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The Clocktower September 23, 2020 Issue 4, Volume 95

COVID-19 continues to pop up as new testing comes to campus Deciphering between quarantine and isolation

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ow that Union has had its first several cases of confirmed COVID-19 on campus, it’s natural to wonder how the process of quarantine and isolation work. If an individual has COVID-19, they will be isolated. Then, Union’s trained contact tracers will talk with the confirmed positive individual and determine who may have fit the CDC’s definition of a direct contact.

According to Union’s interpretation, this is someone who has a combination of all three of the following: no mask and within six feet of each other for a duration of more than 15 min. A combination of one or two of these does not constitute a direct contact, all three must be included. Union’s contact tracers, currently Tammy Adams, Carol Gibson, Kim Canine and Frankie Rose, will call the students who were

in direct contact with the confirmed case and those students will have to quarantine.

Union’s isolation is for confirmed cases, and requires the student to move into one of 20 isolation rooms with their own bathroom (exception would be village students who can isolate themselves, or dorm students who can safely isolate at home) and have no contact with anyone. Quarantine is for students who have been in direct contact with a confirmed positive case, or are waiting for results of a

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Editor – in – Chief Jovan Cross Assistant Editor Juliet Bromme Distributor Marvin Velasquez Media Manager Francisco Campos Photography Editor Joseph Lee Layout Editor Chrisheline Kalawo Assistant Layout Editor Justin Anderson

NEWS Editor Olivia Jacobs Photographer Max Lassel Adventist News Hannah Olin Union News Jade Covel Lincoln News TJ Pittenger

ENTERTAINMENT Editor Hannah Drewieck Photographer Andrew Schwartz Sports Joel Shetler Pop Culture Drew Hickman Comedy Sam Ortiz

LIFESTYLE Editor Maria Kercher Photographer Annabelle Harper Outlook Lacey Stecker Politics Alex Nesmith Love Kaitlynn Toay

COVID-19 test. In the girl’s dorm, these students can stay in their rooms and their roommate must quarantine as well. They have a designated bathroom stall at the far end of the restroom that only they can use, as well as a designated shower stall.

Once a student is quarantined as a direct contact, they cannot leave their rooms except to use the bathroom. Meals are ordered via the quarantine meal order form on uGroups and they are delivered to their doors. Laundry service is provided as needed.

The person must quarantine for 14 days. If at any point during that time they begin to show symptoms, they will be tested and if positive, isolated. If no symptoms develop, they are released after the 14 days.

This is the first of a two part series; stay tuned for next week’s installment. Special thanks to Dean Emily for providing much of the information for this article. Picture is of Union’s onsite testing center, more on that next week.

Jade Covel is a senior Religion major from Topeka, Kansas.

Lincoln man goes viral for boneless chicken wing speech What one man fought for in front of City Council

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n Aug. 31, a man by the name of Ander Christensen went before the city council to bring change to this city. Ander fought hard for something he truly believes in. He wanted to change the name of boneless chicken wings. Ander, the brave man that he is, went before the city to plead for the change that this city deserves.

He gave an incredible speech citing that boneless chicken wings are truly not wings, because they did not come off the bone where wings grew. “Our children are being raised afraid of having bones attached to their meat,” Anders said. “That’s where it comes from, meat grows on bones! We need to teach them that the wing of the chicken is from a chicken and it’s delicious.”

Anders fought for the name of the boneless chicken wing to be changed, saying that one would never order other things boneless such as boneless club sandwiches or boneless auto-repair.

He suggested changing the name from boneless wings to saucy nuggets, wet tenders or trash.

He believed in this movement.

However, a poll provided mixed results. I took this to the school and conducted a study on my Instagram, @backtowearingknockoffs. This showed that students did in fact prefer bone-in chicken wings with 56% of students preferring bone-in and 44% of students favoring boneless. There was a 50/50 split between those who would order things without bones. About half said they would order different

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things boneless and the other half said they would never order other things boneless. Finally, 51% of students would actually want to change the name of boneless chicken wings to something else while 49% would like to keep it the same. When asked what they would prefer boneless chicken wings to be called, names like “Tenders,” “tips,” “trash,” “Saucynuggies,” “Pieces of whatever part of the chicken its from,” “spicy nuggets,” “Adnuggets,” “Meat chunks,” “Expensive Nuggets” and “Fancy Nuggets” were suggested.

