Western Oregon Journal (2010-2011) Issue 3

RU G BY D E F E ATS WILLAMETTEClub president Joe Boyd gets one try to lead the Wolves to victory

Jeffrey Larson | Sports Editor

After making it to the national round of 16 in the 2009-2010 season, Western’s men’s rugby team sits at No. 15 in the national rankings. Western opened the 2010-2011 season on Saturday, Oct. 2, with a 53-10 victory over unranked opponent Willamette University from Salem, Ore.

“Fifty-three to 10 is pretty dominant,” commented Rugby Club president, senior Joe Boyd.

RUGBYSEE PAGE 12

Western opened the game by kicking off and quickly obtaining possession from Willamette. Within minutes, Western’s offensive push got them beyond the try line to obtain five points. Western would miss the two-point conversion making the score 5-0.

Shortly after, Western made another offensive push to get yet another try. After missing the conversion, Western held a solid 10-0 lead over the visitors.

Midway through the first half, Willamette made their own offensive push and earned a try to bring them within five, with a score of 10-5.

Western quickly retaliated by earning four more tries and making two conversions to give them the 34-5 advantage. In the second half, Willamette would make another push and earn another try, making the score 34-10.

The Wolves would end the game by making three more tries, the final one by Boyd, and convert on two more conversions to give Western the 53-10 victory.

“The game was very sloppy,” Boyd said. “There was a lot o f i n f r ingemen t s i n t h e t a c k l e a r e a t h a t

Journalthe

We s t e r n O r e g o n U n i v e r s i t y

OCTOBER 6, 2010 WWW.WESTERNOREGONJOURNAL.COM VOL. 11, ISSUE 3

INSIDE >> 2 NEWS 6 CULTURE 8 POST 10 SPORTSW E S T E R N O R E G O N J O U R N A L . C O M

4 CAMPUS LIFE

WEEKEND WEATHER

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SNEAK PREVIEW >>NEWS

After countless hours of serving the community, CPS receives recognition in “Law and Order,” winning second place in the vehicle graphics design contest from among college and university campuses nationwide.

SEE PAGE 2

Campus Public Safety

CAMPUS LIFE

With a week’s worth of auditions behind them, the theater department begins practicing for this year’s fall play. Entitled “Picnic,” the play will be headed by guest director and New York City resident Stefanie Sertich.

SEE PAGE 7

Picnic

SPORTS

Austin and Thompson connect for the game-winning goal in overtime against Northwest Nazarene University on Saturday, Oct. 2.

SEE PAGE 10

Soccer

Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Gary Dukes, is currently in the process of hiring a director for the Health and Wellness Center. That process is now in the closing stages, with a final decision expected later this week.

The director, whose responsibilities include “overseeing all of campus recreation,” as well as a “budget of over $1 million,” according to Dukes, will be an integral part of the campus for years to come.

Current campus recreation director Rick Sedgwick declined to apply, but will continue to take charge of intramural sports until he retires. Intramurals will then fall under the jurisdiction of the Health and Wellness Center director.

Applications for the position were posted starting in early July. Of the 29 applicants, eight were interviewed over the phone.

“For us, some of the things we’re looking at is budget experience,” said Dukes. “Of the eight [applicants], seven had experience in facility management.” He also added that rock climbing experience or exposure is a bonus due to the facilities inclusion of a climbing wall.

“The phone interview is where you make some significant narrowing of folks,” said Dukes. “You get to hear what they’re doing and they can articulate that. For some, the skill level became apparent.”

Three of the eight candidates were invited onto campus to participate in further interviews as well as numerous meetings with campus personnel with whom the director would be

Photo by | Nick Charbonnier

Nearly everyone has heard of the acrobatic performances of Cirque du Soleil. Cirque Mechanics is a group which was established in 2004 by Creative Director Chris Lashua when he left Cirque du Soleil in an attempt to bring his own vision to life. First creating the acrobatic and theatrical hit, “Birdhouse Factory,” Lashua has created yet another show: “Boom Town.”

Associate Professor

of Music, Keller Coker is the director of the Smith Fine Arts series that will be featuring a number of big-name artists throughout the year: “I’m responsible for everything that happens and I’m the person who hired them [Cirque Mechanics].”

“There is a plot in the same way that Cirque du Soleil shows have central themes,” said Coker, explaining the basis of Cirque Mechanics. “Like in ‘Birdhouse Factory,’ there was sort of a loose plot.

There were themes that run through it and in this one, ‘Boom Town,’ the theme is the old west; mining towns. We will see all the acrobatics and contortions and crazy stuff with tons of props, ‘cause that’s kind of the thing.”

Coker said that the Cirque Mechanics troupe has been around for a while, stating, “They had a show that’s run for years, ‘Birdhouse Factory.’ And that was a very successful show. It tours but it also

played in New York City and the New Vic [Theatre] for a long run. This is Cirque Mechanics’ new show, and we are only the second place that they’re doing it; it’s debuting right now!”

“Tacoma is where they were putting it together, and sort of getting it happening,” explained Coker. “But as far as their

MECHANICSSEE PAGE 6

Senior Joe Boyd leads Western in a scrum on Saturday, Oct. 2, against Willamette University’s team.

Cirque Mechanics’ “Boom Town” captures the relat ionship between man, machineKicking off their nation-wide tour, Cirque Mechanics captivates audience members with acrobatics, gymnastics, comedy and fantastic engineering

Chrisitina Tilicki | Campus Life Editor

Chris Reed Managing Editor

The quest for a new director

DIRECTORSEE PAGE 3

Health and wellness center director to be decided November

2 NEWS October 6, 2010

www.westernoregonjournal.com

We have all heard of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused by a drilling rig that British (BP) was leasing for five years from Transocean Ltd., the world’s largest offshore drilling contractor. This specific drilling rig, the Deepwater Horizon, was about nine years old and 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana.

The Deepwater Horizon drilling rig was experimentally drilling for oil 5,000 feet below the surface when a large amount of methane gas was unexpectedly forced through the drill column toward the surface and up onto the platform of the drilling rig. The highly flammable methane caught fire and exploded. There were 126 people aboard; 11 were killed, and 17 were seriously injured.

The fire burned for 36 hours before the Deepwater Horizon sank. On April 24, a leak was discovered on a broken wellhead. A few attempts were made to contain the leak using different methods, but they proved unsuccessful.

An original estimate placed the number of

Oil spill in Gulf of Mexico; the consequences nowAfter stopping the oil leak, surrounding states and wildlife can now begin the long process of recovery

Jodessa Chapa | Freelancer

barrels leaking from the wellhead at 1,000-5,000 per day. This number rose exponentially during the duration of the spill. The estimated number was 53,000 barrels per day just before the leak was capped, 86 days later, on July 15, 2010.

It is impossible to calculate how much oil was spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, but estimates range from 4.4 to 4.9 million barrels. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is the single largest oil spill in American history.

The states that surround the Gulf of Mexico rely heavily on tourism and the resources of the sea. Cities known for their beaches and ocean excursions have to limit beach access due to the spill. The seafood industry is also suffering great losses. The seafood sold in the Gulf is provided by thousands of small businesses owned and operated by local citizens. The spill has put many of these businesses out of work until the oil is gone and the wildlife has recovered.

Dr. Erin Baumgartner,

assistant professor of biology said, “There are a lot of elements to recovery. So far we have been pleasantly surprised by the evidence shown in some of the marshes of new grass life. This kind of development is great, but there is a lot going on that we don’t see.”

