psu vanguard

GOALS SUMMIT FOSTERS FUTURE LEADERS p 4 News

WHAT IF TRUMP WAS A WOMAN? p 14Opinion

PACIFIC ISLANDERS HOST ANNUAL LU’AU p 10A&C

PROTECTION OF WELFARE IN JAPAN p 8International

VOLUME 70 • ISSUE 35 • MAY 10, 2016

Q&A WITH ELISE GRANEK: TOXIC COMPOUNDS FOUND IN LOCAL OYSTERS p 7

PORTLAND STATE VANGUARD

‘A DAMN GOOD INVESTMENT’

PSU business tax campaign suspended as college affordability coalition forms

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psuvanguard.com@psuvanguard

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NEWSINTERNATIONALARTS & CULTUREETCETERAOPINIONCALENDAR

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COVER PHOTO BY SILVIA CARDULLO. MASTHEAD PHOTO BRAD BOURGEOIS

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Vanguard’s mission is to serve the Portland State community with timely, accurate, comprehensive and critical content while upholding high journalistic standards. In the process, we aim to enrich our staff with a quality, hands-on journalism education and a number of skills that are highly valued in today’s job market. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colleen Leary [email protected]

MANAGING EDITORClaude [email protected] NEWS EDITOR Jeoffry Ray [email protected] ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Daniel Finnegan [email protected] OPINION EDITOR Brie Barbee [email protected] INTERNATIONAL EDITOR Molly Ozier [email protected]

ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR Serina Hersey [email protected] PRODUCTION MANAGER Nimi Einstein [email protected] PHOTO EDITOR Silvia Cardullo [email protected] ONLINE EDITOR Andy Ngo [email protected]

COPY CHIEF Chelsea Lobey [email protected]

COPYEDITORS Alexis WoodcockCora Wigen MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Sophia Bagby ADVERTISING MANAGER Stuart Neuberger [email protected] ADVERTISING DESIGNER Sam Hicks DESIGNERS Arlen CornejoTerra DehartElise Furlan Rachel Goldstein Shannon Kidd Peter Le

CONTRIBUTORSGray BouchatRachel FergusonKevin HadsellCatherine JohnsonJennee MartinezMackenzie MyersJohn PinneyEllena RosenthalThomas Spoelhof PHOTOGRAPHERSAudrey BondBrad BourgeoisCatherine JohnstonEllena Rosenthal ADVERTISING SALES Dennis Caceres Cody Layton Becca Propper

ADVISER Reaz Mahmood ADVERTISING ADVISER Ann Roman

The Vanguard is published weekly as an independent student newspaper governed by the PSU Student Media Board. Views and editorial content expressed herein are those of the staff, contributors and readers and do not necessarily represent those of the PSU student body, faculty, staff or administration.

INTERNATIONAL SECTION EDITORThe International Section Editor is responsible for maintaining the international section of the newspaper. Candidates for the position should demonstrate a strong interest in and knowledge of international affairs, with an emphasis on PSU’s diverse community of international students. The position pays $1,600 per term and requires a time commitment of 15–20 hours/week, with an emphasis on Monday and Friday office hours. Job Duties:• Generating and editing weekly content related to international events• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of worldwide news and events• Remaining actively aware of PSU campus and community issues related to

international affairs• Hiring, training and maintaining consistent staff of international writers

To apply for International Editor, complete an application at psuvanguard.com/jobs and submit a cover letter to current International Editor Molly Ozier at [email protected] and Editor-in-Chief Colleen Leary at [email protected] by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10.

CREATIVE DIRECTORThe Creative Director–also known as the Production Manager–is directly responsible for overseeing layout and design for the Vanguard’s weekly print issue. Candidates for the position should demonstrate strong leadership and managerial skills, ability to work well under pressure, and proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. The position pays $1,600 per term and requires a time commitment of 15–20 hours/week, with an emphasis on Monday and Friday office hours.

Job Duties:• Overseeing print layout and design• Hiring, training and managing a team of designers• Concept collaboration with editorial staff and designers for layout, infographics,

photography and illustration.

To apply for Creative Director, complete an application at psuvanguard.com/jobs and submit a portfolio and cover letter to current Production Manager Nimi Einstein at [email protected] and Editor-in-Chief Colleen Leary at [email protected] by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10.

Applicants for both positions must be PSU student enrolled in at least 6 credits per term, with the exception of summer term.

The Vanguard is hiring leadership positions for Summer 2016

Portland Business Alliance partners with Portland State to seek $25 million annually for student scholarships.

JUMP TO PAGE 5 FOR THE FULL STORY.

GOALS SUMMIT: A DEMAND FOR WOMEN IN LEADERSHIPELLENA ROSENTHAL

Portland State had a new type of student on campus last Tuesday.

Around 275 high school girls from around the state of Oregon convened in the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom to participate in the Girls: Oregon, Action, Leadership, Service summit.

GOALS is a girl-led, girl-focused summit featuring workshops aimed at foster-ing teens into leadership roles. Themes at this year’s workshop focused on media, entrepreneurship, activism and self-empowerment. The summit also featured an in-ternship fair offering sum-mer opportunities.

The GOALS summit fo-cused heavily on self-em-powerment and what it takes to be a leader. The panelists, a total of 22 women, had occupations from across the spectrum—some were student leaders or held positions in state and federal politics. The panels also featured busi-ness owners, journalists, ac-tivists and educators.

The GOALS summit was planned by a teen coun-cil of 20 students from high schools throughout the Portland area, with the help of Mariana Lindsay and Sunny Peti from PSU’s Center for Women’s Leadership.

Members of the teen coun-cil were responsible for devel-oping workshops, planning break-out sessions, deciding who would speak at the pan-els and assisting in conversa-tion facilitation on the day of the summit.

Hannah Ginsberg, a ju-nior at St. Mary’s Academy, was one of the teen coun-cil members. To prepare for the summit, she attended regular meetings through-out the year to discuss ideas

and questions, and prepared workshops and agendas.

Ginsberg planned a work-shop based off a sexual as-sault consent workshop that happened at St. Mary’s prior to the GOALS sum-mit. Ginsberg altered the consent workshop to focus

more on career and self-em-powerment, in order to con-nect it with the summit’s main themes, like saying yes to oneself.

“It was a say yes to your-self workshop focusing on destigmatizing saying no,” Ginsberg said. “And encour-

aging people to take charge of decisions, making sure to create a community in which people feel comfort-able in saying no and cre-ating a community where people have choices.”

Students came from Woodburn, Albany, Salem

and Portland to attend the summit. Organizers sent invitations to schools across the state that stated the message, “If girls who are leaders want to be leaders, come!”

There was such a strong turnout that Lindsay and

Peti had to cap off registra-tion and turn people away.

“We ran out of space and be-cause of the teachers, volun-teers and council members, we had to limit the group of participants to 300 to stay within fire code,” Peti said.

“We had about 275 students come—which is a great rate and was pretty amazing con-sidering AP testing was hap-pening that morning.”

Ginsberg’s biggest take away from the summit was accentuating the impor-tance of taking a second to listen to attendees’ stories, their perspectives and dif-ferent backgrounds across leadership roles.

