ISSUE 90.4
UNION COLLEGE
SEPTEMBER 28, 2015
Is caffeine disappearing from the Union College campus?
This year, rumor is circulating that the sale of caffeinated drinks at Cooper’s Corner, coffee in particular, has significantly dropped because said items have disappeared from the sales racks. According to Dr. Linda Becker, the vice president for Student Services, there has been no change in the school’s policy regarding caffeine, which still remains unclear. Adventist institutions do not usually provide caffeine to their faculty, staff, and students—even at related functions and outings—and as a fellow Adventist establishment, Union College strives to provide an environment that promotes a healthy
lifestyle, shared Becker. “What we are trying to do is show integrity about pursuing a healthy lifestyle.” She suggests that while there may be differences in what’s being sold on campus, the difference could simply be a sign of the “creep factor,” in which caffeinated items
have gradually disappeared from the shelves. To confirm rumor, Cooper’s Corner no longer sells coffee. Tea, however, remains available for students to purchase. Each serving of tea sold by Cooper’s Corner and Union Market falls under the recommended amount of daily caffeinated intake permitted by Union’s caffeine policy, but coffee does not, shared a Cooper’s Corner employee wishing to remain anonymous. The real issue boils down to the amount of consumption: the point between peak and crash, the point of optimal brain function. Depending on how an individual Continues on Page 3.
Why we all #LoveUC You’ve seen it written on t-shirts, hashtagged on Instagram and announced proudly in chapel. We all know this year’s Associated Student Body theme is #LoveUC, but how will it affect our ASB team and events? I sat down with president Drew Mekelburg to find out. When asked why #LoveUC was chosen, Mekelburg had a clear answer. “Union has always been known for it’s friendly atmosphere. We, as an ASB team, decided it would be
really cool to try and take that one step further,” he said. “We’d love to see students trying to show the love of Christ to one another and build on that atmosphere of community.” The idea is a good one, but how will this actually happen? With class schedules, piles of homework and jobs, is it really possible for us as a student body to show we love each other? Hardly fazed, Mekelburg described his plan. “We are going to host a few opportunities around campus where
we’ll have specific days to encourage students to show appreciation for each other, such as having ‘pay it forward’ moments like at a restaurant. Clubs will have the opportunity to help host events and really get their members involved as well.” Along with creating an encouraging atmosphere, Mekelburg mentioned that we’ll be seeing ASB at more school events, such as at athletics and drama or music productions. “We really want to encourage students to attend these other events, Continues on Page 3.
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NEWS
Diversity, are we there yet? A recent U.S. News and World Report article placed Union College at the number one spot for diversity in its category (Midwest colleges with fewer than 50 master’s graduates each year). The data is sampled from 97 other schools in the region, with diversity indexes ranging from 13 to 53 percent. On their website[*], there’s a detailed list and a link to the methodology on how results for diversity are calculated. Ethnic categories taken into consideration were non-Hispanic AfricanAmerican, Hispanic, American Indian, Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian, Asian, nonHispanic white and multiracial (two or more races). Students who did not identify as members of any of the above demographic groups are classified as non-Hispanic whites for the purpose of this calculation. Amongst the student body, the response to this news has ranged from a raised eyebrow to a mere smirk of interest. Students seem to have mixed feelings about diversity on campus. Ryan Nelson, a senior biomedical science major, has appreciated the racial diversity he’s experienced at Union. He noted that his “friend group has expanded to include all sorts of people from different cultures,” and that each culture “has helped change the way he sees the world in a positive way.” AJ Valcin, a senior communications major commented, “since [I] started attending Union in 2011 I have seen a significant increase in racial diversity.” He,
similarly to Nelson, felt that “the growing diversity just makes the cultural experience at [Union] that much richer.” When asked about areas in which diversity lacks, or could improve, both students spoke about diversity in faith. Valcin weighed in, saying that
Union’s exclusivity in belief can sometimes be related to students’ lack of effort to “break out of their circles and cliques … reaching out to those needing a friend,” adding that “[these issues] are a lot bigger than they seem, and a solution starts from within the individual.” Both students agreed that having a nominally Adventist campus indicates uniformity in church affiliation, but both expressed interest in seeing a more diverse faith-community develop on campus. “I guess I don’t really feel like we’ve arrived yet,” Dr. Linda Becker responded when discussing Union’s rankings in racial diversity. Becker shared that she feels Union’s racial diversity is related to the fact that we belong to a worldwide church and the composition of the U.S. itself
