97.14

The Clocktower

February 22, 2023

Issue 14, Volume 97

Lincoln through John’s eyes

How a Nebraska native preserved African American stories in the early 1900s

Beams of sunlight cast shadows across the scruffy lawn, encompassed by a neat picket fence. A slightly warped wooden picnic table rests beneath the branches of a large old shade tree. On the planks of its top lies starched ivory napkins, spotless porcelain plates and enough food to feed the ten guests surrounding the table. They’re comfortable with each other. Squeezed onto the matching wooden benches that line both sides of the feast. A couple, the hosts, stand at the head of the table. She leans towards her husband. A grin splits her face as he offers a meek smile to the camera. The guests wear their Sunday best. The women are in light sundresses and the men sport bright collared shirts. There is an air of contentment as guests grip their glass bottle-bound drinks and gaze leisurely at the camera. This scene, “American Picnic” (circa 1910-1925), was captured by amateur photographer and Lincoln resident John Johnson.

Johnson’s photographs of African Americans and immigrants during the early 1900s remain immensely significant to their representation in the historical record. He was born in 1879 to Civil War veteran and escaped slave Harrison Johnson and his wife, Margaret. Johnson graduated from high school, then attended college at the University of Nebraska. He

Backyard picnic, Lincoln, Nebraska, ca. 1910-1925

©Public domain photo by John Johnson, Developed by Douglas Keister

Editor–in–Chief

Annika Cambigue

Assistant Editor

Annelise Jacobs

Lead Photographer

Joseph Lee

Assistant Photographer

Christopher Jacobo

Assistant Photographer

Reef Peckham

Layout Editor

Shelby Jongema

Assistant Layout Editor

Arlyse Wash

Web Manager

Justin Anderson

Social Media Manager

Mariah Lee-Wong

NEWS

Editor

Lyndsey Elsey

Student Life and CM

Charles Metz

SA, Senate and Safety

Andrew Schwartz

Academics and Residential

Robert Tengker

ENTERTAINMENT

Editor

Hannah Olin

Sports

Fortune Ogulere

Pop Culture

Evan Majors

Comedy

Lacey Stecker

LIFESTYLE

Editor

Brian Peoples

Nebraska Politics

Aubrey Benton

Outlook

Gabriel Sanders

Nebraska Life

Sidney Needles

found work as a janitor for the Lincoln Post Office and Courthouse, manual labor still being one of few types of employment available to African Americans. When he wasn’t cleaning buildings, Johnson was behind his bulky camera. His roughly 500 photographs stand apart from many professional shots from that time for two reasons. The first is his preferred setting. Unlike professional photographers who used studios and backdrops, Johnson met his subjects where they lived out their daily lives, in places they were familiar with. They can be seen on their front porches, in their homes or on the street. Their poses and expressions are relaxed and comfortable. The second distinction lies with the subjects themselves. Johnson focused his efforts primarily on minority groups. His photographs tell the story of hundreds of Nebraskan African Americans, providing visual documentation on the lives of a group so underrepresented in the historical record.

John Johnson and his wife

Odessa, Lincoln, 1918

Keister

Public domain image developed by Douglas

John Johnson’s story and work is not an isolated case of African American contribution to a society that significantly limited their opportunities. The historic value of his work was not fully realized until 1965, when a 17-year-old aspiring photographer, Doug Keister, bought a seemingly random box of 250 of glass negatives to practice making prints with. Now, 60 of Johnson’s prints are displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C.

Stories like the ones shared by Johnson’s photographs enrich our perspective and highlight experiences that may have been otherwise overlooked. These stories of everyday people living everyday lives are just as important as the famous characters that dominate narratives of African American history. Hearing and sharing these stories are what Black History Month is all about.

Sidney Needles is a senior international relations and history major from Centralia, Mo.

“Night at the Museum”

What to know for spring formal

The Student Association is proud to announce Spring Formal for March 26, 2023. The event will be held at Morrill Hall with the theme being “Night at the Museum”.

Morrill Hall is one of the premiere event locations in Lincoln. It was established in 1871 and is Nebraska’s largest natural history museum. The 70,000 square foot museum boasts many different interactive exhibits, but it’s most well-known for its iconic Elephant Hall, where you can see the world’s largest articulated fossil Columbian mammoth with other Nebraska elephant fossils. Additionally, there is a Smithsonian-inspired Visible Lab, hands-on Science Exploration Zone, and Sustainable Earth gallery with a 5-foot diameter digital globe.

