Oregon State University - Beaver Yearbook (Corvallis, OR)

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Right: Members of the Hui 0 Hawaii club organized this year’s Luau. Besides planning the event, dub members also prepared the decorations, the food, as well as a video about life in Hawaii. Photo by Hank Hirsch Above middle: Shuan Palakiko (standing) performs a Fijian dance. This particular dance was meant to depict movements used in battle. Above right: An OSU employee demonstrates the firece and intense motions of the Maori war chant, also called a haka. Photos by Hank Hirsch Above: OSU students perform He Mcle No Manu Alae. a dance that tells the story of the mud hens. According to legend, the mud hens were the keepers of fire before a Hawaiian demi god learned their secret. Photo by Hank Hirsch

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luau 0 1 ssOjr n c At f (’y (oa zn A o A r foa Ai lAra to came o Ao (9J A cam ) us While grey skies hung over Corvallis for the better part of the clay, on one April Saturday the atmosphere was tropical within the four walls of Ciill Coliseum as the SIst annual Luau got underway. Guests were greeted at the door by students like Hawaiian native Charity Kama, who gave them a hug and a lei made out of shells. After this welcoming, guests walked under an umbrella and into Gill, which looked more like a community center than a Division I gym. The floor was covered with tables topped with pineapples fresh from the islands and photos of I lawaiian sights. The stage, with its bor-der of palm fronds, was ready for the variety show later in the evening. Before the show guests were invited to have a real taste of the islands in the form of pa’ina, or dinner. Members of the I lui () I lawaii club, who spent almost six months organizing the l.uau, spent most of the clay cooking the meal. I lawaiian favorites, such as Kalua pig, shoyu chicken, chicken long rice, and lomi lomi salmon were devoured by the crowd of OSU students, alumni, family and community members. Topping it all off was a dessert of hau-pia, a sweet coconut flavored jello type of treat. Throughout the dinner guests were treated to the sounds of I lawaiian group Pari and the northwest group Kalakoa. The main event of the night was the variety show. ()ver 40 students and community members, including the children of some OSC staff members, spent weeks learning and perfecting the intricate steps of the dances. Mach dance came from a specific South Pacific island and told a story or represented a group. A crowd favorite was the dance of the Maori men of Aotearoa. As the program explained, the Maori men would perform a war chant, or haka, before going into battle. The fierce and intense motion of the haka accentuated the size of the warriors’ Ixxlies while the loud, furious words were meant to scare the enemy. One of the highlights of the night was when the dancers invited some of the men in the audience to join the group on stage and learn a part of the Maori war dance. The audience was delighted when President lid Ray hopped up on stage. While no amount of pleading would get him to remove his shirt, Ray gamely let loose a war cry anti stuck out his tongue. Although the l.uau brought a bit of the islands to Corvallis, it was more than a cultural night for the main landers in the audience. It was a taste of home for members of OSU’s large Hawaiian community. The fixxl, entertainment anti sense of community seemed more like a gathering of a large family than a major college event. The theme of the night was Na Mo’olelo, or “The Stories,” but the real stories were the ones audience memlxrrs told each other for the next week as they reminisced about this year’s I Aiau. Story by Colleen Moran

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take back the night Kb aoe tfejhoroe ' (K}e aoe re rrrjr r 577tes'S' ree 'S oreorow C rr e CSacA e j ia According to national statistics in 2005, one in three women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. On April 26, students and community members gathered in the Memorial Union Quad and participated in Take Back the Night. The rally, march, and speak out had been bringing people together from varying backgrounds together to raise awareness and speak out against violence toward women, since 2002. Take Back the Night ended a series of events and activities put on by several campus groups and organizations for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. F.rin Garvey, the student in charge of the event, put in five months of hard work to make sure the night would be a success. The night began with a poetry reading by several of the winners from a poetry slam the week prior to the march. The poets expressed their opinions about sexual assault through verbal rants and animated gestures, which set the energetic tone for the rest of the evening. As the sky turned from dusk to black, guest speaker Rachel Griffcn climbed the steps of the MU and told her story of sexual assault and how she worked through her pain. Her ston- made people aware that sexual assault could happen to anyone, and talking about it was the first step to making changes. Griffcn was personally opposed to Sexual Assault Awareness Month because she believed the subject should be talked about all year long. “Healing comes from hearing others speak,” Griffcn said. Griffcn, a college graduate from Denver, Colorado, encouraged the women in the audience to think about the women they knew, and maybe who they were,” and use that as motivation to speak out. With the speaker's inspirational words in mind, the women and men eagerly lit their candles and began their march through the Corvallis streets. As they walked, they chanted in one-loud voice, “What do we want? Safe Streets! When do we want them? Now!” Participants marched together, but for their own reasons. “1 think it is disappointing that females cannot feel safe walking even a block or two at night,” said sophomore Britta Jaques, sexual assault resource advocate for Delta Gamma. She said she participated to help people sec the magnitude of the problem. With a police escort downtown, the crowd marched to the front of the courthouse in order to hold the speak out. It was an opportunity where women and men shared their feelings regarding sexual assault and violence against women. It was also a time for victims to share their stories in a confidential and supportive environment. Overall, Take Back the Night brought a diverse group together to stand up and take action to make Corvallis a safer and more aware community. Women’s Affairs Task Force Director and OSU junior Christine Stephen said, 1 hoped the event would be empowering to women and inspirational for all people.” Story by Christine Jennings-Garant [vents nu