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The Clocktower

AcroFest is coming!

Union College hosts the first AcroFest after a two year break

Over a week has passed since the conclusion of Fall Tournament 2022, which ended with Forest Lake and Hinsdale winning the women’s volleyball bracket and Sunnydale and Maplewood winning the men’s soccer bracket. Just as the excitement settles, AcroFest appears on the horizon.

This year, Union College is hosting AcroFest. This results in many guests and schools brought together on campus. AcroFest focuses on acro gymnastics. Participants for this upcoming event come from all sides of the United States. From east to west and north to south, no one is left out. Adventist colleges, universities and high schools gather together at Union in order to show off their skills and hard work.

For this event, great clinician figures in their respective fields will be present for AcroFest in order to help people improve their skills such as sports acrobatics, tumbling, tossing and more. Every year the theme for AcroFest changes. This year, the theme is “Look up — SMILE!”

which was taken from the Bible verse Luke 21:28.

The schools that will take part of this year’s AcroFest are: Andrews University (Michigan), Antillean Adventist University (Puerto Rico), Bass Memorial Academy (Mississippi), Chisholm Trail Academy (Texas), Collegedale Academy (Tennessee), Fletcher Academy (North Carolina), Georgia-Cumberland Academy (Georgia), Highland Academy (Tennessee), Highland View Academy (Maryland), Indiana Academy (Indiana), Madison Academy (Tennessee), Midland Adventist Academy (Kansas), Ozark Adventist Academy (Arkansas), Peterson’s Gym (Texas),

Southern Adventist University (Tennessee), Southwestern Adventist University (Texas), Spencerville Adventist Academy (Maryland), Sunnydale Adventist Academy (Missouri), Thunderbird Adventist Academy (Arizona), Tulsa Adventist Academy (Oklahoma), Union College (Nebraska), Upper Columbia Academy (Washington) and Washington Adventist University (Maryland).

Tickets for the AcroFest 2022 Grand Finale are now available and can be purchased through the Union College website. Tickets are $10 per person and a confirmation email must be presented in order to enter the establishment. Union College students and employees can attend with no fees. Proper identification must be provided in order to gain entry.

Registration for AcroFest will be available on Wednesday, November 6, 2022 in the Ortner Center lobby from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. All activities will take place at the Speedway Sports Complex starting on Thursday, November 10 from 8 a.m. to 5:10 p.m. Worship, coach meetings and lunches will take place inside the establishment.

Luke 21:28, NKJV

Robert Tengker is sophomore nursing major from Redlands, Calif.

“Now when these things begin to happen, look

draws near.”

OTA engages with campus community

Peer-led groups on social media health and more

Departments across campus have different ways of connecting with their respective students. Some programs offer soup suppers and the International Rescue and Relief (IRR) program goes camping.

One overlooked part of campus is now seeking to engage with all students and faculty across campus.The Occupational Therapy Assistant department has been leading out in several new, peer-led groups this semester for all students to enjoy. These workshops have varied from topics from social media health to letter writing.

The Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program is the newest program for Union College to offer, first accepting applications in late 2018. It is unique in being a 2-year course, allowing students to graduate with an associate’s degree in about half the time of other programs on campus. The major was added as part of Union’s drive to continue to innovate and improve our offerings as a college. Occupational therapy assistants help those who are suffering from injuries, illnesses, or disabilities to develop skills for daily living. It is one of the fastestgrowing careers in the United States at this time.

Miranda Chaffee, a senior OTA student from Dallas, OR, loves the opportunity to engage with the rest of our campus community during these events. “I love the people in the program,” she said, “but it’s also really nice to meet and engage with people who you don’t see everyday and make other friends.”

Recently, the OTA department wrapped up “Off the Grid,” which was designed to be a 3 part meeting held once a week to invite students and faculty to disconnect from

technology and then reconnect with friends and peers. The sessions involved letter writing, which was fun because “nobody gets letters anymore … anytime I get a card from a family member, it just … brings a smile to my face,” Chaffee said.

