The Beacon - March 22 - Issue 20

Celebrating Tami Magnett “She was always cheery, always. That makes such a difference when you are walking into a medical office.” - senior Rachel Sykes For full story, please see page 3

The

BEACON

Vol. 113, Issue 20

THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Thursday March 22, 2011 www.upbeacon.net

Painkiller abuse worsens over decade The University adds questions regarding painkiller use to Core Alcohol and Drug Survey Caitlin Yilek Opinions Editor yilek12@up.edu Editor’s note: The Beacon has a policy to generally avoid the use of anonymous sources because we believe our readers are entitled to know the identities of sources so they can evaluate their credibility for themselves.

We may make exceptions when we believe the public benefit of publishing a story could be told best only when an anonymous source outweighs the value of the policy.

In this case, because the story of the use of painkillers by students illuminates a public health issue, we granted anonymity and the pseudonyms “David” and “Jane” to the students who spoke to us. We do not make this exception lightly but with the hope it will spark awareness and constructive discussion about the use of painkillers.

D

avid, a University of Portland senior, used to start his mornings by snorting Vicodin, a narcotic used to relieve moderate to severe pain.

David did not have moderate or severe pain. Nor did he have a prescription.

“A lot of people used them at my (high) school and coming from a family of alcoholics, it makes sense,” David said

about his addiction.

David estimates he spent more than $1,000 in a year on painkillers such as OxyContin, Codeine and Vicodin, which he bought from friends.

During one of David’s highs he mixed painkillers with alcohol.

“I hallucinated for a day and hooked up with my friend’s girlfriend,” David said.

In late February, a random sample of 1,600 University of Portland students received the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey. According to Kristina Houck, a counselor at the University Health Center, the Health Center administers the national survey every other year - prescribed for pain relief by blocking and the results from the survey affect pain messages from reaching the brain. prevention education on campus.

Codeine: Used to relieve See Painkillers, page 2 mild to moderate pain.

Painkillers

Hydrocodone (Vicodin): Sometimes prescribed for moderate to severe pain, other times used to relieve a cough.

Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet): Prescribed for moderate to severe pain.

Need help?

• • •

Oregon Partnership Substance Helpline: 800-923-4357 Health Center and Peer Health Educators: 503-943-7134 Public Safety: 503-943-7161

Photo illustration by Hannah Gray | THE BEACON

2

NEWS

March 22, 2012

On On Campus Campus

‘SHERLOCK HOLMES 2’ Friday and Saturday, “Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows” will play in the Buckley Center Auditorium at 10 p.m.

ABBY’S CLOSET Today through Tuesday, the Moreau Center for Service and Leadership is collecting dress donations for Abby’s Closet, a nonprofit organization that gives out free prom dresses to high school girls.

‘HOME IN THE ISLANDS’ Saturday, the Hawaii Club is hosting the 36th Annual Luau, “Home in the Islands,” in the Chiles Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner is at 6 p.m.

Enjoy the Hawaiian Culture with live entertainment and authentic Hawaiian food.

Tickets are available through Friday in the Pilot House and The Commons, but tickets may be purchased at the door upon availability. Sales times are: • Pilots House – 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

• The Commons – 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5 p.m.6:30 p.m.

Ticket rates are: • $20 general admission • $15 senior citizens and kids under 9 • $10 UP students, staff and faculty GRADUATION TICKETS Monday, April 2, graduating seniors will be able to order commencement tickets through the PilotsUP portal at 7 a.m.

Seating for commencement will be assigned and issued in order of online requests received.

Each student is guaranteed two tickets in the lower bowl, and all remaining requested tickets will be in the upper sections of the Chiles Center. All online ticket requests and edits to your order must be made by Friday, April 13 at 10 p.m.

After completing the online order form, a confirmation email including number of tickets and order of receipt will be sent to the your PilotsUP email account. Ticket packets will be available for pick-up at the Office of University Events Monday, April 23, through Friday, May 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Students must bring a copy of the confirmation email, as well as their student I.D. in order to pick up tickets.

CORRECTIONS In the March 8 issue, in the “Smooth sailing for housing process” article, The Beacon misidentified Lauren White as Laura White.

The Beacon regrets the error.

Accuracy in The Beacon

The Beacon strives to be fair and accurate.

The newspaper corrects any significant errors of fact brought to the attention of the editors.

If you think an error has been made, contact us at beacon@up.edu. Corrections will be printed above.

PAINKILLERS: Abuse on the rise Continued from page 1 For the first time, the survey covers prescription drugs.

“We have no doubt there are likely students at UP who are either abusing or becoming dependent upon painkillers,” Paul Myers, director of the Health Center, said.

“On Vicodin everything is sort of hazy and nothing really matters. It’s really hard to be stressed or upset when you are on painkillers.

All of your problems don’t matter, but once you come down (from the high) you have to face your problems and want to do more (drugs).”

Jane senior

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, sponsored by the U.S. Public Health Service, reports that 25 percent of people ages 18 to 20 have used prescription drugs for a nonmedical reason at least once in their lives. And by students’ sophomore year in college, about half have been offered the opportunity to abuse a prescription drug.

“Prescription drug abuse is using a medicine in a way that it was not intended when the prescription was written by a health care provider,” Tim Crump, a family nurse practitioner at the Health Center, said. “On college campuses, you have a large student body congregating together and sharing ideas or daring each other to do risky things and in certain cases that can be a dangerous situation.”

Painkillers, which are prescribed for moderate to severe pain and block pain messages from reaching the brain, are the prescription drugs most frequently abused.

“One reason (people) choose to abuse prescription drugs is due to the misperception that abusing prescription drugs is safer than using illegal drugs,” Houck said.

However, it isn’t.

Abusing painkillers can lead to an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, organ damage, addiction, seizure, heart attack, stroke and death.

David started abusing painkillers out of curiosity and says the dangers did not deter him from taking them.

Jane, also a senior at the University, began experimenting with drugs in high school because her brother was addicted to painkillers.

“Looking back I can’t ever remember any physical problems (with my body) while on Vicodin,” Jane said. “It was mostly just fun.”

For a while.

Photo illustration by Hannah Gray | THE BEACON

“On Vicodin everything is sort of hazy and nothing really matters,” Jane said. “It’s really hard to be stressed or upset when you are on painkillers. All of your problems don’t matter, but once you come down (from the high) you have to face your problems and want to do more (drugs).”

Although Jane was able to escape reality through painkillers, the escape was only temporary. “(Painkiller) abuse inhibits the dopamine reuptake process in the brain, resulting in an increased volume of dopamine – the brain’s pleasure chemical – in the brain, resulting in a high,” Houck said.

Abusing painkillers has negative health effects, and it is also illegal.

Jane says she hung out with people who had access to a lot of different drugs, until she was arrested her freshman year at UP. She spent four days in jail and had $15,000 in fines, not including lawyer fees.

number of deaths from overdose of painkillers more than tripled over the past decade. Prescription painkillers led to the deaths of almost 15,000 in 2008, up from 4,000 in 1999.

Accidents related to painkiller abuse

By 2008, the epidemic of prescription drug overdoses (which includes painkillers among other prescription drugs) approached the number of deaths from motor vehicle crashes, the leading cause of injury in the United States, according to the CDC. Though the drugs never affected his grades and his family never knew about his addiction, David’s actions while on painkillers led him to make the decision to quit.

After abusing painkillers for a year, David stopped after he almost died while driving high.

“I wasn’t paying attention at all and almost got hit by another car, and another time by a train,” David said.

Others have not been fortunate enough to stop abusing painkillers before an overdose.

Last November, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the

“One reason (people) choose to abuse prescription drugs is due to the misperception that abusing prescription drugs is safer than using illegal drugs.”

