White privilege does not mean a white person cannot suffer or have a hard life due to poverty or other factors. [A white person’s] personal grief and struggles have a…
Deadliest mass shooting in Portland history fading from memory
If you’ve ever eaten at Pine Street Market, you’re dining near one of the most deadly tragedies in recent Portland history, and you would probably never know. Portland and the…
Gender-neutral clothing: It’s time for androgyny
“For the apparel oft proclaims the man,” writes William Shakespeare in the play Hamlet as part of a long stream of advice given by Polonius to his son Laertes. Polonius refers to…
A response to ‘Afros, sombreros, and racial stereotypes? Hell no!’
There are just some things in this article that I can’t help but disagree with. I’ll point them out, and I’d truly be interested in hearing what others have to…
How LGBTQ-friendly is PSU, really?
Preceding the start of the term, nonprofit Campus Pride released its annual ranking of the top 25 LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. Portland State is a veteran to this list and…
Dialogue as a Two Way Street
Written by Shayla Norris-York, Co-President of Cultural and Historical Association for Israel and StandWithUs Fellow Accountability, honesty, respect, integrity—these are the qualities I expect from our student leaders. As a…
Pro-life view misrepresented in Park Blocks debacle
When I set eyes on the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform’s looming anti-abortion display in the Park Blocks last week, I, like many of my fellow students, inwardly groaned, though perhaps…
Afros, sombreros, and racial stereotypes? Hell no!
During the last few years, cultural appropriation has jumped into the spotlight as a problematic trend white people don’t seem to want to give up. Halloween is rapidly approaching, and…
Things that damn-well shouldn’t be pumpkin spice
As counterculture Portland as you think you want to be, it’s pumpkin-freakin-spice season. Washington Post wrote a great expose on why pumpkin spice became America’s go-to fall flavor. The mix…
Forget your identity; transcend your identity
Last year, I took the University Studies sophomore inquiry course, American Identities. On the first day of class, the professor requested that students introduce themselves and, with the course title…
Looking back at an activist off-season
The NBA off-season of 2017 has been unlike any other of the past. For one, we saw superstar players get traded in lopsided fashion at a faster rate than anyone…