Volume 97, Issue 27

16 May 2013 Volume 97 Issue 27

TECHNOLOGY AND THE

AUTONOMY OF LEARNING 15

NEWS

5

SNAPSHOTS

13

SCIENCE & TECH

23

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Emily Muthersbaugh

2

HEAD LAYOUT EDITOR Ricky Barbosa

2

INTRODUCTION

HEAD COPY EDITOR Cedric Thiel HEAD PHOTO EDITOR Josh McKinney

Emily Muthersbaugh

CONTENT DIRECTOR Philip Duclos NEWS EDITOR Jaclyn Archer

Editor-in-Chief

RELIGION EDITORS Rob Folkenberg Daniel Peverini COLUMNIST Rebecca Brothers CREATIVE WRITING EDITOR Kayla Albrecht OPINION EDITORS Elliott Berger Grant Gustavsen Nathan Stratte FEATURE EDITORS Braden Anderson Elizabeth Jones James Mayne Christian Robins CULTURE EDITOR Grant Perdew DIVERSIONS EDITOR Eric Weber TRAVEL EDITOR Megan Cleveland HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITOR Karl Wallenkampf SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Spencer Cutting

This week’s Collegian Feature considers the impact of technology on education.

As technology becomes increasingly enmeshed in our daily lives, it seems to be both pushing and pulling us forward, snowballing to connectivity. The educational experience does not stand untouched by technology. Educators are increasingly compelled to bridle this energy and further anticipate the influence of technology.

Feature Editors Braden Anderson and Christian Robins consider the opportunities and challenges technology

holds for students and teachers alike. They also explore how technology changes the setting in which learning takes place — the classroom, campus, and community.

On a campus like WWU, where community is such a strong component of students’ experience, technology causes us to question how valuable and even essential the residential experience is for quality education and perhaps to further invigorate our investment in community.

M W

continuing Religion series. These leaders were asked to share messages from their hearts with the WWU community.

Contributors to this issue include Jon Paulien, dean of the School of Religion at Loma Linda University; Gerald Winslow, professor of religion at Loma Linda University; and Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. I hope you continue to be challenged both by the Da perspectives of these leaders and theMade mem ideas of your peers. stayin The b with fruit,

Th farms farmi from choo — su to rec can b food by ca made Wedn

This issue also features contributions from leaders in Adventism as part of a

FOOD EDITOR Amy Alderman SPORTS EDITORS Trevor Boyson Tye Forshee THE HEEL EDITOR Julian Weller STAFF WRITERS Amy Alderman Casey Bartlett Karina Gomez Hilary Nieland Annie Palumbo LAYOUT DESIGNERS Allison Berger Alix Harris Greg Khng Cory Sutton COPY EDITORS Amy Alderman Rebecca Brothers Carly Leggitt Ryan Robinson DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Alex Wickward OFFICE MANAGER Heather Eva SPONSOR Don Hepker EDITORIAL BOARD Braden Anderson Jaclyn Archer Elliott Berger Philip Duclos Rob Folkenberg Grant Gustavsen Elizabeth Jones James Mayne Emily Muthersbaugh Christian Robins Nathan Stratte Julian Weller AD SALES MANAGER Brenda Negoescu aswwu.ads@wallawalla.edu

Photo by Allison Berger

Context

3–7

News ASWWU/Admin Week in Forecast

Photo by Adventist.org

Perspective Religion Column Creative Writing Opinion Snapshots Scholars Abroad

8–14

Photo by Joshua McKinney

Feature 15–17 Technology and the Autonomy of Learning

Photo by Flickr user Caliterra

Ma or ou optio to pi Walla anyon place coop.

Life 18–24

Culture Diversions Sports Foodie Travel Science & Tech The Heel

If you are interested in contributing to The Collegian, contact our page editors or the editor-in-chief at aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu. The Collegian is boosted by regularly incorporating a wide range of student perspectives.

Cover Photo Credit: Josh McKinney, Ricky Barbosa, Darrin Berning, Kai Kopitzke, Willy Logan The Collegian is the official publication of ASWWU. Its views and opinions are not necessarily the official stance of Walla Walla University or its administration, faculty, staff, or students. Questions, letters, and comments can be mailed to aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu or emily.muthersbaugh@wallawalla.edu. This issue was completed at 2:27 a.m. on 16 May 2013.

The Collegian | Volume 97, Issue 23 | 204 S. College Avenue | College Place, WA 99324 | collegian.wallawalla.edu

NEWS

Made in Walla Walla Box Annie Palumbo Staff Writer

Daily Market Cooperative is offering a Made in Walla Walla Box to community members and university students who are staying in Walla Walla through the summer.

The boxes come from local farms each week with fresh and local food, including veggies, fruit, milk, eggs, bread, meat, and coffee.

The cooperative works with small, local farms that are committed to sustainable farming methods. The summer session runs from May 29 to August 28, and students can choose a minimum of three food categories — such as grains, veggies, fruit, and coffee — to receive, each costing $5 a week. The box can be changed week to week by either adding food or changing the original three selections by calling or emailing the organizers. Changes made by Friday can be accommodated by the Wednesday pickup date.

Made in Walla Walla can work with allergies or out-of-town trips, offering a variety of options. Weekly emails come with reminders to pick up boxes and recipe tips. Made in Walla Walla is offering a two-week trial for anyone interested. More information and a place to sign up can be found at dailymarket. coop.

WWU's Friendship With Davis Karina Gomez Staff Writer

Throughout recent years, Walla Walla students have been involved with Davis Elementary School, the local public school located behind the women's dorm. Due to the large number of disadvantaged children at Davis (over 60 percent of them are on reduced lunch), the school, which has been in need of volunteers, is grateful for the increasing number of WWU student volunteers.

The most common ways students are involved at Davis are through the Friends of Walla Walla program and work–study programs such as America Reads and America Counts. The Friends program, which has been running for six years and started off with only 18 volunteers, is one of the fastest-growing volunteer options.

The program is a very student-friendly way of getting involved, as it only requires visiting a personally matched friend from Davis once per week during lunch time. The goal of Friends is to create a positive impact on a child's life through the formation of a friendship between an adult role model and a child. This year there are around 78 program volunteers, nearly all of whom are either students

or staff members of WWU. In regard to the amount of WWU involvement in the program, Julie Nordgen, Friends coordinator, said, “Walla Walla makes our [Friends] program run.”

In the future, Nordgen hopes to see the number of volunteers continue to grow because, as she puts it, “there will always be a need for volunteers at Davis.” This is especially due to the construction of the new school, which when completed will add fourth and fifth grades. Nordgen sees the addition of the two grades (fourth grade will be added by next school year, fifth the year after) having a positive effect on the Friends program because volunteers can continue their friendships longer, thus creating a stronger connection.

Other ways WWU has been involved with Davis includes the university's Spanish class helping with Latino heritage day, a significant event for Davis since a large percentage of their students are Hispanic. Most recently, WWU's Battle of the Bands helped raise a $1,500 for Davis and the construction of the new school.

For more information on volunteer and work opportunities at Davis, contact the school’s main office at (509) 525-5110 or Julie Nordgen at julie.friendsofww@gmail.com.

New Vice President for Student Life Appointed Karina Gomez Staff Writer

Dr. David Richardson Jr. has been appointed as the university’s new vice president for student life and mission, replacing this year’s current interim vice president, George Bennett.

A 1993 graduate of Oakwood University, Richardson received a

bachelor’s degree in physical education with a minor in religion. He then went on to earn a master of divinity from Andrews, a master’s in counseling from the University of Phoenix, and a doctorate in educational leadership from Argosy University.

Richardson’s work experience includes evangelizing and pastoring for the Southeastern California Conference for the past 20 years. He has worked especially with the young adults in

the conference, focusing on their success in all realms of life: spiritual, educational, and career.

Richardson, who will assume his position on July 1, will be in charge of overseeing all aspects of resident life, which includes housing, extracurricular activities, ASWWU, and health and wellness services. Accompanying him in the valley will be his wife, Melanie, and his two sons, Brandon and Jaylin, who are enrolled for fall quarter.

Check The Collegian online for information on Spring Jam auditions.

CONTEXT

BY THE

3

NUMBERS

3

Number of X-class solar flares in a recent 24-hour period.

20,000 FEET

Height an ash eruption from the Pavlof Volcano in Alaska reached.

2%

Amount the price of gold has dropped recently.

$1

BILLION Amount in grants the U.S. government may award for innovative health care ideas.

4

CONTEXT

ASWWU/ADMIN

Breaking Down the

OPEN

Budget

The 2012–2013 ASWWU budget is approximately $400,000. The majority of the budget is funded by student

POSITIONS Atlas Barista Video Editor Ad Sales Manager Graphic Designer Fundraising Team Photographer Mountain Ash Editor Mask Editor Senate Secretary

OPEN

COLLEGIAN

POSITIONS

Application Deadline: May 17 Featured Content Columnist* Editor* Layout Opinion Editor* Designers

ADMINISTRATIVE FUND

24%

$100,000

THE COLLEGIAN

ATLAS RENOVATION

$55,000

$40,000

14%

Executive cabinet, their assistants, the Tread Shed, ASWWU T-shirts, the fundraising team, and other areas

Employees and printing costs

Students Employed — 25

Students Employed — 36

MOUNTAIN ASH

SOCIAL DEPARTMENT

10%

$40,000

$36,000

9%

Students Employed — 7

Students Employed — 28

SPIRITUAL DEPARTMENT

MARKETING DEPARTMENT

ASWWU DONATIONS

$27,000

6.8%

~$24,000+

6%

Students Employed — 3

Students Employed — 12

PORTLAND CAMPUS

Arts & Media Editor*

$18,000

PHOTO DEPARTMENT

How to apply: 1. Download application from ASWWU website.

