Vol. 1, Issue 10 (Jan. 16, 2019)

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 10 JANUARY 16, 2019

Illuminating Diversity with Dance

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The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

THE WESTERN HOWL 345 N. Monmouth Ave. Monmouth, OR 97361 Student Media Department TERRY HOUSE NEWSROOM 503-838-8347

NEWS

Passing the torch in

Monmouth City Council

Photos by Bailey Thompson

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CAITY HEALY howleditor@wou.edu

MANAGING EDITOR PAUL F. DAVIS

howlmanagingeditor@wou.edu

NEWS EDITOR BAILEY THOMPSON howlnews@wou.edu

LIFESTYLE EDITOR REBECCA MEYERS howllifestyle@wou.edu

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR CHRYS WEEDON howlentertainment@wou.edu

SPORTS EDITOR LAKE LARSEN howlsports@wou.edu

PHOTO EDITOR ASHLYNN NORTON anorton17@wou.edu

DESIGNERS BRITTANY FIGUEROA RACHEL HETZEL howldesigner@wou.edu

COPY EDITOR CORA MCCLAIN

howlcopyeditor@wou.edu

DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER KYLE MORDEN

howldigitalmediamanager@wou.edu

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER ASHLYNN NORTON STUDENT MEDIA ADVISER RHYS FINCH finchr@wou.edu 503-838-9697

SUBMISSIONS THE WESTERN HOWL encourages readers to share their opinion through letters to the editor and guest columns. Submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name. Contact information will not be published unless requested. Unsigned submissions will not be printed and original copies will not be returned.

Letters to the editor may be up to 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 500 words.

THE WESTERN HOWL does not guarantee the publication of all letters or columns. THE WESTERN HOWL reserves the right to edit for punctuation, grammar, and spelling, but never for content.

Please bring submissions to THE WESTERN HOWL at Terry House or email to howleditor@ wou.edu. Submissions must be received by Monday at 5 p.m. to be considered for print.

All opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do necessarily reflect those of THE WESTERN HOWL or Western Oregon University.

Councilors Jon Carey, Roxanne Beltz and Christopher Lopez

New mayor and city councilors are sworn in Bailey Thompson | News Editor “I, Cecelia Koontz, solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States, the constitution and the laws of the state of Oregon, the charters and the ordinances of the city of Monmouth, and that I will well and faithfully perform the duties of the mayor of the city of Monmouth to the best of my abilities,” stated the new mayor of Monmouth upon being sworn in.

To open their Jan. 8, 2019 meeting, the Monmouth City Council welcomed three councilors and a new mayor: Councilor Jon Carey, Councilor Roxanne Beltz, Councilor Christopher Lopez and Mayor Cecelia Koontz.

These councilors will join sitting city council members Byron Shinkle, Darin Silbernagel,

and Laurel Sharmer for the upcoming year.

The city councilors were sworn in first, with Beltz and Carey returning to the council and Lopez beginning his first term.

Following them, Koontz was sworn in as the first female mayor elected in Monmouth’s history. In the past, Koontz has served on Western’s Board of Trustees and as the business manager for the Central School District.

On his way out of the mayor’s office, Steve Milligan decided to present Koontz with a time capsule that will be opened June 25, 2196 — the day of the next solar eclipse. Since the eclipse was a time of joy for Monmouth as a community in the previous year, Milligan stated that the time capsule would be a token to mark the progress that Monmouth has made in recent years that can be passed from mayor to mayor until the date of the next solar eclipse.

Mayor Milligan and Mayor Koontz exchange tokens of appreciation

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In light of this gesture, Koontz made sure to express her gratitude for the work of Monmouth mayors who have come before her.

“All of the former living mayors except two are with us tonight, and so I’m really really proud to join their company,” said Koontz.

“Thank you gentlemen very much for the work you’ve done and for making this a great place to serve.”

Turning to Milligan specifically, Koontz took a moment to recognize his service and dedication to Monmouth.

“Steve and I have served on council together…he’s been a very faithful member of the Central School District school board and he’s done a lot of other work in our community,” said Koontz.

