Volume 99, Issue 19 by The Collegian

PRIDE, PREJUDICE,

& POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

THE WALLA WALLA UNIVERSITY

collegian VOLUME 99 | ISSUE 19 | 9 APRIL 2015 |

10 10

PICKING FIGHTS More and more often these days, I find myself in an argument with someone — not over perspectives or current events, but over what should be discussed in the first place; politics, racism, sexual identity, religion. Many refuse to inform themselves on politics, and refuse to discuss it with others because they believe the only result will be friction. Many of my friends who have grown up in the northwest see racism as a non-issue, having never witnessed prejudice in its uglier forms. Frank conversation about personal or church stances on sexual identity is avoided not out of hostility, but out of a fear that it will make things worse if we bring it up.

RICKY

BARBOSA Editor-in-Chief

Such discussions are not easy nor comfortable, and people make the assumption that people’s motives are fundamentally good, so they prefer to keep quiet and wait for things to change. Those who share their opinions in public or nonconformist ways are frowned upon for disturbing the peace. In my position, at The Collegian over the course of the last several months, I’ve learned a lot about picking fights. That is, picking what hot topics should be discussed, at least within the confines of this publication. While this has been

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LAYOUT EDITOR Mindy Robinson HEAD COPY EDITOR Andrea Johnson PERSPECTIVE EDITOR Benjamin Ramey CONTENT EDITOR Carolyn Green

BACKPAGE & CREATIVE CURATOR Abigail Wissink

SCIENCE & TECH WRITER Daniel Hulse

CULTURE WRITER River Davis

SPORTS WRITER & PROMOTION MANAGER Alex Wagner

FASHION WRITER Alyssa Hartwick FOOD WRITER Rachel Peterson HUMOR WRITER Lauren Lewis NEWS WRITERS Morgan Sanker Alexandra Buley Kari Gomez OFFICE MANAGER See ad, pg. 16 RELIGION WRITERS See ad, pg. 16

ADVERTISING MANAGER Shandra Cady

Find out what your local and national politicians are up to — they may not be as villainous as we like to joke that they are, but they make decisions based on the proddings of those who are interested. If you’re not part of a minority group, have a conversation with someone who is before you decide that racism no longer exists or no longer requires discussion. Acquaint yourself with the experiences of those whose sexual identity draws judgment. Then, having formed an opinion evidenced by both experience and fact, decide how this world needs to be changed.

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09 perspective

ASSISTANT EDITOR Karl Wallenkampf

The topics in this week’s issue are invariably complex and usually charged with emotion, but problems will never be solved with silence or with ignorance. As illustrated in this week’s feature, the catalyst for change is not in tolerance or politically correct language, but in information. This means research, but more importantly, it means contact with those who are profoundly affected.

Opinion | 8 Religion | 9 Feature | 10-13

07 context EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ricky Barbosa

rewarding and has taught me that responsible and civil discussions are attainable, I think there is something to be said for a proper argument.

TRAVEL & LOCAL WRITER Shannon Pierce COPY EDITORS Tyler Jacobson Kayla Albrecht Rachel Blake DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Zachary Johnson LAYOUT DESIGNERS Matthew Moran Ian Smith Chloe Putnam Emily Brinley ASWWU HEAD PHOTO EDITOR Erick Juarez

life

Son If you are interested in contributing to The Collegian, speak with one of our illustrious staff members. The Collegian is enhanced by regularly incorporating a wide range of campus perspectives. Cover Credit: Mindy Robinson The Collegian is the official publication of ASWWU. Its views and opinions are not necessarily the official stance of Walla Walla University or its administration, faculty, staff, or students. Questions, letters, and comments can be sent to aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu or richard.barbosa@ wallawalla.edu. This issue was completed at 2:03 P.M. on Thursday, April 9, 2015. The Collegian | Volume 99, Issue 19 | 204 S. College Avenue, College Place, WA 99324 | collegian.wallawalla.edu For information about advertising, please contact Shandra Cady at aswwu.ads@wallawalla.edu.

CONTEXT 03 NEWS

s are attainable, I

ually charged with ignoe is not in s means e pro-

ey y

MORGAN

sanker News Writer

SONSCREEN FILM FESTIVAL 2015

sonscreen.com

On April 2-4, the North American Division’s annual SONscreen Film Festival took place at La Sierra University in Riverside, California. As the organizers state on their website, “The SONscreen Film Festival is the annual gathering for Christian young adults who have a passion for using film and video for the purpose of creating timely and relevant productions for social awareness, outreach, and uplifting creative entertainment. Since its debut in October 2002, the festival has become the destination for established and up-and-coming Christian filmmakers to share their creative work, gain exposure, and network with other media and film professionals.”*

The festival fulfilled its mission statement this year. Each day was replete with collaboration, constructive criticism, and hearty laughs. The many workshops provided by big names in film such as producer/screenwriter/director Christoph Silber and director/ writer Jason Satterlund were highly instructive and beneficial for everyone from the ambitious student director to the nurturing film production teacher. Workshops were presented on relevant topics such as screenwriting and working with actors. During these workshops, SONscreen attendees got up-close and personal with how professionals in the film industry to learn valuable, first-hand tips of the trade.

Alongside these workshops, the festival also hosted different panels composed of individuals who are making a difference in Christian film. The featured speakers talked of their successes, frustrations, and film experiences. Jason Satterlund, an Adventist filmmaker, was hired by the General Conference to create a TV series, The Record Keeper, based on Ellen White’s The Great Controversy. However, the GC cancelled production with only 11 episodes filmed, due to controversial content. Being deeply invested in this project, Satterlund discussed the hardships of a filmmaker’s life when things simply don’t go your way. Working in the GC proved to be a challenge for Satterlund, as he discussed in his presentation. For the

Saturday morning presentation, the existing episodes of The Record Keeper were shown for SONscreen attendees. The audience was enthusiastic after the showing and expressed sympathy for The Record Keeper’s short-lived production. In its 14th year, SONscreen added a new event to its agenda: the minimovie challenge. This event called for attendees to collaborate as a team and create a movie in two hours. Attendees broke into four groups: directors, cinematographers, editors, and actors. Teams were assembled from these groups to make complete production teams. Everything from conceptualizing a 1-2 minute short film to completing the final audio edits took place in these two hours.

The resulting films were shown at the Saturday night award ceremony and were met with great support. The mini-movie challenge proved a success in its first year. The crux of the SONscreen festival lay in the many films submitted to be judged by a jury as well as the audience. Showings of selected film submissions took place each day in 2-3 hour blocks. WWU students Erik Edstrom and Jesse Churchill won two of the eight SONscreen awards: Best Dramatic Short and Best in Festival for their film, The Way, a modern retelling of the conversion of Saul. SONscreen avidly encourages all those interested in film to attend their conferences. For more information, visit www. SONscreen.com.

Sonny Award-Winners: BEST IN FESTIVAL AWARD

JURY SELECTION AWARD

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

BEST HIGH SCHOOL SHORT

The Way | Erik Edstrom & Jesse Churchill | Walla Walla University

The Pilot | Mark Soderblom | Pacific Union College

I Will Not Fear | Mark Comberiate, Nick Lindsey, and Dillan Forsey | Southern Adventist University

Just Milk | Summer Medina | Redlands Adventist Academy

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD

BEST DRAMATIC SHORT

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

BEST SCREENPLAY

I Will Not Fear | Mark Comberiate, Nick Lindsay, and Dillan Forsey | Southern Adventist University

CONTEXT

E F P

ASWWU 04

Senate

UPDATE

mountain

20 200

New Business 20 100

8.1 G.L. 14 Andrea Lilly for Faculty Senate

g n i

8.2 G.L. 15 Michael Trethewey for University Senate

When?

k i b

T O Z

20 70

L P E D

20 50

P E C F D

20 40

E D F C Z P

20 30

April 10 @ 2PM

Where?