is becoming more racially diverse. Becker sees Union’s diversity as “part of [students’] education, and that the more diversity students can experience here, the better prepared students are going to be for the world they’re going to live in.” She also described Union as a learning space for students of various backgrounds, where we can “think deeper, and … understand some of our suppositions and biases.” When asked about what other types of diversity are present on campus, Becker highlighted socioeconomic status. She feels that “socioeconomic status probably affects the way we view life as much as our ethnicity … because there is sometimes more shame associated with it.” This type of diversity is important because “it’s just something that we all need to really be aware of,” shared Becker. According to her, there are many students who come to Union despite financial difficulty. While next year’s report could indicate improved statistics for Union, students can begin taking action now to achieve true diversity. True diversity may come from creating a safe learning environment. Other students may need to be more aware of other backgrounds and cultures. Regardless of the end result, culture and communities only grow when we choose to bring awareness and learn from the diversity around us. -Setheesh Moturi
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LIFESTYLE Continued from Page 1. metabolizes caffeine and the amount of intake, caffeine can actually have positive effects on the body. In fact, the typical college student can consume 300mg-400mg (two cups) of coffee daily without contributing to adverse effects, cites caffeineinformer.com. According to the website, caffeine contributes to and aids in alertness, pain relief, physical endurance, motivation and productivity and Continued from Page 1. specifically Saturday nights, so everyone can feel supported around campus.” And, he ultimately hopes our campus won’t be the only one benefitting from a more loving atmosphere. “Well that is really the ulti-
the prevention of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. However, caffeine can also contribute to insomnia, jitters, addiction, headaches, increased blood pressure, anxiety and heart conditions. On the bright side for those who need their fix, caffeine is never far away, as frequent visitors to The Mill like to testify. And, for those who prefer to limit their intake of caffeine but still enjoy the benefits
of improved physical and mental functions, exercise proves an easy alternative. No matter the students’ choice for increasing their brain functionality, tea continues to be served at Cooper’s Corner and Union Market for those students who need a little pick-me-up.
mate goal of this whole thing. We really believe that if we can create this atmosphere around here it will overflow into the community. It may start as doing simple things like picking up trash, paying it forward or even just praying with someone,” Mekelburg stated hopefully. “With things like Project Impact,
we really want students to go back to the places they visited,” he shared. “Not make it just a four hour thing, but a weekly or monthly occasion.” Mekelberg hopes Union sees this as a way to leave a memorable impact not just on campus, but also in the community. -Graci Escobar
-Stefani Leeper
Gossip’s traumatizing effect “My sister was a bit of a pathological liar when she was little,” said junior social work major Morgan Huffman. Madison, Huffman’s younger sister, was riding home with one of her classmates when she decided to share some information on her mother. She explained that her house was clean only when her family was expecting visitors. Huffman then further explained that her mother made her clean the house because her mom didn’t even like to clean— she only liked to drink alcohol, along with her dad. Huffman’s mother received a concerned call later on that week. Huffman’s mom isn’t the only one who has been affected by a rumor. Sophomore elementary education major, Laryssa Schnell had a rumor spread about her this summer. “At Broken Arrow Ranch in the summer, a basketball hoop fell on me and gave me a concussion. That night I collapsed and one of my
coworkers found me at the campfire bowl, so he took me to the hospital.” When Schnell got back from the hospital, rumors were flying around camp that she was taken to the hospital because she was found unconscious in the shower. The rumor
said that she had to be taken to the hospital because she was pregnant and the father was the coworker who took her. Northeastern University conducted a study researching how gossip affects people. They displayed pictures of random people and under their
pictures wrote a rumor pertaining to that person. The research showed that people’s eyes lingered on the pictures with negative rumors. Freshman Rebecca Phillips, a general studies major, recalled a story about one of her friends in high school. Her friend travelled to India for a trip and one day rode a motorcycle with a man. Nothing else happened afterwards. When her friend came back, a rumor flew around that she had asked for sex. Traumatized, the girl decided to go to a different school. What do all these stories and facts tell us? Before you share something about someone who isn’t present, even if it’s true, make sure that you would still say it if they were present. Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Naomi Prasad
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OPINION
