92.17

UNION COLLEGE

ISSUE 92.17 | 04/04/2018

clock tower

THE

WHAT'S INSIDE KOSRAE page 03

FACEBOOK page 05

FAREWELL page 08

KOSOVO page 10

Student missionaries get to connect with kids of all ages overseas | PC: Keelia Trively

W

VARUGU* WITH VATEMA*

here do I begin? I guess I should start with the obvious, and not so obvious… God is so good. Some Sabbaths ago we went to a church in town and the Pastor told us about the name of God and that He is I AM. The Pastor talked about how that name shows that God is enough, God is all things to all people. God is the healer. God is the provider. God is the miracle-worker. God is the Father. God is the friend. God is the Prince. God is love. God is so good.

This whole experience changed me. It’s changed how I see the world. It’s changed how I see myself, not only in what I see myself doing career-wise, but what I see in the mirror. It’s changed the way I see God. I’m currently at Kuda Vana Children’s Home in Zimbabwe which is right above South Africa (that’s a country, NOT a continent). I'm a co-teacher Monday-Thursday and an Auntie every day.

I play with our little babies in the nursery who are usually malnourished and always under-loved when they first get

here, and I have funny and heartbreaking conversations with our pre-teens and teenagers.

Our campus is set up with 5 homes: Nursery, House 1, House 2, House 3, and House 4. I eat supper at every house and listen to their family worships at night.

We play soccer during playtime and I make sure the kids don’t fall off the see-saw. I’m asked how I’m doing every 5 minutes and the appropriate answer is, “I’m fine, and how are you?”

I help plan church service and teach the kids new songs. I push them on the swings and let them teach me new games and new Shone words.

I'm working with 2 other amazing SMs: Carrie and Kaylan.

Before I came here I honestly wanted to do this trip on my own, but God has shown me that I couldn’t have. It's been incredible getting to be with these ladies, growing with them and experiencing this place and these kids with them. [ continued on page 2 ]

02

MISSION EMPHASIS

EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-Chief Gabriel Flechas Assistant Editor James Clague Copy Editor Jonathan Deemer Social Media Editor Chloe Blackburn Layout Editors Maegan Luckiesh Katie Buxton Photographers Esther Pervis (lead) Kayla Potts Sally Becker

NEWS

VATEMA The 3 of us come from different backgrounds which has been crucial in showing God to these kids; truly, the only thing worth doing.

Our kids have gone through hell. Some have been found in pit toilets, some have run from home, some have lived on the streets, some have been sexually assaulted, some have experienced death first hand and most of them haven’t felt their birth parent’s love.

But I see every one of them smile and hear every one of them laugh every day.

God is so good.

“

News Editor Danica Eylenstein Campus News Kayla Miller Local News Caroline Guchu World News Jesse Shoghi

Plus, these kids are the cutest things in the entire world, trust me.

HUMANS

OPINION

Opinion Editor Maxwell Bromme Sports Opinion Tyler Dean Religious Opinion Kasondra Reel Global Opinion Wesley Rodriguez-Diep

SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook /ClocktowerASB Snapchat @asbunioncollege Read Online clocktower.ucollege.edu Read the Print issuu.com/clocktowerASB

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Humans Editor Ria Carriger Memento Artem Cameron Cizek Collegiate Culture Amanda McCarter People & Travel Melissa Ratter HOUC Mike Ayala Freelance Bry Galloway

Yes, they have their bad days. Yes, our babies bite and throw temper-tantrums.

Yes, our kids fight and go too far with their humor. Yes, there are days where I don’t like them all. But yes, every day I love them, and I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.

[ continued from page 1 ] government turn over but even then, I felt safe), and we really haven’t been rudely harassed in town (except once at the very beginning). I was prepared and knew ways to handle and avoid those situations.

What I wasn’t prepared for was teaching (EVERYONE TEACHES SOMETHING IF THEY GO OUT AS AN SM) or being a child’s confidant about nightmares and his past when he hasn’t opened up to others about anything (luckily Kaylan and I got to share that and talk it through how we could help him).

But being unprepared has made me see God work in miraculous ways.

This adventure has been life-changing in all the cliché ways plus more. For those who are looking into being an SM, do it.

You might be scared, you might think you’re not enough. But that’s the whole point. God is enough, and He wants to show that to you in ways you probably never dreamed of. Plus, these kids are the cutest things in the entire world, trust me.

