92.9

UNION COLLEGE

ISSUE 92.9 | 11/15/2017

Adventists abroad appreciating Argentina | PC: Regina Leach

ACA ADVENTURES IN ARGENTINA E ach day, Facebook has a memory for me to relive. My personal favorites are the ones reminding me of my year abroad in Spain through Union’s ACA program. It was seriously the best experience in my life so far and I made so many memories.

Also experiencing tons of memories is Regina Leach, a sophomore Pre-Allied Health major, who’s currently attending the ACA program in Argentina.

Wanting to know more about how her time was going, I asked Regina some questions.

Melissa Ratter: Where is your favorite place to visit near the campus in Argentina?

Regina Leach: My favorite place that is super cool is el puente negro. It's an abandoned bridge that's really fun— and sketchy—to walk across because it is falling apart—if you step in the wrong spot you'll probably fall to your death.

Another place that I go to a lot is the café across the street, Güelcom, because it's the only place we can get good wifi.

MR: Oh wow! That bridge sounds like an adrenaline rush.

What about the school, is it as exciting?

RL: The Universidad Adventista del Plata (UAP) is pretty similar to colleges in the states. The campus is really diverse; there are people from Honduras, Russia, Spain and all over South America. It's bigger than Union but the cafe is worse—it only serves cereal, rice and beans, salad and some unknown pasta/veggie meat entree.

MR: Have you tried traditional Argentinian food?

RL: Italian food is very traditional here because there are tons of Italian immigrants. It's actually a tradition to have gnocchi (Italian potato dumplings) on the 29th of every month. Besides Italian food, I've tried empanadas, chipas (little cheese bread balls) and mate (a drink similar to tea). Mate’s served in a special cup and there are different variations. True Argentines drink it bitter but it's also served with sugar, juice or coffee depending on your liking.

[ continued on page 2 ]

[ W H AT ' S I N S I DE] BANQUET | page 07 |

JAMES PT 2 | page 10 |

SPORTS

| page 11 |

HUMANS

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

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

HUMANS

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

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

ARGENTINA MR: You mentioned you go with friends to the cafe; tell me about your friends there?

RL: The ACA group here is small compared to the past. There are only 26 of us and we are together a lot of the time so we have all become pretty good friends.

We take the same classes together, go on trips together and scour the town for food that is better than the cafeteria.

“

Learning another language was one of the best things I did for myself.

[ continued from page 1 ] you are learning a new language and it is going to take some time.

MR: Learning another language was one of the best things I did for myself.

How will learning another language help you in the future?

RL: I've always wanted to learn another language and I think Spanish is the most useful. It will be helpful for getting a job, especially as an occupational therapist. It will be easier to connect and communicate with patients if I am able to speak the language they are most comfortable with.

The first time I job shadowed was at an elementary school in Phoenix where the majority of the kids spoke Spanish. The therapist I was shadowing only spoke English and some of the special needs kids we were working with only knew Spanish.

“

02

It would've been much easier to work with them if one of us had known Spanish.

So far, I'm much better at writing in Spanish then I am at talking.

MR: It sounds like you are having a great time so far. Tell me what your best experience has been.

MR: I’m glad that you are having this experience then and building up your skills as a future occupational therapist.

Would you recommend the ACA program to Union students?

RL: Definitely going to Buenos Aires!

We pet lions, saw a tango show and went sightseeing around the city. Buenos Aries is super European; a lot of the architecture was built to look similar to Paris. Some of the famous historical areas we saw were La Boca, Recoleta cemetery and the Theatre of Buenos Aires. On our way back to the university we went to an Argentina Estancia where we ate asado, rode horses, and watched a Gaucho (Argentinian cowboy) riding show.

MR: Besides the cafeteria food, what has been the most difficult part about studying abroad?

RL: The hardest part about studying abroad and learning a new language is feeling like a toddler, but in reality, you are a 19-year-old college student. It's really hard not being able to communicate with everyone. When you try you get laughed at because what you said wrong. It's hard to give yourself slack and remember that

RL: Yes. I would recommend it if you really want to learn another language.

What everyone says about actually learning Spanish in Argentina is true because you are surrounded by people who speak Spanish.

As soon as I got here, I was forced to start practicing because neither of my roommates speak English. Also, you get to go to some of the coolest places in South America like Machu Picchu and Rio de Janeiro.

