Issue 13 final by The Collegian

Ne w s p a p e r o f Wa l l a Wa l l a U n i v e r s i t y

Collegian The

Volume 102 | Issue 13

The Mother of Rock and Roll pg. 3

“Well, it’s Groundhog Day...again...” - Phil Connors (“Groundhog Day”)

February 1, 2018

GO GREEK?

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A GLIMPSE INTO THE FALL RUSH SEASON OF WHITMAN COLLEGE

Last Things First college place, wa | walla walla university

| February 2018 Issue 13

A Little Fruit Basket Upset By Meghann Heinrich Every so often I hear a word or phrase that resonates with me, and whenever this happens, I do all I can to work it into my everyday vernacular. Generally, this process involves overusing the phrase until it is lodged in my mind. Once it is rooted in my word bank (aka my brain), I can organically slip it into conversation—as a rule, folks are really quite impressed with how “Now we’re cookin’ with a greasy spoon” makes frequent and unsolicited appearances in our conversations. There are few things more satisfying than coining a phrase, or commandeering a phrase, for that matter. The real gratification comes when your friends accidentally use your phraseology against their will. My past successes

Hey Thanks! “Thank you little empty fuel light in my car or pushing me to see how far I can go. #livingonaprayer” “Thank you aerobic rhythm class for luring me in by sounding like jazzercise and then not incorporating any jazz. Real classy.” “Thank you $5 Tuesdays for making the choice between finishing my paper and going to see ‘The Greatest Showman’ for a third time really easy.”

include “That’s coconuts,” originated by Phil Dunphy on “Modern Family,” and “Shut it down,” first heard from my hero and yours, Jessica Day of “New Girl.” They may have said these phrases first, but I say them most, and that’s what counts. Today I’d like to share with you a few more expressions to spice up your vocabulary. “A little fruit basket upset.” Let’s say your dorm room is adjacent to the laundry room, and at 11:00 p.m. someone decides to machine-wash their tennis shoes. That would make you “a little fruit basket upset.” Or, maybe it’s only week four, and you’ve already run out of money on your Atlas card—another prime little-fruit-basket-upset moment. It could be as simple as stepping in gum and saying, “Okay, so now I’m a

little fruit basket upset.” “Shoot, I say we cook that right up.” This one is really a universal maxim. In my experience, there is no wrong time to use this phrase. For example: your roommate pulls an unidentifiable substance out of your fridge and pointedly asks you what it is, implying you are somehow at fault. You shrug and say, “Shoot, I say we cook that right up!” “Well, soak me in brine and call me a pickle.” If I were you, I’d hold this one in reserve. Don’t make the mistake of overusing it, or it will lose its sparkle. An ideal time to use this phrase is when you’ve been taking a cursory glance at FarmersOnly.com (city folks just don’t get it), and you hear that another one of your friends got engaged.

Obviously, you need to act surprised and ecstatic, while also ending the conversation gently so that you can get back to carving your DIY carrot flute, so you just say, “Well, soak me in brine and call me a pickle.” “I’m busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.” A true classic. As timeless as the sunset, this phrase needs no explanation. Use it to get out of taking on more responsibility than you can handle. I’m looking at you, group projects.

contact me. I can’t promise you I’ll be able to help you, but I’ve been in the phrase-coining business a long time, and I know what it takes to make it in this business. 1 If this sentence doesn’t make sense to you, I suggest you look up the instagram account “Jerry of the Day” and educate yourself in full send terminology.

“Go, ski cat, go.” This lesser-known equivalent to “full send” can be used in all sendy situations. Just be sure you get the footy for the boys.1 If you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to

Verbatim “Take the flow of a hippy and go with it.” - Professor Brent Bergherm “And I’m heading to the moon now to mine green cheese to feed it to my unicorn.” - Professor Terry Gottschall, after mentioning President Obama was Muslim and was born in Kenya “I know a lot of dumb people. I bet they’re all right-handed.” - Professor Don Riley, while trying to figure out whether left- or right-handed people are smarter “The world is lazy.” - Professor Melodie Selby “...females have to deactivate one of their X-chromosomes because having two that work is too much...too much female.” - Professor David Lindsey

Email your faculty verbatim or thank yous to meghann.heinrich@wallawalla.edu to be featured!

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February 2018 Issue 13 | walla walla university | college place, wa

Editor-in-Chief Daniella Silva

Twitter

Assistant Editor Kate Beckner

@aswwucollegian

Instagram @aswwucollegian Facebook

@aswwucollegian

Creative Director Kyra GreyEyes

Copy Editors Geoffrey Lopes Karli Hart Jocelyn Griffin

Life Editor Angelica Chan

Office Manager Victoria Ico

Backpage Editor Meghann Heinrich

Distributer Sydney Peck Beau Gerber

Head Copy Editor Brielle Tym Cover | Sophie Bailey

Writers

Layout Design Sophie Bailey Ashley Henry-Saturne

Advertising Manager Amanda Maizar

Feature Michael Jensen Jake Sloop Opinion Parker Bailey Savanna Pardo Food & Culture Daphne Novak Hannah Thiel Media & Tech Matt Fennell Outdoor Niqolas Ruud Science Forrest Sheperd History Zachary White Religion Peter Flores The opinions of our writers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Collegian or Walla Walla University.

EDITOR’S NOTE

WWU’S RECYCLING EFFORTS

Daniella Silva

A specific compactor truck is set up and used for recycling all of the separated clean cardboard from all of campus and hauled to a local recycle depot.

Dear Reader, Tomorrow is Groundhog Day. This fact has nothing to do with the feature topic for this week. This week, our feature is all about the potential benefits Greek life could provide on Walla Walla University’s campus. It’s easy to hear the term “Greek life” and immediately think of frat houses, risky initiations, wild parties and free-flowing alcohol. All these connotations would, at first glance, immediately disqualify Greek life from WWU’s dry campus. However, before we let ourselves be carried away by our knee-jerk Adventist sensibilities, a fair examination of Greek culture also reveals certain benefits. Is it possible that the social and mental benefits of belonging to a group of like-minded individuals sworn to support you at one of the most vulnerable times of your life can be replicated on WWU’s campus? We asked you and other readers a similar question in last week’s opinion poll. The poll results can be found at the bottom of page 8. Today, Feb. 1, also marks the beginning of Black History Month! For the next few weeks, our history

column writer, Zachary White, will be writing a series of biographies on African-Americans who helped shape U.S. history. This week, you can read his bio on Sister Rosetta Tharpe on page 3. Finally, some of you may remember the feature we did on recycling, or lack thereof, at WWU. Unfortunately, the information we published was not completely accurate and was unintentionally misleading. According to a response email we received from George Bennett, Executive Director of Physical Plant Operations, the university does have a recycling program and a Sustainability Committee to plan ongoing “projects and energy savings materials and processes.” However, the scope of the program is limited because unsorted or dirty recyclable materials are collected as trash (including dirty pizza boxes). Several years ago, ASWWU had also created a special department in charge of sorting and transporting recyclables to the depot; this project has since been discontinued.

questions we plan to investigate are: Why don’t students know about the current recycling program? What could be done to increase student awareness and involvement in campus recycling? How expensive is recycling in Walla Walla/College Place? and Are the blue recycle bins around campus actually collected as part of the current campus recycling program? For now, we have included the list of all of Walla Walla’s recycling initiatives below. As usual, if you have any questions, comments or article submissions you can send me an email at aswwu. collegian@wallawalla.edu. Stay snazzy, and have a fantastic end to your week! Daniella Silva

Separated clean paper is returned to Facilities and held for transport when we have a load. All metal is from Facilities and other departments is collected in a dedicated shipping container and contracted for pick up with Stubblefield Recycling. All light bulbs are collected, and we pay to send them to recycle out of town. All light ballasts are collected and recycled. All electronics (monitors, computers, printers etc.) are boxed in big pallet totes and sent to outside recycle entities at a cost. All motor oils and other chemicals are recycled and managed by Risk and Safety at a cost. All leaves and lawn clippings are composted on site and used as topsoil as needed. All tree limbs, wood and brush are collected and periodically shredded for use in the compost.

