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Portland State Vanguard

Portland State Vanguard Portland State's student-run newspaper since 1946. Covers local, breaking news, and more It publishes every Tuesday during the academic year.

The tabloid format newspaper has a circulation of 5,000, and is distributed for free in the Portland State campus area. The Portland State Media Board, which consists of four students, four faculty members, and one community member, acts as the Vanguard’s publishing body. The board hires the newspaper’s editor each year, and the remainder of the staff is hired by the editor. Editors serve a one ye

ar term from June to June. The Vanguard is entirely student-run, employing about 60 paid student reporters, photographers, graphic designers and editors. The newspaper and its staff have won several collegiate journalism awards, including the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association General Excellence Award and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle Award. The current editor-in-chief is Colleen Leary. Go to psuvanguard.com/about for a full list of editors. The Vanguard’s advisor is Reaz Mahmood. This page is managed by the Vanguard online editor, Jaime Dunkle.

Operating as usual

PSU student club celebrates Omani heritageOmani club celebrates region’s culture: “We are trying our best to show the lo...
12/01/2022

PSU student club celebrates Omani heritage
Omani club celebrates region’s culture: “We are trying our best to show the local people who we are”

Portland State’s Omani Students Club celebrated the Sultanate of Oman’s National Day this last Saturday, marking the country’s 52nd holiday. The day honors both the country’s independence from Portugal and the birthday of Qaboos bin Said al Said, Oman’s sultan from 1970 to 2020.
 
As of 2022, PSU’s student body represents 63 different countries. The Omani Club constitutes one of over 40 international and multicultural student groups at PSU that provide spaces for the diverse host of cultures and international students at the university.
 
The Saturday celebration featured traditional dances, music and educational booths. This is one of many events that the club holds every year in celebration of Omani culture.

Full piece by Macie Harreld in bio
Photos courtesy of the Omani Student Club

https://psuvanguard.com/psu-student-club-celebrates-omani-heritage/

OP: We need to protect LGBTQ+ kidsReactionary bigots cannot succeed in demonizing gay and trans peopleThe old adage “his...
12/01/2022

OP: We need to protect LGBTQ+ kids
Reactionary bigots cannot succeed in demonizing gay and trans people

The old adage “history repeats itself” all too often seems true. A case in point—in Berlin during the early part of the 20th century there was a vibrant explosion of progressive gay and trans visibility and art movements galore. This beautiful flowering of expression and identity was brutally repressed in 1933 with the rise of the N**i Party.
 
Their first salvo after Adolph Hitler’s election as chancellor of Germany was to attack and burn down the Institute of Sexology. Lucy Diavolo wrote in Teen Vogue that it was “one of the first medical facilities in the world that could provide gender affirmation surgeries for trans people who wanted them” and was the world’s foremost research space for studies of human sexuality. Over 20,000 books were burned and subsequently, countless LGBTQ+ people were sent to their deaths in concentration camps alongside Jewish people, disabled people and many others.

Full opinion by Justin Cory in bio
Illustration by Kelsey Zuberbuehler

https://psuvanguard.com/we-need-to-protect-lgbtq-kids/

OP: New houseless measures dehumanize in the name of compassionPortland City Council’s actions aren’t living up to their...
12/01/2022

OP: New houseless measures dehumanize in the name of compassion
Portland City Council’s actions aren’t living up to their rhetoric

Readers, in a world where negative news about the drastic environmental effects of urbanization dominates the news and feeds into readers’ demand for doom and gloom, Portland State Vanguard would like to balance things out with some good news: stories about what the people of Portland are doing to develop a greener, more sustainable city. This is an introduction to our Greenspaces Series, where Vanguard will be exploring ongoing and upcoming green projects that have been running behind-the-scenes. From depaving asphalt and concrete to make room for trees, to working with plants to manage stormwater, the stories that will be covered in this series are just a few of the projects that highlight how the city of Portland is using nature to heal nature. Read on to see a few of the projects that will be covered in Vanguard’s Greenspaces Series.

