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1 Posts by

Pollyanne Birge

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letter to the editor

Pollyanne Birge
April 17, 2002

Current Issue

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News

Committee unveils plan for Jason Washington Memorial
Making parking and streets more green

International

Student organization Mecha holds vigil for Uvalde
This Week Around the World

Arts & Culture

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art returns to PSU with a new exhibition
Events Calendar Feb. 1–7, 2023

Opinion

Rent is too damn high
Raising awareness about food insecurity

Sports

Seattle Sounders Fall to Timbers
The complex history of the Portland State Vikings’ home stadium

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OP-Raising awareness about food insecurity PSU has

OP-Raising awareness about food insecurity
PSU has many resources to help with food insecurity—why don’t students know about them?
Nick Gatlin

“If nearly half of the students at PSU experience food insecurity in a given month, why isn’t this treated as an emergency?” asks the Portland State Food Pantry website.

Every day, thousands of students and employees at PSU experience difficulty eating enough food—yet it appears the university is not facing this problem with the urgency it requires. With just a few simple steps—a coordinated marketing campaign, an education effort and higher responsiveness to organizational requests—the university could be doing much more to alleviate food insecurity among students and employees alike.

Link to full opinion in bio.

Photos by Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani/PSU Vanguard

https://psuvanguard.com/raising-awareness-about-food-insecurity/

#PSUFoodPantry #PortlandStateUniversity

Find it at 5th: Black Dynamite A satire film that

Find it at 5th: Black Dynamite
A satire film that addresses social issues through comedy and reflection
Milo Loza

This week at 5th Avenue Cinema—Portland’s only student-run theater—Portland State students can catch a free showing of Black Dynamite in 35mm!

Scott Sanders directed the action comedy film in 2009, which starred Michael Jai White, a well-known actor and martial artist. The film’s cast includes notable actors such as Tommy Davidson, Arsenio Hall and Salli Richardson-Whitfield.

Black Dynamite tells the story of a former CIA agent seeking vengeance for his dead brother after he was killed by “the man.” Black Dynamite, played by White, takes a long journey to the White House, contending with pimps, gangsters and government officials.

Link to full story in bio

https://psuvanguard.com/find-it-at-5th-black-dynamite/

#BlackDynamite #5thAveCinema

OP - Rent is too damn high What landlords could do

OP - Rent is too damn high
What landlords could do to alleviate the housing crisis
Ian McMeekan

For years, residents of Portland have been driven out of their homes due to rising rent costs. No one should have to live on the streets, especially if it’s just because they’re short on money. When discussing this topic, it’s important to remember who sets, collects and enforces rent: landlords play a central role in the housing crisis, and they must take more responsibility in solving it—or they must be forced to.

According to the Multnomah County 2015 “point-in-time count,” on one particular night in Multnomah County, “3,800 people slept on the streets, in shelter, and in temporary housing, and an estimated 12,000 people were doubled up, many in overcrowded and often unsafe conditions.” This horrifying situation is due in part to the fact that rent prices are climbing rapidly in Portland. In fact, “Portland rental rates rose more than anywhere in the country—39% in 2021 alone—putting renters in an impossible situation,” according to portlandrentalhomes.com. “The average monthly rent for a studio apartment in Portland is $1,245, almost double what a minimum wage earner could afford, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.”

Link to full opinion piece in bio. Illustration by @thinkingshapes

https://psuvanguard.com/rent-is-too-damn-high/

#Rent #AffordableHousing #CostOfLiving

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art returns to PSU with

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art returns to PSU with a new collection
Exploring the intersection of weaving, technology and society
Macie Harreld

In a global culture obsessed with rapid innovation, we find ourselves constantly propelled towards the utmost brink of the present, teetering into tomorrow. We tend to celebrate socially constructed figures of modernity without acknowledging the precursory practices that enabled them to exist.

A prime example of this asymmetry occurs in the relationship between computing and weaving. Motivated by the dynamic of this relationship is Weaving Data, the recently installed exhibition at Portland State’s Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA).

https://psuvanguard.com/jordan-schnitzer-museum-of-art-returns-to-psu-with-a-new-collection/

#JordanSchnitzerMuseumOfArt

Artwork Credits In Order.
Faig Ahmed
Gautama, 2017
Edition 3/3
Handmade woolen carpet
112 x 149 inches
© Faig Ahmed, Courtesy of the artist and Collection Majudia

Ahree Lee
Ada, 2019
Cotton, linen, and wool on canvas
22 x 12 inches
© Ahree Lee, Courtesy of the artist, Image: Cecily Brown

Jovencio de la Paz
Bionumeric Organisms 2.0, 2021
TC2 Handwoven textile and canvas, cotton
36 x 24 inches
© Jovencio de la Paz, Courtesy of the artist, Holding Contemporary and Chris Sharp
Gallery

Sarah Wertzberger
Iris or Temperance, 2019
Handwoven Jacquard (TC2), cotton and polyester yarn
36 x 28 inches framed
© Sarah Wertzberger, Courtesy of the artist and Holding Contemporary

April Bey
I Was Just An Alien That Came Down From The Sky to Save Your Dumb Behind, 2022
Digitally printed and woven blanket with hand-sewn "African" Chinese knockoff wax
fabric
80 x 60 inches
© April Bey, Courtesy of the artist and GAVLAK Los Angeles | Palm Beach

Kayla Mattes
Blue Screen of Death, 2018
handwoven wool, bamboo, cotton and polyester
53 x 43 inches
© Kayla Mattes, Courtesy of the artist

Committee unveils plan for Jason Washington Memori

Committee unveils plan for Jason Washington Memorial
Almost five years after his slaying by PSU security, memorial aims to keep memory alive
Zoë Buhrmaster

Over two years in the making, a memorial commemorating Jason Erik Washington inches closer to being in the hands of an artist.

