Mount Mary University reMARK magazine December 2018

reMARK Mount Mary University Winter 2018

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Be Bilingual p. 2 Resting Bitch Face p. 7

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STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Quinn Clark

ART DIRECTOR Denisse Hernandez

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fter the painfully short Thanksgiving break and diving straight back into school work, I can’t deny that this time of year is nothing short of stressful. But I can honestly say that I am proud of the final product that somehow got into your hands.

Although our staff is full of students with piles of work to do, and finals are quickly approaching, we poured every ounce of energy into this magazine. Fueled by a bowl of candy and caffeine, we worked together for hours to make this issue the best it can be.

It all began when Jason Meyler, the chair of the world languages department, approached our art director, Denisse Hernandez, at the campus activities fair. He asked, “Where’s the Spanish version of Arches?” He was right; where was the diversity in languages in our issues? His question sparked the idea for us to do an issue entirely about language and communication.

This issue explores forms of language beyond ones we hear or see every day. For example, I had no idea that baby sign language even existed until Sophie Snedeker’s story on page 22. Babies can begin learning baby sign language before they can even speak.

Sometimes, our generation is criticized for their reliance on social media and their phones, but it is undeniable that the advancement of technology has made communication much easier. In seconds, we can talk face-to-face with someone in an entirely different country. The benefits of social media and communication is shown in Aislinn Strusz’s story on page 28. Aislinn was able to find a group of friends who welcomed her with open arms, and even found love with someone who lived in Germany, despite the distance and seven-hour time difference.

Did you know students who study a world language for just one year score an average of 8 points higher on the SATs? Bryanna Sanders’ story on page 2 highlights the benefits to knowing more than one language. You can also acquire a better appreciation for those who succeed with English as a second language as you read Lauren Johnson’s story on page 6.

There are so many different ways to communicate, and so many different ways to interpret communication, that go unnoticed in our everyday lives. I hope this magazine inspires you to make a new online friend, take a foreign language class or even try to learn how to sign your name.

Editor-in-Chief clarkq@mtmary.edu

COVER LAYOUT BY DENISSE HERNANDEZ

WEB EDITOR Bryanna Sanders

BUSINESS MANAGER Lexie Kline

EDITORS Lauren Johnson Lexie Kline Bryanna Sanders Julia Wachuta WRITERS Bryanna Sanders Ashley Altan Aislin Strusz Quinn Clark Sophie Snedeker Lauren Johnson Emony Tate Lexie Kline DESIGNERS Ashley Altan Jessica Rowley Emily Chapman Lizzie Swiger Denisse Hernandez PHOTOGRAPHERS Denisse Hernandez Lizzie Swiger Sophie Snedeker FACULTY ADVISERS Linda Barrington Laura Otto

Arches is written and edited by the students of Mount Mary University, who are solely responsible for its editorial content.

Arches is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.

Contact Arches at Arches, Mount Mary University 2900 N. Menomonee River Pkwy.

Milwaukee, WI 53222 414-930-3027 Email: mmu-arches@mtmary.edu Stay updated at www.archesnews.com

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CAMPUS 2 BE BILINGUAL 4 BREAKING THE LANGUAGE BARRIER FEATURES - COMMUNICATIONS 7 RESTING BITCH FACE 10 LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL 12 SPEAKING THROUGH SONG 14 DEALING WITH DYSLEXIA CREATIVE WORKS 17 STUDENT POETRY, PROSE & ART FEATURES - LANGUAGE 23 BODY LANGUAGE FOR SUCCESS 26 BABY TALK PERSPECTIVES 28 A SOCIAL MEDIA LOVE STORY

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Be Bilingual The Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

Words Bryanna Sanders | Design Lizzy Swiger While traveling through Europe, Dr. Jason Meyler, chair of the world languages department and associate professor of Spanish at Mount Mary University, and his wife found themselves at a market in Southwest Germany, near Freiburg. Although neither of them were fluent in German, their exposure to other foreign languages allowed them to navigate their way through the market until they were able to find just what they were looking for to eat -- aprikosen, the German word for apricots.

Learning a foreign language offers benefits that have lasting effects for the learner, even beyond the classroom.

“Learning foreign languages has the potential of making you a better person,” Meyler said.

