Volume 69 Issue 8 March 4, 2022
@cbulancermedia cbubanner.com
Automotive club shifts into high gear for race
Business program introduces Excel Certification to class curriculum BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jordan Fabbrini, senior mechanical engineering major, helps a fellow club member cut a piece of pipe.
Photo by Elijah Hickman I Banner
BY ALEXZA BAHNMILLER ASST. B&T EDITOR
Have you ever wanted to help build a racecar from the ground up and then compete in racing competitions? This is exactly what the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) club does at California Baptist University. Jordan Fabbrini, senior mechanical engineering major and president of CBU SAE, discussed what the club entails. “Our team comes together and builds a racecar, which we then compete with,” Fabbrini said. “There are seven groups within the club, and each group consists of a lead, a junior lead and interns. The groups focus on a specific area on the car, such as the aero group that works on building the wings for the car. “We organize the groups in this way so that there is a constant transfer of knowledge between the members. Information being passed down is one of the reasons why we have been able to be successful and trend upwards.” David Howerzyl, sophomore mechanical engineering major and junior lead for the body and composite group, explained what he does as the junior lead of his section. “My job is to assist with making carbon molds to form the outside shell of the car and write demands for the 3D machine,” Howerzyl said. “The end goal is to make the racecar as light as possible. There are new challenges every week, such as having to wait on materials. Also, everything is new for me and I am learning as I go, but the best part is building and putting everything together.” This year, CBU SAE will compete June 16-20 in Michigan. According to SAE International’s website, North American universities compete to
The Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business at California Baptist University became a Microsoft Certification Site in fall 2021. As a result, the school began to incorporate the Microsoft Certification exam into entry-level course CIS270. By the end of the class, business students can become Microsoft Certification Specialists and receive certificates and digital badges issued by Microsoft displaying their certification. Since the class now ends with the certification exam, the School of Business adjusted the course curriculum to enhance Microsoft skills. Dr. Tim Gramling, dean of the Robert K. Jabs School of Business, said that the school partnered with companies Servcorp and GMetrix, which provide certification and course training, respectively.
GMetrix allows students to do assignments on modules that simulate Microsoft products. Gramling said the level of engagement within GMetrix tools allows students to learn Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint more thoroughly. “Before, for example, when we were working in Microsoft PowerPoint, a student would produce a PowerPoint file, and I would look at it and determine if it looked right, but I could not necessarily tell that the student got to that look correctly,” Gramling said. “What GMetrix does is it actually simulates PowerPoint. It gives students a task to do and it watches what you do. If you do the task incorrectly or if you don’t hit the button the proper way, it will flag it. It will teach you and coach you. It brings students through and shows them how to do it prop-
SEE CERTIFICATION | PAGE 10
Basket case: How athletes stay calm amid competition, pressure to perform BY MADDY GONZALEZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Photo by Elijah Hickman I Banner
Blake Shishido, sophomore mechanical engineering, is slowly cutting a piece of metal.
Photo by Elijah Hickman I Banner
Brendan Kane, senior mechanical engineering major, is putting glue on to help make a mold. conceive, design, fabricate, develop and compete with small, formula-style vehicles. “The competition is an engineering education competition,” the SAE International website said. “Teams are to assume that they work for an engineering firm that is designing,
fabricating, testing and demonstrating a prototype vehicle. The vehicle should have high performance and be sufficiently durable to successfully complete all the events. Each student team design will be judged and evaluated to determine the vehicle that best meets the de-
sign goals and profitably built and marketed.” Formula SAE promotes careers and excellence in engineering as it encompasses all aspects of the automotive industry.
SEE CLUB OF THE ISSUE | PAGE 10
California Baptist University had its last home game for men’s basketball on March 2. Our team took victory over Chicago State University with a closing score of 62-53. It was a victorious night celebrating seniors Elijah Thomas, Tobin Kund, Ty Rowell and Dan Akin. As of March 2, CBU men’s basketball stands 10th in the Western Athletic Conference. The Lancers stand eighth in the WAC for scoring offense and ninth for scoring defense. California Baptist is ranked sixth in the conference for three-point field goal percentage. The men’s team was ranked fifth in the WAC for rebounding margin, assists and defensive rebound percentage. As we know, the Lancers have some star threepoint shooters, with CBU’s highest standing of third in the conference for three-point field goals made. Being a student-athlete isn’t just about peak physical performance. Other factors, including mentality and the pressure of being a division-I athlete, play a role in how athletes perform. Holding a D1 athlete position requires intense focus on sport and school. It takes excellent
psychological strength to juggle all obligations of being a student-athlete. The NCAA reports that “anxiety disorders are among their athletes’ most common psychiatric problems.” This can include performance anxiety which “is connected to the anticipation of the act and becoming overwhelmed during specific components of performance.” Performance anxiety may make it difficult to hold precise focus. If athletes are not maintaining this focus, it can affect an athlete’s practice and game-day performance. AthletesForHope writes, “35% of elite athletes suffer from a mental health crisis which may manifest as stress, eating disorders, burnout or depression and anxiety.” Therefore, combating the stigma around mental health is important. Many athletes suffer to the point that anxiety affects their functioning, but some do not reach out for help. Raising awareness and gaining insight into how student-athletes preserve their mental health is the first step to changing the narrative regarding mental health issues. It is important to have a positive and determined mindset
SEE BASKETBALL | PAGE 9
Street vendors —
Caffeine dependence —
Batman returns —
N e w s , Pg. 2
L i f e s t y l e , Pg . 6
A & E , Pg. 12
Street vendors face struggles with permits amid the aftermath of the pandemic.
Coffee remains a major aspect of culture despite rising levels of caffeine dependence.
“The Batman” hits the big screen in a new generation of the DC superhero.
NEWS
2
March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
THE BANNER
staff PRINT
Editor-in-Chief Emily McGinn Managing Editor Aiden Hobson Photo Editor Elijah Hickman Asst. Photo Editor Tonia Ross Design Editor Emily McGinn News Editor Lauren Brooks Asst. News Editor Zerenity Lopez Business & Tech Editor Jasmine Severi Asst. Business & Tech Editor Alexza Bahnmiller A&E Editor Rowen Zamora Asst. A&E Editors Josiah Murphy Kassidy Blount Lifestyle Editor Emily McGinn
Asst. Lifestyle Editors Valerie La Ponza Teddy Peña Sports Editor Aiden Hobson Asst. Sports Editors Maddy Gonzalez Arden Leeman Asst. Design Editors Lauren Brooks Luis Menendez Jeremiah Wong Public Relations Director Megan Van Battum Social Media Director Cole Stillwagon Distribution Manager Casey Maldonado Advertising Manager Wiley Lloyd
ONLINE Editor-in-Chief Emily McGinn Website Administrator Jasmine Severi Photo and Video Editor Elijah Hickman
Asst. Director of Student Publications Sonya Singh Interim Director of Student Publications Dr. Mary Ann Pearson
We want your help! Write, take photos or design with us. Email us at BannerEditor@calbaptist.edu for more information.
Ordinances spark fear in vendors IGNACIO DOMINGUEZ STAFF WRITER
From taco to churro stands, there has been a recent boom in the appearance of local street vendors. Beyond the sweet smells and hospitality of street stands come stories of the dangers and complexities of selling food on sidewalks. Recently the number of sidewalk vendors and trucks has increased in several Southern California counties. For many vendors, this is the result of competition and the need to expand to different places and confront the many fears of street vending, such as penalties from the city, attacks and competition from fellow vendors. The popularity of street vendors grew exponentially in Los Angeles last summer as the popularity of street food surfaced on TikTok. Lincoln Heights featured a food vending paradise that city officials shut down in August. This is nothing new to street vendors throughout California. In Riverside, vendors show up almost every night with the fear of being put out of work. Valente, a street vendor who specializes in tacos, said he wants to avoid any type of conflict with city officials, as business has already been impacted by the pandemic. He and his colleagues drive out of South Central Los Angeles to Riverside every Tuesday through Sunday. Due to the growth of taco stands in L.A., they had to spread out to neighboring counties to make ends meet. “With the pandemic, the truth is that it’s getting more difficult every day,” Valente said. “There is more competition and less work for us but we’re still here trying to continue to sell. It’s the necessity of the day-to-day. If we don’t go out of there, then also there’s nothing there. There’s a lot of competition out there and (we) try to stand out.” For many, street vending is their main source of income, but the anxiety of being penalized by the city looms over vendors every day. Valente said he was approached by police officers in Anaheim for not having a permit. They threw out all the food to be sold that day.
Local food vendors cuts up al pastor trompo.
Local vendor has various meat like asda, pollo and buche. “(The city) will take your things,” Valente said. “That’s the fear more than anything. In Anaheim it happened. We lose everything. We lose our day of earnings.” These issues for vendors are a recurring theme. In Fontana, just a few cities away from Riverside, street vendors have been confronted with a new ordinance, an update to Municipal Code Amendment No. 22-001, last month in a 4-1 city council vote. The ordinance update will grant all city employees the authority to enforce the Department of Environmental Health regulations on street vendors in Fontana. Many street vendors said obtaining a permit is nearly impossible, as most vendors do not qualify to apply for
assistance or permits. Some have criticized the ordinance as a way to further target street vendors without finding a way for them to obtain permits to set up shop legally. In a city council meeting on Jan. 25, various street vendors, community members and organizations such as the ACLU and CCAEJ spoke in opposition of the ordinance. “It blows my mind that we don’t include the most important stakeholders when ordinances like these come up to this city council,” said Ana Gonzalez at the city council meeting. “I urge the city council to either table this item or just get rid of it completely because like our colleagues have said, ACLU is looking at this and other attorneys, and they agree with us that this is a very
Elijah Hickman | Banner
Elijah Hickman | Banner discriminatory ordinance.” As of 2022, California allows street vending under a selling permit. On Feb. 10, California Senator Lena Gonzalez introduced Senate Bill 972 supporting California’s street food vendors and removing barriers, making food vending permits more accessible to the community. “These workers, however, lack access to the permitting they need to be able to work and provide for their families,” Gonzalez said. “This is due to policies in the California Retail Food Code that make it difficult for them to enter local permitting systems.” Senate Bill 972 will likely make permits more available to street vendors and ensure that vendors prepare the food safely for customers.
Nursing students experience shift of About THE BANNER COVID-19 through clinical practicums The Banner newspaper is an award-winning, bi-weekly campus publication that publishes 12 issues a year at California Baptist University. The newsroom is located in the James Building in Room 060 and can be reached at 951-343-4787. The Banner, a student-run newspaper, serves the CBU community with accurate, timely and factual reporting on significant aspects of university life, Riverside life and subjects of interest or concern to its readers. others in the university are encouraged to react to published material or to comment on matters of conern. The Banner retains the right to edit your letter upon publication based on grammar and word count. Send letters to Emily McGinn, editor-in-chief of The Banner at BannerEditor@ calbaptist.edu. If you have a story idea for The Banner, please let us know. If a business would like to advertise in the The Banner, please contact Emily McGinn at emilyanne.mcginn@calbaptist.edu. Thanks for reading!
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LAUREN BROOKS NEWS EDITOR
The blaring of code blue alarms echoes throughout the hospital halls. Around a corner, an overflow of patients from a shortage of beds are getting bloodwork done, and nurses are running from place to place in an effort to make time for everyone. Those who are lucky enough to get beds sit alone in a dark room, unable to see family due to fear of potential exposure to COVID-19. This was the reality of many nursing students, whose first brush with work was the chaos of the pandemic. While the Omicron variant appears to be winding down after two years of COVID, California Baptist University nursing students have had a unique training experience, being thrust into clinical practice in the midst of overcrowding, understaffing and utter uncertainty. With protocols for safety in place, many nurses had to rush through caring for COVID patients. Marissa Merriman, second-semester
nursing major, suited up in three N-95 masks and a face shield during her time working in a COVID room. She said that it was difficult dashing through patients, unable to truly be there and give the loving care of being a nurse without compromising her own safety. “It made me feel bad because it shows that they realize that people are scared to be around them, that they even feel that with their nurses,” Merriman said. “It made me think differently and be like, ‘OK, this is a human, I want to go in and take care of him just like he’s anyone else.’” Alayna Woolson, secondsemester nursing major, noted that there are much fewer COVID rooms now at Riverside Kaiser than during her clinical practice last semester. She said that being in a hospital gave a much clearer view of the true impact of COVID at its peak. She also echoed Merriman’s frustration with not being able to give proper time to patients, observing how isolating it was.
