The Collegian
“What is a huckleberry?” - Garren Miler, Layout Designer for The Collegian
October 25, 2018 | Vol. 103 | Issue 04
Service | Religion | Outdoors | Life | Culture | Sports | Feature | News | Food | Fashion | Creative Writing | Backpage
Is This the Way Christ Would Lead the Church? Regretful History in the Making Photo credit: GC Communication
Food p.12
Fashion p.13
Global News p.10
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Editor’s Note
C
Dear students and beyond, It’s week five, so you have officially reached the halfway point of the quarter! By now, you’re probably feeling bogged down and sleep-deprived from studying for midterms or writing essays. My advice to you is to check those grades, get that sleep, and start planning your Christmas break in an attempt to stay sane. We decided to commit much of this week’s issue to a recent decision made at the Seventh-day Adventist church General Conference Annual Session because we feel that this issue is on the hearts and minds of anyone associated with the church. Let’s be honest—we know it’s hard to care about things like church policy sometimes, especially when you have two midterms and three essays to finish this week, but the decisions being made now could have lasting repercussions.
We have provided factual coverage of a recent document that was passed by the General Conference (page 11), while not ignoring its emotional impacts (pages 8-9). We have also included a piece from President McVay (originally written for Facebook) regarding the decision, as well as a submission from the daughter of a woman who has served in the Adventist church for decades. With that said, we want to hear your opinions. Check out the requirements for a letter to the editor in the next column. More than anything, we hope to inspire you to live a passionate life full of quests for truth. We also wish you good luck finishing out the week—you’ve got this!
68°/54° National Greasy Food Day PSNS Campus Visit WBB at Walla Walla Community College
Fri 10/26 65°/46° National Pumpkin Day PSNS Campus Visit Family Weekend — Parents Arrive Global Service Launch Party and Art Auction from 1:00 - 3:00PM
300-350 words. Be aware that we will be editing your work for grammar inconsistencies, so please be professional. Email it to ASWWU.collegian@wallawalla.edu before 3 p.m. on Sunday.
After all, you know how it be.
Josephine Baird Editor-in-Chief
Week in Forecast Thurs 10/25
Requirements for letters to the editor:
Sat 10/27 63°/45°
Sun 10/28 59°/47°
National Black Cat Day
National Chocolate Day
Family Weekend — Sabbath Lunch
AGA Breast Cancer 5K
ASWWU Outdoors Trail Run
Men’s Soccer @ Eastern Oregon University
ASWWU Pie & Board Games
Volleyball vs Northwest Christian
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Collegian Staff Josephine Baird Editor-in-Chief Angelica Chan Assistant Editor Kyra GreyEyes Layout Editor Amelia Pekar Feature and News Editor Matthew Fennell Columnist Editor Geoffrey Lopes Head Copy Editor
Feature and News Writers Meaghan Ashton Rose Sperl Zachary White
Megan Spracklen Emily Ellis Inez Aguirre Griffin Leek Niqolas Rudd Isaiah Taylor Nicolette Horning Gabriela Hutuleac Tobi Brown Regan Hinshaw
ACA/SM/Service Religion Student Culture Student Life Outdoors Sports Food Fashion Creative Writing Humor
Consent
We know NO MEANS NO. But when it comes to consent, basically anything that isn’t a sober, consensual YES also means NO.
NO MEANS NO AND SO DOES
Copy Editors
Jocelyn Griffin Ella Meeks Audrey Tampake
Designers Columnists
TITLE IX GUIDE
McKenna Butler Garren Miler Hannah Thiel
Distributor
John Cotter
Office Manager
Mindy Robinson
“I want to go home.” “You’re not my type.” “Wait.” “I’m not in the mood.”
Staying still “I’m not sure.”
Hello, My name is Jennifer Carpenter, and I’m WWU’s Title IX coordinator.
“I’d rather be alone.” “I have a girlfriend.” “No thanks.”
Not kissing back “Don’t touch me.” “I like you, but ...”
“I have a boyfriend.”
Title IX is part of the U.S. Education Amendments designed to protect you from sex discrimination and sexual misconduct. WWU provides support, advocacy, and a variety of resources related to Title IX.
Not sure what counts as consent? Ask. If you want to be clear about consent: ■ Talk with your RA or dean. ■ Contact the Counseling and Testing Center: (509) 527-2147. ■ Contact the Title IX coordinator: titleix@wallawalla.edu.
Have any questions or want to learn more? Visit wallawalla.edu/title-ix
Learn more at wallawalla.edu/title-ix.
Mon 10/29 58°/46° National Oatmeal Day LLU School of Dentistry Campus Visit Subject GRE Volleyball vs Corban
Tues 10/30 55°/45° National Candy Corn Day LLU School of Dentistry Campus Visit ASWWU Dating Game Show
Wed 10/31 55°/49° Halloween Andrews University & LLU School of Allied Health Campus Visit
Thurs 11/1 57°/46° Andrews University & LLU School of Allied Health Campus Visit Career Meet-Up: Business & Healthcare Industries Justice for Hanford Nuclear Site Workers
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Month Two Reflections from Pohnpei By Adrian Smith After almost two months, I have found being a student missionary in Pohnpei to be challenging yet rewarding. We have just completed the first quarter of school and we’ve already had a field day, a freshman welcome party, a camping trip, multiple hikes, and many outreach opportunities. But of course, with teaching comes latenight planning, grading, parent-teacher conferences, mid-term reports, and other time-consuming tasks. Because we [the student missionaries] are often tired after a long week of teaching, we don’t always want to do extra mission work within the community, or even extra-curricular activities with the students. However, we are here to make an impact on the students inside and outside of school hours. Additionally, it is just as important to make an impact on the community. Recently, we had some medical workers from Guam come to Pohnpei to help spread the message about health, specifically NEWSTART (nutrition, exercise, water, temperance, air, rest, and trust in God), to the community. Diabetes is very common on the island and many locals do not know that many of their illnesses are caused by their lifestyle habits. Another problem here is the use of the carcinogenic betel nut, which can be chewed or smoked. Our task was to host a health expo during Pohnpeian Liberation Day. Every Sept. 11, the island celebrates its liberation from Japan and hosts an island-wide mini-Olympics. People from each village come to compete just down the street from the school, so we decided to have the health fair across the street. Visitors would have to stop at a station for each NEWSTART topic and then have
Photo By Adrian Smith
Photo By Adrian Smith
their blood pressure and sugar levels checked. Once they completed everything, they could talk to a physician for free. At first it seemed very rudimentary; everyone knows we need eight hours of sleep, an average of eight cups of water a day, exercise, and so on. I did not think many people would show up, especially with the Liberation Day celebration going on. However, lots of people came because they wanted to get a quick, free check-up. I was in charge of the station that talked about the importance of rest. To my sur-
prise, not only did many people show up, but they also seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say about health. About a week later, we missionaries were headed to the grocery store. During the ride, we saw multiple people we had met at the health expo. They seemed happy to see us and waved. Even though we each only talked to the locals for a few minutes at a time, we could tell they appreciated what we were doing. Many locals are not Adventist, but they seem to value our presence and mission. Another experience I had with mission work was with children. Every month, we spend one or two Sabbaths doing outreach in the afternoon. One Sabbath we went to the less-fortunate part of the city. Again, I was tired from the week and wanted a day to simply relax. When I got there, I felt a little uncomfortable because of the living conditions. It was not very clean, and it felt strange to show up unannounced and expect other people to show up too. Only a few kids were there when we arrived, but we started to sing summer camp songs to them. They seemed to enjoy the music and eventually many kids popped up from all over. After singing, we all acted out the story of Noah and the Ark.