The participants also performed random acts of kindness as part of the events. They wrote meaningful messages in chalk on various sidewalks across Union’s campus, mainly concentrated near the statue of Jesus in between the Everett Dick Administration Building and the Ortner Center. “We actually had 1 or 2 people who joined that didn’t even join the group that day,” Chaffee said. “They just thought that it was really fun and they joined in.”

OTA plans to do more events like these in the near future. Make sure to stay tuned to your uGroups feed and join one that interests you!

the grid event ©Miranda Chaffee

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

Off

October Student Senate update

What has the Student Senate accomplished so far?

Lastly, Senator Aubrey Benton passed a bill that would bring more light on how to handle issues with professors by including more resources on their syllabi. This would help people learn what steps to take and how to properly report any issues they may face with their professors and classes.

a bill into law

Many people often wonder, “What does the Student Senate do?”

Hopefully with the Senate newsletters, you don’t wonder about that very often, but your Student Senate has had a very productive year to this point.

The Student Senate has been able to gather three times this semester to discuss all things Union, from the faculty handbook to hours that Cooper’s is open. So far this semester, the Student Senate has passed four bills. But what do they do?

The first bill, brought by Senator Alexis Castro, is regarding coin machine stations, and if this goes through it would add a coin machine to Prescott Hall. Historically, the Prescott residents had to walk to Ortner Center or Rees Hall to get money for their laundry. Iif this bill passes, they will have their own coin machine to do laundry.

The second bill, also brought by Senator Alexis Castro, is to add more water refill stations around the dorms on campus. This bill would add one refill station to Prescott Hall, Rees Hall and Culver Hall. These refill stations make it easier for you to refill your water bottles and they have better filtering technology.

The third bill, brought by Senator Maurie Andino, is a proposal to increase the hour cap for the students from 20 hours per week to 30 hours per week. This would allow students who maintain a GPA requirement to be able to work more hours on campus.

While all of these bills passed the Student Senate, they still have long processes to go through before they can become policy. With that being said, these are all on track to make great improvements on campus.

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

ON THE RADAR

THURS. 11/3/22 uGather | CVC, 10.30 a.m.

FRI. 11/4/22 Student Art Exhibit | Noyes Art Gallery Family Worship | CVC, 7.30 p.m.

MON. 11/7/22

Spring 2023 Academic Registration opens for Juniors and Seniors

OTA Anxiety Strategies | OTA, 4 p.m. Nursing Chipotle Fundraiser | 7133 Pioneers Blvd., 5-9 p.m.

TUES. 11/8/22

Spring 2023 Academic Registration Opens for All Students

Women’s and Men’s Warriors Basketball vs. Central Christian (AWAY)

Signing

©Unsplash

Pro wrestling: Fake sport or real entertainment?

The

hidden dangers of the ring

In the word of sports, one stands out among them all: professional wrestling. More than any sport, it blurs the line between athleticism and Hollywood entertainment and has profoundly impacted pop culture. It’s no secret that professional wrestling matches aren’t legitimate contests. They are more like choreographed performances. Professional wrestlers are athletes playing characters and following storylines for an audience. However, more work goes into this industry than many expect.

Professional wrestlers must be aware of their own abilities and limitations and keep themselves in a healthy physical state to perform at their optimal levels. They must know how to safely execute wrestling moves and keep their opponents and themselves safe at all times. Pro wrestling moves can be extremely dangerous. The wrestler receiving said moves can be seriously injured or even killed should the move be performed incorrectly.

On a recent episode of “AEW: Dynamite,” Jon Moxley was set to defend the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) world championship against ‘Hangman’ Adam Page in the main event. The match seemed to be going to plan until Moxley performed a “lariat” on Page. While selling the impact of the move, Page landed awkwardly on his head and neck and was knocked unconscious. Ringside doctors immediately came to Page’s aid and stopped the match. Page was stretchered out and rushed to a nearby trauma center. This noticeably worried both Moxley and the fans. Later, AEW management revealed that Page, real name Stephen Woltz, suffered a concussion.