“They’re in a room, in a bed, ventilated,” Woolson said. “Every time a nurse is in there he or she is getting meds, doing hygiene and getting vitals. And that’s it. They cluster their care, so that person only gets so much human interaction. The rest of the time they’re alone in a dark room, with the door closed and no contact with anyone. They’re just setting (them) up for death.” Merriman also said that the nurses she has worked with are often overworked and exhausted, leaving less mental and emotional capacity to teach budding students. Olivia Dimmick, third-semester nursing major, echoed Merriman’s statement. She said that learning depends on current nurses and that it is more difficult to learn in a highstress hospital environment. “If I have a nurse that’s willing to teach me and let me help them, I feel like I gain so much from clinical, but when I’m assigned to a nurse that is kind of rude or just doesn’t let me do anything, I feel like I’m just walking
around pointlessly for hours,” Dimmick said. “Overall though, I feel like the time I spend at clinical is super beneficial and the best time to implement what I’ve learned at school.” However, through the turmoil of learning the skill of nursing during a pandemic, both Merriman and Woolson said they feel prepared to take on anything now, including another pandemic. They believe that things can only get easier from here. “It’s amazing to see what has come out of it and how much people have learned,” Woolson said. “We’re going through something so traumatic — it’s definitely going to shape us for our future career. You start with the hard part and it gets better from there.” According to the California government COVID statistics, cases began dropping steadily beginning Jan. 10. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are projecting a continued decrease in hospitalization numbers over the next four weeks.
NEWS
March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Local couple concocts relaxing and soothing atmosphere in coffee house MELISSA AZEVEDO STAFF WRITER
Twee Coffee has become a staple in the Riverside community since its opening in July 2020. It has caught the attention of the local college student scene, becoming a study hub and a place to get coffee with friends. Owner Noel Jimenez said he connected with the idea of creating a coffee shop for anyone to enjoy with a comfortable environment. It began with the vision of Jimenez and his wife, which shortly turned into an ongoing project. Twee’s construction actually began the same day their daughter was born. “Ever since we met we would always go to coffee shops together and my wife worked at local cafes, so we always loved coffee,” Jimenez said. This project was five years in the making. The idea started when Jimenez and his wife both had a dream of owning a small business. “Our other concept of a small business was an ice cream parlor, but it turned into a coffee shop instead,” Jimenez said. “We couldn’t figure out ideas for our ice cream shop, but we loved coffee and we loved the industry so we had to dive in deeper.” It started with brewing Wild Goose coffee from Redlands, which was who they partnered with for their first year of opening. Now they brew Cat and Cloud, which Jimenez described as “big” for them; they always looked up to this company and had dreamed of partnering with them for a long time. “Their roasting style allows us to brew how we like: a wellrounded espresso with some sweetness and chocolate,” Jimenez said. Their mission, along with creating unique coffee, is finding flavors their customers enjoy. They experiment with different flavors of syrup to add to the coffee they craft for each order. They also taste everything daily, which has
STAFF WRITER
Bike thefts have become a topic of concern at California Baptist University. The community is on alert after a surge in theft in living areas, with approximately 30 reported just in the fall semester of 2021, and the problem continues into this semester. Because Magnolia Crossing is located down the street from the main campus, many residents commute back and forth on bikes, locking them to a rack at night. But as they prepare to hit the road the next morning, several have found themselves with no transportation. The problem began to receive more attention at the beginning of October, and as many rely on their bikes to get to campus, the concern at Magnolia Crossing continues to grow. Stephen Phan, senior software engineer major and Magnolia Crossing resident adviser, said he was not aware of exactly how many thefts had occurred, but the number was large enough that the university stepped in to address the problem. “CBU provided U-locks and talked about having a bike cage where residents can scan in to
NEWS Briefs RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE
Russia launched an invasion into Ukraine following a speech given by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24. He claimed the previous night that a “special military operation” would begin in Ukraine. In the nation’s capital Kyiv and its surrounding cities, missiles and gunfire sent fear and panic into the hearts of Ukrainian citizens. Reports of attacks and explosions across Ukraine continued as Russia launched a series of aerial attacks. Ukrainian soldiers and civilians are now defending their country, and the situation is expected to continue to escalate.
TRUCKER CONVOY MOVES TO DC
Noel Jimenez, 34, and his wife have been operating Twee Coffee since July 2020. allowed them to create the unique drinks that Twee has to offer. “We stay true to what we like and what we think our prospective customers will like as far as flavor in their expresso,” Jimenez said. “We obsess over those things that we are making at that moment and try to make it the best possible.” Rylie Horn, senior kinesiology major, said she likes Twee because of the vibe she feels when entering the shop and she likes that they
also sell locally thrifted clothes in the corner. “I like Twee because I think it’s a really good local coffee shop with a cool vibe,” Horn said. “I like how they have pastries and thrifted clothes for sale.” Carina Womack, junior health science and psychology double major, said she loves how nice the staff always is and the atmosphere. “I love how the staff is always so sweet,” Womack said. “I also love the environment’s aesthetic. I’ve also enjoyed
CBU campus faces surge of bike thefts in living areas IGNACIO DOMINGUEZ
3
store their bikes,” Phan said. “I have at least two residents that asked about what CBU can do because their bike was stolen.” The incidents have sparked conversations around security options for residents. U-bolt locks, for example, are more effective than the cable locks many students use. Safety Services has increased the number of cameras on campus and patrol, including specific cameras for the bike racks being monitored by dispatch to achieve a more secure presence and avoid thefts. Smaller gates along campus have now been locked according to Safety Services. The campus community contributes to the problem by not reporting suspicious activity, so it is important to stay alert to anything that can help reduce the thefts. Samantha Greer, administrative assistant for Safety Services, works frequently with these situations.
“
“We’ve found that (in) the bike theft, the person drove in right behind a student,” Greer said. “He was standing right next to the student. But students don’t report suspicious behaviors and if you’re living in an area you will more than likely be familiar with the people in your area, so if something looks suspicious, just report it. It’s better for us to go out and identify the person than it is for us to hear about it two days later.” With the recent thefts on campus, Greer encourages students to become aware of their surroundings and adequately secure their bikes. “(I suggest) to lock their bikes with U-bolt locks,” Greer said. “And when they lock their bike, they lock the frame and the wheel to the rack.” The Instagram account @cbu.confessions provides unofficial updates on thefts and found items. Students can report suspicious behavior to Safety Services.
Charissa Graves | Banner
going to their market pop-ups and the events they host.” The best part about owning a coffee shop, said Jimenez, is having the chance to create these coffee recipes every day for their customers. “The excitement of smelling it and seeing it is just a great feeling for us,” Jimenez said. “Also, the joy we see from our customers when trying a drink is what makes our job worth it in the end. We always want to make sure that we can take the time to over-deliver for our customers. ”
Protesting COVID-19 restrictions, a convoy of semi-trucks self-named “Freedom Convoy USA 2022” has been making its way across the nation, starting in California, causing heavy traffic and prompting the Pentagon to deploy the National Guard. The Freedom Convoy USA 2022 is modeled after the original protest that began in Canada, dubbed the “Freedom Convoy,” which started its campaign in January of this year. After just two days, the USA protesters pulled the plug due to a lack of numbers. According to sources from convoy Facebook pages, many other convoys still made their way towards Washington D.C. to be there for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address on March 1.
NEW SUPREME COURT JUSTICE President Joe Biden announced Ketanji Brown Jackson on Feb. 25 as his first nominee for the Supreme Court. In the next week, Jackson is scheduled to be confirmed on Capitol Hill. Pending approval from the Senate, Jackson will be able to step in as the replacement for Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who announced his retirement on Jan. 26. This summer, he will officially leave his position at the end of the current court term. Zerenity Lopez | Banner
LEAD UP TO RUSSIAUKRAINE WAR:
A QUICK TIMELINE OF RECENT EVENTS
Jan. 2021: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeals to President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to join NATO. In February, his government freezes the assets of opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk, the Kremlin’s most prominent ally in Ukraine. April 2021: Russia begins massing troops near Ukraine’s borders in what it says are training exercises. Dec. 17 2021: Russia presents security demands including that NATO pull back troops and weapons from eastern Europe and bar Ukraine from ever joining. Jan. 24: NATO puts forces on standby and reinforces eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets. February: Amid growing Western fears that Russia could attack Ukraine, the U.S. says it will send 3,000 extra troops to NATO members Poland and Romania. The U.S. and allies say they will not send troops to Ukraine, but warn of severe economic sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin takes military action. Feb. 21: In a TV address, Putin says Ukraine is an integral part of Russian history and has a puppet regime managed by foreign powers. Putin orders what he called peacekeeping forces into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognizing them as independent. Feb. 22: The U.S., Britain and their allies sanction Russian parliament members, banks and other assets in response to Putin’s troop order. Germany halts the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. Feb. 24: Putin authorizes “special military operations” in Ukraine. Russian forces begin missile and artillery attacks, striking major Ukrainian cities including Kyiv and Kharkiv. Source: Reuters
“(I suggest) to lock their bikes with U-bolt locks. And when they lock their bike, they lock the frame and the wheel to the rack. Samantha Greer, Administrative assistant for CBU Safety Services Lauren Brooks | Banner
VISION
4
March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
GYM TALK
How can you overcome gym anxiety?
BY TEDDY PEÑA
ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Exercising is one of the many activities that college students can engage in for physical and mental health benefits. One of the more popular ways to get active and work out those muscles is at the gym. Going to the gym is convenient, especially for California Baptist University students, because of the location of the Recreation Center on campus and the availability of Rec Center services to all students and faculty for free. However, while going to the gym can be accessible at face value, many gym-goers, especially those who are newer to the scene, can experience what is called “gym anxiety.” Gym anxiety is a specific form of hesitancy, worry or negative connotation associated with going to the gym and working out in a physical gym. Students on campus have their own reasons as to why they initially started integrating the gym into their lifestyle. Rylie Horn, senior kinesiology major, explained her life as it pertains to the gym and what made exercising at the gym a routine activity for her.
“I have always been an athlete,” Horn said. “So that is what initially got me into exercise. Honestly, my freshman year of college I did not have many friends and was falling into depression at the college I was attending at the time, so I started working out as an outlet for my emotions.” While some students develop their love for exercise for emotional and mental health reasons, other individuals are initially motivated by physical benefits. Mollie Garrell, senior kinesiology major, explained her own reasoning as to why she was motivated to go to the gym. “I have always strived to be the best version of myself,” Garrell said. “I would always look at myself in the mirror every morning and not be entirely happy with who I was. I always knew I could do something about this mindset.” An important aspect to understand about gym anxiety is how common this phenomenon is. Brandyn Bunch, graduate assistant for the Recreation Center, explained why he thinks gym anxiety is common among college students. “Gym anxiety (is) common because some students may not know how to use gym equipment, which is completely fine; there is still equipment that I don’t know how to use,”
Bunch said. “We at the Recreation Center offer a weight room orientation class to help students get acquainted with the machines we have and how to use them.” Gym anxiety can stem from social anxiety and the desire to be impressive around others. “I think gym anxiety is common because we all think everyone is looking at us,” Horn said. “We all think we are doing the wrong thing and other people are going to notice. Also, we all want to look good and feel good when we are trying to do good for ourselves, but at the root of things, we all want to impress other people.” So what is the right mindset with which to enter the gym to combat feelings of gym anxiety? For Garrell, it was the feeling of community that exists within and outside the physical gym structure. “I started to realize that we are all in the gym for the same thing,” Garrell said. “Everyone shows up to the gym to be healthy. Everyone in the gym is there to work and achieve similar goals. You could look at someone who is ten times bigger and stronger than you, but they are just as excited for you when you hit that personal record. I started to realize that the gym is a community.” Horn said another strategy to cancel out feelings of anxiety around the
gym is reaching out to resources and gaining knowledge about working out. “It is very important to ask questions,” Horn said. “Be sure to reach out to the resources that are around you and if you are a student at CBU, take those weightlifting classes. Take those cross-training classes. Classes are available to everyone and simply having knowledge about working out will help you overcome gym anxiety.” Bunch elaborated more on the importance and impact of attending classes at the gym to be in a judgment-free environment and to develop a relationship with the gym to combat gym-induced anxiety. “Make sure you start slow getting into working out at the gym,” Bunch said. “Do not rush into trying to lift 500 pounds right away. Here at the Recreation Center, we offer personal training classes free for students who are looking at a way to start exercising. Going to group exercise classes is a good way to help deal with gym anxiety. Going to group exercise classes helps students meet and find community here at CBU. We offer daily group exercise classes here that can help benefit everyone.” Battling gym anxiety is a journey that requires physical, emotional and mental strength. While it is a challenge that calls for endurance, it is a challenge not faced alone.
