Ethos Magazine Winter 2014 by Ethos magazine

“I’m gay, I’m religious.” | Broke no mo’: 5 tips to keep your cash | Meet Tom Hill

CAN’T MAKE THIS SH*T UP Rated “C” for college: artistic nudity and drinking within WINTER 2014

WINTER

2014

A T S

F F

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kiana Roppe

MANAGING EDITOR Dallas Daws

ARTICLES EDITORS Amira Khatib Abby Gilman

VISUALS EDITOR Liz Zabel

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Emerald Klauer Mackenzie Ferguson

MANAGING ONLINE EDITOR Andreas Haftar

ONLINE EDITOR Traer Schon

PUBLIC RELATIONS & SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kelly Schiro

WRITERS Cole Komma, Michelle Brugioni, Rachel Vipond, Terigele, Nicole Presley

DESIGNERS Jordan Welch, Sarah Vance, Madison Jerde, Becky Eilers, Jessica Bartemes, Renae Meines, Sarah Neighbour, Mitchell Yoon

PHOTOGRAPHERS Tiffany Herring, Miranda Cantrell, Jared Raney, Riley Eveleth

ethosmagazine.org

C O T lifestyle

Leave the wizardry and “juice” at home

passion Dating on a Dime (Quickies Page)

Guide to Cheap Living

Because we know you’re broke

College lovers, this one’s for you

How to Avoid Gymtimidation (Quickies Page)

thoughts around ames 24

entertainment

Naked Reflection

A look at the body through the scope of art

Back to the Panels

on campus

Familiar heroes save the day, one panel at a time

Get Inked-- Not Screwed

Editor’s Letter

Girl meets boy, boy takes girl ice skating

It lasts forever

Letters from a Bitter Roommate

Preaching Acceptance

Heed these horror stories

Local minister believes in God’s love for all 28

Dressed in Drag

Not afraid to own it

Don’t Be the Person Who (Quickies Page)

The Unseen Life of Tom Hill

From the projects to the Olympics: the life behind the drive 30 08

WDYTYA

Stroke of strength

Nuggets of information to tkeep your inner douche at bay

Drinking in Different Cultures Tour the world, one drink at a time

LETTER

FROM THE

imple moments

make the best memories. I lived on the eighth floor in Maple Hall. My boyfriend Kyle—known then by his random nickname “Jimmy”—and I met because he lived on a boy’s floor, which was paired with mine as brother/sister floors. Initially, we were just friends who enjoyed bantering back and forth. He was the only guy who really understood my humor. In case you’re wondering, I said a lot of “that’s what she said” jokes and he laughed at them.

Our mutual group of friends would do a lot together, especially since only a few of our friends had cars. One day, we all packed into their cars and went ice skating. I could tell he kind of liked me, but he had no clue I liked him too. Knowing that, I still hoped he would skate up to me, hold my hand and sweep me off the ice. That didn’t happen. Instead, I watched as my roommate and Kyle’s roommate skated hand-in-hand. So, of course, I got upset and said things to my roommate and another friend like, “Why did I even come here?” Not long after, Kyle officially asked me out while we were chillin’ in his dorm room. We made it Facebook official, then opened the door so he could walk me to the stairs. As soon as we opened said door, our friends ran

ethosmagazine.org

into the hallway and started clapping and congratulating us, having seen the news. I was so embarrassed that I ran into the stairwell. For our first date, Kyle asked me to go ice skating. This time, I got my wish. He slowed down, skated with me and held my hand the whole time. He was a perfect gentleman—for the most part. I wasn’t a master at skating, so I would go slow. A couple times during the date, he would grab my sides, lightly push me and skate as fast as he could. Although it was a tad frightening, it was a wonderful moment. As you can see, Amira is telling the truth when she mentions the ice skating rink as a good date location in her quickie “Dating on a Dime” on p.7. Life is meant to be enjoyed, so I hope you enjoy this issue which is filled with neat stories like “Back to the Panels” (p.14) and “The Unseen Life of Tom Hill” (p.19). We also have stories with information that is pertinent to your college experience like “How to Avoid Gymtimidation” (p.6) and “Guide to Cheap Living” (p.5). Sincerely,

I would like to say a special thank you to all of my staff members for working hard on this issue, even during their holiday breaks.

Guide to Cheap Living Living on a college budget without selling a kidney.

BY RACHEL VIPOND DESIGN RENAE MEINES PHOTO RILEY EVELETH

Between textbooks, tuition, ramen and the electric bill, college students don’t have a whole lot of spare change lying around. Let’s face it: we’re broke. Whether you’re digging between your car’s seat cushions to come up with this month’s rent or checking your banking app obsessively, money is probably on your mind. Though the word “cheap” is generally associated with poorly made products and people who reuse Ziploc bags, when done right, cheap habits can save you time and leave you with some extra pocket cash.

Budget, budget, budget Before you buy anything, refer to your budget. Don’t have one? No problem, making one isn’t hard. Iowa State Financial Counselor and Lecturer Kelly Carnine explains that making a budget begins with tracking your spending over a period of time. Use the trends to map out how much money you’ll need for living, travel, tuition, etc. regularly. Apps like Mint.com and Billguard are helpful, but if apps aren’t your thing, try something else. “If you don’t enjoy Excel, for example, don’t use it. It is important to use the tools you find user-friendly, rather than something that will make you shy away from working on your budget,” Carnine says.

Do your homework Keep in mind where you are getting the money from for these purchases. Are there scholarships you might be eligible for? Did you remember to fill out the FAFSA? Carnine

reminds students that loans should only be used for things like tuition, and only what is absolutely needed should be borrowed each semester. “It’s important to keep in mind that you will be repaying these loans back over a period of 10 to 20 years—or longer, in some cases—with interest,” Carnine says. “Do you really want to spend 10-plus years paying off a TV? Or video games?”

Get technical Certain aspects of living cheaply took time and diligence—until now. Though you can’t go wrong scouring the Sunday paper for detergent and razor coupons, automated sites like Groupon and Coupons. com can make life a lot easier. Many have the option to narrow down what you need a coupon for and others let you save your preferences, notifying you whenever products you buy have an available coupon. The app RedLaser offers easy comparison shopping and the Google Chrome extension Honey finds and applies coupon codes to items purchased online. That being said, be wary of buying something simply because you have a coupon.

Try your hand at secondhand Perhaps the most obvious way to live cheaply is to frequent secondhand and consignment stores. Ames boasts a wide variety, including Goodwill, Random Goods, The Loft and Great Stuff Ltd. Whether you’re a veteran thrifter or brand new to buying used, with the right approach, you can leave with a unique jacket or stack of old movies.

Generally speaking, the best way to approach thrift shops and consignment stores is to look for items you need before getting sucked into the excitement of a 50-cent shirt. If you don’t need the item, it should be either extremely cheap or of impeccable quality—preferably both—in order to justify the purchase. Keep an eye out for sales as well as events where you can fill a bag for a flat rate.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help If after this you’re still floundering for financial help, don’t worry. Carnine notes that free professional financial counseling services are available to students through the Financial Counseling Clinic, a service that offers one-on-one appointments and group workshops. Cheap living doesn’t have to mean ramen and annoyed friends. It’s about a change of mindset. When you’re in the market for something, let people know. Make future plans for your money so you know how to spend it today. As Carnine puts it, “live like a student now so you don’t have to live like one after graduation.” Though planning ahead might take a bit more time, it may mean being able to afford your favorite coffee drink or a bonus night out.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO SPEND 10-PLUS YEARS PAYING OFF A TV? 5

Quickies BY TRAER SCHON, AMIRA KHATIB AND ETHOS STAFF DESIGN JESSICA BARTEMES PHOTO MIRANDA CANTRELL AND JARED RANEY

How to Avoid Gymtimidation Going to the gym can be a pretty intimidating experience. From the moment you walk in, you are inundated with impressive displays of human ability. Some guy is in the corner benching what looks like 3,000 pounds. You see someone else flex and rip his shirt off. A girl is just finishing up lap 300 on the track. The air is filled with the sound of weights crashing, the faint smell of body odor and frequent usage of the word “bro.” For some people, adapting to this strange environment is a breeze, but for those of us not yet at “Johnny Bravo” status, here are a few tips on how to fit in at the gym.

stay away from a lot of make up—no one is impressed when you walk into the gym looking like you just came from a high school prom. If you do wear make up, try to keep it waterproof, or you could risk looking like your face is melting off. Also, everyone should refrain from dressing up in ridiculously expensive athletic gear. This is a college gym—not the Olympic Training Center. A T-shirt and shorts are the way to go.

