cpj_20170118.pdf
Media
Part of The Cooper Point Journal (January 18, 2017)
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The Evergreen State College Student Newspaper
I January
18, 2017
J Q
1-N-T
LJ R N A L
CAMPUSPOLICEPROTEST
ANT/TRUMPDEMOS
OLYCOMEDYCOMPETITION
POLICE CHIEF WELCOME RECEPTION
DISRUPTED BY STUDENTS
ACTIONS PLANNED FOR JAN.
20, INUAGURATION DAY
SAM MILLER HOSTING
COMEDY EVENT
3
4
NEW
OLYMPIA
8
STAFF
HOW WE WORK
EDITOR•IN•CHIEF
Felix Chrome
MANAGING EDITOR
The Cooper Point Journal is produced by students at The Evergreen State College,
with funding from student fees and advertising from local businesses. The Journal
is published for free every other Wednesday during the school year and distributed
throughout the Olympia area. Our contentis also available online at www.cooperpoint. Journal. com.
Jasmine Kozak-Gilroy
NEWS EDITOR
Chloe Marina Manchester
COMMUNITY EDITOR
ARTS
Sylvie Chace
& CULTURE EDITOR
Ruby Love
Our mission is fo provide an outlet for student voices, and to inform and .entertain
the Evergreen community and the Olympia-area p:iore broadly, as well as to provide
a platformfor students to learn about operating a news publication.
COMICS EDITOR
\
River Gates
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Joe Sullam
Our office is located on the third floor of the Campus Activities Building (CAB) at
The Evergreen State College in room,$32 and we have open student meetings from
4 to 5 p.m every Wednesda½.
'
WRITERS
Georgie :Hicks
Jon Fitzgerald
Rachel Carlson
Tari Gunstone
WRITE FOR US
We accept submissions from any student a.t: The Evergreen State College, and also
from former students, faculty, and stalf, We also hire some students. onto our staff,
who write articles for each issue and receive a learning stip~nd.
,/~'
Have an exciting news topic? Know about some weird community happening? Enjoy
that.new hardcore band? Come talk to us and write about it.
CONTACT
..
OFFICE
The Evergreen State College
CAB 332
2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW
Olympia, WA
News
. (360) 867-6213
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We will also consider submissions from non-Evergreen people, particularly if they
,have special knowledge on the topic. \,Ve prioritize current student content first, followed by former students, faculty and staff, and then general community submissions.
Within that, we prioritize content related to Evergreen first, followed by Olympia, the
state of Washington, the Pacific Northwest, etc.
To submit an article, reach us at cooperpointjournal@gmail.com.
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News
cameras ,vere part of her on- ment anywhere in the United
going plan to streamline polic- States-like there shouldn't be
ing at Evergreen she said that, cops at all. It should just be-I
"as police officers of course ,ve don't knmv how else to say it,
would always like to see more lawless."
cameras," but that is unlikely to
While discussing students
happen do to funding.
who feel uncomfortable with
BrO\'\'Il, ,vho graduated frqm armed :police officers on camthe Evergreen State College in pus, Brmvn made it clear that
2006, says that in her time as not only is it a state requirement
a student here she never sa,v for police officers to carry guns,
anything like the protest that but that she feels it is a moral isoccurred at her swearing in 1 sue of her being able to protect
saying, "I never would have herself when there may be peoimagined that would come from ple around her carrying guns or
the Evergreen State College I knives, arguing that, "the hamean we're peaceful, right?" tred that is spewed at us someand that, "It's very challenging times escalates and we'd have
to come to work and see a sign no way to protect ourselves."
that says all cops are bastards." She also said that not having
Of the yelling that occurred she guns puts officers at a disadsaid, "I didn't see anything like vantage handling even peaceful
that when I went here--heated gatherings do to officers getting
Chief of Police Stacy Bro¥.rn was hired at the beggining of the year but recently set to be sv.-orn in. SHAUNA BITTLE.
discussions,;, sure, but they were overwhelmed, stating, "If it was
--,._ always civil_." Brown r;nentioned just one officer you are going to
'''that she understood that there see a taser or shots fired, you
are students who had previ- just don't know."
ous bad interactions with law
According to Brown, even
enforcement, sa~ng, "even peaceful protests can cause
though thif is my profession, I problems for law enforcement
F
kno\\' that"there are bad apples due to ·escalation and the sheer
in every ~unch, whether it's mass of participants, "Someteachers or doctors or cops."
tjmes that crowd mentality you
Despite animosity towards ¢an have someone there who is
By Jasmine Kozak-Gilroy
the police force on campus, Ev- there to be peaceful but then
ergreen's new Chief of Police something happens and the
nJanuary 11, 2016, the new Evergreen chief of police, Stacy Brown, was set remains committed to com- crowd mentality the changes
to be sworn in. Brown, who graduated from the college in 2006, was hired munity policing and commu- and then some bad choices are
out of the Lewis County Deputy's office where she had been working for 20 nity engagement, something made and that action causes
years, the last seven of which she spent as the chief deputy of Special Services. On she touched on several times our reaction." Often, Brown
the afternoon the administration planned to hold a welcome reception for Chief during our conversation. She said, "It's peaceful and then it's
expressed interest in develop- not and then it is too late." The
Brown, minutes before the program was set to begin, students took the microphone ing a program modeled after alternative to campus police
and created a loud disruption so the event could not go forward. Along with air the Olympia Police Depart- carrying guns is the Evergreen
ment's roundtable Community Police calling on the Olymhorn like noise makers, students yelled "Fuck the Police!" and "Death to Pigs".