Walla Walla University’s very own Trevor Haugen and Nate Cheney provided the narration and funny sound effects. All the kids laughed and loved the skit. We then passed out paper and my friend Reo showed all the kids how to make a paper ark (paper boat). The kids loved Reo, and something as simple as a paper boat captivated their attention and enjoyment. Paper boats eventually led to paper planes, which the kids seemed to enjoy even more. Earlier, these same kids were playing with plastic bottles attached to a string to pull them around on the ground. Others were playing with pieces of wood made to look like cars, so to them making planes and boats out of paper was a completely new idea. The kids genuinely enjoyed us being there. I’ve only been here for about a month and a half, but my perspective on life has already changed in more ways than I can write. Even when we are tired and want to relax, we must remember that we came here on a mission. God finds a way to give us energy to keep pushing on throughout the day. Something as simple as making boats out of paper can completely change a kid’s day.
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Loving Despite Inconvenience By Emily Ellis No matter your political views, religious stance, or economic status, I think we can all agree that this world is messy. People are mistreated, ostracized, or holding the short end of the stick. So, given the fact this world is messy and full of imperfect people, our natural response as humans is to fix it. Phrases such as, “We need to spread awareness about this social injustice,” “We need to be advocates for this cause,” or “This issue needs to be talked about” frequent social media, conversations, and articles. All of these phrases are said with good intentions, and they show a desire to bring change into the world. However, recently I have been thinking about the meaning behind these expressions. What does it mean to spread awareness about social injustice? Does that mean I wear plastic bracelets and put stickers on my Hydroflask? Does that mean that when someone posts something I disagree with on Facebook I make sure to comment and let them know they are wrong? Does that mean I post a picture with a long caption on Instagram to make sure this subject is talked about? You see, fighting against injustice is not as glamorous as we’d like it to be. It is safe to stay behind the pulpit and preach about it, it is safe to write about it from behind the protection of a computer screen, and it is safe to converse about it within your own social group, but taking action means risking your reputation. It means stepping outside of your comfort zone. It means there is a possibility that you won’t actually make a difference. It means that no one might notice. It means that you might encounter messy people, and those people might let you down. It means loving when it is inconvenient and uncomfortable. In order to illustrate what I mean, I want to briefly highlight a man who was one of the most world-changing, wave-making, social-injustice-fighting humans out there. He grew up in a small town in a broken home, and in an era when women were mistreated, religion was uptight, and those on the outside were ostracized. Yes, this man I am talking about was Jesus. His ministry and mission took place over only a span of three years, but what happened in those three years completely changed the course of history. If you look at His life, you rarely read about Him preaching and spreading awareness, or urging his listeners to talk about certain social issues. Rather, He justified His words through action, and it was those acts of love that ultimately changed the world.
What was so powerful about Jesus’ ministry was that He engaged with “the least of these.” Instead of publicly saying, “It is important that we raise awareness about this social group,” He went ahead and had meals with outsiders: “And as He reclined at table in His house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him.”1 He also treated other people with respect, instead of ignoring them and brushing them aside: “A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ (For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to Him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?’ (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)”2 If all we do is simply talk about issues and take no action, it is like we are doing nothing at all. If all we do is complain about the world or the church, then the world and the church will remain the same. However, I would like to warn you that there is some risk. Being the change in the world and living a life modeled after Christ’s comes at a cost: “And a scribe came up and said to him, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’3 And so I ask you: how can you be the change in the world? Maybe the first step is partnering with a local organization. Perhaps it means getting involved with a local church and starting a ministry through it, or being a part of the leadership team. Or maybe, just maybe, it means that each day you wake up and make it your goal to love people even when it is inconvenient.
Summer Plans? By Niq Ruud It may only be October, but it’s never too early to start thinking about what you’ll be doing next summer. A classic option is working at one of many local summer camps like Big Lake, MiVoden, Ida-Haven, or Sunset Lake, just to name a few. Those more interested in résumé advancement might consider an internship or full-time work in an industry relevant to their major. Others still might start a student missions year in some exotic and life-changing region. These are all great options, but let me pitch an idea to you: go for a hike. I’m not talking about just any hike; I’m talking about something more. I’m talking about the Great Western Loop, a once-completed, near-7,000 mile ring following the entire U.S. section of the Cascades, Sierras, and Rockies, not to mention trailless crossings of both the Sonoran and Mojave deserts thrown in for good measure.1 The trail traverses some of the world’s most rugged, beautiful, and remote terrain. It passes through nine states and nearly 90 different federal land reserves. In short, this is one epic hike. Andrew Skurka, as of yet the only individual to complete the hike in a single go, finished it in November of 2007. He was promptly dubbed the coveted National Geographic “Adventurer of the Year” that winter. 2
Truth be told, whether or not Garmire actually finishes the hike, you could still grab a spot on the podium. And it’s as easy as one-two-three. First, drop out of school spring quarter and don’t plan on re-enrolling until winter 2020—your academic career can wait. Second, start walking to class instead of driving. It’s a great way to simulate long-distance hiking over difficult terrain. Lastly, learn how to rehydrate cafeteria food by dumping hot water onto shriveled carrots and cucumbers (this skill is a must for extended backcountry stay). In conclusion, I know you’re freaked out about what you’ll be doing next summer, so let’s just make it simple: hike 7,000 miles and be the second or third person in history to be really cool.
1 https://andrewskurka.com/adventures/great-western-loop/ overview/ 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20090620182605/http://www. nationalgeographic.com/adventure/best-of-adventure-2008/ achievements/andrew-skurka.html 3 https://www.denverpost.com/2007/12/31/boulderite-standson-record/ 4 https://andrewskurka.com/adventures/great-western-loop/ overview/ 5 https://www.outsideonline.com/2354556/thru-hiker-attempting-epic-great-western-loop
He left in early April from California and finished 208 days later in Arizona, averaging around 33 miles of hiking each day.3 The two largest sections of trail, both oriented north-south, are the 2,400 mile sections of the Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails, with the remaining sections all fewer than 700 miles each.4
1 Mark 2:15 ESV 2 John 4:7-9 ESV 3 Matthew 8:19, 20 ESV
It’s been nearly 11 years since Skurka completed the epic route he set for himself, and no one else has completed it—yet. Jeff Garmire, a 27-year-old Washington native, plans to be the second. And although it’s October, he’s got well over 5,000 miles under his belt, putting him within striking distance of the finish line in the next month or two.5 To put this hike in perspective, the Great Western Loop’s length of 6,875 miles would be like walking from Walla Walla University to the northwestern corner of Chad, Africa via the southern tip of Greenland. That’s a long flight, let alone hike. The Great Western Loop. Photo by Andrew Skurka.
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Adventist Taboos Surrounding Halloween
Top Ten Things About Autumn
By Griffin Leek
By Inez Aguire
Halloween is coming up, so I thought this would be a good time to talk about what Adventists believe regarding Halloween traditions.
The colors.
