MARCH, VOL. 32 ISSUE 8
with
Marilou Cassidy Pg. 8
r a g u o C n Va TEAM
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Baumann
PHOTOGRAPHER Rowan Segura
MANAGING EDITOR Olivia Eldredge
COPY EDITOR Gracie Newberry
LAYOUT EDITOR Megan Tuthill
REPORTER Arabelle May
ADVERTISING MANAGER REPORTER Bethanie Collette Jagger Norris WEB MANAGER Jessica Unruh
REPORTER Sarah Tuttle
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Alexis Schole
s r e t t e L
to the 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.vc.editor@wsu.edu. Once received, letters become property of The VanCougar and are subject to editing for length, clarity and style.
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ON THE COVER Marion Louise Cassidy, senior and humanities major, shares her experience as a nontraditional student for Women’s History Month. (Rowan Segura/The VanCougar)
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in this ISSUE lactation
room on campus
4
Visiting writers
series with Natalie Diaz
q&a with
with Marilou cassidy
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Veggie ramen with tofu and veggies. (Emily Baumann/The VanCougar)
Nicki Segura, junior and integrated strategic communication major. (Emily Baumann/The VanCougar)
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Opinion:
fake snow at winter olympics
cougar bites: veggie ready ramen
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MARCH 2022
The barriers to breastfeeding With the opening of WSU Vancouver’s new lactation room, students and staff examine the problems facing individuals who breastfeed on campus. Bethanie Collette | Reporter On March 30, 2010, the Affordable Care Act was signed, requiring employers across the country to provide ample accommodations for their breastfeeding employees. However, many lactating people still struggle to thrive in a system of obstacles influenced by social and political pressures that stigmatize breastfeeding. In an effort to overcome these issues, WSU Vancouver’s lactation room provides a private space for parents on campus who are balancing child care and their education.
situation either,” Dawson said. “[WSU Vancouver’s lactation room] is quiet, it is private. You do not feel like anybody’s gonna come wandering in on you. It is kind of an offset area.”
Elizabeth Soliday, professor of human development at WSU Vancouver, says prejudice surrounding breastfeeding is rooted in policy, misunderstanding of human nourishment and the sexualization of breasts. As of 2018, legislation has been passed in all 50 states to allow for public breastfeeding, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, making the U.S. one of the most recent nations protecting this right.
“Some women are very comfortable using what they do to educate other people and break those barriers. We are in a transition zone where people are becoming more comfortable with their behavior, but it should not be on [breastfeeding people] to break those barriers. I am really amazed at women who have the courage to do that, but it really should not be on them — it is a larger cultural issue,” Soliday said.
“There was a wave of legislation during the Obama administration and the ACA that employers had to provide spaces for breastfeeding women to pump milk, and most businesses responded by saying ‘use the bathroom.’ A bathroom is a place where we eliminate waste from our bodies and you’re asking somebody basically to go prepare food in a bathroom? This reflects, I’d like to say, ignorance on the issue,” Soliday said.
While breastfeeding in public is sometimes perceived as controversial, the parental decision to bottle-feed one’s child can also receive judgment. This was the case for Nicki Segura, a junior strategic communication major and mother to her 4-year-old son.
Even though the ACA requires employers to provide a space for lactation, the conditions are often less than satisfactory. Angela Dawson, Clark College’s nursing program support supervisor, says it was difficult to find a comfortable space to breastfeed her child. “I was fortunate to find a bathroom that has a single stall, so it was not where anyone else could walk in. But that is not a great
According to Soliday, public harassment against breastfeeding people is becoming less common as people educate themselves on lactation. Nevertheless, ignorance surrounding breastfeeding still creates a collective sense of shame and embarrassment.