Conversation events, conver- pia Police Department or the
When it seemed clear that celled a Cops and Donuts event zines. Our coffee is stronger
sations that she hopes will be Thurston County Sheriff's Ofthe students were not going where students could meet and our lit is danker. Come
"something that goes a little fice for help, something that
to quiet down or surrender campus police officers, that was hang out and get caffeinated
deeper", adding, HI am not happens anyways on campus
the microphone and podium, scheduled to take place a few and educated [heart emoji] ".
here to preach at anybody, I am due department's small size.
Evergreen president George days later. While in the email It is possible the administration
here to talk to students who are When asked specifically what
Bridges, chief.of police Stacy to students armouncing the believed that those involved
smart young thinkers and say her policy towards involving
Brown, and the other members cancellation no reason was pro- would also take steps to more
what are some things that we outside agencies in on campus
of the administration putting vided, Brown says of the event, actively disrupt the Police Sercould do as law enforcement? policing, Brown responded sayon the event left and the recep- "It was canceled after a !of of vices event.
Give u~ some ideas.", although ing that it is a complicated istion was effectively cancelled. people determined what was
When asked whether Everwhen asked if she had plans in sues to be sorted out on a case
In an email sent out by Wendy most prudent for the safety of green police monitor student
place to communicate with stu- to case basis.
Endress, VP of Student Affairs, the entire campus. It was can- activity on social media, Brown
dents who do not want there
Despite her fears regarding
she recounts that, ('We can- celled because we had some in- insisted that while the campus
to be cops on campus, like the an inability to keep peaceful
celled the event, due to a few formation that there were plans police lack sophisticated surprotesters who set up shop in protests under control and her
veillance, ('We do have basic
people taking over the podium. sabotage that event."
the library lobby touting alter- discomfort regarding recent
They blew a piercing air horn,
Brown appears to have been functions like looking on Facenatives to policing, she replied protests targeting police, Brown
and one individual forcefully referring to a Facebook event ti- book--and we do have a lot of
that, "If people aren't willing to insists that, "we need people
took the microphone from me. tled "COFFEE NOT COPS", supporters, and people tell us if
communicate with me in a civil who will stand up and try to
Later, they took all the donated the event description of which something is brewing because
manner I don't know h~w we make change in the world" sayfood from the campus pantry reads, "The Evergreen State they are concerned about the
can communicate," elaborating ing that, "a lot of great has been
in Police Services and defaced College will be hosting 'Cops safety of campus." Regardthat, "some people don't think done in this country through
a vehicle.,,
and Donuts'... So we will be ing surveillance in general and
there should be law enforce- protests.,,The administration also can- next door with free coffee and whether or not surveillance
Evergreen ''W"elcomes'' New
Chief of Police
CHIEF BROWN DISCUSSES PROTESTS, FEARS,
AND PLANS FOR FUTURE
0
JAN 16, 2017 /THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL03
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News
Police Program to Shed
Light on Campus Safety
SAFER STEPS PROGRAM DESIGNED
TO BRING AWARENESS TO POLICE
PUBLIC SERVICE
By Chloe Marina Manchester
s
afer Steps is a new program designed to raise awareness of the public serv~ces offered by campus police,
such as unlocking doors, jumping cars, and escorting students who are afraid to walk alone· around campus.
Prior to the program, police already offered many of these
,.:sen~ces, performing more than 500 of these public sernces
in the last year. They have started this program to try to
encourage students to feel more comfortable reaching out
to campus police for help.
Hov,rever this program is
not perfect, there are marginalized students vvho are fearful
of police, specifically students
of color yv·ho are subject to systematic racism from the police
on a national scale, and these
students are unlikely to call the
campus police for an escort if
they already felt unsafe walking
around on campus.
Marginalized students are
also more likely to be those who
are feel most threatened walking around campus after dark
and those students are also more
likely to be apprehensive of police in gener~. As one student,
who wi.shed to remain anonymous, said, "Police do not make
me feel safe. If the situation on
campus feels so unsafe that I
need a police escort something's
really wrong because the police
themselves make me feel unsafe
to begin with. I would have to
really be in immediate fear for
my life to counteract that fear of
police.n
This new program was designed by the Evergreen Police
and Residential and Dining
(RAD) Services, not only to
raise awareness, but to shed light
on the gaps in services offered
through student responses to the
program, to alert the police and
RAD to areas in student safety
where they are falling short.
In discussing the issues marginalized students might have
with police, Stacy Brown, the
new chief of Evergreen police,
and Sharon Goodman, the di-
rector of RAD services, made
note of two possible solutions.