Concussions are no laughing matter, as there’s not really a way to treat them. You have to wait for them to heal naturally, meaning it can take considerable time for a concussion to heal fully. Repeated concussions can result in lasting brain damage, such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The harsh reality is that Hangman could’ve come out of this situation even worse than he did.

Serious injuries have been known to end careers long before they should have ended. In 2011, World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler Adam Copeland, better known by his ring name Edge, was forced to retire at the age of 37 after several neck injuries, out of fear he could’ve been paralyzed or even killed

Wrestling ©Joseph Lee

should he have taken a hard enough fall. Fortunately, Edge fought hard to recover and was able to return to action in 2020, but by that point, he was 46 years old and had missed nine years of his career.

More appreciation should be given to professional wrestling and should not be dismissed as a ‘fake sport.’ Even though it’s built on scripted storylines, it’s still very much an athletic sport with real risks that take training and care to avoid. Professional wrestlers put their bodies and well-being on the line for our entertainment, so they deserve the same appreciation all other athletes receive.

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

why there are so many drastically different numbers on the screen. Oh, whoops, that’s my Canvas page. Sometimes I can’t tell the difference between the two apps because the radar is so rainbow-like that I don’t know if it’s my Canvas class cards or the different counties in the state of Nebraska on a map!

Don’t look up

The woes of Nebraska weather

It is now the month of November, and in the near future, we should be expecting to get snow. Now tell me this, why is it that we will actually get rain, hail, tornadoes, snow and possibly more in November when we are literally in a winter month? I would rather have the guarantee that we get one of those, but not all at once!

In November and December, it could rain one second in Lincoln and then hail the next. Sometimes it skips the hail and just goes straight to snow. That’s when it’s the worst because you least expect it. But thank goodness we always have our trusty weather apps, right?

Those weather apps are something. Sometimes, I’ll look at my weather app and wonder at all the colorful icons and

Also, why is the sky getting dark, but there are no clouds? I mean, it’s normal for clouds to cover the skies and give us some shade, but now smoke? Can we at least get some alert that smoke is coming our way? Not only that, but it just enhanced those seasonal allergies for some. That suspicious runny nose always appears in the worst situations. For example, when you wear a mask for a class or clinicals. You have that steady drip that starts at the nose but slowly makes its way to your lip. Ick. It’s just disgusting; no one wants to see or feel that. I blame it on the smoke and pollen in the air.

Winter landscape ©Joseph Lee

“Sometimes, I’ll look at my weather app and wonder...why there are so many drastically different number on the screen. Oh whoops, that’s my Canvas page.”

But for real, is this headache because of late nights, weather, or school? Can I get at least a mediocre rainstorm so I can get some decent sleep? I just want to sleep, and this fluctuating heat isn’t helping. No inbetween; choose one or the other, weather!

From the derechos, tornadoes, hailstorms, and snowstorms, I think Nebraska is pretty set with an arsenal that can absolutely destroy us. What disaster would you like the weather wheel to land on? A snowy Christmas, a dented-up car, or a roofless house? It’s our fate, and all we can do is look up.

The rise of autoimmune disease

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

While an already shocking 23.5 million Americans have an autoimmune disease, recent studies predict the prevalence of these issues will only increase. In 2020, the National Institutes of Health funded research that found that autoimmunity is rising at a particularly rapid pace in several different populations, but especially among young people.

Yale School of Medicine defines autoimmunity as what occurs when the immune system loses tolerance of bodily tissue and behaves as if these cells were a pathogen. It’s as if two opposing sides are in

Global Spending on Immunology 2012-2022 with 2023 Forecast

In the last 10 years, global spending on immunology has increased from $28 billion to $141 billion. It is expected to increase by another $8 billion in 2023.

Data from IQVIA Institute Nov. 2021

The increasing prevalence of autoimmunity

Graph by Reef Peckham

Blood test ©Pexels

a battle and the soldiers from one army start mistakenly killing their own comrades.