Student Association Social Vice President Jacob Sanchez said, “The social committee

Men’s Basketball

©Joseph Lee

and I started planning and viewing potential venues near the middle of last semester. Choosing the right place helps everything else come together. After viewing a few places, the vibe and potential of Morrill Hall were hard to pass up.”

The formal will feature live music and dinner, as well as time for guests to explore the exhibits.

The combination of venue and theme has many asking “what is the dress code?” The Student Association team announced that this is a formal event and you should not dress as your favorite character from the movie Night at the Museum. While that may be an idea for SA teams moving forward, that is not the goal for this year. “This is a formal event. We aren’t requiring black tie or anything crazy, but it’ll be a good time to get dressed up and have some fun.” said Sanchez.

The one contingency with the banquet this year is that there are limited spots available. There are only 200 tickets, so act quickly!

Andrew Schwartz is a senior business administration major from Lincoln, Neb.

Spring basketball tournament

Tournaments are back!

Each semester at Union College a tournament is held. The fall semester tournament is for volleyball and soccer, and the spring semester tournament is for basketball. During this past weekend, Adventist high school basketball teams from all over the country (and beyond) gathered together on campus to compete. The event started on Thursday, Feb. 16 and lasted until the 18th. Games took place at College View Academy, the Thunderdome and Speedway Sports Complex.

ON THE RADAR

THURS. 2/23/23

Business Awareness Series | Woods Auditorium, 10:30 a.m.

PowerPac Jennifer Woody | Woods Auditorium 7:30 p.m.

FRI. 2/24/23

CNTRD | Woods Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

SAT. 2/25/23

The Well | CVC, 9:45 a.m. Worship Service | CVC, 11 a.m.

MON. 2/27/23

CPR Skills Session | IRR #223 9:30 a.m.

General Student Recital | Engel Hall room 201, 7 p.m.

TUES. 2/14/23

Christ on Demand | Student Success, 7:30 p.m.

losing, fair and honest dealing during the competition and overall admirable conduct of everyone associated with the team. The Christmanship award went to the Vejlefjordskolen mens team and the Campion womens team. At the same time, an individual award was also presented. The head coach from each team nominated the best player from their team to receive the “All Tournament Award” which was presented at the awards ceremony after the last championship game (one award per team).

The Midland mens team and Sunnydale womens team won the Thunderdome division. The Campion womens team and the Mile High mens team won the Clocktower Division.

High School teams that participated in the tournament are:

For tournaments, the general rules include eight-minute quarters with stop time and time outs with three full and two 30 seconds. Intermission 60-second break in between quarters one and two and between quarters three and four and five minutes at half time. Overtime will be a fourminute stop time period. If the score is tied after the first overtime period, a second overtime period of one minute will be played. Any overtime period after the first will be one minute each. As for uniform colors, teams on the first schedule wore light uniforms while teams on the second schedule wore dark uniforms.

At the end of the tournament, awards were given based on the votes given by the head coaches of the playing teams. This award is the Union College Christmanship Award (team award). Recipients for this demonstrated qualities such as friendliness, courtesy and graciousness in winning and

Andrews Academy (Michigan)

Northwest Arkansas (Arkansas

Campion Academy (Colorado)

College View Academy (Nebraska)

Dakota Adventist Academy (North Dakota)

Maplewood Academy (Minnesota)

Midland Adventist Academy (Kansas)

Mile High Academy (Colorado)

Sunnydale Adventist Academy (Missouri)

Vejlefjordskolen (Denmark)

Robert Tengker is a sophomore nursing major from Orlando, Fla.

Spring Tournament ©Arlyse Wash

Residential Life hosts blind dating game

Is love really blind?

the pool of contestants. They came to the stage, while the original contestant returned, seated behind a barrier so the potential suitors could not be seen. She then proceeded to read questions for the contestants to answer. The one who gave the worst answer was promptly removed from the game, using the process of elimination to narrow down the contestants.

The questions part brought cheers from fans in the audience as they rooted for their favorite guys or girls, as the contestants were alternated for each round. One question was, “what is the meaning of ok?” while others were prompted to share “the ideal location for a first date.” Pickup lines, dad jokes and ways to stay closer to God also were mentioned. Kabanje’s animated personality kept the event rolling, even during the final round when several contestants’ names were accidentally revealed on stage, causing the audience to burst into laughter.

Union College students crowded into Woods Auditorium on the evening of Valentine’s Day: some ate at tables while others preferred to sit in the rows of chairs in the middle. Many people were simply there for the laughs and fellowship, but others had come to play in a new game show — the “Blind Dating Game.”