“There are so many people who have so many awesome perspectives that I wouldn’t suspect,” Ginsberg said.

At the end of the summit, an Opportunity Fair was set up outside of the ballroom. Multiple organizations and nonprofits were set up along tables, with an abundant amount of material about their particular organization and advice on how a person can get involved.

Students spoke with rep-resentatives about intern-ship opportunities and possible ways they could become involved. Some of the organizations included Women’s Foundation of Oregon, Hands On Greater Portland and Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp For Girls.

“We got so many people reg-istered from all over the state, it was sad that we had to turn people away,” Ginsberg said. “There’s a demand for things like this. People want it. People are like, ‘We want women in leadership,’ so clearly this is something that people want. This call should be answered.”

DRAWINGS FROM A WORKSHOP AT THE GOALS SUMMIT. ELLENA ROSENTHAL/PSU VANGUARD

PSU Vanguard • MAY 10, 2016 • psuvanguard.com4

NEWS

‘A DAMN GOOD INVESTMENT’

JEOFFRY RAY

A controversial tax proposal on Port-land metro area businesses to support Port-land State students was suspended Friday, with an agreement between the university and the business community to address alter-native solutions to college affordability.

Initially proposed by PSU President Wim Wiewel and advocated by the Yes for PSU citizens’ committee campaign, the tax pro-posal faced opposition by several groups, including the Portland Business Alliance

and Portland Public Schools. PBA, which represents nearly 2,000 businesses in the tri-county area, has previously warned that opposing member businesses could cease donating to PSU as a result of the tax proposal.

The agreement seals the formation of a College Affordability and Success Coalition, which includes Wiewel and Portland busi-ness leaders from PBA and other business organizations.

The coalition will be seeking an additional $25 million annually for scholarships and faculty and advisory staffing by 2019, with options in-cluding increased philanthropy, legislative advo-cacy and other solutions.

Scott Gallagher, PSU director of communi-cations, pointed out that business leaders and the university administration continued to discuss alternatives despite opposition to the ballot measure.

“It just came about over time that they all wanted to find a solution [to student financial need],” Gallagher said. “The business commu-nity didn’t like the solution that PSU and the [PSU] Foundation and the citizens’ commit-tee came up with, so they continued to meet and eventually we came to an agreement of this coalition.”

The initial proposal, if passed, was projected to raise up to $35 million for PSU students and faculty annually over eight years. Gallagher acknowledged that the coalition agreement would raise less money at its minimum, argu-ing that the lack of an eight-year sunset date could ultimately provide greater relief for stu-dents over time.

“This commitment from the business com-munity has no sunset,” Gallagher said. “It will be more money for more students.”

Despite the tax campaign’s suspension, Yes for PSU Campaign Director Peter Zuckerman called the agreement a win for the university. He pointed to the support of students and community members, including some busi-nesses such as Dark Horse Comics.

“To be totally honest, I never expected to win so quickly,” Zuckerman said. “Support kept growing and growing by the thousands.”

Wiewel, who previously referred to the bal-lot measure as one of the most significant moves of his presidency, also touted the agree-ment as a success during a press conference earlier this morning.

“Business leaders recognize our students need significantly more support and our step-ping up with this commitment to make it hap-pen,” Wiewel said.

Greg Ness, chairman and chief executive of-ficer of The Standard and chair of the Oregon Business Council, will co-chair the coali-tion with Wiewel. An opponent of the Yes for PSU ballot initiative, Ness pointed to his op-position as a matter of the proposed funding mechanism rather than the objective.

“Higher education in this state is under-funded by the state, and that’s an important issue that we have to deal with,” Ness said during the press conference. “[Wiewel and I] also agree that the financial barriers hin-der academic success for students here, and it impacts graduation rates for a very unique student population compared to other uni-versities. And we agree, certainly, that all of us need to do more to remove these barriers.”

PBA President Sandra McDonough said in an email that the PBA supported the new coali-tion despite its opposition to the tax initiative. McDonough said it was too early to tell whether the shift in direction would ameliorate rela-tions between angered members that threat-ened to halt donations to the PSU Foundation.

“[W]e haven’t had the opportunity to talk to many of our members, though our member-

ship has always thought of PSU as a partner,” McDonough said in the email. “Many are con-tributors to the PSU Foundation and we hope that support will continue in the future.”

As part of its support for the tax campaign, the PSU Foundation previously donated $100,000 to Yes for PSU. PSU Foundation Board Chair Mark Rosenbaum said during the press conference that it was currently unde-termined how much of the donation had been spent thus far on the campaign. He noted that the remaining funds would be returned to the foundation.

Rosenbaum also acknowledged disagree-ment on the foundation’s decision to fund the campaign, but argued that the decision sup-ported its mission of creating access for stu-dents. He pointed to a $5,000-per-student disparity in state allocations between stu-dents at PSU and those at the University of Oregon and Oregon State.

“[Our students] work hard in order to be at school—they sacrifice greatly in order to be able to study,” Rosenbaum said. “We must find ways to help support them, to grow this community and to encourage our financial strength and their strength. Many of our stu-dents are first-generation college graduates, and their needs have to be addressed.”

Gallagher also dismissed the impact of the $100,000 donation if lost, pointing to the funding of Yes for PSU as an investment.

“Remember, even if it’s $300,000 that was spent, the result from that is this agreement, this commitment from the business commu-nity,” Gallagher said. “A $300,000 investment to create a $25 million minimum fund for students in perpetuity, potentially? That’s a damn good investment.”

But the commitment is far from a guaran-tee. When asked about what mechanisms the coalition would pursue to secure funding, Ness pointed to many mechanisms already pursued by PSU—philanthropy, legislative ad-vocacy, incentivization of contributions and even alternative taxes. But he assured that business leaders would put in the needed ef-fort to get results.

“We want to have strong ties to PSU; we want to work together on this,” Ness said dur-ing the press conference. “We think that’s the way we get the better answers in the state of Oregon, in a collaborative approach. So we need to demonstrate that here, and we’re go-ing to work hard to see that we get the result we need.”

Wiewel, Ness and Gallagher all agreed that it would likely involve a piecemeal ap-proach involving a patchwork of the pursued solutions. Gallagher said that building col-laborations within the community has been a demonstrated PSU strength; he pointed to the construction of the Academic and Student Recreation Center as a recent ex-ample of the successful collection of funds from multiple sources.

“PSU is doing what PSU always has done and knows better than anybody else,” Gallagher said. “We collaborated with the business community to find a solution. We’re still working out the details, but it’s a commit-ment from the business community for $25 million, minimum. That’s no small thing.”

PORTLAND STATE PRESIDENT WIM WIEWEL SPEAKS AT A RECENT PRESS CONFERENCE. BRAD BOURGEOIS/PSU VANGUARD

PSU BUSINESS TAX CAMPAIGN SUSPENDED AS COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY COALITION FORMS

“A $300,000 investment to create a $25

million minimum fund for students in

perpetuity, potentially? That’s a damn

good investment.”

- Scott GallagherPSU Vanguard • MAY 10, 2016 • psuvanguard.com 5

NEWS

ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL GOLDSTEIN

CHEMISTRY GRANT TAKES AIM AT LIFE’S ORIGINSMACKENZIE MYERS

Chemistry professor Dr. Niles Lehman has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the John Templeton Foundation to answer the big question: How did life spring to Earth four billion years ago?

