Portland State Vanguard 4/12/16 by Portland State Vanguard

PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

VOLUME 70 • ISSUE 31 • APRIL 12, 2016

WHEN VOICES COLLIDE:

SUPPORT FOR TRUMP POLARIZES CAMPUS CLIMATE SEE INSIDE:

News International Arts & Culture Opinion

BLACKSTONE STUDENTS WITH KIDS MUST MOVE p 14 IS ISRAEL A U.S. COLONY? p 17 VOICES IN RACE AND GENDER p 18 BERNIE VS. HILLARY p 12

ELECTION GUIDE 2016ASPSU ELECTIONS CLOSE APRIL 27 p4

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M T L i d Te s t . c o m

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ELECTION GUIDE INTRO ANTI-TRUMP PROTEST ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY ELECTIONS BERNIE VS HILLARY NEWS INTERNATIONAL ARTS & CULTURE OPINION ETCETERA CALENDAR

4 4 5 8

12 14 16 18 20 23 BACK

COVER & MASTHEAD PHOTOS BY COLLEEN LEARY PSU Students for Donald Trump organizer Stephan ohnston (center) addresses the croud. Protester Armeanio Lewis (far right) jumped on a table and engaged in a near-fight with Johnston. >>>

You don’t have to be loud to be heard.

The Vanguard is hiring photographers, multimedia repo ers and writers for all sections. apply at psuvanguard.com/jobs

The Vanguard needs voices; apply today.

MISSION STATEMENT: The Vanguard’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with a quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills that are highly valued in today’s job market. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colleen Leary editor@psuvanguard.com

MANAGING EDITOR Claude Akins managingeditor@psuvanguard.com

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Serina Hersey associatenews@psuvanguard.com

COPY EDITORS Cora Wigen Alexis Woodcock

NEWS EDITOR Jeoffry Ray news@psuvanguard.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER Nimi Einstein production@psuvanguard.com

MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Sophia Bagby

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Daniel Finnegan arts@psuvanguard.com

PHOTO EDITOR Silvia Cardullo photo@psuvanguard.com

ADVERTISING MANAGER Stuart Neuberger neub@pdx.edu

OPINION EDITOR Brie Barbee opinion@psuvanguard.com

ONLINE EDITOR Andy Ngo online@psuvanguard.com

ADVERTISING DESIGNER Sam Hicks

INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Molly Ozier international@psuvanguard.com

COPY CHIEF Chelsea Lobey copy@psuvanguard.com

DESIGNERS Terra DeHart Elise Furlan Rachel Goldstein Shannon Kidd Peter Le Arlen Cornejo

CONTRIBUTORS Nathan Anderson Yuni Choi Catherine Johnson Emily Korte Jenne Martinez Mackenzie Myers Keisha Muia Jessica Pollard PHOTOGRAPHERS: Brad Bourgeois Catherine Johnson Steven Young ADVERTISING SALES Eva Spencer Becca Propper Dennis Caceres Kayla Clemens

ADVISER Reaz Mahmood ADVERTISING ADVISER Ann Roman The Vanguard is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration.

ELECTION SEASON @ PSU

6 When voices collide: Students for Trump met with heated protest 8

Meet your student government candidates

Candidate Debate Highlights

12 Point-Counterpoint: Bernie vs. Hillary

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

Springtime in Portland has officially arrived. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, allergies are in full swing and the air is filled the with the buzz of election season. The Vanguard has compiled an overview to help you navigate the 2016 elections. In the following pages you’ll find coverage of a heated meeting and protest of Portland State students in support of Donald Trump that has stirred up serious scrutiny of the climate of free speech on campus. You’ll also find a who’s who of Associated Students of PSU student government candidates. Polls opened yesterday for ASPSU election and close on April 27. We’ve provided a face-off pointcounterpoint between Manga Bernie and Hillary in anticipation of the approaching deadline for democrats to register to vote in Oregon. Read on and get your election on.

PRO-TRUMP RALLY AND PROTEST

WHEN VOICES COLLIDE SUPPORT FOR TRUMP POLARIZES CAMPUS CLIMATE

Multimedia at psuvanguard.com

COLLEEN LEARY AND JEOFFRY RAY

PROTESTER INTERVENES IN ALTERCATION BETWEEN OPPOSING STUDENTS. COLLEEN LEARY/PSU VANGUARD At 6:45 p.m. last Thurs- and hurled threats, allegaday evening, the scene in tions and slurs. Others stood the Smith Memorial Student silently on the room’s peUnion cafeteria appeared rimeter, bearing banners to be business as usual. Stu- that read “Stop Hate” and dents gathered in sporadic “Disarm PSU,” in contrast to pockets throughout the com- a handful of signs displaying mon space, studying, playing “Trump for President.” board games and socializing A handful of students donin small groups. ning “Donald Trump for An hour later the room was President” T-shirts and filled with a roaring crowd. Trump’s signature red “Make Students shouted over one America Great Again” baseanother, jumped on table- ball hats occupied the center tops, broke up in near-fights, of a crowd of protesters after

FLYERS FOR TRUMP SUPPORTERS POSTED AROUND CAMPUS DESCRIBED BY ORGANIZERS AS BAIT FOR PROTESTERS. ANDY NGO/PSU VANGUARD

attempting to assemble the first meeting of PSU Students for Donald Trump, founded by students Volodymyr Kolychev and Stephen Johnston. Protesters could also be seen gathered outside the cafeteria window in the Portland State Park Blocks donning banners, international flags and signs of protest. Protesters took over the attempted meeting using the mic check call and response method—mostly instigated by PSU Student Union organizers Olivia Pace and Alyssa Pagan. Pace yelled over the crowd in attempt to garner attention upon Pagan’s arrival at the meeting takeover. “If you don’t let her talk I will fuck shit up,” Pace said. Fellow protesters responded to Pace’s statement, “Nonviolently fuck shit up, Olivia!” After a short time, protesters held the floor and organized a speakers list, while Trump supporters sat at a table in the center of the room. “This is what it looks like to actually get in the way of white supremacy,” Pagan said. “White men are very used to shutting up people like me.” The loudest threats came mostly from some of the students protesting the Trump organizers. “Every single Trump supporter has a full legal name attached to a social security number with a place of residence [and] an employer… that information is easy to find online,” said protester Armeanio Lewis. Before Lewis addressed the crowd, he jumped on a table and engaged in a near-fight with Johnston. Lewis said Johnston had called him an “anti-fag,” a slur derived from the political slang term “antifa,” short for the political movement anti-fascists. At one point, a small group of protesters holding a sign from

United Indigenous Students for Higher Education shoved two of the student Trump supporters as they tried to walk through the crowd. Another protester, Morgan Morrison, grabbed a proTrump “Make America Great Again” hat off a Trump supporter’s head and tossed it across the room. After an hour and a half, most of the Trump supporters had left the original meeting table and moved to several heated discussions off to the side of the cafeteria. Protesters followed the Trump supporters back and forth across the cafeteria for about two hours. One anti-Trump student tried to shake hands with a man wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. He refused and said, “No, I can’t. We’re enemies.” He gestured using air quotes on the word enemies. Patty Miramontes, coordinator for the student group Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán described a different approach to group members’ presence at the event. “We decided as a collective to come in a peaceful manner; to come in a way that said that we don’t stand for what a figure like Trump represents— that white supremacist, hateful rhetoric,” Miramontes said. “We oppose that. “Our intentions were just to be there, just to be there in silence; to show them that we see you, we understand, you have your right to say, but we don’t agree with it,” she continued. “Our goal was never to shut them down,” Miramontes said. She continued by saying MEChA representatives remained silent at the meeting. “We weren’t there to silence anybody or to shut anyone down,” she said. “So if anyone felt that way, we can’t take responsibility for that. “I think at the end of the day it was a fair thing. I heard from both sides.”

MULTIMEDIA ONLINE AT PSUVANGUARD.COM

“We wanted to demonstrate how the radical left on college campuses is not sticking to classic, liberal [or] democratic values or freedom of speech.” —VOLODYMYR KOLYCHEV, CO-FOUNDER OF PSU STUDENTS FOR DONALD TRUMP.

TRUMP SUPPORTER (CENTER) LISTENS TO STATEMENTS FROM PROTESTERS. COLLEEN LEARY/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

PRO-TRUMP RALLY AND PROTEST

PSUSU PROTESTER USES MEETING TO ADVOCAE FOR 15 NOW MINIMUM WAGE CAMPAIGN AT TRUMP MEETING. COLLEEN LEARY/PSU VANGUARD Miramontes said she ing. She said PSUSU acted to thinks the contentious cli- encourage inclusive discusmate at the event reflects the sion through the takeover. overall climate surrounding “We were trying to have a diTrump supporters on a na- alogue, but it really just got to tional scale. the point where people were “I think when you have an having individual conversaenvironment—with a figure tions and arguments,” Forbes like Trump—that promotes said. “So [Pace] stood up and that kind of rhetoric, that in- started directing dialogue.” stills fear, that instills anger, Forbes said that particithat instills all these kinds of pants from both sides enoppressive notions,” she said. gaged in discussion. She “I think things can happen. acknowledged that at sevThings get stirred. Whether eral points protesters got it’s okay or not, whether it’s heated after comments she right or wrong, that’s not for described as disturbing. me to judge.” “There were people that Associated Students of PSU were in support of Trump presidential candidate Liela that came up that weren’t Forbes was present and vo- spewing those things,” Forbes cal at the disruption. Forbes said. “And those people did said she and her running try a little bit to engage in dimate Kaitlyn Verret attended alogue and understand, as as concerned students rather did we, but there were a lot of than ASPSU officials, and de- points where things were said scribed the meeting as heated that were so disturbing that at times but less contentious members of the audience like overall than described by myself and others couldn’t be subsequent media coverage. quiet. And that’s fine, because Forbes also argued that pro- it’s a dialogue and it’s an open testers were free to attend, meeting.” given that the meeting was Kolychev said he expected advertised as an open meet- the meeting to be protested,

suggesting he and fellow organizer Johnston had hoped this would happen. “This was just bait,” Kolychev said. He went on to say he had hoped to shed light on student protesters and their views and tactics he disagrees with. “We wanted to demonstrate how the radical left on college campuses is not sticking to classic, liberal [or] democratic values or freedom of speech,” Kolychev said. Forbes disagreed, arguing that protesters also had rights to free speech and assembly through the First Amendment. She also said the Trump meeting was not protected under the Oregon Public Meeting Law. “The reality is, we showed up because we have a right to free speech as well, we have a right to assembly. We wanted to stand up for what we believe, and stand up for the values of inclusivity, diversity and actually keeping students safe on this campus that we stand for and that