David Kabanje, Union College chaplain and vice president for spiritual life, emceed the event, sharing jokes and words from his beloved “Gen. Z Dictionary” on stage. He also drew names for the contestants that would go on stage and play. The game worked as follows: one “lucky lady,” as Kabanje said, was chosen and was immediately escorted to the back room while five men were chosen from

Three rounds of the game were played; in between, the audience was treated to musical performances and storytelling from talented Union students Maxwell Lassel, Kianna Frishman, Ahchen Edwards and Andy Obregon.

In the end, three lucky couples won and received an all-expenses-paid date night courtesy of Residential Life. The winning couples were Taylor Blake and Ethan Needles; Aleina Melo and Liam Liversidge; and Milka Mendoza Sanchez and Brandon Hansen.

Even though it isn’t likely that anything serious will happen as a result of the event (though it is always possible), attendees received a good laugh and perhaps some

The Blind Dating Game ©UC Residential Life

tips on their next romantic excursion. In short, there is always a chance to find love, even if it is on a campus game show.

Charles Metz is a sophomore theology major from Lincoln, Neb.

Evan’s Oscar picks

A preview of the 95th Academy Awards

onstage and slapped Chris Rock across the face for joking about Smith’s wife’s, Jada Pinkett Smith’s, alopecia. As a result, Smith would later apologize for his actions and resign from the Academy. The Board of Governors also banned Smith from attending any Academy events for the next ten years.

Hopefully, this year’s ceremony will go forth without incident, but after all, it’s Hollywood so who knows? But enough talk about that! Here are a few of the award categories and my predictions for who will win them:

Best Picture: Elvis

This bio-drama is my pick to win best picture because of how hard-hitting a film it was. It tells the life story of iconic American singer Elvis Presley — his childhood, his career, his personal life, his demons, and his final days. The film really makes you feel how the music industry used Presley for years until it inevitably sent him into a downward spiral that eventually led to his death at the age of 42. Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis was simply amazing. He would be my pick for best actor if it wasn’t for one performance:

Best Actor: Brendon Fraser, The Whale

On March 12, 2023, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will host the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony to honor films released in 2022. The ceremony will be hosted by late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for the third time. Kimmel hosted previously in 2017 and 2018.

This year’s ceremony follows last year’s infamous incident when Will Smith went

In The Whale, Fraser portrays Charlie, a morbidly obese and reclusive English professor who teaches only online courses anonymously. Estranged from his daughter and ex-wife and consumed by grief over the death of his lover, Charlie hopes to reconnect with his daughter as his health begins to decline. Fraser gave an absolutely heart-wrenching performance in what I believe to be the best performance of his career. The Whale is easily the most emotional film I have ever watched, and the main reason was Brendon Fraser.

95th Academy Awards ©LA Times

Best Original Song: “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

The emotional song written by the Barbadian singer will forever be connected to the film that was made to pay tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. The actor, best known for his portrayal of King T’Challa, died in August 2020 following a secret battle with colon cancer. It is a very fitting tribute to the cultural icon who forever changed the superhero genre and inspired millions. Obviously, these are all based on my personal opinion. The other nominations all have their case to take the win this year and it will be interesting to see who does. May the best films win!

Evan Majors is a sophomore English major from Lincoln, Neb.

A for effort

A petition for nap education

“I’m so tired.” These three words and their variations are perhaps the most commonly heard words on campus. We’re all exhausted all the time. Between maintaining any construct of a social life, going to classes, completing homework and extracurriculars, nobody has enough time to get a full night’s sleep. Thus, we do the only thing we can. We take a nap.

The problem is, naps are tricky. For a nap to be effective, you have to sleep for just the right amount of time, in the right place, under the right conditions and more! Finding the perfect nap for you feels like taking a whole extra class. Therefore, I would like to propose a one credit per semester nap class, in which students come in and learn to take a proper nap.

The class will involve some lectures, but mostly a space for trying different lengths of naps until each student is able to find the right type of nap for them without risking being late for any events, as a professor will be there to wake them up when nap period is over. This class will be pass/fail, simply depending on each student showing up to class and giving a nap the good ol’ college try.

Whether you grew up with NEW START or CREATION Health, we all know R means Rest. The rest we get is a valuable asset, and a lack of rest sets students up for failure. As college students, it can feel almost impossible to get the rest we so desperately need. With a class that requires rest, students will be more obligated to take care of themselves while learning ways to build healthy habits.

This class will also be repeatable no matter how well students do in the class. After all, some of us need a class to give us permission to take a break. A nap class would be the perfect solution for the straight A-obsessed student to get the sleep they profoundly need.

