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The Clocktower September 29, 2021 Issue 4, Volume 96

Hope for Health

Go Healthy for Good reboots on the Hope Channel with new and exciting segments

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his month the Hope Channel, an international Seventh-day Adventist network, rebooted a health based show called Go Healthy for Good. This show, hosted by surgeon Nerida McKibben, is currently being filmed and aired in New Zealand and includes some helpful—and shocking—topics.

One of the more controversial topics discussed on the show includes sexual health.

When asked whether or not Christians should be disscussing sex, McKibben had a lot to say.

“Listen,” she told Adventist Review, “I am a doctor who specializes in women’s health, and the one thing I know is that Christians, just like everyone else, have our share of questions and issues with sex. Sex is part of a healthy life, but that means ensuring we deal with STIs [sexually transmitted diseases], contraception, sexual problems, and, of course, working towards an active sex life that is satisfying to both people in a relationship.

God created sex, so, yes, Christians more than anyone should talk about sex openly and constructively, advocating for God’s ideal and providing practical advice that deals with the realities we are faced with. If you wonder

how we will do that, you will have to tune in.”

Another topic Go Healthy for Good is discussing is chronic fatigue. McKibben explains that while chronic fatigue can be related to depression, it is actually a unique diagnosis of its own. McKibben says, “I have wanted to tackle chronic fatigue productively on the show, explaining the issues involved and providing hope. I am so thankful that I have a physician on this season’s show who specializes in treating chronic fatigue. It is one of the most important episodes we have ever done, as this is such a massive issue.”

Other segments in the show include cooking, exercise, spiritual reflection, success

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Politics

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Explore Nebraska

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Lincoln News

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Sports

4 The official

UNION COLLEGE

newspaper

Pop Culture

6 Travel

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Outlook

10 Faculty & Staff

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CLOCKTOWER STAFF

Editor–in–Chief Juliet Bromme

Assistant Editor Hannah Drewieck

Layout Editor Chrisheline Kalawo

Assistant Layout Editor Justin Anderson

Lead Photographer Joseph Lee

Assistant Photographer Jacob Sanchez

Distributor Jordan Judge

Web Manager Diana Celaya

News Editor Maria Kercher

Entertainment Editor Annika Cambigue

Lifestyle Editor Lacey Stecker

Adventist News Sophia Jaquez

Lincoln News TJ Pittenger

Politics Aubrey Benton

Travel Sierra Lastine

Outlook Hannah Olin

Explore Nebraska Kelina Rodgers

Pop Culture Annelise Jacobs

Comedy Caleb Schaber

Sports Evan Majors

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cont. from page 3 stories and conversations with experts in the field of health. The new episodes also feature diverse and specific topics, such as ADHD, organizing your thoughts, herbicides in food and strengthening your brain through music.

One of the episodes specifically speaks to stress in the youngest generation and what to do as a young person if your stress is affecting your quality of life.

The Hope Channel is a bountiful source of information, help, hope and connection. If you would like to check out some of their programing, visit hopetv.org. If you would like to watch an episode of Go Healthy for Good, check out hopechannel.nz or find their content on YouTube with the key words ‘the Hope Channel.’

Sophia Jaquez is a sophomore theology major from Lincoln, Neb.

IRROC holds 9/11 stair climb 110 flights for 343 firefighters

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t was 5:30 a.m. and the sun hadn’t risen yet when a small group of mostly IRR students gathered in the basement of the Dick Building. Introductions were made and each participant received a card with the name of a firefighter who lost their life during the terrorist attacks of September 11. Then they started to climb.

The first 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb was started in 2005 with a group of five Colorado firefighters. Attendance grew and in 2010, the original team from Denver partnered with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to create a system for coordinators to hold stair climbs across the United States. They are now held nationwide. Participants walk the

equivalent of 110 flights of stairs, the amount of stories in the Twin Towers. Union held its first stairclimb in 2019 and this is the second time the event took place, due to the pandemic canceling the event in 2020. This year‘s stair climb was originally scheduled for September 11, but was postponed due to the IRR Disaster Response in Louisiana.

To reach the equivalent of 110 floors, the students walked up and down the Dick Building steps from the basement to the 6th floor eight times. As the minutes dragged on, the sound of labored breathing and footsteps formed a sort of rhythm. As students passed each other on the steps they offered encouragement and positivity saying, “You’re almost there,” “You got this” and “Good job!” Kyle Kuehmichel, a graduate of the IRR program and current EMS Coordinator for Union College, serves as a firefighter and paramedic for Southeast Fire and Rescue.