Kristina Houck Health Center counselor

Overdose Painkillers, which include Oxycodone, Methadone and Hydrocodone, now account for more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined in the U.S., the CDC reported.

David has dealt with his friends overdosing.

“One friend went into severe overdose,” David said. “He fell asleep for a day and a half and was happy to wake up.”

His friend continued to use painkillers, despite his neardeath experience.

“The big danger with (painkiller) overdose is respiratory depression,” Crump said. “An overdose can last from four to eight hours, and if your breathing slows for long enough, it can be lethal.”

According to Crump, patients who overdose need to seek immediate medical attention to get medication that will block opiate receptors and reverse the respiratory depression.

The CDC believes the number of painkiller-related deaths is underestimated because the type of drug is not specified on many death certificates.

Health care providers can prevent prescription painkiller overdoses while ensuring safe, effective pain treatment through responsible prescribing, according to CDC Director Thomas Frieden.

See Abuse, page 5

NEWS

The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net

3

UP community devastated by loss Celebrating the life of Health Center Program Specialist Tami Magnett, 49

Natalie Wheeler Staff Writer wheelern12@up.edu Tami Magnett – known at UP as the “big-hearted,” “cheery,” “dedicated” program specialist at the Health Center – died of natural causes sometime between Sunday evening and 5:21 a.m. Monday, according to the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s office.

Magnett, 49, had worked at the Health Center for 15 years.

A native of St. Johns, Magnett attended Roosevelt High School, worked at the Twilight Room as a young adult and served as athletic director at Holy Cross High School.

Paul Myers, director of the Health Center, said Magnett was a staple in the St. Johns community.

“We would go for lunch at any St. Johns restaurant and people would always stop by and say ‘hello’ to her,” Myers said.

Magnett began working at the Health Center as a medical receptionist in 1997. Arriving

at the office at 7:30 a.m. every morning, she took on many roles during her time at UP, including office manager for administrative support and, most recently, Peer Health Educator adviser.

“She was so skilled with people and had so many creative ideas,” Myers said. “She would ask for (tasks), ‘I’ve got this down really efficiently, can I do this now?’”

On the other side of her desk, students remember Magnett as the smiling face who always remembered everyone’s name.

“She would show genuine interest in me,” senior Chloe’ Ruffin said. “I would just put my elbows on her desk and we would catch up.”

“She was always cheery, always,” senior Rachel Sykes said. “That makes such a difference when you are walking into a medical office.”

Fr. Gerry Olinger, vice president of student affairs, was struck by the news of Magnett’s death after meeting with her last week to discuss the University’s mission.

Tami’s funeral will be at Holy Cross Parish on March 23 at 2 p.m.

“It was so apparent in that meeting that this wasn’t as much as a job for her but a vocation,” Olinger said. “She said she wanted to be positive at work, to provide support to students in need.”

Her positive attitude was infectious, according to Myers.

He remembers how she had everyone laughing in her interview process a decade and a half ago.

“We could hear the roars in the room coming from the last interview team,” Myers said.

“And we said, ‘We’ve got our girl!’”

Magnett is survived by her

Photo courtesy of Paul Myers

Health Center Program Specialist Tami Magnett passed away from natural causes sometime between Sunday night and early Monday morning. husband, Richard. Her funeral will take place at Holy Cross Church tomorrow at 2 p.m.

- Rosemary Peters contributed to this story.

From crate to plate: Know where Bon Appétit’s food comes from Bon Appétit Management Company announces welfare policy Rose Hoonan Staff Writer hoonan15@up.edu

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Being stuck in a cage for four years – the amount of time it takes most UP students to complete college – is a reality for many pigs stuck in gestation crates in farms across America.

The crates confine female pigs for most of their adult lives, and as they grow larger, they must sleep on their chests, unable to turn, until they are slaughtered.

However, under new policy, UP’s food service provider, Bon Appétit Management Company, which operates over 400 eateries in 31 states, will not serve meat from animals who have been treated as such.

“Bon Appétit is the leading food service company in terms of being socially responsible,” Josh Balk, the director of corporate policy for the Humane Society of the United States, said. “Their core belief is to protect animals from abuse and their policies reflect that.”

The welfare policy requires all Bon Appétit branches to serve food only from farms that promote socially responsible practices. This includes using eggs from cage-free hens, serving pork produced without gestation crate confinement systems and eliminating livers of force-fed ducks and veal from calves from its menus.

The new welfare policy reforms will be phased in by 2015 for all Bon Appétit eateries across the nation.

“These changes can’t happen overnight,” Balk said. “Bon Appétit must work with suppliers

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to change, and that takes time.”

However, Bon Appétit at the University of Portland has been enforcing the practices reflected in this policy for over a year, according to UP Bon Appétit General Manager Kirk Mustain.

“We didn’t change what we produce, we changed how we produced it. We made these changes because it’s about doing the right thing, and being a leader. It’s about social justice more than anything else.”

Kirk Mustain UP Bon Appétit General Manager “The Northwest in general has already implemented these policies because we have lots of local growers that follow these policies, and that made it easier to change,” Mustain said. “We wanted to show we could do it before it was implemented nationally.”

Even with the change in welfare policies, UP’s Bon Appétit has managed to maintain the same menu options and keep See Policy, page 5

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NEWS

March 22, 2012

UP welcomes new Physical Plant director André Hutchinson hopes to make Physical Plant ‘the most professional department on campus’ Nikki Robles Staff Writer robles15@up.edu After receiving numerous applications following the resignation of Thomas Blume last semester, the University of Portland has appointed André Hutchinson as director of

Physical Plant.

“I saw it as an opportunity to take my work experience from the last 25 years and put it to work in service in the Congregation of Holy Cross,” Hutchinson said.

Fay Beeler, the assistant director of Physical Plant, served as the interim director until UP made its final decision on Feb. 27.

Hutchinson graduated with a degree in finance from Notre Dame in 1986. He has over 25 years of experience in construction, including the establishment of

André Hutchinson Photo courtesy of UP Marketing and Communications

his own construction company, Dillon Stone, in 1995.

Beeler has worked closely with Hutchinson since his arrival and appreciates his interest in meeting with all the Physical Plant workers.

“He seems fairly driven,” Beeler said.

As director, Hutchinson is in charge of overseeing the Physical Plant, a department that encompasses all of UP. “I’m responsible for the entire physical campus, including maintenance of all the buildings, new construction, infrastructure, housekeeping ground, events,” Hutchinson said. “Every aspect of life here at the University, the department of Physical Plant touches in one way or the other.”

Hutchinson believes Physical Plant has a duty to fix any maintenance issues that any individual who visits or lives at UP encounters.

“Our customers are everyone who steps foot on campus,” Hutchinson said.

During his first week on

campus, Hutchinson contacted various departments to ask for comments on Physical Plant’s productivity.

“The feedback I’ve gotten most consistently so far is that there are some Physical Plant employees who have a long history of service at the University and they are really dedicated to the Physical Plant,” Hutchinson said.

After his assessments have concluded, Hutchinson hopes to start working on improving the performance of Physical Plant.

“One thing that he is stressing is that any information he gets is going to be useful,” Beeler said.

“He wants to increase efficiency.”

For now, Hutchinson has established a vision for Physical Plant.

“My vision for the department is that we are the most professional department on campus in terms of how we perform our work and how we interact with our customers,” Hutchinson said.

Final results Christie Hall is the winner of the Campus Conservation Nationals (CCN) competition and a $500 hall grant from Residence Life. The grant will go directly to the hall council, who will decide how to spend it.

The winner of CCN was supposed to be announced March 7, but due to technical

difficulties, the results were not announced until March 8.

