Issue 10

February 19, 2013 Issue 10 · Volume 19 FIRST COPY FREE

Washington State University Vancouver

THE

MAKING SCIENCE FUNSTUDENT LIFEProfessor takes learning to a whole new level. 5

MARIJUANA POLICIESWA-INITIATIVE 502Facts and opinions on Washington’s new law. 4

GET ACTIVE!RECREATIONLearn about the fitness center’s brand new addition. 8

WOD_BannerAd_10"x3.1".indd 1 1/30/13 11:38 AM

By CAMBRI SHANAHAN The VanCougar

Since 2011, the WSU Vancou-ver Scheduling Optimization Task Force, an organization comprised of staff, faculty and students, has been discussing recommenda-tions regarding the university class schedule. The efficiency of building use went under question due to limited classroom use on Fridays.

Chancellor Mel Netzhammer approved a new standard course schedule that will be launched August 2013. WSU Vancouver’s current Monday - Thursday class schedule will be replaced with 50-minute classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 75-minute classes on Tuesday and Thursday. Longer classes and labs will be scheduled as needed.

WSU Vancouver has created a webpage with information about

what students can expect next fall. According to the webpage the new course schedule “is a better use of our facilities. It will cut down on scheduling conflicts and make the path to graduation easier.”

The new course schedule is also intended to alleviate what the webpage calls “peak time.” Peak time is defined as the times of day when high volumes of courses overload parking lots, staff, facul-

ty and buildings. The new schedule will also

align WSU Vancouver with other WSU campuses.

“[The new course schedule will provide] seamless scheduling of videoconference classes, meet-ings and events. It will also create a more vibrant, active campus all week long,” as stated on the webpage.

The transition may mean more frequent trips to campus for

students attending WSU Vancou-ver in the fall.

“I will be taking six credits next fall, so I will probably be coming to campus every day. It will probably cost me an extra $8 to $10 per week, but it will be nice to take full advantage of my parking permit,” said Katie Fen-nelly, a senior majoring in digital technology and culture.

Once word of this new sched-ule reached students, like Tamic-

New five day course schedule to launch fall 2013

www.TheVanCougar.com

WSU Vancouver faces changes to campus environment with addition of Friday classes

Campus smoking policy recommendation to ChancellorBy SHAVENOR WINTERS The VanCougar

Feb. 15 the ASWSUV Senate passed smoking policy Resolution 22.002 with a 9-1-0 vote. Rec-ommending designated smoking areas on campus, an otherwise ban of smoking on campus and the creation of smoking cessation programs, Resolution 22.002 aligns with the results of the student smoking survey.

This past fall ASWSUV launched a smoking survey to as-sess student opinion on the cam-pus smoking policy. The intent of the survey was to build a Senate recommendation for Chancellor Mel Netzhammer.

At their Feb. 1 meeting, the ASWSUV Senate voted to move a resolution. This resolution would prohibit smoking on campus, with the exception of parking lots. Despite survey results supporting a ban, the resolution failed.

“Resolution 22.001 failed

because it said there should be designated areas in the parking lots and that smoking should be prohibited on the immediate campus. The term immediate campus was not defined, which caused a problem with some senators,” said Matt Wadzita, ASWSUV Senator.

Wadzita believes that national trends show colleges moving towards smoke free campuses. He thinks the WSU Vancouver smoking policy will eventually follow suit with the country.

Moving forward, now that Resolution 22.002 has passed and been given to Chancellor Netzhammer, Wadzita says he is not certain of the next steps. The students have given their official word on the smoking policy but now it is up to administration to make the final decisions. A copy of Resolution 22.002 can be found on The VanCougar website, thevancougar.com.n

ASWSUV proposes reduced wages for student leadersBy CYNDIE MEYER The VanCougar

Candidates for student leadership at Washington State University Vancouver may earn lower wages than expected next year. Wage decreases for nearly all student government positions were part of the ASWSUV budget proposal recently approved by the student senate.

The biggest wage cut was pro-posed for the ASWSUV president and vice president who currently earn $16 per hour. The proposed budget will cut this amount to $13 per hour. The proposal also eliminates the executive team’s textbook allowance of $1200 per year, resulting in a total budget reduction of $7200 per year for these two positions. If approved by the S&A Fee committee, next year’s president and vice president will each earn $13,000 instead of the compensation package of $16,600 they have earned for the past two years.

The change in executive team compensation will impact wages for other ASWSUV student leaders as well. ASWSUV bylaws specify that executive staff wages must equal at least 50 percent of the amounts earned by the AS-WSUV president and vice pres-ident. Currently these directors earn $8,000 per year, with the ex-ceptions of director of legislative affairs and director of activities who are currently compensated an additional $1,000 per year. The proposed annualized wage for members of the executive staff will be $6,500 next year.

The budget proposal also reflects restructuring the student activities board that is currently a function within the executive staff. Next year, the SAB will function as an independent com-mittee under the student senate. The activities director is currently compensated $9,000 per year, assistant director makes $4,000 and the other members of the activities board are not paid. If the budget proposal is approved,

these wages will move to a pool of $20,100, which will be shared equally among five (or more) student activities board members paid at minimum wage.

Other line items completely cut from the budget include a re-treat fund of $3,300 and a $3,000 sustainability fund.

The proposed budget redis-tributes money from wages to increase compensation for senate positions, provide student gov-ernment training, and enhance the operating budgets for com-munications, legislative affairs, university affairs and student life development.