In response, Milligan made a final, reflective address: “16 years ago tonight I was getting sworn in for the first time as a councilor,” said Milligan.

“The services that I’ve had the privilege to do in this city with the citizens of this city have been immeasurable. Enough of you have been around here that in 2000 Main Street didn’t look at all like it does today…and it’s really been a pleasure to help participate and make decisions in the process of improving the city for countless generations in front of us.”

Moving forward, this new group of city councilors will continue to meet in Volunteer Hall at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, and members of the community are welcome to attend.

NEWS

The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

DRAG QUEENS ARE COMING TO HOGWARTS

Drag show organizer shares information for prospective cast members Bailey Thompson | News Editor

Triangle Alliance’s Annual Drag Show is a student-run tradition that many students consider to be one of the most memorable events to attend. Going on its 23rd year, the drag show provides students with the opportunity to bond over lip-syncing, expressing themselves and challenging societal expectations.

Although auditioning before an audience can be intimidating to some, there are a number of benefits that can come from putting oneself out there and trying something new.

“It is definitely in your interest to step out of

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Photo courtesy of Ianassa Donegan

your comfort zone a tiny bit,” said Ianassa Donegan, senior education major and the makeup, costumes and props director for the drag show.

If students are considering auditioning, Donegan explained what they could expect of the audition process: “We do a walk where we play a masculinetype song and then a feminine-type song and everyone—one by one—walks across the room in a way that’s comfortable for them to show their personality,” said Donegan. “Then we also have a lip-syncing portion.”

The last element of the audition involves the choreographers teaching everyone a section of a dance number. There is also a separate dance audition for those interested in being in the more advanced, technical dances.

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Above: Ianassa Donegan, Tristen White, Jeannie Edney, Derek Villalabos and Rhianna Salman

E X P L O R E Y O U R PA S S I O N S — — EXPLORE THE WORLD

NSE makes dreams of studying away into reality

Bailey Thompson | News Editor

This is Macias’ first year as Western’s NSE adviser Photo by Bailey Thompson

The National Student Exchange is a collegiate study away program that works with 165 institutions within the U.S, the U.S Virgin Islands, Canada, Puerto Rico and Guam.

For students at Western, the requirements to participate in this program are to have a 2.5 GPA, to be in good standing at Western and to have at least 45 credits completed. If these are met, there is a three-step process to participate in NSE: research universities, apply, and get placed.

To help students learn more about available schools, Western’s NSE Coordinator Emmanuel Macias shared an online resource which offers an overview of different locations.

“The website nse.org is really helpful because, when you click on it, it has the map of the United States and all of the

universities,” said Macias. “If you click on a university, it’ll give you a profile with all kinds of information about them.”

Students can choose universities with a variety of cultures, sizes, structures and locations that provide them with whatever unique experience they are looking for.

Before applying, students confer with their advisers to make sure that the courses they take will count for course requirements they already are working towards.

“We ensure that the classes they are going to take will satisfy something here at Western — it could be a major requirement, minor, maybe general education or elective,” said Macias.

Another selling point for NSE is the cost.

Students are offered two different payment plans, and they are able to choose the one that works best with their financial aid.

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“Plan A means that you pay the university where you’re at, and Plan B means that you’re paying Western tuition but you’re taking classes over there,” said Macias.

For any students who would like to learn more about NSE, they can go to nse.org or find NSE on social media: @nsewou on Facebook and @wounationalstudentexchange on Instagram. Students are also encouraged to attend the final information session for NSE on Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. in the Rogue Room or to visit Macias in his office in the Vice President for Student Affairs Office, both of which are in the WUC.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

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SPORTS

The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

The men’s rubgy’s first home match is Feb. 2

Rugby’s dominating fall season leads to a national ranking and Challenge Cup hosting spot Lake Larsen | Sports Editor In the final match of fall term on Nov. 3, the Men’s Rugby team left the field after their lopsided victory over Willamette University, unsure of the future. The team knew their only chance at playoffs was to win the bid for hosting the National Small College Rugby Organization’s Challenge Cup Pacific Coast Regional Championships. While they finished their fall season with back to back blow out wins, the loss in their first match on Oct. 7 against reigning conference champions Central Oregon Community College may have kept them out of the playoffs. But little did they know, massive news was in the making.