After Anders went before city council, the movement he started turned into something serious. Buffalo Wild Wings saw his appeal and decided to do something good. They gave Anders free chicken wings for a year. They also decided to donate $1 for every boneless chicken wing that was sold on Labor Day here in Lincoln to the Boys and Girls Club of America. In the end, Anders did bring a bit of change even if this was just a joke.

TJ Pittinger is a sophomore Theology major from Gilson, Illinois.

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The deification and demonization of American politics Political parties are

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erriam-Webster defines cult as “great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work” and “a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion.”

Our bipartisan system fits this description, since the common idea is that you can be either Republican or Democrat, and you must subscribe fully to that party’s ideology. Not to point any fingers, but every Trump rally fits the cult description with disturbing flying colors. It seems that Trump supporters hang onto his every word and believe he has no fault.

Political figures in today’s society have been deified. Look up any video about Trump supporters, and you will find countless individuals who equate his words with gospel. Biden, though, may be deified even more than Trump, since he’s hailed as the savior of America. Political extremists and radicals may not be a good basis of political information, but Bidenism has quickly spread across social media and word of mouth. Biden’s popularity lies almost a full six points above Trump’s current scores, solely because of Trump’s mishandling of most issues that arose during his term, including, but not limited

American cults

to: Covid-19, collusion with Russia, racism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia. Within the world of politics, Trump stands as a god of destruction, and Biden stands as a god of apathy.

On the flip side, the demonization of politics is more common. This is most blatant in two news stations, CNN and Fox News. Both cult “gods” have been very adept at pushing the “us vs. them” ideology this election season. Biden has attempted to defame the President and his claims, saying things like “The violence we’re seeing is in Donald Trump’s America” and describing Trump as “An incumbent president who sows chaos rather than providing order.” He paints a picture of a president who has done nothing to unify or progress America in his four years. Meanwhile, Trump is quite adept at demonizing Biden with his witty nicknames like “Creepy Joe” or saying things like “no one will be safe” in Biden’s America.

ON THE RADAR THURS. 9/24/20 Library Fair

TUE. 10/06/20

PA White Coat Ceremony

WED. 10/07/20

NO SCHOOL DUDES

THURS. 10/08/20 - 10/09/20 Preview Days

SUN. 10/11/20 Banquet

©CNN

Are you in the cult mindset? If you are worried that you may be, ask yourself these simple questions. » Can I admit my personal choice is not perfect? » Am I willing to see the positive aspects of the other side? » Did I critically think about this issue before forming an opinion, or did I blindly believe whatever my political party said instead of actually thinking for myself?

Alexander Nesmith is a junior Communication Major from Calhoun, Georgia.

Thriving in desert places

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ot much rain falls in the southern desert of Palestine. The steep rock cliffs sprout a few twigs of grass when the rains fall in November.

Bits of green last until the hot days of April, but it rarely rains between April and November. However, at the oasis of Ein Gedi, trees grow and crops flourish.

Two streams flow through the hot desert canyons year-round.

Perhaps it was the trees of Ein Gedi that the psalmist had in mind when he wrote about a truly happy and prosperous person in Psalm 1. The person who really thrives in life is compared to a tree planted by streams of water. The psalmist points to the source of this person’s wellbeing: His delight is in the good and right ways of God. In fact, he is engaged with God day and night. His great desire is to figure out how he can implement God’s ways in the nitty-gritty of his own life. He knows it cannot be done instantly so he meditates on it day and night.

For the Psalmist, God is not a killjoy destroying his happiness. He is not a judgmental grandfather, seemingly eager to condemn us for our faults. He is not the perfectionistic teacher who demands an absolute flawless paper or performance.

Rather, God is the source of life and energy in the desert. He is the One who bandages our bruised and bleeding hearts.

He brings us cups of cool water in days of heat and stress. He provides us with a hidden source of power that makes it possible for us to thrive when hot winds blow and storm clouds thunder.