Love is Blind: Date Auction and Open Mic

20 25

South Fork

Black Box, in the CTC

20 20

Questions?

Saturday April 11 8pm - 10pm Sign Ups at 7:30

ASWWU.Outdoors@wallawalla.edu

thai cuisine

10% off 1 entree

with valid student id

8.95

Any Noodles or

Any Fried Rice wednesday all day

not valid with any other offer HOURS: sunday-thursday: 11am-9pm friday: 11am-10pm saturday: 12 noon - 10pm theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com

1528 e. isaacs ave. walla walla, wa 99362

(509) 529-8889

dine-in, take-out, or delivery

CONTEXT

05 NEWS

WWU ALUMNUS LOOKS TO TEST MULTI-SPORT APP ALEXANDRA

buley

News Writer A newly developed app called Revoplay is looking to Walla Walla University students for app testing and feedback. Revoplay, created by Alan Swope and WWU alumnus Tiberius Tolan, aims to connect athletes based on location and sport and update them to when and where pick up games occur in their community. According to the Revoplay website, the app founders had a distinct goal in mind: “to provide a platform for the multi-sport athlete to connect with other athletes.”

The app allows users to check in and pick one of twenty popular sports, then view a map of the local community to locate gyms, parks, or other facilities where the sport of their choice is being played. In addition to choosing sports and discovering locations, Revoplay users can also send personalized messages to other athletes in their community and around the world. Ideally users will be able to stay connected with athletes wherever they go, offering them the chance to participate in sports anytime a game is played in their area. Not only does Revoplay create a network of social connection and accessible recreation, it also encourages users to increase their skill levels. Every time a user checks in and connects, they earn a point. The number of points corresponds to a user’s level of competition. The more a user plays, the more points they earn and likewise the more their skill increases.

revoplayapp.com

Chaplain Tiberius Tolan, who graduated from WWU in 2009 with a degree in Theology and currently serves as a full-time chaplain at Oregon State Hospital, cofounded Revoplay with business partner Alan Swope. The two planned and developed the app in a small home office before officially evolving into Revoplay, Inc. in April 2014. Tolan currently serves Revoplay as business planner, strategist, and marketer, while Swope uses his 25 years of experience in computer software design and development to aid the company. Together the two have successfully combined their talents to add innovation to the future of recreational sports. For more information on this app visit revoplayapp.com or email info@ revoplayapp.com.

CONTEXT

SNAPSHOTS 06

Josh McKinney

Caleb Riston

Josh McKinney

Caleb Riston

Josh McKinney

Caleb Riston

Josh McKinney

Caleb Riston

Josh McKinney

Caleb Riston

CONTEXT

07 WEEK IN FORECAST

Week in

FORECAST 9 10 THURSDAY 1

April 9

65°

On this day in 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, ending the Civil War

adventistroboticsleague.net

mcneese.edu

ancestry.com

wallawalla.edu

FRIDAY

SATURDAY 2

SUNDAY

April 11

April 10

2 71°

Biology Club Rosario Weekend

59°

Biology Club Rosario Weekend

April 12

2 63°

9th Annual North Pacific Regional Robotics Challenge, FIRST LEGO teams Winter Educational Complex, 8:00 A.M.-3:00 P.M.

Guest Piano Recital, Kori Bond, Melvin K

FAC Auditorium, 8:00-9:15 P.M.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tri-College Service Day

MONDAY

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Jill Carter

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April 19

April 13

2 59°

On this day in 1796, the first elephant ever to trod the turf of the United States arrived from India

TUESDAY 2

April 14

Open Gym

58°

WEC Gym, 7:00-9:00 P.M.

Homecoming Weekend

WEDNESDAY 2

April 15 59°

On this day in 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic, with a loss of 1,517 lives

April 23-26

PERSPECTIVE OPINION 08

WWU CROSSED

EXPANDING

Intelligence BENJAMIN

ramey

Perspective Editor If we have nothing else, we have our minds to develop, even though they sometimes — or all the time — fail us. The mind is the one great work of unparalleled selection that controls every aspect of our lives from sensory perception to extemporaneous thought. From it, we both gain insight that impacts the development of all creation and receive torment from chaotic ideas. From our minds, the mysteries of God are revealed and acted upon. The mysteries are those that govern the universe — they are found in the realm of the imagination, a state of unparalleled thought, the one great frontier of endless exploration. To truly expand intelligence something new must be created and added to the system of all human thought. Without discovery, humankind’s curiosity turns in on itself and produces the sort of destruction we read on headline news. One must hone in on this realm of origination in order to truly expand intelligence. A great leader must be able to expand intelligence — he or she cannot bend towards the will of a multitude, swaying back and forth between opinion and politic. The ideas of the majority represent the consciousness of a people, but if they are content with their own direction, a leader will do them no good. If a leader’s only purpose is to regurgitate what is already on the minds of those he or she is serving, the leader is merely sustaining the status quo, which does not involve expanding intelligence. A good leader should not give the people what they want, but rather show them there is something else, something better that they didn’t even realize existed.

Our own existence changes and evolves when intelligence is expanded. Take the familiar story about the creation of Apple Computers. Before 1976, a personal computer (PC) did not exist, and even a few years earlier, the idea of a PC wasn’t even being dwelt upon. The technology existed — there were television screens and typewriters, semiconductors and electricity — but the idea of combining them into one useful machine was as far from our minds as Neptune is from the Sun. 1 There is a great scene in the film Jobs (2013) where Steve Jobs is on the phone with a potential client. He tells the woman to just imagine — pretend a typewriter and a television screen were put together. You could input symbols on the keyboard and they would instantly appear on a visual display. She hangs up. The idea of a PC or the use of such a machine was so far beyond her immediate comprehension that she shut down. True innovation defies one’s present understanding of the world and stretches it, thus expanding intelligence. The motto then should be, “If it doesn’t exist, build it, think it, create a world where the existence or nonexistence of a thing does not challenge the opportunity given you to make it.” “Qingyuan declared that there were three stages in his understanding of the dharma: 2 the first stage, seeing mountain as mountain and water as water; the second stage, seeing mountain not as mountain and water not as water; and the third stage, seeing mountain still as mountain and water still as water.” 3 Each one of us has a foundation that governs how we see and interact with the world; it is a grounding in which we base our entire existence. Our feelings and beliefs impact every decision we make. Even a small conviction like a standard of modesty influences how each one of us dresses and purchases attire, which has physical and financial repercussions. This foundation of belief holds our entire worldview together, but at times it is shaken. Our worldview is no longer applicable to what

WWU Crossed 1

5 6

9 10 11

Created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker

Across 2. Jesus' First Wife 4. Library Statue 6. Free Films 10. Indiana Revised 11. Best Sandals 13. Hipster Hair 15. Org. Student Association

we currently see, thus our beliefs, our foundational understanding of reality is disrupted which may cause a sense of loss and disillusionment. At first the mountain is seen as a mountain and the water is as water then the mountain is no longer seen as a mountain and the water is no longer seen as water... Movement is life. By strategically reevaluating one’s beliefs and convictions one may move to a realm of greater peace and fulfillment, and it is a freeing yet terrifying experience. We may

Down 1. Copy Editor 3. Radiation 5. Earl Grey, Cream, Vanilla 7. Segways on Duty 8. Conspiracy 9. 2013-2014 President 12. Spring Drama 14. Pope's Easter Message 16. 'Hello ____'

not like what we find on the other side, but is truth, truer at least than what we once held as genuine. After this experience our foundation solidifies once again. The mountain is still and mountain and the water is still water... By experiencing this you may be isolated by those around you, those who once saw through the same eyes you did, and you badly want them to see this fresh new perception you’ve

tapped into, yet it’s beyond them. It is possible to sit in the same room as a group of people and be absolutely present in a separate reality. 1

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

‘‘right way of living’’ or “cosmic law and order”or “path of righteousness” 2

(Xu Chuandenglu, T no.2077, 51:614b-c.)