2. Send your résumé, application, and cover letter to aswwu@wallawalla.edu.

7%

$28,000

$19,000 to senate budget (campus improvement), $9,000 to senator payments

Religion Editor* Distribution Manager Outdoor Editor* Office Manager Staff Writers

SENATE

Employees and events (e.g., Barn Party, Spring Jam, ASWWU Banquet, Dead Week events)

Marketing ASWWU, advertising events, creating ASWWU ads; $11,000 to the ASWWU app, $7,500 to employee payments

Copy Editors

Exterior paint, window and door replacement, installation of patio and patio furniture, Tread Shed relocation

Yearbook printing costs and employee payments — contracted through Pictor Graphics

Majority goes to the year's musical event (Gungor); $3,500 goes to payment of employees; the rest goes to weeks of worship, outreach, agape feasts, and other events

Sports Editor*

10%

4.5%

$10,000

2.5%

Portland campus executive cabinet payments and campus events

Photographers taking pictures of events

Students Employed — 4

Students Employed — 14

5%

$20,000

Donations to other departments — $11,000 for Heubach chairs, $9,000 to other areas

SAC

$1,000

0.25%

Cable TV, entertainment, maintenance (e.g., fixing the pool table)

ON THE SIDE: THE ATLAS

3. Wait for your interview.

The Atlas, which is not part of the ASWWU budget, uses $35,000 yearly. This amount is only enough to keep it running; it makes nearly no profit as it was designed to not make any profits off of students.

*Please submit a writing sample.

Students Employed — 9 For any questions regarding the ASWWU budget, contact Jono Pratt, ASWWU financial VP, at jon.pratt@wallawalla.edu.

NEWS

CONTEXT

5

Messiah's Mansion Hilary Nieland Staff Writer

Several large tents containing a full-scale model of the sanctuary that God directed Moses to build in the wilderness have taken over Rogers’ Field. This exhibit is part of the traveling Messiah’s Mansion. The exhibit is as close to the biblical sanctuary as can be using only the information presented in the Bible.

Messiah’s Mansion was started in 2003 and is intended to give visitors insight into the life of the Hebrew people. The tour is comprised of five stations through which visitors are led by guides. Visitors spend 15 minutes at each station. The first station is an overall structural view of the Hebrew tabernacle. The second is the courtyard, where visitors learn about the symbolism of the altar. The third is about the holy place and its three main elements: the Table of Shewbread, the Altar of Incense, and the Candlesticks. The fourth contains a replica of the Ark of the Covenant, and the fifth explains the garments worn by the high priest.

Larissa Brown, a Portland, Ore., native and student at Andrews University, is one of the tour guides at the exhibit in College Place. She has been working with Messiah’s Mansion since 2006 and has traveled with the exhibit throughout the United States and to Honduras and the Bahamas. Brown states that the purpose of the exhibit is to give people a visual of the Hebrew tabernacle. It also builds connections between the Old and New Testaments as “the sanctuary message is one that is all-encompassing. … It is one that goes from Genesis to Revelation.” For Brown, the most rewarding part of working with Messiah’s Mansion is when she guides people who know the Bible stories. She enjoys watching them make connections between the stories and the sanctuary message and then seeing them “make better connections with their spiritual lives.” She states that the reason God instructed a sanctuary to be built on earth was “so we could see what’s going on in heaven.”

Messiah’s Mansion will remain in College Place until May 19. Tours are free and are given every 15–20 minutes from 1–7 p.m.

Mother Courage to Open This Weekend Casey Bartlett Staff Writer

The stage is set for wwudrama to present Bertolt Brecht’s famed antiwar play Mother Courage and Her Children. The play premieres this Saturday night at 9 p.m. in Village Hall and will run for two weekends.

Tickets are available at drama. wallawalla.edu. The showing on Thursday, May 23, will cost only $2.

The play has been adapted from its original 17th-century setting and travels from the American Revolution

through the war in Iraq, including seven major American wars. The protagonist, Mother Courage, played

by Jennifer Landaverde, is a canteen woman who pulls her cart behind the army, attempting to sell food and supplies to the soldiers. She does this to ensure that she and her children are cared for.

"The story is a stretch for our campus since [Brecht] was known for wanting to keep the audience aware that they are in the theatre,” said David Crawford, director of wwudrama. Crawford added, “He has little tricks that will keep people on their toes.”

The Rusty Project Amy Alderman Staff Writer

Rusty Koll is both a friend and an inspiration to many in our Walla Walla community. You may have heard Rusty saying, “Amen all day baby” or “Yeah Jesus!” during vespers Friday evening or on Sabbath during church. Although Rusty is not an enrolled student, he is part of our WWU family.

Ricky Barbosa, junior international communication/graphic design, says The Rusty Project originated as an ASWWU bill and a Mission Mozambique fund raiser. When it became apparent that finances available would not allow

for printing T-shirts on a larger scale, Barbosa and Koll decided to turn to crowdfunding as a solution. “We want to print as many Rusty shirts as possible, and pass on his enthusiasm for life and for God,” Barbosa says.

Barbosa launched a Kickstarter campaign for the project on May 7 with a $2,500 goal. Currently, The Rusty Project is 54 percent funded with $1,351 with five days to go until the deadline cutoff, May 22. There are five different levels of pledging; rewards for donations at each level range from a thank-you hug from Rusty to five shirts of your choice and two posters.

To help support The Rusty Project, visit kickstarter.com and search for "The Rusty Project."

Minnesota Legalizes Gay Marriage Hilary Nieland Staff Writer

On Monday, May 13, the Minnesota Senate approved a bill supporting samesex marriage in a 37–30 vote. Minnesota is the 12th state, and the first in the Midwest, to allow same-sex marriage.

It will allow same-sex couples to wed starting August 1.1 The day following Senate approval, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed the bill into law with an estimated 6,000 cheering spectators. Dayton states that “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness should certainly include the right to marry the person you love.”2 The bill’s primary sponsors, Representative Karen Clark and Senator

Scott Dibble, stood behind Dayton during the signing. Both Clark and Dibble are openly homosexual, and Clark is “the longest-serving openly gay lawmaker in the country.”3 She has been working toward marriage equality in Minnesota for more than 10 years and now plans to make her marriage to her partner official. Dibble, who married his husband five years ago in California, said of the monumental day, “Today is a day for rejoicing and celebrating in Minnesota. The dream of a life filled with joy, a happy, healthy family — that sounds so normal — and it’s gonna come true.”4 1. nytimes.com/2013/05/14/us/minnesotasenate-clears-way-for-same-sex-marriage. html.

2. huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/minnesotagay-marriage-legal-_n_3275484.html.

3. foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/14/minnesota-governor-signs-gay-marriage-bill.

4. huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/minnesotagay-marriage-legal-_n_3275484.html.

6

CONTEXT SENATE UPDATE

New Business F.L. 36 – Large Projector Screen

P.L. 110 – Logan Villarreal for Head Video Editor

F.L. 37 – Rusty Project T-Shirts

P.L. 111 – Natalie Slusarenko for ASWWU Fundraising Team

G.L. 29 – Senate Procedural Rules Revision

P.L. 112 – Justin Mock for ASWWU Fundraising Team

P.L. 92 – Alec North for ASWWU Financial VP

P.L. 113 – Ashley Pervorse for Social Assistant

P.L. 93 – Eric Weber for Marketing Vice President

P.L. 114 – Lesley Brown for Social Assistant

P.L. 94 – Grant Perdew for Collegian Editor-in-Chief

P.L. 115 – Carly Yaeger for Social Assistant

P.L. 95 – Andrew Nuñez for Executive Secretary

P.L. 116 – Tyler Setterlund for Social Assistant

P.L. 96 – Holly Sturges for Assistant to the Executive Vice President

P.L. 117 – Kaci Crook for Social Assistant

P.L. 97 – Taylor Sarrafian for Webmaster P.L. 98 – Carson Wileman for Atlas Manager P.L. 99 – Nathan Curry for Project Manager P.L. 100 – Katharina Gref for Head Photo Editor

P.L. 118 – Clarabeth Smith for Social Event Coordinator P.L. 119 – Grayson Andregg for Social Event Coordinator P.L. 120 – Timothy Barbosa for Marketing Assistant P.L. 121 – Concurrent Position for Timothy Barbosa P.L. 122 – Anisha Sukruthum for Marketing Assistant

P.L. 101 – Nathan Stratte for Collegian Assistant Editor

P.L. 123 – Tyler Martin for Spiritual Assistant

P.L. 102 – Alix Harris for Collegian Head Layout Editor

P.L. 124 – Timothy Oliver for Spiritual Assistant

P.L. 103 – Carly Leggitt for Collegian Head Copy Editor

Old Business

P.L. 104 – Daniel Peverini for Collegian Religion Editor P.L. 105 – Rachel Logan for Collegian Backpage Editor

S.R. 4 ­— Extended Hours for Campus Offices Key:

P.L. 106 – Carolyn Green for Collegian News Editor

F.L. | Financial Legislation G.L. | Governance Legislation P.L. | Personnel Legislation

P.L. 107 – Jonathan Mack for Collegian Travel Editor

Senate meets in WEC 217 on Thursdays at 9 p.m.

P.L. 108 – Rachel Blake for Collegian Creative Writing Editor P.L. 109 – Timothy Barbosa for Collegian Local Attractions Editor

CONTEXT

7

WEEK IN

FORECAST Photo by flickr user La Sierra University

Thursday

16 May 73° 52°

La Sierra University MBA Program Information Session

Friday

17 May 73° 52°

19 May

Benefit of the Arts: "A Night Out on the Town"

68° 45°

Free Kaplan Practice Test

Photo by flickr user oreses

Monday

20 May 77° 50°

Photo by Grayson Andregg

Tuesday

21 May 68° 41°

Etiquette Dinner

9 a.m.