Baumgartner went on to say that the oil also has an effect on the marine microbes in the ecosystem that act as food and cycle nutrients within their habitat. Many of them have actually incorporated the hydrocarbons and the disbursements used on the spill into their bodies Baumgartner stated that humans can’t see the effects this causes until the microbes “ripple through the system.”

Oil spills call for long term recovery, no matter the size of the spill. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in March 1989 spilled nearly 750,000 barrels of crude oil. Twenty years later, the area 18 still trying to recover. The good news is the Gulf of Mexico is

not as remote as Prince William Sound, making it easier for government relief to be provided.

“The positive signs coming from the wildlife assure us that the effects of the spill were not as bad as we initially thought them to be.” said Baumgartner, “There were steps that could have been taken while building the drill to stop the leak, if not immediately, very quickly. There are ways to minimize the risks, and they should be taken, especially while working in water that deep.”

When asked where we should go from here, Baumgartner commented, “The spill is not the fault of BP alone. The companies in business with them, and anyone who uses fossil fuels is just as responsible.”

She then added, “I think we need to take a look at our energy policy as a whole. We know that every system has pros and cons, but we also know that the over- reliance on fossil fuels, which are not renewable, has a lot of drawbacks, maybe more than other renewable sources.”

Whether walking to class, the dorms or around town, Campus Public Safety’s (CPS) iconic silver Dodge Chargers are never far away. On patrol 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Public Safety’s professional and student staff are trained to recognize and respond to all types of campus incidents. Recently, however, CPS has been recognized itself in “Law and Order” Magazine’s August 2010 edition, winning second place in the vehicle graphics and design contest from among colleges and universities nationally. In particular, the judges noted that “the combination of colors [on the CPS Chargers] works really well together.”

“With their red, black and silver color scheme, as well as the wolf mascot on the side, the vehicles of the Department of Campus Public Safety are designed to represent the pride of Western Oregon University,” stated the

“Law and Order” staff. Director of

Campus Public Safety Jay Carey explained that the contest is a yearly event, with CPS having a monthly subscription to the magazine.

“The officers have suggested that we enter the vehicles on a couple of occasions,” Carey said. “In the past, however, it was too late for an entry. This year we were prepared and when the announcement came out, we entered.”

The purchase of the vehicles, which took place in 2007, was completed after CPS put out a request to bid, with the bid on the Chargers actually less than the other respondents. Assistant Director of Campus Public Safety Joe Hutchinson stated that the current design of the Chargers was completed several years ago, giving the vehicles a “more professional” look.

Still, there have been some questions raised over the years regarding the

Chargers and whether the funding would have been better served elsewhere on campus.

Hutchinson said that he feels the Chargers were a good investment because they are more economical, they have the latest safety enhancements and they aren’t in need of constant repair like the old Ford Police Interceptors. Rather than gas-guzzling V8 behemoths, the Chargers contain economical, yet powerful, V6 engines and a body and frame that allows for good handling and road safety.

Carey agreed with Hutchinson, saying, “We feel that the vehicles add a look of professionalism to the Department and to the campus. We have received numerous positive comments on the vehicles from students, faculty and staff as well as visitors to the campus. Even though the vehicles are over three years old, they still show well and represent us well.”

Representing Western prideCPS wins second place in vehicle design contest

Paige O’Rourke | Editor-in-chief & Alyssa Penn | Freelancer

Photo by | Emily Laughlin

Q: What is your opinion on the Gulf Spill situation?

Erin PascoePsychology major

Maija Kellner-RodeCommunications major

Nicole AdneyEducation major

“I think that it was an unfortunate event but in essence brought that community and our nation together to help solve the problem and raise awareness on environmental issues.”

“I personally believe that the gulf spill is one of the biggest and disastrous catastrophes that has impacted our environment, well-being and economy for countless years to come.”

“Well, I obviously think it is a big disaster, and I’m glad that BP has taken responsibility and trying to let the public know how they are planning to correct this huge mistake. And well, it makes me sad that so much marine life will suffer for years to come because of the spill, and also I’m sure that the states affected will lose some money because of less tourism. I know that the effects of this spill will live on for many years and I hope that we can stay informed! I also hope maybe research will be done so we can prevent this from happening in the future.”

- Buildings locked: 6,471

- Vehicle assists: 361

- Safe escorts: 85

- Alarm responses: 327

- Total reported crimes on campus: 170

Quick Facts: 2009 Statistics for Campus Public Safety

Campus Public Safety was recognized in a national vehicle design contest hosted by "Law and Order" Magazine. Having been aware of the annual contest for several years, the CPS staff stayed on top of the contest deadline and entered for the first time, winning second place.

NEWS 3 October 6, 2010


Meet the CandidatesThe competitors for Western’s health and wellness center director

Last year, Campus Public Safety (CPS) was awarded a large grant to enhance security on campus. Joe Hutchinson, Assistant Director of CPS ,feels that the allocations of the sizable grant funding received last year have been very successful. The funding was used to update campus communications, assess potential threats to the campus—either physical or biological—and bring an increased sense of security and well-being to Western students and faculty.

Overall, grants received totaled over $167,000. To date, the funding has been used to purchase and update the closed circuit monitors on display in several buildings on campus. The monitors are connected to a service called Everbridge. In non-threatening situations, the monitors typically broadcast advertisements or daily campus events.

Grant funds used wisely by Campus Public SafetyCPS uses funding from last year’s grant to increase security and awareness on Western’s campus

Alyssa Penn | Freelancer

During an emergency, the screens would display an audio and visual message with instructions for faculty and students to protect themselves against the threat.

Hutchinson feels the monitors serve as an “early warning” system. Even though these monitors, located in areas such as Werner University Center, Hamersly Library and Rice Auditorium, typically show advertisements, Hutchinson said, “If something were to happen, we, as Public Safety, would send a message to the monitors that would give the information, visually and audibly.”

In addition, the grant allowed for the purchase of emergency kits for the staff. These kits contain tools to act as a secondary power source during a power outage. Each of the five emergency kits also contains a cell phone. In the event of a major disaster,

CPS can still maintain contact with emergency services, thereby further ensuring the safety of the entire Western community.

In another step, Professor David Murphy worked to analyze Western’s ability to provide emergency medical services. He was also able to conduct assesments of Western’s readiness for any possible building related emergencies as in fire, earthquakes or crime.

Hutchinson assesed the grant’s success after measuring the results of a survey taken by students and staff during winter term registration. Students said they felt safer, and faculty felt they were better prepared to handle tenuous situations.

Senior Aaron Dull said, "They're doing their job really well, they go out of the way to help students, so they're doing really well with the money they have been given."

Abby’s House an official center for women following fundingIn addition to being a resource center, Abby’s House will now be known as a center for women after receiving valuable grant funding

Kelsey Davais | News Editor

DIRECTORFROM PAGE 1

Abby’s House has been considered a center providing resources and referrals to women and their families, but the director, Jeanne Deane, has always wanted it to act as a center for women on its own. Now, with funds from a grant, training can be given to advocates in order to transform the referral center into a women’s center of its own.

The grant provides funding to the Health and Counseling Center, Public Safety and resident halls, but it also provides necessary funding to Abby’s House, which is currently located in the Werner University Center room 108a, sharing space with the Book Exchange. With the funds provided by this grant, Abby’s House can move into the Health and Counseling Center in fall of the 2011-2012 school year and will be able to operate more efficiently with the added space and better location. It is unknown how much of the grant will go towards

Abby’s House, but plans are to use the funds to hire a paid part-time director and to provide additional training so advocates will be able to go to hospitals and court.

