Volume 101 Issue 08

The Collegian Walla Walla University

Volume 101

Issue 08

17 NOV 2016

Church UNity Discussion

featuring:

david thomas Don riley

7 11 Marilynne Robinson

Janice McKenzie paddy Mccoy

12 ACA

13 Food

dear reader,

Editor-in-chief Matthew Moran

context

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ABC NEWS

I think it’s safe to say that many of us need a break. Whether that be a break from the endless piles of assignments that are building up or the post-election trauma many people may still be experiencing, we need to take some time to refocus our lives and clear our heads; just remember to push through till that last class. Thanksgiving break is almost here. In light of Thanksgiving, I hope you remember all the amazing things you have to be thankful for (This is where Jimmy Fallon would cue The Roots to start playing the sentimental “Thank You Notes” song).

Thank you McDonalds for staying open all night long so I won’t starve when I study all night.

Thank you Walmart for putting up all your Christmas decorations and putting me in a Christmas mood.

Thank you parents for sending me money when I need it and for cooking a great Thanksgiving meal.

perspective

life

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Table of Contents| 2 News & Senate Updates| 3 Global Service| 4 Election Reactions| 5 Week in Forecast| 6

editor-in-chief Matthew Moran

layout designers Anna-Marie Vargas Claudia Curtis Geoffrey Lopes

assistant editor Abigail Wissink

news writers Kyler Alvord Lauren Epperson

Head layout editor Fränk Ramirez Head Copy editor Sophia Rich Life editor Micah Hall backpage editor

Copy Editors Katherine Beckner Lindsey Luna food editor Mason Neil feature editors Brandon Pierce Michael Jensen Ysabela Ramirez Bryndilynn Goodlyn humor writer Micah Hall religion writer Vixie Bailey Cartoonist Emmanuel Perry

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I think you get the picture. Anyhow, I hope you seriously remember to thank all the important people you have in your life. Most of all, remember to thank God for providing you with life, wisdom, and strength to make it through each day.

While we are on the subject of thanking people, I would like to thank Pastor Alex Bryan for his boldness in literally answering any question in his “Ask. Anything.” series. This past Sabbath, he provided a very even presentation regarding how the church should treat the LGBTQ community. This was a very difficult topic to discuss but I thought Alex Bryan handled it very well without explicitly making any statements that would offend either the conservative or liberal parties. However, I think one of the most valuable takeaways is to become more and more like Jesus. I think it is important to allow the Holy Spirit to develop our characters so we might be a viable representation of a life filled with Christ. This character development isn’t something that we look at in others; rather, it is something we need to look into ourselves to see how Jesus is changing our own personal lives.

MATTHEW MORAN

Feature | 7 Opinion & Column | 10 Marilynne Robinson & Devo | 11 Religion & ACA | 12

opinion writer Yvanna Hammen-Alvarez Joshua Huh columnists Joni Harris & Emily Huso

I would also like to thank the faculty who agreed to contribute to this week’s feature topic regarding women’s ordination and the Unity Document.

If you haven’t heard, the Walla Walla University church had a meeting regarding this topic so we decided to invite faculty opinions regarding this controversial issue. I hope you will be able to appreciate and respect the opinions reflected by these professors.

I am honored to be at a university where the professors are dedicated to not only enhancing the lives of students academically but also emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

Thank you Walla Walla University for being a safe place where every student can aspire after excellence in thought, generosity in service, beauty in expression, and faith in God. Finally, I would like to thank you, the reader, 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!

ANGELICA CHAN

Creative Writing & Food | 13 Fashion & Culture | 14 Science & Humor | 15 Sunny Side Up | 16

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.

Devotional writer Christina Moran Fashion writer Angelica Chan Culture/travel writer Darling Su ACA/SM Editor Stephanie Septembre Science writer Jordan Brooks

Cover Credit: ASWWU 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 12:15 A.M. on Thursday, November 17, 2016.

Creative writing editor Mac Ford global service writer Daniel Villarreal Office Manager AnneMarie Vixie

The Collegian | Volume 101, Issue 08 | 204 S. College Avenue, College Place, WA 99324

IS BLOCK

NEWS/SENATE CONTEXT

NEWS CONTEXT

nc battle

or a Many eir lip classviduals st to song

WHO ARE THE BLUES?Open Senate

hitman College announced a new mascot this year, replacing the outdated “Missionaries” with something more inclusive and relevant.

In April, Whitman College officially retired the longtime mascot, and on Thursday, Nov. 3, the community poll results were counted and the new mascot was revealed: the Whitman College Blues.

A large chunk of Whitman alumni and the Walla Walla region expressed anger over the change, claiming that it’s wiping out community culture and history, however the college decided to move forward with its decision after receiving overwhelming feedback that the “Missionaries” no longer represented the values of the school.

Between April and October, mascot options were narrowed to four—the Appaloosas, the Sockeyes, the Blue Ravens

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@ASWWU

There were several people there to act This week has brought in many wideas judges and announce a winner. One of eyed freshman and they have been willing the judges, ASWWU Spiritual VP Peter to try all kinds of things. We are excited Flores, said, “I like the fact that so many to see what things this class will go on to people were putting themselves out there accomplish. regardless of how scary it might have been to perform. This freshman classand is the Blues. The Blues, short for the local awesome!”

KYLER ALVORD Blue Mountains, received lauren a significantly epperson News Writer more positive response than the other News Writer

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options.

Whitman spokeswoman Gina Ohnstead released a statement about the selection that explained the chosen mountain range’s relevance to Whitman’s academic mission and student body: “With their far-reaching and high peaks, the Blues represent both a challenge and a sense of accomplishment. The Blues evoke the expansive skyline of the West, the expansive way Whitman students see the world around them and the strong sense of connectedness amongst the members of the Whitman community and with our local community in the Walla Walla Valley.”

With the new mascot comes a NEWS CONTEXT prominent color scheme for the school’s sporting events. Next time you attend a WWU vs. Whitman sports event, be sure@ASWWU to avoid wearing shades of blue.

GOOGLE IMAGES

Positions!

MISSION WORK BEE

The Blue Mountain Valley Mission Native American SDA Church Service Project (or Mission Work bee) Senate will require an average of three NEWS hours a 13, week of paid work andand is aCampus Ministries co-partnered On Sunday, Nov. ASWWU Spiritual to good way to get involved with the inner help the Blue Mountain Valley Mission Native American church family with a much workings of ASWWU. Senators are and his wife, and almost 10 needed work bee.

Five committed students, the pastor expected to: other church members came together for one purpose: to ultimately serve others. The

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activities included removing a large tire from the playground, pulling out gigantic roots from under the• swingset, reorganizing a messy(Held craftroom, Attend weekly meetings on trimming trees, and sprucing up the front garden.

Tuesdays at 8branch-carrying p.m.)

Was it fun? Yes! There were competitions, rock-throwing games, and music-playing pioneers.

After couple of hours of hard work, a lunch break was • Communicateawith constituents provided and the group spent some time eating and fellowshipping together. Following and for represent lunch, the crew worked anothertheir houropinions and the results were incredible. The church was very appreciative of the progress that was completed and the students left the • Be active on email area knowing that the community would benefit from their hard-working efforts.

The day after event Matt Lombard stated, “The whole church • the Study thePastor ASWWU Governing was thrilled that you guys came to help us! So, thank you very much. We documents got a lot accomplished!”

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ge avenue e the longest table ects campus •

Care about WWU and ASWWU

• Write bills and express opinions on act This week has brought in many wideUniversity of eyed freshman and they have been willing bills being presented er to try all kinds of things. We are excited students.

“I remember ny to see what things this classmoving will go in onattothe couldDeclarations then fill take-out boxes of leftovers n Saturday, Oct. 1, Walla Walla of Candidacy may be found and I am a happy camper.”

With the widening of College Avenue aereWallaaccomplish. beginning of last year and feeling so from on other along the ASWWU rest of the University Church hosted their the families outside door of the sidewalks came the removal of these ue lost on my own campus,” senior Kristina the first floor of Longest Table event. A quartertable.Executive Nothing Office grabs (on a college student’s This event has been a favorit Kozakova said. “Our car got really dirty annual poles. “The campus is very open and se for Kellog Hall), andfree are due on Tuesday, mile-long table stretched the length of attention more than food.

Walla University students fo and dusty and I couldn’t even accessthe mystory and time period and the sets were visible to College Avenue traffic, both October 11. laurenEPPERSON epperson Fourth Street.

This feast food connects time. Thank you, to all the fa LAUREN own apartment.” creative.

Thevehicular drama department did of a great and pedestrian,” McVay said. community families with university NewsWriter Writer graciously provided food and job retelling the story ofathis classic novel.

News Sep. 9 was sunny and joyous day in the Jacob Prosser, junior physical education students.

Food isand a and great wayadded to bond said, “Itparking was a pretty music was fantastic really the students that attended.

While upperclassmen remember The live community, College Place residents major, o bookstore lot. neat event! I Two were onwith the table in senate week: was bills impressed all the foodthis choices people and thiscars event a great way musical theater. was put n select datesof between Nov. 5driveways and the days unblocked andto the with hopped inEverything their to isappreciate the e for students to get todone. know local families and the“Before friendliness from allProject, the families. together nicely and very well Senate will require an average of three 13,open Wallaroads, Walla University’s Drama many WWU students have final product that they waited so longFirst was oved the C.A.R.S. the F.L. 2 - Hill-Rom P1900 Hospital Bed. This bill passed and allocated Rachel Ropozo, Junior elementary hours a week of paid work and is a in their church community.