Kuehmichel walked the 110 flights of stairs in full firefighter gear, which weighed about 100 pounds.

As time went on, my legs began to ache, breathing was harder and most of my attention was focused on fighting back nausea. My thoughts wandered from the events of 9/11 and the endurance of the first responders to wishing I had been better about exercising over the past month. I couldn’t imagine completing this feat with another ounce of weight, let alone the pounds of firefighter gear in the heat of a burning building. The experience gave me a new appreciation for the bravery, heroism and sheer force of will of all first responders.

Aubrey Benton is a sophomore international relations major from Smithsburg, Md.

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My first concert You should get out more

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he joy of a first-time experience is always incredible. Then, you wish you could experience it for the first time again, just for the experience.

I was raised conservatively in New England, literally the middle of nowhere.

All of my friends were from my tiny church school. My home church has maybe 50 people, mostly the Silent Generation and early Baby Boomers. Needless to say, in my mind, a concert was a symphony orchestra or band orchestra. When my sister began her obsession with One Direction, I learned about fan culture and all that entailed. I was disgusted. The girls shrieking and waving posters were almost vulgar to my young mind.

I mentally decided that I would never be in that group of people.

I have changed a lot since then. Now, I’m in college in Lincoln, Nebraska, literally “the middle of everywhere.” I have a car and I am able to do nearly anything I want. And how better to use that freedom than to go to a concert?

My first experience with AJR was their song “Weak” in 2017, and it became my anthem through high school. Beyond that, I didn’t listen to any of their music. Like many other people, I rediscovered AJR in March 2020, when their single “Bang” went viral on TikTok. I began listening to their other music and loved them. When my friend Annika

asked me and some other people if we were interested in going to an AJR concert, I said yes. AJR’s Ok Orchestra was coming to Des Moines Sept. 14. The three-hour drive was a mild concern, but we decided to run with it.

The arena where the concert was held wasn’t huge. I could clearly see the stage from our balcony seats. Being so near to people who are famous brought a strange feeling with it, like a broken wall. The incredible artists are just people who are very talented and have created music that I and many other people love. Now, I love AJR’s music even more, if that is possible.

Being in college means that you are here to learn. That includes more than your classes*. Make friends, go out and enjoy new experiences. I recommend Kelina’s column for recommendations on what to do around Lincoln, but feel free to approach me for ideas too. *Be responsible. I stressed for days doing a lot of homework beforehand. Education is too expensive to purposely skip homework.

Annelise Jacobs is a sophomore communication major from Peru, Maine.

Union students survive a collision on Highway 2 What we know now

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he Union family was in shock this last week when some of our own family members were involved in a head-on collision on their way back from Harvey’s Harvest. The person who caused the accident unfortunately was killed in the crash. The other four people involved were sent to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

On Friday the 17th, Union hosted Harvey’s Harvest with supper and worship that went off without a hitch. Tori Kretschmar, a Union nursing student, said, “It was an amazing way to end a stressful week and welcome in the Sabbath. The food, music and message were all fulfilling. I loved seeing everyone there and how the lawn was scattered with students in various places playing games, eating and talking.” Tori, who is friends with some of the people that were in the crash, was considering riding back with them that evening.

As people left the event, the 19-yearold driver, Allen Stafford, took three other students as his passengers—Tegan Smith, Marcus McConaghy and Anna Wood—back toward Union. At 9:08 P.M. a drunk driver collided with their vehicle on Highway 2. An emergency helicopter and fire and rescue were called in to help. Some of our own trained

©Ryan Teller

first responders—including Hannah Wood, a Union graduate—were the first on the scene.

All four students in the van were sent to the hospital, some with broken bones, others with spinal injuries. Unfortunately, the driver of the other vehicle, Kimberly Haes, passed away at the scene at the age of 55. The campus, post-crash, felt great compassion and empathy towards the driver and her family, continuing to pray for them. We may never know what happened in her car for her to cause the accident.

Marcus McConaghy, one of the students involved in the collision, said of the accident and the healing process that “God has it under control.” Marcus has a broken shoulder, broken toe and a hairline fracture on his spine.

The students sent to the hospital nearly all needed surgery. They had many broken bones including vertebrae, shoulders, arms and legs.

Even though there were many injuries, spirits remained high. In the midst of casts and pain, the students kept persevering and smiled through the worst of it all.