A ST

PERSPECTIVE

09RELIGION

A STEPPING STONE TO HEAVEN MICAH

hall

Contributor

As I was browsing Facebook recently, I saw that one of my friends had shared an article about how the Pope was working with two other major religious leaders to stop human trafficking. Reading the article, I soon found out that the author is not in favor of the Pope’s actions. This article sees the Pope bringing people together as a sign that the end is coming. I saw another article saying that we should not worry about the issue of women’s ordination, and we should let them be ordained ministers. However, this wasn’t because God wants women to preach his word, but because women’s ordination is another sign of the end. The sooner women become pastors, the sooner Jesus will come back to wipe evil from the Earth. Growing up in Adventist communities, I’ve heard things like this my whole

life. I’m used to hearing people tell me how all the violence and depravity we hear about every day on the news is simply a sign. I am told that any day

observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

“When the destruction of creation is hoped for, heaven is no longer in view.” now I will be whisked off to heaven and I can see my grandfather again and I will be happy and fulfilled for eternity. The fear of death and our longing to see lost loved ones changes the way we interact with the world. When the destruction of creation is hoped for, heaven is no longer in view. When we focus on heaven, we are focusing on the wrong thing. In Luke 20: 20-21, Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be

Here, Jesus could be referring to two different things: either that the kingdom of heaven is an ongoing present reality, or that He was the kingdom of God embodied. Either way, the kingdom remains something consistent and present. If God’s kingdom is now, then we should work to further it today in any way possible. Instead of criticizing the Pope for trying to bring unity to Christianity, we should work together to bring our communities together in

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love. We shouldn’t advocate for war or torture, we should work to end them. Instead of treating this world like a stepping stone to heaven, we need to turn it into the kingdom of God. This doesn’t mean we need to convert the world to Christianity, it means we should work our best to make sure we as a church are treating everyone with the love that Christ would. We need to break down the walls that divide our churches and focus on the things we have in common. Instead of focusing on our differences, we need to focus on what we as Christians can agree on. Hopefully we can agree to push for equality, love, and respect for everyone on this Earth. As Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 13:11, “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

FEATURE

PRIDE, PREJUDICE, & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS 10

PRIDE, PREJUDICE, & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS TYLER

jacobson We live in an age of unprecedented tolerance. Conversations about race in America were held during the Civil Rights Movement that led to the official end of segregation. Ongoing conversations about womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and LGBTQ rights are working towards greater equality of rights for all. Even on the playground, aggressive anti-bullying campaigns are promoting a culture of political correctness that aims to produce a culture of greater tolerance by protecting ourselves from offensivenessin the same way that we try to protect our young children from physical harm. So with all of this progress, why do we hear story after story of tensions of race, of sex, of gender? Perhaps our conversations about tolerance have not been so complete as we had hoped.

FEATURE

11 PRIDE, PREJUDICE, & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

Project Implicit

Project Implicit, also known as the Implicit Association Test, is a Harvard-sponsored study that surveys subconscious bias. Their website features a number of tests that measure biases of race, sex, skin tone, age, weight, and gender, to name just a few. The tests all function the same way: participants are asked to classify terms into two categories as quickly as possible (“husband” = male; “humanities” = liberal arts; “happy” = good). The categories are periodically switched up to eliminate left/right bias in answers. Each test takes about 10 minutes to complete; afterwards, your results are compared to existing data to determine a weak, moderate, or strong implicit bias towards one of the categories. Project Implicit is fascinating and uncomfortable because it shows the judgments your brain automatically makes before your conscious conscience kicks in.

projectimplicit.com

THE DANGER OF COLORBLINDNESS

ontemporary America talks about tolerance through the language of “colorblindness.” The theory goes that if we simply refuse to see difference, equality will naturally be the result. This theory manifests itself in a culture of political correctness that demands nothing less than perfection in our choices of terms, pronouns, and actions. But defending perfection is an endless task — it must be reaffirmed and defended at every opportunity. With the rampant incidents of discrimination and offense we encounter in our lived experiences, it seems that the ideology of political correctness has created not a culture of equality, but a culture of anxiety. The psychological root of the anxiety we face from political correctness can be summarized as a “purity-from” paradigm. Specifically referencing the theology of the early Anabaptists, Hunter summarizes this paradigm as the effort to protect a “pure” essence by removing all traces of sin. The same analogy lies behind the philosophies of not allowing children to ever be exposed to germs and keeping young women locked up in “Virgin 2

aka Foreman / Conard

Vaults”* — if we can protect ourselves from making mistakes, our inherent purity will ensure the end goals of health, chastity, virtue, etc. Taken to the extreme, the “purity-from” paradigm produces a world not unlike George Orwell's 1984, where offense and dissent were rendered impossible by simply eliminating all words for those concepts.

“Stop trying to be good people — we need real people” Unfortunately, the “purity-from” paradigm is most successful at producing not security, but anxiety. Without the experience of making mistakes, any faux pas seems all the scarier because we have no reference by which to judge how badly we have messed up. It is additionally inconsistent with the way we learn; we learn just as much if not more from what not to do than we do from

having constantly performed perfection. The problem with applying a “purity-from” paradigm toward the goal of equality and tolerance in the real world is that it does not account for real, historical infrastructures that promote inequality. Rather than addressing deeply uncomfortable structural changes that must be made in our society and collective psychology, political correctness makes difference taboo and in doing so invalidates the hardships lived by minorities. We blind ourselves to difference and preserve our pride in our good characters, yet in choosing to not see difference, we fail to actually celebrate the diversity we say we want to see in the world.

“The problem was never that we saw difference, it's what we did when we saw the difference”

FEATURE

PRIDE, PREJUDICE, & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS 12

LEG E

IVI

ITY

Doxa trains us to recognize privlege as natural. For example, girls today no longer tend to consider death by childbirth when choosing a partner (maternal mortality stayed over 7% until the 20th century).

IDE

Despite all of this, it remains that acknowledging our own imperfections and getting outside our comfort zones is, well, uncomfortable. It may be helpful to imagine tolerance as an acquired skill, like learning to speak a foreign language. As any of the ACA students can tell you, it is impossible to really learn a foreign language without making several series of embarrassing mistakes, like all the times I referred to my travels as “adventures” in French (j'ai eu beaucoup d'aventures) without being aware that aventures, in Paris at least, is understood as a sexual euphemism. Yet as class after class of naïve, well-meaning ACA students proves, it is those who are willing to make mistakes who learn the fastest and end up the most fluent because they are the ones most devoted to learning the language, leaving their pride behind. Why should tolerance be any different?

Sexologists have identified seven different criteria by which to determine a person’s biological sex, including chromosomal sex, internal anatomy, external anatomy, sex hormones, and gonad type. Not all of these will align in a given individual (see Kleinsfelter’s XXY cases as well as intersex babies).

Because of its implicit nature, doxa is usually what determines our stereotypes. When we don't have the time or personal context necessary to make truly accurate judgments about a situation or an individual, our brains resort to whatever cultural knowledge we have absorbed. The brain stereotypes not because it is prejudiced, but because stereotyping is efficient, if not always accurate. Subconsciously, we have all made the judgment that our fellow students

So what are we to do about the fact that our brain automatically makes assumptions? According to the purity paradigm of political correctness, our default response should be to cling all the harder to colorblindness, as if we can imagine away inequality with mere dreams of equality. But to paraphrase Verna Myers, the problem was never that we saw difference, it's what we did when we saw the difference. She therefore recommends that we reprogram our "default" by first acknowledging our biases, then deliberately seeking out evidence that will disconfirm our prejudices. If you find yourself subtly clutching your bag tighter when you encounter young black men on the street, seek out young black men and get to know them. If trans individuals make you anxious over correct pronoun usage, get to know some trans people. Allow your perspectives to be informed by reality and experience.