As a college student at a Christian university, I feel like the act of celebrating Halloween has become a lot less strict than I remember it being as I grew up in the Adventist world. My Adventist household believed that celebrating Halloween is bad and that it glorifies Satan—instead of celebrating Halloween, we should celebrate an alternate holiday on Oct. 31 called “Pumpkin Day.” I didn’t grow up trick-ortreating because this belief was instilled in me at a very young age. As time went on, these ideals simply started to fade away and not make sense to me anymore. Why should I sit out from trick-or-treating and watch all my friends have fun and participate without me? Why do Christians believe this way? In the mind of a child, these questions never made sense to me. At the time I didn’t understand why I felt I couldn’t be a part of the crowd while my other friends got to celebrate Halloween. But now that I’ve had time to think about religion with an adult mindset, I see good reasons as to why I was brought up with this belief. In my article this week, I’m going to talk to you about why some Adventists disagree with the idea of Halloween and its yearly traditions. Even though the Adventist church hasn’t publicly stated their opposition to this dark holiday, it’s the church’s opposition to the occult that makes Adventists think twice about Halloween. According to the Adventist Review, Halloween and its practices have no core roots in scripture or the Christian church. These traditions and practices are solely rooted in paganism and the occult. In the Old Testament, God warned Israel not to mess around with the occult and witchcraft; since the occult is still very much a thing to this day, this guidance is still relevant. This is one of the main reasons why some Adventists avoid celebrating Halloween: because of its connection to the occult and witchcraft. Gerhard Pfandl, former associate director for the General Conference’s Biblical Research institute said, “Since many people no longer believe in the existence of a personal devil and his demons, they feel there is no harm in making fun of these ‘religious relics of the past.’ The children are taught there are no such beings as
They leave me speechless! The leaves. Yes, the vibrant, beautiful leaves! The crunch you hear when you step on the fallen leaves. Ahhh, so satisfying. Freshly-baked pumpkin pie. Topped with tons and tons of whipped cream. Photo by Phil Ritchie
witches and evil spirits and that it is fun to dress up as ghosts or goblins. The modern denial of the existence of Satan and demonic forces is clearly contrary to Scripture. Genesis to Revelation, the Bible affirms the existence of Satan and demonic spirit beings.” 1 This is why Adventists believe the way they do about Halloween. It can be seen as a holiday that deceives people into believing that there are no such things as demons or spirits, thus leading people to believe that it’s okay to entertain these practices. It distracts you from the real focus in life: trying to live more like Jesus. Some Adventists would say that Satan wants people to be distracted by worldly entertainment, and that Halloween is just one prime example of the deception among many Christians. I’m not saying that Adventists who celebrate Halloween are bad people, I’m just saying that issues like this can often lead people to question religion in general—if we don’t follow scripture then we are susceptible to accepting beliefs that oppose Christianity altogether. I think this way because the Bible tells us to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” 2 I was brought up with this belief, and now I feel I shouldn’t depart from my roots. I also believe that as time goes on, Adventist values will change and scripture won’t be followed as much regarding the strictness of beliefs. I don’t mean to shed negative light on the festivities Halloween brings, but I think it’s important as Adventists to keep in mind the misconceptions surrounding Halloween and Adventism. 1 https://www.adventistreview.org/church-news/story3386what-every-christian-should-know-about-halloween 2 Proverbs 22:6, KJV
Crisp, crunchy apples. Drizzled in caramel syrup! It’s the time of pumpkin everything. Pumpkin spice lattes! Pumpkin bread! Pumpkin cinnamon rolls! Pumpkin ice cream! Fall is the time pumpkin thrives! Two words: sweater weather. ♪ ‘cause it’s too cold whoa/for you here and now ♪ The start of cuffing season. Oh dear... Pumpkin picking. Nothing screams fun like pumpkin picking! It’s the holiday season. A time of pure happiness!
Ding, dong! Ding, dong! All of a sudden I was awakened by the sound of the old dusty clock in the far corner of our home. I laid for a moment and began to rub my eyes to fully engage in the world that stood ahead. I knew something had arrived; something I had been waiting for. I jumped out of bed and ran to the window. I ripped open the curtains and a burst of light filled the room. I was so exhilarated by the beauty of the morning sky that I just couldn’t contain my happiness. I got ahold of myself and placed the rocking chair in front of the window. I sat and faced the world outside of my window. There I began to see the world in action and in its natural beauty. The leaves were beginning to fall—reds, browns, oranges and yellows covered
the ground. The colors were so vibrant and beautiful. The trees were no longer trees, but rather looked like huge flowers all around. In the distance I saw a young girl bend over and pick up a red leaf. She began to look at it with wide eyes. A huge smile came across her face, and she began to run. I could only imagine that her every step was followed by a loud crunch. I remember always walking around and being so satisfied by that sound, so I couldn’t help but join in her exhilaration. Her little legs could barely keep up with her—she stumbled and waved her leaf in her mother’s face. The mother was speechless.
My sight became distracted by a little red food cart across from the mother and daughter. There was a little old lady selling something, but I couldn’t get a good look at what it was. Ahh! Finally, I saw a young man walk away from the food cart with something round and orange-looking in his hands. Yes! It was pumpkin pie! I couldn’t believe it! I remembered the smell of pumpkin pie, the texture, the sweet warm flavor, and imagined layering it with tons and tons of whipped cream. So yummy! As the line became shorter and shorter I could see the sign perfect- B ly. This old lady was selling much more than just pumpkin pie; she had pumpkin Z k cinnamon rolls, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream—it l v was simply an explosion of pumpkin! a c Next I saw a little table with a sign that i read, “Crisp Crunchy Apples Here!” I could tell it was a handmade sign because the letters were crooked and the e’s were L g backwards. Then I saw a little boy with caramel apples on stick. He held a platter m i and was waving them around to people who passed his little table. He was selling a apples in the middle of a pumpkin patch! t c People surrounded him, but a specific couple stood out to me. It looked like they a were in search of a pumpkin, one of my t favorite things to do! The couple looked so happy and so peaceful. It was definitely I “ the start of cuffing season… oh dear. o q Autumn is my favorite time of the year: it’s a time of pure happiness, a time when N m looking out my window isn’t so bad. M m c i a b N i i a s t N
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Don’t Mess with the Adventist Soul By President John McVay [This is a comment on a current governance crisis within the Seventh-day Adventist Church and represents my own, personal point of view, which should not be confused with the perspectives of my employing institution.] If you desire to be an Adventist, or to lead Adventists, you must know the Adventist soul. We Adventists possess a set of convictions buried deep in our hearts and minds, even deeper than our signature doctrinal beliefs. We are Protestants to the core. We are, historically and existentially, leery of “the Church”—organized, hierarchical, dominating, oppressive Christianity, which dictates, judges, determines, decides… and condemns. Whatever of that
needs to be done—says the echo in the Adventist soul—it is God who should do it, not mere humans. For this reason, we Adventists struggled with the idea of becoming an “organized” group, powerfully fearful that any such organization would drift toward dominating and dictating, assuming the prerogatives and duties that belong only to God. We examined the church at the time of the Reformation. We learned that its impressively organized and detailed workforce devolved into an elaborate mechanism for defining and enforcing the faith. In fact, the layered structure, with its many orders of ordination, had become “the church.” Ordinary people—the laos of the New Testament—were no longer
legally part of the church, having no place, no status, and no part in. The church had collapsed its identity, becoming only the hierarchy, the organization itself! The Adventist soul has an allergy to all of that, sneezing and wheezing at any hint of such a fiasco. Buried even deeper than Exodus 20:8-11, Daniel 8:14, Genesis 1-2, and John 14:1-3 in the Adventist soul is this dictum: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 True, we decided to organize. But we made our peace with doing so by clearly and vigorously arguing that such organization was limited in its domain, having to do with the legal necessities of ownership and, hopefully, injecting shared focus and
efficiency into the church’s mission. If such organization operated properly, it would know its own bounds and operate carefully and circumspectly within them. It would stay leagues away from arrogating to itself the prerogatives of Christ as the true and only Head of the church. And it would guard carefully the sanctity of the Adventist soul, itself participating in its convictions and ethos. If you desire to be an Adventist or to lead them, you must know the Adventist soul. Don’t mess with the Adventist soul!