I love you and miss you all dearly and you are all in my prayers! ~Keelia Trively~ *Varungus (vah-roon-goos) = many white people *Vatemas (vah-teh-mahs) = many black people

I felt that I was very prepared for this adventure (it’s more than a trip and I always call it an experience, so I wanted a different word).

Pastor Rich’s class does a great job reminding us to stay safe and give our all to our kids while still having time to ourselves to re-charge.

But, now that I'm over half way done here and am looking back on things, I realized I was completely prepared for things that haven’t happened and completely not prepared for things that have. a

I don’t feel like I've been put in dangerous situation (minus the

PC: Keelia Trively

Keelia Trively is a student missionary in Zimbabwe.

MISSION EMPHASIS

03

CULTURAL CONNECTIONS FROM KOSRAE

J

-fiah Reeves came to Union from Texas in the fall of 2013, and will graduate in May 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Theology.

J-fiah plans to be an associate pastor after he graduates.

From 2015 - 2016, J-fiah spent time in Kosrae, an island in Micronesia, as a student missionary. He was willing to share his story to whomever will listen and encourages others to consider becoming a student missionary.

an invitation to eat at someone’s house or get a sample of what someone was cooking. People smiled and waved at you even if they didn’t know you.

They also didn’t really have a concept of personal space, which at times could be a little annoying but also allowed us to feel closer to each other.

thing I enjoyed the most was scuba diving. We got certified to scuba dive at the beginning of spring break and were able to do 4 dives. Every time we went we saw something beautiful in the ocean.

There was Christmas coral on the rocks, eels, and bright colored fish.

On our final dive we got to see some sharks and without realizing it I started floating towards them - our scuba instructor had to pull me back. It was such a cool experience that I would do again in a heartbeat.

Melissa Ratter: Why did you decide to be a student missionary?

MR: What life lessons did you learn through the experience?

J-fiah Reeves: I wanted to take a year to get away from school and focus on serving others.

JR: I learned that as Christians we love others, not so we can be loved in return but because we have been loved.

I learned that the difficulties of life or an experience make the joys of the journey worth it.

I also wanted to work with kids and experience another culture.

MR: What was the best part of being there?

JR: The best part of being in Kosrae was getting to know the people there and experiencing life with them. My sixteen students changed my life and taught me so much about patience and love. I miss laughing with them at the dumbest things and singing the same song a billion times.

I miss walking down the streets and playing random games with the local kids and practicing my Kosraean. I miss the ladies at the church always making me food because they said I was too skinny and would get sick if I didn’t eat. The people there were by far the best part of my experience.

MR: What was the biggest difference in the culture?

JR: Kosraeans were much more welcoming and family oriented; you could have 4 to 5 generations living in the same house or across the street from you.

Whenever I would walk down the road by the school I would always get

Sometimes sharing culture is sillier than you’d expect | PC: J-Fiah Reeves

You would share food from the same bowl or sit real close to a friend and that showed you were welcomed among them.

MR: What was the hardest part about being there?

JR: The language/cultural barrier was hard to deal with many times.

The Islanders were extremely passiveaggressive and this made problemsolving really hard at times, especially in the church. The cultural barrier also made it hard for me to understand why my students did certain things or felt certain ways about my behavior. The language barrier made it difficult when people would talk in Kosraean around you so you wouldn’t understand and make no efforts to speak English.

Lastly, when you decrease the distance between you and others, you increase the impact you can have in their lives.

MR: What advice would you give to future student missionaries?

JR: Be open to experiencing new people, places, foods, and moments wherever you go. Immerse yourself in the culture and pray for the strength to live outside of your own comforts.

MR: Tell me a story about your spring break there!

JR: We did some pretty cool stuff during Spring Break, like climbing the tallest mountain in Kosrae, but the

PC: J-Fiah Reeves

Melissa Ratter is a senior studying language arts education.

04

NEWS

FUTURE STORIES CONFERENCE O

n March 22, Union sent two Honors students, junior communication major and Union Scholars Vice President, Natasha McWilliamsNasser, and myself (Union Scholars President), along with Honors director, Dr. Malcolm Russell, to the Upper Midwest Regional Honors Conference in Lamoni, Iowa hosted by Graceland University.

This year’s conference was themed, Future Stories. Upon arrival on Thursday evening, all present honors students from 18 different colleges and universities gathered for a buffet meal, followed by a time of socializing where students had the opportunity to network and make friends over card and board games and an open mic night.