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

CAMPUS SECURITY DOES NOT INTERVENE

PSU’s Campus Public Safety Office did not intervene at any point during the heated gathering. A follow-up statement from PSU’s Office of University Communications read, “A number of students in [PSU’s] student union were debating politics yesterday evening. It was monitored by [CPSO]. Although there was shouting, at no time did CPSO feel the need to intervene because of safety concerns and no one was hurt or arrested. “The student union is a community space open to all

"We showed up because we have a right to free speech as well, we have a right to assembly.” —LIELA FORBES, STUDENT PROTESTER AND ASPSU REPRESENTATIVE

ALYSSA PAGAN STANDS ON TABLE AND LEADS DISCUSSION. COLLEEN LEARY/PSU VANGUARD

PSU stands for,” Forbes said. When asked if any of the protests or stories he heard this evening had any effect on his views, Kolychev said, “Are you asking if I still support Trump? More so.” In the end, Kolychev and Johnston had a sign-up sheet with 22 Trump supporters, while the total number of protesters peaked at about 45.

students. We support the students’ right to meet and express their opinions.” CPSO Chief Phillip Zerzan declined to comment on the matter, and referred the issue to PSU’s Director of Communications Scott Gallagher. “CPSO came by and were watching the events,” Gallagher said. “They received calls, they responded, and when it was breaking up they left.” “The job of CPSO is to provide a safe environment and be responsive [to] the needs of students, faculty and staff,” he continued. “They’re doing their jobs. They’ll continue to do their jobs.”

PROTESTER ADDRESSES CROWD. COLLEEN LEARY/PSU VANGUARD When asked about the potential that CPSO presence might have escalated the disruption further—especially given the strong presence of students advocating for the disarmament of CPSO— Gallagher said this was not a factor in the decision not to intervene. “Regardless of whether it’s students, faculty or staff, or the community, [CPSO’s] job is to ensure the safety of all of the campus community, and they will continue to do so based upon their training and the need,” Gallagher said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with any particular groups or events. Everything’s different. You can’t say one thing appeals to everybody. [CPSO are] the best ones to make that judgment on when they need to be present, when they need to intervene and how they intervene.” Forbes, a supporter of the DisarmPSU movement often at odds with CPSO, praised the officers’ decision to stay out of the meeting. “I completely agree with that,” Forbes said. “In fact, this is a rare opportunity where we can completely agree with the actions that CPSO took, to be quite frank. They correctly identified that there was no physical threat to immediate personal safety. There was no need for them to get involved.” Parties on both sides have expressed feeling unsafe since the meeting disruption. Kolychev

said he was thankful he wasn’t relying on public transit as his ride home after the disruption. When asked if he felt at risk of physical retaliation or bullying, he said, “I’d like to think I’m intelligent, but yes.” Contention and criticism for the protesters has been apparent on the Vanguard’s website, Facebook and Twitter, as well as the social media accounts of participants on both sides of the issue. Both Verret and Forbes— who can be seen in an altercation with a cameraman in footage posted by Laughing at Liberals—said they’ve received threats and harassment after the meeting’s disruption. “He put in the parts that made it look like we were going to assault him,” Forbes said. “And now I’m receiving death and rape threats, and my address has been spread around. I have to move because I live on campus and people have been stopping to take pictures of me.” Students involved in the protest have filed reports with the university and the Portland Police Bureau, and investigations are ongoing. PSU Students for Donald Trump posted on its Facebook page that, citing popular demand, it will host its second meeting on April 16 in the same location. For further coverage and multimedia reporting of the disruption, visit psuvanguard.com. Additional posting by Claude Akins. Multimedia by Andy Ngo and Serina Hersey.

SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSE FOLLOW US AT @PSUVANGUARD

Multimedia at psuvanguard.com

PRO-TRUMP RALLY AND PROTEST

Coverage of PSU Students for Donald Trump and community protest has incited heated response across several social media outlets from parties near and far. The majority of the response has been critical of the tactics used by some of the protesters and student leaders. The following is a cross-section of some of this response.

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

ASPSU ELECTION

SERINA HERSEY AND JEOFFRY RAY The 2016–17 Associated Students of Portland State is underway, with polls open now through April 27. This year’s election comes on the back of an academic year bogged by disrupted meetings, contentious budgetary decisions and nearly across-the-board fee and tuition increases. This year, students will also have the opportunity to decide on a referendum in support of a building fee increase to support the renovation of the Smith Memorial Student Union. Following is a list of candidates currently running for office in ASPSU’s executive, senate and Student Fee Committee seats. Due to a low number of applicants, the incoming ASPSU president will also have the task of hiring up to seven additional senators and three SFC members. For all positions a candidate must earn at east two votes to step into office.

SLATE INFO

UNITE PSU

Unite PSU is a movement to change the student experience in higher education. We bring a platform that uplifts the voices of students to show that our needs should be a priority. Students are the reason this university exists, and when decisions are made about our education, we deserve to have a voice in the room who will truly represent our needs. Collectively, we bring nearly a decade of experience representing students in higher education, and the students know they can count on us to advocate for their interests and stand up to institutions on their behalf. Let’s make this university worthy of you!

Students for a Better PSU is a diverse group of student government candidates who want to work together to craft collaborative solutions to make our campus better. We have 3 main focuses: Collaboration, Reform, and Affordability. Collaboration means bringing students, student groups, faculty, and administration together to solve problems and build a more cohesive campus culture. PSU’s campus is becoming increasingly divided in many ways, and we hope to help facilitate dialogue between groups to create better solutions to our campus problems. ASPSU Reform is necessary because of years of scandal both during and outside elections, and because of the ineffective system in place. We will establish a taskforce to examine systems from other campuses and build a more representative government for years to come. Affordability is our final core concern, as the cost of attendance is increasing. We will work to reduce our cost of attendance by working with administrators and the Board of Trustees to find cost inefficiencies, lobby the state legislature for additional higher education funding, and pursue textbook alternatives like Open Educational Resources. Find out more about us at betterpsu.com

ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES: “I think we need to figure out a way, whether it be through state legislature who appointed them, The President’s primary roll as an or wherever we really have to go to get support to pressure the Board of Trustees in our direction. ASPSU executive is to embody an un- That’s what we need to do.” biased, fair, and accurate representation of ASPSU as an organization as ON STUDENT ENGAGEMENT WITH ASPSU: well as the students of PSU: to foster “I’m hoping to get excitement going about the group of ASPSU. We need more people applying for communication between students, the position, knowing they can be representatives for students at large. faculty, and university administration; “I think so far the group has been a little bit exclusive and maybe quiet about issues that we to champion issues as the voice of stu- need to be more outgoing about.” dent government in speaking to local political representatives, student ON TUITION AND THE RECENT INCREASE: groups such as OSA and the officers “Tuition increase is a huge issue. It’s one of the bottom-lines for students. We need to be able to and administration of PSU. A second- stand up to the administration because the status quo has been to increase it every year. There’s ary but very crucial function of the of- no end in sight. fice of President is to seek and appoint “We need to take a look at the system behind the prices.” students to ASPSU who have ability as leaders and are true representatives of the diversity of Portland State. LIELA FORBES (UNITE PSU, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE) Our slate, Voices Of Student Political Science major Solidarity, seeks to represent students Junior year of all backgrounds, passions and • Transferred from Rogue Community College walks of life. We embody strength, • Currently legislative affairs director level-mindedness, awareness, and • On the Board of Directors for the Oregon Student Association, passion to represent the students of representing PSU this university. The issues which we • Past experience: President of student government at RCC, Board have already begun exploring inChair for Oregon clude fighting tuition increases, campus sustainability and divestment Forbes’ slate has seven campaigns: $15 minimum wage for student employees, campus safety reform, from fossil fuels and the prison-in- campus sexual assault prevention, food security, fighting tuition increase at the state and national dustrial complex, cultural awareness, level, equitable representation, and student fee autonomy. campus safety and sexual assault prevention among others. It is not our ON STUDENT ENGAGEMENT: goal to choose what is most impor- “The driving force behind the changes we want to create are [student voices]. We believe that stutant to students, but to listen and un- dents’ voices should shape the way the university looks. Students are the number one stakeholdderstand—let student voices be heard. er in their education. If students on this campus push for change, that change should be embraced and implemented by the administration. “I believe in a PSU where students feel like they are members of a community instead of just profits.”

TREVOR JACOBSON (SFBPSU, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE) Business Administration major (Finance, Supply & Logistics) Senior year

• Formerly student body president at Clatsop Community College • Served on Student Budget Advisory Committee • Currently ASPSU university affairs director Trevor Jacobson, along with the Students for a Better PSU slate, will make it a priority to reform ASPSU leadership by tilting more power to the senate through constitutional changes.

ON THE CURRENT STATE OF ASPSU: “There’s a lot of things that our student government could be doing better to represent students, and they don’t. And then they claim that we don’t have a voice. I think it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that we need to break out of. How can we make the student government more efficient and more representative of our students?” ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES: “I think that the problem is that while you’re never going to make everyone happy, it’s a college, it’s an activist campus, people get involved. The unfortunate thing is that there isn’t the respect anymore for how do we work with each other to be able to come up with solutions.”

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

• Former baseball player, drafted out of high school • Coaches 16-19 year-olds over summer • Currently ASPSU senator Zach Brill points to expanding on food insecurity, cultural awareness and bridging communication between students and administration as foundational priorities for his campaign. He seeks to bring people together to talk about various issues affecting students.

VOICES OF STUDENT SOLIDARITY

ON THE RECENT TUITION AND FEE HIKES: “Every single dollar raised on students is one more student possibly not being able to go to school anymore. I think that the unfortunate thing [about the tuition raise] is there wasn’t enough representation on the Student Budget Advisory Committee. We need to get more involvement at that level.”