One of which is trying to address students fears of police
through encouraging students
to spend time around the campus police and get to know them
as people .. ;[hat solution is not
necessarily perfect as they themselves admitted because students who have already had bad
experience with police would
not attend such events. Another
solution they were supportive of
after it was mentioned, would
be a student group starting their
own 'Tll Walk With You" pro-
gram. Though they rrielltioned
there are probfems v.oth that as
well, as some could sign up to be
a student escort with bad intentions.
Safer Steps seems to have
another gap that Brown and
Goodman didn't consider uni!Jasked. If a student was intoxicated on campus residence and
felt unsafe walking back to their
own, would they still be able to
call the police? The short an-
swer is yes, since campus police
don't make arrests oi' turn students over to Olympia Police
Department when it comes to
underaged drinking and similar things. The longer answer
is that there ~e rimes, if the
police knew the student had a
substance abuse problem, for
example, when they would alert
Student Conduct
Trump Inauguration Prompts
Protests & Demonstrations
WHAT'S GOl~G DOWN IN OLYMPIA
By Felix Chrome
"·
N
ationally and !'o,;ally January 20 seems to have the potential to be a ;vild, action
filled day; ;vith a ;vide variety of events planned. There have been calls for protests
and demonstrations of various forms to take place across the country on inauguration day; many using the moniker #DisruptJ20. Olympia has a somewhat confusing
tangle of events planned, h~weve~ our small to;vn it's likely these "~ll merge into a general atmosphere of protest, with loosely affiliated groups participating in differing actions
simultaneously.
in
There is a general strike called "Bring your tents, stories, dry'ms1 against capitalism. \Valk out against
for the day, ·with many posters opinions, signs, emotions. "Others) Racism, Sexism, Cissexism, Genemblazoned \-vith slogans such as also planning to meet at the capitol der oppression, cultural erasure,
"Nobody \Yorks. Nothing Moves." at noon, say only "BRING YOUR ,vhite supremag.; xenophobia and
1
"Everything stops. No work. No FRIENDS YOUR LOVE Al'•m all other forms of oppression on
School. No Cops. No Trump." and YOUR RAGE." They also restated and off campus."
"Sabotage the machinery of the the national callout for action on
On Jan. 21, there v.,'ill also be
state before fascists seize iC spotted January 20, originally posted on an- a march in Olympia: coordinated
on campus and around toVvn.
archist news site It's Going Dov,m, \vith the National \Vomen's March
At 9 a.m. on Jan. 20 there is a "#Disrup\]20 will be the start of in D.C. For this event people \vill
youth-led rally against Trump at the resistance. \Ve must take to the be gathering at 10 a.m. at the capithe state capitol, near 416 Sid Sny- streets and protest, blockade, dis- tol building, where there \,vill be a
der Ave SVV. A coalition of \Vash- rupt, intervene, sit in, walk out, rise rally vv:ith speakers, then a planned
ington State students is leading this up, and make more noise and good march to heritage park and back.
events and writes, "Come stand trouble than the establishment can It appears likely this march ¼ill
\,v'ith us on inauguration day to pro- bear. The parade must be stopped. be very large, but relatively calm,
· test hateful policies and offer sup- \Ve must delegitimize Trump and with a pre-approved and permitport for affected minority groups." all he represents. It's time to defend ted march route and an emphasis
The event iS billed as a rally that ourselves, our loved ones, and the non-violence. The national event
will feature speakers, muSic, and world that sustains us as if our lives that this march is part of states
"an opportunity to make a positive depend on it-because they do."
their mission is to "send a bold
change in our community."
· Besides events on the day of message to our new government on
At noon there is a protest and inauguration, Student-Worker Or- their first day in office, and to the
march planned, starting at the capi- ganizing Committee, an anti-capi- world that women's rights are hutol. This appears to· be the big event talist student group, have also orga- man rights." They continue, sayof the day, Vv'ith multiple groups ex- nized a walkout on January 19, the ing that this march · goes beyond
pressing differing plans beginning day before the inauguration as to just women's issues, "\Ve stand toat the same time and pl_ace. You can not interfere with the general strike. gether, recognizing that defending
expect there to be a march through Students Vv'ill walk out of classes at the most marginalized among us is
downtown Olympia that contains I 0:45, meeting on Red Square at defending all of us."
multiple factions and a variety of
11, if you want to attend you are
There ate sure to be more protactics.
encouraged to bring signs or ban- tests, marches, and demonstrations
One groups - dubbed «Re-Oc- ners and be prepared to march. to come in the weeks and months
cupy," a reference to tb,_e Occupy VVhile this protest is clearly in re- ahead. Along with these indepenWallstreet movement, expresses in- sponse to the election of President dent political actions, Evergreen is
terest in occupying and blockading Elect Trump, it intersect with many hosting a Workshop and lecture sespace onJan. _20, with possible plans issues. As organizers -write on the ries concerning the election, inauinto the future. In one event f)age facebook event, 'Walk out against guration, and presidency of Donthey write "Prepare for a long term Trump. Walle out against ICE or ald Trump.