Abby’s House would not be able to function without student advocates. They hold office hours, plan educational events and publicize for those events. Advocate Laura Fink is one of the advocates who creates a monthly newsletter for women. She added, “On a broader scale, the work I'm doing with Abby's House helps to bring about education and awareness of important personal and social issues many people are facing every day.”

Abby’s House has many events occurring in the fall term. The Domestic Violence Awareness Walk will occur on Oct. 11-15. Take Back the Night is an evening walk held for women to stand up for their safety at night. This will be held on Oct. 14. Women in Politics will be

an informational event held in October and there will be a Financial Planning event in November.

Abby’s House also wants to establish support groups on campus for survivors of breast cancer and groups for men who are victims of abuse. A silent auction fundraiser for Abby’s House will be held Dec. 1-3. Students can find more information by going to the Abby’s House office, on sandwich boards along Monmouth Avenue or adding to the Abby’s House email list.

Advocate Katherine Garcia explained the essence of Abby’s house when she said, “We try to assist anyone who walks through our door to the best of our ability, if that is just listening because they've had a bad day, or if they or someone they know has been abused and doesn't know what to do or where to go. We listen, and we can connect you with the information and resources you need.”


N. Beth Hawk* Safety and Wellness Coordinator* Masters in Science* Extensive background in health and wellness promotion* Has worked in both higher education and public service

H. Rip Horsey* Fitness Council Director* Masters in organizational Leadership* Ten years of experience guiding both collegiate and municipal Parks and Recreation departments* Project management experience, including fiscal accountability

Ruth Olsen

* Director of Intramurals/Student Recreation Center Program Coordinator* Responsible for facility operations of a 55,799 square foot recreation center* Masters in College Student Services Administration* Developed, analyzed and managed budgets

working. Ruth Olden, H. Rip Horsey and N. Beth Hawk were the candidates and each visited on a separate day in the last two weeks. The applicants met with the position’s Search Committee and Student Affairs Directors, took a tour of campus, did a presentation, and then met with student leaders, Human Resources and, finally, Dukes.

The Search Committee consisted of

Robbin Bull (Teaching Research Institute), Rob Troyer (English), Peggy Peterson (Health/PE), Sedgwick, ASWOU President Yasmin Ibarra, senior Trenton Nettles and Dukes. For the sake of consistency, the committee asked each of the candidates the same set of questions.

“I think when you come to campus, it’s a mutual day,” said Dukes. “They’re checking us out, we’re checking them out.”

According to Dukes, there are significant advantages to hiring a

facility director prior to the facility being open.

“In terms of planning, it’s great to have a new person on board,” he said. “There are fine details to work out [and] policy and procedure to come up with.”

Dukes, who said he has been impressed with the candidates, would like the new director he hires to start right away.

“We want the person to start ideally by November 1. We’re doing reference checks [now], so I’m really hoping we get someone this week.”

Manager Laura Fink works alongside advocates for Abby’s House.

Photo courtesy | Jeanne Deane

Emily Skipper, transfer student, views the daily announcements on the emergency monitors.

4 CULTURE


October 6, 2010

While a nine month stay in Monmouth can be quite enjoyable, there are many opportunities waiting just around the corner for students

101 things to do in Oregon

Sydni Wiese | Culture Editor

It’s not every day that one has a chance to branch out and explore their surrounding environment, but when the opportunity presents itself, sometimes it’s just too good to resist.

As the excursion crew presented last weekend, Oregon is home to many wonderful and unique areas of interests and entertainment, some of which go unnoticed unless hunted out by those specifically searching for a new adventure.

However, sophomore Charlie Hattan stated that “there are 101 things to do in Oregon; I can name them off the top of my head.”

A sophomore computer science major, Hattan looks forward to experiencing the area around Salem as much as she can.

“I’ve been in school two years and I’ve transferred twice,” she said. “I’ve lived all over this state and I’m really looking forward to seeing things here too. This place is beautiful and I really like the campus so far. It will be entertaining to see what kinds of things other students are interested in and to see if we have anything in common.”

Although Hattan may not been able to name off 101 events in the Salem area right off the top of

her head, she did have several suggestions for students looking forward to an exciting fall season. Beginning with water sports and edging toward indoor events, it almost seems as if summer hasn’t ended yet.

“Just a couple weeks ago my best friend and I drove up to Portland and went on a Willamette Jet Boat Excursion,” she said. “It was a blast. They can take you all around the bridges and you can see the city from the side of the boat. It was really quite a beautiful experience, but it started out as just something that wasn’t too expensive for an average college student to do and just enjoy something fun.”

Other students agreed that the occasional “get out of Dodge” feeling can be a little overwhelming at times and finding something inexpensive and fun is generally a challenge.

“We are college students,” said junior Tony Plait. “It’s a little difficult to go out and spend 50 bucks for an hour ’s worth of fun. We need something more affordable, but there’s not a lot out there, aside from the normal stuff like the movies.”

Although it may take some hunting, there are still plenty of options available to students with tight budgets, according to some.

Sophomore Megan Dak, who is originally from California, stated, “Sometimes it can be more difficult to find something to do around here if you’re only looking at one type of thing to do. I like museums, so most of the time, that’s what I look for.”

While there are not many museums in the immediate area, Dak found several options that suited her taste and helped make her year enjoyable.

“Last spring I started going to places a little different and it was great,” Dak stated. “The [Oregon Coast] Aquarium is awesome, and there’s the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center in The Dalles. Both are great places to go.”

With a little inspiration from those around campus, Western students, staff and faculty can find 101 things to do within their price range and time constraints that will broaden their smiles and liven their hearts.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium offers seasonal events and special student rates throughout the year. This year, the Oregon Coast Aquarium will be hosting its annual “Creatures of the Night” display, featuring haunted caves, foggy courtyards and fearless ghouls.

- The Oregon Coast- The Columbia Gorge- The Oregon Coast Aquarium- Oaks Amusement Park- Oregon Zoo- Sea Lion Caves- Oregon Hot Springs- Portland Rose Festival - Willamette Jet Boat Excursion- Tillamook Cheese Factory - Portland Chinese Gardens- Portland Japanese Garden - Mt Saint Helens - Portland Saturday Market - Powell’s City of Books- Oregon Museum of Natural Science- Mt Rainer National Park- Crater Lake National Park- Oregon Shakespeare Festival - Mt Bachelor Ski Resort- Wild Life Images- Newberry National Volcanic Monument- Lincoln City Kite Festival- Oregon Caves- Mt Hood Ski Resort- Salem’s Enchanted Forest- West Coast Game Park Safari- Tillamook Rock Lighthouse- Oregon SandDune Recreation AreaSophomore Charlie Hatten enjoys a wild ride down the river with her friends during a Willamette Jet

Boat Excursion. Trips like these afford students the chance to explore what Oregon has to offer.

Photos by | Sydni Wiese


October 6, 2010 CULTURE 5

Wordstock is Portland’s annual festival of books. Held every year in Oregon’s largest city, Wordstock is an opportunity for writers, teachers, children and community members to get together and share their love for literacy. Workshops begin on Monday, Oct. 4 and continue with exhibitions and a book fair through Sunday, Oct. 10.

This year, Wordstock features a book fair with over 150 exhibitors including Oregon University Press, The Portland Review, Oregon Writers Colony, Copper Canyon Press, Tin House and many more.

