Mount Hood

Bergeson Resigns

By Rachel Shelley
 Freelancer

Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Brady Bergeson will be leaving Western after four years as head coach of the men’s basketball program. Bergeson heads to Regis University in Colorado, another NCAA Division II team, as the new men’s head basketball coach.

Bergeson led the Wolves to season and program highs this past season, finishing with a record of 69-45 (.605) through his career. He also leaves with the seventh most wins as a coach in school history.

Ten All-GNAC players, one GNAC Player of the Year, one GNAC Newcomer of the Year and the first NCAA basketball All-American in Western men’s basketball program history and
have played under Bergeson.

He also led the 2014-15 season team to Western’s first-ever GNAC regular season title and the first tip to the NCAA Division II National Tournament as part of the West Regional.

During the same season, Bergeson broke the 20-win season mark, the first time since the 1996-97 season as well as the program’s first-ever NCAA Division II national ranking. Western ranked as high as No. 15 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Poll.

“The national ranking is a great honor. It’s something that is in the history books and our kids and fans can be proud of. Additionally, we are proud that we have been able to give national recognition to our university,” Bergeson said in an interview Feb. 4.

Prior to coaching at Western, Bergeson earned his master’s degree in negotiation, conflict resolution and peace-building from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2007 after earning an undergraduate degree in psychology with honors from Chapman in 2000.

At Chapman, Bergeson played point guard where he finished his four years with a 66-34 record and was the Student- Athlete of the Year and team captain during his senior year.

Final Four

Western has entered the final stage of the process to replace retiring university president Mark Weiss.

After Weiss announced his retirement, a search committee was created to help select his replacement. As of March 30, Western had announced four finalist candidates to take
over the position: Dr. Rex Fuller, Dr. Fernando Delgado, Dr. Margaret Madden and Dr. Christopher Ames.

According to current Western president, Mark Weiss, the most important consideration in selecting a new leader is to look for a candidate who “has distinguished themselves
as leaders and understand the importance of institutions like Western, and the difference we make in the lives of our graduates.”

Weiss said, “I am delighted to say that each of our candidates has shown this potential from their previous work in a university structure.”

It is clear from the brief biographies in the most recent press release published by the search committee that all of the candidates have served at similar levels of higher education administration before being considered for Western’s presidency.

Fuller served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at Eastern Washington University (EWU) since 2010. Fuller oversaw the development of the EWU College of
Health Science and Public Health.

Delgado serves as provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls since 2009. Delgado began his career in education administration
serving as a dean for both MSU-Mankato and Hamline University.

Since 2002, Madden has served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at State University of New York (SUNY) – Postdam. Her focus was in expanding and improving
the network of campuses that comprised the widespread SUNY.

Ames is currently the vice president for academic affairs at Shepherd University in West Virginia. He supervises seven academic deans in addition to the school’s division II
athletics program.

The committee tasked with selecting the possible candidates was organized by Judy Vanderburg, director of human resources, and contains a wide range of individuals representing Western, the alumni and the Oregon University System.

The committee is chaired by Jim Francesconi who is a member of the Oregon State Board of Higher Education. While the search committee has made their recommendation of the four finalist candidates, OUS has the final decision of who will actually be appointed.

According to Western’s website, “the OUS Board will be making the final decision regarding the next president since the first WOU Board of Trustees doesn’t become active by law until July 1, 2015.”

Before OUS can consider their final decision, the search committee and the Western board of trustees will make a recommendation of their first choice candidate from the four finalists.

Part of the discussion concerning the committee’s vetting process will take place behind closed doors, but the Western community and student body will have a chance to participate through campus interview sessions of the four finalists.

The candidates will be participating in various activities through the first two weeks of spring term, and each candidate will participate in an open hearing style interview in which students and faculty along with the community are welcome to ask questions.

As of today, Delgado and Ames have already participated in their open forums and community receptions.

Madden will have her open forum April 6 from 3:30-5 p.m. in Rice Auditorium to be followed by community reception in the foyer from 5-6:30 p.m. Fuller is scheduled to have his open forum April 7 from 3:30-5 p.m. in Rice Auditorium. The community reception for Fuller is also in the auditorium foyer from 5-6:30 p.m.