It is also believed that autoimmunity can develop when the immune system overreacts to a pathogen within the body. Many different diseases fit into the category of an autoimmune illness. Type 1 diabetes, lupus, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease are just a few examples of autoimmune disorders. These maladies are uniquely different and target a wide range of body systems.

The study mentioned above involved nearly 15,000 American individuals. Researchers used immunofluorescence, a technique where antibodies are tagged with fluorescent dye to observe the regularity of ANA, an antinuclear antibody that serves as the most common biomarker for autoimmunity. In general, biomarkers are measurable substances that can signal the development of a certain condition or disease. Therefore, higher levels of ANA would likely indicate a higher probability of developing or having an autoimmune disease. The study found that since the early 1990s, the prevalence of ANAs had jumped from 11.0% to 15.9%. While these values may not seem particularly significant, these percentages correspond to 22 million versus 41 million people presenting ANAs in recent years. The most shocking revelation in the research was the adolescent demographic. This group, consisting of 1219 year-olds, had experienced the greatest increase in ANA levels – tripling the values found in the early 1990s.

Despite the concerning statistics, there is little conclusive evidence for what is causing the biomarkers for autoimmunity to rise. Some scientists suggest that because humans haven’t genetically changed considerably in the last 30 years, lifestyle and environmental factors may be to blame for these increases. New discoveries like these are critical to prompt further studies and public health awareness. With how widespread and debilitating autoimmunity can be, developing an understanding of what causes these diseases and how to treat them is highly important.

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

National Native American hertiage month

Happy National Native American Heritage Month! I am proud to identify as a Hopi woman, and am excited for what’s to come next. I would first like to acknowledge that we are on stolen from Native Americans and built by enslaved African Americans.

You may ask what is National Native American Heritage Month? This month we celebrate and amplify the culture, heritage and experiences of Indigenous peoples. The continent’s original inhabitants were a diverse group of people, each with unique customs, faith practices, and languages. It is important to know and give respect to the native people who first cared for this

Celebrating the Indigenous communities of Nebraska

This photo was taken on Sept. 11 at a protest lead by The Indian Center, Inc., The Niskíthe Prayer Camp and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska. The protest was organized to show opposition for the construction of Wilderness Crossing, a propsed housing development next to sacred ceremonial grounds.

land. Some native tribes that are here in Nebraska that I would like to acknowledge are the Santee Sioux Nation, Ponca tribe of Nebraska, Omaha tribe of Nebraska, and Winnebago tribe of Nebraska.

What is the best way to refer to an indigenous person? The term Indian, when used to refer to a Native American individual, may be offensive to them. I highly encourage you all to ask before assuming what someone may want to be called. According to healthline.com, the term Native American “emphasizes that hundreds of individual tribes inhabited the land now known as the United States of America before anyone else.”

Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Native American, was a director of an arts and science museum in Rochester, New York. Parker persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set a date for the “First Americans Day”. In 1915, the Congress of

the American Indian Association made a plan concerning the American Indian Day, and on Sept. 28, 1915, it was declared as an appeal that the second Saturdays of each May be American Indian Day. American Indian Day was then adapted by individual states, with New York being the first to declare American Indian Day. According to nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov, a joint resolution approved in 1990 designated November as Native American Heritage Month.

I encourage everyone this month and in general to educate yourselves on the land that we can call home.

Ashira Campbell is a sophomore communication major from Denver, Colo.

Nebraska beef robbery reveals multi-millon dollar theft ring

ANebraska investigation into the theft of several semi-trailers loaded with beef led to the reveal of a Miami-based multimillion-dollar theft ring. The ring targeted meatpacking plants in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

A semi-truck filled with over $230,000 worth of beef was stolen on June 26 in Grand Island. The empty semi was found in Emerald, around ten miles west of Union College. Another semi was stolen the next day, June 27, without a trailer. This semi

$9 million worth of beef stolen in the Midwest

©Ashira Campbell

was found southeast of Lincoln with an empty trailer stolen from Grand Island that held $157,000 worth of beef. On Sept. 1, three empty trailers were discovered in Ottumwa, Iowa that had contained $100,000 worth of pork.