In light of this new information, The Collegian plans to write a follow-up article in the next several weeks. Some

All tires are taken to recycle at a cost of $2 each.

LIFESTYLE TIPS FOR HEADING INTO MIDTERMS

Healthy Habits By Angelica Chan Now that we’re here in the middle of the quarter, you might have settled into something like a routine. You probably don’t have to look at your schedule to figure out what your next class is or to see when you have free time. However, as you go through your week, you may start to realize that you have inadvertently left some things out of your new routine. It’s hard to find time for homework, sleep and social time when you have a busy schedule, but I recommend trying to integrate them at least every once in awhile. Here are some things you can incorporate into your routine that you might have forgotten: Exercise. You probably already know that exercise is super important and will help you focus and be happier! I know it’s hard to schedule in exercise when all you want to do is sleep in for a little longer, or your afternoon is booked. However, exercise is never going to be easy to schedule in, so you may as well start making time for it now. Try starting with 30 minutes. For some people that won’t be enough, but 30 is a good place to start. If you live

in Foreman or Conard, you don’t even need to go all the way to the WEC to work out—there’s a gym in the basement for you to use. Eat regularly. You may have read that millennials are allegedly killing breakfast (among many other things) by not eating it as much as previous generations.1 I think we probably skip breakfast probably because many of us would rather have a few extra minutes of sleep or aren’t super hungry in the morning. Someone’s probably already told you that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” so I’ll just leave it at that. If your class schedule is busy, you might not have much time to eat lunch, which makes skipping breakfast especially bad—so try to make sure you at least eat one or the other. I know many people don’t feel hungry for dinner until after the cafeteria closes, so they just go out instead. However, if you’re on a budget, try to remember to at least get some takeout so you have something to munch on later. It’s harder to concentrate on reading a textbook when your stomach is whining for attention.

Drink more water. As a college student, you probably wish coffee or tea could replace water. While most of us have felt the need for caffeine, water is the best thing for your body. You learned it’s important to drink water from third grade health class, so I won’t go into the science side too much, but you should drink about 8-10 cups of water every day.2 It’s kind of part of PNW culture to carry a Nalgene or Hydroflask to class with you, but make sure you’re actually drinking from it throughout the day! 1 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/ wp/2016/02/23/this-is-the-height-of-laziness/

CURRENT EXECUTIVE CANDIDATES PRESIDENT Jonathan Fitch Katie Folkenburg

EXECUTIVE VP Tyler Humphries Evelyn Ouro-Rodriguez

2 https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/ nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art20044256

SPIRITUAL VP Katie Wagner Lindsey Haffner Carla Blum-Johnston

Angelica Chan is a history, pre-med major.

COLLEGIAN WISDOM Coffee May Come With A Cancer Warning In California If we’ve learned anything from cigarettes, people will still buy coffee.

Inmates In New York State Prisons To Receive Free Tablet Computers

SENATE PASSED BILLS PL23 — Lauren Parfitt for Social Team PL24 — Ben Selby for Social Team PL25 — Alyssa Dorland for Social Team PL26 — Savanna Pardo for Social Team PL27 — Ellie Springer for Social Team

NEW BUSINESS GL4 — Large Project Modification FL13 — Journalism Convention Proposal

Be on the lookout for an email from your local senator containing more information. The minutes from this session will be made available next week.

Senate meets Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. in WEC 217

I’m starting to consider just living in prison for the rest of my life.

Nutritionist Claims Pizza Can Be A Healthier Breakfast Than Pizza Luckily it’s already part of my nutrition plan.

Florida Is The Worst State In The Nation In Every Way, New Rankings Say Alright then, no Disney World for anyone else.

Man Miraculously Saved After Depositing Himself In An ATM Afterwards, he was quite withdrawn despite compounded interest of public.

ASWWU JOBS Global Service — Marketing Officer

college place, wa, walla walla university

| February 2018 Issue 13

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HISTORY SISTER ROSETTA THARPE

The Woman Who Invented Rock And Roll By Zachary White If you ask someone to name the earliest pioneers of rock ’n’ roll, you will usually hear the names of 1950s legends like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis Presley. But if you were to ask Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Elvis Presley to do the same thing, they would point you further back in time to a guitar-slinging, black gospel singer who took off in the 1930s and 40s. Her name was Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and she was born in Cotton Plant, Arkan-

on her guitar—swaying, walking and stomping confidently, as if she could out-solo Jimi Hendrix in her sleep. On top of all of this, she is a black woman living in the first half of the American 20th century, a time when being white and male was outlandishly preferable. Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a true pioneer. In her career as a musician, she boldly broke down barriers between gospel music and popular music, between church hymns and secular hits, between black music charts and

of rock legends singing Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s praises. Elvis Presley was four years old when Tharpe released her first hit song “Rock Me” in 1938.5 The Jordanaires, who famously served as Presley’s favorite back-up vocal group, had been singing with Tharpe years before Presley could even play the guitar. “Elvis loved Sister Rosetta,” remembered Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires. “He liked her singing, but he liked that pickin’ first—because it was so different,” Stoker said, referring to Tharpe’s groundbreaking style of guitar riffing and distortion.6 On his “Theme Time Hour” radio show, folk singer Bob Dylan recalled, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. (YOUTUBE) “Sister Rosetta Tharpe was anything but ordinary and plain. She was a big, 7 http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-27256401 good-lookin woman, and divine, not to mention sublime and splendid. She was 8 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/ why-sister-rosetta-tharpe-belongs-in-the-rock-hall-ofa powerful force of nature. A guitar-plafame-w513981 yin’, singin’ evangelist.” Referring to her tour of Europe and the United Kingdom, Dylan said, “I’m sure there are a lot of young English guys who picked up electric guitars after getting a look at her.” Indeed, future icons like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards and Brian Jones drove miles to see her perform, and giants like Jimmy Page and Mick Jagger recall being inspired by seeing Sister Tharpe perform on television.7

the-black-woman-who-invente-1793846537 https://www.popmatters.com/sister-rosetta-tharpegot-rock-rolling-long-before-elvis-2495821302.html https://queensofnoisezine.wordpress.com/2011/08/17/ rock-n-roll-pioneer-sister-rosetta-tharpe/

“When you see Elvis Presley singing early in his career... imagine he is channeling Sister Rosetta Tharpe,” biographer and historian Gayle Wald said of the rock pioneer. “It’s not an image I think we’re used to thinking about when we think of rock & roll history– we don’t think about the black woman behind the young white man.” 8 Recommended listening (beware of serious shredding): A video of Sister Tharpe performing “That’s All”: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=l9bX5mzdihs

