The Vancougar: October 20, 2008

The Eyes, Ears and Voice of the Students at WSU-V

Washington State University - Vancouver

October 20, 2008

www.vancougar.com

ELECTIONS 2008:

The Big Freeze Self-described ski bum, turned world traveler, Nathan Murphy “chillin’ like a villian” in Antarctica n FEATURES, 7

Marching to BULGARIA Jason Garcia shares about his recent “priceless” European Vacation with his girlfriend, a native Bulgarian n NEWS & FEATURES, 8

Presidential Platform Comparison Guide nNEWS, 4 A Haunted

House Story Photo by Ashley Peck

n A.C.E., 14

John McCain

INSIDE:

Barack Obama

A November to Remember

By Collin Rickman The VanCogar

Ask any average voter, and they’ll tell you that it’s been an exhausting eight years. The recent economic slowdown, coupled with an unprecedented federal buyout of distressed financial institutions such as Fannie Mae and AIG, is almost enough to make the American public forget how much has happened in eight short years. The shadow of 9/11 weighs heavily upon our lives. Our complacency as a nation was replaced with massive self-doubt in one fell swoop. Self-assured democracy is out; Patriot Acts and paranoia are in. We wanted someone to pay the price, and they did. The soul-searchers and Spartans of our society have been in a battle of their own ever since. At home, things seem just as uncertain. The nightly news seems more like a rollercoaster than a wrap-up. One night we watched helplessly as the Big Easy was

RAT in the dining hall!

n VOTE, p4

The Fate of Financial Aid:

Doomed?

By Gregory E. Zschomler Editor-in-Chief

By

If you’re a little squeamish you may not want to eat in the cafeteria for a while. At least one rodent—believed to be a pack rat by Dr. Michael Berger, WSU-V Science Programs—was spotted scurrying around the dining area Tuesday, October 14. The appearance shouldn’t be too big a shock, most food institutions must constantly take measures against the pests. And, after all, WSU-V sits in the middle of a large field; rodents do tend to move from that habitat seeking food and warmth indoors when the weather grows cold. The creature was first spotted by the VanCougar’s Managing Editor, Kati Hughes on Tuesday, Oct. 14 early in the day as it scampered across the room and wiggled into a hole under the newspaper counter. Without evidence or further testimony the editor chose not to pursue a story. However, that changed. Later that evening at 4:45 p.m. the Editor-in-Chief sat in the dining area working on his laptop and saw the critter dash around the microwave

brought to its knees by Hurricane Katrina and the next we cheered Michael Phelps on to eight gold medals and Olympics immortality. Threats of global warming, contaminated food products, and fragile fuel supplies have made us question our supersized lifestyles. Sci-fi is now reality: stem cells and alternative fuels are in our crosshairs. However, the skeletons in our closet reappear in the form of nooses and sex scandal. The passions of the public appear to have been stirred now that we approach a crossroads. Over 3.5 million Washingtonians are registered to vote, the highest number in state history. Washington State Secretary of State Sam Reed doesn’t think he can imagine a more important election. “People are intrigued by the wide-open presidential race during wartime and the national and international economic crisis,” he said. “We will make history, with either an African-American president or a woman vice president.”

counter and under the Pepsi machine. He managed to capture video footage and student Ashley Peck took several photos. Other students, too, witnessed and responded to the affair. Some appeared repulsed. Facilities Operations was called and arrived just as the thing scampered for its hole. The varmint was secured in a cupboard by the brave custodian Dave Zilvary, trapped under a plastic container and taken away—and humanely exterminated. “I can pitch about 80 miles an hour,” said Zilvary. One question remains: Is it the only one? Dining Services Café and Catering Manager Bill Bontems specifically called the VanCougar to state, “We do not have a rodent problem.” WSU-V Dining Service’s last Health Inspection rated 13 points (the less points, the better). According to Bontems the last four reports are posted near the kitchen area. You can also view the latest full report online at: http://www.co.clark. wa.us/health/environmental/food/inspections/multilist.asp

Gregory E. Zschomler Editor-in-Chief

College students and prospective college students all over the country have questions and concerns about how they will pay for college. They always have, but even more so in this particular season of economic downturn. “You can’t turn on the TV these days without being bombarded by financial doom and gloom,” writes Mara Strom at FinancialAidFinder. com, “If you are a college student… there is no doubt that current economic climate is going to have some kind of an impact on your student financial aid package.” According to a Washington Post article by Anita Dey, “The cost of higher education continues to outpace inflation, growing by six percent to seven percent every year. Nearly half of U.S. students receive financial aid. According to the College Board, $50.3 billion in aid was

available from federal, state and institutional sources…” Alyson Galloway, Financial Aid Coordinator at WSU-V reminds us that “Rising tuition costs and [the] associated costs of education are unfortunately not a new phenomenon.” She says that it is because of, “the current state of our nation’s economy [that] these issues are gaining more exposure.” Galloway says this happens for several reasons. “One, the sheer fact that the expense is an expense to begin with, but with pocketbooks being depleted in other ways (food and energy), the expense takes on an added burdensome tone. “Two, [there’s] the fact that many utilize student and/or parent loans to supplement other sources of financial aid adds to the furry and confusion about the lending industry across the board.

nDOOMED?, p9

The VanCougar

2 The VanCougar The VanCougar is a student-run newspaper serving the students, faculty and staff of WSU Vancouver. Copies of The VanCougar are available free of charge every other Monday during the school year .

Editor-in-Chief Gregory E. Zschomler Managing Editor Kati Hughes Ad Manager Dan Rauchenstein Advisor Dean Baker Copy Editor HELP WANTED ACE Editor Beau Baxter Rosser Sports & Rec Editor Katie Wells Staff Writers & Photographers Beau Baxter Rosser, Rosann Bartel, Robert Chu, Matt Hunter, Collin Rickman, Willy Chi Shue Tsang, Louise Wynn, Jason Garcia, Hannah Walker, Shane Monroe, Kevin Raymond, Danielle Mosier, Ruth Zschomler, Kyle Ralston, Jake Kleinschmidt, Isaac Madsen, Matthew Wright Illustrators Danielle Mosier and Anita Fleming Layout and Design Greg Zschomler and Kati Hughes Web Editor Michael Hatch © 2008 The VanCougar

CLS 212 14024 NE Salmon Creek Ave. Vancouver, WA 98686 Phone: (360) 546-9524 Fax: (360) 546-9072 General e-mail , comments, and employment inquiries [email protected]

NEWS

New-roscience on the brain By Kayla Page thE VanCoUgar

Students, Faculty Hope to See New Science Major by Fall 2009 There are many students attending WSU-V who major in Biology and plan to pusue a career in a health-science field following graduation. However these fields are becoming more and more competitive everyday. I recently transferred to WSU-V from Arizona State University, which was an exciting change. However, something less thrilling was the limited choice of majors on this campus for students interested in medical science. This limited selection may be worrisome for students as they prepare their resumes and realize the breadth of majors other new graduates have to offer. Luckily, this is about to change. Dr. Michael Morgan, a professor and Behavioral Neuroscientist at WSU-V, submitted a proposal in November of 2007 to bring a Neuroscience major to WSU-V. According to this proposal, “Neuroscience is one of the fastest growing disciplines over the past 30 years. The Society for Neuroscience has approximately 38,000 members studying every aspect of human physiology and using a wide range of techniques including molecular biology, genetics, computer science, psychology, and much more.” This proposal outlines the need, budget, and, benefits surrounding the addition of this degree to the WSU-V campus. Need for this degree is based on “inquiries from 650 prospective students interested in health related degrees” and the prevalence of those students that “are not well served by the Environmental Science focus of the Biology program.” Justin Reddington, senior and Biology major at WSUV, agrees with this need, “Neuroscience is a broader major that benefits those who want to attend medical school. Biology is pretty slim-pickings, so the possibility of this major appearing at this campus is better for me and many of my friends.” Redding considered attending the Pullman campus in order to participate in the well established Neuroscience degree there. The structure of this proposed degree is identical to that of the Pullman degree. Pre-requisites include Biol 106/107, Chem 105/106, and Phys 101/102 to mention a few. These pre-requisites are identical to those of current Biology majors, which will make the switch much easier for those students. Core courses include Neuro 301: Exploring the brain, and Neuro 403: Cellular Neurobiology,

these among seven other required courses, some of which include Psychology courses offered at WSU-V currently. Students who are interested in the degree can get a head start by enrolling in the Neuro 301 class, which has been offered since spring of 2007, and will be offered again this spring. Dr. Susan Ingram, a professor and Neuroscientist at WSU-V, will be teaching this class, and she has joined Morgan in his quest to establish this major. Ingram outlines some of the incentives for becoming a neuroscience major, “This degree is not narrow; the techniques are unlimited. It is ideal for pre-nursing, preveterinary, pre-med, and research focused students.” She said there is a three credit research requirement for this major, “Research can be done through literature, by helping professors write reviews of published research articles; through community outreach programs by introducing neuroscience to children attending lower income schools; and in the lab through collaborations with Oregon Health and Science University and Legacy-Salmon Creek.” This research requirement coincides with some of the benefits listed in Morgan’s proposal. He lists benefits to include “enhanced research reputation at WSU-V” and “increased research funding”. Other benefits consist of increased enrollment at WSU-V, stronger faculty, low cost of degree as only five more courses are needed, and the contribution neuroscience faculty will have to classes for current Biology and Psychology degrees. Despite the obvious advantages to the addition of this degree to WSU-V, it has been a long road to approval. Morgan, Ingram, and Sommer Knight, a senior Psychology/ Public Affairs major and Director of Legislative Affairs for ASWSUV, have been working to secure this issue. Knight is planning to lobby to the Higher Education Board. “I am hoping to help prepare the materials necessary to present this issue to the board, who must approve it,” she said. Knight believes there is still much to be done before this can be settled, and Ingram agrees, “The proposal has been submitted, and the faculty has discussed the issue, but the Higher Education Board has the final say.” Both believe there is something students can do in order to heighten the possibility of approval. “Student interest is a good push,” Ingram said, “Students can write a letter to the Higher Education Board showing their interest in the degree.” While Knight agrees letters are a great idea, she believes students can do something better, “Showing interest in classes already offered, like Neuro 301, is a great way to show need for the degree.”

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Letters to the Editor We encourage letters to the editor. Please include your full name as part of the letter, and a phone number or e-mail address for confirmation follow-up. Letters must be by a student, faculty, or staff member. Guest Columns & Comics The VanCougar accepts guest columns and comics from current students of WSU Vancouver. Interested students should e-mail us at [email protected].

