is issue: MLK Jr.

Jodi Tripp’s
In th From the WSU-V Band
Service Day President Digital Concert
WSU-V students spent the
day doing community Cougs at the capitol Photography Local bands play free
concert for students
service projects and budget cuts Former WSU employee
among topics at ‘Get to Know
around Vancouver displays her artwork in You Tuesdays’
discussed Vancouver galleries
Page 6 Page 4 Page 8 Page 8

Washington State University Vancouver January 26, 2009 Issue 10 www.vancougar.com

KOUG
New surge of interest “We will be heavily advertising
our ‘official’ air date around campus,”
sparks advancement says Atkinson, “so I hope that
By Kati Hughes everyone will take the opportunity
The VanCougar to listen to KOUG.”

Radio
The planning meetings
After a considerable hiatus, Atkinson mentions are open to all
KOUG radio has “broken radio students, and those interested in
silence.” The VanCougar spoke with attending can contact the station
Spring Atkinson, Program Manager via e-mail at kougradio@gmail.
of KOUG, on Wednesday January com.
21 regarding the current activities of

the station. Lately, progress has been
kicked into high gear.
Zane Wagner and several other
enthusiastic students have taken
gets a
At the time of writing,
the radio station may only be
streamed via an on-campus
internet address, according
to Michael Hatch, one of

fresh
a lively interest in the progress of KOUG’s DJs.
KOUG since last fall. “[Wagner] has Students interested
really stepped into a leadership role at in applying for a job with
KOUG,” says Atkinson. “Right now, KOUG can contact the

start
we are all contributing in order for our station at the same e-mail
re-launch to be a success.” address. “Also,” says
Wagner applied for the position Atkinson, “keep a look
of Station Manager last Fall, but out for flyers in regards
was not confirmed by the Student to applications,
Media Board (SMB) during the training sessions,
December meeting because members and other KOUG
of the Board felt that the position sponsored events.”
was inadequately advertised. “It is
extremely important to establish good
leadership for KOUG,” says Atkinson,
“Without it, recruitment and keeping
students involved at KOUG will be
ineffective.”
Atkinson said that after Wagner
was confirmed as Station Manager
at the January 23 SMB meeting,
the station will take applications
for Music Director, Technical
Director, Promotions Director, and
Programming Director. “Where we
are with KOUG at this point in time,”
says Atkinson, “lack of experience
is no problem since we are all trying
something new.”
According to Atkinson, “just this
week we have returned to broadcasting
in conjunction with our training after a
long series of planning meetings.”