A textbook allowance of $2,400 for members of the elec-tions board and $1,600 for the judicial board members has also been proposed. These positions are not currently compensated.Budget controversy

The ASWSUV senate spent 13 hours negotiating the proposed budget, much of the discussion focused on wage reductions.

The compensation structure See “Reduced Wages” on page 3

See “Course Schedule” on page 2

Washington State University Vancouver

2 | CAMPUS NEWS

Internship sends WSU Vancouver student to Olympia

LUCAS WISEMAN |

THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY VANCOUVER

THE

2013 STAFF DIRECTORY

The VanCougar is a student-run newspaper serving the students, faculty and staff of WSU Vancouver. The VanCougar is available at distribution sites in the lobbies of most WSU Vancouver buildings.

Correction PolicyIt is the policy of The VanCougar to correct errors.Please contact the editor via e-mail at [email protected].

RepresentationThe existence of advertising in The VanCougar is not meant as an endorsement of any product, serviceor individual by anyone except the advertiser.

Employment Washington State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer.

Letters to the EditorThe VanCougar welcomes brief letters (250 words or fewer)from members of the WSU Vancouver community on current issues. Letters must include the author’s full name, contact information and WSU affiliation, year and major for students, department for faculty and staff, degree and year graduated for alumni. The VanCougar does not publish anonymous letters.Priority is given to letters that relate directly to stories printed in The VanCougar. The VanCougar also welcomes guest commentaries of 550 words or fewer addressing issues of general interest to the WSU Vancouver community.Letters and commentaries should focus on issues, not personalities. Personal attacks and anonymous letters will not be considered for publication. The VanCougar reserves the right to edit for space, libel, obscene material and clarity. The views expressed are solely those of the individual authors.Letters and suggestions may be delivered to the Office of Student Involvement, the VanCougar office (VCLB 212), dropped in a suggestion box at a VanCougar distribution rack or e-mailed to [email protected].

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF..................................... AUDREY MILLER . [email protected]

MANAGING EDITOR................................. HALEY SHARP . [email protected]

ADVERTISING MANAGER......................... JAYME SHOUN . [email protected]

WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER....... EMILY SPANNRING

GRAPHIC DESIGNER................................. KATIE FENNELLY

ADAM BALDWINAMANDA CRAVEN JEREMY DUNFIELD TREVOR ELLIOTTALEXANDER FEYTSER

EVAN FLANAGANJANAE GREENCASEY KARLSEN LAKE KONOPASKITERESA LANE

SAMANTHA REEL CAMBRI SHANAHAN MARGARITA TOPAL

WRITERS

TEAM EDITORS

SARAH CUSANELLI DARYA KORNYUSHIN

SHAVENOR WINTERSCYNDIE MEYER

The VanCougar | Classroom Building (VCLS) Room 212 | 14024 NW Salmon Creek Ave. | Vancouver, Wash. 98686 | 360-546-9524

ASWSUV Senate Update• Bill 22.019: Relating to the allocation $3600 from the senate allocation pool for funding the event “Family Weekend” on March 21-23:

• Resolution 22.002: Relating to banning smoking on campus, offering smoking cessation programs and establishing smoking zones off and outside of campus: 9-1-0: Passed

For more information email ASWSUV Vice President Aaron Bruckner at [email protected]. To view copies of the mentioned ASWSUV Senate legislation visit thevancougar.com.

Photo Credit: Lucas Wiseman

BY TERESA LANE The VanCougar

Undeclared sophomore Lu-cas Wiseman has been living and working in Olympia, WA since the beginning of the spring 2013 semester. He has been working as the on-the-scene intern reporter for The Columbian. Wiseman re-ports stories about the state legis-latures activity during the legisla-tive session.

Wiseman first heard about

the internship through Professor Brett Oppegaard who taught his Communications 295 course at WSU Vancouver. Once Wiseman was offered the position, the deci-sion was an easy one to make.

“This internship is incredibly prestigious, as well as a great re-sume builder. It’s been very en-lightening to learn how our gov-ernment works,” Wiseman said.

While working for The Co-lumbian in Olympia, Wiseman is also earning full-time credits for the semester span of the intern-ship. Earning credits allows Wise-man to continue the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree. Wiseman plans to major in digital technology and culture with a minor in communi-cations.

Though the internship carries great prestige, Wiseman says it comes with many challenges.

“The most challenging part of my internship is knowing what to write about. There is so much hap-pening here in Olympia, it’s im-portant to know what is the most

newsworthy,” Wiseman said.When Wiseman is not con-

ducting interviews or catching-up on the most recent legislative decisions, he spends most of his free time walking around the city, writing, playing guitar and watch-ing the single channel available on his television. Through his time in Olympia, he has also learned more about what he wants to do with his future.

“I have spent a lot of time try-ing to decide what I want to major in. This internship has made me confident that I have chosen the right path and that is pretty spec-tacular,” Wiseman said.

There are internships and employment opportunities avail-able through WSU Vancouver for students of all different majors. For information on internships through WSU Vancouver go to cas.vancouver.wsu.edu/content/internships, or contact your aca-demic advisor for more opportu-nities. n

Lucas Wiseman learns journalism while earning full-time credit

VanCougar Newspaper

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ka Fellows, a junior majoring in human development, they were surprised and anxious.

“I have heard the rumors about going to a five day school week. This is very disturbing to me. I take advantage of my Fridays and use them as study days and days that I can volunteer and give back to my community,” Fellows said.

