Volume 97, Issue 3

11 October 2012 Volume 97 Issue 3

ABCs OF GRAD SCHOOL PREP

15

3

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THE

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2 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Emily Muthersbaugh

2

INTRODUCTION

HEAD LAYOUT EDITOR Ricky Barbosa

to be scanned by your smartphone and to connect you with a website for voter registration.

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 Nick Ham COLUMNIST Rebecca Brothers CREATIVE WRITING EDITOR Kayla Albrecht OPINION EDITORS Elliott Berger Grant Gustavsen FEATURE EDITORS Braden Anderson Elizabeth Jones James Mayne Christian Robins CULTURE EDITOR Grant Perdew DIVERSIONS EDITOR Eric Weber TRAVEL EDITOR Megan Cleveland

With the increase in online news content, traditional print newspapers have struggled to appeal to readers who are able to find every type of news content imaginable through hundreds of online sources.

The Collegian is no exception to this recent phenomenon as our readers can have more convenient, thorough news content readily available on smartphones, tablets, and laptops. This is why, each week, The Collegian news editor and staff writers work to draw attention to especially relevant news

content for Walla Walla University readers.

While readers can find expanded content on party platforms and election outcome projections elsewhere, The Collegian will aim to draw attention to upcoming events and resources for voters throughout this 2012 presidential election season.

Last week, as part of our initiative to connect readers with helpful resources throughout the election, you may have noticed a strange fusion of black and white next to my letter. This QR code is designed

This week, in addition to a voter registration link, we have included another QR code leading to a site that helps you identify your party alliance: isidewith.com. This website asks you to identify your position on political issues central to this election. With this information, it calculates the percentages of these political views that are shared with each of the major presidential candidates.

I found this website to be a concise, unbiased method of suggesting political alliance. It also revealed how elusive distinct party lines really are.

HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITOR Karl Wallenkampf SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Spencer Cutting FOOD EDITOR Amy Alderman SPORTS EDITORS Trevor Boyson Tye Forshee

LE IN

THE HEEL EDITOR Julian Weller STAFF WRITERS Amy Alderman Jennifer Buyco Annie Palumbo Liz Pham Danni Shepherd LAYOUT DESIGNERS Allison Berger Alix Harris Greg Khng Cory Sutton COPY EDITORS Amy Alderman Rebecca Brothers Carly Leggitt Ryan Robinson DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Alex Wickward

Photo by Josh McKinney

Context

3–7

News ASWWU/Admin Week in Review Week in Forecast

Photo by Josh McKinney

Perspective Religion Scholars Abroad Opinion Snapshots Column Creative Writing

8–13

Photo by Zsuzsanna Kilian

Feature 14–17 ABCs of Graduate School Preparation

Photo by Eric Weber

Life 18–23

Culture Diversions Science & Technology Health & Wellness Foodie Sports

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 Julian Weller

Our staff works hard each week to deliver new and relevant content. 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 perspective.

Cover Photo Credit: Chris Drake, Josh McKinney, Justin Mock | Cover Photo Illustration Credit: Anthony White, Ricky Barbosa 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 2:26 a.m. on 11 October 2012.

The Collegian | Volume 97, Issue 3 | 204 S. College Avenue | College Place, WA 99324 | collegian.wallawalla.edu

NEWS

COMPETING WITH CLASS

and voter

voter uded that

Staff Writer ance: you itical About 700 athletes, sponsors, and coachthises of academies and high schools all over tagesthe nation came to WWU to compete in withwomen’s volleyball and men’s soccer during tes. Fall Classic.

Liz Pham

ncise, Fall Classic has been an annual sports iticalcompetition and a big recruiting event for stinctmore than 15 years. There were 21 schools,

from as far as Florida to as near as WWVA, participating in this year’s Fall Classic, which ran from Thursday noon to Saturday night.

“Fall Classic is an opportunity to bring academies all over the nation together, a great competition in men’s soccer and women’s volleyball, and a chance for the academy students to see and experience life on campus,” says Jodi Wagner, WWU vice

president for university relations and advancement.

Registration for Fall Classic began in the spring, and the deadline for teams to register was Sept. 20. Preparation for this event was well under way by the beginning of August. During the event, about 50 staff members and students from various departments, wearing bright orange Tshirts, worked to welcome the academy students. They helped run the games and welcome families, and they also helped serve meals in the cafeteria to speed things up so WWU students wouldn’t have to wait too long in line.

or two academy students per room, and were paid for each person staying in their room. The department of marketing and enrollment services helped with most of the payment and also provided special rates or made reservations for coaches and sponsors in need of lodging.

“It’s a great chance for them to see what university life is like.”

During Fall Classic, academy students stayed in the dormitories with WWU students. Dorm students could host one

Even though the event inevitably creates a minor inconvenience for WWU students, in the form of long lines in the cafeteria and loud noises in the dorms, Fall Classic is still one of the biggest recruiting events during the school year.

“My girls are excited about visiting the university and love to be here,” Rachel Jones, sponsor of the women’s volleyball team from Gem State Adventist Academy, said. “It’s a great chance for them to see what university life is like.”

LEGISLATIVE SEVENTH-GAY FALL SPEAKER INTERNSHIP ADVENTISTS SERIES Danni Shepherd

Annie Palumbo

Jaclyn Archer

On Tuesday, Oct. 9, Walla Walla University hosted the Washington State Legislature’s internship program information session, which was open to any junior or senior undergraduate student from around the state. During this competitive internship program, students spend winter quarter, with a possible extension through spring quarter, at the state capitol building in Olympia, Wash., shadowing an elected official or state agency administrator while learning about his or her job. While participating in the position, the student gets to learn how state legislature works through weekly workshops, mock hearings, and mock floor debates. In the past, students have found it to be a great learning experience because of the variety of work in which they participate.

On Oct. 18, a screening of Seventh-Gay Adventists will take place in Walla Walla.

The film follows three gay or lesbian individuals as they attempt to balance the culture of Adventism and their sexuality.

Shown in various places around the country, producers Daneen Akers and Stephen Eyer, a husband-and-wife team from San Francisco, have worked on this project for several years, and aside from donations, are completely self-funded. They are excited about the opporunity to bring this documentary to the Walla Walla community.

Throughout fall quarter, community leaders are lending their voice to the University Church’s Fall Speaker Series held in room 209 at WEC on Sabbath mornings at 10:30 a.m. These leaders will be speaking each week on their roles in the community, their visions for their local institutions or organizations, the challenges their organizations face, and what opportunities exist for our church to help further their work.

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

The viewing will take place at the Power House Theatre at 7 p.m. Because of the large amount of interest generated about the movie, a second showing is in the works.

To learn more, go to sgamovie.com.

News Editor

The series began two weeks ago and provides the WWU church family members with opportunities to increase their understanding of the broader community and be encouraged toward greater engagement.

The series is also an effort to give community leaders a better sense of the WWU community and its collective desire to support their hard work in the valley.

CONTEXT

2.5

MILLION Number of vehicles Toyota recalled Wednesday, due to a faulty power window switch.

70

MILLION The number of people who watched last week’s presidential debate

#1

The spot on Amazon.com’s best seller list of The Oatmeal’s latest release.

1,940 Enrollment of Walla Walla University this year, as opposed to 1,831 last year.

BY THE NUMBERS

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4

CONTEXT

NEWS

2012 ELECTION

REGISTER TO VOTE!

TAKE THE PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTION

SCHEDULE

QUIZ

Photo by Blogger user suttonhoo

Every Saturday morning President Obama’s weekly address.

11 October

Vice presidential debate.

Topic: foreign and domestic policy.

16 October

Presidential debate.

Topic: foreign and domestic policy.

longdistancevoter.org

WASHINGTON STATE DATES & DEADLINES 19 October

?

and find out which candidate you side with!

Washington state general election ballots mailed to voters.

22 October

General election ballots mailed.

29 October

Deadline for in-person new registrations.

isidewith.com

WHO DO YOU SIDE WITH?

General election.

Photo by Cliff Weathers

A DAY TO SERVE

Presidential debate.

Topic: foreign policy.

Liz Pham

29 October

Last day to register in person for voting in Washington.

November

Washington, as of 2011, is exclusively a mail-in ballot state.

Don’t forget to send yours in.

6 November Election Day.

Staff Writer

On Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 561 students, faculty, and staff took part in the 35 different projects of Service Day to help out various agencies, organizations, and communities in the valley.

Service Day is one of Walla Walla University’s big annual events and was started in 2000 by Linda Emmerson, professor of philosophy. This year, the event was coordinated by Ellie Veverka, community service coordinator.

The purpose of Service Day, Veverka said, is to “show the community that we are big enough to make them proud and small enough to care.”

Every year, Veverka sends letters of invitation to agencies and communities asking them to sign up for projects that need to be done. In the past, there were as many as 50 projects requested for Service Day.

Birke and a ASW stude rate, here

C: W ASW

6 November

19 October

Colle senat

The projects requested include assisting the humane society, restoring streams, cleaning up city and national parks, organizing children’s museums, cleaning city streets, and visiting nursing homes. This year, the 35 projects varied from landscape work to reshelving books, from cleaning animal shelters to helping out at the Washington Odd Fellows Home.

Preparation for this event started in August, when Veverka contacted people for projects, food donation, tool facilitation, and T-shirt designing. By September, she had come up with the list of projects and was ready for students to sign up.