Design by Em
VISION
March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
In order to sharpen and improve your physical and mental health, there are three important factors to consider: exercise, nutrition and sleep. Exercise has thousands of benefits; however, some of the biggest benefits include: a boost in self-confidence, reduced stress and reduction of health risks like chronic diseases. One of the most important parts of sustaining a healthy lifestyle is by eating a balanced, yet enjoyable diet. One thing that has significantly helped me with my nutrition is to keep the foods I can’t live without and cut out the unhealthy foods that are not important to me. It is important to keep a balanced diet with lean protein, vegetables every meal and a healthy source of fats. Remember: living a healthy lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint.
DAY 2
As a trainer, what are the most common obstacles you see people run into when they work out? How can people overcome these obstacles? As a trainer, many clients have the same goal to gain confidence in the gym. The beginning of your fitness journey is intimidating. There is an overload of information, and it may feel awkward. This fear is shared by almost everyone trying to start a habit of working out, but it can be overcome. A few solutions are to sign up for personal training, educate yourself on work out essentials on credible websites or by going to the gym with friends.
DAY 3
What do you encourage students to do while exercising to achieve physical and mental health?
Workout Plan
DAY 1
Corban Murray, junior international business major, is a personal trainer and facility lead at the Recreation Center. He provided some insight into how to best go about exercising and shared a three-day workout plan.
What do you want students to know about exercise?
mily McGinn
NOTE
Exercise is essential to living a healthy life, so make it enjoyable. In order to make fitness sustainable, I highly recommend finding a form of exercise that you enjoy. For example, if you really enjoy hiking, try to hike at least once or twice a week. A gym is a useful tool for achieving your fitness goals; however, it is not the only thing you can do to stay fit. Exercise is also beneficial for stress management, because it helps reduce stress by releasing endorphins. Building a habit of exercise will also help you to develop healthy habits in other areas.
Upper body
1. Dumbbell bench press (3 sets of 8) 2. Lat pulldown (3 sets of 10) 3. Pushup (3 sets of 10) 4. Seated cable row (3 sets of 8) 5. Seated Arnold press (3 sets of 8) 6. Tricep rope pushdiwns (4 sets of 12) 7. Bicep rope hammer curls (4 sets of 12)
Lower body
1. Plank (3 sets of 30 second holds) 2. Side-plank (3 sets of 30 second holds) 3. Barbell or kettlebell squat (3 sets of 8) 4. Leg press (3 sets of 10) 5. Lunges (3 sets of 10 each leg) 6. Lying leg curl (3 sets of 12) 7. Standing calf raise (4 sets of 10)
Full body
1. Barbell or kettlebell squat (3 sets of 8) 2. Lunges (3 sets of 8) 3. Dumbbell bench press (3 sets of 8) 4. Seated cable row (3 sets of 8) 5. Seated overhead press (3 sets of 10) 6. Standing calf raise (3 sets of 10) 7. Tricep rope pushdowns (4 sets of 12) 8. Bicep rope hammer curls (4 sets of 12) 9. Hanging knee raises (4 sets of 10-15)
1. Remember to warm-up before you start your workout. I like to do incline walks on a treadmill at 15 incline and 3.5 speed and then make sure to do dynamic stretches before my movements. 2. Always make sure to incorporate at least two warm-up sets before your working sets.
GYM TALK
Q&A with a personal trainer
5
LIFESTYLE
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Are pre-workout supplements safe to use before exercising? BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In gym culture, pre-workout supplements have become a major industry. The global pre-workout supplements market was worth $12.6 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow to $23.8 billion by 2027, according to a 2020 study. Much of this market is based in North America. Pre-workout supplements commonly come as readyto-drink or as powder (that is often mixed into water to drink). The purpose of most pre-workout supplements is to provide people with additional energy to excel in their workouts and to recover more easily after those workouts. Common ingredients include beta-alanine (to reduce muscle fatigue by buffering lactic acid buildup), caffeine (to boost energy, focus and alertness), creatine (for energy production through enhanced ATP production and circulation), L-citrulline (for the production of nitric oxide, which increases blood flow to muscles) and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs, to prevent protein breakdown and supplement essential amino acids). Dr. David Pearson, dean of the College of Health Science and professor of kinesiology, said pre-workout supplements vary in ingredients. “You can find drinks marketed as ‘pre-workout’ that simply contain a high amount of sugar and/or caffeine, while
others will contain high levels of amino acids or supplements that are linked to performance such as creatine,” Pearson said. “The drinks are most commonly used in resistance training settings, but endurance athletes will use drinks before and during long bouts of activity.” While pre-workout supplements advertise enhanced energy and ability during workouts, some experts have raised red flags about the amount of specific ingredients in pre-workout supplements as well as ingredients in some popular pre-workout options that can have potentially serious side effects. For example, deterenol, one ingredient found in some supplements, can lead to vomiting, agitation, palpitations, chest pain and cardiac arrest. Pearson said that whether or not pre-workout supplements have a negative effect on an individual depends on the person and how he or she uses the supplement. “Used correctly, pre-workout drinks can have a positive impact on the user and his or her workout,” Pearson said. “Misuse or overuse can have severe consequences though, so users should ask themselves if the perceived benefit is worth the risk of side effects such as headaches, abdominal discomfort, itching and anxiousness.” As Pearson said, concerns about pre-workout press beyond potentially concerning ingredients. Some pre-workouts can lead users to ingest too much of a certain ingredient, such as caffeine. Most pre-workout
supplements have between 150300 mg of caffeine per serving, which is equivalent to one to three cups of coffee. While this level of caffeine intake should not be harmful for most people according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it can lead to side effects such as high blood pressure, poor sleep patterns and anxiety. Caffeine from pre-workout supplements can also become dangerous when combined with other sources of caffeine. The FDA recommends a maximum of 400 mg of caffeine intake daily. However, a 2019 study warned of the dangers of combining pre-workout supplements with other caffeinated substances. This practice can lead to rare but serious side effects such as vomiting, hallucinations, seizures and strokes. “Nearly a third of MIPS (pre-workout supplements) users reported combining a MIPS with other caffeine containing products, and if more than one serving size is also ingested, one could approach dangerous levels of caffeine consumption, as MIPS tend to contain 250–400 mg of caffeine per serving,” the study said. Pearson said that when considering whether or not to use pre-workout supplements, students should establish their workout goals and become familiar with how their bodies respond to different substances. “My personal view of pre-workout drinks, and all supplementation in general, is that users should have a clear understanding of what they are
Photo Illustration by Elijah Hickman | Banner
Some people use pre-workout drinks before exercising to boost performance. ingesting and why,” Pearson said. “Before thinking about supplements, be sure to get adequate sleep, drink a lot of water and eat a balanced diet including ample lean proteins and nutrient dense complex carbohydrates. Remember that most drinks are going to have calories, sometimes lots of calories, so if fat loss is your primary goal you may not be helping yourself. But if all other conditions are met in a healthy way and you want to try getting a little boost in your workout, a pre-workout drink may help you push through to a slightly higher level of training.” Pre-workout drinks can help boost workout performance and most brands should be safe to
Lifestyle Tries: Upcycling can save money, help conserve BY TEDDY PEÑA
ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR
For college-aged students, the value of frugality and budgeting money is important. There are many ways to repurpose, budget and save money to make being a college student just a little bit easier. This includes goal-oriented shopping, intentional saving or even the cash envelope system. One thing that is very common on college campuses is single-use plastics and packaging. This packaging contains the goods that college students use and consume daily. “Single-use” packaging means that the material used to hold a product is meant to be thrown away after one use. Even though single-use packaging is designed to be instantly thrown away, that does not mean that is the only purpose for it. Over time, people have discovered creative ways to transform this packaging into useful and fun creations for them to have for a much longer time than their original designs intend. Upcycling do-it-yourself (DIY) projects are unique and rarely cost much money. For example, we found an old plastic container that previously held dip, cleaned it out and repurposed it as a general container. This is a typical starting point for upcycling beginners where you can find any “useless” item and repurpose it. Other exam-
ples include cutting up an old T-shirt and making it into towels, turning a plastic water bottle into a plant holder or getting creative with an old tin can and making it into a tealight holder. The beauty of upcycling is that you can put as much effort and money into your project as you want. If you want to spend money on paints and other special tools to personalize your craft, you have the freedom to do so. For example, you can paint an old candle holder and make it into many things, like a planter or a container. Have an old book you no longer need? It can be your next photo frame. If you have old newspapers or magazines, compile them and cut them out to create a vision board or mood board. Upcycling is not only a fun and creative outlet that is useful and budget-friendly, but the practice of upcycling also teaches the individual about intentionality and “green living.” Once you start to upcycle more, you view the world through what can be repurposed and reused instead of buying into the one-time consumer mindset in which we are encouraged to throw away otherwise useful objects. Upcycling DIY projects make creativity flow and add a personal touch to everyday items. Take photos of your upcycled DIY crafts and tag @ cbulancermedia to possibly be featured.
use. However, users should take steps to ensure safety, especially since pre-workout supplements are regulated by the FDA as food rather than drugs, leading to looser regulations. Potential consumers of pre-workout supplements should research products, know the ingredients in the products they are planning to use, know how those ingredients could impact their bodies and be aware of the recommended servings for each ingredient. Users should also be aware of potentially misleading marketing and labeling; it is safest to use products that have been tested by a third party. When actively using pre-workout supplements, users should
monitor side effects and listen to their bodies, adjusting accordingly to ensure good health. Ultimately, those who work out should aim to develop healthy practices. “To remain healthy while exercising, it’s important to have a balanced workout, making sure to take test days, while allowing for variety between endurance, cardio and strength training,” said Charlotte Steele, senior biology and kinesiology double major. “I would say it’s important for people to know their limits so they push themselves to work out but not so much so that they’re harming themselves.”
Tidy surroundings can tidy our minds BY VALERIE LA PONZA ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR
Teddy Peña | Banner Teddy Peña, senior public relations major, shares steps on creative ways to save money through upcycling. Students can repurpose old materials to create new, useful items.
There are many ways in which one’s surroundings can affect one’s mental health, and tidiness is no exception. Many studies have shown the psychological benefits of tidiness. In fact, a 2010 study conducted by Darby E. Saxbe and Rena Repetti analyzed correlations between the words people use to describe their homes and their cortisol levels. The study found that those who lived in “unfinished” or “cluttered” households were found to be more depressed or fatigued than those who lived in “restful” or “restorative” homes. “Our environments matter, and it can help us be productive, while also working as a barrier for us to get sidetracked,” said Dr. Jennifer Costello, professor of social work. “When we don’t have to worry about the organizational pieces, it gives us more time to think creatively about things that we’re really passionate about.” Costello pointed out some key components to the psychological benefits of tidiness, which include reduced stress, reduced depression, improved focus, improved health, improved sleep and even improved generosity. “I have zero passion about the unread messages on my phone, the unfolded laundry or if the house is clean, but when those things are done, I don’t have to worry about those things, so that allows me a space to focus on the things that I’m really passionate about, that God has really called me to do in life instead of worrying about filing and organizing my life,” Costello said.