Being fluent in Spanish, knowing a little bit of French and the ability to read and understand Italian and Portuguese has allowed Meyler to communicate better with people from all over the world.

“Knowing that other language allows me into the world of many other people, which is just amazing, right?” Meyler said.

Meyler wants his students to go beyond learning the ins and outs of a language in the classroom. He wants them to know that we never stop learning, nor do we have to stop learning.

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“I teach my courses in Spanish language and in Spanish culture with the idea that I want to make my students lifelong learners,” Meyler said. “This doesn’t mean they are going to be in class with me for a thousand years; what it means is I am giving them the skill to continue to learn.”

STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and the humanities (languages, history, philosophy, literature and more) are often at odds with each other because there is an argument that you should get a degree in something tangible. What most don’t realize is that math and language work in similar ways.

“As far as learning other things, research and theories have shown that math and language are two areas that the brain works on together,” said Mary Ellen Kohn-Buday, associate professor of Spanish. “I have found students who are good at math are usually good at language and vice-versa.”

Kohn-Buday is a multilingual, which is different from a linguist who looks at the science of languages.

She speaks Spanish, Italian, and Catalan (used in eastern and northeastern Spain), which are related languages, meaning it is easier to learn another once you know one.

Memorization and grammar are the two portions

of learning a foreign language that math and science students are able to pick up on easily. However, this doesn’t mean that they will be able to automatically understand what they hear.

“The way I tell my beginning students, who are just learning to conjugate verbs or fill in blanks or work with syntax, is to think of it like a math equation,” Kohn-Buday said. “You replace one number with another one and you get a different answer. It’s the same thing with language; you put in a different word, you’re going to have a different meaning to the sentence.”

According to Kohn-Buday, there are students who would like to see other foreign languages offered at Mount Mary because of their interest.

“If you study it (foreign language) all through college, your scores on GRE, MCAT, LSAT, any of those kinds of exams, will be higher than someone who didn’t study a language,” KohnBuday said.

Meyler encourages his students to take opportunities for them to practice the language they are learning in class because they will only benefit from it.

“I had students work at the United Community Center, and they worked with the elderly that came from different countries who just wanted someone to speak to in their language,” Meyler said.

When his students work with the elderly who speak foreign languages, they practice plasticity, the ability of the brain to repair

itself but keep working and keep learning things at any time of your life.

Kari Schriks is a non-native bilingual with a degree in speech and hearing sciences with a minor in Spanish. Being bilingual in English and Spanish has allowed her to develop her patient care at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

“If I had to put it on

bumper sticker, it would say ‘be bilingual!’”

- Kari Schriks, speech pathologist

“The thing I say to the monolingual Spanish-speaking mom is, ‘Speak to your kid in Spanish.

If you want them to be bilingual, speak to them in Spanish,’” Schriks said.

Schriks struggles when someone tells a parent to not teach their child another language because she wants both the parents and the child to speak whatever language they are most comfortable speaking.

“I know a couple of doctors that still say this, ‘You should really try to use one language when you talk to your kid,’” Schriks said. “I try to do this as a speech therapist because I do want to give them a good model.”

Being bilingual allows her to switch between English and

Spanish when giving advice about behavioral therapy or occupational therapy or how to request an evaluation in school.

“If I had to put it on a bumper sticker, it would say ‘be bilingual!’”

Schriks said.

There are two types of bilingualism: sequential and simultaneous.

Schriks is a sequential bilinguist because she learned English first, then Spanish. Simultaneous bilinguals begin learning two languages from birth.

“Research shows that simultaneous bilinguals are better at inhibiting unwanted responses,” Schriks said. “So, when you talk about inhibiting, that’s an executive function. Basically, when they see a picture of a shoe, they are getting the vocabulary for both words; they are getting ‘zapato’ and they are getting ‘shoe.’”

After obtaining both words, the bilingual has to inhibit which word they are not going to use based on which language they are using in the setting. If they are in an English-speaking setting, they would use “shoe” and “zapato” if they were in a Spanish-speaking setting.

The importance of bilingualism is at the center of both Meyler’s and Schriks’ jobs. Meyler would agree with Schriks that it is important for children to learn more than one language because it allows them to grow their confidence and further expand their understanding of other cultures.

“The earlier you can expose children to languages, the better,” Meyler said.

