Volume 101 Issue 11

The Collegian Walla Walla University

Volume 101

Issue 11

12 JAN 2017

REMEMBERING MLK JR. DAY

6 13 RELIGION

CUBA: THE BAD IS ALSO GOOD

15 #thecollegian

23 food

9

NO INFO GOES ON THI

dear reader,

Editor-in-chief Matthew Moran

context

2

Welcome back to the frost-biting, winter wonderland of Walla Walla! If you are like me, you spent Christmas break basking in the California sun, laying on the beach, and pretending it's snowing in Disneyland. Others of you may have spent Christmas break skiing down the mountainside, skating on a pristine frozen lake, or building a snow man. #doyouwannabuildasnowman? #frozenwillneverdie Whatever you spent the past few weeks doing, I hope you had a fun, restful time, and I hope you are ready to get your head back into the game (yes, this is a High School Musical reference).

This year of 2017 marks the 125th anniversary of Walla Walla University.

As such, The Collegian will be making a few changes. All of our sections and

9

Table of Contents | 02 News & Senate | 03 Week in Forecast | 04 Snapshots | 05

assistant editor Abigail Wissink Head layout editor Frank Ramirez Head Copy editor Sophia Rich

layout designers Anna-Marie Vargas Claudia Curtis Geoffrey Lopes Hannah Chebeleu news writers Kyler Alvord Lauren Epperson Copy Editors Katherine Beckner NOW HIRING food editor Mason Neil feature editors Brandon Pierce Michael Jensen Ysabela Ramirez Bryndilynn Goodlyn

Life editor Micah Hall

humor writer Micah Hall

backpage editor Lauren Wahlen

columnist Joni Harris

religion writer Vixie Bailey

Thank you for keeping The Collegian alive through your generous support, encouragement, and contributions.

Without each of you, The Collegian wouldn't be what it is today. I am excited for our plans this year and I'm so honored to have such a talented, dedicated team.

Thank you for reading The Collegian.

You can send any comments, questions, or contributions to aswwu.collegian@ wallawalla.edu or matthew.moran@ wallawalla.edu.

As always, enjoy and IPFY (i.e. I'm praying for you) every day!

and what they have planned for the future. We will also be publishing some funny, interesting articles from past Collegians and some other surprising tidbits that you will have to wait and see.

perspective

ASWWU

editor-in-chief Matthew Moran

features will lean towards the students and happenings at our campus and in our community. Over the course of this year, we will be highlighting each of our departments on campus. Look forward to learning about how each department has grown through the years, how they have contributed to global humanitarian efforts,

life

TIME

22

Feature | 06 Religion | 13 Opinion | 14 #thecollegian & Ads | 15 Devotional | 16

opinion writer Yvanna Hammen-Alvarez Joshua Huh Devotional writer Christina Moran

VOTOPORLASALUD

Column & ACA/SM | 17 Creative Writing | 18 Fashion | 19 Culture | 20 Humor & Snapchat | 21 Science | 22 Food | 23 Sunny Side Up | 24

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.

Fashion writer Angelica Chan Culture/travel writer Darling Su ACA/SM Editor Stephanie Septembre Science writer Jordan Brooks Creative writing editor Mac Ford global service writer Daniel Villarreal

Cover Credit: cnn.com/politics 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 matthew.moran@wallawalla.edu. This issue was completed at 1:00 A.M. on Thursday, January 12, 2017.

Office Manager AnneMarie Vixie Distributors Jaziel Villalvzo Victoria Ico

The Collegian | Volume 101, Issue 11 | 204 S. College Avenue, College Place, WA 99324 https://issuu.com/aswwucollegian

NEWS/SENATE CONTEXT

Global citizenship week Monday:

There will be apples handed out after CommUnity on Monday.

Hispanic Ministries will have a guest student missionaries speaker at 7 p.m.

Lauren Epperson News Writer

N

ext week, Jan. 16-20, is Global Citizenship Week, formally known as Missions Week. The missions department is partnering with ASWWU Global Service, Community Service, and other groups and clubs on campus to create awareness for taking care of local community as well as reaching out globally.

Here are some ways for you to get involved around campus next week:

Tuesday: There will be a movie night sponsored

by ASWWU Global Service in the Black Box Theater at 7 p.m. Come enjoy a movie and Italian sodas.

There will be opportunities to write notes to SMs around the world at prayer meeting in the Prayer House at 7 p.m.

Jacob Patterson will help lead Heubach worship at 9 p.m.

Wednesday: Missions Club will be hosting an event in the Atlas from 7-9 p.m.

Thursday:

We encourage you to stop by the library and get help with your SM application no matter where you are in the process. There will also be people there to help you answer questions.

Peter Flores will be sharing part of his SM experience at Fireside at 9:30 p.m.

Friday: Vespers will be by Brian Yeager as he talks about his task force experience.

Saturday: Circle Church will have someone sharing their mission experience.

SENATE ASWWU Senate has passed the following two bills since the last edition of The Collegian: F.L. 1 - Men’s Volleyball Shirts Allocates $1,056 for the purchase of volleyballs and jerseys for the WWU men’s club volleyball team G.L. 3 - Executive Elections Campaign Period Clarifies the ending of the campaign period for the ASWWU Executive Elections G.L. 5 - Executive Declaration of Candidacy Adds requirements of executive candidates to the declaration of candidacy G.L. 5 - Elections Board Powers Grants the ASWWU Elections Board the right to make exceptions to one of the requirements in the Elections Manual There is currently one open seat in Senate for District 2 - Sittner South. Find the declaration of candidacy on ASWWU. com under “Senate” under “About.”

ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER RENOVATION Kyler alvord News Writer

T

he WWU business building project will break ground Monday at noon on Kretschmar Lawn, kicking off more construction on campus. The Bowers Hall Groundbreaking Ceremony commences the start of a major renovation on WWU’s College Place campus, and the community will gather in the cold to celebrate the Business Department’s new beginning.

The Business Department houses a large portion of WWU’s students, and the current state of Bowers Hall lacks the prominence it deserves. When construction is complete, Bowers Hall will be a grand centerpiece for WWU. “The groundbreaking is going to be groundbreaking for the Business Department,” junior business administration major Matthew Kim said.

In light of the C.A.R.S. Project setbacks, however, students are also worried that the Bowers Hall construction won’t be completed by the estimated date, especially since business

classes and faculty members are being temporarily relocated. “I’m excited for the Bowers project to be finished because I keep getting lost in Kretschmar,” Kim said. “I just hope I’ll be able to step foot in it during my college career and not as an alumni.”

The updated building will maintain some of the same personality that Bowers Hall currently boasts, but with a modern spin.Students and faculty are encouraged to attend the mid-day groundbreaking ceremony, followed by a reception in Bowers Hall Room 004.

If you are interested in running for ASWWU Executive Office, note that the deadline to declare candidacy is 5 p.m. on Monday, January 16.

Please contact your local senator for more information on these bills or for any other ASWWU-related inquiries.

3

WEEK IN FORECAST THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

@ASWWU

@ASWWU

@SPOUT FAUCET

Jan 12

Jan 13

Jan 14

ASWWU Week of Worship

ASWWU Week of Worship

After Hours 7:30 p.m. SAC

Prayer, Praise, and Popcorn 9 p.m. Prayer House

Mobile Church Speaker: Scott Rae Music: Audrey Turner 10:30 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Village Hall Cross-Country Skiing at Andies Prairie 10 a.m. WWU Bookstore

SUNDAY

MONDAY

@ASWWU

@HISTORY.COM

Jan 15

Jan 16

Battle of the Bands Auditions Email sarah.hagopian@wallawalla. edu Women’s Basketball vs. The Evergreen State 2 p.m. WEC Men’s Basketball vs. The Evergreen State 4 p.m. WEC

Martin Luther King Jr. Day CommUnity 11 a.m. University Church Tri-College March 4 p.m. Reid Center at Whitman College (3:15 p.m. Bus transportation provided and leaving from University Church)

Coming up Jan 17 Global Service Documentary Screening 7 p.m. Black Box Theater Jan 19 Battle of the Bands Auditions Email sarah.hagopian@wallawalla. edu Jan 22 Outdoors Avalanche Safety Game Show Night 7 p.m. SAC FEB 11 Battle of the Bands Feb 24-26 42nd Annual AAUW Book Sale Marcus Whitman Hotel

IS BLOCK

SNAPSHOTS CONTEXT

SNAPSHOTS

@GOFLOSTAGRAM

@KAI.KOPITZKE

5

6

NO INFO GOES ON THI

CONTEXT FEATURE

CUBA

THE BAD IS ALSO GOOD Michael Jensen Feature Editor

A

cheer and some applause worked its way through the cabin of the 737 as its wheels kissed the tarmac in Havana, Cuba.