“My husband’s family is more traditional, and they would [say] pumping is the best medical option, they didn’t understand that I was not able to. You feel like a failure. You feel incompetent,” Segura said. Lactating people face several drawbacks when feeding their children, including stigmas surrounding the use of formula instead of breastmilk. High nutrition formulas are replacements for people who cannot, or choose not to breastfeed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
MARCH 2022
“My son is thriving – he’s fine with formula, he’s very outgoing, [formula] doesn’t hinder the growth of a child,” Segura said. For those who do choose to breastfeed their infants, the U.S. Department of Labor encourages employers to provide private, hygienic spaces for lactating people to use breast pumps while at work. Specifically, the university’s new lactation room on campus is following suit by providing a secure place to breastfeed. “As a student, you are always on the run and you try to find the most convenient thing. It’s beneficial, especially for staff. I think that [the lactation room] is really awesome,” Segura said. Tucked neatly at the end of the second-floor hallway in the Clark College building, the lactation room has seating, a white noise machine, lockers and a refrigerator. According to Soliday, the refrigerator is vital for storing breast milk while on campus all day.
Even though WSU Vancouver is working to improve the lives of lactating people by providing the lactation room, there is always work to do when eliminating prejudice toward breastfeeding. Soliday says the students, faculty and staff who use the lactation room are motivating changes and bringing fresh perspectives to the university.
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“I was fortunate to find a bathroom that has a single stall [to breastfeed], so it was not where anyone else could walk in. But that is not a great situation either. ”
– Angela Dawson
The lactation room is available Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Schedule an appointment by contacting nursedept@clark. edu with the subject line, “Lactation Room Scheduling.”
Nicki Segura, a junior strategic communication major and mother to a 4-year-old explains why the choice of feeding method is a personal decision. (Emily Baumann/The VanCougar)
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MARCH 2022
Ask a Senator! Did you know our campus has its very own student senate? Here, the Associated Students of WSU Vancouver’s senators will answer all the questions you submit concerning student involvement, student government or anything else related to WSU.
What does the Senate do on campus? Noah Guerrero, junior and computer science major: For me and every other member of the Senate, we meet together to go over bills and bylaw amendments, as well as to hear from our clubs and other groups on campus. This is often a good meeting place to bring up important issues within and outside of the student government, including student complaints or other needs students may have.
How do I start a club on campus? Kylie Sickles, sophomore computer science major: The best place to begin when looking to start up a club is Coug Presence. This is WSU’s new student engagement platform. First, you’ll want to navigate to the page specifically for the Vancouver campus, then scroll down to find “Campus Forms”, then “Organization Registration”. If you have any questions, pop by the Office of Student Involvement to get the help you need.
Is there any way my club can access more funds than our current Club Operating Budget? Taegon Lee, senior and electrical engineering major: Clubs can request additional funding [through Senate Allocation Funds], but it should be reasonable with enough evidence, and senators will decide if the additional funding is acceptable or not.
Have a question for us? Submit anonymously at the form below!
ET PO E IZ PR TZsER LIower PUemp Indigenous communities
MARCH 2022
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During WSU’s Visiting Writers Series, Poet Natalie Diaz — member of the Gila River Indian Tribe — delivered personal stories that resists the erasure of Native experiences in America. Arabelle May | Reporter
On Feb. 9, Mojave author, linguist and English professor at Arizona State University, Natalie Diaz, launched spring semester’s Visiting Writers Series with a virtual poetry reading; an event that highlighted the importance of community and identity. Diaz shared poems from her collections exploring how shared experiences and representation can bring people together. According to her website, Diaz was born and raised in the Fort Mojave Indian Village in Needles, California, on the banks of the Colorado River. She is an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Tribe, and teaches for ASU’s Creative Writing master’s program. Diaz’s work and the poems she shared during the virtual reading traversed a wide range of topics, including family dynamics and violence against Native women and queer people. By forming narratives of triumph and hardships surrounding these subjects, Diaz said her goal is to represent and celebrate Native peoples across all disciplines — particularly within the arts and academia.
majoring in English and creative writing, was moved by Diaz’s choice to include an array of languages in her poems. “What stood out to me about her live reading was her style and rhythm of speaking… it can be difficult to imagine an author’s voice, so a live reading can add body language and emotional context,” Doerr said. “Natalie Diaz also spoke on the importance of finding new ways to explore Spanish, English and the Mojave language in her writing, which I thought was a lovely conversation as language is so crucial to her own Indigenous identity and history.” Upcoming guest speakers for the Visiting Writers Series during the spring 2022 semester will be Native authors, Storme Webber, Michelle Nijhuis, Inés Hernández-Avila and Naomi Littlebear Morena. The schedule of events can be found on the Visiting Writers Series page of the WSU English department website at english.wsu.edu/visiting-writers/, and recordings of previous events can be found on their YouTube channel.
