March 4, 2013 Issue 11 · Volume 19 FIRST COPY FREE Washington State University Vancouver THE COUGS ON THE MOUNTAIN Weather cooperates for annual student trip to Mount Bachelor Page 5 V-DAY OBSERVED Students, staff and faculty protest the abuse of women Page 4 DIVERSITY EMBRACED Events, films and art exhibits celebrate diversity this month Pages 2 and 6 www.eVanCougar.com The Creative Media and Digital Culture program at Washington State University Vancouver partners with community leaders to launch a city-wide reading and dialogue program about thriving in a digital world Expanded voter access eliminates excuses for not voting Record number of candidates compete in ASWSUV elections By CAMBRI SHANAHAN e VanCougar Students at WSU Vancouver will cast ballots to elect a new ASWSUV president, vice president and eleven senators on March 5 – 9. e new student body leaders will take office over the sum- mer and will serve throughout the 2013/14 academic year. e number of candidates competing for election is one of the largest in WSU Vancouver history. Five executive team tickets and 21 senate candidates are vying for the president/vice president slots and eleven senate positions. Sarah Neveux, a sophomore majoring in neuroscience, is an elections board committee member. “e reason the race can get so intense is because the people in the race honestly, truly care about this campus,” Neveux said. “ey care about students and want to do the best they can.” Candidates have voiced their platforms in two campus de- bates. An elections brochure with statements from each candidate is available in OSI and near polling locations for students who were unable to attend one of the debates. “Last year’s election was decided by a mere 10 votes, so voting does actually matter,” Neveux said. e elections board is expanding voter access this year. Students may vote online at ASWSUV.com at any time between 9 a.m. March 5 and 9 p.m. March 7. Students who prefer to vote on campus will find voting booths in Dengerink Administration building all three days, in the library on March 5 and 7 and in the Engineering and Computer Science building on March 6. More information is available online at http://studentaffairs. vancouver.wsu.edu/student-affairs/student-life. n Let the conversation begin WSU Vancouver students join the buzz about Douglas Rushkoff’s book on digital literacy. From left: Jayme Shoun, Pauline Ramos and Setareh Alizadeh. Photo by Cyndie Meyer The VanCougar is now online! Read campus news on the go and see expanded articles, photo galleries and multimedia stories. Paricipate in surveys, con- tribute your own stories and photos. Go to eVanCougar.com. Only on the web this week: A multimedia story about the Dirty Hippies, a new campus club founded by WSU Vancouver student, Jonathan Rader. Check it out at eVanCougar.com By CYNDIE MEYER and EVAN FLANAGAN e VanCougar e name Douglas Rushkoff is about to become a household word in Vancouver, Wash. as Washington State University Vancouver and 17 community partners kick off a first-ever community-wide reading and conversation program known as #nextchapter. Rushkoff is the author of “Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age.” His book inspired Dene Grigar, chair of the Creative Me- dia and Digital Culture program at WSU Vancouver, to approach stakeholders in Vancouver’s public and private sectors to join in promoting education and dia- logue about the community’s fu- ture in a digital, knowledge-based economy. Over the next six weeks, 1,000 copies of Rushkoff’s book will be distributed throughout the Vancouver area. Ten community workshops regarding digital liter- acy will be held at the Vancouver Community Library. At noon on March 9, John Barber, CMDC faculty member, will present “QR Codes: Connect- ing the Local to Online Media.” At noon on March 16, Frank Mungeam, adjunct professor at WSU Vancouver, will present “Control Your Privacy on the Web.” Details about additional workshops and a link to registra- tion are posted at hashnextchap- ter.com. At 1 p.m. April 18, WSU Vancouver will host the program’s culminating event, a presentation by author Douglas Rushkoff, in the Dengerink Administration building auditorium. Rushkoff will present again at 7 p.m. in the downtown branch of the Vancou- ver Community Library. To support the project, a team of CMDC seniors has created a website, bookmarks and social media support. Team members include Project Manager Setareh Alizedeh, Lead Designer In- ahlee Bauer, SEO/Social Media Manager Aaron Hahn, Multi- media Designer Lia ompson, Web Developer Spencer Watson and Mobile Developer Cameron Whitman. On Feb. 27, approximately 75 people gathered at Vancouver City Hall to launch #nextchapter. Vancouver City Councilman, Jack Burkman, co-chair of the #nex- tchapter initiative, introduced the event. “By working together on this, we start to build our future. e essence of this is a community conversation,” Burkman said. “It is about pulling emerging cultural issues from this new digital econ- omy and saying: ‘What does it mean to you? What does it mean to your business? What does it mean to your family?’’ WSU Vancouver chancellor, Mel Netzhammer, spoke about the role of education in a knowl- edge-based economy: “e information of the world is at our fingertips now, and one of the big responsibilities of high- er education is no longer just the transmission of knowledge but how we evaluate that knowledge. How do we think about and use that knowledge to solve our com- munity’s problems? How do we engage with our communities and use digital technology in ethical See “Next Chapter” on page 2
Transcript
March 4, 2013 Issue 11 · Volume 19 FIRST COPY FREE
Washington State University Vancouver
THE
COUGS ON THE MOUNTAINWeather cooperates for annual student trip to Mount BachelorPage 5
V-DAY OBSERVEDStudents, staff and faculty protest the abuse of womenPage 4
DIVERSITY EMBRACEDEvents, films and art exhibits celebrate diversity this month Pages 2 and 6
www.TheVanCougar.com
The Creative Media and Digital Culture program at Washington State University Vancouver partners with community leaders to launch a city-wide reading and
dialogue program about thriving in a digital world
Expanded voter access eliminates excuses for not voting
Record number of candidates compete in ASWSUV elections
By CAMBRI SHANAHANThe VanCougar
Students at WSU Vancouver will cast ballots to elect a new ASWSUV president, vice president and eleven senators on March 5 – 9. The new student body leaders will take office over the sum-mer and will serve throughout the 2013/14 academic year.