Some passengers, no doubt, were cheering from excitement at the opportunity to visit their homeland after years spent in America with limited ability to travel to the place of their heritage. Others, like me, were avid American travelers thrilled at the opportunity to visit a neighboring country so long off-limits to casual touring. All, I think, felt the air of historical significance surrounding the moment. Although we were not on the first American flight to newly-opened Cuba, we were on one of the first. We all knew that the ability to get on an airplane in Tampa and head directly for Havana rather than dodging U.S. restrictions by routing through Mexico or Canada was indicative of political changes in both the origin and destination countries. And we wondered—perhaps without knowing it—where these changes would take our countries in the future and whether they would last.

Since 1958, the United States has maintained some form of sanctions against Cuba, limiting everything from the importation of Cuban goods into the U.S. to Amer-

icans traveling to Cuba. Rocky relations between the two countries began when a rebel group led by Fidel Castro started an armed conflict against Fulgencio Batista’s leading government. Because of Castro’s socialist intentions, the U.S. was uncomfortable with his rise to power and soon began to plot his overthrow. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) famously orchestrated or funded numerous attempts to assassinate Castro or overturn his government, including a notable rebel invasion at the Bay of Pigs in 1961.1 Somehow, through it all, Castro’s government maintained control of the country and

continues in power to this day.

It is only after recent attempts to improve relations between the US and Cuba under President Obama’s leadership that restrictions on American travel to Cuba have relaxed. Legally, American trips to Cuba must fall under one of 12 “categories of authorized travel” approved by the U.S. Treasury, but unlike past years, travelers no longer need to apply for specific permission to visit—a simple affidavit affirming one’s purpose of travel is enough.2 With this greatly simplified entry requirement (and probably other behind-the-scenes legal relaxations

Che Painting in Market: The rugged face of Che Guevara, an Argentine revolutionary pivotal to the establishment of Castro’s communist government in Cuba, seems to be the favored symbol of common-man freedom and the ferocity associated with the revolution.

by the Obama administration), commercial air carriers are now offering regular flights to several Cuban cities, making travel there affordable and relatively convenient.

With the bureaucratic blockade of past years finally dissolving, it was frankly shocking to first set foot in such a country that—although geographically closer to my home than Atlanta, Georgia—is an entirely different world. When first visiting, one is struck with the almost painful realization that there have been decades of living and dying, thriving and struggling going on completely unnoticed in a neighboring nation that is so close it could almost be part of the Keys. Cuba has so long been off limits that the average Floridian probably regularly forgets that the country even exists despite its rich history and larger-than-Tennessee land area.

During my visit to Cuba, I was fortunate to be accompanied by my mother, who speaks fluent Spanish. Her Spanish ability helped break down the language and culture barrier naturally present between a unilingual American like me and the Cuban locals. Through translation, I was afforded a small glimpse into the hearts and minds of the Cuban people. It was these vignettes that shaped the lessons I learned on the trip.

An evening stroll through a public park found us in conversation with a man resting thoughtfully on a park bench with a bandaged ankle, his crutches propped on

IS BLOCK

the seat beside him. Over the course of our conversation, this man (named Maykel) told us of how he was once a hip-hop artist, but was thrown in jail without trial or sentencing after producing a counter-revolutionary (counter-Castro) music video.3 He spent a year incarcerated, but was apparently freed after his relatives in Miami learned what had happened to him and used social media to protest his unfair treatment.4 Toward the end of our conversation, he proudly pulled a tattered document from his wallet containing his official release notice. Had it not been for his activist-inclined family in Miami, there is no telling how long Maykel would have spent behind bars. He now works as a P.E. teacher, earning a meager state salary of approximately $12 a month.

As this wage is not enough to support a reasonable standard of living—even with subsidized (effectively free) healthcare, food, and education—Maykel supplements his income by operating a bicycle taxi at night and trading various goods for profit.

After hearing Maykel’s story, we were naturally curious about what fostered his bold counter-revolutionary sentiment in the first place. In response, he lifted his shirt and showed us a stomach crisscrossed with scars from an automobile accident in 2013. After the accident, he explained, he went to the emergency room where a doctor did some preliminary sutures without taking the time to properly diagnose his injuries. Then he was told to wait—which he did for about 6 hours, until he began to grow delirious from the pain and difficulty breathing from his yet-undiagnosed collapsed lung. Finally, someone found him and realized that he needed to see a specialist. After a long and torturous wait, he was brought into emergency surgery where his injuries were addressed. Sadly, during his post-surgery recovery, nurses would only inject half of his required antibiotics and sell the rest. His

FEATURE CONTEXT

7

INTERESTING FACTS LEARNED IN CUBA

Shot Down USAF Plane: The letters “USAF” have clearly been painted on by someone other than this airplane’s manufacturer. However, Cuba did shoot down at least one US aircraft during the Missile Crisis

path to good health was long and painful.

After this story, Maykel gestured at the street in front of him, toward the toppled dumpsters full of garbage sitting uncollected in the roadway. “Cuba has no incentive to take care of its people. Look, there is garbage sitting here uncollected in the street and although the government has plenty of money, no one wants to spend it on non-essential things like garbage collection. Instead, the funds go to line the pockets of those who are already so much better off.” (I do not recall his quote word-for-word, but that is the gist of what he said—and we soon found that his sentiment was shared by a young man we hired to drive us to sites farther away from where we were staying.) Maykel’s testimony was fascinating partially because of its raw, vivid nature but also because it stood in stark contrast with the perspective of another local we met who sang a rather different song.

Through my mother’s translation, we were able to talk with a couple of fellows—

Maykel on bench: Maykel’s tentative smile hints at a painful, defiant past and a subtle hope that the future will be different.}

one elderly, the other a young adult—who were repairing the starter on an old American car that—impressively—still had the original American engine in it. After some preliminary small-talk, the older gentleman

Sleeping Man in Front of Graffiti

proceeded to give my mother a somewhat uncomfortable crash course in recent history from a Cuban perspective. He described how America was to blame for pretty much all of Cuba’s woes and how our country had found ways to absorb most of the wealth from sugar and tobacco production prior to Castro’s takeover. We sensed a tone of bitterness in his voice as he explained that it was important we read more history in order to understand the wrongs that America had done Cuba. It seemed that in his mind, any problems experienced under the communist regime in Cuba were attributable to America’s counter-revolutionary tactics or American greed. And in some ways, it is hard to argue with him. America did take some very aggressive actions to topple Castro’s government (although from my visit to the Revolutionary Museum in Havana, it seems that Cubans have blamed some troubles on the CIA that evidence does not yet confirm).

Furthermore, it is not difficult to believe that prior to the death of US trade with Cuba,

CONT. ON PAGE 8

From talking with a friendly gentleman in a random carpenter shop, I learned that all of the new lumber harvested in Cuba (with the exception of a small amount of new pine) goes directly to state construction projects. People wishing to renovate or build new buildings and furniture are stuck recycling old lumber from derelict buildings.

From piecing together tidbits of information from the various people we talked with in Cuba, it basically appears that most Cubans go to elementary/middle/high school and ultimately university or trade school, which is paid for by the government. After graduation, the graduates must work for the state for 1-5 years (depending on the intensity/ involvement of the degree they got) where they receive a monthly salary ranging from $12-$25 per month.

All people also receive monthly rations as follows: - 10 lbs of rice - 5 lbs of white sugar - 1 lb of chicken - 8 eggs - 1 lb of oil

8

NO INFO GOES ON THI

CONTEXT FEATURE

INTERESTING FACTS LEARNED IN CUBA CONT. Since the meager salary and rations are not enough to live on (despite effectively free healthcare and education), most people supplement their official state earnings by leveraging their professional skills, connections, or possessions at night. Once their contract is up, they can work for themselves or continue working for the state with the expectation of receiving some kind of pension after 25 years of service (at least for some jobs).

Due to the disparity between government wages and tourist spending, Cuba seems to be developing a dual economy in which those working with tourists can easily earn in hours what others earn in a month.