Lehman and his lab are examining the way cer-tain chemicals connect with each other to form complex and eventually self-replicat-ing networks of molecules that could have led to life on Earth.

Life is “a self-sustaining chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution,” as stated in a paper former Ph.D. stu-dent Jessica Mellor Yeates and Lehman published in April.

Lehman, a professor at Portland State since 2001, said the grant was awarded in mid-December, but only recently started to receive some of the funding. Lehman has received smaller research funds for projects from the Templeton Foundation in the past, but when he heard the organization was looking at big questions re-garding the genesis of life, he decided to apply for this grant.

“They recently decided to put funding toward finding the chemical origins of life,” Lehman said. “I thought our research was a good fit.”

A press release covering the grant announcement said Lehman has been working on this research for 25 years, and he has previously received funding from NASA to work on these projects.

“The money only goes so far,” Lehman said.

According to Lehman and Yeates’ paper, different stud-ies over the past century have demonstrated the ability of ri-bonucleic acid—or RNA—to arise from mere chemicals. The paper cites experiments in which scientists have created chains of nucleotides (subunits of nucleic acids like RNA). These lab-created chains are longer than what is naturally needed to have arisen sponta-neously on primitive Earth.

According to the paper Lehman and Yeates pub-lished in April, the lab hopes to explore in fu-ture research is how these small molecular networks demonstrate heritability, or a measure of how a spe-cies can evolve when placed within natural selection.

“It’s the nature part of ‘nature versus nurture,’” Lehman said.

But there’s a catch: Scientists have not quite fig-ured out how the chains can self-replicate on their own outside the lab. There is a big difference between mo-lecular networks created one at a time in a lab and even the simplest self-replicating life forms occurring in na-ture. The path between those first chemical steps and cur-rent cellular self-replication is what Lehman’s research seeks to uncover.

Lehman said many theo-ries exist on how life arose on Earth, but the dominant the-ory is called RNA world.

“The idea states that the first living molecules were RNA—somehow RNA formed spontaneously,” Lehman said. “Once it formed, it dem-onstrated the rudimentary ability to evolve and take on lifelike features.”

Eventually, RNA mole-cules could trade chunks of genetic information, allow-ing them to mutate and de-velop. According to the press release, Lehman thinks these chemical connections be-tween RNA molecules could have evolved to cooperate in a more efficient and structured manner as time went on.

There are many studies on how these molecular sys-tems, these building blocks of life, generated spontane-ously. Lehman said his re-search picks up where the other research left off.

“We are looking at the step-ping stones between chem-istry and the type of biology that most people are familiar with,” Lehman said.

Lehman said his lab of five doctoral gradu-ate students and two un-dergraduate students “are essentially evolutionary bi-ologists working in a chem-ical setting.” He also said that there are actually many parallels between ecolog-ical communities outside and the molecular com-munities his lab observes in glass tubes. These tiny

Lehman also asserted that every trait of a species is due to a combination of genetic makeup and external environ-mental factors. Heritability is how much of that given trait is due to genetics; figuring this out will help his group uncover how RNA can evolve naturally, per-haps even into self-replication.

“There had to be some pre-Darwinian evolution or a

environments experience succession and even inva-sive species—only in a chem-ical sense rather than how we normally think of species.

“A molecular species is ba-sically an RNA sequence,” Lehman said. “Whereas an organismal species is a cel-lular entity with a whole di-versity of molecules inside it, not just one.”

chemical evolution that set up the traditional ‘survival of the fittest,’” Lehman said.

The Templeton grant will al-low the Lehman lab to study these molecular networks, ex-amine more closely how they evolve and hopefully bridge the gap between life’s generation and self-replication, answer-ing one of science’s biggest questions.


NEWS

PSU RESEARCHERS DISCOVER TOXIC COMPOUNDS IN LOCAL OYSTERSSERINA HERSEY

The Portland State De-partment of Environmen-tal Science and Management conducted research on local oysters and found harmful compounds such as phar-maceuticals, pesticides and mercury.

An April 17 report out-lined results of an ESM study that began in sum-mer 2013, and continued through spring 2014. ESM shared data and samples with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, to compare their data with other regions and species.

Research took place in Coos Bay and Netarts Bay.

The Vanguard spoke with Elise Granek, associate pro-fessor of environmental sci-ence, a marine ecologist, conservation biologist and fellow, and she works under the Institute for Sustainable Solutions and ESM.

Vanguard: What were the results of the study?

Elise Granek: We looked at the emerging contami-nants in native Oregon oys-ters across two estuaries and 30 seasons.

We found many more types of contaminants in the oys-ters in the spring. The next highest was in the summer and the lowest [variety] was in the fall. Some of the sea-sonality is related to environ-mental factors. When water is being flushed through sys-tems, it’s more likely that during the spring more is coming out due to the rain.

It is probably related to use as well. We see di-phenhydramine across multiple seasons. It’s an an-tihistamine and it is an ingre-dient in Benadryl. It maybe used more across different seasons.

Some of the antibiotics we only saw at one time point, and that may be related to the fact that there are short-course antibiotics for indi-viduals to take once.

For example, if strep throat goes through the community, you might see the antibiot-

ics that were prescribed in the wastewater but you wouldn’t see it throughout the whole year.

VG: Why did you choose Coos Bay and Netarts Bay as the areas of research?

EG: We were interested in the ecology of the oysters. Looking at whether the con-taminants are accumulating in the oysters, the ultimate question being, how might these compounds affect this declining population of na-tive oysters?

The population has de-clined in oysters in Oregon and [on the] West Coast in the past decades. The places where there’s still re-liable populations are in the Netarts and Coos Bays.

VG: How can these areas compare to other areas in Oregon and the West Coast in general?

EG: There has been a recent restoration action plan for na-tive oysters. I know through-out the region there’s a decline. Our theme in Oregon is that the coastal population tends to be pretty low, but in terms of contamination, it’s variable.

There was another study on environmental pollution

and the salmon in estuaries that feed into Puget Sound. There were more compounds in salmon than oysters. We found ibuprofen in the water but there wasn’t any present in the salmon. However, all the levels of contamination were higher than the levels in the oysters in Oregon.

VG: How did the toxins get there?

The following subcategories outline Elise Granek’s response:

PHARMACEUTICALS For the pharmaceuticals and personal care products, the most likely source of those are wastewater. It’s likely they came from wastewater plant effluent or septic effluent or the combination of those two.

Most of them are human-use products or household based. I guess they could be from a hospital but the lev-els we were seeing were prob-ably more representative of what’s getting flushed down the drain.

PESTICIDESWe also found a lot of differ-ent kinds of legacy contami-

nants. We found a number of pesticides, and those are most likely from agricul-tural or forestry application compounds. Those are non-point source, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where they came from other than the sediment and the oysters.

POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS (PCBS)The PCBs are likely from leg-acy. It’s hard to say what the source is. When folks sample water around the world they find PCBs because of the long-term use of them historically.

FLAME RETARDANTSWe were very perplexed on the source. The flame retar-dants in Coos Bay aren’t so surprising because they are in our chairs, mattresses and sofas and can be released over time. As people clean things, they can [become] airborne or washed into waterways.