If a club wanted to sponsor any project, the officers could let Veverka know and she would put the club’s name on that project or contact the necessary people to make the project happen. Non club members could still participate in club-sponsored projects.

This year, there were eight projects sponsored by different clubs on campus: History Club, Theology Club, Pegasus Club, EWB, Amnesty Club, Biology Club, Pre-Profes-

B: Th senat distri week their stude subco and w the n meet

C: W stude

B: M ate is at we body rial re senat sional Club, SERVE Club, and one project muni neces sponsored by the education department. senat envir Holly Sturges, elder relations volunteer stude for SERVE Club, said: “These opportuni- C: H ties we sponsor not only address an individ- stude ual’s physical needs but also reach the heart B: I s of a man or woman by building commu- senat of th nity. Ministry through service should not feel like a duty performed because one loves God, but rather a fantastic festivity created by getting people together to love one another in Christ.”

The volunteers set out to different projects around 9 a.m., but breakfast was served at 8 a.m. by the University Church pastoral staff. Lunch was provided at 1 p.m. by AGA, OPS, Village Club, and Campus Ministries. CommUnity credit was given to the partcipants.

The next Service Day will happen spring quarter, when WWU teams up with other colleges to serve the community. Students, faculty, and staff can sign up at wallawalla. edu/serviceday.

N

ASWWU

INTERVIEW WITH

JASON BIRKENSTOCK Z Collegian: What is the purpose of student senate?

C: When is the first student senate session?

1. Senate is in place to facilitate rapid improvements that directly affect students.

Birkenstock: With recognized authority and a legitimate budget, the purpose of ASWWU senate is to create a forum where student body representatives can collaborate, organize, and facilitate needed changes here at WWU.

B: The first student senate will convene on Oct. 23. However, we will be having a senator event on Oct. 18 that will include dinner and some time helping to set up for the Barn Party. The point of this is to provide an opportunity for senators to get to know one another, increasing their ability to openly discuss important items at our first meeting.

2. Senate is an organization that is fully recognized and respected by administration, and thus it is in a prime position to aid student causes.

C: What is the responsibility of an ASWWU senator?

B: The responsibility of an ASWWU senator is to accurately represent his or her district. Senators do this by maintaining weekly communication with members of their district, being present and active in student body events, serving on various subcommittees (finance, governance, etc.), and willingly defending and promoting the needs of their district at weekly senate meetings.

C: What is your role as president of the student senate?

B: My role as president of the student senate is to facilitate open, balanced discussion at weekly senate meetings where student body representatives can fulfill their senatorial responsibilities. Additionally, I aid senators in preparing proposed bills, communicating with their districts, and inviting necessary community/faculty members to senate. In essence, my role is to enhance the environment, purpose, and abilities of the student senate in as many ways as possible.

C: How have you been involved in student senate in the past?

B: I served as parliamentarian of the student senate during Alex Scott's term as president of the student senate from 2010–11.

C: Are senate sessions open to students?

3. A portion of each student's quarterly ASWWU dues go to the senate budget, which provides funding for various causes and projects that have been deemed worthy by the senators.

B: Yes, they are. In fact, I encourage any students who are curious or interested to attend as many senate sessions as possible.

However, if we go into executive senate then visitors will be asked to leave. It is VERY rare for that to happen.

C: What are the student senate's goals this year?

B: This year ASWWU senate has three goals: 1. Increased constituent–senator communication with their districts.

2. Full utilization of our allotted budget.

3. Submission by senators of a specific todo list for their district (goals they wish to accomplish) at the beginning of each quarter and ensuring that those goals are accomplished.

C: Why should students care about senate?

B: Students should care about student senate for multiple reasons.

Student Senate Elections will be held at the ASWWU CommUnity on Tuesday, 16 October.

STUDENT SENATE CANDIDATES DISTRICT 1 | SITTNER NORTH Leandro Meneghetti Kyle Santos German Rodriguez

DISTRICT 2 | SITTNER SOUTH Atem Malak

DISTRICT 3 | MESKE/MARRIED Eric Weber

DISTRICT 4 | CONARD Clara Smith Kiana Myers

DISTRICT 5 | FOREMAN Hannah Myhre Alexa Luke

DISTRICT 6 | MOUNTAIN VIEW/ BIRCH APARTMENTS Zach Santos Rainey Davis

DISTRICT 7 | HALLMARK/FACULTY COURT/UNIVERSITY OWNED HOUSING Trevor Iwata Anthony White Madeliene Cleveland

DISTRICT 8 | OFF-CAMPUS MALE Evan Smith Brett Schultz

DISTRICT 9 | OFF-CAMPUS FEMALE Nancy Patiño Alyssa Seibold

DISTRICT 10 | PORTLAND Yvette Asenjo Caleb Barcenas

DISTRICT 11 | FACULTY Elizabeth Jones Benjamin Maloon

DISTRICT 12 | STAFF William Fandrich Denver Lodge

CONTEXT

5

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL SENATE MEETING LOOK LIKE? Our student senate meetings are held in one of the recently renovated classrooms at the WEC. An average meeting follows this basic order:

1. Call to order 2. Welcome and prayer 3. Roll call In order to pass any bills we must have a certain amount of the senators there (referred to as quorum).

4. Approval of the agenda This allows senators to add last-minute things to the agenda or to take off items that they feel should not be discussed.

5. Guests Guests oftentimes include students, faculty members, or student group representatives who are in need of senate help or funding.

6. Administrative business This provides an opportunity for members of the executive ASWWU cabinet (president, social VP, religious VP, financial VP, etc.) to update senate on what they are doing in ASWWU. 7. New business This is where new bills are presented and discussed by various senators.

8. Old business This is where the bills introduced at the prior senate meeting are officially voted on and, if passed, come into effect.

9. Open forum This is when senators can discuss various subjects and pose various questions.

10. Meeting adjourned

6

CONTEXT

WEEK IN

REVIEW Photo by Allison Berger

Week of Worship

Fall Classic

1–6 October

4–6 October

Speakers from five different Adventist universities, including three campus chaplains, two young adult pastors, and a history professor, spoke on the topic “Jesus. All.” WoW came to a close Saturday morning with a Communion service.

About 700 athletes, sponsors, and coaches from 21 academies and high schools all over the nation came to WWU to compete in women’s volleyball and men’s soccer.

Photo by Arella Aung

Downtown Outreach 6 October Students headed to downtown Walla Walla on Saturday afternoon to pass out free lemonade, perform random acts of kindness, give free compliments, and more.

Photo by Josh McKinney

Photo by Darin Berning

LoveWell Ministry Expo 5 October Campus Ministries teams, SERVE club, WWU Church, and local non-profit organizations set up booths in front of the church, giving students opportunities to sign up to be a volunteer.

Photo by Josh McKinney

Service Day 10 October WWU students, faculty, and staff members volunteered their time in the community, doing everything from shelving books at the Walla Walla Public Library to removing woody vegetation in Mill Creek.

Photo by Arella Aung

CONTEXT

7

WEEK IN

FORECAST Photo by Erik Sanders

Thursday | 11 OCT.

Friday |

Graduate School Fair

ASWWU Battleground

60° 45°

4–7 p.m.

ADM 4th Floor

Photo by Darin Berning

Photo by Darin Berning

12 OCT. 56° 37°

8 p.m.

University Church

Vice Presidential Debate

Saturday |

13 OCT. 55° 48°

ASWWU Battleground 10:30 a.m.

Village Hall

Circle Church

6–7:30 p.m.

Major News Networks

11:07 a.m.

Black Box Theatre

Adventist Forum 4 p.m.

FAC Auditorium

Photo by The Mask

Sunday |

14 OCT. 68° 58°

ASWWU President Emily Oliver’s Birthday Women’s Softball Game Double Header vs. University of Idaho Club Noon & 2 p.m.

WEC Softball Field

Photo by Becka Hanan

Monday | 15 OCT.

66° 49°

Photo by Becka Hanan

Tuesday |

16 OCT. 59° 50°

ASWWU Senate Elections 11 a.m.

WEC Gym — CommUnity credit

Areopagus

7 p.m.

The Prayer House

Presidential Debate 6–7:30 p.m.

Major News Networks

Photo by Greg Khng

Wednesday | 17 OCT.

63° 53°

World Day for Poverty Education

8

PERSPECTIVE

Question “Pastor Alex, apart from your relationship with Jesus what keeps you going — what advice could you give students about maintaining vitality in the face of challenges?”

Response 1. This world is tackle football — be ready to be hit. Fully embrace the reality that life on this earth is full of challenges — the goal of an easy life is a fantasy.

2. Try to do life with people you love (and people who love you). Friends that are honest and hopeful, realistic and optimistic — these are valuable, balanced travel companions.

3. Pick your battles. Sometimes life will come after you — and you can't choose these clashes. But often we can decide what arenas to engage.

4. Forget easily. Seriously, practice amnesia.

5. Reject trying to people please those who can't be pleased.

Life's too short to baby-sit fully grown adults.

6. Forgive quickly, and often — 70 x 7 and then some.

7. Laugh, and find people to love and live with who know the value of laughter.

8. Golf … or find another healthy, legal, moral escape.

9. Remember there are people in this world looking for a scrap of food to eat today. No matter how bad my day, I'm pretty lucky.

10. Remember that following Jesus is cross bearing. Take difficulty as an opportunity to verify your walk … just a pace or two behind Him. — Troy PastorFitzgerald Alex Bryan — Pastor

REAL QUESTIONS

RELIGION

PRAYER LIMITS Nick Ham

Religion Co-Editor

Mitchell Walle stood up front and offered to pray for healing after CommUnity last Monday.