Unlike other countries where tourists can pay local or nearly local prices for foods, services and goods, it is not uncommon for tourists to pay 25 times as much as locals (and not because they are being duped— there doesn’t seem to be much bargaining opportunity for visitors to Cuba, so often one has no choice but to overpay).

Effectively, the new influx of capitalist dealings in Cuba is making the rich much, much richer and consequently inflating the cost of goods for locals so that the poor, with their decreased purchasing power, are much poorer.

CONT. FROM PAGE 7 American businesses were raking in wealth from Cuban resources in a way that bypassed working-class citizens. Certainly, the Cuban economy has suffered tremendously under the U.S.’s embargo against Cuba, regardless of the validity of other accusations of malice.

So it is impossible to say what Cuba would be like had America always been on friendly terms with her. Perhaps the history-imparting gentleman was not so wrong after all.

And therein lies the mystery of Cuba.

Perhaps it is best described by a Cuban saying communicated to us through Alaen, the young driver we hired to show us some of Cuba’s treasures beyond comfortable walking distance. On a rather lengthy drive into the Cuban countryside, we decided to share some of our quintessentially American peanut butter cracker snacks with him. After some thoughtful munching, he remarked that “the bad is also good.” Puzzled, we asked him to explain. Apparently, he had grown up being taught that all things from America were “bad.” Although he probably didn’t completely believe that (since he shared some counter-revolutionary opinions with Maykel), biting into a tasty morsel of American goodness provided a poignant, tangible metaphor for the reality that it is not all bad in los Estados Unidos.

Alaen’s simple phrase hit home because upon hearing it, I realized that it goes both ways. Visiting Cuba opened my eyes further to the reality that it is not all bad. Painting the whole country—its government and its people—with the broad label of “Soviet hellhole” or any other unidimensional description is about as inaccurate as believing that nothing from America (including peanut butter crackers) is any good. Perhaps a better description of the country is a thoughtful

Trash on Street Near Maykel: To Maykel, the uncollected refuse accumulating in the street exemplified a government uninterested in doing anything but the bare minimum for its people.

Man Working on Classic Car: The gentleman in this photo quietly continued work on this car while his older companion gave us an impromptu history lesson.

characterization shared with me by an American photographer and longtime Cuba lover David Garten: “Cuba is infused, at base, with the pulse of life. It has an overlay of repression, an undercurrent of ‘let’s do it’ and a patina of ‘what the ****.’” Garten told me that he had run this description past several of his Cuban friends and found that it resonated with them, and although I had only spent a few days there, it rang true with my experience there as well. As is so often the case in life, people, places, and things defy condensation into comfortable tropes or black-and-white pictures. Cuba is a complex, vibrant place that is more effectively related through Garten’s enigmatic depiction than the typical “bad” or “good” labels often assigned to unfamiliar entities. I suspect that making an effort to respect reality’s complexity and be intentionally cognizant of the good, the bad, and the different would dramatically enhance the way one sees the world and its people.

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/bay-ofpigs , https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/26/ fidel-castro-cia-cigar-assasination-attempts 2 https://cu.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/traveling-to-cuba/ 3 You can watch this music video here: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=IpO8J18ohEc 4 I have not been able to find any evidence of the social media campaign to free Maykel, but that may have something to do with the fact that I don’t speak fluent Spanish and so am not capable of competently searching the web for the campaign. Alternatively, the digital remnants of the campaign may have been taken offline in exchange for Maykel’s release.

1

Man Polishing His Car: In Cuba, a car is more than an asset—it is often the family business, passed down from generation to generation. The gentleman in this photo carefully cleans and polishes his car every day to remove salt-spray residue from the nearby ocean, protecting what is most likely his most prized possession.

IS BLOCK

FEATURE CONTEXT

MATCHING OUR VOICE TO OUR VISION DR. KING’S LEGACY, CIVIL RIGHTS, AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

GETTY IMAGES

Timothy Golden Contributing Writer

A

s we reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Walla Walla University this 2017 King holiday, we must remember that American Seventh-day Adventists owe a debt of gratitude to King for his efforts to advance the cause of civil rights.

Although it is true that all Americans should celebrate King’s life and legacy, American Adventists of all races and ethnicities ought to be especially grateful for King because Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964— the federal law that provides for Sabbath workplace accommodations—is a law that arises out of the African-American struggle for civil rights. This law results in part from the March on Washington in August of 1963 that culminated in King’s well-known and oft quoted “I Have A Dream” speech.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 reveals something significant about the relationship between civil rights and religious liberty: despite the fact that the two are sometimes in conflict, the demise of religious liberty—a phenomenon that Adventist theology foretells—does not occur without the demise of civil liberty. We cannot disregard the right of a person to worship according to his or her own conscience unless our government has cultivated the tendency to

disregard the dignity of people altogether.

So it is that violating an individual’s authority over his or her bodily freedom attendant to unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment, or an individual’s trial rights under the Sixth Amendment, or an individual’s right to due process of law under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment, is but a precursor to the disregard of an individual’s most cherished religious beliefs under the First Amendment, beliefs which often are—but are not necessarily always— Christian beliefs. Disregard the civil rights that a person has in his or her body and it becomes easier to disregard the most cherished religious beliefs of their mind.

Therefore, to be concerned about the loss of religious freedom means that we should also be concerned with the loss of civil rights. But this is not so. Our denomination is far more vigilant in the protection of religious freedom than it is in the protection of civil rights, despite the connection between the two. Indeed, with a few notable and refreshing exceptions, the church has remained disturbingly silent in the face of systemic and widespread corruption in policing and in the courts which has led to the oppression of American citizens. One need only peruse the table of contents of the Justice Department reports on Ferguson, Missouri (2015) and Baltimore, Maryland (2016) to see the reality of systemic oppression of the sort that lays the foundation for

the violation of religious freedom.

Considering this connection between civil and religious liberty, the Seventh-day Adventist Church must speak with the prophetic voices of the Old Testament prophets and the voice of Jesus Christ in his work among the poor in the Gospels. These voices were present in the work of the Adventist abolitionist founders and they were present in the life and work of King, but, sadly, they are largely absent from contemporary Adventism despite myriad injustices of the sort that lay the groundwork for the fulfillment of its own prophetic vision.

The prophetic vision that I reference is rooted in Adventist eschatology—that branch of theology that is concerned with the end of time—and it augurs that America will betray its political commitments to civil and religious liberty. This sort of betrayal bears strong resemblance to the theo-political oppression of Papal Rome, an entity that had no regard for liberty of conscience. This doctrine is taken, in part, from Revelation 13:11-15. Our belief is that the American betrayal of civil and religious freedom will facilitate a world-wide system of oppression resulting in the marginalization and persecution of all who remain faithful to the one true God. Thus it is that America makes an “image” to Papal Rome, and thus it is that those who are saved when God returns are downtrodden and oppressed because of their faithfulness to God.

Our prophetic voice must match our prophetic vision; that is, we must condemn and protest the injustices of the present just as fervently as what we claim to believe about the future. We must recapture the prophetic voice that begins with a condemnation of both oppression and the oppressors. To be sure, God loves everyone. But Scripture is clear that God is especially concerned about those who are oppressed.

This is why God delivered the Hebrews from the Egyptians. This is why God condemned Israel for their mistreatment of widows and orphans. This is why Jesus spent so much of his public ministry engaged in relieving the suffering of the poor. This is why the great Advent reformers and Ellen White were so opposed to the moral abomination of American chattel slavery. This is why King’s voice had such moral authority, and this is why the church’s contemporary silence is so disturbing.

As we celebrate the life and legacy of King this year, may we understand the importance of finding and using the prophetic voice to condemn oppression in all of its forms, not just the forms of oppression that we think are most important to us. We must be as concerned about the injustices of the present as we are about the accuracy of our predictions for the future. God have mercy on us if we are not.

9

10

NO INFO GOES ON THI

CONTEXT FEATURE

MALIE BRADFIELD

RECLAIMING THE DIVISIVE AND REVOLUTIONARY LEGACY OF

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. zachary white Contributing Writer

I

n November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the bill that would create a national holiday in honor of the radical theologian and civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The holiday was set to be held on the third Monday of January, near his birthday on January 15th.