While living in a dorm on campus, it can be difficult to keep one’s surroundings clean. “A tidy life is a life of balance,” said Molly Kibble, freshman business management major. “My mental health is reliant on my tidiness. An unorganized, dirty room is equivalent to a messy and cluttered mind. I know that other people can live messily and it doesn’t bother them, but for me personally, I need to be clean and organized in order to keep my sanity.” Kibble said a dirty space can make it difficult for her to focus on her priorities such as school. She currently lives in the Cottages with nine roommates, so it can become difficult to maintain a tidy living area. “It is nearly impossible to keep our living room and kitchen clean,” Kibble said. “This bothers me very much and is actually a huge distraction from my studies.” Lillian Boles, senior interior design major, does not need to keep a tidy environment to preserve her mental health, but she sees a connection between tidiness and other individuals. “I would say I’m not tidy, (but) I definitely think mental health and tidiness are connected,” Boles said. “Some people are good at cleaning when stressed and others aren’t. Personally, cleaning falls to the bottom of my list when I am not doing well. I think I would benefit from a clean space, but I have a hard time getting myself to that point.” While tidiness has psychological benefits, it is important to be tidy in moderation. There is an important “Goldilocks” zone between enough tidiness to reap the benefits without tidiness becoming excessive.
LIFESTYLE
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Coffee and caffeine: Why is caffeine an acceptable addiction? BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Most of us drink coffee or caffeinated tea regularly. In fact, caffeine is the most commonly used drug globally, with about 85 percent of people consuming it on a regular basis. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning that it constricts blood vessels, specifically in the head and neck region. As a result, it causes blood pressure and heart rate to increase, and it can cause less blood to flow to extremities. It also acts as a diuretic, meaning that it can make people feel dehydrated. People often use it to increase alertness and wakefulness. However, a 2011 study found in the U.S. National Library of Medicine discovered that caffeine dependence occurred among a significant portion of those surveyed. “34% endorsed craving, 26% said they needed caffeine to function and 10% indicated that they talked to a physician or counselor about problems experienced with caffeine,” according to the study. Although caffeine reliance clearly exists on a significant scale in our society, caffeine remains a large and widely accepted part of our lives and society. However, many other addictions, such as alcohol and drug addictions, have much less acceptance throughout society. Dr. Teresa Hamilton, associate professor of nursing, said addiction can be either physical, meaning that the body requires a substance to function, or psychological, meaning that the use of a substance becomes habitual. “Physically, there is the dopamine-serotonin response where due to a substance, it changes those chemical reactions and therefore you crave it again and again to get that same feeling,” Hamilton said. “Then there is also a psychological addiction where we routinely get up and have our coffee first-thing. The same thing can happen with legal and illegal substances.”
Caffeine boosts dopamine signaling to the brain. Dopamine helps the body experience pleasure, meaning that it can trigger one’s desire to pursue an activity or substance again. However, Hamilton said that unlike many other addictive substances such as alcohol and some drugs, caffeine enhances alertness rather than impairing it. She said she believes this reality contributes to the acceptance of caffeine by society. “Caffeine makes you feel more alert, whereas most other substances make you feel less like you can function, so (there is) impaired-ness in the more negatively looked at addictions,” Hamilton said. Overall, caffeine presents much less of a danger to the user and others around them. For example, about 95,000 people die from preventable alco-
hol-related causes each year, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In addition, driving under the influence led to 10,142 deaths in 2019. Hamilton also contrasted a smoking addiction with a caffeine addiction. The stigma around smoking cigarettes is derived from the proven negative health effects of smoking. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate more than 480,000 people die annually from causes related to smoking or secondhand smoke. In contrast to alcohol and nicotine addictions, a 2018 study identified only 92 deaths ever reported due to caffeine overdose. In fact, unlike many other addictive substances, studies have indicated that caffeine can have many positive
Interns share behind-the-scenes strategies for planning CBU events BY VALERIE LA PONZA ASST. LIFESTYLE EDITOR
California Baptist University is a campus filled with tons of amazing events, ranging from TWIRP week, when the woman is required to pay, to Lancer takeover, when CBU students take over Castle Park and spend a fun day in the park. But what goes into the planning and execution of these events? Hannah Lee, sophomore film major, works with ASCBU as a residential representative on the Campus Improvements Committee. She explained what her job entails. “I also work with Rez Life and help fund staff events and projects, and I also work with facilities and take student inquiries and help improve things on campus,” Lee said. “So when you see a water bottle refill station or a new bike rack, that’s us.” Nathan Moretti, senior mathematics major, is a Community Life intern. In a normal week, he works in the Community Life Lounge four four hours selling tickets for events and playing music. He also meets with event partners to send emails, brainstorm ideas and make timelines. Even when an event finally rolls around, Community Life’s work is not done. “I arrive at the location of the event hours before to make sure all of our teams un-
Photo by Charissa Graves | Banner
Chloe Henry, sophomore psychology major, enjoys her salted caramel latte.
derstand their assignments,” Moretti said. “We set up equipment where it needs to be and fix any problems. During my events, I roam to all of our team in their various positions to see if they need anything to make their task more efficient. I am communicating with any other offices we are working with to see if I can help them with anything. “After the event comes clean up and debrief with the team to discuss how it went. In the weeks after, we have to complete write-ups for future interns to see how to make these events better.” Cooper Strull, senior business administration major, is a Community Life intern. He said that in the weeks leading up to an event, interns must coordinate with various groups and departments involved in the event to ensure that everything runs smoothly. “When we are planning an event, we are meeting with our team a few times a week to go through every detail, work with
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our vendors and make everyone’s schedule for the day of,” Strull said. “If we aren’t the intern leading the event, we are tasked with setup and tear down. A lot of work goes into every event held on CBU’s campus, one of the biggest, and most well-known being WooFest. WooFest takes place on April 6 and hosts student acts of all types. It is an opportunity for the guys to “woo” the girls. “One thing I am excited for (about WooFest) is the change in location,” Strull said. “By moving the event from the Fox Theater to the Events Center, we will be able to fit a lot more students.” Strull encourages all students to attend WooFest and other events. “I’m a senior and some of my favorite memories have come from WooFest,” Strull said. “If you’re on the edge, just go. This goes for all events. Don’t feel scared to go to things alone. You won’t be the only one and it’s easy to meet new people.”
impacts, including improving moods, relieving headaches, boosting long-term memory and reducing the risk of stroke. Hamilton also said that culture plays a major role in deciding what society views as acceptable. “Foods and exercise can get addictive too, and I would say it is based on pop culture because exercise is considered a healthy addiction,” Hamilton said. “It does a lot of the same things in our brain that some more negatively connotated substances have.” Claire Bailey, junior psychology major, said she believes the culture surrounding coffee in our society makes caffeine dependence more acceptable. “Caffeine, especially coffee, is not only a pleasant stimulant, but is deeply tied to social involvement,” Bailey said. “In
fact the phrase ‘coffee culture’ has been coined in recent years to describe the behaviors and traditions linked with the consumption of coffee. The substance connects people from all across the world in a variety of ways. Thus, in regards to caffeine consumption via coffee, society actually tends to encourage it, which makes the alterations of the addiction far more difficult to spot.” Although caffeine can lead to extreme health events in rare situations, caffeine usually does not seem to present any major short-term or long-term dangers to health. Caffeine withdrawal and intolerance do exist; caffeine withdrawal usually exhibits symptoms such as headaches, tiredness and irritability, and caffeine sensitivity usually leads to feelings of anxiousness,
restlessness and racing heartbeat. However, there is no strong scientific evidence warning against ingesting normal amounts of caffeine, and Hamilton does not foresee any change in society’s relationship with caffeine without any strong scientific indication that it can be detrimental to health. “Arguably, we would be healthier without it,” Hamilton said. “It is not like you need it in order to survive. We would all be better off drinking just water. I guess we have to decide what we are able to tolerate for our society. People say it is a guilty pleasure or that kind of thing, so obviously we know that it is not good for us, but there is a Starbucks on every corner and it makes us feel good and it helps us accomplish what we need to accomplish.”
Sustainable Living for college students
Sustainability Tip
How does this help the environment?
Keep reusable bags in your car for shopping.
Plastic bags used in stores are not biodegradable. When people use plastic bags, they go to landfills when thrown away and can lead to pollution and can harm ecosystems. They do not decompose for years, leading to many years of harm to the environment. If you do not have a reusable bag, choose paper over plastic. However, paper bags require large amounts of manufacturing energy and resources to produce. Therefore, use a reusable bag whenever possible.
During my events, I roam to all of our team in their various positions to make their tasks more efficient. Nathan Moretti, Senior mathematics major and Communnity Life intern Emily McGinn | Banner
PERSPECTIVES
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 68 · Issue 8
Theatre department performs Neil Simon’s “Fools”
1. Nicholas Hernandez (bottom), junior theater ma- Heustis (left to right) act during a scene in CBU’s projor, and Shane Moser, junior theater major, act out a duction of Neil Simon’s “Fools.” scene in Neil Simon’s “Fools.” 5. Weezy Wright (left), freshman theater major, and 2. Gavin Duran, senior theater and comedic arts dou- Nathan Sporcich, junior marketing major, play Sophia ble major, plays Count Gregor in Neil Simon’s “Fools.”
Zubritsky and Leon in Neil Simon’s “Fools.”
3. Alexis Parsio, junior theater major, plays Yenchna 6. Alexis Parsio (left), Karissa Allen (right) and Eden the vendor in CBU’s production of Neil Simon’s “Fools.” Sides (center) act during a scene in CBU’s production of Neil Simon’s “Fools.” 4. Alexis Parsio, Karissa Allen, Eden Sides and Chloe
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Photos by Camille Grochowski
SPORTS
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Basketball Continued from Page 1 on game days specifically. Anything that happens throughout the day could impact performance during the game. “(I wake up) ready to get the day started and prepare for the game,” said Reed Nottage, sophomore international business major. “(I) listen to music or meditate in front of the statue.” There are many opportunities for one’s mentality to decline during gameplay. In basketball, halftime is a makeor-break moment. “(My mindset going into halftime) depends on what’s happening in the game, but (we are) looking to either fix what needs to be fixed or continue doing what we’re doing,” Nottage said. “(I) just focus on executing, locking in and staying focused.” A proper game-day mentality does not just end when the game ends; it remains with student-athletes throughout the night and most times throughout their whole career. “(After a game, the team typically has a) quick chat about the game and does radio if needed.,” Nottage said. “(I also) eat, get hydration back up and then go home and get rest.” Gameday mentality includes everyone involved with the team. Coaches go through their own stress and hardships as well. “You’re with each other in the ups and downs,” said Rick Croy, head coach of the CBU men’s basketball team. “You see each other in tough moments. You’re going all in. That’s the
Golf rules: A beginner’s guide to golf
goal is to get guys to go all in. We always say, ‘nothing vested, nothing hurts’ and if you don’t invest you can stay on the fringe and you never have to invest emotionally, and nothing hurts. That’s not our group. “You’ve seen these guys grow whether they’ve been with you for five years, two years or even a year. The volume of time that we spend together is really high. We put in a lot of work together.” Gaining insight into gameday mentalities from the CBU men’s basketball team shows those not involved in athletics how mental health can play a role in the lives of student athletes. The goal of NCAA and AthletesForHope is to start the conversation about mental health in college-level sports. Student-athletes need to ensure they are doing everything they can to maintain their intensive focus and balance all aspects of their life to keep their mentality well-grounded.
BY MADDY GONZALEZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
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You’ve seen these guys grow whether they’ve been with you for five years, two years, or even a year. The volume of time we spend together is really high. Rick Croy, Head coach CBU men’s basketball
Elijah Hickman | Banner
Dan Akin, graduate student, goes for a dunk against UT Rio Grande Valley.