Mathematics major Junior year

ON FIGHTING DISCRIMINATION ON CAMPUS: “We’re making sure that’s not the culture we’re cultivating here for students.” Forbes’ slate supports the #disarmPSU campaign.

VICE PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE BRANCH, PRESIDENT

OUR SEVEN CAMPAIGNS ARE: • Campus safety reform, including disarmament • Fighting tuition increase at the state and local level • Campus sexual assault prevention • Equitable representation • $15 minimum wage for campus student workers • Student fee autonomy • Food security

STUDENTS FOR A BETTER PSU

ZACH BRILL (VSS, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)

PRESIDENT

ASPSU ELECTION GUIDE 2016

KAITLYN VERRET (UNITE PSU, VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)

Women’s Studies major, double minor in Political Science, and Law and Legal Studies Senior year • Currently multicultural affairs director, senator last year

ON CAMPUS RELATIONS: “We really want to focus on creating community. “Especially within the last year, there is a lot of hot-button issues that tend to divide PSU and ASPSU. We really want to make ASPSU a healthy environment and which can help us better serve the students and hopefully inspire a better environment within ASPSU as a whole. “We also want to make it so that students feel that their voices are heard by us and that ASPSU is a safe environment to get involved with, or just to talk to about issues they’re experiencing on campus.” ON EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION: “I don’t like the word diversity because it tends to have the connotation of tokenizing people, like, ‘You’re just here so that we can fill a quota.’ Even though students of color and other minorities don’t make up a big part of PSU, everyone is important–having [diversity] not be tokenizing, but creating spaces and roles to be involved and have a voice for their communities.”

PHOTOS BY SILVIA CARDULLO UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. 1 COURTSEY OF OLESYA PROKHOROVA. 2 & 3 JEOFFRY RAY. 4 COURTESY OF BRIANA MARTINEZ. 5 COURTESY OF SIMON BENSON AWARD DINNER PROMOTION.

SENATE

SFC

CASSIDY HINES (SFBPSU, VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)

Marketing and Advertising double major Senior year

• Member of Resident Hall Association, Portland State Programming Board, and PSU dodgeball team

ON THE CURRENT STATE OF ASPSU: “What I bring to the table with him [Jacobson] is that we have contrasting opinions on a lot of topics, so I think the two of us together would really be able to balance each other. “PSU is not a homogenous organization. Everyone doesn’t believe the same thing and that’s really important when you’re running a student government–to bring those opinions and to be able to talk about multiple topics. “I think that one thing ASPSU hasn’t done really well is that there are a lot of people in the organization that believe the same thing, and when that happens, they just kind of follow each other. They don’t always question the other side. “We need to make sure everyone is heard even if they aren’t at that meeting.”

ON CAMPUS SECURITY: “The Students for a Better PSU slate wants to work toward their goals, even if we don’t always agree 100 percent. Disarm PSU is a great example of that. Trevor and I both live on campus, and so I feel we’re specially qualified to talk about a topic like that. This is our home and we need to feel safe here. “I think there is a lot of people who are really loud on the topic. I don’t know if their overall agreement of what CPSO [Campus Public Safety Office] is doing is actually heard from the people who are yelling.”

OLESYA PROKHOROVA (VSS, VICE-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE)

Business Management Leadership major Sophomore year

• President of Entrepreneurship Club • Volunteers at the Sound Equine Options rescue center • Founded Faces of Success, which brings successful entrepreneurs to campus Olesya Prokhorova points to the need for students to be made aware of resources available to them. ON RESOURCE ACCESS: “I’ve seen that there’s a lot of really good resources for students out there. We as a club should promote more, to let students know. I think that might be one of the reasons students are not engaged.” “One of my key concerns is to get students more involved on campus. I think it’s our job to let them know that there are things they can get involved in.” ON CAMPUS SAFETY: “As Vice President, I think my job is to make people feel safer. Some people feel like they don’t belong here or that it’s safe.”

SENATE CANDIDATES

ON PARENTING: “It is a little cheaper than other schools, but it’s still so expensive. I think, as a student of PSU, if you have a child...at least while you’re in school we can take care of your child, and you [shouldn’t] have to pay $250 a term. At least some help for parents in need. We do have a lot of parents on campus.”

JOSEPHINE CLAUS (SFBPSU, SENATOR CANDIDATE) Accounting major Junior year

• Transferred from community college • Currently a senator since Fall 2015 • Involved in student government and clubs throughout high school, Women’s Resource Center and PCC • Claus’ goals include more visibility for ASPSU, and to listen to student voices. “I really want to make student government as an office even more accessible than it is right now to students because I think it’s really important students are being heard. Sometimes it’s harder to talk to administrators… As a senator, I want to make sure I’m listening to students and that I can fight for whatever they need. “The school is for [the students]. This position that I have is for [the students].”

SALIH MAHMOOD (SFBPSU, SENATOR CANDIDATE) Structural Engineering major Graduate student

• Currently a senator • Member of Iraqi Student Club “I am trying to represent the international students. I want to create a statue that will represent our diversity at Portland State.”

ASPSU ELECTION ZIA LABOFF (SFBPSU, SENATOR CANDIDATE)

SENATE

VICE PRESIDENT

EXECUTIVE

International Studies major with a focus in Latin America, Political Science minor Freshman year

• Started ASPSU as an intern and recently appointed to senate • Involved in various organizations within ASPSU and Oregon Student Association • On the Programming Board to plan various events for students on campus, member of the Student Activities & Leadership Program Advisory Board and student leader with the Jewish Student Union • Last term, Laboff was part of a work group to revamp the ASPSU constitution. “[The Constitution] needs to be redone a little bit. We want to try to make it as effective as possible so the government can be efficient and actually try to get things done that the students care about. “[ASPSU] is a great program in general. Our [Students for Better PSU] vision is to make it better. We want to make an ASPSU that works for its students.“

CHERYN TRAPP (SFBPSU, SENATOR CANDIDATE)

Community Development major Junior year

• Member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee • Interested in fostering cohesion within the PSU community Cheryn Trapp seeks to spend her time in ASPSU getting involved with student groups and events. “This year was kind of different on the athletics side of things, with the football team getting a little bit of momentum. That was the first time I ever saw that many students at a football game. You could see the energy uplifting the campus through that. I just want that to occur in a lot of different aspects on campus, not just in athletics.”

MUSTAFA ALMUZEL (SFBPSU, SENATOR CANDIDATE)

Mechanical Engineering major Junior year

• Current ASPSU senator • Sustainability Affairs Committee member interested in divestment Mustafa Almuzel hopes to put effort into addressing the lack of space for international and cultural communities to practice beliefs and hold events. “I wanted to bring different perspectives to the student government when I joined at the beginning, and this is what I want to really keep doing next year. “The issue of space for students to practice their beliefs is . . . one of my goals to work on. “Students need to be engaged and aware about the structure of the school, the policies, so they can evaluate the student government.”

EMILY KORTE (SFBPSU, SENATOR CANDIDATE)

Political Science major, Law and Legal Studies minor Sophomore year

• Current senator • Leader of mock trial team in high school • Likes to take leadership roles in projects “My goal, given what ASPSU looks like right now, is to make decisions that aren’t emotionally charged, and to just take the technical aspects and the views of as many students as we can and try to incorporate that into representing everyone. “I feel that people in general tend to make decisions based on emotion–instantaneous reactions, rather than stepping back and trying to get that objective view on what’s actually happening. I think that especially in government when you’re trying to benefit the most people that you can that have so many differentiating views, it’s important.”

KIMBERLEE PONCE (SFBPSU, SENATE CANDIDATE)

Political Science major Sophomore year

• Transfer student, second term at PSU • Involved in leadership through sports and workplace internships • First generation college student “I want this to be my first term of grasping everything that’s around me before I get too focused and specific on any one policy over another. Aligned with the SFBPSU slate, her main vision is “a cooperative, efficient, welcoming approach to working with other branches and resources. “It can be tricky to collaborate and work out difficult issues, so our focus is being approachable in how we work things out.”

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

JACLYN HUMPHRY (UNAFFILIATED, SENATE CANDIDATE) Finance major Junior year

• Formerly a community assistant Via email: “As a senator my main goal is to be a representative for the underrepresented communities on campus. I want to be their voice and stand up for what they need. With that, I want to help increase the level of student engagement on campus and provide more resources for students in need.”

KAITLIN HOBACK (UNITE PSU, SENATOR CANDIDATE)

Film major Junior year

• Member of the Equal Rights Advocacy Committee and Academic Affairs Committee • Involved in leadership activities throughout high school “I identify as queer and bisexual so ensuring that all marginalized groups and everyone on campus is getting representation is very important to me.” Hoback is also a supporter of Disarm PSU and promoting and solving food inequality on campus. “We have the Food Pantry which is a fantastic resource. One of the issues with the Food Pantry is that because of our contract with Aramark, we’re not allowed to advertise. Students oftentimes don’t know it exists. Aramark is notoriously controversial and a problematic organization. I personally believe we shouldn’t have Aramark on campus. “I’m going to do everything I can to advocate for students, and just be a voice for what they want and need. I often listen to what the administration doesn’t hear and I want to be able to speak up for that.”

ALEX HERRERA (UNITE PSU) Write-in candidate

PHOENIX SINGER (UNITE PSU)

Write-in candidate

EXECUTIVE

SENATE

SFC

XAVIER COLEMAN (UNAFFILIATED SFC CANDIDATE)

Psychology and Business double-major Junior year

• Currently a sitting SFC member • Involved in updating guidelines for future SFCs • Athletics, Rec Center and Rec Clubs liaison “I had a really positive year. I think this last year, most importantly, I learned a lot. I came in not knowing a lot about how to deal with budget and finances. I felt prepared [after budget training] and it’s been, overall, super positive. “Dealing with finances for athletics was something for me that was awesome, so that’s something I hope to continue going forward.”

SULAKHA HASSAN (UNAFFILIATED, SFC CANDIDATE)

International Studies major Senior year

• Current SFC chair • Would like to build relations between ASPSU Senate and SFC “There’s a need to engage with people in ASPSU on a more personal level, that way you can humanize the person. We are students, at the end of the day. To be more compassionate and considerate toward one another would be a big thing. “It was interesting learning all of this and getting in tune with it and knowing more people, but I think that there could be a lot more done and there could be a lot more engagement with students outside of ASPSU throughout the year.”