They used to be widely used in baby clothes. To see some of it wasn’t surprising, but what was really surprising was to see the really high levels and the large range of types that we saw in Netarts Bay.

There’s just so little indus-try in Netarts Bay that it’s hard to imagine what the source of the flame retardants is.

MERCURYThe Oregon Department of Environmental Quality stat-ed that the mercury level we found was lower than what was found in the fish in Or-egon. It is notable though that the mercury levels we found were higher than what you see in oysters in the Gulf of Mexico and in France, for example.

It may be that the main sources of mercury are from mining. I don’t know of any mines in the bays, but if there were historically mines there, that could be the source.

Another factor could be atmospheric deposition. Mercury is used by coal-pow-ered power plants, and other studies have modeled the fact that some mercury from coal-powered power plants can make its way through the air to our continent from Asia.

VG: Why oysters?EG: Trying to understand

contaminant exposure is one of the main factors af-

fecting populations. We’ve done some work on mussels as well, but for this study we were targeting these native oysters because they were declining, unlike the mussels. They are also an ecologically important species.

VG: Now that the ESM has acquired all the data, what’s the next step?

EG: I think that, with a lot of research, we find things that generate even more questions. We as a group have a lot of questions about sources, questions about how the mixtures of contaminants may be im-pacting oysters and other species in the estuaries.

Although they are consid-ered [to be] within the Oregon state health values, are the lev-els [high enough] that if folks eat seafood on a regular ba-sis might we see some of these compounds in their system?

For example, with the phar-maceuticals, will we see these compounds in individuals who don’t take these pharmaceuti-cals, in their bloodstream and urine, as a result of human consumption of these prod-ucts? We don’t know yet, we haven’t been granted approval to look at that.

A lot of next steps are do-ing more research. Eventually, we hope to contribute data to the process of better man-aging effluent waters, assum-ing that it’s a major source we use. Again, we need more data to pinpoint what those exact sources are.

VG: What should the gen-eral population do to relieve the situation?

EG: It’s important that we are cognizant of how we dis-pose of these compounds, whether it’s legacy com-pounds or pharmaceuticals. When we flush them down the drain, they eventually make it to our waterways and into our ocean.

Do the little bit of research it takes to find out where the appropriate drop sites are to dispose of the phar-maceuticals. That’s one way we can reduce what’s in our waters and in our seafood.

DR. ELISE GRANEK (LEFT) AND PSU STUDENT DOMINIC GALEN PREPARE OYSTERS FOR TESTING. COURTESY OF INSIDE PSU

PSU Vanguard • MAY 10, 2016 • psuvanguard.com 7

NEWS

JAPAN’S ARTICLE 25 SHEDS LIGHT ON SOCIAL WELFARE DEBATECATHERINE JOHNSON

What are the minimum standards of living, and how do different cultures attempt to realize those standards?

On April 28 the Portland State Center for Japanese Studies presented a lecture by Dr. Hideaki Shibata, a profes-sor from Rikkyo University in Saitama, titled, “Protecting Welfare in Japan—Keeping Article 25 of the Japanese Constitution Alive.”

Even though the center planned this event a year ago, CJS Director Ken Ruoff said it’s more timely and relevant now than they could have anticipated.

“In the U.S. right now, you see with the wealth gap, peo-ple are increasingly asking questions about [if there is] a role for the government to play in mediating the ex-cesses of the capitalistic sys-tem and promoting equality,” Ruoff said.

Ruoff explained that the Anglo-American political tradition in the U.S. has pri-marily been concerned with how to protect the individual from the power of the gov-ernment, which is an impor-tant question. However, he feels another issue has been sidelined: What is the role of the modern government in providing for the basic liveli-hood of its citizens?

Japan is a capitalist de-mocracy, but Article 25 of its constitution states: “All peo-ple shall have the right to maintain the minimum stan-dards of wholesome and cul-tured living. In all spheres of life, the State shall use its en-deavors for the promotion and extension of social wel-fare and security, and of pub-lic health.”

This raises the question: What are those minimum standards of living? Ruoff said it’s hard to imagine the U.S. adopting a similar clause

could mean for them, such as the cost of education. He asks if higher education should be treated as a right in the way that K–12 public education is a right.

“Thirty years ago peo-ple were actually able to put themselves through state uni-versity by working,” Ruoff said. “Students today can maybe defray the costs, but I don’t think it’s actually possi-ble for a student to work his or her way through.”

Other countries have looked at these issues differ-ently, and while Ruoff doesn’t

in the Constitution, but he thought it would be interest-ing to bring over an expert on the issue of welfare in Japan and learn about how leaders have interpreted and argued over it.

Shibata’s interest in Japan’s welfare system has a deeply personal ori-gin. His daughter was diag-nosed with a brain tumor at three years old. Her illness and tragic death almost 20 years later prompted him to change the focus of his Ph.D. to social security and to con-tinue arguing in favor of pre-serving Japan’s Article 25 and state-sponsored health insurance.

“The state should make every effort to ensure the extension of social welfare and security and public health as stated in the article,” Shibata said.

He gave a detailed talk that described the current state of welfare in Japan, how it may be threatened, and what he believes should be done and why. He mentioned different taxes and the effectiveness of raising some instead of others.

For example, he is not in fa-vor of raising the consump-tion tax for social security purposes, believing instead that progressive taxes should be strengthened—like taxing corporations.

“It is only fair that those who have profited and make a lot of money should pay higher taxes to repay the collaboration and coopera-tion [with] others that en-abled them to achieve their dreams,” Shibata said.

Fortunately for Shibata and those who want to preserve Article 25, the Diet—Japan’s bi-cameral legislature— has other priorities before they seriously consider changing or eliminat-ing the article. Nonetheless, Shibata worries about what might happen if they do.

know if Japan is a suitable model for the U.S., he thinks Article 25 forces the Japanese to debate the issue in a way we don’t here.

“Americans are still pretty insular, and they have a lot more to learn from the rest of the world than they might like to admit,” Ruoff said. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel to learn how these is-sues can be dealt with.”

Ruoff is a part of a group of faculty that think Americans should learn a lot more about the rest of the world. It’s not just enough to bring international

“I wonder what kind of future Japan faces should things carry on the way they are,” Shibata said. “We really should work to keep Article 25 alive.”

Grant Prehn, a senior his-tory major and student in Ruoff’s modern Korean his-tory course, attended the event and found it especially informative and relevant to our current political climate.

“I see a lot of parallels with the United States,” Prehn said.

Ruoff thinks PSU students are conscious of and con-cerned with what these issues

students here to learn about the U.S. He wants to see Americans actively look outside themselves.

“If PSU is going to inter-nationalize itself it means we do a better job of teaching our American students about the rest of the world,” Ruoff said. “That’s what the Center for Japanese Studies does by bringing in some of the most thoughtful experts on Japan in the world.”

The next lecture will be on May 17 by professor Andrew Gordon, called, “A Society Where Women (and Men) Can Shine: Japan’s Impossible Dream.”