2. Wear deodorant. We’ve all had those unfortunate gym encounters with people that smell like they just came straight out of 18th century France. Whether you think so or not, your natural musk just really isn’t that alluring. Fortunately there’s an easy fix. There’s a wonderful product called “deodorant.” Apply it before a workout and watch in amazement as people are steadily less and less repulsed by your presence (but alas, for some people, not even the most intoxicating Old Spice fragrance will take away that repulsion completely).

3. Don’t worry about supplements. Looking at some of the serious gym-goers, it can be easy to get caught up in their rituals. After workouts you see them drink protein shakes, swallow rocks, gargle yak semen— whatever it is that they do to pack on the muscle. For the casual exerciser, there’s no need for that and it’s probably illegal anyway. Plus, when people marvel at your chiseled body, you’ll be able to tell them it’s “all natural.”

4. Know that the water fountains are motion sensitive.

1. Wear normal gym clothes. This sounds like common sense, but it seems like every time you go to the gym there’s at least one jean-wearer. Unless denim undergoes a serious change and re-emerges as athletic wear, it’s probably best to stay away from jeans…or dress pants of any kind. For girls,

ethosmagazine.org

Remember this. Don’t try to look for a button. Don’t be caught off guard when the water comes shooting out at your face. Don’t pretend you’re a wizard whose mere presence summons water from the bowels of the earth. Just get a drink and move on.

5. Be sanitary. There is almost always a cloth and spray near whatever exercise contraption you’re

using, so it’s not that hard to do this. No one wants to work out in a Jacuzzi of your back sweat, so just wipe off the machine when you’re done and nobody will get hurt.

6. Have confidence. Don’t be affected by the huge, ripped guys effortlessly throwing around the metal equivalent of your body weight. If you look confident, no one will even think twice about the exceptionally large amount of effort it’s taking you to do lunges with a 12-pound dumbbell. You may think they’ll make fun of you, but your lack of physical prowess could actually make the other gym-goers feel better about their own strength, which feeds their egos and keeps everyone happy. If you follow these tips and combine them with a healthy scoop of common sense, you’ll be a natural at the gym in no time. You got this, bro!

Don’t Be The Person Who….

Is orange from tanning in the winter

Date Date Night! Night! Thinking about dinner and a movie for date night again? Well, scratch that. Ames has plenty of awesome ways to spend time with your S.O. without breaking the bank. Whether you’ve been dating for years or it’s your first time out together, these killer ideas will re-energize your love life. A night out with your friends on Welch is an essential part of your weekend lineup, but skip the bars if you’re trying to get to know your date better. Here’s why: you won’t be able to hear each other very well, you’ll likely run into too many people you know, and yes, you could end up embarrassing yourself by getting drunk off your ass. If you want to go out together, opt for a quieter bar on Main Street or a house party where you’re more likely to get a few minutes to sneak away and chat.

Bowling is an inexpensive, fun winter activity for a group of friends, but the setup doesn’t work well for dates. While you are taking your turn, your date sits there and watches you and vice versa, leaving little time to talk. Instead, if you’re looking to do something active during the cold months, go ice skating together at the Ames/ISU Ice Arena. It’s the perfect excuse to lean in a little closer to each other or hold hands. You and your date can rent skates and hit the ice for less than $20!

Dinner and a movie is the go-to date for everyone, and for good reason: it’s super easy and relaxing. However, this date can get old quickly and be pretty pricey, especially on a college student’s budget. Instead, stay in, make dinner together and rent a movie. Decide on a recipe a few days before (might I suggest one from ThugKitchen.com or the Ethos Fall 2013 issue) and go shopping for the supplies together. Save some cash on the movie by renting from RedBox or browsing the $1 rental section at Family Video. If you really want to save, check one out from Parks Library for free. If you’d rather go out, don’t forget SUB shows a new movie in Carver every Thursday through Sunday and it’s completely free with your student I.D.

Downtown Ames is filled with unique, locally owned shops, including The Cupcake Emporium, which was featured on the Food Network’s “Cupcake Wars.” They offer 100 flavors, featuring nine to thirteen rotating daily. Choose from one of the flavors and enjoy a freshly baked cupcake with your date. Then turn the corner and head down the stairs to The Vinyl Cafe, a locally owned coffee shop and record store. You can thumb through the huge collection of new and old vinyl together. Even if you neither one of you owns a record player, you can grab a cup of coffee or tea and chat in the relaxed atmosphere.

Smells/has bad breath Wears heels or sandals in icy weather Gets everybody else sick… stay home Fishes for compliments Dances on other people’s furniture—That’s just not safe Brings ten of your friends to a party when only you were invited Is too drunk to function… know your limits Keeps Christmas décor up in 2014 Brags about your spring break destination Walks out in front of cars and busses when it’s dark or icy Mimics romantic movie scenes on Valentines Day Whines about being single on Valentines Day 7

letters from a

BITTER ROOMMATE Dirty dishes, loud sex and smelly laundry are just a few examples of the commonly bad roommate—most don’t usually get this bad. *names have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.

BY COLE KOMMA DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION RENAE MEINES PHOTO RILEY EVELETH

Je n n y ’s S t or y Jenny* needed a roommate. She had recently decided to transfer to Iowa State and desperately needed a place to live. Her last available option was Regina*.

One afternoon, Jenny came home to her Banana Republic cardigan lying on the ground, missing a button and being chewed on by Regina’s dog.

Things went well for the first couple of days, but then “certain things got kind of weird,” Jenny says. “She introduced me to her friends as her best friend after two days of knowing her.” Jenny felt this was a little odd, but nothing to get upset about.

“Did you wear this last night? Why did you go into my closet?” Jenny asked Regina.

As time went on, Regina began trying to control her. So much so, that Jenny began to feel self-conscious. “She would come to my door and tell me she was worried I wasn’t working out enough and try and get me to go to the gym,” Jenny says.

Five minutes later...

She would also borrow Jenny’s clothes frequently, which didn’t bother Jenny, as long as she OK’d what Regina was borrowing. “She would ask to borrow clothes before, but I would approve them while I was there,” Jenny says. “Somehow after that occasion, she felt that she was entitled to my closet.”

“Oh um, well I actually didn’t wear that last night. I thought about wearing it, but I didn’t. Sorry,” Regina replied.

“I just realized there are pictures of me on Facebook from last night. I did wear that.” When a love interest moves into a living space inhabited by multiple people, things may get awkward. Or in Jenny’s case, out of hand. Regina’s boyfriend lived a floor above them in an apartment of his own, but never spent any time there. “So I said he needed to start pitching in on utilities and when she disagreed, I decided for the next utilities bill, I would write it for one-third [of the bill],” Jenny says. Then the power went out. Regina had intentionally turned off the power to Jenny’s room. “I flipped it on and was like, ‘What’s this about?’ and she said, ‘Well when you start paying your bills, you can have electricity,’” Jenny says. And then the micromanaging started. “She wanted me to individually bag food before I put it in the trashcan because she was worried about the garbage can smelling,” Jenny says. “I explained to her, as calmly as I could, garbage cans tend to smell. That’s why they have lids. That’s why you take them out when they’ve been sitting too long.”

ethosmagazine.org

Jenny and Regina eventually bought separate garbage cans to resolve their disagreement. One day, Jenny returned home to find Regina and her boyfriend enjoying a nice meal. Little did Jenny know, the entire contents of Regina’s garbage can lay in a pile in front of her bedroom door. “What is this to you? Is this dinner and a show? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jenny said to Regina. When Jenny tried addressing any of the issues mentioned above, Regina took it personally. “She tried to say I was the one being harassing even though I was the one who was pushed into my bedroom. I was the one staying out of the way. I basically, completely submitted to what she wanted to just avoid conflict. And she still thought I was the one that was out of line,” Jenny says. This bullying went to such extremes that Jenny hired a lawyer and filed a police report regarding the acts of harassment. Jenny has only seen her ex-roommate once this year. The time Jenny spent in that apartment had caused her anxiety to intensify and her weight to drop. Jenny was on the verge of tears as she recalled that time. “When I got out of there, it was like I could breathe again. I didn’t even realize how bad my anxiety had gotten. I was losing weight and my hair was falling out—I was terrified of this girl,” Jenny says.

