Mount Hood

Leadership Awards honor standout scholars

By Jack Armstrong and Madison McCammon
 News Editor and Freelancer

The Student Leadership Recognition Awards were held Tuesday, May 12. This awards ceremony is an annual event on campus.

“This was the 25th year of these awards here at Western,” said Gary Dukes, vice president for student affairs.

This year’s ceremony entitled “Lead Long and Prosper,” was presented in a classic Star Trek theme, and even provided party-goers with the opportunity to utilize a photo booth featuring Kirk and Spock.

The awards themselves are focused on recognizing students who display great effort and achievement in both their on campus, and off campus activities.

“Students can be nominated by anybody on campus, although it is usually faculty,” said Dukes. “Then, once a student has been nominated, there is a committee of faculty and staff who makes the final decisions.”

Some of the awards were campus-wide nominations but some were department or club specific.

“Each department has their own process for award determination. Some are peer-selected, others are staff-selected and some are selected directly by the university committee,” said Megan Habermann, assistant director for student leadership activities.

Kylie Roth, recipient of the Julia McCulloch Smith Outstanding Graduating Women Award, said she felt “very honored and grateful” to be given the award. Roth, a senior psychology major, also received the Karl Amspacher award and a Who’s Who certificate.

Roth has been chosen to be one of the speakers at commencement as a result of receiving the award. Roth said she still is not certain what she intends to speak about.

“In general, I plan to talk about the things that stood out to me during my four years at WOU and encourage all graduates as we move forward with our lives,” she said.

Two other graduating students were selected to speak at commencement ceremonies after receiving their awards.

Eli Zachary was announced as winner of the Delmer Dewey Outstanding Graduating Men Award, and Erica West Oyedele was announced as winner of the 2015 Outstanding Graduate Student Award.

Oyedele was recognized by her supervisory professors for her work on her thesis entitled “Persistence of African-American/Black Signed Language Interpreters in the United States: The Importance of Culture and Capital.” She was also recognized for her commitment to complete her program remotely from California.

“I don’t know exactly what they saw in me,” said Oyedele, “but they saw something, and for that I am grateful.”

Even though the award ceremony lasted much longer than expected, winners and attendees left happy.

“It was a special, fun night, and my congratulations go out to all of the deserving winners,” said Roth.

Saudi international students restricted by registration requirements

By Jack Armstrong
 News Editor

The registrar’s office at Western has seen a rise in the number of international students from Saudi Arabia requesting enrollment in online and hybrid classes.

For some, this is no problem, but for Saudi students who receive grants or scholarships from the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM), enrollment in online classes is strictly forbidden if there is a classroom option available.

According to their website, the Saudi Cultural Mission was created by the Saudi Arabian government in 1951. Along with several other programs created at the same time, the SACM is designed to create and administer programs and policies to aid Saudi students studying abroad in the United States.

One of the programs strictest polices concerns students enrolling in online or hybrid courses.

“Online degree programs are strictly forbidden,” states the SACM policy handbook. This means that Saudi students are required to attend traditional brick and motor colleges.

While attending traditional U.S. universities, SACM students are also limited in how many online or hybrid courses they are allowed to take, and must limit these classes to special circumstances.

Western Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Stephen Scheck said this policy is in place to ensure SACM students experience the full spectrum of what it is like to be an American student during their time abroad.

“SACM wishes for the students to have face-to-face engagement with professors and other students in the class,” Scheck said. “This allows them to gain as much exposure to American culture as possible.”

According to the policy handbook provided by SACM, students are allowed to enroll in online classes if the course is required and a face-to-face option doesn’t exist, or if it doesn’t otherwise fit into their current schedule.

“If a face-to-face class offering exists, we would not wish for a SACM student to enroll in the online section,” said Scheck, “but recently we have experienced an increased number of inquiries from the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission about why students enrolled in on-line courses.”

As a result of increased scrutiny on the part of the SACM, Western’s registrar’s office has been instructed to increase their diligence when enrolling Saudi students in online sections.

SACM students will now be automatically prevented by a BannerWeb hold from registering for online or hybrid classes.

According to the new Western policies, “holds will be removed if the student provides the International Education and Development Office documentation that SACM has approved enrollment into a specific on-line/hybrid course.”

“We are being more proactive to ensure that students stay in compliance with scholarship requirements — hence the additional steps Saudi students must fulfill to enroll in online coursework,” Scheck said.

Despite the extra steps now required of both Western faculty and Saudi students, Scheck remains confident that SACM’s policies are beneficial to the international scholars.