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Breaking the Language Barrier Achieving Success as a Multilingual Student Words Lauren Johnson | Photo & Design Denisse Hernandez

Nraim Vang, a junior, is one of many students at Mount Mary University who speaks English as a second language. She began her journey in America back in 2010, when her family relocated from Black Rock, Laos. She was only 11 years old when she was thrust into the American education system.

“They put me in seventh grade,” Vang said. “So that’s when I officially went to school. Back where I was born, I didn’t have the opportunity to go to school, so basically here was my first ever time.”

Students with ESL face a unique set of challenges, such as judgement from peers and educators, and an inability to understand content, causing them to fall behind. Despite the challenges they face, many ESL students are strong-willed, tenacious and eager to participate in their education.

Vang is majoring in graphic design; English is her third language. Thai is her second and Hmong is her first. Vang recalls some of the struggles that she

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er faced when she first entered the American school system.

“When I first came to the United States, I had no knowledge or knew how to speak English,” Vang said.

During her first years in America, Vang struggled with the intense language barrier between her peers and herself.

“When they talk, they were talking so fast, I couldn’t even understand them a little bit,” Vang said. “It took two years to get used to the American language, and I still struggle today.”

Moving from Laos to America was a big transition. She struggled with the new environment and experienced culture shock.

“Everyone looked the same to me,” Vang said.

As she navigated the English language, her struggles became more prominent.

“English is very different from my language,” Vang said. “We use the same alphabet, but the sounds are different. Some words are really hard for me to pronounce.”

Although Vang experienced hardships initially, she didn’t let her frustration stop her from achieving her goals and thriving in school.

“Instead of focusing on the language, I liked going to school because I didn’t have an opportunity (back home),” Vang said.

“Every day, I woke up early to prepare.”

With the help of teachers and tutors, Vang worked hard to immerse herself in the English language so she could keep up and excel in school.

“Some words I don’t know, so I write them out and use a dictionary to define what the word is and I go over it and over it,” Vang said. “Sometimes I asked some tutors or teachers for clarification, or I stayed after school to complete my homework and ask any questions I had.”

Vang’s efforts paid off, and soon after moving to America, Vang had adjusted to the new setting and became more comfortable speaking English.

Vang has come a long way from her early days in America.

Now she is comfortable with her English abilities, and reflects on how far she has come.

“Two years (after moving here), I got used to the school system,” Vang said. “I adjusted to it and continued to focus on improving.”

After all that she has been through, Vang does not see her experiences as a hindrance, but believes they made her stronger.

Through listening and watching, Vang was able to grow and

expand her understanding of English, and strengthen her ability to use the language.

“I push myself hard and work on every assignment that I had and put a lot of efforts into them whether I enjoy doing it or not,” Vang said. “I preferred to listen more than speaking. I learned so much while just being there and listened to the teacher. Listening makes me learn better because it made me think about certain words or become more aware on how the teacher teaches or how he expresses certain words and the body language that he used.

Listening made me become more observant, not just learning about English but also other subjects.”

Many students at Mount Mary have experiences similar to Vang. Which poses the question, what does the university do for these students?

“Mount Mary does not offer a structured, organized ESL program,” said Michelle Smalley, director of learning services.

“It is under the assumption that when students come to Mount Mary University, they have either attended an English-speaking high school, or passed the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam.”

Although there is a not a program designed specifically for ESL students, that doesn’t mean that Mount Mary turns a blind eye to students struggling. Administration is well aware of the problems that these students face.

“If you don’t use English outside of school, you don’t necessarily have the same advantages that other English speakers do,” said Patrice Vnuk, an English Language Learner tutor in the Student Success Center. “So even if you pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language exam, and you feel like you’re a very fluent English speaker, and you very well may be, there are always going to be things that come up in a language that you are not familiar with.

There’s no reason why you should struggle with it. We’re here as a resource to help you with that.”

Recognizing that there were many students on campus still struggling, Mount Mary created an English Language Learners tutoring program to assist students throughout their college education.

“The reason that the ELL position was created is because we understand that although we are an English speaking institution, we recognize that many students speak another language at home,” Smalley said.

Students who switch from one language to the other on a

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students speak a language other than English at home Source: https://datacenter.kidscount.org

daily basis may struggle more than students who consistently use English.

