the daily barometer feb. 19, 2013
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Oregon State University's student-run newspaper since 1896.TRANSCRIPT
n Darkside Cinema downtown shows audiences a unique, quirky cinematic experienceBy Lara von Linsowe-Wilson
The Daily BaromeTer
Located on 4th Street in downtown Corvallis is the Darkside Cinema, the only independently- owned and oper-ated movie theater in Corvallis.
Opened by OSU alumnus Paul Turner in April of 2005, Darkside is a local hotspot for seeing unique films not found in mainstream multiplexes.
Movies shown at the theater range in genre from art to independent to foreign films, with showings from international film festivals showcased throughout the year.
In addition to showing films for the general public, Darkside also has a number of collaborations with Oregon State each year, stemming from the relationships Turner formed with OSU professors and students during his college years.
During fall term, a foreign language course, FLL 399, is offered in cor-respondence with the International Film Festival held at Darkside each November. During the course, which is open to all majors, students learn the basics of film analysis.
One of the films currently being shown is “Chasing Ice,” an award-winning documentary surveying the effects of Global Warming. Turner says a number of OSU professors have sent their students in to see the film for its ties with oceanography, as well as photography.
“We do a lot of programs with the different colleges [at OSU],” Turner said. “We have both formal and infor-mal associations with the university.”
Apart from the eye-catching art-work and comical posters decking the walls of the cinema, one of the main aspects that sets Darkside apart from other theaters in the area is the use of 35mm film to show its movies. Turner is one of few in the area trained to use
the film, and actually prefers it to the more modern methods used today.
“You get to see a real movie here, rather than something digital,” Turner said.
Darkside Cinema relies on several means to advertise its company, but the main method is through the mov-ies themselves.
“Theaters are product revenue, the movies have their own advertising that comes with them,” Turner said.
A lot of times films shown at Darkside have won numerous awards and festivals, drawing in large crowds of movie enthusiasts.
“Oftentimes the venue is second-ary, and the film is primary,” Turner said.
Freshman OSU student Ben Hamlin has already seen many films at the Darkside, and has been espe-cially drawn to the film festivals held there. Hamlin attended both the International Film Festival held dur-ing fall term as well as the Crossroads International Film Festival, which took place at the cinema on Sunday.
“It’s always interesting to view films made in different countries, as it allows us to see the world through different perspectives,” Hamlin said. “I’d definitely recommend stopping by Darkside to anyone who has any interest in international or indepen-dent film-making.”
Darkside is open every day of the week, with $6 movie specials available
daily. The theater also offers rent-als for birthday parties and private shows, as well as inexpensive on-screen advertising for other local or non-profit businesses in the Corvallis area.
Titles currently playing also include “Amour,” “Hitchcock,” “Hyde Park on Hudson” and a series of Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts.
For more information on any of these films, or to see a complete list-ing of showtimes and ticket prices, visit their website at www.darkside-cinema.com.
Lara von Linsowe-Wilson, news reporter
BarometerThe Daily
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2013 • OREGON STATE UNIVERSITYCORVALLIS, OREGON 97331 DAILYBAROMETER.COM VOLUME CXVI, NUMBER 86
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From left, Joey Bauer, Darkside Cinema manager, Samantha Sied, chairman of Crossroads international Festival and lee Welch, also part of Crossroads international Festival.
marissa soLini | KBVR
murals surrounding the entry to Bexell hall depict people, including Clara Waldo, margaret Snell and James Withycombe. The pieces were made possible by the Works Progress administration.created after the depression.
The Darkside of cinema Rajagopal wants students to see the big picturen OSU instructor Indira Rajagopal
emphasizes application, accessibility in education
By katherine ChoiThe Daily BaromeTer
When Nero came to power in Ancient Rome, he used poisonous mushrooms to eliminate his predecessor. Students may not see the connection between this historical assassination and the life sciences, but University Honors College Eminent Professor award win-ner Indira Rajagopal offers a link between them.
“Here is a situation where the suc-cession of who was in power depended upon knowl-edge of which mushrooms were poison-ous and which were not,” said Indira Rajagopal, adjunct senior instructor of biochemistry and biophys-ics at Oregon State University. “You want to understand everything in the light of what you learn in each area, and that connection sometimes gets lost for students.”
Rajagopal first discovered her pas-sion for teaching and education as a postdoctoral student. Though she intended to dedicate much of her time to research, she found teaching to be rewarding and full of satisfaction.
“There’s something about explaining a subject that you love to somebody, and then they get it and get excited about it,” Rajagopal said. “And then, when you see that returning spark in
Indira Rajagopal
See raJaGoPaL | page 2
Products of intricate woodworking illustrate a rich history of Oregonn Bexell Hall is home to a series of murals
dating back to the 1930s, include famous OSU personalities
By Jodie DavazSPeCial To The Daily BaromeTer
The scenes depicted on the wooden murals inside Bexell Hall are as rich as the history of Oregon State University itself. Featured on the panels are some of the most important figures of Oregon State history — the founding fathers of the college, according to Karl McCreary.
McCreary, an archivist who deals with arrange-ment, description and cataloguing, said the
goal of the murals was to specifically represent famous personalities associated with the college as pioneers of Oregon.
“They didn’t tell the artist, ‘Here’s a wall, go nuts,’” McCreary said. “We want this work to symbolize something that was very close to the heart of Oregon State ... at the time.”
Some of the famous personalities seen on the murals include Clara Waldo, Abigail Scott Duniway, Ira Kidder, Margaret Snell, Dr. John McLoughlin, James Withycombe and three deans: Grant Adelbert Covell, Arthur Burton Cordley and John Andrew Bexell.
In particular, the depiction of Duniway was significant, according to McCreary. She was a major player in the Oregon suffrage movement,
which granted women the right to vote in 1912 — eight years before the national right to vote was given. Only 25 years after she met her goal, Duniway was memorialized in wood.
The murals date back to the mid-1930s, when the Works Progress Administration was paying artists to create works of art for public buildings. The artist, Aimee Gorham, had worked on simi-lar wood inlay murals for Jefferson High School and in the urban neighborhood of Irvington in Portland.
The archives in the Valley Library contained specific documents referring to the mural, including notes about who and what Gorham was to include in the work. A tree of life motif was prevalent to represent Oregon’s forest industry.
Much of the artwork was inspired by biblical verses, said McCreary.
“This is something you would not have today,” McCreary said. “Now, there is a pretty strong ethic to separate state and religion, yet, they decided back then that Bible verses would inspire the art. It’s an interesting little window onto a time.”
Some receipts for materials requested by Gorham were also included in the documents for the “WPA Wood Inlay Project for Commerce Hall,” including 12 rolls of Scotch tape and some Cellophane valued at more than $40 — or more than $653 with current inflation.
Jodie Davaz, kBVr news [email protected]
2• Tuesday, February 19, 2013 [email protected] • 737-2231
CalendarTuesday, Feb. 19MeetingsASOSU Senate, 7pm, MU 211SpeakersWomen Returning to Higher Education,
12:30-2pm, MU Journey Room. Lecture: Balancing School and Life with Dr. Jackie Alvarez, Director of Counseling & Psycho-logical Services.
EventsLonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center,
5-7pm, Snell 424, 4Cs. History of NAACP. Learn about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People organization.
IFCS - Interfaith Community Services, Noon-1:30pm, Snell Hall Kitchen. Bag-It Better Together. Bring your own lunch. Serving OSU Emergency Food Pantry.
Wednesday, Feb. 20MeetingsASOSU/SIFC, 7pm, MU Lounge. ASOSU
Joint Session/SIFC budget approval.SpeakersIFCS - Interfaith Community Services
& Pride Center, 6-8pm, Valley Library Rotunda. Lecturer/Faitheist Chris Stedman will discuss his new book “Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious.”
EventsLonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center,
5-6:30pm, Location TBA. Blacks in Media. Learn how the Black community is por-trayed in the media across the nation.
Pride Center, Noon-1pm, Pride Center. Book Club: reading “Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious” by Chris Stedman. The book explains how he went from a closeted gay evangelical Christian to an “out” atheist and humanist.
Thursday, Feb. 21MeetingsBaha’i Campus Association, 12:30-1pm,
MU Talisman Room. The Great Spiritual Teachers - Devotions and discussion on the contributions of great spiritual teachers.
College Republicans, 7pm, StAg 107. General meeting.
EventsLonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center,
5-7pm, Locaiton TBA. I Am History.SOL: LGBT Multicultural Support
Network, 5-7pm, Native American Long-house. Queer People of Color meeting. An informal social gathering of queer people of color with free food and discussion.
Reproductive Justice of OSU, 5-7pm, Women’s Center. Showing “The Pill,” a film about the development and legaliza-tion of hormonal birth control. Discussion to follow.
Black Graduate Student Association, Noon, Linus Pauling Science Center 402. Sharing lessons learned from Research Centers in Minority Institutions confer-ence.