MR: I’m glad you are having a good time. And maybe your experiences will influence other students at Union to go talk to Tamara Seiler in the Humanities Division about the ACA summer or academic year programs.

Melissa Ratter is a senior studying language arts education.

NEWS

03

END OF YEAR NAD MEETING F

rom Oct 25 to Nov 1, the North American Division (NAD) of the Seventhday Adventist church held their end of year meeting in Washington, D.C. Senior marketing major and ASB president, Anthony Gann, was in attendance as the student representative of Union College and Union College president, Dr. Vinita Sauder, attended as the faculty representative. Other student association presidents and faculty representatives of the other Adventist colleges were also in attendance.

The purpose of the meeting was for representatives from all the colleges to speak with the leadership of the churches, conferences and the NAD as a voice for the different generations and schools. Meetings were held throughout the week that focused on various topics ranging from women’s ordination to background checks for church volunteers.

Adventist-Laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI) is a business ministry that works with companies to show Christ to the marketplace through marketing, advertising and communication to the younger generation. Discussions with the Vice President of Education, Larry

Leaders from around the NAD convened to discuss important issues | PC: Anthony Gann

Blackmer, were also held on how to improve Adventist college education, incorporate public schools and integrate scholastic sports into the schools as well.

Meetings with the NAD president, Dan Jackson, focused on the large issue of why young people leave the church as well as how the church can work to prevent it from happening.

Talks on how the Adventist institutions can work together in terms of unity came up quite a few times. Oakwood University, Andrews University and Southern University have experienced racial tensions in the past, so improving communication among all the colleges is the first step in the right direction.

Although Union won’t be seeing anything immediately, changes for the future are happening that will affect us in the long run. “With an organization this big, changes are going to be slow,” comments Gann. “Even if there isn’t anything immediate, whatever is happening in the future is going to be beneficial for not only our campus, but as a whole denomination.”

Anthony met with Dan Jackson | PC: Anthony Gann

The entire trip was a great time to be able to get together will the other student presidents from Adventist Colleges and communicate with one another. Being able to collaborate on different ideas that will help out the various campuses and the students was most beneficial. “At the end of the day we’re all one big family in the Adventist faith,” comments Gann.

“We would all like to see more unity and support from one another and it starts with us since we are the future of the church.” Overall, the entire trip was based on the long-running idea of unity not only for now but for the future of the church.

To continue supporting the other schools, Anthony will be making a trip in December down to Oakwood University. They will be having an event titled, “Let’s Talk”, similar to the event “Is This Thing On?” our campus held last year, that will focus on the racial issues that the college was facing.

Dan Jackson and student association presidents will also be in attendance.

Caroline Guchu is a junior studying communication.

04

NEWS

FINDING POSITIVE PERSPECTIVES T

he world seems like such a depressing place sometimes. Just turn on the news or read the newspaper. Or read my previous articles!

There seems to be a lot of bad news; there should be some good news out there as well!

“ Children are being freed from these conditions every day and given a chance to have a normal childhood.

“ Thankfully there's an abundance of good news, even though it may not get as much coverage as the bad news.

You just have to know where to look.

According to new data from the International Labor Organization, child slavery around the world has dropped 40% since 2000!

While there are still children working dangerous jobs in agriculture, mining and other industries, children are being freed from these conditions every day and given a chance to have a normal childhood.

Saudi Arabia has been moving to catch up with the rest of the modern

PC: theguardian.com

PC: mondoweiss.com

world. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced recently that he would be taking a strong stance against the kingdom’s puritanical religious clerics and would push for a more “moderate Islam”.

improve farming techniques and oil production. The goal is to have farmers from both sides come together and cooperate for mutual benefit because they both contribute to one market for olives and olive oil.

The crown prince is next in line for the throne and wants to push for more progressive reforms to take place in Saudi Arabia.

The project is funded by USAID and has even established a cross-border trade agreement that still stands, despite conflict between the groups.

He, along with much of the younger population, wants to ensure that the extremism which has been present in the country for so long is stopped.

This is fantastic for both the Palestinians and Israelis and it shows how peaceful interactions can happen even between two unfriendly groups.

He’s already passed legislation that allows women to drive without permission and supervision from their male guardians. Progress is happening in Saudi Arabia!

All in all, the world does have rays of light shining through the darkness.

It's so easy to get discouraged by the sad stories we hear.

“

Even though it sometimes seems that the world is hopelessly going downhill, there's always a bright side.

