Since our last post concerning Bill 4.15, we have received a response from Paul L. Evans (Oregon State Representative District 20).
His Letter to the Editor can be found here: Letter to WOU Journal
Fairy Tale Films on the Rise
By Emily Pate Freelancer
This spring, Disney released “Cinderella,” the latest in their live action fairy tale adaptions, following last year’s “Maleficent.” According to the International Business Times, these two films will soon be joined by similar adaptations, including Emma Thompson’s “The Beauty and the Beast,” as well as “Mulan,” “The Jungle Book,” and numerous others.
And why not, with how popular these new versions have been? In fact, the recent wave of fairy tale retellings has even been enough to catch “Saturday Night Live’s” attention, which refers to both “Maleficent” and “Cinderella” in their parody trailer of a live-action “Bambi” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Many of Disney’s most popular recent movies have been a retelling of fairy tales. “Frozen,” according to the Daily Mail, recently became the fifth highest grossing film of all time. The only four that have earned more are “Avatar,” “Titanic,” “The Avengers” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.” This means that, of the five films that have made the most money globally, three are adaptations of preexisting stories.
“Frozen” is a new version of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen.” The Disney version of this story was then adapted to television in ABC’s “Once Upon a Time”; the Huffington Post reports there are currently stage and on-ice versions in the works. Disney has also recently released the film “Into the Woods,” an adaption of a play of the same name, which was – in turn – an adaptation of the many fairy tales that take part in its plot.
These films and TV shows are just a few of the fairy tale adaptations that can be found in recent media. There are also, among many others, the ongoing show “Grimm,” which presents a new view of the family most famous for recording fairy tales, and “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters,” which transforms the classic story into an action film. The number of these new versions only seems to be rising.
As an adult watching the animated films of my childhood, I often wonder why the characters do what they do. What does Maleficent try so hard to hurt Sleeping Beauty? Why does Cinderella stay in a house where she is unhappy?
These new adaptations try to supply the answers, but what never changes is the fact that fairy tales are good stories. There are infinite ways to tell them – evident by the skyrocketing popularity of the genre, and as they shift for new mediums and audiences, I’m sure there will be even more versions in the future. I, for one, am hoping so.
Oregon Student Association supporters fight referendum severing ties with ASWOU
By Jack Armstrong - News Editor and Haunani Tomas - Editor-in-Chief
The Oregon Student Association is currently campaigning against bill 4.15 introduced into the upcoming ASWOU elections beginning Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 24.
Bill 4.15 would effectively sever the current ties between the OSA and ASWOU. Both organizations are designed to provide advocacy on behalf of students, with ASWOU being specifically centered on Western Students.
The ballot asks: “Should WOU students leave membership with OSA?”
WHAT IS OSA?
Created in 1975, the OSA is, in part, a reaction to what Oregon students saw as rapidly decreasing student involvement in higher education administrative decisions like tuition, incidental fees, and on-campus policies. Since then, OSA has become the second largest voter registration in the United States.
According to the OSA mission, their purpose is to “represent, serve, and protect the collective interests of students in postsecondary education in Oregon.” The organization collectively represents more than 120,000 college students in Oregon, and serves much like a student labor union.
OSA’s short-term goals involve working with legislators and decision makers to act as a lobbying for students to the state.
“Lobbying is an ambiguous concept to people,” said OSA Executive Director Emma Kallaway. For reference, lobbying is the act of attempting to influence the actions of public officials, especially legislators.
The 45-member non-profit organization consists of a team that firmly believes in their mission: “protect the collective interests of students in postsecondary education in Oregon.”
HOW DOES OSA BENEFIT US?
While advocating for post-secondary education affordability, OSA works to prevent sexual violence, accounting to cultural competency, increasing accommodations for those with disabilities, and collecting data about the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, Queer) community to better serve the needs of college campuses.
More recently, OSA petitioned for an increase in financial aid, lower tuition and an increase in the quality of education.
The OSA’s efforts include organizing student rallies like the Rally to Restore Higher Education. Held on Feb. 12, 2015, the rally brought together students from 26 universities and community colleges to push for a reinvestment of state funds to freeze tuition costs.
OSA also sends students to Salem when the legislature is in session to speak on behalf of Oregon students. OSA has several students speaking to the legislative body concerning debt at a university budget hearing Tuesday , April 14, 2015.
Western students attended the Rally to Restore Higher Education, and some of the organization on the Western end was handled through ASWOU, but if bill 4.15 passes then Western will officially resign their membership to the OSA.
“There is an increased level of difficulty getting legislatures to support individual schools,” said Kallaway. “[OSA provides] a nearly 40-year long relationship with state officials that [Western students] have access to.”