Photo by Kayla Page

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October 20 2008

OPINION

Frightening Finances

Chilling News

This is a scary issue of the VanCougar, for two reasons. One: Halloween. Two: the Presidential elections. One is all fun and games, the other a rather serious matter. It’s one thing to be scared, say, at a haunted house amusement or in watching a horror movie, but quite another to be scared about where this country might be going. So, it’s frightening, yes, but what can we do about it? The answer is: Vote. That’s right, get out and cast your ballot for the right presidential choice. I know, I know, that’s the hard part—making the right choice. I, too, noticed the thrice use of the word “right” in the preceding paragraph. No, it is NOT a subtle endorsement for conservatives. You can be right on the left, left out on the right or somewhere in the middle. All I can say is, I’m glad there’s term limits. And don’t think your vote doesn’t count. I know all about the electoral college and I don’t like it either. BUT! There is no way that the American people could vote 60%+ one way and the college would go the other. Close: Yes, the college decides. Landslide: It would be unwise to see the college buck the voters. It wouldn’t happen a second time if it did.

And speaking of college: Students all over the country have questions and concerns about paying for college in the future. I guess that’s another thing to be scared about. If things don’t change much more for the worse, how will we, or our children, pay for it? How will we get loans and where? Will interest rates skyrocket? How will we even be able to pay off the loans we do have? Good questions which I hope to answer for you in this issue. See my article: “The Fate of Financial Aid: Doomed?” Of course, the answers may not suffice. I spoke with April Brimlow in our Financial Aid office. Her thoughts may encourage.

Daunting Task

There are several cool things about this issue. First you probably noticed the absence of color and the different masthead. It’s not a permanent change; just something for seasonal fun. Color and the usual masthead will be back for the next issue. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy the haunted house story on page 14 and the other creepy features. If you like what you read or see, please let us—or better yet—the Media Board know—often all we hear are the complaints and that can give the wrong impression. We want to please and welcome ideas, critiques and encouragement. A lot of people work many extra hours to bring you a quality product. Consider, too, how many little mistakes you might make if you had to crank out 30,000 words a week. Kudos to the student staff for making a great paper happen week after week! Finally I want to introduce you to a new feature in this issue. You’ll find the new Poetry Place column sponsored by the Salmon Creek Journal in the A.C.E. section. The Journal is the place for you to submit your own work (poetry, prose, photography, drawing, painting, etc.) for publication.

NEED TO EXPRESS YOURSELF? The Salmon Creek Journal is now accepting submissions. Faculty, staff, and students currently enrolled at Washington State University Vancouver are encouraged to submit their poetry, prose (fiction, non-fiction, or essay), and visual art to be considered for publication in the 2009 Salmon Creek Journal.

2009 Salmon Creek Journal

The Literary Journal at Washington State University Vancouver

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS NOVEMBER 15, 2008.

Caffein’d

ran what he would suggest to someone who is new to Middle Eastern When a classmate suggested food, and he asked me what my fathat I write about the coffee at the Je- vorite meat was. After insisting that rusalem Café on Chkalov I was pret- I try lamb since I’d never had it, Farty excited. After all, coffee originated ran ordered me a chicken and lamb in the Middle East, so where else but special. The appetizers were delicious, a Middle Eastern restaurant would have the best coffee? Unfortunately, I and served in such abundance that was shockingly disappointed by the I could have made a meal of them. coffee; but I was even more shock- Pita pockets served hot were accompanied by several different fillings. ingly pleased with the food. I walked into the Jerusalem Café The first one was a pickled cabbage with my notebook and pen, and I im- salad, which sounds less appetizing mediately noticed that I was the only than it actually is. Next, there was Turkish salad, which tasted person there. I loved the music which like a salsa with fruit made the atmosphere of the place and beans. The third seem like it would have filling was cold and been conducive creamy. “It’s just like to conversapotato salad,” said tion had there Farran, “but we put been other in more spices and people presthings.” A little of ent. The décor e f a C m each of these things e l was subtle and a Jeruslov, Everin a pita pocket functional, with Chka , Battle made for a spicy, plants and bricks tangy, and sweet green d e. f painted on the a c n em combination of Grou.thejerusal walls. www flavors that I just Anton Farran, com couldn’t get enough who runs the Chkalov of. location, greeted me The chicken nonchalantly when I sat and lamb special down at the bar. Once he looked like somerealized I was not only new thing I wouldn’t normally eat, to Middle Eastern food and coffee, but writing a review, h e but having tried so many new things became friendly and helpful. When I made me adventurous and I dove in. The chicken and lamb were told him I wanted to try the coffee, he fried in olive oil and lemon along asked “American or Turkish?” I was surprised that, after read- with peppers and onions. The special ing my column, a student would sug- also came with basmati rice, Medigest a place that only has two kinds terranean salad and tabouli. The of coffee. However, what I tried was Mediterranean salad was basically definitely memorable. The American tomato, onion, and cucumber in olive coffee was all right, about the same oil and lemon; not exactly my cup of variety that you would find at a diner. tea. Tabouli is parsley, green onion, The Turkish coffee, though, is a horse tomato and cucumber with bulgar wheat and olive oil and lemon. The of a completely different color. Imagine something about ten flavor was odd to me when it was by times stronger than straight espresso, itself, but when I mixed it in with the with lots of sugar and spices. If you chicken and lamb in a pita pocket it can do that, you’d be close to imag- added a fresh kick. Even if I hadn’t eaten so much ining the taste of Turkish coffee. It is served in a cup about twice the size of the appetizers I don’t know if I of a shot glass, and let me say that it could have finished the main course. There was more food there than I was too large for my taste. I would suggest Turkish coffee could comfortably even make a dent to anyone who feels adventurous and in. For college students who are usuhas money on whether or not they ally hungry and suffering from a lack will finish it, or anyone who likes tur- of cash, the food at Jerusalem Café pentine. It is meant to be sipped, and is worth trying. The only obstacle I don’t know that I could have drunk is your willingness to jump in and it down any faster than the tiniest try something new. Take my advice sips between bites of food, which by though: try the Turkish coffee only if you’re feeling adventurous. the way, was amazing. The Jerusalem Cafe has three I went to the Jerusalem Café fully expecting to despise the food and locations: two in Vancouver and one find a new favorite coffee. I couldn’t in Battle Ground. For more info, visit have been more wrong. I asked Far- www.thejerusalemcafe.com. By Kati Hughes Managing Editor

The views expressed on the editorial and opinion pages are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or biases of the writers, editors, or other staff members of the VanCougar.

CAR + HOME = BIG SAVINGS

Questions? Please contact:

A. K. Huseby Editor-In-Chief 2009 Salmon Creek Journal [email protected]

071808R2933076

Visit our website for printable submission guidelines & the submission form: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/scj/scj/scjhome.htm

3

Kati’s curiously captivating coffee-addled commentary

HARRY HOFFMAN, Agent

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1307 B NE 78th St., Ste 1 Vancouver, WA 98665 www.harryhoffman.net

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The VanCougar

4

n VOTE from p.1 The 360 degrees the country has traveled in these past eight years brings us to the same essential talking points we’ve heard in past elections: a choice between “traditional values” and “change.” Does your vote really make an impact on a national level? Not terribly, considering that the majority of Washington’s voters have chosen the Democratic nominee in each statewide general election since 1988. Does your vote make an impact on a local level? Yes, according to the oft-repeated tally of a mere 129 votes separating Christine Gregoire from Dino Rossi in 2004’s marathon gubernatorial election. Ignore the mudslinging, the rhetoric, the YouTube videos, and the sentiments of those you know. Explore the issues and vote your conscience and you can make it count. The chart at the right may be of some help, but should be only the beginning of your research.

See you on November 4th.

My Own Story

NEWS

A Look at the Issues: A Presidential Platform Comparison Chart Iraq War

McCain: Supported surge and supports maintaining troop levels. Obama: Opposed war prior to start, in favor of phased withdrawal.

Gay Marriage

McCain: Supports civil unions, believes states should decide marriage issue. Obama: Supports civil unions, believes states should decide marriage issue.

Capital Punishment

McCain: Supports use for federal crimes. Obama: Supports, but believes reform is needed.

Gun Control

McCain: Opposes assault weapon ban, supports prohibition of lawsuits against gun manufacturers. Obama: Supports assault weapon ban, opposes prohibition of lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

Stem Cell Research

McCain: Supports research on existing embryonic stem cell lines, but not new ones. Obama: Supports embryonic stem cell research.

Health Care

McCain: Opposes universal healthcare system, supports offering of tax credits. Obama: Supports universal system covering children and vulnerable, affordable plan for all citizens.

Medical Marijuana

McCain: Opposes legalization, opposes use of medical marijuana. Obama: Believes use of medical marijuana is acceptable.

Social Security

McCain: Supports allowance of workers to invest part of their taxes into private accounts. Obama: Opposes privatization, believes system can be fixed.

Immigration

McCain: Supports reform, believes security comes first. Obama: Supports reform, advocates security and fairness to legal aliens.

Taxes

We want to hear from YOU! We’ll write it for you! To tell your own story, contact Bola Majekobaje at majekoba@ vancouver.wsu.edu, or the VanCougar’s managing editor, Kati Hughes at [email protected].

McCain: Supports making Bush tax cuts permanent with additional cuts, supports reform. Obama: Opposes renewal of Bush tax cuts for higher earners, supports tax breaks for low and middle-income citizens.

Abortion

McCain: Opposes Roe v. Wade; vows to take measures that will overturn the decision. Obama: Supports a woman’s right to choose.

Education

McCain: Supports a voucher system and parents’ right to choose homeschooling. Obama: Supports use of tax credits to pay for the first $4,000 of college education, FAFSA simplification.

Sustainable Fisheries topic of Chancellor’s Seminar Series By Kayla Page & Gregory E. Zschomler

Photo by Kayla Page

The VanCougar

The second lecture in this fall’s three-part Chancellor’s Seminar Series, “Building Sustainable Fisheries: How Can We Manage Resources for Future Generations?” was presented by Dr. Brian Tissot whose study focus is zoology. Tissot’s lecture centered on the fact that fisheries are in a worldwide decline and there is still much learning required for understanding what does and does not work. “Fishery management is really about people, and sustainability is a maze, an adaptive process, not just a destination,” said Tissot, an associate professor at WSU-V for the school of Earth and Environmental Science. Tissot said that “Marine resources are an important part of the Pacific Northwest.” He said that PNW marine fisheries are a $520 million per year industry. He believes that there is an abundance of conflict with the issues surrounding sustaining fisheries, and much of this conflict is impeding progress. The keys to sustainability, Tissot pointed out, include a well coordinated government, diverse social networking, co-management, and well educated community by way of schools and local zoos and parks. However, he said he feels people are not listening to one another. He has come to realize that fishery management is about people. “Its really managing people…as a scientist that’s like, ‘Wow, I’m dealing with people.” There was quite a turn out to hear about this major issue concerning much of the Oregon coastline. Among the 86 audience members

WSU-v’s Dr. Brian Tissot speaks before a sold out crowd at the second lecture in the Chancellor’s Seminar Series.

there were representatives from the Vancouver Business Journal, JD White division of Bergen/ Abam which is an environmental consulting company, Legacy Hospital, the City of Washougal, WSU-V administration, faculty, and 15 undergraduate and graduate students. Students could attend the $30 a seat/plate lunch lecture for free. In closing Tissot said that, “We don’t know how to get to sustainability…we just need to go.” “I thought [the seminar] was great! It was very informative, and I am very interested in

fisheries. It was nice because Brian didn’t talk just about science,” said Joanne Breckenridge, a graduate student at WSU-V studying zoology. Breckenridge works with Dr. Steven Bollens in his aquatic ecology laboratory. The next lecture in the series, “Smart Environments: Artificial Intelligence at Home and Beyond,” will be given by Dr. Diane Cook (WSU Pullman), Friday, November 14. WSU-V Chancellor Dr. Harold A. Dengerink said, “The purpose of this series [is] to open up issues that many are dealing with to members of the local and university community.”