The Martin Luther King Jr. that was immortalized on that day in 1983 is the Martin Luther King Jr. that today’s America has come to know. He is a national hero. He is a public servant whose legacy was so enduring that a congress and a president would vote to memorialize him into the federal calendar. Some would even say that “King is a figure” that everyone can agree upon—a man who can be admired on both sides of the political aisle. King has become a symbol of unity. And while, I think, no one can deny that King fought tirelessly for unity and reconciliation in this country, to paint this prophetic man as an uncontroversial figure, is to skip over key elements of Dr. King’s story—even the story of his national holiday.

The fight for MLK Day began almost immediately after King was assassinated in 1968. The campaign achieved particular mainstream coverage with the release of Stevie Wonder’s 1981 single “Happy Birthday,” which blatantly calls for the creation of a holiday in Dr. King’s honor. While congressional pathways to the holiday’s creation were beginning to open up by 1982, journalists of the day reporting in Time magazine1 and the New York Times2 make it clear that major obstacles stood in the way. Among the more virulent of the MLK Day bill’s critics were leading politicians, such as North Carolina senator Jesse Helms and New Hampshire governor Meldrim Thomson, who derided the bill as a waste of federal funds and maligned King as a communist sympathizer. More subtle opposition came in the form of an ambivalent President Reagan, who had “reservations” about the holiday’s creation and feared that current popular opinion of King might be “based on an image, rather than reality.” While President Reagan eventually signed the bill and gave a warm speech upon the bill’s passage, many critics3, 4 question the sincerity of his remarks and argue that Reagan primarily

FEATURE CONTEXT signed the bill because of majority support in congress that could have overridden any potential veto.

As controversial as Dr. King’s post-mortem holiday debate proved to be, nothing can compare to the controversy King managed to stir up while he was alive.

According to polling by Gallup5 in May of 1963, a month after the Birmingham campaign began and a few months before the March on Washington where King would deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech, King had 41 percent of Americans supporting him and 37 percent opposing him. In May of 1965, a few months after the infamous Selma to Montgomery marches, King had 45 percent approval and 46 percent disapproval—numbers that make his favorability about as split as the 2016 election outcome.

By August of 1966 however, as King began to widen the focus of his activism to include issues like poverty, housing, and inequality, Gallup reports that 63 percent of Americans

‘‘

had an unfavorable opinion of King, as opposed to 33 percent viewing him favorably.

For those who wish to grasp King’s divisiveness in a more tangible way, archives of the hate mail sent to him are easily accessible online6, 7 and often bear eerie similarities to the criticisms leveled at the social movements involved in the fight for racial justice today.

While the statistics mentioned above are dramatic and surprising, it is important to note that Martin Luther King Jr. reached his most polarizing levels during the last year of his life. On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination, King gave what could be called one of his most radical speeches yet, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence.”8 To the immediate and vitriolic condemnation of the U.S. political establishment,9 King outlined his opposition to the U.S.’s continued participation in the bloody Vietnam War, which he describes as taking up to one million lives, many of them

“Was not Jesus an extremist for love? ... [Luke 6:27-28] … So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?”

–Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963

innocent children. King, in his speech even goes so far as to call the United States the “greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” In one of the most chilling lines of the address, King unites his critique of American capitalism10 with his critique of American militarism: “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”11 These criticisms, which he maintained until his death one year later, resulted in his alienation by the mainstream media of the day. Time magazine called the speech a “demagogic slander that sounded like a script for Radio Hanoi,” and the Washington Post claimed that King’s opposition to the war “diminished his usefulness to his cause, his country, his people.”12 Focusing on King is illuminating and instructive at this time of year. However it is also important to remember that Martin Luther King Jr. was just of one out of

‘‘

IS BLOCK

the thousands of organizers, activists, and everyday resisters that made up the Civil Rights movement, which was just as divisive and controversial as a single individual such as King. A 1964 New York Times opinion poll showed that a majority of white New Yorkers thought the Civil Rights movement had “gone too far.”13 Additionally, a Gallup study in 1961 found that only 22 percent of responders approved of the famous and now heralded “Freedom Riders,” as opposed to the 61 percent of responders who did not approve of their demonstrations.14 While pundits today may suggest that civil rights leaders would never have shut down a freeway, a second look at history may remind us that these were exactly the type of disruptive acts leaders like Dr. King were using to catalyze progressive change and raise public consciousness.15 In his seminal “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King perfectly isolates the point I am trying to make in presenting all

11

12

CONTEXT FEATURE

of this history and polling data. Speaking directly to his fellow pastors and Christians, who have criticized his recent protests as “unwise and untimely,” King delivers this salient message: “But I must confess I am not afraid of the word tension. I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a kind of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth.” As King reminds us later in the letter, “human progress never rolls on wheels of inevitability.” According to King, it is only through that constructive tension that we can “rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism into the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.”16 I think there may be a myth floating around about Martin Luther King Jr. I think there may be a myth that he was always the widely beloved American hero he is seen as today. I think there may be a myth that everything he did was heralded as patriotic and admirable. I think there may be a myth that he was just a “dreamer” who didn’t ruffle any feathers.

The reality is that he was a revolutionary. He was an activist. He protested in the streets. He was a leader of a movement that was incredibly controversial and tremendously unpopular. People of his day called him a “troublemaker.” People of his day said that he was “disrespectful.” People of his day believed that he and his movement were “anti-white.” People of his day said that he was “divisive.” And, quite frankly, he was divisive. King’s divisiveness was not reckless or motivated by hate but calculated and compassionate. He accepted with dignity the consequences of his courageous activism, whether it was threats on the safety of his family, wiretapping by the FBI, a stabbing attack, or the eventual bullet wound that would ultimately take his life. Even fifteen years after his death, the controversy of King was still unresolved, as a president dragged his feet to authorize a national holiday in King’s honor.

King lived this radical and revolutionary life because he believed in the creative power of tension. He believed that change is only made when we are uneasy—when we are uncomfortable.

Next Monday, January 16th, Walla Walla University’s campus will gather for our annual MLK Day Celebration. The service will take place at 11 a.m. in the University Church and will feature a joint message from a member of our WWU faculty, Dr. Terrie Aamodt, and one of our alumni, Pastor Terrance Taylor. Their presentation will focus on the racial history of the Pacific Northwest and the contemporary experiences of students of color in our

NO INFO GOES ON THI region. While talking about issues like race can be uncomfortable, we invite our student body to join together for this event in the spirit of King, and allow tension to unfurl into necessary change.

A tri-college march will begin at 4 p.m. at the Reid Center on the Whitman College campus. Bus transportation is available from the church at 3:15 p.m. and CommUnity credit will be provided for both the march and the 11 a.m. service.

One of the dangers of having a revolutionary idea is remembering the idea but forgetting that it is revolutionary. Perhaps that is what we have done to the symbol of the American flag. Perhaps that is what we have done with the symbol of the Cross. We let the radical nature of these symbols fade.

We let them become ordinary, in a sense, allow the carbonation to go still. It seems that it is all too easy to take these precious and revolutionary symbols for granted. As this long weekend rolls around, let us not allow ourselves to forget the radical message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Let us reject images of Dr. King that have been sugar-coated and domesticated, and allow his revolutionary legacy to inspire revolutions of compassion within our own hearts and communities.

http://time.com/3661538/mlk-day-reagan-history/ http://www.nytimes.com/1983/10/22/us/reagan-s-doubtson-dr-king-disclosed.html 3 http://thegrio.com/2016/01/18/ronald-reagan-martinluther-king-day/ 4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_3uJiWCPUw 5 http://www.gallup.com/poll/149201/Americans-Divided-Whether-King-Dream-Realized.aspx 6 http://fusion.net/story/184032/black-lives-matter-martinluther-king-hate-mail/ 7 http://thekingcenter.org/archive/theme/4809 8 http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/documentsentry/doc_beyond_vietnam/ 9 http://animalnewyork.com/2015/mlk-honored-icon-48years-ago-media-attacked/ 10 https://www.rawstory.com/2016/01/11-most-anti-capitalist-quotes-from-martin-luther-king-jr/ 11 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/ jan/21/king-obama-drones-militarism-sanctions-iran 12 https://www.democracynow.org/2007/4/4/beyond_vietnam_40th_anniversary_of_kings 13 http://www.nytimes.com/1964/09/21/poll-shows-whitesin-city-resent-civil-rights-drive.html?_r=1 14 http://www.salon.com/2016/07/20/think_black_lives_ matter_is_divisive_the_civil_rights_movement_split_ the_u_s_far_more/ 15 http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2016/07/mlkwould-never-shut-down-a-freeway-and-6-other-mythsabout-the-civil-rights-movement-and-black-lives-matter/ 16 https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html 1 2

EVERETT COLLECTIVE

IS BLOCK

RELIGION PERSPECTIVE

TUNNEL TALK VIXIE BAILEY Religion Writer

L

ife has a way of killing you. It’s usually slow and painful. While death by social interaction was not my ideal way to go, I knew that I needed to go vespers. And so I stood in vespers just last Friday night, slowly dying of social anxiety. There were so many people, the walls were closing in, and I was suffocating.