“

The Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, the failed attempt for independence for the Kurds in Iraq or the victims of the Venezuelan government are a few of the countless stories of disaster or corruption.

The Near East Foundation’s project Olive Oil Without Borders works with farmers from Palestine and Israel to

However, good is still strong in the world. There are many people working tirelessly to help create positive moments.

So keep your chin up because even though it sometimes seems that the world is hopelessly going downhill, there’s always a bright side. https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/childlabor-rates-cut-almost-half-millions-kids-getchildhood/ https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/saudiprince-denounces-ultra-conservative-clericsleans-progressive-future/ https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/israelipalestinian-farmers-find-peace-olive-oil/

Wesley Rodriguez-Diep is a sophomore studying international relations.

NEWS

05

CLOSING A WEEK OF MISSION EMPHASIS F rom Oct. 30 to Nov. 4, Union College celebrated Missions Emphasis Week.

Throughout the week, students were encouraged to participate in different get-togethers and learn more about what student missionaries and task force workers from Union do while abroad.

Candace Tyler, a senior elementary education major who served in Bolivia, described the importance of the events, “A lot of people may have just gotten to Union this year and they may haven’t heard of the program and don’t know that it’s an option. Through Missions Emphasis Week, they can hear the stories of people who’ve gone and maybe they can start thinking if they’re interested. It raises awareness.”

On Wednesday evening, a worship talk was given by two former SMs who spoke of their experiences. There were also gift card giveaways at the end of the worship. Later in the week, Family Worship and Afterglow were hosted

by Student Missions and former missionaries again spoke of their lifechanging experiences.

Ivy Arreguin, a junior elementary education major who served on the island of Chuuk, explains, “It gave a chance for some of our Union students to question our SMs and taskforce workers to maybe decide if they want to go.” Kimberly Palit, junior psychology major, who served in Majuro, Marshall Islands, added, “At Afterglow, it was nice hearing that people were interested, having them ask questions and getting to pray with them.”

The week closed off with a final worship hosted by Student Missions where a group of former missionaries put on comedic sketches about their experiences. They compared their expectations to reality on topics such as food, time and language.

Junior business administration major, Austin Burke, who served in Honduras, explained, “You can’t expect anything because the expectations you have will be destroyed the second you land wherever you’re going.”

While there are a lot of things these missionaries didn’t expect when they signed up to follow God’s calling, there were many things that made a difference in their lives during their year-long experiences.

Jimmy Gilley, junior business administration major and Pohnpei missionary, reflects, “Pohnpei was really fun. I knew I wanted to go to an island ever since I was in high school.

It always appealed to me. I loved my kids so much and that’s what made the experience for me. If it weren’t for my kids, it wouldn’t have been half the experience I had. I definitely recommend it to anyone that feels called and feels that they can do it. It’ll be a really life-changing experience for them.”

If interested in becoming a student missionary, Angenita Pierre-Louis,

PC: Sable Kessler

Serving puts a smile on everyone’s faces PC: Keelia Trively

junior business administration major, who served in the Dominican Republic states, “Just know that you’ll grow and just be so much of a better person, but just do it, don’t question it!”

It’s important to understand that, as Caleb Haakenson, sophomore business administration major and Pohnpei missionary, says, “Adaptability, adaptability, adaptability! That is truly the key to being a student missionary for sure and doing any student missions because whatever your goals are aren’t always God’s goals and things are always going to swap and change. As long as you can adapt to that, then you’ll be successful.”

For more information or to learn more about what student missionaries do, visit the Campus Ministries office on the first floor of the Dick Building or email uc.missions@gmail.com.

Kayla Miller is a junior studying nursing.

06

HUMANS

@THEMCCLELLAND: NOW I KNOW MY ABC’S MEMENTO ARTEM S

enior graphic design major Aerlice LeBlanc is about to paint the McClelland Gallery with fantastical works of typography.

LeBlanc’s upcoming senior exhibition puts a spotlight on something essential to our way of life the alphabet.

thinking of for years and hadn’t yet found the time make.

The exhibition highlights key parts of the alphabet throughout historical periods. I had a conversation with her to gain further insight into this culmination of design called Now I know my ABC’s.