Two of my favorite words are ‘free’ andand department presented “Little Women: The never seen a functional College Avenue, for. “When I first heard College Avenue oject walk to my apartment wasbudget sketchy $2,195 of senate’s campus improvement to this project. This high quality ICU education major, said, “They did a really great good way to get finish involved withmeals, the inner Musical.” performance students their ‘food,’—put them togetherThere in a sentence viewing theThis road as nothingwas more than After had opened, I didn’t believe it,”they senior ion Broadway detached from campus. weren’t bed will be used in their Advance Acute Care class. job of picking the of cast.

They all did a really are workings ASWWU. Senators novel

by Louisa May Alcott large sidewalk.

WWU President John Amanda Winter said. “I thought I would mid-based ona the stoplights by the cafeteria and cars didn’t to:telling great jobexpected acting and the story. The sets and turned into a musical by Jason Howland McVay noted that the opening of the graduate before I sawwas that finished!” gain for pedestrians,” Second, wasalways G.L. 2 -stop ASWWU MembershipKozakova Definition. This bill makes a clarification and costumes were great, the music great, and Mindi Dickstein. Over the course road was further put off until updated in the ASWWU Bylaws to say thatAvenue graduatelooks students are not automatically charged Tacoof their five said.

“Now, College by far the best WWU play I have seen yet!” performances, students and • Attend following weekly meetings (Held onfaculty crosswalks were available to pedestrians,Make ASWWU dues, but may them inand orderI to become week, WWU amazing andpayinviting feel safer a member of the ASWWU. sureThe you stay tuned for the drama community members alike flooded Village This reflects the current practice. allowing students to safely readjust to spiced up their Faculty-Staff Assembly walking home.”

Patience is a virtue, and department’sTuesdays next showatin8 winter p.m.) quarter, Hall for the three hour viewing of this classic. traffic.

The extended time also with a little College Avenue parade. umblr Thethru after months of practicing it, the virtue “The Festival of Shorts.” story of four sisters and their • The Communicate constituents To hear more about paid these off. billsHere’s or sharetoquestions, or suggestions construction crews caravan ofwith decorated cars showed finally the newcomments, and journey allowed to find love with each other andtothefinish final regarding ASWWU Senate, contact your local senator. road accessories without interference. aand unique way to celebrate, improved College Avenue—may the next represent their opinionssporting men of their dreams was eloquently told “If I had to identify my favorite The costumes were fitting to everything from the newly redesigned ges by the actors. generation never struggle like we did.

• Be active on email improvement,” McVay said, “it is not WWU van to McVay’s ’63 Volkswagen ome

O LITTLE WOMEN Open Senate Positions!

SENATE

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greek life gets muddy

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CONTEXT GLOBAL SERVICE/CAMPUS MINISTRIES

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THE POWER OF INCLUSION: DOING THINGS RIGHT DANIEL VILLAREAL Global Service Writer Let’s have a thought experiment.

There is a crisis in Germany: The people of Berlin are in need of rubber tires because the company that manufactured them filed for bankruptcy and is no longer functional. The kind of rubber tires that the people of Germany need have very specific features, and the designs that specify each one of them are held by the Ministry of Elastic Affairs. People in the United States are concerned because the people of Berlin do not have rubber tires and decide to hold a summit to address the situation. In it, they invite members of the media, celebrities, representatives of religious institutions, businesswomen (and men), financial analysts, soldiers, bureaucrats, and loggers. Everyone begins to discuss the matter, but the loggers highjack the conversation and claim that wooden tires are better than rubber tires. A

businesswoman who seems very invested in the matter corroborates the information and gives her approval. The soldiers like the idea of sending wooden tires; there is no wood like the one in the United States. The religious representatives support this idea because, in their view, there is no material more sacred than wood. Soon, the analysts, the bureaucrats, the media, and the celebrities concur and the project leaves the planning table to be put into action. No one calls the Germans and asks what they needed.

This is the end of the thought experiment.

Though absurd, not including the members of the communities we want to “help” is not uncommon. If not thought well, the solutions we propose to solve other countries’ problems have a high potential of being inefficient, unilateral, and downright harmful.

In 2005, Frontline ran a story about a novel device that “turned water into child’s play.”1 The play pump was designed by Ronnie Stuiever, a driller and engineer. It consisted in a “merry-go-round type device installed and connected into a water pump.” 2 Children would play and rotate the device, extracting water from the ground into a container. There were many advocates for this project, and it even won the World Band Development Marketplace Award.3 The excitement and support died down when different organizations realized that the pump was providing a bad solution for a complex problem. In many cases water in underwater reservoirs is very scarce. Some areas have reservoirs that are contaminated and cannot

be used. Finally, if the pump, which lacked efficiency, did not meet the demand for water, it had the potential of prompting the exploitation of children, which were the primary source of power for this device.

There are many reasons why the pump did not work the way its creator envisioned it would. However, the one that stands out is a lack of awareness and understanding of the problem. There are many well-intentioned people who want to solve the problems of the world but, unless they make the research on implementing their ideas, the results will range from mediocre to catastrophic.

1 http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2005/10/ south_africa_th.html 2 http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/07/01/the-playpumpwhat-went-wrong/ 3 http://www.mediaclubsouthafrica.com/land-andpeople/549-tapping-into-ingenuity010708

WORSHIP & VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

ASWWU PHOTO

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

Here are some upcoming volunteer opportunities in the area.

Heubach Morning Worship – Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.

Heubach Worship – Tues 9 p.m.

Fireside Worship – Thurs 9:30 p.m.

Hispanic Ministries Worship – Mon 7 p.m.

Hall Worships – Wed 9 p.m.

Prayer Meeting – Wed 7 p.m.

Vespers – Fri 8 p.m.

Cooking class at Blue Mountain Valley Mission Church – Dec. 4 Caroling – Dec. 3 & 9 Salvation Army – Dec. 10 at 3 p.m.

Homeless Bag Drive – Dec. 10 & 11

ASWWU PHOTO

IS BLOCK

ELECTION REACTIONS CONTEXT

DENMARK ON U.S. kyle lambert Contributor

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’ve been volunteering as an assistant dean at Vejlefjordskolen in Denmark for 3 1/2 months now, and one question was by far asked more than any other, “Who are you voting for?”, and it is often immediately followed by, “Not Trump, right?” They assumed the outcome before I had a chance to say anything. That was the structure of nine out of ten political conversations I’ve had. That detail speaks volumes on Denmark’s stance on our election. When Trump won, they also assumed I was sad and frustrated at the U.S. While it wasn’t my ideal outcome, what followed in the news and on Facebook bothered me much more. This is where the outsider’s opinion really begins to highlight our pros and cons as a country. While I can’t speak for all of Denmark, I have been able to talk with many of the students and a number of the adults here. There are several issues in particular that show up in political conversations. The differences in our governmentrun social systems and election structure are at the top. However, the context of our government structures must be considered along with my personal bias.

You may have noticed that Denmark shows up in the U.S. relatively frequently for their social care system. They have excellent health care, social security, and are ranked third for highest standard of living in the world.1 I like to call their system

the “Danish Utopia,” because it seems to work.

Two of the staff members here lived in the U.S. for 20 plus years each. One of them is from the U.S.; the other returned to Denmark a few years ago. They provide a unique perspective on the two systems. Along with most other Danes I’ve talked with, they think the U.S. needs to catch up with the rest of the world and implement a similar government run social system. The way the Danes see it, social systems are where capitalism fails.

Who is going to provide for the poor, they ask.

Health care is a right, they say. On Obamacare, they don’t think we’ve figured things out, but it’s a step in the right direction. Denmark loves Obama—they think he’s the greatest president we’ve had in years. And from what I hear during my travels and from students from other countries, most of Europe does too.

In short, health care needs reform. The fines in Obamacare don’t make sense. They defeat the purpose and we need a better source of income for the government to pay for it. And that’s the part of the Danish system that isn’t talked about. They have some of the highest taxes in the world; averaging 58 percent according to Vejlefjordskolen’s V.P. of Finance. That’s a steep price for all the benefits, but it works—there’s no denying that. Sorry folks, government health care is good idea, but you’ve gotta deal with higher taxes first.

Another area of interest to the Danes is our two-party system. And when I say interest

I mean in the sense of confusion. Actually, the entire election process confuses them. Only two “real” choices? Two years? The Electoral College? What’s the deal with these? Let me paint a picture: Imagine an election season that lasts less than a month, the Prime Minister and Prime Minister-elect swap gifts at the end, and people continue on their lives peacefully with few words on politics for the next four years.2 That’s Denmark. Sure, there are general elections in the meantime, but we’re talking about the head of the country here. Yes, the politicians still take jabs at each other, but they don’t build their campaigns off of them. And they have at least ten parties to pick candidates from, three of which are major and followed by two that had at least 7 percent of the vote each in the last election. When people vote, it’s 1 for 1. No electoral college. Why make it so complicated, they ask.