Overall, UP students saved 23,905 kWh and averted 10,900 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, according to Meredith Dickinson, the coordinator for environmental justice and sustainability.

- Hannah Gray

The UP Public Safety Report 1 3

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1. March 16, 2:27 a.m. - Public Safety responded to a noise complaint about a residence in Haggerty Hall. Officers asked the residents to turn down their music and quiet down. They were compliant.

4

2. March 16, 12:24 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a medical call at Waldschmidt Hall where a staff member was experiencing chest pains. AMR also responded and the individual was transported to Southwest Medical by ambulance.

3. March 16, 5:18 p.m. - A student came to Public Safety to report the theft of their phone from Schoenfeldt Hall. A report was filed and case remains open.

4. March 17, 10:38 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a party complaint about a house at the 5000 block of N. Harvard St. Officers made contact with the residents and the party was shut down. A noise violation was issued to the residents.

2

5. March 17, 11:08 p.m. - Public Safety received a party complaint about a house at the 7200 block of N. Portsmouth Ave. Officers determined no students lived at the residence and the call was forwarded to Portland Police.

NEWS

The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net

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ABUSE: Health Center monitors prescriptions Painkiller facts

Continued from page 2

The painkiller abuse has worsened due to the wide variations of prescribing them, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released Nov. 11, 2011.

Last fall, the Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program was established to help healthcare providers and pharmacists manage patients’ prescriptions. The program is an online database with the intention of tracking patients’ prescriptions and putting an end to “doctor shopping.”

“It helps catch those people who go to multiple providers who are looking for multiple prescriptions for narcotics,” Crump said. “It’s easier for patients to ‘doc shop’ if you don’t know their history.”

Crump says he has used the program a few times while at UP, but was not able to discuss why due to patient confidentiality.

The Health Center does not have a stand-alone database counting the number of painkiller prescriptions, nor does it stock painkillers.

“Our prescribers follow practice standards and are careful to not over-prescribe pain medications,” Myers said.

Myers says the Health Center is aware of the abuse of

painkillers nationally.

“If we believe any of our patients fit the categories (of abusing painkillers), we would address those concerns directly with the patients, and if it would ever be necessary, we would facilitate treatment referrals for addressing those behaviors,” Myers said.

against contributing to abuse or dependency on painkillers,” Myers said.

The Health Center does not keep statistics on prescription drug abuse at the University.

Monitoring number of prescriptions

The Health Center is extremely careful when prescribing painkillers, according to Crump.

Crump estimates the Health Center writes one prescription a month for painkillers, compared to 60 to 80 prescriptions for antibiotics and 10 to 20 antidepressant prescriptions per month.

The most commonly prescribed painkiller at the Health Center is Vicodin. The drug is short-acting and mixed with Tylenol.

“We also prescribe it in a very low dosage because we do not have students with chronic pain,” Crump said.

Crump said a typical dosage of Vicodin is 5 milligrams of Hydrocodone and 500 milligrams of Tylenol, which is a low dose of painkillers.

Crump, along with Nurse Practitioner Sue Oshiro-Zeier and a mental health nurse practitioner are the only staff at the Health Center licensed to prescribe medications.

According to Crump, it can be difficult for doctors to accurately measure the amount of pain a patient is in.

“Patients can complain of conditions that are very hard to verify,” Crump said. “There are certain things like lower back pain and headaches that you cannot see with tests.”

Doctors often take a patient’s word for it and treat the symptoms with pain medication.

According to Myers, the prescribers at the Heath Center often consult with one another in responding to pain management situations that take longer to treat.

“The goal is to guard

Health Center protocol

David and Jane kick the habit Jane was supposed to study abroad her sophomore year but

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The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report shows nearly five percent of Americans ages 12 and older said they’ve used painkillers without a prescription or just for the high associated with painkillers in the past year.

Painkillers such as Vicodin and Percocet are the most often abused.

In 2010, enough painkillers were sold to medicate every American adult every four hours for one month.

Health expenses related to prescription drug overdoses cost the U.S. nearly $73 billion a year.

In the U.S., sales of prescription drugs are highest in the Southeast and Northwest.

had trouble getting her visa due to her arrest.

“I told the school about it, and they ended up booting me out of the study abroad program,” Jane said. “Other than that, there were no repercussions from the University.”

Jane has had several friends who have been in rehab for addictions to drugs, including painkillers.

“I know multiple people who have addictions to various substances, and it is really awful to watch,” she said. “I stopped doing drugs because I can’t stand looking at what my friends have

become.”

She is currently paying, with her parents’ help, $100 a month toward her $15,000 fine and lawyer fees.

David stopped abusing painkillers cold turkey but has used them occasionally over the past few years.

“The withdrawals were the worst part of quitting,” David said. “I experienced headaches, nausea, aches and insomnia. It wasn’t very fun.”

POLICY: Students pleased with welfare policy Continued from page 3 prices largely the same, Mustain said.

“We didn’t change what we produce, we changed how we produced it,” Mustain said. “We made these changes because it’s about doing the right thing, and being a leader. It’s about social justice more than anything else.”

Bon Appétit’s welfare policies satisfy frequent on-campus eaters like freshman Marie Lucero. “(These policies) are ones I would have if I were living off campus and making my own food,” Lucero said. “I’m glad I don’t have to feel like I’m compromising my beliefs regarding food just because I’m living on campus and dependent on the school for the majority of what I eat.”

Others see the policy as an aspect that strengthens the company’s credibility.

“I think it’s important that they have policies like this in place so that the food they serve is obtained through ethical business practices,” freshman Will Schlotfeldt said. “It shows that they’re concerned with where the food they serves comes from.”

With Bon Appétit’s implementation of its new welfare policy, Balk hopes other food service companies will follow the movement.

“Bon Appétit changing its policies should open the door for other food service companies to change,” Balk said. “They are demonstrating that protecting animals is good for ethics and business.”

Requirements of policy

As a part of the new welfare policy, Bon Appétit eateries across the nation are joining branches such as UP and are: • Requiring all of the pork it serves (currently 3 million pounds annually) to be produced without gestation crate confinement systems.

•

•

Eliminating livers of force-fed ducks and veal from calves confined in crates from menus.

Replacing all of its precracked eggs (currently 11 million eggs annually) laid by hens in battery cages with hens living in cage-free farms.

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LIVING

March 22, 2012

Students find hope at the border The annual Border Plunge trip to Arizona showed students the harsh reality of illegal immigration

1.

Photographs courtesy of Melissa Boles

3.

2.

Sarah Hansell Staff Writer hansell14@up.edu “Open your heart to the suffering of others, and you will construct a better world,” Pat Ell, assistant director for leadership development, told us during our final reflection for the Border Immersion trip he accompanied us on.

We – 18 UP students and two adult accompaniers – had just finished our weeklong trip in Arizona, where we learned about immigration and human rights issues.

We visited places such as Operation Streamline (an expedited version of court where 70 undocumented immigrants are prosecuted each weekday), saw the U.S.-Mexico border, listened to presentations and had discussions with border enforcement and human rights groups alike.

By the end of the week, we had met many groups that inspired us with their compassion toward struggling undocumented

immigrants and their passion for social justice.

Yet, we were overwhelmed by the lack of progress toward a more just system that does not strip undocumented immigrants of their human dignity.

Many of us felt hopeless.

Some of us felt hopeless after learning about ranchers and vigilante citizens who empty water containers left out for the immigrants crossing the desert who die every day from dehydration.

We felt hopeless after learning that women who cross the desert hoping to escape poverty and other dire situations often start taking birth control two to three months before they leave. This is because it is not a matter of if, but when and how often, they will be raped on their journey – either by their guide or by other men traveling with them.