Sister Rosetta Tharpe. (JAMES KRIEGSMANN/MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES) sas, on March 20, 1915. As we begin Black History Month with a short discussion of the “Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll,” I highly recommend listening to the music of Sister Rosetta Tharpe in celebration. However, no audio track can inter the same level of awe that comes with watching a video of Tharpe performing (many are accessible online).1 The scene is surreal. She stands in high heels and full church attire with an electric guitar strapped around her shoulder. She sings with a passionate ring and shreds distorted blues riffs

white music charts.2 While Tharpe’s music was all the rave among both black and white audiences, Tharpe, like most black musicians in America in the 1940s, often had to sleep in buses and order food from the back of restaurants while on tour due to pervasive racial segregation in the U.S. during that period.3 While racism and sexism did indeed obscure Sister Tharpe’s legacy as a rock icon for decades, she was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, over 40 years after her death.4 It is not difficult to find examples

A video of Sister Tharpe performing an up-beat Rock and Roll rendition of the Negro spiritual “Down by the Riverside (Study War No More)”: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=4xzr_GBa8qk 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc_Hb7FYJZw 2 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/ why-sister-rosetta-tharpe-belongs-in-the-rock-hall-offame-w513981 3 https://www.npr.org/2017/08/24/544226085/ forebears-sister-rosetta-tharpe-the-godmother-ofrock-n-roll 4 https://www.out.com/entertainment/2017/12/13/ queer-rock-legend-sister-rosetta-tharpe-inductedrock-roll-hall-fame 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO4MNE31edM 6 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/ why-sister-rosetta-tharpe-belongs-in-the-rock-hall-offame-w513981

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, 1963. (PHIL GRIFFIN, URBIS) Additional reading: https://www.npr.org/2017/08/24/544226085/ forebears-sister-rosetta-tharpe-the-godmother-ofrock-n-roll https://splinternews.com/meet-sister-rosetta-tharpe-

Zachary White is a double history and sociology major.

RELIGION SAMARITANS AND JEWS

Uncommon Fellowship By Peter Flores Most of us have experienced an awkward encounter with a stranger. You know how it goes: you’re flying back home for break, and as you get through the super complicated security at the airport, you start to think about how you are most likely going to sit next to a stranger. It isn’t a big deal at first, so you try to occupy the time with random things, such as looking at that kids’ play place in PSC and wondering why anyone would even want to go in there. Then you the lady over the intercom saying something almost unintelligible, and you barely hear your destination and gate. You approach the gate ready to board and begin waiting in line. You look around, starting to notice the people at your gate. One family has a baby—not a good sign… for you. You look further and notice someone with a freshly-made burger just waiting to chow down. You see a college student from Whitman who looks like they could tell you just about everything about the political climate of San Marino. You see a few older-looking people who may have stopped by to visit their families. Then you see the guy. This guy looks intense. He looks intimidating. If you saw him walking down the “hello walk,” you’d probably run into the FAC and pretend to sign up for bassoon lessons. Seeing him get into line, you try to avoid making eye contact while, at the same time, you’re not able to stop glancing at him every chance you get. He’s wearing a flannel shirt underneath a leather jacket, he has tattoos covering what you can see of his hands and his hair and beard are longer than the receipt you get at the bookstore the first week of every quarter. The bottom line is you don’t want to be next to him. So, you quickly approach the gate and hurry to be near the front of the line. As you begin to enter the plane you see that your row 13 C and D, is empty, and one of the luggage compartments is open nearby. You place

your Patagucci bag into a compartment and sit down. Person after person passes you by as you sit waiting for your seatmate to arrive. The family with the baby sits at the very back, the Whitman student sits a few seats in front of you, and then you see the guy. He is walking right toward your seat. Everybody near him starts staring as soon as he passes by them. Even the flight attendants can’t stop staring. You see the guy looking at all the numbers above the seats, and noticeably, he pays attention to seats C and D. You start getting nervous and try not to make eye contact, hoping he’ll pass you by, but he stops right in front of your seat, takes a big breath and makes the most manly sneeze of all time. He then quickly wipes his nose with the handkerchief in his flannel shirt pocket and continues on to his seat. You stare in disbelief and fear as he stomps away from you, and as you regain your composure, you hear a small voice say, “I think that’s my seat.” A small middle-aged woman smiles down at you, and you get up to let her into seat 13 D. You sigh in relief as she sits down next to you, and just as you’re about to put your headphones in, this small seemingly-cute lady begins to unfold to you her life story about her five ex-husbands and the man she is currently living with. As far as I know, the story above never really happened, but it could. Anywhere and everywhere we go, there are people with different stories and backgrounds who may need a listening ear sometimes. For the most part, I tend to be of the headphone-wearing variety on planes. I don’t always like talking to strangers even though I am an extrovert, but, at the same time, I sometimes feel that I should. Jesus always made a point to talk to strangers, especially ones no one else would talk to. The account that stands out to me as being the most uncommon would be the story of Jesus talking to the woman at the well in John 4:1-42.

Illustration of Jesus talking with a Samaritan woman who comes to draw water from the well. (FREEBIBLEIMAGES.ORG) First of all, Jesus goes to Samaria, a land of ostracized half-Jew half-Gentiles, where no one in their right Jewish mind would ever go. He then sits by Jacob’s Well and asks someone for water—not just anyone, but a woman! We have to keep in mind the inferior status that ancient Jewish culture bestowed upon women. Jesus, without skipping a beat, asks this lady for some water. Now she’s flippin’ out because this interaction is all wrong on so many levels—something is different about this guy. It isn’t his long hair or beard but rather the fact that he makes conversation with her. They begin to converse, and she is baffled by his weird thoughts about water and his incredibly uncomfortable insight

into her love life. He calls her out on her statement about not having a husband and says, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you’re now with is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” What an uncommon encounter. As the story goes, this situation eventually led to many other Samaritans believing in Jesus. This story shouldn’t be something strange or commonplace to us. This story should be a challenge—a challenge to reach out to the marginalized, the people that we don’t usually talk to. Obviously, I don’t mean calling random people out but rather engaging them in intentional conversation. Can we iden-

tify people in our culture that are taboo to talk to? What would that look like today? Imagine talking to someone and making as big and awesome of a scandal as Jesus did when he talked to this Samaritan woman. Regardless of whether you are introverted or extroverted, you can help make people feel a little more human just by being present. Reach out in love to someone you normally wouldn’t the next chance you get. Who knows, your uncommon fellowship could lead someone to Christ.

Peter Flores is a theology major.

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February 2018 Issue 13 | walla walla university | college place, wa

MEDIA/TECH OSCAR SEASON 2018

No One Has Time for All These Movies By Matt Fennell Well, here we are, in the heart of awards season. The Golden Globes wrapped up a week or so ago, Sundance1 is drawing to a close as I write this week’s article, and, in five short, short weeks, the 90th Oscars will be upon us. Because I am The Collegian’s Media and Tech writer, I’ve decided that this year I’m going to go hard on the Oscars—partly because I’ll have a platform to talk about them but mostly because two years ago, when Leonardo DiCaprio won “Best Actor,” a bunch of guys who were watching in Sittner lobby freaked out and jumped over a couch, so I know that there are at least some people here who care about these awards. This week, I’m going to devote some space to printing the nominees for the “big” awards and then share some comments I had about the nominations as a whole. Let’s go!