Enjoying the Struggle “Kom Mongo Tari?” I thought I had asked one of my students at potluck, “Have you eaten already?” But instead of getting a response from her I was greeted by hearty laughter. And not just from my student but from everybody who was at potluck. They laughed and pointed at me as if I was standing in my underwear. I quietly finished my food and went to my apartment above the school. I hate when they do that Later that day, I decided to go hang out with the kids. As I approached, I noticed two of my students were there, I waved to them and said hello, but they just stared back at me. I thought, maybe they just didn’t hear me. So I got closer and noticed they were watching the principal’s wife riding a strange contraption, a bike. Their gazes were intent and their eyes were glued on her like a dog’s onto a piece of meat, I could tell they wanted to ride. So I asked them if they knew how to ride and both of them said no. Finally, an opportunity to bond with these kids who seemed to not like me at all in class and were constantly saying they missed their last teacher. But I couldn’t seem too eager, so I just said casually, “So, you guys want to learn?” “No.” Twenty minutes later I saw them riding bikes up and down the
parking lot, laughing, and having a great time. Why does reaching out to these people have to people have to be such a struggle? And that is how you could describe my first month here in Kosrae, the struggle. Everyday of this month has seemed like a constant battle with no victories. At school, I have dealt with comments from students like, “I wish Ms. Makayla was here.” “Why don’t you put up the multiplication tree like Ms. Makayla?” Then, at church, there are many times I have felt left out and nonexistent because everyone is speaking Kosraen and there is no translator. I started asking what things meant but I stopped because I thought, what’s the point, I won’t remember it and it won’t help me anyway. Yes, the first month and three weeks of school have been about as gloomy as Seattle’s weather. Then. I got a letter from a former Student Missionary who had been in Kosrae. In his note he put a lot of kind words, but there was a phrase that stuck out to me, Enjoy the Struggle. Enjoy the struggle, how am I supposed to that? And why? The next day after school, I decided to ride the bus with the kids. While on the bus I started talking
and learning more about some of the kids in my class. The whole time the bus was bouncing up and down. The kids loved it andwere laughing and having a great time, and so was I. Later that day, it hit me. It was then that I finally started to understand what my friend had been talking about in his letter. Without the struggle I would never be able to fully appreciate the journey. Just like on the bus, the bumps along the road had caused the kids to laugh and had enhanced the good times we had. Also, the bumps on the road were made worth it because of the final destination, home. Without the struggles of this first month and the others that will come, I won’t truly be able to call Kosrae my home for this year. Yes, the services are still in Kosraen, I still mess up Kosraen words, and sometimes my kids just stare at me despite my amazing jokes. My situation has not changed but my outlook is. I am learning to laugh at myself and yet still do my best to learn. Those students are finally starting to open up to me and I am being more real with them. I don’t doubt there will be more struggles here in Kosrae and also in your life, but find the joy in your struggle. Because without them we won’t end up where we need and so desperately want to be, HOME. -J-Fiah Reeves
Planned Parenthood and the government shutdown Trigger Warnings Nigel Summerlin To avoid seeing, hearing or reading about the video footage depicting Planned Parenthood executives wheeling and dealing aborted fetuses for cash would be an impressive accomplishment. Since the release of the videos by an anti-abortion activ-
ist group, the battle over the organization’s government funding has raged, mostly between those already deeply entrenched on either side of the abortion debate. A Republican-dominated Congress has not surprised America with
its response. Divided and loud, the Republicans in the House of Representatives have expressed united outrage and diverging solutions to the emotionally stirring footage. Republicans have shown to be more than willing to stand their
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OPINION moral ground on this issue, arguing that these videos display Planned Parenthood’s ineligibility for federal funding due to its illegal and unethical treatment of aborted human fetuses. Democrats, of course, have no interest in defunding a program which they see as a necessary service to women across the nation. On September 18, Congress passed two bills which would, among other things, postpone Planned Parenthood’s federal funding. The bill will not be welcomed by a Democratic senate or White House, though, and government employees around the world are tense to see how Congress will react to a veto or loss in the senate and whether they should brace for another shutdown. Although I believe that the government should be shut down permanently, I don’t see this situation as the one to accomplish that. “Government shutdown” has a more ambivalent meaning than it implies. Very simply put, it means that Congress has failed to fund an existing agency or operation, and until they pass legislation that does, nonessential government employees will be furloughed and the operations or agencies in question will be temporarily inactive. The risk of such a shutdown stems from the fact that Planned Parenthood’s funding is included with a more encompassing budget which determines the funding for a plethora of operations. If the House promises to only pass a budget which