S a r a h’s S t o r y Another Iowa State student, Sarah*, met her roommate, Sven*, on the bus to Seven Oaks Recreation Park in Boone. They became friends and grew close enough to be roommates. Things went swimmingly at first, until money became an issue. “I was living with [him] and he was like ‘We so have to go on this snowboarding trip,” Sarah says. Sarah was short on cash, so Sven said he would loan her the money. The trip was over, the money was paid back and things went back to normal. At least for a little while. Then a call came from their landlord saying the gas bill had not been paid in six months. “He wanted to be in charge of the utilities, he wanted his name on everything,” Sarah says. “Hey, sign up for the gas bill,” Sarah said to Sven. “Ok I’ll do it, I’ll do it,” he said. Three reminders later... “I get another call from my landlord saying we still haven’t done it,” Sarah says. Sarah confronted Sven who told her he doesn’t want his name on another bill. They work out a deal that she will take the portion she uses to pay the gas bill out of the other utilities account.

Sven’s significant other also moved in to their apartment. No discussion. No splitting bills or rent. “That’s not happening,” Sarah says. “He said ‘Well she’ll pay a little bit, but she’s not paying utilities.’” Sven also used their drinking cups for chew spit, frequently broke dishes and abused Sarah’s dog. “He would purposely pick up my dog as a puppy and throw him down,” Sarah says. “My dog is still scared to be picked up. He hates my dog, he would kick him.” Sarah experienced vengeful scenarios with Sven, who had very confusing mood swings. “He was mad we bought pizza one time...I kept thinking it was done with and then I would come home and my furniture [was] flipped,” Sarah says. “Or there’d be a note on the wall saying ‘Hey, fuck you.’” Like any relationship, Sarah says communication is key when confronting issues with roommates. “Approach it like a grown-up I guess. Don’t come in complaining and crying,” Sarah says. “If your roommate is being difficult, you need to take the high road.” All roommates have differences and will encounter problems. But when the problems are this numerous and outlandish, the best option is to get the hell out.

“So the next utility bill comes up and I take $10 out of [the account] and I get this huge text message saying: ‘You owe me another $10 if you can’t pay your utilities, you need a second job, fuck you for not paying your shit...’ on and on,” Sarah says.

Naked

Reflection A mirror is a reflective surface that we, as humans, are often drawn to out of curiosity. Ben Witmer, a local artist, transformed a simple mirror into something more—a work of art.

BY KIANA ROPPE DESIGN JORDAN WELCH PHOTO TIFFANY HERRING

“Mirrors hold a special irony—that is—we look into mirrors to understand how others will perceive us, but what we see is how we see ourselves being perceived by others,” Ben Witmer says. Witmer graduated from Iowa State in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in integrated studio arts. While attending, he studied abroad in Rome, where he found inspiration in the abundance of classical, realist art depicted in Italian museums.

ethosmagazine.org

A piece of Witmer’s work—a life-sized nude portrait of himself that he made for a class project as a junior—was even displayed in the Memorial Union for a bit. He admits to receiving complaints and finding that objects were often used to obscure his image when more conservative groups met in the Gallery room where it was displayed. For his latest work—which he began as a student at Iowa State—Witmer traveled around the country, looking in museums

“ I’ve always thought that artists who pretend to have the answers aren’t doing it correctly. ”

and galleries to find inspiration. “I was not impressed with how artists were treating viewers, but also how viewers were treating artists,” Witmer says. He often found that viewers tried to figure out what the painter was trying to say. “Whatever man, he’s just trying to paint a picture,” Witmer says in response. “I’ve always thought that artists who pretend to have the answers aren’t doing it correctly.” In his opinion, viewers should feel what they feel, regardless of what the painter was trying to do. “The truest understanding of a piece of work is individual,” Witmer says. “Using a mirror as media best illustrates this struggle. It opens the playing field for thought.” His recent work features several different naked figures painted directly on mirrors, four of which are currently displayed at Inkblot Studio—a place for art and tattoos on Main Street. Inkblot Studio is a large, open room with tattoo illustrations and artwork distributed along the walls. Witmer’s work is clustered together, left of the entrance and toward the back. The first three are full-body paintings on vertical mirrors—two females and one

male. The fourth is a painting of a male torso— Witmer’s—and a female torso facing one another on a horizontal mirror. According to Witmer, the mirrors serve as a way to better involve the viewer within the artwork. “It’s a really killer concept—being forcibly put into a nude painting,” Daniel Forrester, owner of Inkblot Studio, says. “I think they’re brilliant. They’re actually one of the most amazing things I’ve seen someone Ben’s age do.” Paint isn’t usually compatible with a mirror’s sleek surface, so Witmer painted on five or six thin layers of acrylic gesso, a surface primer, delicately to make a clear silhouette before painting the intricate image with oil paints. It took great effort and time—approximately 30 to 40 hours—to attain the amount of detail needed to achieve a look of realism. This is a relatively small amount of time to spend on a painting. Tyler Rigg, a friend of Witmer’s, saw him work on the paintings. “He has a very distinctive style—nothing really conventional about his techniques,” Rigg says.

“ Nudity doesn’t necessarily need , sexual ” to be Witmer paints with thin layers and blends them subtly, rather than using big globs of paint. “I don’t like there to be too much evidence of my brush strokes in the work.”

the backdrop. “I’ve never done anything like it before,” Hannah says. “I was comfortable because he’s my brother...to other people, it’s more shocking.”

One of his goals was to address how viewers at museums and galleries are uncomfortable with nude paintings. He inferred that viewers feared being judged by others who might see them looking at the artwork.

Hannah was able to see the finished product at the grand opening of Inkblot Studio. “He’s so talented—he made me look so beautiful,” she says. “It was strange to look at myself like that. There were all these people around and I didn’t know what they were thinking.”

“I have come to terms with the fact that I cannot truly influence an individual’s opinion with my artwork. That being said, I still believe fully that I have the means to inspire people to look further into themselves, and question what they believe to be true,” Witmer says. Witmer worked off a nude photo of each of his subjects. He had them stand in a relaxed, anatomical position with their palms facing forward. Witmer chose the pose to prevent the subjects from creating a sexual or provocative interpretation to viewers. There are a total of seven figures so far. The first of which was his younger sister, Hannah. “Nudity doesn’t necessarily need to be sexual,” Witmer says. “It’s just a human body.” Hannah agreed to be his model. “I guess I liked the idea of being a part of his work in general,” she says. One day, Hannah went to Witmer’s place, stripped down and held the anatomical pose so Witmer could take a picture. Witmer had a camera set up with a plain wall prepared as

ethosmagazine.org

While looking over his work at Inkblot Studio, Witmer says, “You can tell the order I painted them in… They’re getting better.” The latest piece being the one of Sarah Critz. “It was a bit cold,” Critz says with a small laugh, referring to when the photo was taken of her. Critz and Rigg both modeled for Witmer’s paintings. “I don’t know if I am a model. I’m just a friend of Ben’s,” Rigg says. “Ben makes you feel really comfortable and he’s a person who says yes in life. He makes the people around him do the same.” According to “Sexuality Now: Embracing Diversity,” a textbook by Janell L. Carroll, “many of the earliest cave drawings and animal bone sculptures have been representations of the human form, usually scantily dressed or naked (p.494).” In fact, many of the most praised artists— Édouard Manet, Pablo Picasso and Edgar Degas—have painted the human form.

“We are scared of being naked, because being naked means being vulnerable,” Witmer says. On Dec. 10, Witmer presented his artwork to a human sexuality class in 1210 LeBaron Hall. The lecture hall was large and packed with students. Amy Popillion, the class instructor, discussed obscenity and its legal definition. The third part of a three-prong test—referred to as “The Miller Test,” which determines if a work is obscene—states that the work, taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value in order to legally be considered obscene. Although Witmer’s work could be viewed as obscene, by the legal definition, it is not.

thought he painted nude people just to do it, to be honest,” says Jonathan English, a student in the class. “He’s using his talents to help those uncomfortable with those types of pictures and possibly their own image of themselves. In my opinion, that’s a great gift to give somebody.” Witmer had never spoken to such a large group before. He described his work and the inspiration behind it. “I thought the mirrors being used as a canvas was a very interesting concept,” says Megan Beckman, another student in the class. “What would be a better way to know how you feel about something than actually seeing your reaction?”