What Myers notes here is being increasingly noted by psychologists and sociologists: there is a difference between our conscious knowledge and our implicit doxa, our beliefs, that creates tension when we encounter situations of difficulty. Gender historian Hanne Blank notes that doxa is the word anthropologists use to refer to “stuff everyone knows”; it is everything you know that you were never taught. As Blank states, “people don't experience doxa as an external force; they experience it as internal knowledge”; doxa determines what we view as our "default." Doxa helps to determine who and what we imagine when we think of rockstars and welfare recipients, even if we've never met one.

“Doxa helps to determine who/what we imagine when we think of rockstars and welfare recipients, even if we’ve never met one.”

It is historically rare for a group’s actions to be perceived by others in the way they meant them. When comparing religions, one’s own beliefs should not be measured against another group’s actions — compare theories with theories and deeds with deeds.

Myers gives an example from her own life to illustrate. She explains that recently she was on a plane and heard a woman's voice come over the PA system. Consciously, she was ecstatic to hear a female pilot — hooray for feminism! Yet as the flight went on, the plane encountered some turbulence and she thought to herself, “I sure hope she knows how to drive.” It wasn't until her return flight when a male-piloted plane encountered turbulence that she even realized her implicit preference toward male pilots. Here Myers notes why it is so important to be open to the possibility of bias: if you had asked her explicitly for her opinion on female pilots, she would have said “awesome,” but when things get bumpy, she leans on a bias that she didn't even know she had. She confesses that when it comes to planes, despite her conscious preference for feminism, trusting men is her default.

are not out to kill us without asking each and every one of them; however, that benevolent stereotype can be undermined by a negative one when you're walking back alone from the WEC after a late night workout. Good or bad, your brain is making far more judgments about your surroundings than those which surface in your conscious thinking.

Instead of choosing to promote tolerance through perfection, diversity counselor Verna Myers thinks we should instead walk boldly towards our biases and confront them. She says, “stop trying to be good people — we need real people.” Rather than pretending we are incapable of intolerance, she encourages us to get out of denial, for it is only once we are real about our own prejudices and implicit biases that we can work to correct them.

THINGS TO CONSIDER: RE LIG IO

CONFRONTING OUR BIASES

FEATURE

13 PRIDE, PREJUDICE, & POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

ADMITTING PREJUDICE They say sometimes that fiction is truer than fact, so an idealized example of good intent over political correctness comes from the game Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Near the beginning of the game, protagonist Ike makes a gaffe on his first encounter with a race of cat-people. While he and his party have just been saved by them, he thanks them using the only term he has ever known for their race: sub-humans. They are deeply offended, but Ike's follow-up response is remarkable: “I guess if we had thought about it, we'd have realized it's not a polite term, but we didn't know you by any other name. I'm sorry.”

My new conscious philosophy is to choose tolerance, and this conflicts frequently with my prejudiced doxa. I could choose to believe so strongly in tolerance as to overrule the possibility of sexism within my psyche. But instead, I choose to address my reality. I am currently in a continual process of learning new habits of tolerance — while my initial reaction to unknown male-bodied individuals is typically negative, I have trained up a new habit of counteract-

ing those first negative impressions with consciously positive thoughts. This habit may not have reduced my sexist subconscious, but it has markedly improved my ability to treat men with the civility I consciously believe every individual deserves. Perhaps in a few years with more practice, I might even end up with new, more tolerant doxa.

“If my goal is to learn tolerance of others’ experiences, I must first recognize my own biases in order to really meet them where they are.”

example, those he had offended were able to look past his ignorant slur to see a genuine desire to connect with them. In the same way, those of us who ask for tolerance must be willing to listen to when people are trying to connect with us, even if they don't know how to best do so yet. As I have grown up, I have found that world only gets more and more complicated. There are always new people and new experiences to encounter, and not all of them fit easily into my current worldview. I have chosen to believe that tolerance is valuable, so I have decided to do my best to listen to everyone as I encounter them. My brain may make automatic assumptions, but by addressing them without pride or shame, I can focus more effectively on getting to know others for who they are, not who I think they are.

Tolerance and prejudice are fundamentally social issues, experienced by at least two sides. It is therefore important to recognize the listening element of tolerance. Going back to Ike's

CONVERSATION STARTERS:

ITY

IDE

Ike was caught being politically incorrect in this situation, but his desire was not to be a “good,” non-racist person, but to be a real person with real intent to connect with these strangers. Therefore, he did not waste any time defending his pride — he simply corrected his terminology. He reached out to those different from himself, learned how they self-identified, accepted correction, and then met them on their terms. The rituals of political correctness should not smother the desire for genuine connection that we recognize as tolerance and equality.

While it is easy for Ike to recognize his prejudice, being literally programmed to do so, it is not so easy to do in the real world because pride and fear of social consequences raise the stakes. However, confession is merely difficult, not impossible, and if my goal is to learn tolerance of others' experiences, I must first recognize my own biases in order to really meet them where they are. It is with this context in mind that I will come out and self-identify among my many prejudices that I am markedly sexist against men. Somewhere along the line I acquired doxa that told me certain masculine traits were detestable, and later I learned to perform behaviors to fit that doxa, specifically rash character judgments and accompanying nasty glances.

HOW AMERICANS FEEL ABOUT RELIGIOUS GROUPS This Pew Research Poll provides data from a large survey of American feelings across a wide range of demographics on feelings towards the major religions in America. The study places concrete numbers on often vague impressions about tolerance of religious diversity in our nation. Unsurprisingly, Christians ranked high while Muslims and Atheists were perceived most coldly.

STRAIGHT:

THE SURPRISINGLY SHORT HISTORY OF HETEROSEXUALITY

While there is great interest in sexual minorities today, few have ever tried to define the "straight" norm against which the others are measured. Hanne Blank's book provides a comprehensive history of our modern understanding of what it means to be heterosexual, traced from its roots in the late 1800s.

SOMETIMES YOU’RE A CATERPILLAR This lighthearted Youtube video by Chescaleigh is an accessible and balanced explanation of privilege. While caterpillars cannot empathize with the troubles of having a shell, snails similarly do not have to deal with finding shoes for 16 feet. It is the same for humans.

LIFE

CULTURE 14

This teacher was awesome: he was young, played guitar, and gave us all squirt guns on the first day of school. In my eyes as a 5th grader, this was all I could’ve asked for in an adult. “Do you guys want to listen to some music while you work?” he asked the class. “Yes!” we cheered. The teacher walked over to the CD player and popped in a disc. “How about this new song by Switchfoot?”

the kaleidoscope

But every now and then, on a rainy day, or after a hard breakup, sometimes the only medicine that will soothe the bitter, emotional soul is to slide in a Yellowcard CD and cope with emotions like you did back in 8th grade. So, on that note, here is a playlist to revisit your years of teen

altpress.com

“Welcome to My Life” - Simple Plan

“Stand in the Rain” - Superchick

mix93.com

“Dusk and Summer” - Dashboard Confessional

angst. *I was sheltered okay?

“Move Along” - All American Rejects allmusic.com

“Alright class, go ahead and work on coloring your flags for the rest of this period,” my teacher said.