Friday, Feb. 22EventsLonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center,
Noon-2pm, MU East/Snell International Forum. Black Affairs Conference.
OSU Music Department, Noon, MU Lounge. Music å la Carte: David Rogers Lute Duo.
Monday, Feb. 25EventsCampus Recycling, all day, all OSU
Residence Halls. Residence Halls Eco-Challenge Month. Choose 3 environmen-tal pledges. Through March 1.
Women’s Center, 6-8pm, MU Journey Room. Female undecided majors are encouraged to come to a panel of speak-ers of women excelling in their STEM fields. Food provided.
Tuesday, Feb. 26MeetingsASOSU Senate, 7pm, MU 211EventsLonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center,
7-9pm, MU Ballroom. Black History Month Dinner. Free, but ticket required.
Graduate School, 1:30-3pm, MU Journey Room. Deciding Whether to Go, Where to Go, and How to Get the Most Out of It Once You’re There. Presentation by Dr. Richard Boone of the National Science Foundation.
Women’s Center, 5-7pm, Women’s Center. Open-space dialogue for women. This will be a confidence builder event! Refresh-ments provided.
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someone’s eyes, you see that people realize: ‘This is an amazing subject.’”
A few years ago, Rajagopal said she had a student who came to class with a bad attitude and was apathetic toward the class material. However, as the term went on, the student came up to Rajagopal and expressed her realization on why the con-tent mattered.
For Rajagopal, the importance of educa-tion comes from students being able to see the bigger picture and applying what they learn to what is going on in the world.
“She taught me how to step back and see the world on a bigger scale than my ‘small’ college eyes,” said Minhazur Sarker, a senior studying microbiology on a pre-medicine track.
If students can use the knowledge and skills they learn in school, then they can navigate the world, find something mean-ingful and figure out how to place random information into context.
“Let’s say you memorized all the streets in San Francisco … well that’s an amazing feat of memory, but what in the world are you going to do with that?” Rajagopal said. “The only point in learning some of that information is so that you can navigate and by understanding how things intersect, how they’re connected to each other, will help you get from one place to another.”
Although many students focus on the aesthetic qualities of their transcripts, Rajagopal encourages students to step into the unknown and allow room for mistakes.
“You’re not going to be Michael Phelps
without ever getting into the pool and splashing around and swallowing water,” Rajagopal said.
During her time in graduate school, Rajagopal remembers working on a prob-lem and unconsciously took out a piece of paper, drew a line down the center, and wrote what she knew on one side and what she was trying to figure out on the other side.
She learned this sys-tematic way of finding answers in the fourth grade.
Rajagopal said that her fourth grade teacher had given her a valuable gift for organizing thoughts. Now, Rajagopal pays homage to her teacher by dem-onstrating the skill to her own students.
“That’s the cool thing about teaching, you’ll never know how far that’s going to go,” Rajagopal said.
This year, Rajagopal was one of two recipients of the University Honors College Eminent Professor awards.
“I firmly believe she is the best science instructor on the campus and one of the best instructors of any subject at OSU,” said Kevin Ahearn, director of undergraduate research and senior instructor of biochem-istry and biophysics. “She puts more time and effort into her classes and in working with students than anyone I know.”
The University Honors College Eminent Professor award is now part of Rajagopal’s collection of teaching awards. Rajagopal has been awarded several other awards
including the Carter award, University Honors College Professor of the Year award and OSU Beaver Champion award.
“When I found out that Indira was awarded the UHC Eminent Professor award this year, the first thing I did was share the link on Facebook and comment about how it was well deserved,” Sarker said. “I think
she got it because she earned it.”
In addition to her passion for education, Rajagopal also feels passionately about the environment.
Currently, Rajagopal is working with experts at the OSU Extended Campus in order to pro-vide more open edu-cational resources for students.
In August 2012, Rajagopal and Ahearn released a free, electronic textbook titled, “Biochemistry Free and Easy.” Since its release, students all over the world have downloaded more than 26,000 copies on iTunes.
Just three weeks ago, a second book titled “Kevin and Indira’s Guide to Getting Into Medical School” was released to guide students who plan on attending medical school.
“There really should be other resources for students, so they don’t have to decide to eat or to buy textbooks,” Rajagopal said. “Education is hugely important, and at the same time, I think it should be accessible.”
katherine Choi, news [email protected]
raJaGoPaLn Continued from page 1
‘‘ ‘‘Education is hugely important, and at the same time, i
think it should be accessible.
indira rajagopalOSU biochemistry and biophysics professor
Nestle recalls products after horse meat discovery(CNN) — Nestle is suspending deliveries
of all its products that include beef from a German supplier because “traces of horse DNA” were found in the meat, the Swiss-based food giant said on its website Monday.
Nestle also is recalling two chilled pasta products, Buitoni Beef Ravioli and Beef Tortellini, from store shelves in Italy and Spain, the news release said. A lasagna prod-uct sold to French catering businesses will also be recalled.
“Our tests have found traces of horse DNA in two products made from beef supplied by H.J. Schypke,” the statement said. “The levels found are above the one percent threshold the UK’s Food Safety Agency uses to indicate likely adulteration or gross negligence.”
The company said there are no food safety issues and it had notified the authorities.
H.J. Schypke is a subcontractor of JBS Toledo N.V., a Belgian supplier.
Unauthorized horse meat has been dis-covered in a variety of products labeled as beef that were sold in supermarkets in countries including Britain, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Ireland.
Also on Monday, the French government lifted a suspension tied to the production
of minced meat, sausages and ready-made meals at Spanghero. The French firm will still not be allowed to stock frozen raw meat.
Spanghero should have known that the meat it labeled as beef was actually horse, French Consumer Affairs Minister Benoit Hamon has said.
Spanghero was the first company to label the meat as beef, the minister said, adding that 750 tons of horse meat were involved over a period of at least six months.
Spanghero should have identified the meat as horse from its Romanian customs code, as well as its appearance, smell and price, he said.
A Spanghero representative has told CNN the company had acted in good faith. “The company has never ordered horse meat, and we never knowingly sold horse meat,” the representative said.
The affair has been passed to the Paris prosecutor to be investigated as fraud, Hamon said. The offense is punishable by up to two years in prison and fines of up to €187,500 (about $250,000) for the companies involved.
Meanwhile, UK Environment Secretary Owen Paterson met with representatives of
food businesses to talk about the response to the horse meat scandal.
“I welcome the food businesses’ com-mitment to testing their products. They all assured me that they will not rest until they have established the full picture. There is still much to be done to find out exactly how this happened and how it can be prevented from happening again, and to do everything pos-sible to reassure consumers about the food on our shelves,” he said in a statement after the meeting.
Paterson said the representatives “agreed to do their level best to report back as many testing results as possible” to the Food Standards Agency by Friday.
Separately, the agency told CNN that it has no information to suggest donkey meat is in the food chain.
The meat industry was first thrust into the spotlight last month when Irish inves-tigators found horse and pig DNA in ham-burger products. The discovery of pig DNA in beef products is of particular concern to Jews and Muslims, whose dietary laws forbid the consumption of pork products. Jewish dietary laws also ban the consump-tion of horse meat.
Filipinos’ standoff in Borneo linked to dealings with Muslim rebels(CNN) — The peculiar
standoff on Borneo between Malaysian security forces and a group of men from the south-ern Philippines has its roots in a recent landmark peace deal between Manila and Muslim rebels, according to an expert on the region.
More than 100 men from the mainly Muslim southern Philippines came ashore in the Malaysian state of Sabah
on Borneo early last week demanding to be recognized as representatives of a sultan-ate that has historical claims on the area.
Their claims touch on an unresolved territorial question between the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as Manila’s efforts to improve relations with Islamic insurgents in the country’s south after decades of violence.
Malaysian police and armed forces soon surrounded the village in the eastern Sabah district of Lahad Datu where the men had gathered. Police officials said they were nego-tiating with the group in an effort to persuade its members to return to their homes in the Philippines peacefully.
The Philippine government also urged them to come back to the country, saying it hadn’t
authorized their voyage. There was no indication of a resolu-tion to the standoff on Monday.
The men claim to be the Royal Army of the Sultanate of Sulu, which once encom-passed Sabah, and say they don’t want their people to be sent away from the area, Malaysian authorities said. There are conflicting claims about to what extent the men are armed.
3 •Tuesday, February 19, 2013 [email protected]
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LettersLetters to the editor are welcomed and will be printed on a first-received basis. Letters must be 300 words or fewer and include the author’s signature, academic major, class standing or job title, department name and phone number. Authors of e-mailed letters will receive a reply for the purpose of verification. Letters are subject to editing for space and clarity. The Daily Barometer reserves the right to refuse publication of any submissions.