Full story by Alex Aldridge in bio
Illustration by Zahira Zuvuya

https://psuvanguard.com/new-houseless-measures-dehumanize-in-the-name-of-compassion/

The Vanguard introduces: Greenspaces  Join us for an ongoing series about urban planning projects that serve the greener...
12/01/2022

The Vanguard introduces: Greenspaces  
Join us for an ongoing series about urban planning projects that serve the greener good

Readers, in a world where negative news about the drastic environmental effects of urbanization dominates the news and feeds into readers’ demand for doom and gloom, Portland State Vanguard would like to balance things out with some good news: stories about what the people of Portland are doing to develop a greener, more sustainable city. This is an introduction to our Greenspaces Series, where Vanguard will be exploring ongoing and upcoming green projects that have been running behind-the-scenes. From depaving asphalt and concrete to make room for trees, to working with plants to manage stormwater, the stories that will be covered in this series are just a few of the projects that highlight how the city of Portland is using nature to heal nature. Read on to see a few of the projects that will be covered in Vanguard’s Greenspaces Series.

Full story by Pippa Massey in bio
Illustration by Hanna Oberlander

https://psuvanguard.com/the-vanguard-introduces-greenspaces/

Portland needs a community approach to trash managementTogether we can end the scourge of garbage on our streetsFor year...
11/24/2022

Portland needs a community approach to trash management
Together we can end the scourge of garbage on our streets

For years it has been a common sight in Portland to see trash piling up in the streets. This is a serious health risk to the citizens of our city, and we cannot afford to ignore this problem.
 
Austin Downs and Richard Acevedo of earthday.org warn that with exposure to trash “one can develop diseases such as asthma, birth defects, cancer, cardiovascular disease, childhood cancer, COPD, infectious diseases, low birth weight, and preterm delivery. Bacteria, vermin, and insects can also be added to the problem that trash causes.” This makes one wonder what is being done about this growing problem in Portland and the threats it poses.
 
The City of Portland reports our city-funded public trash service is “expanding cleaning of public streets, and ensuring damaged businesses are boarded up and protected quickly from vandalism, the City will ensure these COVID-19 impacts are addressed. The livability and economic health of our communities and businesses depend on it. The City of Portland is engaging multiple bureaus to boost resources. This is in addition to existing city services that help keep Portland clean.”

Full opinion by Ian McMeekand in bio
Illustration by Zahira Zuvuya

Find it at 5th: The TravelerUniversal experiences through the eyes of an Iranian boyThis week at Portland State’s 5th Av...
11/24/2022

Find it at 5th: The Traveler
Universal experiences through the eyes of an Iranian boy

This week at Portland State’s 5th Avenue Cinema—Portland’s only student-run theater—our film curators have chosen to project an Iranian film, The Traveler.
 
This 1974 film is Abbas Kiarostami’s first directed drama film, which now lives in The Criterion Collection. The Traveler gives us a glimpse into the lives of the Iranian people that lived in the early ‘70s. It follows an impoverished boy named Qassem Julayi (Hassan Darabi) that wants nothing more in the world than to attend a soccer game in the capital city of Iran, Tehran. Qassem appears to be devoted exclusively to sports. The child is not obedient to his mother at home, and he performs poorly at school because he is too busy reading sports magazines, which he can hardly afford. Qassem cannot afford to take the 150-mile bus ride to the game, so the resourceful boy attempts to raise funds by taking photos and selling items he does not own.
 
Owen Peterson of 5th Avenue selected The Traveler for screening this week. Despite the pandemic, he has worked at the cinema for the last two years while studying business at PSU.

Full piece by Milo Loza in bio
Photo courtesy of 5th Avenue Cinema

News: PSU students navigate enrollmentStudents and faculty talk about degree planning challengesWhen Xen Lapshin went to...
11/24/2022

News: PSU students navigate enrollment
Students and faculty talk about degree planning challenges

When Xen Lapshin went to register for classes as an incoming freshman, they were surprised to find a limited number of options for credits which qualified for Portland State’s most recent general university requirement, race and ethnic studies. According to the new requirement, students entering PSU with less than 90 credits are required to take two classes which fall into this category. The issue is that right now there aren’t many options.
 