Many of us have stories of our first experience with mainstream music. Depending on the home you grew up in, it could be anyone from Phillips, Craig, & Dean to Britney Spears. I remember when my dad took my siblings and me to Barnes & Noble and let us pick out two CDs each. Elated by the fact that I wouldn’t have to only listen to “Adventures and Odyssey” on my CD player, I dove into the millions of albums before me. Somehow I ended up with FFH and Warren Barfield CDs, and I would sit on the floor of my room replaying my new music over and over again.

“Fall for You” - Second Hand Serenade mtv_.com

When I was in 5th grade, I heard my first rock song.*

“Ocean Avenue” - Yellow Card

bradruggles.com

davis Culture Writer

However, after our exposure and enchantment, we entered our rebellious teen years. All of a sudden, we felt an instinctual need to sit on our beds with our doors locked, listening to Hilary Duff, Yellow Card, and Simple Plan. Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy is the only one who understands me, we mournfully thought. But finally, we matured into our broad musical horizons and discovered folk, indie, orchestra, rap, etc., and found our own personal place in music.

Starity.hu

RIVER

Looking back on the event, I wonder how 5th graders in an SDA school got away with listening to “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot during art class. But at the time, it was literally the coolest thing I had ever heard. When I got home I searched for Switchfoot on our Windows 95 computer and tried to find more of this magical “rock music.”

realmagictv.com

YOUR 8TH GRADE PLAYLIST

8TH GRADE PLAYLIST HITS

“Come Clean” - Hilary Duff

TELESCOPE

www.theartofmanliness. com: Seriously, this should be a standard reference for gentlemen all over the planet. “Fade While slightly tongue-in-cheek, to White”: Are you taking a this website offers real-life New discoveries, far and spontaneous weekend road advice on how to be the manly near. Songs, books, and trip to the mountains with a gentleman you always wished few close friends? If so, this art, it’s shared right here. Elise LeBlanc: The other day I was sitting in you were. From learning how song by the band Blue Sky church as the special music was setting up. I to tie a bow tie to learning the Black Death is the perfect was prepared for another pleasant-yet-average piece, difference between a blazer and song to say “forget school, but when the musician began to sing, I was absolutely a sport coat, theartofmanliness. we are young and invincible blown away. Elise LeBlanc is a Portland native who sounds com serves as a wonderful and can take spontaneous road trips whenever we like a mix between Norah Jones and Ingrid Michaelson resource for preparing for that please.” With the building singing in front of a band of close friends that help back her first date, updating your manly rhythms, pulsing verses, and sound. Check out her newest album, Runaway Kites, and enjoy wardrobe, or gaining skills occasional tambourine shake, the soothing tunes and peppy style of Elise LeBlanc. to impress your traditional this instrumental song is grandfather. perfect for cruising with the windows down and forgetting your worries.

SCOPE

MICROSCOPE

LIFE

15 FOOD

RACHEL

PETERSON Food Writer

I’d love to get feedback from you! Send me an email if you have any comments or suggestions for recipes you’d like to see featured at rachel.peterson@ wallawalla.edu

SRIRACHA EGG SALAD SANDWICH Do you have leftover hard-boiled Easter eggs in your fridge and don’t know what to do with them? Make Sriracha egg salad! I often add cayenne pepper to regular egg salad, so experimenting with Sriracha seemed like the next step. If you don’t have leftover eggs, that’s okay. I’ll tell you how to cook them. This recipe puts a fun and spicy spin on a classic egg salad. budgetbytes.com

Feature

RECIPE : SRIRACHA EGG SALAD SANDWICH I N G R E D I E N TS 3 large eggs

1/8 tsp. paprika

1 ½ tbsp. mayonnaise

Pinch of garlic powder

1 tbsp. Sriracha sauce

Pinch of salt (feel free to add a little extra)

I N ST R U C T I O N S 1. Put uncooked eggs in a small pot so that they lay in a single layer.

8. Mash together until there are no longer any large pieces and all the ingredients are evenly mixed.

2. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the eggs, about 1 inch.

9.Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

3. With the lid off, bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.

Use in place of regular egg salad in a sandwich. Optional: for a little extra pizazz, add a couple of sliced green onions into egg salad mixture.

4. When the water has begun to boil, turn the heat off and cover the pot with a lid. Let set for 15 minutes for large eggs (less time may be needed for smaller eggs). 5. After 15 minutes, remove eggs from the hot water and run cool water over them. 6. After eggs have cooled, peel carefully.

Not feeling egg salad? This recipe can be modified to make deviled eggs. To make deviled eggs, after the eggs have been boiled and peeled, slice the eggs in half. Remove the yolks from the egg whites. Mix the yolks with the remaining ingredients and leave the whites on the side. After the ingredients have been mixed into a smooth paste, spoon the mixture back into the halved egg whites. Drizzle with extra Sriracha if desired.

7. Place the mayonnaise, Sriracha, paprika, garlic powder, and salt with the eggs. budgetbytes.com

Recipe adapted from: budgetbytes.com

LIFE

SM /CW 16

OPEN POSITIONS

there isvideo more

to the story

Collegian

WISDOM

Student Story // Mary Aparicio

Collegian

Thursday at 9:30PM vimeo.com/aswwu

- Thanks, Sodexo!

- Religion Writer - Office Manager

Maya Angelou’s new stamp features quote that wasn’t hers

If interested, email Richard. Barbosa@wallawalla.edu

- USPS never signed the academic honesty form

WHY IS EVERYONE SPEAKING ENGLISH? AND OTHER PROBLEMS KARI

gomez Contributor I was welcomed to America by an overwhelming sense of an invasion of privacy and temperatures akin to those of the arctic tundra. I sat at my gate in the Seattle Tacoma Airport, beaten sandals on my feet, shivering in the only sweater I had packed before leaving for Thailand this past July, and whispering into my phone with my mother on the other line. “Speak louder, I can’t hear you!” my mother yelled. “I need financial clearance still,” I replied, raising my voice but speaking in Spanish.

“Why are you speaking in Spanish?” she responded, her loud voice audible to probably the whole world around me. I tried to find the right words to describe the unease I felt, knowing everyone around me could understand every single word I said. I finished the conversation with my mother and stared in awe at my surroundings. I could read all the signs, understand all the intercom announcements, and even eavesdrop on the conversations next to me, yet somehow, I felt like a foreigner. I was no longer in Asia, I was home, but I caught myself looking back towards the customs gate, wondering if they’d take me back on the other side. My first week back in the United States felt like a hazy dream state. I

Survey says grilled cheese lovers have more sex.

knew where I was, where I was going, and what I was doing, but I didn’t really know who the person doing all these things was. I’d catch sight of myself in the mirrors sometimes and wonder who, or what, I was even looking at. I woke up in the middle of the night, my stomach not used to the drastic dietary changes. I stared in awe at the people in shorts, shivering in my winter jacket, wondering how any organism could survive in 60 degrees. Gone was the barefoot, barefaced, constantly sweating teacher in a sundress and in her place was a confused and terrified little girl. Reverse culture shock is something every missionary is told about, but no matter how much you try to prepare yourself, you never quite know what

to expect. I still find myself replying to people in Thai, wai-ing (bowing) to people in respect, and wondering if tap water is safe to drink. There are good days, when the company of familiar faces fills my heart to the brim with the warmth of their love. Then there are days when I don’t recognize a single soul, when I forget that I have homework because I no longer am the teacher, when I miss my students and Thai family so much that it feels like I will never be able to piece my heart together again. It’s been two weeks since that day in the airport, and I still feel like a foreigner in this strange yet familiar place. But, as A. A. Milne writers, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Taco Bell to start delivery service in late 2015 - FourthMeal munchies at home, but the TBR is half the fun.... CERN researchers confirm existence of the Force - Suspected to be a Disney advertisement

China declares war on forbidden game: golf - Sobe to discontinue selling Arnold Palmer.

Starving student survives by eating body lotion - Thanks, Sodexo!