DR. HIDEAKI SHIBATA, A PROFESSOR FROM RIKKYO UNIVERSITY IN SAITAMA. CATHERINE JOHNSON/PSU VANGUARD


INTERNATIONAL

TAKE OFF TO THE PHILIPPINES!RACHEL FERGUSON

PSU KAIBIGAN STUDENT GROUP HOSTS 11TH ANNUAL CULTRUAL NIGHT

The Portland State Kaibigan Filipino American Student Association held its 11th annual cultural night in the Smith Memorial Student Union ballroom for a crowd of over 400 students, staff, faculty and community members. May marks Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Kaibigan kicked off the month with a showcase of Filipino culture on April 30.

“Kaibigan’s goal as an organization is to broaden the diversity PSU is known for through political, social and cultural events,” said Patrick Guillen, Kaibigan president.

The theme for this year’s festivities was Luz Vi Minda—abbreviations of the three main is-lands of the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. With this theme, the overarching concept was, as Guillen described, “[for] peo-ple to go through the three main islands with us, as if they’re going on a vacation with us for that day.” The vacation theme was evident in the TSA-inspired ticket lines with the mem-bers of Kaibigan dressed as flight attendants and TSA agents.

The idea of going on a trip was also incorpo-rated into the performances and the structure of the program.

Performances began with a video showing a son asking his Filipino mother her experiences growing up in the Philippines. He then “goes on a trip to the Philippines,” which is when the performance began. Once “in the Philippines,” the audience went on the “more fun in the Philippines” tour where they were shown prominent landmarks in the Philippines.

Members of Kaibigan then introduced the audience to numerous traditional dances from across the Philippines, all of which were beautifully choreographed and performed in various traditional outfits. Another cultural aspect from the night was various Filipino food staples such as chicken adobo and lumpia, among many other dishes.

When asked about the amount of time it took Kaibigan to plan out such an extrava-gant event, Guillen explained that Kaibigan started to think of the concept of Luz Vi Minda during winter term and assembled everything throughout spring term. In to-tal, the event has been about five months of preparation in the making.

Audience members said it was enlightening to see what Kaibigan went through in order to bring a snippet of Filipino culture to Portland.

PSU KAIBIGAN FILIPINO AMERICAN STUDENT ASSOCIATION INTRODUCING CLUB MEMBERS. AUDREY BOND/PSU VANGUARD

MAY 5–9Molly Ozier

MAY 5 Six days after a six-story residential building collapsed in Nairobi, Kenya, four people were found alive in the rubble. The buckled building killed at least 36 people and dozens are still missing. The building was marked for demolition due to its frag-ile state, yet people continued to pay rent and live in the com-plex. According to NPR reporter Gregory Warner the owners of the building are being released on bail, yet will be charged with manslaughter.

MAY 7 The London Labour Party’s candidate Sadiq Khan beat out Conservative Party candidate Zac Goldsmith to become the first Muslim mayor of London. In a landslide win with 57 percent of the votes, Khan was elected after first and second preferences were counted. Khan’s victory will end eight years of conserva-tive control of City Hall.

MAY 8 Three Spanish journalists have been freed after 10 months of captivity in Syria. Last July, Antonio Pampliega, José Manuel López and Ángel Sastre crossed into Syria from its northern bor-der with Turkey to report on the fighting in and around Aleppo, where they subsequently went missing.

MAY 8 In a head-on collision on Sunday, a fuel tanker collided with two buses in Afghanistan setting three vehicles on fire and killing at least 50 people—although there is much speculation as to the ac-tual death count.

MAY 9 Nearly a week ago a massive wildfire broke out in Alberta, Canada that has extended to more than 600 square miles. According to the Alberta government, 25,000 residents have successfully been removed from Fort McMurray. Currently 500 firefighters, 15 helicopters and 14 air tankers are battling the blaze.

MAY 9 After being led by a dictatorship, the Philippines front runner for president is seven-term mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Although Duterte has made outlandish comments about loving Viagra and has made jokes about rape, he’s brought down the crime rate in Davao City using fear to scare off drug pushers. Supporters of Duterte see him as an alternative to politics as usual.

ILLUSTRATION BY RACHEL GOLDSTEIN


INTERNATIONAL

PACIFIC ISLANDERS CLUBWELCOMES ALL TO 14TH ANNUAL LU’AU

GRAY BOUCHAT

DISCOVER THE HERITAGE OF EACH ISLAND ON MAY 14

Voyage through the Ha-waiian Islands in celebra-tion of Asian Pacfic American Heritage Month. The Pacific Islanders Club has organized its annual Lu’au event for all Portland State students to enjoy and appreciate the cul-ture of the eight islands. The event will take place at 4:30 p.m. on May 14 at the PSU Pe-ter W. Stott Center.

The Lu’au includes many different pieces, including vendors selling merchan-

Lu’au means gathering or celebration, and that’s what the Pacific Islanders Club is trying to convey with their Lu’au—a sense of welcoming all back-grounds to their culture.

The event promotes the in-dividualistic aspects of each island’s unique culture. Galiza is excited for audiences to learn the differences of the is-lands and become more edu-cated about the heritage.

“[There is a] specific topic for each island,” Galiza

dise, as well as shaved ice and photo booths. A more cer-emonial practice, the Kava Circle, will also take place.

“Kava is a native plant to the Western Pacific Islands,” said Xylia Lydgate, coordi-nator for the Lu’au. “They crush the Kava root and make a drink out of it and pass it around the group.”

The main event of the night begins at 6:30 p.m. The per-formance will consist of tra-ditional dances from every

said. “Depending on the is-land it can either focus on the dances or that particu-lar country’s state flower, or something about the island’s traditions.”

Galiza also hopes that the event can help break the ste-reotypes many people have about the islands. “I don’t want people to think about grass skirts or the way they pronounce words,” Galiza said. “Kind of like cultural appropriation.”

island that the native advis-ers choreographed.

“It’s very representative of the culture,” Lydgate said. “The music is from that island too. [Attendees] get to see how we celebrate the islands through dance.”

Club president Jessel Galiza also elaborated about the main show. “It’s to take the guests and give them the experience of what it’s like to be there. We teach them all of our customs and our ways of doing things.”

Both Lydgate and Galiza were born in Hawaii and joined the club because it of-fered a representation of their culture and home. For anyone interested in joining this social and cultural club, all are welcome.

The club meets every Friday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Native American Student and Community Center. It of-fers a variety of games and ac-tivities, as well as workshops such as preparing cultural foods. Anyone can show up to any of the meetings to learn more about the club.

Lydgate wants everyone to know that you don’t have to be a Pacific Islander in order to join.

“[We are] finding ways to reach out into the commu-nity,” Lydgate said. “[We want to] make sure that we are wel-coming, not just to people from the Pacific Islands, but people from all backgrounds. And we want to make sure we are accessible to the commu-nity beyond campus.”

The club also acts as a home away from home for anyone struggling with the transi-tion of moving to a new place. Lydgate and Galiza are aware that Oregon’s way of life is much different than that of the Pacific Islands.

“We offer programs for stu-dents and mostly give them [Pacific Islanders] a space where they can come to reach out to if they ever miss home,” Galiza said. “Especially the students.”

For those interested in sign-ing up for the Pacific Islanders Club’s emails or looking for volunteer opportunities, email [email protected]. Tickets for the Lu’au are free to PSU stu-dents, $5 for general public and staff, or $8 at the door.