The reaction of students was mixed, to say the least. He and I were able to dialogue about that day and about his background. The goal here is some dialogue; I would vouch for Mitchell’s ability to field questions and his interest in growth. If you have a question, I hope you approach him.

Ham: You caused a bit of stir in chapel this last week, and afterward people were asking each other, “What did you think of that guy who invited people to come out for healing?”

Walle: It’s funny; what’s Week of Worship about this week? It’s Jesus. “Jesus. All.” And when someone stands up front and says, “I want to pray for the sick and see them healed,” people are shocked. But if you read your Bible, if you read the Gospels, they’re full of healings. Jesus healed the paralyzed man, the woman who just touched his cloak, the lepers, and the blind. And still people react, “What!? You’re praying for the sick? You’re weird.” And I think, “What? Do you even know Jesus? Jesus the healer?”

H: So does this actually happen much? I don’t want to discredit this whole idea, but it’s easy to put our limits on God, and I certainly have trouble accepting that healing happens much or at all.

W: You say it doesn’t, but actually it does happen a lot, and I can share my experience with it. I went to Brazil with an organization called Global Awakening: They’re a non-denominational group based in Pennsylvania. We went there to do ministry. And when I say ministry, I don’t mean Bible studies or building churches. We prayed for the sick, held services, and preached the gospel, just straight up. It was like hanging out with Jesus for two weeks. Every day we had worship and training for how to pray for the sick and pray for the Holy Spirit. Then, in the evening, the leaders would preach and afterward we would have a prayer time. We’d give a call for salvations, and during the service, they would be calling out people that God wanted to heal.

Every night at least 200 people got healed. Not

just like backaches or pain; I’m talking blind eyes open, deaf ears open, tumors disappearing from under your eyes, and metal placed in someone’s body from a surgery disappearing out of that person’s body. For example, I had a friend who, after a snowboard accident, couldn’t move his arm above his shoulder. No one prayed for him, just during the service; he didn’t ask for healing.

He feels this fire in his shoulder — that’s one of the ways the Spirit works — and he was able to move his arm full circle. Completely healed in an instant. The first night I saw people with herniated disks healed and a sore throat that had been around for eight days just disappear.

And that was just the first night. We saw a boy deaf from birth; after 14 years, Jesus healed him completely — 100 percent. It was the best two weeks of my life.

H: How do you respond to somebody that says such things don’t happen?

W: I just laugh. I really don’t get offended because they just haven’t seen it yet or experienced it. I just start sharing testimony; I’ve seen it happen so much. Either they’re going to have to deny every single story I tell them and say, “You’re just a liar,” or they’re going to begin to believe, “Well, I may be wrong.” I could sit here all night and tell you stories of miraculous healing and other things too: Things that would scare some people, I’m sure, and would cause people to label me as a lunatic and just completely blow your mind.

It would destroy your box. Share and testimony and eventually they would have a choice: Either I don’t believe this guy or there is something to what he is saying. Sooner or later they’ll have to make a choice: Either I’m just a radical liar making up stories or they’re wrong.

H: Those are the two options?

W: Yeah. I’m not some weird Christian; this stuff is in the Bible and we’re commanded to live like it. Anyone who says otherwise is certainly not reading their Bible from an unbiased point of view.

H: Why isn’t this happening on a regular basis? You said in Brazil 200-plus people were being healed every night.

W: This is a huge topic. For one thing, it’s becoming more and more common. We don’t believe; that’s basically what it comes down to.

We just don’t believe the Bible, when Jesus said

heal the sick and raise the dead. We don’t believe it’s for today, but it is. The Bible is so clear. Since we don’t even believe in it, obviously we’re not going to pursue it — and obviously since we don’t pursue it, we’re not going to see it happen.

Healing is just the tip of iceberg: Other miracles can take place.

Another big reason is this: Christianity in America is all in the head, and I’m not excluding pastors or theologians. People can sit there and quote and argue about theology and argue about Bible verses and all this stuff; it doesn’t mean their lives reflect a life like Christ’s. On this campus I hear this all the time: “We need to live like Jesus and we need to love like Jesus.”

I’m like, “Yeah, of course we do, and how in the world are we going to do that?” If we can’t expect to pray for someone and see them healed, how are we going to expect to have the power to love like Jesus? That’s just as miraculous. Loving radically, the way Jesus did, is just as miraculous as praying for someone to be healed. So, if you can’t pray for someone and see them healed, how are you going to die to your own self? To love someone? To give your life? That’s not going to happen unless a life is in the Spirit. Right now we’re trying to live from the flesh; we need to live from the Spirit.

H: You shared that you have a real burden for the sick. It seems like you have a bigger burden for a Spirit-filled church and seeing God’s kingdom here on earth.

W: Seeing the sick healed raised my interest in my God. I do have a burden: We have all the programs, the money, the talented people. But we’re still missing something — where’s the joy and excitement? It’s awkward to talk about God. You bring up God in a conversation and everyone gets serious. And where’s the power?

He makes incredible promises. Look at Paul, who prays that you may know the height, the depth of God’s love, and people claim to but they don’t. They put God in a box. There is so much more to actually experience. The Spirit inside of you can be a supernatural encounter. Bam! The Holy Spirit invades your life, and suddenly there is no denying God exists. I do have a burden to see Spirit-filled Christianity. There is obviously something more — we’re missing the Holy Spirit ... or missing God entirely.

RELIGION

PERSPECTIVE

9

Illustration by Brad LaLonde

10

PERSPECTIVE

SCHOLARS ABROAD

CALL ME AMERICANA? Joni Dickerson Contributing Writer

After experiencing an awkward hug/air kiss, I observed that I needed to always lean first right and then left with a soft air kiss on each cheek. I know girls have a tendency to overanalyze a kiss, but I’ve yet to successfully accomplish this Italian greeting.

I’ve never craved Adventist classics like Special K loaf and haystacks so much before.

Not that pasta and gelato every day is bad — honestly, the food here is so good I realized I had better start exercising. Every meal here consists of the three Italian food groups: carbs, dairy, and sugar. Because of all this, last week a friend and I decided to jog down the hill into Firenze. The jog went well, as long as you’re comfortable with every person staring at you; the occasional whistle and yell in Italian; and intense, bold eye contact from Italian men. So, overall, not too different from running past Martin Airfield … right?

Something else that is different is having field trips again. Last week, we took a trip down to Napoli and got our first experience of bed bugs after staying in a sketchy hostel.

Also, we took a ferry over to the island of Capri. It was beautiful, and within minutes of stepping off the ferry, we were already talking with a boat driver named Luigi

who was going to take us around the whole island. After swimming and only going about onequarter of the way around the island, he started turning back and making up excuses, but thankfully we didn’t have to pay full price. Then, after riding the tram up to the top of the island, we stopped in at a café to buy a quick sandwich before hiking down to the beach. The small sandwiches sounded very affordable, so we went ahead and ordered some. When the sandwiches came, they arrived in plastic containers like those you would see at the airport, except consisting of only cheese, tomato, and white bread. We were very disappointed, and soon became angry when we realized we were expected to pay seven euros for the smallest sandwich we’d ever seen. We left the island feeling cheated, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the beautiful views, beaches, and turquoise waters we got to experience that day.

Living in Firenze is a test of our linguistic

Photo by Joni Dickerson

navigational abilities. The other day a couple of girls and I were looking for index cards.

The supermarket did not have them, so we tried asking for help. I know when I return I will be a champion at charades because learning a new language in a foreign country helps you gain a lot of hand-motion skills.

The international language of hand gestures failed us when finding index cards — however, nothing can make you feel better than rewarding yourself with gelato for valiant attempts at bridging the language barrier on the streets of Firenze. Luckily, gelaterias are as frequent here as coffee shops are in Seattle.

Right now I am also trying to find a new balance in my life. Just like starting at Walla Walla, working at summer camp, or any schedule change, I need to reorganize my

focus. Sometimes God can really surprise you. I had always planned to SM my junior year, yet here I am in Italy as an ACA student.

I find myself envious of my friends’ stories of missionary life, and it makes me ask: What is my greater purpose for being here? I love it, but how can my life have more purpose?

Then I realized, with the help of a friend’s reminder, that just because I’m titled “ACA student” instead of “SM” doesn’t mean I can’t still be a missionary. I know God has a plan for me here, just like he has for everyone wherever they are. My goal now is to wake up every day and call myself a missionary — a servant of God. I want these habits to carry back with me when I return, because this isn’t just my missionary goal for the year, it’s my missionary goal for life: day by day an invitation for God to use me.

LEARNING MORE THAN SPANISH

Justin Mock

Contributing Writer As I sit down in my very first Spanish class at Escuela Superior de Español de Sagunto in Spain, I quickly realize that the two years of high school Spanish I have under my belt won’t be enough. As the teacher talks, I am only able to understand about one out of every five or six words, and even though she speaks slowly, I am still unsure whether or not the worksheet I was recently handed is intended to be homework.

The teacher continues talking and I think she told a joke, because several students are chuckling. Now I wonder if I am the only one who didn’t get it. I can’t allow myself to dwell on this thought for very long, however, for if I

lose my focus for more than half a second, I will be lost yet again in a nearly unintelligible string of foreign words. For the rest of class, I practice maintaining my focus and trying to understand as much as possible. Eventually, the bell rings and I am a bit more certain that I know what was assigned for homework. As I gather my belongings and leave the classroom, my head feels tired, my face looks dazed, and random Spanish phrases run through my mind. I hadn’t realized what an experience like this could feel like.

