FEBRUARY 8, 2013

THE PIONEER LOG NEWS

Observing MLK day, PDX style

BY EMMA HOCHSCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER This Martin Luther King Day, students from all over the greater Portland area came together for a National Day of Service project to sort and repair childrens books. Faced with a daunting 40,000 books, 1,000 volunteers worked for a day to benefit the community and honor the mission of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Since its first observance in 1986, Martin Luther King Day has held historical and social importance. Not only does the day honor the life and mission of Dr. King, but it also brings people together to improve their community. The MLK Day of Service began in 1994 when Congress designated the day for service. The day brought together students from 10 local colleges to Concordia University where 40,000 childrens books waited to be repaired and sorted. Interim Assistant Director of Lewis & Clarks Center for Career and Community Engagement Kirsten Fix served on the committee for the event. I think people are inspired in different ways and thats why theres an importance in having a lot of different options in terms of engagement, said Fix. The city of Portland got a big donation of books so what we were looking at was literacy in Portland and how to address that. The volunteers were successful; all 40,000 books were refurbished.

PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER VAN PUTTEN

Students gathering at the MLK Day rally.

The service event was preceded by a rally to inspire the volunteers and honor the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Several speakers, including the president of Concordia University and the director of the I Have a Dream Foundation, addressed the volunteers about the significance of community action and the promotion of justice. The rally also included a video featuring LC alumna Goldann Salazar (12). I thought the rally was really, really effective in terms of getting people excited about service and making people aware of MLKs mission, said Salazar. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service invites people to become more active in their communities and positively impact the lives of others.

One billion rising: Strike! Dance! Rise!

BY CASSIE BISHOP
ARTS EDITOR Women in cafes proudly proclaiming their adventurous masturbation, women in shadowy corners blushing deep crimson as they discuss a past lover, and women treating vagina like other filthy four letter words. Still, they talked about down there and their memories of became Eve Enslers The Vagina Monologues. The ripples of these words have spread around the world, prompting women, cultures, and countries to demand an end to the silence surrounding violence against women. Not only has Enslers work through The Vagina Monologues acted as an international catalyst toward education and societal reform, but it has also led to annual events such as V-Day, which valorizes victory, valentines and vaginas. This year marks the 15th anniversary of V-Day. This milestone also marks the most ambitious campaign yet undertaken on Valentines Day to end the global complacency regarding violence against women. The 2013 event is titled One Billion Rising. Why one billion? Current population estimates fall somewhere slightly above seven billion people. The proportion of women to men is roughly 50 percent. Today, statistics show that one in three women will be sexually assaulted at some point in her lifetime. Break down all of those cold, hard numbers and the result is Enslers target audience: at least one billion women who have been, are being, and will be beaten, raped, or assaulted around the world. Susan Cushman is the host for Portlands One Billion Rising. I want my daughter, I want you to not have to go through my experience, explained Cushman when asked about her initial attraction to One Billion Rising. I want all of the young women in the world to not have to thrive as a survivor. Cushmans words undoubtedly resonate with many women within our City of Roses as does her motivation to Stand up and say this is an atrocity. Motivations such as experiencing and surviving sexual assault, birthing a daughter who is forced to cope with todays realities, loving vaginas, expecting accountability when acts of violence are committed, or simply reveling in the energy of V-Days dancing mobs across the globe are prompting ordinary women like Cushman to step out of their lives and tie yet another city into the global web. Like these women themselves, the dedication and determination of One Billions hosts is anything but ordinary. I think its a show of solidarity...A woman is home being battered and sees this on the news and says, Woah, I can just walk out. This V-Day celebration revolves with three verbs at its center:

strike, dance, and rise. There are 186 countries around the world responding on Thursday by assembling, dancing, singing, and uniting in protest of violence against our sex. If enough of us stand up and rise, then women will be empowered to stand, said Cushman. Why are we putting up with this? This isnt a womans issuethis is a global crisis. On Thursday Feb. 14, at 3 p.m., both men and women are invited to Directors Park at 815 SW Park Avenue. For more information visit http:// onebillionrising.org/. For details on the Portland event click start/join, then simply input our zip code and get excited!

Rep. Blumenauer discloses intentions of The Path Forward

Rethinking Federal Marijuana Policy
BY HANNAH PRINCE & CHRISTOPHER VAN PUTTEN
PHOTO EDITOR, NEWS EDITOR On Jan. 29, Representative Earl Blumenauer visited Lewis & Clark at a brown bag luncheon where more than two dozen students gathered to hear him and participate in a lively question and answer session in the Council Chamber. He addressed several public policy issues, from transportation to education reform. Just one week later, the alumnus of LCs undergraduate college and law school made a surprising move by proposing the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act (H.R. 499) to Congress. Blumenauer has represented Portland for 18 years in the U.S. House, marking his political career with progressive initiatives. During the conversation on campus, he began by telling those gathered that his political activity began when he was an undergraduate at LC. He said that he has been in the political business ever since, and he jokingly warned students to be careful what you do here it just might grab you. The congressman is known for his interest in environmental sustainability and praised Lewis & Clark for being at the forefront in that field for the last 20 years. This was his first visit to campus since the college was reincorporated into his congressional district, the third. Blumenauer described the changes that he has seen in the voters perspectives in the last few decades. He discussed the issues and acceptance of environmental conservation from increasing renewable energy sources to implementation of electrically aided bicycles and electric motorcycles. He told of Oregons pioneering the decriminalization of marijuana in 1973. The legislation read that the State Board of Pharmacy shall classifymarijuanaas a controlled substance in Schedule II, III, IV or V, removing it from Schedule I. This direction forward paved the way for 15 additional states to have marijuana decriminalized. A Gallup poll in December reports that only 34 percent of Americans believe that federal marijuana laws should be enforced against people acting in compliance with state law. The path forward for a more sensible drug policy is clear, Blumenauer wrote in his executive summary to Congress. The legislation he is proposing removes cannabis from its federally prohibited status and instructs the Department of the Treasury to issue licenses for cannabis retail businesses ranging from $500/year to $1000/year. He cited Washington state and Colorado legalizing recreational marijuana sale, as well as 18 states and D.C. legalizing medical marijuana. With passage of H.R. 499, each state would be able to decide its cannabis laws and local cities, schools and counties could create more specific regulations and policy changes. The Colleges administration would be able to allow the use of cannabis on campus in a similar fashion to how students of legal age consume alcohol. He credited the current student generation for changing the country with new approaches on issues ranging from marriage equality to a push to have a rational and sane immigration policy. Blumenauer said, These are fascinating times in public policy.He discussed what he sees as the two biggest issues today: taking responsibility for and respond-

PHOTO BY HANNAH PRINCE

Xander Blair (13) poses with Congressman Earl Blumenauer during his visit to Lewis & Clark. ing to climate change and taking a different and more thoughtful approach to doing business that is conscious of not overspending money. He took questions from the audience on a wide range of topics like high speed rail systems, Puerto Ricos statehood, gun control and education reform. He recommended changing the approach to gun control, suggesting that it needs to be addressed as an epidemic, similar to how the U.S. has dealt with drunk driving. Responding to a question on education funding, he compared it to the healthcare system and identified the current federal education system as fractured and fragmented. With unified central control of education on a federal level, he hopes it will provide not just standards, tests, or hoops, but money and food. This would support and improve schools across the country. The federal government ought to put the money on the table and deal with the basics, Blumenauer said. He also mentioned his support for dual immersion programs in schools that help children on the path to becoming global citizens, even here at home. You can find a full version of The Path Forward here: