Walla Walla University
the
Collegian 31 October 2013 | Volume 98 | Issue 5
4
7
Trick or treat
12 the risks and rewards of social media
14
Grant Perdew Editor-In-Chief
3–7
We’re halfway through the quarter! Hopefully by this point you have just about survived midterms. And even though life is chaotic, there’s a habit that never ceases to break through. If you’re young and you use the Internet, regardless of how busy life gets, you will almost always find time for social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr; their power breaks through our walls of productivity. Technology has continued to change our world over the eons of time, but recently it seems to have skyrocketed with this growth of social media. We are more connected now than we ever have been. Or are we? The feature this week examines the effects that social media has on our lives and our relationships. Julian Weller has thoroughly explored these ideas as in-depthly as one can in three pages. As with each Collegian feature, I hope this article informs and inspires; and even more so, that it encourages discussion to further understanding.
8–14
Context
Perspective
@_ misshall
photo by brenna nakamura
Briefing | By the Numbers| News Instagram | Calendar
Opinion | Religion | Creative Writing|SM Snapshots | Diversions | Column
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Grant Perdew
Assistant Editor Nathan Stratte
Head Layout Editor Alix Harris
Head Copy Editor Carly Leggitt
Head Photo Editor
Opinion Editors
Brandon Torkelsen Rebecca Williams Andrew Woodruff
Fashion Editor
Brenda Negoescu
Joe Hughes
Food EDitor
Andrea Johnson
15–17
feature
photo by snapchat
Trick or Treat: The Risks and Rewards of Social Media
18–24
life
photo by creative commons
Arts & Media| ASWWU Video | Fashion | Travel Science| Local | Sports |Food | BackWord
Erik Edstrom Andralyn Iwasa Ian Smith Jenna Thomas
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.
Copy Editors
Cover Photo Credit: Grant Perdew, Deviant Art user abatagestudios, Arella Aung, Vitaliy Krivoruk, Eric Weber
Grayson Andregg
Timothy Barbosa
Rachel Blake Jassica Choi Lauren Heathcock
Religion Editors
Arts & Media Editor
Staff Writers
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 grant.perdew@wallawalla.edu. This issue was completed at 2:30 a.m. on 31 October 2013.
Office & Distribution Manager
The Collegian | Volume 98, Issue 5 | 204 S. College Avenue College Place, WA 99324 | collegian.wallawalla.edu
News Editor
Outdoor Editor
Brooklynn Larson Katie Pekar Julian Weller
Science & Technology Editor
Layout Designers
Submit your poetry, articles, creative writing, art, and photos to: aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu.
Local Attractions Editor
Kate Gref
Feature Editors
Jon Mack
want to be featured in the collegian?
Sports Editor
Daniel Peverini John Lubke
Carolyn Green
Travel Editor
I also invite you to read the pieces of our two new columnists, Madeleine Boyson and Micah Hall. I’m excited to see the works they produce as the year proceeds. We also have a great contribution to the Religion section by Shane Akerman, a theology graduate of Southern who is pursuing a Ph.D. in religion. Whether you’re spending this evening studying, passing out candy, or collecting some junk food yourself, I hope that you find time to step away from the media and spend time with others. Take a deep breath; break will be here before you know it.
Justin Mock
Diversions Editor Eric Weber
Chad Aufderhar
Backword Editor Rachel Logan
Creative Writing Editor Rachel Blake
Columnists
Madeleine Boyson Micah Hall
Lester Biggs Savannah Kisling Carlton Henkes Lauren Lewis
Haley Coon
CONTEXT NEWS | 3
senate
wwu publications win awards // carolyn green News Editor
Two Walla Walla University publications won the “Best In Class” distinction at a recent awards program held during the annual convention of the Society of Adventist Communicators. In the print category, the 2012-13 Collegian won “Best Student Newspaper.” The paper, edited by Emily Muthersbaugh, was judged for quality, design, logo, creativity, timeliness, organization, audience appeal, and consistency. During Muthersbaugh’s time as editor, The Collegian introduced several sections, including a column to inform readers about the university and student administration leadership. She also expanded social media connectivity with the launch of a Facebook page and the incorporation of weekly student
photos via Instagram. The paper also published themed issues, with each section focusing on a guiding topic, such as current issues facing Adventism, violence in America, and the impact of technology on education. “Our greatest challenge was probably one that faces most print publications today, which is to maintain a strong readership of printed publications in the face of digital media,” she says. “Additionally, it was a challenge to ensure that we were representing the voice of the student body and the interests of our community.” The Collegian is published weekly and has a large distribution: 1,500 copies are distributed each week on campus and at local businesses. Walla Walla University’s alumni magazine also won a top award. In the print category, Westwind won “Best Magazine.” Magazine judging was based on similar standards of quality: design, logo, creativity, timeliness, organization, audience appeal, and effectiveness of representation of organization and organizational messages.
UPDATE
Westwind is published three times a year and mailed to more than 27,000 alumni. The magazine’s editor, Rosa Jimenez, is senior manager in the University Relations office. “In 2012, working with art director Dennis Huynh, we introduced a new design that has raised the bar for us in design, photography, and writing,” Jimenez says. “The new look is dynamic and energetic, one that stands apart.” Huynh, a 2000 WWU graduate, currently works as an art director at Entertainment Weekly. As a student, he worked for The Collegian and edited the Mt. Ash. “I’m happy to say that most of our writers and photographers are Walla Walla alumni or former staff members of University Relations. Working with them is one of the best parts of editing this magazine,” Jimenez says. The Society of Adventist Communicators is a professional organization for Seventh-day Adventists whose careers are in the field of communication.
NEW BUSINESS F.L. 1 — Weights for Fitness Center P.L. 57 — Concurrent Position for Alyssa Seibold
OLD BUSINESS G.L. 1 — Joe Hughes for Parliamentarian and ASWWU Chief Justice
G.L. 2 — Daniel Peverini for ASWWU Justice
circle church begins again // savannah kisling
Staff Writer
Circle Church, a student-led worship service, began its first service this school year at 11:07 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26. The service, which emphasizes Christianity beyond just the church service, kicked off with Josh Jamieson leading out in praise music and Jesse Churchill and Anthony Lyder speaking. The sermon served as an introduction to Circle Church’s goal of challenging students to claim God’s power and to claim their identity as children of Christ. After the sermon, a time of prayer was led by Sean Lenhoff, the prayer coordinator. “We wanted to create a service that was done
well visually, musically, and programwise. It’s a place for the spirit to move and a safe place where you don’t feel like you are judged by other people, where you are free to worship,” said Lyder, the InReach coordinator for Circle Church.
want to get stuck in a rut of just doing a service for the sake of doing a service.” Outreach is also changing focus for this new school year. “The focus of Circle Church outreach is to take what we have, our e x per i en c e s with God, and show others what He has done for us,” said the Outreach Coordinator, Judelle Johnson. Every month there will be one big activity. This next week, everyone is invited to help out with a “Rake n’ Run,” where groups will go around neighborhoods and look for people who need help cleaning up their yards.
"It’s a place for the spirit to move and a safe place where you don’t feel like you are judged by other people, where you are free to worship."
Breakfast — coffee, orange juice, and bagels — is served every Saturday morning, starting at 10:30 a.m. Through the coming weeks, leaders of Circle Church are hoping to find out the direction that God wants the service to go. Lyder explained, “We [the Circle Church core team] were wanting to go in focusing on faith and we don’t
G.L. 3 — Nathan Stratte for ASWWU Justice G.L. 4 — Tyler Sherwin for Faculty Senate G.L. 5 — Jacob Giem for Faculty Senate G.L. 6 — Clarabeth Smith for Bookstore Innovation Group G.L. 7 — Jono Pratt for ASWWU Representitive to NAD Leadership Convention P.L. 1 — 56 Personnel Hires for ASWWU
Key: F.L.
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Financial Legislation
G.L.
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Governance Legislation
P.L.
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Personnel Legislation
If you’d like to see how senate works, join us Thursdays at 9 p.m. in WEC 217. All are welcome.
CONTEXT
BRIEFING | 4
repealed
“I think he’s a traitor. I hope we can catch him at some point and that he receives the justice he deserves.”
A federal judge recently determined that Texas‘ newly passed abortion restrictions are unconstitutional. This ruling keeps open 36 abortion clinics that would otherwise have had to close on Tuesday.
— Dick Cheney, as heard in an interview, regarding Edward Snowden’s leak of NSA documents.
16,000+
Number of signatures on an online petition for the Saudi Arabian government to repeal its ban on women driving (the last ban of its kind).
“We are doing everything so that participants and guests feel comfortable in Sochi, regardless of nationality, race, or sexual orientation.”
died
lou reed
— Russian President Vladimir Putin, in reassuring the International Olympic Committee that gay people will be welcome at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
“One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords, and you're into jazz.”
won 2013 World Series by the Boston Red Sox last night.
photo by deviantart user abatagesudios
This quote from recently deceased rock legend Lou Reed sums up his approach to rock music. Though he only had a modest number of radio hits, he has been credited for helping create punk, glam, and alternative rock music and for helping shape nearly 50 years of rock music. He was a groundbreaking musical artist, best known as the founder of The Velvet Underground. Reed died Sunday at age 71 from complications due to his liver transplant last May.