Now we must consider the context of our governments. Denmark is technically a socialist democracy. That means the government has major oversight over resources and everyone has an equal say in how things are done. Democracy literally means “rule of the majority.”3 So if the U.S. wants to be a socialist democracy, then we should do away with the current election structure. However, the U.S. is both a democracy and a republic,4 in which case we must consider the republic part when talking about the electoral college. If we want to be a true democracy, we would have to get rid of the states and leave only

the federal government. That is an unrealistic goal at this point in time. To change that would go against the very ideals this country was founded upon. It’s our government structure that sets us apart from the rest of the world.

I personally think we should keep the electoral college. It’s working exactly as intended, to prevent majority rule, to give the minority thought a voice. No, not every election brings out these qualities. Most of the time it’s just another layer. But four times it has worked exactly as intended. However, our election system does need to be revamped. The biggest issue is the party system. Solve that, and the electoral college will no longer be an issue.

I could write volumes more on the differences between the U.S. and Denmark, but the important note here is that we must consider the context of government types when comparing the countries. We can gain tremendous insight on ourselves from what other countries see, but sometimes what works for them won’t work for us. While we need to reform health care and elections, what’s the cost for the direction you want to go? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/countries-withthe-highest-standard-of-living-social-progress-index/ 2 http://www.thelocal.dk/20150527/what-you-need-toknow-about-denmarks-election 3 Meriam-Webster’s Dictionary 4 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/ wp/2015/05/13/is-the-united-states-of-america-a-republicor-a-democracy/ 1

YOUR VOTE DOESN’T COUNT... BUT I CAN brennan stanyer Contributor

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n the wake of this... interesting election, many people have begun to look for answers as to how we managed to elect the “the biggest dingus in the entire universe, ever.” Many people are angry because Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College. Everyone and their uncle has posted a video on Facebook showing just how the Electoral College actually works, but I’m here to dispel all the disinformation that you may have seen over the last week. My goal in this article is to look at how the Electoral College overrepresents small states and underrepresents large states. I urge anyone interested in this subject to take a look at the excel sheet that I linked at the bottom; I put it together so that anyone who uses it can draw their own conclusions. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

First off, it’s not that states are pushed up or brought down, it’s that small states are overrepresented and large states are

underrepresented. Nineteen states have a higher percentage of the population than they have percentage of the Electoral College votes. The rest of the states including D.C. are overrepresented, meaning that their percentage of the population is lower than their percentage of the vote. Putting numbers to these things makes it much easier to think about, so let’s look at just how this difference in representation affects the states.

It is important to remember that electoral votes are decided thusly: one per senator (so two for each state) and one per congressional district (California has 53 of these, ergo 55 electoral votes for CA, South Dakota has one, ergo three votes for SD). On a national scale, congressional districts average about 750,000 people, which is why districts often contain either a big city or large areas of land. Most of the United States looks like this, with the population being concentrated in large cities. So when those people on your Facebook post maps showing 80 percent of the counties going red and say “no wonder Trump drew such large crowds, everyone

loves him everywhere,” you can point out that large cities (which contain four out of every five U.S. citizens) tend to vote democrat.

That being said, let’s look at overrepresented states. By population, it takes until Washington at number 13 before you reach a state that has a percentage of votes higher than its percentage of the population (CA has 12.18 percent of the population but 10.22 percent of the votes), and it is the only state in the top 20 to not be underrepresented. With the exception of Colorado, every state (including D.C.) in the bottom 31 is overrepresented, that is, the ratio of its percentage of seats to its percentage of the population is greater than 1-1.

This is fair for the states when represented in Congress, but isn’t fair when choosing a president. If you want everyone’s vote to count equally, you have to choose by popular vote irrespective of state of residence. People will still live where they live, but suddenly the vote of Republicans in California and Washington matters. Suddenly the vote of Texas Democrats has some actual impact on the results. Many

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people argue that the Electoral College enfranchises people in small, rural states by giving them a voice compared to the larger states, but they fail to realize that more people voted for the loser in their state than live in the bottom 30 states by population. Switching away from the Electoral College would, therefore, enfranchise those whose vote essentially doesn’t count and do wonders for voter apathy and the “my vote doesn’t matter because I don’t live in Ohio” attitude. As it stands, the Electoral College has chosen the loser of the popular vote in two out of the five most recent elections, and there is no sign of the factors contributing to this (polarization of urban/rural areas, migration to cities, etc.) abating any time soon.

If you want to take a look at the data that I used to write this article, please follow the unfortunately long url below! https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByB1NPdLpKjESERDM2VUN3hkQlU/view?usp=sharing

WEEK IN FORECAST FRIDAY

THURSDAY

POETRYFOUNDATION

SATURDAY

USATODAY

@ASWWU

nov 17

nov 18

nov 19

Visiting Writers Reading Series: Marcus Wicker

WWU Vespers Light

Thanksgiving Break

8 p.m. Heubach Chapel

WWU Men’s Basketball

7 p.m. Kimball Theatre in Hunter Conservatory at Whitman College

8 p.m. New Hope Christian College

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

COMING UP Tuesday, Nov 29 Christmas Tree Lighting Service 7 p.m. SAC Lawn Thursday, Dec 1 Christmas After Hour 7:30-9 p.m. SAC

@ASWWU

CAFEESCADRILLE

nov 24

nov 25

Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving Break

Thanksgiving Day!

Black Friday

Friday-Saturday, Dec 2-3 Cabin Trip American Ridge Lodge Sunday, Dec 4 Rudolph Run 5k 9 a.m.

WEB DESIGNER POSITION OPEN ASWWU Web is going through the process of extensively redesigning our website and we need a web designer that can help us generate some HTML templates. If you are interested in getting paid for writing HTML and CSS, email ryan.rabello@wallawalla.edu.

IS BLOCK

FEATURE PERSPECTIVE

UNITY, DIVERSITY, DISCRIMINATION AND CHURCH POLITICS contributions by:

david thomas Dean of Theology

don riley Professor of Engineering

janice McKenzie Associate Professor of Biology

paddy Mccoy Campus Chaplain

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INTRODUCTION BY Michael Jensen Feature Editor

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iscussions over who is qualified to participate in church ministry—and what role they are allowed to play—have simmered deep in the heart of the Adventist church for ages. Recently, however, political and theological upsets on local and international levels have caused the pot to boil over, pushing such discussions to the front and center of many Adventists’ minds. Just a few weeks ago, the General Conference approved a controversial church reconciliation policy outlined in a document called "Unity in Mission: Procedures in Church Reconciliation.” Fears that the world church could use the new policy to heavy-handedly wrest control of local church government are now running wild. On a more local scale, leaders from the Upper Columbia Conference met with the Walla Walla University Church in a church business meeting last week to address concerns over why a pro-women’s ordination policy was mysteriously rescinded earlier this year. The meeting also covered other aspects of church policy, ordination theology and future plans for the conference. However, some present at the meeting felt that although it was supposed to be an opportunity to discuss equality and inclusiveness, they were treated unfairly and excluded from the discussion.

These mechanical details of policy and politics surrounding the Unity Document and the church business meeting are enveloped in foundationally differing opinions on what role women should play in ministry and concerns that ordination issues might take the church’s eyes off Jesus and even repel young people from the church. As a diverse academic institution, Walla Walla University has faculty with passionate feelings about different sides of these issues who have graciously agreed to share their thoughts for this week’s feature.

CONT. ON PAGE 8

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PERSPECTIVE FEATURE

CONT. FROM PAGE 7

The Unity Document (by Dr. David Thomas, Dean of the School of Theology) I suppose a lot of things could be said about the Unity Document that is now so much under discussion. I will briefly comment on what I think are four of the major underlying items that, in my opinion make passage of the document very undesirable.

First, the document is built upon an incorrect understanding of what the church is. In the document, it is quite clear that the model of church being espoused is a hierarchical one. That model is nowhere supported in Scripture. In the Bible, more than anything, the church is a community of believers that comes into existence in consequence to people responding to the gospel invitation. In essence, the church is a new society formed on principles very different from those typically seen in the world. One of those principles is the absence of hierarchy. The idea of hierarchy is very strongly inveighed against by Jesus himself as evidenced in the first few verses of Matthew 13 and also in Jesus’ discussion with his disciples in Matthew 20 where there is a discussion about who would be first in the kingdom. Jesus tells them things are hierarchical among the Gentiles, but are expressly not to be so among them.

Secondly, the Unity Document, as it is now being called, operates from an incorrect understanding of power. When Jesus came to resolve the problems of humans, he did not come with top-down power. Rather, he condescended to enter into our predicament as a servant who went not to a position of power, but to a cross. Truth is, top-down power tends toward rebellion and disruption.

It does not change people’s hearts. For at least these two reasons, it is not a form of power appropriate for the church. It is therefore astonishing that church leaders would resort to operating from a perceived position of power. Such notions are unbiblical.

Thirdly, in the document, unity and uniformity are conflated. Unity and uniformity are not the same thing. The fact that everyone does the same thing the same way does not demonstrate unity. Unity, rather, is

a fruit of the Spirit that brings a somewhat mysterious sense of togetherness to what might look like a disparate group of people who do many things very differently on the outside, but who are deeply united in mission and purpose on the inside. The church should be far more interested in unity than in uniformity, for uniformity is superficial while unity is profound. The one looks good at a parade while the other provides all kinds of life-changing motivation.