Zane Wagner, recently confirmed Station Manager of

KOUG Radio, hopes to have the station on the air waves
within the next couple months.
“I’m excited to see so much interest in the radio
station. We have 14 DJs right now, and we’re looking to
add more.”
Zane says KOUG Radio will be available as an off-
campus stream from the KOUG website within the next
couple weeks.
2 The VanCougar
The VanCougar
www.vancougar.com
The VanCougar is a student-run newspaper
serving the students, faculty and staff of
WSU Vancouver. Copies of The VanCougar are
available, free of charge, every other Monday
during the school year.
Editor-in-Chief
Katie Wells
Managing Editor
Michael Hatch
Advisor
Dean Baker
Assistant Editor
Collin Rickman
Ad Manager
Dan Rauchenstein
Copy Editor
Kati Hughes
ACE Editor
Jake Kleinschmidt
Sports & Rec Editor
Position open. Apply today!
Staff Writers & Photographers
Rosann Bartel, Matt Hunter, Collin
Rickman, Louise Wynn, Jason Garcia,
Hannah Walker, Shane Monroe,
Danielle Mosier, Kyle Ralston, Isaac
Madsen, Matthew Wright, Gregory
Zschomler, Lori Fischer, Mark Medina,
Christina Frye, Matthew South, Charis
Jensen, Perry Miller, Adam Fox, Dale
Flamm, Joseph Creager, and Erik Jutila
The VanCougar, VCLS 212
14024 NE Salmon Creek Ave.
Vancouver, WA 98686
Phone: (360) 546-9524
Fax: (360) 546-9072
General E-mail
vancouged@vancouver.wsu.edu
Advertising Inquiries
vancougad@vancouver.wsu.edu
We are hiring!
We are always hiring. No experience
is necessary; we will provide all the
training you need in journalistic style,
photography, and digital printmaking.
E-mail us at vancouged@vancouver.
wsu.edu or visit our office in VCLS 212
for more information.
Letters to the Editor
We encourage letters to the editor.
Please include your full name as part of
the letter, and a phone number or e-
mail address for confirmation follow-up.
Letters must be by a student, faculty, or
staff member.
Guest Columns & Comics
The VanCougar accepts guest columns
and comics from current students of
WSU Vancouver. Interested students
should e-mail us at vancouged@
vancouver.wsu.edu.
Corrections policy
It is our policy to correct errors. Please
contact the editors by e-mail at
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Advertise with us
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students, faculty, and staff at WSU-V.
There is no better way to advertise to
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visit vancougar.com or contact our
advertising manager.
EDITORIAL
Voice of the Cougs: Letters to the Editors
A ‘thank you’ from the Student Busi- Today, all of our work on KOUG real reason we are moving forward.
ness Organization Radio began to pay off. Today is the Special thanks must also be given
Regarding Giving Tree participation day that we broke radio silence and to everyone who offered their time
began streaming live music to our and opinions at the meetings we held
Dear WSU-V Students, Staff, and campus. over the last few months. We would
Faculty! Luis Larios, who joined our team not be broadcasting today if it were
Student Business Organization after hearing about us at ROAR, not for the dedication of the people
(SBO) would like to start the New opened the morning with an hour of who showed up to those meetings
Year off by thanking the WSUV com- Latin Jazz. Then in the afternoon, week after week, each in their own
munity for participating in our first an- we were broadcasting live for three way shaping the path the radio station
nual Giving Tree co-hosted by YWCA. straight hours: Sara Newton-Neis will take over this semester.
With your generous help we were able DJ’ed an hour of mood music (her We must offer the greatest thanks
to provide local families with gifts to mood, she said, was random!), Robert to our advisor, Brian Blair, and Dr.
brighten their holiday season. On be- Thach DJ’ed an hour of Top 40 tunes, John Barber of the DTC program. We
half of the families and the YWCA, we and Cara Cottingham hosted an hour must also thank our own Spring Atkin-
extend a warm thank you! of beat music and excellent commen- son, who was instrumental in getting
This year SBO is dedicated to tary. the ball rolling with this radio station.
providing its members with network- These four DJ’s hosted the first These three have supported us and
ing opportunities to further connect its of 14 hours of live DJ shows that we encouraged us in countless ways, and
members to the business community. have scheduled for this week. As we we would not be where we are today
Join SBO today to learn about how you continue to work on the radio station, without them.
can benefit from being a member! For we will add additional hours of live Today was a great step forward,
club information please contact Ashley and pre-recorded content, and we will and although we have a long way to
Cormican at ashley_cormican@yahoo. invite more and more students to join go, we will meet the challenges that
com. us. And when we are not live, we will face this radio station and surmount
stream automated music drawn from them as we become a place where
Sincerely, the library of songs imported by us students can get involved, a voice for
Student Business Organization and those staff members who have our students and our community, and
come before us. above all, a great radio station that
Today’s achievements are the will serve our campus and the greater
KOUG Radio streaming broadcast result of the work of many people, area of Vancouver.
work of many; pays off. and we acknowledge those who have Thank you for your continued
KOUG Radio breaks radio silence. made this radio station a reality: support of KOUG!
We must recognize everyone who
To the members of KOUG Radio, has graciously offered to host an hour- - Zane Wagner
and the student and faculty members long show this week. Your continuing KOUG Radio
of the Media Board: commitment to this radio station is the
imagining small yet impor-
“There’s no reason tant parts falling to the earth
to become alarmed, below, experts say there is
and we hope you’ll little reason to worry about
Frenchman’s Bar: who aren’t a fan of the water. your next plane trip.
A long stretch of
If outdoor sports are your
thing, don’t hesitate to get
enjoy the rest of A 2006 Time article
beach following a group of friends together your flight.” said that more than 500
times as many people die in
to play on one of the eight
just a short drive beach volleyball courts. “By the way, is there
car crashes than in airplane
disasters.
A 2.5-mile long trail anyone on board who While this is partly be-
Two miles west of connects the Vancouver knows how to fly a plane?”
Vancouver Lake is a lengthy cause there are a lot more
Lake park to Frenchman’s asked Elaine Dickinson in cars on the road than planes
beach on the Columbia River Bar. the classic comedy “Air-
known as Frenchman’s Bar. in the sky in any given area,
Between Vancouver plane!” a major factor is the gen-
Frenchman’s Bar has Lake and Frenchman’s Bar Our favorite television
been a popular hang out eral lack of training that’s
is the notorious Lower River shows and movies cater to required to get a driver’s
with locals for years. Even Road. This street, in 1983, our fear of flying, often por-
license compared to receiv-
in the 70s and 80s, high was a popular back road for traying weeping passengers
school students would drive ing a license to fly and be
my mom and her friends to uttering their final oaths be- hired by a trustworthy air-
down to the river and relax race car on. I’m sure she fore the fateful crash.
all day. The beach not only line.
burned up a few sets of tires The miraculous de- You’re in your own
has great river access for on her Ford Pinto. liverance of US Airways
swimming and fishing, but hands or that of your friends
Anyway, back to Flight 1549 out of the frigid while driving a vehicle,
also provides users with a Frenchman’s. With cheap waters of The Hudsen River
place to picnic. which is maintained by a lo-
parking ($2/car), amazing made a national hero out of cal Jiffy Lube. When flying,
There is something views and exciting activities, pilot Chesley Sullenberger
for everyone to do at you’re in that of profession-
Frenchman Bar is definitely III. als and inside a wonder of
Frenchman’s. The play a place you’ll need to check The airline safety ex-
equipment is a great source technology maintained by
out as the spring and summer pert is supposedly stirring mandate and governed by a
of entertainment for those seasons draw near. rumors of book and movie
large set of federal laws.
deals after saving the lives Not to scare you into
of his crew and passengers, walking home at the end of
his aircraft disabled af- the day, but here is some-
ter encountering a flock of thing extra to think about
birds shortly after takeoff. the next time you say you
The drama that un- would rather drive to Dis-
folded was the inspirational neyland than fly:
story of the day and a stark On the highway, you’re
Photo: http://www.ci.vancouver.wa.us/parks-recreation/parks_trails/images/frenchmans.gif
contrast from what many driving on the same road
come to expect after a ma- with anywhere between
jor airline disaster. one and a hundred perfect
CAR + HOME = BIG SAVINGS What nobody talks
about is the thousands of
strangers--you have no
idea if they took a driving
routine, uneventful flights class, if they’re drunk, or if
undertaken around the they’re even watching the
HARRY HOFFMAN, Agent world, day and night. The
road. Your wheels are on
360-574-5222
071808R2933076
act of flying is testament to the ground, rolling along at
1307 B NE 78th St., Ste 1 the human desire to explore,
60 miles per hour and nar-
Vancouver, WA 98665 our refusal to be bound by rowly miss a potential tire-
www.harryhoffman.net laws of gravity. flattening object approxi-
While our minds mately every 2.5 minutes.
work furiously trying to
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Co. – Bloomington, IL place each whir and clunk,
OPINION
The Sluice Box
Is free market to blame?
By Matt Hunter
The VanCougar
As the economy continues to
look grimmer by the day, more and
more people are looking back at
the last year and asking a reason-
able question: what happened? A
common opinion in the mainstream
media that was shared by President
Obama during the campaign was
that the collapse was due to a lais-
sez faire economy that had little or
no governmental oversight.
But was the present crisis re-
ally caused by the free market?
While there is an element of truth to
the narrative, the real story is much
more complicated and comes to a
very different conclusion.
The story of the market col-
lapse must begin with two govern-
ment-chartered businesses- Fannie
Mae and Freddy Mac. Fannie Mae
was created during the New Deal to
increase the amount of money avail-
able for mortgages so that mortgage
companies would be willing to take
more risks and loan to less qualified
applicants. To do this, the company
would borrow funds from the capi-
tal market and buy mortgages from
mortgage firms. This removed the
mortgage and the risk from that
January 26, 2009 3
company and allowed it to sell more lions and eventually trillions of dol-
mortgages. lars to increase home ownership
The company worked in this among less fortunate Americans.
rities and sold to investors. When
the housing bubble finally did pop,
the damage was far more wide-
capacity until 1968 when it was During the 90’s, Congress contin- spread than it would have been had
privatized. However, the compa- ued to remove oversight from Fan- it not been for extreme government
ny retained its government char- nie and Freddie and the mortgage regulation.
ter and continued to have many of market as a whole to promote lend- This said, there was a lot of stu-
the advantages it had as a govern- ing to less qualified buyers. Add in pidity in the business sector as well.
ment agency. The company was that Freddie and Fannie spent mil- The mortgage companies should
perceived by its stockholders to lions on lobbyists, and the resulting have seen that the bubble created by
still be backed by the government poor oversight is perfectly predict- artificially low mortgage rates and
if anything went wrong. Freddie able. requirements could not last, and that
Mac eventually joined Fannie Mae Another piece of the puzzle is when the bubble did pop the govern-
as a nearly identical organization to the Community Reinvestment Act ment would be unable to patch up
add diversity to (CRA) the damage. Also, there were those
the secondary “The fact is that many people saw in 1977 who unethically used the market to
mortgage mar- the crisis coming, but the wealth of that re- their advantage: buying houses, us-
ket. quired ing the equity, and foreclosing with
In 1991, the moment was more alluring.” m o r t - little or no consequences.
Fannie Mae’s g a g e And it is surprising just how
CEO James A. Johnson proposed to companies to do business in the en- many very intelligent Wall Street
Congress that the company be al- tire geographical area that they op- types had their blinders on. The
lowed to borrow essentially unlim- erated. The intention was to force fact is that when the mortgage crash
ited money at just slightly higher companies to give loans to the inner did happen, no one was really sur-
rates than the U.S. Treasury. Mem- city as well as the suburbs. In the prised. What did surprise people
bers of Congress went with the 90’s, it was discovered that there was the extent to which it affected
deal because it would allow Fannie was a higher rejection rate for mi- the world market. The fact is that
Mae and Freddie Mac to increase nority loan applicants. This had many people saw the crisis coming
the number of mortgages available nothing to do with racism and was but the wealth of the moment was
to their constituents and would in- the result of the creditworthiness of more alluring. So they continued to
crease their chances in the next elec- the individuals, but legislation be- gobble up the profits and pray that
tion. Congress added an affordable gan to put stress on lenders to lend they would be unaffected when the
housing “mission” to the charter of equally to all ethnic groups, despite end did come.
Fannie, which led to the “implicit creditworthiness. So while there is much that can
guarantee” that the government The result of all this was that be blamed on human nature, it is ul-
would back the firm if it had finan- loans were made to applicants who timately the interference of govern-
cial troubles. could not pay. The dubious mort- ment in the mortgage market that
Immediately, both companies gages were then bought by Freddie bears the brunt of the blame for the
began making commitments of mil- and Fannie and repackaged as secu- present economic crisis.