I love worship, and I love the fact that there are so many young people here that want to praise God, but introverted me doesn’t do crowds well. I escaped to the tunnel as soon as the service was over and participated in the perfect form of worship: singing in a dark room where no one can see you and even though you are worshiping together, it’s easy to be free to lift your hands to the sky if you want to without being seen as “that one weird person.” Honestly, I am pretty jealous of people who are comfortable enough to stand when the music makes them feel like it, to lift their hands and just worship, but that’s not me. I can’t do it. So I sat in the tunnel with maybe 20-30 other students and we sang and I did it. I raised my hands above my head and I sang my heart out.

After everyone else cleared out, I remained there in the dark, crying. I poured my heart out to God, and in the silence, He was there.

As I sat in the tunnel crying, someone opened the door and then said “Okay Google, turn on the flashlight.” I froze.

Here I was sitting in the dark, makeup and tears running off my face, and someone that I didn’t know was coming down the

tunnel in the darkness. As the person got closer, they saw me, and what was already an emotionally difficult moment of my life and could have been one of the more embarrassing moments of my life, became one of the greater blessings of my life. A complete stranger turned off their light, offered to pray with me, and then sat there in the dark, listening as I told them stuff that, quite honestly, most of my friends don’t even know. I don’t know who it was, but I suspect that for that moment in time, that person was my angel. I left there more confident in my life, my existence, than I have been in a long time.

“

I suspect that for that moment in time, that person was my angel.

Walla Walla University is in its 125th year of existence, and in all that time, it has remained true to who it was founded on: Jesus. But let’s face it: no one that started this school is still alive. We have pieces of their legacy, but what makes WWU such a great school is us. The students. The staff.

The people who are willing to be the hands and feet of Jesus to their peers. You are Walla Walla University. You are capable of excellence in thought, generosity in service, beauty in expression, faith in God. You can be the person that I see Jesus through. We, together, are Walla Walla University.

13

PIXABAY

14

NO INFO GOES ON THI

PERSPECTIVE OPINION

DO WHAT THOU WILT joshua huh Opinion Writer “What are you planning on doing with that?”

This is a follow-up question that most people ask me whenever I tell them that I am pursuing a degree in history at Walla Walla University. To me, this is an extremely frustrating question—it essentially tells me, “I don’t see the point of your degree.” If your major field of study is within the arts or humanities, you might often find yourself in the same situation.

Perhaps it is not the question itself that annoys me, but rather it is the flippant manner in which it is asked. It is often followed with, “So, what do you do with that? What are you going to be after you

graduate?”1 These sorts of questions, while they may seem harmless, coming from genuine interest, are rude and ignorant, implying that the sole purpose of working toward a degree is to get a particular job afterward. Sure, while some academic majors, particularly those within the STEM fields,2 do lead to specific career paths (e.g. nursing, engineering, accounting, etc.), it is important to note that the primary purpose of a university is the advancement of knowledge.

It is not a novel idea for one to pick a major simply because she or he likes it. To choose an academic major solely because it vleads to a particular high-paying job without regarding one’s particular interests and strengths is, in my humble opinion, a “putting-the-cart-before-the-horse” approach to one’s career.

To ask students what “job” results from their academic majors perpetuates a binary,

cause-and-effect culture that demands that they perform their studies solely for the purpose of making money in the end. Can one not study art simply because she or he wants to know more about art? Am I not allowed to study history simply because I enjoy it?

To the question, “What are you planning on doing with that?” I will always reply, “I plan to do whatever I want to.”

Research shows that the vast majority of college graduates in the United States, in fact, do not work in career fields directly related to their academic majors.3 To me, a degree is a symbol of my academic accomplishments, not a ticket to get a soul-sucking job somewhere after college.

Yes, of course I plan to begin a career after graduation, but I am in school right now to learn, not to “win” a future for myself.

We set our goal for $45,000 before the school year started and this past quarter we raised $26,200. A matching donation came in for $20,000 meaning that we raised a total of $46,200 as of right now and sent the check to the organization we are working with, Impact Hope, in order to send 77 refugees to school this year!

$75,000

OLD GOAL $45,000

$46,200

$60,000

$45,000

$35,000

$30,000 $25,000

$46,200

$15,000

$0

NEW GOAL

1 I often catch adults scoffing or rolling their eyes at me when they ask me these things.

This offends me greatly.

2 STEM is an acronym meaning, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

But you probably already knew that.

3 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ wonk/wp/2013/05/20/only-27-percent-ofcollege-grads-have-a-job-related-to-theirmajor/?utm_term=.b07b7532edc5

$15,000 $0

The rest of this year, the ASWWU Global Service team decided to set a new goal of $75,000 to make sure those in the program can continue for next year as well and, if they are sponsored, that we can send more refugees to school.

IS BLOCK

#THECOLLEGIAN/ ADS CONTEXT

15

MONDAY JANUARY 16, 2017

11:00 A.M. WWU CommUnity 04:00 P.M. Community Peace March at Reid Center The March is followed by a Tri-College Celebration Ft. WWU Berean Praise Team & Whitman Freedom Singers *CommUnity credit will be provided for both events and bus transportation is availiable*

@SCIROCCO_JOE

work for ASWWU Video Filmmaker Jacob.Patterson@wallawalla.edu

@SASHAJANE

@NICK_ALEXANDER27

Collegian Copy Editor Matthew.Moran@wallawalla.edu

Applications Avalible @ ASWWU.com Email completed forms to department heads @WALLAWALLAUNIVERSITY

Submit your photos to us via Instagram with #TheCollegian

16

NO INFO GOES ON THI

CONTEXT DEVOTIONAL

did you see the snow?

Christina Moran Devotional Writer

@HERLYAA_MENEL

I hate the snow. And how ironic, I attend a university in the Northwest, where snow is inevitable. And one thing is for sure, snow is indeed cold. This unforgiving weather stops me from hiking, from biking, and even from going on a simple Walmart run. In pictures, a girl can look like a snow queen with the snowflakes fallen perfectly upon her hair. In reality, or maybe just in my case, the snow makes me look like I have a hopeless case of dandruff. Removing a perfectly happy, sun-kissed, beach-loving girl from southern California is a crime.

Somehow warmers, parkas, and snow boots forced their way into my wardrobe, which had solely consisted of shorts purchased from a clearance rack, free t-shirts accumulated from school clubs, and sandals. I apologize to my friends who love the serenity of snow and who

enjoy dressing up for cold weather, but I prefer the sun on my hair and the sand between my toes. However, there was one day when I stopped to ‘smell the roses,’ or in this case, I stopped to look at the snow.

My close friend and I were waiting for our other friend to pick us up. We were hungry and out standing in the cold—not a great combination. Mid-conversation, while my friend was talking, I looked at the fallen snowflake that rested on my black parka. The snowflake was beautiful. This ice crystal with its intricate design and six-fold symmetry was so small, so tiny. I looked around me.

I was stepping on millions of snowflakes, all were inexpressibly beautiful, perfectly symmetrical, and none of them were designed exactly the same. How can I have a passionate grudge on such a small, beautiful piece of nature? Something that when clumped together can give so much joy to a child, by providing enough snow to make a snowman and even a snow angel.

worship WORSHIP opportunities OPPORTUNITIES Here are some options for worship activities on campus this week.

Heubach Morning Worship – Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m. (CHANGED TO 1 CREDIT!) Heubach Worship – Tues 9 p.m. (2 CREDITS) Fireside Worship – Thurs 9:30 p.m. (1CREDIT) Hispanic Ministries Worship – Mon 7 p.m. (1CREDIT) Hall Worships – Wed 9:30 p.m. (1CREDIT) Prayer Meeting – Wed 7 p.m. (1CREDIT) Vespers – Fri 8 p.m. (2 CREDITS)

@ASWWU

I realized how gentle, how kind this snowflake was. It was so meek, so humble, so silent. Yet, this snowflake has no ability to display any of these humanistic qualities. Why I would see characteristics of humility and kindness in a snowflake?