65 21
28,600
Visibility, in feet, recorded in Harbin, China last week, due to thick smog.
Number of chemical weapons sites, of 23 total, that inspectors overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons have visited so far.
Estimated number of (nonmilitary) gun-related deaths since the Sandy Hook shooting last December.
Current French President François Hollande‘s recordlow approval ratings in the latest polls.
26%
The amount that Penn State will pay 26 young men in a settlement over accusations of sexual abuse against formal assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, in addition to the $50 million it already spent on additional costs relating to the scandal.
$59.7 million
CONTEXT NEWS | 5
giant leap for adventism // carolyn green News Editor
Adventist history was made on October 27 when Sandra Roberts was elected president of the Southeastern California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Roberts is the first woman to be voted into a conference president position in any Adventist conference. The vote among the 1,100 delegates was 72–28 percent, in favor of the unopposed Roberts. Before the vote was taken, delegates had the opportunity to speak their opinions about the motion. While a few delegates shared opposing views, most voiced their support of Roberts as president. “Roberts’ qualifications and experience make her the most qualified person for this important position,” said Dr. Penny Miller, a faculty member at Loma Linda University and co-chair of the advisory board for the Women’s Resource Center at La Sierra University.1 Ted C. Wilson, president of the General Conference, sent a statement reminding delegates that the General Conference does not support the ordination of women and that the election of a woman as conference president “would put the Southeastern Conference and Pacific Union Conference in direct confrontation with the General Conference and the world church” and that the action would not be recognized by the world church.2 While not recognized by the world church, a Pacific Union Special Session in 2012 voted to authorize women’s ordination, and therefore, the nomination of Roberts was in accordance with conference and union bylaws and policies.
Though Adventism traditionally has rejected women's ordination, Ellen G. White, one of the denomination’s key leaders, held the credentials of an ordained minister. As early as the 1880s, delegates of a GC Session supported a proposal to ordain women who served as pastors. The motion was never applied, but a number of women were given licenses in the next few years, which is traditionally the first step towards ordination.
“I don't care if there's a man or a woman running the conference, as long as they're qualified. Definitely she's a spiritual leader.” Since the subject of ordination of women was again brought up within the Adventist church 50 years ago, study groups have been formed to look into Biblical reasons for or against women’s ordination. Although there has been no consensus among Biblical scholars, the last decision by the GC Session was that “in order to maintain unity” the ordination of women was not approved. Despite GC rulings in 1990 and 1995, the Adventist Church in China has been ordaining women for several years and
some of the union conferences in Europe and North America have been doing the same in the past year. Pastor Stephen Bohr of the Central SDA Church in Fresno, California, stated that he thinks the election of Roberts as a conference president “would be in violation of the Working Policy and bylaws of the Pacific Union and the General Conference. Further, it would be a kick in the shins and the teeth to the decision-making authority of the world church.” He worries that this “rebellion” is a step that will eventually lead the church to “lose its global identity and relevance.”3 Victor Tolan, a former attendee of the Corona Church where Roberts pastored, said, “I don’t care if there’s a man or a woman running the conference, as long as they’re qualified. Definitely she’s a spiritual leader.”4 Tolan went on to speak of how kind, thoughtful, and well-liked Roberts is, though he mentioned his concern for how the world church would accept her. “I trust God. I put it in his hands. It’s His Church, ultimately.” 1. http://www.atoday.org/article/2079/news/ september/woman-pastor-nominated-to-beconference-president-in-california. 2. http://blog.pe.com/multiculturalempire/2013/10/27/religion-coronas-sandraroberts-makes-adventist-history/. 3. http://www.atoday.org/article/2079/news/ september/woman-pastor-nominated-to-beconference-president-in-california. 4. Ibid.
CONTEXT 6
#thecollegian Carissa Clendenon
Worship — 9:30 and 11:45 a.m. Saturday, November 9 Study — 3 p.m. Saturday, November 9
@marshmelany
@spaghettiyetio
@_misshall
Praise — 8 p.m. Friday, November 8
Snow accumulated, Flight — 8 p.m. Saturday, Novemberin9inches, in Lead, South Dakota.
CONTEXT 7
week in forecast 31 Oct Thursday 63° 41°
photo by flickr user jeffreyturner
Halloween
ASWWU Listens Outside Ad. Building 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
1 NOV 63° 45°
Friday
2 NOV 66° 44°
Saturday
photo by ivan cruz
photo by arella aung
Morning Worship with Kraig Scott Around the University Church Piano 7:30 a.m.
3 NOV 64° 43°
Sunday
photo by flickr user leo reynolds
Circle Church
Daylight saving time ends
11:07 a.m. CTC Black Box Campus Ministries: Blanket Drive
CABL Bonfire 6 p.m. Jesus statue
2:45 p.m. U–shop parking lot
OPS Vespers 8 p.m. University Church ASWWU S'mores (after vespers)
4 nov 70° 41°
Monday
photo by flickr user the marina
5 nov 68° 45°
Tuesday
6 NOV 55° 39°
Wednesday
photo by flickr user benoit perrot
Fill Our Staplers Day
CommUnity: Departmental
King Tut Day
11 a.m. Various Locations Village Club coffee and donuts The Atlas Guy Fawkes Day Election Day
photo by flickr user martyn hutchby
Saxophone Day
PERSPECTIVE O P IN I O N | 8
collegian
WISDOM
Students and the internet: Friends or Foes? // Rebecca Williams
Opinion Editor
Pope Francis lets kid commandeer his seat.
Dell admits new laptops “smell of cat urine.” Bring Your Pet To Work day discontinued.
Allies accuse NSA of spying abroad. Practice for domestic spying.
Challenge accepted.
=
Millennial retirement age projected to be 73.
C
C
Child unexpectedly joins Pope Francis on stage for family day.
C
Biden his time ...
=
Joe Biden to run for president in 2016.
It is difficult for our generation to remember the days before the Internet, before information access was accompanied by the click of a computer mouse and the all-too-familiar sound of dial-up. But still, I remember having to look up facts in an actual encyclopedia rather than on a semi-reliable website. I remember when the answers to the standardized test questions about which reference materials to use weren’t all satisfied with “Internet.” Now, we have social media. These are the cyber-places where anything can be written without being subject to the red, errorfinding pen of an English professor. Social media gives people an outlet. They can express their opinions, hopes, fears, frustrations, eating habits, and bathroom schedule with the written word. They can share their profound ideas, photos of kitties, and hilarious memes with the touch of a button. Having a way to express oneself is incredibly important. But has the Internet made students lazy? Has the instant gratification of technology and fast-paced style of social media had an effect on students’ performance? The unlimited access to information regarding just about anything has greatly diminished the knowledge and learning that comes with the process of discovery. It’s the journey, not the destination, that matters, right? When a student has a question, instead of asking his or her professor and gleaning the knowledge and wisdom of an expert in the field, he or she consults a website of choice. This reduces human interaction to a 50-minute lecture that often times falls on the deaf ears of a texting student. When a teacher asks a question in class that I don’t know the answer to, I reach for my phone and “Google” it. Hurray! I got it right! Well, the Internet machine got it right. It is safe to say that the Internet has also reduced the need for students to memorize important material. Some students, myself included, neglect to do their homework properly because they can just look up the answer anytime. Then, come finals week, there is a ferocious flurry of cramming facts into one’s short-term memory, where it will become inaccessible shortly after the exam is complete. The relationship between the Internet and students is of the love–hate variety. In actuality, the Internet provides incredible opportunities for learning if used correctly. It is economical, efficient, and gives students access to useful information. However, it can make us lazy, apathetic, and distracted. So when you sit down to write your next paper, rather than using Wikipedia, ask your friendly neighborhood librarian where you can find the information you are looking for. And when you simply do not understand that theorem you are supposed to use to complete your assignment, make an appointment with your professor and engage in an informative, lively conversation.