Almost every design skill I’ve learned here is utilized in this exhibit. Even though I have spent the last eighteen years learning the alphabet and how

Aerlice LeBlanc: Everything in this show features type in some way. The main feature of this show, an alphabet in six historic font faces illustrating the most distinctive anatomical feature of each letter, was a project I started in Ed Mejia’s Typography class that I expanded for this exhibit. The majority of the work that will be shown was created for this exhibit. This class gave me an excuse to create things I’ve been

AL: This show is the culmination of my design career at Union. In it, I feature art I’ve created and skills I’ve learned at Union College.

“ I would love if my exhibit could inspire a passion for design in at least one person.

“

Cameron Cizek: What was your process in curating this show?

CC: Interesting! So, how would you describe how this show reflects your career at Union?

to use it to read, write, do math, communicate scientific discoveries, persuade people of my sincerest beliefs and express my deepest emotions, it's only now, after design school that I feel like I really know my ABCs inside out, from their anatomy to their expressions through different font faces, weights and placements in a layout.

Terminal illustrated in Swiss Style PC: Aerlice LeBlanc

While I am excited to conclude this chapter of my formal education, I don’t ever want to stop learning. I am eager to continue improving my craft and communication skills in the ‘real’ world.

Shoulder illustrated in De Stijl Style | PC: Aerlice LeBlanc

CC: How do you want this exhibition to impact people who see it?

AL: I hope that visitors walk away from this exhibit with a basic knowledge of the anatomy of our alphabet, a feel for some of the major artistic movements in graphic design history and a new appreciation for the typography we see around us. So much of what we encounter in this world is carefully branded. It’s easy to become desensitized to graphic design. I hope that my exhibit encourages visitors to take notice of the design around them, in simple things like the packages they throw away, the covers of their textbooks, and the layout of their favorite apps. Maybe too much to ask, but I would love if my exhibit could inspire a passion for design in at least one person.

LeBlanc’s exhibition Now I know my ABC’s will be at the McClelland Gallery November 26 through December 17.

The McClelland Art Gallery is located in the Ortner Center. The gallery serves as a location to artists a location to display their work for the community of Lincoln.

Cameron Cizek is a junior studying computing.

HUMANS

07

A BANQUET UNDER THE SEA

Plenty of fish and fun to be found | PC: Kayla Potts

W

ith Thanksgiving break coming up, we’re quickly approaching the end of first semester. And with the end of the semester came ASB’s annual winter banquet.

This year’s winter banquet took place at the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium in the Henry Doorly Zoo and had the fitting theme of “Under the Sea.” Ashley Bower, a sophomore English language arts education major and the ASB Social Vice President gave some insight into what goes into organizing a banquet of this size.

Planning for the banquet started early in the school year during September. It had been five years since Union had held their banquet at the Henry Doorly Zoo, and ASB decided

that the aquarium would the best area to host this year’s.

Once the location was decided, further details needed to be worked out, including the entertainment, catering and date.

“I had to go to Omaha to tour the facilities,” Bower said, recalling the early stages of the planning.

Communication between the ASB team and the aquarium was the key point in putting everything together.

The ASB team had opted to keep the menu a secret, so the meal was a surprise for those attending.

A live jazz band from the University of Nebraska performed during the evening. The students formed the band during their time at UNL, and they’ve played in several prep rallies since.

Live music, in addition to being surrounded by the many exotic sea

creatures made this an unforgettable night. This year, students were able to experience a more interactive banquet.

In an interview before hand, Bower mentioned “You’ll be able to walk through the aquarium, and take your pictures, talk with friends. It’s going to be a lot more of an open way to socialize with people because you have the whole aquarium to walk through.”

Many students got involved with the Creative Banquet Asking Contest.

Those that asked their dates to the banquet in a creative way had the chance to win up to $50 by emailing it in or posting it on Instagram.

“It’s just a free night at the aquarium where you get to dress up and have fun,” Bower said. She hopes you all enjoyed ASB’s final event before Thanksgiving break!

Amanda McCarter is a junior studying biomedical science.

08

HUMANS

SENATE SOCCER BILL SUCCEEDS T

he student senators passed their first bill! Nathanael Torres wrote a bill for those who strongly believe that there should be a guaranteed time to play the beloved sport of soccer.

The bill outlined that there should be about two days where soccer players can have time to practice their skills in the Thunderdome.

After presenting his bill, the senators voted unanimously for this to go through to the next level the school administrators.

In addition, a guest speaker was invited to present on the new projects going on around campus.