I am not entirely sure. Perhaps it is because this snowflake is proof of an Intelligent Designer who exudes the quality of kindness Himself. By beholding creation, I was appreciating the handiwork of a Creator. Through this small scale of complex beauty, I was reminded that you and I were created with a much higher network complexity than this single snowflake. There is definitely an Intelligent Designer that designed me and who loves me very much. And so, with my new appreciation for this snowflake, I do not pout as much when I have to throw on two layers of warmers and my only pair of snow boots. A single snowflake reminded me of higher thoughts and helped me appreciate something I strongly disliked before. All I had to do was give snow a chance for me to like it.

IS BLOCK

ACA/SM & COLUMN LIFE

17

SM Perspectives: Clayton Kruse Stephanie Septembre ACA/SM Writer The following interview was conducted with Clayton Kruse, a sophomore communications major with a film/TV concentration who spent the past two years as an SM on Majuro in the Marshall Islands.

What inspired you to be an SM? I didn’t want to get caught up in the rat race of “You need to finish with school, and you need to get a degree because that’s what it means to be successful in life.” I never thought I’d be an SM before, but then I just walked in the SM office one day and the next thing I knew, I was in Majuro.

What were your responsibilities?

Before I left, I got accepted to teach as the high school health teacher and when I got there they were like, “No, you’re actually going to teach elementary P.E. from kindergarten to eighth grade, and you’re going to be the math teacher from seventh grade to ninth grade.” That happened for about a month, and then a month after that, Peter got sent to a different school so I took over his position, which was science for seventh through ninth grade and then I did P.E. from K-12. I would say science was my

20/17 joni harris Column Writer 2017. Whether or not you make New Year’s resolutions, you probably have some sort of vision for your future. Januaries, however, can be hard on one’s vision. January is known to be the most depressing month of the year, and more specifically, January 24th is the most depressing day of the year.1 This is often due to the holiday season coming to an end, the bills that are a result of that, the gloomy weather, the failure to keep New Year’s resolutions, and any number of personal factors.

So, if you’re having a tough time getting started with 2017, here are three thoughts from the Snellen Chart on how to move forward with realistic goals, whether you are experiencing depression or not:

main thing. I ended up being a 12th grade sponsor as well and the eighth grade homeroom sponsor, so I got to help out with their graduations. I was also basketball coach for high school boys’ basketball team and also the little kids. I did a lot of things. You do everything.

How did you feel about the work?

I liked the work. I like science, so it was really cool teaching the concepts of science to them for the first time. A lot of them don’t even understand simple things like inertia or gravity. [I] show[ed] them mushrooms for the first time. That was cool. And then those awkward conversations about the birds and the bees. I got to do that with them as well.

Do you feel the SM program is benefiting people in Majuro?

I feel like the SM program is benefiting. I feel like it’s better than having no school, but I notice that the teaching quality overall is super poor. You just reach this certain level of teaching that is not that great and [SMs] come back and pass it on to outgoing SMs. Then those SMs have expectations and they do the exact same thing. We’re just complacent. We’re just expecting the same thing every year. I would say, raising the bar, making the expectations higher for quality of teaching should be something that we’re striving to do more, even if it means having

a few rough years in between. I know there [are] more people than you think that would take pay cuts to go make a difference.

In what ways could the SM program in Majuro be improved?

The principle was great, but we didn’t really have a dean. I think a dean would be something huge. Someone that could relate, who could go and be a solid rock for the SMs. Take them on social events, be there if they need someone to talk to, but just keep everyone together and cohesive and okay.

I noticed, especially my second year, it was just a divided group. It was a really divided group. The principal had so many other things to think about he can’t be our dad and the principal at the same time. So having student deans or just this leadership of the SMs who go out would be super good.

And they don’t have that at all, at least of what I know.

what I want to do. Anyone considering [being] an SM, I would say, get an education first and don’t be afraid to do it after school.

Don’t have that pressure of doing it before you graduate, but don’t be afraid to do it after you graduate too. Now I’m stuck with three years, but I don’t want to be here. I want to be back there. If I had an education first, I could have just stayed. The biggest benefit is you can be permanent after you have an education. Learning the culture is half the challenge, which is why I stayed a second year, so I could be more effective. So I would say, definitely get educated first. Be more thoughtful about it. Don’t just go out on a whim.

In what ways has SM-ing changed you?

What would you say to anyone considering being an SM? It’s definitely given me a first-hand perspective of people outside of my home. I’ve always wanted to live in that way and I’ve always wanted to be a part of something like that, and so I wouldn’t say it really changed me or any of my ideals, but it just affirmed the fact that’s where I want to be and that’s

3

The Snellen Chart only uses 10 specific letters, sloan letters, (C, D, E, F, L, N, O, P, T, Z ) that have equal recognition difficulty. So, set realistic goals. If you know 16 of your goals aren’t achievable, don’t get yourself down by failing to achieve them. Start with the 10, or the one goal, that you think you are capable of and that is worth working for.

The Snellen Chart doesn’t use a font that you can find on Word. Instead, the letters are designed using geometry within a 5x5 block of space “in which the weight of the lines [on the chart] is equal to the negative space between lines. The height and width of a [letter] is five times the thickness of the line weight”.2 So, don’t worry about setting the same goals as everyone else, make goals that are best suited to your own situation.

Acknowledge that your vision abilities will change. While you might have 20/20 vision during one period of time, you could experience 20/50 or 20/17 vision during

another period of time. Make adjustments to your visions and goals based on what you are capable of doing. I’m not saying you should limit yourself, but I am saying, don’t be afraid of using glasses or any other sort of assistance to achieve your goals if they are really important to you.

While I am not a master at setting goals, I am a pupil of the subject and iris my case that it is important to have realistic visions.

I hope that the vision analogy was not too cornea for you all. Lens have a great 2017!

1 http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/thereseborchard-sanity-break/ways-survive-january-most-depressing-month-year/ 2 http://ilovetypography.com/2015/07/12/what- areoptotypes-eye-charts-fonts/ 3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snellen_chart

18

LIFE CREATIVE WRITING

NO INFO GOES ON THI @HANNAH CHEBELEU

creative writing mac ford Creative Writing

Story Problem Revisited Did you know that if we were at absolute zero, and Train A left the station at 3 and Train B at 4, you could run them right into each other and they would never touch? Their atoms would be so far apart they could pass right through and continue on their way.

At least, that’s the theory.

But tell me, if you know, at what point would they cease to be two trains on a collision course?

In that moment when their atoms mingle, have they become a whole new train?

And if they somehow separate, can they be at all the same, or will they each chug off with atoms of another’s cattleguard?

Sophia Rich is a senior English major in both the Creative Writing and Literature concentrations. Her writing reflects her knowledge and attention to detail, as well as an ear for rhythm. Her first poem is part of the project she’s undertaken to fully and accurately record her “great-grandfather’s journey from grief to joy in the mission field of 1930s China.” I love the precision and the striking images in both of these poems. Enjoy!

For Great-Grandfather Claude, in Loving Memory of Victoria Run, push those ropey muscles and sinewy tendons to the limit for love.

Every time I read your story in the foreign papers brittled to yellow, I urge you to push harder, run faster.

From the receipt of the telegram Return STOP Your family needs you STOP to your arrival, you turned nine days into four.

If you had known your wife had been attacked in her sleep, her head bludgeoned with an axe, would you have found a way to fly, to turn four days into two, one?

You ran believing she would be there at the door.

She was not.

IS BLOCK

FASHION LIFE

19

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU?

3 SIMPLE FASHION RESOLUTIONS FOR 2017 angelica chan Fashion Writer

1 2 3

C

ongrats on making it to 2017! People often set goals for themselves to accomplish throughout the new year, typically relating to self-improvement. But these goals can sometimes be difficult to achieve because they’re so general. Whether or not you set New Year’s resolutions for yourself, here are some little things we can all do to help polish our style. If you’re still looking for small, manageable resolutions for 2017 that will make you a more fashionable, informed, adult-ier you, then look no further!

