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The Clocktower

Hazara community demonstrates at Lincoln capitol building

Afghani ethnic minority raise awareness of Taliban control

Members of the Hazara community held a peaceful demonstration at the Lincoln state capitol building on Monday, Oct 17. The protest was in response to a terrorist suicide bombing at an private tutoring center in Kabul, Afganistan that was targeted the Hazara community.

The demonstration was organized by the Hazara community in Nebraska. Juma Nazari, a board member for the Hazara community in Nebraska made the following statement in an interview with KLKN. “There are demonstrations across over 100 cities. We have thousands of people around the world that gather together regardless of their religions, regardless of their ethnicity, and ask to stop Hazara genocide.”

Speakers at the event included Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen and several speakers who gave speeches in their native language. Hazaras speak a dialect of Dari called Hazaragi, which is a Persian language.

The terrorist attack that prompted the protest occured on September 30, killed 53 and injured 110 individuals. The attack took place at the Kaj educational center in a predominantly Hazara neighborhood. The attack took place as students were taking a practice university entrance exam. When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, many women

were barred from receiving secondary education. The Kaj education center is a private institution that was attempting to help women achieve their education goals.

After the attack, there were protests across Afghanistan in the cities of Kabul, Mazar-i Sharif, and Herat, led by female university students. The Taliban broke up the protests and have been accused of beating and shooting at protestors.

Hazaras face an imminent threat with the Taliban ruling Afghanistan again. Within Afghanistan, the Hazaras have faced systematic discrimation, targeted violence, and forced displacement for centuries. When the Taliban was in power from 1996 to 2001, Hazaras were specifically targeted in events such as a massacre during August 1998 that killed over 2,000 individuals in Mazar-i Sharif. Since the Taliban has taken control of Afghanistan again, the Hazaras have faced an escalation of violence and discrimination and have no legal protection.

The Hazara population is both an ethnic and religious minority in Afghanistan. They practice Shi’a Islam, specifically the Twelver Imami school which is also known as Jafari. Hazara’s used to be the majority ethnic group in Afghanistan, making up two thirds of the population before the 19th century. But an estimated half of the Hazara population was masacred, enslaved, and fled during a genocide that took place from 1892 to 1893 and was led by the Amir of Kabul Abdur Rahman Khan..

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

Costume party contest

On Oct. 29, Union College’s Student Association will be hosting its first October Festival. Along with booths, a maze and other activities, there will be a costume contest. The costume contest will feature three sub-categories and many different prizes that will be awarded by staff and student judges.

The first category is the best Do It Yourself (DIY) costume. This is for costumes that you have made from scratch through anything that you buy, find, or just have laying around. When thinking of how to make a DIY costume for something like this, it is often best to think back to when you were young and what you always wanted to dress up as. This portion of the contest is for solos only.

contest no matter what and judges will vote on what they believe is the best overall costume.

Prizes are available for every event. We will have four judges: two Student Association officers and two staff members. If you know of, or are a staff member who would like to be a judge, please email, or have them email Jacob Sanchez. The only requirement for this event is that you dress appropriately. We are excited to see all of your costumes!

The second category is the best couples or group costumes. This is the category that you can enter with all of your friends, or just in groups of two. Some of the best ways to come up with an idea can come from your favorite TV show or Pinterest.

The third category is the Staff or Faculty costume. This is a great time for all of our favorite professors or campus staff members to show off their creative abilities.

The final category is for the best overall costume. Anyone can join this area of the

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

Costume contest

©Amalia Hidalgo

“The costume contest will feature three subcategories and many different prizes that will be awarded by staff and student judges.”

All you need to know

Widespread grass fires trigger evacuations

Two firefighters injured, three homes destroyed

Union College IRR major Jacob Smith served with his fire department during Sunday’s response. He said, “The fires in southwest Lancaster County and Gage county will become historic. Fires of this size, complexity and speed are rarely seen in this region of the U.S. All of the departments came together to stop and control a very complex, dynamic and rapidly evolving wildfire.”

Two grass fires burned across southwestern Lancaster county and northern Gage county on Sunday, Oct. 23. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency ordered residents to evacuate the town of Hallam, 20 miles south of Lincoln. Three homes were destroyed, and two firefighters were injured when flames leapt over a ditch they were working in. The cause of the fires is not yet known.

The fires were reported in the afternoon and quickly spread north. Recent dry weather provided fuel for the flames, while wind gusts reaching up to 55 mph whipped the fires into At 7 p.m., Lancaster County declared an emergency, setting up a relocation center at Lincoln Southwest High School for evacuees.

According to the Lincoln-Lancaster Emergency Management Agency, the fires were contained by nightfall, but the extent of the damage is unknown. The destruction was seriously mitigated by the efforts of 18 local fire departments and volunteers, as well as by the quick thinking of local farmers.