There is not a specific program dedicated to ESL students; that does not mean that they will be unable to find resources on campus to help them succeed in school.

“Regarding additional support resources, coming to tutoring as a global activity is the area that we offer support,” Smalley said.

“Many of our writing tutors are experienced and have training working with second language students.”

The Student Success Center offers a variety of tools that will help ESL students thrive not only with their academics, but their interpersonal speaking abilities as well.

“The doors are always open here (at the Student Success Center),” Vnuk said. “We want any and all students who feel like they could benefit from an extra conversation that doesn’t have to do with their class materials. Maybe they’re tired of talking about biology all the time. They don’t necessarily need to have a paper revised. They can just come in, read a magazine or talk about TV. It can be that casual and that will still be beneficial.”

Students with English as a second language face additional challenges when attending American schools, but the cultural impact and diversity that they bring to campus is outstanding.

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“Being a culturally diverse institution makes our classrooms a richer experience, our community a richer experience,” Smalley said. “An appreciation that we’re coming from many different places in every way. It impacts us to learn from each other.”

The presence of ESL students on campus helps native English speakers become more inclusive and aware of their peers’ backgrounds and needs.

“So this campus is pretty well-known for its inclusion and diversity,” Vnuk said. “Non-native English speakers also bring a different perspective to the language, so it will make other students focus more on the words they choose. When you’re interacting with students that don’t speak English natively, maybe if you’ve never had that kind of experience before, you could understand that even people who don’t speak the same language, you’re still people, you’re still students attending the same university. It’s more enriching to get multiple viewpoints on subjects that affect all of us differently in class. I think it’s only beneficial.”

Vang leaves these words of advice to ESL students at any level: “It’s just learning something new. Everything we learn is new. It’s like learning how to drive. After you get used to it, you will get comfortable and good at it. Don’t be scared to try new things. Just go for it.”

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RESTING

BITCH

FACE

The Science Behind the Scowl Words Lexie Kline | Illustration & Design Denisse Hernandez

Language 2018 | reMARK

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FEATURE

Have you ever felt you look like a bitch? Have you ever been asked why you look so angry, but you feel just fine?

Resting bitch face, commonly known as RBF, could be your problem.

According to Cambridge University, resting bitch face is “an unkind, annoyed, or serious expression that someone has on their face when relaxed, without intending to.” The problem with RBF is that many miscommunications and misconceptions can happen as a response to it.

According to Dr. David B. Givens, director of the Center for Nonverbal Studies in Spokane, Washington, “The facial muscles are innervated by cranial nerve number seven, which is the facial nerve.”

“The facial nerve is well plugged into emotions in the brain to emotional centers for anger, fear, happiness, and these sorts of things, but for the resting face, there’s no such length to emotions,” Givens said. “It’s just emotionless.”

Simply, if you’re not feeling any emotions, then no emotions will be transmitted, causing your face to react with a blank or neutral expression. There are also unproven suggestions that RBF can be hereditary. Givens talked about the similarity between a child’s laugh and a parent’s laugh. Often, he said, you’ll find that the child will emulate a parent’s laugh. Similarily, a children could get the same look as their parent, because it is a look that they grew up with and are used to seeing.

“There could be some familial instances,” Givens said. “I’ve noticed just in my own life experience with people that when you get to know their (the children’s) parents, they behave a lot like their parents.”

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Dr. Jason Rogers has a doctorate in psychology with an emphasis on the neurobiology of learning and memory.

He is a product expert at Noldus Consulting and the voice behind using the FaceReader technology to help identify RBF. The FaceReader is a program that analyzes the basic facial emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared and disgusted), pioneered by Paul Ekman.

It analyzes the face for contemptuous features, which is the main reason for the RBF demeanor. The FaceReader is free and can analyze your face to see if you have RBF after uploading a photo.

Rogers agrees that heredity can be a part of RBF, but in a different way.

Rogers believes that there can be some familial transfer from a parent’s RBF to a child’s RBF. “I don’t want to say yes, but it certainly is possible,” Rogers said. “I say genetic only in the sense that we look like our parents. For example, me personally, I have a very crooked smile. And so I don’t like to smile. My father does the exact same thing.”

One falsity that many people may believe is that RBF only appears in women.

However, both Givens and Rogers said that RBF is gender-neutral, but women are often the receiver of the RBF label.