Why Do You Ask? messages to Obama’s staff, just as we

What’s your issue?

did at the change.gov site. The link is
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administra-
tion/eop/opl/ (Office of Public Liaison),
Man on the Street
and the OPL promises that more oppor- How do you feel about the 44th President?
By Louise Wynn tunities will become available shortly
The VanCougar for further participation. By Jake Kleinschmidt
The VanCougar
Even more interesting is the list
“Our goal is to submit 5,000 emails of issues Obama will be addressing,
by midnight today. That number will with our input, in the coming weeks
put us ahead of every other grassroots and months. The “agenda” page (http://
movement that has submitted comments www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/) pro-
to the Obama administration and will vides links from each issue to pages
ensure that our issue…gets the attention of detailed information about Obama’s
it deserves.” proposals for addressing them. There’s
This quote comes from an e-mail no link for “Science” on that page, but
message from a friend, who received it there are links to “Technology” and
from a friend of another friend. These “Energy & Environment,” which cov- Natalya Gruntkovskiy Jeremie Harget
women are all concerned about letting er many of the issues of scientific re- Accounting DTC
Certified Professional Midwives contin- search. “I don’t think it will make much of “I’m hoping he can deliver the
ue to deliver babies in women’s homes. Additionally, if you follow the a difference with Obama, I don’t change he promised the last two
(In case you’re interested, the group has “Additional Issues” link, you’ll find a mean that in a bad way.. just the years. But I still am skeptical be-
a Web site, www.TheBigPushForMid- “Science” paragraph which points out whole controversy with him being cause just like any other politician
wives.org, and its mot- that we must ap- the first black president. I’m curi-
to is “Envisioning a he has his own agendas.”
“Many people have ply new creativ- ous to see what this will mean for
safer, less-costly issues and they all ity to solving
model of maternity later.”
care in the U.S.”) seem to want first current problems
But it doesn’t consideration by the of energy, HIV/
matter what the is- Obama administration.” AIDS, and cli-
mate change. The
sue is. Many people concluding para-
have issues [sic], and they all seem to graph gives hope for science teachers
want first consideration by the Obama and researchers: “President Obama and
administration. Up until Jan. 20, around Vice President Biden believe federally
2:00 pm Eastern Time (right after funded scientific research should play
Obama’s inauguration), the official an important role in advancing science
Obama transition Web site encouraged and technology in the classroom and in Brandi Le
comments about every issue. After the the lab.” Gina Bacon
Undeclared English
inauguration, a visit to the www.change. Also hopeful is the paragraph on “It’s a big day for America. I’m “I feel good, I think its a good thing,
gov Web site gave me this message: “Sportsmen,” which acknowledges the I’m excited to see what he does, how
“The transition has ended and the new contributions of hunters and anglers to interested to see what changes are
administration has begun. Please join the preservation of wildlife reserves, actually made since Obama is all he can help our country go in the
President Obama at whitehouse.gov.” about change.” right direction. So I’m excited.”
wilderness areas, and clean waters in
Because a former job required the U.S. That paragraph allows that
me to visit the www.whitehouse.gov “America’s hunters and anglers are a
site---and many other government Web key constituency that must take an ac-
sites---fairly often, I can compare the tive role and have a powerful voice in
Obama and Bush versions of the site. this coalition.”
The new site is more inviting, informa- I went to the whitehouse.gov Web
tive, and user friendly. It includes Mi- site to post a message to the administra-
chelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden as part tion about my own pet science issue, but
of the administration, with brief bios after reading the Obama-Biden agenda, I
about the two women as accomplished realized they have all my bases covered. Nick Ferderer
English/Public Affairs/Human Development
individuals rather than dutiful adjuncts Likewise, my friend’s friend’s friends
to accomplished men. And it allows for who want more freedom for women’s “It was hard not just to sit and stare with a blank face inspired and awe-
participation: Just as Candidate Obama health-care choices may find hope on struck. He doesn’t try to say he is going to try to do everything, which
promised, President Obama promises to the “Women” page. If not, all they have makes his goals seem realistic. In turn he puts some of those goals on me
post non-emergency legislation publicly to do is send their message directly to and it makes me want to set myself realistic goals and accomplish them.
for five days so everyone can comment the Obama administration. I hope you’ll And make a lasting change for the positive, and try to serve something
on it before he signs it. do the same, whatever your issue.
More importantly, we can still send larger than myself.”
4 The VanCougar ASWSUV
From the President:
Fellow Students, cuts come at a time when the state is experiencing flyers and more detailed advertisements in the near
incredible budget shortfalls, but as our Chancellor, future.
As you may know from reading Hal Dengerink, observed, “This is not the time to Additionally, we will be attending Coug Day at
campus or community media, public be cutting the solution to our problems.” the Capitol on February 16th. This is an event in
institutions of higher learning In this climate, nothing is more important than which Cougs from all over the state will join hands in
in Washington State— voicing our concerns, our fears, and our worries. Olympia, meeting with legislators and representing
including Washington State Our administrators will listen! Our Board of WSU. All are welcome and encouraged to attend
University—are facing Regents will listen! Our legislators will listen! But this event! If you are interested, please contact the
extraordinarily large it remains our civic duty to speak—a fundamental ASWSUV Director of Legislative Affairs, Sommer
budget cuts this year. right and responsibility that is not often exercised Knight, at Sg-dla@vancouver.wsu.edu.
Specific numbers aside, by college students. If you have questions about the state budget
the proposed cuts to ASWSUV will be launching a letter-writing and how it will affect students, or wonder wwhat
the institution and campaign over the next several months, in which else ASWSUV is doing to represent student
to state-sponsored we will make it as easy as possible for you to needs in Olympia, please contact me at sg-pres@
financial aid pose a contact your legislators to urge them to protect vancouver.wsu.edu.
very real, very significant accessibility to higher education. Please join us in
threat to students seeking telling our legislators that students will not balance -Peter Sterr
higher education. These the budget with high tuition increases. Look for

Send a Valentine! PUBLIC NOTICE

Hearing on Proposed Amendment to the
Washington Administrative Code—
WSU Student Organization Policies and Regulations
Washington State University will conduct a public hearing on revision
of WAC 504-28 – Policies and Regulations Applying to All Student
Organizations on February 5, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. in Lighty Student Services
Building, Room 405, Pullman, WA 99164. Notice of this public hearing
is hereby given in accordance with provisions of RCW 34.05.320(4).
The University intends to amend the WAC rules and language regarding
Your ad will be placed in the VanCougar registered student organizations, to accommodate a multi-campus system,
and to clarify requirements for participation and membership in such
for everyone to see! organizations.
The University will adopt the amendment based on the statutory
Send a letter to your loved one or a shout out to a friend. authority found in RCW 28B.30.150.
You may review the proposed amendments in the Office of Procedures,
Records, and Forms, Information Technology Building, Room 3089, or by
Just $5 for a going to the website at http://www.wsu.edu/~forms/ProposedWAC.html.
You may testify at this meeting. You may also direct written comments
to Ralph Jenks, Director of Procedures, Records, and Forms, Rules
fifty word love note. Coordinator, mail code 1225, Pullman, WA 99164; e-mail forms@mail.
wsu.edu; fax 335-3969.