With the transition approach-ing for fall 2013, students have been considering new accommo-dations in their schedules. Fellows says she is nervous about com-pleting all of her requirements with the five-day schedule.

In attempts to resist the shift to a standard course schedule, Fellows is including more online components in her academics.

Implementing hybrid courses this spring to decrease days on campus, Fellows said at first she was nervous.

“All of my worries have gone unproven. The professors have clearly defined my responsibilities and have provided enough time to complete my work. I have caught myself wishing that my other two classes were hybrid as well,” Fellows said.

With the implementation of the new course schedule in fall 2013, changes to the WSU Vancouver campus environment will occur. To learn more about the new course schedule and the changes visit: admin.vancouver.wsu.edu/academic-affairs/stan-dard-course-schedule. n

Course ScheduleContinued from page 1

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Washington State University Vancouver

Psychology instructor to retireBy ELIZABETH SOLIDAY AND AUDREY MILLER The VanCougar

Randy Kleinhesselink, WSU Vancouver associate professor of psychology, retires after a twen-ty-six year career with Washing-ton State University. Teaching at both the Pullman and Vancouver campus, Kleinhesselink began teaching exclusively at Vancouver in 1998. Beloved by his students, they affectionately named the campus “Kleinhesselink U,” said Elizabeth Soliday, associate pro-fessor of psychology.

Though Kleinhesselink taught a wide range of courses, he had a

central role in creating the WSU Vancouver psychology depart-ment. Kleinhesselink chaired nearly a dozen committees and helped to build the robust and diverse arsenal of psychology faculty. Kleinhesselink is also credited with overseeing the addi-tion of the bachelor’s of science in psychology and the bachelor’s of arts in social sciences with personnel psychology/human resource management.

“His fellow faculty will miss his collegiality, his sense of humor, and the perspective he brought to the department,” Soliday said. n

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for all student employees on campus changed two years ago from an annual stipend to an hourly wage. Nguyen said he and ASWSUV Vice President Aaron Bruckner thought the resulting wages were “unjustifiably high for student involvement positions.”

“Aaron and I asked ourselves: ‘Are we comfortable disclosing that we make $16 per hour, and that money is coming from S&A fee dollars all students pay into. What do the students really have to say about this?’ Most students are surprised that we make anything at all. So, that was the justification we had,” he said.

However, student senator Mi-chael Gay felt the wage reduction was unjustified.

“To me, a justification would be if there was some sort of budget shortfall, if students had complained directly that they thought the executive staff was making too much money, or if it had been demonstrated that the executive staff had not earned the wages,” Gay said.

“Those numbers were set in 2009 for the 2010 budget. Since then, tuition has gone up by almost 50 percent. The cost of living has gone up approximately seven percent. Everything in the world has gone up, but yet, those [wages] have stayed stagnant. And now to lower them is regres-sive.”

Gay said the wage reduction will make it harder for non-tradi-tional students to serve as student leaders.

“There is a certain kind of attitude attached to this that is: ‘You’re a student and you’re getting paid with experience and the monetary compensation is just a bonus.’ However, I would say that in any job, you’re gaining experience. Just because we’re stu-dents doesn’t mean we should be compensated less for our work,”

Gay said. “We are considered employees of the state. We have all the accountability of any state employee, yet to say we should be compensated differently because we’re students — that’s not right.”

To make his point, Gay com-pared wages at local businesses with the wages proposed for student leaders in 2013/14:

“You could go to Costco and get a job pushing shopping carts right now for $11 an hour and they’ll pay you benefits and time and a half. I occasionally come in on weekends for a meeting and I don’t get time and a half and I sure don’t get benefits.”

However, Nguyen feels the wage is reasonable.

“You’re still getting paid more than any student on campus. You’re probably making more than some permanent staff here. And $13 to $14 per hour is typical for a middle manager in the out-side world, he said.

Nguyen is also aware that some students feel the wage change is radical.

“Yes, it is radical, but that doesn’t make it wrong. This has been a conversation for over three years of senators wanting to really evaluate our pay system. This is not just Aaron’s and my idea. It’s what we’ve been talking to students about. Is paying the president and vice president $16 per hour really the best way to use S&A fees? The change is radical, but there is nothing radical about $13 per hour at all.”

Overall, ASWSUV is request-ing $16,700 less than last year, the first time in five years that the ASWSUV budget request was less than the prior year.

To hear the interviews and link to the actual budget, go to thevancougar.com. n

Reduced WagesContinued from page 1

By CASEY KARLESON The VanCougar

Outside the Clark College Building on the WSU Vancouver campus, high school students can be seen getting on and off yellow school buses throughout the day. These students resemble a tour group but in fact they are ninth graders enrolled at Itech Prepara-tory School in its first year on the Vancouver campus.

Itech Preparatory School, or Itech Prep, is currently small, with only 75 students enrolled. Enrolled students are in the sixth, seventh and ninth grades, with other grades to be added in the future. At WSU Vancouver, the ninth graders use the Clark Col-lege Building while the sixth and seventh graders attend school at the Jim Parsley Center in Vancou-ver. According to the Itech Prep website, students apply for admis-

sion and are selected from every school in the Vancouver school district. To explore the Itech Prep website, visit: portalsso.vansd.org/portal/page/portal/Building_Pag-es/iTech_Prep

Itech Prep is STEM focused; the school emphasizes science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Itech Prep does not prepare students for one partic-ular career, but rather students can choose to pursue many careers in the STEM fields using their education from Itech Prep. According to the Itech website, the most common career pursuit is engineering.