Let’s start with the “Best Actor” nominations. At the age of 22, Timothée Chalamet is the youngest actor to be nominated for this one since Mickey Rooney’s nominations at 19 and 23 back in the early 40s. This nomination is pretty impressive, at least to me, because at the age of 22 my greatest celebrity accomplishment is getting brands or D-list celebrities to like my tweets every once in a while. Christopher Plummer snagging a “Best Supporting Actor” nomination for his role in “All the Money in the World” is incredibly impressive. Why? Because his scenes were shot in just nine days. Why? Because reshoots on the film were ordered to remove Kevin Spacey from the film literally weeks before its scheduled release.

This year’s Oscars Awards Ceremony will take place on March 4, 2018. (FORBES)

OSCAR NOMINATIONS Best Actor

Best Director

Timothée Chalamet — “Call Me by Your Name”

Christopher Nolan — “Dunkirk”

Daniel Day-Lewis — “Phantom Thread”

Jordan Peele — “Get Out”

Daniel Kaluuya — “Get Out”

Greta Gerwig — “Lady Bird”

Gary Oldman — “Darkest Hour”

Paul Thomas Anderson — “Phantom Thread”

Denzel Washington — “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Guillermo del Toro — “The Shape of Water”

Best Actress

Best Picture

Sally Hawkins — “The Shape of Water”

“Call Me by Your Name”

Frances McDormand — “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

“Darkest Hour”

Margot Robbie — “I, Tonya”

“Get Out”

Saoirse Ronan — “Lady Bird”

“Lady Bird”

Meryl Streep — “The Post”

“Phantom Thread”

“Dunkirk”

“The Post” “The Shape of Water” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

It does seem weird that “Darkest Hour” was nominated for exactly six awards when I’ve heard/seen exactly zero people ever invoke it in conversation, online or otherwise. “The Breadwinner” is the latest “Best Animated Picture” nomination from the studio behind “The Secret of Kells” and “The Song of the Sea,” two other films that I hadn’t heard of until they got nominated for the award in their respective years. I haven’t seen these films, and I’m sure that they’re probably great, but seriously, who keeps picking these? Where is my “Lego Batman” nom? “Boss Baby” is a film that I watched because I value journalistic integrity. I knew I could not stand here before you and claim that “Boss Baby” was undeserving of its nomination if I had not, in fact, watched it myself. Because I did watch it, I can tell you, without sacrificing my integrity, that “Boss Baby” deserves its nomination. The plot is standard kids’ fare, but the dream sequences were incredibly imaginative and well done, and even if I rolled my eyes at some of the jokes, there were a few that had me laughing so hard I had to pause the movie. Please enjoy “Boss Baby” for what it is: a 6/10 animated film that will undoubtedly lose to “Coco.”

fects,” but I’m fairly certain that Andy Serkis is actually a shapeshifter. “Baby Driver” was nominated for “Best Sound Editing/Mixing” and “Best Editing,” further cementing the fact that it sure is an Edgar Wright movie.2 “Logan” was nominated for “Best Adapted Screenplay,” which is a big step for comic book movies, and nerd movies in general, which somehow don’t usually get nominated for the big awards, even though “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” won approximately 60 awards back in 2003. “Best Original Screenplay” kind of neatly breaks down into three broad subcategories: heartwarming people stories, shocking and dramatic cultural parables and a story about a person who falls in love with a fishman. “Best Director” also breaks down into nice categories: one huge mainstream director (Nolan), two genre/ niche directors (Del Toro/Anderson) and two new but masterful directors (Peele/Gerwig). This should be a good race. Of the 34 films nominated for awards this year, I’ve seen 11. I thought for sure I’d seen more, but it turns out I’m not as cultured as I thought. I’ll try to get that completion rate closer to 100 percent between now and the awards, and I’ll be sure to share my thoughts if I see anything that blows me away. As always thanks for reading, and if you have any questions, comments or concerns, feel free to shoot me an email at matthew.fennell@wallawalla. edu. Have a good one! 1 Big news out of Sundance is that “Mandy,” the new Nicolas Cage film about a man who sets out to fight and destroy a cult after they kill his wife, is super good. Please rest assured that I’ll keep you all up-todate on this one. 2 Please see last week’s article if you’re confused.

Roger Deakins has been nominated for a “Best Cinematography” award for his work on “Blade Runner 2049,” and if he doesn’t win, I will lead a oneman riot. “War for the Planet of the Apes” was nominated for “Best Visual Ef-

Matt Fennell is a computer engineering major.

SCIENCE CULTURED MEAT

Silicon Valley’s “Clean Meat” By Forrest Sheperd When many Adventists think of clean meat, we may think of “clean” and “unclean” meat as described by Levitical law. However, in the last few years, much of the public discussion about “clean meat” has shifted to describe an emerging technology first conceived many years ago, which has come to life only in the last few years by Silicon Valley tech startup companies. Mock meats from plant sources are on the rise in popularity; however, clean meat, also known as cultured meat, is not one of them. Cultured meat is real meat, created using technology based off of that used in tissue engineering to grow meat in vitro.1 A sesame seed-sized biopsy of muscle tissue is taken from the animal, at which point certain cells called starter cells are isolated and placed in a type of bioreactor with a nutrient serum, which simulates such conditions of the body as nutrient supply and waste removal. Electrical stimulation is applied to the growing muscle tissue to exercise them and prevent atrophy.2 Starter cells are usually a type of cell called satellite cells, which can differentiate into muscle cells to rebuild muscle tissue. Animal agriculture has been known for quite some time to be one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions,3 as well as an extremely resource-intensive production. In fact, animal agriculture occupies 45 percent of global land surface area4 and consumes enough feed grain to feed 840 million people every year.5 Global meat consumption is already beyond what is sustainable, and it is only rising.6 In a 1932 essay, Winston Churchill predicted that we would “escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing.” 7 This prediction became a reality when a 2002 NASA-funded experiment to grow a fish filet out of goldfish cells.8 Why turn your spaceship into Noah’s Ark when you can grow your food from a few cells? However, this technology is not yet perfected. It is still difficult to produce a piece of meat with all its diverse

components, including muscle, blood and fat. Many of the components that contribute to meat’s taste are created by biochemical processes that may not occur in a cell culture scenario. In addition, some nutrients obtained by meat consumption may not be present in cultured meat, including iron, due to the lack of blood, or vitamin B12, due to the lack of B12-producing microbes.9 However, it might be possible to fortify the meat with vitamins and minerals, similar to the way that other manmade foods are.10 Cultured meat could even be modified to enhance taste or make the meat healthier. These modifications could include replacing saturated fats with healthier fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids.11 Prices are still not comparable to traditionally-grown animal products, and the culturing technology is yet to be finetuned to make it adequately efficient and sustainable for large-scale production.12 However, Silicon Valley startups such as Memphis Meats and Mosa Meat are already beginning to commercially produce cultured meat. These two startups are both hoping to have competitively-priced burgers by 2020. Once this technology is developed enough to become widely and easily available—and if people eventually begin to accept this lab-grown meat as a replacement for animal-grown meat—the environmental implications could be enormous. Once the demand for meat is less focused on livestock meat, animal agriculture could be reduced accordingly, thus drastically reducing land and water consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Grain production could be redistributed elsewhere, not to mention that there would be much less need for the U.S. to slaughter over 9 billion animals every year for food production.13 1 Sharma, Shruti, et al. “In Vitro Meat Production System: Why and How?” Journal of Food Science and Technology, vol. 52, no. 12, 31 Dec. 2015, pp. 7599–7607. PMC, doi:10.1007/s13197-015-1972-3. 2 ibid. 3 McMichael, Anthony J, et al. “Food, Livestock Production, Energy, Climate Change, and Health.” The Lancet, vol. 370, no. 9594, Oct. 2007, pp. 1253–