During the winter break, the national rankings were posted on the NSCRO website. Consisting of over 240 Men’s clubs, Western had never before found themselves ranked inside the top 40.

However, due to their outstanding play, the Wolves were nationally placed at 30. This national ranking was especially notable as no varsity or other club sport team in the 2018-19 school year had been able to achieve an honor such as this.

But despite this historic achievement, the men of Western rugby remained fixated on the end goal of playoffs.

“We’re not trying to make a big deal of it,” said head coach and Western alumni Sean Pomeroy. “We’re at the bottom of the rankings, we want to be up higher, so we’re trying to stay focused.”

This focus is of the utmost importance for the Wolves as alongside their news of a national ranking, it was announced that Monmouth would play host to the Challenge Cup Pacific Coast Regional Championships. Before leaving for winter break, the players and coaches were unsure if a post season would be in the picture due to only one team from the conference being invited to the challenge cup. But after the news that their bid to host was accepted, the playoffs would be on the Wolves’s home turf, giving them an invitation to participate.

“If we didn’t host (the challenge cup) we wouldn’t have been in,” mentioned Pomeroy. “We started to hit our stride toward the end of the season… so we’re going to use this opportunity to turn some heads and show why we are nationally ranked.”

The NSCRO Challenge Cup Pacific Coast Regional Championships is set to be held March 30 and 31 on the intramural field on Western’s campus.

With the winner of this tournament receiving an automatic bid to the National Championships, the Wolves are hoping they can use the home field edge for one last push.

“We want to see these stands filled. Our boys always play better with big crowds so we hope we can use the home field to our advantage,” finished Pomeroy.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Photos by Ashlynn Norton

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SPORTS

The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

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WESTERN’S CLUB SPORTS WOMEN ARE BACK WINTER TERM ON THE PITCH Photo by Ashlynn Norton

PREVIEW

A look at Western’s upcoming games Lake Larsen | Sports Editor

Lacrosse FEB. 9 1 p.m. @ UC Davis FEB. 10 1 p.m. @ UC Santa Cruz FEB. 16 5 p.m. vs. Seattle University FEB. 17 1 p.m. @ Humboldt State University FEB. 24 1 p.m. @ Central Washington University MAR. 9 6 p.m. vs. Western Washington University MAR. 16 1 p.m. vs. University of Portland MAR. 22 6 p.m. @ Pacific Lutheran University MAR. 24 1 p.m. vs. CU Denver

The Wolves kick off their winter season with a friendly match against Oregon State

Men’s Rugby JAN. 16 6 p.m. @ Oregon State University FEB. 2 1 p.m. vs. University of Oregon FEB. 9 3 p.m. @ Pacific University FEB. 16 1 p.m. @ University of Washington MAR. 2 11 a.m. vs. Eastern Washington University MAR. 3 1 p.m. vs. Pacific University MAR. 30-31 National Small College Rugby Organization Challenge Cup Pacific Coast Regional Championships in Monmouth, Oregon

Women’s Soccer FEB. 9 1 p.m. vs. Portland State University For varsity sports schedules go to wou.edu/westernhowl

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

Lake Larsen | Sports Editor The Wolves had a strong end to the match scoring back to back tries

Coming back from a very short fall season of only two games, the women’s rugby team hoped to start the new term off right with an exhibition match against Oregon State University on Jan. 12.

Western’s squad was short a few players but due to the large roster of the Beavers, some Beavers donned the red and black to field a complete team.

With a full 15 player lineup taking the field for both sides, the game was set to start.

The Wolves’s roster is packed with young players, and many were stepping onto the pitch for one of their first games. This lack of experience started to

show when Oregon State began with a strong offensive drive.

Within a minute of kick off, the Beavers were on the board. After giving up a try early, the Wolves hoped to fight back.