Email us at vancouged@vancouver.wsu.edu with your letter! Submit all written comments by 5:00 p.m., February 5, 2009.
FEATURES
Spring lecture series begins Racing to theaters to see ‘Gran Torino’
WSU-V offers family advice
to the public on Mondays
Vancouver, Wash. - The Center
for Social and Environmental Justice
at Washington State University
Vancouver presents its third annual
Spring Research Colloquium, which
includes faculty, graduate student and
undergraduate presenters. The Spring
Research Colloquium also includes
presentations by staff of the YWCA
Clark County, and by members of the
Cowlitz Tribal Council, who will speak
about their ongoing research, as well as
research needs and interests.
All of the presentations are free
and open to the public, at 12:00 p.m.
in the Multimedia Classroom building,
room 6. Parking is available in metered
spaces or in the Blue Lot for $3 per
day. For more information on the CSEJ,
visit http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/
programs/csejustice/.
Jan 22: Kathy Kniep, Executive
Director of the YWCA Clark County,
will provide an overview of the
YWCA’s programs, research needs and
other opportunities for collaboration
with WSU Vancouver faculty, staff and
students.
Feb. 18: Taylor Aalvik, Cowlitz
Indian Tribe, member of the Cowlitz
Tribal Council, director of Natural
Resources, biologist and history
researcher, and master’s student in
environmental science and regional
planning; and Steve Kutz, R.N.,
January 26, 2009
M.P.H., member of the Cowlitz Tribal
Council and manager, Cowlitz Indian
Tribal Health Clinic, speaking on the
ongoing research and research needs
and interests of the Cowlitz Indian
Tribe.
March 5: Thabiti Lewis, assistant
professor of English, WSU Vancouver,
“Sam Greenlee: Re-articulation of
Revolt in Ellison’s Invisible Man.” Sky
Wilson, Ph.D. candidate in American
studies, “The U.S. War of Terror Has
Gotten Yo Mama: Talkin B(l)ack to
Critique, Confront and Combat Racism
and U.S. Imperialism.”
March 24: Clare Wilkinson Weber,
assistant professor of anthropology,
WSU Vancouver, “From Commodity
to Costume: Productive Consumption
in the Making of Bollywood Film
Costumes.” Sue Peabody, professor
of history, “Race and Free Soil in
Comparative Perspective: Furcy and
Dred Scott.”
April 8: Gretchen Rollwagen-
Bollens, clinical assistant professor of
marine ecology, “Assessing the Factors
Influencing Cynobacteria Blooms in
Vancouver Lake, Wash.” Brian Tissot,
associate professor of marine ecology,
“Deep Impacts: Effects of Fishing on
Pacific Continental Shelf Ecosystems.”
April 28: Adam Carpinelli, Ph.D.
candidate in world history, “Historical
Reflections on the Globalization of
Dams.” Steve Fountain, assistant
professor of history, WSU Vancouver,
“Symbols of a Bad Land: Horses,
Humanity and History.”
A movie with action, comedy,
drama and relationships
By Rosie Bartel
The VanCougar
Gran Torino solidifies one thing for
certain: Clint Eastwood is the master of
the hilariously crotchety old man. One
well placed close up of his ominously
narrowed eyes can dissolve an audience
into laughter; but he can also emanate
an unparalleled malice, creating a
portraiture of a man no sane person
would mess with.
Eastwood stars as the acidic Walt
Kowalski, a tortured Korean war vet,
recently widowed. He lives in a run
down and gang ridden neighborhood
with his loyal dog and a collection of
guns. His family, particularly his petulant
granddaughter, are nearly satirical in
their insensitive, condescending, greed
driven meddling. Walt dismisses them
with venomous ease, seemingly content
with his prickly isolation.
Walt does love one thing: his 1972
Gran Torino, which he keeps cloistered
away in the garage. The car ultimately
prompts a chain of events that introduces
him to his neighbors, teenaged siblings
Thao and Sue Lor (newcomers Bee Vang
and Ahney Her), who must contend with
a volatile Hmong gang.
Sue serenely ignores Walt’s snarling
hostility and racist remarks, dismissing
this unfriendliness as old man bravado,
and even affectionately nicknames him
Wally. Meanwhile, Walt purposely
5
names, stubbornly calling Thao “Toad.”
While Sue is feisty and domineering,
Thao is passive and reserved, inducing
funny scenes where Walt teaches him to
be a “man.”
The content grows progressively
darker as the film proceeds, and the
ending isn’t too difficult to guess, but
it’s engrossing from beginning to end,
mostly due to the subtle complexities
of Eastwood’s performance. Walt isn’t
actually racist nor as hateful as he
pretends, but is rather weighted down
by an unbearable guilt. His angry,
profane demeanor is a façade and a
shield, which inevitably wilts when he
winds up unexpectedly caring about
something.
The performances from the young
newcomers have been lambasted in
other reviews, but they shoulder some
incredibly difficult material with
care and conviction, and have great
chemistry with Eastwood, who wanted
a cast of unknowns. Another standout is
the dutiful Father Janovich (Christopher
Carley), who promised Walt’s wife that
he’d get the contemptuous old grouch
to attend at least one confession.
Often funny, occasionally touching,
and always entertaining, Gran Torino
is a fantastic movie that masterfully
untangles the psychological nuances
of a difficult man. It portrays the
relationships with the refreshing honesty
expected with a protagonist like Walt.
No smarmy, saccharine sweetness. No
nonsense.
The movie is 116 minutes long and

Honors program lectures butchers the pronunciation of Hmong rated R for language and violence.