Matthew Roque, our institutional researcher and part of the renovation team, presented the latest project: renovating the classrooms on the second floor in the Everett Dick Building. The renovation team hired architects for conceptual designs that can be implemented in the classrooms.

One of the ideas proposed is to have floor to ceiling glass windows so that more natural light can enter the floor.

Also in the plan is to have write-on walls in every classroom and include TV screens to replace the projectors.

The student lounge on this floor is usually overlooked, but that is going to be revamped as well.

The plan is to add a microwave, a sink, and more comfortable chairs and tables.

Along with the second floor of the Dick Building, the amphitheater in the basement of the same building is another renovation project that will be happening soon.

HOUC HU M A NS OF U N ION COL L EGE

Their vision with the amphitheater in the basement is to add tables similar to the ones in the Lang Amphitheater in the Krueger Center and a “cloud” type ceiling instead of the grid tiles that are there currently.

The new seating arrangement will decrease the capacity of people allowed in the amphitheater, but everyone will have adequate space to work.

Looking into the future, the new recreational center is being planned out by the brilliant team of idealists on campus.

New locker rooms and a full-sized court are only the beginning of the outline on the addition to Larson Lifestyle Center.

Although the Thunderdome will stay standing, varsity sports will be moved to the center so that the visiting teams can use separate locker rooms than our team.

In addition, the showers in the locker rooms will be transformed into stalls rather than the open area being used now.

Amidst all of these changes on our campus, your senators are busy creating new bills to pass before the semester ends.

Some of the new ideas include a proposal to fix the elevator in Prescott Hall and persuading the administrators to make a TV room in Prescott.

There will be an open Senate meeting coming up for more suggestions on what else can be adjusted on campus.

Remember that you have a voice and your senators are always eager to listen to your ideas!

Yeimy Rodriguez is a sophomore studying business administration.

HOUC is compiled by Mike Ayala.

eing a new student here at "B Union, I have found that the environment is very friendly and accepting. Coming from a University like Andrews and being more social than most, I still witnessed some exclusion from some groups.

So far, I haven’t seen that kind of behavior happening here. It may be that way because I’m new but personally in just a few months of being here I’ve made a lot of new friends from different walks of life.

I don’t think I’m confined to one set group of people.

In fact, there are several different groups of people here I know I would feel comfortable walking up to and striking up a conversation. Unlike the other schools that I’ve attended where its apparent which groups aren’t accepting and just exclusive, Union has diversity.

Here I can go wherever I want on campus and not feel judged and just be myself. I know that talking with new people is something I enjoy and comes naturally to me.

However, for those of you who aren’t as outgoing, I would encourage you to try to put yourself out there.

There are people here like me that want to make new friends. You can talk to me if you want, and if you put yourself out there I’m sure you won’t get shot down."

Sergio Francisco is a sophomore studying international rescue and relief.

OPINION

09

YOUR CAR ON (BATTERY) ACID T

he way America, and the world as a whole, drives is going to be transformed in the coming decades.

Since Henry Ford pioneered a quick, cheap and easy way of pumping out his original Model T more than 100 years ago, the fundamentals of the car haven’t changed much over time.

That is, until recently. With the introduction of the Model S, Tesla turned a vehicle that was originally seen as being little better than a golfcart into one of the sleekest, fastest and most high-tech cars you can own. People (with money to burn) started buying the company’s cars in relatively large numbers and Tesla soon became the sedan to own in many parts of the world.

However, up until recently, any electric car that was cheap enough for the average consumer to own was vastly outclassed in many regards by their gas-powered brethren. Those that weren’t underpowered were too expensive to own. This essentially relegated electrics to a niche category, and with the price of oil dropping, most consumers had little reason to shoulder the extra cost and burden of owning an electric.

“ Volvo will no longer sell pure gasolinepowered cars after 2019.

“

In turn, traditional automanufacturers such as GM, Volkswagen and Volvo had little reason to invest in this technology

Electric cars, coming to an outlet near you soon! | PC: greenbloglist.com

(outside of compliance cars) and public opinion in the US remained largely neutral towards the new electic-powered vehicles.

Enter India. In April of this year, the country’s minister of energy announced an ambitious plan to combat the country’s rampant air pollution. India seeks to ban the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030, forcing any automaker looking to sell in the country to finally make the expensive investments necessary to bring electric vehicles to the masses, just like Ford did with the Model T. More countries and businesses followed suit, some with much stricter targets. France, Britain, Germany, Norway, China (the world’s largest auto market) and other nations have said they will enact some form of restrictions on the sale of gasoline or diesel powered cars, or make their sale illegal altogether.