We felt hopeless after learning that children who are born U.S. citizens are sometimes kept in the U.S. when their parents are deported. They are put in the foster care system, separated

1. From left, freshman Eloiza Meza and sopohmores Vincent Dato-On, Cassandra Van Lier and Erin Flynn bow their heads for a final prayer after a desert hike in Tucscon, Ariz. on the last day of the trip. 2. Sophomore Marissa Manza says goodbye to migrant worker Manuel, who co-led the trip. 3. From left, junior Maddie Justin, sophomore Jessica Morales and Van Lier at the U.S.-Mexico border in Douglas, Ariz.. from their families, sometimes forever.

We felt hopeless after we saw the Mickey Mouse jacket of a four- or five-year-old boy that had been found in the desert – maybe because he and his family were running from Border Patrol, or were told by their guides to leave things behind or maybe because he had died. We won’t ever know.

We felt hopeless after we met four undocumented immigrants who told us their stories and how hopeless they felt about their dreams and futures.

One boy in his early twenties told us his story of how he was born with developmental defects because his mother was doing drugs while she was pregnant with him. His grandmother couldn’t afford medical care for him in Mexico, so she crossed the border with him on her back when he was just a baby.

She got him the care he needed, and he is now excelling in community college, having received a 4.0 GPA last term. He wanted to attend a university, but his grandmother couldn’t afford it,

and he doesn’t qualify for federal aid because he is undocumented.

If he were to deport himself voluntarily, it would take him 10 years before he could apply for citizenship status in the U.S. Meanwhile, he would be living in a country he has never known, indefinitely postponing, and perhaps forgoing, his goal of becoming an aerospace engineer.

But most of all, we felt hopeless when we went to Operation Streamline and heard the clinking of the chains shackled around the ankles, waists and wrists of 70 undocumented immigrants who were being prosecuted for the administrative violation of illegal entry.

Many of us felt, after all we had seen and learned, that these injustices would never change.

Immigration reform has been pushed to the wayside by both parties in favor of strengthening our borders, while the root of the issue is disregarded.

However, we were reminded, on our last day under the Arizona sun, that there is hope.

As long as people are fighting,

as long as people still put water out in the desert, as long as a retired woman named Shura still illegally transports undocumented immigrants in need of medical aid, as long as there are still organizations who will do everything in their power to ensure immigrants are cared for, there is still hope for change.

After only a week together, the twenty of us had unreservedly opened our hearts to the suffering of others.

The suffering of those who die in the desert, of those who lose their children, of those who cannot make ends meet, of those who cannot achieve their dearest dreams – of Manuel, a migrant worker who helped lead our group and teach us these things, despite the fact that he struggles to feed his family.

It made us think differently.

The more people learn to think differently, the closer we come to creating a better world. As an immigration rights activist told us, “If we don’t think differently, everything will be the same.”

UP adds Math Club and multiplies number fun The newest club on campus plans a game show and world domination

Amanda Blas Staff Writer blas13@up.edu When most people hear the word pie, they think of a tasty dessert. But for UP’s newest club, the word brings up the number 3.14: A pi that most mathematicians enjoy better.

On Feb. 23, UP officially recognized the Math Club as its newest club, which, according to the club’s constitution, is meant to bring together those who love math and all its wonders and to provide opportunities to explore and enjoy math topics and activities.

“I think it’s good to have that kind of viewpoint of a mathematical mind to see it’s not all just hard, difficult problems,”

Math Club President Samantha Warren, a junior, said. “Math can be fun, and that’s what Math Club brings to the table.”

The idea of the Math Club came up as a problem while some of the future club members were hanging out at the math tables on the second floor of Buckley Center.

“We were all wondering whether a math club really exists and found out that it didn’t,” Math Club Vice President Michelle Longtain, a freshman, said.

After putting two and two together, the problem was solved.

“We were talking about how cool it’d be to have a Math club and I said let’s do it,” Warren said.

And from there, the Math Club was born.

“We figured we always hang out by the math tables, so we

might as well make a club out of it,” Math Club Treasurer Olaia Urquidi, a junior, said.

Because they came together recently, the Math Club was not able to celebrate Pi Day on March 14, which honors the first three numbers of pi, 3.14. However, the club plans to host several other upcoming events.

“We’re going to host ‘Are You Smarter than a Mathematician,’ which is a playoff on the gameshow ‘Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader’,” Longtain said.

“We’re planning on having that next semester.”

The Math Club will also help students find out how they can make math into a career.

“We’re going to work with a bunch of speakers to give talks and presentations,” Warren said.

“A lot of math majors don’t know

what to do with their careers so (the speakers) can talk about what they can do.”

But don’t be fooled: Math Club isn’t just for math majors.

“Everyone benefits from math,” Warren said. “After all, math just makes the world a better place in general.”

Since its creation, Math Club has grown to include over 40 members, including non-math majors such as business majors, social science majors and even a nursing major. According to Math Club member Rachel Brauner, a junior biology major, having different majors as part of the Math Club helps bring an understanding of how math is used in different ways.

“It’s interesting comparing math classes across majors to see how differently math is used,”

Brauner said. “But we’re also able to find links in the math concepts we’re using, which helps build bridges and bring majors together.”

Warren feels the Math Club can help math seem less intimidating.

“I think Math Club will help give a different viewpoint of the mathematical mind to see it’s not all just hard difficult problems. It can be fun,” Warren said.

So what does the Math Club expect to achieve during its years at UP? “World domination,” Warren said. “And we even eventually want to get a cat, but the likeliness of getting that is slim.”

No B.S. at Blake Shelton show Amanda Blas Staff Writer blas13@up.edu

Concert Review First, let’s get one thing straight. I have never been around so much flannel, plaid, cowboy hats and boots in my life. I felt like I had left hipster Portland’s Rose Quarter Arena and made my way to small town U.S.A. But then, as opening act Justin Moore reminded me, “You’re at a freakin’ country concert.”

I can describe my overall Blake Shelton concert experience in one word: amazing. While I could’ve done without Dia Frampton from “The Voice” as an opening act, Justin Moore made up for her being “too cute for country” when he took the stage with his edgy performance that included everything country, from alcohol and guns, to fishing and kicking butt.

With Moore setting the tone, Shelton didn’t have a problem winning the hearts of the audience. But then again, it appears the audience didn’t have a problem winning Shelton’s either. After singing his opening song “Footloose,” Shelton confessed, “Guys hate to do this, girls hate to hear this and I hate to be premature about this, but I can tell I honestly love you guys already.”

Shelton’s performance was out of this world, thanks to some help from great lighting and stage effects, but the performer himself was definitely down to earth. He was conversational, genuine and he even admitted being nervous

Photo courtesy of cmt.com

because of the huge audience and to needing a drink to calm his nerves. Well, he seemed to need to calm his nerves the entire concert. But what can he say?

That’s country for him.

Shelton’s concert was full of surprises. He played a few of what he described as his pre“The Voice” songs without the help of his band, performed with Frampton and Moore, tweeted that those who don’t agree with his openly country values can “kiss his a**” and even told a little anecdote about being on meeting Cee Lo Green. He followed with a bit of Green’s popular song “F**k you.”

But the biggest surprise of the night was definitely a guest appearance from Shelton’s wife, Miranda Lambert. Lambert sang her new single, “Baggage Claim,” which had the audience out of their seats once again.

Needless to say, Shelton’s concert more than exceeded my expectations. He may not be the youngest country singer out there, but with the way Shelton’s going and performing, you can expect him to outrun all those new country singers.

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Where Photo courtesy of Laurisa Johnson

Freshman Rose Hoonan swingin’ with The Beacon in Olympia, Wash.

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Sophomore Kathryn Walters explores the territory of The Bluff with your friendly neighbors Lewis and Clark.