Occupation!" Telling participants Border Patrol on campus. Walk out
04 WWW.COOPERPOINTJOURNAL.COM
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Communi~
Campus Inaguration Events Kick Off
EVERGREEN HOSTS PANEL ABOUT ELECTION'S EFFECT ON MUSLIM AMERICANS
By Sylvie Chace
0
n Tuesday,January 10, a panel titled "Psychological and Political Impacts on Muslim Americans" was held in the library lobby. This
event was the first lecture in. a Evergreen-sponsored event series "Empowering Our Communities Through Knowledge and Action." Evergreen professor and academic dean, Therese Saliba, opened the lecture with rntroduchons of the two speakers, Lamise
Shawahin Ph.D. and Sarah Eltantawi Ph.D.
Shawahin is a former Ever- ethnicitY, sexualitY, and gender. relate to the specific oppres- for a series titled "Contending from outside forces. Additiongreen student, and is currently
Shawahin argues that the sion Muslim-Americans face. Modernities" for University of ally by claiming Islam is exclucompleting a post-doctoral connection of the Muslim Shawahiri pushed for counsel- Notre Dame, Her piece, "The sively a religion representing
fellowship in Chicago. She re- identity with mental health lies ors and therapists to_pay atten- Trump Administration Incog- war is a means to justify violent
turned to our campus to share in the discrimination that Mus- tion to Muslim communities nita :for American Muslims", oppression of Muslim people.
her res<;,arch on anti-Muslim lim people face. Since 9 / 11 and to educate themselves on sparked controversy within the
The panel ended with a faprejudice and mental health, a hate crimes against Muslims these issues as·well as promote Muslim-american community cilitated Q&A between the two
topic that is widely erased by have skyrocketed, and now, an awareness for the mental- as she feels it is important to speakers and students. Both
popular media.
since Donald Trump's nomi- health needs of Muslim amer- critique flaws within"the com- speakers encouraged positive
Her talk began with data on nation, that number is only icans, as well as the diversity munity itself, as well as exter- alternatives for Muslim-amerithe diversity that exists within getting higher. The shared that exists within Muslim com- nal forces tl\at affect the com- cans through active organizing
Muslim populations, stating experiences of discrimination munities, as many marginal- ununity.
and advocating for diversity.
"AfricancAmerican Muslims and marginalization based on ized identities overlap.
"The piece itself spoke of a The week ahead holds more
are the foundation of Muslims identity have a direct impact
To follow Shawahiri's talk, binary in which the religion of events for post-inauguration
in the US." Shawahin went on on health. Shawahin backs Sarah Eltantawi an author Islam is meant to fit into. Ei- community dialogue at Everto state that this narrative is up this claim with data in the and Evergreen professor, list- ther one where it is a religion green.
erased in the media, Muslim- disparities in depr~ssion, anxi- ed what Trnmp did this week of violence, :or a religion of
This panel is part of an onAmericans are extremely di- ety, PTSD, etc within Muslim- in the news. She stated how peace. Elt;,;,tawi argues that going series of events at Eververse, yet we only hear of one american communities.
she feels it is important as an both ends uf •this binary are green discussing the election
'type' of Muslim in the US,
To end her talk, Shawahin educator to inform people on harmful, as the notion that apd how to move forward. Bewhich is Arab-Americans. This furthered the connection be- these issues whenever she can, Islam is exclusively a religion low is a calendar of these updominant narrative leaves out tween oppression and depres- especially when a microphone representing peace depoliticiz- coming events.
the various diversities within sion by describing how depres- is present. Eltantawi went on es Muslim people and leaves
Muslim communities, such as sive symptoms can directly to read a blog post she wrote room for political domination
BEFORE &- AFTER
THE INAUGURATION
EVERGREEN EVENTS CALENDAR
'
WEDNESDAY 1/18
THURSDAY 1/19
Creative Self-Care and
Poster-Making
"Continuing the Work
We've Done" with Fabian Romero
Empowering Our Communities Through
Knowledge & Action
RADAR7p.m.
Longhouse 3:30 p.m.
Library Lobby 12:30 p.m.
Queer, Indigenous, poet, A panel featuring Evergreen
performer, and activist, faculty and students discussFabian Romero, will lead ing possible impacts of the
a discussion on how to Trump administration, esstrengthen our communities pecially on immigration
and support one another in policy, and suggesting stratthe wake of the election.
egies for resistance.
FRIDAY 1/20
Inauguration Day on
Democracy Now! Coverage, Debrief, and
Self-Care
Lecture Hal/ 1 9 a.m.
There will be a viewing of
the inauguration episode of
Democracy Now, followed
by a de brief and discussion
with students and faculty.
Quinn Russell from Student
MONDAY 1/23
Wellness Services will lead a
workshop on self-care pracWater is Life: A Coming
tices and the intersection
Together Discussion
of self-care and commuLonghouse 3:30 p.m.
nity .support. Following the This panel led discussion
workshop will be a self care will explore the against
based artistic exercise and . harmful effects of energy
poster making supplies for extraction on the earth, and
attendees to use.
the work that is being done
to combat that, especially
by indigenous communities
such as the Standing Rock
Sioux tribe fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline.
TUESDAYl /24
Creating Your Self-Care
Map: Leading Together
CAB 301 3:30 p.m.
Academic Advising Associate Director, Cholee Gladney leads a workshop on
self-care through
reflective writing and mapping of plans for dealing
with stress.
JAN 16, 2017 /THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL05
Communi!x
STUDENT CONDUCT CODE VIOLATIONS USED
......