Volkswagen, coming out of a massive scandal that threatened to tank its sales, now has firm plans to sell an electric version of its entire lineup in the next few years. Volvo will no longer sell pure gasolinepowered cars after 2019.

GM has more than 20 fully electric models in the pipeline, one of which is already on sale. And Toyota, the world’s largest auto manufacturer by number of units sold, will cease production of non-electric vehicles before 2040.

We are quickly entering a world where instead of filling your car, you’ll plug it in like you would all your other devices. Rather than spend money on fuel, a simple subscription to a charging network will save Americans’ wallets and lungs. More importantly, as a pioneer of modernizing the electric car, the US has a tremendous opportunity to be the leader in the next generation of vehicles.

As the country that employed millions in the manufacture of last century’s vehicles and exported them all around the world, we have the potential to do the same in this century. Electric vehicles are inevitable; the question is, will we benefit from their production or will we simply be consumers of someone else’s foresight?

Jesse Shoghi is a junior studying computing.

10

OPINION

A JOURNEY IN JAMES PT 2 HARDLY WORTHY P

a r t i a l i t y , forgiveness and living a balance of faith and works are all things that James discusses in the second chapter.

How does one live the right balance of faith and works?

This is a question that’s regularly discussed in a small group I study with. Living by faith and works is crucial to living the life Jesus intends for us.

I don’t remember any time when Jesus didn’t request his servants to do tasks along with exercising faith.

The nine lepers ran to the temple. The disciples cast their nets on the other side. The woman at the well spread the word of Jesus. The barbarian remained in his town to show what God had done for him. Mary and Martha mourned for 3 days.

“But someone will say ‘you have faith, I have works.’ Show me your faith with your works and I will show you my faith by my works.” [v. 18] Faith is more than words. It’s acting on those words. “by works, faith is made perfect.” [v. 22] Just stating that you have faith is nothing. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” [v. 26] When you aren’t serious about your faith, it doesn’t benefit anyone. It’s when you’re genuinely committed and when realize that the relationship you have with God is a friendship, a deep connection based in trust and faith is formed.

Once this is formed, we’re going to want to live a certain type of way. We want to live and exhibit our faith to God through our works. These works are simply fuelled by the desire to please the Lord and no one else.

The good book never looked so good | PC: publicdomainpictures.net

James speaks very solemnly against partiality or any kind of favoritism. God is quite impartial to each of us, though He recognizes our individuality. As I read through these verses [2:1-9], I wrote this message to God in the margin of my Bible: “My relationship with you is nonpartial. You are non-partial towards me and everyone else. Where do I have the right to partiality? You love my whole being!”

James plainly states in verse 9 that partiality is a sin. Everyone deserves equal and sincere treatment. Those who are impartial do well in the sight of God. Forgiveness. Impartial forgiveness.

On occasion, I struggle to forgive others but the more frequent battle is forgiving myself. “Ask forgiveness and you will be forgiven”, I’m repeatedly told. Yes, but why’s that so hard for me to understand?

God offers forgiveness for each sin equally, but am I actually letting go of those sins? Am I allowing myself to be forgiven? One sin unforgiven is subject to judgment.

The smallest of sins left unconfessed can lead to death. [v.13] Forgiveness means having mercy on yourself and letting God wash away the sin. We must have mercy on ourselves and know that only by Jesus’s blood, we are indeed worthy.

Now I’m not saying if you sin, you don’t love God. Living perfectly is impossible for we are immersed in sin, but sometimes that sin is caused by our own feelings and emotions; our desire to mask our fears and worries.

It’s the acknowledgment of our wrong and our need for forgiveness and mercy from God. He is so willing to give that forgiveness and share mercy. He loves us and doesn’t want anything between us and Him. Having faith in His impartial plan of forgiveness is a huge step in our walk with God. Nothing can stand between us and God besides ourselves. We must take that first step and allow him to have that chance to help us grow!

Kasondra Reel is a senior studying nursing.

OPINION

11

SPORTS ARE SPORTS YOU HEARD IT HERE LAST

port

of distance related component (long jump, high jump, etc).