For Real? //
Brandon Torkelsen
Opinion Editor The western world is inundated with the inauthentic. From pop stars to McDonald’s, fake jumps out from behind every corner. In spite of, or perhaps as a reaction to this inauthenticity, “authentic” movements have emerged. Art has become the breeding ground of authenticity. Skaters, rappers, and hipsters all complain about the “poseurs”1 who imitate their art. Skateboarding pioneer Lance Mountain says, “Skateboarding doesn’t make you a skateboarder; not being able to stop skateboarding makes you a skateboarder.” A premium has been placed on “being real,” yet our Internet lives play out in a superficial way. Unfortunately, being a skateboarder is not as simple as “liking” its Facebook page. I, like most college students, use Facebook. I tell myself that I use it because it enables me to maintain communication with friends, especially those in foreign countries, and to keep myself informed about events that are occurring. Somehow I allow those reasons to rationalize pulling my phone out 10 times a day to check it. Facebook presents an interesting situation; I am allowed to have near-absolute control over what several-hundred other people (and the NSA) see of me. After spending two hours taking 187 selfies in the mirror, I have the right to decide which ones I would like to be consigned to the depths of hell and which ones I would like to display on my profile. I can choose which moments — food devoured, sunsets experienced, and rocks climbed — I will admit to having lived. Facebook provides an outlet for me to present the most white-washed image imaginable — the idealized self. However, Facebook isn’t the only place I try to portray myself in a certain way. Every day I decide what I will encourage people to think of me. The amount of grooming, the quality of my clothes, and what I say all influence what people think of me. Do I want to appear put together or too busy to care? Should I worry about my grades or blow them off? Even my struggle to be authentic is often inauthentic. One begs to question: Is this bad? Can I really be authentic? Shouldn’t I try to present myself well? There’s nothing inherently wrong with presenting oneself well; the problem emerges when we allow this image to interfere with getting to know other people. I haven’t yet met someone who isn’t messed up in some way, but my failure to acknowledge that I should be counted in that number prevents me from allowing myself to receive the love others attempt to show. The image of myself that I project to others becomes the image of me that those people get to know. As we can’t really become friends with someone’s Facebook page, we can’t really get to know someone who projects a false or idealized image of himself or herself. Perhaps the worst result of inauthenticity is isolation. Americans are lonely at unprecedented levels. I believe this loneliness is a direct result of our inauthenticity. In our scrambling to conform and be liked, we miss out on the opportunity to be loved. 1. “Posers” is spelled poseurs ... Who knew? Check out Joseph Pine’s TED Talk, “What Consumers Want.”
PERSPECTIVE REL I GI O N | 9
Series Introduction:
These things remain //
om pop rner. In thentic” ground n about r Lance boarder; rder.” A ves play r is not
hat I use friends, nformed reasons heck it. to have ple (and 7 selfies uld like uld like — food dmit to he most
Daniel Peverini
Religion Editor As Christians, we often speak to each other and to nonbelievers about aspects of our Christianity. In our classrooms, at our church services, in front of a stranger’s door, around a Friday night meal, and in many other places, we routinely talk about things like “faith,” “hope,” and “love.” Without words, the Christian church has no message and therefore no reason to exist. However, we sometimes use words without thinking about their meaning.
Faith //
“Faith means making a virtue out of not thinking,” says comedian and television host yself in Bill Maher. While the more pious among eople to us might be offended by this definition, the clothes, sad truth is that this is actually what many want to Christians think about faith. out my is often If faith simply means believing something without evidence, or even in spite of the evidence, then count me out. Think, for thentic? instance, of those who had a pre-conceived herently notion of what the Messiah ought to be like when we and refused to believe in Jesus because he people. did not conform to their faith. Blind faith way, but is no virtue. We have to be open to new number information from all areas: science, history, attempt philosophy, and so on. In short, we have to ecomes think! ’t really ally get On the flip side, others have taken the idea himself of faith to the opposite extreme. They think that the evidence available to us is sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that God mericans exists and that Jesus is the Son of God and a direct was raised from the dead. This idea of faith and be is even more dangerous because it robs faith of any sense of real commitment. This is the sort of faith the Bible says that even demons have (James 2:19).
What do we Christians mean, for example, when we talk about “faith?” We Christians believe that the God of Jesus Christ has called us to announce the news of His coming kingdom. Announcing this news precisely and correctly is crucial. This series is basically an attempt to provide carefully constructed Christian perspectives on three important concepts. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul states, “These three remain: faith, hope, and love” (I Corinthians 13:13). Each brief essay in this three-part series will provide a Christian perspective on one of these concepts. Today we begin with a reflection on faith by Shane Akerman.
Shane Akerman Contributor Both the skeptic and the apologist approach faith as a kind of knowledge. The only difference is that the apologist thinks that she’s found it, while the skeptic knows that she hasn’t. People suppose that the proposition: “I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead,” is the same sort of proposition as: “I believe that the earth is round.” The hope is that by some investigation it will be able to be demonstrated that such is the case. But this is not at all what the New Testament has in mind when it talks about faith. A DNA sample couldn’t have proven the divinity of Christ, and a video camera placed outside his tomb couldn’t have proven his resurrection. Faith is not a kind of knowledge. Faith is a commitment. An appropriate analogy for faith in Jesus is faith in a political candidate. When you say that you believe in a certain candidate, you are saying you trust in him. You cannot prove or know his adequacy ahead of time. That’s not because you are believing without evidence, but simply because faith of this sort is not the kind of thing that can be proven or disproven. Faith is a kind of vote — a vote of confidence.
So, when you say that you believe that God raised Jesus from the dead you are not making a claim about some historical fact, but neither are you making a claim about something ahistorical. When you say you believe in the Resurrection you’re casting your life’s vote for Jesus. You’re saying: Jesus is Lord.
“Faith, as a total commitment to the way of Jesus, turns Christians into agents of transformation — true revolutionaries.”
The way of Jesus is different than the way of the world. The world says, “Only the strong survive.” Jesus says, “Blessed are you poor, yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20). To believe that Jesus is Lord is to say that the world is in need of a total transformation. And it’s for this reason that faith is always active. If we continue to live our lives according to the values of the world — greed, envy, pride, and so on — then we show ourselves to not really have faith in the lordship of Jesus. Faith, as a total commitment to the way of Jesus, turns Christians into agents of transformation — true revolutionaries. It is in this light that we can now understand the promise that by faith all things are possible. We do not often consider the fact that the great injustices of our world are held up by our faith in powers other than Christ. Every king and every president, whether good or evil,
is held up by the faith of the people who are governed. Every business, from sweatshops to co-ops, continues to operate because of that faith that we put into them. Every political and economic ideology, all the forms of racism, sexism, and classism, are able to perpetuate themselves because we continue to believe in them. A better world is possible once we become willing to throw off the shackles of seeing the world only as it is, rather than seeing it as it could be under the rule of Jesus. A demonstration of the truth of the gospel is therefore only possible for those who are willing to believe it, to commit themselves to it, and to change the world in Jesus’ name.
Shane Akerman, a graduate of Southern Adventist University and Claremont School of Theology, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in religion at Claremont Graduate University, California.
Campus Ministries men’s retreat Do you consider yourself a manly man? Do you enjoy the outdoors? Are you courageous? Are you looking for a way to ignite your passions and reconnect in your relationship with God? If you answered yes to any of these questions, Men’s Retreat is for you! Next weekend, Nov. 8–10, Pastor Kris Loewen from the University church will be leading out in a men’s retreat entitled “Wildfire.” This is an excellent opportunity to prove your manliness while growing closer to the Creator. Sponsorships are available. Sign up at the front desk of Sittner Hall by 10 p.m. on Monday, November 4 to grab a spot!
PERSPECTIVE CREATIVE WRITING 10
photos by cedric thiel
Through the Eyes of a Child Ryan Thorpe
It’s an interesting thing This love and its power The way it seeps through the stars and flows toward my heart The way it nags and it bothers Covering each part It’s an interesting thing The tumbling waters
How we fight and why we bicker? Yet forget what’s around us with the beauty it holds Finding each flaw in the flawless Hoping for a new author, as your story unfolds
The love of a Maker Who, though forgotten and despised, took the ultimate measure
Past the land, past its boundaries
Then returning as Creator
And reflects off my fingers
To once again create for our pleasure
How we climb and then fall Just to pick ourselves up again to face the most ominous wall Regardless of fear, though it’s there Still we straighten up tall Then come the questions
WWU Athletics invites talented designers to submit proposals for an athletics rebrand.
It’s an interesting thing
Over rocks, over edges, over sand where it lingers
It’s an interesting thing
Wally the wolf needs a refresh.
The deadline for design submission is November 8, 2013.
For more information, visit wallawalla.edu/rebrand
It’s an interesting thing All these things that amaze me As through the eyes of a child, this wonder I’ve chosen Maybe you’ll see this world as it is Maybe your eyes will open.
Submit proposals to: Marketing and University Relations Office at Walla Walla University 204 S. College Ave, College Place, WA 99324 E-mail: holley.bryant@wallawalla.edu Phone: (509) 527-2656
f h.
sity
PERSPECTIVE S M / AC A | 11
Mission to Hawaii //
high level of intensity before I came to this island. The adversary of the human race doesn’t want my kids to excel, to carefully read and learn, to think for themselves. It’s a battle every single day, but by God’s grace I am going to keep fighting the good fight by His power, despite the hard things.