Another quick break away by the Beavers brought them within 10 yards of the goal line.

However, the Wolves showed some promise by making an impressive goal line stand.

Keeping Oregon State away from a score highlighted the potential of the younger players.

But moments later, the Wolves surrendered another score.

Despite this match being a non-competitive match, the hard hitting nature of the sport

took a toll on the players.

Injuries riddled both teams, causing players to need to constantly switch between teams. The injuries kept piling up throughout the match, eventually resulting in the need to play 14 on 14 due to the lack of healthy players.

At the end of the match Western had been able to score twice but gave up a slew of points. While on paper the Wolves lost, the experience gained was very valuable to the young team. Being able to get back on the field for only their third official match hopes to prove positive for the future.

Contact the author at howlsports@wou.edu

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ENTERTAINMENT

The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

The company’s “iLumiDance” is unlike anything Western has seen before

Photos by Ashlynn Norton

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor On the evening of Friday, Jan.11, students and community members alike packed into Rice Auditorium to experience the Rainbow Dance Theater. The RDT has been performing at Western since the year 2000, after the dance company moved from Honolulu, Hawaii, where it was founded.

Friday’s performance consisted of two separate dances, each telling a separate and unique story. Both dances were choreographed by Valerie Bergman and Darryl Thomas.

Act one, titled “Origins,” follows the development of life on Earth, starting within the darkness of the deep ocean. The audience witnesses the birth of single-celled organisms and their metamorphosis into more complex multi-celled beings and eventually primitive humans. The whole first act is submerged in complete darkness, with performers illuminated with suits of light. This type of dance is called “iLumiDance” by the dance company.

Act two, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” is a dance that was performed at the Spring term 2018 dance concert.

“Both music composition and choreography were inspired by the eponymous early 16th-century triptych by Hieronymus Bosch,” explained the program. This piece was set to an original scored by Leroy Osmon that was commissioned by the Salem Concert Band to be performed in early 2018.

This second act opens with Eve in the paradise that is the Garden of Eden. The audience follows as Eve loses her innocence, meets various animals and magical beasts and travels with Noah through the great flood. Throughout the dance, Eve is introduced to a world filled with eroticism and animal lust.

The end of act two sees Eve reappear, transformed into a peaceful and strong figure bringing the hope of peace and beauty in the chaotic world that was displayed throughout the performance.

Since its inception, the Rainbow Dance Theater has toured the globe, performing on multiple continents and throughout the United States. During a regular touring season, the RDT performs over 60 concerts. According to the concert program: “The Company celebrates diversity with its virtuosic style that fuses West African Dance, Haitian Dance, Hip Hop, Martial Arts with American Modern Dance.”

Earlier in the day on Jan. 11, the RDT gave a special performance for around 200 students aged from kindergarten through eighth grade. This interactive concert was performed as a part of the Smith Fine Arts’ Education Outreach initiative. The young students participated in a special demonstration that showed them how STEM processes are used to create new technologies within the dance world. A number of students were given the opportunity to create their own dance with a light-wire puppet.

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Valerie Berhman and Darryl Thomas are the artistic directors of RDT

RDT is performing a “Roots of Hip Hop” show at WOU preview day on Feb. 9

wou.edu/westernhowl

Photo courtesy of justbreakuppod.com

ENTERTAINMENT

The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

PODCAST REVIEW: “JUST BREAK UP” Podcast reinvents the concept of an advice column

its title, the show tackles topics related to relationships, including friendships, familial relationships and romantic ones.

The first episode of the podcast was released on July 15, 2018. The two cohosts are Sam Blackwell and Sierra Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor DeMulder, two English majors based in Minnesota. Sierra DeMulder is also If anyone could claim that they were published poet and author of four books addicted to podcasts, it would probably of poetry. be me. I am a self-diagnosed podcast “Sierra and Sam hope to convey what addict, and I have an endless supply at they’ve learned throughout their own my fingertips; it seems like everyone and romantic journeys to bring comfort and their mother has a podcast, and of course support to others who might be going they do: everyone believes they have through similar situations,” said the something important to say. I mean, I podcast website, justbreakuppod.com. review stuff. I’m pretty much roasting Anyone can be endlessly validating, myself here. but that is not always healthy, and may A recent addition to my arsenal of even cause an unhealthy situation to podcasts that I keep up with regularly continue. In my opinion, sometimes is a show called “Just Break Up.” True to being stern while giving advice or

“Just Break Up” released their 27th episode on Jan. 14.