“Our software (the FaceReader) demonstrated that men and women display it equally,” Rogers said. “When you think about RBF, you say Kristen Stewart, Anna Kendrick, and you might throw in Kanye, but you’re never going to point to another male.”

Race is another contributing factor that can lead to RBF. Givens, who’s a quarter Comanche, talks about how Native Americans are one race that may be affiliated with RBF due to their facial

FaceReader is software that automatically analyzes basic facial expressions: neutral, contempt, boredom, interest, and confusion. You can upload a photo to see whether you have RBF at https://www. testrbf.com/

structures.

“A facial feature of a lot of Native Americans is down trending mouth corners at rest,” Givens said. “The corners trend down, which gives a kind of angry look to it, unless you really go out of the way to smile.”

Givens recalls a negative experience he’s had due to the trending downward mouth corners.

“I’ve had this issue in my own interactions where people think I’m not approachable or I’m not friendly,” Givens said. “So I have to go out of my way to smile.”

Misconceptions of people can happen if people with RBF don’t put in extra effort to communicate effectively with people they are meeting for the first time.

“That’s where this RBF can be a problem because you’re dealing with people on a first meeting basis,” Givens said.

“They’re learning about you from what they see and hear, and they’re not going to get to know you well at one meeting or two meetings. So, you have to work to build rapport.”

Without proper self-knowledge, people with RBF may encounter miscommunication with the people around them.

“The thing is, you need some selfknowledge of what you actually look like when your face is at rest,” Givens said.

“So that’s where the photos come in and the videotape.”

Having RBF can be a very sensitive topic for some people, even though our current media plays it off jokingly.

“A lot of people are really affected by this in a negative way,” Rogers said.

“They have asked about whether or not they should get plastic surgery. They have asked about what they can do to stop being this way, and it’s heartbreaking.”

Experts say there is no concrete way to help someone who has RBF. Being aware of RBF and showing empathy are some of the extra steps you can take to make sure that someone with RBF feels comfortable in social situations.

“Try to think, ‘How can I give everyone the benefit of the doubt?’” Rogers said. “And unless they say something to you that would truly reinforce it, don’t come in with a perception or don’t come in with the expectation that that’s what’s wrong.”

While many may be aware of their facial expressions, others might not be attuned to it.

“It is important for every person to be aware of how they look and how they’re presenting themselves because we are social creatures,” Rogers said. “And so much of our communication is done nonverbally.”

Giving someone the benefit of the doubt when they display the look of RBF is the best way to promote positive and healthy non-verbal communication, and that starts with a simple smile.

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Language of the Soul The Art of Delivering Religious Messages Through Music Words Ashley Altan | Design Jessica Rowley

Martin Luther, a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation, once said, “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul.”

Music is often referred to as the language of the soul, used to deliver messages and stories that persist over time, sometimes thousands of years.

Julie Tatlock, assistant professor in history, said that music reaches people on different levels, especially in younger audiences because they are more likely to listen to a song and be inspired by it rather than reading a book or hearing a political speech.

“It can tell us what was important to people,” Tatlock said. “It is really constant that words, poetry and rhythm have been a means to convey messages and, certainly in religion, the Lutheran Reformation people knew it because of hymns.”

Reverend Michael C. Larson, pastor at Luther Memorial Chapel and University Student Center in Shorewood, said that singing and music are a big part of what they do as a form of worship.

“We are a liturgical church, meaning that most of our worship is sung,” Larson said. “We use a lot of Gregorian chants, and, as Lutherans, we are known as the

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singing church. Lutherans are responsible for reviving singing. In the medieval church, most of the singing was in Latin and that many of those people didn’t understand Latin.”

Larson said that Martin Luther took a lot of the liturgical forms and music and gave it back to the people.

Luther composed hymns that ordinary Christians could sing in their mother language.

“The reformations and the teaching of the Lutheran church largely spread by singing,” Larson said. “People would sing “A Mighty Fortress” or “Salvation” in the fields and in the houses. That’s how, in many ways, the Lutheran church grew and expanded. It was through singing.”

Larson said that when it comes to an academic debate in theology, a lot of folks had a taste for singing, but in general, people sang, whether it was in the fields or in the bath. Singing was something people could take hold of.