Golf can be tricky to understand, so The Banner put together a quick guide to understand the basics. The official rule book is 100 pages long, so if you want to be knowledgeable without reading the rulebook, these tips from Golf Digest should help. It is important to note that you may not ask your caddie for advice on playing the course or how other golfers played. Starting with the clubs, there are several to use, and you can carry a maximum of 14. Each club is used differently based on trajectory and distance. Another essential rule about equipment is that you must finish a hole with the ball you started with. Starting from the beginning, you must tee up the ball behind the line created by the tee markers. This can be anywhere between the two markers and as far as two club-lengths. If you miss the ball completely, it will count as a stroke, meaning if you swing and miss, it counts. The lowest scorer hits first on a new hole, and the order proceeds from lowest to highest. During the play of a hole, you must play the ball as it lies, which means you cannot kick it or move it to a better spot. You cannot place anything in front of your ball for aiming, but you can use leaves and stones that were already there to line up
your club. If sticks or stones are in the way, you must use your hands to pick them up; kicking or using your feet is considered a foul. Once you reach the green and your ball comes to a rest, you may mark it with a coin or disk so you can clean the ball. Just remember to put it back as close as possible to where it was before. After golfers play their first round, the player farthest from the hole plays first. When hitting the ball, you must stand still and be cautious that you are hitting your ball. If your putt stops just on the edge of the hole, you can wait 10 seconds to see if it will drop in; if not, then the next drop-in will count as a stroke. If your ball is hit beyond the confines of the course, it must be replayed from the original position, adding a penalty stroke. You must have the lowest combined total of all 36 holes to win a golf match. “It takes a while to be confident in a skill, especially if it’s a brand-new one,” said Jocelyn Chee, captain of the CBU women’s golf team. “I don’t think there is a specific time frame because everyone is different and learns at a different pace. I was lucky to be able to pick up the golf swing relatively quickly. At the same time, there are some other skills that I am still working on.” Golf is a complex sport, but it can be rewarding for those who are willing to commit the time to practice. “For the most part, you can be any age to learn golf,” said Marc Machado, head coach of the CBU women’s golf team. “That is what makes the game of golf so great; so many generations can play it.”
Track team stretches legs for new spring season BY AIDEN HOBSON MANAGING EDITOR
The California Baptist University track teams are looking to continue their momentum from the cross-country season and past track seasons into the spring 2022 season. After several seasons of historic wins, the Lancer runners are determined to continue their success in their last year of provisional NCAA Division-I status. “We’re excited very much so about both teams,” said Adam Tribble, head coach of the CBU men’s and women’s cross country and track teams. “We have a number of people that have done a great job over the last couple of months preparing for this (season). So, I think we have a lot of nervous energy and a lot of excitement about wanting to get out there and break the ice.” According to a CBU athletics press release, last year the
men’s and women’s teams finished fifth in the overall standings at the Western Athletic Conference championships, with three individual titles for a school best in the WAC era. The WAC championships will be held from May 12-14 at Seattle University, according to the CBU Athletics press release. Before the WAC championship, however, the CBU track teams will have several meets and invitationals where they can stretch their legs and represent the school alongside some of the biggest names in NCAA track. “Next week (Friday, March 4), we’re going to break the ice over at RCC (Riverside Community College Invitational), but I would say the Mt. SAC Relays in the middle of April is a really big meet for us because it’s one of the best distance meets in the entire country, year in and year out,” Tribble said. “At the end of April, the meet at Fresno (the
Fresno State Invitational) is a meet where we’re really looking to try to run some fast times. For right now, we’re hoping to get out there and break the ice and let people see a little bit of their progress. Then hopefully we can get back into a high training load and then at the end of April really see what we can do.” The CBU track teams will compete in the Riverside Community College Invitational on March 4, and then stay in the state for the rest of their competitions before the WAC championships in May.
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We’re excited very much so about both teams. Adam Tribble head coach, CBU track teams
Courtesy of Athletics | Banner
The CBU track teams continue to train to prepare for the first invitational on March 4 at Riverside City College.
Lancer Q&A: Amanda Argomaniz, CBU softball BY AIDEN HOBSON MANAGING EDITOR
Elijah Hickman | Banner
Amanda Argomaniz, senior political science major, prepares to bunt to help move a runner to second base.
The path to become an NCAA Division-I athlete is a long and arduous one, and each athlete’s story is different. The Banner interviewed Amanda Argomaniz, senior political science major and member of the California Baptist University softball team, to ask her about her journey as an athlete and what brought her to play softball at CBU. 1. How did you first get involved in softball? I first got involved playing softball by playing baseball. My dad is a huge baseball fan. All of my uncles and cousins all played baseball, so it was essentially in my blood. When I was younger, my dad put me in the local baseball league for tee ball. The next year when I went back to play baseball again, they told my dad they had just cre-
ated a softball league down the street. My dad took me to sign up and from that moment on softball had become my sport. 2. What brought you to play softball at CBU? What brought me to CBU was the culture. I absolutely fell in love with the dynamic presented here on the softball team as well as campus itself. The CBU softball team really emphasizes family. Our motto this year is CARE, which stands for celebrate and appreciate relationships every day. This is a great motto to have and really emphasizes the dynamic here at CBU. Additionally, I remember on my visit, a tour guide told me people here are ridiculously nice. That couldn’t be more true. The small deeds that people do here every day at CBU to make people’s day really shows how great of a campus this is.
3. As you reflect on your softball career, what have you enjoyed the most? This is my final year of playing softball. I have played the sport for over 15 years now and there is one clear thing that I have enjoyed the most. That is the friendships I have made along the way. About three-fourths of the friends I have had all played softball at one point in their lives. Softball is such a great sport that brings people together. I have been lucky to have met some of my best friends through the sport. I know that many of these girls will be in my life for a long time and I will forever be in debt to this sport because of it. Through all of the conditioning, wins, losses and tough times, my teammates have had my back through it all. I will forever be thankful to my team
because of it. From my recreational league of Eastvale Girls Softball to my travel ball team, to CBU, these girls have impacted my life in so many ways and I will forever be thankful. I can’t wait to finish out these final months with my girls. Shout out to every CBU softball team from 2019-22. These girls will forever mean the world to me, and I am so thankful for their friendships. And one final shoutout to my family. The memories that the four of us have made from traveling to all types of places for softball will never be matched. The amount of support that my parents and sister show are amazing. The hotels, long car rides and exhausting 100-degree days of softball have all been worth it. These are the memories I will never forget, and I will forever be thankful for them.
BUSINESS & TECH
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Certification
Continued from Page 1
erly, not just that they get to the right result at the end.” Gramling said that gaining a Microsoft Certification opens many doors for students as they move into the business industry. Receiving the industry certification can lead to job and internship opportunities and can boost resumes. “It is one thing to tell people ‘I have Excel skill’ or to put it on a resume, but it is another thing to have the digital badge from Microsoft,” Gramling said. “You can’t fake it. When you talk to an employer and you show them you have the Microsoft Excel badge, that is a very different conversation than just saying on your resume ‘I know Excel because I took a course.’” Dr. Marina Girju, associate professor of marketing and associate dean of undergraduate programs at Jabs School of Business, said that in today’s business industry, it is especially important to develop strong skills in Microsoft Excel. “In the vast majority of business careers and careers in general nowadays, employees need to have good analytics skills,” Girju said. “Employees need to be able to take data and analyze it, so developing these analytical skills is very important, so we made it a cornerstone of the curriculum we have in the School of Business.” Not only will the Microsoft Certification program help students, but it can also boost the business program at CBU. “It is an opportunity for CBU to show that our curriculum is at a high standard and our graduates actually pass the industry certification exam and get these
industry badges,” Girju said. “The students now are all consistently taught and prepared at the level of having these Excel-certified skills. Every single class they take in their degree after this technology class has also improved because the students have these skills.”
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It is one thing to tell people ‘I have Excel skill’ or to put it on a resume, but it is another thing to have a digital badge from Microsoft. Dr. Tim Gramling, Dean of Jabs School of Business
Sophia Walski, sophomore finance major, took CIS270 and received Microsoft Excel Certification through the course. “The business world goes around Microsoft and all their products, and Excel especially,” Walski said. “It can help with finding a job because in the interview you can say you are certified in Excel. Having that certification gives you a leg up on other potential people interviewing for the same spot.” The School of Business is also providing Microsoft Excel Bootcamps in March. These bootcamps will be available to the entire CBU community for those interested in taking the Excel Certification Exam. The school plans to offer these bootcamps periodically in the future, and eventually bootcamps might become available to the public beyond CBU campus. The three-day bootcamps, which cost $120, are available either on March 16, 23 and 30 or on March 19, 26 and April 2.
Photo Illustration by Camille Grochowski | Banner
The Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business building has continued to grow by adding different opportunities for students.
Club of the issue
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“In the fall, we always begin by doing the design of the car, and then in the spring, we work on the manufacturing,” Fabbrini said. “There’s a new car each year, except for last year due to COVID.” CBU joined SAE in January 2017. “The first vehicle was the heaviest one we’ve made, which isn’t a good thing, but it passed technical inspection, which was a big milestone,” Fabbrini said. “Our last competition was in Las Vegas in 2021, and we placed fourth, which is really good. We choose the drivers of the car based on a reward system. There are four drivers, and it essentially comes down to who puts in a lot of work and seniority.” Gabriel Bartlett, senior mechanical engineering major, was able to be a driver last year. “Being a driver is fun, but nerve-wracking,” Bartlett said. “You are in control of the car that everyone has been putting so much time into, so you don’t want to be the one that messes it up. You also have to wear a driver’s suit, which is fireproof, and last year we competed in Vegas so it was really hot. It can be physically tolling too, and after a while, you start to get tired.” Bartlett reflected on his four-year experience as a member of the club. “The best part is the experience,” Bartlett said. “You can only learn so much in a classroom, and this club offers the opportunity for hands-on learning where you can actually apply skills.” Fabbrini said he encourages people to join, saying SAE is always open. “The garage door is always open and there is no limit to the number of members we can have,” Fabbrini said. “As long as you can agree to the time commitment, which is about 30-40 hours a week, you can do it. Joining is a great way to learn about engineering and even to get career experience.”
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This club offers the opportunity for hands-on learning. Gabriel Bartlett, Senior mechanical engineering major
BUSINESS & TECH
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Meta is sued over facial recognition BY ALEXZA BAHNMILLER
ASST. BUSINESS AND TECH EDITOR Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and many other social media platforms, is one of the most popular technological corporations. Aiming to create a more technology-centered world, Meta’s race to advance technological possibilities is ongoing. However, as technology progresses faster than we have ever seen, privacy concerns begin to arise. Currently, the state of Texas is filing a billion-dollar lawsuit against Meta for the misuse of facial recognition data. The lawsuit alleges that Meta is collecting facial recognition data without consent. Mark Kim, assistant professor of computing, software and data sciences, said he believes Meta might be using facial recognition data. “Companies want your data mainly for advertisement purposes,” Kim said. “In order for people to receive personalized, extremely good customer service, companies need data on the customer. So there is an exchange of service there. You get good customer service, and they get your data. However, there is a questionability when it comes to how the company gets the data.” Companies can use different strategies to get your data, Kim said. “Facial recognition is a strategy and can be used as a surveillance tracker, tracking what you look at and for how long,” Kim said. “You might agree to facial recognition because it is an easier way to unlock your phone without needing a password but don’t realize that data is also being used elsewhere.
Facial recognition essentially builds a graph of your facial features. It requires several pictures in order to improve the accuracy. This graph is stored and kept in record to be used for anything it can be used for.” Eileen Solorzano, freshman photography and graphic design double major, warned about what companies might do with your information. “Anytime you put your information online or on your device, you essentially give it away,” Solorzano said. “The internet and tech companies are powerful and they know how to use your information to their advantage. ” Masha Sowell, sophomore psychology major, said she thinks the improved technology such as facial recognition does not necessarily help us in terms of safety. “These technological advancements are being made so that it is easier for us to access things but harder for other people, but this isn’t true,” Sowell said. “Technology will always have flaws, and all it does is create a way for companies to get more information out of us.” Technological concerns over newfound issues are common in fast-paced environments. “This technology is a lot in a short amount of time,” Kim said. “It’s coming out so fast that it is easy to let things slip by. Meta is getting sued right now as a result.” As technology continues to evolve, make sure to be mindful of your technology practices by doing things such as fully reading agreements, only adding contacts you know and being careful about what personal information you choose to upload onto the internet.
As the metaverse continues to grow, virtual reality is becoming more popular.
