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Articles by Kevin Shank
Student Fee Committee’s Proposed Budget Cuts Receives Resistance
Protesters filed into Smith Memorial Student Union’s (SMSU) room 296 carrying signs expressing dissatisfaction with the Student Fee Committee’s (SFC) proposed budget cuts. Signs reading “Save our orgs!” and “Where’s our funding?” were presented in front of the SFC at a budget hearing and review. Fee Funded Areas (FFAs) are areas on campus that are either fully or partially funded by the student incidental fee. This is one of several fees that every student pays each term they attend PSU.
PSUFA continues bargaining for fair wages
The PSU Faculty Association (PSUFA) met with Portland State’s administration on July 19 in another Cost of Living Increase (COLA) bargaining session for adjunct professors. The PSUFA—a democratic union advocating for part-time faculty at PSU since 1979—has negotiated for a COLA since March 10. The bargaining session on July 19 was the first time the PSU administration presented the PSUFA with an offer.
Is the Biden Administration doing enough to combat climate change?
“It’s not a plan that tinkers around the edges,” said President Joe Biden at a speech in Pittsburgh this past March. “It’s a once-in-a generation investment in America, unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the Interstate Highway System and the Space Race decades ago.” In his 2020 campaign promises, Biden said that he would get the United States to be carbon neutral by 2050. That’s not an ambitious goal—it’s something we’ve needed to do for a really long time.
China’s space agency criticized after rocket debris takes a high dive
China’s National Space Agency (CNSA) has come under fire by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) after remnants of its Long March 5B-Y2 rocket plummeted into the Indian Ocean after re-entry. The reckless disposal of the 5B-Y2 residual scraps has revived discussion in the need for regulation of space materials and safe disposal of space junk. This is not the first time China has received criticism for its management of extraterrestrial property.
This Week Around The World
April 5 Turkey: The Turkish government detained 10 retired admirals after more than 100 former senior navy officials issued an open letter regarding the use of Turkey’s key waterways, according to Al Jazeera. The letter criticized decisions of the federal government to build a canal that would go against the 1936 Montreux Convention. “It is unacceptable for some retired admirals to release a statement that is reminiscent of ugly things that have happened in the past.
Vatican insists Church cannot bless unions between persons of the same sex
The Vatican announced on March 15 that Catholic priests cannot bless same sex marriages, insisting such unions are still considered sinful. The announcement came specifically from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the arm of the Catholic church charged with upholding and promoting the faith’s rules. The declaration by the CDF proposes the question, “Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?” and answers with one word: negative.
Alien 51 - Vanguard
Courtesy of Dana Townsend The public has been aware that Area 51 is no longer a conspiracy but in fact a real place located in southern Nevada since the United States government officially acknowledged its existence in 2013. According to a leaked CIA document, Area 51 has only ever been used to research and develop air crafts, and the most suspicious thing is its headquarters for the secret Cold War operation known as Oxcart.
South Africa celebrates 25 years of freedom
Nelson Mandela was the first elected president in post-apartheid South Africa. Courtesy of Creative Commons. The people of South Africa celebrated Freedom Day on April 27, which honors the 25th anniversary of the dissolution of the apartheid, a legislative system that enforced racial segregation in many aspects of life, including living areas, public facilities and romantic relationships.
Cultural revolution blamed for sexual assault in the Catholic Church
Pope Benedict XVI wrote a letter blaming the culture of the 60’s for sex abuse in the Catholic church. Courtesy of Creative Common Former Pope Benedict XVI released a letter on April 10 expressing his belief that the “all-out sexual freedom” of the 1960s is to blame for the sexual abuse and pedophilia scandals within the Catholic Church. The retired pope, who was the leader of the Catholic Church from 2005–2013, was the first to resign in nearly 600 years.
Indian anti-satellite test faces criticism
Different rockets designed and built by the Indian Space Research Program. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The Indian Space Research Organization destroyed one of its own satellites 300 kilometers above Earth’s surface after launching a ground-based missile on March 27. The test, known as Mission Shakti, added at least 60 pieces of orbital debris to Earth’s upper atmosphere in the process.
‘Worst humanitarian disaster in Mozambique’
Image taken by Copernicus Sentinel-1. Blue-purple represent where the flood water has subsided, and the areas shown in red are underwater as of March 25, 2019. Approximately 1.8 million people are in “urgent need” after Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi on March 14. In Mozambique alone, nearly 136,000 people were displaced and more than 50,000 homes were destroyed, according to ABC News.
Pakistan-India tensions on high over Kashmir
Pakistan and India are on the brink of war after aerial clashes last week saw to the downing of two Indian fighter pilots. India carried out strikes against militant bases inside Pakistan territory in response to the Feb. 14 suicide bombing that claimed the lives of 42 Indian paramilitary police in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Australia facing down climate change
In an unprecedented court case in Sydney, Australia over a new coal mine, the court ruled against the mine on Feb. 8, referencing climate change and carbon emissions as a consequence. The ruling marks a first for climate change holding precedence over politics and economy for development in Australia. Australia, among other Oceaniac nations, has experienced first hand the effects of climate change, from the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef to changes in drought patterns.
Confucius Institute in jeopardy
In 2007, the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (HanBan) and PSU’s Office of international affairs jointly established the Confucius Institute at PSU as a cultural resource center. Courtesy of Portland State University Confucius Institute The Confucius Institute at Portland State is at risk of not being renewed if the contract cannot be amended to include First Amendment rights to faculty.
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