The number of candidates competing for election is one of the largest in WSU Vancouver history. Five executive team tickets and 21 senate candidates are vying for the president/vice president slots and eleven senate positions.
Sarah Neveux, a sophomore majoring in neuroscience, is an elections board committee member.
“The reason the race can get so intense is because the people in the race honestly, truly care about this campus,” Neveux said. “They care about students and want to do the best they can.”
Candidates have voiced their platforms in two campus de-bates. An elections brochure with statements from each candidate is available in OSI and near polling locations for students who were unable to attend one of the debates.
“Last year’s election was decided by a mere 10 votes, so voting does actually matter,” Neveux said.
The elections board is expanding voter access this year. Students may vote online at ASWSUV.com at any time between 9 a.m. March 5 and 9 p.m. March 7. Students who prefer to vote on campus will find voting booths in Dengerink Administration building all three days, in the library on March 5 and 7 and in the Engineering and Computer Science building on March 6.
More information is available online at http://studentaffairs.vancouver.wsu.edu/student-affairs/student-life. n
Let the conversation begin
WSU Vancouver students join the buzz about Douglas Rushkoff’s book on digital literacy. From left: Jayme Shoun, Pauline Ramos and Setareh Alizadeh.
Photo by Cyndie Meyer
The VanCougar is now online!
Read campus news on the go and see expanded articles, photo galleries and
multimedia stories. Paricipate in surveys, con-tribute your own stories and photos.
Go to TheVanCougar.com.
Only on the web this week: A multimedia story about the Dirty Hippies, a new campus
club founded by WSU Vancouver student, Jonathan Rader. Check it out at
TheVanCougar.com
By CYNDIE MEYER and EVAN FLANAGAN The VanCougar
The name Douglas Rushkoff is about to become a household word in Vancouver, Wash. as Washington State University Vancouver and 17 community partners kick off a first-ever community-wide reading and conversation program known as #nextchapter.
Rushkoff is the author of “Program or Be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age.” His book inspired Dene Grigar, chair of the Creative Me-dia and Digital Culture program at WSU Vancouver, to approach stakeholders in Vancouver’s public and private sectors to join in promoting education and dia-logue about the community’s fu-ture in a digital, knowledge-based economy.
Over the next six weeks, 1,000 copies of Rushkoff ’s book will be distributed throughout the Vancouver area. Ten community workshops regarding digital liter-acy will be held at the Vancouver Community Library.
At noon on March 9, John Barber, CMDC faculty member, will present “QR Codes: Connect-ing the Local to Online Media.” At noon on March 16, Frank Mungeam, adjunct professor at WSU Vancouver, will present “Control Your Privacy on the Web.” Details about additional workshops and a link to registra-tion are posted at hashnextchap-ter.com.
At 1 p.m. April 18, WSU Vancouver will host the program’s culminating event, a presentation by author Douglas Rushkoff, in the Dengerink Administration building auditorium. Rushkoff will present again at 7 p.m. in the downtown branch of the Vancou-ver Community Library.
To support the project, a team of CMDC seniors has created a website, bookmarks and social media support. Team members include Project Manager Setareh Alizedeh, Lead Designer In-ahlee Bauer, SEO/Social Media Manager Aaron Hahn, Multi-media Designer Lia Thompson, Web Developer Spencer Watson and Mobile Developer Cameron Whitman.
On Feb. 27, approximately 75 people gathered at Vancouver City Hall to launch #nextchapter. Vancouver City Councilman, Jack Burkman, co-chair of the #nex-tchapter initiative, introduced the event.
