Jasper Jones News editor mgjones@willamette.edu Amarit Ubhi (‘20) will be serving as president of Associated Students of Willamette University (ASWU) for the 2019-2020 academic year. Ubhi is a politics major and philosophy minor from Oakland, CA, who is interested in student activism, local government and youth empowerment.  What led you to run for ASWU president? Ubhi: “I have always been someone who really advocates for change and I like taking initiative on a lot of things. I think the campus really needed someone who can see above the issues. Not in the way of ignoring them, but in a way of understanding them in different perspectives and understanding how it affects different people. This is a position that really needs someone who can listen to different groups of students, and not necessarily embody those different and sometimes conflicting values or opinions, but someone that can be able to represent and reflect them in their entirety. I feel like that is something I offer and it motivated me to run.” What projects or initiatives were you involved in as a senator last year?  Ubhi: “Last year, I was working with the Class of 2020 caucus to do a wellness campaign. We made posters of how you can make sure you are doing okay during finals. I also spent a great deal of time making care packages for students that were given out on the [first floor of the University Center]. We did lavender spray for pillows and included chamomile tea and little notes and goodies.  I was also on the calendar committee. That was a big initiative to make sure that the school is going towards the goal of having more unification between the graduate and undergraduate schools. Especially now that Claremont School of Theology is coming over, it is very important that everyone is on the same page.”  What are some of your goals for this year? Ubhi: “My big goals are to make sure that I can have a good understanding of what the students’ needs are, so expect me to be tabling or reaching out for concerns. Also, I plan on making sure ASWU is more in the community. [For example, with committees] this year I am making sure we are on top of minutes and attendance and making sure all of the information comes back to ASWU, so that the student body can be more in the know and has a better idea of what’s going on.” How have your identities impacted your time at Willamette?  Ubhi: “I am bicultural. My parents are Punjabi. It was interesting for me to be raised in a household that was traditionally Indian in some ways, and some ways not, and to be born in the very liberal area that is Oakland, CA. I have always thought that helped me understand different perspectives and understand that things are so much more complicated than a lot of people make them out to be.”

Carter Penny Contributor ctpenny@willamette.edu Right-wing protests, organized by the white nationalist group “Patriot Prayer,” attended by members of other white nationalist movements in the Pacific Northwest such as the Proud Boys, 3 Percenters (III%) and the Hell Shaking Street Preachers, led to violence and arrests in the Portland area throughout the summer. These protests were the cause of much consternation on the internet, and eventually led to prominent political figures like Donald Trump and Ted Cruz proposing a ban on antifa, the organization that counterprotested the white nationalist marchers. The start of this proposed ban can be traced back to one person: Andy Ngo. Ngo is a writer, perhaps better described as a provocateur, from Portland who gained notoriety in 2017 when, according to Willamette Week , he was fired from Portland State University’s newspaper for tweeting a link to an Islamaphobic Breitbart article about PSU. In response to the firing, Ngo wrote an op-ed for The National Review railing against campus censorship, titled “Fired for Reporting the Truth.” This summer, controversy again flared up around Ngo when he began posting edited videos of antifa, a movement dedicated to protesting militant movements in America through direct action. The videos depicted antifa members defending themselves from white nationalist-affiliated protesters at Patriot Prayer marches but, according to the Daily Dot , Ngo edits these videos so they don’t show the inciting moment of the violence, which is often caused by the groups he is affiliated with. Rather, when antifa counter protestors defend themselves, Ngo frames it as antifa attacking the right-wing groups. His framing of the situation, even though it is factually incorrect, has been accepted by many mainstream news outlets. On June 29 of this year, according to Vox , Ngo was punched and had a milkshake thrown at him by an antifa protester while filming a counterprotest to one of these marches, and was taken to the hospital where he suffered a minor brain bleed. As Vox reports, this injury was an alleged result of the milkshake being laced with concrete (according to The Oregonian , Portland police corroborate this claim, but have not made their evidence public in this weeks since their claim). Ngo milked the attention that this injury brought him, and as a result made appearances on FOX News and columns in major right-wing news outlets, including the Wall Street Journal and Spectator USA . In the subsequent outrage from the right, President Donald Trump tweeted on Aug. 17 that “…consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘ORGANIZATION OF TERROR.’ [sic]” and that “Portland is being watched very closely.” Why should you be scared that antifa is possibly going to be labeled as an “organization of terror?” Because this is a tactic by those in power to silence political dissent. Trump has a long history of attempting to quash dissent, having been vocal since the beginning of his campaign about so-called “fake news” sources, a term he uses for news sources which do not report favorably about him, and has referred to news sources such as MSNBC and CNN as “enemies of the people” in his tweets, rallies and speeches. This proposed ban will effectively ban anything that the Trump White House deems as “antifa,” because the movement doesn’t have any formal organizational structure. Are you protesting inaction towards climate change? They’ll call you antifa and try to silence you. Are you protesting sexual assault? They’ll call you antifa, your protest will be violently dispersed and people will be arrested. Are you protesting ICE detention centers? If someone says you’re antifa, they’ll shut you down. Are you protesting police brutality? If there’s even the slightest possible notion of antifa presence, they will send out the riot cops. Protesting anything that Trump’s America doesn’t want you to protest? You’ll be labeled antifa and shut down. Because of how vague the concept of banning antifacism is, this attempted ban could lead to the silencing of many voices protesting many issues across ideological boundaries. No matter who you are, if there is an issue that you hold close to your heart and you plan on taking direct action to see it change, you could be labeled as an enemy of the state on the whim of the Trump administration.

