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Massamba Diop’s rhythmic visit to campus
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r a g u o C Van TEAM September 2018
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bailley Simms
MANAGING EDITOR Nicholas Freese LAYOUT EDITOR Marco Morales ADVERTISING MANAGER Kassidy Young WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER July Canilao ADVISER Raul Moreno
COPY EDITOR Nikki Johnson
k up Linwith us
COPY EDITOR Randal Houle
/TheVanCougar
REPORTER Alex Duffield
@thevancougar
REPORTER Cameron Kast REPORTER Katherine O’Boyle REPORTER Sofia Grande REPORTER Anna Nelson REPORTER Henry Holloway
s terthe Letto editor The VanCougar welcomes letters and commentary from members of the WSU Vancouver community on current issues. Letters must include the author’s full name, contact information and WSU affiliation: year and major for students, department for faculty and staff, degree and year graduated for alumni. The VanCougar does not publish anonymous letters. Send letters and commentary to van.vancouged@ wsu.edu. Once received, letters become property of The VanCougar and are subject to editing for length, clarity and style.
@thevancougar
our
Mission
The VanCougar will strive to seek out injustices and present them in a balanced, accurate way—displayed fairly, without bias. It matters not whether the views of the issue are held by many or few.
Cor rections
The VanCougar is a source of honest, factual information. If you see an error, we want to address it. Please contact the editor-in-chief at van.vancouged@wsu. edu for corrections.
table of
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Contents
September 2018
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Student government holds special election for president and vice president
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A letter to the editor “Let us teach!” With neighboring districts battling in court, Ridgefield teachers get the higher pay they fought for Cougar Bites: Cam’s look at local hot sauces “Black Panther” drummer Massamba Diop performs at WSU Vancouver Don’t blink, technology will leave you behind WSU Vancouver professor featured on campus and in Portland Art Museum
on the
Cover
Honors program affected by spending freeze
Massamba Diop, a featured drummer in the movie “Black Panther” introduces the tama drum to nearly 150 audience members at his ‘African Storytelling and the Rhythms of Black Panther’ event on Sept. 12. Diop conversed with WSU Vancouver community members before performing with musicians from his international music project “Walo Walo.” (Alex Duffield/The VanCougar)
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September 2018
Student government holds special election for president and vice president WSU Vancouver to have official student representation for first the time this year
2018/19 ASWSUV Presidential ticket candidates (left to right) Holly Ta, Vince Chavez, Mandy Quinn, Cam Plute, Faith Guetter and Eden Gillmer. (Cameron Kast/The VanCougar)
Cameron Kast
Reporter
For the first time since 2013, WSU Vancouver is holding a special election for the roles of president and vice president of the Associated Students of Washington State University Vancouver. Voter polling stations opened at 8 a.m. Sept. 17 and close at 6 p.m. on Sept. 19. Last year, the ASWSUV presidential race was deemed invalid by the Pullman ASWSU Judicial Board after a hearing on April 5. The election was invalidated under ASWSUV Bylaw 610.05 which does not allow a member of the Election Board to run for a student government position. The 2018/19 ASWSUV Vice President Elect Davina Cepeda served on the ASWSUV Election Board at the beginning of the 2017/18
school year and in turn the election was invalidated. The 2013 special election was invalidated due to the use of an unofficial polling site; leading to all forms of campaigning to be barred, and, compared to the first election, resulting in a lower student voter turnout rate. Following the spring 2018 election invalidation, presidential and vice presidential candidates Caroline Brenner and Zeke Estes removed themselves from candidacy; requiring an entirely new election instead of a re-vote. Despite the controversy, Vince Chavez, a double major in neuroscience and biology and Cepeda’s running mate in the spring election, is running again with a new vice presidential running mate, Holly Ta, a management information systems major.