“I registered for one, for my major, which is online next term,” Lapshin said. “Though I didn’t want to take classes online. But that’s what I have to do with other classes.”
 
Crafting the ideal course schedule is no easy task. Mitham Lawati, a junior at PSU, said that despite the couple years of academic experience under his belt, he still struggles knowing all the course requirements for his degree.

Full News story by Zoë Buhrmaster in bio
Illustration by Camden Benesh

President Percy speaks out on declining enrollmentEnrollment decline precedes pandemic: “We’ve been on a downward trajec...
11/24/2022

President Percy speaks out on declining enrollment
Enrollment decline precedes pandemic: “We’ve been on a downward trajectory”

At a press conference held on Friday, Nov. 18, Portland State Vanguard was presented with the opportunity to speak with President Stephen Percy about the current status of enrollment at Portland State and what steps are being taken to address this challenge. According to him, the decline started years before the pandemic, and was only made worse during the COVID-19 years.
 
“Portland State for the last 10 years has had diminishing enrollment every year,” President Percy said. “Most years there’s around 1%, maybe 1.5%… prior to that period we grew a lot… and then we’ve been on a downward trajectory. We’ve been able to cover that trajectory in the past years with the state government giving us more money.”
 
Despite the predicted 1.5% enrollment decline, enrollment was down even further, at 5.3%, which may have been the result of the ongoing pandemic and the economy during that time. Percy also talked about “persistence,” a term that describes a student’s ability to continue their education.

Full News story by Philippa Massey in Bio
Illustration by Whitney Griffith

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there. We’re thankful for each and every one of ya’s Comic by Hanna Oberlander
11/24/2022

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you out there. We’re thankful for each and every one of ya’s

Comic by Hanna Oberlander

OP: We need to rethink our urban shopping spacesThe Lloyd Center arts district can be our roadmapLast summer, Portland S...
11/21/2022

OP: We need to rethink our urban shopping spaces
The Lloyd Center arts district can be our roadmap

Last summer, Portland State Vanguard’s Kat Leon wrote about the exciting transformation happening at the Lloyd Center shopping mall. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the cultural shift to online retail, which was already well underway, and for many brick-and-mortar retailers it truly looked like the end times.
 
In Nov. 2021, Lindsay Nadrich from KOIN wrote, “the mall has been struggling for years with many storefronts sitting empty including Nordstrom and Sears which left years ago and Macy’s which closed in January.” That was, until the new owners took the reins.
 
A thriving renaissance has unfolded for creative makers and artists, with local stalwarts Floating World Comics and Dreem Street breathing new life into the space. The PSU School of Art & Design is even hosting a curated pop-up called Good Market, featuring items for sale made by design students in the program.

Full opinion in bio
Illustration: Hanna Oberlander

OP: A quest for leadership -PSU students should have a say in choosing our next presidentIt is obvious Portland State’s ...
11/21/2022

OP: A quest for leadership -
PSU students should have a say in choosing our next president

It is obvious Portland State’s last president was not right for PSU. A change was necessary, and now we are on the search for the next official to lead our university. What are we students going to get from this search and what is needed?
 
We need an ethical president who isn’t going to misuse the university’s money and mistreat others, one who isn’t like the predecessor of current PSU President Stephen Percy.
 
“The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has determined that Rahmat Shoureshi, former president of Portland State University, violated state ethics laws three times in his short stint leading the school,” wrote Jeff Manning of The Oregonian. “In July 2018, Shoureshi traveled to the Bohemian Grove campground in Northern California. He did so as the guest of noted local real estate investor Jordan Schnitzer. Shoureshi initially recorded his time as workdays. After The Oregonian/OregonLive filed a public records request seeking travel documents pertinent to the trip, Shoureshi asked his staff to revise his records to show personal vacation on those days.”