Feb. 23: Suzanne Smith, WSU

WSU-V offers family advice
to the public on Mondays
Vancouver, Wash. - In conjunction
with the University Honors program,
WSU-V offers a series of lectures
Monday nights from 6 - 7:30 p.m. in
the Administration building, room
110. Parking is available in the Blue
Lot for $3.
Jan. 26: William Guilford,
University of Virginia, “Engineering
a Safer Pregnancy in the Developing
World”
Feb. 9: Barry Hewett, WSU
Vancouver, “What Pediatricians
Can Learn from a Cross-Cultural
Perspective on Infancy”
Vancouver, “Discipline among the
Hutterites”
March 9: Pavan John Anthony,
WSU Pullman, “Family, Culture and
Perceptions of Disability in India”
March 23: Marcelo Diversi, WSU
Vancouver, “Brazilian Street Youth:
A Systems Theory Perspective”
April 6: Denise Lewis,
University of Georgia, “Culture,
Aging, and Intergenerational
Relations: Rethinking Meanings of
Exchanges across Generations”
April 13: Michele Gamburd,
Portland State University, “Care
Crisis in the Global South:
Demographics, Transnational
Migration and the State”

Magenta Theater premiere

Downtown Vancouver is full
of small activities for locals
By Greg Zschomler
The VanCougar
ComedySportz premiered the
new Magenta Theater on Main
Street last week with their first
public performance in Vancouver.
The improv troop performs every
week in their own venue in Portland,
but last week’s shows marks the
first time they have provided their
brand of interactive comedy for a
non-private Vancouver audience.
“I’d seen them before,” said
WSU-V’s Dr. Sue Peabody who
attended the sold out 7 p.m. show,
“they’re great.” The 9:15 p.m. show,
added when 7 p.m. sold out, also
filled rapidly making it clear there
is an audience on the north bank for
uproarious comedy. ComedySportz
has the track record to bring it on;
they have over 15 years experience
in Portland, offering shows Friday,
Saturday and Sunday evenings.
ComedySportz is a unique blend
of competition and improve—
similar to Drew Carey’s “Who’s
Line Is It Anyway”—that gets
downright wild and wacky. At
the Vancouver shows two teams
of three actors each battled for
points by acting out situations or
improving on words provided by
the spectators. Sometimes audience
members were included on stage.
The two teams performing
at Magenta, red (representing
Portland) and blue (representing
Vancouver), ran in close contest for
the duration of the show. A referee
(quite funny himself) judged the
improve and the audience voted
with red and blue flyswatters after
each game. In the end the Vancouver
team won.
Might ComedySportz be great
entertainment at WSU-V? “I was
thinking it would be a totally
excellent thing,” said Peabody. They
also provide teambuilding activities
for groups. For more information
and Portland location and show
times check out ComedySportz at
www.portlandcomedy.com.
6 The VanCougar
Martin Luther King, Jr. service day
CAMPUS NEWS
Over 250 people spent
the entire day completing
community service projects
By Eric Bahnmiller
thE VAnCoUGAr
Kathleen Denlinger, a WSU-V
student, found herself writing cards to
patients in hospitals on Martin Luther
King Jr.. Day and quite a few other
WSU students went to work that day,
too. The occasion was the first WSU-
V sponsored Martin Luther King Jr.
service day which drew 250 participants
and seven different service activities.
Volunteers started arriving at 9 a.m.
and were ushered in by staff at every
corner on their way to the Firstenburg
Student Commons. Once inside,
volunteers signed waivers, registered
for an activity, and were treated to
donuts, coffee and juice.
“I came because it is the nice thing
to do,” said Kathleen Denlinger. When
asked why she chose to help with
comfort cards that are going to people
in hospitals she replied, “I brought
my boots for tree planting and was
prepared for quilting, but comfort
cards was the place where they needed
the most help.”
The activities that volunteers could
choose from included quilting for the
needy, elementary school beautification,
UPCOMING
EVENTS
The Arts @ WSU Vancouver
Who: All WSU Vancouver students
who would like to showcase their
art or craft
When: Event held April 10, 2009
3:30 p.m.
What: Local arts and crafts
vendors, including community,
students, staff and faculty.
This event hopes to bring aware-
ness to the community of the
campus’ rotating galleries and
permanent art pieces.
We plan to use this event to raise
funds to support the WSU Van-
couver Art galleries, DTC Program
and Fine Arts department.
Photos by: Crystal and David Walk
Contact: Lea Pfau in the office of
Development and Alumni rela-
tions 360-546-9600 or e-hmail
lea_pfau@vancouver.wsu.edu
landscaping with Habitat for Humanity
in yards and along roads, sorting canned
goods at a food bank, planting trees
in watersheds and creating comfort
cards.
The presentation that followed
registration was powerful and full of
moving language. Arianna Gouveia, a
singer from LA. who happened to be in
town, sang acappella, ‘Lift Every Voice
& Sing’, which ended “let us march on
‘till victory is won.”
Professor Jorge Lizarraga from WSU-
V then told a powerful story of growing
up in East LA as a minority, and what
Dr. King meant to his family and the
Chicano Civil Rights Movement. The
day after Dr. King was shot, his single
mother dropped him and his brother
off at a local doughnut shop before
school as she had often done before.
He recalled the racist comment, in the
type of language that this paper can not
print, made by of one of his favorite
employees. His high opinion of that
person diminished that day.
Lizarraga’s overall point was that
young people today take for granted
what Dr. King did and meant and what
President Barrack Obama’s election
means, especially here in the Northwest
where racism is not as prevalent as
in the South. His presentation was
followed by a video clip of Dr. King’s
famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech.
After that was over, volunteers headed
1.
2.
CAMPUS NEWS
out to their service activities.
Volunteers whose activities required
them to leave campus received a water
bottle and granola bar before leaving.
Two activities stayed in the student
commons: quilting for the needy and
comfort cards. The Clark County
Quilters Guild sponsored the quilting
event; they brought all of the material,
supplies and sewing machines.
Volunteers helped by picking out
square pieces of cloth and putting them
together, which were then sewn and
ironed before finally being put together
with the other layers of the quilt. People
making comfort cards had a large
selection of materials to work with
which included colorful paper, colored
pencils, markers and foam stickers.
The service day was a great success
to staff that planned it and participated.
“Someone posted information on
facebook about the event, I received e-
mails from the Move On Organization,
and we even had an article written in
The Columbian,” Carol Lopez-Gustin
said, one involved student.
“We originally were hoping that 50
people would sign up. We had 200
people signed up the day before [the
event] and 250 people show up,” said
Bola Majekobaje who was in charge
of coordinating the event along with
Derence Walk. The success of the
event was due in part to the 2 months of
planning and the publicity it received.
CAMPUS NEWS January 26, 2009
3. CSA event held on campus
Local farmers display crops
for Vancouver residents
Story and Photo by Katie Wells
Editor in Chief
WSU Clark County Extension, a
large association that helps to inform
local communities about their research,
held a “Meet the Farmers” event on
the WSU-V campus on Wednesday,
January 21.
Using this event to educate
citizens about Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA), farmers from all
over the Vancouver area displayed their
agricultural goods in the Firstenburg
Student Commons. According to
the United States Department of
Agriculture, Community Supported
Agriculture consists of individuals
purchasing shares of a farm or garden.
These individuals agree to support
the farms and share both the risks and
benefits of natural food production.
Spending, on average, $500-$600
a season for a full share of the crops,
CSA members receive a box of goods
each week from their farms. The
7
shareholders do not necessarily know
which crops they will receive, nor do
they know the exact amount that will be
produced. According to a brochure from
WSU Clark County Extension, citizens
should buy local farm products because
it ‘provides fresh, nutritious food, keeps
small farms in business and supports
the local economy, conserves resources,
and protects the environment through
responsible land stewardship.’
As for Extension itself, WSU’s
has been since 1913. The association
provides opportunities for uncredited
education and degree opportunities
to individuals and communities
statewide. With programs in categories
like 4-H, agriculture, nutrition, food
safety and quality, national resources,
environmental stewardship, and
economic vitality, there are many areas
where locals can become involved.
There are also three additional family
and youth programs.
For more information on WSU
Clark County Extension, visit http://
clark.wsu.edu. If you’re interested in
locating a CSA near you, visit http://
farmfinder.wsu.edu/.