“I knew that the very small voice in my head that said ‘is it worth it?’ was what was keeping me going,” Chavez said. Chavez and Ta are running on a platform they call “ACT”, an acronym that stands for: advocating for students, collaborating with other branches of government and transparency between students and government. The second ASWSUV presidential and vice presidential ticket consists of digital technology and culture major, Cam Plute and running mate, hospitality and business management major, Mandy Quinn. When asked about the controversial spring elections, Plute said “I don’t feel like anyone was at fault. I feel like there was a lot of miscommunications.” He added, “We’re glad that it gave us the opportunity to run because we weren’t aware that elections were even open last year.” The third presidential and vice presidential ticket consist of social sciences major, Faith Guetter and her running mate, a business administration major, Eden Gillmer. When asked about the spring elections, Gillmer said it’s good that the problems get recognized. Guetter agreed with Gillmer’s statement about the spring elections, adding “I think it’s good that they’re recognizing it and still talking about it instead of just sweeping it under the rug.” For the special election, Guetter and Gillmer are running on a platform of student advocacy and involvement, affordability and student resource expansion. “The students needs and wants and rights are our main priority,” Guetter said. Special election results will be announced at 8 p.m. on Sep. 19 in FSC 104. The new ASWSUV president and vice president will be confirmed by the Senate at 1 p.m. on Sep. 21.
Letter
September 2018
to the editor
To my fellow VanCougs, As the VanCougar has reported, our August 31st Senate meeting was moved into executive session, meaning that no minutes would be taken during the conversation and that no one from the public would be allowed to stay in the room. We did this to ensure that we could have a very open and clear conversation about grounds for impeachment of our fellow Senate Pro-Tempore, Senator Loun. The intention was to protect her from any backlash or impactful negative consequences, for the matters we were discussing were complicated, and could easily be confused without context. I want all of our students, including Senator Loun, to feel empowered to continue their education on this campus. This is a hard thing to balance, for there are many stakeholders who have been impacted by this entire situation. In addition to protecting students’ rights to a comfortable learning environment, we must also remember that attaining a college degree can often determine someone’s outcome in life, and protecting the right to pursue higher education is also extremely important. This is why I initially voted “aye” to move to executive session. And while I gave a quick, unprepared statement about the importance of transparency in this meeting, I feel as though it was not enough. I am writing this letter today to apologize for my vote on this matter. When you step into the arena of public service, you must be prepared to face difficult and, often times adversarial, situations. When you are entrusted to represent the student body, you must be prepared to be transparent with those who have given you this power about said difficult situations. Whether you are defending your actions or values, this is an often consequential aspect of being a representative. Bearing this in mind, I am concerned about the overall lack of transparency that student government has displayed, and I regret not being more vocal about this issue. The students deserve to know what’s going on within government, especially when it comes to issues about diversity and inclusion. The students cannot hold us accountable or ensure we are performing our duties if we are not being as forthright as be can be with them. It is my opinion that while individual senators are working hard to complete their duties there is still a residual layer of dysfunction that is interfering with the capacity of this institution to get work done. And I am of the opinion that our student body deserves to know this. In closing, I can only apologize for past transgressions. I cannot wave a magic wand and change my “aye” vote to move into executive session. And I certainly cannot comment on the matters discussed within this executive session, given the clear WAC. But I can commit myself to ensuring that there is more transparency with student government, and I welcome any and all student voices in this conversation about the overall issue of transparency moving forward. With gratitude, - ASWSUV Senator Emily Elder Senior, Public Affairs major
ASWSUV Senator Emily Elder (Adeena Rose Wade)
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September 2018
“LET US TEACH!” With neighboring districts battling in court, Ridgefield teachers get the higher pay they fought for Katie O’Boyle
Reporter