Lastly, while denying it has much at all to do with the question of ordination, the document is indeed focused on the ordination issue. It is what brought the document into existence in the first place, and it is everywhere behind the purpose of the document. That being so, it is important to point out that the concept of ordination assumed by the document is now known to be nothing more than a tradition that crept into the church from the Roman Empire.

Originally it was a ceremony used by the Roman Emperor to elevate certain chosen individuals to new status. The church adopted it and then built a theology around it that distinguishes those who are in religious leadership positions from those who are not.

This is not a practice that should be retained.

It should be replaced with a much more biblical idea described the phrase “laying on of hands,” a simple ceremony done mostly by congregations by way of which they prayed the Spirit would bless those engaging in gospel work. In view of at least these four items-and major items they are-it is my hope that the document will die before it gets implemented into church policy. For that I hope and pray.

The Church Business Meeting (by Don Riley, Professor of Mechanical Engineering) Earlier this year, the Upper Columbia Conference executive committee passed a policy regarding duties that can be performed by a commissioned minister. However, they did not communicate their desire to make this policy change to churches in the UCC. When several churches discovered

what this new policy was and how it was incongruent with Seventh-day Adventist policy (NAD Working Policy L32 10 and the Church Manual p. 33), they asked for a constituency meeting to discuss it. The UCC did not want to have a constituency meeting to discuss this issue, so they rescinded the policy. The Walla Walla University Church was disappointed to discover that the UCC had rescinded the policy and asked to meet with UCC leadership to discuss what had happened. However, the other churches that had asked the UCC to rescind the policy were being visited by the UCC leadership to discuss the reasons for their initial actions and the rescinded policy. Due to the large number of churches that the UCC needed to visit, it would take some time, and as of today, the visitations are not complete. The purpose of this visitation schedule was cut short by the vote of the WWUC this last Wednesday. The WWUC voted to request that the UCC rescind the rescindment at a date before the visitation schedule was complete with the other churches. After the motion was first made, there was an attempt to delay the request until after the visitations of the UCC leadership had occurred, but the suggestion was passed over for an earlier date which became the final voted motion.

The WWUC wanted to do “something” but what they ended up doing was essentially recommending a course of action that would cut short the UCC leadership’s objective to have open discussions with WWUC peers in this conference. This seemed a bit odd for me to observe at a meeting that essentially was dealing with issues of fairness and equality.

While observing the discussion at the meeting, I felt compelled to say something about fairness. I got up from my seat and approached the microphone to comment and ask a question (or two), but I was asked to return to my seat as I was not a church member or a student.

There were three groups of people that were invited to the WWUC on Wednesday night. Everyone on campus should have seen the invitation as it was advertised daily in the all-campus 11:00 emails. The three groups were “All church members, community members, and University students.”

Of those three, only one group consisted of WWUC members—the other two groups did not. The advertisement noted what the meeting was about: “Time will be spent discussing the status of commissioned pastors.” Despite the open invitation, the meeting itself was not quite as welcoming: The opening remarks of the chair specified that of the two invited groups that were not

members of the WWUC, one group was allowed to speak up while the other group was not. This did not seem fair to me because the announcement, and how it was carried out, was not consistent with the invitation.

I can understand that non-members should not vote at local church business meetings, or even make motions or second them. But to be excluded from a “discussion” that is open to the community did not seem fair. I should note that the next day I received an apology from Alex Bryan over the misunderstanding. As I was not allowed to share any questions at the “discussion” last Wednesday, I was asked to share what they might have been with The Collegian.

When I was a freshmen student at WWU, my roommate in Sittner Hall was my best friend from academy. We were both Seventh-day Adventists. When I graduated from WWU, I was still an Adventist, however, he was not. I attended a Seventh-day Adventist church in the Portland area. A conference ordained minister led that church.

On one particular weekend that church held an evangelistic meeting. Members of that church shared with me that the Holy Spirit was moving on the pastor and the congregation. But that Sabbath was the last weekend that pastor was employed by the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and was the last weekend that church was recognized by the conference. The pastor was fired and the church was disbanded. What had they done? They voted and implemented a local church policy that was not in harmony with conference church policy. The church had become congregational and had voted their own policies. My question is: as a church, some conference administrators can and have fired some pastors and disbanded some congregations over the pastor or church not following church policy, but can conference administrators, who implement a policy that is not in harmony with church policy have the same outcome applied to them? If the constituency meeting had been called-and a motion for the dismissal of UCC leadership occurred, would you be worried about being treated consistent with past church action in this union?

Given the recently voted policy on “Unity in Mission: Procedures in Church Reconciliation” from the Annual Council, efforts are underway to seek unity—unity in our mission, belief, and practice. I hope we are able to see more open discussions in our churches, and discussions that include both sides of an issue, as we seek unity. I think that would be the fair thing to do.

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Equal Value but Different Roles (by Dr. Janice McKenzie, Associate Professor of Biology) The Bible is the fully inspired Word of God that contains His precious truth.

The book of Judges in the Bible is full of memorable stories. It covers the time period right after the death of Joshua. He had followed Moses in leadership of Israel after the Exodus and during the initial possession of the promised land. His passing left behind a leadership void. The theme of Judges could easily be summarized by Judges 21:25 (also Judges 17:6), “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” This led to religious apostasy and disunity. Subsequently, the Israelites would fall into affliction and bondage from their enemies. The people would then cry out to the Lord and He would raise up a judge to facilitate their deliverance, maintain order and squelch idolatry during the remainder of their life. Unfortunately, this cycle kept repeating with the resulting idolatry and lack of unity. The lessons in Judges are for our admonition so that we can avoid making the same mistakes.

As we consider the issue of women’s ordination, much time and attention have been devoted to this topic. There have been Bible studies, committees and conferences on this subject. It is nearly as polarized as our recent presidential election was. This was a major issue at the last General Conference session in 2015. There was suspense and heightened emotions in the time leading up to the vote.

Finally the vote was tallied and the representatives of the world church had voted against women’s ordination. I find it interesting that the leaders of our great Seventh-day Adventist church who do not support women’s ordination, even the General Conference president, Ted Wilson, had stated they were willing to abide by the decision of the world church even if it was for women’s ordination to preserve the unity.

As a woman, I am comfortable with the Biblical model of male authority and leadership. I accept our Creator’s wisdom in placing man in charge of the garden and animals and placing the woman beside him

FEATURE PERSPECTIVE

to help him. I also recognize that God gave the command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to the man. He then held Adam accountable for the first sin, even though it was the woman that first fell (Genesis 3: 9–11, 22-24). As we look at the whole counsel of God in the Bible, we see the order established by God in Genesis is maintained. The enemy is always active to twist God’s plan in one direction or the other. This does not make God’s plan faulty, however.

As Adventists, we know that it is not safe to use only a few scriptures to support a doctrine. The method that William Miller used is still our hallmark for Biblical truth.

As Isaiah 28:13 says, we should apply precept upon precept and line upon line as we look at the foundation for Biblical doctrines.

We then take the whole counsel of God on a topic and if one or two scriptures don’t seem to line up with the many others, we look at the context to see the thread of truth that connects them all.

God values men and women equally.

The roles he has created for us do not assign different values to each of us. God loves the children as much as he does the parents despite the hierarchy that He has instituted in the family. I am encouraged by the role Ellen White played as a prophetic support to the men in leadership of our church during its formative years. Let us abide by the clear counsel and example in the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy as we move forward.

Fixing Our Eyes on Christ (by Paddy McCoy, Head Chaplain) The conversation on women’s ordination in the Adventist church is broad, wide-ranging, and has been going on for more than 30 years. I don’t think it’s as productive to talk about that conversation in this response, except to say that The Ordination Study Committee (TOSC) tasked by the General Conference was not as split on the question of women’s ordination as many are led to believe. Some spun the results of that study to reflect that the committee was

divided into thirds with 1/3 for women’s ordination, 1/3 against women’s ordination, and 1/3 undecided. However, the truth is that 2/3 of this diverse and broad group made up of pastors, theologians, and professors, were in favor of women being ordained within the Seventh-day Adventist church.

The main difference between the 2/3 simply had to do with wording and a statement on male headship, but both of those groups were in favor. However, church leadership chose to take the recommendation of TOSC lightly, in my view, and let church unions decide.

That said, the conversation last week involved a decision by the University Church board to meet with the leadership of the Upper Columbia Conference, to discuss a retraction of a decision they made back in March of 2016 involving the definition of a commissioned minister, the current "allowed" credential for a female in ministry.

You can read the wording of that decision and the response from the University Church in many places, so this brief article is merely my view of the conversation last Wednesday evening.

The point of the meeting was to learn more about the reason behind the UCC's decision and to urge a reconsideration based on the gospel teachings and examples of equality, as well as an understanding of the Holy Spirit’s call in the lives of not only our own female pastors at the University Church, but many female students in ministry that have graduated and either are or will be ministering.

The UCC leadership was very kind in coming to meet, and transparent in sharing their own personal beliefs. From the beginning, Elder Hoover made it clear that the purpose of the decision to retract the March 2016 decision to expand the definition of roles for a commissioned minister was to converse with 15 out of the 130 churches in the UCC that opposed the March 2016 decision. It would give the leadership time to follow the Matthew 18 model for conversation with brothers and sisters who have a disagreement or something wrong between them.