I remember back to a time in high school when I was puzzled by the English as a Second Language students at my school. Many of them appeared confused, disorganized, and tired.

Most of these ESL students were from countries

in Asia, and I knew they were acclimating to a culture entirely different from their own. Still, how hard could it be? Now, surrounded by a country of people who don’t speak my language, don’t eat my food, and don’t understand my humor, I am beginning to understand how these ESL students had felt. I now understand their feelings of being lost, confused, and a half step behind. Now that I have had a similar experience, I have learned a bit about what these students went through.

With this thought, I now realize that I can learn much more than Spanish during this year in Spain. Within my first day of class I have started to learn about what it’s like to be a student in a foreign country, like my ESL friends back in high school. It seems to me that each and every

experience I encounter brings with it some sort of lesson, new idea, or piece of insight into some area of life. Whether it’s strange food, a new sport, different social norms, or oddly scented toiletries, each encounter with the unfamiliar here in Spain is teaching me about myself, others, and the world I live in. I think that’s how God intended life to be: interesting, fresh, and stirring. He created a world that would never run out of things to discover and learn.

Knowing this, I want to soak up every experience this year has to offer. When I can’t understand what is being said and communication problems make life frustrating, I may have to take a deep breath and remind myself that I am learning much more than Spanish.

HEALTH IN THE UNWEALTH Elliott Berger Opinion Editor

Hooray, we’re wealthier than our government! Sadly, that’s not quite true, but it certainly seems like it sometimes. With the deficit slipping irresponsibly lower, any liquid cash in the pocket feels like some real insurance in these modern times of nuclear terrorism and bioethanol cars. In my opinion, the government should cut the health care program and instead use that theoretical money to help support the rest of the country.

When we discuss politics, I feel like a raving sports fan, cheering and booing from the stands, emotionally throwing myself into the game but forgetting to remember that the task at hand is impossibly difficult, even for those who have made it their career.

I occasionally wonder if the complexities of the debt crisis have distracted from the basics of finance and spending, or if there is a way out of this hole we’ve dug. From my view, the universal health care system will help treat nation’s continually growing number of health issues among its citizens, but just like the debt issue, I believe the only way to truly fix the problem is to deal with prevention rather than reaction.

I remember when Matt Miles came out with the “Big Red Calculator” a couple years ago. The calculator allowed for sixteen digits to be displayed at one time, thus making it

large enough to calculate the country’s debt, at least for now. Miles’ product was a milliondollar idea overnight, but he claimed that he would keep the money, since it would hardly dent the trillions of dollars owed by the government. I’m not trying to say that Miles was wrong in his decision to keep the money; after all, a million dollars is a lot of money to one person. But if this mindset of “it’s too broken to fix” continues, our country will forever be that: broken.

When I began researching the ideas for the health care system, I became overwhelmed with the complexity of the whole issue.

Watching the government toss money at health care without hearing an impressive plan of action against the burying debt issue is a little disheartening. I can’t understand what the conclusion will look like, but I can see that preventing the spending on new programs is the most visibly effective plan in reducing the overspending tendencies of our government.

I hope that we haven’t begun classifying our system as a basket case just yet.

SUSTAINABLE COVERAGE Grant Gustavsen

Opinion Editor

The patient has become disconnected from the actual cost of the coverage. When a patient who is covered by Medicare goes to a hospital to receive care, the true cost is hidden from the patient, because someone else is paying the actual bill. When patients pay directly for something, and they know how much it costs, they have a strong incentive to demand the best value.

A voucher system, such as the one Paul Ryan’s Medicare-reform plan promotes,

whereby the individual can choose his or her own insurance and care providers, lowers insurance costs through marketplace competition. Currently, Medicare operates as a fee-for-service program and reimburses all care providers the same for the services they provide to Medicare recipients, regardless of the cost or quality of that service. Introducing a voucher system, where individuals would be responsible for their own insurance, would increase the competition in the health care market.

When the consumer is in charge, insurance providers, competing for patients’ business, will look to lower cost and increase quality for their services.

It’s important that all individuals, regardless of income, have access to affordable health care of the highest possible quality. Through tort reform, patient responsibility and involvement, and marketplace competition, costs can be brought down to a sustainable level.

C

11

Most popular class PEAC 124.

Principles of Sprinkler Dodging.

First commercial cargo flight berths at International Space Station.

And we still can’t get decent airplane food.

C

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It may come as a surprise to you that the United States already spends more money on e sorthealth care as a percentage of GDP than the sometop 19 Western developed nations. Health newcare accounts for a massive 25 percent of entedthe federal government’s spending, twomiliarthirds of which is consumed by Medicare. myself,On the basis of federal budget and overall s howprinciple, I don’t support Obamacare. In , andaddition, while I support Romney’s repealneverObamacare objective, I don’t support his endeavor to replace it, as there are many questions still surrounding his own health every care–reform plan. So, instead of arguing hen I one side or the other, I will argue for the and side of the American people: What can be ating, done to lower the cost of health care? mind than “Defensive Medicine” has become a common practice in the American health

care industry. Doctors order unnecessary tests and procedures, even without patient request, simply to avoid running the risk of frivolous lawsuits. Tort reform, or legal reform, limits the threat of frivolous lawsuits, thereby reducing physicians’ malpractice insurance expenditures.

Additionally, without the constant threat of malpractice, the number of unnecessary tests and procedures would be cut, dramatically lowering the overall cost of care.

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If neither the government nor the people can afford a health care program, then why do we have one? When looking at nationaldebt charts, I always find it more enjoyable to flip the axis so it looks like our profits are skyrocketing. It’s simple, fun, and it seems like a game that politicians love to play as well.

From my naïve, meager spectator view, it really looks bad to see more programs opened

that only cost more money and do little to nothing in gaining it back. It would be much more effective to cut excessive spending altogether to repair the issue

PERSPECTIVE

C

OPINION

Rothko painting at Tate Modern is defaced.

Experts verifying that it didn’t look like that already.

Biden, Ryan prepare for vice presidential debate.

America prepares for more post-debate coverage.

Mask photo deadline extended.

It’s hard to play hot-or-not without photos.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wins 3rd 6-year term.

Venezuela proud to epitomize the ideal democratic free election.

COLLEGIAN WISDOM

12

SNAPSHOTS

Walla Walla University Bookstore

Become a fan on Facebook for exclusive deals, giveaways & sweepstakes.

Photo by Arella Aung

Photo by Anthony White

Photo by Josh McKinney

SNAPSHOTS

Photo by Anthony White

Meet recruitment coordinator Mitch Swanger at the October 11 Graduate Fair!

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Photo by Arella Aung

WSU MBA

Find the best option for you:

1-Year Pullman MBA • Executive Online MBA Online MBA • MBA Tri-Cities • MBA Vancouver

Learn more at mba.wsu.edu Photo by Josh McKinney

14

PERSPECTIVE

COLUMNS AND CREATIVE WRITING

SUMMER ISN’T OVER YET; I’M WEARING THESE GLOVES IRONICALLY Rebecca Brothers Columnist First of all, did you all have a good Service Day? Did you weed-whack lots of weeds, shelve lots of books, and make lots of senior citizens smile? Due to submission deadlines, right now it’s Oct. 7, so it’s too soon to say what my Service Day experience was like.

Perhaps we should make a Mad Libs out of that. “This year, for Service Day, I (verb of motion)ed to (location) with (name) and (name). We (transitive verb)ed (adjective) (plural noun) (adverb) until (time or date). It was really (adjective).”

Maybe it’s the belated sunrises, the coldwater shock of actually having deadlines, or the fact that our long-star ved washing machine has once again been able to fulfill its craving for socks, but I’ve been thinking about summer a lot lately. Please note that I spent ten months as a student missionary in Poland, where an equivalent expression to “goodbye” is “Trzymaj się ciepło,” or “Stay warm.” The word for summer, “lato,” can also be used to express how old you are: “Mam dwadzieścia dwa lata,” or, literally, “I have twenty-two summers.” The song that’s used to celebrate birthdays, name days, and state occasions is called “Sto Lat” and says, “May you live one hundred summers.” (I suppose that if you don’t like the person much, you could sing “Sto Żimy,” or “One Hundred Winters,” but that’s not a common practice.)

The Poles may have gotten the short end of the stick in basically every invasion in the last two hundred years, but they’re the clear winners in terms of communicating the importance of summer. The season has warm breezes that dry one’s laundry in a matter of minutes, roadside stands bursting with pro-

duce that was pulled out of the ground twenty yards away, and decisions like, “Should I read another book or take another nap?” You can’t help but love a time of year like that. So join me, won’t you, in summer 2.0, during which we keep our winter jackets resolutely packed away and continue to wear flip-flops even after we can’t feel our toes.

This summer was excellent for many reasons. I organized my library by the Dewey Decimal System and alphabetized my spice cupboard. (Try it — it makes things so much easier.) I made tomato-and-corn pie, plum cobbler, and so many other things that just aren’t the same with frozen or canned ingredients. I discovered that despite my best intentions, it will be others who have the green thumbs, and I will always have the touch of death, making greenhouse workers scratch their heads and say, “This is usually a very hardy plant.” And do you know what I miss most right now about summer?