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Corvallis, OR 97331-1617or e-mail: [email protected]
Stop poverty, hunger by advancing sustainable agricultureThe United States of America
has been one of the most profitable, progressive and
accomplished nations this planet has ever seen. America is known through-out the world for innovative agricul-tural practices, modeling systems and methods that set the trend for numerous countries. Accompanied by the interstate and railroad systems, stretching from the coastal bays of the Carolinas and Maine, to the high desert and palm tree-lined walks of California, are able to transport raw goods faster than ever before. With all that, why do 40 million people in America live below the poverty line at the risk of hunger?
As a nation, we are beyond fortunate to have enough food materials and natural resources to feed our entire population as well as having additional supplies to send overseas. Compared to many other countries in the world, we are gloating on the high end of liv-ing. Despite this abundance, millions of American people go to bed hungry, even starve, without the knowledge of where their next meal will come from — a harsh reality we must acknowl-edge and address. Millions of lives have been lost due to food instability, and that startling number continues to rise by the minute.
American agriculturalists of today are responsible for producing 262 percent more food on 2 percent less land, with fewer inputs such as water, feed, seed or fertilizer. A staggering and impressive fact indeed, but as mentioned before, millions are still hungry and are face-to-face with food insecurity. With such an abundance of food and resources, why are fellow Americans and neighbors going hun-gry? Although there are a number of contributing factors to this pandemic, poverty is the ultimate contributor. The ancient Chinese proverb holds true: “Feed a man a fish, he eats for a
day. Teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime.” As a nation, we are neglect-ful of the financial resources needed to obtain the precious and nutritious food needed to live a thriving and healthy lifestyle.
With low wages and record-setting unemployment, we, as a nation, can-not produce the monetary resources needed to achieve a nutrient-rich and healthy way of life. Prices for everyday necessities show no trend of a decline, sending the cost of living higher than ever before — especially if growing children are added into the equation. In America, there is an abundance of fast food and “junk” food options that can lead to serious side effects if under regular consumption. More times than not, these foods are the only option for poverty-stricken families across the nation. Simple, good and wholesome food can be expensive and require more time to prepare. That expense, paired with one of the highest unem-ployment rates in American history, makes for a deadly combination.
Over the years, a dramatic increase in food stamps and government issued welfare has spurred countless debacles and controversy. Oftentimes, peo-ple become so dependent on these resources they would rather receive government assistance than learn and practice skills that will allow them to self-sustain themselves and their fam-ily. With this train of thought and lack of motivation, it contributes directly to the nation’s unemployment, thus increasing the levels of poverty. As a nation, how do we crack this current mindset we are in?
America was founded on the princi-ples of freedom, hard work, dedication, loyalty, serving others and self-sustain-ing actions. As a nation today, many
of our neighbors, communities and states are not behaving and conduct-ing their daily action in a sustainable manner. We must begin looking into the model that sustainable agriculture has shown and conduct our own soci-eties in a similar fashion. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, sustainable agriculture is an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:
•Satisfy human food and fiber needs•Enhance environmental qual-
ity and the natural resource base upon which the agri-culture economy depends
•Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls
•Sustain the economic viability of farm operations
•Enhance the quality of life for farm-ers and society as a whole.
Through these sustainable agricul-ture practices, we will be able to thrive as a united nation, while helping our neighbors around the world prosper. As a family, community, state, nation and world, we are linked together. As humans, we are all in need of one another’s resources to flourish, because we are only as strong as our weakest link. Now is the time for a newer thinking. An introspective that returns us back to the foundations of a great nation — producing a logical train of thought that relates back to the greatest industry known to man, agriculture.
Overall, we as the people of a world growing to record numbers must take
action, holding ourselves accountable for the success of this planet. The first step will be in sustaining the basic necessities demanded by the current seven billion living, breathing humans. As we grow closer to a population of 9 billion, we must enhance the environ-mental conditions for upcoming gen-erations. As stewards of the land, it is our duty to effectively use nonrenewable and renewable resources in a fashion that will allow agriculturalists of the future to utilize these same resources. Together as a people, we must con-tinue to sustain the industry that feeds, fuels and clothes this growing world.
Without agriculture, we are both hungry and naked — and under those condi-tions, we won’t sur-vive long. In the end, we must continue in the upward march of humanity by improv-ing the wellbeing of
our own society as well as our neighbor-ing villages, towns and countries around the globe.
With advancements in sustainable agriculture, we can bring world pov-erty and starvation to a halting end. Through cooperation, perseverance, moderation, education and hard work, we are on the right track to solving this devastating issue. Hunger exists in America and the world because we tolerate it — not because we lack raw food materials, labor or the resources. Action must be taken at this instant — not soon, not tomorrow, not next week, but now. Hunger in America and the world is solvable. Through advocacy, education, cooperation and innovation, the hunger epidemic can, and will be, stopped.
t
Jon C. Calhoun is majoring agricultural sciences, ia stu-dent advisory team member for Agriculture Future of America, president for Agricultural Executive Council, ambassador for Agriculture for Forestry and Natural Resources.
Cnn article in the Feb. 18 barometer
Offensive news articleI am writing to voice my frustration and
opposition to The Daily Barometers deci-sion to insert the CNN article “Lebanese women take on Muslim judges who call rape a ‘marital right’” on the back page of today’s issue. Fist of all, CNN’s par-ent company, Time Warner is the largest media conglomerate in the world. Their pro-Western and Zionist agenda are clear and well-known. I don’t need to remind you about CNN’s refusal to air the documentary on Bahrain made by their very own journal-ist, Amber Lyon. Their reason was obvious: “The US Military has its 5th Fleet in Bahrain and the Al-Khalifa family are ‘our’ old time ‘buddies’ ... we can’t afford to burn bridges for the sake of democracy or justice.”
Another failure to provide adequate context and sourcing from western media, case in point CNN, involves Israel’s relent-less drive to build more settlements on Palestinian lands under Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak while firmly refusing Palestinians a right of return. This is one of the most essential and yet misun-derstood pieces of the puzzle for under-standing Israeli-Palestinian relations. Yet such important historical factors are largely devoid from CNN and other western media coverage of the Gaza tragedy.
CNN (and its western media croony) have an agenda to portray Muslim coun-tries (Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine ) in the Middle East as barbaric and uncivilized nations governed by “Sharia” law. This is not the case. Some of the first civilizations in the word were established under Islamic leadership. Furthermore, Islam upholds and sanctifies the rights of women regard-less of whether “they” belong to the faith or not. The stalled law in Lebanon that would protect the women from domestic violence
OSU needs to sign memorandumOregon State University
should sign the memoran-dum of understanding with
the Department of Defense regarding tuition assistance. That the university has dawdled on the matter for this long is upsetting, especially when signing the document should be a clear-cut matter.
Not signing by March 1 could end OSU receiving money for the program, and put approximately 100 service members’ tuition fund-ing at risk beginning spring term. If OSU truly is the military and veteran friendly university that it hypes itself to be, it needs to sign this document.
The Department of Defense issued the memorandum in order to combat abuses to the program by for-profit colleges that were taking advantage of service members. The memoran-dum merely ensures that students who are active duty service members are progressing in school and that the Department of Defense is not wasting its money on phony schools — it is merely making sure its investment is spent wisely.
While the memorandum is not entirely perfect, not signing would put students at risk— a risk not worth taking. This is especially true consid-ering a third draft of the memoran-dum is coming out shortly according to the Department of Defense.
It is true the new rules may cause a little extra work for officials in the registrar’s office, but it is a small price to pay to make sure that those who serve our country continue to be able to receive assistance to attend this university. These men and women have already given up so much in order to serve our nation, the least this university can do is make sure they receive all the benefits due to them.
The tuition assistance program allows active duty service men and women to get tuition fully funded up to $4,500 annually. It is a great help to soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who want to further their education.
The university already has cer-tifying officials for the GI Bill and these and others could be tapped in order to make sure the memoran-dum’s requirements are met. The new requirements merely ask that infor-mation already collected through the university in the MyDegrees program get sent to the Department of Defense. The taxpayers want to make sure their dollars aren’t being wasted and this is merely ensuring it.
We are certain the university will sign the document in time — we cannot think of a reason it would not. But if OSU did not sign it, it would be doing a grave disservice not only to those who are counting on that money to continue their studies spring term and beyond, but to the university at large. Veterans and ser-vice men and women are a valuable addition to the university experience and we need their voices. Especially if we claim to be friendly to them.
t
Editorials serve as means for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale or diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board’s majority.
Letters to the Editor
See LETTErs | page 6ryan mason is a soPhomorE in GraPhiC DEsiGn.
Guest ColumnJon C. Calhoun
‘‘ ‘‘
hunger exists in america and the
world because we tolerate it.
4 • Tuesday, February 19, 2013 [email protected] • On Twitter @barosports
The Daily Barometer SportsBeaver Tweet
of the Day
“Had to hustle to class. No time for underwear. #oops #goodstudent #sacri�ce”
@SethThomasM Seth Thomas
Thursday, Feb. 21Softball @ Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic (vs. Colorado State/Maryland) 6 p.m./8:30 p.m., Palm Springs, Calif.