This beef was never in a cow. Would you eat it? (DAVID PARRY) 1263. Elsevier, doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(07)61256-2. 4 Thorton, P, et al. “Livestock and climate change.” International Livestock Research Institute, International Livestock Research Institute, www.ilri.org/ node/6432. 5 Pimentel, David, and Marcia Pimentel. “Sustainability of Meat-Based and Plant-Based Diets and the environment 1-3.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 78, no. 3, Jan. 2003, doi:10.1093/ ajcn/78.3.660s. 6 McMichael, Anthony J, et al. “Food, Livestock Production, Energy, Climate Change, and Health.” The Lancet, vol. 370, no. 9594, Oct. 2007, pp. 1253– 1263. Elsevier, doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(07)61256-2. 7 Churchill, Winston. “50 Years Hence.” Popular Mechanics, Mar. 1932.

8 Benjaminson, M.a, et al. “In Vitro Edible Muscle Protein Production System (Mpps): Stage 1, Fish.” Acta Astronautica, vol. 51, no. 12, Dec. 2002, pp. 879–889. Elsevier, doi:10.1016/s00945765(02)00033-4. 9 Sharma, Shruti, et al. “In Vitro Meat Production System: Why and How?” Journal of Food Science and Technology, vol. 52, no. 12, 31 Dec. 2015, pp. 7599–7607. PMC, doi:10.1007/s13197-015-1972-3.

Journal of Integrative Agriculture, vol. 14, no. 2, Feb. 2015, pp. 222–233. Elsevier, doi:10.1016/s20953119(14)60881-9. 13 United States. Department of Agriculture, Overview of the United States Slaughter Industry. National Agricultural Statistics Service. U.S Department of Agriculture, 27 Oct. 2016. Web.

10 Bhat, Zuhaib Fayaz, and Hina Fayaz. “Prospectus of Cultured Meat—Advancing Meat Alternatives.” Journal of food science and technology 48.2 (2011): 125–140. PMC. Web. 30 Jan. 2018. 11 ibid. 12 Kadim, Isam T, et al. “Cultured Meat from Muscle Stem Cells: A Review of Challenges and Prospects.”

Forrest Sheperd is a biology major.

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Feature college place, wa | walla walla university

| February 2018 Issue 13

Go Greek? By Jacob Sloop Greek: a member of a sorority or fraternity on a university campus. Greek life: an umbrella term referring to the social activities of all sororities or fraternities operating on any given university campus. Rush/Recruitment: the period at the beginning of a school year where fraternities and sororities rush or recruit respectively for the chapters of their Greek organization. Where does a system that has killed people and destroyed the lives of countless more with substance abuse belong in the collegiate life? In the same breath, I ask why a system that has helped so many students brave college, supported them and helped them build lifelong relationships is prohibited on our campus. I am, of course, speaking of the Greek system, which facilitates sororities and fraternities. To find out why it is prohibited here, at the beginning of the year I went on a journey into the Fall Rush season of Whitman College. To the uninitiated, the Greek system has nothing to do with the Greek language but rather refers to the Greek letters used to name the organizations (fraternities or sororities). These organizations exist at almost every American higher education institution. Most fraternities and sororities are notorious for their drinking culture and occasion-

this floor, too, was devoid of people. Finally, I went back up to ID check to rejoin my contacts and the host. There we sat, hoping collectively that things would change, knowing that if this party didn’t happen, it was over for this fraternity. At around 10 o’clock a crowd of 20 people filed through ID check, at 10:15 another 15, then at 10:20 another 20 came to swamp ID check. At this point, the energy started building, and gradually the floor filled. By 11:00, the house had over 150 people in it. Some of them were angry Whitman baseball team members. They had an axe to grind, so they climbed on top of a Beta member’s car, leading to an exchange of words and a stare-down. Inside, a motley crew of sorority women and a few energetic guys tore apart the 15-pound Rice Krispie octopus and brought us the trophies. Minutes later, a few competing fraternity members tried to sneak some beers into the party; it was a dry event, so I shut them down. Downstairs, Whitman’s premier rapper started his performance—we had hit the peak of the party. On the floor, people moved to the beat, swelling with the music while the poor ventilation sent the room into sauna temperatures. Theta Kappa Epsilon House. (WHITMAN) Whitman’s rapper finished and the other music returned. Around 11:30 a that’s a fraternity or sorority. Havfew people started leaving. By 11:45 it became an exodus, and by midnight the ing all of these services consolidated under a single umbrella significantly party was over. I asked the organizers increases the amount of student about it—their words were: “Whit-

Kappa Alpha Theta Members. (WHITMAN) al overdosing. This culture, combined with an earned reputation for uninhibited partying, has created the perfect cocktail for its prohibition on Adventist campuses. Despite this reputation, I found something dramatically different when I went to investigate at the beginning of the school year. It was about 9:30 p.m. as I pulled around the back of the Theta Kappa Epsilon lodge to park. I wasn’t headed to their party, as it had been the night before, but rather I was headed to the embattled Beta Theta Pi Rush Party. Beta, as it is colloquially known, has been fighting dwindling membership for years, and this year will either be their last or their miraculous turn around.

man students party smart, not long. We have our fun and then we’re done because we still want to function on the next day.” At about 12:10 we began clearing the trash out of the empty house. The host, Jack, and I began picking up a few cups when the Beta chapter president came over. He’d looked ghostly white the whole night. Now he looked like he could finally breath again; it was a success and Beta had a chance. Last week, when I texted Jack, he informed me that Beta had successfully initiated eight people into the fraternity. It wasn’t the highest number on record, but it was enough to keep the chapter open. Despite these promising

Despite the advantages, many of my interviewees still felt a ticking

“Unlike a lot of clubs, we’re a social organization. We have influence over people’s social lives, and through that, we can help improve individual people. The stereotypes of Greek life are not Greek; they are characteristics of people. The evil cannot be banned by prohibiting Greek life; it’s what you make it, good or bad.” Two weeks later, I interviewed Doug Tilstra, Vice President of Student Life. As he and I talked, we both found ourselves confounded by the lack of a push for student organized housing. As we conversed, we came to the

conclusion that perhaps this stemmed from ASWWU. ASWWU is over a hundred years old and, by extension, is older than many chapters of Whitman’s fraternities and sororities. This has allowed our student association to grow into many of the roles that ordinarily would be filled by smaller organizations like the houses of the Greek system. Consequentially, we are a system that is detached from the negative reputation of Greek life, whilst still providing many of the functions.