Jack Kuyper Sports editor jlkuyper@willamette.edu Four Bearcats scored a goal to shut out Howard Payne University on Saturday, Aug. 31, on Trinity University’s field in San Antonio, TX. The victory marked Willamette University’s men’s soccer team’s first win of the 2019 season. On Sunday, Sept. 1, Willamette tied with Trinity University, 1-1. Both WU and Trinity are 1-0-1 this season. Against Howard Payne University, Junior Carter McCleary started the scoring with a goal at 29:48. Sophomore Yushiro Shiomi passed the ball to junior Mack Van Der Velde by the left post. Van Der Velde passed the ball to McCleary, who took the shot at the penalty shot mark and sent it into the upper-center area of the net. Strong defense from both sides closed out the first half, allowing WU to take their 1-0 lead into the break. WU padded their lead early in the second half. The Bearcats raised their score to 2-0 at 47:36 on a goal that came from senior Nicholas Ballenger. Shiomi registered his second assist of the day with a cross over from the left side to the end line. Ballenger then headed the ball into the net from four yards out. The lead grew to 3-0 after Ballenger passed the ball to Shiomi, who tapped the ball into the left post at 69:45. First-year Ryan Sato completed the scoring with an impressive 33-yard long-shot for a goal at 81:46.  10 minutes into the game against Trinity, a lightning warning paused play for 50 minutes. After the delay, Ballenger scored the first goal of the game at 27:11, only seconds after the Bearcats stopped Trinity from scoring in the penalty area. Junior Max Berner-Hays tackled the ball and sent it flying 30 yards upfield. Sophomore Tam Proctor received the pass and quickly passed it to Ballenger. Ballenger dribbled until he was a few yards past the midfield stripe and then took a chip shot over Trinity goalie, Blake Lieberman. Lieberman was too far forward to prevent the goal. The Tigers quickly regrouped and struck back at WU on a penalty kick at 53:39.  Neither team scored a goal in either of the two 10-minute overtime periods. The Bearcats had more shots on goal than Trinity in overtime, achieving a 3-2 edge in the first overtime and a 5-2 margin in the second. The game finished three hours and nine minutes after it started due, to the overtime period and thunder delays. The Bearcats will be returning to WU’s Sparks Field to take on Corban University on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m.