Professor Theirs was one of the many that attended the CSA “Meet the Farmers” event held
at WSU Vancouver.

4. 5.

1. Planting trees was one of the most popular projects worked on. 2. During the clip of ‘I
Have a Dream,’ participants silently watched the screen. 3. The watershed received a much
needed facelift at the event. 4. Children were eager to help out the community and even

6. learned to sew in the process. 5. Evergreen Habitat for Humanity assisted WSU-V in finding
projects to work on. 6. ‘Get Well Soon’ cards were created for hospital patients in need of
support.
8 The VanCougar
ENTERTAINMENT
ARTS, CULTURE &
UPCOMING Photography
EVENTS Former WSU-V staff
member displays abstract
Club fair hosted in the FSC
January 27 - WSU-V from 12
p.m. to 2 p.m. in the First-
enburg Student Commons.
Food will be provided.
WSU Vancouver Displays Wayne
Herndon’s Colorful Paintings
January 12 - March 13 in the
Engineering Life Sciences
gallery.
Snow camping at Mt. St. Helens
January 31 at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
camping trip at Mt. St. Helens.
Costs $10.00 per person.
Limited space Sign up at the
recreation office FSC 136.

 
WSU Vancouver Library
www.vancouver.wsu.edu/library
 to works the cafeteria manager,
Bissom, Red Spades and Gebular perform
Student ambassador
event featured local bands
By Hannah Walker
The VanCougar
The ASWSUV ambassadors hosted
a series of musical artists as their
January event for “Get To Know You
Tuesdays.” The architects of the affair
were ambassadors Rachel Haseman
and Mason O’Lennick. Headlining the
event was Gebular, an up and coming
band from Olympia. Warming up the
stage for Gebular was local band,
The Red Spades, and solo artist, Ryan
Bissom, opened the event.
Bissom serenaded the audience with
a series of original acoustic tunes,
his sound somewhat reminiscent of
Dashboard Confessional. Playing
mostly original songs, he found his
stride through open chords that made
use of the entire fretboard. The resonant
sound was rich with hammered and
acute rhythm, accompanying with
vocals. Bissom concluded with a
featured in WSU-V gallery
photography
By Mark Medina
The VanCougar
In 2005, WSU-V Professor of
Management and Operations, Dr. Tom
Tripp moved with his wife Jodi and
their two children to Switzerland, where
Dr. Tripp began teaching Negotiation
and Strategies courses. Jodi took the
opportunity to explore the countryside
and world famous mountains. Inspired
by the Swiss landscape, Jodi found
a renewed passion for photography.
When the Tripps returned to the United
States, she set out to discover the beauty
in her own back yard.
Her landscapes are full of life and
express a cornucopia of emotion a
vivacious style that is colorful and
bold. (Tripps series on barns illustrates
her ability to command emotion
through imagery; to have a mood
given to them by lighting and color.
and to capture energy and distill it into
a single image.)
In “Red Barn Corn” a single barn
beams under the ever present dark-gray
clouds of the Pacific Northwest. The
power of the clouds is revealed through
 
ARTS, CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT
cover of “Free Fallin,’”
encouraging a sing-a-long
chorus, which was under
participated in. Bone up on
your Tom Petty people, he
is a national treasure.
The afternoon took
a funky turn as The
Red Spades stepped
into the performance
space. Combining the
exploratory sound of the
Grateful Dead with the
melodic sensibilities of
Paul McCartney, The Red
Spades took the audience
to a groovier place. A
phenomenal bass player,
who had too few chances to stretch This event was well-organized and
reasonably well attended. Get To Know
his legs and show off for the audience,
grounded their You Tuesdays are monthly events on
musical creations campus. The next event scheduled by
soundly. Making the ambassadors is “Love Fest.” This
the most of the affair is planned in anticipation of
surf beat, this Valentine’s Day, is meant to provide
band blew the top students with the opportunity to meet
off the Student other students with whom they may
Commons. want to celebrate this day, and is
Closing down scheduled for February 2nd.
the event was
Gebular. This band
crafted a slightly
harder sound
than the previous
musicians. Their
employment of
a driving rhythm
contrasted nicely
with the laid-back
beat of The Red
Spades. A high level of musicianship
was evident in the tightness of the
sound. Cody Reed, the lead guitarist and
a student at WSU-V, was the strength
of the performance with articulate and
expressive leads.
a tear in the sky allowing light to slip
through and warm the lone structure..
Tripp says that “Laundry Barn” is
during WSU-V’s fledgeling days.
Jodi says the market for local art
has diminished along with the slowing
among the most popular photographs economy. But she says “do what you
in her barn series. In this photo, love and the money will follow.” Jodi
Jodi Tripp, who is originally from urban California, says she is inspired by the beauty of the
Pacific Northwest.
laundry wafts in a cool summer breeze offered words of encouragement to
as a sun bathed white barn rests under students and graduates saying “get out
the warmth of the sun. The crisp blue there and meet people-network.” She
sky and lazy rolling lawn inspires says knowing people can make all
restful ease. the difference, so it’s important make
Tripp has been taking pictures yourself known. Persistence is the key.
most of her life. She started working WSU-V’s art gallery is on the first
at a school newspaper and became floor of the Administration Building
interested in children’s portraits, (VADM) a short walk down the hall
and then later, party photography. from the cafeteria. In the board room
Her passions allowed her to travel on the second floor, Jodi is featuring
in the Southwest United States, selected works of abstract digital
taking portraits and learning. photography.
Nowadays, she tends to keep her Her work is also on display at the
 joyhome.
of photography a bit closer to Aurora Art Gallery in downtown
Vancouver, the new Firstenberg Tower
Tripp says she enjoys showing at Southwest Washington Medical
her artwork just a few feet down Center and at the Vancouver Clinic.
the hall from where she used Her digital gallery can be found at
www.JodiTripp.com.
ARTS, CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT
Strange stones stay silent
An investigative pursuit
leads to a new mystery
By Jake Kleinschmidt
aCe eDITor
Apparently, the keys to the secrets
of the universe are right under our nos-
es. They are contained in a collection
of stones and rods lying in the court-
yard outside the library. They don’t
seem to serve a purpose, but a closer
look shows they have a reason for be-
ing there after all.
Some are aware that it is Braille.
However, knowledge beyond that has
been left to the imagination. This ACE
editor set out to find some answers as
to the true nature of these stones. The
VanCougar spoke with Erin Dengerink
Madarang, the campus gallery director,
about the stones outside the Library.
“It’s great public art and my favor-
ite piece,” said Madarang, “You can
walk on it, sit on it, or interact with it
in any way you wish.” The name of the
stone art is “Opening the Secret.” The
name itself leaves an impression that
the art is supposed to be discovered.
However, it may be more difficult to
figure out the answer. Madarang said,
“Opening the Secret is more about the
things that few people will ever know.”
This means that the chances of finding
the secret are near impossible.
The problem would be that the art
is actually Chinese Braille. To deci-
pher the art you need at least two peo-
ple to figure out what is written on the
One woman show
9 Secret Lives of Women
coming to WSU-V
By Kayla Page
The VanCougar
With on-going American
involvement in Iraq, many people only
understand the country from a wartime
perspective. This is one reason why the
Marquee Diversity Event Committee
decided to bring this
production to Washington
State University-
Vancouver (WSU-V). Bola
Majekobaje, Assistant
Director for Student
Diversity, stated that, “Most
Americans don’t know
much about Iraqi culture
and even less about Iraqi
women. Hopefully this
will give attendees a new
perspective”. Playwright
Heather Raffo has created
a piece that “delves into
the many conflicting aspects of what
it means to be a woman in the age-old
war zone that is Iraq. An unusually
timely meditation on the ancient, the
modern and the feminine in a country
overshadowed by war” as described
by local director Louanne Moldovan.
Raffo was unable to provide further
January 26, 2009 9
CougAr t
stones.
What we all want to know is if there
are at least some hints as to what the
bronze rods on those rocks are actually
saying to us. If you go into the library Jodi Tripp: “Laundry Barn”
and look straight ahead there are two Former staff member at WSU-V
white panels near a window facing the Loves taking photographs of the Northwest.
stones. That is the artist’s statement.
The answers must be there, right?
Not quite. The artist leaves only
more intrigue as to what the stones
must say. In 1998, Jo Hockenhull and
Ann Christensen, both professors of
the arts, traveled to China and were
introduced to Li Xiu Qin, a sculptor.
They took her back to the United States
to create some art. The volcanic basalt
stones were taken from the rock query
and split for her to place the bronze
rods into the rocks.
Li Xiu Qin said that the rocks be-
ing split are to represent the opening of
history of Vancouver and/or the release
of energy. The shape of the “concave
and convex” forms of the stones is
to be seen as yin and yang. “The ‘se-
cret messages’,” said Li Xiu Qin, “are
found in American and Chinese Braille
on the inner pages of the opened stones.
When you open the pages from your
sense of touch, it is my hope that the
pages will open the universe of your Joe Creager:“Alex”
heart and soul.” Li Xiu Qin says the art
Student: History Major
is to show that we are all equal, as we
share the same place in the universe. Loves to take candid photographs of human behavior.
The art is to honor emotion, commu-
nity and cooperation.
So that’s the secret of the stones.
The translation of the braille remains
hidden to the students of WSU-V.
insight into her piece as she is nearing
the due date of her first child.
Although the play depicts a wide
and numerous range of all female
characters, each is performed by
one woman, Luisa Sermol. As if this
doesn’t provide enough incentive to
see the piece, Majekobaje says “it has
received amazing reviews and it is an
award winning piece. Clearly, this is a
unique play which depicts the images of
a people rarely portrayed in the theatre
or on film”. Awards and all, this play
is still the utmost presentation of an
insightful and timely theme.
Majekobaje emphasized that
“what most people know
about Iraq, its culture and Tim Batchelor
people, are what they see on Student: Biology Major
the news or hear from our
government. I think this will Held a photography business for 2 years, been shooting since age 11.
bring humanity and a face
to the people and women of
Iraq.”
The performance is
scheduled for January 28th
in the VADM building room
110. Doors open at 5:30 and Want your art here? Tell us!
the play will start at 6:00.
Admission is free and open to the
public; however the seating is limited Email the ACE Editor at
so arrive early! Majekobaje hopes that
this piece will offer WSU-V students vancoug@vancouver.wsu.edu
and community members “a new
perspective and possibly an interest in
learning more,” about Iraqi culture and
experience.
10 The VanCougar SPORTS & RECREATION
Flag football touches down at WSU-V