There is no magic to this. The Psalmist suggests that woe will come to those who follow the crowd, mock at what is good and right, and go to bars and clubs in a time of a novel coronavirus. But the Psalm also promises that anyone who takes God’s ways seriously will prosper, even in viral times, even if one catches Covid-19 unwittingly. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus offers us specific ways to deal with crisis times. He encourages us to focus on what goes on in our heart.

As our mind, will, and emotions gradually come into conformity with God’s good, loving, and selfless ways of service, our outward life will be transformed and we will realize that we can genuinely flourish in desert places.

Edward Allen Chair of the Dvision of Religion

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Becoming the antagonist How to be loved now and hated later

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lthough we all want to be the protagonist, antagonists are extraordinarily important to the narrative. What is Batman without the Joker, Sherlock without Moriarty,or the Doctor without the Daleks? Protagonists are only valuable when there’s a rival.

Thus, I must teach those of you less inclined to be the protagonist how to be the villain, which in this case is popular.

1) Up your Instagram game.

To be popular IRL, you have to be available online -- pay special attention to Instagram. To gain and maintain a following, you need to be posting a picture at least once a week and a story once a day. You must be dedicated to your social media accounts. On Union’s campus, posting regularly on uGroups will also improve your popularity.

2) Get involved. Social media is important, but you have to exist in the real world. Get involved in extracurriculars and SA events. Build a presence on campus. This will build your social media platform, which in turn will build your IRL platform. Show up to events, make your presence known and have fun! You can again boost your results at Union by getting involved upfront. Join the praise team for Family Worship or V2. This is where the popular people go to mingle.

Go make your presence known.

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3) Have a “thing” that’s distinctly yours. Every popular person has a “thing.” Find something you enjoy (LEGO, Jeeps, Sephora, etc.) and learn everything about it. Become the authority on that topic. This will be the identifying factor of who you are, so choose wisely.

Once you become an expert, advertise it. Make it a big deal wherever you go, but don’t drown people in information.

Find the balance between annoyingly passionate and mysterious intelligence.

4) Find a protagonist and make them miserable. Listen, this doesn’t mean you need to be a jerk. You just need to give them substantial reason to dislike you. Say hi to them, but get their name wrong every time. Give them funny looks once in a while. Give them stories they can dramatize to make you look the villain, and them the hero.

I know we all want to be the protagonist, but we aren’t all built to be that person. Antagonists are just as important to the narrative. Don’t ignore it. Besides, being the villain isn’t all bad.

The bad guys have much more fun.

Lacey Stecker is a sophomore Communication major from Noblesville, Indiana

Adventist organization aids and acts in response to hurricane destruction

Adventist Community Services mobilizes in response to Hurricane Laura

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urricane Laura made landfall on the coast of Louisiana on Aug. 26 as a category four hurricane, leaving a trail of destruction behind it.

Although Texas was affected in some areas, Louisiana was hit the hardest by the storm. Besides wiping out thousands of homes and businesses, it also took the lives of 25 people. Hundreds of thousands of people had to be evacuated and were left without power, food or shelter.

Adventist Community Services (ACS) mobilized immediately in the wake of the storm. Having been preparing in advance, they were ready when the time came. ACS partnered with the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help distribute food and water, as well as help find shelter for those who were evacuated

or could not return to their homes. They have and continue to help in recovery efforts across the state.

The Southwestern Region Conference churches have opened their doors and have been handing out much needed food, clothing and other essential items to those in need. The West End Seventh-Day Adventist Church set up a drive-by distribution center, aided by the conference, Adventist Community Services and the local police department.

The Arkansas-Louisiana Conference donated their campground for the building of a warehouse by Adventist Community Services at the request of the Louisiana government. It was finished and opened Sept. 7 to start to receive supplies. It currently receives and manages all incoming supplies and donations from out of state.

As recovery efforts have continued, Adventist Community Services has continued to help along with the Southwestern Region Conference.

As of Sept. 10, they had established several distribution sites across the state, especially in the areas that were hit the hardest. The warehouse continues to receive and distribute supplies and the conference office has opened its doors to help with the distribution efforts as well.