After showing different media examples of what may or may not be obscene, Popillion introduced Witmer to the class.

Witmer provided Popillion and her class with images of the four paintings currently on display at Inkblot Studio.

“When he began speaking, I didn’t realize how much thought went into these paintings. I just

Emily Ukenrich, also in the class, commented saying, “Personally, I don’t think I could be a model for his paintings, just because I don’t know if I’d be confident enough to look at myself or for other people to be able to just stare at my body.” The work is provocative; viewers have the chance to put themselves in another’s shoes, whether or not that is a comfortable place. “All I want to do with my art is to produce a question in the viewer’s mind,” Witmer says. “Make it a catchy song that you can never get out of your head, singing ‘Is that really what I think?’”

BACK TO THE

PANELS

A LOOK INTO THE EVOLUTION

OF COMIC BOOKS

AND WHO

READS THEM TODAY

Action-packed superhero movies have dominated theaters in recent years. Most can recall the low bellow of Bane’s voice, or the competitive advantages of Iron Man’s red suit, but how well do you really know the characters? More of their story is intricately weaved through comic books. In spring of 2013, Matt Sierra had the idea of creating and being president of a club he was passionate about: comics. After finding an Iowa State faculty member to sponsor, the ISU Comic Book Club was born. They officially meet on Mondays from 8 to 9 p.m., although many members show up at 6:30 p.m. and often stay until late. At first, the club had set discussions, but most of the time they just have conversations about anything and everything related to comics. A variety of people can be found in attendance at ISU’s Comic Book Club. They range from people who just started reading comics to people who have been reading comics for years. Majors of members include pre-graphic design, linguistics, aerospace, physics and kinesiology. The treasurer, Nathan Schwartz, is double majoring in aerospace and physics. Superheroes have flown out of their books into major movie franchises and TV shows such as ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D,” the agency in charge of getting the Avengers together. This show features non-superhuman S.H.I.E.L.D agents who are pulled into working on new cases taking place in the world of the Avengers. The prominence of superheroes in pop culture has expanded the fandom of comic books. Member James Heckathorn says, “there is something for everyone [in comics].” He says any genre on TV and in movies, such as comedy or drama, can be translated in comic books.

ethosmagazine.org

BY KELLY SCHIRO DESIGN SARAH NEIGHBOUR PHOTO RILEY EVELETH

When members were asked how much they spend on different comics, Schwartz said, “I don’t even want to know how much I’ve spent.” Issues are typically $3 if the title is published monthly or $4 if published twice a month. Special editions could be anywhere between $8 and $9 says Schwartz. Member Holden King admits the most he’s spent at one time on comic books was $80 altogether. “This is not a cheap hobby—but it’s worth it,” Sierra says. Perhaps next the time you are feeling adventurous, check out your LCS (local comic store): Mayhem on Lincoln Way or Shield Comics on Main Street.

interest in the inspiration behind the big superhero blockbusters. Pellack says people of all ages frequent his store; comic books aren’t just for children. Schwartz says they even have advisory labels to deter young minds from reading mature content. While Pellack got hooked on the Avengers, Spiderman and Thor (mostly Marvel heros), many people don’t know how much their favorite heroes have played a role in building comic book history. Schwartz says he is by no means an expert on the history of comics, but he is familiar with the Golden, Silver and Bronze Ages

Whoever heard of a comic book winning a

Pulitzer Prize?

Shield Comics opened in November. Store owner Chris Pellack has been working in comic book shops for 25 years, and has been a fan for about 35 years. He’s been hooked on comics ever since he spent a summer reading through his brother’s collection. The store name comes from Captain America’s shield, a replica is placed above the cash register. Pellack says, “it’s kind of a cool little center piece.” He picked up the shield several years ago from a company called Factory X. The shield is made out of aircraft aluminum. When he goes to conventions he tries to get writers and artists who’ve worked on the Captain America comic to sign or do little sketches on the shield.

“The Avengers” and “Batman” are products of Marvel and DC Comics, respectively. Both DC and Marvel are major players in the comic industry. King says both companies are superhero oriented. In addition to DC and Marvel, more independent companies like Dark Horse, Image and IDW Publishing are putting out great titles, according to Heckathorn. DC and Marvel create huge productions that cost millions of dollars, but Pellack wishes they could add a single screen at the end of films that says, “if you want to learn more about a character, go check out your local comic book store.” He doesn’t want a plug just for his store, but rather for all comic book stores. He hopes this will increase

and the ’90s when it comes to comics. The Golden Age was marked by the creation of Superman by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and also produced DC’s “original” superheroes such as Batman, Wonder Woman, the Original Green Lantern and Flash.

According to Schwartz, the ’40s and ’60s were characterized by a shift of audiences’ preference. Post-World War II, people began reading horror, western and romance comics. More mature content was also published in comics at this time. It lead to the creation of the Comics Code Authority, which seeks to evaluate the maturity of content in comics. The Silver Age began in the ’60s and it is thought that the creation of the modern Green Lantern and Flash mark the beginning of this age. Another superhero boom began when Stan Lee (the editor of Marvel at the time) heard DC was going to make a superhero team comic—“The Justice League of America.” Together with Jack Kirby, Lee created “The Fantastic Four.” The Bronze Age is when comics started to have darker qualities, including more violence and gore. Comics were no longer marketed toward kids. “Watchmen” by Alan Moore, the “Dark Knight Returns” by Frank Miller and “The Sandman” by Neil Gaiman were written during this time. Schwartz says these titles weren’t comic successes, but were literary successes.

The ’90s comics are marked by big artists leaving DC and Marvel in favor of smaller independent companies. It was during this time that Image Comics was created and it allowed creators to make their own work. This time was also marked by the interest in comic book selling; the comic with the first appearance of Superman sold for more than $1 million dollars. According to King, “comic books were better than gold” during this time. Today’s technology has advanced the art production of comic books. According to Schwartz, this “Modern Age” that comic books are in now is marked by smooth, computer-assisted art. He also says the more decompressed story style is akin to reading a screenplay. John Cunnally, a professor of art history in the College of Design, is looking at the social impact of comics and graphic novels. Graphic novels really took off with “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. It was published in 1991 and Spiegelman received a Pulitzer Prize for his work. Cunnally says, “Whoever heard of a comic book winning a Pulitzer Prize?”

COMIC BOOK JARGON TRADE: collected edition, 6 or 7 issues, hard cover PULL-LIST: subscription at the local comic book

store, a file under your name (Wednesday)

OMNIBUS: completely collected series LCS: local comic store Cunnally asserts that graphic novels and—by extension—comics are a suitable medium for adult themes. What makes graphic novels so appealing is that they are subversive and often represent the underdog, according to Cunnally. They also are a more interactive medium, as the reader can make connections between the panels and drawings. Cunnally believes graphic novels should be incorporated into undergraduate English classes. They reach across different cultures spanning from Korea to the Middle East. Even Obama and McCain produced comics for their campaigns. Cunnally says students should make their own graphic novels. They don’t have to be good at drawing; they will have “the ability to express themselves through the lines.”

DRINKING IN DIFFERENT CULTURES BY TERIGELE DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION BECKY EILERS

Name a culture that doesn’t like to drink. (OK, so maybe Mormons, Muslims and Catholic Priests aren’t so keen on it.) Drinking is one of the most common social activities among American college students. Shocker, no? The love of alcohol reaches across cultures, so Ethos gathered information on how other countries enjoy knocking one back..

Russia Imagine that almost half of your year is below freezing point, how do you stay entertained? Stay inside and have some alcohol! That is exactly what Russians do. I grew up in a small town that lies at the intersection of Mongolia, Russia and China. My aunt Meiihwaff, who married my Russian uncle, always complains that alcohol is Russian men’s most intimate lover, ranked even higher than their wives. The extreme cold weather in Russia requires a strong beverage to warm up, and vodka (ǗȢȘȞȔ in Russian) became their first choice. Of course, my Russian uncle is no exception. Everything in Russia is cold: the weather and the citizen’s demeanors. If you are familiar with the unfriendly faces on the street in New York City, Russia is the same. However it can be a different story after they start to drink. People will talk and sing often while drinking and be amazingly grateful about whatever happened in their lives. Don’t be shocked if you see a gentleman who previously had the most serious look on his face, suddenly start to praise you with the most flattering words. He must be drunk. Magic, eh? Beside those lovely compliments, they also love to talk about the good old days when Russia played an important role in history. Alcohol acts like a time machine

ethosmagazine.org

and brings memories of happy times—such as the country’s first space station during the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics era—bubbling to the surface.