At least 100 local farmers turned on their irrigation systems and plowed firebreaks to slow the spread of the fire. At a news conference, Sheriff Terry Wagner said, “It speaks volumes for the volunteers, of the farmers, knowing what to do and just doing it. It wasn’t organized at all. But it was wellorchestrated.”

ON THE RADAR

WED. 10/26/22

Warriors Volleyball vs. Faith Baptist Bible College | Thunderdome, 6 p.m. THURS. 10/27/22

Good Neighbor Show | Woods, 10:30 a.m. FRI. 10/28/22

Family Worship | CVC, 7.30 p.m. Agape Feast | 8.25 p.m. SAT. 10/29/22

Costume Party | Thunderdome, 9 p.m. SUN. 10/30/22

Men’s Basketball vs. Doane Varsity (Away) MON. 10/31/22

Anxiety Workshop | OTA Lobby, 4 p.m. TUES. 11/1/22

Men’s Basketball vs. Spurgeon (Away)

Annika Cambigue is a junior communication and english student from Dayton, Ohio.

Wildfire ©Jacob Smith

Union hosts academy tournament

on fire, strong desire”

Hearts on fire and strong desire descended down on Union College as schools battled it out against each other. During the third week of October, highschoolers arrived in bulk for volleyball and soccer tournaments. For many students on campus, this is nothing new. Union has been known to host many tournaments in the past. However, this is the biggest tournament that took place at Union since the pandemic.

Schools from all sides of the United States came together at Union in order to show off their skills and performance. From north to south, east to west, no one was left out. The majority of schools arrived at Union on Wednesday.

The academies that participated included College View Academy, Collegedale Academy, Forest Lake Academy, Hinsdale Adventist Academy, North Dallas Adventist Academy, Midland Adventist Academy, Mile High Academy, North Tampa Christian Academy, Madison Academy, Campion Academy, Georgia-Cumberland Academy, Dakota Adventist Academy, Gem State Academy, Maplewood Academy,

Rounds began on Thursday, Oct. 20 starting at 9 a.m. and running until 7:30 in the evening. This schedule applied to both volleyball and soccer games. On Friday, Oct. 21, rounds started at 9 a.m. and ended at 3:15 in the afternoon and other non-tournament events took place in the evening. The lineups for Friday were College View vs. Forest Lake, Collegedale vs. Hillsdale, North Dallas vs. Midland, and last Mile High vs. North Tampa. After the conclusion of Sabbath, the games continued at 7 p.m. and ended at 10:15 p.m.. Ultimately, the tournament concluded on Sunday, Oct. 23.

Following the conclusion of the tournament, on Sunday, the winners of the 2022 Fall Tournament for both volleyball and soccer were given. The winner for the women’s volleyball brackets were Forest Lake and Hinsdale, while the men’s soccer brackets were Sunnydale and Maplewood.

Participating schools fall under two separate divisions. These divisions are

Sunnydale Adventist Academy, Ozark Adventist Academy and Andrews Academy.

“Hearts

MAU academy tournament ©Arlyse Wash

Thunderdome and Clocktower. Under these divisions, the time and system for each round are set, as well as the determining factor for who goes up against who. Scoring will be left to the judges while line judging will be left to the discretion of the schools. These line judges are picked ahead of time in order to ensure fairness during the tournament. Aside from competition, tournaments also bring in a great number of people to campus. Both participating students as well as parents were present on campus.

Robert Tengker is sophomore nursing major from Redlands, Calif.

Students and faculty travel to communication convention

Society of Adventist Communicators Convention is held in Maryland

TOURNAMENT RANKINGS

Soccer:

First: Sunnydale Adventist Academy

Second: Collegedale Academy

Third: North Dallas Adventist Academy

Volleyball:

First: Forest Lake Academy

Second: Collegedale Academy

Third: Sunnydale Adventist Academy

Thank you to College View Academy, Collegedale Academy, Forest Lake Academy, Hinsdale Adventist Academy, North Dallas Adventist Academy, Midland Adventist Academy, Mile High Academy, North Tampa Christian Academy, Madison Academy, Campion Academy, Georgia-Cumberland Academy, Dakota Adventist Academy, Gem State Academy, Maplewood Academy, Sunnydale Adventist Academy, Ozark Adventist Academy and Andrews Academy for attending this year’s tournament!

Students at SAC ©Union College

Two days before the start of fall break, Union College students and faculty boarded a Boeing aircraft to travel to the East Coast. They would attend the annual convention for the Society of Adventist Communicators, which was hosted at the North American Division (NAD) headquarters in Columbia, MD.

Thankfully, the flight was safe and uneventful, with the travelers binging downloaded media while others dealt with unpleasantly intermittent and costly Wifi. They landed that evening at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (also known as DCA or National). After spending some time in Georgetown, a downtown area of Washington, DC with several restaurants and shops, they headed north to Columbia.