McWilliams-Nasser explains, “I got to network and meet some really nice people from all over. I met a girl, her name is Dani, and she is a pre-med major, very friendly. She’s actually half Lebanese just like I am and we just clicked and became friends quickly.”

The following morning was filled with six speaking sessions with 45 different lectures to select from, each lasting 25-50 minutes.

I had the privilege of being selected as a presenter, speaking on how pornography enables rape culture.

Other topics at the event included racial ambiguity, the future of transplant technology, studying abroad, recreational therapy, end of life care and many others.

The later afternoon also had 24 poster presentations on a variety of topics, including the arts and humanities, health and biological sciences, math and engineering, natural and environmental sciences and social sciences and education. McWilliamsNasser stated, “I thought it was all very

Honors students from many schools met up and learned together at the conference | PC: graceland.edu

good. We also got to attend quite a few of meetings and learn about a variety of different things.

"There was one speech about how certain fields, specifically STEM fields, are male-dominant and we were able to talk in groups about how we can try to change that to be more equal.

"I also really enjoyed the opportunity to hear a variety of opinions. Typically, when you go to a Christian/Adventist college, a lot of people come from a similar background, but here you were able to discuss and hear about a lot of hot topics from people who come from many different backgrounds.”

Although a three-day event, Union concluded their time at the event on Friday evening with a banquet meal provided by the conference and a speech from keynote speaker Stephen Donahoe, major-donor fundraiser of the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

The topic was, “The Future of Peace and Justice Advocacy: Your Voice Is Essential,” during which Donahoe challenged students to get involved, vote, and take care of their mental health and each other.

After friendly goodbyes and a few last pictures, Union began their journey home, taking with them many ideas for the Union College Honors program and ways to further extend the Union Scholars experience.

Dr. Russell concluded, “I think students enjoyed it and it gave me a lot of ideas that we could consider for Union. I hope people will come next year. Honors conferences are a great time for students to come present themselves. One of the nice things for this conference was to hear Kayla give a very good presentation.”

In future years, Russell hopes to bring more Honors students to the conference as both presenters and attendants. He encourages students, “It is a great experience for you, it strengthens your speaking skills, it strengthens your professional development, and it is an all-around good experience.”

Kayla Miller is a junior studying nursing.

NEWS

05

THE PRICE OF FREE F

acebook, the world’s largest social media company, is facing allegations from Congress and officials that it violated the users’ trust by allowing its massive amount of user data to fall into the hands of a third-party consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica.

The allegations concern the improper use of the data Facebook has on its nearly 2 billion users worldwide, when it surfaced weeks ago that Cambridge Analytica had been holding onto a portion of said data that it had assured Facebook had been deleted.

While part of the controversy surrounds the larger question of Cambridge’s ties to the Trump campaign during 2016, as well as Facebook’s unintended assistance in allowing Russian trolls to spread discord on its platform, those controversies will not be the target of this article.

The problem arose from a policy that Facebook had in place from 2007 to 2015, when the company provided tools and data to app developers, researchers and other entities to better equip their apps and software with a more complete picture on the users who download and utilize them. Due to privacy concerns, Facebook stopped this practice in 2015.

However, Facebook found out later that year that a man working at the

University of Cambridge, Aleksandr Kogan, had violated Facebook’s terms and conditions by sharing portions of Facebook’s data from his app to a company, Cambridge Analytica.

While the company promised Facebook that it had deleted the relevant data, that turned out to not be true. Facebook’s initial handling of the leak by the Observer, regarding the company’s breach, didn’t instill much confidence in the rest of the world, especially after it was found that Facebook threatened to sue the Observer if they leaked the information.

The company later backtracked, with a public apology by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg online and on multiple full page advertisements across the country. Ironically, one of the ads was in the Observer, the very newspaper that Facebook threatened.

Zuckerberg promised to do better, with regulation changes regarding information given for advertising and data analytics. In addition, the company plans to investigate all of its partners and related app developers’ requests for information to see exactly where such instances of privacy violations might have occurred or may occur in the future.

For Union students, this revelation has consequences for anyone who uses social media, searches on the Internet or purchased something online.

Everyone who owns an Internet connected device has at multiple points in their life had data on them taken and stored by a plethora of different tech companies, which they use to build an impressively detailed character map of the user.

This information, while often used to build profiles to sell to targeted advertisers, is continuing to be used in other ways. While debatably nefarious in its own right, it isn’t outright damaging to the unsuspecting user.