Full opinion in bio
Illustration: Neo Clark

ARTS & CULTURE: Wyrd War gallery presents the marginalized art of William MortensenUnderstanding the occult—and ourselve...
11/17/2022

ARTS & CULTURE: Wyrd War gallery presents the marginalized art of William Mortensen
Understanding the occult—and ourselves

Both consciously and subconsciously, humans tend to shy away from the unknown. To address our discomfort at its existence, we often arbitrarily assign meaning and ignore the things that continually remind us of our own mortality. However, there are also those in society that choose to move against this grain—to hold a mirror up to others and show them what we lose in the fight to control the unfamiliar. Those who do this are often faced with backlash and scrutiny. More often than not, their significant contributions to history are toned down and even removed from mainstream culture.
 
William Mortensen was one such person. There has been much criticism of his work, and he has often remained out of the mainstream spotlight. This is a situation the art gallery Wyrd War is hoping to rectify by displaying his work at its gallery in the Hollywood district until Nov. 26. In displaying his work, they hope to bring his monumental contributions to photography to the mainstream.

Full story in bio
Photo: Kat Leon

The latest edition of the PSU Vanguard is out! Head on over to psuvanguard.com to read today. Link to full issue in bio....
11/17/2022

The latest edition of the PSU Vanguard is out! Head on over to psuvanguard.com to read today. Link to full issue in bio.

NEWS: Portlanders protest for Iranian women’s rightsActivists stand in solidarity: “I can’t be complacent”On Saturday, N...
11/17/2022

NEWS: Portlanders protest for Iranian women’s rights
Activists stand in solidarity: “I can’t be complacent”

On Saturday, Nov. 5, shouts from Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square rang out: 
“Justice for Mahsa!”; “Portland be our voice!”; “Women! Life! Freedom!” The crowd brandished signs of the Iranian flag overlaid by the image of Mahsa Amini, a young woman whose brutal murder just two months ago catalyzed a worldwide feminist movement.
 
Mahsa Amini was detained by Iran’s morality police—who enforce a strict dress code, among other regulations on private life—for wearing her hijab too loosely. After being severely beaten while in custody, she was brought to a hospital where she was pronounced brain dead after suffering a stroke. In response to her death and the deaths of countless others like her, massive protests have erupted throughout Iran.

Full story in bio
Illustration: Kelsey Zuberbuehler

ARTS & CULTURE: The Haus of Luna returns better than everAn unforgettable exploration of Sol Ceja’s dream-like exhibitio...
11/13/2022

ARTS & CULTURE: The Haus of Luna returns better than ever
An unforgettable exploration of Sol Ceja’s dream-like exhibition house

Imagine a house straight out of a dreamscape. It’s seemingly commonplace and yet vaguely uncanny. The clocks are indiscernible, the mirrors are windows and familiar photographs appear distorted. The closer you look, the more the strangeness is evident. What if you could actually visit that place?
 
PSU alumna and interdisciplinary artist Sol Cejas has made that dream a reality. Cejas has created an elaborate, surrealist spectacle using a fascinating medium—a house. Located in Vancouver, Washington, Haus of Luna is a seven-room interactive experience that currently has tickets available through Nov. 20. This experience guides spectators through a journey of introspective creativity and eccentric entertainment.

Full piece in bio
Photos: Jesse Cobb &

OP: Philanthropy is a PR mirageThe real winners are billionaires—including some of the PNW’s most famousPhilanthropy is ...
11/13/2022

OP: Philanthropy is a PR mirage
The real winners are billionaires—including some of the PNW’s most famous

Philanthropy is a scam. The idea is inherently based on inequality. When an individual, corporation or one of their foundations donates money to benefit the welfare of the less fortunate, they are flexing their power and wealth in a public relations bid at respectability. This all serves to obscure the fact that their very ability to donate generous sums of money is predicated upon gross wealth inequality and the hoarding of wealth and resources by the privileged few.
 
A recent case study of this is illustrated by Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia Sportswear, “giving away” his company to the nonprofit Holdfast Collective. The New York Times reported that through this deal, the company purportedly worth $3 billion will generate $100 million a year in revenue that will go towards fighting climate change. In that article and others, he has been celebrated as an inspiration and an example to other billionaires.
 