It’s the fact that whenever I dropped something in the kitchen, like a piece of chopped carrot or dried pasta, I could pick it up with my toes and throw it away, keeping my hands clean in the process. This maneuver is bitterly difficult when I’m wearing socks.

“This maneuver is bitterly difficult when I’m wearing socks.”

At some point — probably around the time of the first snowfall — I’ll realize that crisp fall days, filled with apple pie and fun scarves, have arrived like a beautiful dream.

Or else achingly cold fall days, filled with broken driers and no clean socks, have arrived like something inspired by Stephen King. I’m rooting for apple pie, myself.

THE THINGS I’VE MISSED Joshua Haddock Contributing Writer

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I know.”

She pulls him closer and he whispers in her ear, “I love you too.”

She smiles and stares at him with those eyes — he would never forget them. He can’t.

Her iris shining a blue so deep the ocean wouldn’t have been able to fathom it. In them he saw all the pain she had ever known. A sadness, a bittersweet love that can only be known if you’ve ever stared into her eyes. You haven’t though. So you couldn’t understand.

He’s walking by himself. It’s winter and snowing.

“I love you,” he whispers to the wind.

And his eyes are dark, a dark color that will never really go away. It can’t. The darkness of a man who’s loved, loved more than it might be thought possible to love, and lost it forever. It’s a loss you can only know if you’ve lost her.

You haven’t though. So you couldn’t understand.

He’s sitting with a friend.

“I don’t miss her,” he says.

“There’s nothing left when I look at her. Only bitterness.”

But he does, more than he knows. Because love doesn’t go away. It can’t. Even if it’s hidden deep, deeper than the ocean could ever fathom.

He misses her more than the world could ever know. A hole that you can only imagine if you’ve ever missed her.

You haven’t though. So you wouldn’t understand.

And she’s pulling him close.

And he’s walking alone. And they’re sitting down.

And she loves him. And he loves her. But he’s alone.

And he says he doesn’t miss her. And she doesn’t miss him.

But he doesn’t mean it. And she does.

“Forever,” he says.

“Forever,” she says.

And he kisses her. And she’s happier than she’s ever been.

“I think I’d die without you,” she tells him.

“You’ll always have me,” he tells her.

These are the things I’ve missed. But you wouldn’t know. Because you’ve never loved her.

G

FEATURE

15

ABC OF

THE

GRADUATE SCHOOL

PREPARATION Photo by Zsuzsanna Kilian

Elizabeth Jones

Feature Editor

The beginning of a school year is a time of planning: Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are planning their schedules and extracurricular activities for the next few years, and seniors are planning for their lives after graduation. The majority of the planning plays some part in answering the question: What am I going to do after graduation?

After spending four, five, or sometimes six years of your life gaining an undergraduate education, the last thing most of you want

to think about is more school. But maybe more school is exactly what you should be thinking about. While it can be hard to imagine throwing yourself back into days filled with fifteen-page research papers and three cups of coffee after finally obtaining a much sought-after degree, the benefits of graduate school are innumerable. And depending on what type of career you see for yourself, in ten years, graduate school might be necessary.

If you plan on becoming a therapist, doctor, lawyer, social worker, college professor, or veterinarian, it is time to stop asking, “Why graduate school?” and start asking, “How do I prepare?” But if you are not sure

what you want to do, or you are sure of your career choice and a graduate degree is not required to land a job, the following few paragraphs explain why you should consider acquiring a graduate degree.

DECIDING There are a lot of benefits to graduate school programs, and one important benefit is the potential for students to develop deep relationships with their professors. In undergraduate settings, student–professor relationships are often limited due to the size of classrooms, the length of quarters or semesters, and the level of involvement displayed by both parties. Even at WWU,

where students are lucky enough to have relatively small class sizes and dedicated professors, students are often only close to one or two professors — professors typically found in the department of the student’s declared major. In graduate school, the line between professor and student becomes less definite and the majority of professors see their students as peers rather than pupils.1 The professor recognizes that his or her student shares a common interest and dedication to higher learning, therefore a level of respect and equality is Continues on following page

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FEATURE

TOP 10 MASTER’S DEGREES

These degrees are expected to earn the highest income and experience the highest increase for employment. The first item is the highest.19

DEGREE

MEDIAN SALARY

EMPLOYMENT INCREASE

Physician Assistant Studies

$97,000

30%

Computer Science

$109,000

22.3%

Electrical Engineering

$121,000

17.7%

Mathematics (tie)

$91,500

24.7%

Information Systems (tie)

$95,500

23.3%

Physics

$114,000

20.3%

Occupational Therapy

$79,200

33%

Heath Care Administration

$87,800

22%

Nursing

$85,900

21.7%

Economics

$115,000

14.3%

Continued from previous page

reached that was not possible during the undergraduate years. Because of this shared level of commitment, graduate professors are more likely to present their students with ideas and concepts rather than answers. It is then the student’s duty to turn the ideas and concepts into written research instead of spending all their time studying for tests.2

COUNTDOWN TO

APPLICATION

In addition to increasing student–professor relationships, graduate schools also allow individuals to focus completely on one subject. Unlike undergraduate programs, graduate programs do not have general classes, but rather offer specialized programs on certain topics or fields.3 The entire school experience is focused on in-depth study of a subject that interests the student as well as an environment filled with similar individuals. Graduate school provides

the opportunity for students to define and revise their skills and career goals before entering the job market.4 A student who is uncertain about the type of career he or she wants to pursue could use graduate school to develop and refine a clearer career goal.

Finally, the greatest benefit of obtaining a graduate degree is the career advantages.

A graduate degree leads to a higher-level job, faster job advancement, greater job satisfaction, and higher self-confidence.5 The networking connections and advanced training achieved during graduate school are invaluable and can often not be taught on the job. Graduate schools increase leadership and communication skills, both of which employers look for in their employees. All of these benefits lead to better and higher-paid jobs.6 Not only do these benefits lead to better and higher-paid jobs, but they also decrease the chances of being unemployed. For the 2012 year, the Bureau

of Labor Statistics shows the unemployment rate for individuals with an associate’s degree to be 6.8 percent, individuals with a bachelor’s degree to be 4.9 percent, individuals with a master’s degree to be 3.6 percent, individuals with a professional degree to be 2.4 percent, and individuals with a doctoral degree to be 2.5 percent. All of these statistics are compared to the national average of 7.6 percent.7 Quality student–teacher relationships, specialized focus, and career advantages are all reasons why, at the undergraduate level, you should be seriously considering attending graduate school. Once the decision has been made, it is important to know the best way to prepare for graduate school during your undergraduate years.

PREPARING Great, you have made the decision to attend graduate school; now comes the next question: “How do I prepare?” In some circumstances, the best way to prepare for a graduate program is to take a few years off to work and gain experience in your specified major. For example, students graduating with a B.S., B.A., or B.B.A. degree in business administration would find it more beneficial to work in the real world and gain experience for a few years before applying to graduate school to obtain an M.B.A. degree.

While M.B.A. programs might not require experience, a lot of them do recommend it: University of Washington’s Foster School of Business highly prefers applicants with professional experience.8 But for those of you who are planning on applying to graduate school straight out of WWU, and even for those of you who are planning on taking a year or two off, the following list gives you options of the best way to prepare: ■ Do your best.

■ Take advantage of undergraduate opportunities.

■ Search the web for general answers on different graduate programs.

12 MONTHS

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■ Make a list of all possible options of institutions to attend.

■ Browse the websites of the institutions to gain basic knowledge on the university.

■ Consider taking a graduate course or two now.

■ Take advantage of internships and volunteer opportunities.

■ Keep track of your accomplishments.

■ Build professional relationships and connections.

■ Push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

■ Set professional goals.9 The first tip, do your best, means exactly that: Students should try their hardest in school and at internships and should participate in a variety of activities both on and off campus. The benefits of working hard will lead to students receiving better letters of recommendation and feeling a confidence in skills developed through their hard work and dedication. The next piece of advice encourages undergraduates to take advantage of the opportunities available during university, like taking classes that are not only a major requirement, but can also be used as a preparation for grad school: visiting professors during office hours and developing a relationship, joining or starting a club and assuming a leadership role, partaking in service–learning opportunities, exploring the possibility of research, working at an on-campus job, participating in events or attending speaker series of interest, and studying or volunteering a year abroad.10 Besides taking advantage of undergraduate opportunities, taking advantage of volunteer opportunities and internships is another way for undergraduates to prepare for graduate school. Participating in a volunteer activity or an unpaid internship allows undergraduates to explore different interests and offers experience in a field before graduation. Internships are one of the best ways students can prepare themselves for not only graduate school, but also for life in the career world after graduation. When a student participates in an extracurricular activity or achieves an accomplishment, it is important to keep a

■ Start thinking about and preparing to physically visit a campus.

9 MONTHS15

■ Start to prepare for any type of standardized test necessary for acceptance into the required program.

■ Use available materials and classes offered to prepare for the standardized test.

FEATURE record. Students should save flyers, record club offices, keep records of events managed, and overall maintain some sort of account of achievements over the course of their undergraduate career in order to remember all of the important information necessary for the application process. Throughout college, students should also focus on building relationships. College is not a time to be shy, but rather a time to make connections with professors, students, and alumni in order to create a helpful network for the future.11 Lastly, during the undergraduate time it is important for students to push themselves outside of their comfort zones and set professional goals for their life. Students should take challenging classes outside of their majors in order to experience different types of learning and to meet different people. It is also important for students to set professional goals and to take the necessary steps needed to reach those goals, such as seeking feedback from professors and using class projects as stepping stones to the professional goal.12 If a student has a professional goal in mind, he or she is more likely to stay on track and achieve his or her goal.