Rigby 050

5 p.m. (pre-register; $20 admission) University Church Fellowship Hall

CommUnity: Cheri Peters

ASWWU Swim Meet

Spring Jam Auditions

General Recital

(DAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, OAT, PCAT)

9 a.m. ($3 — all proceeds to Mission Mozambique) WEC Pool

Mother Courage and Her Children 8 p.m.

Village Hall

(Register at t.co/g6Xw0PatW4)

68° 45°

Vespers: SM Dedication Collegian Staff Application Deadline

Sunday

18 May

Spring Choral Concert: All Nations Sing

8 p.m.

University Church

Photo by Darrin Berning

Saturday

Senior Piano Recital: Kelsey Zuppan 6 p.m.

FAC

6 p.m.

Rigby 220

Photo by Darrin Berning

Photo by Brad LaLonde

11 a.m.

Centennial Green 7:30 p.m.

FAC

Spring Jam Auditions

(Register at t.co/g6Xw0PatW4)

5 p.m.

University Church

8:30 p.m.

Fairground Pavilion

Mother Courage and Her Children 9 p.m.

Village Hall

Photo by Katie Palumbo

Wednesday Spring Jam Auditions

22 May 66° 41°

(Register at t.co/g6Xw0PatW4)

8

PERSPECTIVE Daniel Peverini Religion Editor

RELIGION

Rob Folkenberg Religion Editor

This week we continue our series, “Thoughts From Leaders.” The purpose is to hear from several Adventist leaders and allow them to share what is on their hearts for college students today. We are very thankful for the contributions we have received and hope that readers will benefit from this interaction.

Real Relevance Ted N.C. Wilson Contributing Writer

beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”3 Furthermore, we know that God is eternally consistent: “For I am the Lord,” He says in Malachi 3:6. “I do not change.”

We are members of a worldwide church that does not depend on traditions or human reasoning but relies completely on the written Word of God as its sole foundation and the Living Word of Jesus Christ.

Photo by Adventist.org

“Is the church relevant today?” Thousands, perhaps millions, of people are asking this question, and just as many are attempting to provide an answer. A quick Google search on “Relevant Church” reveals 123 million results.

Thousands of self-identified “Relevant Churches” can be found throughout the United States, with many sharing the goal of planting “culturally relevant churches” around the world.

“We focus on relationships, not on religion,” one church in Virginia states on its Facebook page.

“We simply want to love Jesus and love people, in fresh, relevant, and creative ways.”1 Is the Seventh-day Adventist Church culturally relevant today? With a presence in 209 countries, ministering in 921 different languages,2 our church is one of the most widespread and diverse on Earth, with millions of people around the globe finding the Adventist Church relevant to their lives. With such diversity, how can this be? How is it possible for us to be one, united, relevant, global family? Furthermore, how can a church, organized one and a half centuries ago, hold any relevance in today’s fast-paced, technologically advanced, postmodern world?

When the Seventh-day Adventist Church was organized 150 years ago, it was not based on human ideas, plans, or wisdom. Instead, it was founded on Someone who transcends time, culture, and worldviews: Jesus Christ and His Word. “In the

Following the Great Disappointment in 1844, most of the Millerites returned to their previous churches. However, a handful continued studying God’s Word, certain that it was trustworthy. As they searched the Scriptures, the early Advent believers were amazed at the Biblical truths unfolding before them. More and more people found these truths relevant to their lives, and by the time the Seventh-day Adventist Church was officially organized in 1863 the small group had grown into more than 3,000 believers.

“We are called to give people real hope, courage, and understanding.”

Purpose of Existence Have you ever wondered why the Seventh-day Adventist Church exists? After all, many other denominations existed then, as they do now. What would be the purpose of one more?

We are certainly called to love God, to love others, and to point them to Jesus Christ as our Savior. But we are called to go beyond the basics of Christianity. We are called to give people real hope, courage, and understanding packed with a vital message that is very relevant to our lives today — and after all, with all the disintegrating and challenging things happening in the world today,

what could be more relevant than Christ’s soon coming and the message entrusted to Seventh-day Adventist young people and to all of us?

The purpose of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is to fulfill biblical prophecy and to stand up, speak out, and share with the world the message that God has for every person on this planet. We have a threefold mandate from heaven to: Preach the everlasting Gospel and Christ’s righteousness, Boldly proclaim the fall of Babylon’s apostate religion, and Warn the world not to receive the mark of the beast but instead to be sealed with the seal of God’s everlasting mark of authority — the seventh-day Sabbath.

This is the biblical message of Revelation chapter 14. It comes from “The Revelation of Jesus Christ” Himself, who “cannot lie.”4 The giving of the three angels’ messages is the reason God raised up the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Everything is centered in Christ and His righteousness.

A Relevant, Timely Offer In today’s world of uncertainties, inequities, and injustice, what could be more relevant than offering people the wonderful hope of a sooncoming Savior, as well as the amazing truth of God’s guiding presence and help as we live here on Earth today?

Thousands of youth and young adults, as well as people of all ages, are involved in bringing this message of hope and courage to millions of people, especially to those living in the great cities of the world, beginning with New York.

Representatives, many of them young adults, from all 13 divisions of the world church are involved in this effort, known as NY13,5 and the knowledge gained from their participation in community outreach, wellness seminars, home visitation, cooking schools, small-group health meetings, health expos, Let’s Move fitness events, cooking schools, and Bible presentations will allow

them to be able do a similar work back home.

Plans are already in place for reaching the major cities scattered across the 13 world divisions, including Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Christchurch, Geneva, Hamburg, Kiev, Kinshasa, Lagos, London, Luanda, Manila, Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, Port Moresby, Prague, Suva, Sydney, Tokyo, and Vienna.

“What could be more relevant than offering people the wonderful hope of a soon-coming Savior?”

What are your summer plans? If you are not yet involved, I would like to extend a warm invitation for you to join us in reaching out to the people in the cities. Find out what is happening in the cities near you. Contact your local pastor or conference office and let them know of your interest. Now is the time to take action. Someone, somewhere, is looking for relevancy in his or her life. Through God’s help, you can provide people with the answers they are seeking.

Ted N. C. Wilson is president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

1. facebook.com/relevantva.

2. adventist.org/world-church/facts-and-figures.

3. John 1:1, NKJV. 4. Titus 1:2, NKJV. 5. ny13.org.

RELIGION

Becoming an Educated Person Gerald Winslow Contributing Writer

ome. major ons, urch, agos, cow, uva,

g

g

PERSPECTIVE

Photo by Loma Linda University

When editors of The Collegian invited me to write a short piece of advice for current students, I will admit some surprise. Honestly, who could be interested in counsel from an alumnus who hails not only from another century but even from a different millennium? But, at this end of life, some lessons do seem sturdy. They endure. Here are a few, with spiritual and ethical significance, I learned while studying in Walla Walla.

The Creator’s work is much grander than any of us can fully imagine. Knowledge of this work arrives through many channels. One of these we

call Scripture, the sacred depths of which can best be found by learning to read the text deeply.

Another we call nature, whose sacred depths can best be known through the disciplines of science.

Following these paths toward truth is more than a lifelong journey. It is the adventure that will occupy us for eternity. And there is no embarrassment along the way if mysteries remain or apparent truths seem incoherent. There is still time.

Another richly endowed path to important truths is the experience of other students. Most of us will visit only a fraction of the more than 200 nations on the planet. But at the university there are students who come from many of these lands. Their lives have given them opportunities to grow in understanding the world from different perspectives. Learning to interview a fellow student from a different land about his or her experience and the resultant values and convictions can be an enriching education. So developing the skill of asking other people the best questions, especially people who differ vastly in their life stories, can open doors to unexpected treasures. God may speak through these stories too.

Professors are also persons. What they teach is always embedded in their biographies. Knowing

more about their stories may enhance learning.

The process of discovering truth is more likely to be joyous when both teacher and student see themselves as fellow travelers who have come to trust each other because of a shared commitment to excellence in the pursuit of both knowledge and wisdom. Professors who are willing to be vulnerable about the personal nature of seeking truth are worth getting to know, especially the ones who cheerfully unite faith with learning.

The best education combines wondering about the universe with wonderment at the universe.

How else could it be, when on any starry Walla Walla evening one can look out at a universe with over a hundred billion galaxies each with countless billions of stars like (and unlike) our sun? Learning to be puzzled about this universe is a goal of great education. God made us curious. Learning to stand in awe of the Creator’s handiwork is also a goal of the highest education. God’s ways and thoughts really are higher than ours.1 Humble confidence in the Creator is the mark of a truly educated person.

Dr. Gerald Winslow, WWU Class of 1967, is professor of religion at Loma Linda University’s School of Religion.

1. Isaiah 55:9.

The Imperfect Church

ot yet Jon Paulien tation Contributing Writer ple in cities erence Now is ere, is rough h the

f the Photo by revelationhope.com

My advice to students is to seek God, not for what you can get from Him, but because of who He is. When we seek God on a selfish basis, there is too much of a tendency to make Him over into our own image. God becomes what we expect Him to be. And when we make God over into our own

image, it is impossible to see Him as He truly is.

Related to that is the natural tendency of youth to idealize faith and church. We expect the church and its leaders to live up to the highest ideals of biblical teaching, yet the Bible itself warns us by example that the life of faith is rather messy and can even be unpleasant sometimes. Moses smote the rock when he was supposed to speak to it. David and Samson were used by God yet were highly flawed human beings. Although Judas had the highest reputation among the disciples, he ended up betraying Jesus.

Peter’s foibles are well known. And Paul had knockdown, drag-out fights with both Barnabas and Peter at different times. Even the earliest church in the book of Acts was not immune to church politics.