Itech Prep Principal, Christina Iremonger, speaks to the unique structure of Itech Prep. Iremonger says that classes at Itech Prep are structured much differently than in other local schools. According to Iremonger, classes start later and end later at Itech Prep than

at the high schools in the area. Students take eight classes per se-mester plus an “advocacy” course. Iremonger also states that stu-dents at Itech Prep are required to have taken 32 credits to graduate, substantially more than required by most high schools. Students have an ‘advocacy’ class period each day for teachers to help students with projects and other class work. This class period allows for one-on-one assistance and interaction between students and teachers, Iremonger said.According to Jacob Skimas, Itech Prep student body president, teachers at Itech emphasize project-based learning. Skimas says that rather than a teacher pri-marily lecturing straight from the text or using PowerPoint, students are assigned different topics or questions they must research. Af-ter students research their topics or questions they are required to present to their classes. “My English teacher formats her homework like a video game. It is like you have to go on quests to earn xp [experience points]. The more xp you have the higher your grade is,” Jacob Skimas said. Project-based learning and other out-of-the-box teaching methods are quite useful with students who otherwise might not be as en-gaged in traditional coursework, Skimas mentioned. For interested WSU Vancouver student, there are many ways to get involved. Iremonger welcomes WSU Vancouver students to be involved in Itech student lives by giving advice about college and STEM careers. WSU Vancou-ver students are invited to help mentor and tutor these young scholars. For more information about mentoring and tutoring, contact the main Itech office at 360-313-5200. n

WSU Vancouver shares campus with STEM high school

Tuesday, Feb. 19

t Poetry Workshop Noon – 2 p.m. VLIB 203 Free

t Zotero: A free tool to manage your citations and research 2 – 3 p.m. VLIB 160B Free

Wednesday, Feb. 20

t Strong Interest Inventory Workshop 9 – 10 a.m. VSSC 108 Free

t Maximize Test Performance Workshop 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. VFSC 104 Free

t VanCoug American Democracy Project Day 2:30 p.m. VDEN 130, 236 and 129 RSVP at http://admin. vancouver.wsu.edu/adp

t Massages and Midterms 3 – 6 p.m. VFSC Free

t 9th Annual International Globalization, Diversity and Education Conference 5 p.m. Heathman Lodge Students $70 Non-Students $150

t A-Z of Financial Aid and Scholarships Workshop 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. VSSC 108 Free

Thursday, Feb. 21

t Brown Bag Professional Development Series Noon – 1 p.m. VECS 125 Free

t Family Movie Night: Cars 5:45 – 8 p.m. VDEN 129 and 130 Free

t Professional Writers Series 7 – 9 p.m. VLIB 264 Free

Friday, Feb. 22

t Audition for CougFest Noon – 5 p.m. Email cougmusicauditions @gmail.com

Monday, Feb. 25

t Red Cross Blood Drive 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. VFSC Sign up in OSI

t Mo’ Talk Monday 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. VFSC 104 Free

t Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator Workshop 4 – 5 p.m. VSSC 101 Free

Tuesday, Feb. 26

t Poetry Workshop Noon – 2 p.m. VLIB 203 Free

t Timbers Tickets Go On Sale Noon VSSC Cashier $15

t Interviewing Skills 4 – 5 p.m. VFSC 104 Free

Wednesday, Feb. 27

t Travel Café Photography Contest 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. VFSC Free

t Center for Science and Environment Justice Spring Research Colloquium Noon – 1 p.m. VDEN 129 Free

Thursday, Feb. 28

t Brown Bag Professional Development Series Noon – 1 p.m. VECS 125 Free

t Time and Energy Management Workshop Noon – 1 p.m. VFSC 104 Free

t Professional Writers Series 7 – 9 p.m. VLIB 264 Free

Friday, March 1

t Chancellor’s Seminar Series 11:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. VFSC Sign up in OSI

Washington State University Vancouver

4 | WA-INITIATIVE 502

Letter to the editor:Following groundbreaking legislation passed on the November’s ballot, WSU’s

Office of Student Standards and Accountability sent out an email to remind the campus community of WSU’s policy on marijuana use. This policy includes a prohibition of “the use, possession, and distribution of medical marijuana.”

I find it disturbing that a state university in a state making significant progress in individual and patient rights has chosen to support a crumbling, controversial Federal position rather than backing a strongly supported state law. While unrestricted access to recreational marijuana in campus buildings is probably counter to our educational mission, it seems to me that the WSU community is sophisticated enough to get past all/none thinking. Marijuana prescribed by doctors differs greatly from recreational use, although both were validated by voters in Washington. Washington residents clearly feel that medical decisions should be made by doctors, yet WSU’s failure to revise policy suggests that our campus disagrees. It seems to me that health and wellness have lost out at WSU as these decisions are being kept/taken away from medical professionals.

I sincerely hope that those with the power to set WSU policy consider the message that our current policies send to the residents of the state of Washington. It makes me very sad that voters concerned about patients’ rights, increased access to resources, and healthcare justice have had their voices ignored by their own state university leaders.