“In a typical service that is an hour-and-a-half long, I would imagine that an hour and 10 minutes of that is spent singing. It’s the vast majority,” Larson said. “We don’t think about it all the time, but the whole service is generally sung. The only time when we are not singing

is when I’m reading the scriptures and preaching the sermon, but everything else is sung in response.”

Larson said that during communion there is a hymn before the service and throughout the service. There are about eight hymns sung on a typical worship day with a liturgical focus. He is reminded by the old saying in the church by St. Augustine, “He who sings, prays twice.”

Other faiths, such as Islam, have a complicated relationship to music. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, an Imam and religious director from the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, said the heated debate about whether music is permitted in the Islam faith depends on the type of music one listens to.

“Not every type of music is sinful, and not every type of music is permitted,” Shah said. “Islam wants the human to be disciplined and responsible for his or her moral duties. Now, the music that is violent and the music that takes a person away from their senses or makes them high or uses vulgar language is not permitted because it is just like wine and any other thing that causes imbalance and makes the person imbalanced is beyond what is acceptable.”

As long as the music causes some type of relaxation, or helps the person in a stressful situation, then Shah believes that it is okay to listen to music.

When Muslims are together on a day of worship, it is called reciting, not music. There is a difference.

“When Muslims pray, we are supposed to disconnect ourselves from everything other than God,” Shah said.

“Because when we come in front of God, God is the priority. For example, when you are talking to someone you love or adore or highly respect and a child comes and distracts you, or if someone calls you on the phone, you can’t focus and instead what you do is you put that person on hold. So in the same fashion, when we talk to God, the goal is to make him the priority.”

He said that even when the service is finished, anyone

doing recitation of the Quran is not permitted, because it will distract and take away from the dialogue of God. That is when music is not permitted – music can take your mind away and take a person to another scenario.

However, there is music in prayer, but it has its own construction.

“When someone recites the Quran, the language is giving you the deepest meanings and you are in a personal experience with God,” Shah said. “And then, the construction of the Quran is giving you a musical construction so that it fulfills your need for love, for language, for dialogue and also for the soul of music.”

Shah said that Islam has a relative beat, which is a type of riddle that is not as strong as most beats, but it gives you an emotional outburst. Islam wants you to focus more on the words and the message. You are not supposed to gain anything from the beat after worship, only the words and message of the prayer so that you can simulate the message into your daily life. Shahsaid that reciting is actually a highly effective tool to get the message across.

“Reciting pleases your ears and it is easy on your mind and on your brain and it is easy to digest the meaning,” Shah said. “The rhythm that is in the Quran makes it easy for the mind to digest and at the same time, it doesn’t prevent you from understanding the message.”

Larson said that when you sing something, you internalize it and it becomes a part of you in a way that is superior to normal speech.

“I noticed that my little daughter, who may have been 2 or 3 years old, before she could even talk. She was singing the Lord’s prayer in the bathtub,” Larson said.

“She was singing it like a song. She could barely talk at that point, but there is a sense that music enters our hearts and our souls deeper when something is sung.”

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Speaking Through Song The Charisma of Willy Porter Words Ashley Altan | Design Jessica Rowley Willy Porter, a self-taught, guitar-driven musician from Mequon, said the process of writing songs is like mining.

“It’s an old, overused cliché, but it’s true,” Porter said.

“You have to show up and you have to dig. Some days you don’t find anything, and other days you tap into something and think, well, there is a lot more here only to have to leave it and come back to it.”

Porter has been on a musical and personal odyssey for over two decades. He has released 11 albums and has performed across multiple continents. He is known for his charismatic and charming presence onstage.

Porter’s process for writing songs comes from his human experiences. Although songs do not always come easily, when he is able to tap into his life experiences for

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Photo credit Lee Ann Flynn

inspiration, the process is more natural and authentic.

“When I think about personal psychology, everybody has a wealth of experience to draw from the positive side and the lows of living and of being human,” Porter said.

“The unanswered are fantastic sources of creative insight.”

During a recent performance, Porter portrayed a lighthearted message about religion in “Jesus on the Grill,” a happy and harmonic song with a charming beat that calls attention to classical questions about the Christian faith.

“How come there’s all these definitions of love and definitions of what you are?” Porter said to his audience.

“Why does it exist like that anyway?”