Photo Illustration by Elijah Hickman | Banner
Meta enforcing personal space rules in VR BY JASMINE SEVERI
BUSINESS AND TECH EDITOR Personal space is an important factor in making people feel comfortable. In addition to personal space in the real world, this is now being extended to virtual reality (VR) environments. Because VR strives to make things seem real, personal space violations to one’s personal avatar can be more jarring than similar violations in non-VR video and computer games. To help establish these boundaries, Meta announced at the beginning of February that their Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues for their Oculus VR set is automatically setting what essentially seems
like a four-foot invisible barrier around all avatars called the Personal Boundary. “A Personal Boundary prevents anyone from invading your avatar’s personal space,” Meta said in its press release. “If someone tries to enter your Personal Boundary, the system will halt their forward movement as they reach the boundary. You won’t feel it — there is no haptic feedback. This builds upon our existing hand harassment measures that were already in place, where an avatar’s hands would disappear if they encroached upon someone’s personal space.” Meta has announced that for now, this setting will always be on, but they are looking into
adjusting it as they get feedback from users to make it the most comfortable experience they can. One such change may be allowing people to set their own boundary distance. Molly Aceves, senior international business major, said she likes the idea of this Personal Boundary to establish proper social conduct in VR spaces. “I think it’s a smart idea,” Aceves said. “I wouldn’t want a virtual reality (avatar) all up on me in a game. Sexual harassment isn’t acceptable in any form, whether on the computer or in person.” Alberto Bahena, junior biomedical sciences major, said he thinks we will not know the
scope of the influence this will have until it has been around for a while, but he believes it will have a positive effect. “I think as long as there are good intentions, they are trying to bring light to something that’s more important,” Bahena said. “I think it is a good thing, but ultimately we won’t be able to see the effect until (it has been around for a while). I think it will be helpful, though. It will bring (the harassment issue) more into the light, and bring light to the shadows.” This is already being implemented in the Metaverse, and we will see if other VR companies will follow Meta’s lead in setting up personal boundaries in their VR spaces.
Alphabet expanding drone delivery services across United States BY JASMINE SEVERI
BUSINESS AND TECH EDITOR This is a time of rapid technological advancement, and the COVID-19 pandemic put certain technologies at a higher demand and speed-ran their development. One technological innovation that is being expanded in the U.S. is drone delivery services, which will decrease the number of in-person deliveries needed and requested, something that could be appealing to some people in a post-pandemic world. Specifically, the drone delivery service offered by Alphabet Inc. (parent company of Google), called Wing, just had a change in management when its former CEO, James Ryan
Burgess, stepped down due to health issues, elevating Adam Woodworth, former chief technical officer, to CEO with Burgess continuing in an advisory position. Wing said in its press release on its website, “Adam’s involvement in just about everything Wing has been doing to date, and James’ continued advisory support, will allow us to continue to grow,” Wing’s press release said. “Already in 2022, with Adam overseeing day-to-day management, Wing has completed ten times the number of drone deliveries it completed in the first six weeks of 2021. We plan to expand a lot more this year around the world, including with the launch of the first commercial drone delivery service
Editor’s
in a major U.S. metropolitan area (Dallas/Fort Worth) in the coming months.” Drone delivery has been in the works for years, and some countries are ahead of the U.S. in the amount of easily accessible drone delivery services available to citizens. With these advancements, concerns start to arise. Dr. Bob Namvar, professor of economics, talked about some possible issues that might have been delaying the advancement of drone services in the U.S., including the issue of privacy. “There are some legal issues that they’d have to resolve,” Namvar said. “Because, let’s say it’s flying over my house, is it legal? Because the distance is so low that (any monitoring device) can see inside, people in
Review
Finding good websites to help give virtual presentations can be tricky. There are many options, and finding one that is simple to use can be a huge time saver. In this time of COVID-19, we have all had to give virtual presentations, and they are not going away even though rules are starting to loosen up. Screencast-o-matic is easy to use it can be used on a computer or on a mobile device for its app and it allows you to record your screen, record your face or record both at the same time. It is easy to move the image showing your face to give
their backyard and so forth.” Another concern is the issue of automation. Grace Cooper, junior Christian behavioral science major, said she thinks that while there are some benefits, she is wary. “I guess it’s positive if people are unable to leave their house and in-person deliveries don’t make sense,” Cooper said. “I think it takes jobs away from people who aren’t driving to get people’s groceries or their food or their packages. I am wary of anything that would replace human jobs with machines.” Not everyone agrees with this reluctance, though. Lucas Sloan, junior business administration major, said he is looking forward to drone deliveries being more easily accessible. “I think it will be good for
the environment, good for the economy,” Sloan said. “It will definitely open up more specialized jobs for delivery. It will reduce the need for people drivers and you can get packages faster, and you can have people working on the drones and working behind the scenes on the technology for the drones.” Namvar also said he thinks drone delivery services being made widely available throughout the U.S. will reduce traffic in major metropolitan areas such as L.A., and by extension pollution because there will be less of a need for delivery cars on the road. Right now, Wing is expanding its market in Texas but plans to open up more opportunities all across the U.S., although a specific plan for this has not
been laid out yet. When it hits the West Coast, customers will be able to access their marketplace through Wing’s app and order things for delivery by drone within minutes. Whether this is something that will take people’s jobs away or reduce traffic and pollution, drone delivery is coming, and this is just one of many innovations to come. Jobs are getting increasingly more automated, and people should always strive to stay ahead of the curve. As some jobs are taken, more jobs are created; you just have to know where you are headed. Soon customers will be able to have their groceries and packages delivered right to their door in minutes via drone delivery.
Screencast-o-matic by Jasmine Severi| B&T Editor
room for the presentation on the screen, and you can customize the size and place on the screen that it is recording so it does not have to take up all of the screen. It can show specifically what you want your audience to see. This site is useful for online or hybrid classes, although it can also be used for in-person classes if there are any videos you need to post on Blackboard. In addition to school, though, this site is handy for any business presentation you might need to make in the future, whether that is being held virtually as a recording demonstration to show at a meeting. The only downside is that there is not an app to use it on a
Chromebook, which is the type of laptop I have, so I could only use it on another computer. It works effectively on Android phones and most PC computers, though, as well as Apple products for both phones and computers. Screencast-o-matic is easy to use and fast to setup, and it automatically shows you whether your microphone is working properly when it comes up, allowing you to do a sound check. It also shows what it will record when using both the camera that shows your face and the space on the screen it is set to record.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Review: ‘Dog’ shares powerful message BY JOSIAH MURPHY ASST. A&E EDITOR
Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin’s “Dog,” as a movie, has the potential to save America. While that statement is purely hyperbolic, the very fact that “Dog” is as good a movie as it is, is not. The premise is simple: Lulu (the titular dog) is going to be put to sleep — as all military dogs are. But the family of her owner, a serviceman who committed suicide due to PTSD, wants Lulu at the funeral and Briggs (Tatum) is tasked with getting her to Arizona. Briggs is not doing this out of the goodness of his heart, but to get put back on duty in some capacity. The premise is simple, but the underlying themes of “Dog” are powerful, and Carolin and Tatum helm the movie ably, infusing it with humor, heart and a strong message. Some of these themes are gleaned merely on a surface level, but “Dog” does not need to be a movie that digs deep and makes some grandiose statement about foreign relations, war, PTSD, suicide, etc.
Sure, it contains moments that reflect on these, but it showcases the conceptual beauty of the U.S. very well. One instance, played for laughs because of the scene’s set-up, involves Lulu chasing a practicing Muslim throughout a hotel. Tatum’s character and the dog are punished for this “hate crime.” But when Briggs gets to explain the situation, the doctor, a practicing Muslim, forgives Briggs but tells him to seek psychiatric help. This is where the movie begins its somewhat subtle pivot into having a deeper meaning than the “good girl and beautiful Channing Tatum road trip, make funny jokes” sheen the movie appears to have based on the trailers and poster. This scene is the most provocative because, in one of the most divisive eras in American history, it takes these two very different people and shows that there is more than just what they think or what we are taught to think of one another. From here on out, the movie explores Tatum’s character’s eagerness to abandon his fractured family, which ties into his
“Josiah’s Favorite Teen Movies” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986)
“Clueless” (1995)
declining physical and mental health because of his urgency to head back into the service where he can do what he is best at: killing. Briggs is good at it, and it is all he has known. But discovering Lulu and their adventure together shows him that there is more to life than action and being the big burly guy that kills and gets awards for it. There is a time and a place, but when Briggs hears and sees what happened to Lulu’s owner — suicide caused by his PTSD, which had been worsening — it changes him. No spoilers here, but the movie culminates in a quick yet very uplifting, simplistic way. It wraps it all up, maybe not in a bow, but enough to make the themes have weight. There is no big Hollywood escape moment or significant high-stakes event like so many movies feel the need to have these days. It is big, bold, weird, funny and endearing — and it stays in this lane for the entirety of the runtime. It is not going to change the world, but it may uplift spirits and make your heart soar for 101-minutes. 4 out of 5 stars.
“Scream” (1996)
“Donnie Darko” (2001)
“Dazed and Confused” (1993)
“Pump up the Volume” (1990)
“Lady Bird” (2017)
“The Edge of Seventeen” (2017)
“Grease” (1978)
“Booksmart” (2019)
Luis Menendez | Banner
Christians in art: The outcast or the savior of a dark art world? BY ROWEN ZAMORA A&E EDITOR
Sex, drugs, alcohol and all things risqué: these are all things typically associated with the world of arts and entertainment. From rumors of actors in sex cults to musical artists dying of drug overdoses, it is clear that there is a strong pressure to engage in self-serving actions and create content that reflects such a lifestyle. “People throw rocks at TV and programs and say that it’s terrible,” said Mark Roberson, dean of the College of Architecture and Visual Arts and Design. “Well what do you expect when all the Christians left and withdrew their influence from it?” While Roberson paints an upsetting picture,
he goes on to explain how there may be a remedy for the twisted status of the current culture. “Culture is not a monolithic thing,” Roberson said. “Culture is made up of a hundred million threads that comes together to make a picture and it is our job to keep adding better threads that over time could help transform the entire picture.” So this leaves us with a good idea of how to theoretically flip the art world back into a God-glorifying realm. But how do artists practically deal with the challenges that such a predicament presents? “Most people’s art is done in a very dark mood,” said Abigale Biggs, senior graphic design major. “It is very beautiful, but it has no purpose. It is self-centered. We are the image of God. We
are creating stuff because he created us and made us to create and show the love of God to people.” The reason for this is that Christian-based art is full of hope, as the artists are a renewed image of God. Humans as the image of God radiate hope. However, when the fall of humanity happened, the image was marred, so it takes a regenerate image of God to bring out the original holy creativity that radiates hope. “The mouth betrays what is in the heart,” Biggs said. “What is in your heart is what comes out. If I’m not right with God and I’m not in a good spot, then a lot of my art will come out with a darker feel.” However, there are exceptions to the dark art culture: many artists find that they can fight against the current of culture and share testimo-
ny, trouble and the ultimate glory of God. “Art is an outpouring of emotion and feeling,” said Katherine Olsen, senior mechanical engineering major. “It is a drive to create something that hasn’t existed before. It can be the drive to capture something we see in nature that reflects God’s divine creativity. Every sunset, every day, is a new painting. As an act of gratitude, as an act that is me taking something I see as really beautiful and sharing it with the world.” All in all, it comes down to the reality that we are made in the image of God and everything we do reflects him as our creator. However, because we live in a sinful world the choice is ours to make content that represents Christ and perfection or to make content that promotes sin and debauchery.