Personally, it would have been very helpful to know the reason behind their decision from the beginning, as the press coverage of their decision was uninformed.

That said, there were many pleas from the University Church family to continue to move forward, in grace, in the direction of affirming women in ministry. The desire is not to “fight” against the General Conference, but rather to follow in the tradition of our church from its roots to have local

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churches choose how to put beliefs into practice and not a more global leadership format that dictates how local churches must function. The goal is not to force any congregation to hire a female pastor if they are not comfortable-our church has not been about force-but rather to allow for a church in North America to put beliefs like WO into practice according to their convictions and in line with their understanding of Scripture as the Spirit leads, in a way that may be different from a local church in Africa or South America for example.

My own personal plea has to do with a deep appreciation for the female pastors I’ve had the privilege of working with and mentoring, as well as a desire to allow more young adults to participate and lead in some of these conversations in a much more meaningful way. Our church is “losing the battle” with young adults, with many more leaving than staying, and I fear that not including them and not courageously moving forward with our convictions, as well as affirming each of them in their calling in our church and for Christ, will lead even more to leave. We’ve been “losing the battle” for years, with conservative numbers saying we lose 60 percent of our young adults in North America, and other surveys suggesting as many as 70 percent or nearly 2/3. I say losing any is too many, and I believe we need to affirm them and include them more.

That said, at the end of the day we can't allow these concerns or disagreements to distract us from our church’s deep rooted desire to keep our eyes fixed on Christ and to do the work He’s called us to do. For all those reading this response, men and women, young and old, please hear me. Pray for our local and global church leaders, and know that just as it is important for us to stand up for what we believe in and respect each other as we do, even if we disagree, it is also important for us to be the church we wish to see in this world for the glory of God and our crucified Savior. Let us join His Spirit in Her work. I pray that we will be rooted and established in love as we move forward as a body of believers who believe in the priesthood of ALL believers, in a way that will allow us to grow and change the world for the kingdom of God.

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PERSPECTIVE OPINION/COLUMN

THE REALITY OF FAITH IN ACADEMICS joshua huh Opinion Writer Disclaimer: I did not plan to write this piece as a direct response to last week’s feature article, “Higher Education: Is Academia Excommunicating Faith?” The idea to write this piece came to me over two weeks ago, before the publication of last week’s Collegian.

My topic differs slightly from that of the aforementioned article in that it is specifically about the paradoxes that result from the mixing of devotional elements within religion classes, as it addresses certain areas regarding the role of faith in academics that the feature article did not explore.

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alla Walla University is a faith-based institution that upholds the teachings and values of the Seventh-day Adventist church. Among the university’s core themes is “Faith in God,”1 which seeks to empower students to explore the role and value of faith and religion within their lives. Students at Walla Walla University agree to a faith-

based learning environment when they choose to attend classes here. One’s faith can play an instrumental role in approaching any subject, providing fresh perspectives that cannot exist from a purely secular viewpoint.

When considering the role of faith in academics, I ask myself: Does my faith affect the quality of my work? If my work did not include elements of my own faith, then would my academic success be compromised? Can I learn about faith academically without having faith myself ?

A problem arises, however, when faith in learning transforms into the thought that faith is learning. This is especially prevalent in RELB- and RELT-listed religion classes, whose subject content often requires students to display their knowledge of theological concepts in relation to their own religious belief—for example, in an assignment about Pauline theology, a student may have to answer a question reviewing Paul’s models of salvation and how they might apply to one’s life.2 This “devotionalstyle” learning presents a grave conflict of interest: Should one’s personal beliefs (or

lack thereof ) determine her or his ability to do well in a class?

A student’s personal religiosity should not affect her or his academics. Being a former theology major, I can recall instances in my religion classes when I chose to provide shallow, “Jesus-y” answers that I thought would satisfy my professors’ questions according to commonly held Adventist tenets of belief. While I do not assert that the professors of the theology department at Walla Walla University expect these types of responses, I do believe that students in religion classes can easily sustain their academics by inputting beliefs that echo traditional Adventist doctrines into their work. Should one be allowed to thrive academically because of her or his ability to eloquently profess personal faith?

Is the goal of a faith-based institution to create “professional Christians,” or to “[translate] academic achievement into responsible citizenship, generous service, a deep respect for the beauty in God’s creation, and the promise of re-creation through Jesus Christ”?3

Faith-based learning, especially in classes that concern issues of faith and belief, causes certain conflicts that unavoidably equate one’s faith with her or his academics.

Mixing religious belief with academic learning presents paradoxes that ultimately either compromise academics for the advancement of faith, or undermine faith for the sake of academics. In the end, faith and academics cannot fully exist cooperatively.

1 https://wallawalla.edu/about-wwu/generalinformation/our-mission/ 2 This is only an example, but I’m sure you can think of instances similar to this one that you may have encountered in your religion classes.

3 https://wallawalla.edu/about-wwu/generalinformation/our-mission/

KISS ME, I’M IRISH

AND IT’S THANKSGIVING emily huso Columnist joni harris Columnist “It seems curious that the Puritans did not call upon the “mother country” for the much needed provisions, and we wonder why they selected Ireland, a country which, if we are to believe such historians as Palfrey, Lodge, Friske, Bancroft and so on, was practically unknown to the New Englanders of the time!”1

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here’s some evidence to suggest that we should actually be giving thanks to the Irish for this delectable holiday. That’s right, we mean those Irish, of leprechaun and

potato fame. Without them, we might not have an excuse to consume more than a 20 percent of the world’s cranberries on a single day every year.2 So what do the Irish have to do with Thanksgiving? Well, according to Reverend Thomas Prince (a man of the cloth who also happened to be a historian in 1718), the Irish actually provided the food stuffs for the very first Thanksgiving! Yep. Prince (not that Prince) writes that the people of the Massachusetts Bay colony were so low on provisions that they were “necessitated to feed on clams and mussels and ground nuts and acorns.”3 It doesn’t get much worse than that. Anyway, the starving Massachusettsans sent a ship to Ireland for provisions, and boy did the Irish deliver. The ship returned “laden with provisions” (mostly potatoes), and the people of the Bay were saved!4 I think we can all agree this was a nice

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thing for the Irish to do. It is not easy to give up one’s potatoes, just ask Idaho. However, this kindness really screwed the Irish over, ‘cause guess what? Two hundred and fifteen years later, the Irish had no more potatoes!

This correlation makes sense if you do the math—120 years on the boat from Ireland to America, and 95 years back, but with no potatoes, that’s why it didn’t take as long.

The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society presents an interesting connection between the First Thanksgiving and the Irish Potato famine: “It was a splendid mission on the part of Ireland, and a grateful acknowledgment of the event published by the New England HistoricGenealogical Society said: ‘One hundred and seventy one years after this time the people of Massachusetts had an opportunity of reciprocating the gift of benevolence wafted to these shores by the good ship Katherine of Dublin when they organized a

fund for the relief of the distressed people of Ireland suffering from the effects of the famine of 1847.’”5 So, should we really be celebrating what led to an Irish famine and the genocide of Native Americans? Well, as Tommy J said, Thanksgiving is “The most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard.”6 But that doesn’t stop us from taking a day to say thanks and enjoy some good food and company, or whatever all y’alls crazy traditions are.

1 O’brien, Michael J. “Chapter of Irish Charity in Thanksgiving History.” The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society. vol. 18, 1919, pp 164.

2 http://www.coolest-holiday-parties.com/thanksgivingfacts.html 3 http://tinyurl.com/hc7dphw 4 ibid.

5 O’brien, Michael J. “Chapter of Irish Charity in Thanksgiving History.” The Journal of the American-Irish Historical Society. vol. 18, 1919, pp 164.

6 http://www.coolest-holiday-parties.com/thanksgivingfacts.html

MARILYNNE ROBINSON/DEVO PERSPECTIVE

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MARILYNNE ROBINSON: THEMES OF UNIVERSALITY Brandon pierce Contributing Writer

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he week after Sylvie arrived, Fingerbone had three days of brilliant sunshine and four days of balmy rain,” began Dr. Marilynne Robinson Saturday evening in the University Church sanctuary. Reading the fourth chapter from her first book “Homecoming” to a group of students, faculty, and guests rapt with attention, Robinson sat alone on the dais, her long white hair reflecting the light of the spotlight and creating an image both surreal and matronly. In case you had the misfortune of missing the various announcements, posters, and emails over the course of the previous academic quarter, Walla Walla University recently played host to nationally recognized, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award winning novelist, essayist, moral thinker, and all-round inspiration, Dr. Marilynne Robinson. The latest in a long line of Distinguished Guest Scholars, Dr. Robinson gave a series of readings and discussions over the weekend that were as informative as they were challenging.

In the Saturday morning discussion, she revealed the application process to the prestigious University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop where, though retired, she remains as Professor Emerita. During the application process, applicants are judged solely on the value of their work, their writing. While this may seem an obvious

way to gauge the potential of prospective writers, the application of objectivity is something not only central to Dr. Robinson’s work as academic faculty and scholar, but also to her work as writer.

The themes evident throughout her novels are themes familiar and accessible to a wide range of people. Themes such as family, race, faith, and loneliness are themes discussed, argued, and debated the world over. The universality of themes inherent in Dr. Robinson’s work is precisely what makes her work worthy of the pomp and circumstance WWU doled out in her honor.