Brenna Nakamura
Contributor
Photo by B renna N akamura
“Miss Nakamura! The kids are trying to eat my Hot Cheetos® again!” “Miss Nakamura, if you can run that fast, then you can’t possibly be 30 years old.” “Miss Nakamura, I drew stitches all over my kookaburra’s face because he crash landed.” Friday morning, 10 a.m.: “Is it time to go home yet?!” Welcome to my little mission school on the Big Island. The first thing you notice is the humidity. It hits your face like a hot oven opening too fast. You have sweat pouring down your face 8–10 hours a day, you lose your voice from constant talking, and you get used to eating breakfast before 7 a.m. And there are random wild chickens that vocally announce their presence each morning ... in your own backyard. And I love it. Why? Because this is my passion, my calling; it is where God has asked me to serve for a year. Last June, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, having no idea just what kinds of challenges, struggles, and victories I would meet in my first year as a teacher. It’s only been two-and-a-half months of school, but already I have seen myself change more than I ever thought possible. Being a student missionary isn’t easy, but it is worth every single second of hard work. God has seen me through the toughest situations and the biggest victories. He was there when we all screamed at the giant cane spider hanging out in the bathroom corner and didn’t know how to get rid of it. He was there when my 2nd grader got a knee wound so bad he needed rubbing alcohol to get rid of infection.
He was there when I had to drive someone to the ER at 10:30 at night on a two-lane highway. And He is there with me every single day in the classroom, guiding me and helping me know what to say each day as I teach the kids about Jesus. There is a battle going on. I don’t think I’d ever sensed spiritual warfare with such a
Is it difficult to be 3,000 miles away from family and friends? Yes, of course. I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn’t admit that. But here on this island, I get up every day with a mission in mind, a purpose for my life, a goal I want to see put into action. When I leave this island, I want to go home knowing that God used me to teach these kids about their world, show them the love of God, and tell them the blessed gospel message. If even one of my little ones decides to follow Jesus during my career as a teacher, then all the hours and days spent in the classroom will be worth it. If a kid decides to give up nonstop video games because he learned something cool in science and wants to learn more, I will leave this island with a huge smile on my face. If one child decides
learning is fun and begins to think for herself and asks questions about the world around her, I will be happy. The Cornerstone of the fallen human race, our Redeemer, our Savior, asks us to go out there and serve. It doesn’t mean it’s not difficult, but is worth every single second of “hard.” It doesn’t matter if you’re not an SM this year. You are still a missionary; look around your own backyard. Find ways to serve at your university, your community, your job, your neighborhood. Find little ways to bring rays of sunshine to others’ lives. Be the hands and feet of Jesus to those around you. Serve, so that the one who died to save you might bless others through your actions — healing the hurting, comforting the brokenhearted, saving the lost, and uplifting the burdened. Go out there and love well; the difference you make will count toward eternity.
Leadership Award recipient //
Liesl Cole
Taco Thursday
Bring your favorite toppings to share with others! Plates, utensils, shells, beans, and rice are provided. All are welcome. Come make new friends and leave with a full heart and stomach! Location: Hallmark 11 Time: Thursday evenings at 5:30
SNAPSHOTS
WELCOME BACK BASH
APPLEFEST/AGA 5K/ 12 MISSIONS FAIR 12
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Vitaliy Krivoruk
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PERSPECTIVE DIVERSIONS | 13
Eric Weber
Diversions Editor & Pontificator
Stop Everything //
Social media has become so pervasive in our society that I’ve finally had enough. So for all of you Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, whatever lovers, here is a list of things that you need to immediately stop doing: 1. Stop posting pictures of fun things you’re doing. Why? Because nobody cares. Absolutely. No one. And you need to get a job. 2. I get that your family’s beautiful. So were the dinosaurs. Get off of my news feed. 3. I don’t want to see you and your significant other being cute. Why? Because it’s not cute, it’s annoying, I’m lonely, and you’re not models. You’re Adventists. 4. Stop posting selfies. Unless you are holding some sort of miniature animal, it’s unnecessary, and frankly, unwarranted. 5. Stop looking cute (this is unrelated to social media). If everyone could follow these simple instructions it would make the visits with my counselor a lot smoother. Also, I will be accepting applications and résumés for my future life partner — thank you and best of luck, applicants.
Halloween is the only time I can easily convince others that my children are monsters. Sorry I accidentally posted that terrible picture of you on Facebook that I looked really hot in.
Win
calling all
artists
Jasper wilkes* needs a Story. the collegian is looking for an artist to create an ongoing graphic novel or comic about our great detective. Submit your story idea with a few panels to aswwu.collegian@wallawalla.edu. *See ASWWU Video series
Great Mysteries of Walla Walla
https://vimeo.com/67993731 https://vimeo.com/60230297 https://vimeo.com/52655997
PERSPECTIVE COLUMN | 14
Seduction, Lies, and Videotape // Micah Hall
Columnist
College is full of exciting moments. In my case, many of them involve women. This is because I have found a girlfriend in just under one month of arriving at WWU. Since we have been dating (two days, as of this writing), we have adopted many cute traditions that shall last until our eventual, inevitable marriage. One of the cutest of these traditions is going through the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die together. We started this tradition on our first day of officially dating. As the first film began,
A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès, we grasped hands and got ready for the most romantic silent film of our lives. Moments into the film, this romance was shattered by a startling lack of accuracy displayed in this fictitious trip to the moon. While musing on the reasons for the nearly nonexistent attention to detail shown throughout, I thought aloud, “They have had telescopes for thousands of years; they should know better.” It was at this point that my girlfriend, Rebecca, said, “They haven’t been around for thousands of years — the earth is only like two thousand years old.” I stopped. There was nothing to say. Was she being serious? (I might have said that
aloud, twice.) I knew exactly what I had gotten into; I saw it while binge-watching How I Met Your Mother this summer. I had a stupid girlfriend.1 I don’t know how I missed it. She hid it well. I turned and tried to say, as reasonably as possible, “Remember, Rebecca, it is 2013 A.D. Things happened before that. We call that B.C.” Unfazed, she continued in her defense of our incredibly young earth. She didn’t leave any argument untouched. She used everything from the Bible to the actual date (2013) in her ill-fated attempt to convince me of this truth. I began speaking while organizing my arguments. One hope still lingered in the back of my mind: “Maybe she is smart in every other way; she just wasn’t taught this one fact.” As I spoke, new proofs for our world’s real age came to me
faster than I could relate them. It wasn’t very hard. I knew I was right. Rebecca grabbed my muscular forearm, waited for me to finish, and said, “Micah. I am joking. It is actually more like six thousand years old.” I collapsed onto her. An enormous weight had just been lifted off my shoulders. She laughed, commenting on the look on my face and the serious tone of my voice, forgetting to mention the fear burning a hole in my heart. I was tired. A long day of dating was almost over and I was ready to sleep. I now understand why I was told I should wait for a relationship: they are exhausting. 1. My girlfriend has read this article: We are still dating.
Dostoevsky // Madeleine Boyson Columnist I know a kitten named Dostoevsky. The Brothers K and Ms. Karenina ain’t got nothin’ on this guy, I swear. He can’t be more than six inches long — including the length of his tail — but he has these big eyes and a “mew” that’ll melt every one of your pretty little hearts. I watched him prance all over Carpet Town in the city of Living Room tonight and it made me wonder: Is he more peace than war, or more war than peace? But when the claws come out and he opens his mouth wide, showing perfect kitty rows of perfect kitty teeth, I think that his playing paws are worse than his bite. Last week was our first round of midterms. For most of us, we didn’t prance on anything like ‘Evsky, but tried to get general bio and American history stuck to the underside of our brains. Procrastination just doesn’t work at 4 a.m, so suffice it to say that we all had it rough last week and for those of you with exams this week, I’ll pray for all of
photo by eric weber
your pretty little souls. These exams cause a kind of turmoil inside. I mean, for students, there’s not much worse than a Calculus IV multichapter test. But sometimes there are other reasons for crazy (yes, let’s talk about crazy in my first column ever). Personally, I like running around in wind/rain/hail/ lighting/thunderstorms, and there’s a portion of my taste buds that crave honey on pizza crust (holla at me 303).1 Sometimes when I laugh I start crying, and then nobody can tell if I’m laughing or crying, even me. And other times, I buy my history books instead of renting them because I know I’ll want to read them later. But there’s more, and if you’re listening (reading? I’ll get a hold of this column bit, you’ll see), you’ll find that the voice in your head that’s reading my words aloud will say an uncomfortable word: depression. I’ve got ups and downs and lows and highs in a “clinical” kind of way, and this week was more ridiculous than the
caffeinated portion of an Honors engineering student’s mind. Sometimes, I wonder if my crazy makes me more war than peace. I had a friend give me a piece of advice this week: “Don’t fight.” That’s right, don’t fight. (Let’s make a cheer of it! “Don’t fight, that’s right! One, two, three, four, let’s not fight!” Mmm, better not.) But hearing this advice was incredible — you don’t want me to fight? I’m unmotivated and miserable and you don’t want me to fight? You’ve left your brains with your history test! But she ignored my stupefied look and kept talking. “I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes it’s better to say ‘I will be better; things will get better,’ and let things just ... get better.” She was right. I took a moment to spit out the bitter taste of war inside and understood that I didn’t have to struggle so much. Exams are tough. Depression is tough. Relationships are tough. Sleeping with the sounds of a
dorm is tough. But wherever we are right now, there’s always an “up” direction, so remember that fighting might be keeping us at the bottom. Don’t be afraid of the tough — just allow the “better” to be better than it. You might be wondering what Dostoevsky and depression have in common, other than alliteration. I’d say our little kitten shows us that there’s war and peace in all of us. We can be sweet, we can be crazy, we can be feisty, we can be sad. But ‘Evsky only ever play–fights, and he’s a happier kitty when he’s happily resting in a cooing college student’s lap. I promise this week will be better (for those of you with exams, I’m sorry), so let’s all embrace the better. And let’s all prance around on the carpet in our dorm rooms like mewing little ‘Evsky. We’ll all be better for it. 1. This is a Colorado reference. For those of you unfamiliar with Hernando’s or Beau Jo’s pizza, get your sorry behinds to the Rockies.