Wordstock festival 2010Annual literary conference again treats writers, readers and teachers to a weekend full of workshops and storytelling, pleasing all ages

Christina Tilicki | Campus Life Editor

“Picnic” by William Inge comes to Western this fallAfter two days of auditions, guest director Stefanie Sertich begins working with her new cast of “Picnic”

Annual Oktoberfest: “Kuess Mich! Ich Spreche Deutsch!”German Club hosts the annual event, introducing students and faculty to a little bit of German culture

Heather Worthing | Freelancer

Five million liters of beer, 200,000 pairs of pork sausage and 58,446 pig knuckles. Oktoberfest is a 16-18 day festival held each year in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. With over six million people attending, the Oktoberfest is an essential part of Bavarian culture.

Although Western students will not consume the amount of food mentioned above, Oktoberfest remains an exciting cultural experience at Oktoberfest is organized by the German Club, whose primary mission on

After a week of auditions and the first rehearsal, guest director Stefanie Sertich and Stage Manager Sierra Durzee look anything but tired: in fact, they both look rather excited.

Sertich was brought on board for this year’s play by Professor David Janoviak, who met her as a graduate student at the University of Portland when she was directing the play “Kimberly Akimbo” for the Salem Repertory Theatre.

“As a freelance director you take jobs as they come up. So when you have an opportunity like this, to be able to teach directing, it’s a really great opportunity in our business to be able to come back to a university and get some of that experience,” Sertich explained.

Even though Sertich spent six years in Portland, Oregon’s largest city, New York was a very new experience for her. Her life in Portland was much slower and much more affordable.

“I could afford living on my own and I had a dog and a house and a car, but in New York City I can’t afford to live on my own and have those things. So I have three roommates and I’m in my 30s,” Sertich explained. “It was a huge culture shock. There’s a lot of poverty. There’s a lot of sadness and loneliness. But on the other side of things there are so many things to do. It’s overwhelming all of the awesome opportunities.”

With living and

directing in New York City for the past four years, Sertich has seen a lot of urban plays being produced, but not many regarding different regions of America.

“For me,” Sertich said, “I wanted to get the experience directing American classic 1950s, and when I looked at the list of plays that this program has done in the last five to 10 years, they haven’t done ‘Picnic.’”

Sertich explained that “Picnic” is an essential play for any theatre program due to the genre that the play falls into, its use of strong female characters and its portrayal of relationships between men and women in the 1950s.

Though Sertich chose the play and gave it her own artistic flare, Durzee is there to make sure that “Picnic” ends up as it has been imagined.

“Basically, she [Sertich] is the artistic side and then my job is to relay all the information to all of the different elements, such as all of the different designers,” Durzee said.

Durzee is also responsible for, among other things, running the rehearsals, attending costume fittings, ensuring full attendance to rehearsals, and setting up for rehearsal everyday as well as locking up every night.

“ B a s i c a l l y , ” Durzee said, “I make sure everything is going according to plan.”

“She is also the one who is there the longest,” Sertich chimed in. “So she

A number of workshops will be held for teachers and writers. For teachers, a workshop focusing on classroom publishing will be held Friday. For writers, there will be a number of workshops Saturday and Sunday including: “Starting a Series: What You Need to Know Before You Sit Down,” “Writing from Experience,” “How to Pitch a Magazine Story,” “Creating a Writing Life” and “A Poet’s Palate.”

The largest celebration of literature in the Pacific Northwest and one of the largest literature festivals in the nation, one of the missions of

Wordstock is to promote literacy to children. Wordstock will boast a Young Adult Reading Showcase, mother-daughter book group workshops, a bookmaking workshop and a workshop focusing on reading to dogs along with many others.

Admission to the event is $7 for one day or $10 for both Saturday and Sunday, the two days the book fair will be held. Wordstock has boasted over 550 writers in past years and over 55,000 people in attendance. Held at the Oregon Convention Center, this year’s event is bound to educate and entertain children and adults alike.

is the first one to arrive and the last one to leave. Stage manager, I think, is the hardest position in theater.”

Durzee’s hefty task is made even more apparent when she lists off all of the people that she is continuously in contact with: the costume design team, the actors, the set design team, the technical directors, the lighting designer and so forth. Sertich does however note that in professional theater this isn’t always the case.

“You can do shows with minimal people involved,” Sertich says, “It’s a lot more work and everybody is stretched a little bit more, but in professional theater everybody is very expensive. So, for example, my technical director usually has one assistant to build the entire set and my stage manager will always run a light board or a sound board and then we will have one other technician to run the other board.”

“Picnic” opens in November and will be performed in Rice Auditorium.

Durzee admits that though the play is set in the 1950s it is very relatable.

“I think there is something for everyone in this play,” Durzee said.

Sertich agreed, adding that her goal as a director is to convince the audience that all the relationships portrayed throughout the play are a truthful representation of that particular relationship, whether it is mother and daughter, siblings, potential new love, old love, etc.

Alex Riecke-Gonzales | Freelancer

Actors begin the first day of rehearsal for the upcoming play, “Picnic.”

campus is to promote all things German.

Oktoberfest is the perfect venue to do just that. President Alexander Bellairs expressed his hopes for this day, “It will be a time where students and faculty can come together and share in German culture. It’s the perfect time to listen to some German music, eat German food and just have a great time.”

Those who participate in Oktoberfest will have the opportunity to feast on an authentic German meal of Wurstl (sausage),

sauerkraut, corn, drinks and a traditional dessert.

Participants will also be able to purchase T-shirts with the phrase “Kuess Mich! Ich Spreche Deutsch” (Kiss me! I speak German!) and participate in other German related activities.

“Preparing for this event has been both stressful and exciting,” stated Bellairs.

Club secretary Taylor Gobel added, “There are many aspects to getting an event such as this functional. Securing a location, coordinating

catering, preparing activities - it all requires team work and enthusiasm from officers and club members.”

The German Club was established in 2000 and its members come from many various backgrounds.

“I chose German Club because it relates to my minor and I have a deep interest in linguistics,” said Bellairs.

Other members have family roots in Germany. Gobel is one such member,

“I remember my mom singing lullabies to me in German. German club has allowed me to become

familiar with German culture and appreciate my family so much more.”

Throughout the academic year the German club sponsors many events. Mayfest, grill parties, Christmas dinner and Oktoberfest are among the most popular.

In November, the club will be selling authentic German advent calendars. All proceeds from such events and fundraisers will go towards advancing the German club and making an annual grant of $750 possible for a deserving student.

“Due to some confusion as to where money went, we weren’t able to award the grant last year,” regrets Bellairs. “However, the surplus of funds have enabled us to increase opportunities for the club.”

“The festivities are open to all and is expected to be a real hit on campus,” said Gobel. “After all, it’s a chance for people to be a little German.”

The festivities will begin on the WUC patio at 10:30 a.m. and continue until 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 6.


6 CAMPUS LIFE October 6, 2010


Order online @ subway.com113 E. Main St. 503.837.0960

tour, this is their first place. Anybody that sees this will be seeing the premier of the show.”

Set in a frontier town in the 1860s, “Boom Town” is a creative combination of dance, theater, acrobatics and mechanics, all perfectly blended to deliver an enthralling performance. Performing their premier show in Tacoma last week, the troupe of Cirque Mechanics then traveled to Monmouth, Ore., to give students and the community a taste of a unique and original art form on Monday, October 4.

At 10 a.m., that morning, students at Western got an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the production as well as ask some burning questions in an educational outreach program. Lashua took the stage and gave students and faculty a history of the troupe while performers rehearsed their daring feats behind him.

“It’s a scripted piece, much like a dance

piece would be,” said Lashua, explaining the structure of this year’s performance. “As you see the performance you get a pretty clear understanding of the mechanics and how it all works.”