FIRE DANCING FROM THE 12TH ANNUAL LU’AU EVENT. COURTESY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDERS CLUB

LAST YEAR’S LU’AU EVENT HOSTED BY THE THE PACIFIC ISLANDERS CLUB. COURTESY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDERS CLUB


ARTS & CULTURE

PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT PLAYS TO PACKED HOUSE AT THE OLD CHURCH

THOMAS SPOELHOF

If you’ve never experi-enced a live virtuoso cello concert, you’ve never known the warm sorrow and deep satisfaction the instrument evokes with its range and emotive resonance.

Portland Cello Project, led by concert curator Diane Chaplin, delivered all of the cello’s vast potential and awed the standing-room-only audience at its April 30 concert at the Old Church in Southwest Portland.

The Old Church pews were so full at the opening of the show that the introducing emcee had to ask concert-goers to scrunch in so those standing by could be seated.

Known to its members as Cello Project and to loyal fans as PCP, the troupe is lauded for its innovation, wowing audiences with unconven-tional covers of heavy-metal arrangements, tributes to hip-hop composers and the melding of what’s old with what’s new. Some of that al-chemy was present in the Saturday concert; however, the performance was mostly an exposition of the group’s classical proficiency.

Chaplin, the director of ed-ucational outreach for PCP and lead arranger for the con-cert, offered a disclaimer for the traditional set list, an un-common lineup for the icon-oclast group.

“For the ‘Virtuosi’ night, I wanted to demonstrate that a PCP show can contain a large dose of more serious mu-sic and still be varied, fun and eclectic,” Chaplin said. “We are definitely highlighting the virtuoso side of the players—there are some really hard technical tricks, and everyone gets to play lead at some point.”

The ensemble consisted of six cellists, each holding premier roles at various points through-out the evening’s performance.

Arrangements included a wide-ranging score of his-torical juggernauts: Bach, Stravinsky and Vivaldi to name a few. Tempo and emotive lure mimicked everything from call and response to burlesque to symphonic grandeur.

“The emotional spectrum [was] everything from high energy to deep soulfulness,” Chaplin said.

The audience was so en-tranced with the cellists’ per-

formance that whenever the musicians reached a simultane-ous rest in their soli, their breath-ing was audible from the stage.

After their startup in 2007, PCP gained national acclaim and a following through nota-ble gigs with A Prairie Home Companion and also as the subject of Kanye tweets as a result of their cover of his “All of the Lights” single.

Chaplin explained the group’s origins, citing a niche

MEMBERS OF THE PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT. COURTESY OF TARINA WESTLUND THROUGH PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT PRESS PAGE.

need for an all-cello ensemble.“A lot of the players were

doing nonclassical things, playing in bands, etc., and in that kind of setting there is usually only one cellist. So the original idea was to get to hang out with other cel-lists, have fun and play non-traditional kinds of music,” Chaplin said.

Portland Cello Project live is pure skull-candy. The cello is an instrument of unique ca-

pability: It can groan deeply so that you feel it in your teeth and lungs and spine. It can dance on its toes and pir-ouette. The sound quality is stellar, and PCP is an ensem-ble in constant flux and rein-vention of itself.

The Old Church, a carpen-ter-gothic architectural mas-terwork, now a nonprofit concert venue, was the per-fect place for the group’s av-alanche of cello virtuosi. The

cathedral houses impec-cable acoustics and one of Portland’s largest in-house organ fixtures, which now mantles several stage lights. The auditorium emits a pos-itively medieval vibe with its high arched ceilings, ornate stained-glass windows and wrought-iron chandeliers.

Keep up with PCP concert dates and locations through their website: portlandcello-project.com


ARTS & CULTURE

Our every thought and emotion resides within the brain, encompassing the sum of our intellectual capabilities, yet there is still much to learn about this complex organ.

The Campaign for Neuroscience at Portland State is voicing its support for a neuroscience program at PSU. On May 4, Dr. Bill Griesar gave a special teaching demonstration as part of his interview for a neuroscience-focused renewable faculty position in the psychology department.

“Neuroscience offers the possibility of an-swering fundamental questions about who we are and why we do what we do,” said Griesar.

“Learning how the brain works—what it’s made of, how its structure determines its function, literally what you can think, feel and accomplish—is very powerful and often ac-tionable information.”

Griesar was initially the faculty advisor for the Neuroscience Club, which grew quickly and won a SALPie award for Breakout Student Group of the Year in 2014. He also works with many Neuroscience Club members through NW Noggin, an outreach group that seeks to bring scientists, artists and students of all ages together in an appreciation of and excite-ment for science and art.

The project involves graduate and un-dergraduate student volunteers in psychol-ogy, neuroscience and art from multiple institutions around the area including PSU, Washington State University–Vancouver, Oregon Health and Science University and the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

This year Griesar helped students get in-volved with the Oregon/SW Washington Society for Neuroscience chapter meeting, where members will present a poster next weekend at McMenamin’s Edgefield.

Griesar’s students share his passion for neu-roscience. Austin Howard, a PSU senior with four majors, is one of them.

“The human brain is the interface by which we understand the universe,” Howard said. “It can be nothing but important. There’s no way you can brush it under the carpet.”

Alex Kunz, a biochemistry and psychology major, agreed. “Neuroscience is perhaps the most interdisciplinary field,” Kunz said. “It affords the opportunity for fields such as bi-ology, chemistry, biomedical physics, com-puter science and psychology to collaborate on some of the greatest advances in modern science.”

After Griesar’s educational lecture, students publicly voiced their support of him and their desire for a distinguished neuroscience pro-gram. Since CNaPS began in mid-February, it has garnered support from students, faculty, staff and the general public. The group’s mis-sion is to integrate a neuroscience track by

winter of 2018 and to get Griesar hired as the first faculty member of that program.

Howard hopes this will happen, even if it’s housed within the psychology department.

“To not have a neuroscience department is problematic at best and negligent at worst,” Howard said.

Kunz said this is crucial for those hoping to at-tend graduate school. She is one of many students who have had difficulty piecing together courses

STUDENTS CAMPAIGN FOR NEUROSCIENCE STUDIES

CATHERINE JOHNSON

that will provide the necessary preparation. “Neuroscience students’ needs are not be-

ing met,” Kunz said. “We are being fed into top notch graduate schools, ill prepared for what is ahead of us. This is why CNaPS’ mission is so important, and why I chose to be a part of it.”

Rebekah Alexander is the marketing of-ficer of the Neuroscience Club and another leader in CNaPS. She said group members un-derstand many of the current students will

no longer be at PSU by the time this track is formed, but they are working hard for it any-way so future students have a community of fellow brain enthusiasts.

“This is our way of giving back to our fellow lovers of neuroscience, our beloved teacher Bill Griesar and ultimately, we are giving back to PSU,” Alexander said. “We want PSU to be put on the map as a neuroscience hub institution.”