“When I’m writing, I try to think about what it means to have a capacity, and that’s a beautiful thing about poetry is that it is capacious for tenderness and violence all at the same time,” Diaz said. Reciting her own personal and cultural stories, Diaz read from her first poetry collection “When My Brother was an Aztec,” and her most recent collection “Postcolonial Love Poem,” which was a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2021. Through a sense of community, spaces of creativity can facilitate strong connections between people with similar backgrounds. Julian Ankney, director of the Visiting Writers Series and professor of English at WSU Vancouver, said it was vital to create a space of representation for Indigenous communities. “All my life in school systems, I was never taught Native literature… I didn’t find my first Native poet until college… and it was life-changing for me. [Now, when I teach] in my classes, most students are unlearning generations of [biased] history,” Ankney said. “Looking at history from an Indigenous perspective, Indigenous feminism and a decolonial perspective… I started bringing my own culture and history into the classroom… I teach through stories, because that’s how I was raised.” Students attending the event also found Diaz’s poetry impactful. Morgan Doerr, a sophomore
Author and professor at Arizona State University, Natalie Diaz, shares excerpts from her collection on Native poetry. (Deanna Dent/ASU Now)
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MARCH 2022
Q&A: An academic journey through the lens of
Marilou Cassidy Returning to complete her degree after a period of absence, Marilou Cassidy discusses her adventures as a nontraditional student, and what it means to be a part of WSU Vancouver’s community today.
Olivia Eldredge | Managing Editor Editor’s Note: The quotes in this story have been edited for clarity, length and style. Marion Louise Cassidy, or “Marilou,” is a student with quite the story. As a prominent member of the WSU Vancouver community, Cassidy has returned to college to complete her degree, preparing to graduate this spring with a bachelor’s in humanities focusing on fine arts and history. Sharing vital advice learned throughout her college career, Cassidy discussed her life experiences, the establishment of her endowment fund to financially support nontraditional students and how she is commemorating Women’s History Month this March.
Q:
Why did you choose to attend WSU Vancouver upon returning to college? From your perspective, what do you think it means to be a part of the university’s community?
A:
Because it’s 15 minutes from my house, and because it’s a jewel, close to my own backyard. When I got this idea, I decided that in 2019, I was approaching my 80th birthday, and so I thought, what do I want to do for my 80th birthday? I had a lot of credits from Clark College and Marylhurst University in Portland. There was a story I saw on Public Broadcasting Service years ago about Marylhurst closing, and I thought, “what’s going to happen to all of my credits?” In the ‘80s, I enrolled in their degree program at Marylhurst, and then things came up so I didn’t stay. At this time in my life, [my husband and family] haven’t traveled much, though I’ve traveled a lot in the past. I had a lot of energy, the financial means and I thought well I’ll give it a try, why not?
Q:
What are some of the differences you have noticed between your education then at Clark College, and now at WSU Vancouver?
A:
Primarily, when I got this idea of this “project” I call it, I was just after the degree, I want it complete, I want to
have that B.A., I want to have this goal achieved in my life. The learning has been fun, I’ve enjoyed it, I really did get into the learning, the writing. Though I’ve had lots of tears and frustrations, I found out it was a lot of fun.
Q:
Why did you choose a humanities major?
A:
I am loaded with history, photography and fine arts credits. So, when I met with the counselors, they directed me that way, and the other thing that was tremendous here about WSU Vancouver is the admissions, they helped me so much. Could you imagine trying to get all those credits from Clark College? Paper credits, nothing digital. There was a wonderful woman who I always spoke to on the telephone at Clark, she went to the attic, they had to have physical pictures of the catalog to show classes that were actually offered because there were no other records.
Q:
What advice would you give nontraditional college students who are returning to school?