OPINION

October 20, 2008

5

Metonymy and other constructs Why the Obama-Ayers with the ability and the desire to distinguish and repeat sounds. Connection is Relevant They begin “babbling” at an early

Why do you ask? By Louise Wynn A woman walks into Hollywood Video and says, “I’m looking for ‘Dial M for Murder.’” “You’ll find Hitchcock at the back of the store,” the clerk tells her. Now we all know that she won’t really find Alfred Hitchcock at the back of the store. For one thing, he died almost 30 years ago. For another, even in his lifetime she wouldn’t have found him in a video store in Vancouver. Besides, she didn’t ask for the man; she asked for a movie DVD. (Also, she’s probably not going to find a video in Hollywood Video.) She goes to the back of the store anyway, where she finds DVDs of several Alfred Hitchcock movies. She finds the one she’s looking for without giving a thought to the fact that the clerk has used, and she has understood, a metonymy. In this figure of speech, a person uses one word to refer to another. The speaker finds an association between the words or concepts (Hitchcock, his movies, videotapes or DVDs of his movies, and the section in a video store where those movies can be found). It’s not the same as a metaphor, in which we extend some similarity from one word to another; it’s more like synecdoche, in which a part of something refers to the whole. (Here’s Wikipedia’s page on metonymy: http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Metonymy.) These figures of speech indicate one way in which human language differs from animal communication. Even the most expressive ape or parrot tends not to speak metaphorically. And, while these intelligent animals can be taught to discriminate between speech sounds and even to say or sign words to communicate with humans, they do this only through an intensive process of training, or operant conditioning. Human children, on the other hand, accomplish this feat on their own: they appear to be born

age, practicing sounds and the associated emphasis and pauses that will turn their babbling into words and sentences. Also, they assume that the adults around them are speaking in a mutually understandable code they can break. Children know that words are not just names for things. They assume that if one adult talks about a “mep,” for instance, when another adult talks about a “jop,” that’s a different thing. And, if an adult says a fact about the mep, the children don’t assume that fact also applies to the jop. So they distinguish between words and facts. How did these linguistic skills happen in humans, but not in apes or birds or dolphins? All the evidence isn’t in yet, but it appears that “vocal production has been adapted for speech in humans,” writes Steven Pinker. Besides our vocal apparatus, which monkeys and apes don’t have, we have places in the brain specialized for speech. Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area are two of these. When Broca’s area is damaged, a person can understand most sentences but can’t create a complex sentence. When Wernicke’s area is damaged, a person can’t understand other people but says a lot, even though it comes out sounding like “word salad” or fluent but meaningless jargon. (See Wikipedia’s entry on aphasia [http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Aphasia] for background on language loss in humans, including references to more thorough treatments of the subject.) While these areas are present in other animals, they’re used for non-speech functions. They seem to have evolved in humans to their larger size and more specialized use for speech. Next time: More evidence on how human language evolved, including how our language comprehension might be related to chewing and swallowing. Also, I’m still wondering about emotion, and if language really makes humans “special.” Meanwhile, for your Halloween consideration, this quote from Hitchcock: “In reference to the murder scene in ‘Dial M for Murder’: As you have seen on the screen; the best way to do it is with a scissor.” (Yes, he said “a scissor.” More about that coming up, too.)

The Risk of A Student Loan With the recent financial crisis, some at WSU-V may be worried how this will affect their student loans. To state it quite frankly, there is reason to be scared. However, this news is not so bad for everybody. These are hard times for many students financially. I mean, we’re students, not super humans. How is an independent student supposed to survive their education without starving or stiffing people on bills? Most of the time the answer to this question is to fill out a FASFA form, and see what kind of financial aid you qualify for. Some people get Need Grants, some get Pell Grants, and usually a small or large sum of money in the form of a Federal Stafford Loan is made available. This is a great thing about America. However, we do have to critically question the financial aid system as it is part of the Federal government’s finances; which recently has fallen into a crisis. We all have read about the crisis, but have not felt the effects of it. Sure, we all pay a little more for everything because of gas prices, but this financial crisis is worse. We’re talking about the value of our dollar going down because all the government ever does is print more money. On top of that, the money printed has interest on the dollar which equals more debt. So, how does this affect students?

The Sluice Box By Matt Hunter The Obama-Ayers controversy has been humming quietly in the back of newsrooms for nearly six months now. On the one hand, Republicans are accusing Obama of hobnobbing with a former terrorist. On the other, Democrats remind the world that Obama was a child when William Ayers was committing his acts of violence, and that the former terrorist is a peaceful, respected professor at the University of Illinois. The common opinion in the media is that the Ayers controversy is old news being kept alive by McCain supporters. But who is this Ayers fellow anyway? William Ayers was an active member of the radical Weather Underground Organization, also known as Weatherman. Weatherman grew out of the socialist organization ironically called Students for a Democratic Society. Throughout the sixties and seventies, Weatherman was behind various bombings and riots throughout the United States, including the famous bombing of the Pentagon in 1972. The organization is popularly known for demonstrating through these violent acts its opposition of the Vietnam War. However, Weatherman never hid its Marxist agenda- a classless society- and demonstrated effectively the methods by which it would achieve this utopia. “But this is old news,” you say. “Bill Ayers is now a respectable professor.” Repectable, yes. Harmless, no. Unrepentant about his bloody deeds, Ayers has essentially moved on to higher and better things: the indoctrination of children. He has written curriculum for K-12 education promoting the

study of class struggles while demonizing capitalism. This should be no surprise given that he admitted to being a “small ‘c’ communist.” So why should this be a concern when considering Obama? Obama was the chairman of the education reform committee, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge: a committee of which Ayers was also a part. The committee was split into two parts, of which Ayers was head of one and Obama the other. Needless to say, Ayers and Obama could have been together quite often as the heads of their branches during these years. Ayers allegedly hosted the kickoff of Obama’s first campaign, which would be rather strange if Ayers was merely an acquaintance as Obama has portrayed him. Now, does this reflect poorly on Obama? By itself, no. Certainly, one might say Obama was unwise to associate with such a man, but by itself the Obama-Ayers connection has little relevance. What is relevant is the big picture. Obama was deeply involved in with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), which is a thinly veiled socialist organization. And as Stanley Kurtz of the National Review has revealed, ACORN employs intimidation as one of its favorite weapons. No matter how much he may distance himself from his former pastor Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s decision to stay at that church for as long as he did shows that the radical ideas being presented from the pulpit were not immediately repugnant to him. These, and a lengthy list of other associations that cannot be discussed in this brief article, suggest a disturbing pattern. It is said that you can tell a person by the crowd they hang out with. In Obama’s case, he seems to have a taste for Marxist radicals. Such an appetite should worry voters because Marxism and democracy are incompatible.

The views expressed on the opinion pages are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or biases of the writers, editors, or other staff members of the VanCougar.

Let’s go back in time to 2006. At this time, a plan to cut 12.7 billion dollars over five years for student loan programs was put in motion (Wall Street Journal). Congress raised the interest rate on Stafford Loans to a fixed 6.8%. This is bad because it’s a raise and money is now less available. The good news is it’s a fixed rate, which means that it will not get any higher. This becomes seemingly important to all students right now. The sad part of this complicated issue is tuition inflation. Tuition has seemed to inflate with the cost of everything else in this country, yet there hasn’t been an increase in Grants or Stafford Loans. This has to mean trouble and tougher times for us students. The longer you wait to pay off your student loan, the greater price you pay for this education. Be careful on how much money you accept via a student loan, and be sure to read the fine print. If the government bails out corporations, what do we have? More rich corporations with the chance to succeed. If the government were to hypothetically bail out students, what would we have? More Dr.’s, Lawyers, and engineers for our future.

By: Kyle M. Ralston

The VanCougar

6

ASWSUV

From the President:







No Submission Provided this Issue





























~Peter Sterr, ASWSUV President

PUBLIC NOTICE Hearing on Proposed Amendment to the Washington Administrative Code--WSU Course Materials Washington State University will conduct a public hearing on new chapter WAC 504-43 – Course Materials on November 5, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. in Lighty Student Services Building, Room 405, Pullman, WA 99164. Notice of this public hearing is hereby given in accordance with provisions of RCW 34.05.320(4). The University proposes to adopt WAC rules that encourage cost savings for student course materials. The University intends to adopt the rule based on the statutory authority found in RCW 28B.30.150. You may review the proposed rule in the Office of Procedures, Records, and Forms, Information Technology Building, Room 3089, or by going to the website at http://www.wsu.edu/~forms/ProposedWAC.html. You may testify at this meeting. You may also direct written comments to Ralph Jenks, Director of Procedures, Records, and Forms, Rules Coordinator, mail code 1225, Pullman, WA 99164; e-mail [email protected]; fax 335-3969. Submit all written comments by 5:00 p.m., November 5, 2008.

PUBLIC NOTICE Ä

Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Washington Administrative Code--WSU Facilities Use Rules

We’ll Even Pick out the Lint!

Washington State University will conduct a public hearing on the revision of the University’s facilities use WAC rules on October 30, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. in Lighty Student Services Building, Room 405, Pullman, WA 99164. Members of the public may also attend the hearing by videoconference at the WSU Spokane campus in Room SAC-147, at the WSU Tri-Cities campus in Room East 228, and at the WSU Vancouver campus in VADM 301 Tower Room. The University intends to amend WAC 504-28-030; repeal chapter 504-32 WAC, create new chapter 504-33 WAC; repeal all sections of chapter 50434 WAC except WAC 504-34-140; rename chapter 504-34 WAC; rename and amend WAC 504-34-140; create new chapter 504-35 WAC; and amend WAC 504-36-020. Notice of this public hearing is hereby given in accordance with provisions of RCW 34.05.320(4). The University’s facilities use rules are being updated to accommodate the multicampus system, changes in laws, and changes in the university’s administrative structure. The University will adopt the amendments based on the statutory authority found in RCW 28B.30.150. You may review the proposed amendments in the Office of Procedures, Records, and Forms, Information Technology Building, Room 3089 or by going to the website at http://www.wsu.edu/~forms/ProposedWAC.html . You may testify at this meeting. You may also direct written comments to Ralph Jenks, Director of Procedures, Records, and Forms, Rules Coordinator, mail code 1225, Pullman, WA 99164; e-mail [email protected]; fax 335-3969. Submit all written comments by 5:00 p.m., October 30, 2008.