STUDENT ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

MADELINE WEINSTEIN

Theater major speaks about her positive experience at Western

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor Madeline Weinstein is a junior studying theater at Western Oregon.

Originally hailing from Seattle, Washington, Weinstein didn’t have much enthusiasm for the idea of college after her graduation from high school.

“It’s really cheesy, but then I visited Western Oregon, I was very hesitant.

And then I realized, this is a very friendly place. People are waving ‘hi’ to each other, even on the weekends,” Weinstein said.

After visiting Western, Weinstein knew she wanted to apply.

“My mom actually said something that is going to stick with me forever, and it’s: ‘pick a school where you feel comfortable walking into a room and feeling confident that someone would help you,’” commented Weinstein, “that was the deciding factor.”

Weinstein had plenty of acting experience when she started at Western.

She acted in all twelve shows that her high school produced in her four years there.

In fact, Weinstein’s main inspiration was

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expressing a perspective on an issue is key. My love of “Just Break Up” stems from the fact that Sam and Sierra manage to be validating while also being brutally honest. The cohosts accept submitted letters from listeners and formulate thoughtful responses providing advice and support.

“They’re affirming and validating, but not to the point where they’re making excuses for the way we can act badly about relationships,” said Western alumna Danielle Durand, who introduced me to the podcast.

“I learn something new about myself every time... And I find myself looking forward to Mondays every week now.”

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Photos by Ashlynn Norton

her high school drama teacher. Because of that one teacher, she decided to get her bachelor’s degree in theater and then continue on to get her master’s degree in education.

Weinstein hopes to relocate back to Washington after graduating to teach high school drama; “I want to give back and inspire my high schoolers,” she remarked.

Since coming to Western, Weinstein has participated in multiple shows in a various number of capacities. As a firstyear, she was responsible for the sound in Western’s production of “Shakespeare in Hollywood.” She has also been a part of paint crew, and has acted in one-acts and ten-minute plays.

“Even if I don’t get into the main stage shows, I know that there’s still a chance for me to act in the one-acts and the ten minutes,” said Weinstein.

Something that Weinstein loves about the theater program is that “they don’t always put the ‘perfect’ actors in there, they put people who they know can learn from the experience and… who can grow more.”

Overall, Weinstein’s experience in the artistic community at Western has been positive: “I’m not a number, I’m an actual person with a name.”

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Weinstein plans on going back to Washington after graduating with her master’s degree so she can be close to her family.

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LIFESTYLE

The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

BILINGUAL BENEFITS

Why it’s worth it to continue studying languages

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor It’s not uncommon for a certain number of language classes to be a requirement for graduation, both in high school and in college. It’s also not uncommon to hear people say “Yeah, I took a few years of Spanish a while ago but I don’t really remember much except ‘¿dónde está el baño?’”.

Like any other subject, a foreign language can be easy to dismiss from one’s mind if it’s not an area of interest. I hear phrases like the one above often when I tell people I am studying Spanish, and I can’t say I blame them as I have expressed similar attitudes towards subjects I was less interested in. It can seem like just another graduation requirement that won’t turn out to be useful.

However, there are actually many benefits to learning another language, especially when studied further past just a

few terms. I believe this not only due to my own experience, but also thanks to some research on the subject I have done as my interest in foreign languages grew.

One of the more obvious benefits is the fact that being proficient in a foreign language can open more opportunities in the future. The world is now a very interconnected place, and being someone who can help further those connections looks good on nearly any resume.

My own job is just a part time, temporary position in food service that pays my rent and is not in my long term career goals.