DESCRIBE YOUR ST YLE Defining personal style can be tricky—you can get into a style rut if you start limiting yourself too much. But I think it’s good and healthy to take note of how you want to feel in an outfit, and what you tend to gravitate toward. This year, I wrote down three words that described the type of wardrobe I wanted. This prevents me from buying clothes I like without thinking about how they will fit into my wardrobe (e.g. what I’ll wear them with or for).

TRY SOME TRENDS If you start to feel bored with your current wardrobe, try mixing up your outfits with some more trendy pieces. Keep an open mind when looking at new trends—you might be surprised at the way something looks on you. But really consider how much you’re going to wear an item before buying it. If you think you’ll only wear it once, ask yourself if it’s worth the money. Try a more inexpensive piece if you’re testing out a new trend you’re unsure about. That way, you can feel confident about investing money into a high-quality piece if you really love it.

INVEST IN STAPLE PIECES On the flip side, because of the transient nature of fashion trends, it’s easy to end up with a bunch of cheap or outdated items you don’t wear. When you’re a college student, it’s easy to always opt for the cheapest option when it comes to clothes, but that can translate poorly when you put all those clothes together into an outfit. Plus, you may end up spending more in the long run because you have to keep re-buying basic items like jeans. This year, try spending your hard-earned dollars on well-made, classic pieces that will last you at least a few years. You can shop around for deals if you want to be smart about spending. Good quality items might cost more in the short-term, but they’ll be worth it in the end.

UNSPLASH

20

NO INFO GOES ON THI

LIFE CULTURE & COLLEGIAN WISDOM

COLLEGIAN WISDOM Man Gets Ticket for Leaving Car Running in Driveway Exhausted all options and left courthouse fuming

Frog Forced to Marry Indian Rain God Other amphibians green with envy

Man Arrested for Blocking Traffic While Dressed as a Tree Branching out from other costumes Polar Bears Trap Meteorologists on Remote Island “It’s sixty-eight degrees, and there’s a thirty percent chance that you’re stranded” Accidentally Stolen Subaru Returned with Gas Money A regular Tuesday always entails accidentally stealing a car.

1993 Yearbook Predicted Cubs World Series Win - in 2016 Couldn’t see a future without denim River Rat Burger is All the Rage in Russia Bringing in the cheddar

WHY YOU SHOULD PLAN A TRIP TO PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO

PIXABAY

darling su Culture Writer

W

hen you live a couple thousand miles away from home, it is not a surprise that sometimes you just won’t be able to afford a round trip ticket to see the family. So this year, instead of flying to Amsterdam, I decided to do something different for Christmas. Since money was already a problem, I chose a country close to America, and, more importantly, a place where I could escape the cold weather.

Traveling on a budget is never fun, but there is so much you can do without spending tons of money. There are many beautiful places and natural views you can see without paying a dime for it. With only $400 in my pocket, I was able to spend 12 amazing days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The following are six reasons why this destination should belong on your list of places to visit in 2017: • Tacos, never miss tacos. I have a tendency to follow food, and food follows me. It has always worked that way since I first put foot in a foreign country. Following the locals is the best bet for finding good food—it’s economical, tasty, and tacos are available everywhere. If you choose the right taco stand, with 60 Mexican Pesos ($3), you can buy four authentic Mexican tacos.

• Cheap accommodation. Staying in a hostel is definitely a walk on the wild side, but if you’d rather spend your money exploring your destination than sleeping, you should consider a hostel.

For as little as $11 a night, I was able to stay at Oasis Downtown Hostel, a 5-star hostel located in downtown Puerto Vallarta.

PIXABAY

• The people. Everyone is cheerful, welcoming, and friendly. People are proud of their city, and seem passionate about its culture. I have been to many places, but I have never felt so welcomed by locals as I did in Mexico.

• Public transport. For first-timers, the public buses can be very intimidating—crowded, fast, and loud.

And miscommunication with the bus driver can make things a little more challenging. But we never waited for more than five minutes and the bus stops were plentiful.

• The beach. Sayulita is known as the most famous beach for surfers in Puerto Vallarta. The waves are fantastic for people learning how to surf, and for only $20 you can rent a surfboard for the entire day. Playa de

los Muertos is the most popular beach in town, a great place where people can participate in a wide variety of water sports.

• Art and culture. There are many art galleries in town that feature national and international artists, sculptors, musicians, and dancers.

The art scene is vibrant everywhere in Puerto Vallarta. There are cultural performances everyday on the Malecón boardwalk, it is an excellent opportunity to experience the Mexican culture.

IS BLOCK

SCIENCE LIFE

21

MEDICAL MARIJUANA RESEARCH: A JOINT EFFORT jordan brooks Science Writer

T

he monochromatic rising sun of The Cannabis Company looms ominously in the skyline as College Avenue bends into Rose Street. The recent legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Washington and many other states represents regression to some and progression to others.

Nicknamed “the gateway drug,” it seems that marijuana in America is seen as less harmful than the drugs with which it is grouped, yet somehow just as dangerous. Not only is it publicly viewed this way, but marijuana is also legally categorized as a Schedule I substance by the DEA along with drugs such as LSD, Bath Salts, and Ecstasy.1 Schedule I substances are considered the most dangerous, with no currently accepted medical use and high potential for abuse. For comparison, cocaine and methamphetamine are Schedule II substances, making them legally considered slightly less dangerous than marijuana.

While I agree that being conservative with substances that we do not fully understand and which act on the brain is the correct approach, there have been recent scientific revelations that show marijuana’s high potential for safe, medicinal use. A series of studies starting in 1992 revealed the human body’s endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is a set of receptors expressed in the brain that respond to chemicals present in marijuana, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol.2 Since the discovery of the complex endocannabinoid system, marijuana research has dramatically increased, as well as pharmacological interest. Dr. Lester Grinspoon, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, noted that there are over 22,000 scientific articles published on cannabis.3 On top of that, marijuana has been tested for efficacy and safety in 37 control studies on over 2,500 subjects, which means it has been tested on many more people than needed for standard FDA

PIXABAY

approval.4 Even with this wealth of data and research, the reclassification of marijuana away from Schedule 1 was most recently denied in April, 2015.5 Researchers found that the endocannabinoid system functions in the mediation of memory and pain sensation, so its discovery naturally led to looking into marijuana as treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and chronic pain. There is also increasing evidence and hope that marijuana can be used in the treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and even to increase the appetite of people suffering from HIV/ AIDS.6 Chronic pain management is notoriously difficult with currently available

therapies, and the family of drugs most commonly used for this purpose is opioids.

Opioids are highly addictive drugs that do not provide the perfect form of pain management, as they often lead to their own set of debilitating problems which can even result in death from an overdose.

Interestingly, a study conducted by the American Medical Association showed that states that legalized marijuana for medicinal use had a 24.8 percent decrease in death by overdosing on an opioid.7 This study suggests that marijuana may be a less dangerous way to treat chronic pain.

While interest in the therapeutic application of marijuana has increased,

PIXABAY

its classification as a Schedule I substance makes it extremely difficult to study in a clinical setting. Researchers must jump through bureaucratic hoops to do even simple studies involving marijuana, and whole realms of clinical studies, such as large double-blind clinical trials, are barred.8 Without these clinical trials, “facts” regarding the therapeutic effects of marijuana are merely anecdotal. Dr. Sachin Patel, a professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, notes that rescheduling marijuana would enable us to finally prove or disprove the medical effectiveness of marijuana, thereby lending us more knowledge on which to base our actions.9 An ever-increasing body of scientific knowledge indicates that cannabis contains compounds that have high potential to help treat a plethora of diseases, but decades of demonization are prohibiting potentially paradigm-shifting therapy development.

If marijuana was rescheduled by the DEA into a less regulated category, the bottleneck of growing questions would be opened.

Safe and meaningful research could lead to evidence-based facts about the safety and efficacy of prescribed medical marijuana therapy. Perhaps in the near future the monochromatic way we view the use of marijuana will be more colorfully painted. https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml http://www.beyondthc.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/ eCBSystemLee.pdf 3 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientistswant-the-smoke-to-clear-on-medical-marijuana-research/ 4 http://norml.org/component/zoo/category/recent-researchon-medical-marijuana 5 Ibid.

6 Whiting, PF, et al. (23 June 2015). “Cannabinoids for Medical Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.”.

JAMA. 313 (24): 2456–2473.

7 http://norml.org/component/zoo/category/recent-researchon-medical-marijuana 8 Ibid.