“By working together on this, we start to build our future. The essence of this is a community conversation,” Burkman said. “It is about pulling emerging cultural issues from this new digital econ-omy and saying: ‘What does it mean to you? What does it mean to your business? What does it mean to your family?’’
WSU Vancouver chancellor, Mel Netzhammer, spoke about the role of education in a knowl-edge-based economy:
“The information of the world is at our fingertips now, and one of the big responsibilities of high-er education is no longer just the transmission of knowledge but how we evaluate that knowledge. How do we think about and use that knowledge to solve our com-munity’s problems? How do we engage with our communities and use digital technology in ethical
See “Next Chapter” on page 2
Washington State University Vancouver
2 | CAMPUS NEWS
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY VANCOUVER
THE
2013 STAFF DIRECTORY
The VanCougar is a student-run newspaper serving the students, faculty and staff of WSU Vancouver. The VanCougar is available at distribution sites in the lobbies of most WSU Vancouver buildings. The VanCougar may be viewed online at TheVanCougar.com.
Correction PolicyIt is the policy of The VanCougar to correct errors.Please contact the editor via e-mail at [email protected].
RepresentationThe existence of advertising in The VanCougar is not meant as an endorsement of any product, serviceor individual by anyone except the advertiser.
Employment Washington State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer.
Letters to the EditorThe VanCougar welcomes brief letters (250 words or fewer)from members of the WSU Vancouver community on current issues. Letters must include the author’s full name, contact information and WSU affiliation, year and major for students, department for faculty and staff, degree and year graduated for alumni. The VanCougar does not publish anonymous letters.Priority is given to letters that relate directly to stories printed in The VanCougar. The VanCougar also welcomes guest commentaries of 550 words or fewer addressing issues of general interest to the WSU Vancouver community.Letters and commentaries should focus on issues, not personalities. Personal attacks and anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. The VanCougar reserves the right to edit for space, libel, obscene material and clarity. The views expressed are solely those of the individual authors.Letters and suggestions may be delivered to the Office of Student Involvement, the VanCougar office (VCLB 212), dropped in a suggestion box at a VanCougar distribution rack or e-mailed to [email protected].
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF..................................... AUDREY MILLER . [email protected]
EVAN FLANAGANJANAE GREENCASEY KARLSEN LAKE KONOPASKI
STEFAN LINGETERESA LANE SAMANTHA REEL CAMBRI SHANAHAN
WRITERS
TEAM EDITORS
SARAH CUSANELLI DARYA KORNYUSHIN
CYNDIE MEYER
SARA SEYLLERSHAVENOR WINTERS
The VanCougar | Classroom Building (VCLS) Room 212 | 14024 NW Salmon Creek Ave. | Vancouver, Wash. 98686 | 360-546-9524
Continued from page 1Next Chapterways?” Netzhammer said.
#nextchapter co-chair, Alisa Pyszka, economic de-velopment division manager with the City of Vancouver, discussed the program’s anticipated role in helping the community address the state of Washington’s Innovation Partnership Zone challenge.
‘We see an opportunity to build on digital media in this knowledge-based economy and position ourselves to be unique in that aspect. We will pull together these businesses, partnerships, education and non-profits to fully challenge and brand ourselves in this area,” Pyszka said.
Rushkoff addressed the gathering via Skype:
“I have been interested in our migration from the indus-trial age to the digital age. I go back and forth between being excited and hopeful about it and being worried about it. What we are going through now is bigger than the inven-tion of the printing press. It’s as big as the invention of text.
“What the digital age should teach us more than anything is what it is to be human. All sorts of values can be retrieved from digital technology, but only if we are its true masters — only if we know how to program it. I am out here stumping for digital literacy. People at least have to know what programming is, at least understand the fundamental biases of digital
technology,” Rushkoff said.Grigar was happy with the
outcome of the launch event. “There is a lot of strife in
any community and we have our own challenges. This is one place right now where we can put our finger and say ‘There! That is going well. The community can get along. We do like each other,” Grigar said.
WSU Vancouver’s community partners in the #nextchapter program include: Berger-ABAM, City of Vancouver, Clark College, The Columbian, Columbia River Development Council, Comcast, Community Foun-dation of Southwest Washing-ton, Coug Parents, Evergreen School District, Fort Vancou-ver Regional Library Dis-trict, Friends of the Library, Vancouver School District, Shwabe, Williamson & Wyatt and the WSU Foundation.
For more information about the community-wide reading program, visit: hash-nextchapter.com. n
#nextchapter launch event:
Top right: Dene Grigar, director of WSU Vancouver CMDC program was pleased by the turn out.