LIFE

17 CW

Creative

WRITING

ABIGAIL

wissink Creative Curator If you’d like to submit your poetry, prose, songs, or any kind of creative writing, email me at abigail.wissink@ wallawalla.edu.

GROWING PAINS By Kari Gomez

Muse insists she is a teenager

About what?” I ask,

“And love?” they ask,

he will leave or you will leave

all the while holding a baby towel to her face

not hearing her correctly.

“what about love?”

and it will feel,

because she likes the smell

her eyes curious and bright.

“It’s twelve, not twelveteen, my dear,” I say, picking something out of her hair,

“Growing up,” she says,

it will feel like your heart “Oh, love… yes, love… There will come a time

“You do not change over the night,” I say,

when you will think you are in love.”

“You change over the years.

“There will be boys who make you laugh

I smile, thin lipped,

And boys who make you blush.

They do not know

“You start to see that the world does not belong to you But that you belong to the world.”

trust me when I tell you

“You fight with friends

that the days go by faster when you age

and family

and that’s when you start to feel

and even God.

and it will be the most deliciously, frightening

But mostly,

feeling in the world.”

“Tell me more,” she says circle around her.

right down to your stomach

“They will kiss you under moonlit skies

when she looks up from the bench. as the rest of the girls

And your heart will drop

you fight with yourself.”

I start to turn around,

“You pick at your appearance

and you will finally understand

thinking it humble to hate yourself

what it feels like

thinking it a sin to not.

to desire a forever.”

“But the only time you will be right,” I say,

“But pain is a side effect of change

looking in their eyes, “is when you love all of who you are.”

“And then what?” they ask, their eyes intent.

“Enjoy being a kid

the growing pains.”

will never be okay again.”

nostalgic of their innocence. that I, too, am still but a child. “Then, my darlings, you realize that no matter how fast the Earth spins beneath you, that the sun comes up and that the sun comes down with no avail. And that is when you begin again.”

and as the Earth continues to spin faster,

CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING BROWN, NOW TRY NOT TO SOUND LIKE IT Society glorifies my diversity because my accent tastes like apple pie on the Fourth of July. But this same society tells my mother that her accent is too funny so,

“Excuse me, but can I get a cashier I can actually understand?” So, yes, I may have forgotten to tell you that I don’t have a right to vote

in the country I call home Because even though my card is green, my last name tells you I hopped the border from a country I’ve never even been to.

By Kari Gomez

CONTEXT

#thecollegian 18

thecollegian

INSTAGRAM

@rickyjaybee

@circle.church

@mesenvurk

@melsnee09

@meganm_m22

@igleni @jon_mack93

@rickyjaybee

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LIFE

Today, we will discover the hideous humor of tolerance, prejudice, and political correctness in religion, sexuality, and race. I understand each of these words is loaded. So whatever I write will probably annoy someone, somewhere, because the terms “tolerance,” “prejudice,” and “political correctness” are chambered with combustibles due to our own personal experiences

with religion, sexuality and race. Regardless of your political persuasions, your preference for Fox, CNN, or Cartoon Network, whatever your sexual orientation, religion, skin color or IQ, I hope this hypocritical, judgmental, and sarcastic—but tolerant— article helps you realize that you should get over yourself and just be nice.

LAUREN

lewis Humor Writer

Re: RELIGION

Re: SEXUALITY

Re: RACE

If the Bible says it, then it must be so. Therefore we should frequently gouge out an eye for an eye, occasionally stone prostitutes, and chop off each other’s hands when we indulge in actions anciently deemed as sins. What does this mean in modern biblical life? The next time my roommate wears a mixed cotton and polyester sweater, the cleaver is coming out. Thank God I am also a lifeguard, have my first aid certification, and will be able to save her from hemorrhaging after my homicidal, religious infliction.

The newest acronym of the gay community, according to Acronymfinder.com, is LGBTQQIAP, meaning Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual. Let’s be honest, I didn’t know what pansexual meant until I Googled it. This goes to show that the fast and fabulously emerging gay community is complicated. Therefore, if you feel compelled to announce your feelings concerning your beliefs and the gay community, please take my advice. First, educate yourself on the complexity of the gay communities and your own beliefs. Be aware that sociologists and psychologists commit their entire lives studying these changing communities. Second, if you feel the need to jump up on a soapbox and announce your disapproval and condemnations, think twice because by the time you clamber up on your container the community will have evolved and there will be another two or three letters added to the acronym.

My friend Jason from Andrews University visited our school a year ago. His first observations of Walla Walla were that we had a lot of coffee and not a lot of racial diversity. Maybe so, but apparently the only place near Andrews that you can get a cup of coffee sans cream is the Berrien Springs gas station. What’s the connection between coffee and diversity? Both are community concerns: WWU’s place in the northwest means diversity will be difficult to achieve, while Andrew’s place as the SDA flagship university disallows the sale of coffee in the way we can at the Atlas. This means that in discussing our schools’ situations with Jason, we would have been aided by close attention to community and context—two integral terms in any racial discussion. Walla Walla University has shown improvement in diversity in recent years, despite its northwestern context. This is laudatory. As for Andrews—its students quest for coffee may have to wait.

Despite the above splotches of humor regarding sex, religion, and race, I understand that these subjects are difficult or awkward to discuss. In my opinion, when discussing each, kindness is key. But kindness does not mean thoughtlessness, ignorance, or naiveté. Think well before you speak. God knows I don’t: look where that’s gotten me.

thecollegian

THE HIGHEST RESULT OF EDUCATION IS TOLERANCE.

SNAPCHAT

19 HUMOR

LIFE

TRAVEL 20

tolerant tourism

money.cnn.com

SHANNON

pierce Travel Writer

Tourism is a way to experience a new culture and discover new interests. Frequently, the best experiences are had when locals are willing to show tourists the unique, authentic, and charming spots that they may not have found on their own. Sadly, this opportunity is often missed because locals and tourists rarely interact with each other, and this may be due to negative stereotypes. Tourists

are generally seen as being obnoxious and ignorant because they come into a country and demand to have certain amenities met, regardless of the opportunity for an enriching cultural experience. Conversely, locals may be seen as snotty, rude, and pretentious, feeling as if their city is being invaded by tourists that tend to slow down traffic and raise prices during tourist season.

have painted a picture for the rest of the world about how Americans act. These stereotypes can cause conflict and intolerance between countries, and can make it difficult for tourists to fully enjoy their experience.

There are many more stereotypes for tourists and locals, even if they’re not true. The ACA program has a lecture that addresses how one should act in Europe, complete with rules on how Americans specifically should behave. Even though you may not act like the typical college student portrayed in movies, this cliche and others like it

When traveling through foreign countries, tourists need to be respectful and open-minded about local traditions and cultural differences in order to truly experience a new place. However, it is also important to be confident and friendly. We, as tourists, should put ourselves out there (wisely, of course, because no one wants to

This wall of miscommunication and intolerance needs to be broken down. It should be possible to have great relations with other countries through tourism.

be pick-pocketed), and avoid labeling someone as a creep. This past Christmas break, a group of friends and I got to experience Germany through a local’s perspective. It was a few weeks before Christmas, my friends and I were in Berlin, and this guy saw us walking out of the train station with confused looks and heavy packs. He came up to us and asked if they wanted a tour of the city. We spontaneously agreed. He led us all through Berlin – showing us significant WWII areas, as well as giving us access to sights that even some locals didn’t know about. We got an amazing tour for free. For Christmas, I was renting a room in an already occupied apartment through Airbnb in Munich. On

Christmas Eve, one of my roommates decided to give me and my friend a tour of the main plazas. The next day we made dinner together and sat around singing Johnny Cash, because that’s all he knew how to play on the guitar. In both situations, my friends and I seized spontaneous opportunities. By letting ourselves become a part of the culture, the locals could see that we were open to their customs. It’s important that tourists allow themselves to try new things wherever they travel. Being vulnerable, flexible and excited shows respect for the new culture, and often the locals will respond favorably. When travelling, it all comes back to the golden rule. Everyone deserves a chance to disprove stereotypes.