In 2018, Jason Washington was killed by armed university police officers while trying to break up a fight between two other men on campus. At 45, Jason Washington was a Navy veteran and longtime United States Postal Service worker. He was also Black. In late 2019, Washington’s family and Portland State reached an agreed settlement, part of which involved a promise by PSU to initiate and fund the Jason Washington Memorial Scholarship and Jason Washington Art Committee.

PSU President Stephen Percy formed the Jason Washington Art Committee in Jan. 2021, delayed after the incident due to the legal processes between the Washington family and PSU and a shuffling of university presidents. A conglomeration of PSU faculty and staff, along with Kayla Washington, the oldest daughter in the Washington family, and her attorney make up the committee. Link to full story in bio.

COPPER PLAQUE MOCK-UP FROM JASON WASHINGTON’S MEMORIAL. COURTESY PSU FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT

https://psuvanguard.com/committee-unveils-plan-for-jason-washington-memorial/

#JasonWashington #PortlandStateUniversity #PSU

The latest edition of the PSU Vanguard is OUT! Pic

The latest edition of the PSU Vanguard is OUT! Pick up a copy today. Link to digital edition in bio.

Portland Center Stage presents Ms. Holmes and Ms.

Portland Center Stage presents Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson
A modern twist on the beloved classic
Kat Leon

The game is afoot here in Portland, Oregon, with Portland Center Stage’s newest theater production Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson. Playing at The Armory until Feb. 12, the classic story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson is told with a modern twist and female leads.

Many in the audience might recognize many of the main characters and major plot points. “I think in terms of familiarity, just characters, you have Watson and Homes—you have Mrs. Hudson, so there’s definitely a cast of familiar characters,” said Kimberly Chatterjee, who plays Dr. Joan Watson. “If you’re familiar with any of the stories, they might be presented in slightly different ways, but you know who they are and what their archetypes are. The nature of just the mysteries unfolding and Sherlock always being ten steps ahead. That’s absolutely true in this production.”

Every cast member was incredibly talented, and the lead, Ashley Song, makes an incredible Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock is a complex character, written with the manic energy that playwright Kate Hamill imbued. Maintaining that energy level without breaking character for the show’s duration takes an actor with incredible talent, and Ashley Song met that bar and far exceeded it. Link to full review in bio…

Photos courtesy of Portland Center Stage

https://psuvanguard.com/portland-center-stage-presents-ms-holmes-and-ms-watson/

#PortlandCenterStage #MsHolmesandMsWatson #Theater

Missing the forest for the EVs Electric vehicles o

Missing the forest for the EVs
Electric vehicles only perpetuate car dependency and urban sprawl
Nick Gatlin

The electric car market is booming in Oregon. Drivers in the state have ranked number two in the United States in EV sales for two years straight, tying in 2022 with Hawaii and Washington, according to OPB. But we shouldn’t let the positive glow of automobile electrification distract from the real issue: cars themselves. If we want a more sustainable, healthier future, we must reduce car usership altogether in favor of person-centric infrastructure.

Electric vehicles certainly help in the fight against climate change, at least when compared side-by-side to a gas-powered car. According to the Oregon Department of Energy 2020 Biennial Energy Report, Oregon’s transportation sector makes up 40% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, with 95.4% of those coming from vehicles powered by gasoline and diesel. “For electric vehicle drivers,” the report states, “no matter where a car is fueled in Oregon, drivers are reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 95 percent by fueling with electricity.”

However, greenhouse gas emissions are not the only criteria by which we should judge electric vehicles. An article in the Jan. 2022 issue of the journal Cities titled “Revisiting car dependency: A worldwide analysis of car travel in global metropolitan areas” breaks down the issues with car dependency. The authors note that 86% of personal trips in U.S. cities are made by car, and such reliance on personal vehicles causes a slew of negative effects. Cars contribute to climate change, air pollution, traffic congestion, noise pollution and crashes. Switching to electric vehicles only addresses the first two, while leaving the rest virtually unchanged. Link to full opinion in bio…

Photos by Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani

https://psuvanguard.com/missing-the-forest-for-the-evs/

#ELECTRICVEHICLES #CARDEPENDENCY

Defusing tensions on TriMet Mentally ill riders ne

Defusing tensions on TriMet
Mentally ill riders need help, not harm
Ian McMeekan

In recent years, TriMet has seen increasing violence towards both operators and riders alike. This is due to many factors, but one of them is the mental health of transit riders. TriMet needs to create policies and training for their staff on how to defuse this kind of violence quickly and peacefully.

Attacks on TriMet drivers are common: one example is former driver Richard Williams, who “says he was assaulted during his four years working for the transit agency and was never told if the suspect was arrested,” reported Brandon Thompson of Koin 6 News. “He says drivers are the first people to interact with someone having a mental break. Most drivers don’t know how to handle it. It can get very confrontational very quick and it can get very physical and dangerous very fast.”

In order to deal with incidents like these, one thing TriMet plans to do is to hire more security officers. This is because “transit officers, historically, have been the security on the TriMet system, using 18 deputies from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office,” Thompson reported. “TriMet said they would like to have 65.” Yet this is a step in the wrong direction—it would make TriMet more militant by adding more and more officers on trains, buses and streetcars. Meeting violence with violence will only perpetuate a cycle of militarization. Link to full opinion in bio…

Photos by Alberto Alonso Pujazon Bogani

https://psuvanguard.com/defusing-tensions-on-trimet/

#TRIMET #PORTLAND #MENTALHEALTH #PUBLICSAFETY #PUBLICTRANSIT

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