Center right: CMDC senior, Aaron Hahn, manages the social media for #nextchapter.
Bottom right: CMDC student, Spencer Watson, created the website at hashnextchapter.com
By CYNDIE MEYERThe VanCougar
“My Story,” a student-curated art exhibit celebrating diversity, will be on display in the Dengerink Administration building gallery through April 12. WSU Vancouver senior Setarah Alizadeh planned the exhibit as part of a diversity research project. What started as a showcase for local artists gained momentum and became a national show that now features 11 works of art created by seven artists from across the U.S. Alizedeh credited the campus Diversity Council for providing a $1,000 grant to cover the cost of shipping art from locations as far away as Chicago, Ill. Alizedah said the depth of the artists’ awareness and feelings about diver-sity showed in their works and their artist’s statements.
Student-curated art exhibit celebrates diversity
Artist statement for “Arise” by Amalia Vacca (pictured above):“As Amalia explores artistic expression, she tries to focus on humor-
ous moments. This project takes a more serious turn as she focuses on the adversity that she has gone through over the years. Along the way she walked through identity theft, foreclosure, repossession and other events that, as a single mom of three, should have knocked her down. ‘But I am a stubborn Italian woman.’” n
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Washington State University Vancouver
CAMPUS NEWS
VanCougar Newspaper
LIKE US!
By SARAH CUSANELLIThe VanCougar
The recent fire at Crestline Elementary School in Vancouver was a call to action for many peo-ple in the community including Kerry Jeffrey, prose editor for the Salmon Creek Journal and WSU Vancouver senior majoring in English.
Jeffrey woke up the the morn-ing after the school burned to the ground and wondered how he could help.
“Crestline was getting com-munity support by way of money and supplies, so I decided to focus on getting books because their entire library was gone. It will take lots of time and money to replace it,” Jeffrey said.
The Salmon Creek Journal has funds available for commu-
nity outreach, and after gaining approval, Jeffrey used some of the funds to initiate a campus-wide book drive.
Book collection bins have been placed around the WSU Vancouver campus and Jeffrey en-courages Cougs to place general school supplies and used or new books in the bins.
“As long as it has all the pages and is readable, any book will surely be appreciated,” Jeffrey said.
From 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on March 6, Salmon Creek Journal will host a three-hour book collection event in the Firstenburg Student Commons. Students, staff and faculty are encouraged to stop by, drop off books and supplies and enjoy free food.
Jeffrey said he hopes students will come by and have some fun while helping to collect lots of books for Crestline students.
To find out what else you can do to help out following the Cres-tline fire, contact the Evergreen School District Foundation at 360-604-4022.
The Salmon Creek Journal is is a student media organization that publishes a book of short stories, poetry, artwork and pho-tography created by the students, staff, faculty and alumni of WSU Vancouver.
The 2013 issue of the Salmon Creek Journal will be available in April. Free copies will be given away at the SCJ launch and at graduation.
Event on March 6 trades food and fun for books to help re-stock the Crestline Elementary School library
Salmon Creek Journal organizes book drive to benefit local school
By JUSTIN COLLELLThe VanCougar
ASWSUV Senator Alex Feytser is worried about money. He said thousands of dollars set aside in the ASWSUV budget for funding student club events has been under-utilized this year.
Student-run clubs on the WSU Vancouver campus are allo-cated a start-up allowance of $200 each academic year, yet much of the money goes unclaimed. Feytser said $15,167 remain in the allocation pool for club events this year.
“Some clubs don’t know they have funds available and can request additional funds [from ASWSUV]” said Feytser, a fresh-man majoring in biology. “If clubs want to organize activities, that first $200 is a great start. After a club has used the money, they can request more.”
Feytser said some clubs request more than others. He be-lieves this an indication that some student leaders understand how to use the funding request system, while others do not.
Feytser recommends the AS-WSUV web page to club leaders
who need financial support for an event. There they will find the funding request documents they need to complete and submit to the senate.
Although it is not an easy one-step process, the funding request system is set up to ensure that events which benefit Cougs are well-planned and successful, Feytser said.
Reviewing and approving event funding is a key function of the senate, said Feytser, and next year’s budget proposal includes additional senate hours dedicated to this activity. n
Money for student organization events collects dust
Got 15 minutes? Come to the Library
and see your friends in the Fall 2012 Mustache - Got Questions? campaign on the digital frame next to
the Reference Desk
Got Questions? Ask @ the Library
CorrectionIn the Feb.19 2013 issue of TheVanCougar, an article regarding campus smoking guidelines incorrectly referred to Michael Gay as an ASWSUV senator. Gay serves on the executive staff as director of student life devel-opment. We apologize for the error.