PATRICK CHARLES JAMES STATON (SFBPSU, SFC CANDIDATE)

Human Resources Management, Leadership and Management major Senior year

• Current ASPSU senator • President-elect of the PSU Human Resources Management Association • Interested in aiding the smoke-free campus effort Among Patrick Staton’s concerns is the potential Smith Memorial Student Union renovation, which he would like to see pushed forward. Staton believes that holding off on the renovation will lead to an increase in costs over time. “Creating accountability for the money that we’re actually spending. Accountability, in that we’re using that money for students that are here today, as opposed to students that will be here four years from now. “I think that our slate will bring a bunch of different perspectives, and that’s going to be the benefit. No one’s wanting to take one course of action. We’re trying as a student body to figure out what’s best for everybody.”

BETHLEHEM DANIEL (UNAFILLIATED, SFC CANDIDATE)

ANNEKA HENRY (UNITE PSU) Write-in candidate

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SFC CANDIDATES

SENATE

ASPSU ELECTION

EXECUTIVE HOPEFULS SPAR AT STUDENT GOVERNMENT DEBATE CLAUDE AKINS

Less than half of the candidates running for positions in student government attended an electoral debate hosted last week by the Vanguard and the Associated Students of Portland State. ASPSU held the debate last Wednesday in the Parkway North room of Smith Memorial Student Union. In total, eight candidates appeared on stage—only four of 11 senate candidates and one of three vice-presidential hopefuls appeared—vying for election. The debate spanned one executive and one senatorial session. The first round included presidential candidates Liela Forbes, Zach Brill and Trevor Jacobson, as well as Forbes’ vice-presidential running mate Kaitlyn Verret. The second round featured senatorial candidates Cheryn Trapp, Kimberlee Ponce, Emily Korte and Zia Laboff, all members of the Students for a Better PSU slate. No student fee committee candidates were present. The lack of competition in the senatorial debates reflected a larger issue facing this election cycle—a shortage of candidates all but guarantees all four candidates who appeared will be elected. This fact, along with voter turnout rates at less than five percent, and the lack of audience at the debate itself, made the issue of representation and visibility a topic of focus throughout the debate. The question being: What is the role of ASPSU in fostering and creating representation on campus? Unite PSU, whose members stressed that their slate name alluded to values of collaboration, solidarity and inclusion in their opening statements, claimed that representation means not just listening to student voices, but seeking them out. “A responsibility of being a student leader is not just to represent those students, to…just stand up and say, ‘I’m going to listen to everyone,’ but to take the initiative to go

out and find those students,” said Forbes, presidential candidate for Unite PSU. Brill, of Voices of Student Solidarity, and Jacobson, of Students For a Better PSU, both stressed the formal process of representation as well as equitability and inclusion. “The values of ASPSU should be solely to represent students,” Brill said. “In order to do that there has to be a mindset of fairness—so not to take your own issues as a candidate or as a representative and make them the entire school’s issues.” “It’s important when you’re doing this [representing the student body to the administration], that you bring more than just your own opinion,” Jacobson said. “You have to bring the opinions of those you might actually disagree with. It’s a large campus in many and different ways.” While the problem of representation and the role of ASPSU as alternately mediators, listeners or instigators loomed in the background of every question, the majority of the debate focused on ways of mitigating costs for students. These two issues collided when addressing student fee autonomy. The student incidental fee is an automatic fee charged to students upon enrollment. It funds services for students, ranging from athletics and student groups, to SMSU. Currently the incidental fee costs students over $200 per term. The Student Fee Committee allocates those fees and attempts to create a budget that reflects student needs and desires. “Students are the number one stakeholder in our education…We’re the ones paying the money to go here,” Forbes said. “So the principle platform that we’re talking about is that students deserve to have their voices heard, because we pay to go here.”

EXECUTIVE CANDIDATES MET TO DEBATE ON SMSU’S PARKWAY NORTH STAGE. BRAD BOURGEOIS/PSU VANGUARD For Brill, the largest problem facing ASPSU regarding student fee autonomy is a lack of governmental organization. “This year we only had about two meetings to fully understand the whole budget,” Brill said. “We need to jump on this earlier this year.” Jacobson echoed this point and added that PSU students pay on parity with University of Oregon for their student incidental fee despite having a comparatively smaller campus. To strengthen senate representation and autonomy, he proposes a constitutional amendment that will limit the SFC’s voting power in the senate from seven votes to one. Tuition, which is set to increase 4.5 percent next year, was also on the docket. The main target was administrative costs. Jacobson proposed an investigation into staff cuts. “The problem with our administration is that it is very topheavy,” Jacobson said. “There are a lot of presidents, vice presidents, directors, executive directors…Does every single di-

rector need to have a secretary if they in fact have that?” “For us it’s a pretty easy solution,” Verret said. “Prices keep going higher and so do administration salaries. So our solution to that would be…to cut administration salaries.” When pressed with how specifically this would be done, Forbes responded by citing the collective action of students. “The point is ASPSU cannot decide who stays and who goes, but we have student power…When we use our voices we win,” Forbes said. “I think we have a great environment,” Brill said in rebuttal. He noted the power of students when they shut down the most recent Board of Trustees meeting. “But I think that’s neither here nor there when we’re talking about ASPSU, because the purpose of ASPSU is to funnel that energy…to drive those students to speak to the right people,” Brill said. He also said that PSU has one of the lowest levels of college funding in Oregon.

“One of the main issues is to take the energy…we see on campus at Portland State and target the individuals that can make a difference, which is the state legislature,” Brill said. Who is targeted and how, in particular the ways in which ASPSU mediates between students and administrations, created a distinguishable point of divergence between the candidates. Brill noted missed meetings with administration and a lack of formality and etiquette on the side of ASPSU. “Activism often times goes on deaf ears when it’s a bunch of protests with no actual active items given,” Jacobson said. While maintaining she had a good working relationship with administration, Forbes of Unite PSU applauded the actions of the PSU Student Union when they protested the Board of Trustees meeting. “First and foremost: Disarm PSU,” Forbes said. “ASPSU’s goal is not to give students a voice because students already have a voice. Our goal is

to hold the administration accountable when they don’t listen to student voices…When the Student Union jumps up and shuts down a meeting and they say, ‘We’re not going to let you get away with this.’ Good.” “I think that PSUSU’s actions at the Board of Trustees meeting was unfair to the Board of Trustees themselves,” Jacobson said. “I respect the desires of PSUSU. What they are bringing forward are very valid concerns. I think that it’s possible that they can silence, however, those who don’t agree with them. They don’t give a platform to other people to be able to stand up and have a voice. I disagree with their methods.” Jacobson also pointed to the need for earlier engagement in the policymaking process. “We need to have conversations starting at the beginning, rather than at the very last moment, at a Board of Trustees meeting.” Polls open April 11.

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

POINT-COUNTERPOINT: NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

JENNEE MARTINEZ I’ve always been interested in politics. I remember very few of my classmates or friends showing even the slightest interest about the presidential election. “Politics are boring,” we would all answer when our history teacher asked us why we didn’t feel inclined to form opinions or engage in friendly debates. In all honesty, none of us really cared, but that’s no longer the case. I will be the first to admit that I am a die-hard Bernie fan. As I proclaim my love for the 74-year-old senator from Vermont, I am proud to say that the majority of Gen-Y stands behind me. In a recent poll targeting young voters under 35, Bernie leads opponent Hillary Clinton by 11 percent. Maybe it’s because we have grown up or because we have experienced first-hand how broken the political system really is, but despite the reasoning behind it, Gen-Y has been ignited. And we are feeling the Bern. I’m not sure if it’s his downto-earth and straight-up personality, his kooky hair, or the amount of passion and truth he speaks with when addressing crowds, but Bernie inspires many. Rather than talking down to certain groups or blaming the American people, Bernie creates a sense of unity. He highlights that instead of following the “us versus them” mentality that separates and divides, everyone within society needs to come together. Not only is Bernie unafraid of addressing real issues, he also talks about the

tough things and confronts them with little hesitation. Having openly admitted to doing marijuana twice in his life, he not only supports its legalization, but denounces the War on Drugs which costs the United States $51 billion annually. Rather than focusing purely on punishment, Bernie is an advocate for drug treatment and prevention along with a complete reformation of the criminal justice system. This is a politician who recognizes how broken our political system is and instead of spending more money to fix it, is dedicated to creating new, alternative solutions. Unlike most politicians, Bernie is not concerned with finding a solution to benefit members of Wall Street or the elite within society. This is a candidate who is finally looking out for the little guy who is generally overlooked and deemed unimportant. His belief that people working 40 hours a week should not be living in poverty sheds light on the fact that the middle class is slowly disappearing. As a supporter of raising the minimum wage, Bernie focuses on not only creating a stronger middle class by increasing wages, but strengthening the economy while creating more jobs and fixing the tax code that currently works in favor of the upper-class. Bernie not only focuses on the nitty-gritty problems the United States is facing today, but also recognizes the efforts and struggles encountered by college students and millennials. Because average

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public in-state tuition rates are over $9,000 a year and interest rates are at an all-time high, the average student graduates from college with $30,000 of debt. Rather than condemning hard-working, motivated students to thousands of dollars of debt (and no guaranteed spot in the workplace), Bernie promises to have our backs by making college tuition free, financial aid more available, and by reducing interest rates. But here’s the brilliance of Bernie: Instead of fighting for the big things, he takes stands on smaller issues that have been pushed aside and made to seem unimportant. This is one candidate who believes climate change is the biggest planetary crisis the world now faces. He believes in equal rights for all members of the LGTBQ community. Voting pro-choice, Bernie not only focuses on women’s reproductive rights and the access to women’s sexual healthcare, but calls for safer, stronger laws regarding domestic violence and sexual assault. Rather than focusing on making the rich richer, Bernie wants to support small, privately owned businesses. To top it all off, he’s even focusing on cracking down on inhumane conditions regarding livestock. Bernie Sanders has undoubtedly started a fire. And with ease, he has started a fire within the hearts of millennials, one that is likely to burn brighter come November.

The 2016 Democratic primaries in oregon will be held on may 17. to vote you must be registered as a democrat by april 26.