Pattinson dawns the legacy of the batman in ‘The Batman’ ELIJAH HICKMAN PHOTO EDITOR
Photo Illustration by Emily McGinn | Banner
In 1966 as night fell over the world, a legacy would start as Adam West dawned the mask of Batman, the dark knight. Through the decades, many famous actors have dawned the bat mask, and over time we have seen many different versions of the dark knight. As the new Batman movie, “The Batman,” comes out, many fans are excited because it feels very different from other Batman movies. It appears to have a darker tone, and it seems to follow the color schemes from the TV show “Batman Beyond.” The first-ever Batman movie, released in 1966, was simply called “Batman.” Adam West played Bruce Wayne and Burt Ward played Wayne’s sidekick Dick Grayson. The movie pulled elements from the comic book, the most iconic of which was the Batmobile. After West retired, Micheal Keaton assumed the role of Bruce Wayne in 1989. Keaton’s movies incorporated villains including the Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman. The film also slowly accumulated a darker tone to mimic the comics. Keaton was in three Batman films before handing the mask to George Clooney. Clooney’s movies had a less serious tone than his predecessor. The film drew criticism, with many fans joking that Clooney’s suit had “bat nipples.” This suit was so inac-
curate compared to the comics that fans still talk about it today. After the Clooney era, fans were not excited about another Batman movie due to potential misinterpretation of the character. Batman movies were not discussed to a great extent in the cinematic world until 2005 when Christian Bale put on the mask. Fans were excited about Bale becoming Bruce Wayne because his suit looked identical to the comic books. Bale exhibited some of the charming charisma Bruce Wayne has in the comic books. The Bale era also produced iconic villains such as Two Faces and the famous Joker. Batman fans were excited that the casting seemed to fit the characters. Bale as Batman and the legendary Heath Ledger as Joker made for an incredible performance. There were huge shoes to fill after the Bale era from 2005 to 2012. However, Ben Affleck was ready for the challenge. Affleck appeared in “Batman vs. Superman” in 2016 and his portrayal of Bruce Wayne was older and had been through a lot. Early in the movie, you can see that he has been Batman for a long time and many people close to him have died. After Affleck finished his role as Batman, Robert Pattinson was chosen to be the next actor. Fans are excited because it looks different from all the other movies. Matt Reeves, “The Batman” director, is pull-
ing from many different influences of Batman from the comic books, video games and even the TV show. Arris Quinones, a comic book Youtuber with over 2.38 million views, helped break down why this movie looks so different on his podcast. “The Nolan stuff was great, the Arkamverse stuff is great, the Batman animated stuff is great, so let’s just do this hybrid movie of the best Batman ever to make possibly or hopefully one of the best Batman movies,” Quinones said. Many people are excited and skeptical about whether “The Batman” will be a good movie or just another flop. Rashad Webb, sophomore illustration major, explained why he is not excited about the film. “For many people, this is their first Batman movie, and using Riddler, a very peculiar villain, is very risky,” Webb said. “With each trailer, you want to build up the villain. There is a definite villain, but they have not shown anything to make him seem very interesting.” John Soto, a Batman fan and Riverside resident, is excited about the new film. “It is always fun to see a Batman rendition and also get an idea of how much they are willing to change the character, so this rendition should be interesting,” Soto said. As the excitement builds for this new chapter of Batman, fans should start lining up. The movie was released in theaters on March 4.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Artist of the issue: Sara George shapes her way in ceramics
KASSIDY'S MUSIC PLAYLIST
Best Country 23
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SamHunt
BY KASSIDY BLOUNT ASST. A&E EDITOR
IT’S ‘CAUSE I AM
There are many talented art students here at California Baptist University representing many different art forms. Sara George, senior fine arts and art therapy double major, works in various kinds of art mediums such as painting, drawing and sculpting but has an emphasis in ceramics. George was introduced to ceramics in Germany at a boarding school and has since been practicing. “I’m definitely a perfectionist, so I really value quality of form and craftsmanship,” George said. “When it comes to ceramics, I’ve spent a lot of time developing my technical skills, so my pieces are very light, refined and well-glazed. I always say I make functional and fine art ceramics, so it’s both beautiful and useful.” When art is not only beautiful but also functional, it can be more of a challenge and more of a reward. George sells most of her pieces, and that is not always an easy task. When people want to buy her projects, it helps her remember her talent, especially when struggling. With eight years of practice, she has learned that her favorite clay to work with is porcelain. Experimenting with glazes (coloring, gloss and waterproofing through firing in a kiln) is also one of her favorite parts of ceramics. “I think it really just comes from a deep love and passion
02 : 47
CallistaClark
BUY DIRT
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JordanDavis(feat.LukeBrian)
7 SUMMERS
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MorganWallen
STEAL MY LOVE
02 :42
Dan+Shay
IF I DIDN’T LOVE YOU CarrieUnderwoodandJasonAldean
03 : 32
EVERYBODY TALKS TO GOD
04 : 12
JUST ABOUT OVER YOU
02 : 59
AaronLewis
PriscillaBlock
YOU SHOULD PROBABLY LEAVE
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ChrisStapelton
‘TIL YOU CAN’T
Photos by Elijah Hickman | Banner
Sara George, senior fine arts and art therapy double major, is making a bowl in the ceramic studio. for ceramics and art-making,” George said. “It’s such an integral part of me that it’s almost like an instinct to pursue it.” Family can also have a significant influence in the life of an artist, and when family members are artistic, it is easier to get involved in art. George shares her passion with her family and has always had art integrated into her life. Her love for ceramics came from a class taken in high school that
sparked her interest more than she could have predicted. One of the most challenging paths in life is turning your passion into a money-making career to support yourself. Especially for artists, it can be hard to be recognized. According to the article “Artists Report Back,” only about 10% of art majors make it as artists. Luckily for George, she was in that 10th percentile. “I actually just accepted a
Dueling By Emily McGinn | Managing Editor As I walked into the theater to see “Uncharted,” I was not extremely optimistic about the film’s depth and complexity. Based on the trailer, the film looked like it could be a fun relaxing watch—and, hey, it starred Tom Holland, so it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time, right? A long, long one hour and 56 minutes later, with a few too many unrealistic fight scenes and too many minutes dedicated to unsophisticated banter, I left the theater thinking perhaps I was wrong. The film was a run-of-the-mill treasure-hunt movie, discovering its downfall in the fact that every moment of it was so predictable it was almost impressive. The writers had apparently not heard of plot twists, or how to craft them. However, I realized the primary issue of the film lay not in the cliché nature of the plot, but rather in the lack of development of any emotional bond between the protagonists and the audience. Few characters had a single redeemable quality; even the main characters were difficult to root for at times. As I walked out of the movie, I noticed I would not have cared if every single character had died in the end. In fact, that would have made the movie more interesting. To its credit, the film did
squeeze a few chuckles out of me here and there, and, to be fair, we knew what we were getting. The trailer outlined it for us. I had a low bar heading into it. In its delivery, the movie tripped on that bar and stumbled across it, nearly falling on its face. It was not the worst movie I have ever seen by any means, just oddly unsatisfying. I left the movie the same person I was heading in, unchanged as if I had stared at a blank screen for two hours rather than a film. The film does not make the world better or worse; it just exists. If you are searching for a treasure-hunt movie to enjoy, I would recommend choosing a better one rather than spending money to see this one. Perhaps revisit the iconic Indiana Jones trilogy, which features an intriguing plotline and a protagonist with a personality, or try your hand at “The Adventures of Tintin,” which packs a much more riveting story and quality animation into a quick-moving film. On the other hand, if your primary goal is to stare at Tom Holland’s face for two hours without having to worry about a pesky thing like a plot that calls on a single brain cell to respond with a semblance of an emotionally-intelligent thought, this is the perfect movie for you. Go see it. 2 out of 5 stars.
job offer this past weekend for a studio position in New York,” said George. “I worked for some ceramic artists in Brooklyn this past summer, and one of them asked me to come back and work for her full time.” It is a proud moment for CBU staff, students and alumni to hear that one of our own is going to make it the field of her dreams. Now it is time for her to take her God-given talents into the real world.
Reviews
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CodyJohnson
It’s ‘Cause I Am Callista Clark
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02 : 47 Luis Menendez | Banner
“Uncharted”
By Josiah Murphy | Asst. A&E Editor “Uncharted” is the movie equivalent of having a rash and, instead of doing anything about it, you just live with it for a little bit. You could fix the problem, but you don’t. Before you know it? The credits are rolling on “Uncharted.” Gracefully, it ends before the runtime can clock in one second over 120 minutes. Mercilessly, those 116-minutes tick by both glacially and whiplash inducingly fast. Relentlessly, the movie mad dashes from plot-point to plot-point with callbacks and references to other, better adventure movies. Remember in “Indiana Jones” when he’s afraid of snakes? Nathan Drake (played by Tom Holland) is afraid of nuns. It’s explained, and played as a joke, but the type of joke you roll your eyes at because you feel bad for not laughing because the joke is so bad and the kid who made the joke clearly does not realize the theory behind telling a joke. And that theory is for the joke to land and have substance, a pay-off to the setup so it can actually be a punchline. Just because something is spoken with the confidence and cadence of a joke does not make it a joke. That is the entirety of “Uncharted.” It looks, moves, breathes and exists like a
blockbuster, but it is not one. The most gloriously out of place is Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan, resembling nothing like his video-game counterpart (more on that in a moment). Unlikable and whiny as ever, Wahlberg really brings no depth to the character and makes him loud, obnoxious and just overall grating to not only the ears but also the eyes, face and skin. That this is a video-game adaptation makes it all the worse. Sure, videogames have become more cinematic in presentation in recent years, with superstars even voicing a bulk of games now. “Uncharted” as a game franchise had appeal because scrappy, somewhat terrible but well-meaning thieves were going on globe-trotting adventures. Wise-cracks and merciless violence abound, and the player gets to have fun playing characters that do not think they look cool, nor try to, but look cool either way. Sure, this is no videogame; it is a movie. And the fact that it does not have the “cinematic” qualities that its basis has is shocking to say the least, because this is, in fact, a movie. It fails on every level as a popcorn movie. The action has all the staged grace of a dove being let out of a box and flying straight into the church wall. Geography of the fights is
semi-coherent, but mostly just CG-globes smashing into one another and yelling “Oh crap!” a bunch of different times. Insert smart, quick quip hither and thither and, well, you have something resembling a movie. Moments meant to land a tender, emotional beat evoke laughter, like a high schooler waxing poetic at the talent show — but his pants fell and his worst dream came true: everyone sees his underwear. Instead of laughing, you just feel bad for the guy because you can see his Hanes. Nobody’s laughing at “Uncharted” because they enjoy it, but because they feel bad and cannot wait for the end. “Uncharted” (the movie) has characters that think they look cool. The movie thinks it looks cool, but by no means do the characters look cool. The best thing about “Uncharted” is the jackets. The costume designer went all out on the wardrobe for literally everyone’s jackets. This is the kindest thing to say about “Uncharted.” The jackets are impeccable. They made this reviewer want to go buy a gym membership and tight-fitting jackets. But that would make me just like the movie. I would think I look cool just because of the tight-fitting jacket, but that does not make me cool. 1 out of 5 stars.
SPORTS 14 Baseball hits it out of the park for opener March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
Baseball team opens their season with record crowd BY ARDEN LEEMAN
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR It’s baseball season! The 3-0, back-to-back WAC champions, the California Baptist University Lancers, won their season opener versus Coppin State with a 9-4 sweep. The CBU Lancers worked hard to fight and adjust to a new season with new players and worked hard during practice. “We have a standard schedule or checklist we adhere to in the winter to prepare ourselves for the upcoming season, (including) individual defense, intra-squads, team defense, etc.” said Gary Adcock, head coach of the CBU baseball team. “But each team begins to develop their own identity and obstacles they may need to overcome. “This season our lack of pitching experience and getting them that real game action in the ‘Jersey’ (regular-season) games not ‘T-shirt’ (practice games) have been a goal of mine.” Adcock has done his best to equip players with the skills to succeed on the field and creating an atmosphere for growth and practice. In any sport, your mindset and focus tend to determine your performance, and preparing yourself mentally for any game is how you make sure you do your best. Having a poor mindset can harm you and your teammates. “My mindset going into a game is to focus on the task at hand and I try to bring good in-
tensity and just be a good teammate,” said Ryan Delgado, sophomore business administration major and pitcher for the CBU baseball team. “As I am out on the field, my thought process is to make good pitches, make the next pitch better than the last one. Throw strikes, make things simple, get outs and get my guys back in the dugout so they can score.” The importance of doing your part to make the team better is evident through Delgado. As you can see, being a team player makes playing more enjoyable and brings an exciting atmosphere to the game. Working hard for your teammates and yourself makes the team. The season opener is a big deal for any sport, and our CBU Lancers showed great appreciation for the fans that came to support. “(The atmosphere of the game was) amazing,” Adcock said. “Especially setting a record for student attendance in the history of the program. (449, I believe). The group in the softball overflow bleachers may have been my favorite. “They created a true homefield advantage with their humor and voices that I have never heard before at Totman Stadium in my 19 years at CBU. Then to see some of them after at In-n-Out burger having a good time was a neat experience. It made me want to go back to college myself. I am so grateful for all who made it a great night for our program.” Fans play a massive role in the excitement of a game, and it was very evident that CBU students, faculty and families made it a night to remember. CBU baseball will continue its campaign with a series against Grand Canyon University from March 4-6, and a game against CSU Bakersfield on March 8.