Dr. Bob Cushman introduced Dr. Robinson Saturday evening as someone who best exemplifies our university’s Core Themes: Excellence in Thought, Generosity in Service, Beauty in Expressions, and Faith in God. The underpinning connection between these universal themes in Dr. Robinson’s work, however, is the objective nature in which she approaches them. The warts of family are not hidden by any fireside fuzzy feelies, nor are the reasons to celebrate diversity of race overshadowed by the dark undertone of race relations in the American Midwest. These themes are laid bare and taken for what they are: vessels and avenues for human interaction. The human is core to Dr. Robinson’s writing, whether they are oppressing or being oppressed, loved or hated. Each human is objectively taken as an individual—they are not weighed, not measured, not found wanting—but simply described. Readers are left to make their own judgements, assumptions, and presuppositions regarding the motives, values, and decisions regarding

WINNING Christina Moran Devotional Writer

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uring my elementary years, I participated in a “mini-Olympics.” I was known to be one of the fastest girl runners of my grade and so my friends convinced me to take up the 180-yard dash in the upcoming “Olympics.” I eagerly signed up to compete in the race against three other girls from neighboring elementary schools.

Eventually, the day came. My three opponents and I lined up at the starting point.

As soon as the pistol shot, we were off. In

seconds I was sprinting side-by-side next to one of my opponents and we were both in the lead. Two other girls trailed behind us. As my momentum sped up, the girl right next to me and I collided; she lost her balance and fell to her knees. I quickly recovered and was about to continue on with the race, but something held me back. I glanced at the girl I collided with as she was there fallen to her knees. The gap between us and the two other girls who ran in the dash was narrowing—I could have continued with the race and earned my school a golden medal, but something gravitated me to help the fallen racer. I decided to serve others before serving myself. I turned around. The other two girls ran past us, but I couldn’t have cared less. I helped the fallen racer to her feet

her characters. Readers are not, however, led to make a judgement on the worth of those characters, protagonist or antagonist. Every character has their discrete vices, virtues, and idiosyncrasies; however, their worth as individuals, as human beings, is never called into question.

In his sermon on the LGBTQ community last Sabbath, Pastor Alex Bryan discussed the themes of loneliness and fear as part of the University Church’s “Ask Anything” series. Pastor Alex began his sermon by altering the weekly question from “What does the Bible teach about how we should relate to the LGBTQ community as a church?” to “What does the Bible teach about how we should treat people?” This alteration shifted the perspective from one of subjectivity to objectivity and by doing so, Pastor Alex refused to determine the worth of a human on subjective terms. “This is not a subject, nor a topic, it is about people,” continued Bryan. This shifted the focus of he sermon from a subjective view of humans according to their sexual preference to an objective view of humans as being children not only of God but children to each and every other member of the human race. This shift not only also complimented the values found in the work of Dr. Robinson but also cemented the themes of our very university.

One’s worth as a human should not be called into question based on sexual preference, nor based on who they did or did not vote for, nor according to any other measure. Humans contain inherent worth simply through their existence.

While our world is becoming increasingly more familiar with themes of loneliness, fear, and indifference, I believe

that these themes are neither beneficial nor unavoidable. As universal as these themes are—as is the need to discuss them—I would argue that there is only one theme with which we must concern ourselves as humans, and that is the theme of human communication. In response to a question asked during her final Q-and-A section, Dr. Robinson spoke towards what it means to communicate arguing that communication is less verbal than we imagine. A look, a touch, a smile can all convey just as much meaning or information as a feature article in the school newspaper. She said she has met a wide variety communication styles, from people who struggle with verbal communication to “people who will talk to me until I want to die.” The latter, she expressed, had a serious “lack of editing.” She also discussed the meaning of wandering since wandering is a recurring theme among her characters Finally, Dr. Robinson presented her central philosophy on humans and identity.

She is indebted to Shakespeare’s “King Lear” which introduced to her the idea of conceptual systems taking people into an essence. This she rejects fundamentally, stating, “People are not essentially socially created.” A doctor is not inherently better than a cobbler, despite who the doctor knows or what he has accomplished. “There are better strategies for knowing someone,” argues Robinson. People are often described by where they come from, what they do, or to which family they belong. This approach is “reductive” argued Robinson. A better way to understand someone is to “find where they are without [the] props of social impression.”

and checked that she was not hurt in any way.

She said thank you and that she was fine. With this said, we continued on with the race. Our friends cheered us all the way to the finish line.

Earning that golden medal would have been a nice memory, but this memory was even better. I learned that it was better to place the needs of another in front of my own.

I was not in search for a formal recognition of this small act of kindness or for a boost of a good reputation. Honestly, in doing this I surprised even myself. I knew it was God pulling me to help the girl. By helping her, I was helping others to see that being a part of any competition is not all about winning. We are to serve one another first and to keep in mind that “what touches us ourself [should] be last served.”1

And what’s awesome is that God was still able to have me earn my school a bronze medal for the 100-yard dash and another medal for long jump. But that’s beside the point!

Ultimately, I was able to display the true heart of a winner in serving others before serving myself. In helping the girl that fell, I was an example to my classmates, proving that winning is not the main goal of life. Yes, it is a bonus, but it should not be our main focus. Through this experience, I have realized the importance of “[ministering] to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 2 1 Shakespeare, William. Julius Caesar. New York: Oxford School Shakespeare, 1998. Print.

2 1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV)

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PERSPECTIVE RELIGION/ACA

SNAPSHOT OF GRACE VIXIE BAILEY Religion Writer

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tingrays feel like tofu. Not normal tofu.

The weird stuff that comes in the box that makes it “non-perishable.” Mori-Nu. That stuff. I know this because I had the opportunity to swim with them off the coast of Belize, Central America. The Belize Barrier Reef is one of the largest in the world, and the snorkeling is fantastic.1 It was a humbling experience to jump into an ocean filled with stingrays and small sharks,2 creatures that had the power to take my life if they so chose. Reaching out and feeling the skin, the strength of such magnificent animals is something that I hope to never forget.

Now, I said that stingrays feel like tofu.

That is mostly because nothing else I have ever touched comes close to the feeling of running your hand down the silky wing-like flippers of a creature easily twice your size.

There aren’t words in the English language to describe it, or if there are, I don’t know them.

A walk with Jesus is like touching a stingray: I can try to describe to you what it means to walk with Jesus, but there aren’t words enough to describe the joy, peace, and happiness that comes from being connected to Jesus. There is nothing that I could say to make you understand who Jesus is to me.

Part of this is because I could spend my lifetime seeking the truth of Jesus, trying to understand the mysteries of redemption, and I still would fall short of explaining the full extent of what Jesus has done for us.

Paul understood this when he wrote, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”3 We only have an incomplete, imperfect picture of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. Until we reach heaven, we can only compare God to earthly things because that is all we understand; but just like you can’t go out and buy a package of Mori-Nu, open it, touch it, and know exactly what it’s like to touch a stingray, you can’t compare God to temporary things and know what He is truly like. It doesn’t work.

Now we have Bible stories, ways that He has worked in our lives, these snapshots of Grace, but the day will come when we see Him face to face. That will be so much better than touching a stingray.

“God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.

They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.”4 1 Life advice: If given the opportunity to go to Belize,

take it. You won’t regret it.

2 I say small, but the smallest one was over six feet long.

It’s small compared to other sharks. Compared to 5 foot 4 inch me, it was terrifying.

3 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV) 4 Revelation 21:3 (NIV)

ALL EYES ON THE UNITED STATES ANDREA LILLY Contributing Writer

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n Tuesday, Nov 8, in a little coffee shop, the ACA students at Universidad Adventista del Plata gathered together surrounding a little computer screen to watch who would become the next president of the United States of America. By 10:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. Pacific time), the ACA students said their goodbyes as curfew arrived. They left not wanting to wake up and find out who would be president for the next four years.

The morning after, all of the ACA students were quiet. No one wanted to talk about the elections. No one was cheering. As we looked on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, strong opinions were stated by each party, making it difficult for us to even go on social media. We are still watching Americans hate one another over social media, we hear about the picket signs being held that say “Make America White Again,” we watch clips of riots in the streets, and we read articles about “How to Become a Canadian Citizen.”

We, the ACA students, are watching our friends, our loved ones, and our classmates hating one another because he or she voted for the wrong person.

While walking on campus, UAP students ask the ACA students how we feel about

ANDREA LILLY

the election, and what can we say? My roommates asked me how I feel about it, and they assumed because Trump makes racist statements that the rest of America is racist as well. What do I tell them? That yes, there are some who are racist but not all of America is? How do I tell them why people voted for Trump? How do I tell them that Hillary was not trusted by many, as my roommates do not know about Hillary? How do I tell them that all will be fine in the States, when they too see the

same things on social media because they are friends with Americans? How can I be proud to be an American as all of this hatred towards one another is happening? What will it be like once I have to come back to the Land of the Free? Will I see riots in the streets? Confederate flags flying through the air? Will I notice my dark-skinned boyfriend feeling uncomfortable when we visit my Republican hometown?