Sopho in the

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Seniors Caitlin Yilek and Sean Kendrick hiking at Mount Tabor Park in Southeast Portland.

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Freshman Jennifer Rillamas took her Beacon to Beacon Avenue in Fremont, Calif.

Seniors Kirby Wigton, Rosemary Peters and Emily Lindgren sit in McMenamins in St. Johns reading the newspaper before eating dinner.

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Senior Hannah Gray spent her break in Boise, Idaho with her family.

1. Sophomore Kayla Wong took a trip to Colorado to vist a friend and took a pit stop at the Denver Zoo.

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Zoe, niece of freshman Shellie Adams, poses for a picture with The Beacon.

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Senior Jocelyne LaFortune celebrated her grandmother’s birthday with her family in Boulder, Colo. along with Will Blowers, a 2011 alumnus.

1.

2.

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UP stu

Monica McAll

Senior Monica McAllister posing with one of the at the annual crab racing festival in the coastal t Rockaway, Ore.

3.

2. Barney enjoys eating mice and reading The Beacon in his spare time.

3. Sophomore Ann Truong took her Beacon swimming.

4. Indy the English Springer Spaniel, posing with The Beacon.

5. Seniors Katrina Ause and Olga Mosiychuk at the annual crab racing festival in the coast town of Rockaway, Ore.

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e has your Beacon been?

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The University of Portland Entrepreneurial Scholars at the Great Wall of China.

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Junior Elizabeth Tertadian reads The Beacon with Michael Oreskes, the senior managing editor of the Associated Press.

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For taking The Beacon with her to Iceland, Brenda Greiner has won a $10 gift card to Subway.

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omore Will Lyons and friend Julie Ainsbury in front of Alcatraz, “The Rock�

San Francsisco Bay.

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udents on the Border Immersion Tip in the Green Valley desert in Arizona.

lister| THE BEACON

e contestants town of

Brenda Greiner, director of the Freshman Resource Center, at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland.

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Senior Rosemary Peters prepares for life after graduation, which will probably involve sleeping under newspapers unless she finds a job.

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Juniors Jackie Jeffers and Elizabeth Tertadian, sophomore Kate Peifer, and junior Laura Frazier stop for a picture in Times Square, New York.

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10

FAITH & FELLOWSHIP

March 22, 2012

Guest speaker to discuss sex and religion

Gary Chamberland Guest Commentary In Sex and the Soul, Donna Freitas, a professor of religious studies at Boston University, explores the interrelationship of sexuality, spirituality, romance and religion on America’s College campuses.

She polled and interviewed non-believers and believers of many faiths at large public universities, non-religious private colleges, Catholic schools and evangelical Christian colleges to discover colleges students’ beliefs and desires, their sexual mores and actual experiences and their integration or nonintegration of religious beliefs with their sexual activity. She also discussed their perceptions, acceptance of, participation in and feelings about the sexual culture that existed on their campuses.

It is a fascinating study that utilizes a combination of statistical data and personal stories to shed light on this complex of issues that are at the very center of every person’s life.

In her conclusion, Freitas noted the privacy inherent in

her interview process allowed students the safety to open up about the interrelationship of faith, sex and romance in their own lives. It is this “safe place” that seems to be missing in the lives of many college students, a place where they can speak about their deepest hopes and desires, their fears and experiences.

She writes, “I wonder how many times this short interview provided the only moments during their college years when students could give voice to these questions, experiences, opinions and hopes, the only moments when they did something other than simply ponder these things in their hearts.”

Freitas found that most students, regardless of type of school they attended, are highly invested in their religious and/ or spiritual identities, experience sexual desire and long to act on it, hold romance and a fulfilling romantic relationship as a priority and have absolutely no idea how to reconcile these three realities.

It is tragic, and perhaps even an indictment, that these two primal human needs, the impulse toward religion and spirituality, and sexual desire and the longing to act on it, both of which are constitutive of the human person, are so frequently left unattended on American campuses.

If we are to have a society peopled with happy and well-

adjusted men, women and families, these matters cannot be left unaddressed. Colleges must create the opportunity for the self-expression and the discussions that will allow this essential personal integration to take place. At the University of Portland, a community of scholars committed to the exploration of faith and the fullness of human formation, we too must work to foster a campus culture that values faith and its expression and promotes a healthy understanding of the human person. Such an understanding necessarily rejects degrading and objectifying stereotypes or activities, but must also cherish the “imago dei,” which means the image of God, that is every human person which seeks others’ best interest in all things.

As a lifelong Catholic, I know the common perceptions about the Church’s teachings on sex and sexuality. It is often dismissed as a list of “don’ts.”

Personally, I never heard the teaching presented that way in grade school or high school religion classes or in my college theology courses. If anything, human sexuality wasn’t spoken of much at all.

But when it was, it was always presented as good and as a participation in the creative genius of God. Sex was one of

God’s greatest gifts to humanity, a gift to be used wisely and well.

Any “don’t” encountered along the way was always an addendum to a far more enticing list of “do’s.”

This semester, I meet every Monday evening with a group of students to discuss and explore The Theology of the Body, a presentation of the Church’s teaching on the purpose and use of our human sexuality. But it is so much more than that as well.

It is an exploration of who we, as human beings, are before God and who we are called to be. It challenges us to ponder what it means to be made in love and to be made for love. It calls us to live love in powerful and wonderful ways.

Pope John Paul II wrote, “Man cannot live without love.

He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own; if he does not participate intimately in it.”

Christians know this is the love of God as experienced through Christ. But it is also the love that is lived and experienced in the romance, intimacy, joy, sorrow, companionship, commitment and sexual union with another that is the fullness of marriage.

Such love is a participation in and

a manifestation of the very love which is God. Freitas found that college students today long to integrate their religious and spiritual identities with their sexual identities in a fulfilling romantic relationship. Many desire to reject the empty and broken notions of sex that pervade their campuses and hope for the fruitful discussions and supportive campus culture that will help them find that integration.

What about us? What about the University of Portland? How are we doing in our efforts to engage the discussion? What about you? Where do you stand on these matters which are constitutive of your very self?

What do you hope for? What do you fear? How do you experience our campus culture? Together, can we create those “safe places” where we share our beliefs, come to know ourselves better and grow together in love?

Donna Freitas speaks next Thursday, March 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Buckley Center Auditorium. Come listen to her presentation and let’s begin a more open campus discussion.

Fr. Gary Chamberland is the director of Campus Ministry. He can be reached at chamberg@ up.edu

Thursday, March 29th BC Auditorium, 7:30pm

Sex & The Soul

Donna Freitas, Ph.D. discusses juggling sexuality, spirituality, romance and religion on a college campus. Freitas teaches at Boston University and is author of a book on the hook-up culture entitled, Sex and the Soul. _____________________________________________________________ Join Donna for a brown bag lunch discussion on Friday, March 30 at 12:35pm in the Terrace Room.

Sponsored by Campus Ministry For more information contact Vinci Paterson x7889 paterson@up.edu or Theresa McCreary x7131 mccreary@up.edu

OPINIONS

The Beacon — www.upbeacon.net

11

Learn to question the media Joseph Kony.

Most of you probably know the name after watching the nonprofit Invisible Children’s 30-minute documentary “Kony 2012,” which aims to make the warlord famous.

Kony first came to prominence in 1986, as the leader of a Ugandan guerilla group that would eventually form the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

In 1988, the group became an important player in Ugandan affairs because many citizens were unsatisfied with other rebel groups. People joined Kony’s movement as a form of rebellion, believing Kony could communicate with the Holy Spirit.