/spôrt/ noun

An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

This February, the whole world will tune in to watch athletes represent their countries in the Winter Olympics. And inevitably, whenever the Olympics roll around, my dad and I come back to the discussion of what exactly constitutes a sport.

For years, his claim was that a sport could not be judged. His go-to example was ice dancing, and I must say, I agreed wholeheartedly that ice dancing could not possibly be a sport.

He revised it later, when I asked about mogul skiing (that gets judged in addition to a speed component) that a sport has to have either a ball (or equivalent, i.e. hockey), a timer that creates a racing aspect or some sort

“

Until recently, I’ve stood by his definition of what separates sport from game, activity, contest, etcetera. This year, however, I’ve begun to question this definition, after looking at some of the other competitions that make it to the Olympic level.

A sport doesn't need music or shiny outfits.

Purely using the Olympics to define a sport is unwise at best, since in the past at different times they’ve excluded golf and baseball (both of which are clearly sports). Additionally, they include things like synchronized swimming, which I’d argue is not a sport any more than a graceful flashmob that happened to be in a pool.

freestyle skiing and snowboarding categories: Halfpipe and Slopestyle.

Both of these are judged and therefore could be compared to ice dancing (albeit they’re riskier than ice dancing and therefore more exciting).

Still, the Olympics do a good job of putting together (mostly) competitive events for all types of athletes and competitors. They do a particularly impressive job scheduling winter events, given how much more can be done when the ground isn’t frozen.

Two of my favorite events at the Winter Olympics fall into the modern

“

S

So where does the line get drawn? At what point does a competition become a sport? I think I’ve managed to figure it out.

A sport doesn’t need music or shiny outfits in order to be conducted and won. It doesn’t care what you look like, where you come from or what your story is.

A sport is about jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring moments followed by gut-wrenching and heart-breaking ones. It doesn’t glorify second place. It can be won by anyone, at any time, in any circumstance.

If an activity needs judges to make it worth doing and/or winning, it’s a competition. That’s where I think I’ve come to draw the line.

And though that’s just my way of trying to include the things I enjoy watching and doing, I don’t think I’d have a hard time defending it.

That aside, this year’s Winter Olympics should be exciting and memorable. And hopefully, as is typically the case, our great nation will take home plenty of hardware.

This isn’t flying, this is falling with style! | PC: chicagotribune.com

Tyler Dean is a junior studying business administration.

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MISC. CORNER

COACHES CORNER:

COACH DEBBIE FORSHEE-SWEENEY

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s an academic coach, I'm often asked about study strategies.

When I meet individually with a student, I ask several questions to gather information on the student's study habits. I do this in order to see what step the student needs to spend more time on.

moved into long term memory; it hasn’t been truly learned. In order to ensure that material is planted into long term, memory self-test is a must.

So, how does a student incorporate self-testing into their study strategies?

Here are a few of my favorite selftesting strategies: 1. Dry erase board. Write your information in a way that makes most sense to you, erase part of the information, re-write, erase and repeat until confident.

I can honestly say one of the most important steps, self-testing, is the step most often missed. Typically, students are able to gather and organize material, however, committing the information into long term memory rarely happens. For example, students will often tell me that they “read and re-read” as a study strategy.

2. Reciprocal Teaching. Teach the material to a study partner.

Self-testing will not only help you move information into long term memory, but it will also help you pick out the information you don’t understand. When this happens, make sure to search for understanding by referring to your notes, textbook, peers

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http://www.puzzles.ca/sudoku_puzzles/sudoku_easy_349.html

If you have a question for one of the TLC academic coaches feel free to submit your question here: https://goo.gl/forms/uereo83TW098wEOP2

Debbie Forshee is the director of the Teaching Learning Center.

Did you know we have a website?

3. Think like a teacher. Make a mock test and then take the test

Unfortunately, this is a very passive approach to the material. Think about a time when looking at a test and recognizing the information but not able to recall the answer. This happens because the information hasn’t fully

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or instructor. Don’t forget, you can always come to the Teaching Learning Center too.

You can check us out online at: clocktower.ucollege.edu

UPCOMING MAJOR EVENTs! November 20-24

Thanksgiving Break

December 22

Campus Closes

December 2

Warriors Basketball Game

December 25

Christmas

December 7-8

Dead Days

January 1

New Years/ Campus Re-opens

December 9

ASB Movie Night

January 9

Classes Begin

December 11-13

Final Exams

January 15

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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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.