Instead of lobbying for individual campus needs, OSA has the utilitarian lens of looking at the bigger picture.
“OSA has the ability to view what’s best for the entire student body population of Oregon versus the needs of an individual institution,” said Kallaway.
Western’s membership with OSA is funded through incidental fees, which are collected from students every term and used to fund student clubs and activities that fall outside the realm of academics – such as special interest clubs, health and wellness, athletics and student leadership activities.
These fees have been initially approved by both ASWOU senate and the incidental fees committee (IFC), but according to WOU Students Against 4.15, a student action group, “ASWOU senate recently passed a bill that was contrary to their [already voted upon] budget and decided to give students the opportunity to approve OSA membership on the ballot.”
Affordability being OSA’s chief objective, it costs students $1.49 per term to be members of the OSA.
Kallaway describes the per-term membership fee as being “less than a cup of coffee.”
“It save [students], at minimum, hundreds of dollars per student,” she said.
IF PASSED, HOW WILL BILL 4.15 AFFECT US?
This referendum would completely strip students’ ability to advocate for themselves at the state and renders students powerless. In other words, Western would be removed from OSA.
Proposed referendum measure that is being voted on next week would completely strip students of its collective power.
Consequently, OSA field organizer Brittany Duffy-Goche said this would leave Western students with “little to no power in Salem to be able to fight against tuition increases and policy that helps promote a safe and inclusive learning environment.”
“Students of Western would lose their impact,” said Kallaway.
Duffy-Goche explained that Western would be removed from the OSA, which would “sever our ability to effectively advocate for students on a statewide level.”
Some students on campus have already spoken out against the proposed changes. The student-lead group WOU Students Against 4.15 writes on their website that “withdrawing membership from the Oregon Student Association is a huge mistake.”
“If this referendum is passed, it would be detrimental on a multitude of levels,” said Duffy-Goche.
Students Against 4.15 believe that departure from OSA would severely limit Western’s ability to advocate on behalf of the student population without the power in numbers that OSA offers.
Students Against 4.15 writes: “be extremely wary of any attempts to limit your collective student voice in Salem. We need to work together in order to achieve real victories for higher education in Oregon.”
College of Education initiates curriculum reform
By Jack Armstrong - News Editor
Western’s College of Education has received permission to move forward with adjusting their current curriculum to better meet student needs.
In last month’s faculty senate meeting, the proposed changes were voted through unanimously. The department aims to have the reforms fully functional within the course catalog by fall quarter 2015.
All of the changes are taking place within the undergraduate program, leaving the Master of Arts in Teaching program intact.
Dr. Mark Girod, dean of the College of Education, said the changes are intended to “improve seamless transfer from community college to Western, to shorten time to degree completion, and to more tightly align courses to state and national teaching standards.”
New courses like ED 200 – Foundations of Education will take the place of the current introductory classes such as ED 100 and ED 312.
This new class also serves to align more closely with local community colleges introductory education courses so that transfer students to Western don’t lose as much progress if they choose to make the switch.
The college has also attempted to shorten time to graduation. According to the information submitted to the faculty senate, this will be achieved through a “removal of electives,” that fall outside of the education major, but double up on material covered in other classes.
This means in part that students will no longer be required to take introductory courses like a 100 level communications class, or additional electives to the education program, like business writing.
“The changes will improve rates of degree completion as well as the preparation of future educators” Girod said.
The College of Education is also making adjustments so it will attract more students to utilize the new Richard Woodcock center, set to be completed in 2016.
“The center is designed to promote collaboration, the latest technology, and specialized learning spaces,” Girod said.
Faculty involved with the College of Education are also always concerned that standards and credit requirements placed on the current students have fallen out of step with the ever changing licensure requirements for the state of Oregon.
In an attempt to better align with state standards, some new offerings are being added to next year’s course catalog. Some of these new classes are counterparts to classes already offered, but specialize in a specific area of the topics covered.
For example, one course currently offered in the college is ED 270 – Teaching and Learning with Technology. This course will remain but there will also be an alternative, ED 326 – Technology in Inclusive Early Childhood Settings (Birth-4th Grade).
Dr. Girod hopes that this specificity will help enhance the separate tracks that future educators can train for, whether that’s early childhood development, middle school, or high school.
“We seek to make our programs better and better,” Girod said. “School districts in Oregon expect excellence from us, and we will always provide.”
Suspect turns himself in after wrecking on campus
By Conner Williams Staff Writer
An intoxicated man crashed his pickup truck several times on Monmouth Avenue early Saturday, April 4, including a building and a car, according to Monmouth Police Department.