The bulk of the LRA, however, is made up of children forced to be soldiers. Kony stands accused of kidnapping thousands of children in northern Uganda and its neighboring countries, turning girls into sex slaves and boys into killers. Kony and his army often killed the families of the children, giving the children no other option but to fight for his cause: the Ten Commandments. His movement created a

bloody nation for over 20 years, killing tens of thousands of people, burning their homes and mutilating their bodies.

The International Criminal Court has wanted Kony for war crimes since 2005.

During the Bush administration, the Pentagon sent a team of 17 counterterrorism advisers to train Ugandan troops to combat the LRA. The U.S. also provided millions of dollars worth of fuel trucks, satellite phones and night vision goggles to aid Uganda’s army. Though these efforts scattered the LRA, it soon found sanctuary in neighboring countries.

In October 2011, President Obama deployed 100 armed military advisers to assist in the hunt for Kony.

Even so, Kony remained unknown to many people until March 5 when Invisible Children posted its video on YouTube. Within six days, the documentary spread like wildfire on Facebook and Twitter, attracting over 100 million views and making Kony a household name.

Social media, as the film’s narrator proclaims, “are changing the way the world works.”

“Kony 2012” is the most explosive viral video in history, according to Visible Measures, a blog about the analytics and advertising of social videos.

While the documentary raised awareness about the Ugandan warlord, it also backfired on Invisible Children.

Soon after the video’s release, its muckraking focus was seen as misleading. For starters, Kony was driven out of Uganda six years ago and now has only a few hundred followers. He is no longer the danger he was a decade ago and Ugandan life has mostly returned to normal. Yet, the LRA is still causing harm, according to the United Nations.

Sure, all the fresh attention on Kony is a good thing.

But is it too late?

Perhaps.

The New York Times and other media outlets have covered the situation in Uganda and the LRA for over a decade.

Did anyone outraged by the lack of coverage surrounding

Kony, his child soldiers and sex slaves bother to verify the information in the documentary or even Google the LRA? Probably not.

Media illiteracy plagues our society. We are so willing to accept anything that evokes emotion as true.

Why? With the depths of information the Internet provides, we have more chances than ever to examine all sides of a story before believing in it. But we don’t.

In order to be functionally literate in our media-saturated society, people have to apply critical thinking skills to the messages the media are sending.

Instead of viewing one source’s portrayal as fact, it is important to seek alternative sources of information before jumping to conclusions.

In today’s social mediabased world, it is easier than ever for a message to be passed along without questioning the origin. Everyone is trying to share and sell his or her message. Just because millions of

people post a message on the Internet does not give us the excuse not to ask: Who produced it and for what purpose? Who profits from the message? Who loses?

Finally, ask yourselves why you so quickly became an activist for Ugandan children after a tear-jerking documentary, but failed to do so for the child sex trafficking victims in Portland and Seattle, a problem right in front of you. And of course, there is the ever-present government massacre of its citizens in Syria.

Yet, no one seems to be a social media “activist” against either of these.

Read The New York Times, The Oregonian or any other news publication for that matter.

Educate yourselves by reading all viewpoints on a topic, rather than accepting the first one you hear. You can make a difference in stopping injustices, but only if you’ve sifted through and analyzed the media’s messages.

EDITORIAL POLICY

The editorial reflects the majority view of The Beacon Editorial Board. The editorial does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the collective staff or the Administration of the University of Portland. Other submissions in this section are signed commentaries that reflect the opinion of the individual writer. The Student Media Committee, providing recommendation to the publisher, oversees the general operation of the newspaper. Policy set by the committee and publisher dictates that the responsibility for the newspaper’s editorial and advertising content lies solely in the hands of its student employees.

What does racism look like today?

Kevin Hannon Guest Commentary Growing up in a society in which the face of racial discrimination is often masked and ignored by social media, it is difficult to see where and how we still need to change. Some may argue that we do not need to change, that racism does not exist today.

Sure there are the fading generations of racists that still dwell within small areas of our nation,

but we, as a majority, have grown and evolved beyond the racist conventions that polluted our society in the past. People are no longer judged based on the color of their skin or their ethnic background. As Martin Luther King, Jr. had hoped, people are now judged by the content of their character. Sadly, this perspective is not yet a reality.

Among the many ideologies that United States of America was built upon, including protections for life and property, was the importance of racial inequality. Over two hundred years of racial prejudice in the forms of slavery and Jim Crowe laws have worked their way into American

consciousness.

It is unfair to assume that the last 50 years of progression would simply wash away the scars of the past. Racism has become institutionalized. Racial inequality persists within society today, in which the level of outward racist attitudes and laws have been replaced with an unequal distribution of wealth, a lack of job opportunities, disproportionate educational systems and ineffective government programs. Most of the individuals in charge of government and economic institutions are wealthy white men.

Although these men may not spout racist jargon, they offer opportunities for employment and

power to those they can relate to, often other wealthy white men.

Being a white man myself, it is difficult to connect with these ideas of racism because the institution works with me. I am a part of the “invisible race,” meaning I often do not have to fear being judged by society based on the color of my skin. I eventually learned this idea is often expressed in sociological terms as the “white privilege.” Society offers privileges based a person’s whiteness because these are the attitudes that have been worked into our institutions since our nation was founded.

This idea of white privilege angered me at first. Although

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Letters to the editor must not exceed 250 words. Those with longer opinions are encouraged to submit guest columns. The Beacon reserves the right to edit any contributions for length and style, and/or reject them without notification. University students must include their major and year in school. Nonstudents must include their affiliation to the University, if any.

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I wanted to argue that I am not judged based on the color of my skin, my inexperience within racism made it impossible. It is through this frustration I realized there are aspects of society that need to change. Although the idea of institutional racism may seem like an impossible problem to tackle, there is one force strong enough to influence change: education. I was only able to recognize the reality of racism through the information and discussions presented through different courses like Race and Ethnic Relations. Through education and See Racism, page 13

Staff Writers

Jason Hortsch, Kyle Cape-Lindelin, Bruce Garlinghouse, PJ Marcello, Sarah Hansell, Rose Hoonan, Amanda Blas, Will Lyons, Natalie Wheeler, Kate Peifer, Kathryn Walters, Philip Ellefson, Nikki Robles

Photographers

Ian Hilger, Jackie Jeffers, Kayla Wong, Monica McAllister

Staff Members

Page Designer. . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Rillamas Business & Ad Manager . . . Kelsey Tuttle Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ann Truong Web Technician . . . . . . . . . . . . Et Begert Circulation Manager. . . . . Jack Kortum Adviser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nancy Copic Publisher . . Fr. E. William Beauchamp, C.S.C.

12

OPINIONS

March 22, 2012

“Kony 2012” illustrates need for Internet literacy

Philip Ellefson Staff Commentary One day, my newsfeed was plastered with the video “Kony 2012” and statuses saying things like “Kony must be punished for his crimes. #kony2012.” The next day, all I saw on Facebook was a hoard of people decrying the video and calling Invisible Children an illegitimate organization.

The explosion and subsequent backlash against “Kony 2012” illustrate two important truths about social media. First, the Internet can be used to spread awareness and activism across the world in a matter of hours.

Second, people are even more eager to jump on bandwagons than

Nikki Robles Staff Commentary It was midnight on Wednesday, March 7. I should have been sleeping or at least cramming for my math quiz. Instead, I was mindlessly surfing Facebook.

Post after post, there was a link to a video titled “Kony 2012.”

Since a noticeable portion of my friends were recommending it, I decided to click on the video.

Thirty minutes of intense graphics, forceful rap music and an empowering message later, I was convinced that my generation needed to stop Joseph Kony, the rebel warlord from Uganda who spearheaded the killings of thousands of innocent people.

As the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), Kony kidnapped young boys and forced them to join his movement while

we previously thought.