1. 1 Timothy 2:5, ESV
Duke Freshman Faces Ineligibility for Recruitment Violation By Isaiah Taylor Zion Williamson, the 5-star freshman basketball phenom at Duke University, could lose his eligibility because of a potential violation of amateurism rules. A federal investigation into college basketball corruption revealed a wiretap that could implicate both Williamson and his family. Last week, a transcript of the wiretap suggested that Williamson’s stepfather wanted money, a house, and jobs for his family in exchange for Williamson’s attendance at the University of Kansas. According to NCAA rules, if someone solicits or receives money on behalf of an athlete, they are acting as agent, and could thus affect the athlete’s competition eligibility. In 2012, the NCAA implemented the “Cecil Newton Rule” after the recruitment of Cam Newton, the Carolina Panthers’ quarterback, to Auburn. In that case, Newton’s mother requested benefits and money to ensure her son’s enrollment. Members of the NCAA infractions committee believe the Zion Williamson case could fall under this rule. NCAA amateurism rules state that an agent’s activity on an athlete’s behalf causes the athlete to be ineligible. This affects the athlete at all NCAA schools, so Williamson will still be ineligible at Duke University, even if the infraction occurred during recruitment at another school. There may be evidence to suggest that Williamson was unaware of the request made by his stepfather, but the NCAA sees the parent-child relationship
as sufficient cause for Williamson to be aware of what was happening. In interviews with ESPN, both Duke University’s head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Williamson himself said they were not paying any attention to the investigation and were not worried about Williamson’s eligibility being in any real jeopardy. Krzyzewski added that Duke has gone through exhaustive background research from the NCAA and feels comfortable with all of the freshmen clearing eligibility.1 Williamson told ESPN, “I’m just a college kid, out here having fun with my classmates, looking forward to stuff like Countdown and our first game. You only get one chance at the college experience, and I want to enjoy it.”2
1 http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/ id/25028503/zion-williamson-paying-no-attention-ncaa-investigation 2 Ibid.
Editors’ Note: Hey, so you probably expected to see some reporting on the ongoing situation with the men’s basketball team. Don’t worry, we’ll have a lot more on it next week. Isaiah and our feature team are hard at work putting together pieces about the actions taken, the students affected, and what all this means going forward. It’s an important story, and we want to make sure we do it justice, but rest assured, we’re going to talk about it.
Duke Freshman forward Zion Williamson faces ineligibility from potential recruitment violations. Photo by SB Nation
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By Meaghan Ashton On Oct. 14th, history was made, perhaps unfavorably. On that day, the Seventh-day Adventist Church General Conference Executive Committee voted, with a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, to approve a compliance order.1, 2 The Annual Council deliberations were held in Battle Creek, Michigan in Kellogg Arena, where the compliance proposal was addressed and passed. The objective of the compliance order is to unify members and enforce policies of compliance throughout the global denominations of the church.3 In simpler terms, this seeks strict conformity to what the church deems to be Seventh-day Adventist policy, which unjustly centralizes power within the church and follows man-made protocol. This compliance policy arguably exists outside the ordinance of Christ. Take a look at the approved compliance document (provided at the link at the end of this article). The statements in the document speak of a governmental system designed to confront church entities and staff who are not following the world church policies, thus understood as being noncompliant.4
“I cannot support it in the way it is being presented or for what it really is and what it really does.”18 – John Friedman
Regrettable History in the Making cations that are not biblical in their regard. Sugar-coated and flowery, his proposal is layered with Bible verses and prophetic passages that have been twisted to appeal to leadership and the world church.5 This can most easily be seen in the Adventist scandal regarding “Testimonies for the Church” that uses Ellen G. White’s personal writing to construct specific orders for the church by misrepresenting quotes and taking them out of context. The presentation was problematic in its active use of Ellen G. White’s material as fodder to convey their own message.
church. By organizational power, I mean the five new General Conference Compliance Review Committees that comprise a legislative body that will rule over, discipline, and supervise church entities and employees who are or are not “in compliance.”7 Those who are not “in compliance” are met with punishment, as outlined by the approved document “Regard for and Practice of General Conference Session and General Conference Executive Committee Actions.”
Propaganda skit or not, using rearranged biblical passages and fluff to make a point that doesn’t actually reflect the reality of the passed compliance document seems one-sided. Some argue that this is a document of authoritarian discipline rather than one of unification, peace, harmony, and wholeness.6 In order to obtain and maintain Christian unification, one need not enforce a power dynamic that demands compliance. Christian unity and compliance are not one and the same.
This is a direct attack on church entities and staff who do not follow a top-down authority system, but instead follow a humble and appropriate bottom-up structure for church constituencies. The result is a judicial system within Seventh-day Adventism that may damage the wholeness of the church and the unity of its members. Church entities and employees who are deemed not “in compliance” are the target of these committees. The hierarchical and patriarchal structure of the church is a product of humanity’s want for power and control, going directly against scripture.8
Let us speak truth to power and lay out the viewpoints, predictions, and risks of the General Conference’s decision. Foremost, the danger of a church government system is profound, especially one that is unrepresentative of the church body. If it isn’t already obvious, by passing this compliance order, officials have effectively done three significant things: done away with internal church democracy, rejected current church policies, and placed all organizational power at the top of the
A major ramification of this development is the division of the church, as a system like this “promotes mistrust and encourages suspicion, spying, and accusations.”9 Under church mandate, the compliance order allows the committee to effectively excommunicate people and disfellowship church entities and employees alike. This is a leadership structure that threatens the very foundation of the church. It is important to note that within the five supervising compliance committees, the
Does any or all of this sound alarming to you? That’s because it is.
“The question before us is not whether God’s church will be victorious over present and future challenges. Rather, the question is whether each of us will be victorious with it.” 19 – Kevin Paulson We shouldn’t need a reminder, but let’s recall the life of Jesus and His intentional noncompliant nature. Our Savior was crucified because He was not compliant, which led to the salvation of all humankind. Never has He forced an agenda or restricted freedom. As we know from chapter 9 of Ellen White’s “The Desire of Ages,” Jesus is deliberate and steadfast in his noncompliant attitude: “He would hear every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; but He could not obey the inventions of men” and “The rabbis were ashamed to be instructed by a child. They claimed that it was their office to explain the Scriptures, and that it was His place to accept their interpretation. They were indignant that He should stand in opposition to their word.”11 Christ did not “obey”; rather, He resisted man-made teachings that did not emphasize His word.
So, here’s a question for you: who decides what is and is not compliant? As shown by the committee, as of Oct. 14th, the leaders at the top of organized Seventh-day Adventism decide. Taking a careful perspective that heavily correlates to the general North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists’ (NAD) attitude on the matter, as it most relates to us locally, an overview of the compliance code ensues. After taking a handful of minutes to be humored by General Conference president, Ted N.C. Wilson, one could draw conclusions that suggest a series of impli-
individuals named on the committees are listed without any credentials. Additionally, men greatly outnumber women as committee members.10
Photo by Brent Hardinge of Adventist News Network.
This new church strategy and leadership method restricts a Christ-like system and demands an in-or-out system. Within the church, this system insists on a terribly flawed ideology and biased church philosophy.
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A quick note about those in opposition and those in support of the compliance approval: Canada, Asia, Latin America, and Africa expressed their support, while Europe and North America are in opposition.12 North America and Europe stand by maintaining the freedom of diversity and conscience that they’ve stated will be permanent, regardless of new world church policies.13 The emphasis on the world church reminds us that this compliance policy is much larger than North America. Surrendering to a structurally powerful and anti-egalitarian framework is reflective of how little input church constituencies have in actions that are perceived not to be “in compliance.” A dominant theory is that this compliance order, an inadequate attempt at unity, is catering to the patriarchal societies of church divisions across the globe, such as South America and Africa, in order to gain congregation numbers.14 The congregations of South America and Africa happen to be the most rapidly growing. Keeping these cultural differences in mind, the denominational need is to build a bridge to peace instead of burning it, but
“I do believe in Christianity and my impression is that a system must be divine which has survived so much insane mismanagement.”20 – GK Chesterton the outcome of the General Conference Annual Council has led to actions that will take the church in a direction opposite of that goal.15 The General Conference and its president claim that the church needs order, but instead may be establishing disorder.16 World church leadership now embraces a power principle that reverses the biblical belief that message must drive mission, rather than mission driving message.17
Photo by Brent Hardinge of Adventist News Network. This concerns us because as students, as professors, as a campus, and as a Seventh-day Adventist university, we are obligated to follow world church policies and regulations. Does the approval of the compliance order directly affect our university and us as individuals? That is still unclear. We have been presented with a man-made document that is mandatory, restrictive, and assertive; a response of disappointment, uneasiness, anger, or a little bit of everything may undoubtedly arise.