-Michael Sutcliffe

VanCoug talkInitiative 502 at WSU

Audra Mann | COMPUTER SCIENCE “I voted for WA Initiative 502 but I am not a user. I just think what is the difference between alcohol and marijuana if used responsibly? I think kids had more access to marijuana, before the law, than alcohol because it was not regulated. Now that we have passed I-502, I think the regulations will make marijuana more difficult to access.” Concerning the ban of marijuana on campus, “I understand completely. Washington State University

Vancouver still receives funding from the federal government and marijuana is still illegal fed-erally. The university does not want to put that funding through aid and grants in jeopardy.”

Tamicka Fellows | HUMAN DEVELOPMENT “I did not vote for [WA Initiative 502], I voted against it. Hav-ing three children it is really hard already to have the talk about smoking and drinking. I think it is going to be one more strug-gle I am going to have as far as ‘why can’t I do it mom it is legal, I can drink alcohol why not marijuana.’ Just like alcohol I wouldn’t want my children to abuse it but marijuana does have side ef-fects. A lot of people say that it is safer than smoking, however

on the brain there are a lot of negative implications. Marijuana inhibits short-term memory and motor movements. Students think, ‘I can smoke a joint and take a test,’ but short-term memory is inhibited when you do that.” Concerning the ban of marijuana on campus, “I think it is great, I do not even prefer to have cigarettes on this campus. There are preschool, kindergarteners and the Itech students who walk around on this campus and they are all under age. It is something I don’t think they should be involved with.”

Lorla Victoriano | SOCIOLOGY “I do not think [WA Initiative 502] should have been passed. The state had already allowed the medical use of marijuana and I thought that was as far as we needed to go. We should only allow the medical use of marijuana rather than a general use.” Concerning the ban of marijuana on campus, “I agree with the ban. There is no sense in using marijuana on campus or before you go to class. What use are you getting out of your education

at that point? I think [marijuana] lowers your capacity to learn.”

Andrew Wiswall| BUSINESS COMMUNICATION“Obviously the law is still in limbo right now, there’s still that one year period, like a trial period. I think a lot of people don’t read into the law, like right now they think ‘oh yeah it’s legal, I can do whatever I want whenever I want,’ which isn’t the case. People aren’t really educated on it. At first I thought the law was a good idea, but the more I read up on it the more hesitations I have about it.” Concerning the ban of marijuana on campus, “it’s

a public facility so it falls under the law already.”

Matt Anderson| ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING “I think it’s a good law, I think they should have made it like alcohol a long time ago with strict laws for people who abuse it. But people who are old enough, it’s their choice.” Concern-ing the ban of marijuana on campus, “it doesn’t really affect me, but it’s just like alcohol, you can’t walk around campus and take shots and drink beer, just in the privacy of your own home or a place that allows it.”

By AUDREY MILLERThe VanCougar

Becoming the first state, along-side Colorado, in the United States to decriminalize marijuana, Washing-ton’s Initiative 502 passed with a 55.7 percent to 44.3 percent vote. The WA Secretary of State’s website details the results, sos.wa.gov. WA Initiative 502 took effect Dec. 6, 2012. Though marijuana has been decriminal-ized, there are still restrictions users should learn to stay legal.

Stated in I-502, the primary in-tent is “to stop treating adult mari-juana use as a crime and try a new approach.” Several justifications fol-low the initiatives intent including, allowing law enforcement recours-es to be reallocated to “property crimes,” to generate new state and local taxes and to take eliminate the black market for marijuana bringing it under tight regulations. The initia-tive also authorizes the “state liquor control board to regulate and tax marijuana for persons twenty-one years of age and older, and add a new threshold for driving under the in-

fluence of marijuana.”Important for students to know,

anyone under twenty-one years of age can still be prosecuted for any possession of marijuana. Additional-ly, an individual’s possession cannot exceed “one ounce of usable mar-ijuana; sixteen ounces of marijua-na-infused product in solid form; or seventy-two ounces of marijuana-in-fused product in liquid,” as stated in the initiative.

Students also need to be aware of the new DUI charges associated with driving while under the influ-ence of marijuana. I- 502 states that a police officer can ask you to perform a blood test if they have probable cause you may be under the influ-ence of marijuana. The legal limit of marijuana is 5 nanograms or higher of THC in your blood.

Though marijuana has been de-criminalized in WA it is not with-out restrictions. Students need to be informed about the law before they use marijuana. For information about the Initiative 502 visit: sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/initiatives/i502.pdf.n

“Students should be aware that Washington State University (WSU) does not allow marijuana on campus, including in WSU housing. Students that use, possess, manufacture, or distribute marijuana (or any controlled substance) are subject to action under the Standards of Conduct of Students. For example, if a student is found possessing marijuana in a residence hall, the student will be subject to disciplinary action. This policy includes the use, possession, and dis-tribution of medical marijuana. All questions regarding the reasonable accom-modation of medical conditions, including conditions treated with medical cannabis, should be directed to the Access Center at 509-335-3417. Bernadette K. Buchanan PhD. Director, Office of Student Standards & Accountability [email protected].”

Official WSU policy

WA Initiaitve-502

Office of Student Standards and Accountability

Marijuana decriminalized in Washington state

| 5

Washington State University Vancouver

STUDENT LIFE

Making

ScienceFun!

MARLIN MARTIN | Photo Credit: Darya Kornyushin

By DARYA KORNYUSHIN The VanCougar

At Washington State University Vancouver there is an instructor who focuses on making science in the classroom memorable and enjoyable. Professor Marlin Mar-tin, who has taught for 45 years, teaches education majors how to spark interest in the sciences when teaching in their future classrooms. Martin’s students herald him as an innovator.