As I went home that evening, I pondered the differences between our collegiate worlds. The Greek system presents a tremendous set of opportunities to students but, unfortunately, has a mired history from schools with unfettered drinking cultures. Whitman presents an exceptional case breaking this stereotype. Their diverse and accepting system is known for its openness and robust measures for student support and safety. Sadly, Whitman’s model isn’t the national standard; consequently, we will likely never see a Greek system on our own campus, as the Greek system’s days are already numbered. In the meantime, our campus has so many special opportunities provided in part by a lack of Greek life. Whitman’s student association, Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC), is decidedly quaint when compared to ASWWU. While we might potentially lose some of the collegiate experiences found on other campuses through a lack of Greek life, perhaps that’s part of what makes us unique.

Jacob Sloop is a biochemistry major.

Mama Mia’s Fresh Pasta Factory 203 Wildwood (next to Tiki’s)

509-301-7550 Custom Fresh Pasta Whitman Sorority members. (WHITMAN) With this weight on their shoulders, Beta’s Rush party had to be the golden ticket to the turnaround. As I walked up the street, their house buzzed with music, but as I approached it proved nearly empty. I met my contacts at ID check and then proceeded around the house. It was cavernous but dead, a potential reflection of what appeared to be the fraternity’s future. I slid around another corner down the last few stairs and found a room that was absolutely pumping with certified heathen music;

interaction, allowing new members (mostly freshmen) to integrate much more quickly. On the flip side, the Greek organizations offer spaces for partying—last year’s druggings at Whitman illustrated how this could get out of hand fast. From this perspective, preventing fraternities and sororities from operating on our campus makes perfect sense.

clock looming above Whitman’s Greek system. One frat member cited the “Neighbors” movie stereotype as an analogy for the reputation of Greek houses, particularly frat guys. “Society has a fixed image of what we should be, and breaking that mold is one of the hardest things to do as a Greek.” Later as I talked to Zoë Kelly, then-president of the Alpha Phi sorority, I commented that Walla Walla University has no nationally-associated Greek organizations. I explained that these stereotypes were largely responsible for a prohibition on student-organized housing or social commune groups. Consequentially, Walla Walla University’s most autonomous student-made organizations are the clubs and ASWWU. Zoë responded:

numbers, I kept hearing one nagging comment: “the Greek system will be gone in the next five years.” Some said it would be longer, but regardless, all knew its days were numbered. “Why?” I ask. From my perspective the Greek system, while muddled in negative stereotypes, seems to have provided the students I’ve talked to with a tremendous gamut of opportunity. Imagine ASWWU, a dorm, a better cafeteria, the mentorship program, and our campus clubs all rolled into one:

Vegetarian Meatballs

Homemade Sauces Meatball/Pizza Sub

Delicious Fresh Salads Dine In

Take Out

Fresh Pasta & Sauce Market Custom Take Home Bakes

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February 2018 Issue 13 | walla walla university | college place, wa

WEEK IN FORECAST

February 1-7 1

Thursday

Friday

Phobruary is for Foodies @ Soi 71: A Thai Noodle House, 12 p.m. & 5 p.m.

Women’s Basketball vs. Southern Oregon University @ WEC, 12 p.m.

Black History Month Begins

Men’s Basketball vs. Southern Oregon University @ WEC, 2 p.m.

National Baked Alaska Day National Freedom Day

Saturday

EWB Gala @ Walla Walla Country Club, 6:30-9:00 p.m

Bubble Gum Day National Groundhog Day

Women’s Basketball vs. Southern Oregon University @ WEC, 6:30 p.m. The Voice of Walla Walla @ Village Hall, 7-9 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Southern Oregon University @ WEC, 8:30 p.m.

FOOD PASTA

Winter Squash Sage-Infused Gnocchi By Hannah Thiel I love recipes that are healthy and use fresh ingredients but are also so tasty they’re like comfort food—this gnocchi recipe checks all those boxes. It’s a little more involved than some of the recipes I’ve written about previously, so I recommend making it on a weekend when you have more time. I adapted this recipe from “Gluten-Free Winter Squash Gnocchi” by Anya Kassoff on the Food & Wine website.1 I didn’t make my adaptation gluten-free because I didn’t have the flours the recipe called for. However, I’ll share both the recommendations the original recipe made for flour and what I actually used, so you can make it either way. The comments on the original recipe note that the consistency and appearance of the gnocchi might not be the same if you do choose to use flours other than all-purpose flour, so keep that in mind. I also changed the serving size a bit by doubling the recipe but not the yield. The original recipe says that half of a squash is good enough for four people, but with my adaptation, I’m assuming that these people are hungry college students. 1 http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/gluten-free-winter-squash-gnocchi

Hannah Thiel is an art major.

Gluten-Free Winter Squash Gnocchi by Anya Kassoff. (FOODANDWINE.COM)

Winter Squash Sage-Infused Gnocchi Yield: 4 servings Vegetarian, vegan, can be gluten-free

INGREDIENTS • 1 Kabocha Squash • 2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons for coating • 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, plus more for infusing oil (I didn’t have fresh sage leaves, so I used about half of the amount called for of dry sage) • 1 teaspoon salt • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg • 1 ½ - 2 cups all-purpose flour (to make this gluten-free, the recipe calls for buckwheat flour) • All-purpose flour for rolling and dusting (gluten-free recommendation: brown rice flour)

INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 400° F. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and oil the cut sides. Then place the squash cut-side down on a pan, and put it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the squash is soft. Let the squash cool, then scoop out the flesh. Mash it up and measure out two cups of the puree. You can set aside the rest and use it in another recipe.

INSTRUCTIONS (cont.) Put the puree into a large bowl and add the sage, spices and two tablespoons of oil. Mix, then add 1 ½ cups of your chosen flour. The dough should still be very sticky, but if it is overly wet, add more flour (up to ½ cup extra); don’t add too much, though, or the gnocchi will be dense. Dust a work surface with flour and spoon the dough out onto it. Dust both the top of the dough and your hands with more flour, then roll the dough into a log. Cut the log into four equal sections (you may need to dust the knife with flour), then roll each section into a ½ inch thick rope. Slice into one inch pieces. Dust the cut sides with flour, then press a fork into each to create the traditional grooved effect. Place the finished gnocchi on a flour-dusted plate. Bring water to a boil in a pot; then place a steamer basket or a metal strainer/colander on top. Make sure that the boiling water can’t reach the bottom of the colander. Place the gnocchi in the colander in batches, making sure they aren’t touching each other. Lower the heat to simmer, cover, and let steam for seven minutes. In a pan, warm four tablespoons of oil with some fresh sage to infuse it. Once you’re done steaming all the gnocchi, add it to the pan with the sage-infused oil and allow it to absorb for a few minutes. Eat them as is (like I did!), or add your favorite pesto on top.

college place, wa, walla walla university

Sunday

Monday

TwwuNES @ SAC, 7-9 p.m.

Girls + Women ONLY Cardio Dance Workout @ Walla Walla Fight Factory and Fitness Center, 2 p.m. & 3:15 p.m.

Tuesday

CommUnity: Tanya Erzen @ University Church, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

National Weatherperson’s Day

Country, Blues, & Comfort Food for YWCA @ Whitehouse Crawford, 5 p.m.