“What do we want?” “A better contract!” “When do we want it?” “Now!” Were just a few of the chants Ridgefield teachers shouted while on strike for higher pay before reaching a tentative agreement with the school district on Monday, Sept. 3. After all-day deliberations Sunday, Sept. 2 that continued overnight, the Ridgefield School District and Ridgefield Education Association settled negotiations at 3 a.m. Monday morning. Bob Ford, a history teacher at Ridgefield High School, has been with the district for 30 years. “We’re out here today because the district and REA won’t agree,” he said before an agreement had been reached. “This is all really frustrating,” said Derell Couch, a fourth grade science teacher at Union Ridge Elementary. “I haven’t had a pay raise in over 10 years. I’m grateful that we had a lot of support from our community. They’re bringing us food, water and walking with us.” The strike lasted Wednesday, Aug. 29 through Friday, Aug. 31 before the Labor Day weekend. According to Alan Adams, the Ridgefield Education Association interim president, the REA sent out thank you cards to people in community who showed support during the strike. The REA also sent cards to neighborhoods that might have been affected by the strike. “We are satisfied with the contract we negotiated. We saw improvements in all four of the core areas we were concerned about,” Adams said. Along with increased teacher salary, the open bargaining session addressed class sizes and curriculum selection. According to the new contract, the Ridgefield school district settled on paying teachers an
additional stipend once the number of students in a class exceed a designated baseline. “Our class sizes will improve over the course of this agreement,” Adams said. The district also agreed to provide curriculum in a more timely manner. According to the new contract, teachers will select committees to decide how to direct curriculum support for classrooms. “Teachers will have more voice in how curriculum is selected or the content areas that they teach,” Adams said. REA and the district also came together in support of special education caseloads for teachers. Prior to the new contract, some educators have been responsible for helping special education students while on break. Break times are duty-free rest periods that are required for most jobs by state law. With the newly negotiated contract, educators will receive pay that more accurately represent the “US TEACHERS ARE BONDED MORE THAN EVER. “ - SHANNON KOCH
Sixth grade teacher at Sunset Ridge Intermediate, Shannon Koch. (Katie O’Boyle/The VanCougar)
hours spent working with students while carving out time for rest periods. Also established in the new contract, Ridgefield school district educator compensation is set to increase over the next three years. For the first year teachers will see a 16.4 percent increase. The second year will increase to 21.1 percent and the third year to 26.06 percent. “That will make a real difference in lives of those who are already in the profession and change how young people look on a career look at teaching,” Adams said. Shannon Koch teaches sixth grade at Sunset Ridge Intermediate and said, in regards to Ridgefield returning to school, “I sensed no hard feelings. Plus, us teachers are bonded more than ever. Going through that together made us more like family.” She added, “Frankly, it was just a relief to be back at school. There was a real air of thankfulness and gratitude. Everyone was happy, upbeat and positive.” With neighboring school districts that were on strike also returing to school, Adams said “The fact that Camas and Vancouver reached agreements earlier the same evening likely had a large influence.” Evergreen School District reached a tentative agreement with teachers on Sept. 9. Longview schools also reached an agreement after an injunction ordered teachers back to work. Battle Ground schools returned to school on Sept. 17 after weeks of negotiations. The Ridgefield district office has not returned requests for comment on this story. Ridgefield students and teachers returned to school on Sept. 5. “The overall feeling was satisfaction and excitement to go back to work,” Adams said.
Cougar Bites
September 2018
Is it hot in here or is it just these sauces? Cam's look at some local heat Cameron Kast
Reporter
Smokin’ Habanero Sauce
Habanero Hot Sauce
Family owned hot sauce company, Silagy Sauce, in Battle Ground, Wash. slow roasts small batches of sauces from local, handpicked ingredients. A newer company, Silagy’s hot sauce lineup is sparse in numbers but not in flavor. Their Smokin’ Habanero Sauce (my personal favorite) is a bold mix of fresh habanero peppers, garlic and onions smoked over hardwoods. With a ketchup-like consistency, this sauce is great for mixing with ketchup and mayo for cheeseburgers. The sauce’s thick consistency and flavor also compliment chicken wings. In terms of spice level, this sauce is not exactly “slap your tastebuds” hot, but with a touch of sweetness there is definitely a warmth that picks up the more you eat it.