POINT-COUNTERPOINT: NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC DEBATE

NATHAN ANDERSON Hillary Clinton will make a damn fine president. No one else in the race has the same level of experience to lead our country or to make tough decisions like she does. Sanders comes close, but in many ways he’s a populist movement masquerading as a presidential candidate. Clinton has spent most of her life in national and international politics, including her stint as secretary of state, a job that seems tailormade to prepare her for the presidency. The secretary of state makes deals that are in the nation’s best interest, and Clinton shined in that position: She did a better job than several of her predecessors and her only successor. Many presidential candidates (hell, many candidates for public office) are simply a vote for “not the other guy”, meaning, of course, a vote for that particular candidate is simply a vote to keep someone more odious out of office. Many candidates over the years have had this questionable appeal: Mondale, Dukakis, Carter (who manILLUSTRATION BY SHANNON KIDD, LETTERING BY RACHEL GOLDSTEIN

aged to pull it off ), McGovern. But not Hillary Clinton. Clinton has stood up and said, loud and clear, that she plans to actually govern and not sit idly by and play childish games. She is not corrupt or a career loser, she is not a criminal or a theocrat or a fascist like her opponents. Sanders certainly isn’t either, but he doesn’t have the experience Clinton does. Now, Clinton is not perfect. Her biggest negative is the fact that she’s a war hawk and one single drop of American blood spilled in an unjust war is a moral crime. However, I’m not convinced that after so many years of pointless bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan the American people will be willing to put up with another war. She’s also arrogant, as the faux email “scandal” has proven. But none of the negatives outweigh her positives and our country simply cannot afford to be led by a theocrat or a fascist. We will all soon be faced with a choice for leader of our country and for me the choice is clear. I want a true

leader, someone with vision and experience and guts. That person is not Donald Trump or Ted Cruz or John Kasich or, I’m sorry to say, Bernie Sanders. I want someone who will stand up to the crazies in Congress, truly push for what is right, and not allow our country to return to the economic and social dark days we suffered through so recently. Considering that, come Election Day, the other choice for leader of the free world will likely be a loudmouth fascist who has singlehandedly proven correct the theories of David Dunning and Justin Kruger, Clinton is the only rational choice for president. She may not be the most ideal candidate, but she’s certainly the best candidate we have right now. Regardless of your personal politics, getting out and voting is more important, by far, than who you vote for. We have very few true patriotic duties in this country and voting is one of them. It’s an honor to be able to help choose the leader of our country.

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

NEWS

BLACKSTONE OVERHAUL FORCES RELOCATION OF STUDENTS WITH CHILDREN JESSICA POLLARD

Student parents living in the on-campus historic apartment Blackstone at Portland State will have to relocate next school year. The change has been brought by the transformation of all six two-bedroom apartments available for students with children into quad-style apartments capable of housing four people at once. Michael Walsh, director of University Housing and Residence Life at PSU, made the consultative decision to transition these rooms. While student feedback was not directly involved in the decision, Walsh said that associate directors, PSU staff members and those in finances were involved. According to Walsh, all eligible student parents living currently in Blackstone will be offered the choice to live in one of five two-bedroom units in Parkway down the street, or a one-bedroom unit in Blumel on the same side of campus. These two buildings will stand as the only two available for students with children. Demand for all types of housing appears to be increasing, Walsh said. The transition from two-bedroom apartments into quads will allow UHRL to house 24 students, as opposed to the six students it was previously able to accommodate. “Everyone needs housing, including students without children,” Walsh said. Twenty-two percent of students on campus have children, according to Lisa Wittorff, director of the Resource Center for Students with Children at PSU. “I don’t feel they’re trying to exclude students…All the students who were living in Blackstone were offered equal housing in other places on campus,” Wittorff

said. “I’m not saying it’s right or wrong—I think it’s actually value neutral probably. Housing is focusing on traditional-aged students. And that’s where they’re targeting their programing… the way they develop their housing.” Despite increasing housing needs, Walsh claimed that demand for two-bedroom units has flattened, resulting in vacancies in campus residences. “We have two empty twobedroom units because there are no families with children to take them,” Walsh said. “And since we are dedicated to holding them open only for families with children, they stay empty until a family with children comes along.” While those two-bedroom units remain empty, the decision has still raised some eyebrows among students and faculty. “You have to ask, what is the reason for a [possible] decrease in [student parents] living on campus?” Wittorff said. “I don’t believe there are any less student parents attending PSU. Is there something about the way student parents are treated on campus? I don’t know what it might be that might discourage them from living on campus.” Student parent Nathaniel Lufian, who lives in a twobedroom in Blackstone, started an online petition earlier this term asking PSU President Wim Wiewel to keep the two-bedroom units. The petition estimates that UHRL will make an extra $70,560 off of the transition based on proposed housing rates for the quads next year. “We do bring in revenue and any revenue we bring

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

in goes toward improving student housing, offering programs and services, paying for staff and supporting the university as a whole,” Walsh said of the financial increase for PSU, which is a nonprofit university. When Lufian attempted to renew his housing contract for the 2016–17 school year last term, he was told the contract couldn’t be renewed. A call to UHRL revealed the news that his two-bedroom unit would no longer be available next year. He has recently been offered a twobedroom unit in Parkway. “Up until now, we’ve been wondering if we’re going to be forced into a one-bedroom or off campus,” Lufian said. “We had no idea, which is stressful when you have a child. I haven’t had the heart to tell him that we’re going to have to move. He loves it there.

“It’s a housing crunch right now, finding a two bedroom that’s suitable for somebody who’s living off student income is really, really hard,” Lufian said. At the time this article went to print, the petition had garnered 255 supporters including students and faculty members, according to Lufian. He has since emailed Wiewel multiple times regarding the petition with no response. Wittorff pointed out that student parents often lack the time to advocate in ways the

administration notices, such as petitions. “I’m glad to see this particular student trying to make sure that the administration notices how students with children are being treated,” Wittorff said. “I think lots of times what happens with students with children is that they’re so busy trying to balance school and family and work…they don’t have time to get involved in student government.” According to a briefing paper released by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in 2013, about 4 million college students are also parents. Over 75 percent of single student parents

are low-income. Forty-nine percent of them are first generation college students. “They’re a silent part of the campus that has a lot of need and doesn’t always get heard,” Wittorff said. In addition to the option of on-campus housing, student parents are offered oncampus childcare options as well as help at the RCSC. All of these things, according to Wittorff, are funded by the student incidental fee. “The university does not pay out of general funds for any of the services for students with children,” Wittorff said. “I think it’s sad that the administration doesn’t support [student parents] more. I think that it signals to housing that it’s not a priority, if the administration is not going to support it.”

SILVIA CARDULLO/PSU VANGUARD

NEWS

BRING YOUR KIDS TO CAMPUS DAY SERINA HERSEY

The Resource Center for Students with Children hosted Bring Your Kids to Campus Day, where Portland State student parents and their children attended various events and activities throughout campus all day on Friday, April 8. Activities included bowling, pack a snack station, and “explore and experiment” at the Helen Gordon Child Development Center. At the Science Research and Teaching Center, there were chemistry demos and a showcase of the biology department’s Museum of Natural History. Students Addressing Urban & Community Issues hosted a panel discussion, “Parenting in the City”, followed by a SAUCI luncheon. Additionally, there was craftmaking at Green Roots, a DJ and dance party, a Campus Rec obstacle course, a tour of PSU gardens, story time, and a dive-in movie at PSU’s indoor pool.

Faculty, staff and student volunteers said they worked together to create an entertaining engage with both student parents and their children.

A CHEMISTRY DEMO AT THE SCIENCE RESEARCH AND TEACHING CENTER. SILVIA CARDULLO/PSU VANGUARD

NATURAL HISTORY EXHIBIT BRINGS SCIENCE TO CAMPUS KIDS

MACKENZIE MYERS As one of Portland State’s Bring Your Kids to Campus Day festivities this past Friday, the Science Research and Teaching Center hosted a hidden gem of campus: a selective exhibit from the biology department’s Museum of Natural History. The SRTC lobby, normally quiet, became a sea of green drawstring backpacks, strollers and lightup shoes from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Parents and their children hovered around four large tables displaying arachnids, insects, bird wing samples and marine mammal skulls, while biology department curators asked the audience questions. The kids fired their own curiosities back, their

faces lighting up when they Pacific Northwest. Some of guessed a correct answer. the larger specimens, like the In the middle of explain- marine mammals, are roading how sea lions move into kill or organisms washed up the Astoria area at this time on the Pacific coast, but many of year, PSU biology profes- of the collections are actually sor Dr. Deb Duffield said this from the 1950s and ’60s. was the museum’s first ap“The museum has both inpearance at BYKTC. vertebrate and vertebrate “It seems to be a great suc- specimens,” Szabo said. cess,” Duffield said. “They’ve “What we have here today is organized it really well.” a very small percentage of Meanwhile, Jessica Szabo, what the museum has.” a biology graduate student, According to the museum’s offered some background website, the collection has on the museum itself while 380 mammal species, 665 working at the insect table. fish species and over 10,000 Szabo explained that many invertebrate organisms preof the invertebrate species, served and catalogued. The especially the insects, are col- museum also has an herbarlected locally. A neighbor- ium, with about 11,000 plants ing curator added that most and 500 fungi specimens. of the museum’s specimens The Museum of Natural represent species of the History is primarily used for

research purposes within the biology department, but it also provides visual reference for art students. Typically the collection is not

available for public access, but it is displayed at events like BYKTC, the start-ofyear Portland State of Mind celebration and other oc-

casions to get the PSU community excited about natural science.