Spare Change for Change Ä

In honor of October being National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Human Development Club is hosting a spare change drive to benefit the YWCA of Clark County’s SafeChoice program.

SafeChoice offers services such as temporary housing, food, toiletries, legal advocates and weekly support groups to women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. Ä Spare Change for Change Ä We’ll Even Pick out the Lint!

How: - Come donate your spare change on behalf of the Registered Student In honor of October being National Domestic Violence Awareness the Human Development Club is hosting a spare change Organization of your choice. Participating clubs include theMonth, Human drive to benefit the YWCA of Clark County’s SafeChoice program. Development Club, Queer Cougars & Allies, the Student Business SafeChoice offers services such as temporary housing, food, legal advocates Organization, the Spanish Club, P.A.W. (Promoting Animaltoiletries, Welfare), & and weekly support groups to women and children who are survivors of domestic violence. others… How: - Come donate your spare change on behalf of the Registered Student Organization of your choice. Participating clubs include the Human Development Club, Queer Cougars & Allies, the Student Business

Organization, the Spanish Club,a P.A.W. (Promoting Animal Welfare), & - The Club to have the MOST change donated on their behalf will win prize! others…

When:

- The Club to have the MOST change donated on their behalf will win a prize! When:

- October 20th to October 23rd (Mon. – Th.) from 11:00am to 1:00pm

- October 20th to October 23rd (Mon. – Th.) from 11:00am to 1:00pm Where:

The Alcove next to the Cafeteria

Where:

The Alcove next to the Cafeteria





October 20, 2008

FEATURES

7

Nathan Murphy: Chillin’ like a villain Photos courtesy of Nathan Murphy

By Kevin Raymond The VanCougar

How many people do you know whohave traveled extensively? Got a number in your mind? I am sure you know a few. How many people do you know that have lived and worked in Antarctica? I am sure most of you don’t need to count that one up. WSU-V, though, has at least one student who’s spent a year and a half working on that southern-most continent. Nathan Murphy is that student. He arrived in McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in October 2005. “I came in on a clear day and I was struck by the mountains there. From the base I could see Mount Erebus, a volcano much like a mountain in the cascades, framed by the Transantarctic Mountains, which look more like the Rockies,” Murphy said. “I was hit by a wave of cold when I got off the plane, and it was a nice day.” He mentioned the feeling of all the mucus in his nose freezing in the Antarctic cold. “McMurdo Station has everything a small city has,” said Murphy of his new home, “There are cooks, garbage collectors, dishwashers, as well as engineers and scientists.” Murphy was hired to work in Antarctica as a logistics contractor through Raytheon, under contract by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to function in Antarctica as support for its operations. Murphy’s job with Raytheon involved staging equipment for the ‘grantees.’ Grantees are those who Above: WSU-V student Nathan Murphy stands looking at Erebus on the continent of Antarctica. Right: Murphy have grants through the National Science Mt. posses near an ice uplift. Foundation to do research in Antarctica. All the equipment for the coming gram and began his studies. After a year year is delivered by a cargo vessel carrying in that program, he realized it wasn’t hundreds of containers which are offloaded what he was looking for. Leaving the onto the ice. The logistics team sorts, collects program was something that he couldn’t and stages the equipment and, according to take lightly, so he opted for a major life Murphy, “It is a mess.” change. “When the grantees came in, they Murphy left Vancouver for Telonly had a few weeks to do their research. luride, Colo., where he became, in his They had to hit the ground running. That own words, “a ski bum.” He spent a was why we were there for the whole sea- year waiting tables, playing in bar bands son. We had to make sure everything was in and skiing every chance he got. His one place for the research teams to be success- word description of Telluride was, “Opful.” ulence.” It is home to the ultra rich. As Murphy was asked to stay on for a waiter he served such notables like the winter when the base population drops Norman Schwarzkopf and Steve Miller. from over a thousand people to about 100. It was in Telluride that he heard more At some point during that winter the sun set about Antarctica and pursued the position and didn’t come up for several months. He with Raytheon. likened this time to being on a space station. After the year in Antarctica, Murphy It was dark all the time and you were iso- traveled to New Zealand’s Queenstown lated from the world. Nobody was coming which is known as the “adrenaline capitol of or going for several months. the world.” He worked as a river raft guide Murphy not only spent significant time in Antarctica, he has also traveled Crater Hill view of McMurdo Base at night. around the globe a bit. Inset: The same base from the air. The journey, though, started right here in Clark County, just a few miles from this campus. In fact, he remembers when WSU-Vancouver was just fields and forests. He graduated from Columbia River High School in 1994 and enrolled in Clark College like so many other locals. He was a little sick of school and didn’t pursue his Associates Degree with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. On the other hand, he took advantage of the career center at Clark College and got involved in working with the developmentally disabled for a company called Aacres Allvest. He for four months. worked for them seven years and became a He also made it up to Southeast Asia supervisor. for five weeks and traveled around ThaiDuring that time, he finished his As- land and Laos before returning to New Zeasociates Degree and became interested in land and then back to McMurdo Station for working within the deaf community as an another winter season of work. Saving a lot interpreter. He enrolled in a two-year pro- of money that summer he decided to go to

Grenoble, France for language school and skiing in the Alps. He spent 8 months there. After seeing his weak U.S. dollars evaporate against the stronger European economy he knew he needed yet another change. Through his travels, Murphy realized that an education and versatile job skills would serve him well. He could continue his travels, but with more autonomy. That is how WSU-V came into the picture. He returned home this last summer and enrolled in classes. Murphy is pursuing a B.S. in biology so that he can go into the medical field, leaning toward becoming a Physician’s Assistant or a nurse. Murphy said that being back in school “is a different life for me now and it is hard to adjust,” but, “I am determined to do what I need to do. It is worth the sacrifice.” Concerning ‘life wisdom’ Murphy picked up in his travels: “I guess my message would be to be patient with yourself and know that everybody is on their own schedule, not on some pre-determined track. Get to know yourself well and you will be more likely to find what it is that makes you motivated and fills you with a sense of satisfaction.”

The VanCougar

8

NEWS & FEATURES

Marching to Bulgaria, Hurrah! By Jason

Garcia

ACE Editor

Experiencing a European Vacation If I were to take an extremely warm, sandy beach in Hawaii, a few desolate mountains from the Cascades topped with relic monasteries, the vigorous night life of the Las Vegas strip, a couple lively open air markets in Mexico City, a few barrios from old town Placentia in southern California, and intermix them with rum and a pirate ship known as Captain Jacks, I would end up with a vacation in Bulgaria. For the past two summers I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to Europe, and with these adventures came, what MasterCard would call, “priceless” experiences. I often hear the older generations of my family say that I should travel while I’m young, so I thought, why argue? With a girlfriend who is native to Bulgaria, and her family to visit there, we found the opportunities too tempting to pass up. After saving money for about six months we purchased our tickets and were on our way. The flight out of Portland to Sofia, Bulgaria was about 12 hours, with a short layover in Germany. Most of her family were there to meet us at the gate and drive us to their home in the adjacent city of Pernik, about 20 miles southeast. As we drove through and between the cities I noticed how the scenery reminded me of my home town of Placentia, California. It was the clay colored ground dispersed with the occasional dark green vegetation that brought my thoughts back to my childhood. Even many of the buildings seemed familiar, as if from the late 80’s, just begging to be refurbished after standing for decades – certainly a

sign of their history – as a reminder that the communist period wasn’t so long ago. A few copper colored statues still stand, almost bringing their leaders of old back to life with their Marxist intent, but with the construction of modern, blue glass malls filled with stores from Adidas to McDonalds, it is easy to lose sight of them. And as we traveled down a few cobblestone streets, I was very excited to experience the culture for another summer. One of the first things we did when we arrived in my girlfriend’s home city was call up her friends and go out to get coffee which, comically enough, didn’t include coffee. For Bulgarians going to coffee is just where the destination is, because the drink variety is more like a restaurant than it is like Starbucks, with beers, wines, sodas, juices, and of course, coffee. It depends on the time, but if it’s in the early afternoon most men will order a beer, while most women will wait until later in the evening before drinking alcohol. With these kinds of drink shops in abundance on every street, choosing where to sit can sometimes take a while. Popularity among the coffee shops is important. A place that may have been popular one summer might not have much business the next. Some individuals won’t even consider going to a particular place because it has lost appeal to the populace, even if their friends are already there. That happened with one of our friends, in which he told us to call him when we left to go to another place. Many evenings during the work week are spent walking from coffee shop to coffee shop drinking wine, liquor and beer. Thankfully the consumption is very moderate. So after a few days in Pernik with her friends and family we were off with the rest of the tourists to the Black Sea. For Bulgaria, the summertime is a great opportunity to set up a shop and make money on the coast. Tourists from all over the world – to include a group of Australians we met – will spend days and weeks on end at the Black Sea. To say the least, anybody and everybody is at the beach to catch the sights and sounds of the lively, carnival-like summer. The night life in particular is extremely vigorous, somewhat similar to Las Vegas in that dance clubs, bars, and entertainment never stop. The variety and creativity of the dance clubs are very unique. There is a club built into an alcove along the beach, where people are dancing on the sand and in the water, with floating, anchored tables to

hold your drinks, and with waterfalls all around that make the lights dance and music that’s much more amazing. There’s an outdoor, beachside bar about thirty feet from the water built on a white deck that has a swimming pool at its center, illuminated with a blue light, on the left are white lounging beds with white see-through curtains and buckets for champagne bottles – quite romantic – and, to the right there are light colored tables and lounge chairs for groups. However, my favorite place has to be Captain Jacks; a colonial style pirate ship that was built on a small peninsula out in the water, giving the appearance that it was docked for the evening. The ship had two levels; one up the stairs to the main deck, where the entire scene appeared to be right out of the film Pirates of the Caribbean, with giant keg barrels turned up to stand as tables, sails and rigging rope directly above, the captain’s quarters served as the VIP section. The DJ was up by the wheel directing the ship, and there are four different bars to provide ale for all. The lower deck, or the hull of the ship, was less about scenery and more about dancing and drinking. A second DJ was guiding this group as well and there was one large bar in the center that was equivalent to the three upstairs. It was definitely a “site to sea,” almost. Another great part of the Bulgarian culture is the food. At the beach we had an abundance of seafood and other restaurants to choose from, as well as the cultural fast foods that are supplied for the quick moving tourists. Instead of McDonalds or Taco Bell, there is Bulgarian-style pizza: which has no tomato sauce but allows you to add a ketchup-type hot sauce or mayonnaise. There is a gyro kind of burrito: which has pork, french-fries, cabbage, and a ranch-style sauce all rolled in a slice of pita bread. Both of these are very tasty. I’ve often described their restaurant, or home-cooked food, as a mix between Spanish and Middle Eastern. The open-air markets are the primary supply for every-day foods which include a lot of vegetables. They bake their meats more than fry them, and use unique flavoring and spice; onions, garlic, and oils being a big part of it. After we left the Black Sea we were able to stop by a couple of their world renowned monasteries, one dating back over 1200 years, with its restoration continuously underway. The solitude and spirituality of the sapce that once held 1500 monks within its walls can still be felt today, and the artwork is absolutely hypnotic. Depictions from Bible stories could hold an historians attention for years.