Since 2004, the Secret Aardvark Trading Co. and their flagship hot sauce has taken Portland by storm. This locally made sauce delivers a kick to the taste buds and ignites a massive amount of delicious habanero flavor. This flavor blend, which can be sneaky at first, is a well rounded mix of tomato, habanero and a hint of mustard. I spent a week taste testing Aardvark’s Habanero Hot Sauce on various foods, ranging from eggs to cheeseburgers and even mixed into salsa. This sauce was incredible on eggs of any kind (I tried it on fried eggs and an omelette) however was somewhat “mehh” on taco bowls (although on chicken tacos themselves, the sauce made a come back). While the chicken tacos were my favorite match to the Aardvark Habanero Hot Sauce, it is versatile enough to be enjoyed and pretty impressive on almost any food.
Spice Level:
Spice Level:
Buffalo Lime Cilantro
Jalapeno Stout Mustard
Portland-based chicken wing hot spot, Fire on the Mountain is home of the Buffalo Lime Cilantro sauce. This vinegar based sauce is sneakily spicy in addition to the pucker power of the vinegar. I first tried this sauce on buffalo wings and was immediately hooked. Made with cayenne peppers and green jalapeños, the initial heat of this sauce is fairly week, however, it is very acidic so the slight spice is just enough to get your taste buds watering. After trying this sauce I was sold and decided to buy a bottle to take home. Once in my own kitchen, the lime and vinegar flavor this sauce boasts completely transformed my homemade guacamole. If you’re in the mood to try something new, Fire on the Mountain also makes a delicious Thai Peanut Sauce that is great on wings and Thai food.
Mustard lovers rejoice! It may not be the spiciest sauce on this list, but if you want to send your sandwich to Flavortown, this mustard is your golden ticket. With a flavor of mustard named “jalapeño stout mustard” this sauce is anything but bland. Made with jalapeños and Oregon stout beer, Paradigm Foodworks did something special with this sauce. Keeping it neutral and not overwhelmingly acidic, while also being slightly spicy, mustard connoisseurs and mustard haters alike should love this sauce. Paradigm Foodworks also makes five other delicious mustards ranging from a sweet champagne honey mustard to a garlic dill mustard.
Spice Level:
Spice Level:
(All photos by Cameron Kast/The VanCougar)
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September 2018
“Black Panther” drummer, Massamba Diop performs at WSU Vancouver A musical and cultural exchange heard campus wide Alex Duffield
Reporter
“Massamba has maintained a generational engagement with the world as a griot musician for decades” said Sky Wilson, Student Diversity Center adviser, introducing Massama Diop’s “African Storytelling and the Rhythms of Black Panther” event on Sept. 12. Wilson added that this position makes Diop “a cultural teacher, master of ceremony [and] troubadour historian.” Diop (pronounced jope) spent little time introducing the lineup of drums on stage before narrowing his focus to the smallest drum, the tama. According to Diop, his life story is largely the story of the tama player, also known as the ‘griot’ in West African culture. “It breathes...and it talks,” Diop said, referencing the tama. Most recently, Diop has received recognition for his contribution to the soundtrack of Marvel’s blockbuster “Black Panther.” His drumming can be heard in King T’Challa’s theme song, played whenever the character makes an entrance in the film. This is not a novel instrumental accompaniment, by Diop’s account. “When the head of the town calls a meeting, they call a tama player,” Diop explained. Diop said he began playing the tama drum as a child when he decided to continue his father’s legacy as a griot musician and vital communicator for the Walo Walo people of Senegal, West Africa. Diop stressed the importance of a griot’s responsibility to dispense ancestral knowledge. He said, “When you come to my house, when you say your last family name, my father can tell you 200 years ago from you. From this, this, this, this... to you.” Diop said the tama is also used to communicate between villages. “All the way down through Africa, one by one the towns play,” he said. Diop has performed with musicians such as James Brown, Carlos Santana and Harry Belafonte, as well as at international events like Oslo’s 2004 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the London 2012 Olympics, Wilson said. Diop, who regularly tours the northeast, is currently touring the West Coast. Throughout the month, Diop will conduct workshops, storytelling and drumming at venues in and between San Francisco and Seattle.