However, he and his corporate board of lawyers carefully structured the transfer of the company so that the family will keep control of the company and avoid taxes. Devon Pendleton and Ben Steverman at Bloomberg wrote of the deal, “Chouinard is at the fore of a small-but-growing movement among the ultra-wealthy to use nonprofits to exert political influence long past their lifetimes.”

Full opinion in bio
Illustration by Kelsey Zuberbuehler

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This link is to recently found in an attic amazing photos of PSU student life 50 years ago!

www.tomgeil.com/Page_PSU1970.html
If you're looking to take a break during Dead Week, PSPB Midnight Breakfast is next Wednesday, Dec. 2nd!

There will be prizes at all of the sessions too~

https://fb.me/e/ArPJnxKr
Corrupted DUI Cops and jailers are gender neutral. They will beat down any color ... you don't even have to be black :-( [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1tUNuxOEQM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1tUNuxOEQM)
I hope The Vanguard will contunue to be able to publish online and keep PSU students feeling connected to their school. My daughter sure misses Colorado campus life in Boulder, just like all of you in Portland.

Hang in there.
Doug Weiskopf
PSU grad 1971

Below is the Spring issue of the Portland State Alumni Magazine that just came out with this article. It needs to be viewed on your large screen tab.

PSU » News » 1970: The Year that Shaped PSU

1970: The Year that Shaped PSU
Author: Suzanne Pardington Effros
Posted: April 13, 2020

From “The Battle of the Park Blocks” to protests that led to campus childcare, this pivotal year of turmoil shaped the modern PSU.
FIFTY YEARS ago on May 11, graduate student Cathy Wood Wyrick was returning home to her apartment across from Lincoln Hall when she heard screaming from the Park Blocks.

She had just helped negotiate what she thought would be a peaceful end to a week-long student strike protesting the Vietnam War. But as she rushed back outside, she saw a crowd of terrified students running toward her, upset and crying. She could see police farther up the block. “You won’t believe what just happened,” a friend told her. “They attacked us.”

All year long, tension had been building at Portland State as student activists marched against the escalating war and blocked military recruiters on campus.

“The war was like a giant cloud hanging over your head every single day,” Wyrick says.

After the Ohio National Guard shot to death four unarmed protesters at Kent State, she and hundreds of other PSU students joined a national strike. They boycotted classes and barricaded the streets entering the Park Blocks—still open to traffic in those days—to create a loud and lively “liberated zone” where they camped out with tents, tarps and even TVs connected by long extension cords to neighboring apartments.

A woman is helped up at a strike.The strike deeply divided faculty and students at PSU, which was still growing into its new status as a full university, achieved just a year before.

Under pressure, protesters agreed to take it all down on May 11 and started to disperse when Mayor Terry Schrunk’s Tactical Operations Platoon or “Tac Squad” came in with batons to push them out faster, beating protesters who refused to give way. Twenty-seven strikers and four officers ended up in the hospital.

The clash thrust PSU into the national spotlight and shaped the campus in ways still seen and felt 50 years later. It was the most visible event in what was a pivotal year in PSU history, thanks to students who raised their voices together at the right time and place. They helped transform the campus from a quiet commuter school into a hot spot for social change and academic opportunity.

“There was a tremendous energy,” says Joe Bernt, who edited the Vanguard student newspaper from 1969 to 70. “There was always a protest. There was always something going on. It was a very exciting time to be at Portland State.”

He remembers being bombarded with requests for coverage for one cause or another, from mothers demanding child care to the first Earth Day and recycling efforts on campus. Others pushed for more student housing and better access for students with disabilities.

1970 was the year the Gay Liberation Front held its first meeting, Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) was conceived, Black Studies officially launched and a new women’s union formed, laying the groundwork for what would soon become the Women’s Resource Center and Women’s Studies.

Four years later, the city permanently closed the streets around the PSU Park Blocks to traffic in the same spots where students placed their barricades.

Banners reading "On Strike" spread on a PSU hallway floor.“They were generating lots of news,” Bernt says, “and we were right in the middle of it.”

THE DAY after police clashed with protestors, The Oregonian reported that 3,500 people marched down Southwest Broadway from PSU to City Hall to protest the brutal police tactics. Even some of those who disagreed with the strike thought the police had gone too far. But they also worried Portland and PSU were gaining national attention for the wrong reasons.