Fortunately, the convention did not kick off till 1 p.m. the next day, giving the people a chance to relax. The convention opened with a preliminary discussion on social networking and reputation management with several media executives from AdventHealth, a prominent Adventist healthcare provider.

Next, the general session continued with inspiring lectures on Adventist history and how the church was founded by revolutionary communicators. It was also revealed that social justice, an issue that has become more prominent in the last few years, was an integral part in the founding of Adventism. This brought tears to the eyes of many advocates for diversity and equity. The session concluded with calls to action; inspiring people with a passion for communication to use their gifts to spread the gospel.

The next day, attendees had the opportunity to attend several breakout sessions, ranging from podcasting to crisis communication. Union College’s own Dr. Tanya Cochran presented on compassion during one of the lectures.

A lecture that was especially enjoyed by Union students was the presentation on Christian influencing by Kevin Wilson, an Adventist pastor with over 350,000 followers on TikTok. He is primarily known for using his love of chai tea to draw truths from the Bible. He spoke about the need to develop relationships and connections before conversion to the gospel can happen.

Union students enjoyed the convention and made many potential internship and job contacts while attending. For some, it felt like they had finally found people of similar values and interests; for others, they found a new direction to take their education. After a fun afternoon exploring DC, they flew back to Nebraska and prepared to get caught up on their assignments – the unfortunate consequence of a long trip.

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

Marvel Cinematic migrane

Quantity over quality?

If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then you probably remember your excitement back in spring 2019. “Avengers: Endgame” was about to be released! “Endgame” was the epic conclusion of the Infinity Saga, an intricately built universe of interconnected movies. “Endgame” is one of my favorite movies of all time. In retrospect, the MCU should have ended there. However, in the name of money, it has continued, and not necessarily for the better.

It’s not hard to tell that the quality of postEndgame content isn’t as good as before. For example, the CGI in “She-Hulk’’ sometimes looks like the graphics from a PlayStation 2. The stories in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Ms. Marvel” often dragged on a bit much and would have done much better as films rather than shows.

You have the new, hectic release schedules to thank for that. Pre-”Endgame”, Marvel Studios put out two, maybe three, projects

Marvel Characters

©Marvel

a year at the most. In the year 2023 alone, NINE projects are scheduled to be released. That’s three to four years’ worth of pre”Endgame” content in one! Mind you, making these movies isn’t cheap. They cost hundreds of millions of dollars to create. Movie studios typically have a set budget for how much they can spend on creating content a year without bankrupting the studio. When that budget is stretched so thin, the quality of the projects begins to suffer, as each doesn’t get as much dedicated funds. This is a huge factor as to why new MCU projects are suffering from such poor quality, whether it be the writing or the visual effects.

Another problem 2022’s MCU is facing is the loss of actors. In 2019, a sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther” was announced. In 2020 Chadwick Boseman, the film’s star, tragically and unexpectedly passed away after a secret battle with colon cancer. This left the sequel in a tough spot. Marvel chose not to recast Boseman out of respect for the late actor, and it seems the sequel will be a send-off to both Boseman and his character, King T’Challa.

Do I think the MCU is 100 percent garbage now? Of course not. As much as I think “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” dragged on, it led to a fantastic storyline about Sam Wilson’s struggles as a black man carrying Captain America’s shield in the wake of racial unrest. “Spiderman: No Way Home” was a classic, despite being totally fan service, but that was totally fine. “No Way Home,” along with “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” opened up so many more possibilities for new stories. It would be so much better if Marvel would just pace itself so that fans don’t become so overwhelmed.

Evan Majors is a sophomore English major from WinstonSalem, N.C.

Do I know you?

The unrecognizable person in the mirror

It was just a regular day of school. I woke up, got ready, and went out the door. As I was making my way through campus, I noticed someone walking on a parallel sidewalk from me. This person looked different from other students. There was just something about them that just didn’t seem ordinary. Nevertheless, I continued and made my way to class.

As the day went on, I couldn’t shake the image of this person. What was so different about this one person? Then it hit me. It was their shiny, copper-red hair!

For several weeks, my curiosity drove me crazy! Finally, I got the courage to ask them if their hair color was real. I went up and said, “Excuse me, is your hair color, I mean the copper in your hair, is it natural?” They looked at me with a kind of confused look and said, “Well, I wish it was, but sadly I get it dyed on a bimonthly schedule by my hairstylist.” I stood there with my mouth open in utter amazement. “How does your hairstylist make it look so realistic?”