AGAINST DIRECT ACTION
>-
By Georgie Hicks
ecently there has been several instances of direct action at Evergreen involving the interruption of planned school events, including the protest ai
convocation, the opening of Purce hall, and more recently the welcome reception Evergreen's new police chief. AR Rushet and Lawrence Walker ID _are two
queer and trans disabled/nonable normative, femmes of color, who are involved in
direct action in response to the school's handling of issues of diversity and equity
for students. There is a consensus among many minority students that the school is
great at issuing statements and creating task forces but tends to lack any sort of follow through or action that changes the experience
of minority students on campus.
,
R
Rushet and Walker were interviewed by my colleague Tari
' after the convocation disruption
as to why they felt that action was
needed. Their responses resonated with me as a student of color;
that there is an overall feeling that
the school does not listen. Rushet
and Walker are currently under
investigation by the school for
two instances of student code of
conduct violation including obstructing or disrupting an event,
in relation .to the disruption of
the Purce hall opening ceremony,
and failure to comply with the direction of a college official. Punishment for code of conduct violations could include suspensions,
which would include loss of on
campus housing.
The school didn't shut down
these students while they were
protesting-they waited several
months to investigate and issue
student code of conduct violations. The student code of conduct specifically prohibits "Conduct that obstructs or disrupts
any college learning, teaching, research, administration, adjudica-
rive process, public service functions or college-sponsored events
or activities." It also prohibits students from non-compliance when
faced with direction from faculty
or the command to identify yourself to a college or public offitjal.
. These definition are so bl"Q,'[d
it effectively makes any sort of
meaningful direct actjon against
the school a punishable offence.
Rushet and Walker admit the
fact that they did disrupt these
events, however they are passionate about the fact they did it with .
a purpose and a reason. They feel
that "The school talks in radicalism, but governs in fascism."
They feel their direct action is a
result of lack of action or understanding from the administration.
Evergreen claims to support
diversity and equity, even listing "social justice and diversity
and equity" in it's core themes
on the school's website, and yet
punishes students who are the
most passionate and outspoken
about social justice as it relates
to the school and administration.
Direct action is a main tenet of
06 WWW.COOPERPOINTJOURNAL.COM
social justice and one of the most
effective ways to create change.
How can Evergreen be for social
justice but not for direct action?
How can they be for direct action but only as long as it is not
directed at them?
The school's diversity statement says: "our community of
faculty, staff and students work
together to ensure an environment that embraces differences,
fosters tolerance and understanding and celebrates a cominittnent
to cultural, . ethnic and racial
awareness.'.' The students staging these disruptions are trying
to bring to the school's attention
that they are not doing their job
of "work[mg] together to ensure
an environment that embraces
differences, fosters tolerance and
understanding and celebrates a
committnent to cultural, ethnic
and racial awareness."
Evergreen is a place that draws
people prone to or committed to
social justice and destroying the
status quo, it is supposed to be a
place that fosters diversity. Over
the last year, we have seen many
cases of direct action at Evergreen and the world at large and
a common response is for some
people to shake their heads and
say this is not the time and place.
The student code of conduct allows the school to officially hold
this position, stating when and
where they think student protest is acceptable, and stop or at
least discourage students from
focusing direct action against the
school.
-All of this makes me wonder
wh.y- these specific students are
being · disciplined and whether
the code of conduct rules are being enforced unfairly. There were
approximately 50 students who
participated in the disruption of
Purce Hall and to our knowledge
Rushet and Walker are the only ·
two being faced with a code of
conduct violation.
'One of the main issues they
have with Rushet and Walker's
participation in this disruption
(mind you they are two of many)
was that they used uncivil language '";'hile protesting. "Civil"
(read: silent, peaceful and resp~ctful of white supremacist/
acad(!mic standards) protest is
the' easiest to ignore and by expecting students of color to hold
each other to respectability politics they are asking us to jump
twice as high when just asking to
be treated equally at this school.
There are serious racist undertones involved with even using
the word civil, in relation to protest by students of color, at all.
The school seems to not understand that what. the students are
protesting against is in itself "uncivil" treattnent disguised under
official and academic language.
While the school has taken
action against these disruptions,
there are a continuous stream of
anti-abortion protestors who are
allowed to remain on campus,
shouting things that could very
well be considered hate speech.
Students have been vocal about
the fact that these presences on
campus make some students feel
unsafe but because red square is
a public place, as opposed to the
library lobby which is considered
private, they are allowed to continue.
The school is basically saying
you are allowed free speech as
long as it doesn't affect us or potentially cost us mC!ney. And what
it really seems to come down to
is money. When you're disrupting Board of Trustee meetings
and planning actions that the
school would probably deem
embarrassing that could lead to
loss of students and their tuition,
such as the convocation and the
Purce hall disruption, they will
come after you for a code of conduct violation. While it may be
in their right to do so, it seems
retaliatory, especially since they
appear to be only coming after some of the protesters, often
ironically students who need the
most support and understanding from the school in the first
place. The school is pushing back
against students who are rightfully angry about the lack of action the administration is talang,
and instead of listening to their
concerns and actually changing things for the better, they are
punishing them for speaking up .