Continued next page.

October 20, 2008

NEWS & FEATURES

Without a doubt experiencing a different ““ culture’s life and history is a great gift. Many

9

Photos Courtesy of Jason Garcia

only read about it, while others see it on television, but to go and live in it is truly uplifting to the soul and opening to the eyes.

If there was one piece of advice I would pass on it’s to bring a translator because looking at a culture from the outside and interacting within it are entirely different, the latter being much more enjoyable.

Tell Me About It:

””

After recently publishing an article regarding the new full-time counselor on WSU-V’s campus, The VanCougar sits down again with Dr. Meek, in an effort to get to know him and better understand his role on campus. By Danielle Mosier tHE VANCoUGAr

Dr. Meek has been hired as a full-time counselor at WSU-V, a first for our campus. He says he is excited to have the “chance to create what that would look like on a college campus,” calling it a “very unique opportunity.” In addition to being excited about being a part of what will, hopefully, prove to be a positive change on WSU-V’s campus, Dr. Meek says, “I also really enjoyed my visit to campus, the people I would be working with, and the region.” A stronger need for a full-time counselor was cited by Meeks as a reason for his presence on campus. “There is a greater need for a counselor than the past few years for a variety of reasons. “First, we simply have more students and are a quickly growing school, thus more people will be in need. “Second, the hesitation many people have about counseling is quickly and dramatically changing throughout the country, so more people than ever are going to talk with a professional about their lives. “Additionally, having someone here full time that can be involved in campus emergencies is also an increasing need,” says Meeks. Dr. Meek is involved in campus outreach programs and serves on campus diversity and safety committees. He looks forward to creating “an even warmer and more engaging campus culture,” through some of the programs he is developing, including “a ‘University Happiness Initiative’, which will try to use the current research on happiness,” in its

Photo provided by Dr. Meek

Getting to Know Dr. Meek

development in order to achieve a more positive campus culture. In addition to helping students live with more happiness, Dr. Meek is a proponent of living consciously. Meek says, “Living consciously means searching ourselves for personal awareness and insight, and using it to make thoughtful life decisions. “I find that many times in our lives we work on ‘auto-pilot,’ feel and do things without ever really understanding why, or operate out of our history and defenses without realizing it. I believe that part of my work with most clients is to help them live with more awareness, which hopefully allows them to make better choices and have more satisfying lives.” In short, Dr. Meek is here as a service to WSU-V students and to improve campus life. He offers free short-term counseling for current WSU-V students. He can be reached in the Student Services Center, room 111, at (360)546-9238, or at www.vancouver.wsu.edu/counseling. Dr. Meek is a generalist and can see students for a variety of reasons. He can do couples counseling, but only if both parties are students at WSU-V. In regards to group therapy, Meek says he has “some ideas for groups,” and thinks “group therapy can be one of the most fun and lifechanging experiences a person can have, but unfortunately a lot of people are shy about joining.”

 DOOMED? from p.1 “And three, with an impending election and uncertainty about what our upcoming budgets will look like at both the state and federal level it adds to the angst about finding and accessing resources to pay for college expenses.” So, maybe there is room for some anxiety. Those with current loans do not face a rise in their interest rates, those are fixed. Future loans, however, will likely come at a higher price and lenders may be less inclined to lend to those who are greater risks. That is especially true of private loans. Also, less money may be available as lending institutions tighten the belt and their policies. “It is important to recognize that two things could happen in the upcoming year or two. One, we have less to award based upon programmatic budget cuts or endowment funds not performing as well as in prior years. Two, more students may be applying for aid either at current or decreased funding levels,” said Galloway. “According to a recent Seattle Times article, more than 2/3rds of college students borrow money to get through school. That’s up from less than half just a decade ago,” writes Strom. “As unemployment figures go up, student loan borrowers will likely increase as well — since parental contributions may be drying up. As college enrollment continues to rise, there will be much greater competition for a much smaller amount of money. Even federally backed loans won’t necessarily be safe,” writes Max Dahlquist in The Shield, the University of Southern Indiana student newspaper. “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest of the loan providers that recently fell apart, are government institutions. Along with the loans,

government grants to students will probably undergo a sharp decline.” Another thing to consider is that, as good paying jobs become harder to come by and prices of food and goods go up, family budgets will be stretched all the more. That means money once saved for college funds will be used to keep the family afloat. More and more students need more financial assistance than ever and it is not going to be easy this time around. Galloway says, “The [different] worlds of private educational loans and [those] loans offered through submitting the FAFSA are often lumped together which creates more angst about loans in general. For the most part, the loans that we see not becoming available or harder to access, and with more cost associated with them, are from the private educational loan market. “Often students find that for one reason or another they must seek student loans outside of what is offered to them by submitting a FAFSA. It is in that industry primarily that we have seen a lack of availability, tightening of credit standards, and increases in costs associated with obtaining and utilizing them.” The best advise: File your FAFSA early. Speak with to a financial aid representative about options. Seek out alternative funding (i.e., grants and scholarships) that you don’t have to pay back. And, should the job market be somewhat unkind while you endeavor to pay off your loans, ask for a deferment—ACS or your lending will usually work with you. No one wants you to defalt on your loan—that’s not a good thing— but no one will bail you out either. Be careful how much you borrow, but borrow what you need. A quality education is worth some risk. WSU-V Financial Aid Office: 546-9559 or email: fi[email protected]

The VanCougar

10

RECREATION & SPORTS

WSU-V Students Bike for the Cure rEC & SPortS Editor

The American Diabetes Association hosts multiple ‘Tour de Cure’ bicycle races each year. On July 26th, Northwestern participants rode their bikes from Mt. Hood to Hood River in order to raise money for Diabetes research. WSU-V formed a team with Brock Sipe as captain and raised $3,210.66 in two months through online donations. The WSU-V team consisted of current students Brock Sipe and James Thompson, alumni Alan Rathburn and Tam Tran, and WSU affliates Jude Rathburn and Jacob Harrington. Each of these riders came close to meeting their donation goal, if not exceeding it by hundreds of dollars. Overall, they raised enough money to earn the 10th place spot for the most money collected for Diabetes research. There were various levels of the trail that you could ride equaling distances between 10 and 100 miles. Alan, Tam, and Brock all rode the entire 100 miles which took them around eight hours to complete. James Thompson finished 50 miles in four hours while Jacob and Jude rode 40 miles. Even though they were technically a team, the six racers trained individually before the actual ‘Tour de Cure.’ They ride for fun, but without proper training, it would be almost impossible to finish the tiring

race. Brock, Tam, and Alan were all part of the ASME Human Powered Vehicle competition last year, so the majority of their training was for that event. All of these riders plan to race again next year with more members on their team. Their donation goal will also be raised as they are expecting many more contributors. The ‘Tour de Cure’ race locations for next year have not yet been decided, but the American Diabetes Association will have that information up on their website as soon as its decided.

Photos provided by Brock Sipe

Story By Katie Wells

These rides have been going on since 1991 and have raised over $13 million dollars in order to cure and prevent diabetes. The American Diabetes Association also uses the money raised to improve the lives of the 23 million Americans with diabetes. Always needing more volunteers, contributors, or participants, the ADA keeps a website up to date with ‘Tour’ information. For more information on the ‘Tour de Cure’: http://tour.diabetes.org

WSU Football Scoreboard

Four Frisbee™ fanatics

Date

8/30 9/06 9/12 9/20 9/27 10/4 10/11 10/18 11/1 11/8 11/15 11/22 11/29

Opponent OKLAHOMA STATE CALIFORNIA STATE BAYLOR PORTLAND STATE OREGON UCLA OREGON STATE USC STANFORD ARIZONA ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON HAWAI’I Score 13-39 L 3-66 L 17-45 L 48-9 W 14-63 L 3-28 L 13-66 L Standings 0-1 0-2 0-3 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6

Stemkoski, the first place finisher, beat his opponents with The Oct. 16 Frisbee-golf tour- the low score of 25. His practiced nament may not have drawn a form, involving a couple gallops large crowd, but for the four com- toward the basket, helped him petitors, it was definitely worth win a WSU jacket. According to Hildebrant, he it. Earning a prize knew Stemat the end of this koski was the competition was winner after a simple task for only half of Dan Stemkoski, the course Kevin Beavers, was complete. Niel Hayes, and HildebRob Hildebrant, rant, although who took first p a r t nered through fourth rewith Stemspectively. koski, wasn’t The goal of able to attain Frisbee-golf is as great of a straighforward— score as Stemthrow your Friskoski. bee into the Disc “I made a Pole Holes in as gallant effort few shots as you c o m p e ting can. The rules are against the This fi nal shot secured Niel Hayes’ second simple; don’t step place finish in the frisbee-golf tournament. world’s best past the point your disc-golfer,” last disc landed said Hildebrant. Fourth place golfwhen “putting.” And Frisbee or er, or self-proclaimed “second rundisc-golf scoring is calculated exner-up to third”, Hildebrant, put actly like real golf: the lower the up a good fi ght in the tie-breaker score, the better. Story & Photos By Katie Wells rEC & SPortS Editor

match against Niel Hayes. After the final hole, both competitors were in third place. In order to determine the true winner of the third place prize, Hildebrant and Hayes went head to head in a “last chance” contest. After multiple failed attempts at making a shot, Niel finally landed his disc in the basket, sealing his third place rank and dropping Rob into “second runner up.” Kevin Beavers took second in the tournament without needing to defend his placement. These golfers will be back again next tournament, competing against hopefully more challengers. With the cool Coug gear prizes that were earned this time, there’s no reason why there won’t be higher turnout. Watch The VanCougar for the date of next Frisbee-golf tournamentand make plans to join in on the fun.

RECREATION & SPORTS

October 20, 2008

11

B-ball’s over-inflated

rEC & SPortS Editor

In the single-court gym at Chinook Elementary, WSU-V students and alumni play basketball at open gym every Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. When open gym first started, only around ten people turned out for it. It has slowly picked up and the open gym craze has become contagious. Last week’s open gym was proof that Chinook Elementary just simply isn’t big enough for the basketball players at WSU-V. Basketball is played with a maximum of ten players on the court at a time. When over 40 students show up to play, it really limits each player’s amount of time on the court. Last week, at any given time, there were 30 patient players sitting on the

erous of Chinook Elementary to donate their gym for WSU-V’s recreational use, and the players aren’t trying to take it for granted, they are asking for a bigger court. They aren’t asking for what they want; they are asking for what they need. According to Sueann McWatters, she also needed to keep score. “Can I keep score? I like to so I don’t get too bored,” she said to Raymond. Many players were so bored at open gym that they played one short game and then left. “We need two courts at least. Kingsway Middle School

and Pleasant Valley Middle School are being checked out. I know those two would work for sure. We just keep getting a butt load of people and there’s not enough room, “ McWatters said. WSU-V has recognized the problem and is working to fix it by getting in touch with other schools that have more room. For those who’d like to participate in open gym, keep in touch with students already involved in order to hear about the possible new location of open gym. Until then, Chinook Elementary will remain overcrowded on Wednesdays and filled with players waiting patiently for a chance to get out on the court.