SPORTS & RECREATION

Flag football intramurals
are now kicking off
BY ERIC BAHNMILLER
THE VANCOUGAR
With college football over and only
two games left in the NFL season, the
Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, I’m sure all
of you football lovers are starting to get
depressed. But cheer up! Flag football
intramurals start this Thursday the 29
at 3:30 p.m. Sign-ups will be on the
sports field.
All students, staff and faculty are
welcome and it’s free. If your schedule
is conflicting, no problem, show up
when you can and stay as long as you
like.
“We will play as long as people want
to stay. Previously we played till we
couldn’t see the ball, the quarterback
had to announce ‘I’m throwing the
ball’ and just hoped that the receivers
could see it to catch,” said Denise
Eyerly, who works for the Recreation
Department.
The team that’s going to play Clark
Community College in the Vancouver
Bowl will be put together from whoever
shows up for intramurals. There hasn’t
been a positive date set yet for that
game; it is tentatively scheduled for
March 7, during Clark’s spirit week.

City League
WSU-V’s volleyball team is God created sexual
already into league play desire in ten parts;
BY KATIE WELLS
then he gave nine
EDITOR IN CHIEF parts to women
After the first league game at the and one to men.
Marshall Center on Wednesday,
January 21, the WSU-V team is 0-
1. Winning only the last of three A portr ait of the extr aordinary
games, the team took their first (and ordinary) lives of a whole
official loss. cross-section of Ir aqi women.
With a ten player team and
special rules regulating the number
of subs, the Cougs are left with Washington State
only one option for court-time
University Vancouver
designation: rotation. “It’s better
and more consistent. It’s better for January 28 at 6 P.M.
now at least. I mean, each player Administr ation Bldg, Room 110
gets a considerable amount of Free and Open to the Public
playing time. It worked pretty well
last game and hopefully continues to
help,” said player Kendal Mantzke.
Following their match on
Wednesday, the team spent the next Heather R affo’s
hour working on serve receive and
scrimmaging. The girls learned to
play together and communicate
better as a team according to
Mantzke. Team captain, Sueann
9 Parts Starring

Directed by
of
Luisa Sermol
Louanne Moldovan
Desire
McWatters has been keeping in
UPCOMING touch with the ten players, the team
manager, Matt Rafano, and the staff
EVENTS members at the Marshall Center
in an attempt to schedule more Sponsored by Student Affairs & Diversity Council
www.vancouver.wsu.edu/diversity
practices. The Marshall Center has
scheduled gym times for events
Snow Camping that they run so it has proved to be
January 31- Sign up in OSI by difficult to plan those practices. The
January 30 girls’ team plays Wednesday and
Thursday nights at times between
8:25 and 10 p.m. Journalism
Campus Overnighter Some of the amenities
February 6 - Sign up in OSI by
February 4
offered at the Marshall Center on
McLoughlin Blvd. include a fitness
center with a 2,800 sq ft weight
BOOTCAMP
room, an aerobics dance room,
arts and crafts with an outdoor
Saturday, February 7
Snowboard/Ski work terrace, a public address 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Rent equipment from the OSI sound system, a drop slide in the
Recreation Office for your swimming pool, and a new teen
personal trip lounge. There are also swimming
lessons for adults, kids, and seniors, FREE
youth soccer programs, family
Blazers vs Knicks sports, adult drop-in volleyball and
Learn about journalism,
March 8 - Tickets go on sale at basketball, softball, teen dodgeball
3 p.m. in the OSI January 27
nights and many other events. media, reporting and more.
Check out their facility
through the Parks and Recreation
site at http://www.ci.vancouver.
Bowling Night wa.us/parks-recreation/facilities_ Lunch provided.
January 29, 9:30-11:30 p.m. locations/marshall.htm.
Free pizza, shoe rental and
bowling Guest Speaker: Michael Andersen