However, I have already found myself faced with the opportunity to communicate with speakers of other languages. I have been able to use my Spanish outside the classroom for once, and also gotten to know some Deaf customers that left me wishing I had taken advantage of Western’s many ASL classes.

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

Many studies have shown a noticeable mental difference between monolingual and multilingual people

Generating s u c c e s s A look into the college experience of a first generation college student Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor Western has a wide diversity of students from different kinds of backgrounds. Some come from a family of college graduates, while others are the first generation to take on the challenge. While the college experience can sometimes be boiled down in pop culture as a universal experience, the reality is that these experiences can be as diverse as the people.

For first generation college students like Madison Gaylin, a junior education major, there are some similarities and some differences between students who came from college-educated families. One similarity, in her case, is that she had high hopes from a young age.

“I decided when I was little that I wanted to be a teacher,” Gaylin said. “Everyone said it would be hard work and there wouldn’t be much money in it, but I was set on it.”

Gaylin has some other members of her family that attended college, but not in her immediate family. She attended a community college where she got her associates

Research shows that learning another language helps stimulate cognitive functions, such as finding patterns. Studies such as the ones cited in an article on BBC.com titled “The amazing benefits of being bilingual” show that being bilingual can help exercise “mental muscles”. This is especially true for those who started learning a second language from a young age, but it’s never too late to start trying to become bilingual. These kinds of skills can help with academic performance as well, another plus.

On top of that, learning a second (or third, or fourth) language almost always comes with the added benefit of immersion into another culture. A language is rarely just conjugations and sentence structure; it’s also an origin, a history and a connection to different places.

At Western, there are many opportunities to learn or brush up on Spanish, German, French and American Sign Language. For more information on classes, visit wou. edu/humanities/modern-languages.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo by Rebecca Meyers

of art, then transferred to Western. The transfer took her away from home for the first time.

For many students, even though college and their career path was ultimately a choice that they should be deciding, there was always an unspoken pressure to get a degree.

This is especially true when one or both parents have a degree. For Gaylin, there wasn’t pressure so much as a hope or an expectation.

“I think it always came down to me wanting to go (to college),” she said when asked about the pressure many students feel from their families. “If I hadn’t, there might have been some disappointment — but not anger.”

She also said this internal, rather than external, motivation helped keep her focus when things got rough and she considered dropping out.

“I just had to keep telling myself to keep going,” Gaylin added.

Along with many other students at Western, Gaylin is now on her way to a career in education. While her experience isn’t shared by everyone, she can relate to those who have worked long and hard to achieve a lifelong dream as a first-generation college student.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

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Madison Gaylin is originally from a small town near the Washington border

LIFESTYLE

ROOM FOR

MORE

What to look for in a new roommate

Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor For most people, part of the college experience is finding and living with a roommate. Sometimes it’s a friend or acquaintance, but other times students have to wade through their options of strangers to find one they’re comfortable living with.

In these cases, there are specific things to look for when considering living with someone. While not all roommates end up best friends forever, a living situation should be more than just tolerable. When looked for, these things can help turn a potential nightmare roommate story into a friendship one.

1. Communication: Being a good communicator is a good sign that someone will make a good roommate in all stages of the search. This kind of person can be depended on to communicate when they decide to sign the lease, what they expect from their roommates and what will work best in their living situation. This may seem intimidating at times, but being straightforward will help resolve issues before they grow and start to become disruptive.

2. Socialization levels: Everyone is slightly different when it comes to how and how much they socialize at home. Some like throwing ragers regularly with as many people as possible while others prefer to keep their homes relatively quiet and secluded. Neither is better or worse, but people on opposite ends of the spectrum are unlikely to agree on how open their home should be.

3. Real life experience: Every so often, there is an encounter with someone unadjusted to living on their own. This may not be a dealbreaker for everyone, but it should be considered for those who might get annoyed by someone who doesn’t know how to cook for themselves or do household chores.

4. Responsibility: Some students may look to their classmates when searching for a roommate. The opportunity that comes with this is to observe how organized or responsible they are with their schoolwork and decide whether this is a good indicator of what kind of roommate they will be. If their homework is consistently late, it may be a good idea to first make sure they won’t do the same with their rent.