TJ Pittenger is a junior theology major from Gilson, Ill. ©Ryan Teller

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Learning to fail

Why failure is important

To be a learner, you’ve got to be willing to be a fool - George Leonard, Mastery

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he past few days have been spent stumbling my way through conversations. I’m not going to sugarcoat it, my German is painfully bad right now, but I am working on it. Step by step, through the many mispronunciations and misunderstandings, I am getting better. To anyone back at Union who speaks a second language, my hat goes off to you. I didn’t understand the difficulties of acquiring a second language until attempting it now.

It is all too easy to mix up languages, or replace words with homonyms or say something that is correct in English but translated makes no sense at all. Throughout my stiff conversations in German, the above quote has come to mind. It is from a really great book, Mastery by George Leonard, which offers an interesting perspective on learning. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in such topics. It really opened my eyes to the importance of this awkward phase of learning. While learning a language blanking on terms, butchering words and the overall confusion is just part of the process.

In the book, Leonard explains that learning takes place through a series of plateaus and peaks. The plateaus are the practice time put in. They are the long hours spent hunched over a desk, sitting at the piano bench or alone on the field. Even though these moments are far from glamorous, they are the most important.

Still, the peaks get most of the attention.

These are moments where there are breakthroughs or a sudden gust of progress are sharp spikes in the learning process. I often find myself striving after peaks, trying to find shortcuts or other ways to fast-track the route to success.

However, the problem is that the further along a person gets in a particular skill the fewer peaks occur. In the beginning stages of learning it is easy to make progress

©Sierra Lastine

because the tasks are fairly simple. As things become more and more complex, huge successes become rarer. The gratification of breakthroughs becomes more delayed. When this occurs people often burn out.

This burn out can be prevented. Leonard recommends that the actual process of learning has to become more enjoyable than feeling success. As I push myself to try new things and learn new skills I find that I agree with this mentality more and more.

I remember when I was first learning how to ski my mother told me, “If you’re not falling you’re not learning.” I accepted the fact that I would fall, that I would look silly and that I would ache at the end of the day.

Soon enough, I got over my fear of falling.

The aphorism has since become a sort of mantra for myself.

People need to push themselves. When a person starts to fear failure they limit themselves. They are afraid to go on to the next level of learning because once again they might look foolish. So whether it be falling on the ski slope, trying to learn soccer or saying you’re ninety when you mean nineteen, I encourage you to fail. Fail and then keep reaching for your goals–keep trying, keep learning.

Sierra Lastine is a junior English and foreign language major from Grand Junction, Colo.

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Adrenaline rush

A climbing and zipline adventure

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month of this new school year has already passed, and I have fallen into the typical weekly routine of classes, work and homework. After a while, the days tend to blur together and feel a bit monotonous. In order to fight off the boredom, a bit of adrenaline and excitement might be necessary. TreeRush Adventures at Fontenelle Forest offers just that.

If you happen to be afraid of heights, this might not be the excursion for you. TreeRush Adventures consists of a series of obstacles, climbing elements and ziplines suspended up to 55 feet above ground. Seven different trails that vary in level of difficulty sprawl across six acres, and one ticket allows you to complete all of them. In total, there are more than 10 ziplines and 100 different climbing elements. The obstacles between ziplines are made of ropes, cables, wood and bridges.

TreeRush Adventures also has several special events on select nights. Glow in the Park allows you to climb at night under the fairy lights that line the trails. If you choose to go during this event, they will provide you with glow bracelets and necklaces to add to the vibe. Starting in October, they will also have Haunted TreeRush nights.

This scary night climb embraces “spooky season” with costumes and Halloween decorations. If you prefer a more relaxed

atmosphere, they have Chill Sundays where they provide complimentary iced Thai coffee, lemonade and sweet iced tea. All these unique experiences also have a live DJ, so you can jam out while you climb.

Depending on when you go and if you decide to attend one of their special events or not, tickets range from $40 to $50. I realize that might seem a bit steep to us college students, but keep in mind, it allows you to explore all seven trails if you choose to. TreeRush Adventures is in Bellevue, Nebraska, which is a little over an hour from campus. Once you make the drive, the staff will take you through a brief training course before you are allowed to climb to ensure everyone has a safe experience.

If you’re looking for something different to break up your normal routine, zip over to TreeRush Adventures at Fontenelle Forest to add some thrills to your week.

Kelina Rodgers is a senior business administration major from Apopka, Fla.

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Going green

Easy ways to be eco-friendly while in college

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ou might have noticed some things have changed in the cafe. Different take-out trays, plates, bowls, etc., are all part of Union’s effort to go green and do its part in taking care of the environment.

While this is a great way to be more ecofriendly, there are so many other ways you can go green, even while at college. Here are a few easy ways that you can be an ecofriendlier student.