After each forum, attendees are asked to fill out a campus reaction survey online (https://dev.wou.edu/president/presidentialsearch/) located in a link below their respective profiles on the presidential search website. This survey will ask respondents basic information about their role at Western and their reactions to the candidates during the events.

The results of the survey will be combined with the results of the private interviews conducted by the committee before they submit their candidate recommendation to OUS.

Weiss, who previously served at Western as the vice president of finance and administration, said he “under-went a similar procedure of vetting and recommendations for my initial position.” Weiss was appointed to the presidency by OUS four years ago.

After Weiss officially retires, he hopes to stay as involved in campus as is appropriate.

“I expect to attend campus-related events but I am mindful that with my retirement I must provide clear separation, respectfully, for the new board and president,” Weiss said.

“I can tell you this has been the most gratifying position I’ve had the pleasure to have because of the positive impact this institution makes in the lives of so many of our students,” Weiss concluded.

The new president will officially be taking office July 1, 2015.

For more information regarding the presidential search, resumes and biographies of possible candidates, or the timeline for the appointment of a new president, go to https://dev.wou.edu/president/presidentialsearch/ or contact Judy Vanderburg at vanderj@wou.edu.

Child Care and Development Center Receives Prestigious Award

IMG_011123
Kids take a break at award-winning Child Development Center. PHOTO BY SHANNEN BROUNER – CAMPUS PHOTOGRAPHER

 

By JACK ARMSTRONG
News Editor

Western’s Teaching Research Institute and Child Development Center was recently awarded a five-star rating by the Oregon Quality Rating and Improvement System.

TRI-CDC, Western’s child care center, is located in Todd Hall. Students, staff, faculty and community members’ children between the ages of 30 months and 10 years can spend their day at the center enrolled in a variety of classes and activities while their parents attend or teach class across campus.

TRI-CDC director Ingrid Amerson said, “having TRI-CDC on campus is a huge draw to perspective faculty and students.”

For 35 years, the center has been open to Western’s community of parents. According to Amerson, the center offers an opportunity for busy student-parents to “know that their child is being cared for in a safe and stimulating environment”
The center also offers an opportunity for Western students, who are focused on education and early childhood development, to volunteer and hone their skills.

Students can “volunteer in our program to enhance their skills working with the children, and learn about developmentally appropriate practices through hands-on experience,” Amerson said.

Amerson also said that students have the opportunity to “work in our Center when positions become available,” allowing for interested students to gain resume-building job hours.

TRI-CDC offers new parents a wide range of parenting-centric seminars and classes. According to Amerson, parents have the chance to learn more about the child-rearing process at the center at least twice a year.

The draw of TRI-CDC for prospective students and faculty with children has been boosted by the Oregon QRIS awarding the center its highest rating of five stars.

Oregon’s Early Learning Division oversees the Oregon QRIS, a rating system developed by early childhood development experts from Western.

The award is a certification by Oregon state officials that TRI-CDC has “demonstrated to the state, the community and the families that we excel to the highest levels in the
essential standards that support quality learning for all children,” according to Amerson.

“We worked hard to achieve this award,” Amerson said.

TRI-CDC spent more than a year compiling a portfolio that demonstrated the center’s proficiency in a number of state standards such as learning and development, family
partnerships and business practices among others.

The five-star rating lasts for three years, at which point TRI-CDC will have to prepare another portfolio for review. Amerson said the center will definitely “go through a process for the rating to be renewed.”

The center is currently looking to expand its operations to further benefit the Western parent community.

Amerson said that by mid-spring the center will be “refreshing both our indoor and outdoor learning classrooms with new furnishings to give us an up-to-date environment.”

TRI-CDC is also partnering with other programs such as Central School District, Community Action Head Start and Polk County to open the Central Child Development Center.

The new center is focused around teen parents with infants and toddlers. Amerson said “enrollment will include children of Central High School teen parents” as well as infants and toddlers of Western students and faculty.

Funding for these expansions will come in part as a direct result of the five-star rating. As a reward for the TRI-CDC receiving five stars, the Oregon QRIS awarded the center $3,500 in grant money.

The work toward improvement is unfinished even after the rating was announced.