Through this tragedy, it is amazing to see how the people of the Adventist Church, along with other organizations such as The American Red Cross and FEMA, have come together and rallied around those who need it most. This event has shown, yet again, that good can come out of bad when people are willing to reach out and help others.

Hannah Olin is a sophomore History Education Major from Princeton, Illinois.

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Navigating disagreements in a new relationship

How to fight fair

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ights are inevitable in any longterm successful relationship.

Learning how to fight fair can make a relationship healthier and bring you and your partner closer together.

Next time you and your partner get into an argument, consider some of the rules below to help you both navigate the difficult situation.

1. Listen to your partner. This sounds self-explanatory, but think about it. When arguing with your partner, are you listening to respond or actually hearing them? Much of conflict arises out of miscommunication. Listening and discovering where this miscommunication happened can help you both figure out the problem and attack it together.

Don’t listen to defend yourself. Listen to understand your partner.

2. Attack the problem, not the person. Sometimes during a fight, you may forget that it’s the two of you against the problem. Don’t attack each other.

Both of you most likely have different strengths, so go after the problem together from different angles. You’ll be more likely to make it work. Identifying the problem can be tricky.

3. Find common ground. You are obviously dating this person for a reason.

Stepping back from the situation and finding a small part of the problem that you agree on can help you establish common ground and help you feel connected. For example, let’s say you are arguing about hot salsa vs mild salsa. You both like salsa, it’s just the details that you disagree on. Establishing the common ground can help you see that you’re not that different.

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4. Don’t say things you don’t mean.

It is extremely difficult to keep your cool and not say mean things in the middle of a fight, but refrain from doing so. Saying them will make things worse and may create wounds that will last much longer than the actual argument. Instead, if you are angry, take a few minutes to cool off by yourself and regain your composure before continuing the conversation.

5. Agree to disagree. Sometimes it is impossible to agree. It may be better to just let it go and agree to disagree. This only works if you both actively agree to this. Agreeing to disagree doesn’t mean that the topic won’t be brought up again.

It does mean that you and your partner have decided that you’re capable of respecting each other’s opinions enough to not fight about the issue anymore.

Relationships are amazing, and a lot of work. Fighting is a completely normal part of the experience, but learning how to fight fair can increase the likelihood that your relationship succeeds. So go on, argue about that stupid thing that has been causing you problems lately.

Just remember that you care about your partner, so fight fair!

Kaitlynn Toay is a senior English major from Edgeley, North Dakota

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The NFL is finally back after a long summer break No offseason, no preseason, no problem - the NFL is playing again

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very year, the NFL is met with familiar faces in new places.

2020 offered some of the biggest address changes ever for some of the most famous players in the NFL. Namely, Tom Brady moved from Foxborough to Tampa Bay. Not for retirement, but for the Buccaneers. He was accompanied by his former teammate, fresh out of retirement, Rob Gronkowski. Their first game did not quite live up to all the hype, as they were trounced by the Saints.

Cam Newton, the former MVP and quarterback for the Panthers, replaced Brady in New England and already has an undefeated record going into week two.

DeAndre Hopkins, the star wide receiver, moved from Houston to Arizona and had a career day, posting 14 catches in his first game away from the Texans.

Other interesting moves during free agency included the longtime Dallas

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Cowboy, Jason Witten, who moved to Las Vegas to join the Raiders. Philip Rivers moved on from Los Angeles to the Colts. Adrian Peterson moved from the Washington Football Team to the Detroit Lions.

You may wonder why there are unfamiliar teams in the NFL. Players were not the only things moving during the offseason. The Raiders moved from Oakland to Las Vegas, and the Washington Redskins changed their name to “Washington Football Team” due to criticism over racism.

Perhaps the only part of the NFL that returned as normal were the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes continued his magic by throwing three touchdowns and zero interceptions against the Houston Texans in the first game of the season.

A lot of rookie players are trying to capitalize on their opportunity to play in the NFL and some capitalized better than others. The wide receiver class was one of the best ever, but will they perform at the next level? There will be a lot of exciting stories to come, and the first week is only the beginning.