Tuesday, March 19n Combat Test Anxiety Workshop 9 – 10 a.m. VFSC 104 Free
n Poetry Workshop Noon – 2 p.m. Writing Center (VLIB 203) Free
n A-Z of Financial Aid and Scholarships Workshop 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. VSSC 101 Free
Wednesday, March 20n Dancing in the FSC! 3 – 4 p.m. VFSC Free
n Gender Diversity Film Series: TRANS 3 p.m. VDEN 129 Free
Thursday, March 21n Family Movie Night: Finding Nemo 5 – 8 p.m. VDEN 129 and 130 Free
n Job and Internship Seeking Strategies Workshop Noon – 1 p.m. VFSC 104 Free
n Brown Bag Professional Development Series: How to Prepare a Proposal Development Timeline Noon – 1 p.m. VECS 125 Free
Friday, March 22n Family Day 3:15 – 6:30 p.m. FSC Free
Saturday, March 23n Broom Ball 10 p.m. – Midnight Lloyd Center Ice Rink Free
Sunday, March 24n Source Rock Climbing Sign up in the Rec Office by March 22 $5 Students, $10 with gear $10 Non-students, $15 with gear
Campus EvEnts
Washington State University Vancouver
4 | CAMPUS NEWS
By TERESA LANE The VanCougar
In February, Student Diversity Coun-cil and the WSU Vancouver Counseling Center sponsored V-Day, an event to raise consciousness about discrimination and abuse of women.
A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, A Prayer: Writings to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls captivated the audience with readings by nine students and facul-ty members. A collection of monologues, edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle, presented a glimpse into the ongoing dis-crimination of women around the world.
More than 50 students attended the hour-long event that showcased perfor-mances by Pauline Ramos, Abril Hunt, Jacob Schmidt and others. This is the second year Student Diversity organized the event and there are already plans for next year.
Bola Majekobaje, assistant director for student diversity, described the event as powerful.
“Each performer really connected with the piece they chose; they really came out of themselves,” Majekobaje said. “I think this really resonated with the audience.”
Rebecca Westby, ASWSUV direc-tor of activities and senior majoring in mechanical engineering, read “A Perfect
Marriage” by Edward Albee as a part of the event. She described the opportunity as empowering.
“As a reader at V-Day I felt as though I was part of something bigger than my-self,” Westby said.
Audrey Miller, graduate student in public affairs and current editor-in-chief of the VanCougar, said her experience was electric.
“Whether it is an expression of pain, frustration or sadness, I think that reading a piece someone wrote from an experience that touched their lives and changed them is truly a privilege,” Miller said.
The V-Day event at WSU Vancouver was part of a larger global movement that promotes a world-wide end to violence against women and girls by raising aware-ness and bringing people together.
The international V-Day campaign fights all forms of brutality against wom-en including rape, battery, female genital mutilation and human trafficking.
V-day events have been held in 167 different countries. In Egypt and Iraq, it inspired some of those countries’ first women’s shelters. The organization also helped organize and promote the Afghan Women’s Summit of Democracy, a gath-ering of female leaders fighting for rights in their own countries. n
Students read monologues to protest the abuse of women““
Whether it is an expression of pain, frustration or sadness, I think that reading a piece someone wrote from an experience that touched their lives and changed them is truly a privilege.
—Audrey Miller
Audrey Miller Abril Hunt Jacob Schmidt Shavenor Winters Shain Wright
Photos courtesy of Bola Majekobaje
| 5
Washington State University Vancouver
STUDENT LIFE
By CASEY KARLSENThe VanCougar
Every year, students who love the snow count the days until the annual WSU Vancouver ski trip to Mount Bach-elor. Historically, this trip has produced smiles, laughs and quality memories with fellow Cougs. This year, the trip lived up to that tradition — at least for everyone but VanCougar Editor-in-chief Audrey Miller.
The weekend event was hosted by the Recreation Office and ASWSUV and was subsidized by Service and Activity fees and funds from the Bookie. This financial support allowed students to enjoy a weekend of snowboarding and lodging in Bend for less than a third of the usual price.
In previous years, snowstorms hit the mountain just in time to create ideal ski-ing and snowboarding conditions. How-ever, two weeks before this year’s trip, the weather forecast predicted gloom and ice with a slight chance of snow.
Undaunted, Recreation Office em-ployee and WSU Vancouver senior Jona-than “The Prophet” Rader declared there would be amazing conditions. As the date grew closer, Mother Nature bent her will to that of her disciple and forecasts began to look increasingly positive.
Students departed for Bachelor on Friday, Feb. 22 amid warnings about an increase in the amount of snow on mountain passes leading to Bend. The students drove carefully and arrived in Central Oregon with stories to tell about the snow accumulation they saw along the way. However, there was no snow on the ground in Bend.