A:
I say, just go with it and don’t give up too easily. There were times when I had an, “I can’t do this,” kind of attitude. My husband was very supportive, and my grandchildren were very supportive. There were times I would start a semester, and think, “this is too much,” but pretty soon the semester would be over and instead I would think, “oh my gosh I did that.” Another thing I would recommend is to take a class every semester, take something. Don’t take a break. It all just adds up and adds up and then you’re done.
Q:
What is your background? Can you give me a glimpse of what your life has been like before becoming involved with WSU Vancouver?
MARCH 2022
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Q:
A:
I did grow up here in Vancouver, I was born in Montana after the war, so I’ve always lived here in Vancouver. I did two years at Clark College and then I became an airline stewardess.
March is Women’s History Month, and to commemorate this, why do you think it is important to recognize the contributions women like you have made to their communities both in the present day, and throughout history?
[Being a stewardess] was glamorous. I was with United Airlines, and you had to have two years of college which is why I went to Clark, because my family was not college-bound. All my friends were going off to Pullman or Seattle. I applied to United and had a great time, I only did it for a year and a half, I was in Chicago for a while and then I transferred to Seattle where I met Larry, my husband. We will have been married 59 years [at the end of February].
A:
Q:
You see, I just took Women’s History with Laurie Mercier. We focused on the importance of how women are overlooked in history. I think that anytime you can give an example to other generations, that’s the most important thing you can do. To give an example, there’s probably another Marilou out there thinking about “why didn’t I finish college?” By sharing your story, then that might give some incentive or guidance to someone else.
Why did you decide to donate to the university by setting up an endowment fund? What was this process like?
My husband and I decided to set up the Marion L. Cassidy Endowment Scholarship Fund, just in January. The reason primarily was because my husband and grandkids kept saying, “what are we going to buy for you?,” because of my project [at WSU Vancouver]. I said, “let’s give back.” So my husband and I agreed, and we set up the scholarship to give back to the university. I’ve watched so many young students struggling — maybe they don’t have a good computer, they don’t have a good laptop, they’re working nights. So that’s the criteria we set up, is that it would be a preference to returning students continuing their education, and preference toward students in the humanities department.
A:
Q:
What are your plans after graduating this semester?
A:
Well, I don’t know exactly just yet. We’re going to have a party. Then, I’m not sure what I am going to do with all my time. I’ll have to come up with another “project.” Get back to my photography, get back to golf, spend more time with my family.
Making the decision to come back to college on her 80th birthday, Marion Louise Cassidy discusses her history as an airline stewardess and current student. (Rowan Segura/The VanCougar)
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MARCH 2022
Opinion|Why
fake snow puts the Winter Olympics on thin ice Bethanie Collette | Reporter The threat of water scarcity is a horrific reality in several countries, one of which was the host for the 2022 Winter Olympics — an event requiring 49 million gallons of water to generate artificial snow. For over 100 years, nations have gathered their best athletes to compete in the Winter Olympic Games, and there is no greater honor than to be the hosting country. This year, Beijing, China pulled out all the stops to host the Olympic Games; however, the looming climate crisis prompts many to ask whether the event does more harm to the environment than good for entertainment. In previous reports by The Atlantic, China’s former Minister of water sources, Wang Shucheng, had estimated much of northern China, including Beijing, would run out of water by 2020. Rising population growth, declining precipitation and industrial expansion are all factors contributing to the Beijing water crisis. In response to the water shortage, the Chinese government allocated $60 billion on a water diversion project, relocating water from underground reserves in southern China to northern China.
But, this is the first time in history the games will take place on almost entirely artificial snow, as reported by the New York Times. If the $60 billion water diversion project was not enough to prove China’s willingness to throw environmental caution to the wind for the sake of economic development, using 49 million gallons of water to create artificial snow on arid brown mountains might. Unfortunately, the Chinese government underestimated the amount of water necessary to supply the Olympic Games. An interview by the Council on Foreign Relations with Carmen de Jong, a professor of hydrology at the University of Strasbourg, estimates snowmaking for Yanqing and Zhangjiakou will require upwards of 500 million gallons of water. This water was taken directly from citizens and farmers, further worsening the effects of Beijing’s water endemic for residents. So if not Beijing, where? After examining why the 2022 Win1972 ter Olympics should not have been in Beijing, are winter sports sustainable in a future destined to undergo the consequences of climate change?