Photos by Katie Wells

Story & Photos By Katie Wells

sidelines watching the others play. For that reason, teams are only allowed to score 9 baskets before the court is cleared and new teams get a chance to play. Rather than playing twenty or thirty minute games, open gym attendees are playing ten minute games and sitting against the wall for twenty. Kevin Raymond, a student at WSUV, is somewhat of an advisor for open gym. “That is a lot for one small elementary school gym,” said Raymond of the 40 attendees last Wednesday. Since the gym is becoming so packed and play time is limited to 9 baskets, new conditions are being applied to open gym. From now on, you must bring a WSU Student ID card if you plan on playing. That means that the alumni who are no longer attending the school, but spend every Wednesday at open gym, will need to find another activity to keep them in shape. There just isn’t enough room to house as many players as are turning out. “We need a bigger gym. There are too many people,“ said Yung Nguyen. Yung plays on our school’s city-league team and uses Wednesday nights to practice with a few of his teammates. However, this last week, Yung spent the majority of his time at open gym sitting on the floor as a spectator. There were many students asking that open gym not receive publicity in hopes that that would limit the number of new people hearing about it. When basketball players are begging that other players not hear about open gym, there is obviously a problem. Although it is very gen-

The VanCougar By Collin Rickman

artS, CuLturE & ENtErtaINMENt

Max Payne delivers darkness

2008: photo courtesy of 20th Cnetury Fox

12 The VanCougar

In an era where films inspired by a popular amusement park ride rake in millions of dollars in revenue, anyone accusing Hollywood of scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas appears to be justified. But the formula seems to work. Encouraged by the blockbuster success of the dark “Batman Begins” and its even darker sequel “The Dark Knight,” executives seem to be greenlighting every script tied to a video game or comic book that could theoretically make a profit after DVD sales. Truth, justice, and the American way are out –– darkness and self-doubt is in. We want our heroes (or anti-heroes) flawed, brooding, and as confused as we are, thank you very much. Enter Max Payne, star of two video games and an inhabitant of a frigid, murderous New York City. Brought to life onscreen by Mark Wahlberg, Max is searching for those responsible for killing his wife and daughter. After acquaintance Natasha (new Bond girl Olga Kurylnenko) winds up dead laying next to his ID, Payne is the prime suspect in a murder investigation that has a few striking ties to his own tragedy. It’s never fully explained why he walks free after being incriminated by his wallet, but with all the guns he seems to carry one can’t blame the police for not putting it at the top of their

ACE

Arts, Culture Entertainment

UPCOMING

EVENTS Free Pizza Open House

Tuesday, November 4, 11:30 a.m.

Student Resource Center, stop by and enjoy the pizza while getting to know people

The VanCougar

Easy Drawing Techniques Friday, November 7, 12-2 p.m.

VMMC 107, learn techniques for stenciling, tracing, rubbing and transferring images to paper.

Festival of the Trees

Friday, November 28 to Sunday November 30, times vary by day.

Vancouver Hilton, 301 W. 6th Street, Vancouver, WA.

Photo courtesy of Penguin Group 2007

Located at Archery World in Vancouver. Admission: $5 for students, $8 for non-students.

Administration Building, Room 110, Free and open to the public.

The plot twists and game elements lost-in-transition from system to screen are not surprising. The real star of the film is the atmosphere. A fleeting few minutes of noir-speak at the beginning and glimpses of an unforgiving metropolis are enough to perk up any “Sin City” citizens in the audience. The frozen sheet of a waterfront; the abandoned, snow-flurried streets; the miserableness of the citizens: it’s all culled from the game and recreated onscreen in effective detail. Perfect for a hero with an axe to grind. And perfect for those executives. Nobody this driven gets away without a sequel.

Published in 2002, The Lovely Bones took fiction into a realm not yet explored. A friend of mine, who is an avid reader, introduced me to Alice Sebold’s novel while we were taking a young adult literature class here at WSUV. Although I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone under fifteen, I can’t say enough about this timeless novel. The reader meets fourteenyear-old Susie Salmon when she is dead and in heaven, well her heaven. For the rest of the novel, Susie takes the reader on a journey. The Lovely Bones does something amazing; it gives the reader a perspective unlike any other. While in heaven, Susie is able to see what is happening back on Earth. Susie is remarkably humorous and inspiring. She is also fearless. Right away, the reader learns of how Susie was brutally killed, among other things, and how Susie feels after the horrible ordeal; what she thinks of now that she has experienced the unthinkable. The Lovely Bones consists of

Pop Politics By Rosann Bartel The VanCougar

Published in 2002, The Lovely Bones took fiction into a realm not yet explored. A friend of mine, who is an avid reader, introduced me to Alice Sebold’s novel while we were taking a young adult literature class here at WSUV. Although I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone under fifteen, I can’t say enough about this timeless novel. The reader meets fourteenyear-old Susie Salmon when she

2008: photo courtesy Little, Brown & Company

By Shantel Erickson

Tuesday, November 4, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 6, 7:00 p.m.

to-do list. Making matters worse, many of the baddies enjoy slurping down a street drug called “Valkyr.” While improving soldiers’ battlefield strength exponentially, the one side effect of the drug is insanity. Max has a pretty full plate by this point, so it’s up to Natasha’s sister (Mila Kunis) and an old family friend (Beau Bridges) to keep him on his toes. Dodging pesky Internal Affairs officer Jim Bravura (Ludacris) shakes things up a bit. The scenes, however, are merely transitions in a ballet of blood – breaths between all the bullets. With a name like his, how could they be anything else?

Book Review: Lovely Bones

Indoor Archery Instruction

Three Cups of Tea Author: David Oliver Relin

Mark Wahlberg (left) and Mila Kunis (right) in Max Payne.

several layers. The first being perspective, and the second being amazing voice. Susie, the voice of the novel, is remarkably calm, collected and reliable. Susie relays back what she observes her family, friends, town, schoolmates and even her murderer doing after her death. This perspective takes the reader deep inside how people react to a tragedy that is big enough to shake a whole town. As for the Salmon family: Susie’s parents find themselves at odds with each other, Susie’s little brother is trying to find out where she went, and Susie’s sister goes down her own path altogether. The novel not only shows how Susie’s family is trying to go on after her death, but it also shows what Susie will miss out on being killed at the young age of fourteen. Susie ends up living vicariously through her sister, and longing to be alive again. I have given this novel to many people to read, my mother being one of those people. She loved it, and had a different opinion than I

being that she is a mother. While on an international flight a man was reading The Lovely Bones, and we ended up having a lovely conversation about heaven and death. This novel explores so many human experiences, I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t get something out of this novel. I would also recommend The Lovely Bones for a book club; the discussions that could be had about this novel are endless. Happy reading!

is dead and in heaven, well her heaven. For the rest of the novel, Susie takes the reader on a journey. The Lovely Bones does something amazing; it gives the reader a perspective unlike any other. While in heaven, Susie is able to see what is happening back on Earth. Susie is remarkably humorous and inspiring. She is also fearless. Right away, the reader learns of how Susie was brutally killed, among other things, and how Susie feels after the horrible ordeal; what she thinks of now that she has experienced the unthinkable. The Lovely Bones consists of several layers. The first be-

ing perspective, and the second being amazing voice. Susie, the voice of the novel, is remarkably calm, collected and reliable. Susie relays back what she observes her family, friends, town, schoolmates and even her murderer doing after her death. This perspective takes the reader deep inside how people react to a tragedy that is big enough to shake a whole town. As for the Salmon family: Susie’s parents find themselves at odds with each other, Susie’s little brother is trying to find out where she went, and Susie’s sister goes down her own path altogether. The novel not only

artS, CuLturE & ENtErtaINMENt shows how Susie’s family is trying to go on after her death, but it also shows what Susie will miss out on being killed at the young age of fourteen. Susie ends up living vicariously through her sister, and longing to be alive again. I have given this novel to many people to read, my mother being one of those people. She loved it, and had a different opinion than I being that she is a mother. While on an interna-

November 3, 2008

tional flight a man was reading The Lovely Bones, and we ended up having a lovely conversation about heaven and death. This novel explores so many human experiences, I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t get something out of this novel. I would also recommend The Lovely Bones for a book club; the discussions that could be had about this novel are endless. Happy reading!

Will: GMWAS!!! Michael-friggin-Jackson! That’s not an album, that’s skeet right there. Hold on while I fetch my shotgun. I’ll shoot it off the top of your head like William Tell. Won’t miss, honest. Photo courtesy of LucasArts 2008

Alongside the lightsaber combat, the game provides the player with an assortment of cool force powers to exploit – I mean, the game is called The Force Unleashed, after all. Each level is designed to give players the maximum amount of resources to use against the enemies, from ripable pipes to a ton of boxes and crates. So what does the player do with all these items littered around the levels? Well, one could throw them with force grab, hit them with force push to… throw them, or electrocute them with lightning so that they will be more effective when the player… throws them. I found myself tossing all the boxes and such in the direction of the enemies as soon as I entered a room. That gave me enough time to overuse my force lighting on the stunned enemies, though once I beefed up my lightning to its apex, it became the “win” button. Having the ability to electrocute everything in my vicinity was an acceptable option because a few of the levels in Force Unleashed were so poorly designed that I couldn’t see half the enemies attacking me. This design flaw also plagues Ninja Gaiden, and it made me long for God of War’s automatic camera. In this day and age of gaming, having to baby-sit a camera should not cross the gamer’s mind while playing. The camera also played a horrible role while traversing some of the platforming sections of the game. In an action game, the platforming should be second nature, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how many times I fell into a bottomless pit only to have to sit through the lackluster loading times just to try again. Work on your boss battles, LucasArts. That’s all I’ll say about that. Overall, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a decent enough experience, but it’s plagued by a few last generation gaming pitfalls. If you are a Star Wars fan, though, the game may be well worth it for the story alone – just don’t pull your hair out during the more frustrating parts.

Greg: Hey, homefry! Wanna check out my new album?

Greg: Here ya go buddy.