Read: Regard for and Practice of General Conference Session and General Conference Executive Committee Actions. Provided by the link below.
The comvpliance order is a definite contradiction of the values of the church. It is greatly disappointing to recognize that it does not abide by the biblical values that are at the foundation of Seventh-day Adventism as followed by the reformers and founders of the church. Remember, compliance is blindly abiding to a certain command or set of commands. We should consider compliance with the Ten Commandments, holy scripture, and Christ Himself, not to a middleman in order to redeem an organization. With all this in mind, the question is clear: is this the way Christ would lead the church?
1 https://gleanernow.com/news/2018/10/gc-executive-committee-approves-compliance-process
Let us hold Him to the highest, and continuously move forward with Him as our only leader.
https://news.adventist.org/fileadmin/news. adventist.org/files/news/documents/113G_Regard_for_and_Practice_of_General_Conference_Session_and_General_Conference_Executive_Committee_Actions.pdf.
2 http://advindicate.com/articles/2018/10/16/reflections-on-a-decisive-moment 3 https://gleanernow.com/news/2018/10/gc-executive-committee-approves-compliance-process
10 https://spectrummagazine.org/article/2018/08/23/massive-oversight-committee-system-set-general-conference 11 http://www.whiteestate.org/books/da/da9.html 12 https://atoday.org/two-more-union-conferences-expressconcern-about-compliance-vote-by-gc/ 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 15 https://gleanernow.com/news/2018/10/gc-executive-committee-approves-compliance-process 16 https://atoday.org/two-more-union-conferences-expressconcern-about-compliance-vote-by-gc/ 17 http://advindicate.com/articles/2018/10/16/reflections-on-a-decisive-moment 18 https://gleanernow.com/news/2018/10/gc-executive-committee-approves-compliance-process
4 Ibid.
19 http://advindicate.com/articles/2018/10/16/reflections-on-a-decisive-moment
5 https://www.adventistworld.org/special-prayer-appeal-andmessage-to-gods-worldwide-church/
20 https://twitter.com/gkcdaily/status/941412604894904325
6 https://spectrummagazine.org/article/2018/08/23/massive-oversight-committee-system-set-general-conference 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 9 https://atoday.org/two-more-union-conferences-express-concern-about-compliance-vote-by-gc/
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Khashoggi Assassination Exposes US-Saudi Hypocrisy By Zachary White The recent killing of a Saudi Arabian journalist has caused international outrage, including mainstream media and government figures in the United States. This marks a dramatic shift in American attitudes toward the Saudi Kingdom. Only a few months ago in March, Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and political leader of the Saudi Kingdom, was on a glittering public relations campaign through the West, meeting with the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, and Google executives. 1
Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing in Istanbul, Turkey at the beginning of October, was far from an outsider in Saudi Arabia. He frequently featured in American media outlets, was the editor of a mainstream Saudi newspaper, and had strong ties to a branch of the Saudi royal family. Weeks after his disappearance and accusations by the Turkish government that Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents, the Saudi government finally admitted that Khashoggi was dead on Oct. 20. The Saudi Kingdom continues to deny claims of their involvement in the murder. 2,3
While the U.S. has a long track record of opposing and overthrowing governments it finds unsavory in the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran), Saudi Arabia has historically been America’s number one ally in the region. Despite this, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported this year that the Saudi Kingdom has beheaded nearly 600 people since 2014. In the first four months of 2018 alone, HRW claims the Saudi Kingdom executed 48 people, half of which for non-violent crimes. Saudi Arabia also has one of the most abysmal records in the world for women’s and LGBT rights. 4 “The 75-year alliance between the two nations has been built on a simple arrangement: American demand for Saudi oil and Saudi demand for American firepower,” Time Magazine put it bluntly in a piece on the Khashoggi killing last week. 5 While President Trump’s recent multi-billion dollar arms deals with the Saudi Kingdom has garnered some criticism, the history of cooperation goes deep.
U.S. President Donald Trump poses for a photo with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office at the White House on March 20 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Kingdom Council/Handout/Anadolu Agency/Getty.
Looming in the background of the recent assassination is a tragedy much more vast, however. Human rights organizations from the United Nations to Amnesty International have warned the U.S. that it may be complicit in war crimes involving U.S. support for the Saudi-led coalition bombing of Yemen. Since March of 2015, the Saudi-led coalition has used U.S. weapons and intelligence assistance to carry out 16,000 air raids, many of them in civilian areas. 6 The conflict in Yemen has resulted in widespread destruction of health and electrical infrastructure in
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the country, spurring a massive cholera outbreak. Early in October, World Health Organization data showed that 10,000 cases of cholera were being reported a week. 7 Why is it that the U.S. claims to support democracy and human rights in its foreign policy, yet supports one of the most authoritarian theocratic regimes in the world? With more than 800 military bases in over 70 countries, the activities of the U.S. empire are much better understood through the lenses of power and economics than through sentiment and proclamation. 8
1 https://www.newsweek.com/2018/09/07/saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-charm-west-1096423.html 2 http://time.com/magazine/south-pacific/5428292/october29th-2018-vol-192-no-17-asia-europe-middle-east-and-africa-south-pacific/ 3 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45812399 4 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/26/saudi-arabia-criticised-over-executions-for-drug-offences 5 http://time.com/5428669/saudi-arabia-military-relationship/ 6 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/accuses-saudi-uae-alliance-war-crimes-yemen-180828064317307.html 7 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-cholera/ yemen-cholera-outbreak-accelerates-to-10000-cases-perweek-who-idUSKCN1MC23J 8 https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/us-military-bases-around-the-world-119321
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GCC Vote Causes Division within the Church By Rose Sperl On Oct. 14, the General Conference Executive Committee (GCC) voted in Battle Creek, Michigan, to adopt a document outlining a new process of enforcing the compliance of churches and divisions globally. In a vote of 185-124, the document titled, “Regard for and Practice of General Conference Session and General Conference Executive Committee Actions” was passed after more than five hours of presentation and debate. 1 The document describes a policy for addressing non-compliance within the Church. While the document does not explicitly mention women’s ordination, it is clear by the discussions at the meeting, including a comment from Dr. G.T. Ng, GC Executive Secretary, that the document “was triggered” by the issue. 2 However, the policy is broad, covering any case of non-compliance. Since the 2015 decision that prohibited Divisions from engaging in women’s ordinations, more than 60 such ordinations have taken place. 3 The new policy aims to unify the actions of the Church to discontinue non-compliance in this regard.
