Choose your venue wisely

Avoiding bad concert experiences in Portland

You know what you’re getting when you go to a concert at the Rose Garden arena: either a band that released its last good album 20 years ago (The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Roger Waters) or a band whose songs you’ve already heard so many times on the radio that they’re permanently burned into your brain (Coldplay, Katy Perry). You also know what you’re getting from a show at the Crystal Ballroom: a band just popular enough for casual music fans to like and serious music fans to hate (Snow Patrol, Hot Chip). Elsewhere, though, it gets murky.

Menomena

Longing lyrics, airy vocals dotted throughout newest release

Here are the two most important things to know about Portland-based experimental indie rock band Menomena: 1) Pitchfork loves them, and 2) no one person in the band is the primary songwriter; rather, every band member submits their own portion of each song electronically, and then they all get together to combine them. So yes, that bearded guy living in the downstairs bedroom who wears beanies in July probably loves them.

Brick to glass: Stott Center to become Viking Pavilion

$44 million renovation includes higher-capacity arena, increased academic space, upgraded façade and facilities

The Peter W. Stott Center, home of Portland State’s Athletics Department and the Vikings basketball and volleyball teams, is on the verge of getting a massive physical and aesthetic overhaul. And with the overhaul comes a new name: Viking Pavilion.

Award-winning PSU advertising team prepares for greater challenges ahead

Regional-winning team gets ready for national competition

An overwhelming victory at the regional portion of the National Student Advertising Competition has the Portland State advertising team thinking of loftier goals.

In the regional competition on April 28, the team, known as 486 Advertising among its members, finished well ahead of second-place finisher and favorite University of Oregon in the District 11 regional.

Obama signs executive order to stop deceptive practices by universities

Order aims to stop private and for-profit universities from misleading veterans on education costs

On April 27, President Barack Obama signed an executive order that requires colleges and universities to inform all veterans of the exact costs of their education upon enrollment. Additionally, the order requires Veteran’s Affairs and the Department of Defense to investigate and eliminate any fraudulent scholarships or programs offered to veterans, to provide a centralized complaint system for veterans to voice their displeasures with abusive enrollment practices and to establish greater restrictions on aggressive recruiting of veterans by university officials.

Successful spring has Vikings liking their odds in 2012–13

Team currently experiencing positive exhibition season

Portland State’s women’s volleyball team could be forgiven for feeling pressured by expectations for the 2012–13 season. After all, they’re currently riding a streak of five consecutive appearances in the Big Sky Conference Championship Match. Instead, though, they’re mostly feeling confident, thanks to their successes thus far in the spring exhibition season.

Winterhawks prepare for finals showdown

Team looking to take down a tough Edmonton squad

The Western Hockey League Championship Finals are set to begin May 3, and the Portland Winterhawks are relishing the chance to be included for the second year in a row.

PSU looks to hire new university librarian

Field narrowed to three candidates; university hopes to fill position by summer

Portland State is currently conducting final interviews for the position of university librarian. A new university librarian became a necessity in June 2010 after previous librarian Helen Spalding retired. Adriene Lim replaced Spalding on an interim basis for the 2010–11 school year, but left to take a job at another library. For 2011–12, Lynn Chmelir agreed to become the new interim librarian, but only for a year, which made finding a new, permanent librarian a top priority for PSU.

News Briefs

Drifting tsunami debris from Japan danger to Oregon coast, TriMet planning $74 million MAX train upgrade, PSU recognizes Sexual Assault Awareness Month with workshops, PSU graduate students propose entertainment-centric development in Hillsboro, HUD campus presentation to cover housing discrimination, civil rights