That night featured a pizza dinner be-fore students dispersed to do homework or watch a Trailblazer game on the lobby television. For Oksana Klimenova, a se-nior majoring in social science, watching the game was one of her favorite parts of the trip
“Next to snowboarding, basketball is the best sport ever played!” she said.
As the Blazer game wrapped up, the first flakes began to fall, and by morning the town was dazzling white.
Saturday morning, students ate break-fast then hit the mountain to dip skis and snowboards in fresh powder. Seven inch-es had fallen during the night, and more snow was gusting in with the wind. Lift operations were limited because of
the windy conditions, but the fun was unlimited. Students swarmed down the slopes and frolicked in the winter landscape.
Some WSU Vancouver students, including Andre Kondratovets, Marina Kobylnik and Oksana Klimenova headed to the ski jumps to catch air and prac-tice 180- and 360-degree jumps. Others preferred tree runs, back country, and groomed runs for skiing and snowboard-ing. At lunch, the students gathered for lasagna and a group picture, then headed back to the snow.
That evening, the Cougs headed to Bend and visited local restaurant and pubs.
Kevin Alvarez, a senior majoring in social science, said one of his favorite parts of the trip was “finding a bar that had a giant game of Jenga made out of wooden two-by-fours.”
The sun peaked over the horizon on Sunday morning, revealing a sapphire sky. Temperatures remained low, and the powder was high. With less wind, the Summit lift was open and students rode all around the mountain in some of the best snow conditions Mt. Bachelor had experienced all year.
Even Butch T. Coug showed up to take pictures with students and to do a bit of snowboarding.
The trip was nearly perfect, but as is the risk in any snow adventure, there was an accident. Audrey Miller, a graduate student studying public affairs, broke her upper arm in two places during a fall. She was transported to a hospital in Bend where she was diagnosed and treated.
When other students left on Sunday, Miller remained hospitalized and under-went surgery to bolt her bone fragments together with a metal plate, pins and screws. Fellow students, Jacob Schmidt and Jayme Shoun stayed with Miller and helped transport her car back to Vancou-ver. Miller’s father drove to Bend from Whidbey Island to stay with his daughter and get her safely home on Monday.
Miller’s surgery was performed by former New England Patriots running back Anthony Hinz, a Harvard graduate who now practices surgery in Bend.
“My surgeon was amazing [and] the care I got was spectacular,” said Miller.
Although for different reasons, the 2013 Mt. Bachelor trip was one Miller and her fellow Cougs will never forget. n
COUGS HIT THE SLOPES AT MOUNT BACHELOR
Butch T. Coug shares the love with WSU Vancouver students. From left: Steven Roberts, Jonathan Rader and Cambri Shanahan Photos by Laura Evancich
Washington State University Vancouver
6 |
By TERESA LANE The VanCougar
How many people on the WSU Vancouver campus does it take to create an envi-ronment that values diversi-ty? Ask the WSU Vancouver Diversity Council and they will likely tell you: everyone.
The Diversity Council is comprised of faculty, staff and students who support inclusion and respect for all people regardless of race, gender, disability, religion, age, gender identity or sexual orientation. They accomplish this goal through educational film screenings, individual, group and panel discussions, and other forms of commu-nication.
The Diversity Council is possibly best known for its
signature event on campus, the annual Diversity Film Festival, which takes place each fall. In addition, the Council supports and/or organizes other events that bring researchers and speak-ers from around the world to discuss diversity issues.
Council Vice Chair Kathi Fountain, a librarian at WSU Vancouver, said the Diversity Council provides funds for student grants that advance diversity awareness and respect on campus. The appli-cation deadline for a diversity grant is March 30.
“Anyone [planning] a diversity-related initiative, including an event or bring-ing a speaker onto campus, is encouraged to apply,” Fountain said.
Previous events support-
ed by the Diversity Council grant include Gender-Neutral Bathroom Week, which will take place on campus again in April.
In addition to diversity events, council members also present new research at the Research Showcase every spring.
The Council’s Diversity Faculty Fellowship program also supports staff and faculty diversity. Diversity fellows help recruit new faculty and participate in research and service activities for the university.
If you would like to learn more about the Diversity Council, the Diversity Coun-cil grant, or staff or faculty diversity at WSU Vancouver, visit admin.vancouver.wsu.edu/diversity n
Diversity Council promotes respect and
education
By JANAE GREEN The VanCougar
“Gender is far, far more complex than ‘aggressive boys in blue who love fast cars, and passive girls in pink who love babies’,” said Meredith Williams, a professor in the department of sociology at WSU Vancouver.
Williams is talking about the complex issue of gender identity, one of the motivating topics behind the Educational Campaign to Promote Under-standing of Gender Diversity. Williams initiated the program on the WSU Vancouver campus two years ago with the help of her partner, Janae Teal, who is currently enrolled in the masters of public affairs program at WSU Vancouver.