By Beau Baxter Rosser

Star Wars is back! But is it though? Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a mishmash of subpar combat, mediocre platforming, exceptional storytelling and sound and a whole lot of Wookie butt-kickery. Remember that Wookie buttkicking I just mentioned? Well, it only happens in the beginning of the game, though it’s still worth mentioning due to the fact that The Force Unleashed starts out so strong. Unfortunately, it begins to wane in later levels. The game begins with the player as Darth Vader (exciting, right?!) and provides the ability to use all of the force powers one would expect of Darth Vader. However, even in this first level, the game’s overall lack of polish in the level design department begins to show. After only a few minutes of play, I managed to get Vader stuck in some nasty trees. Here I am, the galaxy’s most feared and powerful Sith Lord, but these blasted trees had me and wouldn’t let go. After the first level, the main meat of the game begins to take shape. Story wise, The Force Unleashed takes place in between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and the first real Stars Wars movie, Episode IV: A New Hope. Players wield the lightsaber of the apprentice, Starkiller, after being adopted and trained in secret by Vader himself. Wearing the cloak of Starkiller, players move from planet to planet, killing off any remaining Jedi while gaining new force abilities and combos along the way. The story, dialog, sound design and character motion capture are the standout gems of The Force Unleashed. Luckily, LucasArts paid a lot of attention to these aspects of the game; otherwise, The Force Unleashed would not have done enough to hold my attention. Honestly, this is the best story Star Wars has seen since 1983, and for that I am grateful. Starkiller is a conflicted character with a surprisingly dark demeanor, but he has just enough soul in him to be regretful of his actions. And before it’s asked: no, the player doesn’t get to kill younglings, even if the word “youngling” is the dumbest thing ever conceived. The combat system is fine as the game begins, but I soon learned that the depth was not there when compared to other games in the action genre like God of War or Ninja Gaiden. I found myself relying on the basic fourhit combo to defeat the enemies because it seemed just as powerful as some of the flashier combos available. The air juggling had its moments, but I still found myself rarely relying on them to get the job done.

By Will & Greg

Will: The first step in avoiding a trap is in knowing of its existence. This clearly is a trap. But, what the heck. Sure! Show me your ‘new album.’

Game Review: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed aCe eDITor

THRILLER

13

Greg: Gag you with a spoon? Ha! I knew you’d like it. [Wink, wink.] Hey, it’s the 25th Anniversary re-release of “Thriller”—the best selling album of all time (still). Bro, this is S-E-R-I-O-U-S music, very germane art. Will: A little germicide will cure that! Still, that album photo brings back memories. He was a different person 25 years ago. Different color, gender… I actually liked some of his work. And here you’ve cornered me into taking more pot-shots at Jacko. I thought we’d excavated all the gems from this mine. Greg: See, that’s the thing. We’ve been plinking at a legend, because we could. (Lord knows he set himself up for them.) And as weird as the “gloved one” is or has been, he really rode the 80’s as King of Pop. Listen to the emotional performances on this album—absolutely stunning. The guy could sing! Don’t know if he still can at 50, but… well, he could dance, too. Will: And he made some great music videos, I’ll concede that. But hey, we should mention that we’re composing this in the cafeteria here on campus. It’s the first time we’ve ever worked on campus. Look behind you; there’s a girl with a bulging backpack, a bulging purse, and a packed computer satchel. She looks like a sherpa for an Everest climber. Greg: Ooo, the artful dodger! (Okay, but we’re coming back to “Thriller.”) That gal lugging the luggage—all she needs is a monkey. She’s gonna have some serious back problems…ouch! That’s why I use a rollie. I know it puts me in the geekdom classification, but I’d rather reek of geek than rack the back outta whack. I have no pride, but I DO have an aversion to pain. (And we don’t usually work on campus because of the paparazzi.) Will: I’m with you there! Back problems tend to limit your focus exceedingly. You know that I speak from experience. Problem is, any symptoms will take a while to develop. She probably won’t connect future aches with today’s abuse. Speaking of abuse, why are the food prices always so high in college cafeterias? Greg: Dog meat is hard to come by? No, in all actuality, I do not know. I do know that prices have gone up some due to rising fuel costs and other economic factors, none-theleast of which is that the economy is—the technical term here is—going to hell in a hand basket. But don’t get me onto the state of the economy; I’m as ticked as the next guy. Anyway, the food here isn’t bad, but you could starve during the wait. This certainly isn’t fast food. Will: Clark’s cafeteria prices are better, but they have a culinary program. At PCC, they charged their salad bar by the size of the bowl you filled. So I learned to take the smaller bowl and line the edge with cucumber slices. By the time I was done, that bowl looked like the veggie equivalent of a Jiffy-Pop. Greg: Wow! You actually do have brain cells. Great idea. However, won’t work here— it’s “by the pound.” Maybe you could pump your tomatoes up with helium. No wait, that would cost more than the salad. Hydrogen? Nope. Exploding veggies. Reminds me of the “zuke” column we did: VMD’s. Speaking of vegetables, I’ve got zombies on my mind. Will: You’ve been one for weeks now with your class load. But All Hallows Eve is just weeks away, maybe that’s why you think so. I always dress as an IRS Tax Auditor. Scares the bee-gee-bees out of everybody. Greg: That sort of getup will probably do double damage this year—cause a few coronaries—what with all the taxes we’ll have to pay to cover the bailout. Hold it, hold it! I’ve got to get off that soap box. Zipping the lip, putting a sock in it, closing the pie hole. BTW: It’s not my class load that’s dragging on me (I only have ten credit hours); it’s the late hours I keep listening to my new MJ album. Will: You can make that album more useful by beating yourself unconscious with it. Hand it over and I’ll do it for ya. Did you know that mental counseling is now available on campus? I think you should go. I’ll lug your gear. Greg: Listen, dude, I bought the album because of the song “Thiller,” it being near Halloween and all. The song and dance have made somewhat of a comeback in recent years due to its presentation in the movie “13 Going on 30” (cute movie, BTW) and the Sobe dancing lizards. Kids as young as middle school are doing the zombie shuffle. But, you know what? The best part of the whole song is the soliloquy by Vincent Price—worth the price of the album right there. And, and, and…get this…the album comes with remixes AND a DVD with the “Thriller” video, the Billy Jean and Beat It music videos AND, best of all The Legendary Motown 25 performance of Billy Jean—one of, if not THE, most awesome dance performances of all time. (This was before Michael became a crotch-grabber.) Will: It’s still skeet, bro. As I’ve said before, MJ spent way too much time in his own head. All right, I think this horse is dead and I’m not going to Beat It. Greg: Like I always say, don’t stop ‘til you get enough, but then, I’m off the wall. I don’t wanna be startin’ something so I’ll just ease on down the road. Owh!

The VanCougar

Illustration by: Danielle Mosier

14

Haunted House Story Based on a Partly True Story by Gregory E. Zschomler eDITor-In-ChIeF

The house sat at the corner of McLoughlin and Daniels. Abandoned. In disarray. How long it had stood “empty” I do not know, but it was good and old to be sure. The weeded walk was distorted by the roots of an ancient tree expanding beneath the crumbling cement. Branches and brambles hung about the place as if to entomb. The windows of the second story had long since been broken away by stones thrown; the first story windows boarded up. It was fifth grade and my post on the Safety Patrol (crossing guard) for Hough Elementary was often on a corner near the old house. Was it my young imagination? Did someone—or something—cross in front of an upstairs window from time to time. Was I being watched? The thought chilled the blood that raced through my young heart. In autumn of that year, as the leaves fell from the trees and the nights grew frosty, I anticipated the coming of Halloween— mainly all the candy I would collect trick-or-treating. I was Mr. Magoo that year; my friend Billy threw together a notable pirate costume; Danny impressed us all by playing Templeton, the rat from Charlotte’s Web. The old house wasn’t far from home and we eventually meandered by it, making our rounds in search of a sugar high. As we came upon the house our conversation turned to its possible haunting and soon challenges—dares if you will—were made. “You think it’s haunted, don’t you?” taunted Danny, his goad directed at me. “Well, yeah. It could be.” “You are such a woos.” “Who you callin’ woos, wiener?” “Shut up!” Billy piped in, “There’s only one way to know for sure.” “I’m not going in there! You’re crazy,” I said. “I will,” replied Danny, “Billy, you coming with me? Scaredy pants can stay out here by himself.” “All right,” Billy agreed, “I’ll go with you, ‘cuz there ain’t no such thing as ghosts.” They started up the walk, and after a few steps Billy looked back. His face looked frightened and I knew he wanted me to join them. “I’m not really scared,” I yelled after them. “The why you standing there?” retorted Danny. I took a step up the walk and looked up at the window. I lump formed in my throat. Nothing was there. The wind howled through the lone, half dead tree that stood in the front yard. I took another step, then another. Soon I’d caught up with my buddies joining them on the front porch. We paused and Danny

artS, CuLturE & ENtErtaINMENt

looked at me, putting his hand on the door handle, clicking the latch. The door swung back on it’s decrepit hinges. The place appeared empty except for several pounds of dust and cobwebs. Danny stepped in. “You coming?” he questioned and we both reluctantly stepped inside following on Danny’s heels as he made for the stairs. Elderly floorboards seemed to moan under our weight. At the top of the landing I felt a chilling breeze whip through the house and the front door slammed shut. My heart surged from my chest and into my eyes. I grabbed the banister as my knees buckled from beneath me. Billy gasped. I managed to remain upright. “Com’on Danny, let’s get out of here,” Billy whispered. “You woosin’ out, too?” he said. Danny was either really brave or stupid—probably stupid; he certainly got in trouble enough at school. “The bedroom on the right, isn’t it?” he inquired, motioning his head down the short hallway. “Y-yeah.” I replied under my breath. Danny turned his face toward the bedroom door and began walking. Willy placed his hand on the small of my back and gave a gentle shove. “Let’s do this and get it over with,” he said and launched himself down the hall with new daring. He reached the bedroom door first and swung it open. A musty smell hit our nostrils full on. In the middle of the room lay a decaying wooden box—a casket! Danny’s face turned white. “All right, let’s go,” he said. Billy had a maniacal look in his eyes. “Look, Danny,” he said, “we’ve come this far. We might as well put this mystery to rest. Ah, no pun intended.” And with that he strode across the room and reached down to turn back the lid. Suddenly, without warning, two gnarled and rotting hands burst through the lid and firmly grasped him about the neck. Billy beat at the hands as Danny and I stood frozen in terror. Billy managed to lurch sideways and break from the stranglehold. He fell to the floor and scrambled to his feet. We all went from zero to 60 and high-tailed it down the hall as two feet ruptured from the casket’s end. The three of us were flying down the stairs. Danny stumbled and I looked back. The casket stood on the landing. “Com’on!” I screamed, my voice cracked. Danny was on his feet and we made for the door. Billy turned the handle and pulled. The door didn’t budge. He pulled again as we looked back over our shoulders in unison. The casket was halfway down the stairs. Billy swore and Danny took off down the lower hallway. Billy tugged at the door again in fruitless desperation and we followed after Danny flying down the hallway just as the box reached the ground floor. We tumbled into one another as Danny stopped at a door on the left. He turned the knob and we nearly fell inside a small bathroom. Billy scrambled into the claw foot tub and began clawing at the boarded up window. There came a scraping sound outside the door and Danny moved away from it, a terrified look in his eyes. “You fool! Look what you got us into!” I shouted. Billy had worked the first board from the window when one of those creepy casket hands cracked through the door. Danny whimpered like a trapped animal and flew to the tub desperately punching at the boarded up window. The door exploded off its frame and the casket was in the small room with us. Standing between the toilet and the sink I was trapped! My mind raced. My heart roared. I was fraught with anxiety and in some crazed, last attempt at hope I flung open the medicine cabinet over the sink. There, in the small cubby, sat a musty box of Vick’s 44 cough syrup. I quickly pulled the bottle from the carton and stopped the coffin! Happy Halloween. ;o)