Joel Shetler is a jnior Science Education major from Ruckersville, Virginia.

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Sorting Hat: Building Edition Which Union College building are you?

to be active with you too; elevators don’t exist for you and neither should they for others. You feel most alive when you’re active or working toward a dream. You don’t like taking the easy way out; you’ll work for your goals, no matter what.

If you said:

D) Carnegie: You rehearse before saying “here” during attendance.You try your best to not stand out, but deep down, you have a fire personality, you just choose not to let everyone see it. Like Carnegie, you don’t need a lot of attention to be happy, but when you do, you bring the heat and have all eyes on you.

A) Prescott Hall: You’ve lived through a lot and it shows. You just want to chill and take things slow. Sometimes you slack on making improvements because it would take a lot. Like the elevator, regardless of which way you’re headed, you’ll take it slow and steady until you get there.

E) Engel Hall: You can sing, you can dance and this isn’t even France.

However, people don’t see your rough days, and at times it can feel isolating. Engel Hall won’t judge; it has experienced horrendous “practice” sounds and beautiful performances, and you can find respite in that.

B) Ortner Center: Unlike Cardi, you cook, clean and everything in between.

You aren’t the best at one particular thing, but you’re good at many. You love trying everything; how else will you know if it’s your thing? You don’t get flustered because you’re flexible. Either way, you’ll manage. Ortner, with its many roles, is the place for you.

F) Dick Building: You love novelty and experiencing everything! You are here to make the most out of life. This is why the Dick Building is your special place: the sights, the smells, the sounds - you won’t run out of stimuli there.

What word describes you best...

A) Old-Soul E) Artistic B) Versatile F) Explorer C) Athletic G) Lover D) Shy

C) Rees Hall: If there’s movement, you’re there. You’re usually getting your friends

G) Don Love: You can’t get enough of love and loving! You are passionate about the things you love and want to share that. Sometimes though, you love others too much and forget to love yourself. As the name implies, this is the building for lovers, with everything there is to love: food, books, noise, quiet, activity, rest.

Samuel Ortiz is a sophomore Nursing major from Orlando, Florida.

©Union College Marketing

Dad Joke of the Week: Why did Cardi B file for divorce?

To offset her marriage.

“Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World:” What’s Right With it?

Everything.

Literally everything.

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cott Pilgrim” is such a great film, and that is a total understatement. It recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, and despite not doing so hot at the box office, it became a massive cult hit over time. I didn’t personally discover this movie until about 2018 or so, but I am so glad that I did. As an adaptation of a series of graphic novels, which were themselves sassy love letters to Canada, video games and punk-ish indie rock, this film had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, Edgar Wright (“Hot Fuzz,” “Shaun of the Dead”) helmed this project, and his style brought the bizarre universe of Scott Pilgrim to life.

“Scott Pilgrim” is very hard to explain, because there are a lot of characters and a lot of different facets to its story. The easy part to understand is that Scott finds himself at odds with his new girlfriend’s League of Evil Exes(™). This story isn’t

here to tell you a compelling drama; it’s here to have flashy special effects, huge brawls, great rock music and absolutely absurd characters. And it does that fantastically, as every stand-off feels completely different than the others.

The characters in this film are hilarious too - they’re all lacking in depth but have enough there to latch onto, which makes their comedic moments really hit hard.

It’s fascinating to me that the film’s climax gives a serious amount of emotional weight to these cartoony meat husks. After all that comedy and action, it turns out you’ve subliminally imprinted on these characters enough for it to be a legit gut punch. “Scott Pilgrim” encapsulates everything that’s great about games, action movies and angsty loveydovey movies, and I can’t wrap up all of THAT in my 300 word limit. So just trust me when I say this movie is what’s up, and you should go watch it for yourself!

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Drew Hickman is a junior Communication major from Shawnee, Kansas.

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https://www.puzzles.ca/sudoku/ The Clocktower encourages reader feedback and strives to maintain accuracy. If you have comments, please email us at cltower@gma ltower@gmaiil.com l.com.

The Clocktower, established in 1927 and sponsored by the Associated Student Body of Union College, is published semi-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.