5. Independence: In an ideal world, roommates would always end up good friends that enjoy spending time together. However, some people just need someone to help pay the bills. During the initial search, clarifying the amount of involvement desired in each others’ lives can help eliminate future conflicts or misunderstandings. Also, while it’s good to be able to depend on roommates when in need, dependence at a certain degree can cause tensions.

6. Pet peeves: One of the challenges of finding a roommate can be that everyone comes from different backgrounds, lifestyles and habits. As a result, something that might seem minor to one person can be extremely irritating to another.

Cleanliness, whether lack of it or obsession with it, is the most common example of this that can lead to roommates falling out. Discussing pet peeves and lifestyle preferences before hand can save the trouble of roommate drama.

7. Timeline: For students, it’s usually fairly easy to determine how long they’ll be needing to stay in one place based on how long they have until they graduate, or if they plan to stay in Monmouth after doing so. Sometimes, however, people need to leave or find a new place in the middle of the school year, when it’s hardest to find someone to replace them. Some graduate in a term other than spring, or take terms off and need to move. This can sometimes create a revolving door of roommates that only need temporary homes and can create anxiety from the inconsistency of having someone to help pay rent.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

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The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

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HUMOR

The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

Horoscopes

This Week in Completely Made Up - TA U R U S -ARIES3/21-4/19

The perfect horoscope doesn’t exi-... oh wait, Sagittarius knows what’s up.

-CANCER6/21-7/22

-_- < :D

4/20-5/20

We are but specks of dust to the universe. Live life inconsequentially.

-LEO7/23-8/22

Treat yourself! Go make yourself some skillet potatoes. You will never regret it.

-LIBRA9/23-10/22

Don’t look at the stars like that, Libra.

We didn’t tell you to start your essay at 11 p.m.

Remember that movie “Surf’s Up” with all those penguin surfers? Me neither.

5/21-6/20

The stars watched as you did homework for a full two minutes, opened a new tab, and started looking for hotels and flights for an spontaneous vacay. Stay focused, Gemini.

-VIRGO8/23-9/22

Don’t forget to eat breakfast. Otherwise you’re gonna be that one kid whose stomach rumbles really loudly in class and you’ll play it off really awkwardly like, “what was that noise??” but in reality we literally all heard it come from your stomach, Virgo.

- S C O R P I O - - SAGITTARIUS10/23-11/21

You’re already procrastinating on your homework, Scorpio? You really are on another level.

- CAPRICORN- - AQUARIUS12/22-1/19

-GEMINI-

1/20-2/18

Way to keep up with all your work this first week Aquarius! Now you only have 10 mo— wait, where are you going?

Aquarius?!

wou.edu/westernhowl

11/22-12/21

The stars demand that you get more than five hours of sleep this week. But this is definitely one of those “do as we say, not as we do” moments...

- PISCES2/19-3/20

Just because there is a free big gulp behind 7-Eleven doesn’t mean you should take it, Pisces.

Compiled By The Western Howl Staff

EDITORIAL

The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

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ON THE SERENA WILLIAMS

CONTROVERSY Photo courtesy of serenawilliams.com

Is it really Williams’ aggression that offends you, or is it her sex?

Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor

Serena Williams is an American professional tennis player who has won 23 Grand Slam Singles titles and has won a grand slam tournament for three decades in a row. Williams has earned the most prize money to date in the world of tennis; none of that money came from sponsorships or endorsements, either, but only from her winning record. She has won 743 matches as of May 2018, which is the highest number of won matches of any active tennis player (all statistics gathered from sbnation.com). Just google “Serena Williams statistics,” because there’s a lot more where that came from.

Certain aspects of Williams’ conduct during matches have come under scrutiny by public audiences and news outlets alike, even sparking the creation of a racist comic by Mark Knight. The biggest incident in question is during Williams’ match against Naomi Osaka. After some calls by the referee that Williams viewed as questionable, she argued against them.

“You stole a point from me.