No. 6 Baseball @ San Diego State 6 p.m., San Diego, Calif.
Men’s Basketball vs. Stanford 7 p.m., Gill Coliseum ESPNU (TV)
Friday, Feb. 22Softball @ Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic (vs. Nevada/Illinois) 12:30 p.m./8 p.m., Palm Springs, Calif.
No. 6 Baseball @ San Diego State 6 p.m., San Diego, Calif.
No. 11 Gymnastics vs. No. 15 Arizona 7 p.m., Gill Coliseum
Women’s Basketball @ No. 4 Stanford 8 p.m., Stanford, Calif. Pac-12 Networks (TV)
Men’s Golf @ Wyoming Desert Collegiate All Day, Palm Springs, Calif.
saTurday, Feb. 23Softball @ Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic (vs. Georgia Tech) 12 p.m., Palm Springs, Calif.
No. 6 Baseball @ San Diego State 1 p.m., San Diego, Calif.
Men’s Basketball vs. Cal 3 p.m., Gill Coliseum
Men’s Golf @ Wyoming Desert Collegiate All Day, Palm Springs, Calif.
COMING SOON The Daily Barometer Athlete of the Week
Senior outfielder Lea Cavestany probably could have been named last week’s Daily Barometer Athlete of the Week after hitting a walk-off home run in the Beavers’ 1-0 win over San Jose State on Feb. 10.
This past weekend, she made it impossible not to honor her this week.
On OSU’s 5-0 trip to Las Vegas, Cavestany hit .562 (9-for-16), had a slugging percentage of 1.000, scored seven runs, drove in seven runs and hit two home runs.
Against BYU on Friday, Cavestany came up to the plate in the top of the seventh inning with runners on second and third and the Beavers down, 3-1.
Cavestany drove the first pitch she saw out of the park for a go-ahead, three-run home run. The Beavers tacked on three more runs in the seventh inning and wound up winning 7-3.
The Pittsburg, Calif., native also added a solo home run — her third dinger of the season — in OSU’s 17-3 win over Long Beach State on Sunday.
Through 11 games, Cavestany leads the team in runs scored (10) and is second on the team in average (.429), home runs (3) and RBIs (8). She trails only freshman first baseman Natalie Hampton in all three triple crown categories.
Cavestany has had an up-and-down collegiate career. As a freshman in 2010, she hit .350 and was second on the team in slugging percentage (.575), home runs (7) and RBIs (33). But she struggled as a sophomore, hitting .240 and collecting just 12 RBIs. Last year, she drove in 32 runs but still batted just .263.
If the first two weeks of the season are any indication, Cavestany is well on her way to a career year this spring.
Grady Garrett, sports reporteron Twitter: @gradygarrett
THE DAILY BAROMETER ARCHIVES
Senior outfielder lea Cavestany hit .562 with seven runs batted in and two home runs last weekend in las Vegas.
Lea Cavestany
Vinay Bikkina | THE DAILY BAROMETER
oregon State junior forward alysaa martin meets pressure in the key as she drives toward the basket. There was good defense on both sides in monday’s game, but oSU came out on the losing end.
warnerstrausbaugh
@WStrausbaugh
OSU baseball takes care of
businessA lot of hype left with the
Oregon State baseball team when they went down to the
Palm Springs Tournament prior to last weekend.
The Beavers came into the 2013 season ranked No. 6 in the nation, which was high praise for a team that didn’t make it out of the regional round last year.
OSU returned eight of its nine starters around the diamond, as well as two of three starters in the rotation. There were already high expectations for the Beavers before they even threw their first pitch.
So going into a tournament in which OSU would face three unranked teams over four games, it was clear what needed to happen for the Beavers to justify such a high ranking: win out.
That’s exactly what Oregon State did down in Palm Springs, Calif., over the weekend. And it wasn’t just winning all four games OSU needed to do — it was winning them convincingly.
OSU went in and beat Utah Valley by three runs, Gonzaga by seven and UC Riverside by 11. It wasn’t until Monday’s 10-inning win — a rematch with UC Riverside — that the Beavers faced a real challenge in the tournament. But they are 4-0 heading into a road series at San Diego State, and have looked the part of a top-10 team.
Here are the most important obser-vations from yesterday’s close call and the rest of the weekend games:
• The bullpen had been flawless in the first three games of the season, throwing 7 2/3 scoreless innings. Once again, the bullpen came up clutch in Monday’s game. Dylan Davis gave up two earned runs in the first inning and was yanked by head coach Pat Casey. The bullpen went on
See sTraUsBaUGh | page 5
Another game, another lossn Women’s basketball fails in crunch time
against Washington, lose eighth straightBy mitch mahoneyThe Daily BaromeTer
With both teams showing quality defense in Gill Coliseum Monday night, it was Washington that separated itself and came away victorious in the end.
In what has become routine for the Oregon State women’s basketball team (9-17, 3-11 Pac-12), the Beavers could not get their shots to fall. Through the first half of the game, they were just six-of-25 shooting. Surprisingly, the Huskies (19-6, 11-3 Pac-12) were even worse. They shot a paltry 6-of-31 from the field in the first half.
When the buzzer sounded, OSU led the Huskies 22-18. For much of the game, the Beavers held the lead. For the second game in a row, however, they were unable to close it out in crunch time.
In the second half, the game was a battle between two guards. Powering Oregon State was freshman Jamie Weisner, who bounced back from a 3-for-13 shooting night on Friday to finish with a game-high 22 points on seven-for-15 shooting.
“I just approach each game with the same mindset,” Weisner said. “I try not to worry about the last game. ... It’s still disappointing. I would’ve given 22 of those points back to get a win.”
For Washington, guard Jazmine Davis was the one driving her team. She led the Huskies with 20 points and provided numerous crucial baskets down the stretch. With 8:52 left in the game, Davis downed a 3-pointer to give the Huskies their first lead of the night, at 35-34.
Weisner claimed it right back for OSU on a jumpshot, and the two teams would trade leads until the Beavers let it slip through their fingers.
“I think their defense stifled us at the end of the game,” said head coach Scott Rueck. “They played good defense, they made everything tough for us down the stretch. I thought we got some decent looks ... we just missed.”
With the game on the line for the Huskies, Jazmine Davis was sent to the free throw line with 14 seconds left and her team up by two points. She calmly drained both free throws to put the game away.
If any positives come from their second heartbreaking loss in three days, it’s that the Beavers’ defense has been playing well. On the season, the Huskies are averaging 68 points per game, and to hold them to 49 is a testament to OSU’s defensive efforts.
“I thought our defense was phenomenal
See WomEn’s hooPs | page 5
to throw 10 innings, far more than should ever be expected, allowing no earned runs.
• Freshman Max Engelbrekt, in particular, has been a fac-tor out of the OSU bullpen in the early going. Engelbrekt threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings in Friday’s season-opener, pick-ing up the save. Engelbrekt was
called on again in a crunch-time situa-tion for the Beavers, and once again deliv-ered. He pitched 2 2/3 perfect innings in the ninth, 10th and
11th innings Monday to pick up his first career win.
• It’s becoming clear that junior Jerad Casper is going to be an everyday player for the Beavers. Casper, the transfer from Bellevue College, has started in all four games thus far for OSU — starting two times apiece at first and third base. While he’s only recorded three hits in 14 at-bats so far, he’s hit between fifth and sev-enth in the lineup.
• Dylan Davis’ role for this team remains a mys-tery after Monday. In three games, he’s hitting .375 with a triple and three runs batted in over eight at-bats. Davis also pitches, but did not fair well Monday, only lasting an inning, while walking two batters, allowing three hits and two earned runs against UC Riverside. This will be a story to watch leading up to Pac-12 play, as it’s unsure how much he’ll be in the lineup and how much he’ll throw out of the bullpen. There’s potential there, but whether that potential gets utilized remains to be seen.
• Utility man extraordinaire Jake Rodriguez has started
three of four games at catcher, and one at third base. Not only is Rodriguez valuable for his versa-tility, but he also has been the team’s best hit-ter in the first four games. Rodriguez is hitting .463 in 13 at-bats and has gotten at least one hit in all four games.
• Oregon State’s upcoming four-game series at San Diego
State, which begins Thursday, will prove to be quite the ear-ly-season test. The Aztecs are still unranked, which comes as a surprise considering they just swept intercity rival San Diego over the weekend. San Diego was ranked No. 25 by the preseason poll, but the Aztecs outscored them by 11 runs in the three-game sweep. This weekend’s Palm Springs Tournament held up to expectations for the No. 6 Beavers, but how they fare against San Diego State on the road will give a truer evaluation of just how good Oregon State is.
Warner strausbaugh, managing editoron Twitter @WStrausbaugh
[email protected] • On Twitter @barosports Tuesday, February 19, 2013 • 5
Intramural basketball weekly notebookBy Grady Garrett and andrew kilstrom
The Daily BaromeTer
Last year, The Daily Barometer ranked the top 10 intramural men’s basket-ball teams heading into the playoffs.