À peine j’ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes) @ Kimball Theatre in Hunter Conservatory, 7:30 p.m. National Homemade Soup Day

| February 2018 Issue 13

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Wednesday

International Student Colloquium @ ADM117, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Dr. Timothy Golden performs George Stevens Jr.’s “Thurgood” @ Village Hall, 7:30-9:30 p.m.

National Frozen Yogurt Day

Valentines String Art for Adults @ Milton-Freewater Public Library, 5:30 p.m.

National Lame Duck Day

National Fettuccine Alfredo Day National Periodic Table Day National Send a Card to a Friend Day

CULTURE FARMSTAND

My Favorite Mountain Farmstand By Daphne Novak “It’s going to be a rough day,” I thought to myself as I woke up one Friday morning, knowing that at 12:30 later that day, I would be taking the

GRE. To add insult to injury, the closest testing center was an hour and a half away in La Grande, Oregon—sigh. To get to La Grande, you have two route options: a faster one that is less pretty

and a slightly slower one that takes you through Tollgate and is thus a more beautiful drive. I figured that since I had to drive far away to do something I didn’t want to do, I might as well enjoy

the drive there. About 30 minutes into my trip, as I passed through Weston, Oregon, I passed a small farm stand on the side of the road with a large sign that said it closed at 6 p.m. I didn’t have enough time to stop then, so I planned on stopping on my way back if I returned in time. I got out of the GRE several hours later with just enough time that I believed I could make it back before closing. I arrived at 5:45! I went inside and was immediately impressed by this farm stand. The owner was extremely friendly, and the variety of food and hygiene products they offered was quite amazing. The Blue Mountain Outpost was opened just last year by a wife and husband team. They wanted to make more natural products available to the greater valley community. Every morning they bake various types of fresh bread. They have sourdough, Italian and white bread every day, as well as rotating types of seasoned breads such as jalapeño cheddar, pizza flavor and garlic olive bread. My favorite is the Italian bread—it has a beautiful tanginess to it. Alongside the bread, they also have a large selection of cookies, pies and pastries. At this point, I have probably tried all of their cookies at least once—my favorite has been the marzipan cookie. However,

Blue Mountain Outpost. (DAPHNE NOVAK)

the crème de la crème of their sweets is their huckleberry cinnamon rolls. The woman who makes all the baked goods is from Austria, so the cinnamon rolls are different than American cinnamon rolls. I would compare the crust of the cinnamon roll to that of a pretzel. They are perfect. In addition, the Blue Mountain Outpost also offers local honey, homemade apricot and plum jam, plum BBQ sauce and a variety of pies. They even have homemade hygiene products, such as deodorant, shampoo, soap bars and bath bombs. The soap bars are made with their neighbor’s goat milk. In the spring, summer and fall, the Outpost sells produce grown on or close to their property. They also have farm-fresh eggs year round. The Outpost is located at 55285 Highway 204, Weston, OR. Their winter hours are Thursday and Sunday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. During the warmer months, they are open more often. Check them out on Facebook at “Blue Mountain Outpost”!

Daphne Novak is a psychology major.

OUTDOORS RUUD REMARKS

Wintery Walla Walla’s Top 10 By Niqolas Ruud Each winter, as I sit huddled in one of our campus’ many computer labs, shivering, while looking longingly outside for the sun to appear, I begin to go slightly bonkers, wishing I had chosen sunny La Sierra University over dreary Walla Walla University. Nevertheless,

1 This one should probably go without saying, but what if you decided to take a quick trip to Home Depot and grabbed some lumber to strap to your tender feet? That’s right, I’m talking about skiing and snowboarding. Downhill, uphill, cross-country, you name it (yes, even cross-country snowboarding exists).1 Bluewood Ski Area is just over

So, if you’re into socializing more than actually climbing, then the university’s wall, located in the WEC, might be a good option for you. Since the end of Christmas vacation the wall has been averaging over 30 climbers per night, and with only a handful of ropes available, there is plenty of time to socialize.4 3 Not into climbing fake rocks? How do you feel about cones made from snow? That could be fun if we had some snow (thanks Mindy Robinson for the fabulous idea).5 4 Find the hot springs.6 Yes, there are hot springs here in the valley. 5 Get your cardio on and run. This is a great activity for folks like WWU freshman Brad Williams who said he has “never been here in the winter.” Truth be told, running is actually a pretty simple process: you go outside and walk really fast. Albert Handel, our campus chaplain, can tell you all about it—just ask him.

Bluewood Ski area. (SKI BLUEWOOD OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE) I’m stuck here, and so are you, so I suppose we ought to make the most of it. What follows are 10 outdoorsy ways to make the most of your winter here in this valley of fog. This list is subjective, obviously, so don’t get angry about the absence of one of your favorite outdoor activities, as I only asked a few people for their opinions. Also, this list is not in any particular order, so “the last shall be first,” etc.

an hour away, and tickets are $37 for a weekend student pass.2 Anthony Lakes Ski Area, whose base is higher than Bluewood’s summit, is a little over two hours from campus, and tickets are $35 for the day (aka, it may be worth the drive).3 2 “I climb at the rock wall.” “I climb at the rock wall.” “I climb at the rock wall,” said Walla Walla University students while climbing at the rock wall.

6 Now, if you really want to mix things up, you can run to Taqueria Yungapeti and then walk through their drive-thru. It’s a really simple way to get outside while getting some really tasty food in the under $10 price range.7 7

“Urban climbing... I mean, reading the Bible,” said avid Bible reader, Jacob Hokett. “Bible reading” can be a great way to get some energy out while outside. A huge win-win. 8 Regarding snow angels and how often she thinks about them, freshman Gabrielle Cognetti said, “In class, I do [think about them], but when I’m cozied

Walla Walla University climbing gym. (ASWWU PHOTO) up in my room, being cold is the last thing on my mind.” Of course, if you’d rather not be cozied up, feel free to make a snow angel or two (if we ever get some more snow). 9 Go to California and enroll at La Sierra (this one seems fairly selfexplanatory).8 10

Lastly, you could become an alpinist. Learn to embrace the wet, the cold and the windy. Climb near-vertical walls of rock, ice and snow with only thousands of feet of air between you and the ground. Learn to huddle in your tent for days on end, with only your thoughts and hunger to keep you company. Walk tens of miles, without sleep or shelter, in waist-deep snow, just to get to the base of a peak, and then deal with 70-mph winds

while trying to manage a frozen rope 70 meters long! Or, again, you could just go to California. 1 youtube.com/watch?v=4w7sVSMbjyM 2 bluewood.com/ticket-prices 3 anthonylakes.com/rates 4 Via WWU rock wall attendance records 5 Not an advertisement for Pineapple Pete’s 6 hotspringsenthusiast.com/Washington.asp 7 yelp.com/biz/taqueria-yungapeti-walla-walla 8 This article is in no way an advertisement for La Sierra University

Niqolas Ruud is a religious studies major.