Whatever is human is imperfect, and so the church is imperfect. If we expect otherwise, we will surely be disappointed. If we let the behavior (and betrayals) of others get between us and God, we will not attain the walk with God for which we were designed.

Long ago I decided to no longer go to church to get anything out of it. I go to contribute something, whether that is a sermon, a prayer, a lesson, a word of encouragement, a hug, or a smile. I will often get a blessing when I least expect it, but I always go to be a blessing. And on those occasions when God is especially close, I find that He is all I really need. I am not God-focused every moment of every day the way I could be or should be, but I am on a journey to draw ever close to Him in Jesus Christ. I invite you to join me on that journey and to settle in your heart, now, that you will continue that journey, even when your community is 20 or 30 people rather than thousands. You are needed even more when the numbers are few than when they are many. I find that when I focus on myself, life is a great disappointment, but when my focus is on God and on others, I have all that I really need.

Jon Paulien, Ph.D., is dean of the School of Religion at Loma Linda University.

9

Question How will the University Church find a new pastor?

Response When the senior pastor of University Church moves elsewhere, a search committee is selected by the church board with the blessing of the Upper Columbia Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The current Senior Pastor Search Committee is composed of the following representatives: four from administration, faculty, and staff of WWU; a WWU student; four from the church congregation; two from the pastoral staff; the president of the UCC; the president of WWU; and the head elder of University Church, who chairs the committee.

The committee gathers names of potential candidates from numerous sources, including input from church members and students. A careful vetting of names begins, ultimately resulting in a pared-down list from which is chosen a selection of candidates to interview. The search committee will recommend a candidate to the UCC, who is the hiring entity. The UCC has a personnel committee which will make a recommendation to the executive committee of the conference, which will ratify the choice.

As you can see, this is an involved, careful process which has served University Church well in the past.

—Henning Guldhammer, Executive Pastor of Walla Walla University Church

If you have questions or would like to submit a name for consideration in the pastoral search process, please contact Pastor Guldhammer at henning.guldhammer@wallawalla. edu.

Have a good question? Email robert.folkenberg@wallawalla.edu.

REAL QUESTIONS

10

PERSPECTIVE

COLUMN AND CREATIVE WRITING

Phone Cord Joshua Haddock Contributing Writer

When I close my eyes and think about her, I remember the phone cord: Its plastic twist; the shiny, unnatural feel it had; and the way it bound me to the wall for hours at a time. Confined to a space of 15 feet, we talked every night after I got home from waiting tables, my clothes smelling like table syrup and fried food. I fell in love on 15 feet of kitchen floor with the scent of breakfast in my nose.

I also remember the cows. I could smell them from the road before I turned my car down the lane toward her farmhouse. It smelled like fermented grass and sweat.

The flavor of the air was strong at first, but over time it started to smell like home. I knew that the harsh smell of herd animals meant comfort, home-cooked meals, and easy nights playing pool or watching television.

That smell still reminds me of a different life, “sunshine of late afternoon,” when summers were longer and were spent shooting apples off fence posts, jumping into swimming pools, and staying up all night. I think maybe she’d be offended now if I told her that when I thought of her I thought of cow manure.

I drove by her house not long ago. The cows had all been auctioned off and she was gone. Her family sold the farm and moved out. There wasn’t anyone there.

The black-and-white spotted mailbox was still out front, though, just like it had been when I’d first come to her house to take her out on a date and was told we’d have to milk the cows before going anywhere.

The house looked the same, but that smell, the fermented grass, was gone, and not a single cow was standing in the field. I talk on a cell phone now. I haven’t seen a phone with a cord in years.

The Street-Sweeping Class of 2013 Rebecca Brothers Columnist Only one month left till graduation, seniors, and the all-important question is this: What are you doing after graduation? When I ask this, I often see a gleam of panic in people’s eyes.

There seems to be a lot of pressure on graduates to immediately find work within their majors, and it doesn’t always seem healthy. If you’re an international communications graduate, for example, it seems to be expected that if you’re not communicating internationally within two weeks of graduation, there’s something wrong with you. I don’t like this mindset. I’d rather believe that the road to success doesn’t have to be perfectly straight and flat — in fact, it probably won’t be. If you work at a coffee shop for a few years, then teach English in Korea, then take some accounting classes and find work at a nonprofit, it’s absolutely fine. If you’re paying your own bills and doing work you enjoy, nobody has any grounds to criticize you.

Even after you decide on a career, of course, you’re subject to criticism. CareerCast was already bordering on senselessness when it composed a list of “The 10 Least Stressful Jobs of 2013,” but then it used such stellar logic as “Many clients become friends” (hair stylist) and “The clients are passive (typically elderly)” (audiologist). (The top prize went to college professors, partly because they can “earn tenure, which guarantees lifelong employment” — since, you know, tenured positions are both widely available and easily obtained.)1 This article, along with conversations about my future plans,2 has prompted me to formulate a new career theory. Some people say that you should base your career on your interests.

Others say you should choose a stable field with good benefits. While these are both valid points, I think the final criterion should be whether you’re willing to ignore the critics.

Every field has them. Consider the following stereotypes: “Oh, you’re a pharmacist? That’s just counting pills, isn’t it?”

“Pastors are so lucky. I wish I only worked one day a week.”

“Being a librarian is easy. It’s just reshelving books and reading.”

“You’re a teacher? That’s cool — I love playing with kids too.”

“Why are you a nurse? Couldn’t you get into med school?”

“The road to success doesn’t have to be perfectly straight and flat.”

The mark of a well-chosen career is not its convenient hours or its high pay; it is the strength the work gives you to deal with condescension. If you love your work so much that your only response is a beatific smile, you’re in the right field. If you reply with a calm, well-reasoned argument, you’re still in the right field, but good luck convincing your audience that you do not, in fact, sit around all day eating cupcakes.3 But in all cases, listen politely to the people who say you shouldn’t or can’t do that job, then go out there and do it anyway. The critics probably won’t notice, but at least you’ll have the satisfaction of living out the words of a wise man. “If a man is to be called a street sweeper,” said Martin Luther King Jr., “he should sweep streets ... so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

1. Source: Kensing, Kyle. “The 10 Least Stressful Jobs of 2013.” CareerCast. Web. 1 May 2013.

2. Whenever someone asks me, “Library school? Is that a thing? Do you really need it to be a librarian?” I dearly want to reply, “No, it’s a clever hoax perpetrated by 50 American universities for the last century, and I had a spare $50,000 floating around that I didn’t know how else to use.”

3. If you work in a cupcake shop and taste-testing is part of your daily burden, then you’re on your own. Good luck.

OPINION

PERSPECTIVE

gA Truly Free-Market Economy Nathan Stratte

Opinion Editor

The answer depends on what we the people value. If we value independence, competition, socioeconomic mobility, GDP, and large developments in production and technology, then yes, capitalism seems best. The United States has shown ostensible realizations of these values. But to what economic system do we turn if we value things like sustainability, close community, and individual security and happiness?

Mark Boyle, an Irish writer and activist,

medium through which we channel our choices.

Without money, people are reconnected with their consumption, making or scavenging their own clothes, food, and bedding rather than buying them from dubious sources.

In his opinion, rejecting money also kills the money-wrought disconnect with people.

Because money seems to promise that if enough is collected a person will be secure, many of us pursue that. But Boyle has found “that friendship, not money, is real security.” By shifting our mode of thinking from capitalist “getting” to a moneyless “sharing,” deeper, more frequent connection with others is realized.

Though too idealistic and impossible on a national level, I think that the freeconomism has ideas that can help this poor college student move toward realizing a happier, more fulfilled life — something which even the bourgeoisie would value.

1. Don’t worry, all you good Americans. It was for a class.

2. This quote is from guardian.co.uk/environment/greenliving-blog/2009/oct/28/live-without-money and is much expanded upon in his books.

C

Opinion Editor

=

Capitalism is one of the great principles that our nation was founded on. We have built the worlds largest economy and strongest middle class through such principles, and to abandon those ideals would be futile.

Socialism, communism, and other economic structures have been proven time and again to be ineffective. We are currently seeing a

It’s concerning to me that the current administration seems to be going down that same direction as many of the European nations, and unless we go back to the economic policies that made The United States the greatest and most powerful nation on earth, we may soon find ourselves to be yet another country plagued by high unemployment, insurmountable public debt (if we’re not there already), a government that is too powerful, and citizens without the freedoms and liberties that they deserve.

Fox is trying to boost ratings by bringing back “24.”

Nothing but Simon Cowell’s return can save Fox’s ratings.

In interview, Lindsey Lohan says after rehab she’s interested in adopting a baby.

Palm, meet face.

=

The bottom line is that there’s nothing wrong with being rich. If a person is rich, good for them. Why should they or anyone else have to feel guilty about it? They got there by having a good idea, working hard, and building something that no one else could. If a person is successful, such as billionaire Paul Allen, it is completely absurd to say they are not deserving of their wealth. Paul Allen co-founded one of the most innovative and successful companies in the world, plain and simple. Instead of complaining that he has too much money, we should aspire to be as successful as he is.

massive economic crumbling in the Eurozone that is largely the result of socialist policies, whereby large businesses and wealthy citizens are over-taxed and over-regulated, and as such are unable to hire workers and feed back into their economies. Many of these businesses and citizens are leaving their countries for more favorable economic conditions, taking with them jobs and money, which only serves to further deteriorate the economies where they originated.

C

Grant Gustavsen

the incentive? Pretty soon, no one would bother taking on the risks of starting a new business.

“Snooki” says she would like to be Chris Christie’s work-out buddy.

Chris Christie works out?

What About Success?