Become a plant parent Instead of buying air fresheners or sprays that are often filled with chemicals, adopt a plant! Not only will it give you a fun little friend to take care of, but it will also filter the air in your room, reducing and neutralizing odors.

Unplug Try to unplug small devices and electronics when they are not in use, such as a coffee maker, blow dryer, etc. Also, try not to leave the charger for your phone, computer or other device plugged in when they are not being used.

Thrifting If possible, shop at thrift and secondhand stores. Buying (and donating!) secondhand clothing and other items is a great way to reuse and recycle. Not only will you be helping the environment, but your wallet

might thank you too! Check out some local thrift stores, including Goodwill, Salvation Army, Cause for Paws and more.

Plates, bottles and bags (oh my!)

Whenever you can, try to use the paper plates and recycled trays at the café. Invest in a water bottle that you can refill, rather than buying bottled water. Avoid using plastic bags by putting your snacks from Coopers in your backpack or taking a reusable bag to the store. If you are bringing your food back to your room, skip the plastic forks and spoons and use your own, washable ones instead. All these “little” things really add up!

Recycle Thankfully, there are recycling bins beside almost every trash can on campus, making it easy to recycle. Always put anything recyclable into the designated bins. While most students take notes on their computers and teachers put most of their material online, there is still a lot of paper that goes into college. Although it is easy to just toss them in the trash, collect your excess papers and take them to the recycling.

As you can see, it doesn’t take much to be more eco-friendly. An extra step here, a little toss there, really can make a huge difference!

Hannah Olin is a junior history education major from Princeton, Ill.

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Volleyball from the cameraman’s point of view A new way of enjoying sports

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ports have started up once again, including volleyball, basketball and flag football. As a recently hired cameraman for UTV, I was given the opportunity to work the camera for the volleyball game that took place Monday evening, which saw the Kansas Christian College Falcons defeat the Warriors 3-0.

I am writing this to give you, the reader, a bit of a different perspective of sports.

It was just another day when I received a text from Nathan Sweet, saying that they needed me to work the camera as they were short one person. I went over to the Thunderdome, and the moment I walked in, I narrowly avoided taking a headshot from a stray volleyball.

I could obviously see that this was a pretty intense game.

I got camera number two, the camera that usually gets the most action shots. I started watching the game through the camera screen, realizing that you need to be very attentive, especially when working the action camera.

So I did just that, trying my best to follow the volleyball as it kept getting hammered across the court.

I realized how much of a different

perspective filming the game gives rather than just watching. When you watch a game, you can zone in and out and only pay attention to the important or exciting moments. When you are filming a game for people not in attendance to enjoy, you have to constantly give your attention to the game to deliver the best experience possible. What made this experience even better was my coworkers. Through our headsets, we’d crack jokes, try to predict how the game would end and give our reactions if something exciting happened. When it comes to sports, there are many perspectives about them that make them enjoyable, some you might not even realize until you are living that perspective.

Evan Majors is a freshman business administration major from Winston Salem, N.C.

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FACULTY & STAFF

“We are a village, not an airport.”

©History Channel

A lesson from JFK

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his year marks the diamond anniversary of one of my favorite historical quotes.

1960 saw the political rise of a young senator from Massachusetts who we eventually sent to the White House in 1961 as the 35th president of the United States. Here is the final sentence of his inaugural address: “With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land [Union College] we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”

I see a new spiritual energy at work on this campus this year. God’s primary spiritual gift to me won’t likely be your primary gift from God, but let’s get to know one another and work together in fulfilling God’s work!

Alan Ashcraft is the chief accountant at Union College.

For some visual inspiration on this thought:

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WANNA WRITE?

Contact us on social media or email us at clocktower@ucollege.edu for more information about Clocktower positions and editorial opportunities for the 2021-2022 school year.

UNION NEWS WED. 09.29.21

“Buy Our Love” Benefit Concert @ 6:30 p.m., Lincoln Northside SDA Church THURS. 09.30.21

uGather @ 10:35 a.m., CVC Super Smash Bros Tournament @ 8:00 p.m., Student FRI. 10.01.21

Family Worship @ 7:30 p.m., CVC SUN. 10.03.21

Movie Night @ 6:00 p.m., Student Center

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The Clocktower encourages reader feedback and strives to maintain accuracy. If you have comments, please email juliet.bromme@ucollege.edu or hannah.drewieck@ucollege.edu hannah.drewieck@ucollege.edu.

The Clocktower, established in 1927 and sponsored by the Student Association 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, Student Association, Union College, or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.