Diop described university performances as being an exchange between all attending parties. “If you play, you know what you do, you love what you do, you show the student or audience what you have. Each one, they have something different, not the same idea,” Diop said. During the storytelling segment of the event, family traditions and cultures were shared and compared. Diop later harmonized with accompanying musicians who were equipped with instruments like the drums, guitar and saxophone. These musicians have a temporary presence in Diop’s international music project, “Walo Walo.” Diop focused on the audience by racing around the room with the microphone, prompting attendees to return his chant of “Walo Walo!” He even brought a few audience members on stage to dance to his instruction. Wilson explained this open exchange of cultural narratives is pivotal to the Diversity Center’s mission. “Having access to each other’s narratives and the way we tell stories is really important to being able to connect with each other,” Wilson said. “We are [cultural influencers and makers] too, so one of my big priorities for this center [Student Diversity Center] is to provide a space for students to produce the culture of our campus, to produce the culture of our region and our world,” Wilson said. “[To engage] with other people who are doing that work I think is really important.” When asked about what makes university performances different from other venues, Diop said the younger generations are most important to consider in sharing his message. “When you have a 25 years to 30 to 40 years come to my show...you see something, in your heart you keep it,” Diop said. Many of the griot qualities, as explained by Diop, resemble qualities Wilson considers key to a culturally rich campus. “Griots serve to strengthen the connected issues that link our historical narratives, our present and the future which we create,” Wilson said. Another opportunity to hear Massamba Diop perform live afrojazz music, takes place on Sept. 29 at Akadi African restaurant in Portland.
September 2018
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“When the head of the town calls a meeting, they call a tama player.” – Massamba Diop
Massamba Diop performing on Sept. 12 to a crowd of students, faculty and community members. (Alex Duffield/The VanCougar)
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September 2018
Donít blink, technology will leave you behind From university websites to phishing emails, students continue to face tech challenges as the academic year gets rolling Henry Holloway
Reporter
In recent years, technological advances have continued to change the way people live day to day. Social media, virtual reality, cell phones and the internet are all common uses in modern society, so it comes as no surprise that these advances impact the collegiate experience. “Being able to understand Blackboard is one of the biggest [problems] students have,” said Shyanna Reyes, WSU Vancouver TechTalk host. With the start of another school year, students and faculty alike at WSU Vancouver are faced with the challenge of navigating the various WSU online systems. With a myriad of university related websites, usernames, password changes and interface updates the conversation has shifted to questioning just how helpful all of these sites really are. The TechTalk event covers the usage of the websites Blackboard and my.WSU and focuses on helping students become familiar with the more heavily used online platforms at WSU. Blackboard is a third party service used throughout the WSU school system to submit assignments, participate in online discussions and check grades for classes (amongst other things). For official grades and transcript requests, my.WSU.com is the place to look; it is also a resource where students can schedule advising appointments, pay tuition and register for classes. Reyes highlighted some services students seem to be unaware of, specifically computer labs and loaner laptops. Computer labs campus-wide are available for
student use when not occupied by a class. Students may work on the computers by signing in with their network ID and password, the same information used to log into blackboard. The WSU Vancouver library also offers loaner laptops to students. According to the WSU Vancouver Information Technology website, “Each laptop may be checked out for 3 or 7 days and comes with a power cable, mouse and carrying case.” It is encouraged that students plan ahead as the laptops “are available on a firstcome, first-serve basis,” according to the IT statement on the website. Students new to WSU may not be aware of the school’s spam email issue. Chuck Harrsch, an information security officer for WSU Vancouver said the emails have been, “far more direct and clear,” and added how “the language is a lot cleaner. I had to do a double take on some of the messages coming through.” Phishing emails are designed to look like official correspondence communication, some containing links designed to steal the user’s information and the ability to take over the user’s account. After clicking the link, users are brought to a form asking for their WSU login