There are some who question the success and legitimacy of billionaires. Some even believe that their success is not truly their own, and they have earned through the exploitation of others. I find such a belief to be outrageous and, frankly, offensive. Who are you to say that someone who had a good idea, worker hard all their life, and built something successful did not earn their keep? There is no reason why that person should not be rewarded for what they’ve created. Furthermore, because of what they’ve done they are able to create jobs and feed into the economy. Most people, myself included, would be more than happy to work for someone of who’s created a successful enterprise. Even at a better than that, though, most people would arly y 50 like to create such a business themselves and a w else enjoy the same success. However, if there is no art of potential of being financially successful, where’s

uck.

Boyle argues that in the latent capitalistic economy, “The degrees of separation between the consumer and the consumed have increased so much that we’re completely unaware of the levels of destruction and suffering embodied in the stuff we buy. The tool that enables this separation is money.”2 Because money so disconnects us from our consumption, we no longer see problems that consumption causes or perpetuates: environmental devastation, sweatshops, the inhumane factory farms, and wars over resources being a start to the long list.

He argues that going moneyless kills the root of these problems by taking out the anonymous

COLLEGIAN WISDOM

=

My recent reading of Marx and Engel’s Communist Manifesto1 and the article to which my friend refers to above got me thinking more about a question that I think we all need to consider: Is the American capitalist economy really the best one in which a person can live?

argues that the best economy to promote such ideals is a freeconomy: a completely moneyless economy characterized by communal sharing, sustainable living on food one grows or forages locally and water one collects locally. This moneyless lifestyle — which he has lived for the last four years — has inspired him to write two books about his story, the logistics of living without money, and how that lifestyle breeds a sustainable, communal, secure, and happy life.

11

Mounting scandals give Obama a rough week.

Two words silenced those seeking impeachment: President Biden.

Last week, Martha Stewart met up with two men who contacted her on match.com.

Sounds like a recipe for love.

12

SNAPSHOTS

AGA VESPERS

ATLAS OPEN MIC

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SNAPSHOTS

INTENTS

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Submit your pictures to us via Instagram by tagging #thecollegian.

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PERSPECTIVE

| SCHOLARS ABROAD

$79,000

a

Photo by Joni Dickerson

Do as the Greeks Do and ...

Joni Dickerson Italy

qeriajkfasdkasfdkjl

Mission Mozambique Fundra ising Progress

a

“Stop running!” Whoosh, whoosh — two police motorcycles zoomed past us, and my heart began to calm down. My friend NP and I were traveling for a weekend on the island Kefalonia, in Greece. We had returned our rented scooter that morning and were trekking (via our feet) along the coast toward the airport. However, along the way we had lost the trail and had to get back to the road.

This involved some trespassing. We climbed off the rocks above the sea and down into what appeared to be a water-treatment plant.

I had quickly noted the barbed wires and open electric gate in front of the road when I saw a giant dog charging at us! For some reason, this came from me: “Hey cutie! You’re just a wittle cute thang, huh?” [insert kissy

noises]. Thankfully, Greek dogs understand English baby talk, as he suddenly put his ears back and stopped barking. Then, while walking out, I heard a fury of angry Greek words and banging on a window. Uh oh ...

NP had already started running when I saw the cops driving toward us. “Stop running!”

I wanted us to look as innocent as possible (like normal, oblivious American tourists wandering around a water-treatment plant).

Thankfully, we quickly got away and continued to hitchhike toward a different beach — where we had an enjoyable afternoon after discovering an abandoned boat — before hitchhiking again to the airport. The weekend had been one giant island adventure.

The first morning we had hitchhiked to town to rent a scooter, and what a liberating feeling it is to drive after eight months of public

transportation: wind blowing in your hair — well ... when going downhill — and slowing cruising up hills at almost five miles per hour.

Later that afternoon, we saw an underground lake and beautiful beaches. One time we parked our bike and decided to jump off the rocks into the beautiful, clear blue water below. The bike enabled us to travel over 300 kilometers in only two days. Kefalonia is my favorite place in all of Europe. I am officially recommending it for all the honeymoon dreamers of Western Wedding University.

The island has infinite places to explore and enjoy. It is a whole new gamble to skinny dip in water as clear as this was. Wherever you go, keep life spontaneous and open to God’s plans! With Him you can always expect the unexpected.

son

FEATURE 15

TECHNOLOGY and the Autonomy of Learning Christian Robins

Feature Editor

Braden Anderson

Feature Editor

It is undeniable that technology is intertwining itself with much of our dayto-day life. Our education is definitely no exception. By personalizing learning both in the classroom and for individual students through this technology, we are slowly facing the reality of a changing education in several spheres.

From the Places Where Learning Takes Place Of the many challenges facing schools and education, applying more technology to the classroom is usually sidelined to focus on high student dropout rates, teacher strikes, and lack of school funding. But technology may turn out to be part of the solution to these problems. In any system, technology has the potential to change or to integrate the way people interact, often allowing possibilities that did not exit before.

One of the most prominent problems of education is the rising cost and dwindling funding for schools. The teacher strikes in Chicago last fall were a recent example of the financial strains placed on teachers and the school system, which generally do not positively influence students.1 The role that technology might play in improving this predicament is by making the classroom itself more available through distance learning and individualized computer tutoring. If more of the teaching process is delegated to computer systems, learning could become delocalized, replacing the physical classroom with an alternative learning environment, perhaps even a

home computer and online courses.2 Doing so could decrease the maintenance and running costs of a physical campus and might even make a better education available to more people who do not have access to the same facilities.

However, there is significant backlash from parents and teachers indicating that these possibilities still have a long way to go.

Here’s why getting rid of teachers altogether is a bad idea: According to research by Visible Learning, classroom attributes that have the biggest positive impacts on students’ abilities to learn include teacher credibility among students, instant and personal feedback, and cooperative learning (as opposed to solitary or competitive learning).3 This indicates that students should ideally have an instructor and classmates with whom they can easily interact.

Educators should also consider the startup costs of implementing these changes. While technology has the potential to cut costs, the initial investments are sometimes higher than the school systems can manage without cutting other programs. Also, if schools decide to pass their costs onto the students instead that brings up another concern, which is that some schools could start integrating more digital content into their curricula without providing their students with the means to access it. Many students already have computers, but not all, and those students who do not would be at a significant disadvantage compared to their classmates with computers.

Enhancing the educational experience with advances in technology is full of potential, but we must also take care to acknowledge what could go wrong if technology were to completely supplant the familiar classroom.

To the Way Teachers Teach Technology might not affect just the

environments in which we learn, but also the ways in which we are taught. We are not just referring to the classes meant to teach specific skills in programs like Excel, AutoCAD, or MatLab, but also to the ways technology can be integrated with the methods of teaching themselves. One of the most popular integrations of technology and teaching is the use of Smart Boards. Smart Boards are basically interactive whiteboards that can do a variety of things, combining projector, computer screen, and whiteboard all in one. The teacher can move from a video to a website to an in-class quiz to writing notes, all in a fluid motion with a single tool. The chemistry department has

a smart projector that projects onto a normal whiteboard and can be interacted with directly on the board with a digital pen.

Another advantage of a Smart Board is that teachers can post what they have written on the board online, and these postings can later be used for reference.

The incorporation of videos or instantaneous feedback on quizzes can also be beneficial for students. We’ve known some teachers who, rather than preparing their own lectures on certain material, choose in-

ABOUT 62% OF COLLEGE

PRESIDENTS ANTICIPATE THAT

10 YEARS FROM NOW, MORE

THAN 50% OF TEXTBOOKS

USED BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL BE ENTIRELY DIGITAL

13

16

FEATURE

stead to provide a pre-recorded lecture that takes advantage of better resources and illustrations to teach the material. The use of Scantrons or online homework also has the potential to save teachers much of the time that is usually spent grading and preparing lectures. Unfortunately, these programs have glitches, like all technology, and are often not capable of leading a student toward the correct solution like a teacher can (WebWork, anybody?). However, there is still a lot of potential for “smarter,” instantaneous feedback in these systems. While not every major and academic department can apply these technologies as directly, there is always a possibility for improving the classroom environment. The most practical advantage of teaching through technology is the ability to focus a teacher’s energy from behind the scenes (grading papers and preparing lectures, which most teachers don’t like anyway) to the front of the classroom, where the students are.

A good example of progress in this area is the cooperative teaching method known as “flipping” the classroom. Instead of assigning homework, instructors record lectures and have students watch them. (We would also suggest that it could be a good idea to have a way for students to post questions about a particular part of the lecture that they do not understand.) Then, when the students come to class, the teacher leads them through problem solving (lots of examples) and group discussion. This approach is much more collaborative than the traditional “lecture and homework” model.4 We should point out that this system is ideal for people who are highly self-motivated to learn, but it can disadvantage those of us

who are less motivated. It may be easier for students to choose not to watch the lectures and let their classmates solve exercises for them this way, but these are certainly not new risks associated with teaching.

STUDENTS GO

81

NO MORE THAN

MINUTES WITHOUT USING

SOME FORM OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY DURING WAKING HOURS

13

To The Way Students Learn Naturally, technology is reshaping the way students learn by making it easier to access information. One example of this kind of technology is the ebook, which wasn’t really an option even 10 years ago. In the past six years since Amazon released its Kindle ebook reader, we have seen large shifts in book format from paper to digital. Since

2011, ebook sales have been “surpassing hardcover books and paperbacks to become the dominant format for adult fiction,” as reported by The New York Times.5 One of the advantages of going digital is that an entire library can be stored on a single device, significantly reducing storage space. To put that in perspective, contrast a pack full of textbooks with a device that weighs less than a typical textbook. Not only are they more portable, but they are also cheaper, as ebooks also tend to be less expensive than the hard copy.