TIPS: When traveling through foreign countries, tourists need to be respectful and open-minded about local traditions and cultural differences in order to truly experience a new place.

It is important to be confident and friendly. We, as tourists, should put ourselves out there (wisely, of course, because no one wants to be pick-pocketed), and avoid labeling someone as a creep.

LIFE

21 FASHION

embellishlookblog.com

ALYSSA

hartwick Fashion Writer

Caleb Riston Caleb Riston

I know I’m not the only one who has made numerous shopping blunders such as buying things on a whim I didn’t really need or want, gravitating towards name brands that are all reputation and no quality, and purchasing items that ended up getting little to no love. Thankfully for you, I’ve learned a few lessons through the years and can share these five tips with to save you some grief — and some cash.

JUST BECAUSE IT LOOKS PRETTY DOESN’T MEAN IT FEELS PRETTY

1. Caleb Riston Josh McKinney

Do you have a pair of shoes that looked great on display but just kill your poor feet every time you wear them for more than a few minutes? I think most of us would answer yes to that! The truth is, there are a lot of great looking designs out there — the trick is to find a pair you love for comfort just as much as for the look. More often than not, quality requires you to spend a bit more money, but in the long run it’s oh so worth it. A beautiful pair of shoes are not worth destroying your beautiful feet. As a general rule of thumb, A) Avoid man-made materials. Real leather stretches over time (ensuring a perfect fit for you) whereas faux materials do not. Caleb Riston

B) Make sure the front of the shoe bends well. When walking,

LEARNING THE HARD WAY: 5 TIPS FOR SHOPPING your heel and arch come off the ground while the ball stays put. A flexible shoe will ensure easy walking. C) Avoid shoes made in China. I am sure there are some nice shoe brands manufactured in China, but let’s face it, there aren’t many. In comparison, every shoe I’ve seen that says “made in Germany” or Italy has been a winner.

BRAND 2. AISNAME ONLY AS GOOD AS THE MATERIAL There are many labels out there considered to be very desirable when they really shouldn’t be. Perhaps it’s the high price tag, the trendy designs, or the genius marketing, but these factors do not necessarily equal quality. When shopping, quality should be your priority over everything! I cannot stress this enough. It doesn’t matter what name brand it is, if it feels cheaply made, don’t take the risk.

ARE 3. SALES SNEAKY You don’t have to earn a Marketing or Advertising degree to figure this one out. Stores use sales to draw you in and coax you into purchasing something that you likely wouldn’t have bought or that you maybe didn’t even want. In the past, I have gotten caught up in the whirlwind of a sale and let me tell you, I have often left with items I normally wouldn’t choose. Sales are sly little foxes, so beware. On the flip side, sales can be the best thing if you can keep yourself on track. To be cautious, ask yourself these questions... (1) “Do I really love this, or do I just love the price?” (2) “If this item wasn’t on sale, would I still be buying it?” (3) “Do I need this? Or do I have many similar items?”

4. USELESS WITHOUT A MATCH How many times have you fallen in love with something, purchased it, taken it home, and were then unable to integrate it into your current wardrobe because absolutely nothing went with it? The poor piece just sits around waiting to see the light of day. So if you’re shopping and nothing matches your one “special” item, do not buy it. It will be a waste of money. You must ask yourself seriously, “How will I integrate this into my wardrobe?” If you still really want to give it a try, buy it, take it home, and play dress up. If you still can’t seem to make it work or don’t have the funds or motivation to buy more pieces to match, return it and never look back.

5. LONELY WITHOUT AN OCCASION

When I shop there are so many beautiful things I would love to wear, but the question remains: where would I ever wear them? It can be difficult if you, like me, see fashion as an art form. You want to express your passion, but the piece may just not be practical. Ask yourself, “Where and when would I wear this?” when shopping. If you think you won’t have the right opportunity or are specifically trying to find a time and place to don this particular item, it might be best to put it back on the rack. This way you can avoid feeling guilty for leaving a great piece lonely in your closet when you could have spent your money on something more important.

LIFE

SCIENCE 22

TOU ewweb.comng ewweb.com

Recreational Maths 3: EDISON’S ASININE HIRING QUESTIONS Edison also employed a few problemsolving questions, too, although they were criticized for being a bit too formula-based. Let’s see if we can answer a few.

DANIEL

hulse Science Writer Diversity may be one of the most controversial issues in the hiring process. Today, companies like Google try to rid their hiring process of unconscious bias by collecting objective data about their applicants through skill-based questions and infamously tough abstract problems. Google isn’t the first company to employ strange interview techniques. Back in the day, Thomas Edison’s company would have each applicant answer a massive questionnaire with ridiculously irrelevant questions like: “What city in the United States is noted for its laundry machine making?” or “Where is the Assuan Dam?” or “Who wrote ‘Home Sweet Home’?” or “Why is cast iron called pig iron?” When the New York Times reported on the questions, they were able to find a few brilliant applicants who could remember the questions from memory.

1. “If six bricks were placed on a glass plate, would it require more effort to move them if placed side by side or on top of one another?” It’s difficult to tell what problem this question actually wants the recipient to solve. Are the bricks to be moved one-by-one or all at once? Are they supposed to be moved to a similar location? How are they to be moved? By a person, or by something that could recoup some of the power lost from lifting the bricks?

those stacked side-by-side due to the fact that the stacked bricks do not have to be lifted or lowered as far as the ones that were placed side-byside. This answer is totally based on the assumptions the poorly-defined question made us take, so it’s difficult to tell if this would be the “real” correct answer or not. 2. “If a ball weighing one pound is dropped from a height of one foot on an anvil, what force in pounds would it create when striking the anvil?”

-The bricks are to be moved by a person, which expends energy by both raising and lowering the bricks.

At first glance, it appears that this question could come right out of an Engineering Mechanics textbook, but it fails at being a good question simply because it doesn’t say enough to actually solve the problem. In order to solve a problem like this, we’d need to know either the amount of time the ball is in contact with the anvil during impact, and its velocity and height after impact, or some information about the ball that would make it easier to make assumptions about it.

-Because they are lifted by a person, when they are moved, they are each lifted to a constant height, moved horizontally, and then lowered.

“What pinch pressure at the driving wheels does a 25-ton locomotive require when drawing a load of 100 tons on level track?”

Using these assumptions, it would take less effort to move the bricks stacked on top of each other than

Now this problem looks solvable... and it is! But we still have to make some assumptions, like:

As a result, we’ll have to make some assumptions: -The bricks are to be moved and placed in an identical fashion.

-The coefficient of static friction of 0.5.* -The locomotive’s driving wheels have a total of 40 square inches of contact with the sides of the rails. -All of the locomotive’s wheels are driving wheels. Using these assumptions, we can calculate the frictional force developed by the top of the track, using the fact that friction is related to the contact force using the coefficent of friction, and (using the assumption that all of the wheels on the locomotive are driving wheels) the fact that the contact force is equal to the weight. This isn’t enough to pull the load, so there needs to be friction resulting from a pinching force also. This force will be The normal force from pinching can then be calculated using the same relationship we used to calculate frictional force:

Finally, this normal force can be used to find the pinching pressure by simply dividing it by the contact area.