They seem to be more concerned
with the frequency of these
events than the reasoning behind
them. To which I say if it seems
like these types of actions are occurring too frequently or at every
school planned meeting it is only
because the school still hasn't
listened. If the school is losing
money because of these interruptions it's because that's the point,
anyone who has participated in
protests,or boycotts knows one of
the the best ways to create change
is to hit them where it hurts, their
wallet. Nobody wants to be put in
a position that calls for direct action. Nobody wants to put themselves in a place where they can
be punished by the school, especially since this school has a history of going after and tracking
student activists.
Personally, I think maybe we
need to rethink the application of
the student code of conduct as a
school so as to allow for students
to do social justice work without
being punished. If found to be
in violation, punishment ranges
from a warning to expulsion.
In my opinion even a warning
is too much, why are you warning students not to stand up for
themselves in anyway possible, or
be punished. Students well being
should be more important than
the bureaucracy and in this case
it seems the school may choose to
take a stick to the -rules approach.
This doesn't seem like the appropriate way to react when faced
with direct action from our most
vulnerable students. This system
of code of conduct violations
doesn't seem to be working for us
in a way that promotes diversity
and understanding.
~
!~
f
Arts & Culture
~--
cover artist
,A
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H L E y
I L L E R
s
rv.
I leave the mess. Piss stains color paper, and cd cases crack under my b,eels. I put.on nice shirts ~d look in the mirror. Two weeks later I carry the mess to the dumpster. I ask about
my blood in the jar. You say you poured it in the dirt. He says he misses seeing it in the fridge. I do not believe you.
I lie awake all night. My body fights to stay still like it fights to float in water. Get out, to the porch. Lay down my cheek on unfinished wood and watch the light come into the sky.
I will find a way back to you
~
Call your name. Call your number. Call your mother. Call. Swallow it. Drip rose water on my head, then around the room. Make a list. Stretch. Return, to the floor. Arrange a
grouping of rocks. Put the floor on my back and the book on my knees and hold her up.
V. until the mess no longer holds my atte_n tion and must be done away with.
I begin by m~g a mess
VI. A book of picture riddles
VIl. Start with a pile.
VIII. I can only remember the presence of it. The outermost objects. Mostly papers. Twists of fabric. A wooden box stacked on something. A ball of foil in a clear plastic bag and a
string and the shape of a flash.
I tried to imagine the pile and what was inside/under the surface but nothing came to mind. The shape of the surface was a mound with uneven edges, like seeing your head
casting shadows. And all the silhouettes of strands, the hair blurred at the the crown.
IX. The shape of a flash. A special occasion. All the girls in white only. Small threads, intricate & tightly gathered. The person with pinched fingers goes with the needle through the
white cloth.
Finger pinches
Over over and and under under
And and over over and and under under
- Written by Mitra Vahdati, T-ESC '16. View more of Ashley Miller's still life series at Caffe Vita through January 31st or at ashleymillerphoto.com.
JAN 16, 2017 /THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL 07
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Arts & Culture
book handle for the Olympia
Comedy Competition is Make
Olympia Laugh Again. "With
all this Trump shit, if you do
comedy, you kind of have to
be in or out," says ]\,[j]Jer. He
tells .. me how at Vomity the
day after November's election,
he walked up to the .mic and
played "Mad World" by Tears
for Fears on his phone for the
audience. He went on to do
a set with all election-resultrelate.d jokes, getting great
feedback from the energy of
the. audience,. "beca11se everyone.needed to laugh so fucking
bad."
There's some . unpredictabilitv for comedians
with how
<
this new administration will
affect c2medy, b.ut it has made
]\,[j]Jer
himself, "Is mine a
voice that really ·needs heard
right now?" So many of his
fellow comedian community
members are people of color,
trans, or que~r persons that he
!Jelieve&,havr a more important voice. in the matter. He
tells me' h~'s working on figur- .
ing out, "how to keep promot-}
ing myself while not being
total piece of shit."
One way he plans to do this
is to continue creating a parallel between comedy and activism. ]\,[j]Jer shares how he was
an activist before he took up
comedy but that comedy helps
one's voice go much further. A
past involving substance addiction and incarceration has
given him a lens into systems
of injustice that informs how
he sees the world today. He's
studying alternatives to incarceration at Evergreen (and
graduating this term, congrats
Sam!), and uses humor to both
wedge hard facts in for his audience as well as to change the
narrative surrounding certain
stigmas.
When he began pursuing
comedy, he realized that he
could shift his identity from a
jail person to a comedy person. That's why ]\,[j]Jer's all
about the work being done
through Youth Sound, the non
profit organization that will
receive the proceeds from the
Olympia Comedy Competition. Youth Sound is an advo✓
ask
Sam Miller will hos.t the upcoming Olympia Comedy Coll'.!petition. TARI GUNSTONE.