However, even with those perks, students as of yet have not joined the digital trend en masse. In 2012, a survey by the Book Industry Study Group found that only six percent of students used electronic textbooks as their primary textbook.6 Education Insider states that a common student complaint about digital textbooks is the inability to take notes in the margins and the awkwardness of navigation through the text. Another typical complaint is that students cannot sell their textbooks when they are finished with them. Many publishers and electronics manufacturers are responding to the former with highlighting options and more intuitive navigation. As for the latter, students are receiving a hefty discount (~40–50 percent) for that inconvenience.7 While ebooks make it more difficult to find a quote based on relative location (like flipping through a print book), they are more effective when looking up specific words or topics. What used to take scholars hours of pouring over indexes is now performed in a split second by even a casual learner. As publishers find ways to address these complaints, students

will likely take the digital options. Ebrary, in its 2011 Global Student E-book Survey, found that “the vast majority of students would choose electronic over print if it were available and if better tools along with fewer restrictions were offered.”8 Ebooks tend to be most appealing to college students, who have to read the most. But a technology that might significantly change education even at the elementary level is computer-assisted adaptive learning. The idea behind adaptive learning is that because everyone learns in different ways, teachers must find ways to appeal to the variety of learning styles. Great teachers excel at this, but if the teacher cannot adapt to a student’s learning style, it can be difficult for the student to succeed, especially in elementary school. One solution to this might be a computer program designed to tutor a student and adapt to his or her learning style as the student progresses, an idea being pursued by many companies related to education, such as Pearson, McGrawHill Education, and Knewton. On their website, Knewton describes the purpose of their adaptive-learning technology as a system that “responds in real-time to each individual’s performance and activity on the system and maximizes the likelihood a student will obtain her learning objectives by providing the right instruction, at the right time, about the right thing.”9 The concept of “big data” and the massive amount of information available online plays an important role in the development of these algorithms capable of providing adaptive learning. As they are developed, these algorithms could revolutionize the

The Evolution of Classroom Technology

Chalkboard 1890

Pencil 1900

Radio 1925

Projector 1930

Headset 1950

Educational TV 1958

FEATURE The Future of Coding A few months ago, a video put out by code.org featured many famous individuals who all had the ability to program. Such celebrities included Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, whom you would expect, to some you would not expect, like will.i.am and Chris Bosh. Each one described when he learned to code, how it has made him successful, and how he thinks it will be even more crucial for people to learn in the future. Consequently, they all support code. org, a non-profit organization that seeks to provide and enhance computer-programming education across the country.

On their website there are several introductory games and tutorials that try to give an idea of what programming can be like and how fun it can be. Try it and see for yourself; you might not be able to stop.

way students learn by providing exactly the help they need and accelerating the learning process. They could also be made to appeal to young students in the form of games and interactive software (much like many of the games already out there).10 However, a caveat: Technology has placed a good portion of the world’s information at our fingertips. Through tools like Google, we are able to access it instantly from one place. In our parents’ time, they had to go to the library and scan through many a tome to find the information they needed. It is definitely more convenient for us, but some worry that we are too reliant on technology for instant access to information. Nicholas Carr captures this change aptly with his remark, “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski.” Carr worries that we are damaging our ability to analyze information in depth.

He says that while we may be reading more words than previous generations did, we do so only superficially. We skim, losing patience rapidly with whatever we are reading.11 This is particularly troubling for college students, as we are expected to read large quantities of material and be prepared to think it over and use it. We may be better at sifting through a lot of information to find the useful bits, but do we really comprehend it?

Hypothetically, a student could learn more and faster on his or her own than in a classroom, provided he or she is motivated enough to keep up. Some students will be better at this than others, and for many individualistic learning might never work at all. Nevertheless, technology is moving

education toward autonomy, putting the charge of learning decidedly in the hands of the student. Perhaps as technology becomes more and more capable of educating everyone, the need for a formal education will gradually diminish. Already there are many alternatives to the classroom.

Organizations like Khan Academy and OpenCulture provide access to lectures for a truly overwhelming range of topics from many prestigious institutions and quality educators.12 One could almost be a fulltime student listening to these lectures.

Top Ten Universities for Online Graduate Programs 1. Arizona State University 2. Auburn University 3. Ball State University 4. Boise State University 5. Boston University 6. Bowling Green State

It is hard to imagine a society devoid of formal education, and perhaps it is just plain illogical. But the effect that technology has and will continue to have on education is undeniable. While potentially making teachers and schools more effective in the classroom on the one hand, technology is drawing us toward a more individualized, autonomous education on the other.

People admire Stephen Hawking as the perfect blend between mind and machine, a theoretical physicist who would otherwise not be able to communicate with the world due to ALS. Yet many overlook the network of people necessary to organize his data files, assist in his calculations, and take care of his basic needs.13 The same is true with technology in education. While technology may allow us to learn more, that learning is near useless if it is singular, unable to communicate and network with the world. This is the delicate balance we must recognize when facing the autonomy of learning.

University 7. Brandeis University 8. California State University, Bakersfield 9. California State University, Dominguez Hills 10. California State University, East Bay

1. NBC News. cli.gs/p1nb87.

2. Online Course vs. Teacher. cli.gs/gked6y6.

3. Visible Learning Research: cli.gs/28gntk3.

4. Flipped Classrooms. cli.gs/ay2awl.

5. New York Times on Ebooks. cli.gs/wi6y49k.

6. Book Industry Study Group Survey: cli.gs/ muoqg9x.

7. Education Insider on Student Ebook Complaints. cli.gs/tyegix.

8. Ebrary Ebook Survey. cli.gs/fbdgrub.

9. Knewton Adaptive Learning Technology. cli.gs/8s31smb.

10. cli.gs/cb0u21.

11. Nicholas Carr on the Dangers of Google: cli.gs/nrtgilb.

12. openculture.com/freeonlinecourses and khanacademy.org.

13. On Stephen Hawking, Vader, and Being More Machine than Human. cli.gs/8pwca3.

cli.gs/xkmggw2

Scantron 1972

Computer 1980

Graphing Calculator 1985

Internet 1991

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Interactive Whiteboard 1999

iPad 2010

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LIFE

CULTURE

Fresh and Local: Made in Walla Walla Farmers' Market

I hope you have been to a farmers' market at some point in your life. If not, you're missing out! There are now two farmers' markets in Walla Walla. Begin your day with the downtown market, then get on over to the brand-new Walla Walla Valley Farmers' Market at the fairgrounds. The markets have lots of great local goodies like produce, fresh breads, pastries, local cheeses, honey, onions (of course), flowers, and even soaps.

They are a fabulous experience for all the senses and a wonderful way to experience the community outside of College Place.

Grant Perdew Culture Editor

Now that it's spring, we are about to be bombarded with copious amounts of fruits and veggies. Growing your own food in a garden can be very rewarding, but it can be very time consuming as well.

So until you are out of classes and have enough free time to weave baskets and forge chain mail, there are a few alternative options. Yes, you could grab your produce from the grocery store, but why not pick it up directly from the hands that grew it?

Walla Walla County Fairgrounds/ Downtown at 4th Avenue and Main Street Saturdays 9 a.m.–1 p.m., May–October

Gotye

Icona Pop

"Ready for the Weekend" The Swedish pop duo have turned out one of the most empowering, catchy, and brilliant tunes of the last decade.

This one's for waking up the neighbors.

"Heart's a Mess" You probably heard the Belgian– Australian maverick's claustrophobic trip-hop tune in The Great Gatsby.

Purity Ring "Fineshrine" The chilly synths, arctic beats, and space-age vocals warm up this remarkable electronic Canadian duo's sharp track.

Manchester Orchestra

Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele

"Colly Strings"

These indie rockers from Georgia may surprise you with their original mix of melancholy and angst.

Carly Rae Jepsen

"Oh Paris!"

"Tonight I'm Getting Over You"

A delightful ditty about the love of France's delightful capital, you can't help but sway back and forth with the shaker's sizzles.

The pop-princess behind "Call Me Maybe" brings us a new dub esque jam. Summer 2014 anthem? …

FUTURE FLICKS Star Trek: Into Darkness May 17

Made in Walla Walla Box

This is just about the best idea I have ever heard. The Made in Walla Walla Box is a weekly service where, after paying for a subscription, one can pick up fresh and local food each week in less than a minute. This food (veggies, fruit, milk, eggs, bread, grain, salad greens, meat, and coffee) is brought, compiled, or picked minutes before you receive it and travels an average of just six miles to Walla Walla. Some say local; this is local. Onehundred percent of the sales stay in the community, and you get delicious local artisan foods and produce. Unhealthy college kids, add this to your ramen

MID-MAY MELODIES Listen online at tinyurl.com/a3cqe5y.

Tokyo Police Club "Favourite Food" With tasty dollops of venom, jitter dance grooves are propelled by guitar stabs and keyboard bursts in this Canada rock.

The second Star Trek film by lens-flare-loving director J.J. Abrams has topped the original overseas; will it be as successful with American audiences?

In this sequel, Captain Kirk leads his crew to capture a very dangerous man from within their own organization.

Interesting fact: This marks the first time a Star Trek film as been shot outside the United States, with many scenes shot in Iceland. It sounds like this is a film that even non-Trekkies can enjoy; I mean, c'mon, it has Sherlock in it!

DIVERSIONS

LIFE

Tapioca Problems Eric Weber

Diversions Editor

Let's get back to passiveaggressively ignoring our mothers for the next 364 days.

It’s recently been brought to my attention that we are all adults. I know, this was a surprise to me as well. This last weekend I had a little bit of a rude awakening when I was at home. I was excited to indulge myself in a Costco-sized tub of tapioca pudding. (If you don’t like tapioca pudding then our relationship is over; I want you moved out by tomorrow. You are so hurtful.)