“Continuous quality improvement is the heart of the QRIS. Our field is changing quickly with new research helping us determine how to best meet the needs of our children and families,” Amerson said.

For more information about the TRI-CDC, how to enroll a child, or the center’s programs, contact Ingrid Amerson at iamerson@mail.wou.edu or call 503-838-8783.

ASWOU looks to improve student input

By CONNER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer

In mid-February, the Associated Students of Western administered a representation survey through the OrgSync portal page.

According to ASWOU President Corbin Garner, the email prompt to take the survey was sent to about 6,800 students and faculty alike.

About 155 people have participated in the survey thus far. Anyone that has yet to take it has until the third week of April. The survey will be active until the upcoming ASWOU elections.

To take the survey, participants must be logged in to their WOU Portal page and select the green OrgSync link at the top of the page. A link to the survey is on the OrgSync home page and takes about five minutes to complete.

The survey has two sections. The first four questions ask students if they feel ASWOU effectively represents their interests and concerns, with answer options ranging from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree,” and a “neutral” middle response.

The second part of the survey says that ASWOU is “evaluating models of representation for its students on campus, in the community, and to that state,” and then asks students which model they feel does a better job representing them.

The first model “encourages cooperation with other university student governments to accomplish a broader student movement and its goals.”

This external model of representation allows ASWOU to coordinate with and learn from other student governments more often and effectively by attending conferences and other state and federal events.

The second model is an internal one that differs from the external model in that, according to the survey, it “encourages cooperation with different student groups on campus: with administrators, staff, and faculty to accomplish goals for the university as a whole.”

The internal model focuses on representing the students and faculty at Western and identifying issues that affect students directly.

The survey then asks participants their school year, as well as which groups on campus they are involved with.

The survey has resulted in a 39.10 percent response of “somewhat agree” that ASWOU’s student representation is effective, and a 4.49 percent response of “somewhat disagree” for the same category.

Garner mentioned that it was important to note that about 45 percent of respondents stated that they “know little” about ASWOU.

“These results have led to the implementation of changes in policy,” Garner said. One of the proposed changes involves a requirement for all ASWOU executives to take one hour per week of their scheduled time to go out on the campus and talk to students.

The goal is to hopefully provide a greater base of knowledge about ASWOU itself, as well as address any concerns students might have.

Garner encourages students and faculty to take the survey, as it allows ASWOU to gain an understanding of their effectiveness and find ways to improve.

Door Debut

Photo By Shannon Brouner - Staff Photographer
Photo By Shannon Brouner – Staff Photographer

By CONNER WILLIAMS
Staff Writer

Construction of Western’s bookstore is expected to be finished as of today, March 13. Construction of the door began on Feb. 23.
The old door was a roll-down-style fire door that had many technical issues.

Whenever the electricity to the old unit was shut off, intentionally or not, the door would close suddenly without warning, creating an extremely hazardous condition for anyone nearby.

“This happened multiple times, and each time the manufacturer came out to fix it, it cost the university thousands of dollars,” said Chris Rupp, textbook purchaser for the bookstore.

Rupp also added that instead of spending excess money on numerous attempts to fix the issue with the old door, the new door could have been purchased sooner instead.

According to Patrick Moser, interim director of the Werner University Center, the cost of the new door amounted to about $32,000. Moser also said the frequent need for repair made it cost prohibitive to keep the old door.

“The new door is also more aesthetically pleasing,” Moser said, while additionly offering increased safety and functionality features.

While still remaining fire safe, the new door is transparent, and it opens on frame-mounted hinges like a traditional door.

“It allows students and customers to have the ability to actually see into the store, unlike the previous one,” Moser said.

The new door is expected to last longer and be more cost effective than the old roll-down-style unit.

Dancing with Wolves

By GUY PERRIN
Staff Writer

The men’s basketball team will make their debut in the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament when they take on number-one seed Azusa Pacific University Friday, March 13.

The Wolves, who made their first-ever appearance at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference tournament, earned an at-large bid from the selection committee thanks to an impressive 23-6 regular season record in the.

“I am looking forward to our first game, and that is all what’s in my mind,” said forward Andy Avgi, who was voted GNAC Player of the Year.