What is concerning though, as demonstrated by this aforementioned leak, what may happen when that information, through either hacking or violation of terms and conditions, comes into the hands of a company or organization that wants to use that data for determinal purposes.

These, and future news of hacks, leaks or illegal data transfers prove that the online world will continue to envelope more and more of our data.

While many companies’ services are “free” and almost essential to a college student’s life, it definitely pays to have a greater understanding of what information is taken where, lest we find ourselves blindsided by information appearing where it’s least expected. https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebookscandal-what-to-know-about-cambridgeanalytica-and-your-data-1521806400 https://www.theguardian.com/ technology/2018/mar/24/facebook-weekof-shame-data-breach-observer-revelationszuckerberg-silence h t t p s : / / w w w . r e c o d e . net/2018/3/25/17161262/facebook-cambridgeanalytica-apology-ads-newspapers-datawashington-post-new-york-times

Facebook lost face after privacy breaches surfaced in the news recently | PC: wikimedia.org

Jesse Shoghi is a junior studying computing.

06

NEWS

NEW CHICK-FIL-A IN LINCOLN A

new addition is coming to Lincoln that many students will benefit from. Chickfil-A is planning another expansion this year, making it their second location in Lincoln.

The Atlanta based restaurant has made a deal to buy the Perkins on the corner of 48th and O street.

According the Board of Zoning Appeals, the new Chick-fil-A will be slightly bigger than the current one at SouthPointe Pavilions which opened in the fall of 2015.

Charlie Colon, general manager at Chick-fil-A, is looking forward to the company’s newest addition. “Chickfil-A is a popular restaurant so this new location is going to be able to serve more Lincoln residents in more ways than one.”

City officials don’t have a set open date for Chick-fil-A but when the project gets approved it will mark the end of Perkins in Lincoln since the O street location is the the company’s last in the city.

The good news for students is the difference in distance from campus between the current location and the

new one. You can now save a minute of driving while you rush over to get an original spicy sandwich and sweet tea!

“Chick-fil-A is one of my favorite places to eat,” comments freshman prenursing major Greg Hanson. “I’m going to be spending even more money since it’s closer now but am I mad? No.” Since the restaurant’s first beginnings in 1946 in Atlanta, Georgia, Chick-fil-A now has more than 2,200 locations spread across the U.S in states such as Florida, California, New York and even a few locations in Canada as well. “I think that it’s a good idea to build another location,” comments sophomore social work major Sandra Elizondo. “The fact that they have vegetarian and other non-meat options makes them well known so everyone can eat there.”

Even though Chick-fil-A has a reputation of being closed every Sunday, they were named the most popular restaurant in 2016 and continue to open up different locations.

“It’s sad to see the last Perkins get shut down but I think that it’s a better idea to have a more successful business in town,” comments junior business administration Elizabeth Daniels.

Despite the business shut down, there are some good changes to happen to Lincoln. “Chick-fil-A is a big company and for them to open another location here will be beneficial to the community,” comments senior marketing major Kevin Svoboda. “The area is surrounded by other restaurants and businesses which can also help them out too.”

With the quality food and great customer service that they provide, more people will be able to “Eat Mor Chikin” here in Lincoln in the next coming year.

Chick-fil-a has big plans for its 2nd Lincoln location | PC: klkntv.com

Caroline Guchu is a junior studying communication.

HUMANS

07

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES IN LINCOLN V

olunteering is a wonderful way to get involved in the community and help out. It’s also a great way to add to your resume.

Finding a place and getting started can be the hardest part.

Here are some options:

lincolngoodwill.org/volunteeropportunities

to submit an application and attend orientation in August if accepted.

If you’d like to work in a medical environment and gain experience, Bryan Health, a nonprofit health system, offers many volunteering positions. For college students though, they ask for a minimum commitment of three consecutive months. Bryan Health has wide variety of service areas to volunteer in including clerical, family support, delivery, information, patient support and patient transportation.

The Lied Center’s volunteer page can be found at: www.liedcenter.org/support/ volunteer Not all volunteer opportunities involve working with people. The Cat House is an adoption facility and nokill shelter for Lincoln cats. It was started in 1998 and since then they have provided a home for cats until they can can be adopted, no matter how long that may take. Volunteer tasks include taking care of the cats,

PC: healthylincoln.org

PC: nytimes.com

Maybe you had the opportunity to help out at Goodwill during Project Impact or maybe you just enjoy shopping for clothes at a low price, but either way you’re probably familiar with the store. Goodwill has several volunteering opportunities.