Yanel Avilla Castro, a 25-year-old, of Independence went out Friday night for drinks at Main Street Pub in Monmouth. Castro ended up causing thousands of dollars in damage on his drunken journey through downtown Monmouth as well as Western’s campus.
Castro is in custody after turning himself in around 4 a.m. the same morning. According to Sergeant Kim Dorn of MPD, he is currently facing charges of driving under the influence of intoxicants and three counts of failure to perform the duties of a driver, otherwise known as hit and run.
Castro left the bar at around 2:10 a.m. and headed toward the Shell gas station at the intersection of Main Street and Highway 99W.
“I was working inside when I saw this guy in a white truck pull up to pump one, and then he flew across the lot over to pump five where these other two guys were,” said Matt Cheney-Estes, the store clerk on shift during the incident.
“He got out of his truck and tried to get these two guys to fight him,” said Maddie Cole, a witness to the altercation at the gas station.
Cheney-Estes went outside to confront Castro, and then he returned inside to call the police, at which point the man sped out of the lot and onto Main Street in Monmouth, headed back in the direction of Monmouth Avenue.
Around 2:24 a.m., MPD started to receive multiple calls, including the one from Cheney-Estes. Castro turned right onto
Monmouth Avenue North and then crashed into 110 N. Monmouth Avenue, the building complex that houses Homestead Property
Management as well as several other businesses.
“That was the first hit and run,” said Dorn. “He then continued on Monmouth Avenue and proceeded to hit a parked car
and a tree, finally wrecking his truck in the grass area in front of the WOU education building, hitting a lamppost and a sign.”
Castro then abandoned his vehicle and set out on foot, eventually turning himself in to the police shortly afterwards.
Cheney-Estes said that a police officer came to the Shell later looking to collect witness statements and told him that Castro had caused upwards of $45,000 in damage.
“I can’t verify those figures yet, but the damage is going to be costly,” said Dorn.
If you have any additional information regarding the incident, please contact the MPD non-emergency line at-503-838-1109.
ASWOU Candidates
By JACK ARMSTRONG News Editor
New ASWOU candidates are starting a three-week process on their road to elections.
The 11 candidates will be spending their time leading up to elections learning the ins and outs of ASWOU election by-laws, introducing themselves and campaigning to the student body, and finally casting their votes.
Candidates have already presented at their first of two open forums. During the forums, the student body is welcome to come and ask questions of the candidates. Each candidate also makes a presentation about their qualifications and their intentions if they are elected.
The last open forum is scheduled to take place Thursday, April 16, from 7-9 p.m. in the Mt. Hood room of Valsetz. The meeting is open to the entire Western community.
After the final open forum, candidates will be campaigning around campus attempting to secure potential voters up until the election.
Voting begins Monday, April 20 and ends Friday, April 24, at 3 p.m. This year, ASWOU is shifting from the Portal system used in past elections to a new, OrgSync-based system.
Cat Bracken, the ASWOU elections committee chair, said “OrgSync will be faster and more efficient than having the votes on the Portal as they have done in previous years.”
In addition to OrgSync, the elections committee will staff polling stations located throughout campus where students can stop by and vote via laptop with directions and help if necessary.
The following photos and information about the candidates was taken directly from their candidate applications. Candidates responded to the question, “If elected, how do you intend to improve or change WOU or ASWOU?”
For more information on the voting process or becoming involved in ASWOU, visit the ASWOU office in the Werner Center room 121A, or call 503-838-8553.
Disclaimer: The Journal does not endorse any candidates or their policy. Photos and information were made available by individual candidates. The Journal made minor edits in punctuation and grammar for clarity.
Senator:
Colette Thomassians
First-year public policy and administration major
“I intend to close the gap between the students and their representatives. I plan to listen to students and get their input on things that affect them – directly or indirectly.”
ASWOU President:
Second-year public policy administration major
“If elected, I want to change the current climate of ASWOU, making it a safe space for the students they serve. I would do that by ensuring that appointed cabinet members, as well as the members of the Judicial Board and Student Senate are an equal representation of the student body they serve. In my time working with ASWOU, countless students have approached me saying that they are not comfortable with the current climate of ASWOU because they feel underrepresented. Another priority of mine would be Tuition Affordability. Keeping tuition low is a high priority for the majority of students, and I would work with the newly institutionalized governing board to do so. Having the hard conversations with those board members and being able to be a voice for our students is a role that I am more than willing to assume.”