This year, we’re taking it a step further.
Over the course of the four-week regular season, we’ll scout each men’s “A” team at least twice — unless you’re not any good, then we won’t waste our time.
Every Tuesday, we’ll run a notebook with observations from the previous week’s men’s “A” games. The day before the playoffs begin, we’ll release our men’s “A” top-10. We will also release a women’s “A” top-five, but we won’t include the women’s teams in our weekly note-books since there are only 18 women’s teams in compari-son to 78 men’s teams.
The notebooks will touch on a variety of topics — we have no set criteria for what we will, or won’t, write about.
If you don’t like some-thing we wrote, or if you think we significantly under-sold or oversold a certain team, feel free to shoot us an email ([email protected]) or hit us up on Twitter (@gradygarrett, @AndrewKilstrom).
Notes on games from Feb. 11-17 — last night’s games will be included in next week’s notebook:
• The most important game last week took place between Fantasy Factory and Lambda Chi Alpha A Team. Both teams featured at least one player who played in last year’s All-U champion-ship game, and both teams entered last week undefeated — comfortably undefeated — so we made sure to watch this one closely. Here are some notes from the game, of which Fantasy Factory won 45-35:
• Fantasy Factory’s point guard was rocking a sick McDonald’s All-American Chauncey Billups jersey. Not sure where he got it, but we’re jealous.
• The game was played intensely, possibly more so than a lot of OSU men’s bas-ketball games this year (yes, that’s a shot at their under-performance). More than that, they played the right way. Tempers flared at times, but considering how hard everyone was playing, the sportsmanship was pretty good.
• Lambda Chi’s point guard looks like a really good player, but that 3-point celebration was questionable. It was probably cool in your head, but don’t do it again.
• Things climaxed with six minutes left when the score was 28-28. Fantasy Factory’s bigs took over and subse-quently pulled away.
• After making fun of Babbitt Empire (Monday at 10 p.m. timeslot) last week, it seems as though our harsh words acted as inspiration. Tied with only seconds remaining, Alex Reininga hit a game-winning 3-pointer in what might have been the best finish to a game this year. When asked what the difference was between weeks past and Monday night, An Nguyen replied with an unsurprising answer for such a dumb team name: “Babbitt was with us tonight.”
• We also witnessed anoth-er game-winning 3-pointer — this one was a bit more important, because it helped an undefeated team stay undefeated. Tied with the winless Notown Prodigies, Benjamin Loveday hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 1.2 seconds remain-ing to give his team a 28-25 win. Loveday’s team’s name? Lillard Time. Yes, two teams named after Blazers won on last-second 3-pointers last week. What’s that mean? We have no idea.
• In Stark Shot Selectors’ 46-45 win over White Mamba, a former Barometer sports editor (not either of us) made two free throws with 2.3 sec-onds left, his team down one and a playoff spot on the line. Just because we write about sports doesn’t automatically mean we’re not any good at playing them ourselves.
• There was also a pret-ty intense, close game on Sunday that deserves men-tion. Though Moharebeens and Curry County +1 are both pretty good, playoff-bound teams, they each managed the last minute of regulation horribly and ended up going into overtime after a Curry County +1 player was fouled on a drive to the hoop with one second remaining and his team down one. (Note to everyone: Attack the basket when the game is on the line. We’ve seen refs call a foul in said situation more often than not.) The Curry County +1 player made one of two
and his team wound up win-ning in overtime.
• We’ve mentioned sev-eral times that the 10 p.m. time slot on Wednesday is when Polyester, the primary “football team,” plays. It’s worth pointing out that while Polyester (1-2) has under-achieved, the best team from this time slot — the MinoTaurs — actually has a football player of its own (6-foot-7 tight end Connor Hamlett), as well as ex-football players Jack Lomax and Will Storey. They beat Polyester two weeks ago and then took down undefeated Sabonis’ Massage Team last week, so they’ve definitely emerged as the best of the teams featuring current/for-mer OSU athletes.
• Our weekly shout-out to the teams that lost by 30-plus last week: The Chicago Pulls, Sigma Chi 2 and SAE II. Oh, we almost forgot Lambda Chi Alpha B. This is their third week in a row on this list, but this past week they dropped to a whole new level, losing by 64 points (82-18). SIXTY FREAKING FOUR.
• Next week, we’ll officially release our pre-playoffs top-10. Of the 78 teams signed up, we’ve trimmed our list of potential top-10 teams to 20. There are seven teams we feel fairly good about, and 13 others that need to impress us this week if they want to sneak into the top 10.
We’ll be present at every set of games this week, but here are six games we’ll take a greater interest in because we suspect they’ll directly affect the rankings.
Games featuring two teams in our final 20:
• Honey Badgers vs. The Dream Team (last night… result came after press time)
• Money Team vs. Team Burby (Wednesday at 10:45 p.m., court 2)
• Lillard Time vs. Christensen (Thursday at 7 p.m., court 1)
Other games we’ll be watching closely:
• Richie Rich & the Dixie Chicks vs. Team Take Off (tonight at 6:15, court 2)
• Lambda Chi vs. White Mamba (tonight at 7:00, court 2)
• SigEp A vs. Flint Tropics (Sunday at 4:45 p.m., court 1)
Grady Garrett, sports reporter andrew kilstrom, sports editor
Pac-12 Wrestling Power RankingsBy andrew kilstrom
The Daily BaromeTer
1. No. 9 Oregon State (13-4, 5-1 Pac-12)
The No. 9 Beavers remain atop this week’s power rankings after a solid showing at the Cliff Keen Regional Duals. Oregon State split
matches, beating No. 19 Michigan and falling to No. 7 Virginia Tech, but still look poised to repeat as Pac-12 champions in two weeks. OSU ended its conference-best
nine-dual winning streak with Sunday’s lost to the Hokies, but should be at full strength once the postseason rolls around. No. 19 Ty Vinson, a 184-pound senior, is expected to be back in the lineup after skipping the Regional Duals with a nagging hamstring injury. He would be a big lift. Boise State might be carrying just a bit more momentum into the Pac-12 Tournament, but OSU is still the defending champ.
2. No. 21 Boise State (10-5, 5-1)Because Oregon State lost this past week-
end, the No. 21 Broncos now have the longest winning streak in the conference at eight duals. Subsequently, Boise State is the hottest team
entering the Pac-12 Tournament and has a legitimate shot to upset OSU for the conference title. No. 2 Jason Chamberlain, 149-pound
senior, is wrestling the best he has during his prolific career, and confidence is at an all-time high for the Broncos. The top two teams are still the only contenders for the conference title, and it’s beginning to shape up as the best battle in recent memory.
3. Cal State Bakersfield (8-6, 2-3)Cal State Bakersfield snuck into the third
spot after a 24-13 win over Stanford and a respectable 26-12 loss to No. 12 Central Michigan.
After OSU and Boise State, the Roadrunners
have probably been the most consistent of the Pac-12 schools. Arizona State, Stanford and Cal Poly have all struggled recently, so Cal State Bakersfield gets the third spot more out of default than anything else.
4. Arizona State (8-11, 3-2)After losing six straight duals, the Sun Devils
got back in the win column in a big way with a 38-3 romping of lowly Cal Poly. ASU was
only one match away from what would have only been the sec-ond shutout in the Pac-12 this season — Oregon State shutout Cal Poly 50-0 on Feb. 8 — but
lost in the 125-pound weight class by a 7-3 decision.
5. Stanford (6-16, 1-4)The Cardinal had a promising season with a
4-2 start, but have gone an abysmal 2-14 since. It looked like Stanford might make a late run to
turn the season around, taking down San Francisco State 28-11, before dropping two straight, including a 24-13 bout to Pac-12 opponent Cal State Bakersfield. Honestly, Stanford
doesn’t stand much of a chance at all at the Pac-12 Tournament and probably just hopes to finish above Cal Poly at this point.