“I did not realize that I taught differently than teachers around me, I always thought that it is the way everyone teaches science,” admits Martin.

Martin uses hands-on activities in his lesson plans rather than a pen and paper ap-proach. Martin has his students making balloon cars, smashing cameras and blowing up balloons in one breath. These hands-on activities are riddled with lessons on how science works, but students have too much fun to notice the learning.

“I think teaching should reflect the real world, and I have always tried to make the activities in my teaching content practical, useful and meaningful,” Martin said.

A single experiment can be taken in any number of directions and used to introduce multifaceted new ideas all at once. Martin hopes his pedagogy will make the sciences more approachable while changing the learn-ing environment.

“If the kids see value in what they’re learning, disci-pline is minimized and interest level of students is max-imized,” Martin said.

Marlin shares the basis of his teaching philosophy and he says that it is very simple, to keep student in-terest.

“I’ve taught in several different countries, and have found that students are basically the same if they see value in what they’re learning. When they’re interested, they’re learning,” Martin said.

Martin’s students remember the fun they had learning. Once they leave the classroom they don’t easily forget the science.

“Not too long ago I was stopped at a gas station, and a man and his wife and kids pulled into the spot next to mine. A few moments later, the man shouted ‘Mr. Martin! I remember you! You taught me about Newton’s Law,” Mar-tin said. n

DARYA KORNYUSHIN | Photo Credit: Darya Kornyushin

Washington State University Vancouver

6 | OFF CAMPUS NEWS

By JEREMY DUNFIELD The VanCougar

Next time you visit Old Town Portland, look down. There, under your feet, lurk the ghosts of his-toric events. The Portland Under-ground tour provides a peek into Portland’s past – and it is not al-ways a pleasant story. But the tour itself can be an entertaining way to spend an afternoon while learning about local lore.

Old Town Pizza and Hobo’s Restaurant are both housed in the old Merchant Hotel at 226 Davis Street in Portland’s China Town. This former hotel sits atop a dark secret of human abduction.

Portland Underground tour guides say that the California Gold Rush impacted cargo ships bound

for Asia during the 1800s. Many able-bodied seamen would jump ship and head for the gold fields. When their ships came up short on sailors, captains turned to mid-dlemen, known as “crimps,” which they hired to supply the sailing vessel with laborers. Crimps were paid by the by the number of men they could supply to ship captains in need.

Legend tells that trap doors, known as “dead falls” were built into the floors of Portland taverns. The traps were set to spring open when unsuspecting patrons stood in the wrong spot at the right time. Once through the trapdoor, un-suspecting tavern-goers were im-prisoned in holding cells with bars so close together that fingers could not fit through. Inebriated from

the tavern overhead, or drugged by their captors, these victims sel-dom tried to escape. Just the same, the tour guides tell that victims’ shoes were removed and broken glass was strewn along the passag-es between the cells to discourage escape.

The basements of several Old Town buildings were connect-ed so goods could be safely and quickly moved from one building to another. Victims were allegedly moved through the same passage-ways to work as slaves aboard the cargo ships docked at the Willa-mette waterfront.

Joseph Kelly, a famous Port-land crimp, wrote an autobiogra-phy about his experiences while imprisoned in Salem, Ore. In his account, Kelly reports having ab-

ducted as many as 50 men in four hours. Kelly went to jail for killing a business partner and served 13 years in state prison.

Although there exists little archaeological evidence to sup-port the legends of underground crimping in Portland basements, first-hand accounts have been re-corded.

One story tells of a large and renowned clipper ship built for size and speed in 1851. When the ship moved too slowly to please the captain, he beat many of the crimped men on board with a mattock. Punishment became more severe as the journey wore on. During a storm, crimped sailors were ordered to the tops of the sails during a storm at sea. Four fell to their deaths. When the

ship sailed into San Francisco Bay, crimped sailors jumped overboard and made their way to shore. As word of mistreatment and murder aboard The Challenger spread, an angry crowd gathered at the dock, not to welcome the ship, but to hang the captain and first mate.

Those who boarded the ship testified to finding the corpses of five crimped men who had been beaten or shot to death. The cap-tain and first mate managed to es-cape the angry crowd.

Crimping came to an abrupt end in the late 1880s. Steamships took the place of clippers and slave laborers lacked the know-how to operate them. For more informa-tion on Portland Underground tours, visit shanghaitunnels.info.n

By JEREMY DUNFIELD The VanCougar

There is nothing like a cool drink of water to quench your thirst. In the watery northwest, most people take fresh, clean wa-ter for granted. It may come as a surprise that in Clark County, the Troutdale Aquifer is designated by the U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency as the sole source of water for 97 percent of the com-munity. If the aquifer’s volume de-clines or becomes contaminated, the region has no other financially feasible source of water.

The Troutdale Aquifer runs underground, in some places over two thousand feet deep. Its for-mation took place over several eras in history and resulted from a variety of geological processes. One of the most important parts of the aquifer is the Pleistocene alluvial deposits that extend east from Vancouver Lake to 164th Avenue, and north up to the East Fork Lewis River. This portion of Clark County has been termed the Fourth Plains Area. In the lower portion of the aquifer, pebbles and cobbles were deposited by the an-cestral Columbia River.

The Upper Member of the Troutdale Formation sits on top of the Pleistocene alluvial depos-it. Composed primarily of volca-nic glass sand called hyaloclastic, this portion originated from the Simcoe Volcanics east of Mt. Ad-ams which date back more than 1,000,000 years. Hyaloclast was carried here by the Columbia Riv-er.