All of the above suggestions are ways for students to prepare for graduate school during undergraduate education, but throughout the preparation stage and before the application process can begin, students should ask themselves a few questions: ■ “Why do I want to do this now? Should I work for a few years before I apply?”

■ “For what type of company do I want to work, and what types of degrees do they require of their employees?” Or, “What type of academic or professional degree am I seeking?” (See boxes) ■ “In what geographic region do I want to study?”

■ “What type of learning and student experience am I seeking?”

■ “Will a significant other, a spouse, or children impact my plans?”

■ “Should I consider a full-time or parttime program?”13 Once you are able to answer these questions, it is safe to start developing a plan to tackle the application process.

APPLYING

■ When visiting a campus or speaking with admissions, ask questions about the school showing you are genuinely interested and are familiar with the program, not questions you can answer yourself.18 After you have completed all of these steps, the only thing left to do is to send in your application and hope for the best.

It is finally time to undergo the application process. Students should start thinking about applying and developing a plan for applying to graduate school about a year before the actual application is due. If you look at the bottom of the page, there is a timeline that runs from 12 to three months before the application is due. Take a look and see which section you would fall under, or save this timeline for when it is time for you to start this process.

While it is true that graduate school is not for everyone, it is important for everyone to know about the possibility of graduate school and the different doors it can open. Whether you are considering graduate school, preparing for graduate school, or applying to graduate school, there is a lot to consider and a lot to be discovered beyond this article. I encourage all of you to find some time to explore the possibilities of graduate school and what it has to offer you.

Now that it is time to for you to fill out the actual application, there are a few things to keep in mind in order to ensure your application is the best it can possibly be: ■ Follow directions, answer the questions asked, and be as truthful as possible on the application.

■ Proofread each application.

■ Try only to apply to the schools you really want to go to and the schools you have visited.

■ Be kind, calm, and sincere.

■ Include a cover letter with each application explaining why you want to be admitted into the program.

■ Ask students you know currently enrolled in the program to write you a brief recommendation letter.

■ Allow yourself to be creative, but not over the top, during the application process, and take each opportunity to convince the graduate program of your desire to attend.

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1–2. GradSchool, “Why Go to Grad School?,” GradSchools, accessed Sept. 28, 2012, gradschools. com/article-detail/why-grad-school-62.

3. Peace Corps Returned Volunteer Services, Graduate School Guide, 5th ed. (n.p.: Peace Corps, 2003), 5.

4–6. GradSchool, “Why Go to Grad School?”.

7. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, “New school year, old story: Education Pays,” Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Fall 2012, 36, accessed Oct. 7, 2012, bls.gov/opub/ooq/2012/fall/oochart.pdf.

8. Foster School of Business, “Requirements,” University of Washington, accessed Oct. 7, 2012, foster.washington.edu/academic/mba/Pages/ Step2Requirements.aspx.

9. Idealist, “Setting Yourself Up for Success: Things You Can Do While You’re an Undergrad,” Idealist, accessed Sept. 28, 2012, idealist.org/info/GradEducation/Resources/Preparing/Success.

10–12. Idealist, “Setting Yourself Up for Success: Things You Can Do While You’re an Undergrad.”

13. Don Martin, Dr. “Ask 7 Questions Before Applying to Graduate School,” U.S. News and World Report, April 20, 2012, usnews.com/education/ best-graduate-schools/articles/2012/04/20/ask7-questions-before-applying-to-graduate-school.

14. Ibid., gradschools.com/article-detail/a-1682.

15. Ibid., gradschools.com/article-detail/a-1683.

16. Ibid., gradschools.com/article-detail/a-1684.

17. Ibid., gradschools.com/article-detail/a-1685.

18. Ibid., gradschools.com/article-detail/a-1673.

19–20. Jacquelyn Smith, “The Best and Worst Master’s Degrees for Jobs.”

BOTTOM 10 MASTER’S DEGREES

These degrees are expected to earn lower salaries and experience a slower rate of employment increase. The first item is the lowest.20

DEGREE

MEDIAN SALARY

EMPLOYMENT INCREASE

Library and Information Science

$57,600

8.5%

English

$62,900

8%

Music

$57,000

11.3%

Education

$60,100

14.7%

Biology

$74,100

12%

Chemistry

$85,700

10.5%

Counseling

$53,000

22%

History

$64,100

17.1%

Architecture

$77,100

16.3%

Human Resource Management

$77,200

17%

■ Make sure you have all necessary application material, including standardized test scores or a designated test date.

6 MONTHS16

■ Visit campuses.

■ Evaluate the visits on a spreadsheet to refer to after all the visits are complete.

3 MONTHS17

■ Start asking professors/employers for letter of recommendation.

■ Create an application spreadsheet for the schools to which you end up applying.

18

LIFE

CULTURE

THANKS A LATTE: ALTERNATE GRINDS Grant Perdew Culture Editor

Coffee shops have “bean” the grounds of many a habitual strong-brewed pastime.

Cafés are wonderful because not only do they have delicious drinks and pastries, but they are a splendid place to study and get stuff done. ASWWU’s student café, the Atlas, fits this description. The beverages are stupendous, the atmosphere has an ambient quality of serenity, and the baristas really know what they’re doing. But sometimes, the Atlas can becoming distracting by all the joyous to-ing and fro-ing and comings and goings, caused by friends. In this case, there are several other coffee shops in Walla Walla that are away from campus.

I had the extremely chipper experience of trying out six drinks from three different cafés in one morning. Decide for yourself which one’s best.

More café options: Hot Mama’s, Walla Walla Java Hut, Blue Moon, and Rogers’ Bakery, plus many drive-through stands as well.

The Roastery

The Patisserie

Coffee Perk

The Roastery had the best coffee overall. They roast their own beans on site, so the java is fresh. Many other coffee shops in Walla Walla actually use the Roastery’s beans in their coffee. The vanilla latte and chai latte I had were perfect. The baristas are very friendly and quickly prepare the rich, creamy drinks with love. Also, there are many local artists’ works displayed and sold here, including our very own Steve Miller. Next to the airport, the Roastery is very far away from campus. So if you don’t mind the drive, check out the Roastery and spend some classy, productive time here. And while you’re all the way out here, you might as well catch a flight too.

The Patisserie is my personal favorite coffeehouse in Walla Walla, perhaps because it is reminiscent of my past year spent in France. This café captures the class and culture of French culinary artistry. The coffee is not overpriced and is particularly delicious. Not in the coffee mood? Try some delectable macarons, palmiers, and many other pastries — and even some simply scrumptious gelato.

The diverse flavors change weekly, so be sure to visit all the time to try tastes like fennel, lavender, and apple. You can accomplish much in the relaxed space, as long as you aren’t too caught up in the wonderfulness of it all.

Coffee Perk is considerably cheaper than some of the other cafés in town, but you get what you pay for. The atmosphere is dark, yet comfortable, and can be good for studying or meeting someone. But the classiness drops a bit in comparison to the Roastery. The drinks aren’t as good, but there are often some absolutely delectable pastries and treats. I had a slice of some of the best gingerbread I’ve ever had. Give it a go! Some people love Coffee Perk, and others prefer never to go there. It’s a good place for studying, but don’t take your date here.

PRICE — $$$ ATMOSPHERE — DISTANCE FROM CAMPUS — COFFEE — BARISTAS — EATS —

PRICE — $$ ATMOSPHERE — DISTANCE FROM CAMPUS — COFFEE — BARISTAS — EATS —

PRICE — $ ATMOSPHERE — DISTANCE FROM CAMPUS — COFFEE — BARISTAS — EATS —

290 A St., Walla Walla

40 S. Colville St., Walla Walla

VISIONARY AWAKENINGS Lacking motivation? Listen to these stimulating songs to boost you into that “go do” spirit!

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

M83

“Same Love (feat. Mary Lambert)”

“Outro”

This incredibly uplifting single is featured on Macklemore’s brand new album The Heist, which currently sits at number one on iTunes. The Seattlite sets himself apart from other rappers by avoiding lyrics that degrade women and rant about his “bling.” Instead, he records important songs like this that everyone should hear.

The heavenly French electronic synthpop band released its sixth studio album last year, serving as a framework to realize the marvelous capability of our dreams and daily lives. Delicious arrays of massed choirs and cathedral reverb pull you into these glorious sounds. Also check out “Reunion” and “Midnight City.”

Freelance Whales

Adele

“Locked Out”

“Skyfall”

“We have the rations to go anywhere” is the chorusing cry of the indie New York rockers in the single from their new sophomore album Diluvia. This glowing album demands full attention with their carefully sung vocals and ethereal feel. Try the album without distraction in order to fully appreciate its beauty.

This brassy, soulful tune is the perfect new theme of James Bond’s 23rd film, out Nov. 9. In an interview, Adele said, “I was hesitant at first, because there’s a lot of spotlight and pressure when it comes to a Bond song.” Well, she did a fantastic job, so blast this 77-pieceorchestra–recorded theme and let loose your inner spy!