The Necessity of Laughter
AN INTERVIEW WITH LOCAL COMEDIAN
SAM MILLER
By Tari Gunstone
I
went to see a friend compete in an improv battle in Portland one night and Sam
Miller performed for the intermission. I know very little about comedy, but I
knew enough about the so called norms of comedy etiquette to be caught off
guard, along with the rest of the room, by his fast paced, powerpoint slideshow
about his addiction to methamphetamine. It was vulnerable and brashly honest,
but didn't linger the moralizing tropes stories of overcoming addiction often contain. It was unapologetic, as if he was saying, "no beatil).g around the bush, here I
am, and it's okay for you to laugh at it." Through his unique approach to comedy,
Miller has made a name for himself in the Northwest, especially in Olympia where
he hosts .the well-loved weekly standup gig, Vomity, at Le Voyeur.
Up next in his hosting career is the Olympia Comedy
Competition, a monthly show
where ten local ·comedians
have six minutes to strut their
stuff. The crowd votes, sends
the top three onto the finai
round in April, and all the
proceeds of the preliminary
rounds go to charity.
A native to the Olympia
area and currently an Evergreen student, ]\,[j]Jer's a selfdescribed "townie," whose
wide range of personal experiences has opened up friendships with a diverse variety of
individuals. From the coffee
shop where we met to the mini
mart we popped into later, he
stopped to chat with almost
every other person we passed.
]\,[j]Jer tells me he's extroverted but has anxiety, so
while performing comedy for
a room full of a thousand people sounds like a good time, an
awkward encounter involving
a failed joke with a grocery
clerk can feel defeating. "Making people laugh makes the
world easier to live in," Miller
tells me. "Laughter developed
in primates," he continues, "so
08 WWW.COOPERPOINTJOURNAL.COM
that something that's threats
ening is not as threatening
as it seems. It stops you from
wasting time and energy with
worry."
Simply put for ]\,[j]Jer,
laughter is part of survival, or
at least a reliable shield. I've
certainly felt that to be truer
than ever in light of the current political climate; A scary,
threatening storm collecting
overhead where all we can
do for it to not feel threatening is to make jokes about it.
]\,[j]Jer's right on board with
his comedic timing. The face-
a
cacy program that helps train
at risk youth to work in leadership positions within the very
systems that affect them. He's
done and hopes to do more
comedy workshops with Youth
Sound.
·
]\,[j]Jer identifies stand up
comedy as an empowering
tool that aids greatly in public speaking skills, which he
says makes dealing with capitalism and its systems easier.
While ]\,[j]Jer never said comedy saved his life, it has greatly
permeated his way of interacting with the world. He scrolls
through 504 joke ideas on
his phone to pull up one he
wanted to share with me and
records another that he came
up with during our interview.
He draws inspiration from
the person in front of. him in
the checkout line, or the dude
playing frisbee by himself on
Red Square.Turning those observations into jokes to make
people laugh allow~ him relate
to those around him. ]\,[j]Jer
tells me that, "Laughter helps
me understand the world better. I know that if somebody
.laughs at something I say, they
understand me."
Sometimes his jokes don't
work, they are too dark, too
rough, or hit too close to
home. In response to overhearing people say they don't like
Olympia's homeless population downtown, he shared this
joke on stage; "If you're rich
and you don't like poor people,
you should kill yourself so you
don't have to see poor people
anymore." It didn't go over,
but ]\,[j]Jer stays true to what
makes him happy and devotes
hiamself to the great experiment of stand up comedy.
If you want to check out the
Olympia Comedy Competition hosted by ]\,[j]Jer, head to
Rhythm and Rye this Thursday,January 19, at 8 p.m. $510 sliding scale donation at the
door.
j
I
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Arts & Culture
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Jioyager Opens at
Galerie Fotoland
By Ruby Love
II
I
t's officially the start of winter quarter, and if you're like me and
spent the break in a haze of rich food and existential dread, co1:1ing back to school has been a welcome change. Coinciding with
the start of the year two thousand and seventeen.(oh boy. .. we're in
the future now ... ) is a new exhibit at Galerie-Fotoland which looks at
the nature of time and space using photographs of deceptively cute
dioramas.
Voyager is the work of Seattle-based
photographer Bill Finger, who utilizes
techniques learned from his career
working around film sets to build miniature worlds. The sets built by Finger
vary from lonely country houses, seen
at night, to the view of a crater from
the w~ndow of a plane, to images of
space exploration and satellites.
Translated through the medium of
black and white photography, Finger's
sets take on new meaning, blurring the
line between reality /intellectual knowledge and dream/magical thinking as
the audience is asked to suspend their
disbelief and immerse themselves in
the artist's complex worlds. The photographs were smaller than expected, and
each is housed in a clean white frame,
surrounded by a circular mat. They are
deceptively simple, and after my first
walk through I found myself returning
again and again, nearly pressing my
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Radiance
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nose to the glass to catch some previously unseen detail.
Recalling the charm. of movies
before special effects, Finger's work
doesn't fully obscure the details of its
manufacture - that's not its goal. Moving from image to image, I found myself oscillating between appreciating
that these were tiny sets, painstakingly
built by the artist; and getting lost in the
scenes before me, despite being able to
I
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"see through" them.
The exhibit runs until February
28 at Galerie Fotoland which, if you
don't know; is outside of Photoland on
the first floor of the library building. I
highly recommend stopping by to take
a look!
anxiety, depression,
trauma ... Empower
the present with
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JAN 16, 2017 /THE COOPER POINT JOURNAL 09
,.