These formations were buried under clay, sand and gravel when water from the Glacial Lake Mis-soula broke its ice dam, ripped through eastern Washington, poured into the Columbia River, tore down the Gorge, and pooled in the Portland Basin. The dirt and rocks carried in the flood were de-posited when the water settled.

Dangers to Our WatersIn 1980, federal law enacted

the Comprehensive Environ-mental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. This legislation mandated that areas contaminat-ed with hazardous materials be cleaned up. Placed on the Nation-al Priorities List, these sites are of-ten called superfund sites because of the cost associated with decon-tamination. The NPL list helps the EPA determine the eligibility of hazardous waste sites. In Vancou-ver, 7608 NE 47th Street is a Su-perfund Site.

From 1967 to 1994 a chrome-plating business, Boomsnub, operated at this lo-cation deemed a Superfund Site. Due to improperly handling the disposal of hazardous materials, soil on the site is contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a car-cinogen. AIRCO, a manufacturer of compressed gas that shared the site with Boomsnub, contami-nated the site’s groundwater with both chromium and Volatile Or-ganic Compounds. Many VOCs are not harmful, but trichloro-ethylene and perchloroethylene, commonly used as solvents for stripping paint and degreasing mechanical parts, are dangerous. These were the VOCs found in the Vancouver superfund site. The EPA’s website lists this informa-tion along with the locations and causes of other Superfund Sites in the United States.

Luckily, most of the tox-ic groundwater never reached the aquifer because of EPA ac-tion in 1994. First, the EPA re-moved 6,000 tons of contaminat-ed soil. Then they drilled wells and pumped the water through a treatment machine, discharging de-toxified water back into the ground.

Another hazard to Vancouver’s drinking water came from the now-closed Aluminum Company of America. ALCOA owned and

operated an aluminum foundry in Vancouver starting in 1940. In 1990, the ALCOA site was listed on the NPL, and cleanup began in 1992. The site was removed from the NPL in 1996 and cleanup re-sponsibility is now handled by the state of Washington.

For 18 years, operators at ALCOA piled cyanide- and fluo-ride-containing material direct-ly on the dirt around the plant. Both groundwater and soil in and around the plant were contami-nated with these chemicals and with alumina. These contami-nants posed a risk to people who used water within three miles of the site, and it was feared contam-inants could also leak into the Co-lumbia River.

At least 49 superfund sites ex-ist or existed within the state of Washington — at least five with-in Clark County. With the EPA’s help, the people of Clark Coun-ty can still count on high quality drinking water. The EPA’s website lists this information along with the locations and causes of oth-er Superfund Sites in the United States.

Citizen Participation As stated on the EPA’s website,

once a source of water is contami-nated with chemicals dumped and improperly disposed of, the dam-age can be irreversible. Required by the Safe Drinking Act, the EPA is the primary agency responsible for the protection of our nations drinking water. The EPA oversees several programs to protect drink-ing water and works with state wa-ter protection programs. As a cit-izen, the EPA urges you to report any activity that could harm our water sources such as oil spills or chemical releases. To report activ-ity that could harm our drinking water please call the National Re-sponse Center, 800-424-8802. n

VanCougar reporter explores local tourist attraction

Troutdale Aquifer is Clark County’s sole water source

AQUIFER MAP | Photo Credit: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Portland Shanghai Tunnels: A haunting history of kidnapping and human trafficking

| 7

Washington State University Vancouver

EXTRAS

Dear ShavenorDEAR SHAVENOR,

I am like super frustrated right now. Nobody likes my Facebook statuses anymore. This is completely unfair. I have stopped posting MySpace pictures as my profile pictures, I have limited the photos of my duck face and I have almost stopped using Facebook as my public diary.

Then, after a long day at work I felt like I deserved to go on Face-book to let everyone know how hard my life is- they have no idea how hard it is to work for my parents-but no one replied.

I made my post about work vague as usual and I even said that I didn’t want to talk about it. Then after no one liked my post, I decided to-literally two minutes later- post a sympathy meme that would make people feel guilty for not liking it. But nobody liked the meme either.

Even worse, I think people are un-friending me. Should I post another sympathy meme?

Please help

-FIGHTING FACEBOOK

DEAR FIGHTING FACEBOOK,

Obviously, you have superior Facebook skills and your Facebook friends are totally having serious issues understanding your intel-lectual messages. Why have you stopped posting MySpace pictures? Have you no heart? Perhaps what you should try is a combination of the MySpace picture with a duck face and a caption to make people feel guilty.

If your Facebook friends refuse to like and/or share your photo, post a new one. I would also encourage you to take a step back and ensure that each of your Facebook posts are vague as possible, highly offensive or designed to generally upset your audience. This is the only way to get those likes that your statuses desperately crave.

-SHAVENOR

2 4 6

6 2 1

9 7

2 8 7 1 9 3

3 8

6 9 4 7 5 2

4 2

1 3 6

3 6 8

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.48)

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Mon Feb 11 19:36:58 2013 GMT. Enjoy!

SudokuFind solution @ Facebook.com/TheVanCougar.

Appearing in print Jan. 22, 2013, the article “What’s big and green and sits on campus? LEED buildings,” inaccurately reported the Engineering and Computer Science building’s LEED certification as silver. The Engineering and Computer Science building is in fact LEED gold certified, as stated on the WSU Vancouver website. As indicated on the U.S. Green Building Council’s website, The Engineering and Computer Science building received 42 points out of 69 on the LEED scorecard. For more information about LEED scorecard cat-egories and LEED gold certification requirements, visit new.usgbc.org.