“We all seem to hold each oth-er to arbitrary standards for what it means to be a woman or a man. We police each other and shame each other instead of celebrating all of the ways we can be express-ing ourselves,” Williams said.
Williams met Teal when they were both students at WSU Pullman. There, they experienced harassment while using gen-der-specific bathroom spaces.
“Because I am gender non-conforming, I got whispers, stares and rude questions in the bathroom pretty regularly, but always from a stranger I was not likely to see again,” Teal said.
When the couple moved to the Vancouver campus, they were excited about the close-knit community.
“Unfortunately, though, the harassment has continued — stares, whispers and women talking about me in the bathroom as if I am invisible,” Teal said. “I have had someone rudely ask if I knew which bathroom I was in. Then I would have to see her 20 minutes later in my class.”
With the Educational Cam-paign to Promote Understanding of Gender Diversity at WSU, Williams and Teal hope to pro-mote gender diversity awareness not only on campus, but in the community as well.
“I want people to be, not only more tolerant of difference, but to really treat diversity as some-thing that should be affirmed and cherished as part of their campus community and in their own lives,” Williams said.
The campaign has been a success for the past two years, receiving positive feedback and support from across the country.
To promote gender diversity education, Williams and Teal are
coordinating a three-week gender diversity film series. A new topic will be introduced in each film.
“Learning about gender diver-sity shows that ‘diversity’ is not just race and ethnicity. It is about valuing differences in all of the many ways we vary as humans,” Williams said.
The films challenge gender binary, or the classification of gender based on the distinctions of masculine and feminine.
“Understanding that gender is more complicated than a binary is crucial on college campuses because colleges are institutions of higher learning. They are sometimes our first exposure — though hopefully not our last — to human diversity,” Teal said.
The Gender Diversity Film Se-ries will start at 3 p.m. on March 6 in Dengerink Administration building Room 129 with the 30-minute film “Toilet Training.” A panel discussion will follow to talk about about what it takes to make a college campus safe and affirming for all people.
On March 20, the series will screen “TRANS,” a documentary about the complex lives of trans-gender men and women. The film will be followed by a Skype inter-view with the producer, physician Mark Shoen.
On March 27, the series will show “Intersexion,” a documen-tary about people who are born with the sexual characteristics of both genders. The 68-minute film will be followed by a discussion with Emi Koyama, director of the Intersex Initiative.
All events in the series are free and open to the community.
“We will even feed you!” Williams said.
For more information on the Gender Diversity Film Series and links to each film, visit: wsuvgen-derdiversity.wordpress.com/gen-der-diversity-film-series. n
Film series explores gender diversityFilms, discussion and gender-neutral bathrooms are part of an educational campaign to promote understanding and respect
The deadline to apply for diversity project funds is March 30
STUDENT LIFE
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Washington State University Vancouver
OPINION
By DARYA KORNYUSHINThe VanCougar
The TNT or Transfer and Non-Traditional Students Club exploded into action last semester at WSU Vancouver. The club is up and running and is looking for new members.
Terri McReynolds, club founder and president, is both a non-traditional and transfer student majoring in human development. She notes that al-though the TNT club was created with non-traditional students in mind, all students are welcome, because they are bound to glean something useful from attending a meeting.
At the club’s monthly Coffee Connections meetings, members enjoy a free cup of coffee while learning new skills that range from networking techniques to academic strategies. The get-to-gethers take place in Dengerink Administration building Room 129 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. on the last Wednesday of every month.
“One of the main purposes of the TNT club is to make tran-sitions easier — whether that means transferring here from a community college or the rough transition of finding a job after
graduating,” McReynolds said. TNT also helps the local
community. When Crestline Elementary School burned to the ground, club member Kevin Miller organized a blanket-mak-ing event that provided comfort blankets for the children who lost their school.
In future, the TNT club plans to sponsor both family-friendly and adult-only events. McReyn-olds said the club hopes to encourage the involvement of students of all ages and family situations.
Club leaders are considering the possibility of holding evening meetings for non-traditional students who attend night classes. McReynolds wants students who attend school at night to know they “are just as much part of the WSU Vancouver community as people who are here during the day.”
“The skills you can glean from TNT allow you to triple your connections and triple your possibilities. Actually, it’s more than triple. TNT will multiply your possibilities exponentially,” McReynolds said.
For more information about TNT, join the TNT club on CougSync. n
New TNT Club is fired up!
By JACOB SCHMIDTContributing writer
This is the first of a two-part opinion-editorial series on free speech.