FEATURE 15
e still
photo by grant perdew
Trick or Treat? THE RISKS AND REWARDS OF SOCIAL MEDIA julian weller Feature Editor At a concert in London, soul singer and Washingtonian Allen Stone introduced his next song, “Contact High.” His gaze sweeping the crowd, the blue-eyed bullfrog began talking about everyday magic. “We have this amazing ability to just look people in the eye and make a connection with them,” the singer said, before launching into the song’s first lines. As the band began, the Chewelah native crooned, “Are you looking for peace of mind? You won’t find it in your status line.” It’s not often you hear a soul song about social media. But Facebook and its competitors have been garnering attention lately, as multiple studies try to get a handle on the role social media plays in our lives. As leaves fall, nights
lengthen, and Sunday makes due dates loom more darkly, you’ll probably find yourself seeking a quick break. Whatever media flavor you prefer — Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, or just plain texting — questions are being asked: Are our virtual lives healthy or harmful? Does social media qualify as social interaction? In short: Is social media a new trick, or treat? Well, the answer may challenge your palette. The front page of The Atlantic’s May 2012 issue raised some eyebrows with the question posed by its lead article’s title, “Is Facebook Making Us More Lonely?” In it, author Stephen Marche cites studies suggesting Americans are growing more isolated than ever before. He reports more citizens than
ever are living alone — 27 percent in 2010; American’s reported number of confidants has dwindled by over a quarter in 20 years, from 2.94 in 1985 to 2.08 in 2004; the number of therapists and counselors has swollen dramatically, which Marche equates to pandemic isolation.1 Just as the millennial generation catches criticism for narcissism, aloofness, and entitlement, it seems its chosen mediums for communication have as well. The problem? It’s hard to prove that Facebook makes users more lonely.
article, wrote one for Slate titled “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? No, The Atlantic Cover Story is Wrong.” In it, Klinenberg quickly debunks Marche’s claims, deciding “what distinguishes Americans is not that we are more isolated, but that we spend more time and energy worrying about whether we are.“2 He cites a Berkeley sociologist’s analysis of 40 years of social surveys which concludes that American’s quantity and quality of relationships haven’t markedly changed since before the internet.
Shortly after being featured in The Atlantic, Marche’s article caught quick criticism. The question is, do virtual social mediums satisfy our desires for intimacy? Eric Klinenberg, a sociology professor cited in the Atlantic
What’s more, Klinenberg is not alone in his conclusions. A 2011 Pew Internet study found that Facebook users “have more close friends, get more social support, and report being more politically engaged than those
FEATURE 16
Percentages of social media users that use these particular sites:15
fifty-six % Fourteen % Eleven %
who don’t.” And a 2012 Psychology Today article reported on a study in which “participants who posted more status updates felt less lonely at the end of the week,” during which they had posted more often than they usually did.4 When you forget about the advertisements, privacy violations, and hours wasted looking at your friends’ pictures, Facebook isn’t all bad. 3
artist and photographer Petra Collins, “If the Internet mimics real life, then there is no doubt that real life can mimic it.”5 And that influence will not necessarily be positive.
18%
of time spent on the internet is dedicated to social media.16
on facebook
728 Million 1.26 billion 874 Million DAILY ACTIVE MEMBERS MONTHLY ACTIVE MEMBERS
MOBILE MONTHLY ACTIVE MEMBERS17
As Marche himself points out, Facebook and other media platforms are only tools. What you put into them is what you get out, and the same medium you may use to reconnect yourself with old friends may also help you lapse into spectatorship if you aren’t careful. What matters is using your media right. The inescapable fact is that technology does change the way we act. When anything becomes common in daily life it can’t help but shape the people using it. In the words of
Consider the last time you wished someone a happy birthday. Did you say it in person or online? Were you already aware of the birthday or did Facebook remind you? With the intended convenience of helping us know when to congratulate each other, Facebook birthdays and life events also inadvertently dilute the entire interaction. Before the age of the Facebook calendar, the only people who were likely to wish you happy birthday were those you knew. Now it might only be whoever logged in. Think, too, about how you travel. This one’s trickier, because if you’ve been abroad you know there’s nothing quite like being able to Skype family when you’re homesick. And when it comes time to leave, Facebook is also there to help you stay in touch with your new friends. On the other hand, the obligation to
keep in touch can hamper how involved you get with your local culture. The effect is not far from the proverbial freshman-year relationship that tries to work long distance, is doomed to end, and holds you back from making friends. Most importantly, as comedian Louis C.K. points out in a recent Conan O’Brien interview, social media can unconsciously become a way to avoid self reflection. When asked why he had not bought his kids cell phones, C.K. described a sad song playing on his car radio: “I heard it and it gave me kind of like a Fall, backto-school depression feel. It made me really sad and I thought, ‘Oh no, I’m getting sad, I gotta get the phone and write “Hi” to like fifty people.’”6 To C.K., that tendency prevents the natural course of catharsis from taking place, where strong emotions are experienced and released, ultimately leaving us happier. As a result of such technological escapism, “You never feel completely sad or completely happy. You just feel kind of satisfied with your product.” Rather than distracting oneself or trying to stay entertained, C.K. said, “You need
2.9 billion
HOURS SPENT ON
PER MONTH
Nine %
to build an ability to just be yourself and not be doing something. That’s what phones are taking away.”
150 million snapchats per day14 Don’t believe Louie? In May, ABC News recently reported on a study which found that on average, mobile-phone users check their phones 150 times a day.7 Assuming you sleep six to eight hours a night, that’s roughly once every six to eight minutes, which might not sound bad until you try to think of anything else you do that often. So why do we keep glancing phone-ward? One reason is that technology has had very little time to develop taboos. Society tries to keep up, but only at the pace of the next sexting or cyber-bullying scandal. In the case of mobile phones, “We went from zero in the late ‘80s to over five billion earlier this year,” says Raphael Grignani, director of user experience and method, in a 2012 documentary on user experience.8 That’s a lot of hardware being built and filled with apps and programs designed to hold our attention.
FEATURE 17
Social cues don’t always develop at pace with technology, but both change the interactive landscape. For instance, with the advent of smartphones and integrated email, we can’t equate texting with slacking off or even being rude. Your date glancing down at his or her phone might legitimately need to reply to a boss or client. Higher connection speeds and pocket devices have led us to expect quicker response times, and while speedy replies may be rewarded by employers, they come at the risk of missing out on what’s happening right in front of you. How engaging can you be when you’re absorbed in a screen?
whatever gives you contact high, whatever keeps you busy, baby, will never make you satisfied.” What may have inspired Stone to write such a song? Perhaps after two world tours, he’s had opportunity to witness firsthand a shift in concert-going behavior. The same study that measured phone checking frequency also found that, since the 1990s, fewer people have been dancing at concerts. What have they been doing instead? Recording and sharing the moment later online. Social media need not make us lonelier, but it can make us spectators, even when we feel like we’re engaging. How many of
hiking trips with Facebook; you may only play Angry Birds. Only you’ll know whether social media is helping or hindering your daily life. But take the words of Joseph Campbell as a last call for some introspection: “I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive.” As Allen Stone sings “You won’t find it in your status line.” 1. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/05/is-facebook-making-us-lonely/308930/. 2. http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2012/04/is_facebook_making_us_lonely_no_ the_atlantic_cover_story_is_wrong_.2.html. 3. http://pewinternet.org/Media-Mentions/2011/ Report-Facebook-users-more-trusting-engaged. aspx. 4. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single/201212/now-we-know-whether-facebook-ismaking-us-lonely. 5. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/petra-collins/ why-instagram-censored-my-body_b_4118416. html. 6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HbYScltf1c.c 7. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/05/cellphone-users-check-phones150xday-and-other-internet-fun-facts/.