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February 2018 Issue 13 | walla walla university | college place, wa

OPINION EVERYBODY HAS A GIFT

Without Creativity By Parker Bailey Creativity is a fundamental part of humanity. It is one of many elements that separate us from other living creatures. The ability to use our minds—our imagination—to create new, beautiful, functional and important things is not something to be taken for granted. Without creativity, our world would not have progressed much further than its roots. Advances in technology would be virtually nonexistent unless given to us from some outside source. Humanity would be trapped by the law of creative inertia: a man without new ideas will stay without them unless acted upon by an outside force. Humanity was created with the inverse of this law in mind: a man with new ideas will keep creating unless acted upon by an outside force. Ever since God started that ball rolling, humanity has kept it rolling with new thoughts and ideas every year, which are then subsequently turned into something newer and better. These new ideas have an endless amount of forms: a painting or a new way of harnessing geothermal energy, a symphony or a budget-friendly solution to large-scale

traffic jams, a crayon drawing on the fridge or a self-sustainable form of supersonic travel. The possibilities are as varied as the human race, and your idea, though it may start as a pencil sketch on a napkin, could turn out to change lives. For those of you who feel you have

no creativity, you’re wrong. You’re born with it; you just may not know what it is. You may never know, and that’s a sad thought. That’s why it’s so important to try new things, to give it your best, and to not compare yourself with others. There will always be someone better than you at something, but what you

Geothermal Power Plant. (GREENOPTOMISTIC)

may not know is that nobody is better at being you than you are. Nobody can do exactly what you can. Everybody has a gift. Your job doesn’t necessarily include knowing what that gift is. Some people are most helpful even when they have no idea what their gifts are. If you’re somebody who knows that you’re great at art but terrible at sports, that’s great. If you’re somebody who can make half-court shots all day but can’t draw an orange, that’s great, too. If you’re somebody who can’t think of one single thing that you’re good at, that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you’re useless or worthless. If you’re somebody who, like me, is somewhat decent at every feasible task or activity but doesn’t excel anywhere specific and has no idea what they’re actually good at, that’s also just fine. If you’re somebody who is confident that they are the best at every feasible task or activity known to man, that’s not okay: stop it. Get some help. The point is that everyone—no matter if you know what in the world you’re doing with your life or not—is an

important part of the human race. Keep running, don’t give up and, even if you never end up with an award for being “the only person in the world who can open an orange in under three seconds with their hands glued together,” that’s okay. That’s very okay.

Let me know what you think by taking this quick survey:

http://bit.ly/2rQp0B6

Parker Bailey is an engineering major.

OPINION MILITARY FAMILIES

5 Things I Appreciate About My Military Upbringing By Savanna Pardo From the outside looking in, it may seem to some that having a military upbringing is more of a curse than a blessing. The differences between military and civilian life are staggering. The idea of moving every couple years, living in foreign places and living a strict life isn’t all that pleasant. This viewpoint is completely understandable, but what most people don’t know is that growing up this way has brought me many opportunities. I wouldn’t trade my childhood for anything, and the older I become, the more I appreciate my distinct upbringing. This particular lifestyle has taught me a lot and has given me experiences of which only some can dream. It has taught me humility and appreciation for all that life has to offer. Yes, we do move every 2-3 years, which means we leave behind friends, family and familiarity; however, I have come to find that being a child of a service member is one of my biggest blessings. Here are a few of the things I have learned to appreciate: Travel. Anyone who wants to explore new cultures, foods or places can appreciate this aspect of military life. At first, you may experience slight culture shock, but after you settle into your new duty station, you’ll begin to feel at home. You must seize the opportunity to explore a foreign place and take in a new culture. Without my father’s service to his country, I would have never had the opportunity to live in a foreign country such as Japan. Experiencing a culture so different from my own at such a young age gave me better insight of the world around me. Besides, not everyone can say they have climbed Mt. Fuji and gone to Tokyo Disneyland.

Food. Living in many different places means that you come across many different cuisines. Never have I experienced better food than when I lived in Asia. If you’re a foodie like I am, you must try authentic Asian cuisine. It’s crazy to see how ingredients are used differently around the world, even differing from city to city. Personally, I believe there is no better way to appreciate a new culture than to try the native food. Humility. A major key to being a military kid is learning acceptance. We must be humble by accepting that we have no control over where we may end up next. I once heard the expression, “military kids bloom where they are planted.” It takes constant humility to relocate and accept that we must start over, not just once, but every couple years. At first I had a tough time learning to accept my reality, but over time, I have learned that humility and acceptance are very important, since we constantly leave familiarity and become the “new kid.” Military children are not that different from civilian children; we just come from different backgrounds. Unlike some civilians, we don’t grow up in one town, going to school with the same people we knew back in second grade. We don’t get stability; we live a life of change, and this lifestyle becomes part of who we are. Our constant relocation teaches us to be humble and realize that our situation is only as good as we make it out to be and gives us a greater appreciation of where we came from. Friends. With a hectic life such as my own, you learn to appreciate those around you. There is no way you could live a life like this without a couple good friends by your side. The best and worst part about making friends as a military child is you have

A military family. (VETERAN HOME LOAN CENTER) friends all over the world. For example, my best friend of seven years currently resides in New York City. Though we are on opposite sides of the U.S., our friendship is stronger than ever. Military kids seem to have this connection: they understand what each other is going through because their situations are all too familiar. I have been blessed to have met countless people who have impacted me in many ways. Family. Having to pick up my entire life and move around the world has made me more appreciative of my family. When you move and know no one, you realize that family is truly the only constant in your life. In compar-

ison to my civilian friends, my family and I have one of the strongest bonds. My mother is literally my best friend, and I hope it stays that way. Throughout the constant change in my life, my parents and siblings are the only ones who have been there. I feel that, as a military child, your family is your rock. They are the one thing that I appreciate the most, and even though we’re in the same situation, they are my guidance and support as I grow and continue on my own journey. These are just some of the reasons I appreciate my military upbringing. I wouldn’t change my childhood for a thing because it has shaped me into the

woman I am today. I will admit that there are times when I have wished for the stability of a civilian life. However, after 18 wonderful years, I have come to terms with the life I’ve been given and accepted that the only thing I can expect in my life is change itself. If it weren’t for my father’s military service, I wouldn’t be who I am, so, above all, I appreciate him and my inclusion in a military family.

Savanna Pardo is an English major.

SURVEY YOUR RESPONSES

people) eople)

“Many colleges in the U.S. have themed housing in which students of certain disciplines or interests can live. The closest thing Walla Walla University currently has to this concept is the Honors House, which is only open to honors students. Should WWU allow more housing options like this for different departments and/or associated groups?”

32% said No 68% said Yes

YES “This way, you can better get to know and work with other students and future professionals in your field. It promotes collaboration.”

NO “It can get wild and students will abuse the privilege of having these special houses.”

“It fosters more than just lasting connections but enforces identity and comradeship. It propels the academic lifestyle. It also creates a center for others to learn about ideas and subjects they would not have found on their own. This is not a new concept. There is a reason colleges have language houses and different academic houses.”

“I am not opposed to the idea of this kind of housing, however I’m not convinced that the benefit of living with others in your discipline is great enough to be worth the University’s resources. I think that if people want to be surrounded by those in their discipline more than they already are, they can arrange their housing/study spaces/free time accordingly.”

“This would add housing to the student body, which is already in high demand.”

“I graduated from a college with Greek housing and I can tell you they weren’t having Bible studies.”

Next week’s question:

“It would intensify the already existing cliquiness of some groups.”

“Is “Western Wedding University” still the ideal? Next week’s poll is a short survey on whether or not students should be encouraged tie the knot right after graduation. Let us know what you think!”* https://goo.gl/9GZwpq 57 total participants