Trump’s face appears on televisions throughout news broadcasts, each article in Argentina’s national newspaper is about the election, and group chats from Argentinean students use memes of the face of our soonto-be president. We hear the opinions of

ANDREA LILLY

ANDREA LILLY

different countries, not only about Trump, but about the United States as well. Our nation is a joke to the world right now, and students abroad are watching it from afar. Currently, ACA students turn off their phones, trying to enjoy the time in a different country. In the back of our minds, we hope no one from our host school will ask us what we think, let alone look at us differently because of what is currently happening. Right now, the world is watching us.

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Creative Writing/Collegian Wisdom LIFE

COZY READS mac ford Creative Writing Editor 1. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows I read this one night on a backpacking trip by flashlight, and it’s still one of my favorite memories (and books). Everything about the story is flawless—the spunky main character, the epistolary format (which I wasn’t sure I’d like but ended up adoring), the unforgettable supporting characters, the setting, the charm, wit, humor, devastating stories of loss, heartwrenching memories… I loved it. And here’s what Elizabeth Gilbert (of “Eat, Pray, Love” fame) said about the book: “Please—treat yourself to this book. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”

2. “Attachments” by Rainbow Rowell I’ve re-read the ending of this book so many times. It’s one of my top favorite books to recommend—the ultimate feel-good, quirkyromantic novel from the point of view of Lincoln, a nerdy, lovable guy who still lives with his mom. (Trust me, it gets better from there) It’s kind of hard to describe the plot without accidentally making it sound a little stalkerish, though, so just go read the synopsis on Goodreads and thank me later.

3. “Blankets” by Craig Thompson This graphic novel tells the story of the author’s experiences with first love, family, sexuality, and faith. The illustrations are whimsical and youthful, as well as thoughtful. Thompson’s honesty and commitment to exploring both innocence and disfunction makes for a sweet, compelling story. It might be 592 pages, but I promise they’ll fly by.

4. “milk and honey” by Rupi Kaur When I flipped through milk and honey in a bookstore, I expected perfection. The hype around this collection is enormous. So I skimmed a few poems and was disappointed to find each one plain and cliche. The line breaks felt cheesy. The language was overly simple. But later, I got it from the library anyway, and one morning I read it alone in my apartment, wrapped up in a blanket and drinking coffee. I got chills. I cried. I actually said “ooh” out loud at five different places.

I think that before, what I saw as oversimplification was actually clarity. The language is so heartbreakingly basic— anyone’s story can fit in these lines. I confused overexposure for cliche. There’s a reason these lines are all over the teenage side of the Internet. Where else are girls told that their body is their own? That body hair is okay and that sweetness and bitterness are both manageable and essential?

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GOODREADS

GOODREADS 4.

3.

GOODREADS

GOODREADS

This book is not meant to be skimmed. Read it all at once, straight through. Write down the lines that you feel like a punch to the gut or a hand on your cheek. Don’t go into it expecting trite Tumblr poetry like I did. Or actually, feel free to do that, because Rupi Kaur will probably just blow your mind anyway.

THE SOCIAL POWER OF FOOD Mason Neil Food Writer

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wo weeks ago my friend and I were walking around the Oceti Sakowin camp near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, trying to stay warm in the below-freezing temperatures. As we passed a tent close to where we had set up camp, a friendly young man invited us over to enjoy a bowl of bison stew with him and his friends. We were both thrilled to try a new cuisine, and the friendly host made it a hard offer to refuse. For the rest of the evening we huddled around a campfire, sipped our soup, and exchanged stories with our hosts.

The camp we were at was a unique social situation in that it brought together a large and diverse group of people under rather negative circumstances. This wasn’t a vacation—temperatures were not favorable, days were filled with work and training, and we were all there to speak out against the injustice and indifferent attitudes of both the local and federal government towards the Native American people. Yet when mealtimes rolled around the stresses of the situation seemed to fade. People were eager to share their food with each other and we never spent a meal alone.

Food has an intense social power, and a strong potential to provide a platform for peaceful fellowship. I find it deeply rewarding to cook a good meal and then share it

with the people I love, and I can think of no other activity that brings people together in a moment of unison and community without involving religious or political ideology. As our country experiences intense division and unrest, we can find solace at the dinner table, a place where opinions are left behind and we may instead focus on the food and company we are sharing.

This Thanksgiving I’m looking forward to many great meals where differences and decisiveness are forgotten and we can indulge in one of the greatest joys of life: good food.

MASON NEIL

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LIFE FASHION/CULTURE

LOOKS ON CAMPUS: AMANDA Angelica chan Fashion Writer

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elcome to Looks on Campus, where we explore Walla Walla students’ unique style and fashion choices. Today, we have Amanda Marx, a sophomore mechanical engineering major. I asked to interview Amanda because she has such bold, unique style that just screams “confidence” when I see her.

What do you do for fun—do you have any unique hobbies or interests?

I like playing guitar, writing poetry, and listening to 80s music.

Who or what inspires your style?

I just kind of wear whatever I feel like wearing that day, kind of based on my emotions in the morning.

How would you describe your sense of style?

I don’t like style to be contained by one style.

Just like I enjoy all different genres of music, I like all different kinds of styles.

What are your favorite trends right now?

I really like that a lot of retro trends are coming back. I’ve noticed that a lot of leather and overalls are coming back, and I really like that. I actually have a pair of leather overalls. I almost wore those.

If you could raid anyone’s closet, who would it be and why?

Probably Macklemore’s closet because I love all of his fur and vintage-y blazers and things like that. He’s always been someone I looked up to in terms of style, or at least I really wanted his coats.

Where are the items in your outfit from?

This is a Glamour Kills jacket from Zumiez, the dress is from a boutique near where I live called The Ruddy Duck, and the shoes I think are from a second-hand store.

Why did you choose this particular outfit? (influenced by the weather, schedule, etc.)

I really like dressing up, so I wore a dress and heels, but I also like being a little bit edgy, so that’s why I wore the leather jacket.

Edgy and dresses and heels are some of my

favorite things, so I like combining them in my outfits. And the dress has these really cool laces on the sides.

makes you feel better about yourself, and makes you feel more productive, at least for me.

Where do you like to shop?

I really like thrift shopping. I like Crossroads and Buffalo Exchange in Portland. I love Goodwill—I’ve recently gotten a couple sweaters from there. As far as mall shopping, I really like the stuff from Vans. I really just like picking different pieces from all different types of stores. Sometimes I can find something like a really cheap pair of overalls with an out-there style at Forever 21.

Don’t stress about what you’re wearing. Wear what you’re comfortable in and what’s fun for you. Fashion is all about having fun.

What fashion advice would you give to other students looking to improve their style?

Try not to get pinned down by just one style because I think it really just forces who you are into a box. Don’t be afraid to try out different styles and wear different things on a weekly basis. It’s really easy to wear comfortable clothing, especially in college, but I’d really encourage people to at least try to dress up at least once a week. It really

ANGELICA CHAN

ARE YOU AWARE

OF YOUR THOUGHTS? Darling su Culture Writer

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ast week felt strange to me. I am not sure whether it was because this whole getting dark at 5 p.m. thing was affecting my productivity in a negative way, whether I am entering this “end of quarter crisis” where five hours of sleep seems to become normal, or because since the elections I am seeing so much frustration and confusion from people surrounding me. I think all of these factors affected the way I felt in some ways. In regards to the elections, no matter what the outcomes are, now more than ever it’s time to practice compassion, tolerance, and love for each other. But especially last week, I noticed myself using negative language towards the people around me.

Coincidentally, I stumbled upon an article called “Words Can Change Your Brain” and

thought it would be good idea to share some of the core ideas.

This article is a review of the book, “Words Can Change Your Brain” written

by Dr. Newberg a neuroscientist, and Mark Waldman, a communications expert. They claim that “a single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress.”1 This claim makes me wonder whether it also works the other way around. For example, sometimes you can feel so stressed out about everything you have to get done, you actually struggle with getting it done because you are paralyzed by how long your to-do list has become, you continue to procrastinate and then it gets even worse: the to-do list becomes longer. This only results in more stress and negative thoughts like “I won’t be able to pass” or “I can’t finish all these assignments on time, so might as well not

PIXABAY

try”. Very relatable, but also upsetting.

So how does choosing the “right” words help our brain? Newberg and Waldman explain: “By holding a positive and optimistic thought in your mind, you stimulate frontal lobe activity. [...] And as our research has shown, the longer you concentrate on positive words, the more you begin to affect other areas of the brain. Functions in the parietal lobe start to change, which changes your perception of yourself and the people you interact with. A positive view of yourself will bias you toward seeing the good in others, whereas a negative self-image will incline you toward suspicion and doubt.”2 Additionally, in a study conducted

by Positive Psychology contributed to this

claim. For three months, a group of adults were asked to write down three things that went well everyday, including an explanation of why. Results of this study showed participants’ degrees of happiness continued to rise. The main verse I can relate to when negative thoughts take over my mind is Proverbs 12:18: "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”3 Remember that focusing on positive ideas and thoughts not only makes you feel better but also increases functionality of our brain. Whether you are aware of it or not, words are powerful, and your thoughts create your reality.

1 Borchard, Therese. “Words Can Change Your Brain.” http://www.psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/11/30/ words-can-change-your-brain 2 Newberg, Andrew; Waldman, Mark. Words Can Change Your Brain.