Winterhawks Tickets Also Presenting: Dean Baker and Steve Lane

February 13- Tickets go on sale
at 7:30 p.m. on February 2 All interested parties are invited to attend with
RSVP.
Contact the VanCougar to RSVP or for more info.
SPORTS & RECREATION January 26, 2009 11

SUPER BOWL XLIII By Will & Greg

Will: Well, here we are, back at the VanCougar. Our pre- and post-Super Bowl columns were always so
popular, we were invited back—just for a couple guest appearances.
Greg: Yeah, I’m back for more torture, dude. I have finished my degree requirements, but don’t walk
until May, so I thought I’d take a couple classes—just six credits.
Will: And that makes you eligible to contribute to the VanCougar, and take more well-deserved verbal
abuse from me.
Greg: I can’t wait. Hit me.
Will: Fast and below the waist. Have you devoted any of your femtosecond attention span to football this
year? Or did you just go to NFL.com and review the playoffs so you could fake the column like normal?
Greg: What an accusation! I’ve watched a game or two, but quite frankly, Super Bowl 43: I’m
underwhelmed. First off, I couldn’t care any less about the Cardinals. Or the Ravens for that matter. I might
have found the clash between the Steelers and the Eagles interesting, that being a cross state rivalry.
Will: First, Playoff games: Ravens vs Titans. Boring! A Punter Ping Pong Game. It was like two herds of
mountain goats with football helmets. They’d butt heads three times and punt the ball. And it seemed
every play there was an injury. This is a tough game, but I hate it when it turns brutal. One minor turn
or twist, and a pro athlete receives a few more pounds of pressure on a critical joint. I was sad to see so
many injury timeouts. However, I was pleased to see the outcome of the Carolina and Arizona game. 33
to 13, Cardinals on top!
Greg: You’re a Cardinals fan? I thought you followed the Seahawks.
Will: Yep. That’s why I wanted Kurt E. Warner and his Cardinals to make it. The early ‘Hawks had a running
back named Curt E. Warner. Curt with a ‘C’ fumbled so often it was REALLY hard to be a Seahawks fan. So I
wanted the Cardinals to make it to the Super Bowl just to watch Curt’s namesake take a pounding.
Greg: That’s harsh, man!
Will: Yeah. And I’m proud of it. I wanna see Kurt Warner go home with Some Assembly Required. The
Steelers making it to the Super Bowl is icing on the cake.
Greg: Does that mean you’ll be rooting for the Steelers? You DO have an official terrible towel, no?
Will: Oh yeah! And I waved it with aerobic vigor as Pittsburgh made the Ravens eat crow. So now it’s
Cardinals and Steelers. For the first time in ages, I’ve got an emotional attachment to the Super Bowl. I’d
like to see a score of fifty to zero. I want Kurt Warner to get sacked so many times that the game ends up
in a different time zone. I want long bombs that explode when caught.
Greg: But we’ve got a problem. For only the second time in TAG history you and I agree on something.

2009 And for the first time in four Super Bowl columns we’ve picked the same team. This is a disaster! Call out
the National Guard. Call out the Associated Press!
Will: Call out for pizza! Or in your case chili dogs—you’re attending that monstrous bash again? In my
case, I’m chillin’ without the chili at my friends’.
Greg: Call George Pike!
Will: Our friend and guest writer from last summer who lives in Pittsburgh? I’ll bet he’s totally jazzed,
especially as he’s been a Bruce Springsteen fan since day one.

couver Team Tod Greg: So we’re both agreed then: The Cards must—yea, will be—tarred and de-feathered. Though I

Va n ay!!!
admit, I side with Pittsburgh only by default. Not my favorite team by any means, but better than most. I
would have liked to see the Colts go all the way. It saddens me the Dungee has retired; my favorite coach
Join WSU as he did not swear or verbally abuse his players to get what he wanted. However, the Cards have a decent
ou r coach—youngest ever to go to the Super Bowl.
Will: You have been paying attention! I’m impressed. And I DID say Springsteen? As in the half-time
show? You’ve heard of him maybe?
Greg: The Boss!? Are you kidding? I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck yesterday, I was BORN in the USA!
Finally, a half-time show that could be more than sub-decent. They (the half-time show planning people)
are not pairing him with someone like the Goo Goo Dolls are they?
Will: Nope, some outfit called The E Street Band. So we have two of the key ingredients in place for an
exciting game. Show me some worthy commercials and my joy will be out of bounds.
Greg: I’m just glad the game isn’t between the Ravens and the Eagles or the Ravens and the Cardinals.
That would make a Superbowl for the birds. Now there would be a nice half-time show. Are they still
around?
Will: Who, the E Street Band or the Goo Goo Dolls?
Greg: The Byrds, birdbrain! Okay, commercials—what we watch the Superbowls for: There’s bound to
be a big bad Bud spot, and either Coke or Pepsi will have a good one. Most likely Pepsi as they are launching
2008 Relay Team (Eighties Theme) a new logo campaign. Hopefully, another trunk monkey will not pop up or I might take a wrench to my TV.
My better than ever TV, now that I got the box.
Will: I’ll keep track of the commercials as in times past, since you tend to miss so many with your trips to
Sign up at circlekcougars@hotmail.com by January 30 fetch chips. And by ‘box’ are you referring to the converter box for the digital conversion in February? You
can count on a couple of ads on that topic.
Greg: Yeah, the digital to analog converter box that will be needed by February 17 if you don’t have an
HDTV or cable. By the way, the box really improved my reception and clarity on my old TV. AND there are
several additional digital channels. For example OPB has three! But I digress.
Everyone is welcome!! Will: It’s your specialty.

Greg: The point I’m trying to make is that if you can’t convince the wife you need a new 50” LCD or
The more the merrier!! Plasma HDTV (prices are way down) to see the Superbowl, you’ve got the eminent conversion as additional
firepower. 1.5 million TVs will be sold in the weeks before SB XLII.
Will: The commercials will look a lot better on that Plasma, too. See you in two weeks, dude.
12 The VanCougar TAIL END
January / February 2009
Jan. 26: University Scholars Program
Administration Building, 110 / 6:00 p.m.
Dr. William Guilford, Free and open to the public

Jan. 27: Club Fair and Pizza Feed

Firstenburg Student Commons / 12:00 p.m.
Free and open to all students

Jan. 28: Nine Parts of Desire

Administration Building, 110 / 6:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Jan. 29: Artist Talk & Reception

Administration Building Art Gallery / 4:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Jan. 29: Asian Immigration to the US

Administration Building, 110 / 12:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Jan. 29: Law in the Service of Evil

Multimedia Building, Room 6 / 7:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public

Feb. 06: Campus Overnighter

Firstenburg Student Commons / 7:00 p.m.
Free and open to all students

Feb. 06: Fine Arts Friday: Easy Drawing Techniques

Multimedia Building, Room 107 / 12:00 p.m.
Free and open to student, faculty, and staff

Feb. 10: Ski Bowl Night Skiing Trip

Carpool/Caravan leaving campus at 3:00 p.m.
$15.00 for students, $20.00 for non-students