COURTSEY OF USER ARS ELECTRONICA THROUGH FLICKR


ARTS & CULTURE

ACROSS1 Advantage briefly is given to defence if one’s lost ground (9)6 God’s ground (5)9 Half-heartedly stagger back for joint (5)10 Future son of God abandons earth to offer assistance to those with a faltering heart (9)11 Bowled evenly, getting two rookie openers to yield ground (3,8)14 Trial that may take place at 1ac, 6ac, 11, 13,22 & 20, and 23 (4)15 Make reluctant skiing instructor direct beginners back to slope (10)18 Picture representing heartthrob? (10)19 Goal obtained after introduction of last sub (4)21 A nerve is not affected by abnormal tipping of organ (11)25 English general engages veteran in Vietnam to provide material (9)26 Backward boy with little education displaying inventive skill (5)27 Turner Prize finally is given after endless stick (5)28 In that direction weather’s poor always (9)

DOWN1 Pupil to pupil: I said study diplo-macy! (3,7)2 To leave cauliflower first of all is a waste (4,6)3 Director’s informed about annoying computer programs (6)4 Epitomising for your information in writing (9)5 Chip pan a chore when out of trim? (5)6 Male bats getting no runs – he’s not much use (4,4)7 Dissolute sort’s inclination to scrape (4)8 One prince turns up in Hindu dress (4)12 Vile wine regularly made awkward problem for its producer (4-6)13 Directing one’s course to pasture ground (10)16 A ball secures victory after batting previously (2,7)17 Italian motorway (part of it) leading south east (8)20 See 2222,20 Ground reached by river cross-ing (5,6)23 Eggs left in ground (4)24 Stupid fellow is a lump (4)

CROSSWORD COURTESY OF ALBERICHCROSSWORDS.COM


ETCETERA

WHAT IF DONALD TRUMP WAS DONNA TRUMP?

This election campaign has already been a nasty one. It has undoubtedly ignited a fire and in-spired a revolution among younger generations, but it has also quickly exposed the sexist double standards that still exist within our society.

Although I am personally feeling the Bern, I can’t ignore or dismiss the inequality and sexism that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continuously faces.

As a woman, I realize that although I may not agree with Clinton or her policies, I must be aware of the way I criticize her. This means I can’t demean her hair, dress, voice or any of the other feminine qualities that clearly make her different from her male running mates.

Sadly, Clinton is too often attacked on the premise of simply being a woman. She liter-ally cannot catch a break.

I began wondering, after realizing Clinton’s campaign is too often questioned and de-stroyed based on the premise of sexism, what it would be like if she were a man and the other candidates were women.

If Donald Trump was suddenly Donna Trump, there would be much more criticism of her hair. Can you imagine how quickly the media would jump on her out-of-date hair-style every time she stepped up to the po-dium? Her orange-tan skin, clearly artificially colored, would be made fun of as the media declared her to be fake.

She would be mocked and criticized for cos-metic touches and people would claim her ef-forts were all done for the sake of appearing

younger or more beautiful. People would say she was focusing too much on her appearance.

Her rants of hatred and bigotry would be laughed at and pushed aside. She would be called crazy or emotional and the banter would never be taken seriously.

Instead, it would be brushed off as people blamed her hateful rants on “that time of the month.”

Her rallies would appear to be too emotional and would be denied any legitimacy. Her pol-icy suggestions would be deemed crazy and radical, and few people would stop to give her words a second thought. I honestly doubt she would even be in the race.

A woman standing in Trump’s shoes would be made a mockery of and the political world would never accept her like they accept Trump.

If Hillary Clinton was suddenly Henry Clinton, his clothes would be left out of the discussion. Before reports question why he appears in pantsuits rather than skirts, few people would bother to discuss what he wore or how he looked. His hair and makeup would suddenly seem irrelevant. His “shrill” voice would no longer be a main point of attention.

His words would be given the power and respect they truly deserve. Rather than his strength being questioned, he would be hailed as a true leader. His power would not be declared as “bitchiness.” His authority and strong will would be empowering rather than intimidating. Clinton’s policies would never

be questioned, they would be accepted and widely understood.

If Hillary Clinton were a man, power and praise could be hers. When people criti-cize the former secretary of state, it would be kept strictly business, without discus-sion of her voice, clothes, hair, makeup or her other feminine qualities that make her seem weak, inexperienced and not credible.

Sexism plays a bigger part in the election than anyone wants to admit and it has clearly

found a home within U.S. politics. It is unfair. It is prejudice. And it perfectly highlights the inequality women face on a daily basis.

Clearly, the tables would be turned if the genders were turned as well. Clinton’s experi-ence and past record surpasses Trump’s by a landslide. Why, then, does it seem as if she is taken less seriously?

So yes, you can disagree with Clinton and you can criticize her campaign, just make sure you do it correctly.

All That Isn’tJennee Martinez

ILLUSTRATION BY SHANNON KIDD


OPINION

WHAT I LEARNED FROM PIZZA WEEK

MUSINGS FROM THE SUB-BASEMENTKevin Hadsell

Pizza Week has come and gone, and for a brief moment the city of Portland was graced with a variety of innovative and unusual cre-ations, all roughly categorized as pizza.

The Portland Mercury hosted the citywide event. A total of 31 pizzerias contributed one-of-a-kind entries—pizzas with no history or prior records.

They have never been seen before and may never be seen again. It was a week that at-tempted to systematically deconstruct the very idea of pizza itself, to challenge our as-sumptions of what pizza is and can be. Perhaps the most important thing about Pizza Week is what it can teach us about pizza as a concept, pizza as a category of food.

We saw pizza infused with ginger ale (Hot Lips’ “Glazed and Infused”), pizza with beer-infused liquid cheese as a sauce (Old Town Pizzeria’s “The Balleluja”), pork nacho pizza (Pizza Schmizza’s “Nacho Porko”), pizza using spicy brown mustard as a base (Bella Faccia Pizza’s “She Bangs”), and so on.

Notably, there was no reasonable way to sam-ple all of them: One had to prioritize. So in the interest of full disclosure, I did not try all of the pizzas offered—or anywhere close to all of them. I tried precisely seven. But I maintain this was enough to gain some necessary perspective on what pizza has become in the 21st century.

Full disclosure part 2: I grew up in the Chicago area, which means I have very strong opinions about pizza, whether thick crust or thin. We take our cheese-laced carbs very se-riously in the Midwest. It is how our people survive the winter.

We must begin with a necessary query: What is pizza? Think carefully. Most people say something like, a flatbread topped with marinara, cheese and toppings, cooked in the oven at high temperatures. And yet it is ex-

actly this sort of paradigm that Pizza Week seeks to deconstruct.

Bella Faccia Pizza’s “She Bangs” used a spicy brown mustard as its base. No tomato-based sauce. Mississippi Pizza Pub’s “Buddha Pesto,”

meanwhile, was a vegan pizza that featured no cheese, only roasted red peppers, onions and artichoke hearts marinated in pesto and oil.

If this isn’t complicated enough, consider the following: Some pizzas crossed over into other meals (Hammy’s “The Brekkie,” a break-fast pizza), while others mixed cuisines from

all over the world. We had French cuisine (the beer-infused bechamel sauce of Old Town Pizzeria’s “The Balleluja”), Mexican (Pizza Schmizza’s “Nacho Porko”), Spanish (Straight From New York’s “The Spanish Bomb”),

Asian (the toppings of Hot Lips’ “Glazed and Infused”) and Southern barbecue (Atlas Pizza’s “Whiskey-Soaked Smoked Brisket Pizza”).