6. Cal Poly (2-11, 0-6)In what is already a weak conference, Cal
Poly has acted as a doormat for other Pac-12 schools. The Mustangs have lost seven straight
duals, including embarrassing blowout losses of 39-3, 50-0, 43-3, 38-3 and 41-6. Cal Poly is a young team and the experience gained
this season should bode well for the future, but this year has been a nightmare. The good news is there’s still the Pac-12 Tournament left for Cal Poly to find redemption — though it’s unlikely.
andrew kilstrom, sports editoron Twitter @[email protected]
sTraUsBaUGhn Continued from page 4
WomEn’s hooPsn Continued from page 4
OrEGON STATE 5, UC rIVErSIDE 4
UC rIVErSIDE ab r h bi bb soPrestridge lf 5 1 1 0 1 0Young ss 4 0 1 0 2 0Andriese rf 5 1 1 2 0 0Chavez 2b 2 1 2 0 1 0Zarate dh 2 0 0 0 1 0Hough dh 2 0 0 0 0 0Hlnswrth cf 5 0 1 2 0 2Tellez 1b 4 0 0 0 1 1Steponvch c 3 0 0 0 0 1Bolasky ph 1 1 0 0 0 0 Ellis c 1 0 0 0 1 0Rubnwtz 3b 4 0 0 0 0 3Vilter 2b 1 0 0 0 0 0Totals 39 4 6 4 6 7
OrEGON STATE ab r h bi bb sGordon rf 3 0 0 0 0 0Howell ph 0 0 0 0 0 0Hayes ph 1 0 0 0 0 0Smith ss 3 2 1 1 2 2Conforto lf 3 0 1 1 1 0Rodriguez c 4 1 1 1 1 0Kayes 3b 5 0 2 1 0 0Yanzick pr 0 1 0 0 0 0Davis p 4 0 1 0 0 0Casper 1b 4 0 0 0 1 1Jansen cf 2 0 0 0 1 1Matthews cf 2 1 1 1 0 1Peterson 2b 4 0 0 0 0 237 5 7 5 6 8
UC riverside 200 000 002 00 – 4Oregon State 201 000 100 01 – 5
E – Chavez (3), Smith (1), Casper (4). DP – Oregon State 1. LOB – UC Riverside 10, Oregon State 8. 2B – Chavez (1), Holinsworth (1), Rodriguez (1), Matthews (2). SB – Conforto (2), Smith (2). CS – Young (2).
IP H r Er BB SOUC riversidePatito 4 2-3 4 3 3 4 3Garcia 1 2-3 0 1 1 1 1Frank 3 2-3 1 0 0 0 4Gonzales 1-3 2 1 1 1 0Oregon StateDavis 1 3 2 2 2 0Jackson 1-3 1 0 0 1 1Painton 6 1 0 0 2 4Schultz 1 1 2 0 1 1Engelbrekt W, 1-0 2 2-3 0 0 0 0 1
tonight,” Rueck said. “I thought we made them work for everything. I don’t think it was just an off-shooting night, we guarded them and defended them.”
Still, a loss is a loss, and this one marks the eighth in a row for the Beavers, who are in the midst of a free fall. They had high hopes entering the season.
“This is new territory for me,” Rueck said. “I’m trying to navigate it myself a little. ... This year we come in with expectations, and losing isn’t acceptable. I think there’s absolutely a mental toll on all of us.”
The Beavers will travel south this weekend to play No. 4 Stanford and No. 6 California in what are bound to be difficult games.
mitch mahoney, sports reporteron Twitter @mitchishere
Vinay Bikkina | THE DAILY BAROMETER
Freshman center mathilde Gilling of Washington blocks the shot of oSU’s Khadidja Toure.
Jake Rodriguez
Max Engelbrekt
6• Tuesday, February 19, 2013 [email protected]
You Decide:
THE BEST OF2013
The best place to ___________________ in Corvallis is ___________________
Take the Daily Barometer’s “Best of” survey at:tinyurl.com/BestOfCorvallis2013
Voting continues through Sunday, February 24.
The Socratic Club at Oregon State University presents…
A free public lecture by Computational & theoretical chemist Henry F. Schaefer
Stephen Hawking,the Big Bang, and God
Thursday, Feb. 21 • 7 p.m • LaSells Stewart CenterHenry F. Schaefer will present a lecture on our understanding of the origin of the universe, in which he will discuss theories about the beginning of time and space and the story of life’s existence. From his perspective as a scientist and follower of Jesus Christ, Schaefer will explore the implications of the theory of the Big Bang, suggesting that it shapes not only our understanding of the origin of life but of the nature of God as well.
Spirited debate is always welcome!
For more information visit our website: groups.oregonstate.edu/socratic. Use the contact form to request special accommodations. Watch more than 20 of our previous debates online at: www.youtube.com/user/orstsocraticclub
Schaefer is the Graham-Purdue Professor of Chemistry at the University of Georgia. He holds a PhD in Chemical Physics from Stanford University. As the author of more than 1300 publications, Schaefer is one of the most cited chemists in the world. He is a fellow of the American
Academy of Arts and Sciences, recipient of the Centenary Medal of the Royal Society of Chemistry (London), and has received many other distinguished awards. He is the author of Science and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence.
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has nothing to do with Islam and the title of that article is unfair, insulting and defaming.
When house Republicans made a bid to overturn federal law requiring employer (and religious institutions) to provide female employ-ees with free health insurance coverage for contraceptives, neither CNN nor The Barometer dared to publish an article titled “Christians Conservative Oppose the Rights of a Women to gain contraceptive Insurance”. When Paul Ryan dismissed rape as just another form of concep-tion, and defended his staunch anti-choice position on reproductive rights issues, neither CNN nor The Barometer published an article titled “Christian congressman says ‘Rape is part of God’s will and another form of Conception.’” Why? Because such a title would be defaming and insulting to the entire Christian religious following denomination. Why aren’t those same standards being held when it comes to Muslims?
If “we” have nothing better to print on The Daily Barometer but bogus CNN news articles, at-least put some thought into which articles do get inserted, and the title given to those articles. Show some courtesy and respect towards the desperate student population on campus. This is a university that should pride itself on striving to break hate messages and defaming propaganda towards any race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
A public apology seems warranted!ImtIaz-alI Kalyan
Water resources engineering
response to letter printed in the barometer
Let’s get our facts straightI am deeply troubled not only by Steven
McLain’s Feb. 14 and Harry Mallory’s Feb. 18 responses to the Feb 13 guest column “Broaden the conversation about sexual violence,” but also by the poor judgment of the Barometer edito-rial staff to print these incendiary, misogynistic diatribes.
McLain’s letter evidences ignorance when he dismisses the empirically established social reality of rape culture and insists that language is divorced from perception and attitude. His letter displays malice when he displaces rape as the problem that merits discussion and makes a concerted effort to belittle the original column by employing fallacious arguments to respond to straw-person arguments. Let’s get this straight: rape culture exists. The term is not “bandied about,” it is substantiated by peer-reviewed research conducted in the fields of sociology, psychology, communication stud-ies, history and anthropology, among others. Culture, furthermore, is not the “conscious transmission of values.” This understanding of culture, which can be attributed to 19th century literary critic Matthew Arnold, has been considered incomplete and therefore antiquated for more than 75 years precisely because it does not account for the sometimes subtle role of symbol systems. Twentieth cen-tury literary scholar Kenneth Burke explains that one function of symbols is to commu-nicate and legitimate attitudes, for instance, by decontextualizing rape (e.g. “that test just raped me”) so that it is tolerated and its grav-ity diminished in the original context of sexual violence. Another function of symbols that Burke outlines is to selectively represent reality, and in so doing deflect from other aspects of reality. For instance, by consciously express-ing approval of sexist jokes we unconsciously express disapproval of equal respect for per-sons regardless of sex. Or, by prioritizing the “struggles to legitimize and acknowledge the sovereignty of the individual over the integ-rity of their person,” as McLain advocates, we diminish the struggle to end sexual violence.
It is by making this very claim that McLain moves from ignorance to ignominious. I have no problem with objectivists being objectiv-ists, but to hijack a discussion about a public problem that is both pressing, given the recent spate of sexual violence in Corvallis, and per-vasive, given our largely rape-tolerant culture, in order to forward this private agenda is
dishonest and underhanded. McLain further attacks the original column by responding to a series of straw-persons. He is using two different definitions of sobriety. He nit-picks the words “enthusiastic” and “imaginative,” originally used to create an impression of the positive attitude under which consent should be granted, not legalistically. He makes a big deal out of the redundancy of sobriety and “informed consent,” as if the repetition invali-dated the argument. And he erroneously claims the original column specifies that consent must be an oral contract between participants — and suggests that therefore the columnists are discriminating against the differently abled — when, in fact, it refers to a “verbal” — meaning linguistic or symbolic — agree-ment. These disingenuous attacks move the public conversation backwards. They suggest that McLain views this discussion as a game, a contest of wits where the winner is not the voice that brings sound, empirically validated and theoretically accepted principles to bear in order to make a difference in the community, but rather the one who sounds smarter and appears dominant. Does McLain really need to be reminded that sexual violence, and the efforts a community takes to address sexual violence, are not a game? Or that treating it as such contributes to rape culture?
I have much less to say to Mallory. His ignorance is on display when he dismisses the documented inequalities between men and women and labels women’s studies a “profes-sional victims group,” when he labels gender equality a left-wing issue rather than a human rights issue, and when he refuses the empirical reality of a “culture of rape” in favor of his own uncorroborated worldview. But what is most notable about Mallory’s letter is his effort to position the original columnists as emotional and irrational. He accuses them of going off the “emotional deep end,” distances them from sanity, common sense and prudence, calls them absurd, suggests their beliefs are equivalent to superstition, describes their argu-ments as nonsense that is “mind-numbingly ridiculous” and “emotionally over-wrought,” questions their integrity and paints them as melodramatic. This is worth noting because members of society belonging to groups that enjoy privilege and power have traditionally employed these same terms to equate their opponents with hysterical women, ignorant children and the insane and thereby denigrate, demean and marginalize agitators who stand up and challenge unearned privilege. This is also worth noting because the original column was based in academically validated points about cultural norms that reproduce gender inequity, but Mallory’s letter was full of the very same passionate, hateful, angry and hurtful language that he falsely associates with the original Feb. 13 column. Go figure.