nearly one in every three individuals is distracted by a mobile device while crossing a busy junction
Beyond providing some focus on the moment, it turns out there are physical benefits to ignoring notifications. For one, closing your browser may help your body power down before bed. The National Sleep Foundation released findings in 2011 that 95 percent of those surveyed used “some type of electronics ... within the hour before bed.”9 The problem? The artificial light from a laptop or mobile screen can trick your circadian rhythms by suppressing the release of the sleep hormone melatonin.10 Even texting more during the day “was directly associated with more sleep problems,” according to another study published this month in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture.11 Our bodies operate well under a regular routine, and something as simple as texting can disrupt our natural rhythms. Back in London, Allen Stone launched into the chorus of “Contact High” in a smooth falsetto: “Whatever keeps you occupied,
your memories involve looking at a live performance through a screen? If you’d like to slim your social media consumption, here are some simple starting places: -Keep track of how often and how long you spend on texting or on social media. If you don’t like the length, cut it down.12 -See how you feel after a texting Sabbath, as suggested by the Huffington Post.13 -Invest some of your media time into cultivating a skill. The 15 minutes you just spent on Reddit could have been used to improve your spear-fishing accuracy. What do you wish you had more time for? -Instead of logging in, go on a walk. Or a date. Or a dragon. That would be cool. Wait. Both! As a savvier Smokey the Bear might say, only you can determine the quality and quantity of your online relationships. You may plan great
8. http://vimeo.com/52861634#, 40s. 9. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/pressrelease/annual-sleep-america-poll-exploringconnections-communications-technology-use-. 10. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/23/ sleep-habits_n_4145681.html. 11. http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main. doiLanding&doi=10.1037/ppm0000012. 12. http://www.techaddiction.ca/facebook-addiction-disorder.html. 13. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/20/ cell-phone-free_n_4121940.html. 14. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2013/04/snapchat-users-upload-150mphotos-a-day-then-app-deletes-all/. 15. http://www.statisticbrain.com/social-networking-statistics/. 16. http://mashable.com/2012/11/28/socialmedia-time/. 17. http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/10/30/ facebook-passes-1-19-billion-monthly-activeusers-874-million-mobile-users-728-milliondaily-users/. 18. http://group.bmj.com/group/media/latestnews/almost-one-in-three-pedestrians-201cdistracted201d-by-mobiles-while-crossing-street.
LIFE LIFE
CULTUR E|18 | 18 ARTS & MEDIA tinyurl.com/lsu8s4d
Check out the library // Chad Aufderhar Arts & Media Editor When I was a child I loved the library, because during the summer I could get a free pizza for reading books. To this day I still think that was some of the best motivation I have received for reading. I also won a regional pet show with my rat, Rhoda Raisin, during one such summer. While I do have lingering memories of those great times, I can’t say that the smell of stale books is my favorite thing to accompany my study sessions. This past week when I got the opportunity to visit the Salt Lake City Public Library, I found something much different than what I generally expect from a library. The main library building opened in 2003 and is twice the size of its old building next to it. The new library was meant to embody “the idea that a library is more than a repository of books and computers; it reflects and engages the city’s imagination and aspirations.” This sounds like
a lofty goal for a library, but when you stand in front of the building it seems possible. Since I am a person who is sometimes intimidated by books, a library that attempts to capture imagination seems brilliant. The old library building looks like a boring brick sitting on the same block, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has been recently converted into a contemporary museum called The Leonardo. The Leonardo is a museum that “explores the unexpected ways that science, technology, art, and creativity connect.” I happened to walk in without knowing what it was, just because it looked interesting — it is the kind of place that draws you in. What I found were active art installations and simple interactive exhibits. Some of them were very simple, yet I found them engaging because too often I find excuses not to create or try things. The Leo provides a safe environment to experiment with pixels, cardboard art, and stop-motion movies, among other things. I think that is how all art galleries and museums should be: interactive. Inspiration is great, but I feel like it is best when it allows or encourages us to do something. I happened to find on one
Songs for Awkwardly Tall BookWorms
Talking Heads “The Book I Read” block in Salt Lake City a new library and an old library side by side which each evoked my imagination in a new way. Now I want to find every way possible to turn old things into opportunities for inspiration and new ways of exploring imagination. I like the way The Leonardo’s mission statement says it: “We live in a rapidly changing, highly connected world that asks each citizen to be more curious, more informed, and more engaged. The Leonardo seeks to reflect and respond to this new world by creating an innovative, dynamic space that builds fluency and knowledge, ignites the creative imagination of visitors of all ages, and inspires them to see and act in new and powerful ways.” I think it is entirely possible that there is nothing more important than keeping our imaginations alive as we grow up and get closer to the “real world.”
Cake “Open Book”
The Beatles “Paperback Writer”
perceptions
Preliminary results from the NCHA survey show that we perceive that there are more drugs, sex, and alcohol than the reality. We take a look at our perceptions vs. our reality by conducting some mock job interviews with actors from WWU Improv.
ASWWU Video
vimeo.com/aswwu
Elvis Costello “Everyday I Write the Book”
Randy Newman “Short People”
LIFE
FASHION | 19
Style on a dime // Brenda negoescu
For a relaxed look, add a pair of cute cream-colored flats.
Fashion Editor Every time people come over to my place, they take a look at my jewelry board. Yes, I’ve taken the time to create my very own Pinterest-inspired jewelry section, and it’s oh-so pretty! Their initial question usually sounds like, “Where do you get all of your jewelry?” The answer: eBay. Key words to enter in your eBay search bar: fashion jewelry. It’s seriously that simple. Girls, the truth is, a lot of the jewelry that you buy online is often the same as what’s listed on eBay for half the price or less. In the past, I’ve bought jewelry on eBay and later found it on popular fashion retail sites for double the asking price. While in London, I visited street markets, and guess what I found? The same jewelry I already owned — again for double or more! So, ladies, I’ve picked out my favorite eBay treasure of the week and also matched it to this oh-so-adorable sweater and skirt ensemble. I’ve always been fascinated with the all-white look — it’s classy and clean. STYLE TIP For a fancier approach, slip on some heeled booties. Don’t shy away from wearing socks with peep-toe booties. Keep them above the bootie ankle line, and please stay away from prints and patterns. With these, I'd stay on-trend and wear a white pair of socks.
GENTLEMEN
Pssst! This week’s pick’s will keep you stylin’ without breaking the bank. So, you’re a college student and on a tight budget. Well guess what? That doesn’t mean you can’t dress well. One of the best tips I can give on shopping when you’re worried about the school bill is to skip to the sale items section. Remember, it’s not always about the newest product; it’s about fit and style. I have been scoping out the net for you guys and think I’ve found some good sites that’ll keep you looking debonair. Oh, and I’ve also taken the time to pick a few favorites from each site. You’re welcome.
1.
2. 3. 4.
Knitted jumper, $12.95, HM.com / Textured A-line skirt, $19.99, target.com / Qupid peep-toe bootie, $36, zooshoo.com / Crystal necklace, $4.99, eBay.com.
H&M — Okay, who hasn’t heard of H&M? You’ve probably seen this store at every single mall you’ve ever been to. But the magic of online shopping is that you get to view every single item H&M carries on one page! And where else are you going to find a fine-knit sweater for under $15? Topman — What I love about Topman is that you can find amazing sales on basic items that are good quality. Plus they’ve got free shipping and returns on all orders! HauteLook — They’re owned by Nordstrom. Need I say more? JackThreads — This online-shopping destination carries surf, skate, street, and contemporary fashion brands, not to mention amazing dibs on exclusive deals.
A m b i g hoodie, $19 (was $48), Hautelook. com / Fine-knit sweater, $15 (was $30), HM.com / Padded vest, $25 (was $50), HM.com / Camo jogger, $24 (was $48), Jackthreads.com / Taper rust jean, $25 (was $70), Topman.com.
STYLE TIP This bold padded vest is versatile and warm! Wear it with anything from joggers to chinos or jeans.
STYLE PROFILE RACHEL LOGAN senior english major
Shoes: DSW Pants: Express Shirt: H&M Blazer: Macy's Purse: Guess Outlet Gold necklace: H&M Silver necklace: Forever 21 Ring: Gift from Ireland WHO IS YOUR STYLE ICON? Jessica Simpson. photos by brenda negoescu
LIFE
TRAVEL | 20
Washington in Six Experiences // Jon Mack Travel Editor ph
ot
os
und
e r c r e at i v e co mm
on
s
If you’re new to the state — or have lived here all your life but haven’t gotten out much — this page is for you. I’ve listed six experiences that are sure to give any visitor or resident the full Washington state experience.
2. Pike Place Market
1. Ride a Washington State Ferry
To get the best view of easily one of the most beautiful cities in world, you must ride the ferry from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. The crisp air, rumble of the engine, view of Seattle, and smell of the Puget Sound all add up for one of the best experiences the Northwest has to offer.
After your pleasant commute on the ferry, walk a few blocks to Pike Place Market, locally known as “The Market.” Stroll the block, watch some flying seafood, maybe stand in line for 45 minutes to purchase an average cup of Starbucks coffee at the original Starbucks when you could get a cup from a Starbucks a block or so away with no line, sniff the gum wall, listen to some passionate musicians, and taste some succulent ethnic food. An afternoon at The Market serves up a vibe that is hard to discover anywhere else in the region.