I
Humor
RCBY THO".\{PSOX
~~
I
By Sylvie Chace
Ifs a new year, a new quarter, and a fresh ·start for all the signsl However, 2016 is no~,-So easily left behind. The.re are things still lingering on our minds and the recent full moon in
Cancer on the 12th illuminated what our true feelings are. With planet of communication, Mercury; in goal-o_i-iented Capricorn, and passionate Mars in sensitive Pisces, there is an
inherent duality happening. There is a deep desire to put our lives in a solid direction for the new year, howeve_r, our emotional selves are _taking-over. \-\That is it that is really driving
yoJ forward? "\Vb.ere does your true motivation lie? Struggling betvveen external success and internal understanding seems to be weighing on all the signs.
ARIES
3121 -4119
LIBRA 9/23- 10)22
A new opportunity is arising. It may not feel like it, but with hard times comes new lessons for
growth. You are seeking something tangible, something closely related to financial matters or life at
home. Something doesn't feel quite right and now is the time to fix it. Reach out into the world and
see what you bring back 'With you, a new space or a new job might be exactly what you need to feel
like your life is on track.
You've been i~ng go of colltrol lately. I!'s overwhelming to grab life by the handlebars, so ironically maybe letting go is what will ultimately steer you in the right direction. You're not one to cany a
planner at all times, so find ways of organizing that works for your needs. You don't need to act like
you're someone you're not, so-11::t this' new year be a fresh start to living your life by your standards.
TAURUS4120-s120
Amidst the chaos there is a comfort found Vvithin you, Taurus. Leave it to you to find a way to make
peace in a dark time. You have everything to gain so go out and learn everything you can, invest
your time and energy into things that fill you up and fulfill your life arid enrich )'ou. Give yourself
permission to live luxuriously.
You're trapped in some sort of situation, be it an unsatisfying living situation or a job that you just
can't stand anymore. Sometl'ii~g out in the world has got you caged and you're antsy to break free.
You may not find answers to all your problems so easily;_but finding out the truth is what can help
you most. Knowing who is loyal to you, and who truly hOlds you dear can be healing when feeling
stuck in a sticky situation.
GEMINI s121 -6120
SAGITTARIUS 11122- 12121
You I11ay have been feeling like you've reached rock bottom, nothing could possibly get worse. Don't
be so hard on yourself Gemini, this iS still a season of new beginnings. Let the old die away and
make ro_om for new-ness. Be it a new relationship, or a new friend, start-'investing time in peoj:>Je
that hold you close. If you truly feel that the worst has happe9-ed, then know that you can only go
up from here.
2016 left you feeling powerless in more ways than one. Searching for feelings of power in external
surroundings has proven less-than satisfying. However there's been a change in you, Sagittarius.
Ifs as if you've awakened to the power that ·was in you all along. Now is the time to start planning
something big, or dive into a new project. You are now more than ever ready to face a new year.
CANCER 6121-1122
Your foundation has been feeling shaky lately, something in your life feels uncertain and for some'"
one like you that can take control over all areas of your life. You are powerful in that you know how
to take care. So take care of yourself in this situation and know that the uncertainty won't last forever. Be careful in your decision-making, uncertainty can lead to irrationality so sta)'" ~utious, Cancer.
SCORPIO 10123- 11121
CAPRICORN 12122-1119
For someone so focused on consistently moving forward your head is stuck in the past. There's
something nostalgic that's got you trapped in a cycle of thought. 'What is it about the past that
you're remembering now? An old memory is trying to teach you something about the present. It's
important to keep going at all costs, but ignoring your past won't make it go away, the memories
will always find you.
LEO 1123-8122
AQUARIUS 1120-2118
You've had a lot on your mind lately. It's made you a bit isolated -which is so against yoiir social
nature. Know that with deep emotional processing com.es a great change in our lives. Something
big is coming. Whether you've decided to stop a certain behavior, or decided that maybe it's time to
start some new habits, positive changes are on the horizon and it's up to you to see them through.
You've been feeling a sense of purpose recently. Your sign is actually known to be quite the humanitarian and with a new year you've been feeling a need to take action. Start by creating a balanced
atmosphere in your life. Understand where you are needed and what tools you have at your disposal,
the motivation is excellent, just remember to take everything in moderation.
VIRGO 8123-9122
If 2016 was the year of. realizing things,·you have certainly become more _aware of your inner
power. Maybe you've used your voice iriore, -or expressed feelings you usually feel too afraid to share.
Something 'has shaken you up, Vrrgo. It's a good thing; allow yourself to be loud and imperfect, use
your wonderful power as a force of good. With a_ new year beginning, your planning skills have been
put to goOd use and it's making you feel unstoppable.
10 WWW.COOPERPOINTJOURNAL.COM
PISCES 2119-3120
You may be holding in a _secret, or you may have a suspicion that someone is hiding something from
you. Paranoia can be devastating to someone with your kind of intuition. It's always important to
remember that honesty is always the best policy. Don't. be ashamed or afraid to tell someone what
truly lies inside you. If you feel that someone isn't being honest with you, approach people with
compassion and understanding. Deep feelings are not easily revealed.
0
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Humor
LOAFEDBREAD
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