At a large meeting of faculty and spouses, history professor David A. Horowitz, then in his second year, made a plea for donations to help cover the injured students’ medical expenses. He had witnessed the police violence and felt it was gratuitous.

Horowitz was booed loudly. Some faculty members supported the strike but most did not, because they feared state leaders would cut support for the new university, he says.

“It was surprising how angry they were,” he says. “I was pretty shaken.”

Doug Weiskopf was one of the students on the front lines when officers charged. They clubbed him on his head and stomped on his back in heavy boots. “We thought it was our job to make people face what was going on in Vietnam,” he says. “We were predominantly middle-class white kids, and we were as middle America as it gets. We were the people they thought supported them.”
See the sidebar “See and Hear 1970” to get immersed in the sights and sounds of the year.

Anti-war activists took on other environmental and social causes as well, including the proposed shipment of deadly nerve gas through Oregon and the imprisonment of Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale. But the war “kind of sucked up all the oxygen in the room,” Weiskopf says.

Women, in particular, felt left out of leadership roles in the anti-war movement.

“If women came to some of these meetings and wanted to participate, people just didn’t listen to them,” Wyrick says. “It could be blatant. Girls weren’t expected to be standing up and talking, but they were expected to take care of the food.”

Women started to speak up and fight for more rights. At PSU, one of their first issues was affordable child care, a key to enabling more women to go to college.

They held two student “Baby-Ins”: one with 15 mothers and their children in the president’s office and one with 77 children ages 2 months to 10 years at the president’s house. As a result, the first child care center opened on campus with spots for about 31 children in 1971. Today Portland State serves about 230 children each day in four centers, including the flagship Helen Gordon Child Development Center.

“That’s incredibly fast, effective action,” says Ellie Justice, former director of the Helen Gordon Center. “I think part of why it was able to happen so quickly was really about the era. It was an era of action.”

A woman walks a dog past protesters. Child care was one of the first ways PSU showed early support for nontraditional students, Justice says. Since then, PSU has become the most diverse public university in Oregon. It has resource centers for women, veterans, parents, students with disabilities, and multicultural, pan-African, Pacific Islander, Asian, Asian American, Native American and LGBTQ students.

“Having an array of programs to support those students brings them to PSU and helps them succeed here,” she says.

PORTLAND STATE planned to mark the 50th anniversary of the strike on May 11 with a panel discussion of those who were there, but because of coronavirus health and safety restrictions, that event has been delayed until May 2021. Horowitz hopes the discussion will help students reflect on what works and what doesn’t work in activism.

There are some similarities between then and now, he says. Both are times of political unrest and rapid social change. Yet the threat of climate change, authoritarian leaders and deepening economic, educational and cultural divides are putting more pressure on today’s students.

“The situation today is so much more dire than we thought it was in 1970,” he says. “I think in many ways we are in new territory.”

Wyrick says it felt scary for students to step out of their normal routines and go on strike. She hopes to give today’s students courage by telling her story.

“Look around you, see what you can do that’s positive,” she says. “People are really going to push back against you. People are going to be hostile. Figure out how to keep going. Be brave.”

SUZANNE PARDINGTON EFFROS is a Portland writer and former staff member in the PSU Office of University Communications.

Captions: Scenes from the 1970 Viking yearbook; a student helps a friend injured by police; sign making; children at a campus “Baby-In”; a march protesting the Vietnam War. Pictures from the Viking Yearbook and Craig Hickman. See more of Craig Hickman’s PSU photography on his website.
Sinclair Broadcast Group: Diversity Scholarship...includes students pursuing careers in broadcast / digtial journalism or marketing with ties to 1 of 5 states! Deadline: April 26, 2020.

Open to current sophomores and juniors from diverse backgrounds pursuing careers in broadcast or digital / social media journalism or marketing fields (regardless of major).

Up to $5,000.

Must attend 4-year college / university...or have permanent residence...in: California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon or Washington state.

Application and more at:
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