The steps you need to take are simple and few, starting with filling out their online application and attending a volunteer orientation within 30 days of your application’s submission.

After orientation, you can begin volunteering two days after your location has been assigned.

Volunteer tasks include pre-sorting donations, facility upkeep, clerical work, special events and special group projects.

Goodwill’s volunteer page can be found at:

To volunteer at Bryan Health, you’ll need to fill out their application form, immunization history form, and a parental consent form (if you’re younger than 19).

Bryan Health’s volunteer page can be found at: www.bryanhealth.com/volunteer/ If you’re interested in the arts and want a more long term position, you could consider applying for the Student LIEDers program at the Lied Center.

A commitment is needed to usher for at least six events between the months of September and May.

PC: causeforpawslincoln.org

facility cleaning and maintenance, transportation and much more.

Volunteers can work at the shelter, or even do some work for home as well.

To volunteer at The Cat House, you’ll have to fill out an application online, or contact them by phone or email.

The Cat House’s volunteer page can be found at: thecathouse.org/volunteer/

PC: liedcenter.org

Student volunteers are tasked with greeting patrons, distributing programs and seating patrons, and helping to provide aid in emergency situations. To apply for a volunteer position at the Lied Center, you’ll need

Amanda McCarter is a junior studying biomedical science.

08

HUMANS

A FAREWELL AFTER 13 YEARS P

a s s i o n a t e .

Committed. Caring.

Donene Braithwaite has been described as all these things. After dedicating 13 years to Union College, Dean B. is leaving us to follow a new path.

At a young age, Dean B. spent her summers working at camp where she realized she needed a job that allowed her to work with young people.

Halfway through her college career, she made a decision to come to Union College and major in psychology with a minor in religion in hopes of becoming a dean.

After college, it wasn’t exactly easy finding a job. For a year, she was hired to work part-time as a head resident assistant for Rees Hall and then accepted an offer as a full-time dean at Mt. Ellis Academy in Montana. Four years later, God opened the door and she made her way back to Union College.

“

The privilege of being part of students day-today lives keeps her motivated to come to work.

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Dean B says, “It was like coming back home because I went to school here; I loved Union, I knew what Union was about and so I was excited to come back and be a part of that.”

Dean B. loves to get to know students and learn their strengths to

Dean B inspired and supported Union students for 13 years | PC: Kayla Potts

help them grow. Her positive outlook on life helps her solve problems with great results, and her belief in those around her is a representation of her undying passion.

With Strengths Finder traits such as developer, positivity and belief, it’s no wonder that Dean B. has left an impact on so many students’ lives.

Anahi Saenz, a junior who has worked as an RA for the past two years, says, “Dean B. has shown me how to be brave. She is incredibly strong and has the biggest heart."

According to Dean B., the relationships that she builds with students and the privilege of being part of their day-to-day lives keeps her motivated to come to work. She strives to make dorm life a welcoming environment. Kim Canine, Vice President of Student Life, shares, “Dean B. has been someone who has created great visions for the residential halls.”

Dean B. is heavily involved with Union College as a whole. Not only is she the Head Dean of women, but has also actively involved herself with the Associated Student Body for 12 years.

During her time spent with ASB she extended her connections to both female and male students. As a result of her hard work and dedication, she was promoted to the Dean of Students in the Fall of 2016.

“The role she plays is not an easy one, but she does it always with love for the students at the core,” says Dean Emily, Associate Dean of Women. It will be sad to see her go, but it is understandable why Loma Linda University has offered her a job as Associate Dean of Women.

Dean B. was not looking to leave Union College, but she strongly believes in prayer and feels that this is where God is calling her and her family. “I love Union,” she says, “and I don't take for granted the amazing opportunities that I was given to build relationships and connections with students.”

Her presence will be missed on campus; however, her God-given talents will continue to impact whomever she encounters.

Alaysha Harris is a junior studying communication.

HUMANS

09

DADA: NOTHING, NOTHING, AND MORE NOTHING MEMENTO ARTEM B ombs bursting, shouts of troops in the trenches, gunfire everywhere. The Great War, or World War I, left a scar on the face of the world. From the flames of warfare, a new movement emerged in the the art world.

photomontage and collage to challenge the old-school mediums of painting and sculpture. Dada also rejected the idea of the establishment.