Courtesy of Athletics | Banner
As of March 2, CBU baseball continues to go undefeated.
WAC headlines
A day in the life of a student athlete Men’s swim/dive team athlete Trevor Van Law 5:00 a.m. - Three to four days out of the week, I start my day getting up at five for a morning practice, typically either an hour and a quarter or two hours. Morning - From that practice I go to caf for breakfast with
WILDCATS WIN
Abilene Christian University women’s basketball topped Sam Houston 88-71 on Feb. 17. This loss breaks the Bearkats’ seven-game winning streak. The lead against SH grew to 19 points before the game ended with a 16-point differential. The game started with a 5-0 lead thanks to Taylor Morgan and Jamie Bonnarens of ACU and ballooned to 12-2 after Madi Miller scored a layup, combining with Bonnarens’s jumper and three-pointer. The Wildcats are now 8-6 in the WAC.
my teammates, after which we go lift weights in the APC
TENNIS PLAYERS HONORED
for an hour. After weights, I head back to my room and get
Newcomers to Lamar University women’s tennis, Elena Tairyan and Noelia Lorca have been named WAC Tennis Players of the Week. Tairyan earned the name of player of the week for both singles and doubles, while Lorca received the recognition of player of the week for doubles. Both girls won all three of their double matches in the No. 1 position. The Cardinals continued their 3-0 streak with a doubleheader against Alcorn State.
ready for class, which takes me into the afternoon. Afternoon - After class I grab a quick lunch and swim again for an hour or two, then hop out and go to lab depending on the day of the week. After lab, I head to dinner (usually the caf), then I either tutor or meet for SAE or ASME. Evening - If that doesn’t take me to the end of my night then I spend the rest of my evening doing school work and usually head to bed around 10 to rinse and repeat (more or less). Emily McGinn | Banner
CBU BASEBALL OPENER California Baptist University baseball welcomed fans to their opening night on Feb. 18. CBU finished 8-1 against Coppin State. The home opener was capped off with post-game fireworks. The Lancer’s first 10 games will occur at home. CBU ended last season 21-5 with a .295 batting average, making offense a key. The Lancers are the second team to win 40 games and achieved a new single-high in one of its first two full transition seasons to Division-I athletics. The baseball team ranks second in the WAC for winning percentage over their first three D1 campaigns.
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
LANCER ON THE STREET Should the U.S. get involved in Ukraine?
Taylor Farr Junior Communication sciences and disorders major
Pinati Even Freshman Pre-nursing student
“No, I think it’s not our busi“No, we shouldn’t because we ness. The U.S. needs to stop should keep America safe and not getting involved in things that risk lives when it is unnecessary.” are not our business.”
Eric Mitchell Junior Psychology major
Sophia Doerfert Sophomore Public relations major
Robyn Blaine Junior Criminal justice major
“If it’s going to help bring the peace, then the U.S. has gotta do what they gotta do to help the people.”
“I think we should help out but not get too involved, because we don’t want anything to endanger us.”
“If we’re allies with Ukraine, I think we should do our part to help because they need us.”
We cannot “go green” without planting greenery
BY EMILY MCGINN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
When we speak about “going green” as a society, we are usually referring to recycling,
using cloth bags for groceries or taking five-minute showers. There is nothing wrong with any of these practices, but, as a society, we need to go green — as in making our world greener, literally. As a student pursuing an environmental science minor, I know how complex environmental issues can become. The many facets of environmental science delve into the contours of issues ranging from habitat loss to fossil fuel emissions to the distribution of contraceptives in developing nations. However, I would like to acknowledge something we often overlook in our grand plans to save the planet — we can lessen the severity of many of the
looming environmental issues through simply building more plants and trees into our human environments. Unfortunately, many of our urban environments are still predominantly made of materials such as concrete. However, greenspaces are extremely beneficial from environmental, health and ecological perspectives. In fact, according to an article on the World Health Organization website, greenspaces can lead to lower rates of death among urban residents. Trees and plants serve as a carbon sink, meaning they absorb and store carbon dioxide, one of the major greenhouse gases credited for climate change. Plants have also ex-
hibited the ability to clean air, meaning they can mitigate the common problem of unhealthy air quality in urban areas. Greenspaces also provide relief from stress, which can improve human health in urban areas. In addition, greenspaces can combat the urban heat island effect, a phenomenon by which urban areas become hotter due to the heat produced by human activities taking place on roads and around concrete buildings. Greenspaces create cooler surfaces in urban environments. As we move into the future, we continue to innovate new ways to incorporate plants and greenery into how we design urban areas. For example, buildings can now feature green
roofs, which include urban gardens and forests built on top of buildings. We can also now use living walls, which are essentially walls covered with live, growing plants. These walls can be incorporated into architecture and can add new creative and aesthetic elements to how we design urban areas in addition to helping the environment.
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We have all these elements available to us, but we need to implement them on a larger scale. If we would like to successfully push back the impact of major environmental concerns, we must learn to use the most basic tools of nature to help us achieve our goals. Sometimes the best solutions sit right outside our windows. We just have to use them.
I would like to acknowledge something we often overlook in our grand plans to save the planet — we can lessen the severity of many of the looming environmental issues through simply building more plants and trees into our human environments.
Please stop saying the Bible is Let’s bring back #MeToo an easy read because it is not
BY AIDEN HOBSON MANAGING EDITOR
Growing up I attended “non-denominational” evangelical Protestant Christian churches, and one thing that I was constantly told was, “Read your Bible!” Bible reading was, rightly, presented as an extraordinarily important spiritual discipline and integral to spiritual growth. Yet Bible reading was treated like it was one of the easiest activities in the world. I was told that instead of mindlessly scrolling through my social media, I should instead open my Bible and let the Holy Spirit wash over me as I take in the inspired word of God. I wish it were that easy. As anyone who has tried the Bible app’s “Read the Whole Bible in a Year” plan knows, reading the Bible is not always a simple affair (once you get to Leviticus, that Bible app plan starts seeming a lot more challenging). In my experience, reading the Bible is hard. Many Christians would disagree with me. They would argue that all you need to do is open your Bible, diligently read, and read and read, and eventually you will be able to understand the mysteries of God because God has revealed himself
to us in simple ways. I would be inclined to agree that, yes, God does reveal himself to us in a way that almost everyone can understand and thus have a saving relationship with him, but I would disagree that one can just pick up the Bible and read it like the latest John Grisham mystery novel. The Protestant Bible contains 66 books with approximately 40 different authors and a host of different literary genres such as poetry, historical narrative, prophecy and prose. Some of these genres, like the apocalyptic literature in Revelation, are completely different than almost any other type of literature. The book that we call the Bible is a diverse collection of ancient texts, which were not addressed to modern American readers. As Old Testament scholar John Walton put it: “The Bible was written for us, but it was not written to us [modern Christians].” The most recent portions of the Bible were written almost 2,000 years ago, in a cultural context that is far different from our own. This group of books is not the newest Nicholas Sparks novel; it is a complex collection of texts written in a very different time. Despite the difficulties involved with reading the Bible, Christians are called to study it because it is the inspired word of God. Yet we should not shame our fellow believers who may have a hard time reading and interpreting the Bible. In fact, we should all make sure we take the time to diligently read, study and wrestle with the ancient texts in which God has revealed himself. The Bible itself tells us that we must be careful readers and attentive students. In Joshua 1:8, God instructs Joshua, “This
book of the law shall not depart from your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful” (NRSV). Note how the verse ends with a promise; if we carefully study the Bible and deeply think on it day and night, there will be great benefits. We should not continue claiming that the Bible is easy to read and that Christians who struggle with their Bible reading must not be trying hard enough. Instead, let us acknowledge that the immeasurable depths of God’s Word can be challenging to navigate. There are many scholarly resources available to help us understand and interpret the Bible. Rather than being stubborn and prideful readers who insist on pushing through the difficulties found in the biblical text, we should encourage all Christians to faithfully and carefully study God’s word using the many different aids available to us, such as commentaries, theology volumes, cultural background studies and Bible atlases. Yes, we should all read our Bibles, but let us not continue with the illusion that reading the Bible is “easy.” If you can pick up the Bible, read it and then have it all figured out, please contact me at aidenjohn. hobson@calbaptist.edu, because I’d love to ask you a few questions. For the rest of us, let us press on through the confusing passages of the Bible, taking care to meditate on it, knowing that it won’t be easy, but that that is OK. In my opinion, reading the Bible should not be easy.
BY MADDY GONZALEZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
The MeToo movement was initially started by sexual abuse survivor and activist Tarana Burke in 2006. Eleven years later, #MeToo regained popularity on social media and quickly reached traditional television through commercials and segments. If you are new to this movement, it is crucial to understand the mission. MeToomvnt.org explains that “the primary directive is to deeply listen to survivors, then expand and shape a constituency of survivors; finally, they are calling for a change in the rules.” MeToo needs to be advertised more on traditional media so we can take action and to inform not only victims of sexual abuse, but also those who have not been affected. Many people are not aware of the prevalence of sexual
abuse in our society. The facts metoomvnt.org has reported are chilling; one in 10 elderly persons suffer abuse, including sexual abuse, and one in 10 youth detained in juvenile facilities experience sexual assault or sexual abuse while in custody. One in four women have experienced rape or attempted rape during their lifetimes and one in four women returning from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan reported that they were sexually assaulted while they were deployed. But not all victims are women; one in eight people had someone threaten to post and/ or post sexually explicit images of them without their consent, and one in every five survivors of confirmed sexual abuse in ICE detention is transgender, even though people who are transgender only make up one in 500 people detained by ICE. These are only several of the alarming statistics. In the 2019 Impact Report, Burke says, “The future of ‘me too’ is in all of our hands. We each have a role to play because we’re all affected by it. In 2020, we will introduce a number of tools and resources that help guide you, no matter who and where you are, understand the spectrum of sexual violence and accountability.” The movement successfully did exactly what she proposed. I can almost guarantee that everyone reading this knows someone or of someone who is a victim, so if you think this
movement does not apply to you, you’re wrong. Like all controversial topics, backlash is expected. This topic should not be considered controversial at all; it’s simply based on morality. This generation needs to rise up and start changing the world so it is a better place to live in for our future descendants. This is another cry for help, a call to action and an opinion from a fellow student. Just like everything else needing change, it starts with you. I don’t know how many times someone can say those four words before change is permanent. You should want to take action, and if you want to help, there are a few ways to start. Metoomvmt.org has several resources, including action toolkits, organizations in action and the MeToo global network. The MeToo website also has several resources for victims of sexual abuse, including hotlines and live chats, healing toolkits and information, Telling Our Truths blog and the survivor story series. Are you looking to stay informed and be up to date? Browse the news and press using #MeToo on any search engine or social media. Yes, we want traditional media to air more coverage of the MeToo movement, but taking action always starts with individuals first. Start the trend and inform others. The smallest acts count toward reaching our goal.
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March 4, 2022 · Volume 69 · Issue 8
#Lancercam
@valramirezphoto
@ryanfields.co
@rapberry
Congratulations! This week’s LancerCam winner is
@valramirezphoto Email Elijah Hickman at ElijahD.Hickman@calbaptist.edu to claim your prize.
Send us your photos using #LancerCam to be featured in the next issue of The Banner. @CBULancerMedia
@valramirezphoto
LANCERIllustration LIFE by Santos Garcia
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BATMAN
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CROSSWORD
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CLUES Across 1. Batman’s sweet ride 3. Batman actor in the Dark Knight series (last name) 6. Batman villain, or the 53rd card in a deck 7. The trustworthy, wise butler 8. 2022 Batman actor in “The Batman” (first name) 9. Marvel rival
Down 2. Where bats reside 4. Batman’s real name 5. A city in desperate need of help 8. If you use your brain and learn to rhyme, you might catch this villain just in time