to the matter… As part of the process, the non-compliant entity would be asked to provide evidence of compliance or a plan to achieve sustained compliance. If no resolution is reached at the closest administrative levels, the General Conference Administrative Committee (ADCOM) may refer the matter to one of five advisory committees. These committees, termed ‘compliance committees’ had earlier been endorsed by ADCOM.” 5 “The origins of this document come from you; it is your document,” said Ted Wilson, current GC president. 6 Wilson was referring to a professionally-made survey previously issued to all 137 union presidents worldwide. The results show that 75 percent of presidents agreed that consequences should be applied to non-compliant entities. 7
Many have questioned what this means going forward. Adventist News Network, the official news service of the Church, summarized the new policy in a recent report. 4 The following is an excerpt from the report:
However, there is a wide variety of opinions on the events that occurred at the Council. Many are encouraged by the unification of the Church and obedience to its policies. For example, Pastor Larry Kirkpatrick said, “Here we stand at the end of time and just now some are trading present truth for a stale feminism that cannot be reconciled with scripture. But Jesus is ready to help those who have become confused to turn to Him.” Others are far from enthused by what they interpret as a divisive executive decision. The NAD released a statement regarding the new policy:
“The process begins with perceived non-compliance being reported to the administrative level of the Church closest
“We believe that this voted document, which outlines a system of governance to address church entities perceived not in
compliance with church policy, does not follow the biblical values proclaimed by the Protestant reformers and the founders of the Adventist Church. This document, as voted, has made centralized power possible, and seeks to create a hierarchical system of governance.” 8 The issue the NAD faces, along with individual members, is what to do going forward. All parties desire unity within the church, and the NAD holds to their claim that they will not separate themselves. NAD president Daniel R. Jackson published an open letter to youth within the church regarding the council’s decision. 9 He empathized with the general sadness and spoke brief words of encouragement towards teens and college-aged believers. 10 Leaders within the division are currently discussing what further action will be taken. In reaction to the vote, WWU has held multiple informational sessions on campus in addition to an evening colloquium presented by Greg Dodds, Mathilda Frey, and Emily Ellis on the decision. More information on the new policy can be found on the Adventist News Network website, as well as the text of the document itself. 11
[1] https://www.nadadventist.org/news/document-voted-annual-council-outlines-process-dealing-non-compliant-church-entities [2] https://news.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2018-1014/annual-council-delegates-vote-to-adopt-compliance-document/ [3] http://ordinationtruth.com/category/womens-ordination/ [4] Ibid. [5] https://news.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2018-1014/annual-council-delegates-vote-to-adopt-compliance-document/ [6] https://www.nadadventist.org/news/open-letter-emma [7] https://spectrummagazine.org/news/2018/observations-compliance-discussion [8] https://www.nadadventist.org/news/nad-statement-2018-general-conference-annual-council-vote [9] https://www.nadadventist.org/news/open-letter-emma [10] Ibid. [11] https://news.adventist.org/en/all-news/news/go/2018-1017/harmony-with-the-world-church/
Photo by Brett Hardinge/Adventist News Network.
CDC Warns Against Dressing Up Chickens for Halloween Due to Salmonella Risk Study Finds Surprising Number of Americans Think Chocolate Milk Comes from Brown Cows Trump: “The Only Way to Find Out What Happened at the Saudi Consulate is to Send in More Journalists One at a Time”
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Tasting Notes: A Soup Experience By Nicolette Horning You’ve been skiing all day. Cross-country, that is. You are having a rough go at it. It is your first time cross-country skiing, and nobody has bothered to tell you that it is almost impossible to turn at high speeds on cross-country skis. Nobody has thought to let you in on the little fact that cross-country skis have literally no edges, which makes stopping very difficult. You reach a steep descent. “I’ve got this,” you think. You own the mountain. You edge your ski tips slowly out until gravity pulls you over. You begin to pick up speed. “Time for a turn,” you think. You envision the perfect S and lean into your skis with grace. “Slow down!” calls a voice from above. Your skis do not turn with your body. Your face meets the snow. When you lift your face you see of one of your skis gliding silently down the hill,
Photo by Nicolette Horning.
and completing a gentle turn to the right. You groan and roll to your back. “This is not downhill skiing,” a voice laughs, over and over and over like ice in your ears. You shake the ice out of your hair as more melts down your face—or are those tears? You get up and continue on, because you’re not a quitter. You have grit. The day is finished. Time to go home. You turn the knob to open the door into your house. It takes a bit longer than usual—mittens and dexterity don’t seem to go hand-in-hand. The door swings open and warm air kisses your runny red nose. You lug your edgeless skis into the house and collapse onto the carpet in front of a crackling fire. Your dog stares at you from across the room and crosses its paws, clearly not comprehending your distress. You can see the fire reflecting in its eyes.
Out of the corner of your eye you notice your father dancing around the house like he had been resting all day. You don’t even have the energy to be annoyed at this. You groan. “Dinner time!” says a voice from the kitchen. It takes you approximately 7 minutes and 22 seconds to lift yourself from the warmth of the carpet. You manage to drag your feet all the way to the dining room. Smiling faces and steaming bowls greet your eyes. You find your chair and accept its support. “Amen,” your brother says, and you realize that you fell asleep during prayer. He looks over at you and laughs, stopping when he catches your glare. You reach for your spoon and dip it slowly into the deep bowl. You bring it to your lips. The best soup you have ever tasted
Ingredients:
graces your palate. Your eyes widen and you return for a second spoonful. “Butternut squash,” you whisper. You dip your spoon over and over and over, reveling in the soup’s creaminess and depth of flavor. Soon you decide that your spoon will no longer suffice. You pick your bowl up and gulp down every last drop. You feel alive. You look around. Your family is silent. “Are you alright?” asks your mother. You don’t hear anything. You go back to the pot for seconds and refill. Back again for thirds. Nothing. There is no more soup left. You need to make more. You must make more. You see the recipe box sitting on the counter. You open it with quivering hands and remove a stained page. It reads:
Utensils:
• 1 butternut squash (medium size)
• Blender/Ninja bullet
• 1 onion
• Pot for steaming squash/carrots OR pan for roasting squash/ carrots
• 2-3 cloves of garlic • 4 cups water (to begin) • 2 tablespoons Bill’s Best Chickinish Seasoning (in bulk at Andy’s)
• Pan to saute onion (alternatively, you can roast the onion with the squash)
• 1-3 tablespoons curry powder
• Spoon
• A couple shakes of oregano
• Large, trustworthy knife
• 1 teaspoon rosemary • Dash of cayenne
• Largest cutting board you can find
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Peeler
• Salt to taste
Directions: Peel your carefully-selected butternut squash. Chop your butternut squash in half and then into 1-inch-large pieces. Butternut squashes look menacing to cut, but with a big knife and a lot of commitment it should be no problem. Cut your carrots into 1 inch rounds. I always cut my carrots at an angle because it makes them look incredibly elegant. Now is the time for you to decide if you would rather steam or roast your veggies. My personal favorite is roasting, but it requires a bit more time. Despite what some may think, the roasting process involves no offensive remarks made to the vegetables. If you decide to roast, toss carrots and squash in olive oil and throw them into the oven at 375°F for about 20 minutes or until they are soft and beginning to become that gorgeous golden-brown. Alternatively, if you choose to steam, steam your veggies until they are soft. Sauté your onion and garlic and put into blender with chicken-ish broth. Add your steamed or roasted veggies into the blender along with seasonings. Blend until creamy. Pour back into the pot to reheat. Taste and add more seasonings. Your soup will likely need more liquid. Add more water or almond milk. If you add almond milk be sure that it is unsweetened. This is not cereal. Add more curry and cayenne. You know you want to.
You set the recipe card down. You pick up your squash and your knife. You are ready.