The investigation was led by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security’s Major Crimes Task Force in Omaha. Investigators identified 45 other thefts that they believe were committed by the same perpetrators with an estimated loss of $9 million.

Three men from Miami, Fla. were arrested on Oct. 20 and charged with transporting stolen goods and money laundering. The men were identified as 38-year-old Yoslany Leyva Del Sol, 37-year-old Ledier Machin Andino, and 39-year-old Delvis L. Fuentes. During the arrests, police recovered three semis with stolen goods valued at $550,000.

Fuentes, who has a commercial driver’s license, was identified as a suspect by the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office using records of devices connected to specific cellular communication towers in the area. Del Sol and Andino, who were present in Nebraska at the time of the thefts, were identified through Fuentes’s cell phone records.

Law enforcement obtained warrants and tracked the men’s cell phones through September and October. The men were tracked from Miami to Columbia, Tenn. on Oct. 10, then to Des Moines, Iowa. In Des Moines, law enforcement placed GPS trackers on the semi’s driven by Fuentes and Andino.

On Oct. 14, they were tracked to Sioux Falls, where a trailer with 19 pallets of ham was stolen. Two days later, two more semitrailers were stolen in Worthington, Minn. from JBS foods.

The suspects were spotted by Florida Highway Patrol troopers on Oct. 20th

traveling on I-75 East, near Weston, Fla. The authorities stopped Fuentes and detained Del Sol and Andino in a nearby parking lot.

Lopez was released on bond on Oct. 21 and according to his attorney, Omar A. Lopez, he plans to plead not guilty. Del Sol’s bond hearing was set for Thursday, Oct. 27, and he also planned to plead not guilty according to his attorney Alfredo Izaguirre. All three suspects will face trial in Florida federal court.

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

Cash cow

©Reef Peckham

Natural remedies for our pets

Your furry friend deserves better

Have you ever heard the word naturopathic? Perhaps you’ve heard of a naturopath doctor who uses only natural, organic treatments. Natural remedies and treatments are often very effective and come with less, if any, bad side effects than chemical or unnatural alternatives. As someone who is going into veterinary medicine and has greatly benefited from natural treatments, I began to wonder if animals could be treated naturally as well. Turns out, animals can greatly benefit from natural remedies just as humans can.

One of my goals going into the field of veterinary medicine is to introduce and push the use of naturopathic treatments for our furry friends. It is uncommon to come across a vet clinic that uses natural treatments. Most vet clinics push the use of drugs and pharmaceuticals. Often, these heavy drugs have negative side effects which require more drugs to treat those side effects. Have you ever noticed just how large a veterinary bill can be for just a simple visit? A big reason for outrageous vet bills is because of the excessive use of pharmaceutical drugs.

It is my belief that many of the ailments that plague our furry friends can be both prevented and treated by natural remedies with significantly decreased bad side effects. I have successfully treated my own pets using natural remedies. I cured my dog of kennel cough symptoms using a mixture of herbs and honey; saved two of my dogs from rattlesnake bites using a combination of herbs and charcoal, called people’s paste; and treated several deep wounds and abscesses on my horses as

well using all natural products. There is evidence that shows natural treatments can effectively prevent the onset of common diseases and illnesses found in dogs and cats such as heart murmurs, arthritis and kidney failure. Natural remedies are often less expensive than the common pharmaceuticals that cost us so much on a vet visit.

As a student planning to become a veterinarian, it is my goal to strongly push for and provide natural remedies to my future clients and at the same time reduce the expenses for regular vet visits and treatment plans for my patients.

Myka Blake is a sophomore biomedical science major from Prescott, Ariz.

Man’s best friend

©Unsplash

The Clocktower

The

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 opinions of the editors, Student Association, Union College or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.