4. Palouse Falls
3. The Gorge Amphitheatre
The Columbia River Gorge is where the eastern Palouse meets the roughness of Central Washington. This amphitheater is where culture greets festivity. Some of the biggest bands in the world come to play here. One of a kind, The Gorge stands tall above the mighty Columbia below. On a calm summer evening, a concert at The Gorge lends itself to an experience of a lifetime.
Whether you’re evolutionist or creationist, Palouse Falls is undoubtedly one of the most majestic locations in the state. While there, the small things of life fade away as you’re captivated by the power of the water. The waterfall is sunken below the Palouse in a large cavern where any vantage point seems to be the best. Close to Walla Walla University, Palouse Falls lends itself to be a great Sabbath adventure.
5. The San Juan Islands
Hop back on one of Washington’s majestic ferries and wind your way through one of the most beautiful regions of America. These islands contain quaint towns, beautiful views, wonderful people, and a sense of escape for the tired soul. Each island is its own story and is worthy of a new experience. If you haven’t been there before, don’t wait any longer because this place is for you.
6. Naches Peak Loop Trail
If you love the great outdoors, this excursion is for you. As one of the most beloved hikes in the Cascades, the Naches Peak Loop Trail delivers some of the grandest views in all of Washington. On a clear August day, you can witness vast views of forested valleys and full, breath taking views of Mt. Rainier. As part of the Pacific Crest Trail, this loop offers wonderful walks through meadows and huckleberry fields, past high mountain lakes, and then back to your car. This is one of the best ways to get a sneak peak of what Mt. Rainier and the Cascade Mountains have to offer.
LIFE
SCIENCE | 21
The blues //
last in this list, and it’s also the last pigment humans managed to extract and control. A hypothesis that links these two curious things is that you don’t need a name for something you don’t interact with much. If you don’t need to distinguish between the man in the blue cloak and the man in the red one, you don’t really need the word for blue.
Joe Hughes
Science & Tech Editor Continued from two weeks ago … Before we launch into the color blue, I want to talk a little more about some cool things we can’t see. I took some data of a blue sky to use later in the article, but on a whim I took spectra of a sunset and found some awesome things. Before we talk about the sunset, let’s talk about what a spectra is — a spectra is a special type of graph that tells you which colors are present in the light you are looking at. It’s like an ingredients list: it tells you how much of each color is mixed together to create whatever you’re looking at. Something that was pure purple would look like a bump on the left side, something pure red would look like a bump on the right, and the rest of the rainbow would be spread out in between, like this:
You can see that some colors are broader than others, but each has a wavelength that is the strongest — blue around 475 nm, red around 650 nm. Real objects emit a whole mix of colors, and a spectra allows you see the ratios in the mix. When I looked at a sunset, I found that there are some big peaks in the infrared. Because these peaks are in the infrared, our eyes can’t see them, even though they’re very “bright.” Although I’ve found data on the absorption that causes these peaks, I haven’t found anyone who’s named them. This leaves it up to me. So, I will call the color of light from 760 nm to 815 nm, a color that is beautiful, mysterious, and that I don’t get to see, “Thayerine.”
On to the blues — before we start, I should say that I got almost all of this information from the Colors episode of the NPR podcast/ radio show Radiolab.1 Two of the most classically blue things are the sea and the sky. The sea: We have probably all seen a picture of some tropical beach with white sand, green palm trees, and a clear-butDayGlo-blue ocean that is somehow both colored and clear. If you’ve actually been to the beach recently it was probably in the Pacific Northwest, so it was probably overcast, raining, storming, pebbly, and the water was a deep navy blue mixed with maybe a little green. Almost all the time, the sea has at least a little blue in it, which makes it strange that Homer thought it was dark red. Yup, Homer, the author of the Iliad and Odyssey, thought the sea was red. Specifically, he describes the sea as “wine dark.” Being a good Adventist, I was completely ignorant of food and drinks not made by MorningStar and Worthington, but by using Google and some heathen acquaintances of mine, I managed to find out that wine comes in basically two types: red and white. White wine is about the color of really pale lemonade, and red wine is really dark, and only looks red if you have a small enough amount that light can make it all the way through. Any more than that, it looks basically black with a little red outline at the corners of whatever container it’s in. Suffice to say, it doesn’t look like the ocean. We can’t fault Homer for this (he was blind), but he had to know about colors from someone telling him. Now we have two options: either the people who taught Homer his colors really thought the ocean was “wine dark,” or someone managed to pull the best prank in history. I lean away from the latter hypothesis because of this tidbit: Homer never used the word blue. Ever, at all. This has confused a lot of people, and to make matters worse, the words for colors almost always enter languages in the same order (white, black, and red; then green and yellow; then blue). Notice that blue is
Now the theory goes a little oroborous — it moves from saying that the lack of a thing causes a lack of words for that thing, to saying that the lack of words for a thing causes people to notice it less. I also kinda buy this; if you don’t have a word for something, you don’t talk about it. If you don’t talk about it, you don’t think about it. If you don’t think about something, you don’t notice it. To connect all the dots, the theory concludes that because blue is a hard pigment to make, the Greeks didn’t have a word for it, and they didn’t see it. Now, I did just ask you to believe that a whole nation was selectively colorblind just because blue is hard paint to make, but I have omitted a lot of intermediate steps. If you want a fuller progression along with an interesting narrative, listen to that radiolab episode. Now to address one of the major weak points of this theory: the sky. In our consideration of the lack of blue things in nature, we forgot to look up — the sky is blue, almost by definition. Since everyone has seen this large, blue object, they should have a word for it, right? One psychologist who was involved in this debate was a soon-to-be father. He agreed with his wife to conduct an experiment on their new daughter about the blue sky problem with the colorblind Greeks. He never told his daughter that the sky was blue in order to see what she would say without the cultural influence. I think this must have been really difficult, but apparently he got it to work pretty well. He got her to play this game where he would point to things and she would tell him what color they were. One day as they walked under a robin’s-egg blue sky, he asked her what color the sky was. Drum roll ... nothing — a blank stare. She didn’t understand the question — she kept asking him what he meant; it was as if he had asked her what color C-sharp was. One explanation for this is that the sky, especially in the mind of a toddler, isn’t really a thing as much as the lack of other things. When pressed, his daughter finally said the sky was ... white. Now I will admit I’m getting skeptical. I’ll accept that the lack of a word for a thing could make you notice it less, maybe not at all, but if you were raised in a world with the
word blue, how could you think the sky was anything but blue? For a few weeks after I listened to the episode the first time, I would look up at the sky and try to see any color but blue, and ... nothing. Now that I am back at school and have access to the scientific apparatus I need to prove a toddler wrong, I did some science. I took a spectra of the sky on a particularly blue day (24 Oct.) and got this:
This spectra is much like the one of the sunset, but since it tells us the ratios of the colors I looked for the main color in the mix. It happens at 498 nm, and looks like this:
I set out to prove that the sky is blue rather than white. My data shows that it is made up mostly of a greenish aqua color. What’s a man to do? Maybe it’s just one toddler, or one psychologist who really wanted to see a certain result, but it still gets to me. Looking back at the Greek example, I have to think forward to what colors I’m not seeing. If the Greeks didn’t see blue because they didn’t have a word for it, are there colors I’m not seeing because I don’t have words for them, like Thayerine? What am I missing? Maybe it’s all bunk, but I have to imagine what the world would look like without the cultural labeling of dynamic things with static colors. Or what the world would look like if I could see a little more than 10 feet of that spaceladder parade. In retrospect, if I could have one superpower, it would definitely be to see more. 1. http://www.radiolab.org/story/211213-sky-isntblue/.
LIFE
LOCAL/SPORTS | 22
Mall Shall Fall // Crimes Against WhoM? // Timothy Barbosa
Grayson Andregg
Local Attractions Editor
Sports Editor
Much like Enron and the noble Dodo, the American indoor mall has succumbed to extinction. I know few of you have left a two-block radius from campus, but if you were to wander about a half mile toward downtown Walla Walla, you’d discover the skeletal remains of one of these prehistoric behemoths. Bordering Myra Road, Rose Street, and Poplar Street, the overgrown mall holds some of the most esteemed commercial property in town and arguably boasts the most unique view around. Built only 20-some years ago, the Blue Mountain Mall once featured Payless, Radio Shack, Bath & Body Works, Gottschalks, Sears, and this one pretzel place that gave my young palate a fundamental appreciation for mustard. Little by little, retailers disappeared or went belly-up and left empty store fronts scattered throughout. The day that I knew the mall was going to die was when the only attraction left in the desolate ruins was a seasonal Jolly Ol’ Santa Claus, who, instead of being surrounded by the brightly lit decorations and rush of the holidays, was surrounded by darkened storefronts and only a scant number of 60-watt bulbs to guide his sleigh that night. In 2007, Western Development Partners, LLC, began a strip mall project on the land before even finalizing a purchase. After they hired contractors and the work was in progress, WDP backed out of their intent to buy the land and left both sellers and construction workers high and dry. This unfortunate ordeal was the source of the odd cinder-block and aluminum half-structures inhabiting the corner of Poplar and Myra. The news wasn’t entirely bad, though. This failed attempt at redeeming the commercial value of the land led to an enclosed, semi-deconstructed, literal urban jungle complete with its own native herd of deer. My first time in the enclosure instilled a keen sense of déjà vu, taking me into the world of I Am Legend, the post-apocalyptic zombie film starring Will Smith.