We now live in a world where anything is considered pizza. Which is to say, if everything is pizza, then nothing is pizza. It has ceased to have a universally accepted definition.

AUDREY BOND/PSU VANGUARD

Blame it, perhaps, on the lack of a West Coast pizza tradition (as opposed to the fierce regional battles of Chicago vs. New York, both clearly de-fined methodologies of pizza construction) or on ambitious chefs and restaurateurs trying to outdo each other in the citywide culinary arms race (a city home to a local brewery that fea-tures “house-made Cheese Whiz” on the menu, for example. I’m not making this up).

Perhaps no blame needs to be assigned at all. Perhaps we, as a civilization, have sim-ply evolved beyond fixed categories of pizza. We may be ready to accept that pizza itself is just a construct, something used by society to divide us as a people. Or the Universe may be in chaos and we can just do whatever.

Whatever position you decide to take on the issue, you can likely find some pizzeria in the city willing to take you up on it. At this point, you can probably just define it whatever way works best for you. I certainly won’t try to stop you.

“...if everything is pizza, then nothing is pizza.”


OPINION

CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK OF JOHN PINNEYMAY 11–15

A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE2 p.m. matineeGerding Theater at the ArmoryFee: $25+You probably read this in high school, but you can’t really know the full scale of this dark New Orleans odyssey until you see it live on stage. The suffocation, the insanity, the de-sire and the smoke of New Orleans will fill you until you’re delirious and woozy with emotion.

PDX POP NOW! PARTY8 p.m. to 12 a.m.HoloceneFee: $8–10 (with CD)It’s 2016 which means another pop party release compila-tion CD! Forty-two tracks from local artists will fill your ears with joy and you’ll be able to support a nonprofit music organization.

NOURISH WELLNESS FAIR12 p.m. to 2 p.m.Campus Rec CourtsA free way to look at nutritional options on and off campus, receive some goodies, and try out massage or acupuncture. Don’t forget to stop by this fair that’s free for all students, faculty, staff and Rec Center members.

MEASURE, GESTURE, FORMPortland Art Museum10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Fee: $11More than 200 drawings and sculptures are on display from a mysterious benefactor that highlight the artist who loves to play with form, dimension, size and a whole bunch of other wacky factors. Come see the exhibition through July.

BACKWOODS AND BATHROOMS12 p.m. to 1 p.m.Smith Memorial Student Union, room 236If you wonder about the everyday trans male experience, this lecture and interview tackles the common lives and struggles for over 60 trans males, not focusing on the sensationalism of the “bathroom bills” but more about the everyday existence that they all share.

ENDING TRANS & POC QUEER VIOLENCE6 p.m.SMSU, rooms 327 and 329This annual lecture, brought to you by Walk of the Heroines with keynote speech by Kiyomi Fujikawa, will discuss the current and possible future models that both positively and negatively impact queer members of society, focusing on trans- and person-of-color issues.

INK INVISIBLE7 p.m. to 10 p.m.Lucky Lab—Northwest Quimby StreetEnjoy a pint and hang out with Portland tattoo artists at Ink Invisible, a social practice art project illuminating invisible disabilities through tattoo culture. Five artists who self-identi-fy with an invisible disability have created temporary tattoos inspired by their experiences.

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.Gresham Little TheaterFee: $8The introspective neighborhood Peanuts gang is back, this time live on stage. While waiting for a bus, they talk about their lives, their hopes, their fears and that stupid kite-eating tree (probably). Full of music you’ll hum all the way home and heart that will set yours aflutter.

TRIPLE FALLS DAY HIKE8 a.m.Outdoor Program OfficeFee: $25 (member), $50 (non-member)Registration deadline for this hike is May 11. The hike is 3.2 miles round-trip and characterized as a moderate jaunt through a Douglas Fir forest based at a trailhead right off of the Columbia Gorge.

THE HISTORY OF TRAINS10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Oregon Rail Heritage CenterThis free family festival celebrates one of the first modes of public transportation in America. Working through an Oregonian lens, this day of activities, music and food pod fun will really steam up your weekend. This is in conjunc-tion with train festivities around the country celebrating the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 FRIDAY, MAY 13 SUNDAY, MAY 15

SATURDAY, MAY 14 •FEATURED EVENT•

THURSDAY, MAY 12

NW ANIMATION FEST!Portland Venues: Hollywood Theater, The MagnoliaFee: $60 (all festival pass)If you really need a reason to come and play in the anima-tion sandbox, then just look at nwanimationfest.com to get a sense of the scope of what animation can really offer. It’s not just about playing with clay, paint, pencil or stencil. There’s a night just for the queer revolution! You want experimental? You want to celebrate Laika (they made Coraline and Paranor-man)? Fuggedabout missing out on those and don’t wander too far or you’ll miss the after parties. Also happening concur-rently in Eugene, you won’t want to miss the serious, the sad, and the zany all on the big screen. Brought to you by those animators with the biggest hearts and the brightest futures, it’s the Northwest Animation Fest. Enjoy!

Aries March 21–April 19You cannot avoid modernity. Though you look to the past for answers and the future does tend to repeat itself, not all will be the same. You must see change for what it is.

Taurus April 20–May 20A lot of days you feel like nothing more than a cog in the machine. But what if you had a chance this week to find a new station in life and reason for being alive? Opportunity is closer than you think.

Gemini May 21–June 21Use your internal optimism as a shield against the negative forces the world is going to throw at you this week. That shield and the sword of your internal compass will be your saving grace.

Cancer June 22–July 22This week, you’ll have to work on a project with someone you can’t stand. Life is full of obstacles and you can use this as motivation to do your best instead of just being bummed out about it.

Leo July 23–Aug 22Befriend an odd duck this week. You will be surprised how much they can not only teach you about yourself but also about how you (and they) see the world.

Virgo Aug 23–Sep 22The feelings of friendship you hold are worth considering. Not only do the people you love influence your life but they also have a profound influence on your social attitudes.

Libra Sep 23–Oct 23There is no cure for your personality. Anyone who would tell you that you need to change should first consider changes in themselves. You may be abrasive to some, but at least you are who you are.

Scorpio Oct 24–Nov 21You can learn a lot by walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. Not only could a transformative period give you a new attitude but it might show you other parts of yourself that you’ve been missing.

Sagittarius Nov 22–Dec 21Trying to escape your destiny is futile. Though you may have some times in the middle where you seem to curve away from your life, you will always come back to it in the end. You may just be around a mountain.

Capricorn Dec 22–Jan 19What kind of relationship do you have with your significant other? Examine it this week. If it’s all strategy and no love, flip the script and see how it might feel to just love without consequence.

Aquarius Jan 20–Feb 18You may feel like you’re at the end of your rope without a lifeline left. But why is this a bad thing? Your innermost power will be revealed when there’s nothing left to lose.

Pisces Feb 19–March 20Love is the most powerful force in the universe. To deny love is to deny the universe itself. If you have the strength, embrace love and think nothing more of it.

HOROSCOPES FOR THE WEEK OF JOHN PINNEYMAY 11–15

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