October 20, 2008

NEWS & Features

15

How to get published in the WSU-V literary journal Call to Artists and Writers: The Salmon Creek Journal is now accepting submissions for publication. By Rosann Bartel The VanCougar

Are you a writer or visual artist hungrily searching for an avenue to share your work? Or, are you an arts enthusiast who would like more opportunities to enjoy the creative works of others? A bit of both? Then you should be aware of the Salmon Creek Journal, the literary review of WSU-V. It’s our campus’s print platform for literary and fine arts and this year it hopes to expand its readership, its volume of submissions, and to launch more opportunities for artists on campus. But, much depends on the support and involvement of students and faculty. So if you’re passionate about the arts, the efforts of and the opportunities provided by the Salmon Creek Journal take a look and read on. Established in 1997, the journal is staffed by WSU-V students. The Salmon Creek Journal is an annual publication, typically released every April. It features poetry, fiction, nonfiction, essays, photography and any visual art that can be converted electronically. It only publishes work by faculty and staff of WSU-V, but might later include alumni. The submission deadline for the next issue is November 15. Copies of the 2008 edition, and other past editions, are available for free in the writing center (VLIB 203), as are the submission guidelines. The guidelines can also be downloaded online. [See the info box for links.] The newly administered Editor-in-Chief is Amy Huseby. For artists curious about what type of work the journal is looking for, Huseby advises, “This might seem simplistic, but we just want quality work. The writing and/or art should make us feel something or comment on what it is to take this human journey.” She also stresses that the journal does not cater to any specific genre or theme. “We don’t like horror for horror’s sake or romance that oozes of junior high angst. If you think your work is solid and polished, and

maybe even shocking or a little gritty, send it along. We want to look at it all!” For artists nervous about submitting their work for publication, the Salmon Creek Journal could be an excellent place to start. Huseby, who has had several of her own poems published, explains that the acceptance rate for many other literary journals is a mere two to seven percent. “Your odds of publication with Salmon Creek Journal are much better, about 30%,” she says. “If you’ve never been published before, this might be your opportunity. Also, our submission process is blind. That means we take work in without names on the pieces. As a result, the work is not judged based on who submits but on its quality.” The journal does not pay artists for their work, but there is an opportunity for cash prizes. In each genre (poetry, fiction and visual art), one piece will be selected for the “best of” prize, and the artist will win $100. At the very least, publication in the journal lends creditability to aspiring artists and lets them share their work with others. As for planned changes within the journal, for the next edition, the staff hopes to focus on black and white art. “That doesn’t exclude visual works that have color, but we might choose to print them in black and white,” said Huseby, “so that should be a caveat to visual artists considering submitting.” Huseby would also like to see more prose pieces, as poetry tends to dominate the journal literarily. But perhaps more than anything, she wants people to get excited about their art and about the journal, and make it a stellar publication. “I want the journal to step up,” she said. “There are university literary reviews in this country that are famous, award-winning, and well-known. While we are a small campus, we are also a university publication at a Pac-10 school. Salmon Creek Journal should reflect the professionalism, intelligence, and pride of the Cougars!” Huseby also hopes to propagate positive changes that draw more attention to the journal, and to the creative arts in general. “[I want] the journal to become a creative outlet on

Salmon Creek Journal Related Dates and Events: - The submission deadline for the next issue is November 15. - See the: Poetry Place column, to appear in future issues of the Vancougar - Watch for: Open Mike Night, an opportunity for all WSU-V artists to share their work. More Information: - Submission guidelines and further information can be found at the journal’s website: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/scj/scj/scjhome.htm - Any questions can be sent to [email protected]. - Copies of the journal are available for free in the Writing Center (VLIB 203).

Retired WSU Provost takes WSU-V Research and Graduate Ed. position

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Robert Bates, who retired in July as the Washington State University Provost, has taken a new position with the university on the Vancouver campus as the director of Research and Graduate Education. A Portland native, Bates

is well known to many WSU Cougars, having served as provost from 2002-2008. Bates holds a bachelor’s in biology from Lewis and Clark College earned in 1966. He earned a master’s degree in bacteriology and public health at WSU in 1969 and holds a doctorate in virology from Colorado State University earned in 1972. Bates returned to WSU in January 2002 after serving for 30 years as a faculty member and administrator at Virginia Tech. “I like meeting new young people and the great environment of WSU Vancouver,” said Bates. “I hope to develop and expand the research infrastructure here, and also to

develop relationships with businesses and the state that will contribute to research.” He has conducted research on molecular biology of parvoviruses and received numerous research grants from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and American Cancer Society.

campus,” she says. “I’d like to see more open mike nights, maybe some poetry slams with free coffee from Peet’s or whoever will donate stuff. If anyone has ideas, I am open to them and welcome the suggestions.” The journal has recently collaborated with Student Ambassadors to organize an Open Mike Night. At this event, Huseby explains that WSU-V students can sign up to “read poetry, prose, do improvisation, play acoustic music, sing,” with a five minute time limit. Food, drinks and activities will be available, and possibly prizes as well. The event will occur in the near future, so interested students should keep their eyes open for postings around campus. Additionally, the VanCougar has collaborated with the Salmon Creek Journal and the paper now features a regular column called Poetry Place. It will print one new poem each month. “I wanted to thank the VanCougar for graciously agreeing to collaborate with us on this new feature,” said Huseby, “Greg [Zschomler] was really great and worked with me to put it together. I’d like to give him props for that.” Huseby is eager to accumulate a larger readership and hopes for an influx of submissions this year. She wants more students and faculty members to be aware of the wonderful opportunity the Salmon Creek Journal provides for the enrichment of creativity at WSU-V, and stresses that everyone can contribute. “Anyone who carries a little notebook, scribbles thoughts, harbors hopes of maybe becoming a writer, or carries their camera everywhere and wants others to see exactly what was so very beautiful in the way that beach looked last Wednesday or how their child’s face tips just so… you’re the ones we hope send us work,” said Huseby. “My staff and I are very enthusiastic and eager to share in your inspiration, your feelings, your experiences. We are looking forward to sharing them with the campus, as well.”

POETRY PLACE

Things in the Well* by Erik Amundsen

The worst thing that could happen, when you’re left without a weapon is a monster in the well when you are thirsty, for the first thing you end up trying is the denying of your throat, and firstly, when it doesn’t work—it never works for long enough you go searching, hunting in the dark anything to get your water from a different source, but the pool has gone all brackish, all filled up with weeds and onyx catfish, who by force of habit carry lanterns in their whiskers like deep sea cousins, while they whisper you come nearer, rabbit, sweet one, their epithets for you in dozens, lost without a hook to sink and they are bigger than they think, their throats are railroad tunnels, and your life is all the dearer when you’re dying for a drink. But then there’s your well, in the back of your house, and if it opens like a stony mouth of hell, well, there’s always something hellish under every home, a gnawing sense where no black eyed mouse is dumb enough to gnaw, down in the gloaming. Your monster and your water, it’s what you’ll find below, and sometimes, there’s a point, that there is hell to pay, and it’s in the bucket you must go. To face the monster for a drink, the risen dead, the lurker with his suckers on his arms, the devil, a weevil, or something in between, down where you drop the bucket and hope you don’t fall in. copyright 2008 Erik Amundsen/*excerpted from Goblin Fruit

Brought to you courtesy of your

2009 Salmon Creek Journal

Now accepting submissions of poetry, prose and visual art http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/scj/scj/scjhome.htm

The VanCougar

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October/November 2008 Spare Change for Change, October 20 - 23 In honor of October being National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Human Development Club is hosting a spare change drive to benefit the YWCA of Clark County’s SafeChoice program. Donate spare change in the Cafeteria Alcove from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Get to Know You Tuesday, October 21 Play Texas Hold ‘Em, videogames, ping pong and more while you get to know your fellow students. Free pizza! Located in the Firstenburg Student Commons from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Time and Energy Management Workshop, October 21 Learn techniques to increase the effectiveness of your time use as a college student. Located in FSC 104 from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. This event is free of charge! Basketball Open Play, October 22 Play basketball at Chinook Elementary School with fellow students and community members. 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Free of charge, bring a friend!

Halloween Craft Night, October 23

Free pumpkin carving for the entire family in FSC from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Texas Hold ‘Em Clinic, October 24 This is an open drop in and play Hold’em clinic with instruction if desired. From 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. This is for fun and all levels of experience are welcome. It will be great practice for the on campus tournament on Friday, November 7th. Located in the Firstenburg Student Commons. Mount Mitchell Hiking Trip, October 25 All Students and NonStudents are welcome. Hike is a Level III: Good physical conditioning is required, some experience is recommended. Hike takes approx. 4 hours, distance 5.4 miles with 2100 feet of elevation gain. Sign up in OSI. Hike takes place at 7:30 a.m. FairVote Rally, October 25 Academy Ballroom, 7:00 p.m. Live music, learn more about alternatives to the electoral college. $10 in advance, or $12 at the door. For more info visit www.myspace.com/rockthefairvote.

Scary Movie Nights, October 27 - 29 Free scary movie showings at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in FSC.

Halloween Cosmic Bowling, October 30

Free bowling, pizza and prizes at Crosley Lanes. Wear your costumes!

Human Development Club Meeting, November 3 Human Development Club meetings are open to anyone who is interested. The club meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. in VMMC 6.

TAIL END

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EVENT: “IT’S A Q&A THING” OCTOBER 28, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. in FSC Queer Cougars & Allies Club at WSU-V will be having our first event, “It’s a Q&A Thing” this month!

This is a conversational workshop that will raise awareness about issues in the LGBTQA community as well as how anyone can be an ally. Everyone is invited! QC&A is about embracing, celebrating, and loving you for who you are! If you believe in acceptance, helping others, and progressive social change we would love to meet you. If you are unable to participate in this event, but would like to be involved in Queer Cougars & Allies please contact QC&A President Alisha Turner at:

[email protected].

LDS Club 2008-09 Meetings are Mondays and Wednesdays 11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. in VCLS 14.

The Latter Day Saint Student Association is studying the New Testament this year and invites anyone interested to come and join club meetings. Other meeting times and locations are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at Clark College. For more information visit the institute website at:

www.ldsces.org/vancouver.