“In the past, these types of exploits were just individuals having fun. Now it’s usually controlled by large criminal organizations.” –Chuck Harrsch, WSU Vancouver information security officer
information. Harrsch explained how once the hacker receives the information from the user clicking the link, “they can then craft any type of email and then send it out to individuals in that user’s address book.” However, a compromised address book is not the only potential issue. “It is a bad habit of individuals to use that same password and usually the same user ID on other services that they have,” Harrsch said. Netflix, bank accounts and gmail accounts are also at risk for potential phishing attacks, according to Harrsch. He recommended using different passwords for every account, as well as using a password manager. “In the past, these types of exploits were just individuals having fun. Now it’s usually controlled by large criminal organizations,” Harrsch said. The intent of these groups may not always be known, but the concepts behind their sophisticated methods are nothing new. The first phishing attacks came about in the early 90s, according to a Cornell University study. There are potential solutions for phishing emails, like spam email filters, but over the years the best filtering option is to learn how to recognize a potentially malicious email. WSU Vancouver offers assistance to students who might struggle with the obstacle that various technologies have seem to become. Technology support is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Classroom Building rm. 225.
September How to Manage your Accounts
360-574-0499 108 NW 139th St. Vancouver, WA 98685
2018
Manage your WSU Library, Summit, and ILLiad accounts, including renewals and date due confirmations, online.
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Friday 10:00 to 2:00
NEW HOURS! Saturday 10:00-2:00 Located in The Library Building on the Second Floor, Room 203 Email: van.writingcenter@wsu.edu Phone: (360) 546-9650 What we Do Encourage Idea Development Address Questions & Concerns Identify Strengths & Weaknesses Support Thesis Development Suggest Revision Strategies
What To Bring Assignment Additional Guidelines Hard Copy Of Most Recent Draft Allow Adequate Time For Tutorial
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September 2018
WSU Vancouver professor featured on campus and in Portland Art Museum Art X club adviser creates art influenced by the Veterans Memorial Coliseum Anna Nelson
Reporter
Avantika Bawa, artist and WSU Vancouver professor, has an art exhibit currently on display in the Portland Art Museum. The exhibit, which celebrates the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, began Aug. 18 and will continue through Feb. 10, 2019. Featured in the Apex (the fourth floor) of the museum, Bawa’s architectural and geographical art style is portrayed through her work. A Portland-based artist from New Delhi, India, Bawa received her master’s degree in fine arts in painting from the
School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in painting from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in India. Disjecta Contemporary Art Center and White Box, an exhibition space at the University of Oregon, also featured her work. Bawa also had work in the Schneider Museum in Ashland, Oregon and in the Suyama Space, a non-profit gallery specifically for installation work in Seattle. Since 2010, Bawa has been one of two full-time faculty in the WSU Vancouver Fine Arts Department, adding that the
Avantika Bawa (left) with Grace Kook-Anderson (right) at the opening. (Riana Vincent)
(Anna Nelson/The VanCougar)
program is “still relatively young, but super strong.” Before moving to Portland, Bawa taught in Georgia. “After 10 years of living in Georgia, I wanted to explore another part of the country, so I decided to move away and try something completely different and I landed in the Pacific Northwest,” she explained. Bawa stated she enjoys working with a university not specifically catered to fine arts, but that uses fine arts to complement other disciplines. Her latest exhibit focuses on commemorating the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. When describing her work, Bawa said she brings an architectural and minimalist approach to represent her appreciation of the Coliseum. “I’m interested in the Coliseum because it’s visual form, but initially I got interested in it because it’s where the [Portland Trail] Blazers won the one and only championship,” Bawa said about her inspiration for the exhibit in the Portland Art Museum. Bawa discussed how minimalism serves as a big motivation for her work. “Working with a very reductionist and spared down vocabulary because a lot of what I see around me is just so excessive and busy,” Bawa said. “I’m more drawn to that which is really subdued