So, problem solved, right? Not quite. The project, expected to conclude around 2050, has significant environmental consequences — including loss of biodiversity, aquatic pecies and climate temperature variances, according to Earth.Org. With all these issues combined, the results present a lack of natural precipitation and melting glaciers, therefore, depleting water resources for southern China.
“It will be very difficult to find a site to permanently host the 1977 change is striking hard games because of climate change. Climate in the U.S., the Alps and Scandinavia. Most of the Alpine and Scandinavian venues are no longer candidates because there is a lot of resistance from the local population, because of financial issues, because of environmental issues, because of traffic issues and so on,” de Jong said.
This raises the question: how did China orchestrate the creation of massive piles of snow, and what are the environmental ramifications of hosting the Olympic Games in Beijing?
The construction of the 2022 Beijing Olympics might be a wakeup call for sustainability to become a vital component in future competitions. Faced with environmental challenges of an unprecedented scale, what will happen to the Olympics and the athletes who dedicate their lives for the gold.
Machine-made snow has been a necessary component of the Winter Olympics to create the best conditions for competitors.
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MARCH 2022
COUGAR BITES: VEGGIE READY RAMEN Emily Baumann | Editor-in-Chief Ramen has become a godsend for broke college students seeking to create experimental meals while staying on a budget. Filled with warm broth, an abundance of vegetables, spices and soft noodles, the combinations for making a ideal bowl of ramen are endless. That being said, The VanCougar presents a simple veggie ramen recipe, perfect for first-time chefs ready to try something new. Before doing anything, you will first want to prep your ingredients. Make sure all vegetables are diced or shredded and put off to the side, ready to grab and toss in a saucepan. When preparing your broth, pour a small amount of toasted sesame oil, chopped garlic and ginger into your pan until mushy and fragrant. Then, pour equal parts of vegetable stock and water with a miso soup packet for extra flavor. Let the broth simmer over medium heat for at least 10 minutes or until boiling. After your broth has finished cooking, remove your saucepan from the heated stovetop and add in any vegetables of your choosing. In this portion, we recommended adding shredded carrots, bamboo shoots and a dash of sambal for a bit of spice. Finally, add in two packets of instant noodles and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Toppings for ramen vary depending on your preferences. For added protein, we fried up diced tofu in the leftover sesame oil, and included a half-cut soft-boiled egg. To ensure the right consistency, make sure to boil the egg in hot water for no more than 6 minutes before cooling in ice water and peeling its outer shell. After that, season your ramen with sriracha or chili oil, green onion, dried seaweed and panko bread crumbs to finalize your homemade masterpiece. Developing skills in the kitchen may seem intimidating, but with this basic dish, beginners can start to explore the mesmerizing flavors behind ramen as a worldly cuisine. Whether you decide to drizzle crushed chile flakes or add fresh cilantro, the options are limitless, making a simple bowl of noodles unique to your own acquired taste.
I n g re d
ients:
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March m a r k yo u r c a l e n da r . . . THURS.
10
Wellness Exams 9 a.m. — 2 p.m. Student Wellness Center Classroom Building Room 160
TUES.
22
BaCE: Accessible Documents and Video Captions 12 — 1 p.m. Via Zoom
Equity and the Wage Gap Workshop 4 — 5 p.m. Classroom Building Room 308W
THURS.
17 MON.
21
WED.
23
WSU Visiting Writers Series: Storme Webber 6 — 7 p.m. Via YouTube Live
St. Patrick’s Day FRI.
25 Re-Imagined Radio, “Lucille Fletcher Tribute” 1 — 2 p.m. Listen on KXRW-FM and KXRY-FM
WED.
30
The Social Hour 2:30 — 3:30 p.m. Via Zoom
WSU Visiting Writers Series: Michelle Nijhuis 6 — 7 p.m. Via Zoom
Next issue on stands April 4