CHILDREN VIEW VARIOUS DISPLAYS OF ARTIFACTS FROM THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT’S MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. SERINA HERSEY/PSU VANGUARD

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

INTERNATIONAL

ISIS FORCES CONTRACEPTION ON SEX SLAVES

YUNI CHOI

SAUDI-LED AIRSTRIKE KILLS OVER 100 IN YEMEN MARKET

KEISHA MUIA

SILVIA CARDULLO/PSU VANGUARD ISIS has incorporated sexual slavery as an integral part of the group’s operations; women and girls of the Yazidi religious minority group have been main preys of sexual enslavement since 2014. ISIS has forced the use of birth control on female victims to keep them available for continuous molestation, without the interruption of pregnancy. In the summer of 2014, ISIS took control over a large territory in Iraq and Syria, including Mount Sinjar, the homeland of Yazidi minority group. Since then, ISIS has carried out atrocities against Yazidi minority groups, Christians, and Shiite Muslims. Thousands of Yazidi women and girls have been captured and enslaved. ISIS abides by Islamic law, which states that a man must be certain the woman he enslaves is not pregnant with a child before intercourse. Although, in an account by a 20-year-old woman who was pregnant at the time of her abduction, she was still raped despite her positive test results. When a woman is bought through sex trade, she is passed among men. In order to continue the practice, ISIS fighters use aggression to force victims to take birth control. So far, more than 700 Yazidi women who’ve been victims of rape have sought treatment at the United Nations’ health clinic in northern Iraq.

“I recently read in an article from the U.N. that the largest proportion of refugees in the world are composed of women and children,” said PSU alumna Valerie Asbell. “All society think[s] war doesn’t affect women, when in fact it does.” Dr. Nagham Nawzat, a gynecologist who carried out examinations at these clinics, has observed and confirmed that just 5 percent of these women became pregnant during enslavement. Such results indicate the methodical use of birth control by ISIS. According to the Boston Globe, more than three dozen Yazidi women—who recently escaped the tortures of ISIS— have reported ISIS’ various methods to avoid pregnancy of the enslaved women, including oral and injectable contraception, and a combination of the two. Birth control pills are not for every person and consultation with a health professional is imperative before one can make a decision to use them. Contraceptives don’t always succeed in preventing pregnancy and do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. Furthermore, birth control methods that contain hormones may lead to side effects and potentially serious health risks such as breakthrough bleeding and elevated blood pressure.

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

Multiple cases have reported the use of forced abortions when woman did become pregnant to keep them available for sex trade. Others reported being pressured to have abortions. As described by some female survivors, they were driven to a hospital to be tested for pregnancy upon being sold into enslavement. In the particular case of a teenage victim, she was given a morning-after pill and a 150 milligram dose of DepoProvera, an injectable contraceptive, before being raped. In another case, it was the abuser’s mother who took the victim to the hospital to check her for pregnancy. When it was confirmed she was free of child, the mother validated her son’s right to rape the girl. Although ISIS’ obscure law regarding justified rape established a systematic use of birth control, it has not been enforced so strictly, as some men ignored or defied the law. With ongoing issues of rape as a weapon of war, April marks national Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Multiple events held throughout the month aim to engage the entire Portland State community in the ongoing national conversation about how to prevent and respond to sexual assault on college campuses.

The United Nations re- civilian areas. Moreover, huported that more than 100 man rights groups say some people including 22 children of these airstrikes amount to were killed in a U.S.-backed, war crimes. Saudi-led airstrike on a United Nations Humanitarian crowded market in Yemen on Chief Stephen O’Brien stated March 15. Yemen is experiencing a “huThe attack took place in the manitarian catastrophe.” Hajja province, an area con“Since March 2015, more trolled by Yemen’s Shiite reb- than 35,000 casualties, inels known as Houthis. This is cluding over 6,000 deaths, but one of several similar air- have been reported by health strikes that have killed hun- facilities across the country,” dreds of civilians since the O’Brien said. “The United Yemen civil war began last year. Nations has confirmed that In response to ongoing at- at least 2,997 of those killed tacks that have resulted in and 5,659 of those injured are large amounts of civilian civilians. Conservative esticasualties, America’s ongo- mates suggest that well over ing military support of the 700 children have been killed Saudi-led offenses against and over 1,000 more injured.” Houthi rebels began last Sarah Leah Whitson, execuMarch. Hundreds of thou- tive director of Human Rights sands of Yemenis took to Watch’s Middle East and the streets to protest the North Africa division shared first anniversary of the U.S.- some of the questions she’s Saudi coalition. been asked in response to The conflict in Yemen es- the attacks that have caused calated into a brutal war on more than 6,000 deaths. March 26, 2015 that affected “Yemenis are asking me, most of the country. ‘Why is there no global outThe violence and subse- rage when our schools, our quent restrictions on imports universities, our hospitals, have disrupted the delivery our clinics, when football of food, fuel and basic ser- fields, when playgrounds are vices throughout Yemen. bombed with U.S. bombs?'” The Saudi-led airstrikes According to UNICEF, six are meant to target local rebel children are killed or injured groups, yet they regularly hit every day and children as

young as 10 years old are recruited to fight. A report by UNICEF verified that children represent around one-third of all civilian deaths since March 2015, resulting in over 900 children killed, and more than 1,300 injured in the past year alone. The violence has forced many people to flee, and displacement levels have risen sharply from 334,000 at the end of 2014 to 2.4 million in February 2016. Most of those who have been displaced must live in overburdened host communities, sharing homes of relatives, sheltering in public buildings, makeshift tents, or in the open air. The U.S. has reinforced the Saudi-led coalition’s airstrikes through arms sales and direct military support. Presently, Saudi Arabia is one of the U.S. arms industry’s biggest customers. In November 2015, the State Department approved a billion-dollar deal to restock Saudi Arabia’s air force arsenal, which was depleted by its bombing campaign in Yemen. Nevertheless, the civil war has left Yemen divided, granting Al-Qaeda the opportunity to expand and seize cities as well as large amounts of land. ISIS militants have taken advantage of Yemen’s warfare to wage a series of deadly attacks across the country.

ILLUSTRATION BY PETER LE

INTERNATIONAL

GUEST SPEAKER CLAIMS ISRAEL AS U.S. COLONY

U.C. BERKELY PROFESSOR KEITH FELDMAN CONNECTS THE PAST AND PRESENT

EMILY KORTE

“I was taken aback by the strong correlations the speaker tried to make between colonialism, the modern state of Israel, antiZionism and racism, and Zionism specifically as racism,” Safir said. Rubino went on to echo Safir’s frustration adding, “I think that’s the problem with going to listen to these speakers talk about the proPalestinian cause, because they leave out the other narrative that’s really important to peace.” A counter-history, by definition, is a recount of history that goes against the

widely accepted and documented version of the event in question. Feldman’s own counter-history certainly meets this standard with his views on the PalestinianIsraeli issue. Jeanette Rawlins, a graduate student at PSU, commented, “What hit me the most was the way the U.N. changed its position on Zionism and the impact it has on the modern day.” Feldman ultimately pushed the idea that the State of Israel is nothing more than a colony of the Western world, mainly the United States. Israel declared independence in 1948.

“The suture between political Zionism and American Jewishness, I’m arguing, was contingently fashioned in this crucible of racial justice struggles in the late ’60s and early ’70s,” Feldman said. A contingent point of Feldman’s presentation was the aspect of the United Nations General Assembly’s stance on racism and discrimination. Resolution 3379 from 1975 declared Zionism as a form of racial discrimination effectively silencing any conversation about whether Israel should exist as a state. The decision was repealed in the early 1990s.

THIS WEEK AROUND THE WORLD APRIL 5–10

PROFESSOR KEITH FELDMAN GIVES A SPEECH ABOUT THE CURRENT STRUGGLE FOR PEACE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. STEVEN YOUNG/PSU VANGUARD Parallels were drawn in in the United States. The a speech given at Portland topic attracted 30 to 40 peoState by Keith Feldman, a ple including known memprofessor at UC Berkeley, bers of the on-campus between the American civil group Students United for rights movement of the 1960s Palestinian Equal Rights. and the ongoing struggle for Feldman denied to compeace between Israel and ment due to previous slander Palestine in the Middle East, from the media. on April 5. Feldman gave a similar lecAfter 40 minutes of read- ture at Lewis and Clark a day ing from an iPad, Feldman’s prior on April 4. PSU student speech, titled “Palestine in Anthony Safir attended the the Shadows: A Counter- event and told the Vanguard History of American Racial the question and answer pePolitics,” focused on his book riod was intense, as pressure A Shadow over Palestine was applied from the Jewish that goes into depth about audience members for more the connection between explanation. the Palestinian-Israeli conFeldman connects the flict and racial struggles Palestinian struggle for state-

hood and recognition within Israel as a mirror to the African-American civil rights movement in the 1960s for freedom and recognition in the United States. The research and sources that Feldman used throughout his presentation and his statement claiming Israel is fundamentally a colony of the U.S. offended certain audience members. While the pro-Palestinian supporters in the room denied to comment, the Vanguard had the opportunity to sit down with Jennifer Rubino and Safir who are both Jewish students at PSU that attended Feldman’s event.

Molly Ozier

APRIL 5:

In light of the “biggest leak in whistleblower history,” the Panama Papers have prompted Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson to step down for “an unspecified amount of time,” allowing a different party official to take over due to an illegal offshore account in his name.

APRIL 8:

Mohamed Abrini, the third and lone survivor from the Brussels attacks, is arrested in Brussels. This is the suspect known as the “the man in the hat” from the photo captured in the Brussels’ Zaventem airport.

APRIL 10:

In celebration of the Hindu New Year, a fireworks display goes awry, igniting an explosion killing over 100 people and leaving over 200 injured in Kerala, India.

APRIL 10:

Peruvians head to the polls to elect their new president. Front runner is the daughter of Peru’s former president, Alberto Fujimori, now imprisoned for human rights abuse during his term. Followed by conservative former prime minister Pablo Kuczynski and leftist congresswoman Veronica Mendoza.