4 S. 1st Ave., Walla Walla

FILM REEL Pitch Perfect October 5 This new laugh-out-loud comedy about the cutthroat world of college a cappella is a blast and a half. Pitch Perfect is entertaining and the actresses are excitingly confident and funny. This burst of positive energy contains more laughs than you might expect.

Argo October 12 Ben Affleck’s behind-the-scenes picture of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis and the incredible plan to free the Americans using a fake Hollywood film shoot is a triumph. A perfect combination of storytelling, intelligence, and suspense. Can you smell an Oscar …?

S

DIVERSIONS

Eric Weber

Diversions Editor

LIFE

ATTN: COUPLES

I would like to inform you that I’m angry. Just to clarify, my anger has nothing to do with my failed biology quiz (although it contributed). What I’m upset about is your incessant need to remind me every day that I am single. It makes me feel like Lindsay Lohan’s acting career: lifeless.

But I totally understand: It’s probably your first relationship and you’re “in love.” Samson was in love with Delilah, Britney Spears was in love with Kevin Federline, but two bad haircuts later and look where we are today. ...

EASY

Photos by weknowmemes.com/2012/09/north-vs-south-korea

HARD

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LIFE

SCIENCE & TECH AND HEALTH & WELLNESS

ELECTRIC AVENUE Spencer Cutting

Science & Technoloy Editor

A major drawback to electric cars is their limited range, especially in America, where long-distance driving is a celebrated tradition. Not being able to just fill up at a gas station is a serious problem.

Tesla Motors is moving to change that, however, with the announcement of their first six “Supercharger” stations. The stations are designed to charge the new Model S — a $60,000 sports sedan released this year1 — to half capacity in about half an hour while parked under solar carports.

While the stations will be able to draw from the power grid, Tesla claims they will be net energy producers. The stations go into operation on Oct. 19 and will create a network connecting San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

Furthermore, Model S owners will have free access to the Supercharger network,

turning long-distance electric travel from impossibility to a potentially better option than traditional fuel.

For those who can’t drop 60 grand on a Model S, there’s still good news for longdistance electric driving: The West Coast Electric Highway is a similar project — this time funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the U.S. Department of Transportation — that aims to create a charging network stretching along Interstate 5 and accommodating a wide variety of electric cars. They’ve already installed dozens of DC fast-charging stations that can charge most electric cars to 80-percent capacity in about half an hour (the Tesla Model S is a lot more powerful than something like the Nissan Leaf, so it needs more batteries and hence takes more impressive technology to charge as quickly). For now, access to the charging network is free, but the long-term plan is to provide both subscription and pay-peruse access.

Photo by Flickr user jurvetson

By the end of the year, the DOT plans to have over 100 DC fast-charging stations installed, along with thousands of level two charging stations (which take three or four hours for a full charge, but are easier to deploy). Ultimately, the Electric Highway will stretch all the way to Baja California, connecting the entire West Coast.

Sadly, Tesla’s Supercharger is a proprietary

system, so the two networks will never be able to complement each other.

For more info, check out westcoastgreenhighway.com and teslamotors.com/ supercharger.

1. Well, sort of: There’s a $57,000 version coming out next year and a fancier $100,000 one they released this year.

FARE THEE WELL, MILKSHAKES Karl Wallenkampf Health & Wellness Editor

Writing today’s article reminds me a little bit of a P90X infomercial I saw one day at my granddad’s house, though I decided I’d wear a shirt while I wrote this and not take before and after pictures.

That day, after ABC said “Good Morning” and I “Met the Press,” I juggled jealousy and self-hate, watching six different people give variations on the line, “I was overweight, but after I worked my rear off with P90X, I’m not!” I guess I am not one of them, since I did get the workout program, which sits on my shelf to this day, gaining weight from the dust while I work at my desk. P90X: 1, Karl: 0.

However, although I haven’t even begun to use Paul Ryan’s intense workout,1 I try to maintain a modicum of health in my everyday life. And here begins my update. You may remember from my first article that I promised to complete any workout, follow any advice, and eat any food I suggest. I aim to keep that promise, so when I recommended in the Sept.

27 issue that you should dump added sugars from your diet, I was faced with a serious challenge to my own diet: to eliminate added sugars.

To do so I decided upon a plan. Since the source I found the advice in mentioned that it’s all right to indulge in one meal a week, I also factored in some allowances.2 I also have two other tricks up my sleeve: rewards and accountability. As for rewards,

“P90X: 1, Karl: 0”

we are much more likely to complete something if there is an incentive, so I decided to reward myself if I stayed free of added sugars. As for accountability, we are also more likely to continue on a regimen if we have others to keep us in check. That’s easy for me: I’m accountable to you, the entire readership of The Collegian. So here’s my plan: Eat no foods with added sugar for the entirety of fall quarter.

Exceptions: Thanksgiving Day, my birthday, and pancakes.

Allowances: 10 instances of added sugar throughout the quarter, which comes out to about one per week.3 As time passes, I find many foods that do have added sugar, but at the same time, it’s becoming easier to deny myself those foods. Cookies, donuts, soda, and

brownies have lost some of their allure — while they still look great, I’m less drawn to them after a mere two weeks of changing my diet. Furthermore, I feel better without it, and am generally eating less.

Lastly, it doesn’t cost $140 to eat less (I’m talking to you, P90X). So, if you think about following this advice, perhaps give it a try. You might be happily surprised by the results. I know I am, and though I’ll throw some good old sucrose back into my diet come Christmas break, I’ve found that I can control the way I eat, and you can too.

1. Austin Considine, “A Beach Body Built in Wisconsin,” , August 15, 2012, nytimes.com/2012/08/16/fashion/ paul-ryan-gives-p90x-workout-a-boost.html.

2. Adam Campbell.

(New York: Rodale, Inc., 2009), 440.

3. I have already used three: Häagen-Dazs, you’ll be the death of me.

FOODIE

LIFE

21

RIGATONI WITH MARINARA SAUCE Amy Alderman Food Editor

Happy National Pasta Month! In the United States, an average American eats

approximately 20 pounds of pasta each year, which makes it the sixth-most-consumed food per capita in the country.1 Pasta is a very versatile dish as it pairs well with many different foods, such as fiber–filled vegetables and beans, heart–healthy oils, and antioxidant-rich tomato sauce.

I’m personally a big fan of healthy, simple food. The quicker, healthier, and more delicious it is, the better. However, I’ve come to realize that in college, quick + healthy + delicious tends to be challenging to put together for a nutritious meal. This marinara sauce recipe may just be the exception.

Once you have the necessary ingredients, all you will have to do is toss them in a pot or pan and let them simmer (while you frantically try to finish up that paper that’s due in an hour) until the sauce becomes thick and is ready to eat.

1. pastafits.org/facts-fun.

Rigatoni with Marinara Sauce Makes: Approx. 2­–3 servings | Total time: Approx. 30 minutes

What you’ll need: frying pan or pot, mixing utensil, knife, chopping board, colander 1 can (28 oz.) whole or diced tomatoes in juice Hot red-pepper flakes (optional) ¼ cup olive oil

Photos by Amy Alderman

Did You Know?

1 ¼ tsp. salt 6 fresh basil leaves, torn into bits 1 box (16 oz.) rigatoni

Chop one clove of garlic very fine and smash remaining clove. Place garlic in frying pan and simmer with red-pepper flakes in olive oil over medium heat. Remove whole garlic clove from pan. Add tomatoes with juice and salt; simmer uncovered until sauce has thickened (approximately 20 minutes). Cook pasta in pot of boiling water and drain in a colander. Remove sauce from heat and stir in basil leaves. Place marinara sauce on top of the rigatoni or toss the pasta and sauce together in a large bowl. Top with grated cheese of choice if desired.

To cook a billion pounds of pasta, you’d need enough water to fill 75,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools, equaling 2,021,452,000 gallons of water.

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LIFE

SPORTS

FOOTBALL

HIGH SCHOOLERS INVADE WWU Tye Forshee

Sunday, 10 a.m.

Cowboys vs. Ravens If the KC defense steps up, this could be the edge they need.

Sunday, 5:20 p.m.

Game of the Week: Packers vs. Texans Can Houston establish themselves on top of the league?

Monday Night Football, 5:30 p.m.

Broncos vs. Chargers Will Denver catch San Diego for top of the AFC West?

GAMES TO WATCH

Sports Editor

Last weekend, Walla Walla University hosted the annual Fall Classic, a tournament of epic proportions involving twenty-one high schools participating in both soccer and volleyball games. While many students at WWU are glad to see friends from high school, others are not as happy to see high schoolers invading our campus. It is, however, a good opportunity for the university to market itself to prospective students. When I was in high school, I participated in Fall Classic and Friendship Tournament every year to the point where I knew my way around the campus before I became a student here.

When choosing a college, I chose WWU in part because I had already experienced some of what the campus had to offer from these tournaments, and it is no different for many high schoolers now.

“I knew my way around the campus before I became a student here.”

This year, the tournament offered plenty excitement and the opportunity for WWU students to root for their respective schools.

The high schoolers also got to experience the brand-new bathrooms in the WEC that are much more suitable to larger crowds. El Dorado beat Loma Linda (25–20, 25–8, 28–26) in volleyball for the championship.

Columbia beat Paradise in a close game (2–1) for the championship in soccer.

For more information on the Fall Classic, including scores, photos, and more go to wallawalla.edu/fallclassic.

Photo by Chris Drake

TAKE A KNEE Trevor Boyson

Sports Editor

Kansas City Chiefs fans aren’t happy.