Germany I enjoy living with a German roommate. The first time I talked to her, I asked her about the legendary beer scene. Even people who don’t drink can easily connect wheat ales and stouts with Germany. The whole drinking culture of Germany revolves around beer, and takes every advantage of it. There are beer gardens, beer halls, beer sausages, even a month dedicated to the liquid gold. It’s the home of the oldest and longest operating brewery in the world. They have the second highest—after the Czech Republic—consumption of beer per capita per year; and they have the biggest beer glass (das boot anyone?). But it’s not just beer; you should also try the homemade alcohol in Germany. It appears as if every German family has its own recipe of making drinks with different flavoring. My favorite German alcohol is Glühwein. The whole process of a German making Glühwein, is similar to the process of making car—not your average cocktail recipe. They follow the recipe very strictly, and I mean German-kind of strictly. Watching the process of making alcohol can be just as interesting as drinking alcohol in Germany.

Korea If you are a good drinker, you are more likely to have many friends in Korea. This is the advice my Korean friends gave me when I was planning a trip to the country. Drinking is an important part of social activities, and Koreans seem to have the best drinking endurance. They can travel to three different places in a single night to drink. The first period starts at dinner time to complement a meal. The second one will be a short period in a bar with chat time. At the last stop they perform karaoke, dance and drink the night away. Most Asian countries have a social hierarchy related to age. People of younger ages will show their respect to the older people, in speech and in actions. When I say older, it does not mean old people. They may just be one year older than you. It is especially strict in Korea and Japan. In Korea, being older is being king. In terms of drinking, younger people will turn around to drink to avoid drinking in front of their elders. They are also responsible for filling up the wine cup and serving their elders. That was what I did all the way around Korea. Just try to find someone younger than you to have a drink with. You will get the best treatment—but beware, you will be expected to pay for the bill.

Mongolia

France

I thought it would be the easiest to write about my own culture. Turns out, when you know every single part of it, it’s more difficult to make a selection. In Mongolian culture, drinking is a mixture of daily activities and celebration ceremonies. It is possible to have alcohol with every meal; it’s a normal beverage in daily life. At the same time, drinking can be a ritualized activity in celebrations, like the welcome ceremony, weddings, etc. If you have a chance to be a guest in the country, you will get the warmest welcome with roasted lamb and alcohol in silver cups. Mongolians have a very special alcohol made up of horse milk. Children aren’t allowed to drink it because it has an extremely high alcohol content, but children are not forbidden to drink other kinds of alcohol. Actually, drinking is encouraged to show masculinity, similar to sports in America. A man will be seen as a tough guy if he can drink a lot without getting drunk. Mongolians will never make drinking boring because they are so good at singing and dancing. When a person starts a tone, everybody can join into the rhythm.

My friend described her four years in France as sweet sorrow. She lived in a place full of great food and beverages. However, it took her awhile to enjoy it. Drinking in front of French people can be a hard task because they are such experts in drinking. There are several unspoken rules that are inherent to the French, but leave the rest of the world guessing. The French always know the best serving temperature, best music, best side dishes and best drinking company. The importance of a cellar full of alcohol to a French family equals the importance of a walk-in closet to a fashionista. If you want to drink as fancily as possible, just grab a French film to learn from. There is also a saying that if you can see how much time the French spend on eating and drinking, you will not be surprised why they didn’t have a faster economic development.

China If you glance at the history of ancient China, you will find that drinking was a peaceful and slow activity. People sat together reading poetry, playing musical instruments and drinking warm alcohol. They talked quietly, laughed gently and drank slowly. They even used the phrase of “tasting” alcohol instead of “drinking” it at the time. Drinking was a pure pleasure among the educated and noble people. That’s what I was taught as a citizen in modern China. However, it isn’t what actually happens. Nowadays, drinking has become a more commercial activity. You can invite people to drink when you want to talk about business. Even serious things can be solved over a drink. Among friends, drinking is still the best chance to have deep conversations. Chinese people have a lot of drinking games, which differ according to region. The hosts love to encourage guests to eat more and drink more to show the warm welcome, though guests will usually be hesitant and wait for the second and third invitation. When you ask a Chinese guest if they want some food or drink, their most probable answer will be no, no matter how hungry they are. When you become the guest in a Chinese family, the host will encourage you to eat more food even if you told them you are full and encourage you to drink more even if you feel dizzy. This is how social etiquette works in China—overly polite.

ethosmagazine.org

THE UNSEEN LIFE OF

Tom Hill BY JARED RANEY DESIGN MACKENZIE FERGUSON PHOTO LIZ ZABEL AND JARED RANEY AND COURTESY OF TOM HILL

There’s more to the Senior Vice President of Student Affairs than meets the eye.

The office that Dr. Thomas Hill works in is large, complete with a wood paneled desk, wall-to-wall bookshelf and conference table. Iowa State University’s vice president of student affairs uses all this space, bouncing back and forth from desk to conference table—whichever is the least covered in stacks of paper at the time. His day is filled with meetings and phone calls, whether it’s a meeting to advise a group of graduate students working on a project or taking a call from an old Olympic teammate who’s looking to get one of his athletes a scholarship. Oh, for those of you who don’t know, the 6’2”, 64-year-old administrator was an Olympic bronze medalist—just a single feat on his laundry list of accomplishments. He’s also an Army veteran from the Vietnam era with a PhD in Counselor Education. None of which would be nearly as impressive until you learn the same man grew up in a poor housing project in New Orleans, just one of five brothers raised by a single mother. Many days, Hill doesn’t have time to leave his office for lunch. His administrative specialist, Rose Wilbanks, often orders him a quick meal between meetings. “I have an open door policy,” Hill says, which makes it hard to get busy-work like reading and writing done. Hill says he’s often in the office past 5 p.m., and even on those days, he may have to stay up later into the night to catch up. Anyone who knows or has even met Hill will tell you he loves to help people. “There’s no doubt that he’s a counselor at heart,” says Martino Harmon, the new associate vice president under Hill. “He’s always trying to understand people, and

ethosmagazine.org

figure out what their motivations are, and how he can be supportive of their motivations.” “What I admire most is when I see him with students,” Wilbanks says. “Just the instant relationship he can build.” The Student Affairs office is dedicated to supporting students and providing the necessary tools to foster growth and improve the student experience. It is an office that fits Hill perfectly. “The one thing that I always thought that, really, Tom stood out in is his deep, really deep care and interest in student welfare and student success,” says former ISU President Gregory Geoffroy. “He really cared about students. I saw that very early on and throughout his entire time.” A meeting with four graduate students working on a project to conceptualize a multicultural center in the Memorial Union—routine for Hill—demonstrated the passion he has for his job. “I want to shake you up—that’s my goal,” Hill said multiple times to the students. “I want you to shake it up. Be bold enough to say, ‘I won’t stand by this.’” At the end of the 45-minute meeting, the grad students were more than a little stunned and a bit speechless. “You’ve definitely given us a lot to think about,” one student said—a definite understatement after Hill completely reimagined the direction and scope of their project. “I dream about this stuff,” Hill says. “I sit and I dream about it.” After the meeting, he encouraged the students—as he does all students who come to his office—to return as the project developed for further counsel.

“I’m not one of those guys that does a driveby. I’ll ride with you the whole way,” Hill says. As vice president of student affairs, Hill occupies a very important leadership role in the university, one of three “pillars” the president relies on, Geoffroy says. Hill is unlike many vice presidents in student affair circles, namely in his desire to interact directly with students. “Sure, he was an administrator, a university leader, but really, deep inside, his passion was caring for students,” Geoffroy says. “To see you can be in a vice president level and still have that interaction with students, because I’ve seen people grow in their careers, and as they grow they automatically think—well I just don’t have time to work with students now—well he makes the time because it’s a priority,” Harmon says.

degree in physical education and an already impressive athletic career with Arkansas State, Hill continued into drafted service after college. As far as active duty goes, Hill had a pretty nice commission. Though he didn’t enlist, Hill served six years, between two years of ROTC in college and four years of drafted active duty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point—the only second lieutenant in the Academy. As rough as being drafted might sound, Hill’s track career earned him a spot on the Army Track Team, where he was paid to train and travel around the world, visiting clinics in at least a dozen countries. It was during this time that Hill earned his bronze medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.