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

ARTS & CULTURE

BLACK WOMEN IN CIVIL RIGHTS: VOICES IN RACE AND GENDER DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES MARGINALIZATION AND SOCIAL FRAGMENTATION CATHERINE JOHNSON On March 29, the Women’s Resource Center’s Women of Color Action Team, the Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion, and the Cultural Resource Center sponsored a screening of the documentary Reflections Unheard: Black Women in Civil Rights as part of their docuseries for Women’s History Month. “I thought this was a really great way to end the Women’s History Month docufilm series because we’re taking it back to the beginning in terms of civil rights and black women,” said Jasmin Hunter, the leadership development coordinator for the Women of Color Action Team. “Highlighting a community we don’t hear much about is a big deal to us, and bringing it back to movements that are still happening today,” Hunter said. The film started as a project for Nevline Nnaji, the director, to make sense of her own experience as a young black woman. She’d started reading a lot of black feminist literature, including Elaine Brown’s A Taste of Power. The book inspired the film’s historical element: Brown reveals the abuses women faced within the Black Panther party. “That’s the first time that I had ever heard about any of this happening because I had this vision of civil rights being perfect and liberating for everybody,” Nanji said. “So I felt like people needed to hear about it.” The documentary interviews black women who were activists during the civil rights movement and members of organizations like the Black Panthers and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. It documents their marginalization between the male-domina-

ted Black Power movement and the middle-class white feminist movement. The film also covers issues of education and reproductive, racial and social justice. “Those are still movements that are very active,” Hunter said. “Organizations come and go, but these ideas never really go away. They just shift and change and evolve.” When Hunter first saw the film, she said it was a jarring experience for her. “Then I finally realized the reaction I was having was because black women are seen as the experts of their own experience in this film, and that’s a perspective that’s often missing,” Hunter said. In Reflections Unheard, there are open-ended interviews with black women talking about their experiences without being asked to validate them. “I think that kind of qualtative sharing is really important and something that is often missing,” Hunter said. “Sometimes we’re so stuck on the numbers that stories get lost.” Dr. Shirley A. Jackson, a professor and the chair of black studies at Portland State, introduced the film and emphasized the sacrifices these women made and the comforts they gave up in order to achieve the goals of the movement. “For me, the most significant part of the film is hearing African-American women support a variety of different civil-rights programs (race, feminist, class, welfare rights, etc.),” Jackson said. “They make it clear that while there are some commonalities

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

among different groups of women, there are also differences between them.” Janit Saechao is a senior art history major and member of the Women of Color Action Team who attended the event and also found these differences important. “I think what’s particularly significant for everyone to take into account is that the women of color movement was started by black women,” Saechao said. “It was their experience and their push

that brought together intersectionality.” Intersectionality refers to the way race, gender and class connect and cannot be isolated from one another. For women of color this has, and continues to pose, specific challenges as they are often asked to focus on one part of their identity or experience at the expense of another.

“Without intersectionality, as we saw in the film, it is very alienating for a lot of people,” Saechao said. “Oftentimes for myself personally, I feel that I have to check my womanness at the door when I’m in racial-justice movements, or I’ll have to check my race as an Asian at the door when I’m in the feminist movement. And that’s something that’s still happening.” After the film screening, Hunter facilitated a conversation with Dr. Roberta Hunte, an assistant professor in black

studies and women, gender and sexuality studies at PSU. “This film does a great job expressing the ways black women engage with feminist practice for gender and racial justice both in the larger society and within our communities,” Hunte said. After a successful Women’s History Month, the WRC is now preparing for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, including Take Back the Night at the end of April. They will also have a Take Back the Day symposium featuring workshops submitted by students to discuss what’s happening on different college campuses. ILLUSTRATION BY TERA DEHART

ARTS & CULTURE

SPRING BLOOMS AT THE LAN SU CHINESE GARDEN

PORTLAND STATE’S PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY, DR. NILES LEHMAN. CATHERINE JOHNSON/PSU VANGUARD

CLINTON STREET THEATER HOSTS SCIENCE AND PINTS CATHERINE JOHNSON

THE LAN SU CHINESE GARDEN LOCATED ON NORTHWEST EVERETT STREET. BRAD BOURGEOIS/PSU VANGUARD CATHERINE JOHNSON Right now may be one of the best times of the year to visit the Lan Su Chinese Garden in downtown Portland. Mandi Atkinson is one of three horticulturalists at the garden. During the spring season, she says, there are anywhere from 30 to 50 plants blooming. “I think in terms of times to be here, spring is it because we have such a diversity of blooming plants,” Atkinson said. Atkinson said diversity makes this Chinese garden different than many. They went beyond what you would typically see in a Chinese garden in choosing plants that demonstrate the number and variety of flowering plants in their own nurseries and from China. The Lan Su Garden is the result of a collaboration between Portland and its sister city Suzhou. Suzhou is located

in China’s Jiangsu province, well known for its beautiful Ming Dynasty gardens. In addition to the impressive variety of flora, Lan Su incorporates the traditional five elements that define a Chinese garden: rocks, plants, water, poetry and architecture. Each element, and often each plant, holds some significance. For example, the plum, bamboo and pine are together known as the Three Friends of Winter and serve as a reminder of perseverance. The plum continues to bloom in the winter, the pine stays green in the cold, and the bamboo bends without breaking. “Between all of the symbolism and meaning everywhere you twist and turn, I think more gardens should be designed like that, to have the multisensory aspect of it and

to have the four seasons incorporated,” Atkinson said. “There’s a whole lot of meaning in a garden like this. I find it really inspiring.” Not only is Lan Su unique, but according to Atkinson, who has been working in gardens since 2003 and at Lan Su for the last five years, there aren’t many Chinese gardens outside of China, making Portland fortunate to have one of its own. “Preserving these historic pieces of art is important,” Atkinson said. “Especially to be able to have one here. And everyone has access to see it. It’s a rarity.” In addition to everything there is to see and smell, the garden will host a series of poetry events during the month of April. Events include a weekly poetry tour and a poetry series featuring local and regional poets.

Portland State’s professor of chemistry Dr. Niles Lehman was the featured speaker of Science on Tap, a regularly hosted science lecture series at the Clinton Street Theater. The title of his April 5 lecture was “Game Theory, Cooperation, and the Origins of Life.” “I enjoy bringing science to the general public in a fun and relaxed atmosphere, which these forums all have been!” Lehman said. “It’s great to have people come when they are interested, drink and eat, and enjoy some science without having any heavy responsibilities looming (such as degrees or tests).” Amanda Thomas, the sole organizer of Via Productions and host of Science on Tap, began the monthly lecture series in September 2014. However, she’s run about 300 of these events all over Oregon and in Vancouver since 2006, starting with Science Pub for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. She originally got the idea from reading about new science cafes that were popping up all over the country. “I decided that Portland needed one too, and the rest is history,” Thomas said. Thomas finds most of her speakers through word of mouth and suggestions from the audience, and she makes an effort to make at least half

of them women. Another priority when choosing a topic is whether the person is an engaging speaker. “If the person is passionate about her or his work and can communicate well with the public, then even seemingly banal science topics can be fascinating and fun,” Thomas said. Thomas has worked with Lehman since the very beginning, and he has spoken at several of her events over the years. “He’s a great science communicator and a really nice guy,” Thomas said. The audience seemed to agree, judging by the frequent rounds of laughter. Rachel Powers is a creative writing MFA student at PSU who thoroughly enjoyed the event. “I thought Lehman was very entertaining and thought-provoking,” Powers said. “It’s fun to see scientists with a sense of humor.” Lehman started the event with an experiment, a game. Each audience member was given two playing cards, one red and one blue. Lehman told the audience that if each person raised the red one, they’d be given a free beer. If they raised the blue one, they’d be given a penny. But the catch was that if more than 10 percent of audience members raised the red card, no one would get anything. Thomas counted the cards

and reported that about 60 percent raised the red card. Then, with the assistance of a PowerPoint presentation, Lehman explained how this game illustrates tenets of game theory. Within an hour he covered a number of topics, including the Nobel Prize–winning work of John Nash and the Nash Equilibrium, the way RNA can put itself together to form a full-length molecule, and the various interaction schemes of chemicals, like mutualism, selfishness, altruism and cooperation. “Cooperation is a main pillar of biological organization, and its roots go back to the chemical origins of life,” Lehman said. The notion of cooperation came up repeatedly over the evening and especially resonated with Powers. “I like the fact that Lehman emphasizes cooperation as a fundamental—and successful—biochemical strategy,” Powers said. At the end, Lehman conducted the card game again. This time, only 30 percent of audience members vied against the others for a free beer. Evidence that perhaps, Lehman commented, we are learning to cooperate after all. “I just hope the audience has fun and comes away with two or three memorable pieces of information on a topic that they wouldn’t normally be exposed to,” Lehman said.

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

OPINION

WHY ARE COLLEGE STUDENTS SO AFRAID OF THE REAL WORLD?

Campus Oracle Nathan Anderson

ILLUSTRATION BY ARLEN CORNEJO For those of you who spent spring break enjoying your time off and avoiding the news of the day, you might have missed a gem from Emory University: A group of students protested outside the Emory administration building after “Donald Trump for President” chalk graffiti appeared around campus. The protesters carried signs with various slogans, including, “Stop hate!” and chanted, “We are in pain!” to all who would listen. One student said she felt afraid because the Emory administration “support it as well” (meaning, presumably, Donald Trump) and that she doesn’t “deserve to feel afraid at [her] school.” I tried mightily to put myself in the mind-set of these students, figure out what exactly their grievances were. I confess, I failed spectacularly, as this level of crazy requires a certain level of mental origami that your humble columnist is illequipped to perform. Do they feel that Donald Trump should not be allowed to run for president? That can’t be it, as every middle school student in this coun-

try knows there is no constitutional prohibition on letting dangerous demagogues run for office. Perhaps they feel the school administration should only allow speech they find pleasant and agreeable? That might be the case, but I doubt it. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together knows such an idea is ridiculous and unworkable, even at a private university like Emory. So what’s the problem? They’re sidewalk chalkings in a public place. On top of that, they were only in support of Trump, not something deliberately hurtful or degrading (and yes, I can see the fine line between the two). This is hardly a KKK rally. Do high school students not read 1984 anymore? The scary part of this is that there are people on a college campus—adult, presumably intelligent people—who are freaking out that there are other people in the world who don’t share the same ideological bent they do. As a result, they are having coronaries, and garnering angry mobs to yell and scream and generally be a pain in the rear to everyone else on cam-

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

pus who is not clinically nuts. They are acting a lot like the very person they decry. Being uncomfortable is part of the learning process, the very point of the college experience. These protesters appear to be little more than emotional and intellectual babies, unable to handle the rigors of college life. Do they think, somehow, that when they enter the real world they will be able to protest like this to their boss? That Corporate America will somehow be sympathetic to such shenanigans? If some scary sidewalk chalk is enough to give them a case of the vapors, what will happen when a client is screaming in their face, a patient is threatening to sue, a judge is giving them an admonishment in front a packed courtroom, or Human Resources is investigating them for breach of contract? Will they deserve not to feel uncomfortable then? Perhaps they believe the rigors of the adult world simply won’t apply to them. If so, pass the popcorn, please. Maybe one the benefits of global warming is that all these special snowflakes will melt.