does not contain funding for the non-profit, while at the same time President Obama guarantees to veto any such bill, we are faced with a classic question: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? Now, if Planned Parenthood
previously had charges filed against it, or was even unsupported by the majority of Americans, Congress’s actions would be understandable. To support an organization which had been proven legally irresponsible or unethical in the eyes of most Americans with American tax dollars would be wrong, indeed. But that isn’t the situation. The relevant videos have proved to be severely edited in order to appear incriminating. When the complete footage is viewed, it becomes clear that the executives involved had no intention of making a profit, but were donating fetal tissue and using compensation to cover the baseline costs running their organization. However one ethically chooses to view that, it’s clear that Planned Parenthood is within its legal rights. That means that a terrifying number of members of the 114th
Congress of the United States of America are willing to put government employees and systems out of commission based on the hearsay that videos exist which show Planned Parenthood executives performing an abominable action— which never happened. The obnoxious introduction of more facts complicates the issue further. Abortions comprise only three percent of Planned Parenthood’s services, and those abortions are funded by private donors, foundations and fees—not the government. The rest of the non-profit’s budget (of which government funding constitutes more than a third) is used for a contraception, STI testing and treatment, cancer screening and other women’s health services. While the idiocy in this situation is quite clear, the deeper meaning may not be. Politicians have become intent on walking the party line to the point where they are willing to ignore facts in order to find support from their constituents. If we can’t expect our politicians to gather facts, how can we trust them at all? Although I write about Republican ignorance in this scenario, the disregard of factual evidence is rampant through both parties on Capitol Hill. This issue, and the unwavering support given to those who propose an ineffective and uninformed showdown with the White House, exhibit the misguided priorities in America—convictions first, reason and evidence second.
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OPINION
Raging age of cage-free change Column like I see ‘em Kevin Niederman Within 10 years, all eggs purchased by McDonald’s will be from cage-free hens. Why the switch? McDonald’s is suffering from dwindling sales these last few years. Corporate execs have attributed this fall to data supporting that the youth of America is uncomfortable with the uncertainty surrounding the food they might eat from the restaurant. The transition to cage-free eggs is a large one, and has the potential to ripple across the entire egg industry. According to The New York Times, McDonald’s purchased about 4 percent of the 44 billion American-produced eggs last year. That’s a little less than 2 billion eggs. Of those 2 billion eggs, less than 1 percent were cage-free eggs. The statistics stating that McDonald’s purchases 4 percent of all the eggs produced in this country were gathered during a time in which eggs were only prepared and served between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. With the announcement of breakfast sales now going around the clock, the potential number of eggs that McDonald’s might need could double or even
triple. With the massive numbers of eggs McDonald’s requires, and with other fast food chains potentially falling in line, the pressure for an egg farmer to shift to cage-free farming is substantial. Which, to me, isn’t exactly the best outcome. Cage-free hens is a label that’s really trendy right now. Of course, putting animals in cages where they can’t move is a little messed up, but the industry moved in that direction for a reason. It’s not like the whole industry just began with cruel suburban 11-year-olds who wanted to beat animals with sticks and make a profit. Initially, hens were all cage-free and stored in buildings where they could move about freely. There were several problems with this. The severe buildup of chicken manure coated the eggs and most of the pen. Chickens fought and killed each other over the severely cramped space, and disease spread easily amongst the birds. Maybe throwing the hens into cages and cutting off their beaks wasn’t the nicest thing, but the chickens didn’t murder each other,
diseases were more successfully contained, and, most importantly to me, the eggs were clean. Just because we’re letting the chickens out of the cages doesn’t mean we’re treating them more humanely. Cage-free doesn’t mean free range. There’s no sun, no room and no grass. It’s basically like turning an egg farm from your typical individual-cell prison to “Escape from New York.” Let’s get one thing straight: McDonald’s does not care about these chickens. They care about falling profits. Consumers care about the chickens, and McDonald’s wants their money. But if consumers are the ones instigating the change, if they’re the ones with the actual power, then shouldn’t that change be a little more substantial? If I were locked in a cage and immobilized and then suddenly told, “Hey, we want to let you out of your cage! You’ll be able to stretch and walk around along with 75,000 other people, and the chances of being shanked and cannibalized just went up a few hundred fold,” I’d be inclined to stay in my cage.