“I’m not one of those guys that does a drive-by. I’ll ride with you the whole way.” His interest in students stems from his own time in college. College was what Hill described as his first “integrated experience.” After attending a segregated high school and living in a mostly black neighborhood, Arkansas State University was a culture shock, to say the least. Despite the challenges of such a novel experience, Hill blossomed during his time there—as an athlete, and more importantly as a leader. In high school, Hill was a high-jumper and long-jumper. Track has always been a means to an end for Hill. He never imagined competing beyond high school, but when he was offered a full scholarship to Arkansas State University to compete as a hurdler, his mother encouraged him to accept. Hill says he would’ve done whatever he needed to get his scholarship, so when the coach started him in the new event, he embraced it. He competed in the 110-meter hurdles, and by the time he left Arkansas State with four conference championship titles, he was considered one of the fastest hurdlers in the world. In 1970, his hurdle time was ranked first in the world by “Track & Field News”. Hill was the first member of his family to graduate from college. With a bachelor’s

In that time period, it was difficult to compete professionally in track and field because of the amount of time needed for training and the relatively small amount of money the sport provided. Luckily, as an athlete for the Army, Hill was able to train full-time and be paid for it. Competing in the Olympics was amazing for Hill, “a peak experience,” as he describes it, though 64 years later, when he thinks back on the influencing factors in his life, it doesn’t make the top of the list. His list reads like this: his mother, his marriage, his kids, his divorce, his remarriage and his grandchildren. These are the most important parts of Hill’s life—not the Olympic medal that sits on a shelf in his house. Let’s start with his marriage. Today, Hill is happily married to Billye, the girl he met as a young track star at Arkansas State, one starry night when he and a friend went to a nearby restaurant for burgers. Billye’s father owned the restaurant, and they might never have met if Hill hadn’t decided his burger was too rare and complained to her father, earning himself a hard look from Billye. A few weeks later, a friend asked him to do a favor by going on a double date with Billye and her twin sister, Bobby, and “the rest is history,” Hill says.

The pair married in Jan. of 1971, one year before Hill went to Munich and won the bronze medal in hurdles. For 16 years they lived together happily, having two kids along the way: first Thomas, then Kevin.

us to do what we did as far as our kids’ upbringing,” Billye says. “And you know this whole thing about you can have soul mates and you marry your first love and all that, so I would think it was always a connection.”

The duo’s past hasn’t all been rainbows and unicorns; it was the summer of their 16th year that things deteriorated.

At one time Hill’s friends devised a “Parent Trap”-type scheme for the estranged couple on a cruise boat, and though the plan fell through, Billye and Hill started talking about what it would be like to be together again.

“It was kind of eye opening, to see how families can break apart,” Thomas says. “It drove me, it actually kind of made me focus harder on trying to be successful at something.” Time apart in different cities while Hill was attending grad school took its toll on the couple, and “the relationship fractured,” Hill says. Despite their issues, the two made it their ultimate goal to be there for the kids. After the split, Thomas and Kevin stayed with Billye in Arkansas, but Hill did everything he could to be around his sons, sometimes taking a quick flight from New Orleans for a parent-teacher conference or, later, leaving his job in Oklahoma early and driving three hours to go to a basketball game. “Him and my mom created one of the best atmospheres a kid could have, you know, we definitely had the things that we needed, and extra things,” Thomas says. “On a scale of one to 10 I would have given him a nine,” Billye says. “He’d be surprised to hear that, but I’d give him nine. The period of time we were not together our boys were teenagers, but even then, he was still instrumental in their upbringing.” The divorce, though they did their best to make it easier on the kids, was one of the biggest regrets of Hill’s life and one of the hardest obstacles to overcome. “Of all the things that I’d gone through, that was probably the most traumatic, the most difficult for me,” Hill says. “When we split, I went to New Orleans because I had to go someplace where there was someone who loved me unconditionally.” The person Hill is referring to is his mother, Mattie Hill, one of the most influential guiding forces in Hill’s life. He says she was the reason he survived the divorce. “She put me back together’s what she did,” Hill says. “She consoled me when I needed it, she kicked me in my butt when I needed it.” Fortunately for Billye and Hill, that was just an early chapter in their ongoing love story. After 22 years, with the surreptitious help of Billye’s sister Bobby and an old Army buddy, the two were pushed back together, and the relationship began to mend. “Tom and I were always best friends and I think because of that, you know, that allowed

“During that time, neither one of us ever remarried and stuff, and because I think we always knew we would get back together,” Billye says. Eventually the interactions culminated in a simple phone conversation, with Hill asking the big question. “He called me one evening and says, ‘You know, I’ve always been in love with you, I’ll always love you, and I was just calling to see if we can get back together.’ I said sure we can. He said, ‘Really?’ I said, really! It’s like we’ve never been divorced,” Billye says. “She said, ‘What took you so long?’” Hill says. “I was thinking to myself, if I’d known it’d be that easy I’d have asked you a long time ago.” They remarried in 2009, so the love story turned out well in the end—in fact, the two are thinking about writing and publishing a book on relationships. But the relationship in its adolescence created a lot of stress in Hill’s life, especially in his ability to be a good father to his kids, something he regretted considering his own lack of fatherly influence. “I don’t have a lasting memory. I remember him being in the house, and not a steady presence,” Hill says of his father. “He didn’t have that big of an impact.” Hill didn’t go to the funeral when his father died sometime around 1969, a date he couldn’t remember for sure, and when he got the news it was like hearing a stranger had died. “The worst thing that happened to me was when me and my wife divorced,” Hill says. “That was hard, because I had promised myself and I’d promised my kids that I would never—I wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t be away from them.” “What I tried to do was to stay involved,” Hill continues. “I did what I could, because that’s the impact that my father not being present had on me... Made me want to be as good a man as I possibly could be. And I just kind of had to feel my way through the role of being a father.” Hill says one of his proudest achievements is the kind of father his son Kevin has become for Hill’s two grandsons, Alexander, 5, and Nicholas, 2.

“He’s a wonderful father,” Hill says. “He said this to me, and I was freaked out about it, he said, ‘Well, I learned how to be a dad from one of the best.’ He wound up being what I had hoped I could encourage and try to role model—do for him what my dad didn’t do for me.” Thomas and Kevin are also accomplished athletes, with successful careers in college basketball. Thomas said he can remember wearing Hill’s bronze medal around the house as a kid, dreaming of following in his footsteps. “That motivated me when I was in times that would be challenging,” Kevin says. “I’ve got an Olympian’s blood running through my veins. I can do it.” It’s a legacy Kevin will pass on to his kids in the future. Those closest to Hill will tell you the most important thing to him is family. He demonstrates that daily by keeping in touch with his brothers—talking to them on the phone some mornings before work—and always being there for his sons.

Right now the scholarship provides about $100,000 each year to New Orleans high-school graduates, but Hill dreams bigger, hoping to bump that up to $500,000 in the future. “I think [the scholarship] might be one of his proudest achievements,” Hill’s brother Raymond says. “It was really his idea... All of us [were] for it. We wanted to do it.” From the Olympics to Iowa State, the boy who grew up in the projects of New Orleans made his way through a childhood that has kept many like him in the gutters of society, with the help of Miss Mattie, a woman who was not only mother to the Hill boys, but to the entire community. Hill is happy with the way things have turned out, with few regrets, and a rich past to share with and add to the culture of Iowa State University. “This [job] is the most challenging and fulfilling,” Hill says. “Thirty years ago I wouldn’t have been ready.”

Much of that passion for family came as a result of his rearing in New Orleans at the hands of his mother, who instilled an ethic of hard work and family values. “When we would walk with her in the neighborhood, she would see the little kids, and she would ask them how they’re doing in school, and she would give them money, if they were doing well,” Hill says. “They all knew Miss Mattie.” It was this giving spirit that inspired Hill to start a scholarship fund aimed at kids from New Orleans high schools in his mother’s name. Mattie had a firm belief in education, one that not only pushed her five kids through high school and four into college, but also inspired people in the community to push themselves to achieve more. “She was always bullish and supportive of education,” Hill says. “You sit and you think; how can you honor your mom? And it was a no-brainer for me. I knew the best way we could do it is to create the scholarship and it would continue to do what she was doing— giving to kids. And she’s still doing it.” “Now she’s been dead for probably 18 years,” Hill continues. “We have young kids in the church, and other places, who didn’t know her, but know of her. They will talk about Miss Mattie, and I think that’s one of the tributes.”