Lashua then went on to describe a crane-like lift holding a trapeze bar on which aerialist Kerren McKeeman performs her breathtaking routine. McKeeman performed part of her aerialist routine for the audience of students and faculty, allowing her a run through in this new auditorium.

Rigging and Set Designer Sean Riley then explained the technical and mechanical aspects of what makes the shows that Cirque Mechanics run as well as it does.

Everything from the crane mechanism used by the aerialists to the trampoline disguised as a mine cart is perfectly designed to ensure all apparatuses and performers are in sync.

“That is an emblem of how we pull these kind

of seemingly unrelated disciplines of engineering, physics, theater, dance and bringing in lighting to form this,” said Lashua. “This is a good representation of what we try to do as a group.”

The session was then opened up to questions. One student asked about the tenure and experience of the performers. Some performers, like Lashua, are Cirque du Soleil alums and some, like McKeeman have worked with other organizations such as youth circuses.

“Many are gymnasts,” answered Lashua. “We have many performers with gymnastic backgrounds, circus backgrounds dance backgrounds; and that’s really what we try to find.” Diversity in the backgrounds and skills of the troupe is what makes the performance so enjoyable to watch.

Dance Professor Daryl Thomas asked, “How much did it cost to fabricate that [apparatus] and how long did it take?” Both

MECHANICS FROM PAGE 1

This nostalgic revue began as a celebration of an unusual era in American music—the swing, or big band, era. This was an era that most Americans would listen to the same music by unforgettable artists such as Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Rich, and the bandleader responsible for the hit song turned into musical revue, Glenn Miller.

Tickets can be purchased online at ticketswest.com, at all Tickets West locations or by calling 1-800-992-8499. Ticket prices range from $25 for balcony seating to $45 for mezzanine seating.

This Friday, Oct. 8th, at 7:30 p.m., the Historic Elsinore Theatre in Salem, Ore. will be showing “In the Mood”, a retro 1940s musical revue.

In affiliation with the United Service Organizations (USO), “In the Mood” began a series of tours, in 1993, in which they performed for audiences across the U.S.

The “In the Mood” singers, dancers and String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra will be returning to Salem where they have sold out the Elsinore Theatre every time.

The Historic Elsinore Theatre is located at 170 High St. SE, Salem, Ore. 97301

MECHANICS SEE PAGE 7

Photos by | Emily Laughlin

A comedic balancing routine halfway through the show made the audience roar with laughter.

CAMPUS LIFE 7October 6, 2010


Riley and Lashua explained that designing new apparatuses and mechanics for the troupe to use and perform on is an ongoing process.

“You have to design within the means that you’ve been given,” said Riley. “If you have all the money and all the time you can do whatever you want, and that is not the case. Decisions are based halfway on what you can spend and halfway on functionality.”

“This crane thing, I built a model of it, I played with it. I had a bicycle that I put on top of the original design,” said Lashua, describing the crane apparatus.

“I built that out of things I found in a dumpster, which is where a lot of the stuff that I built first started. If Cirque du Soleil had built that apparatus, it would have been $100,000. They would have spent money in places where we don’t. We can do that for

one fifth that price that they would spend because of the nature of the company that we are as well… We have a way of getting things done that others can’t.”

The doors to Rice Auditorium opened at 7:10 p.m. with seats quickly filling up; the performance started shortly thereafter. Cocker thanked the crowd for coming; assuring them they were in for a treat.

Audience members were wowed with a dangerous balancing act, multiple aerialist stunts, a trampoline act, laughed with numerous clown and mime acts as well as countless floor acts and stunts.

Just starting their nationwide tour, Cirque Mechanics’ production of “Boom Town” will travel to Southern California this week. This enthralling performance is bound to delight audiences across the country, much like it did to the students of Western and members of the surrounding community.

MECHANICS FROM PAGE 6



Acrobats with Cirque Mechanics perform their daring

acts during the two hour performance. (Top) The final

pose with the entire group finished the performance.

(Center) A balancing acrobat performed a nail-biting

balancing act on four, narrow pegs. (Right) A gravity

defying act proving the strength, agility, stamina and

pure talent exhibited by the troupe. (Above) Aerialist

Kerren McKeeman performs one of her two angelic

routines.

8 POST October 6, 2010


Western Oregon Journal

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Letters to the editor

We need 2 go bk 2 a l8r tymeChristina Tilicki | Campus Life Editor

Picnic tables: few and far between

Kelsey Davais | News Editor

When I receive a text message that uses the worst grammar I have ever seen in my life, I delete it and don’t respond. I’m not perfect; I’ve made grammatical errors in my life and am sure there are more to come.

However, using shortcuts such as “r” instead of “are,” “u” instead of “you” and numbers in place of words is lazy and is leading to a trend in a generation of young adults that not only cannot spell in text messages, but use this sloppy lingo in emails, letters, papers for school, work and worst of all, in their daily language.

When I hear a person say “OMG!” or “LOL!” I want to thrust a dictionary in their face and tell them to go back to kindergarten. Is it so hard to actually talk? On that note, why is it that texting, tweeting and facebooking has become one of our primary modes for communication?

I abhor twitter. I don’t understand how you would

want to know that much about another person and why you would want to air out your dirty laundry to everyone on the planet. I do have a facebook page. I use it to keep in contact with good friends and family that I am not near enough to visit on a regular basis.

I do not, however, use it to post every depressing thought that comes into my mind. I could care less about someone’s obsession with fantasy football or that their baby, yet again, spoke.

And Farmville. Why would any moderately intelligent person spend hours each afternoon asking all of their “friends” for water to grow their crops? Seriously? Get out there

and plant a real garden and get some real friends.

My sister attends a university out of state. We see one another twice a year at best and supplement our relationship with tangible letters. Certain elementary schools have stopped teaching cursive to students. Why? Because six-year-olds are marching into school with their Hello Kitty and Spiderman backpacks and an iPhone.

I’m not saying that we should revert back to kerosene lamps and fountain pens. But there has to be a limit. Technology is a very dominant figure in our society but there comes a point when enough is enough. I use technology; I would feel lost without my Blackberry and there are shows I watch weekly.

I can say this: You will never see me asking you to help raise my pigs in Farmville, tweeting about what color I painted my toenails or texting “C u l8r.” Everything, including technology, has a limit.

In my Writing 135 class, I was assigned a proposal paper that needed to describe a problem on campus and how to change it. The last thing I wanted to do was make English instructor Matt Haas read another paper complaining about book prices, cafeteria food and lack of parking spaces. I was determined to think of something that all freshmen who had to take the required writing class might not think of. I decided that I would write about picnic tables.

As a freshman living on campus, I felt that I knew the ins and outs of picnic table locations on campus. I quickly realized that they were sporadically placed around campus, but none were located in the large, empty green spaces next to Heritage and Landers Halls where they might be of most use. Instead, the nearest picnic table, an ancient wooden

one, can be found by the Public Safety office where you can sit at your own risk of a sliver in your butt.

You might be thinking, look further, there are picnic tables everywhere. Sure, there are a few more when you get deeper into campus such as in between the Werner University Center and Maaske Hall, but couldn’t there be more? If Western has the funding, why not add a

PICNIC SEE PAGE 9

THE TOWN (R) (3:50) 9:15

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS (PG13) (1:00) 6:30

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (PG13) (11:30 1:55 4:25) 7:00 9:40

LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS: OWLS OF GA’HOOLE (3D) (PG) (12:10 2:40 5:00) 7:25 9:55

SECRETARIAT (PG) (12:50 3:35) 6:20 9:05

MY SOUL TO TAKE (3D) (R) (11:45 2:20 4:50) 7:20 10:05

YOU AGAIN (PG) (11:50 2:15 4:40) 7:10 9:35

LET ME IN (R) (1:05 3:40) 6:10 9:00

*SOCIAL NETWORK (PG13) (1:15 4:00) 6:45 9:25

No passes on starred (*) attractions.