The problem is that in the Information Age, when countless data are sent across the world every second, we haven’t yet learned to filter, examine and analyze the information we’re exposed to on the Internet. A couple of decades ago, editors and publishers made it more difficult (although by no means impossible) for false or illegitimate information to be published. Now, anyone can make a film or write a story and expose tens of millions of people to it through various forms of social media. We all need to be editors.

We all need to be fact-checkers, researchers and, above all, thinkers.

Really, the rapid spread of “Kony 2012” is absurd. Because of the Internet, virtually all of the accumulated knowledge of humankind is now at our fingertips. Yet, for a brief period of time

we were so fixated upon this one 30-minute video that we forgot about all of the other information out there. It would seem that the abundance of facts would make us more rational and critical of what we see. Ironically, however, we latched on to this one tearjerking documentary and took it as true, when in less than five minutes we could have learned that Invisible Children was already a controversial organization and that Kony was no longer active in Uganda when the video was made.

The whole situation got a lot worse for Invisible Children when Jason Russell, the creator of “Kony 2012,” had a mental breakdown and was found exhausted and dehydrated, vandalizing cars and making sexual gestures (or masturbating, according to some accounts). After this incident, we again see a lack of reasonability

on the Internet. While there are plenty of legitimate arguments against the Kony movement, Russell’s lewdness is not one of them.

To discredit the film and its mission on the grounds of Russell’s actions is a blatant ad hominem fallacy and has no place in serious discussion of the issue.

This, too, is a problem of the Internet. There are innumerable forums for debate on the Web, but for the most part they are filled with people using poor rhetoric and emotionally charged arguments (and with Internet trolls, who are certainly not helping at all). Besides an inability to be critical of information, we also have to deal with the problem of figuring out how to argue rationally on the Internet.

So what do I think of “Kony 2012” and Invisible Children? I will not tell you, because passively accepting my opinion is just as

What are Uganda do about it?

forcing young girls to become sex slaves for the soldiers.

It was nearing 1 a.m., but I was wide awake. Sleep could wait – I needed to help save the world.

I browsed Invisible Children’s website and joined nearly every “Cover the Night” event that I was invited to on Facebook. I was close to buying the “action kit” provided by Invisible Children, which contained a T-shirt, bracelet, action guide, stickers, buttons and posters for $30. The video had more than 80 million views on YouTube and the action kits and various other products on the Invisible Children store were sold out. I wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

It didn’t take long for backlash against the nonprofit to emerge.

The blog “Visible Children” reported Invisible Children only gave 30 percent of its profits to the effort in Uganda. Another criticism was that the organization supports the capture of Kony through violent military force.

Just this past week, the co-direc-

tor of “Kony 2012,” Jason Russell, was detained and hospitalized for masturbating in public.

The integrity of the organization and its leaders has become questionable.

After seeing a different side

of the Invisible Children foundation and the leaders behind it, I rethought the movement. Although Invisible Children has provided responses to the negative criticism, I still find it hard to support the nonprofit in its efforts

bad as passively accepting “Kony 2012” as true. We all need to get online and find out for ourselves what we think of the video and the movement, whether Invisible Children is trustworthy, whether military intervention is the best course of action against Joseph Kony, whether the U.S. has any place in Uganda at all. Do not just watch a video. Check facts, use reason and be Internet-literate.

The Internet is young, and we are just learning to use it. Our generation has the potential to turn the web into anything we want. So let’s turn it into something constructive and helpful, a way to share information but also to analyze it. Think, use reason and Facebook on.

Philip Ellefson is a freshman English major. He can be contacted at ellefson15@up.edu

to stop Kony.

Maybe I am being cynical, but I have learned to question the motives of everything and anything. I’m not saying that people See Kony, page 13

SAA Presents: “An Insider’s Guide to Green Jobs” March 28th @ 6pm BC 163 Come network with professionals in the Environmental Industry!

4th Annual Easter Egg Hunt April 1st @ Noon East Quad Great Prizes, Coffee, & Pastries!

OPINIONS

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KONY:

Continued from page 12 should give up on the mission entirely. I’m saying that people need to do their own research and form a decision based upon what they have learned, not on what a 30-minute video may have taught them. After learning about the issue, people should find their own way to combat it.

If you are passionate about this movement, educate yourself on the history of the Kony regime. As a UP meme scathingly pointed out, first know where Uganda is before becoming a social advocate.

There are ways to help detain Kony for his crimes against humanity without using red and black posters. Be active. Research other organizations that are fighting for the same cause.

Write to your congressional representatives.

Whether you are for or against this movement, there is an important lesson to be learned: When young people put their minds to something, they can create an impact on the world. By simply sharing a link on Facebook or Twitter, young people raised awareness. If young adults united at this scale on other pressing issues, the world would definitely change for the better.

Nikki Robles is a freshman business and history major. She can be contacted at robles15@ up.edu.

RACISM: Still a problem THE AARP FOUNDATION PRIZE The AARP Foundation will offer a $3,000 cash prize for the business plan submitted to the University of Portland $100k Challenge business plan competition that best addresses one or more of the following challenges for low-income (less than $39,000 Median Annual Household Income) seniors: 1.

2.

3.

4.

provide a home that better allows the occupant to affordably age-in-place provide healthier food at more affordable prices provide increased income reduce the negative impact of isolation on physical, mental and emotional well-being

To apply for this prize, register for the $100k Challenge and the AARP Foundation Prize here: http://up2012.istart.org/ The deadline for registration is 5pm, Saturday, April 7, 2012. Teams must include University of Portland students to be eligible. For full contest rules visit: http://www.up.edu/showimage/show.aspx?file=19472

Follow AARP Foundation Prize on Twitter (@aarpfoundprize) for updates.

13

Faces on The Bluff

By Monica McAllister

We asked:

What impact do you want to leave on the world?

“I want to positively increase the way people think about each other.”

Joshua Bordallo, freshman, biology

“I would like to leave the world with more trees than when I entered it.”

Brie Taylor, junior, environmental studies

Continued from page 11 discussion we see the economic and political implications of racism today. With this knowledge, I was inspired to actively pursue change.

I am taking part in the Civil Rights Service Learning Immersion in May. Our group will be traveling to Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana, three major sites of the Civil Rights Movement, to learn about the current state of civil rights and social injustice in our society.

Another important force for social change is support.

The Civil Rights Immersion is putting on a variety show this Friday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Mago Hunt. Tickets can be purchased from participants, at the door and there will be a bake sale. Come enjoy musical performances, improv and other acts while also supporting our group’s mission for equality and social justice.

Kevin Hannon is a senior English major. He can be contacted at hannonk12@ up.edu.

“I want to advocate for universal health services.”

Hannah Alessio, junior, nursing

“I want to positively influence the ways in which people perceive themselves and their surroundings.”

Michael Rexroat, freshman, political science and drama

SPORTS

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Re-LAXing in SoCal Bruce Garlinghouse Staff Commentary

Jackie Jeffers | THE BEACON

Freshman midfielder Chris Timm fires an overhand shot during practice at Prusynski Pitch. Thought the Pilots went 0-3 during their time in Los Angeles, the trip was an important landmark for the young club lacrosse program under the tutelage of Head Coach Mike Wilkerson.

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Since I began college, there have been many reasons for lack of sleep with procrastination, finals and T-Rooming being the main culprits.

But on the first night of spring break, the sand man evaded me for a much different reason: excitement. Like that genuine, holy-crap-tomorrow-is-Christmas kind of excitement.

That next morning, 21 of my lacrosse bros and I were on our way to Southern California for a three-game swing against California State-Fullerton, Concordia University and Biola College.

This trip marked two important moments for both me and my bros.