“[SACM’s] oversight is a resource for students and their families adjusting to life in the United States,” Scheck said. “This is just like other students on scholarship, restrictions may be applied that must be met such as maintaining a minimal GPA, or making progress toward major completion requirements.

Saudi students seeking assistance in enrolling in these classes have been asked to contact Ambre Plahn in the International Office at 503-838-8434 or plahna@wou.edu.

Western celebrates Arbor Day

By Katrina Penaflor
 Campus Life Editor

An Arbor Day celebration was brought to Western’s campus, Wednesday, May 20, thanks to the university’s arboreal advisory committee.

Arbor comes from the Latin words meaning tree, and the purpose of the day was to plant, honor and protect trees.

The celebration consisted of a tour around campus to three different memorial trees: Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Honor for WOSC parents, and Dr. HR Montana Walking Bull.

The arboreal advisory committee put on the event to fulfill part of the requirements for Tree Campus USA—which was created by the nonprofit, Arbor Day Foundation. Tree County USA, recognizes two-year and four-year colleges that show dedication to the upkeep of the environment.

The tour was led by the committee and students from Biology 321, systematic field botany. Presenters spoke about the history and origin of the trees, as well as their characteristics.

The first tree was in memory of Sharon Christa McAuliffe, and is a Kwanzan Cherry. Student Michael Calhoun said the purpose of the tree is to “inspire future educators,” to “reach for the horizon.” The tree produces flowers in shades of pink and white, and keeps a short trunk with long dense branches.

Junior education major Jacob Howard said the Kwanzan Cherry “does bloom very beautifully when you get a chance to see it.”

The second tree was a Katsura Tree, and is dedicated to all parents. Biology major Alexander Heenan discussed how the tree can grow up to 60 feet tall. It also cannot survive in long standing dry conditions, a problem not faced in Oregon.

“When the [leaves] fall, they put off a sort of caramel scent,” Heenan said.

The final tree on the tour was a giant Sequoia, which can grow to over 300 feet, presented by biology major, Joseph Reeder. The Sequoia is dedicated to former teacher, Dr. HR Montana Walking Bull. He was a member of the Cherokee tribe and his poem “Wolf Bird” was read by Calhoun during the tour.

The tour concluded with an inaugural tree planting in the grove with the help of Kevin Hughes, Western’s landscape supervisor. He prepped the tree for planting by scoring the edges of the hole was dug in preparation and trimming the lower branches of the tree. Both are tips he recommended for anyone planting trees.

The tree is a Mountain Hemlock that blooms cones instead of flowers, biology major Adam Jensen, said.

The tree “will be a great complement to our campus,” Jensen added.

RUN THIS TOWN

By Rachel Shelley
 Staff Writer

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Badane Sultessa and his 11 siblings walked to and from school, sometimes as far as five miles away. In a place with no transportation, they relied on their feet.

“It was really crazy. You’re on your own there,” Sultessa said. Because Sultessa and his five brothers and six sisters experienced a lot of fighting in schools, his family decided to travel to a new home in Portland in 2008.

It was within the walls of Centennial High School where Sultessa experienced the struggles of moving to a new country. Adapting to cultural differences, language barriers, an entirely new cuisine, new faces and, most importantly, a change of pace.

“Running helped me make a lot of friends; in my free time I hung out with my teammates,” said Sultessa. “It helped me learn English and get an education at the same time.”

Sultessa found solace in his high school running team.

“If it wasn’t for running, I don’t think I would have even gone to college,” Sultessa said.

Running didn’t just help his transition into a new country. His feet, which he relied on to get from home to school and back, were going to take him even farther than he ever thought possible.

In his first 800-meter race on the junior varsity track team freshman year, Sultessa won in 2 minutes and 17.01 seconds. By hissophomore year, he placed fourth at the Mt. Hood Conference Championships in 2:02.25. He also participated in the 1,500 at the OSAA 6A State Championships.

During the 2010 outdoor season, Sultessa joined the elite under-two-minute squad, breaking through the two-minute barrier of his 800 to win the 6A state championships in 1:57.04.

Three years after he started his journey as a distance athlete, Sultessa finished his high school career on the fast track to a promising collegiate career. He finished second at the state championships in both the 1,500 and the 800 races, with times of 3:59.64 and 1:53.75, respectively. His 800 performance at the state championships qualified him for a spot at BorderDuel Classic. At the BorderDuel, Sultessa ran the fastest 800 time of his career to place third in 1:53.42.

Although Sultessa’s high school career was impressive, it was only a preamble. His journey as an elite 800 runner was just beginning.