Matinees are all shows starting before 6PM.Tickets available at box office, WOU bookstore,

and online at www.PrestigeTheatres.com.

October 6, 2010


POST 9

Somewhere in between preparing for a new academic year and its commencement, the month of September has come and gone. Despite feeling as though I’ve only paused to blink during a cloudless summer day, I now open my eyes each morning to find the world painted in vibrant shades of red, yellow and orange.

There’s a tranquility associated with autumn’s arrival in Oregon that can’t be matched by any other season. Winter winds can’t compete with the lukewarm breeze of an autumn afternoon. Spring’s indecisive temperament turns dressing each morning into a complex game of layers. And, as if to compensate for seemingly endless rain throughout the rest of the year, summer’s unyielding heat often reveals itself with blinding force.

Such pomp and circumstance is not the way of autumn, however. Instead, it glides gently over the Oregon landscape, a perfect mixture of warming sun and cooling winds, vanishing just as quietly as it first came with the last leaf’s falling. Daily the season dynamically shifts, and yet its second by second changes are such as to largely escape the human eye. Autumn is, in this way, the Mona Lisa of seasons – perplexing and mysterious, deeply satisfying and yet always leaving one wanting more.

Autumn’s arrival christens a slowing down

of the Earth, a moment of time between the boisterous clamor of summer and the crisp silence of winter. And yet, for all the ways in which the natural world begins to prepare itself for the year’s most anticipated siesta, such a condition is in direct conflict with the ever-frantic pulse of academia.

In many ways, the lackadaisical nature of autumn is needed most at this time of mad and constant churning, this time of new beginnings on our campus. It reminds us of the need to slow down and enjoy the breeze that flutters by us on our way to class, to pause and admire the way in which the tips of the trees appear dipped in sunlight each afternoon, to take in the deeper reds, brighter oranges and more dazzlingly yellows that fill the world.

Although it seems laughable that scholars should sing of autumn’s beauty when the science behind the season marks each warm-toned leaf as one step closer to its end, I tend to be of the belief that these two truths can coincide peaceably. There is

something bittersweet in the exquisite nature of such decay, and the mutual existence of death and beauty is part and parcel of autumn’s prestige over all other seasons.

With long hours spent in a window-less office, I suppose I’m not so much surprised by autumn’s ability to make an undetected entrance as I am taken aback by its majesty. Each year it is as though I forget just how awe-inspiring this season truly is, and each year I am re-awakened to its breathtaking beauty. Alongside being overwhelmed by its loveliness, I am also saddened by the reality that all too soon it will vanish under an onslaught of frigid rain, and that in the land of ever-looming deadlines and responsibilities, I will have missed out on too much of it.

For this reason, it is my goal this term to find a moment each day –whether it lasts five hours or five minutes – to enjoy autumn while the opportunity to bask in its beauty is still present. In this way, I hope to seek emotional and spiritual equilibrium from the natural balance visible all around me. It is a goal that I hope you too will choose to undertake this season, and in doing so, find ample opportunity to take in what American writer William Cullen Bryant called “the year’s last, loveliest smile.”

Autumn: The year’s last, loveliest smilePaige O’Rourke | Editor in chief

Many families over the summertime pay for weekend vacations where they get to experience primitive ways of living and take care of farm animals for three long days. After which, they agree they could never actually live that way.

Minus the no running water these families endure, my roommate and good friend, Emily, and I set out to a six-week farm life. It was for some family friends who decided to vacation across the United States and needed some goat watchers.

Neither of us had ever taken care of seven goats or 30 chickens. Yet, we agreed and looked forward to what we would discover to be an adventure.

So, I packed a small suitcase of my belongings and moved out to the farm. When I arrived, I was confident this was going to be simple. I mean who wouldn’t want to milk a goat every morning?

The first week I was alone since Emily was on a family vacation. I was expecting the mornings to come too early, but it was the goats’ bedtime that proved difficult. I made my first mistake when I arrived after sundown and flicked on the floodlight creating a path from the house to the barn. All the goats were lined up bleating at me as if they were saying, “C’mon!

My life on “Almosta Farm” Stephanie Merritt | Page Designer

We’re starving and it’s after dark. Do you even know what you are doing?” I ran to the barn and started shoveling the pellets of food into the feed pans through the blurry vision of tears. I mean, I hadn’t even eaten dinner myself. That night, I learned goats and chores came before breakfast and dinner.

Each morning, at five o’clock, my alarm chimed, and I sprang out of bed with bright eyes and a bushy tail.

Yeah, right.I rolled out of bed 10

minutes later and pulled on a flannel, slid into a pair of stinky boots and headed out into the sunrise. None of the goats listened to me, and I practically used half of the behavior correcting spray bottle on them that first week.

I had to win the hearts of these goats, especially the male goat affectionately referred to as “Stinky.” He bucked and bleated and always followed me to the food stall. He even had this nice trick of standing right in front of the exit gate when I let him out in the morning.

Panic set in as I sprayed him with my pipsqueak squirt bottle for about 10 minutes one morning, thinking I was going to be stuck. Finally, he backed up a couple feet and I made a dash for my life. He just sat there smugly, and I almost heard

him laugh.The challenge was

set; by the end of those six weeks, I was going to be a farm girl, whether those goats liked it or not. Pretty soon, Emily and I were teaming up to help each other rise before the sun and get back before it set. We ate strawberries that grew on the side of the house, cooked the pastel eggs that we gathered from the hens and listened to new roosters gain their crows.

Of course, it wasn’t all this lovely as we also had to watch the smallest goat, Smokey, slowly pass away. He had been sick before we began our stay and then relapsed back into it at about week three.

After that, I had the courage to walk into Stinky’s stall without a spray bottle. I just had to demonstrate I wasn’t afraid of him anymore.

There was also this brooding hen, “Fatseetza”, as I labeled her, because she was so fat from sitting. I held her up with a stick while Emily, the brave heart, reached under her for eggs. The first time we did this we found a whole dozen eggs as though it were Easter!

Looking back, Em and I learned a lot about the satisfaction in reaping what you sow from the goat’s milk and the eggs we sold, and the goat’s milk we kept for making ice cream.

PICNIC FROM PAGE 8

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couple by the Oregon Military Academy, Hamersly Library or dorm areas? Besides, we Oregonians are all Vitamin-D deficient and could use an extra table here and there.

Also, most of the picnic tables that are present on campus have ash trays conveniently or inconveniently, depending on your habits, placed next to them. I would prefer smoke free picnic tables, especially when I am doing homework and a nice gentle breeze wafts the smell of cigarette smoke towards my direction.

I admit, with our weather, we may only be able to use picnic tables a few months of the academic year, but

it makes a difference for many students. Western is a campus devoted to its students, and I am sure that staff and faculty understand that we all learn in different ways. Some of us need to get outside of the library, fishbowl or dorm rooms to do homework. Picnic tables are perfect for escaping

confining walls on a nice sunny day.

Adding a few picnic tables around our campus is an easy way to provide more places for students to do homework, and will, at the same time, add to our campus by creating a more inviting look in various places around campus.

Picnic tables in between WUC and Maaske Hall provide relaxing outdoor study areas.

Frost and Flake with momma goat, Snowball, following Emily into the barn.