Union College, it’s clear that nap education isn’t merely a desire from an exhausted student. It’s an

underacknowledged necessity for college students who need a reason to accomplish anything. A nap class would be an excellent step in promoting healthier habits amongst those most likely to abuse their circadian rhythm. Help us help ourselves with a class that provides what we really need: rest.

Seeing red

An observation of Nebraska’s February

Valentine’s day has just passed and all the candy has gone on sale but one thing still remains — the color red. Red is still up everywhere and has invaded different parts of the city, from the hearts and the red glitter, to the signs of love and romance. For most Americans, it should go away sometime soon.

Unless, of course, you live in Nebraska. The color red in the state of Nebraska is very common. It brands our schools and stores and even can be seen in the evening sky. Union College has kept this tradition by keeping the red when it rebranded. The shade has changed, but the color remains.

Can we Nebraskan residents ever get away? Where is the variation?

I would say the answer to that question would be no, there is no escape. The main reason is because of the beautiful sunsets that cover the midwestern skies. From the oranges, yellows, and blues to, yes, the red. Why must we see red everywhere? I walk out of class in the afternoon to a beautiful sunset filled with shimmering reds. There is even red brick that surrounds the campus. I didn’t know everything had to be red. From the Ortner Center and Culver Hall, to the Don Love Building,it is literally all red.

Then it comes to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Not only do they get the Cornhusker mascot that wears a big red hat and red flannel, but the entire team is named “Big Red”. You can drive around Lincoln, Nebraska and see license plates that say “GO BIG RED”. Besides that, there are even stores and gift shops named after Big Red. Frankly, I am still confused about what big red is. Is it a scare tactic for other sports teams or is it just a way for fans to band together? I know no matter what happens, the Big Red is staying because there are way too many people with red t-shirts in Lincoln. Whether it’s February or not, whether you like the color or not, the red is here.

Valentine’s Day has come and gone. The

Nap time ©Joseph Lee

Lacey Stecker is a senior English and communication major from Noblesville, Ind.

stores of Target and Super Saver, which also have red logos, were covered in red and shared the love of Valentine’s day with their customers but now it is gone. But Union has got that covered. In every dorm and most every building you can find the bright red of the Union College Warriors. Perhaps it represents the love of God which we strive to share year round.

But watch out, a sea of St. Patrick’s Day green will soon be here.

Nebraska bill introduced for year-round daylight savings time

No more “spring forward” or “fall back”

State Sen. Tom Briese of Albion introduced Legislative Bill 143 which proposes implementing year-round daylight savings time in Nebraska. If the bill is adopted, it would end the annual time change in March (“spring forward”) and November (“fall back”).

Time changes ©Reef Peckham

Huskers gear

Gabriel Sanders is a sophomore English major from Apopka, Fla.

©Reef Peckham

The bill had a hearing on Wednesday, Feb. 8 before the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. The committee heard testimonies including written testimonies, 22 of which were in support, nine opposed, and one neutral. The committee voted to advance the bill in a 7-0 vote.

The bill has received bipartisan support from senators including Megan Hunt of Omaha, Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Lou Ann Linehan of Omaha and John Lowe of Kearney. During the hearing, Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha stated that the bill received more support from contacts with her office than any other pending legislation.

The bill has faced opposition from The Nebraska Broadcasters Association who stated that the bill would disrupt their industry and result in “chaotic program scheduling” for TV and radio stations, leading to a reduced audience and loss of revenue, especially for programs with audiences across state lines. The president of the association, Jim Timm, said they would prefer federal action for uniformity.

LB 143 requires two events to take place before it can take effect. The first is that Congress must pass legislation that gives states the ability to keep daylight savings time year-round. Current federal law allows states to maintain standard time year round, but not daylight savings time.

The second requirement is that at least three neighboring states must adopt similar legislation. Both Wyoming and Colorado have passed the necessary laws, so Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri or Kansas need to adopt similar legislation for the Nebraska bill to move forward. All four of these states introduced legislation last year

for the change, but none have passed. Currently, nineteen states nationwide have adopted legislation like LB 143.

Briese’s defense of the bill includes both economic and health concerns. He argues that adding an extra hour of sunlight during winter months could have economic benefits through increased consumer spending. Briese also argues that the bill will lead to public health benefits, citing research that indicates the switch to daylight savings time causes sleep loss leading to an increase in traffic accidents, workplace accidents and conditions like heart attacks.

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

“Briese also argues that the bill will lead to public health benefits, citing research that indicated the switch to daylight savings time causes sleep loss leading to an increase in traffic accidents, workplace accidents, and conditions like heart attacks.”

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