Although, it contradicted itself with this thought. Dadaists would often say, “Dada is anti-Dada.” However, most mocked the art establishment through their creations.

Dada surfaced in response to the atrocities of World War I, the bourgeois class and questioning of the corrupted parts of society that may have caused the war.

Trust me, Dada gets weird. Cadeau, or “Gift” in French, by Man Ray is an iron with a row of nails projecting from its surface. This object perfectly exemplifies what Dada aimed to do.

Dada’s roots can be traced back to Zurich, Switzerland but spread to other major cultural centers like New York City and Paris.

A normal object became something weird, sadistic and unnatural in a way that escapes the realm of logic and understanding. Another example is Hannah Höch’s Für ein Fest gemacht (Made for a Party). This collage is a response to societal standards of gender in her works the artist’s world.

The creator of Dada was the writer Hugo Ball who, in 1916, created a satirical night-club in Zurich called the Cabaret Voltaire, and a magazine entitled Dada. Around him a group of artists and poets formed.

This ragtag group of artists created a philosophy and strategies to describe how to create new forms of both literary and visual art.

Dada sounds like a weird name though right? Well, the story goes that the group in Zurich used chance to pick the name of their movement.

The most widely accepted story is that a paper knife was shoved into a French-German dictionary.

“

She makes the viewer take a good, hard look at how we define beauty.

Für ein Fest gemacht (Made for a Party) by Hannah Höch | PC: theartstack.com

The knife pointed to the French word dada or “hobby-horse.”

However, the word holds meaning in multiple other languages as well which conveniently aligned to a core value of the group to open up their movement internationally.

Dada launched an unrelenting attack on traditional ideas and concepts associated with art, aiming to create new ones. Dadaists usually can be divided into two schools of thought: those who were creating from genuine outrage, and those making the weird and wild.

In this rejection of traditionalism, many Dadaists used objects,

Through the use of magazine pictures, which glorified beauty standards, she makes the viewer take a good, hard look at how we define beauty, femininity and domesticity.

So how can Dada apply to us today?

It’s the underlying thought of questioning the status quo and embracing the absurd that might benefit us. In a time of division and tension, we can look at society through a modern Dadaist lense and think hard about what doesn’t seem right. We also can work through such things by utilizing our imaginations to find the weird and unusual in the world that can evoke a sense of wonder and intrigue.

Although, maybe as the Dada quote

by Francis Picabia goes, we may find “... nothing, nothing, nothing.”

Cameron Cizek is a junior studying computing.

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10

OPINION

Tear gas is actually an aerosol, not a gas… Not that that makes it any more fun to breath | PC: dawn.com

KOSOVO CRAZINESS THE GLOBAL CITIZEN I

n Kosovo, members of the Vetevendosje party released three tear gas canisters in the Parliament chamber as Members of Parliament, or MPs, prepared to decide the demarcation of Kosovo’s border with Montenegro.

The vote will clear the way for Kosovo to become part of the European Union, allowing the citizens of Kosovo to travel more easily to and from the EU. The Vetevendosje party opposes the border deal, signed with Montenegro in 2015, because it claims the deal will wrongly hand over some 30 square miles of Kosovo's territory.

The party feels that their way of life is threatened by the Montenegrins. So naturally, they reacted.

As the vote was about to be taken in the Kosovan assembly, the Vetevendosje MPs did what they felt was necessary. And that was to tear gas the entire parliament in order to show their opposition and delay the vote even further.

When we think of Congress today, we think of debates over the passage of bills. The bills that make the news usually touch on topics such as gun control, healthcare or immigration.

As heated as these debates may get, we can usually trust that the discussion will be civil.

Sure, we may occasionally see Facebook videos or news interviews of a member of Congress ranting about how opposed they are to a certain bill, but to resort to tactics such as tear gas is unheard of.

To say that the Vetevendosje strategy was excessive is an understatement. To make things even more crazy, this is the fourth time this has happened since 2015.

Kosovo has only been independent since 2008. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about our Congress getting out of control.

We’ve have had sit-ins in recent years but can you imagine what would happen if Democrats were so against a bill on immigration that they tear gassed the Congressional chamber?

Or if a Republican was fed up with talks about gun reform so he or she decided to end the meeting by pulling the fire alarm?

Civil discussion is the basis of democracy.