When I had the realization, "I don’t want to share this with anyone," I did the most mature thing I could think of to make sure that I would be the only person who would enjoy this American staple. (Are tapioca haters un-American? I didn’t say that. You did.) So I promptly slapped my brother across the face and said, “If you eat my pudding, I’ll eat you.” Then I spit into the open pudding container and returned it to the fridge. Subsequently I no longer have a car, and my brother and I are in marriage counseling.

(Individual therapy was too expensive, so we decided to economize.) So with the help of my hippie, free-love counselor Treebeard, or whatever her name is, I’ve realized that I, being 21 years old, should be able to deal with people eating my “tapioca” or doing things that I don’t necessarily agree with, because I’m an adult, and I can talk about things. Now if I could only figure out why I have hair growing everywhere. …

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20

LIFE

SPORTS

SPORTS

Here We Stay?

Tye Forshee

Sports Editor

On Wednesday, the NBA Board of Governors voted down the relocation of the Sacramento Kings to Seattle.

The Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls to win the series 4–1.

The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Detroit Red Wings 4–1 in game one.

Five-time Pro Bowler and former Jaguar Jimmy Smith convicted of firearm and cocaine possession.

Seattle, which lost its team in 2007 to Oklahoma City, has in recent years wanted the Sonics back home. Chris Hansen, a hedge-fund manager, spent over $70 million on property for a future arena. Backed by multi-billionaire Steve Ballmer, Chris Hansen offered over $400 million to buy the Kings from the Maloofs (the majority owners of the team). The Maloofs accepted the offer and proposed the relocation of the Kings to Seattle. The city of Sacramento would not let it go so easily, though. Kevin Johnson, the mayor of Sacramento, became the lynchpin to find local owners willing to put together a competitive offer to keep the

Grizzled Trevor Boyson

Sports Editor

When the NBA Playoffs started, we were looking at a few teams with the potential to kick off some intriguing playoff runs despite not being the favorites. We looked forward to how the Denver Nuggets might punish teams with their fast pace despite the lack of a superstar, although we know that story line fizzled out early. After game one against the Heat, we hoped the Bulls might be able to snatch the series even without Derrick Rose, but that game was an anomaly. Looking forward, Miami is the strong favorite in the East.

Kings in Sacramento. Ironically enough, Kevin Johnson is a former NBA all-star and his background in the NBA is a key reason that Sacramento was able to put a competitive offer on the table.

The owners of the Kings, the Maloof family, have been historically one of the worst owners in the NBA. The Maloofs refused to negotiate a new arena for Sacramento and owe both the city and the NBA over $100 million collectively. Their proposal to sell the team to Seattle was a shock to the city of Sacramento, as it was not given an opportunity to keep the team. The NBA, however, gave Sacramento the opportunity to keep the team. In return, the Maloofs claimed that if the offer for Seattle fell through, they would not sell to the Sacramento group but instead keep the team themselves.

enough financial support from Sacramento.

Essentially, this voids the deal the Maloofs had with Hansen, and the Kings are staying in Sacramento for now.

This isn’t the end of the story for the Kings, though, as the Maloofs seem intent on selling 20 percent of their ownership to Hansen instead of selling the team to Sacramento ownership. The NBA, however, also has to approve this transaction. If the NBA does vote down this transaction and forces the Maloofs to sell the team outright to the new ownership group proposed by Sacramento, it could cause a lawsuit against the NBA. The NBA and the city of Sacramento, however, don't want to be left with the Maloofs as owners because of how badly they have managed the team and stabbed the city of Sacramento in the back.

As of Wednesday, it seems that the offer with Seattle has fallen through. The NBA board of governors voted against the Kings' move to Seattle on Wednesday, as owners felt there was

Even though it appears the Kings are staying in Sacramento, it has yet to be determined who will be owning them.

scoring ability. Likewise, the San Antonio Spurs are looking as lethal as ever, continually finding a way to play fundamental basketball and win despite age.

they even have the ability to claw back into games lesser teams would more than readily write off as a loss. The fact that they don’t rely on one scorer, like Golden State does on Curry, actually gives them flexibility. You don’t need to game plan to stop one player, you need to figure out how to shut down three: Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol. This plays into their hands because in any game of the series, or even in any point of a game, they can shift scoring focus to whomever has an advantage.

If you show any form of weakness, the Grizzlies will find the man to take advantage of it.

But there’s a team in the West that’s scarier than the rest. They’re not “fast,” they don’t have the regular season scoring leader, their team isn’t stacked with superstars, they don't have the league

"This plays into their hands because in any game of the series, or even in any pont of the game, they can shift scoring focus to whomever has an advantage."

The West, however, is an entirely different matter. The Golden State Warriors have risen on the shoulders of Steph Curry’s phenomenal

MVP. Yet the Grizzlies, as of now, pose the biggest threat in the West. They’re the team of which everyone in the West should be the most afraid for the rest of the postseason.

What Memphis brings to the table is tenacity.

They won’t quit, they won’t let go of a game, and

The result is a team against which you can’t make any mistakes. If you do, they will capitalize on it. They show swagger and grit, giving them the ability to survive difficult games and excel in the mentally tough stretches. If you’re in their way, watch out for the Grizzlies.

FOODIE

LIFE

21

Olive's Local Asparagus Soup Amy Alderman Food Editor

If you’re looking for a locally inspired, diverse menu including pastas, sandwiches, pizzas, soups, salads, and other artisan foods, you will find exactly that at Olive Marketplace & Café.

Beginning in 1976, Merchants Delicatessen opened in the space where Olive now resides. In early 2010, Jake Crenshaw was approached by Merchants owners to purchase the space and described it as “too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

In three weeks' time, friends, volunteers, and employees completely renovated the space on a tight budget and transformed the space into Olive Marketplace & Café.

In the past three years, Crenshaw and his team of chefs have focused on using food that is seasonal in the Walla Walla valley. Because Crenshaw is a fan of wholesome, quality products, the Olive team focuses on making much of their food completely from scratch.

Out of the many reasons that Crenshaw enjoys owning Olive, Crenshaw most enjoys the sense of community that Olive provides, as the space serves as a great central spot for community members to meet.

Visit Olive Marketplace & Café this week to try one of their delicious dishes, especially their well-known soups, at 21 E. Main St. in Walla Walla. Olive is open daily between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Olive's Local Asparagus Soup

Yield: approx. 7–10 hearty servings What you’ll need: stockpot, knife, blender, mesh strainer 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 sweet onion, chopped 4 bunches Walla Walla asparagus, trimmed (tips reserved for later) 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1½ cups vegetable stock

3 cups cream 1 cup milk Salt and pepper to taste Dash of nutmeg Dash of curry powder 1 lb. spinach Leftover asparagus tips

In a large stockpot, over medium heat, combine olive oil, sweet onion, and garlic and sweat until translucent (not caramelized), about 3–5 minutes. Then add asparagus and potatoes until they are cooked and soft. Add vegetable stock and reduce until liquid is halved. Add cream and milk and let simmer. Season with salt and pepper, nutmeg, and curry powder. In a separate pot of salted water, blanch and shock spinach. Ring dry and add spinach to soup. Purée in immersion blender or regular blender in batches. Pass through fine mesh strainer. Garnish with asparagus tips and balsamic vinegar.

Photos by Anthony White

Meet the Owner

Jake Crenshaw grew up in Colorado, where he discovered his love for cooking. Crenshaw worked in many prestigious restaurants before finding himself in Seattle with his wife. His more than 17 years of running kitchens and catering businesses has helped bring his culinary dream to life.

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LIFE

TRAVEL

WWOOFing the Summer Away Megan Cleveland

Travel Editor

It’s hard to believe the year is almost over and summer is just a few short weeks away! For those of you looking to do something a bit more adventurous this summer and escape from classes, summer jobs, or to get you up off the couch, I have found a solution: WWOOF. (No, this does not mean spending the summer attempting to pass as a strange canine breed.) WWOOF stands for Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms and offers you a one-of-a-kind way to see the world. WWOOF represents a group of organic farmers from all over the world that will give volunteers room and board in exchange for their help on the farms.

planting, harvesting, caring for livestock, and cheese and bread making.

Volunteer stays on a farm can range from two or three days up to six months; however, many farms have a minimum requirement of two weeks. Once your time is complete at one farm, you can travel to another and embark on an allnew adventure.

pleasant experience for all volunteers.

These measures include visiting each host before they are accepted into the organization, stringent reference checks, and strict complaints procedures. When a complaint is made about a host, that host is investigated. If the complaint has validity, the host is removed from the list indefinitely.

their farm, volunteers will have a chance to experience the culture from a local point of view. As a WWOOF volunteer, you have the opportunity to experience living an alternative lifestyle, learn about sustainable agriculture practices, and meet intriguing people. Now it’s time to get out there, explore the world, and get your hands dirty.

Some of you are probably thinking, “Sign me up!” while those of us less inclined to take risks (myself included) might be wondering, “If I sign up, what is the probability I will end up as the star of the next Taken film?” For those

When you WWOOF, you are no longer a tourist — you become part of the community. You are presented with an opportunity to get to know the locals and to experience a country or region in a unique way. While on

For more information about WWOOF, please visit wwoofinternational.org.

“While on [the] farm, volunteers will have a chance to experience the culture from a local point of view.“

Currently, WWOOF international has 259 hosts in 42 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. Many of the WWOOF hosts are farmers that seek sustainable lifestyles and practice simple and ecofriendly farming techniques.

Opportunities range from a coffee plantation in Ecuador and an olive farm in Morocco to a bee farm in Finland and a farm in Ireland that makes goat cheese.

As a volunteer, you will have the opportunity to help out with a variety of tasks including sowing seeds, gardening,

Photo by Flickr user Caliterra

of you belonging to the latter group, WWOOFing is very safe.