What I can’t figure out, however, is how Mallory and McLain were ever published in the Barometer. Mallory’s letter is one long string of vitriol that has no place in a heartfelt public discourse. McLain’s letter is full of fallacious arguments, unsubstantiated assertions and inaccurate representations. Together, Mallory and McLain received 27 column-inches of press, the women’s studies column received 24 column inches — or 26 to 22 if the signatures are excluded. As I teach in my media theory course, the responsibility of the press in a dem-ocratic society is to facilitate a broad, inclusive and reasoned discussion on matters of public import, not to grant every ill-informed icono-clast a soapbox regardless of the quality of their information and argumentation or the harms they may perpetuate. If the Barometer staff truly believes that every voice deserves to be heard regardless of merit, then let’s own up to the fact that we are no longer engaged in public discourse that aims to enrich our community, but a shouting match in which the most vocal and shameless will always win.
Gerald Voorhees
Assistant professor of media and cultural studies Oregon State University
LETTErsn Continued from page 3
(CNN) — The boyfriend of a 16-year-old, pregnant Texas girl who says her parents tried to force her to have an abortion told CNN on Monday that the couple never considered terminating the pregnancy.
“We were always determined to have the baby,” Evan Madison told CNN’s Piers Morgan.
The parents of the girl — who is 10 weeks pregnant — agreed Monday in a state court not to coerce her to have an abortion, an anti-abortion group repre-senting the girl said.
“We just achieved an agreed order,” Stephen Casey, a lawyer and founder of The Texas Center for Defense of Life, told CNN in a telephone interview Monday afternoon.
Casey had argued that Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 Supreme Court decision that guaranteed women the right to have an abor-tion, works both ways.
“Roe was about the right to choose,” Casey told CNN prior to the order being signed. “This young woman has the right to choose to have her child.”
Legal experts said that no one can force anyone — minor or not — to undergo an abor-tion. Monday’s legal action was intended, the girl’s lawyer said, to stop the parents from trying to influence their daughter to undergo the procedure.
Madison, 16, said he and the girl plan to get married. The legal age to marry in Texas is 16 with parental consent.
Both teens were in the court-
room on Monday. They sat sepa-rately from the girl’s parents, who are divorced. The girl lives with her mother.
The parents have denied the allegations in the lawsuit and called the case baseless. Their attorney did not respond to requests from CNN for comment.
The center, which is active in Republican politics nationwide, says it is dedicated to “aggres-sively defending the sanctity of human life.”
The lawyers were first con-tacted by the boy’s mother, who said that the girl’s parents were threatening both teens, accord-ing to Casey, who said the cen-ter then contacted the girl and offered their services gratis.
The lawsuit alleged that the girl’s mother threatened to “slip (the teen) an abortion pill,” took her daughter’s phone and car, and kept her home from school to punish her for choosing not to abort her fetus. The mother told the teen that she was “making the biggest mistake of her life” by choosing to have the child and that the mother herself had undergone numerous abortions, so her daughter should, too, the lawsuit said.
It added that the pregnant girl’s father told her he “was going to look into canceling” her health insurance. He texted his daughter that she “needs an ass whoopin’,” the document said.
The parents told their daugh-ter she could “continue to live in misery” in their home or she could “have the abortion and tell
everyone it was a miscarriage,” the lawsuit added.
The girl’s parents denied in court records all allegations and asked to have the cost of retain-ing an attorney reimbursed. That request was not granted.
In the interest of protecting the girl’s privacy, CNN is not identify-ing her or her parents. However, the restraining order includes the parents’ names.
“Under Texas procedure when it’s a case involving and alleging abuse of a minor, the minor’s identity should be protected, and the girl’s attorneys might have violated that,” said Susan Hays, an attorney and legal adviser to Jane’s Due Process, an Austin-based nonprofit organization that represents pregnant minors in the state.
Jane’s Due Process, which sup-ports the right to legal abortion, is not involved in this case.
“There’s an understanding that we will not make law on the back of a 16-year-old girl, and that’s what her attorneys are doing,” said Hays. “I’m appalled that they’ve done this to this girl. Putting the girl’s parents’ names in court documents ... her attorneys have done a lousy job protecting her confidentiality.”
Hays said the lawyers could have used the parents’ initials or included less detail about the family.
Casey responded that the courts had notified child protec-tive services about the abuse allegations.
He added that the goal of the
Texas Center for Defense of Life was not to disrupt the girl’s family, but to protect the girl.
“We feel like when the parents see their grandbaby, they’ll say ‘Oh!’ and they’ll have a change of heart,” Casey said. “They usually do that.”
Madison also said that he thought the parents would be loving grandparents.
Last year Casey’s group repre-sented a 14-year-old from Corpus Christi who said her family want-ed to force her to have an abor-tion. The girl didn’t want to abort the fetus, Casey said, and her grandmother and cousins were allegedly abusive to the teen. The lawyer in that case, which was settled and a confidential agree-ment reached, did not disclose the girl’s name, Casey said. He would not say whether the girl had an abortion.
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Texas parents agree not to pressure teen to have abortion
Immigration debate: high-stakes political pokerWASHINGTON (CNN) — Whether a politi-
cal ploy or bona fide proposal, a leaked ver-sion of President Barack Obama’s draft immi-gration plan raised Republican hackles while bringing some additional focus to the debate.
The draft plan reported over the weekend by USA Today and confirmed to CNN by an administration official included a possible path to coveted permanent residency in eight years for most of the nation’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.
It also called for steps to strengthen border security and the E-Verify system to check the immigration status of workers.
GOP critics pounced, with some objecting to any form of what they label “amnesty” for those in the country illegally. Others accused Obama and the White House of dirty tricks by going public with their draft as a bipar-tisan group of senators works on a possible agreement.
Conservative Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama complained on Monday that both the Obama draft and the talks involving the Senate’s so-called Gang of Eight seek to “confer legal status and work authorization on Day One in exchange for promises of future enforce-ment on which this administration will never deliver.”
“Perhaps this leak, and what it reveals, may mark the beginning of the collapse of this new scheme to force through a fatally flawed plan,” Sessions said in a statement.
Others accused Obama of deliberate-ly floating an unacceptable plan so that Republicans would reject it, bringing the party further disfavor from Hispanic Americans,
the nation’s fastest-growing demographic.“Does the president want a result, or
does he want another cudgel to beat up Republicans so that he can get political advantage in the next election?” veteran GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
To former Rep. Connie Mack, a Florida Republican, “a little bit of this is show from everyone, including the president’s side.”
Regardless of how it happened, the leak of Obama’s plan “plays into the fears” of Republicans that the president prefers keep-ing the issue alive for political advantage, Mack told CNN on Monday.
His wife — former Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack of California — agreed that the leak added to what she called an already deep trust deficit in Washington.
“The American people would be aston-ished if they knew how little trust existed between the two parties when we have to work together like this,” Bono Mack said on CNN.
She acknowledged tossing the president’s plan into the debate was “a good way to move a bill.”
“You know, come out farther to the left, make the room on the right,” Bono Mack said. “But in this case, start with that trust.”
Administration officials insisted Obama wanted Congress to work out an agreement that can win support from both parties.
“We will be prepared with our own plans if these ongoing talks between Republicans and Democrats up on Capitol Hill break down,” Obama’s new chief of staff, Denis
McDonough, said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “There’s no evidence that they have broken down yet. We are continuing to support that.”
He added that he hoped the two sides “don’t get involved in some kind of typical Washington back-and-forth sideshow here and rather just ... roll up their sleeves and get to work” on writing a comprehensive immigration bill.
Along with the Senate talks on possible legislation, House members from both par-ties also are involved in their own discussions.
The draft plan reported by USA Today calls for an eight-year path to permanent residency for undocumented immigrants, who would face a criminal background check and have to pay back taxes, learn English and get a new “lawful prospective immigrant” visa.
On the day after last week’s State of the Union address, in which Obama called for comprehensive immigration reform, he met with the four Democratic senators involved in the Gang of Eight talks to reiterate what he considers to be the main principles for a final agreement.
According to the White House, those principles include “continuing to strengthen border security, creating an earned path to citizenship, holding employers accountable and streamlining legal immigration.”
Republicans stung by the overwhelming support for Obama from Latino voters that helped the president win re-election in November are divided over how to proceed on immigration.