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Fall Outerwear By Gabriela Hutuleac With the warm weather coming to an end, bundling up for fall is important, and there are many essential jackets that everyone needs in their closet. Throwing a big, trendy jacket over that spaghetti strap dress can keep you warm in the months ahead, and also double as an accent piece to complement and complete your outfit. Jackets can also dress down or dress up an outfit. If you have a fancy lace dress, throwing a jean jacket on can make for a casual winter look. One of my favorite outerwear options is a jean jacket, which is the most indispensible of all jackets, in my opinion. With so many washes and fits to choose from, jean jackets can be one of the most practical items in your closet. I wear mine with dresses, or with sweaters and black jeans. If I’m going for a more casual look, I wear my light wash one, but for fancier occasions, I go with the darker washes. If you don’t already have a go-to jean jacket in your closet, H&M has many washes to choose from, and all at affordable prices, too. Another one of my personal favorites is the black leather jacket. This is one of the best purchases I made on a summer trip to Rome. I hesitated to buy the jacket at
Photo by Champion.
first, considering that my luggage was already filled to the brim, but I’m so glad I bought it! I wear mine almost every week, either with a pair of ripped jeans or over any dress I have. Despite the hefty price tag that usually comes with an authentic leather jacket, this classic style is a worthwhile investment. Throwing a leather jacket over a dress can add a lot of warmth and complete your outfit. The jacket shown is from Urban Outfitters; however, you can find many styles at a multitude of stores. The last essential outerwear piece is the oversized hoodie, which is known to be one of the most basic hoodies of all time— the Champion hoodie. I wear one of these pretty much every day to class with leggings and Air Force shoes. Whether you’re into this trend or not, having a neutral, oversized hoodie is absolutely necessary for every student. Although these can be pricey for a basic hoodie, they come in so many colors that you can easily find one that fits your style. With these fall outerwear essentials, you can stay warm throughout fall and winter. Whether you choose to stay warm with a Patagonia puffer or a light hoodie, pairing your jacket with the right outfit can reflect the personal street style you want to achieve.
Photo by H&M.
Photo by Urban Outfitters.
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The Upside-Down Man By Tobi Brown
“Jump, jump!” They repeated, 24 fluffy balls hopping slightly off-beat.
The rumble of his voice turned
“But maybe I should wait to see if Courage comes for me?” Steve considered.
into a screech when he lost his balance and plummeted into the winding expanse of deep Open. After 11 minutes, Steve guessed, of falling with no sign of stopping, his shirt caught on an invisible branch. The catch was rough. If his glasses were still on at this point, they were surely lost now. He hung there a while, still screaming, until he realized he had stopped—Steve really was quite slow. His eyes bulged out of his skull as the blood rushed to his head. The swirls of thoughts were gone, and Steve assumed they had all climbed back into his head. He had to think of a plan. “Maybe if I swing back and forth,” Steve said to himself, “my shirt will loosen and I can plummet to my death.” But this wasn’t a pleasant thought to Steve because, although he didn’t believe he was important to the world, he was too afraid of death. “Yes, that should do it.” A mousy voice tickled Steve’s ear. “That should do it, that should do it.” Steve twisted his neck upwards and saw, on the invisible ledge, three fluffy cotton creatures chittering about. He squinted his eyes, making sure they weren’t playing tricks on him. “Are you talking to me?” He queried, bewilderment showing in his red face. “Yes, if that’s what you want.” The three white balls nodded in agreement, as much as white balls can nod. It was more of a roll, really. “What are you?” Steve’s neck began to cramp looking upwards, so he let gravity pull it down. “Or better yet, can you help me up?” “No, I’m really quite busy. Yes, busy, busy.” He noticed there were six now. They all repeated “busy.” “You look funny like that, you really should get up.” “I-” Steve wiggled his limbs. “I can’t! Can’t you see?” “Yes, we can see!” Somehow there seemed to be 12 of them. The creatures were like mocking birds or parrots, always agreeing and repeating what the others said. “We are good at seeing things. The best, the best.” Steve felt a headache coming on. He swung his arms to his head and began massaging his temples. “Should I just jump?”
“Yes, wait, that’s the best option!” The creatures were now so numerous they simply looked like snow. “It’s no good to just agree with me, why don’t you do something to help?” “Busy! We’re busy.” Some fluff-balls mumbled about schooling and the others about work, though Steve was sure they didn’t have either. Steve couldn’t tell how many creatures were on the ledge now. They all seemed to merge together, the pure whiteness of their fur blending in with the white background. They ran into each other, accidently pushing each other off the ledge. Steve tried to catch one, but it slipped through his fingers eagerly. It seemed to fall about three feet until it stopped.
beginning to worry that he’d left the stove on (though he always orders out), the impact of a hard surface shook the thoughts out of his ear. Purple and orange swirls danced around his head and floated into the sky. Steve felt what he had just hit, but it seemed to be invisible. He walked around it and noticed a shadow in the back. It was the silhouette of a tree. Purple swirls began to fill the sky and outline the shape of the trees, but the trees were as thin as, well, paper. He was standing in a paper forest after all. He walked forward, carefully avoiding the two-dimensional vegetation. Color slowly blended with the white ground around the only solid tree in the forest. It was made from construction paper. Red, blue, green, and yellow strips of paper resembling leaves softly grazed Steve’s face. He stood at the
“Is there ground there!?” He was flushed with embarrassment as the little guy on the floor chirped his answer. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” Steve shimmied his shirt off of the branch and landed on the white floor. His knees knocked together, worried the ground would break again—it held. “Well, we couldn’t see it.” 20 more fluff-balls fell to the ground. “You can’t expect us to see everything. Can’t expect us.” Steve was quite annoyed at the avoidant fluffy creatures. He dusted off his knees and began to walk. He didn’t know where he was going, but he wanted to get away from those nasty little pests. He hurried along and soon the chirps and murmurs were drowned in the white silence. The echo of his footsteps stretched into infinity. The quiet would unsettle any normal being, but Steve found it beautiful. The fact that everything was either white or invisible comforted him. He didn’t need corrective lenses if he couldn’t see anything anyways. He wouldn’t even have noticed the absence of his glasses if he didn’t keep trying to push them up. Open seemed to be devoid of time. It felt to Steve he’d been walking for hours, but his legs weren’t tired. The repetition of putting one foot in front of the other began to lose its meaning—when you repeat something for so long, the importance of it fades away. Steve had a lot of time to think. His mind touched on every subject. He thought about if he was going to starve, or if he was going to miss work tomorrow. He thought about his pet fish that died last year, and thought about maybe getting a new one. His mind wandered to mathematics, calculations, and even apple picking. Just as he was
Illustration by Tobi Brown.
base of the tree and noticed a glimmer of light around the roots. Upon closer inspection, he found the glimmer was his pair of trusty spectacles. “Ah, were you waiting for me?” He snickered and pressed them onto his nose. He straightened his back to get a better look at the tree, but his eyes met four crystal ones glued onto skinny bodies. Wrapped tightly around the colorful tree was a two-headed snake, silently watching him. Steve wished he had not put on his glasses. To Be Continued
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Ask Regan Hey Regan. I seem to have formed a friend group. I love them and all, but … they don’t like going adventuring. They don’t wanna go to events like Barn Party or the corn maze, and they don’t wanna go on caving adventures or to the falls. How do I find friends who are willing to explore with me? Sincerely, Staying at Home, I Guess
Staying at Home, Sometimes trying to find friends with similar interests is like trying to get a parking spot right by the entrance of the grocery store: nearly impossible. However, much like finding parking, sometimes finding a group of friends just consists of looking in the right place. Being in college gives you the perfect opportunity to hang out with a wide variety of people. While some groups may not be up your particular alley—spending their time inside watching “the YouTubes” and whatnot—chances are that the group of
adventurers you’re looking for is right around the corner. All you have to do is put yourself out there and find activities that those people might find themselves at as well. For instance, are you hankering for a hike? Go hang out in the hills! It’s totally not dangerous, and you may find a lonely person looking for a hiking buddy. Want to go to the corn maze with friends? Go by yourself, stand in the middle of the walkway, and ask people where they got their shoes. It’s a great conversation starter! I mean, yeah, you probably shouldn’t actually do these things, but the basic idea is still there. In the end, if you want people to adventure with, you may have to seek the adventure first and make the friends along the way. So join an outdoor club, sign up for a backpacking trip, sit inside an empty cave for a couple hours and hope for the best. As long as you start out on the adventure, odds are that you’ll find at least one person that doesn’t make you want to bang your head against the wall; at the end of the day, isn’t this all we can hope for in life? All this being said, if the idea of the initial adventure alone is too much to handle, there’s nothing that says your current
group of friends are incapable of adventuring. Speaking as someone who loves being a couch potato as much as the next gal, I also know that there’s something to be said for time spent in the great outdoors—especially when it’s something a friend is really looking forward to. So, are you positive that adventuring is a lost cause when it comes to your current friend group? If you asked really nicely, is there a chance that they would consider going outside for a quick jaunt around town? If you begged, do you think they’d slap on a few costumes and accompany you to the local Piggly Wiggly? If they’re not willing to try at least once—even if just to make you happy—consider that they may not be the right friends for you. And if they do decide to tag along, the more the merrier! May the force be with you, Staying at Home, and remember: I don’t know how to give advice! Got a question you’re itching to have answered? Apply some ointment first, and then visit rebrand.ly/askregan to ask for advice!