Elizabeth Hyde Staff writer eghyde@willamette.edu Willamette’s First-Year Experience program is taking a holistic approach towards fostering collegiate success with the introduction upperclassmen student assistants known as Colloquium Associates (CAs).  “The First-Year Experience is a culmination of the best parts of previous first-year programs at Willamette as well as best practices across the U.S.,” said Professor Sarah Kirk, Director of the First-Year Experience and a key player in implementing the new CA position.  Colloquium is a Latin derivative meaning “talk together.” Colloquium classes are small in size and taught by experienced faculty that double as academic advisors. “What we’ve added to colloquium is the ‘fourth-hour,’” said Kirk. While each respective colloquium has different content, the fourth-hour has the same content for every colloquium group.  The fourth-hour meets once a week and is taught by campus experts who cover a broad swath of topics, like “What is a Liberal Arts Education?” or “What is a Healthy Relationship?” Discussions on the topics are then facilitated by CAs.  Before beginning their role as facilitators, CAs are required to complete a leadership course titled “Colloquium Leadership”, led by Kirk and Kelvin Clark, director of Academic Support. CA students receive half credit for this class, in which they study transferable skills such as student development theory, community building and active listening. After completing the leadership training, CAs are paid for their participation in the program. In addition to discussion facilitation, Colloquium Associates attend colloquium classes and hold their own office hours. First-year students can utilize these office hours for academic or social support.  Opening Days leaders are partnered with CAs for a smooth transition from Opening Days to the start of the academic year.  Some Colloquium Associates were recruited based on their experience with subjects being considered in a specific Colloquium class. Such was the case for Jay Hadfield (’20) and Kelly Ewing (’20). Russian major and English minor Jay Hadfield is working as a Colloquium Assistant for Professor Randall Havas’s “Existentialism in Literature: Dostoevsky’s ‘Crime and Punishment’” class. Hadfield spent a semester studying in St. Petersburg and also received a Carson Grant for research on Russian poetry titled, “Spirit of Exile: Queer Identity and Romantic Tradition in Lermontov’s ‘Demon.’”  “I think if I had taken on a role like this when I was 19, I would have done an awful job and led students quite astray. Now, though, I feel secure enough in my own self and my own life that I feel like I have earned some right to offer guidance,” said Hadfield.  Another CA with experience in the field is Kelly Ewing, an environmental science major and Carson Grant recipient. As part of her Carson Grant, Ewing spent the summer researching regenerative agricultural practices in New Zealand by interviewing local farmers. After returning to Willamette, Ewing was recruited as a Colloquium Associate for Professor Katja Meyer’s class titled “Taming the Angry Beast: Climate Solutions”.  “I hope that the CA position turns into something lasting at Willamette,” said Ewing. “I think it has a lot of potential to connect people personally and provide academic support.”  Rising juniors and seniors interested in supporting first-year students and bolstering their own leadership experience can apply to be CAs in the next academic year. The application will be posted on Handshake and sent through email.  “The biggest strength of the First-Year Experience program is empowering students towards their own success,” said Kirk.

Alexandra Bless Contributor akbless@willamette.edu Something that makes Willamette University stand out from other schools is its student-directed and led orientation program, known to students and faculty as Opening Days. Every Willamette student can recall the experience: moving into their residence hall and then attending a group session and their first colloquium class just a few hours later. The rest of the week remains equally as busy, right up until the first day of classes. While many people might question why Opening Days is designed to be such a busy week for first-years, students involved in organizing Opening Days, as well as the students who recently went through the program, agree that the program, despite its hectic schedule, is critical to the first-year experience at Willamette. To Jaelin Sonoda (’20), the 2019 Opening Days Coordinator, Opening Days is much more than just an orientation program. In her experiences as coordinator, Opening Days isn’t a typical ‘Welcome to campus!’ event, which is a common theme of other college orientations. Instead, the program is designed for new students to recognize that “Willamette is a liberal arts college, where you’re going to be a student, but also an activist and leader.” This notion is reflected in the Opening Days program Bearcats Give Back, in which leaders and new students volunteer their time by providing service at a variety of organizations around the Salem area, allowing new students to exercise Willamette’s motto of “Not Unto Ourselves Alone Are We Born” and find what activism and leadership mean to them. Another critical part of Opening Days is Reality Check, a show directed and performed by Opening Days students that covers topics including sexual assault, stress and anxiety, racial and gender-based discrimination and eating disorders. Opening Days leaders and students alike view the show as effective due to its incorporation of humor and ability to offer solutions to a variety of scenarios associated with these situations. In essence, Reality Check is an essential introduction to the first-year experience because it introduces situations that students may encounter throughout their time at Willamette and shares the resources available to them if they need them. Opening Days also helps students find their place on campus and meet a wide variety of people. Cate Leach (‘23), who completed the Opening Days program this fall said, “[I] felt a sense of community building so quickly. Opening Days made it so easy to make friends.” The College Colloquium program allows students to continue building this sense of community and place. Not only do students get a taste of the typical Willamette course structure before the regular academic year commences, but they quickly grow close to their fellow group members by spending significant time with them in and out of an academic setting. Leach can attest to this: “The connection in this class wouldn’t have happened if all our classes had started right away. It would have been a wildly different story if our Colloquium groups hadn’t been the same as our Opening Days groups because we wouldn’t have been able to grow as close.” After three years of being associated with the Opening Days program and assisting in the process of continuously improving it, Sonoda concludes that “Opening Days serves as an introduction not only to campus and resources but also to Willamette’s culture. It’s an interactive experience that shows how Willamette functions as a community. The experiences of this week are much more than being introduced to college and contain lifelong takeaways.”