September 2018
“I just want to go to Iceland and install a bright pink scaffold in the middle of nowhere.” -Avantika Bawa and simplified because it has so much more power in it.” Before being appointed to her current role as the curator of the Northwest section of the Portland Art Museum, Grace Kook-Anderson spoke with Bawa about one of her previous pieces. While talking over poke bowls, Kook-Anderson asked Bawa if she would like a show in the Apex in the Portland Art Museum. “It was the best poke bowl I’ve ever had,” Bawa said, reflecting on the opportunity that day brought her. “There was nothing else I really wanted to do,” Bawa said, explaining how her interests in geography and psychology expand into her artwork and how she has always practiced drawing and painting. Bawa added how observing the landscapes surrounding the gallery she works in helps frame her exhibits. For example, an exhibit she did last year in Los Angeles rested on the San Andreas Fault. “That was the trigger to the work I did which was eventually called Parallel Faults; it was a response to the fault zone in that area,” Bawa said. Recently named one of five Hallie Ford Fellowship winners in the visual arts, Bawa was granted $25,000 to continue pursuing her artwork. Applying for the fellowship requires a submission of 10 pieces of artwork. Bawa said she had applied for the fellowship in the past. When referencing the work she submitted this time around she said, “I tried to show them 10 images that show my journey, which is something I hadn’t
done in the past – I would show what I thought were the 10 best.” Bawa added, “A friend of mine said ‘No, dig deeper and show them work that’s also seven years old so they can see how far you’ve come – they want to hear your story.’” “It was very humbling and a huge honor. More than the monetary award, but the recognition statewide,” Bawa said about receiving the Hallie Ford Fellowship award. Using her fellowship award money, Bawa plans to travel to Iceland, where she recently returned from. Once there, she plans to construct a scaffold art installation. “The scaffolds are typically a functional object, but when presented as ‘art’ they more easily reveal many interesting aspects of their forms; the play with positive and negative spaces, the lines of the shadows, the contrast between the horizontal and vertical stripes,” Bawa said about her scaffolding work. She has worked with similar scaffolding in both Astoria, Oregon and Bombay, India. “I just want to go to Iceland and install a bright pink scaffold in the middle of nowhere,” Bawa said. According to Bawa, her most defining experience as an artist is, “Knowing that even after I finish what I think is one of the best works, there’s still more to come. The more you do the more you realize you can do.”
Art by Avantika Bawa. (Anna Nelson/The VanCougar)
Along with her recent exhibition at the Portland Art Museum, Bawa works with WSU Vancouver senior and intern, Riana Vincent. The two lead WSU Vancouver’s first ever fine arts club, Art X. Vincent, a Humanities major with a Fine Arts minor, interned with Bawa over the summer and worked on the Veterans Memorial Coliseum exhibit at the Portland Art Museum. “Our goal with the club is to get people into the different mediums that they may not have time to take a class for,” Vincent said. “I think it’s incredibly important that we have this here at [the Vancouver] campus. This is a great way to start that process, to expand the art community through our school and through our campus, and not just have to bounce off Pullman’s.” Art X is brand new, with 10 members currently and over 100 people signed up at the recent fall Involvement Fair, according to Vincent. Bawa is the adviser for Art X. “I’ve been waiting for this club for eight years and it’s finally happening,” Bawa said. “I want us at WSU Vancouver to see how much exists culturally in the community around us.” Vincent believes Art X is important for inspiring artists, “It allows them to see that they don’t have to critique themselves so harshly,” she said. “We want to make sure it’s not just fine arts students.”