Photo by | Stephanie Merritt

October 6, 2010


10 SPORTS

Morgan makes game-winning field goal to bring the Wolves to 3-2 overall

Western’s defense helped keep SOU to 56 rushing yards Jeffrey Larson | Sports Editor

Looking to recover from the disappointing home loss to Humboldt State on Saturday, Sept. 25, the Wolves entered Ashland, Ore., home of Southern Oregon University (SOU), prepared for another non-conference game on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Western went on to defeat the Raiders 24-23 to put the Wolves 3-2 overall. They are ranked third in the GNAC behind Humboldt State (3-0) and Central Washington (3-1).

Led by senior running back Darryl Valdez’s 89 yards, the Wolves out-ran the Raiders by an astonishing 163 yards to 56.

At the end of the third quarter, redshirt sophomore Bryce Peila faked a punt and rushed for 31 yards to set

Reed and Snawder led the way for the Wolves this weekend at Bowles

XC men placed eighth, women placed 11th Tom Grassel | Freelancer

The Western Oregon cross country team had a successful meet this weekend at the 36th Annual Charles Bowles Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 2, as the men’s and women’s team placed eighth and 11th, respectively.

The top finishers for the men were seniors Chris Reed, who placed 23rd with a time of 24:31.06 on the 8k course, and Justin Karr (58th), freshman Josh Elliot (59th), junior Lukas Fenly (65th) and sophomore Connor Kasler

(79th).“The guys ran well,

but we could have run better,” coach Mike Johnson noted. “I was pleased with our performance and we did a good job of staying on point.”

At the top for the women’s team were senior Erika Snawder, who placed 47th with a time of 18:27.21 on the 6k course, junior Amanda Wright (63rd), junior Megan Everetts (71st), senior Tricia Morrison (78th) and junior KayAnna Cecchi

(90th).Even more impressive

was that Snawder placed 47th despite running on a sprained ankle.

“The women improved significantly,” said Johnson. “We’re really running better.”

The next cross country meet is Oct. 15th at the Mike Hodge Invitational.

“We just need to start quickly,” said Johnson about the next meet. “We need to create a presence about our team’s running and we should do well.”

Volleyball goes 1-1 on the road; losing to CWU, defeating Northwest Nazarene

Reese led the Wolves to their fifth GNAC victoryTom Grassel | Freelancer

Western’s defense (pictured versus Humboldt State on Saturday, Sept. 25) dominated SOU, allowing only 56 rushing yards in the victory. Western’s offense had 163 rushing yards.

After losing 0-3 on Thursday, Sept. 30, to Central Washington, Western’s volleyball team finished the weekend in successful fashion, beating Northwest Nazarene (NNU) in four sets, 23-25, 25-16, 25-23 and 23-18, on Saturday, Oct. 2.

The win moved Western past NNU into fourth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).

“It was a difficult match for us,” said head coach Brad Saindon. “It

was a really important win for us.”

The volleyball team started the match by dropping the first set and then winning the next three.

“We were disappointed in losing the first set, but then we turned it around and really played well after that,” Saindon noted.

Redshirt sophomore Danielle Reese recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 15 assists to help power the Wolves to a victory.

“Without her, we don’t win that match,” said

Saindon. “She was really playing great.”

In addition, senior Jorden Burrows added four kills and 39 assists, and freshman Megan Triggs helped with 19 digs.

“The defense was really good,” said Saindon. “It was nice to see hard work pay off.”

Coming up this week, the Wolves play St. Martin’s at home on Saturday, Oct. 9th, at 7 p.m. “We expect to win,” said Saindon. “We just want to get better everyday.”

Thompson scores game-winning goal in OT

OREGONSEE PAGE 12

Yes, Oregon should be ranked ahead of Boise

up junior quarterback Evan Mozzochi for a one-yard run and a touchdown to bring the score to 23-21, SOU on top.

Mozzochi had a successful afternoon by converting 9-of-18 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Western also added 122 receiving yards, led by redshirt senior Justin Ore, who had 62 of those yards.

With 6:08 left in the game, sophomore Kelly Morgan made the game-winning field goal from 42 yards away, putting away the Raiders and obtaining their first non-conference victory of the season.

The Wolves’ next game is at St. George, Utah, on Saturday, Oct. 9th, where they will face GNAC opponent Dixie State (1-3 in the GNAC, 1-4 overall).

Western fought hard for 99 minutes and 24 seconds before claiming the victory, first GNAC win and second win overall

Lexington Martin | Freelancer

Coming out victorious in overtime with a score of 3-2, young sophomore Taylor Thompson scored the needed goal off an assist by sophomore Marina Austin on Saturday, Oct. 2 against Northwest Nazarene University (NNU). This Wolves proved that staying together and conquering against all odds collectively is truly how to defeat any opponent.

Western’s starting roster and early development of team chemistry, made the women’s soccer team overcome challenges faced during the beginning of the season. Much of the women’s success on Saturday had been from not only the athleticism of these vicious Wolves that are hungry for a win – but the hunger for competition.

“As a team, we are gradually working better by playing harder,” said freshman Kelsey Herrick. “Just the fact [that this is our] first official goal of the season, last weekend kept us really excited and determined to come out on top. It proved that as a team we’re still in this together…and brought the needed fire to do so.”

The wild fire that dominated the Wolves’ grounds was Austin. Soon after she received a direct pass from LaChante “Buddha” Horton, the offensive frontrunner Austin took her shot into the net giving Western the lead. Shortly after, NNU senior Marie Smith made her attempt at the goal line, making the game a tied snake-eyed race.

SOCCER | SEE PAGE 11Junior forward LaChante Horton (21) looks to avoid her defender and pass the ball downfield.


Column by Chris Reed | Managing Editor

Perhaps you’ve heard the news by now: Oregon jumped Boise State in both the AP and USA Today Coaches’ Polls, making the Ducks the No.3 team while the Broncos stand at No.4.

Perhaps you’ve also heard the outcry on the topic from thousands of blue-clad Idahoans bashing the voters: “How could you move the Broncos down after they won 59-0?” or “Why are you punishing a team for winning?”

In all honesty, I feel the pain of the Boise fans, or any fan who yearns for

a small-conference team to have a shot at (finally) competing for a national title, for that matter. They have what sounds like a legitimate reason to gripe. But I disagree with their logic and I completely disagree with the way the rankings are conducted.

The polls are far too rigid. Voters make changes week to week based only on wins and losses.

What voters need to do, in my opinion, is look at each week’s poll as a separate entity from the prior week’s rankings. Don’t move teams up or down based only on whether or not they won or lost; try actually ranking teams based upon how good you think they are. Each week, the voters need to start with a clean slate.


October 6, 2010


SPORTS 11

“We came into the game with a focus,” mentioned Herrick. “(We) knew if we kept our focus we could earn the win. . .We have the needed chemistry off the field, now we’re starting to learn to share that same chemistry on the field.”

As the first half started to fade into halftime, Western had a total of eight fouls. Junior Monique Thees had a yellow card thrown against her for Western, which then resulted in a penalty kick by Smith, giving NNU control going into the second half, 2-1. However, this only gave the Wolves the ‘needed fire’ to prove the team’s focus, determination and, as head coach Rod Fretz said, “ultimately claim victory.”

Within the first three minutes of the second half, Austin took the first offensive shot and, even though

NNU goal keeper Tanya Zickefoose made the save, it was just the beginning for the Wolves. Due to having a defensive, proactive team, Western was able to bring the needed fire with Austin as its leader. She scored, causing the game to go into overtime at 2-2. After her first failed shot, Austin passed with an assist to Thompson earning the win, for making the final 3-2, a Western victory.