“That motivated me when I was in times that would be challenging ...I’ve got an Olympian’s blood running through my veins. I can do it.” 23

GET INKED —

NOT SCREWED

TAKE THESE TIPS INTO CONSIDERATION BEFORE YOU PERMANENTLY BRAND YOURSELF WITH WORKS OF ART. BY DALLAS DAWS DESIGN SARAH VANCE PHOTO RILEY EVELETH If you’ve never gotten a tattoo before, or even if you have, realize a lot of thought that should go into the process to protect your body and ensure you get the best work done. From what to get to proper care, we lay out what you need to know.

SELECTING A TATTOO PARLOR The place you get your tattoo and the person inking you will make all of the difference. According to Iowa law, each artist must be licensed and complete bloodborne pathogen and standard fi rst aid training to legally give you a tattoo. Th is means they know the safety issues that accompany using needles and, as Emily Veach, tattoo artist at Heroic Ink, says, “you just have to prove that you can do it without giving someone hepatitis C.”

ethosmagazine.org

Veach cautions, however, that this does not mean your tattoo artist has had any formal art training. Make sure you look at their previous art in the shop or online and read any reviews. Around Ames, Heroic Ink is worth checking out. The two owners, Jason “Hugo” Kenemer and Scott “Mump” Mumper, have been featured in several national tattoo magazines and have won awards for their work. Heroic Ink was even named Best Tattoo Parlor in the Ames Tribune’s Best of Story County 2013 for the fourth year. Asylum, Ames Tribune’s Best Tattoo Parlor runner-up, is another notable tattoo parlor, located right in the heart of Campustown. Offering a full range of services, custom work and tattoo lookbooks, Asylum has an artist to suit almost any style of tattoo you may want.

Inkblot Studio has recently brought a unique one-man show to Ames. Owner Daniel Forrester is the sole artist of Inkblot and caters to people who are willing to pay more for custom ink. Intricate designs and realistic shading bring Forrester’s work to life for a tattoo that is truly one-of-a-kind.

DECIDING WHAT TO GET What you get doesn’t have to symbolize something meaningful, but make sure you aren’t getting it just because it’s popular. Tattoos should bring out your unique interests and display works of art that you will always enjoy, rather than one that will fade out of style by next year. Remember, you get what you pay for: if you pay $50, you will get a $50 tattoo—nothing more.

If you’re having trouble committing to a tattoo, try printing or sketching it out. Temporary tattoo paper can be found online if you want to get a more realistic idea. Make sure you are completely comfortable with the design before you go into the parlor. Give precise input when the artist is putting the outline on your body; it is your last chance to change location and size, so don’t be afraid to speak up.

“REMEMBER, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR: IF YOU PAY $50, YOU WILL GET A $50 TATTOO– NOTHING MORE.”

CARING FOR THE TATTOO There are several ways to care for your tattoo, but not all are equal. It may take some time for you to figure out which way you like best, but we are here to help. Compiling care tips from Heroic Ink and fi rst-hand tattoo care knowledge, we give you our care method—but be sure to go over care with your tattoo artist.

Continue to clean with warm, soapy water throughout the healing process and apply just as much moisturizer as needed to keep it hydrated. During the fi rst week, the tattoo should be cleaned two to three times a day. It will start to peel and itch during this time. Let the skin heal naturally, and do not rub off the dry skin.

After the fi rst week, the lotion or healing ointment can continue to be added as needed until the tattoo is healed and there is no more flaking.

ETHOS-APPROVED CARE METHOD r

Leave plastic wrap on for one hour, then remove it and clean the tattoo with a gentle antibacterial soap and rinse with warm water. Make sure you clean your tattoo with just your hand. A towel or sponge could irritate the tattoo. Finish with a coat of lotion or moisturizing cream to keep it hydrated and keep it exposed to allow it to breathe. We suggest H2Ocean Tattoo Moisturizing Cream, Aveeno Active Naturals or Aquaphor Healing Ointment (look for unscented to avoid irritants). Do NOT keep putting new plastic wrap on it or keep it covered with bandages after the first three hours. Allow it to heal.

TOUCH-UPS When your tattoo has fully healed, you may notice your color isn’t as bright as you wanted it to be, or maybe it’s uneven. Color doesn’t always take to your skin evenly, so a touch-up may be needed to make the tattoo everything you have always wanted. Fortunately, most tattoo parlors will touchup your tattoo for free—if you got your tattoo from them originally.

PREACHING

ACCEPTANCE BY NICOLE PRESLEY DESIGN MADISON JERDE PHOTO LIZ ZABEL

A man about God helps students grow spiritually, regardless of sexual orientation. 26

ethosmagazine.org

Jon Page, a minister at the United Church of Christ, first realized he was gay at the age of 11 or 12. He tried talking to a priest about it since his parents weren’t interested in discussing it. The priest then gave him a website address that promoted the “ex-gay” movement. The website listed some of the reasons why its creators thought he was gay: you had too many girl friends when you were younger; you didn’t go out and play enough sports; you were too close to your mother; you are too feminine, not manly enough. “This I found rather amusing,” Page says. “I was a three sport varsity athlete in high school, I went to an all boys high school, all of my friends were men—not women—in college, I was a Division 1 athlete and I was in a fraternity.”

He was close to his mother, but does that really turn a person gay? “If their one recommendation is to stop loving my mother, then I’m afraid I don’t think their solution is particularly relevant,” Page says. “Those movements are all based on quack science and not very well thought through.” Page believes that although verses in the Bible like Leviticus 20:13 say men who lie with other men should be put to death, the Bible doesn’t condemn homosexuality—at least not anymore than other sins. “I don’t believe those passages in the New Testament and Old Testament referencing gender relations are interpreted the right way when you condemn some of these people,” Page says. “And even if you do, you

should still acknowledge the fact that you’re just as much a sinner and if you’re saved by anything, you’re saved by grace—period. And not only that, you continue to sin.” Page follows Saint Augustine of Hippo’s documented views of how the Bible should be interpreted. “One thing he said was if you come across a text and your interpretation of that text doesn’t lead to greater love of God or greater love of neighbor, you’ve clearly misinterpreted the text,” Page says. Page was also an advisor for the campus organization Students for Progressive Christianity, which addresses issues related to acceptance in the church. He helped found the group in early 2012. “Certainly LGBT issues are being [discussed] in this day and age,” Page says. “I think it’s somewhat unfortunate but it seems like one of the tests of orthodoxy these days is ‘Do you think you can be gay and Christian at the same time or not?’ Obviously our group says a resounding yes to that.” Zach Houborg, SPC president and also openly gay, believes Page’s background and Biblical knowledge—which he displays proudly by wearing a black academic robe for Sunday masses—are beneficial for the group and its members. “Jon actually went to Harvard and got his seminary degree and he’s very well versed,” Houborg says. “I remember he got up there [at Cornerstone Church] and he said, ‘By the way, there’s another way to look at this, there’s another interpretation. I’m a pastor here, I’m gay, I’m religious.’” Sexual orientation is not a choice or a disease according to Page. He compared the literal interpretation of homosexuality in the Bible to the way people treat an illness. When we get ill, we go to the doctor. We don’t perform an exorcism to expel the demon who caused the sickness as they did in the first century. “I found myself in a boat where I wasn’t mentally stable or mentally healthy because I believed it wasn’t possible to be gay and a Christian,” Houborg says. “Basically feeding off of what other people in mega churches were telling me, what my parents were

always telling me or what conservative Baptist churches were telling me. That was harmful to me. Ever since meeting Jon, he’s helped me come to terms with accepting myself and being able to accept my relationship with God and religion.“ Thanks to Page, SPC aims to help others like Houborg. “[SPC’s goal is] to provide a place for religious and intellectual conversation that is

“By the way, there’s another way to look at this, there’s another interpretation. I’m a pastor here, I’m gay, I’m religious.” safe and diverse and also to educate people,” Houlborg says. “’Cause a lot of people are trapped in their little boxes of thinking. They come from home and they enter this college experience and their minds are still formed around what they grew up with and thinking on issues when it comes to LGBT rights or the Bible says this, and we’re just here to provide other interpretations or other methods of dealing with one’s sexual orientation and gender identity when it comes to their relationship with religion or their faith.”