You’re a thief, too,” said Williams after getting penalized for throwing her racket onto the court. Later in the match, Williams is quoted as commenting: “this has happened to me too many times.”

I don’t believe that this one outburst can label Williams “aggressive” for the rest of her career.

As my stint as an athlete, I can relate to Williams’ outrage. Sometimes, when your adrenaline is high and the game is high-stakes, you do things that you probably wouldn’t

Serena Williams won her Australian Open match on Jan. 14 to German opponent Tatjana Maria.

do when you are off the court.

Also, I would like to point out that many male athletes have argued questionable calls, saying worse things than Williams, and often they are lauded for “sticking up for themselves.”

For example, NFL player Richard Sherman is famous for interacting with the referees, arguing penalty calls and getting hyped up about a game — fans love him for it.

Williams clearly has a passion for

the game of tennis that has no doubt been one of the factors contributing to her success. I mean, you don’t become a world-renowned, topranking athlete by being lukewarm about your sport.

Take a look at Michael Phelps, for example. When he locked down a gold medal in the Olympics, he often yells, slaps the water, hugs his fellow American teammates. Of course he does, right? He is a recordsetting athlete. Many athletes do it, and rarely do we hear about it, much less hyperfocus on it. Muhammad Ali often celebrated after winning a fight, and although he has faced much discrimination, no one denies that he is one of the greatest boxers of all time. He isn’t labeled aggressive because of his athleticism.

Yes, maybe Williams shouldn’t have blown up at the referee in her match against Osaka, but she most likely knows that by now. Hindsight is 20/20, and I’m sure the average person walking down the street doesn’t want to be forever identified by a mistake they’ve made in the past.

“Serena Williams, in her more than 20 year career, has completely remade women’s tennis,” remarked Liz Clarke, sports writer for the Washington Post, “she has changed what a women’s player serves like, what she hits like, she has changed the expectation of what a women’s player dresses like.”

I believe that someone who completely remakes a sport has the right to be excited about how they, literally, changed the way a sport is played. In my opinion, when I watch sports, it’s more enjoyable when I see someone heated, passionate, and excited about what they’re doing. And honestly, I see a little bit of a double standard when people say that Williams is “too loud” or “overly aggressive.” Why is it okay to criticize Williams for her behavior, while at the same time put these male athletes on a pedestal for the exact same display?

Contact the author at cweedon16@wou.edu

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The Western Howl Wednesday, Jan 16, 2019

RAINBOW DANCE THEATER Continued from page 6

RDT’s most recent performance is innovative kinesthetically and creatively. The technical complexity of the first act is truly amazing, as is the skill level of the dancers. Although the second act is a dance that Western has seen before, it is still just as complex and interesting as the 2018 performance.

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

The first dance “Origins” follows the introduction of light into a dark world

Photo by Ashlynn Norton

DRAG SHOW AUDITIONS Continued from page 3

When being casted, students who have more limited availability have the option to be in fewer dance numbers than others who have more time to dedicate.

However, Donegan shared that anyone interested in taking on a named character role must anticipate a larger time commitment.

“Our rehearsals are set up so that on the weekend we have a space reserved from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.” said Donegan. “Then, during the week, each choreographer has their own night, so if you’re in their songs then you’re going to be there on that night.”

One element of the drag show that might be exciting to interested students is this year’s theme: Harry Potter.

“There’s going to be a lot of those characters that you recognize from Harry Potter—Harry, Hermione,

Photo courtesy of Ianassa Donegan

Draco,” said Donegan. “But it is a drag show, and it is put on by Triangle Alliance, so it is going to be queer-oriented.”

At the end of the day, Donegan wanted students to know that anyone can be a part of the drag show, no matter how they identify.

“Drag show rehearsals is a time where you can be yourself, be with your friends, and have fun,” said Donegan. “It’s like a family, basically.”

For anyone interested, there are three audition times available: Jan. 18, 19 and 20, with the technical dance audition happening on the final day. The drag show team would also like for people to fill out a registration form on Orgsync if they have the ability to.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

wou.edu/westernhowl

A team of students work to choreograph, direct, costume and cast the Western drag show