Using intimidation tactics to push a political agenda has no place in America, especially in our legislative branch. I hope that as controversial as many of our topics or debates are, the conversation will always remain civil. Kosovo should try to uphold this principle because if its politicians can get away with tear gassing the Parliament, who knows what they will get away with next. https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/21/ europe/kosovo-parliament-tear-gas-intl/ https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ world-news/opposition-mps-release-teargas-12224941 h t t p :/ / w w w .i n t e l l i n e w s. c om/ kosovan mps-defy-tear-gas-attack-to-ratify-borderdemarcation-deal-with-montenegro-138686/

Wesley Rodriguez-Diep is a sophomore studying international relations.

OPINION

11

A LITTLE STITOUS

YOU HEARD IT HERE LAST think that athletes who get caught doping shouldn’t be allowed to compete again, ever.

I’ve heard numerous arguments for the other side, for leniency and even acceptance of doping in sports, and for a while I actually agreed.

It all comes down to this. A successful two point conversion forces overtime. Otherwise, the Broncos go to the Super Bowl.

As I stood there in the nosebleeds, section 524, row 18, seat 18, I took a mental tally of all that I had done that day. Lucky jersey, check. Lucky seat, check. Lucky orange shoes, check.

Seven other pregame preparations to make, check.

Brady dropped back, waited, threw over the middle, and we picked him off. The stadium went absolutely crazy. We were going to the Super Bowl. In that moment, I definitely was not thinking about superstitions or any sort of lucky attire.

“

I think it's human nature to want to influence the things we care about.

“

I

Contrast that with two years before, when the Broncos lost miserably in the Super Bowl.

I spent that whole night wondering if I should have worn a different jersey, or gone to a different Super Bowl party, or maybe just not watched at all.

It might have been less heartbreaking that way, if nothing else.

I think it’s human nature to want to influence the things we care about.

And that desire gets amplified when it comes to sports. When it comes down to it, we want the outcome in our hands. Whether it be to take the last shot, catch the last pass, have the last at-bat or serve the match point, I think

it’s natural to want the spotlight and to be in control.

I can definitely say, with a great degree of certainty, that it's incredibly frustrating not to have the outcome in your hands and then have your team lose. Watching the other team hit a buzzer beater or ace the match point is the most demoralizing and heartbreaking experience possible in sports. So when it comes to professional sports, where the outcome is completely out of our hands, we rely on superstitions to create an illusion of control over the outcome.

I’m not talking about witchcraft or anything like that, and I think anyone who has these little superstitions would admit that they (we) know the game isn’t actually influenced in any way. Still, we insist on continuing to wear that lucky shirt until sufficient evidence would tell us to do otherwise.

To some extent, from a psychological perspective, these behaviors make perfect sense. We as humans try to develop patterns and use them to predict the outcome of future events.

We obviously want our team(s) to win, and so we try to influence that “prediction” by doing little things at home or at the game that we think have helped “lead” to past successes.

It also gives us the chance to be active rather than passive participants.

At the end of the day, sports superstitions are nothing more than nervous behaviors, not unlike biting one’s nails (which many people, including myself, do a lot more of during sports games).

But you’ll have to make quite the argument for me to go against any of my superstitions.

Unfortunately, you can’t take 15 division titles with lucky socks alone | PC: trbimg.com

Tyler Dean is a junior studying business administration.

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MISC. CORNER

I was in leadership positions and volunteered quite a bit. However, by second semester I began to accept new opportunities and decided to join the band. Then, over time, I started to join ministry teams and clubs and ultimately got involved with The Well and the BCS Club this year.

HOUC HUMANS OF UNION COLLEGE

Through taking my time to observe and slowly immerse myself into things that worked for me. I also learned that I don’t have to do everything, especially right away.

I never expected to be as involved on this campus as much as I am, but it has been so rewarding to grow with teams and developed new programs.

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As a final thought, I would recommend for everyone to take time to figure things out and let God bring opportunities to you because it has been nothing but a blessing in my life.

HOUC is compiled by Mike Ayala.

oming into college I decided to take some time to reflect on my life, adjust to college and observe the different types of opportunities that God has planned for me. I decided this because of how active I was the last four years of high school.

Chrissy Gaban is a sophomore studying business administration and computing.

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The Clocktower, established in 1927 and sponsored by the Associated Student Body of Union College, is published weekly during the fall and spring semesters.

The opinions expressed are the opinions of the writers and are not to be construed as the opinion of the editors, Associated Student Body, Union College, or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.