9 Ibid.

1 2

22

NO INFO GOES ON THI

LIFE HUMOR & SNAPCHATS

PIXABAY

6 THINGS ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE micah hall Humor Writer

C

ollege is one of the best experiences a person can have. I have loved my time at Walla Walla University. I love writing relatable lists, so here are six things everyone experiences in college!

1. Gaining weight your freshman year!

College is a new place with a new diet and your mom can't stop you from buying a container of cookie dough and eating it in one sitting.

2. Eating an entire cheesecake by yourself starting at the middle and eating the edges last!

Everyone has that one weekend where their roommate leaves and you eat an entire Walmart cheesecake from the middle, leaving the edges for last. It is a classic college experience!

3. Eating a second cheesecake the next weekend because the first cheesecake was so good!

You know the story: it is the weekend, you're alone again, the cheesecake is calling.

Then you walk to Walmart, buy another cheesecake, and eat the whole thing middleout. Every college student has done this.

4. Buying a loaf of French bread and eating it for breakfast!

We get it! Sometimes a normal college student with normal eating habits is too lazy to make a real breakfast so they go to Walmart, buy a French bread, and eat the whole thing raw in one sitting. Everyone has done it and there is no need to be ashamed.

5. Being stuck in the dorm over Spring Break!

Everyone can use some extra cash, so working over Spring Break is a good idea. It can get boring with no one in town. When you are stuck in the dorm, you have to find

SNAPCHATS

your own fun. Every upperclassman can tell you the story of when they only ate cheese taquitos in the dorm over Spring Break and then couldn't poop so they had a two-day yogurt cleanse and then pooped too much.

6. Learning how to make grilled cheese!

We all had a day when we realized we could have grilled cheese for every meal if we wanted and then only ate grilled cheese for five days! After a couple days of just cheese, the only option is to drink an entire pitcher1 of coffee and then stay up until 4:00 AM on a Tuesday, sweating and wishing the pain would end.

That's my list of fun college experiences every student has had! If you want to talk about our shared experiences, send me an email. If you think I am the only person who has done all of these things,2 please email my editor Matthew Moran.3 He will confirm that he has also done all these things.

PEXELS

1 2 3

Eight cups I have done all these things. matthew.moran@wallawalla.edu

IS BLOCK

FOOD LIFE

23

SCONES FT. THE WORKS Mason Neil Food Writer

T

his Christmas my sister gave me some culinary-grade lavender that I have had no idea what to do with. I’ve never cooked with lavender before, and frankly the idea is a little off-putting to me. In the past when I’ve had foods made with lavender it’s felt akin to what I imagine eating an air freshener would be like. Not pleasant to say the least. With this recipe I decided to give my relationship with lavender a second try.

New year, new me, or whatever.

I adapted this recipe from “Thug Kitchen” to accommodate my baking preferences and what I had on hand in a way that I think improves the overall flavor. Cooking time is about 30 minutes, perfect for a slow Sunday morning. Serves 12.

Blueberry Pecan Lavender Scones 2 ¾ cups pastry flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 4 tablespoons white sugar, plus more for topping 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or brown sugar) ¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup coconut oil 2 teaspoons dried lavender 1 ¼ cups milk (I used almond milk) 1 teaspoon vanilla ¾ cup blueberries ½ cup chopped pecans

Preheat your oven to 4250 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and lavender in a large bowl; add in the coconut oil by hand. Gently stir in the milk and maple syrup, but be careful to not overmix (this allows the baking powder do its job better).

Fold in the blueberries and pecans. Dish out the batter in small scone-sized dollops onto the parchment paper. Top with sugar, then bake until edges begin to brown—approximately 12 minutes. If you want your scones to brown well, brush them with milk or oil before topping with sugar.

SIDE

SUNNY

IS BLOCK

P

KANYE WEST CONTEXT

7

THE UPSIDE TO ALL THIS FRIGGIN SNOW lauren wahlen Backpage Writer

I

’m not a big fan of snow. Unless I’m skiing, sledding, or waking up on Christmas morning, I don’t want to deal with it. After all, you can’t spell “snow” without “no”. Sure, it’s pretty the first day, but we’re on like what, day 35? I’m over it. I miss flip flops. I miss crossing the street without worrying about slipping and cracking my skull open. I miss having the confidence to drive over five miles an hour.1 But it’s okay, I’m okay. It’s whatever.

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to not dwell on the things I can’t control, so I’m trying to find the hidden blessings in this crazy weather. It took me about a day (like literally 24 hours) to come up with the list below, but hopefully it’ll help raise your spirits. And if you already are a big fan of snow, well good for you and maybe you should consider moving to Russia. Or just keep reading. It’s up to you.

Groceries: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten a bag of groceries in the car. I usually end up remembering as I’m drifting off to sleep, and then I’m stuck debating with myself whether it’s worth it to go outside at 1 a.m. and rescue my carton of milk or whatever. But I’ve got nothing to worry about now that it’s January. I’ve forgotten to take a bag of frozen fruit inside for the past three days, but it’s all good ’cause my car is basically doubling as an overflow freezer.

Ugly af: Cold weather levels the playing field in terms of appearance. Bad hair day?

Throw on a hat. Cat hair on your clothes?

Cover up with a jacket and snowpants. No time for makeup? Cover your face with a scarf. No one will question it; they’ll just think you’re dressing appropriate for the weather...when in reality it’s mostly ’cause you nasty.

Avoid eye contact: You know when you’re walking to class and someone’s heading

your direction, but you don’t really feel like making eye contact with a stranger so you pull out your phone and pretend to send a text? We’ve all done it. And if you haven’t, you’re either lying or you’re a really friendly person and omg let’s be friends. But with all this ice trying to kill us, you have to look down and focus on the ground to make sure you don’t slip and die. You’re not being rude and avoiding eye contact, you’re just being safe.

Running late: In the words of basically everyone who knows me, I have a “poor sense of time.” I tried to set my clock five minutes ahead and trick myself into being responsible, but it ended up just making me faster at simple subtraction. #mathgenius However, now that there’s snow literally everywhere,2 I can show up late and just say “the roads, man” and I’m usually forgiven, just like that. Try it out, it’ll probs work. But if you’re still in trouble, just say “this is the worst weather I’ve ever seen”. Someone is bound to

SLIP OF THE WEEK “I was walking to class when this girl in front of me slipped so bad. Like, her papers flew everywhere. It looked like it was straight out of a cartoon! I just walked right on by, because I couldn’t have helped her without falling myself.”

“My mom was getting out of our car at church when she slipped and slid under the car, and she got stuck! My family was laughing too hard at first to be able to help her out.”

bring up the Winter of 1996 and how terrible it was,3 and bam. Just like that, your pathetic inability to show up on time isn’t the center of attention anymore.

Lazy: If I don’t leave my house the whole weekend, I usually beat myself up for being so irresponsible. Really? I didn’t go anywhere or do anything? I’m a loser. But now that I’m getting all these “storm warning” emails, I don’t feel guilty whatsoever for being a hermit. I’m not being a couch potato, I’m being smart.

I’m staying off the streets. Thank you, Campus Security. ;) 1 If you’re ever stuck driving behind me as I putz along at 2mph, please just pass me. I won’t get mad. I deserve it. #californiadriver 2 It kinda just looks like Mother Nature has a major case of dandruff, tbh. Winter wonderland, my butt 3 I’ve heard no fewer than five people talk to me about the Winter of 1996. It was 20 years ago. ~Let it gooooooo~

VERBATIM “I know this cough is annoying, but I am annoying without the cough.” - Professor Linda Emmerson “I have dirty pictures on my phone.” - Custodial Manager Anne Trunkey, talking about trash, toilets, etc.

“You like playing with a mute? I like it when you play with a mute too!” - Professor Beck

“Last week I was outside the library when I slipped and fell on one knee. It looked like I was about to propose! Thank goodness no one saw. I just got up and kept walking like nothing had happened.”

“It’s interesting that no one ever minds if you say ‘I want to copulate you’.” - Professor Ron Jolliffe on socially appropriate words.

Experienced an epic slip on the ice, or have you witnessed somebody else majorly biff it?

Lemme know at lauren.wahlen@wallawalla.edu :)

Email me at lauren.wahlen@wallawalla.edu if you hear any faculty or staff member say something hilarious.

FOLLOW THE COLLEGIAN ON