Corrections: Jan. 22 print issue

Got Questions?Ask @ the Library

In a hurry? Why wait?The Library has wireless printing.

Visit:https://van printeron.vancouver.wsu.edu/cps/

or ask a Librarian for more information.

“The Student Media Board has proposed changes to

its operating by-laws. To view the proposed changes, please visit https://orgsync.com/26827/

chapter.”

Washington State University Vancouver

8 | RECREATION

By CAMBRI SHANAHANThe VanCougar

Something hot and new is nearing our campus this chilly spring semester that can be bene-ficial for any Coug who is trying to maintain or create a healthier lifestyle for themselves. A new fitness technique called MELT is coming to our fitness center and will be taught by our campus’s in-formation systems manager, Lau-rel Rea-Bullion.

“MELT is the first neurofas-cial technique bringing your body back to a more ideal state by di-rectly enhancing body awareness, rehydrating connective tissue, and quieting the nervous system. The sequences work to relieve aches and pains brought on by aging and active living, reduce inflam-mation, ease chronic neck and low back compression, improve alignment, and teach you how to keep your whole body working in better balance,” said Rea-Bullion.

Sue Hitzmann, inventor of this brand new technique, wrote her first book about this process that will be released on January 22. After completing the full-in-structor MELT training last year, Rea-Bullion introduced short se-quences while teaching pilates in the WSUV fitness center. With support from the Office of Student Involvement, Rea-Bullion is excit-ed to be teaching three class ses-sions of the MELT method in our fitness center this spring.

“MELT is truly for everyone. Even if you are pregnant, injured, post-surgery, overweight, seden-tary, out of shape, have limited mobility, chronic pain, knee/hip replacements, or bone disorders — you can still MELT. MELT can help you maintain a fit, toned body and achieve optimal perfor-mance without debilitating wear and tear,” said Rea-Bullion.

After being a MELT student for several years, Rea-Bullion de-cided to complete a full-instruc-tor training last year to be able to teach classes herself. According to Rea-Bullion, the MELT meth-od uses specialized foam rollers and small MELT hand and foot balls, providing a technique that simulates manual therapy. Once the manual therapy technique of MELT is understood, it becomes evident that MELT is a practice that can be used by all partici-pants. At home, in the gym and anywhere.

“You will learn simple self-care techniques you can use every day to make your body feel better and function more efficiently,” said Rea-Bullion.

This semester, on February 4, March 4 and April 8 from 5:15 to 6:05 pm are the three MELT class-es that will be offered in the fitness center. Lead by Rea-Bullion, these unique, new classes will spark a style of exercise that our campus has never seen before. n

Get active and MELT!

By CAMBRI SHANAHAN The VanCougar

St. Patrick’s Day is about much more than four-leaf clovers and leprechauns. March 17, 2013 will be the 35th annual Shamrock Run in neighboring Portland, Ore-gon. Filling the city with festive green and gold, 35,000 runners will flood Waterfront Park. With help from WSU Vancouver fit-ness trainer, DeeAnne Perler, WSU Vancou-ver will have its very own super-team run-ning the Shamrock run this year.

75-and-counting, Cougs and friends of Cougs are registered to run one of the four Shamrock distance options: 1K (.6 miles), 5K (3.1 miles), 8K (4.9 miles) or

a 15K (9.3 miles). By meeting the super team deadline of 75 runners by Jan. 31, each member of the WSU Vancouver super team will be giving back to the university. A small amount from each mem-ber’s admission fee will go towards a WSU Vancouver scholarship, a

donation arranged and advocated for by Perler.

Perler, 52, will be running her fourth Shamrock run this year and is excited to have met her goal of leading the WSU Vancouver super

WSU Vancouver runs in ShamrockPortland’s annual Shamrock Run to have Vancouver team

team. Bouncing around in vibrant shamrock memorabilia, Perler continues to encourage anyone and everyone to join the team.

“You just have to relax and en-joy the whole experience. Events supercharge somebody who is working on their fitness. It boosts self-confidence and it makes it fun,” says Perler.

Although the super team dead-line was Jan. 31, the team can still add more runners. The Shamrock Run is currently sold out but may be opening 500 more spots in ear-ly March. By registering with the WSU Vancouver super team, par-ticipants will receive a four-dollar discount off their admission fee and contribute to the WSU Van-couver scholarship. Upon registra-tion, each participant will receive a Shamrock Run t-shirt delivered to WSU Vancouver. 15K run fin-ishers will receive a Shamrock me-dallion.

With a month left before the race, Perler and students will be leading weekly runs to train for the 5K, 8K or 15K. The training runs will offer Cougs on campus to run as a team and get to know their fellow Shamrock runners through structure.

Steps to registering for the Shamrock run can be found online at sham-rockrunportland.com. The WSU Vancou-ver super team num-ber is 8750. A group Facebook page has also been created to provide information about campus trail

runs and the day-of meeting time. The Facebook page is named WSU Vancouver Shamrock Runners. n

DeeAnne Perler, fourth annual Shamrock runner and first year WSU Vancouver super team leader |

Photo Credit: Cambri Shanahan

“Events supercharge somebody who is working on their fitness. It boosts self-confidence and it makes it fun.”

- DeeAnne Perler