSU would be better off without athletics at all. In light of the football program’s inability to meet last year’s administrative directive to become

self-sufficient, it's fair to wonder what the next step will be.

The Vanguard will be following all of these developments over the winter break.

Check back once classes start again to find out if PSU has begun the search for a new coach or taken down the goalposts at Stott Field.

NIGEL bUrTON was a hands-on coach who had the respect of his players, it just didn't translate to wins on the field.

calling all Writers THE VANGUARD IS LOOKING FOR Sports Writers Apply @ psuvanguard.com

miles sanguinetti/Psu vanguarD

22

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

a Viking and Pilot clash

SPOrTS

brYcE WHITE elevates above the stott center crowd.

Jay PEngELLy

An intercity matchup is up next for the Portland State men’s basketball team at the Chiles Center in North Portland. The game, taking place on Dec. 3, will be a chance for the Vikings to build on a strong start to their season.

Since PSU reinstated their basketball program in 1996–97 they have played the University of Portland 17 times, with the Pilots winning 10 of those meetings. UP also leads the alltime series 34–17.

Last year, besides beating the Vikings, the Pilots played about .500 ball, finishing with a record of 15–16 and a first round exit in the West Coast Conference tournament.

UP’s head coach Eric Reveno has worked on the Bluff for eight seasons now and has a penchant for developing quality big men. Five of Revenos’ players have gone on to play for professional teams in Europe.

This season features a 6-foot 11-inch senior center from the Netherlands, Thomas van der Mars, who leads his team in rebounds with nine per game.

Volodymyr Gerun, another 6-foot 11-inch senior and international player from Ukraine, fills out this formidable frontcourt. He is sec-

ond on the team in scoring (13.8) and rebounding (7.3).

PSU will attempt to counter the Pilot’s size with their slightly smaller, yet hopefully more athletic frontcourt. The Vikings start three guards, and their two forwards, Tiegbe Bamba and Collin Spickerman, are 6-foot 6-inch and 6-foot 8-inch respectively. The only comparable size PSU has to offer is the Rainier, Oregon native and fifth-year senior Brandon Cataldo. The 6-foot 10-inch big man shoots a high percentage for his career (.570), and while he only plays around seven minutes per game, could see much more time against UP’s post players.

We can always expect strong guard play from this year’s Vikings squad. The three starters, Gary Winston, Bryce White and Winston Douglas, combine to average 34 points.

Off the bench comes sparkplug and defending Big Sky Sixth Man of the Year DaShaun Wiggins. The 6-foot 2-inch senior leads his team in scoring with 16 a game, and his ease at getting to the free throw line could be a big difference maker against the Pilots.

The Vikings began the 2014– 15 campaign with four straight wins, one of the best starts in school history. They shocked the college basketball world by

Devin courtright/Psu vanguarD

beating University of Southern California in a nationally televised game at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California.

It was the first time PSU defeated the Trojans in men’s basketball, but only their second meeting. PSU has never beaten two Pac-12 teams in the same year and had the opportunity at a Nov. 30 game against in-state rival University of Oregon.

Oregon would end up handily defeating PSU 81–59. The Vikings held a very early lead, but a 27–1 run by the Ducks put them up big and they kept PSU in the rear view throughout the game.

The Vikings went ice cold, shooting .258 from the field

for the game. The Ducks shot .453 and had 11 three balls compared to PSU's four. The leading scorer for PSU was Wiggins with 15, though UO was able to contain most other Viking players. The Ducks totaled 12 blocked shots in the game, led by Jordan Bell with six.

After the UP game, PSU will continue their road play when they meet UC Riverside in California. The Highlanders are Division 1 and play in the Big West Conference. This year they are 3–3.

Vikings basketball continues even into the winter break.

Find their full schedule and complete game recaps at GoViks.com.

Vanguard | DEcEMbEr 2, 2014 | psuvanguard.com

23