However, as always, you should be sure to thoroughly research any farms you select. WWOOF organizations have procedures in place to ensure a safe and

SCIENCE

LIFE 23

Thinking Historically About Technology Willy Logan

Contributing Writer

After graduating from Walla Walla in 2009, I spent a year as a student missionary posting at Riverside Adventist Academy in the state of Meghalaya in northeast India. I first arrived in Meghalaya, jetlagged and disoriented, on a Wednesday afternoon ance at the beginning of the local hot, sticky monsoon nteer, month of September. ence Come evening, I bout passed out on the bed and in my quarters and me to slept like a dead man. d get When I got up on Thursday morning, OOF, the day was already well underway. The sun had lifted his head above the jungly hills to the east of the school. It was not even 7 a.m., yet it was already blazing hot.

My quarters were on the top floor of a three-family dwelling, one of several such structures built to the same plan around campus. From the back balcony, I had a view of the hills, some fields, a highway, and the Didram River, which gives the school its name. From the front door, over the school compound’s wall, I could see children in blue uniforms heading for school, even though classes were not scheduled to start for another hour. Some of the older students roared up on shiny motorbikes. Others pedaled awkwardly along on conventional bicycles, their bookbags slung haphazardly over their shoulders. Some came on foot, trudging along with their hands in their pockets.

And then there were some who came in the oddest vehicles I had ever seen: bulbous, three-wheeled conveyances with open sides that went sputtering down the road. A driver sat in the front of the

vehicle, peering through the windshield and clutching onto motor scooter-style handlebars as he navigated the treacherous road. Students were piled in the back seat and up front around the driver, their legs jutting out of the open sides in order to free up room inside the vehicle.

As I watched these bizarre vehicles bounce past on the road, I asked my roommate, who had already been in India several months, what those things were.

"Why," he said, "those are rickshaws!"

I quickly grew enamored with rickshaws, which are an inventive solution to the ageold problem of how to move people from one place to another. I also liked them because they are fun to ride. As I traveled around India, I was impressed by the huge variety of rickshaws that I saw in use. In Calcutta, I saw hand-pulled rickshaws, a relic of the colonial era. In various cities and towns around India, I saw and rode on cycle rickshaws. The greatest variety is found in the motorized rickshaws, commonly referred to as “auto rickshaws” or just “autos.” Most auto rickshaws share the same basic three-wheeled configuration. Almost all of them have handlebars rather than steering wheels, since the first auto rickshaws were built from motor-scooter parts. Apart from these

similarities, rickshaws vary greatly in size and under-the-hood specifications. There are black rickshaws that run on gasoline and green rickshaws that use cleanerburning compressed natural gas. Some rickshaws have two-stroke engines, like a lawnmower or a chainsaw. To start them, the driver yanks a lever or pulls a ripcord, depending on the model. Other rickshaws have four-stroke automobile engines and electric starters. A few rickshaws are even designed with rear-facing seats, so you can watch the road unroll behind you as you ride.

cites rickshaws as an example of “creole technology” — something that originated in one part of the world but took on new use and meaning elsewhere. Rickshaws are glorified motor scooters — a technology that originated in the West but is now being used extensively, and to good effect, for different purposes far from its place of origin. Auto rickshaws are not an old technology; they are a relatively new one, coming into vogue since World War II. They are not an intermediate step toward bigger and better Western-style technology — they are here to stay.

In an Indian city, it is usually not hard to find a rickshaw to take you someplace.

On a street corner, just wave at a passing vehicle and shout, “Oe, rickshaw!” (“Oe” is a Hindi interjection that means “hey.”) In most cases, rickshaw drivers will spot you first and volunteer to take you someplace, whether you want to go or not. Drivers park their vehicles at strategic locations and wait for customers to arrive. As soon as one appears, they all cluster around and start debating prices. Rickshaws in many cities are required by law to use meters, but most drivers claim that their meters are all inexplicably broken.

Lately, rickshaw technology has flowed to the West. I have yet to see three-wheeler auto taxis anywhere in America, but cycle rickshaws are already a feature of American life. Entrepreneurs using pedicabs, as they’re called here, have set up shop everywhere that they can find tourists who are too lazy to walk where they want to go.

In New York City, adults pay $60, and children $50, for a ride around Central Park in a pedicab.

Even my town of Auburn, Ala., has rickshaws on the weekends of Photos by Willy Logan home football g a m e s .

Someday, I want to hail one of these pedicabs with “Oe, rickshaw!” and then try to haggle the price of a ride across town down to $2.

Not only are rickshaws a clever solution to the problem of moving people (and fun to ride), they also provide an opportunity to think about technology historically.

One of my favorite books that I’ve read in grad school is The Shock of the Old by David Edgerton. In the book, Edgerton argues that the best way to think about technology is not in terms of innovation — the creation of new stuff — but the use of things that may be old or new. Edgerton

We'd like to thank the sponsors of this week's issue of The Collegian and we encourage our readers to support them.

The Heel “11 secret herbs and spices”

Two weeks back I tried to summarize a friendship with Latin, à la magna cum laude. Sorry to confuse, Phillistines.

Verbatim

SUPER JEWEL QUEST Find a paper jewel (pictured at sjqww.tumblr.com), email me, and get a great prize. This is your secondto-last chance, Onions!

What do you think of when I say “poetry?”

“Old men with beards.”

Hannah King

“Yeah, welcome to the big dogs!”

— Eric Weber, in a failed taunt

“With caffeine you borrow energy from the next day. My thinking is you’ll just be really tired the day you die. It’s a pyramid scheme.”

Jewel 1 to find is almost fun, but stays barely outside the confines of a man-cub pen.

MGMT sounds you’ll find.

“Pain.”

“You can’t deny that Del Taco gives you raging gas!”

Jewel 2’s a breeze, just read the news, and seek the spot with bread of shrew.

This jewel’s nearby, count 6 trees in, and walk from Davis Avenue.

“Wordy. ”

— Curt Nelson, on health and diet

— Jeff Andersen

“Your brain is continually reprogramming itself. That’s one of the reasons why dating works so well.”

— Tom Ekkens

“Everyone’s leaving ... why is everyone leaving? I like air conditioning and artificial lighting.”

Jewel 3 as well is on the fringes, PNW — strike Pacific.

Find the campus corner, cross it north and look beneath evergreen bark.

Brian Flegel

Brianna Eckler

“Henry D. Thoreau Ralph Waldo Emmerson, and Pablo Neruda.”

Timothy Barbosa

“People with three-word names. Oh, and Shakespeare.”

Laryssa Rodrigues

— Nicole Im, in protest to a class moving outside Hear something funny? Report it! julian.weller@wallawalla.edu

Julian Weller The Heel Editor

I’m trying to like spoken word (oh my gosh, I try!).1 After discussions with slam connoisseur and esteemed second cousin Chadwick Aufderhar, I’m closer to placing my biases: I just don’t know how to approach spoken word. Is it normal poetry? Music? Improv?

Here’s where I’m at: I don’t delineate between literature and scripture — both teach inward attention and love for the world. I find Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day” as reverent as a psalm and more relevant. (I haven’t been persecuted by many kings, lately.) “Love calls us to the things of this world,” writes Richard Wilbur, referencing Augustine, and if art is an exercise in sacred attentions, then I don’t need

it to be performed. Shouting and one-liners make me wonder what’s being compensated for.

I want writing that stands on its own, without needing a windbag breathing it to life.

On the other hand, reading a melody is nothing like hearing it. Some things need to be experienced, so where does that leave spoken word?

I’ve noticed a change in Noah Gundersen’s songwriting that’s related in my mind. Before his concert last Saturday, I found a video of his song “Isaiah” and was really impressed.2 I figured “Isaiah” was new, because I’m not always sold on Gundersen’s early songs like “Caroline” and “Oh Momma.” They’re honest, relatable, and catchy, but two-dimensional. That’s not bad.

“Caroline” is great if you’re pining, but not for much else. “Isaiah” caught me off guard because it’s also simply phrased, but the phrases mingle and intertwine across verses. While Gundersen narrates, they throw light around the room, and the song isn’t confined to its arc. (I’d tell

you more, but I don’t want to get banned from campus.)

“San Antonio Fading,” from Gundersen’s latest album, Family, is about as old as “Isaiah” and just as rich. The speaker sings to an aging spouse and remembers, “We were married / down by San Antonio. / On the shores of Corpus Christi / we spoke our vows.” I first found those lines simpler and more sentimental than “Caroline”. Why mention “our vows” again after saying “we were married?”

But “San Antonio Fading” isn’t a simple, easy love song. “Corpus Christi,” the body of Christ, recalls the new life marriage embarks on, as well as the sacrifice inherent in vows under God. The river too is more than a symbol for life; it’s also passing into death, the next journey. Gundersen sings, “It’s not that the love is missing / it’s just not around. / It’s just flowing under / like rivers underground.” The river is buried; is Gundersen alluding to Styx, and the long line of Greek heroes who have journeyed to the underworld to be reunited with lost lovers?

Either way, it’s obvious Gundersen is drawing from

deep waters. There’s more glimmering under the surface than appears at first glance.

That’s what I want from spoken word: a picture I can swim in, three dimensions. If a slam poem is like music — part of the spirit, at its best when being given — then I want it to be balanced: Not so ambiguous it loses significance in an ocean of generalities, and not so solid that it only has one picture to share. And I don’t want a storm of dance moves and “delivery.” I want the still small voice.

I want the mix: a frame to look through, and reflections that play into each other’s patterns.

Is that spoken word? A friend recently sent me a video of Ken Arkind delivering “An Experiment in Noise in A# Major,” and Arkind delivered well.

Images were intertwined, and I saw flickers from an interior ready to be explored. I just need to figure out what to listen for.

1. tinyurl.com/heelman.

2. tinyurl.com/heelnoahg.