ISIS, MUSLIM AND ISLAM ARE NOT THE SAME THING Jennee Martinez

≠ ≠ ILLUSTRATION BY NIMI EINSTEIN

with the student, I imagined he realized how pointless it would be to highlight his lack of information. No one in my class pointed out the obvious flaws in the student’s logic. Sadly, my classmate is not the only person uninformed and uneducated when it comes to Muslims and Islam, nor is he the only one to stigmatize an entire group of people based on a few radicals. Society has been too quick to point fingers and jump to conclusions; instead of gathering facts and educating ourselves, we listen to the loudest voices and swallow biased information. Despite popular misconceptions, ISIS, Muslims and Islam are not the same thing, nor are they interchangeable. In fact, all three terms mean completely different things. Islam refers to the religion or acts done in the name of that religion; never a person who practices that religion. Muslim should be used to describe all people of the Islamic faith, but not the faith itself. ISIS is a jihadist militant group within the Islamic State. Here’s the first problem with society’s logic: We have demonized all Muslims, as-

suming they are undoubtedly members of ISIS. We have blamed the religion of Islam for all the world’s problems, and we have punished all members of the faith. Although to be Muslim means to be a follower of a specific religion, and despite the fact that ISIS represents nothing but a radical group of followers within the religion, society has come to believe that you cannot be the former without being the latter. Here’s the second and perhaps more detrimental problem: We have come to believe that holy books directly come from the god in which each religion is worshiping. However, gospel is not God. Whether the religion in question is Islam, Christianity, Buddhism or Judaism, each religion follows a set of guidelines, suggestions and spiritual comforts written by humans. Devout followers of any religion will argue that their holy book indeed is specifically written by their god; His words and His ideas were given directly to a worthy scribe and simply repeated and written down by man. Despite religious beliefs and spiritual explanations, the proof is undeniable because

PACIFIC NORTHWEST COLLEGE OF ART

MFA in COLLABORATIVE DESIGN

in all reality, a real-life, living, breathing human wrote the holy books that have become the foundations of all religions all over the world. The fatal flaw that comes from reading any document is the fact that the phrases, sentences and words are all interpreted by the reader; one sentence may have multiple meanings. Despite the true message any god may have been trying to get across, the meaning can be changed, misinterpreted and set askew easily—which is exactly what has happened with Islam. ISIS represents nothing but a group of radicals who have taken phrases from the Quran and interpreted them in violent ways for their own benefit. In fact, the acts of ISIS have nothing to do with the teachings of the religion or the Quran. However, because society continues demonizing Islam and treating all Muslims as if they are followers of a violent, evil religion, hatred and fear toward Muslims is only going to continue, discrimination will rise, and social inequality will quickly grow. And our society wants to blame every problem on Muslims? You can’t fight fire with fire. pnca.edu/graduate/c/cd contact: pschoonmaker@pnca.edu

CHANGEMAKER

All That Isn’t

Lately, there has been a lot of hatred toward Muslims, but nobody wants to claim responsibility for the bigoted behavior, discrimination or acts of hatred being carried out against them. Instead of focusing on the destructive acts our society has begun participating in, attention is continuously drawn back to them. With all the propaganda circulating through social media, biased coverage, false information shared specifically to spread fear and presidential nominees who feed on fear and hatred, no one stops to think about who keeps fanning the fire. No one stops to think about how they may be causing harm. Society is acting like it’s their fault we have this sort of reaction toward Muslims. We have started to blame them for our hateful, fearful, violent reactions. I heard a student in one of my classes defend his hatred by blaming it on Muslims. A heated class discussion regarding Trump’s wall and his “big beautiful door” led to a reoccurring and common question that has become unavoidable: Why should/ shouldn’t we allow Muslims into our country? There were only a handful of students brave enough to openly address the question, although most that spoke up sided with Trump and his immigration policies. My fellow peers who did not agree shook their heads in silence. When asked for an explanation regarding the denial of Muslim immigration, a student responded, listing all the ways Muslims were dangerous. He defended his statement by adding: “If they weren’t like this, I wouldn’t have a problem with them coming to our country. Their religion has made them too evil.” My professor didn’t bother to correct this ignorant statement. Although it was apparent that he strongly disagreed

OPINION

Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

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Vanguard • APRIL 12, 2016 • psuvanguard.com

APRIL 12–

CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK OF WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13

FRIDAY, APRIL 15

JOHN PINNEY SUNDAY, APRIL 17

ARMING SISTERS

REPORTING LIVE CAPSTONE

RACE FOR THE ROSES

4 p.m. Native American Center This self-defense seminar and intensive workshop welcomes all and focuses on introducing the audience to indigenous issues, including community building and historical trauma.

12 p.m. to 1 p.m. East Hall, room 109 If you’re not locked into a capstone, there are some great opportunities to travel abroad and record your experiences for credit. Come reach out to these Education Abroad peer advisers and find out more about the capstone-sans-America experience.

Oregon Convention Center Look for fees and registration info at race4theroses.org. This run raises money for the Albertina Kerr Foundation. Once you’ve finished the 5K, 10K or half-marathon, your staging area and after-party mimosa will be at the Convention Center along with some swag you can get to further support the mission of Albertina Kerr.

‘PAPER TIGERS’ SCREENING 6 p.m. Smith Memorial Student Union If you have attended or are interested in learning more about alternative high schools and how they buck common high-school trends and pitfalls, this film screening and panel will help you better understand how the needs of struggling teens are being met.

THURSDAY, APRIL 14

LOUNGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 8 p.m. McMenamins Crystal Ballroom Fee: $30-$35 Richard Cheese and his band are the heroes of all the lounge lizards in the world. Nothing is better than taking songs like “Wrecking Ball” and making them into those Michael Bubleesque pop standards that take the blues right away.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16

‘PAINTING OREGON’S HARVEST’ 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oregon Historical Society Fee: $5-$11 Part of the exciting Chinese-American artistry series on the final leg of its journey to China, this series of paintings by Kathy Deggendorfer concentrates on the citizenship experiences of Chinese Americans looking for a better life in 1882.

‘CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES’ 7:30 p.m. Broadway Rose New Stage Fee: $20-$44 A lot of Lutherans are funny without knowing they are, and this play, focusing on a group of cooking church ladies in 1960s rural Minnesota, highlights the wit, love and casseroles passed from friend to friend and generation to generation. Waterfront Park

DESIGN WEEK PORTLAND Multiple Venues Design and craft aren’t just about forming and glazing pretty ceramic ashtrays to give to your parents for birthday gifts when you’re eight. Craft and design are about the exploration of culture and social relevance. Look for RACC-inspired seminars and talks at 2016.designweekportland.com to see all the events happening throughout the city.

‘THE FLY’ 7:30 p.m. Hollywood Theatre Fee: $9 Jeff Goldblum is a mad scientist working on genetics, and crazy things happen. An actual fly is involved. Cronenberg’s Frankenstein monster lives on in campy infamy, and who doesn’t want to see Jeff Goldblum at his Goldblumiest?

HOROSCOPES FOR THE WEEK OF

Aries (March 21–April 19)

You have a gift for sensing possibilities. Never forget to trust your gut, even if your recommendation is not received with a hearty welcome.

Taurus (April 20–May 20)

Seek out the warmth of the sun this week. You’ll need the strength and hope that those rays provide to get through. No lizard is an island.

Gemini (May 21–June 21)

Use your even temper to mediate an argument between friends or colleagues. Not only can you see both sides of the issue but your impartiality will be a beacon the next time this happens.

Cancer (June 22–July 22)

Try to use active listening when a friend comes to you with a problem. They are not looking for help or escape; they simply need someone to be empathetic, possibly with a bottle of wine.

APRIL 12–

Leo (July 23–August 22)

Don’t let anyone tell you what you’re capable of. Each of us has a certain amount of greatness—it’s only a matter of finding the avenue to channel said greatness that matters.

Virgo (August 23–September 22)

PORTLAND TWEED RIDE 2 p.m. Lownsdale Square If you’re a picnic and bike-ride kind of person, join the leisurely suited and leisurely paced 10-mile picnic route, celebrating spring and a mystery end spot that is yet to be revealed. Picnicking will happen throughout the course, so probably not for the race-minded among us. Bowler hats and temperance ladies encouraged to attend!

•FEATURED EVENT• ‘IN THE HEIGHTS’ Brunish Theatre April 14–May 1 7:30 p.m. Fee: $25–$40 Do you at least know of, if not enjoy, the newest hit musical, Hamilton? Perhaps you saw the opening number at the Grammys. Well, the guy in the lead that played Alexander Hamilton is Lin-Manuel Miranda, and not only does he star in Hamilton, but he was also responsible for the genius show. If you love Hamilton, why not partake in his 2008 hit In the Heights, which concentrates on Latino residents in Manhattan? Lin-Manuel Miranda takes us all to new heights with this personal ode to New York living.

JOHN PINNEY

Sagittarius (November 22–December 21)

Wisdom is hard-sought, practical revelation, and you have wisdom in spades to pass on. Dole out your knowledge at appropriate moments rather than merely shouting it into the dark.

Capricorn (December 22–January 19)

Your body can break and recover over time, but when your spirit needs to heal, you’ll find that others might be less receptive to a psychic cast than a real cast holding together a broken arm.

Lavish yourself by living within your means. You may not be able to own a baseball team, but surely you can find a batting cage and have the same thrill for a fraction of the price.

Libra (September 23–October 23)

Aquarius (January 20–February 18)

A friend of yours is in a well of loneliness and despair that they cannot exit on their own. Reach your hand down to them and give them a lift back up into the fresh air.

Scorpio (October 24–November 21)

This week, consider radicalizing your outlook. You see only your own flaws, but if you ask your friends why they like you, some surprising answers will come your way.

Don’t let others dictate your moral standards. Bowing to peer pressure may feel good at the moment, but you’ll honestly feel lower later if you don’t broadcast your beliefs now.

Pisces (February 19–March 20)

The morning anchors are always chipper at bizarre hours. You have a tendency to throw on that same mask, but that mask won’t help you stay close with your friends if you can’t be honest when you need them.