“[Austin] played an awesome game on Saturday and was in control…and on the field she was dangerous,” explained Fretz. “We have been trying new positions and finding other strengths we have as a team. In the end it showed to be effective and productive.”

On Sunday, Oct. 10 find the Western women’s soccer team on its home turf at 1:00 p.m. to claim another win as the Wolves challenge Saint Martin’s.

SOCCER | FROM PAGE 10

Sophomore forward Marina Austin (20) dribbles through five defenders. Austin had the assist that led to freshman midfielder Taylor Thompson’s game-winning goal in overtime.

CourtsStarting Oct.18, the multi-purpose room (indoor tennis court) located in New P.E. Gym will be available for basketball and tennis during these hours:

Monday to Thursday 9 - 10:30 p.m. Sunday 6 - 10 p.m.

Closed nights of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Old P.E. Gym (Effective Nov. 14 - open until 10 p.m.)The Old P.E. Gym will be available for basketball these hours:

Monday to Thursday 6 - 9:30 p.m. Friday 6- 9:30 p.m. Saturday 5 - 8 p.m. Sunday 6 - 9:30 p.m. Intramurals may be scheduled in the Old P.E. gym some evenings. Closed during intercollegiate WOU home football games.

Sport ClubsCrew, Rugby, Water Polo, Men's Soccer, Lacrosse, Swimming, Ultimate Frisbee

Finals Week — Late-Night Recreation Monday, Dec. 6 to Thursday, Dec. 9 Join in the tradition of finals week and take a study break. Old P.E. gym courts open 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. for basketball and volleyball.

Weight Room The weight room (beneath the stadium) will be available as follows: Monday to Friday 6:30 - 8 a.m.

MWF Noon - 1 p.m. and 6 - 9:30 p.m. Thursday 6 - 7:45 p.m. (females only) Thursday 7:45 - 9:30 p.m. (males only) Saturday 5 - 8 p.m.

Outdoor program

Intramurals Activity Gender Entry (M=Men, W=Women, Deadline C=CoRec)

Flag Football M Tue Oct. 5 Sun Oct. 10Soccer (9 aside) C Thur Oct. 7 Mon Oct. 11Tennis Singles/Doubles MWC Thur Oct. 7 Mon Oct. 11Volleyball C Tue Oct. 12 Mon Oct. 18Golf MWC Thur Oct. 14 Mon Oct. 18Flag Football WC Thur Oct. 14 Thur Oct. 21 Powder Puff Football Classic W Wed Oct. 20 Wed Oct. 20Frisbee Disc Golf Tourney MWC Thur Oct. 21 Mon Oct. 25Badminton Singles/Doubles MWC Thur Nov. 4 Sun Nov. 73-on-3 Basketball MWC Thur Nov. 11 Sun Nov. 14Holiday Basketball Tourney MWC Thur Nov. 18 Sun Nov. 21Turkey Trot Run MW Tue Nov. 23 Tue Nov. 23

Wolverton Pool

Campus Recreation, 503-838-8513 213 WUC, Division of Student Affairs

Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR 97361

Event Date Cost Reg. byTechnological Treasure Hunt Sat Oct. 9 FREE Wed Oct. 6Wildlife Safari Sat Oct. 16 $13.00 Wed Oct. 13Warren Miller’s Wintervention Sat Nov. 6 $19.00 Wed Nov. 3Opal Creek Falls Hike Sat Nov. 13 FREE Wed Nov. 10Paintball Sat Nov. 20 $22.00 Wed Nov. 17

For more detailed information about each program, visit out website @: www.wou.edu/student/campusrec/outdoor

PlayStarts


(TOP) Senior Rachelle Kliewer dribbles down the sideline. (BOTTOM) Women’s soccer team huddles up during a deadball to strategize.

The pool is temporarily closed due to construction and remodeling. The pool is scheduled to re-open in Feb. 2011.

October 6, 2010


12 SPORTS

we could have avoided, including myself getting a yellow card.”

The Wolves have made many new additions this year, which had this young team working hard in the opening game to get used to playing together and clean up its “sloppy” play.

“We have 21 rookies, so we are pretty young,” added Boyd.

The Wolves’ next game is a friendly against currently undefeated Division I Washington State University. The game will be a home game on Saturday, Oct. 23. The time will be announced in a later edition of the Journal.

Western’s Men’s Rugby Club celebrates after scoring one of its nine tries to lead Western to the 53-10 victory over Willamette University on Oct. 2.

Photos by | Nick Charbonnier

RUGBY | FROM PAGE 1

Battle in Seattle 2010

October 16, 2010 6:00p.m.

WOU vs. CWU .

. WOU students: $10 on-campus $15 off-campusPurchase @ University Residences or WUC

www.wouwolves.com

Western’s defense intercepts Willamette’s inbound pass. The Wolves soon capitilized by scoring another try to help lead them to their first victory of the year to open the 2010-2011 season on a high note.

This season has been frustrating for me when watching the evolution of the polls from week to week. For example, Florida began the season as the No. 7 team in the USA Today poll and, despite showing no signs whatsoever of being among the top teams in the country, maintained that position until last week’s game against Alabama. The pollsters acted surprised by the Crimson Tide’s demolition of the Gators. Why?! Did you not see how poorly Florida played against Miami (Ohio)? One week after being thrashed by Oregon, Tenessee made the Gators look sluggish and lame. Their offense has been lackluster and their defense porous. Yet they were still ranked in the top ten!

Alabama just beat the No.7 team in the country, according to the polls. But Nick Saban, Mark Ingram, Julio Jones, Greg McElroy and the rest of the Tide know that the team they played was heavily overrated.

How does something like this happen? Well, since Florida was undefeated after being

initially ranked in the top ten, it made sense to keep the Gators there, right? I mean, why “punish” a team for winning?

Remember, this is not a ladder. It’s not about “punishing” a team for winning. It’s about looking at every team and putting those teams that look a thousand times better than Florida ahead of the Gators. Simple as that. If Nebraska or Michigan State or Arizona, for example, continue to show that they are better than Florida, don’t be scared to move those teams up, even if Florida wins.

I could have said the same thing about Texas that I’m saying about Florida. Why did it take losses to UCLA and Oklahoma for the voters to realize how subpar the Longhorns are?

Here’s something else that bothers me: why are voters so hesitant to move a team up after a loss? Take Arkansas, for example. Then ranked No. 10, Arkansas went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 Tide before losing late.

Watching that game, I thought to myself, “Wow, the Razorbacks are definitely legit. They’ve been playing well all year and now they are proving it against the No. 1 team.”

And guess what happened? Arkansas dropped to No. 15 following that game! What else can you ask of the Razorbacks? They lost by fewer points than they were supposed to, so was moving down in the polls a forgone conclusion? If anything, Arkansas should have moved up in the poll that week.

So do I have a problem with Oregon jumping Boise State? None whatsoever. Oregon has looked better than Boise every single week this season. It just took a nationally televised game versus Stanford for the voters to finally come around. I would even go as far to say that Oregon should be ranked No. 1. If the voters truly wiped their slate clean after each weekend’s lineup of games, I imagine most of them would be hard-pressed to conclude that Alabama and Ohio State have actually played better than the Ducks. Be honest: which teams have looked better than Oregon this season? None that I can think of.

I know that getting jumped is not fun for Boise State, but Oregon is clearly better. It has nothing to do with “punishing” Boise; it has everything to do with recognizing how supreme Oregon has been in 2010.

OREGONFROM PAGE 10

Western Oregon Journal (2010-2011) Issue 3

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Transcript of Western Oregon Journal (2010-2011) Issue 3