(CNN) — For years, pediatricians have recom-mended that young children watch no TV, or as little as possible, because it can lead to problems in school and behavior issues. Now a new study concedes children are sitting in front of the TV a lot longer. However, controlling what they watch can improve how they behave.
When preschoolers watch educational pro-grams instead of violent TV shows, they tend to be more compassionate and less aggressive, according to a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
The studyAbout 600 families were recruited and assigned
to one of two groups. Parents in the first group were encouraged to substitute violent shows with educational and pro-social ones - shows that stressed compassion and cooperation.
Families were given monthly TV guides list-ing educational programming for their area: shows such as “Dora the Explorer,” “Super WHY,” “Sesame Street” and “It’s a Big, Big World.” Parents were also encouraged to watch TV with
their kids.The children went from watching a half-hour
of violent programming a day to 23 minutes. Parents then increased educational viewing from about 30 to 43 minutes a day.
Families in the second group did not change their viewing habits.
“This is the first study to try to modify the viewing habits of preschool kids,” says Dr. Vic Strasburger, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “That’s one of the sig-nificances of this study.”
The resultsAfter a year, researchers found that children
watching less violent and more child-appropri-ate shows scored better on tests that measured cooperation, a willingness to share or compro-mise. They also had fewer incidents of aggressive behavior such as yelling and hitting.
“Although television is frequently implicated as a cause of many problems in children, our research indicates that it may also be part of the solution,” the study notes.
The scientists saw the greatest improvements in boys raised in disadvantaged homes where children tends to watch more TV.
Experts know that children mimic what they see, whether it’s in real life or what’s on the screen. And this is of particular concern when children watch TV or movies riddled with violence.
“Children learn their attitudes about violence at a very young age, before age 8 and once they learn those attitudes it’s very difficult to unlearn them,” says Strasburger.
“It doesn’t mean that children who watch violence are going to become murderers, but it does mean that they are desensitized to violence in the real world and they are more likely to be aggressive themselves,” says study author Dr. Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
Better shows, better kidsBut on the flip side, when children watch
shows with positive social messages, it helps
them get along better with others and gives them the tools to become better communicators, the study suggests.
“They will imitate the good things too,” says Christakis. “We should take more advantage of the fact that you can demonstrate good behav-iors on-screen and that children will emulate them in real life.”
Right now, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that preschoolers and older children get only one to two hours of TV or screen time a day. But in reality, they’re really watching much more. According to this study, preschoolers see an average of about four and a half hours daily at home and in daycare set-tings. Parents struggle with guilt, researchers say, because they allow so much TV time.
“Parents need to get this message that it’s not just about how much TV your children watch, it’s about what they watch,” says Christakis. “It’s not just about turning off the set; it’s about changing the channel.”
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Study concedes watching certain television shows may improve behavior in children
JERUSALEM (CNN) — An Australian-Israeli dual citizen who died in an Israeli prison gave Australian intelligence details of his work with Israel’s Mossad before his arrest, an Australian television net-work reported Tuesday.
The fate of the man dubbed “Prisoner X” is now the subject of an investigation by Israel’s parliament. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded over the weekend for details to be kept quiet, warning “overex-posure of security and intelligence activity” could harm Israel’s security.
But the Australian Broadcasting Corporation has identified him as Ben Zygier, and it reported Tuesday that he had reported “every aspect of his work” for the Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, to the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.
Zygier reportedly committed sui-cide in Israel’s Ayalon Prison in December 2010, about 10 months after his arrest, according to ABC. His incarceration was a state secret, and Israel has never confirmed the prisoner’s name or how he died.
ABC, citing unnamed sources, reported Tuesday that Zygier gave Australia “comprehensive detail about a number of Mossad opera-tions, including plans for a top-secret mission in Italy that had been years in the making.” Zygier helped Mossad set up a European communications
company that sold electronics to Arab countries and Iran, according to the network.
He met with Australian intelli-gence during a trip back to Australia, ABC reported. It wasn’t clear who approached whom — but ABC said it “believes” Zygier was arrested after Mossad discovered his contact with ASIO, fearing he had given up Israeli secrets.
A committee of Israel’s Knesset announced Sunday that it would look into all aspects of the case, much of which remains under a gag order. Details about what happened to “Prisoner X” — and why — remain elusive.
‘We are not like other countries,’ Netanyahu says
In his weekly Cabinet address Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted Israel is commit-ted to freedom of expression.
“However, the overexposure of security and intelligence activ-ity could harm, sometimes severely, state security,” he said.
“We are not like other countries,” Netanyahu added. “We are an exem-plary democracy and maintain the rights of those under investigation and individual rights no less than any other country. However, we are more threatened and face more chal-lenges; therefore, we must maintain proper activity of our security agen-
cies. And therefore, I ask all of you, let the security forces do their work quietly so that we can continue to live in security and tranquility in the state of Israel.”
For two years, a government gag order prevented local journalists in Israel from telling the story. But after ABC brought the case to light last week, an Israeli court appeared to publicly confirm details about the case for the first time.
A statement from the court described a “prisoner who was both an Israeli citizen and a foreign national.”
“The inmate was registered under a false identity for security reasons, but his family was notified immedi-ately upon his arrest,” the statement said. The court lifted part of the gag order, saying local media could quote foreign publications’ reporting on the case — but they could not do their own reporting on the story.
Criticism within IsraelSome Israeli lawmakers sharply
criticized the government’s handling of the matter.
“When unknown prisoners com-mit suicide and nobody knows who he is, how does that fit with a democ-racy with law which is proper?” Zahava Gal-On, leader of the Meretz Party, asked last week.
Pressed for answers by another lawmaker, Justice Minister Yaakov
Neeman said that the matter should be investigated. But he said he could not answer the questions “because the subject is not under the jurisdic-tion of the Justice Ministry.”
Dan Yakir, chief legal council for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, sent a letter to Israel’s attorney general about the case, criticizing the censorship and calling for the gag order to be scaled back further.
“What is far more concerning, of course, is the fact that a man was held in detention under heavy secrecy, and nothing was published about the reason for his arrest or the cir-cumstances surrounding his death,” Yakir wrote.
A culture of censorshipAll journalists who apply for a
government-issued Israeli Press Card must sign documents agreeing to the military censorship. According to the agreement, journalists will not publish security information that could benefit Israel’s enemies or harm the state.
Breaking the rule could result in card revocation, and foreign jour-nalists could lose their visas to work there.
In recent years, the censorship mechanism for checking scripts and pictures has rarely been practiced. Controls over content have faded more and more with the Internet as more freedom of information passes
into the public domain.Recent news of Prisoner X’s
case prompted Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr to request an internal report.
“I’m advised in the form of an interim report that the Australian government was informed in February 2010, though intelligence channels, that the Israeli authorities had detained a dual Australian-Israeli citizen, and they provided the name of the citizen, in relation to serious offenses under Israeli national secu-rity legislation,” Carr told a Senate committee Thursday.
He did not mention what the alleged “serious offenses” were.
Carr said Australia sought specific assurances from Israel, such as that the detainee would get legal repre-sentation of his choosing and that he would not be mistreated.
“At no stage during his deten-tion did the Australian government receive any requests from the indi-vidual or his family to extend con-sular support,” Carr said.
“The Australian government was advised through intelligence chan-nels on December 16, 2010, (of) this individual’s death on the previous day, and the deceased’s family had been notified by Israeli authorities.”
The Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv assisted in returning the body to Australia, Carr said.
Israel to investigate arrest, death of ‘Prisoner X,’ after reports surface in press
PRETORIA, South Africa (CNN) — Model Reeva Steenkamp was shot four times through the bathroom door at the home of Olympian Oscar Pistorius, a South African official familiar with the case told CNN on Monday.
She was alive after she was shot and was carried down-stairs by Pistorius, said the official, who was not autho-rized to release details to the media.
A blood-stained cricket bat has also emerged as key evi-dence in the case, according to the City Press newspaper of Johannesburg.
Detectives are working to determine whether the bat was used to attack Steenkamp or she used it in self-defense, the newspaper reported, citing a source with inside knowl-edge of the case. Detectives are also looking into the possibil-ity that Pistorius used the bat to break down the bathroom door.
The details are the latest to emerge in the shooting death that has roiled the nation and left South Africans asking what went so terribly wrong inside the upscale Pretoria home of
the man nicknamed “Blade Runner” for his lightning-fast prosthetic legs.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were indications the 29-year-old model intended to stay the night at the house: She had an overnight bag and her iPad.
Authorities have released little about a possible motive in the Valentine’s Day shoot-ing, while local media have reported that Pistorius had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder. South African authorities have stressed that the scenario did not come from them, and said there was no evidence of forced entry at the home.
Police have charged Pistorius with murder, and he will appear in court Tuesday for a bail hearing. South African prosecutors have said they intend to upgrade the charge to premeditated mur-der, but have not released further details.
Pistorius, 26, has rejected the murder allegation “in the strongest terms,” his agent said in a statement.
Oscar Pistorius’ girlfriend shot 4 times through bathroom door