As a result, it can be said that the pinching pressure on the wheels is about 50,000 pounds per square inch. While it may seem likely that the lack of information in these questions may be somewhat related to the former applicants having to recite them from memory, I like to think that the questions’ issues have just as much to do with Thomas Edison himself, who, despite being an inventor, was quite naïve about actual theory — instead choosing to learn everything by direct testing. Details like these are why Tesla, and not Edison, has a car company named after him. *Coefficients of friction are extremely imprecise. Really. The coefficient of friction from engineeringtoolbox.com has two values for cast iron: 0.15 and 1.1. Does that make 0.5 a good estimate? Hey, maybe. Friction is weird.

LIFE

23 SPORTS

TOURNAMENT RUNS & DRAFT POSITION ewweb.comng ewweb.com

washingtontimes.com

ALEX

wagner Sports Writer

Ideally, I would test drive the car I’ve been researching, everything would feel right, and the purchase could be made. However, the test drive could go completely wrong. Something about the car might feel off, and the smooth dealer might talk me out of my research and into a car I had no prior plans to get involved with. Like I said, all bets are off.

As someone who has never purchased a new car, I have always wondered how I would go about the process and methodology of deciding to do so.

My question is: Why do some NBA teams go down the “all bets are off” route when scouting college basketball players, and deciding who to select in the draft?

I think I would need to spend plenty of time conducting internet research, reading reviews and consumer reports, checking prices and just making sure I had enough information to feel good about this large purchase.

Let’s think about this. Does it make sense for a player coming off a great NCAA tournament run to be selected higher in the draft than if the tournament run had not happened? From a potential prospect’s perspective, having an excellent tournament run should be motivation to leave. Their stock is likely at an all-time high from performing and succeeding on a national stage. But should the professional organization looking to draft the player really make the selection when the player’s stock is at an all-time high?

Then, once I have the information I need and I feel confident about my research, the time will come to visit a car dealership. This is what I’m terrified of because, to me, it seems like making this trip to the dealership could also be described as saying “all bets are off.”

A few years ago, Economists David J. Berri, Stacey L. Brook, and Aju J. Fenn conducted some research and subsequently built a model based on factors that determine where a player can expect to be drafted. Using data from 1996-2009, they found that “A player who appears in the Final Four the year he is drafted will see his draft position improve by about 12 slots.”1 The study took it a step further and found that if a player appears in a Final Four, but returns to school the next year and doesn’t make the Final Four again, he won’t see that draft position improvement he would have had he left the year before. Let’s keep in mind that this 12 slot improvement is an average, so players like Jahlil Okafor of Duke or Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky, who were top prospects before the tournament, obviously will remain the top prospects after their Final Four runs. It’s the players like Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes and Sam Dekker or Kentucky’s Dakari Johnson and Andrew Harrison who could see their draft stock go up significantly as a result of a Final Four appearance.

A team that reaches the Final Four will play an additional five games after the 31 regular season games. So which data should be used and held to more importance for these NBA organizations? All the research, scouting, analytic calculations, and data from the large sample size of the regular season? Or seeing success against the nation’s best competition on a big stage, albeit a smaller sample size. Duke freshman forward Justise Winslow has really been a nice match to the metaphorical comparison of the ideal new car purchase. Entering the tournament many “draft experts” had Winslow as a top 15 selection, mainly because his production dropped off following rib and shoulder injuries in January. Winslow got good in time for the tournament and has been fantastic. Entering the Final Four, Winslow had posted 14 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in the tournament while shooting 51.3% from the field and 58.3% from three point range.2 After the championship game on Monday, Winslow’s name has floated around

as a top five pick, a very significant increase. Seeing Winslow succeed in this small sample size has to make NBA general managers feel better about the already good report they had about him based on seasoned information. While the draft is still a ways off, it is interesting to reflect on the NCAA tournament and wonder how some prospects have worked to be drafted higher. Now, will the smooth talking car dealer that is the NCAA tournament cause general managers to make an irrational decision? Only time will tell. Berri, David, Stacey Brook, and Aju Fenn. “From College to the Pros: Predicting the NBA 1

Amateur Player Draft.” Journal of Productivity Analysis (2011): 25-35. Print. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ nba/draft/2015/04/03/final-four-nbadraft/25236011/ 2

Other Cheek

the

NICE TRY, HATERS

ABIGAIL

wissink Backpage Writer

her, because and a little

el Lagabon

Hello, friends! I hope your Spring Break was full of nice things like sunshine and kittens. We’re in the final stretch for the school year and the freedom of summer is almost in sight, unless you’re a poor sod like yours truly who will be enrolled in summer classes. The closer we get to summer break, though, I think the harder it gets to care about things like classes or grades, and the way easier it is to do literally anything else, like browse Facebook or binge on Netflix all day.

I find myself getting distracted by Facebook a lot recently, and not always in the best way. I make a point to not engage in arguments over social media, especially about things I care deeply about, but I still find myself scrolling through pages and pages of arguments between my friends on political and social issues. Social media like Facebook is simultaneously super weird and super cool, and if you start in with the whole “the internet is ruining how we communicate and we’re all going to heck in a handbasket because of it” argument, may I direct you to the poem “Art is a Facebook status about your winter break” by b.e. fitzgerald for my opinion on the matter.1 As many fun and exciting things I saw that all of you were posting on Facebook about your break, I still saw

“You are here to learn — this is why you’re here at Walla Walla and not at Southern.” - Dr. Terry Gotschall

“Cocaine is awesome!” - Dr. Anthony Smith

“You can eat Mac’n’cheese to your heart’s content, but it’s not chocolate.” - Chloe Putnam If you hear something funny, cringe-worthy, or that could be hilarious out of context, send the quote to me! abigail.wissink@wallawalla.edu

“

VERBATIM

many things that made me frustrated. One of them was the story of the pizza shop in Indiana that was forced to shut down after backlash for refusing to cater at a same-sex wedding. While I’m not about to start the conversation of why this whole situation is wrong in the first place, I do think it is interesting and worth noting the strong reactions this story has received on social media. Even when looking up the story to find a link to include, it was difficult to find one without a sensational headline that sounded like it belonged on Upworthy. While Facebook is a great way to stay in contact with friends and find out about cool events, I find myself making snap judgements about people all the time based on the views they express online, and I usually make these judgements when their views fall into my idea of close-mindedness. If one of my Facebook friends has said something offensive toward a certain race or group on social media, chances are I’ve unfollowed them to keep from getting really angry with them in real life. Is this how it should be, though? In getting flustered over their opinions on social issues that differ from mine, I’m doing exactly what I wish they would stop doing.

If your idea of social justice and inclusion doesn’t include the people you disagree with, then, uh, YOU’RE DOIN’ IT WRONG (she says, judgmentally). Thinking about stuff like this for too long makes my mind spin with all the things I have thought and said about the people I disagree with, and how far this vicious cycle can go. Simply put, don’t be a jerk to other people. Even if you think their opinions are stupid and wrong (because they probably are if they disagree with you, right? (insert sarcasm)). We’re all going to disagree on stuff all the time, which is both super cool and frustrating (like you’re probably getting tired of how many times I use parenthesis, but I think they’re great. So you’re obviously wrong (but I respect that!)). Having your own ideas and opinions is one of the great things about being a human, and another great and awesome thing about being human is that we have the ability to be compassionate toward others, even if we don’t agree with them. All of this has made my brain hurt. I’m going back to Netflix. 1

http://tinyurl.com/ppzw73w

HaikuREVIEW INTER

Send in your guesses to Abigail.Wissink@wallawalla.edu

VIEW

What is your favorite show to binge watch?

They are everywhere although you cannot see them unless you’re inside.

“Is it weird to say Fresh Prince of Bel Air?”

Are you in the dark?

- Glenda Lamas

Maybe a map would help you

“Seinfeld. Actually, wait. Would it be funny to say The Biggest Loser? Because, ‘binge watch.’” - David Olson

“Anything that involves chocolate.” - Chloe Putam

with these hot haiku.