ASPSU senate do-over meeting largely a repeat performance

The budget for Portland State’s student groups came down to the wire Wednesday night as the student government senate voted to pass an updated budget to fund groups and programs next fiscal year, just five days before it was due to the university president for approval.

The Drug War on Film

On March 8th and 9th, PSU’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) hosted a film festival intended to provide insight into the war on drugs through the lens of cinema. Over the course of the festival, SSDP screened The House I Live In, Trainspotting, The Union and finally, A Scanner Darkly. The student group also arranged for presentations by the Portland State criminology department’s Dr. Mark Leymon and Lissa Kaufman of Student Legal services (SLS). Ultimately, the film festival created a stage for discourse regarding U.S. drug policy and encouraged attendees to think critically about the effects of the drug war from both a domestic and global perspective.

SFC meetings stand

A potential budget disaster was averted Tuesday night as the Associated Student of Portland State University’s judicial board decided not to invalidate meetings of the student fee committee, even though it found that the SFC had not complied with the public notice requirements of Oregon’s Public Meetings Law.

Faculty contract negotiations begin with bagpipes in the park

The Park Blocks were peaceful on Tuesday, until the bagpipes started playing.

So began a high-visibility march through campus to hand-deliver two oversized letters to Portland State administration; one went to PSU President Wim Wiewel, the other to Carol Mack, vice provost for Academic Personnel and Leadership Development.

Food activists dig up tips to help students eat local

Eating locally harvested foods can quickly get expensive, especially for college students, and the PSU Food Action Collective is offering a solution. FAC is leading workshops for students interested in how to eat local food on a tight budget. They are in the middle of a six-part series called Healthy, Easy, Affordable and Local.

Student explores why people are religious

Matt Hernandez is fascinated with the question of why people believe what they believe, especially when it comes to their religious beliefs. While reading a book called 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God, by Guy P. Harrison, Hernandez found that one of the most common responses people give for believing in their particular religion over another is that, “my religion makes more sense than others.”

Professor fights climate change

Climate change is a complex and multifaceted issue, and Portland State economics professor Randall Bluffstone is trying to do something about it. Bluffstone has been studying the intersection between sustainability and economics to find better land management systems for rural farmers in developing countries since the ’80s.

OHSU seeks armed officers, PSU still debating topic

The question of arming campus public safety officers at Portland State has been circulating for several months, with many in the PSU community wondering what the best solution is while the pros and cons are weighed on both sides of the discussion.

Class profile: ‘City in Film’

Gerald Sussman, a professor in Portland State’s Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, recently inherited a course that was developed about 10 years ago.