God is female Sacred slant Sarah Ventura Women will remain unequal to men for as long as major religions ignore the femininity of God. Christianity is the world’s largest religion, making up about 32% of the world’s population, and Christians hold onto the maleness of God tightly because that’s how the Bible was written. God is our Father, our King, and our Brother.
In the cultures of the Old and New Testaments, it makes sense that God would reveal Himself through the male metaphor because at the time men held almost all power. Men were the ones to be respected, followed and trusted. Women, on the other hand, were property. They were valued almost exclusively for their sexuality and
their ability to bear children. While we have examples of important women in Ruth, Esther and Deborah, these women were still unequal to their male counterparts. And we can find inequality reflected throughout the Old Testament, such as in Deuteronomy chapter 20 when God gives instructions to the Israelite men regarding the spoils of war: “As for
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OPINION the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves.” In the next chapter, God lays out the proper procedure for marrying captive women, telling the Israelite men to take and marry any woman they found attractive, but to give her a month to mourn the loss of her family before consummating the marriage. And, if for any reason they were not pleased with her, they had to let her go instead of making her a slave because they had already defiled her. If this seems barbaric, that’s because it is. We don’t do this anymore, just as we don’t stone women for lying about their virginity or for being raped and not screaming loud enough for help (Deuteronomy 22). But at the time God gave those rules to the Israelites, they were revolutionary. By telling the Israelite men to wait a month before having sex with their new captive wives, God basically forbade the rape of women at the post-victory after party. In the New Testament, we find
EASY
evidence of God’s continued effort to draw people into present truth. The bias against women is still there: the writers of the New Testament are men and all twelve disciples and most main characters are men. Moreover, women are told to be silent in church and to submit to their husbands. But we also have stories of Jesus treating women as if they hold intrinsic value—caring more for the life of a woman than for the law of Moses (John 8), standing up for a woman in public (Matthew 26)—and we have a of couple verses hinting that women in the early church played keys roles in the expansion and financing of the Gospel. While it makes perfect sense that we still refer to Jesus as male since He literally has the anatomical parts, it doesn’t make sense that we still only refer to God the Father as male. In truth, God does not have a gender. God “the Father” does not have the anatomical parts we humans use to differentiate fathers from mothers. But the greater truth is that God is both genders.
Women and men both were made in the image of God. The gender assigned to God in the Bible was done so to help the people of that day comprehend an incomprehensible God. God used the literary tools of metaphor and personification because, as every good writer knows, those literary tools work. God is our Father and now, in 2015, we should be able to see that God is equally our Mother. The closer we get to truth, the closer we get to paradox. It’s vitally important that Christians finally acknowledge, accept and celebrate the femininity of God. It’s important that we become as comfortable with referring to God as “She” as we are with “He” because language shapes us. Stories shape us. For thousands of years, the Ultimate Authority of the universe has been male, and we have done an outstanding job reflecting that story in our world. But the time has come to move forward, to embrace the truth that yes, God is male, and yes, God is female.
HARD
Humans of Union College
“Nya and I were born here in America. I went to Sudan for the first time this summer. I’ve only gone now because first off, it’s super expensive to go . . . like $2,000 for a ticket. Second of all, during our typical school vacation here in America, it’s the wet season in Africa. It’s not even a good time to go visit, because there’s so much water everywhere. My grandfather wanted me to come visit him during the wet season, but if I were to do that, I’d literally have to go swimming just to get to the other side where he lives.” -Nyabuom Chuol
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