I asked. They looked at me, raised their eyebrows, and said, “Good question. My hairstylist makes custom coloring that is approved by me before it even touches my hair.” I stood there just in awe of a process

Hair dye

©Joseph Lee

that I had never heard of before. “How expensive is it?” I asked hesitantly. The ginger-headed person looked at me and said, “It’s more affordable than you think.”

In that instant, the lightbulb came on in my head.

For the longest time, I wanted to look like my ginger-headed French and Irish ancestors, and now I had my solution. Though not permanent, I could look like them for a period of time and feel somewhat connected. I mustered my courage and decided to get my hair dyed.

When it was all dried and done, I looked in the mirror. I was astonished. I turned and asked the dresser, “Who is that sitting in my chair?” She said, “Um, that’s you.” I turned my head, and with a semi-snarky voice, I muttered, “There ain’t no way that I could look like this.”

How does wanting to look like my ancestors turn into an identity crisis to the point where you don’t even recognize yourself? One simple thing, your hair.

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

Overhyping Hydration?

Staying hydrated may be easier than you think

“D

rink more water” is a sentiment that has casually become a cure-all. Have a headache? Maybe some acne? Digestive issues? Regardless of the health issue at hand, the general advice seems to always promote further hydration. Even if there is no particular ailment, many people have made it a goal to drink a large quantity of water every day. It’s an undeniable fact that maintaining a proper level of hydration is critical for living a healthy life. From basic waste elimination to lubricating joints, water is necessary for many bodily processes. Yet, we may be potentially overcomplicating and unnecessarily stressing over our water intake goals.

If you’ve seen people towing around gallon jugs and have felt a twinge of guilt that maybe you aren’t drinking enough but also cannot summon the motivation to chug all that fluid throughout the day — I have good news. You probably do not need to

Water bottles

©Reef Peckham

be drinking excessive amounts of water. According to the Mayo Clinic, men should consume about 15.5 cups (around a gallon) a day, while women should be aiming for around 11.5 cups. Luckily, these values include fluid from water, other beverages and food. Food usually makes up about 20% of the intake, but this value can be shifted higher by eating water-rich foods like spinach or watermelon. Additionally, drinks like juice, milk, tea, soda and coffee can all contribute to staying hydrated.

Some of these may not be particularly healthy choices because of added sugar and caffeine, but they aren’t dehydrating to a noticeable extent. While priority should be given to quenching thirst with water, it is worth noting that other beverages can help you meet your fluid intake goals.

Despite the Mayo Clinic giving a specific benchmark for an appropriate amount of fluid intake, they also acknowledge that these goals may not be appropriate for everyone. Some individuals may need a larger quantity of fluid to maintain an optimal level of hydration, while this may be unnecessary for others. For most, drinking whenever feeling thirsty will most likely be a sufficient amount. Additionally, paying attention to the color of urine is a great indicator of hydration. The Cleveland Health Clinic states that anything from light straw to honey-colored urine is considered generally healthy. Completely clear urine is a sign that fluids may be overconsumed, this could lead to electrolyte imbalances if the problem is frequently encountered.

None of this information is meant to discourage anyone from pursuing their passion for guzzling water, but instead proposes that listening to bodily cues, like thirst, may be better than following random recommendations online. Everyone has unique health needs, so one piece of advice may not work for all.

EDITORIAL

Campus Ministries creates an apologetics team

Developing a defense for Christianity “C

hristianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” - C.S. Lewis

Here is a question to ponder: what if someone asked you, “Why are you a Christian?” What would you say? Or if you are not a Christian, “Why do you believe what you believe?” Studies have shown that many people make the decision to abandon their faith by the age of 13. Christian Apologist Frank Turek said, “People are getting talked out of Christianity because they’ve never been talked into it.”

It seems that people often don’t have the “why” behind their faith. It is as if we get along just fine not knowing the “why” until we are challenged, and then we have nothing to stand on. There are two purposes for Christian apologetics, one is to defend our faith to the world, as the apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But

Nicole Hardt is a sophomore biomedical science major from Apopka, Fla.

do this with gentleness and respect.” The other is to give ourselves a firm foundation in our own faith.

The first quote is my favorite quote from C.S. Lewis, and I use it quite often, with good reason. Even when we have all the goods, the foundation and knowledge, sometimes it remains just that. If you believe that Christianity is true, can it remain head knowledge or just a piece of your life? If you believe it to be false, why does anything matter at all? My mentor and friend Pastor Rome Ulia said, “The gospel is not an addition to your life. You don’t even know what your life is until you have the gospel.”

If you have questions and doubts, or you are looking to strengthen that foundation, that is why this ministry exists. The UC Apologetics Team is here to have those discussions and help find answers to those questions. Daniel and I love these conversations and would love to chat with you. The QR code below has links to our social media as well as an anonymous questions link. God bless!

Payton Arnett is a freshman theology student from Bonney Lake, Wash.

UC Apologetics Team