Despite the upset in the GNAC conference tournament semifinals to rival Western Washington, Western will play in the NCAA D II tournament.

The Wolves got 29 points from Avgi but couldn’t quite catch up after Western Washington used a 21-10 scoring run in the firsthalf to take a nine-point lead into halftime.

On a 10-game winning streak, the Vikings shot an incredible 61 percent from the field to hold off Western in the second half to claim the 88-79 victory and advance to the final.

“The motivation is always there but what the loss did was make us beg for a second chance,” said guard Devon Alexander. “Now that we got a second chance, every little detail is crucial. When we heard our name called, the whole team went bananas because we know how big this is for us as a team and university.”

Despite the loss, the NCAA tournament selection committee deemed the Wolves regular season performance worthy of a spot in the Big Dance. This will be Western’s second time facing Azusa Pacific this season. Previously, the Cougars prevailed 81-74 in a back and forth contest.

The Wolves have already shattered expectations this season.

In addition to their GNAC tournament debut and a berth to the NCAA tournament, the Wolves earned three post-season individual awards: Avgi, GNAC Player of the Year; guard Julian Nichols, Newcomer of the Year; and head coach Brady Bergeson Coach of Year.

“It’s been an amazing year so far,” Nichols said. “It’s an honor to have received the award, but I could not have gotten it without my teammates and coaches believing in me, and all the hard work that’s been put in.

First year here and making it to regionals — it’s always been a goal of ours. We’re looking to take it one game at a time and simply enjoying the moment.”

Web comics you SHOULD be reading

By Declan Hertel
Staff Writer

There are things on the internet. You know
this. Several of these things are “webcomics,”
much like the comics in the local comic store or
the ones in the Sunday paper, except with more
creative freedom. There are so many it can be difficult
to sort through them all, so below I have offered
some of my favorites. Give these a look-see!

“Hark! A Vagrant” by Kate Beaton: A perfect
blend of eloquence and slang, Beaton delivers
laugh-out-loud hilarious strips about historical
figures, mythology, literature, and one particularly
silly mash-up of “The X-Files” and “Pride
and Prejudice.” One of the most admirable things
about the comic is that even if you are unfamiliar
with the subject matter referenced, you will always
find something to laugh about. Beaton, for
all her skill at allusion and commentary, will never
make you feel stupid. Her illustrations have
a charming sketchy quality to them, and her comedic
ability with facial expressions is second to
none. “WICKED CHIVALROUS.”

“Broodhollow” by Kris Straub: This psychological
horror comic tells the story of the young
Wadsworth Zane, a paranoid, neurotic, encyclopedia
salesman who is brought to the town of
Broodhollow to accept the inheritance left to him
by an unknown relative. It is a stellar entry in my
favorite genre of fiction: “strange-things-happenin-
small-town.” All the inhabitants of Broodhollow
are quirky and rounded, the horror is spot on
and scary as hell, with all the ghouls and ghosties
rendered brilliantly and beautifully by Straub, juxtaposed
with the frankly adorable cartoony art style of
the rest of the work. I read the entire second “book” in
one night. Near the end, I was terrified, my heart was
racing, and I was pleading with no one that things
were not actually as they seemed. Both charming and
scary, this is one I cannot recommend enough.
“Perry Bible Fellowship” by Nicholas Gurewitch:
I’m not sure where to begin with this one, other
than with the fact that I love it. A classic among
webcomics, some strips are depressing, some hilarious,
some incredibly dark, and some utterly inexplicable.
PBF is always weird and irreverent, but rarely
misses the mark. Gurewitch’s art is particularly impressive
and varied. Some strips are done in a simple,
colorful, lined style. Others are astoundingly beautiful
and well-crafted, and would be breathtaking were
it not for the fact they’re depicting Jesus in a fistfight
with Ganesha.
“Toothpaste for Dinner” by Drew: I grew up
with Gary Larson’s “The Far Side,” and as such, I
have a special place in my heart for single panel comics,
and “Toothpaste for Dinner” is one of my favorites
in the genre. I can best describe the art style as “three
minutes.” All the comics appear to have been drawn
very quickly in the short while between getting a
funny idea and working that funny idea to death. As
such, many comics are very funny while some are just
baffling, but it’s never unentertaining.

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