You may know that Jonny Manziel has gotten into some real “trouble” over the summer and during the offseason. Signing jerseys for money is a big offense in the NCAA system, but in my opinion deserves no punishment, such as the halfgame suspension that he got. For those of you who don’t know, Jonny Manziel is the quarterback at Texas A&M University. One of the biggest debates in sports right now is the fact that college sports players receive no income, salary, or cut of the profit other than scholarships in this billion dollar industry. This act of “crime” happens all over the NCAA world every year, and more stories are always coming out.
students bring in the primary benefits to the school they are playing for. They deserve to be given a salary and offered jobs just like the rest of the staff. What it comes down to is that all student athletes are basically tried by the NCAA if they accept any kind perks from the school or coaches. In my opinion, buying your players Taco Bell when they are completely out of food isn’t really a big incentive for the players to stay on the team. Sure, it gives them a sense of home and happiness. These players deserve to be given a reason to be there. Sure, free education is obviously the biggest benefit, but what about the 85 percent of players that never make it to pro sports? Surely there must be another incentive for us to offer them, considering all their time is being put into their passion. College athletes work harder than many other pro athletes, and it’s time that someone recognized that and gave them a little something more to work for.
photos photo by by flickr getty images user ryan dickey
photo by flickr user ryan dickey
In September of this year, the sale of the Blue Mountain Mall to an L.A.–based real estate development firm was closed. This reputable firm won’t tease the valley with another stunted start, and the Walla Walla city manager speculated that construction might begin as soon as spring of 2014. Soon, friends, we won’t have to drive an hour to shop somewhere other than Goodwill or Walmart. But more importantly, Walla Walla’s most unique derelict ecosystem will cease to exist. I urge you to seize the fleeting opportunity to witness this natural wonder.
Arian Foster, current starting running back for the Houston Texans, recently released information that while he attended the University of Tennessee, he was paid over $1 million worth of cash and benefits. Via SportsIllustrated.com, Foster tells stories of how he remembers being in the dorm at Tennessee and looking in his fridge and having no food or drink whatsoever. His coach brought the four or five guys there about 50 tacos, which is technically an NCAA violation. Foster makes an incredibly good point; he says that the student athletes are just as much employees as the coaches and staff working for the team, and the
On CAMPUS: Hopefully you made it out to the last ladies' volleyball game and senior night — I heard it was a blast. Keep an eye out for dates of the men's and women’s basketball schedule, and try to get out there and support them. Go Wolves!
LIFE
FOOD | 23
The Food Fiend presents
Hungarian Mushroom Soup photos by andrea johnson
Andrea Johnson Food Editor Growing up, there was a restaurant in town that served the most amazing Hungarian mushroom soup. My mom and I were obsessed with it, but the problem was that it was super expensive. The restaurant was the type of fancy that had white linen tablecloths, place settings with 500 pieces of silverware, and a name that
was impossible to pronounce. Needless to say, we didn’t eat there often. Finally, we decided to take matters into our own hands. We looked up recipes and started experimenting, trying to find the best combination of ingredients to mimic this amazing soup. One time, we even used enchilada sauce when we ran out of paprika (which was actually pretty good and I might try it again sometime). Even though I still haven’t figured out why “Hungarian” is so important to the name of this soup, I have figured out how to get the flavor right. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS - Olive oil for sautéing - 8 oz. sliced mushrooms - 1/2 medium onion, chopped - 1 tbsp. butter - 1 tbsp. flour - 1 cup milk - 1 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock - 2 tbsp. sour cream - 1 tsp. soy sauce - 1 tsp. lemon juice - 1/2 tsp. dill - 1/2 tsp. salt
METHOD
Notes and Suggestions If you’re not a huge fan of onions or mushrooms, you should still try this soup. I really don’t like onions and my brother doesn’t really like mushrooms (actually, he hates them), but we both love this soup. Blend half or all of the soup in a blender for a creamier texture. Serve over rice or quinoa for a more complete meal. Add a sprinkle of cayenne powder for an extra kick. If you’re unfamiliar with the butter-flour-milk thickening process, it’s called a “roux” (French — look it up). Now you know.
Sauté the onions and mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add butter and melt. Add flour and stir until flour is cooked (approximately 3 minutes; don’t let the butter burn). Add milk and paprika and continue stirring as it thickens (approximately 5 minutes). Add stock, sour cream, soy sauce, lemon juice, dill, and salt. Cook 2–3 minutes more to let flavors combine. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of paprika.
Hungarian Mushroom Soup
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Spooktacular Traditions // Happy Halloween, my little spookers!
Now that that’s out of the way, I have to confess something: I’m not that into Halloween. Something about trying to scare people, taking candy from strangers, and decorating houses with spiders on purpose just seems to go against my core morals. Call me old fashioned, call me a good Adventist, but Halloween doesn’t rank on my top holidays.
I have been the shamed victim of spending too much money on a costume on numerous occasions. But since the number-one selling costume this Halloween is Miley Cyrus’ bear (mouse?) costume from the VMAs and it’s priced at an average of $130 (and that’s without the foam finger), I think this year I’ll actually manage to resist the trends. Besides, I feel like this costume would be a better investment of my money:
Apparently I’m in the minority on this one because, despite my best efforts, every year I find myself sucked into all sorts of Halloween traditions by my happy little haunted friends, such as:
1. 2. 3.
Spending money on a costume I’ll never wear again Eating candy by the basketful Going to the haunted corn maze
photo by robin edds
verbatim “You should now be at the point of overwhelmed discouragement.” — Dan Lamberton, on research writing
“I wore waterproof mascara.” — Abigail Tohm, in regards to soon finding out her A&P test score
“I feel like I’m too young to be looking at this website.” — Grant Perdew, on an island real estate site
“I usually have to watch at least three episodes of Cake Boss for every one episode of The Walking Dead.” — Jenna Thomas
Have something funny to report? Email me at: Rachel.Logan@wallawalla.edu.
Rachel
Logan BackWord Editor
This Halloween candy thing? Yeah, that’s got to go. You would think that since I’m not 11 and trick-or-treating from house to house, I could avoid Halloween treats altogether. But how is that possible when there is literally candy everywhere? Even my home church in California sent me a package of Halloween candy in the mail. (Did they forget about the health message?) The problem is that even if you can avoid the Halloween candy (and cookies, and cupcakes, and pumpkin-flavored everything) on Halloween, you’ll see it all at Walmart the next day for 75 percent off. What am I supposed to do then — just not go to Walmart? How am I supposed to eat? Where am I supposed to awkwardly run into people while I’m wearing pajamas?
Within the first three minutes I had hit the wall. Not like a figurative wall — a literal wall of corn. All it took was one look from a wolverine man–creature and I jumped into the corn, slipped, and landed in a slop of mud. When I stood, my whole backside was covered in black goo and bits of dried straw. I tried to be a good sport about it for 45 minutes (the approximate time it takes normal people to get through the maze). But then after that, I was done. I became one of those people, using the flashlight app on my iPhone. By the time I had been in there an hour, I began asking the chainsaw man and the clown for the right way out. I think they felt sorry for me. The point of all this rambling is my way of saying that despite all my attempts to get into the Halloween spirit, I’m just never going to be a Halloween kind of gal. I’m ready to jump on board with Costco and start planning for Christmas (that is, if they haven’t run out of decorations yet. I saw ornaments on sale in August ...).
And then there is the haunted corn maze. It’s funny, because I don’t like the dark. I don’t like strangers. I don’t like being scared. I’m very directionally challenged. Why would a person like me ever end up at a haunted corn maze? But I do — year, after year, after year ... .
What is the best Halloween costume you’ve ever seen? “Groups of costumes! Like teletubbies or Power Rangers.”
— Chris Ojeda fifth-year senior, nursing
“I saw a group once that did Anchorman costumes — that was the best.”
— Andy Sandoval junior, pre physical therapy
confession "I wish I was in French class just so I could meet the French tutor at the TLC. Wow." Sincerely,
“At the ASWWU dodgeball tournament, a group of students came dressed up as the Avengers. It was legit.”
Hopelessly Creeping
— Nancy Patiño graduating senior, social work
“My friend built a very awesome Master Chief costume. He built all the armor himself.”
— Carlton Henkes graduating senior, communications
“I once saw someone dressed as the Joker. His make up was really good.” — Kelcie Rice junior, social work
To submit anonymous confessions, type:
wwuconfessions.tumblr.com
into your browser and click the Ask Me Anything button at the top!