After leaving Portland State on a full ride, he headed to Clackamas Community College where he received his associate of arts Oregon transfer degree but struggled to excel as a runner.

Sultessa was given the opportunity to walk on as part of the University of Oregon track team but didn’t want to withdraw any loans. Finally, Sultessa was offered a scholarship at Western where he fell in love with the program and felt it fit with his goals.

“I like how the team is really close and really small,” Sultessa said. “It’s not a big university. We share everything; it’s like a family.”

Within his first year at Western, Sultessa qualified for the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships where he became the third All-American in Western track and field history. He entered the finals as the top-ranked runner and finished in fourth place overall with a time of 1:51.36.

Eager to earn a spot at the NCAA division-II outdoor championships, Sultessa spent the outdoor season racing towards a qualifying time. At the Mt. Hood Track Festival, Badane finished second overall but after a time mishap he was left unqualified for outdoor nationals, with just the GNAC Conference meet left.

“I was trying to qualify at Mt. Hood but they messed up my time; it might have gotten me in, but I was mad about that,” he said. “I told myself I was going to qualify at home at conference.”

As a result, Sultessa captured the Great Nothwest Athletic Conference 800 title in 1:52.31, which was .60 seconds shy of qualifying for outdoor nationals.

“The race went out slow, so I didn’t qualify,” he said.

Just missing the qualifying mark, Sultessa accepted that his season was over. Returning for one more year of school and athletic eligibility at Western for the 2015-2016 year, he continues to train and run.

“I was really mad and sad,” he said. “I tried to give everything I had. If I gave everything I had and ran 1:51 I would be happy, but it wasn’t everything I had.”

On May 17, Sultessa traveled home to Portland to race at the Portland Twilight Track Meet. Unable to use this meet to qualify for the national meet, Sultessa used the Portland Twilight Track Meet for training.

However, he finished the 800 race in 1:47.59 and become the No. 1 D-II runner in the country. His performance lifted himself higher into a slimmer category of 800 runners: ranking amongst the top 25 in all NCAA D-I rankings and hitting the B standard for the Olympic Trials.

“I always believe that everything happens for a good reason,” Sultessa said. “I was really mad and sad and went out to race to see what I can do. This is the first time running with the elite runners; the one thing that is different is this isn’t all I have left, I have more coming.”

With the Olympic trials now in sight, Sultessa has a new goal: qualify for Olympic trials.

“That’s my goal, to get into the Olympic trials. I want to race at a big meet and get a feel [for] running with the elite runners in a big place.”

Before his career concludes, Sultessa has dreams of breaking the 1:42 barrier. His family members also have dreams in the 800 realm as well. His younger brothers, Roba and Jalato Sultessa, are also elite 800 runners at the high school level.

Roba is a two-time state champion in the 800 at Cleveland High School. After winning his 6A PIL District meet, Roba prepares to race toward a three-peat this weekend at the state championships.

His youngest brother, Jalato is a junior at Parkrose High School and finished second in the 5A NWOC District Championships. Jalato will also race at state.

Student journalists receive high honors at Collegiate Newspaper Contest

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By Sydney Joa
 Staff Writer

Western’s Journal and its staff took awards in multiple categories in the 2015 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association Collegiate Contest.

Having not received any awards since the 2011 contest, the announcement of nominations was an exciting time for the members of The Journal team.

“I am very proud of all of the staff who work hard to produce such a quality paper; it’s a privilege to get to work with them week by week,” said Dr. Meg Artman, student media adviser.

The contest awards Oregon’s collegiate newspapers in a multitude of different categories including those for specific articles, and some for whole issues and volumes of the paper.

There are three separate groups of categories for schools within the contest; The Journal competed in group two, which consists of four-year colleges and universities with non-daily newspapers. Universities all throughout Oregon compete, as this is the only collegiate newspaper competition of its kind in Oregon.

The Journal was honored with first place in the Best Special Section category for its special issue on sexual assault awareness, published Oct. 31, 2014. The Special Section award looks at not only content, but also layout and general look of the paper.

The issue included information on sexual assault compiled and written by Laura Knudson. It also included an anonymous personal account transcribed by Allison Opson-Clement, and an article by Jennifer Halley detailing Take Back the Night, a sexual and domestic violence awareness event. Shannen Brouner contributed all the photos, and Haunani Tomas designed the issue.

“This award was judged on many things and many people helped make it possible,” said Knudson, a senior communication studies major. “The award is such an accomplishment because so many people put forth tremendous effort to make it happen.”