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H September 2018
onors program affected by spending freeze
Sofia Grande
Vancouver campus Honors program has been defunded leaving prospective students with denied applications
Reporter
WSU Vancouver students might argue that the university’s recent round of budget cuts may have trimmed a little too much. Emails sent to prospective students over the summer informed them that the University Scholars Honors Program has been defunded. In an effort to reduce overall spending by 2.5 percent, according to WSU President Kirk Schulz, the system-wide spending freeze means the Vancouver campus Honors program is no longer funded. WSU Vancouver students received emails in early May informing them that the program had been defunded, blaming the spending freeze for the inability to fund a new cohort. President Kirk Schulz wanted the budgeting exercise to cut the university’s annual deficient of $30 million down to $10 million and so on until the deficit is eventually gone, according to a statement by Schulz published in The Columbian. The Honors program consists of a two year cohort of undergraduate students from various majors. Once accepted into the program, students would work with faculty mentors to develop a research project. The selective program required students to have a minimum 3.5 GPA and 30 credits. However, the defunding of the program is Vancouver campus specific. The defunding does not impact the Honors College
on the WSU Pullman campus. The Honors College in Pullman operates differently than the Honors Program on the Vancouver campus, lasting four years and honors classes substituting UCORE classes. June Canty, the WSU Vancouver associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, advises the University Scholars Honors Program. As the adviser, Canty oversees the program’s budget. Canty requested $10,000 per year to fund the program. In April of 2018, that request was denied due to the spending freeze. Canty said the defunding of the Honors program came as a surprise. “When I came in, we had a budget that had been set up that was never replenished and last year we were in the red. So, the regular Academic Affairs budget was helping pay the bills and with the spend freeze we just couldn’t keep doing that,” she said. One goal stated in the mission of the WSU Vancouver Strategic Plan is “To advance knowledge through research, innovation and creativity across a wide range of academic disciplines.” Canty said she believed the mission statement for the Strategic Plan included the Honors program and she thought the budget should reflect that. “I asked for $10,000 a year for two years…it didn’t get funded and a lot “Thank you for your interest. Applicants are not being accepted for the 2018-2020 program.” – WSU Vancouver website
of things didn’t get funded because of the spending freeze,” Canty added. She further explained how the $10,000 budget funds the stipend to the professor who advises each cohort, as well the $500 research allowance for each student in the cohort that can be used upon request to advance their research. WSU Vancouver professor Mike Berger is the current adviser for the Honors program’s last cohort, 20172019. Berger believes that the Honors program is important for students and is hopeful that the program will be initiated after the spending freeze is over. “The budget freeze is a three year freeze and so we’re in year two. By the end of next year, next spring — spring 2020 — the budget freeze will be over. We know that Academic Affairs, who funds the Honors program, will be able to spend money,” Berger said. Berger added that the cancelation of the Honors program affects students by impacting the way they find research. “It doesn’t impact them in terms of going out and looking for [research]… but what it does impact is being able to have this opportunity for a group of students to have some sort of guided and directed research through the Honors program,” Berger said. For the most part, WSU Vancouver students are still unaware of the Honors program being defunded.
September 2018
September
m a r k yo u r c a l e n da r . . .
Fire Drill 9:30 – 11 a.m. wed.
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Meet the firms: Accounting Career Fair 6 – 8 p.m. VFSC 101/103/105 ASWSUV President and Vice President election results announced 8 p.m. VFSC 104
Mon. Floats for Votes 12 – 2 p.m. VFSC Commons
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Tues. A to Z of paying for college 6 – 7 p.m. VDEN 129
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Fri. ASWSUV Senate meeting 1:10 p.m. VFSC 104
21 Sat.
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Sat. Vancouver Waterfront Park grand opening 11 a.m.
National Parks Fee Free Day
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Issue no. 4 of the vancougar on stands oct. 2
15
PTOP NEED A LAPTOP RIL TEMPORARILY? Y? 16
September 2018
NEED A LAPTOP Avaliable at theTEMPORARI Circulation Desk in the LLibYY? rary?
FREE FR
OPS LOANER LO LAPTOPS
heck-out Bring your CougarCard Bring to the Library and a check-out yo a alaptop week! for on or off-campus laptop use for up to a week!
Courtesy of the Student Tech Fee
he Avaliable Avaliab at Library the Circulation Desk in the Library
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