Unsurprisingly, they felt that starting the year with only one win to four losses wasn’t acceptable for their organization. Twitter user @CayceeHatchette took a photo of a banner someone paid to have flown around Arrowhead Stadium before the Ravens game saying, “We deserve better! Fire Pioli. Bench Cassel.”

People often think they know better than those established in positions of power. We often think we know politics, the proper way to teach a class, or even how to fix the economy better than the people actually in charge of the issue at hand. Sports are so amazing because we can debate the best leadership or tactical decisions. Kansas City fans felt that Cassel was not the best quarterback for the team.

To say Cassel struggled out of the gate would be an understatement. He went 9–15 with two interceptions and a shockingly low 32.8 quarterback rating. Then calamity struck, when a 340-pound Raven freight train masquerading as defensive end Haloti Ngata

hit Cassel hard, knocking him to the ground.

The Chiefs’ quarterback was visibly hurt as he rolled around in pain and clutched his head.

Chiefs fans cheered. Wait, what? Yes, you read that right: His own team’s fans cheered when he got hurt. Can you believe it? The man couldn’t even manage to sit up, and they cheered as he writhed, helpless on the ground.

Chiefs offensive lineman Eric Winston had some choice words for the fans who celebrated Cassel’s injury, saying, “It’s sickening. And I was embarrassed.” These people need to be called out. Not all Chiefs fans, mind you, but those that celebrated what could end up being very serious for his health.

With all the passion and intesity that goes along with competition, all sports present some form of danger. The speed and the chance often supply situations unfortunate enough to result in injuries. I don’t know a single person who would smile when hearing his or her difficult professor got hit by a car while crossing College Avenue. In fact, a concussion isn’t something I’d wish on my worst enemy. What should have resulted in a moment of silence instead resulted in cheering against a man brave enough to do battle while wearing a jersey they professed to love. Look how they rewarded him for it.

COLUMN

LIFE

EVERYONE IS AFRAID OF SEX Heather Moor

Columnist

When it comes down to it, I think that everybody is a little afraid of sex, or at least afraid of talking about it. We perceive that our culture talks about sex because the media is full of images and representations of sex.

Our churches talk about sex too — about how the media should be ashamed for showing sex and how we need to stay away from it. But are these discussions actually getting to the heart of the topic of sex?

Last year, an article titled “The Secret Sexual Revolution” published in Relevant Magazine, an online and print publication exploring faith and pop culture which often resonates with the outchurched generation, suggested that many young Christians are labeling the biblical concept of abstinence as an outdated cultural concept. They cited a study conducted last year by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy which said 88 percent of all unmarried young people (ages 18–29) are sexually active, and of those surveyed who identify themselves as Christians, 80 percent have had sex.1 OK, so four out of five young Christians either don’t believe in the merits of abstinence anymore or just slipped up. Is putting that expectation on young people in today’s society unrealistic? Maybe saving sex for marriage is something that should be written off as just another cultural colloquy.

Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think so. Deeper issues point to a lack of understanding of what sex truly is and how it affects people in very serious ways. Sex isn’t just sex, and somewhere along the way we all missed the point — church, world, and everyone else in between.

When we look at the math, we can see that both “the church” and some of the ideologies we label as “the world” or “culture” have only part of the equation when it comes to their concepts of sex. The problem with our sexdrenched, media-based culture is it divorces God from sex. The problem with our sexcloseting church culture is that it divorces sex

from God. We’ve all forgotten that true intimacy is about emotional and physical closeness, not just one or the other. It’s not about self-fulfillment or enabling fleshly desires; it’s about loving service to one another.

Not everyone is at a loss. Many married church folk have come to figure out the whole sex thing over the years and have learned to enjoy the holistic intimacy that God designed it for, while many married non-church folk have also grown to enjoy its gifts. But to people who either haven’t engaged in sexual activity or are trying to figure out how sex fits into life, the concepts that are pushed on them from all sides help to form their own understanding, expectations, and purposes for sex. And more often than not, it’s not the church that is offering up explanations of sex or even those couples who have figured it out; it’s everyone else.

There are so many people out there who are hungry to know the truth: Newly married Christians who are experiencing feelings of shame, not intimacy, and others who still feel empty after one-night stands. They need that voice of truth, love, and safety that the church is supposed to be.

We need to talk about sex. Not in the way that Barney Stinson talks about his night’s conquests over a drink at McLaren’s. Not in the way that we hear pastors and congregations say sex is wrong. (Oops, did I leave out “before marriage”? So did the rest of Christianity.) We need to be able to ask questions, be honest, share testimonies and concerns.

Porn. Rape. Body image. Sexual Identity.

Submission. Self-worth. Service. Contraceptives. Abuse. Masturbation. Lust. Pregnancy.

Sex and marriage. The church needs to be the center of these conversations.

You can’t change any culture by condemning it or backing away from it. You can only change culture by creating it. Sex is complicated; it’s not an open-and-closed book, and that’s why everyone is afraid to talk about it.

In an ideal world, my church would be cultivating safe conversation for these real issues.

It seems like an unlikely role for my church, but it takes only a few people to start. Over the course of this school year, I

hope this column is the voice that sparks the discussion of sexuality for a campus that is ready to talk.

1. Charles, Tyler. “The Secret Sexual Revolution.” Relavent Magazine, February 20, 2012. relevantmagazine.com/life/relationship/ features/28337-the-secret-sexual-revolution (accessed October 1, 2012).

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24

Julian Weller The Heel Editor

Congratulations, friends: Most of you are over the hump of week three. If you’re abroad right now, I have no idea what your week is like. Your week might not even have humps. Or maybe it has three. I don’t know the local fauna. Still, here’s hoping you’re scurvy free and have gotten your first Collegian by now. Canadian friends, a belated happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you.

(You probably just call it Normal Thanksgiving, right? “Happy Normal Thanksgiving, Grandma.”) American friends, breaking news: Canadians have their own Thanksgiving months before ours, the hipsters. But don’t feel too bad, America; only bad enough to improve. I asked a couple

of Canucks when exactly their holiday was, and even they weren’t sure which day of the week. Next week there will be a quiz on Mexican Thanksgiving. I think it has something to do with Mayo. ... Study up!

Speaking of hipsters, lately I’ve been thinking about the Great Controversy — analogue or digital? My mental debate ripened last weekend while I was in Dayton at a Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives show, where I bought a record. Previously I wondered why I ever bought a record player. All they do is make it fiddlier to listen to music. You have to turn the thing over and you can’t take it jogging, or listen in your car, or share it with your friends as easily. What a waste. But this concert was intimate, organic, and beautiful. It reminded me that’s how I want to experience music anyway. I don’t want to reduce artistry to a list of files I run around with, or only play it to drown

VERBATIM “The Hope Channel is really great on Vicodin. It really comes to life.”

— Japhet de Oliveira

“I never lusted after any part of another man until I saw Brad Pitt in Troy.”

— Ron Jolliffe, on coveting other men’s big arms

“When two vowels come together, they have a baby.”

— Carl Cosaert, on Greek

“What is this, Jersey Shore physics?”

— Roy Campbell, on saying “fuh-get about it”

“Many of your professors think the Internet was created for porn. I think it’s useful for lots of good things!”

— Tom Ekkens, while discussing Wolfram Alpha Hear something funny? Report it! julian.weller@wallawalla.edu

out my surroundings. I’d rather be made to set aside time and focus on what I’m listening to. Otherwise I miss out on the unique way music inhabits us and fills the room.

It feels more disrespectful to the medium when I remember artists dedicate their lives to creating something so easily dismissed.

That conflict between craft and convenience is everywhere. A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook, “Ladies and gentlemen, it really is too much for Mr. Incredible. Each of you has approximately ONE WEEK to request whatever contact information of me you may desire before I resign myself from this particularly wretched Internet engagement.” Ouch. I’ve noticed other friends dropping off the ‘net lately. A resource where you can easily keep in touch with anyone is great, but it’s easy to let Facebook eat up your time without giving anything back. This isn’t breaking news,

SUPER JEWEL QUEST Onions, I’m happy and sad to say a group of seemingly awful grad students have been solving my riddles nearly as soon as I pen them. You must outwit them or suffer enduring apathy.

This week, Onions, give up the fight. es: Thrice whet your mental appetit 1. My jewels are hidden nearby sentries who vigilantly guard my entries.

2. But touched with colic,

here inquire, or to light some hermit’s fire.

3. The wardens strive within their powers guarding rear doors after hours.

but it will be pertinent as we enter the winter months, and the evenings get colder and longer. The best way to fight back against all that is to huddle up with friends. For my part, I’ve started writing real, paper letters to people I care about. It takes time, but that time becomes a gift. You touch something they’ll touch, you see each other’s handwriting, and you get something that won’t be destroyed when aliens invade and ruin all of our technology. Besides, it’s more fun checking a real mailbox.

It’s easier than ever to bypass real experience, so this week, sweet Onions, I challenge you to hunt down and devour adventure and real interaction. Turn down a side street. At the very least, stomp a leaf or two, or pop some real bubble wrap with your real live phalanges.

IF YOU WERE AN ANIMAL WHAT WOULD YOU BE? “I’d love to be a goat.”

Eric Melgosa

“A wild Pegasus ... that belongs to nobody.”

Kate Dickinson

“A frog ... a glass-eyed frog.”

Shelby Paulsen

“Platypus.”

Chris Reeve

“Marcus Peterson.”

Chris Anderson