Another writer taking first was Tomas, winning the highest honors in the Best Sports Story category for a piece highlighting a double overtime game won by Western’s men’s basketball with a buzzer beater.

The graphic for the story, also designed by Tomas, won third place honors for Best Graphic.

“I wanted to cover how well our basketball team was performing and write something that highlighted a moment in their season. They deserved it,” said Tomas, a senior business major.

Another first place win was taken by Knudson in the Best Writing category. Her articles on gluten and gluten-free lifestyles, a feature on the Three Legged Dog Pub in Independence, and a news story on divestment of alumni funds at Western helped secure her highest honors.

A third place award went to Knudson’s story on the new pub in Independence. This was awarded in the Best Feature Story category.

The Journal also received awards for the news section. News Editor Jack Armstrong’s story on a Western alumna who was jailed in Japan for shipping herself prescription medication took second place in the Best News Story category.

The Journal plans to enter additional national collegiate newspaper competitions soon.

Copies of The Journal are widely available across campus as well as at local businesses in the Monmouth-Independence area.

Baseball Wins GNAC

PHOTO FROM WESTERN ATHLETICS
PHOTO FROM WESTERN ATHLETICS

After winning three games in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament, the Wolves baseball team clinched its 14th consecutive championship in a 4-3 win against the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders. Left-handed pitcher Darrien Moran earned the title of GNAC Championship MVP.

Right-handed pitcher Jesse Pratt was named to the 2015 Daktronics, Inc. Division II All-West Region Baseball Team.

Pratt was also named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-West Region Team as an honorable mention selection, along with outfielder Matt Taylor.

The Wolves are waiting for word on whether they qualify for the NCAA Division II West Regional tournament, which will be announced this weekend.

New committee named to oversee in-state transfer students

By Jack Armstrong
News Editor

Western is among a collection of four-year Oregon universities that could soon see a shift in their policies concerning community college transfer students and their credit allocations in the coming years.

Recommendations for inter-college credit transfers and course requirements for possible transfer students were all previously handled through the Joint Boards Articulation Committee (JBAC) and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC).

According to their website, JBAC is an organization formed in 1992 by the Oregon University System (OUS) to “address issues related to student transfer and articulation.”

The committee played an integral role in the past decade with the creation of the Associates of Art Oregon Transfer degree (AAOT), and the Associates of Science Oregon Transfer degree (ASOT). They also helped plan the Oregon Transfer Module (OTM), which compiles community college courses and their corresponding four year credit labels.

These degrees allow Oregon students to gain the first two years of a four-year degree at a community college and then smoothly transition to a four-year university to complete their undergraduate work.

The dissolution of the OUS had left the future of the JBAC in doubt due to rapidly shifting standards during the transition, but recently the JBAC received permission from the HECC to be reorganized into the Joint Transfer and Articulation Committee (JTAC).

In its first iteration, JTAC will be chaired by Western’s own provost and vice president for academic affairs, Stephen Scheck.

“JTEC’s ultimate goal is to streamline the process of transfer so that students get the most out of the coursework they take at the community college prior to transferring to a four-year university,” Scheck said.

The new JTAC model will operate in a similar capacity to JBAC but will be focused on creating and maintaining a complete list of courses offered at the community college level, and the corresponding requirements at the four-year level.

According to the Provost’s report to Western’s faculty senate, “an immediate request from the JTAC is for the four year schools to identify essential pre-major courses to be taken during the first and second year at the community college so students can transfer directly into junior-level course work.”

This will require the dean of each department at the four-year level to compile a “request list” of required course work so that transfer students experience as little overlap as possible when making the switch from an associate program to a bachelor program.

Currently, Western is a popular transfer destination for Oregon students due in large part to the relative ease of transferring in.

“The process was super easy and there is a high volume of acceptance for some students,” said Juan Esparza, a 2015 Western business school graduate who transferred from Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) in Eastern Oregon.

“I knew coming in that I would probably be accepted because I had completed all of my LACCs at BMCC,” he added.

While students from in-state schools have an easy time transferring to Western, some out-of-state transfer students have had a more complicated experience.

“I had to go to each department individually and argue for my transfer credits to be counted,” said Elizabeth Aldrich, a third-year public policy major transfer student from Front Range Community College in Fort Collins, Colorado.

“I have about 12 credits still that have not transferred over from my junior college in Colorado,” she said.

Western’s administration has voiced their intention to focus on making the transfer process easier regardless of student origin.

“Western has a diverse student base, and a lot of our population comes from community colleges in the area seeking further education. We will look to continue strengthening this tie with local community colleges moving forward,” incoming Western President Rex Fuller said.

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