According to the ISU student organization website, SPC is all-inclusive: “conventional Christians and questioning skeptics, believers and agnostics, women and men, those of all sexual orientations and gender identities and those of all classes and abilities [are welcome].” “The group is very accepting of different sexual orientations,” Houborg says. “We believe homosexuality is not a choice. It’s just as part of who you are, as your hair or your eye color or any other talents that God gave you. We look at that as a special part of you.” Although national acceptance is growing, people within the LGBT community still face adversity. “It would be, in my mind, unthinkable for Jesus not to stand up and say, ‘This teenager who killed himself because he’s gay is somehow a good thing or of God,’” Page says. “That just seems so alien to anything that has to do with God.” Page has helped many feel welcome through his work in ministry and on campus. “We just feel that we were incredibly blessed to have Jon with us for two and a half years,” says Cornelia Flora, a member of United Church of Christ and a retired ISU professor of sociology. “He’s totally transformed our church and I think increased everyone’s level of spirituality and also our sense of commitment, collectively, for social justice.” Another UCC member and current sociology professor, Paul Lasley, also had nice things to say about Page. “The congregation was very saddened to see him go, but God is leading him in a different direction. Jon was a breath of fresh air.” Page has recently left the United Church of Christ and moved to the east coast to be closer to friends and family. His last sermon was Sunday, Dec. 29. He served the United Church of Christ for two and a half years, and served as an advisor to SPC for almost two years. “If we are made in the image of God and if God does see into our deepest fears, God already knows who we are,” Page says. “God already knows what we’re thinking. There’s no reason why you should hide that.”

Dressed in Drag BY LIZ ZABEL DESIGN JESSICA BARTEMES PHOTO LIZ ZABEL

ethosmagazine.org

Zach Houborg knew he was gay in middle school. His parents, who are still not accepting of his sexuality, encouraged him to turn to the church, where they believed religion could “save” him. “I kept pushing it off, even though I always knew…no matter how hard I tried, God was not going to make me straight,” says Houborg, who decided to embrace his sexuality by ‘coming out’ during his freshman year of college. Now a senior in landscape architecture at Iowa State, Houborg says he’s completely comfortable in his sexuality and is still an active member in the religious community. “When someone comes out—when it comes to their spirituality or God—they either run to the church like I did and try to pray to Jesus that maybe they’ll become straight…or [they] run away from the church,” Houborg says. “I think there should be more of a middle ground, more of a conversation between the LGBT community and the religious community.” In the end, Houborg says it comes down to what everyone has in common—everyone is human, has their own story and their own struggle. To him, it’s wrong to compare one person’s struggle to another’s. “Everyone is different,” Houborg says. “But we’re all human. We all deserve to be treated equally [and] to be given a chance to be understood.”

This year, Houborg participated in the first of two drag shows put on by the LGBT Alliance throughout the year at Iowa State. The proceeds for this drag show went toward the Alliance’s cost of attendance to the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC), an annual conference held by a different college each year with various workshops tailored to the LGBTA community. The first ever MBLGTACC conference was held at Iowa State in 1993. This year, the conference will be in Kansas City, MO from Feb. 7 to 9. Blake Miller, president of the LGBT Alliance, says the drag show allows participants to express themselves as a community while promoting diversity. “Life is a drag show, really,” Miller says. “We’re all just putting on a show [with our bodies]…the only true differences are the bodies. We’re all just people…to force people into gender boxes does a disservice to the human experience. Everything is a spectrum. There’s no black and white.” Houborg tried drag for the first time at the Alliance’s drag show on Oct. 31, 2013, dancing and lip-syncing to “Not Fair” by Lily Allen.

Check out the video online for the rest of Houborg’s story. >>

WHO DOYOU THINK YOU ARE?

Adam Grimm, senior in horticulture and German studies at Iowa State, is training to swim the English Channel. After years of heavy smoking and struggling to accept his sexuality, he’ll make his first attempt during his scheduled July 20–30, 2015 window. BY LIZ ZABEL DESIGN MITCHELL YOON PHOTO LIZ ZABEL Ethos: How long have you been swimming? Adam Grimm: I was an infant swimmer—my parents started teaching me when I was less than a year old. I started competing at age four until I was 17, then again when I was 26 or 27. E: What caused the break? AG: I quit before my senior year of high school; mainly it was dealing with sexual orientation and being fearful of what other students might say or do. That was back in the ’90s when the LGBT community wasn’t nearly as strong as it is now. E: How does swimming connect to the LGBT community? AG: Well, you have the whole changing in the locker room thing, and really just [boys] running around in speedos. During those teenage years everybody is coming to terms with themselves and their bodies. E: So what changed? AG: I was finally able to accept who I was and put down the fears, so I decided to

ethosmagazine.org

get back in the pool and keep going with swimming. That was when I was 26 or 27, so I was out of the pool for a good 10 years. I had come out of the closet long before then.

decided to come back to school and get back into the pool. [That moment] defined me. I was pulled through a lot of shit and mud, but I came out smelling like roses.

E: What were you afraid of?

E: How did that experience change you?

AG: Like a lot of people in the [LGBT] community [I didn’t] know who I could really trust. It’s hard to tell who’s going to be a friend or who’s going to be more problematic.

AG: I don’t tolerate ill treatment of myself or anybody else and I actively stand up for what I believe is right. You should never have to do something you don’t want to or don’t believe in. I started swimming again—doing triathlons—and now I’m planning to swim the Channel. I have a whole different career path ahead of me with other distance swims in the future, and I’d like to work toward a PhD in German history.

E: When did you accept your sexuality? What was the defining moment? AG: When my parents finally approached me [at 19]. I finally just broke down and said, “This is who I am.” E: What influenced you to get back in the pool? AG: In my mid to late 20s I was treated very poorly by a person of relative importance and put into a position where I had to stand up for myself. I said enough is enough—I control my own life. When it was over I thought, now what? I wanted to do more with my life, so I

E: Tell me about the Channel swim. AG: It’s approximately 21.7 miles of open water that is well known for being violent— the currents can be very strong and the waves can get pretty large. It’s also a heavily trafficked area for all of Europe. [I’ll] have to go around anything coming my way, which means I’ll have to slow down or speed up for

“I WAS PULLED THROUGH A LOT OF SHIT AND MUD, BUT I CAME OUT SMELLING LIKE ROSES.” certain distances. My comfortable pace is just over two miles per hour, but I expect to cut it back to just under two, which would put me at somewhere around 11 hours to complete it. With breaks, I’m hoping for a time of 14 hours. I’m not looking to create any records, I just want to cross it and start my distance swimming career around the world. E: What is most challenging about the swim? AG: Distance and the temperature—which can be anywhere from 56 to 62 degrees. Hypothermia can occur very quickly, so I need to get used to those temperatures for long periods of time. My winter coat is a light jacket. I try to stay out and deal with the cold as much as I can. I generally keep my apartment temperature anywhere from 56 to 60 degrees—I would go much colder but I feel guilty that my cat is getting too cold. I’m just forcing myself to get used to it. I’m certainly not underestimating what it’s going to do to my body—not to mention mind—but I think with continual training I will be ready to take it on.

E: What does your training program look like? AG: I have a general plan with distance at night [5 to 7 mile swims] and sprints and drills during the day, but I like to have the freedom to switch it around depending on how I’m feeling. E: What do you think about when you swim for so long? AG: When I’m in the pool I count lengths. In open water, I think of various things at random—music, homework, etc. When you’re in the water for so long, especially in the dark, a wandering mind can be a problem. Temptation [to get out or quit] gets harder to resist. You’re alone and completely engulfed in cold water. It can get pretty lonely and can feel like it’s never going to end. In order to prepare for that, I plan to reflect on life. I’ll come up with something to think about that will help me through it.

E: What motivates you to keep going? AG: The biggest thing that keeps me going is the regret I have for quitting swimming. A big part of what motivates me now is to demonstrate to people, inside and outside the [LGBT] community that anybody can really do this. They shouldn’t allow anything—[including] their sexual orientation—to prevent them from doing what they want to do. E: Are you afraid at all? AG: This is well known for being a very difficult challenge and a lot of people fail, but I look at life, and not that I want to die during this event, but far too many people have died for far less. This is something that is a lifelong dream. My goal is to complete it, but ultimately I will do the best that I can. I really just want to give it my all, enjoy it and inspire people.

canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make this sh*t up