3 Proverbs 12:18 (NIV)

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SCIENCE/HUMOR LIFE

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TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND HOMELESSNESS jordan brooks Science Writer

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n a conversation, Jim notices that Ann is reserved, terse, and aloof. Understandably, Jim registers the conversation as unpleasant and labels Ann as cold and unkind. After the conversation, Jim discovers that Ann has recently experienced the loss of her child. With this information, the frame of reference through which Jim was interacting with Ann was changed. No longer was Ann seen as cold and unkind, but rather grieving and perhaps in need of some healthy distance and compassion.

Knowledge has the unique and powerful ability to tweak perception. As science has shifted from paradigm to paradigm over human history, the way we experience the world around us has also changed. Sometimes knowledge dramatically alters how the collective humanity exists, such as through Newton’s law of gravity, but sometimes knowledge can whisper change into the world. Personally, I experienced this slight change in thought after reading

about a recent study conducted on homeless individuals.

Homelessness makes people uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the U.S. has not developed the best attitude or systems through which homeless people can be assisted. On an individual level, this seems to prompt uncertainty. For example, here is a list of questions I have heard posited about our homeless demographic: How will my dollar help them in the long run? Did they make a series of poor decisions that led them to become homeless? Why are they begging instead of working for an income?

If I give them money, how will this help to address the problem of begging? What will they purchase with the money I gave them?

The list goes on. Suffice it to say, there is a discomfort in the conversations we have with and about the homeless. Sadly, in our individualistic society, it is all too easy to place the blame of this discomfort onto them.

In 2008, Dr. Stephen Wang and his associates analyzed the relationship and traumatic brain injury (TBI) among the

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homeless.1 Wang surveyed 601 men and 303 women at homeless shelters and meal programs in Toronto, Canada. The survey assessed mental health, alcohol and drug problems, physical and mental health, and TBI. For the case of this study, TBI was defined as self-reported brain injury that left the person confused, dazed, disoriented, or unconscious, and injuries in which unconsciousness lasted longer than 30 minutes were categorized as moderate-tosevere TBI.1 Wang found that 53 percent of those surveyed had experienced a TBI during their lifetime, and 12 percent and experienced moderate-to-severe brain injury. For 70 percent of these respondents, the brain injury had taken place prior to them becoming homeless. Wang also found that a history of moderate-to-severe brain injury significantly increased chances of frequent seizures, mental health problems, drug problems, and poor physical health.1 The understanding that TBI is prevalent among homeless people prior to their homelessness and that moderate-to-

severe trauma is likely to lead to a plethora of health problems is not necessarily unexpected, but it is knowledge that tweaks the way homeless people are thought about and the frame of reference through which they are approached. While this is not a perfect study that claims to reveal the source of the “homelessness problem,” it does shed light on one contributing factor.

With this knowledge, we as a society can work to create a more generous and understanding approach to help those who are homeless. More importantly, it instills an evidence-based foundation through which we can glimpse at what goes into becoming homeless and reminds us of the hubris of assuming someone’s backstory.

The generosity this study enables—both philosophically and fiscally—is beautiful.

1 Hwang, Stephen, et al. The effect of traumatic brain injury on the health of homeless people. Canadian Medical Association Journal. Oct. 7, 2008. Vol. 179. No. 8 doi: 10.1503/cmaj.080341

HOW TO FIND HUMOR

IN A WORLD FULL OF BAD THINGS micah hall Humor Writer

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his year has been terrible. Everyone agrees. Alan Rickman died. Prince died. Jeb Bush suffered a fate worse than death. Some people might have a hard time laughing when they see all the terrible things happening in the world, but there are always little glimmers of hope that can bring us back to happiness.

In this article, I want to bring some hope into your heart by reminding us that terrible things happened long before 2016 and they will continue happening for a long time afterwards. Compared to the rest of time, this is actually a pretty good year.

1607

Jamestown was founded. Most of the people who arrived at Jamestown died. Evidence suggests they ate their dead for sustenance. Also, women were occasionally accused of witchcraft and killed.1

1861

The Civil War began. Many people died. Also, everyone thought racism was correct and a good idea.

1942

America put all Japanese-Americans into internment camps. Also, people still thought racism was a good idea.

2001

Bad year. 9/11 happened.

2004

We discovered that the Catholic church was moving priests who sexually abused children to countries in Latin America so that they would not negatively impact the church’s public image. This might still be happening now. Also, America still tortured people all the time.

Once you look at the past, it becomes obvious that 2016 is a pretty good year.

Our president-elect may have claimed to have sexually assaulted women, but many good things happened too. There is a Harry Potter prequel film coming out on Friday.

Small dogs are still alive and they still do cute things. My mom bought me a rug. Sure, some bad things happened this year, but that doesn’t mean we should forget all of the wonderful things that are happening all around us.

Since magic is not real, most scholars believe these accusations were unfounded.

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KANYE WEST CONTEXT

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SUREFIRE* WAYS TO AVOID ARGUING WITH YOUR FAMILY

*I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY TRIED THESE OUT YET, BUT HERE'S HOPING lauren wahlen Backpage Writer

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f you were alive and not in a coma or something, you’ve probs instigated, participated in, or at least observed more than a few arguments going down recently.

Now, if you did happen to be in a coma these last couple of weeks, congrats on waking up and let me fill you in: Trump is gonna be our next president and people are going crayzay. Maybe I’m just ultra-sensitive because someone called me a brainwashed heathen a couple days ago, but it kinda feels like certain people will get mad and pick a fight no matter what you say...which is not super fun if you love to talk (me), but hate arguing (me, unless it’s with myself every single morning, as 5 percent of my brain tries to convince the other 95 percent to stay in bed just a little...or lot...longer). Point being, I’m more than a little stressed at the idea of going home for Thanksgiving. Don’t

get me wrong, I love my family. It’s just that we seem to have a tendency to argue over the. smallest. things. I used to think maybe it was just my fam bam1 that had this prob but nooo; I’ve def done my fair share of awkwardly shimmying out of a room in slow-mo as two people I just met start fighting over... idk...why the wrong type of jam was bought again? Since families seem to be professional arguers,2 I'm very much dreading the inevitable moment that one of my well-meaning uncles brings up this election. So I've been brainstorming some potential ways to avoid arguing3 with relatives this Thanksgiving which I’ll list below, because whether you're a die-hard republican or a flaming liberal, arguing means talking, and talking means less eating...unless you don't have manners in which case knock yourself out, ya slob.

Switch the topic: If your grandpa starts saying things like, “You only wanted Bernie to be president because you're taking all those social work classes that fill your head with nonsense”, just ask him who his worst boss ever was. Every grandpa loves telling stories,

and they'll be so excited to rant that they'll leave Bernie alone for a while.

Pretend they’re being sarcastic: Maybe your aunt starts indicating that the end times are upon us now that Trump’s gunna be in charge. If you voted for him I could see how that could be super annoying to hear. So rather than saying a rude comment to the lady who spent all day cooking your mashed potatoes, just pretend she's kidding. Classic Aunt Linda. What a jokester.

Wear earplugs: You should avoid this if your hair is too short to cover your ears...unless you don't mind being that person. Just make sure to take ‘em out if your dad makes a speech at the beginning of dinner, because if everyone's going around saying their favorite Thanksgiving food and you think they're saying what they're thankful for and you say your cat, that could go from zero to awkward real fast.

Don’t talk: Play the silent game with yourself ! How fun! I'm the worst at that game

tho, so instead I'll just stuff my face with food. Or pretend that my jaw got wired shut.

Or, if you're super desperate, actually wire your jaw shut. Desperate times, man.

Kids’ table: I’m 23 and I still somehow always end up at the kids’ table. Every family has one, the good ol’ fold-up card table they cover with a fall-themed tablecloth to help soften the blow that you’re surrounded by 10-year-olds. But it has its advantages.

You feel so responsible eating your vegetables without complaining, you can spill and blame it on sloppy Jacob, and the most heated argument will probably be whether “Tangled” or “Frozen” is the best Disney movie ever.4 Who came up with this phrase? I find myself saying it quite a bit, but I just now realized I have no clue what the “bam” part means? But whateva. It’s kinda fun to say.

2 Idk if this is a legit word, but there's no squiggly red line under it so Ima use it.

3 I’m all for voicing your opinions. I think it's really important. I'm just not down to engage in a fight right now.

4 Also, if you're wondering, “Tangled” is better but they both pale in comparison to “The Emperor's New Groove.”

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VERBATIM “Move your weight from buttcheek to buttcheek.”

-Professor Kraig Scott "You have to make them similar so that you're comparing apples to apples and not apples to swimming pools."

-Professor Kellie Bond “Buell-topia!! That would be a real name.”

-Professor Mony Buell, suggesting a better name for the United States.

''“Come to me, I give you free understanding.”

-Professor Qin Ma “You know why elderly people read their Bibles more?

Cause they’re cramming for their finals.”

-Professor Bruce Toews “This tastes like Cheerios water.”

-Professor Albert Diaz

As always, lemme know if you hear a faculty/staff member say anything supes weird/interesting/hilarious.

I had a ton of quotes piling up, so there wasn’t room for all y’alls confessions this week...but keep em coming!

We’ll pick it up after break. Mon email est lauren.wahlen@wallawalla.edu.

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