First, I could die happy knowing I fulfilled my duty as an American by spending spring break in either Southern California, Mexico or Florida, and second, it was a legitimate step in progressing and validating the lacrosse program here at UP. Club lacrosse is different than many club sports programs, especially on the West Coast. With the University of Denver and Air

  

      

      

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       

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        

 

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Force Academy fielding the only two NCAA Division 1 college teams west of the Mississippi River, club lacrosse is considered more than just a recreational outlet, but as a legitimate competitive force and is sometimes set on or close to the same level as varsity sports.

While our program is years

“While playing is the best part of any team trip, the hotel is a close second.

Think of it as a dorm hall with no RA’s, a hot tub and a pool.”

Bruce Garlinghouse junior

away from being placed on that level, a trip to play solid competition was a huge step for a team that only won three games in its first two seasons.

When we touched down in sunny L.A. and the pilot told us it would be a “chilly” 65 degrees, most passengers threw on hoodies, but we took ours off, hoping to stock up on as much vitamin D as we could.

Then it was off to the hotel.

While playing is the best part of any team trip, the hotel is a close second.

Think of it as a dorm hall with no RA’s, a hot tub and a pool.

And that is all I will say about

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what happened at the hotel. The rest is up to your imagination.

Because I find game coverage painfully boring, I will spare you of any and tell you that we lost all three games.

While I generally do not believe in moral victories, I realized afterward this trip was not about wins and losses, goals or assists.

It was about actually becoming a team, which by definition is a group of individuals working toward a common goal. Yes, the ultimate goal of any sport is to win, and obviously we did not achieve that goal, but failure often has a funny way of slapping you in the face and opening your eyes to the bigger picture.

Dinners, Jerry Springer viewing parties, go-karts, arcades and beach lacrosse are those intangibles that bring teams together just as much as wins and losses, even though they aren’t recorded on paper.

We dedicate eight hours every week to advancing this program. We don’t get free swag or pre-registration, and late practice hours mean we usually don’t get home until 11:30 at night.

We lost every game. But when I look back on what we have accomplished in the last four years a Division Championship and a shot at a bid to the national tournament, I am proud to say I play lacrosse at UP.

TENNIS: Making a racket Continued from page 16 number can go away in a moment. We still have to fight every match.”

Unfortunately, the number did go away, as the Pilots dropped out of rankings again after two straight losses to San Antonio and Radford in early March.

While the losses could have been just frustrating, the team opted to take a positive outlook.

“The two matches we lost, it’s not like we played poorly,” Hu Kwo said. “Tomorrow is always a new day, and we can learn from how we lost. We always look forward.”

Freshman Stefan Micov agreed, noting the losses were only a temporary setback for the team.

“We practiced what we did badly in the matches,” Micov said. “Psychologically it just took a day to shake off the losses, and after that it was just about improving our tennis.”

Looking ahead to No. 16 San Diego and beyond, the team is ready for the chance to prove itself. Hernandez knows, though, that the team must be completely locked in to the challenge.

“When you play a team that’s ranked as high as they are, you know there’s no way to win if you play cautious,” Hernandez said.

“We have to go after it.”

Hu Kwo also realizes the Pilots must use their home court to their advantage.

“The thing is to not be scared,” Hu Kwo said. “It’s pretty easy to tell ourselves that because they’re No. 16 we’ll lose. But we have the home court advantage and anything can happen on these courts.

We just need to believe.”

Junior Jackson Martin also stressed the need for mental fortitude during tough matches.

“We can’t get defeated mentally if we get down early or lose the first set,” Martin said. “Those teams are good.”

Upcoming home matches: vs. San Diego 03/23 10 a.m. vs. St. Mary’s 03/25 9:30 a.m. vs. Oregon 03/27 1 p.m.

For more info visit portlandpilots.com

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SPORTS THE BEACON

March 22, 2012

www.upbeacon.net

Pilots spend spring break undefeated

Monica McAllister | THE BEACON

Freshman Stefan Micov waits to jump into action while his doubles partner, senior Geoff Hernandez, prepares to serve. The Pilots’ doubles teams are currently 23-7 on the year.

Monica McAllister | THE BEACON

Sophomore Michel Hu Kwo launches a jump serve during Sunday’s match against Montana. The Pilots beat the Grizzlies 5-2.

After going 3-0 over break, men’s tennis look to face No. 16 San Diego tomorrow Jason Hortsch Staff Writer hortsch12@up.edu Continuing its winning ways, the Pilots men’s tennis team won all three of its matches over break, beating Portland State, Weber State and Montana. The Pilots will next face San Diego tomorrow at home at 10:30 a.m.

San Diego is currently ranked 16th in the country.

After starting the season 6-0, the Pilots earned a national ranking of No. 45 at the end of February. This was the first time the team had been ranked since 2007, when the Pilots briefly ascended to No. 75. The team was thrilled by their accomplishment.

“It felt great,” sophomore Michel Hu Kwo said. “I felt really

happy for our seniors, since they could end their season saying they were ranked No. 45. For me personally, it was one of my goals I set up before the season.”

Senior Geoff Hernandez, one of two seniors on the team, had been looking forward to being ranked for years. He felt that the team had long deserved such a distinction.

“It was pretty gratifying,” Hernandez said. “I’d never felt that in my four years here. I always felt like we had deserved it. Everybody was really pumped up, but we knew it meant you had to keep a certain standard. We tried to not let it change how we approached things.”

Hu Kwo cautioned, however, that the team could not become complacent once the ranking had been reached.

“Our coach told us it’s just a number,” Hu Kwo said. “That See Tennis, page 15

Catching up with women’s track

A young women’s track and field team looks to turn heads with start of outdoor season PJ Marcello Staff Writer marcello13@up.edu

Photo courtesy of Kim Spir

Freshman distance runner Andrea Dettmann competes in the Oregon Preview in Eugene during spring break. Outdoor track season kicked off March 3 with the Linfield Icebreaker. The Pilots’ next competition is the Willamette Invitational March 30-31 in Salem, Ore.

Monica McAllister| THE BEACON

Senior Geoff Hernandez takes aim at an incoming volley from his singles opponent in the Pilots’ March 18 match against the Montana Grizzlies. The Pilots began their season 6-0 and jumped back quickly after falling to San Antonio and Radford.

The women’s track and field team wrapped up its indoor season Sunday, at the Oregon Preview in Eugene. After a lot of growth in the indoor season, the Pilots look to set some school records in the upcoming outdoor season.

“The indoor season made it easier to set our goals for outdoor,” sophomore captain Kelsey Bestall said. “We want to set the school record in the 4x400 relay.

We’re only a second off and not

everybody is 100 percent yet.”

The women’s distance runners have remained strong, setting 13 new marks in the 800m, 3000m, 5000m and mile events this season. The sprinters and hurdlers look to be on pace to follow suit in the outdoor season by setting some marks of their own.

“I want to see a lot of the sprinters set top 10 marks this season,” captain Kiyah Williams, a junior, said. “I also want to set the school record for 400 hurdles and make it to regionals this year.”

In the past, the success and expectations of this year’s team would not have been possible.

An inconsistent and even nonexistant coaching staff made it difficult for the team to be competitive, but new coach Jonathan Marcus has helped turn the program around.

“We used to have a different sprinting coach every year and at one point we didn’t even have a coach,” Williams said. “Jon Marcus is here for good and he works us hard. He expects us to grow not only as runners, but also academically and as people.”

The new coach has been a driving force behind the turnaround in the development of young sprinters at UP. “Having a coach that is committed helps us to be committed too,” Bestall said. “We want to work hard for him.”

Without any seniors on the roster this year, leadership from the coaches will be essential in honing the young talent for years to come.

The Pilots’ next meet will be the Willamette Invitational in Salem on March 30 and 31.