Third-year exercise science major
“While external advocacy is an important part of ASWOU’s role on campus, I feel that there are other areas that deserve more immediate focus and improvement. First, ASWOU is in need of better methods to communicate with and involve our clubs and students. This is an issue I have already taken efforts to address, and can ensure the successful transition to these new methods, such as the ASWOU Representative Assembly, as they have been my major project in my first year as president. Another area for improvement is the Food Pantry that ASWOU oversees. I intend to alter an ASWOU officer’s job description to put more focus on the Food Pantry. We need to increase awareness through advertising campaigns and find new ways to reduce the negative stigma about utilizing this amazing resource, such as online food requests to reduce face time in the pantry.”
IFC Member:
Postbaccalaureate
computer science major
“My hope is, that through the IFC, to focus the fee on where it will impact the greatest number of students while keeping tuition affordable to as many prospective students as possible.”
ASWOU Vice President:
Third-year psychology major
“I would continue the course that I have been on while being on this position, by improving the accountability of the organization. I would improve the transparency of the organization, allowing for more student input into larger decisions. Improve the accountability of the organization by continuing to preach the proper use of the funds, keep staff members accountable and supported, and interact with WOU students.”
Senate President:
Jessica Freeman
First-year biology major with a preprofessional
emphasis
“If elected, I intend to improve the ASWOU recruitment process specifically contributing to the Senate body. After participating in the recruitment process this year, I noticed how difficult it became to recruit as time went on because students became involved with other clubs and organizations. If elected, I will focus on recruiting students early in the year in order to build a stronger senate body.”
Dean Wright
Third-year elementary/
middle education major with a history focus
“If elected I want to get ASWOU more out to the public. As the senate should be representing all students on campus, then the senate needs to be out on campus talking with students to get as much feedback as possible. If elected to Senate President I also want to bring life to the Senate, make senate something that is fun and builds leadership for the Senators. How I plan to do this by having senators partake in already established leadership activities, creating leadership workshops for them, and having weekly one on ones.”
Judicial Administrator:
Christina Sekafetz
First-year mathematics
education major
“If elected, I would improve the communication between students and their elected representatives. Students are not informed well enough about programs or events that happen around campus, including but not limited to ASWOU events, and most of them are beneficial to their education or exploring other interests.”
Fourth-year biology major
“While advocating for the students of Western Oregon University is an overarching duty of any student government member, in regards to the position of Judicial Administrator, I am also excited to carry on the work I have been doing these past years. Within the Judicial Board, the Justices and I have been holding all groups within ASWOU to a higher standard. I have implemented a system of legislation
review which has made the Judicial Board more efficient and effective as an interpretive body, and has led to the large scale editing of the ASWOU Constitution and By-Laws, as well as the creation of Statutes for our Clubs and Organizations. This editing process has served to clarify and clean up the governing documents, as well as rectify any deficiencies which have been noted within the documents. This has been hard work, and it is nowhere near finished since these documents have not seen a large scale editing in many years. I hope to continue this work next year with the Senators and Justices so that the Constitution and By-Laws can be clear, concise, and serve the purpose of serving WOU students.”
SAB Director:
Javier Garcia
Second-year business major
“Have different events. I already learned this year what worked and what did not work with some events, so I know where to spend more time in improving.”
Maggie MacKenzie
Second-year
communication studies and dance major
“I want to bring performers that the students want to see, and put on events that students are interested in. I would love to get more students involved in SAB and involved in our events. We love to have students either perform or help put on the creation of the event, and I want to get as many students involved, if they wish, as I can. I also want to make sure that every person who attends an event feels welcomed and that we are glad they are there.”
2015-2016 ASWOU leadership positions up for election
By Conner Williams Staff Writer
The student government positions of the Associated Students of Western Oregon University are open for all-student elections starting the week of April 20 -24.
The ASWOU General Elections Applications are due by today, April 3 by 5 p.m. Once all of the applications have been processed, the candidate list will be announced and made public on Monday, April 6.
According to information from Cat Bracken, elections committee chair and ASWOU director of public relations, the election process spans for about three weeks, and each contender has the opportunity to campaign for his or her desired position.
The first week, April 6-10, is “mainly informational, where the candidates learn the campaign rules,” Bracken said.
The second week, April 13-17, is Campaign Week. Bracken said that week is “where the candidates campaign to the students to try and secure possible voters.”
During these first two weeks, there will be two candidate forums in which students have the opportunity to ask each candidate questions. Then, once the campaigning and forums are finished, voting will begin.
The system for voting in this year’s election is set to change slightly from voting systems of past elections.
“In the past, voting has been done through the Portal,” Bracken said. “The hope for this year is to hold the voting through OrgSync.”
Bracken said, “I am working with Megan Habermann and our OrgSync Campus Coordinator to try and make this possible.”
Profiles of all the candidates will be featured in The Journal prior to the elections.
Once the votes have been counted, the elects will begin their terms at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 1 and will then hold office for one academic year, through spring term of 2016.
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