I don’t study law or have a degree in political science. I tilt my head and frown during conversations concerning public policy. I grimace at the idea of revising a constitution and operating by-laws for a campus club or organization. With such a decidedly apolitical background, it should come as no surprise that one of my initial ventures into constitutional rights came through hanging flyers on campus bulletins boards during my first student job at Washington State University Vancouver.
The connection between constitutional rights and flyers promoting events like “Dead Week Pancake Feed” and “The Volunteer Fair” may seem slim, but running from bulletin board to bulletin board across our rainy campus introduced me to WSU Vancouver’s free speech policy.
At WSU Vancouver, free speech exists in “limited public forum areas,” more commonly known as campus free speech zones. Some professors might argue free speech exists out-side these zones within their classroom walls. After all, even the campus facilities use policy extols the virtues of free speech, deeming it a “highly valued and indispensable quality of university
life.” Nonetheless, campus policies
restrict the full exercising of First Amendment rights to the campus free speech bulletin boards, the public walkways adjacent to public roads, the plaza outside the cafeteria and any other area designated by the chancellor.
But—for a university that has publicly expressed a com-mitment to protecting the First Amendment rights of it students, staff and faculty—how can such a policy exist and from where does it stem?
Since the 1980s, the majority of public universities and colleges have enacted policies scaling back both how and where students can freely exercise their First Amend-ment right to freedom of speech. Founded in 1989, WSU Vancou-ver was born into such an era—an era that arose out of the civil unrest and progressive grassroots movements of the 60s and 70s.
In an editorial for the New York Times, Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, attributes this shift in part to “‘po-litical correctness’ concerns about racially insensitive speech and sexual harassment, and in part because of the dramatic expan-sion in the ranks of non-faculty campus administrators.”
Essentially, the decades prior to the 80s, which saw the ad-vancement of women’s rights and civil rights, may have led to a fear that free speech would infringe upon these newly gained forms of
racial and gender equality. This social shift paralleled a
similar shift in constitutional law that witnessed the pendulum of free speech swing from one end of the spectrum to the other.
In the 1969 landmark case Tinker v. Des Moines Indepen-dent Community School district, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that students have basic free speech rights while attending public schools.
Delivering the opinion of the Court, Justice Fortas said, “In our system, state-operated schools may not be enclaves of totalitar-ianism. School officials do not possess absolute authority over their students. Students in school as well as out of school are ‘per-sons’ under our Constitution…They may not be confined to the expression of those sentiments that are officially approved.”
With this ruling, the Court es-tablished the notion that students are entitled to exercise their right to free speech, provided it does not create significant disruption of the academic.
While the Tinker decision led to greater First Amendment protection during the 60s and 70s, several Supreme Court deci-sions during the 1980s led to the scaling back of the First Amend-ment rights granted to students at public schools.
In 1986, the Supreme Court Chief Justice Burger ruled in Bethel School District v. Fraser that “the Constitutional rights of students in public school are
not automatically coextensive with the rights of adults in other settings.”
Following this ruling, the Supreme Court ruled in the 1988 case of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmei-er that school authorities may choose to exercise control over student expression, provided that they do so with an educational purpose.
While those cases originated from free speech issues in the secondary education setting, the resounding effect the Supreme Court rulings have had on First Amendment rights in public universities evidences itself in the free speech zones that have become the norm over the past several decades.
Free speech zones, such as the ones found at WSU Vancou-ver, exist based on U.S. court decisions that the government may regulate the time, place and manner of free speech. A look at a 2012 study conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education reveals that 62 percent of universities have codes restricting free speech in a man-ner similar to First Amendment policies at WSU Vancouver.
As a WSU Vancouver student, this is both alarming and encour-aging.
Alarming because most Americans pride themselves on their right to free speech. Infringement of that right, no matter how subtle, generates an immediate pushback of fury and sudden indignation–we are
Americans; we must have the un-fettered right to say what we want, when and where we want to.
Yet, such a policy is also en-couraging. Encouraging because it shows that there is a place in the University for free speech and we, as students, must have the courage to the take ownership of that place and truly utilize it to vocalize the issues that concern our campus community.
It’s encouraging because events like the upcoming “First Amendment Thursday,” occurring April 4 in the Dengerink Admin-istration building, have not only been allowed to take place on campus but are supported by staff, faculty, students and adminis-tration alike. “First Amendment Thursday” demonstrates that free speech can transcend the free speech zone and underscores the importance of students taking the initiative to make their voices heard.
“First Amendment Thursday” shows that free speech has a place, but more students must show an interest in making it a priority. Once that happens, we can start looking toward the future in order to truly find a space for free speech that goes beyond bulletin boards and a plaza square. n
Jacob Schmidt is a senior studying English and media com-munications. He chairs the Student Media Board.
Finding a space for free speech: Looking at the past