Compliance Committee: Not Just a Matter of Principle
By Amelia Pekar I heard a professor make a joke this weekend that went something like this: “Adventists are used to being disappointed in October.” I laughed—who doesn’t love a good 1844 reference?—but beneath the humor I felt a tinge of hopelessness. The disappointment she was referring to was the General Conference’s recent vote to approve the compliance committee, and for me, this was a sucker punch of disappointment. Full disclosure: I am biased on this issue—both of my parents are SDA pastors. After my mom graduated with a theology degree here at Walla Walla College in 1981, she was the first woman to be sponsored to attend Andrews University Theological Seminary, where she graduated in 1985. She worked full-time as a pastor and chaplain for Adventist conferences, but because she wasn’t ordained, up until seven years ago she was only paid parttime for that work. This didn’t just affect her in principle; she estimates that the amount of unpaid salary over those years
is close to $400,000. Still, she has devoted incredible amounts of time and energy to the communities she serves because she feels called to do so. When I asked my mom about the compliance committee, she was frustrated. She told me, “This issue is not just about women. ... These threats create a culture of fear, which will permeate the church at every level. This will destroy any chance of Holy Spirit-led unity.” She told me how much she appreciates the men in the system who have stood up for equality in ministry. “For the past 30 years, I ... have prayed for courageous and godly male administrators and Biblical scholars who will speak up for equality and justice. ... The men who have risked their professional futures on this issue are to be commended.” But my mom doesn’t only appreciate women’s allies in positions of power; she also fears for them. She says that she’s worried right now not for her own position in the church, but for Doug Bing, the president of Washington Conference,
and John Friedman, the president of the North Pacific Union Conference: “I fear that my administrators will face reprisal and threat, and if they don’t comply, they could be removed, and replaced with a GC-approved administrator. ... That situation would be untenable to me, and when this happens, I will be very concerned for my own employment.” There are some real ways in which these policies will affect both women and their allies in the SDA system. It is not only my mom and her administrators’ God-given callings that will be threatened. Removal from their posts by the compliance committee means no salaries, no health insurance for themselves and potentially their families as well. My mom, with her advanced degree from an SDA seminary and more than 30 years of experience leading in ministry, will be hard-pressed to find a job in her field. If a woman feels called by God to enter ministry, that’s between her and God, right? Church politics won’t affect that in
the long run—right? It’s easy to ignore this and think it doesn’t matter. It’s also easy to be so disappointed that we give up, check out, and leave the people involved to fight the system by themselves. But I can’t do that. If I give up, what will happen to my mom and her lifelong passion for ministry? If I check out, what will happen to the people who put their careers and reputations on the line every day to advocate for her and women like her? If we care about the real individuals who comprise this church, we have to recognize that they are affected by this in very real ways, and that we need to be prepared to fight for real justice for their sakes. As my mom says, “There are some things that are worth fighting for.”
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Embarrassing Stories From My Youth: Jump Scare(d) By: Regan Hinshaw As spooky season approaches, I can’t help but remember all of the iconic moments in my life that have occured on Oct. 31st. From living the life as the self-proclaimed best-dressed to spending the entire night on my couch surrounded by Butterfinger wrappers, I have no shortage of stories in the Halloween department. So, here’s a li’l treat for you: another rapid-fire round! • We once had a neighbor who was the owner of two Great Danes. At the age of 6, upon approaching said neighbor’s house for some free candy while decked out beyond belief in my cowgirl costume, I was knocked clean off their front porch by one of their horse-sized dogs. I believe this is the reason why I still spook at the sight of any animal larger than a Labrador Retriever. • My first time handing out candy without immediate supervision happened when I was 9. After I’d answered the door and kindly told the visiting kids to take one piece each, a tiny Stormtrooper toddled up to grab his share. As he turned around to walk away, his helmet proceeded to topple, blocking his vision and causing him to trip down our front steps. To my knowledge, he lived, but this moment still haunts me every day. • As a pre-teen, I became obsessed with a costume idea that I was adamant would no-doubt be the best and most original of any costume ever in the history of the world: a basketball. However, this costume did not involve dressing up as
a basketball so much as it did deflating an existing basketball, gutting it, and pulling it over my head. As I didn’t think about cutting nose or eye holes, I quickly had a claustrophobic episode and didn’t make it out of the house to trick-or-treat. I now look at this incident as an enormous blessing—I would have received merciless teasing at the hands of passersby as the world was not yet ready for this iconic (and yes, definitely dangerous) look. • My brother once obtained a Ronald Reagan mask that he set up in our backyard to scare me as I walked in from the garage. This was not on Halloween—it actually occurred sometime in March—but I just want him to know if he’s reading this that I haven’t forgotten and I’m still seeking revenge. • During my one and only visit to the scary corn maze in high school, terrified and wanting out, I approached the entrance of the haunted house to ask the attendant (who was dressed as a butcher) for directions on how to exit. Responding with only a grunt, he lunged at me, chasing me backwards into the night. Now, I realize, he chased me in the direction of the exit. But still, dude, you could’ve just pointed—would’ve saved me hundreds in therapy bills. • As seniors in high school, and weeks after Halloween had actually happened, my cousin and I went to Kmart where I begged her to buy me a purple Crayola crayon costume. After she humored me and made the purchase, I proceeded to wear it out of the store.
Missed Connections
at WWU
To this day, it’s the most I’ve ever felt like the real “me.” • I once jump-scared myself so badly from seeing my own reflection in the mirror that I gave myself a minor concussion from hitting my head on an open cabinet door. I say “once,” but in reality this happens almost once a week.
After realizing that I don’t actually have to leave the house to get candy, my trickor-treating career has quickly become short-lived. Now, every year I just get an assorted bag of treats from Walmart and shut off all the lights so I can watch Gilmore Girls reruns in peace. I even dress up in costume as an exhausted girl in college. Highly recommend!
• Finally, in high school I opened the door to a group of trick-or-treaters (all under the age of 5) who proceeded to shriek in fright at my appearance. I was not wearing a costume.
Verbatim “There was this guy on my hall, but I didn’t think he looked all that attractive.” - Doctor Paul Dybdahl “I may be old, fat, and crippled—but I am still [darn] good looking. At least that’s what my wife says.” - Professor Terry Gottschall “I won’t say anymore of the truth. You’ve already had too much truth.” - Professor Roy Benton
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You were Bob Ross at Barn Party and I saw your picture pop up on the screen from the photo booth. Props to you, because that was one of my favorite costumes of the night and I would have cheered so loudly if you’d entered the costume contest!
I waved back at you, but you were waving at someone else. You probably didn’t even notice, but it’s going to take years for me to live this one down. Ugh.
Signed, Whoops
Signed, Pokémon Trainer
We reached for the last piece of candy at the same time and I went ahead and let you have it. To be honest, I hadn’t eaten all day and wanted that Snickers so badly I would’ve done anything for it, but your smile made me swoon! Hope you enjoyed. Signed, Sweet Tooth
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