Then, playfully, he responded in Jesus’s voice, “‘I don’t know, it was my dad’s idea.” The crowd laughed and

responded with an uproar of applause, which showed how Porter could relieve the tension of the questions that we inevitably have when it comes to religion.

“Some people may think that I might have taken it in the wrong direction there, but in my theological study, I find that the love that is expressed in the Bible, certainly from Jesus, is not without humor. It’s not all self-possession. It’s not all absolution,” Porter said. “There are questions, there are challenges to faith that we all face, and there are also moments where we celebrate our own humanities, our own struggle. It doesn’t mean that we can take these deities that we hold so dear and so important and also use them as a comic foil for something else. I take some great liberties, but I also believe that God has a sense of humor, and I think that is imperative and it’s a great part of our gift of free will.”

Porter began treating audiences with stories during live shows, expressing his random thoughts in order to keep his audiences captivated as he tuned his guitar for the next song. Porter didn’t rehearse or even know which stories he would share while playing his music.

“I used the guitar and storytelling as survival tools,” Porter said. “On stage, I learned later that it was really problematic because between songs, you have to change tunings. Then, I realized, if I want to change tunings, I have to talk, I have to come up with some way to connect the energy of the last piece to the next one while keeping the attention on the audience. That is where the storytelling took place.”

Porter believes in being authentic and in the moment rather than delivering a scripted act. This inspired him to make jokes and tell stories in order to connect to his audience.

“I like to think of storytelling and improvisation as empowered stupidity,” Porter said. “You have a chance to really be in the moment — be authentic, but also take great risks. I believe through great risk you find great moments on stage. Some people prefer to have something highly scripted, they know exactly what they are going to say and do, and I am just not one of them. I prefer more improvisation and a much looser approach.”

Porter is determined to make an impact on local and international organizations by supporting humanity from multiple walks of life. He is an active supporter of Advocates of Ozaukee, a shelter and treatment facility for victims of domestic violence and abuse in Mequon. His annual benefit concerts raised over $100,000.

“One of the things that I have realized in the course of time playing music, I always wanted to find a charity close to me that I felt was doing great work,” Porter said. “It touches all of us and I am sad to say that the need of those services continues to grow.”

Porter also contributes to Guitars for Vets, a non-profit, Milwaukee-based organization that works to improve the lives of veterans by providing free guitars and lessons, and Kids for Peace, which brings Christians and Palestinians together in the Middle East to help them deal with conflict resolution.

“We need peace brokers in this next generation,” Porter said. “People can help by walking across the street to that neighbor you don’t talk to and go talk to them. More importantly than anything else in this day and age is to get off the computer and go talk to people … Go and listen to a neighbor whom you don’t understand — really try hard to engage in a dialogue because it’s the division that is really hurting us more than anything else.”

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FEATURE

Emily Green was diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade after she began taking standardized tests.

Dealing with Dyslexia

Accommodations Level the Playing Field Words Emony Tate | Design & Photo Jessica Rowley

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Dyslexic Reader “When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor,” said Jessica Rowley, a sophomore at Mount Mary University.

Rowley’s childhood dream was crushed when she was encouraged by teachers to pursue a different career path due to her dyslexia.

“Freshman year of high school, I was in my caseworker’s classroom, and she asked me, ‘What would you like to be when you grow up?’ and I said that I’d always wanted to be a doctor,” Rowley said. “She said, ‘Let’s be more realistic here. Do you know many years of school that takes?’”

Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability that may make learning to read challenging, according to DyslexiaHelp, an online curriculum and resource center housed at the University of Michigan. People with dyslexia have trouble matching the letters on a page with the sounds they make. It has no connection to intelligence – in fact, Albert Einstein was dyslexic.

It is estimated that between 5-10 percent of the population has dyslexia, but that number might be higher because it is often undiagnosed. Contrary to popular belief, studies show that there is no connection between dyslexia and vision disorders. There is no cure for dyslexia, but detecting it early can make a dramatic difference in a person’s ability to make satisfactory academic progress.

Rowley has known about her dyslexia since she was in kindergarten. She was held back after her first year.

During her second year of kindergarten, both her teacher and mother noticed that she was different and moved toward getting her evaluated.

After Rowley’s diagnosis in kindergarten, she was put in a separate classroom for children with learning disabilities.

“Even the word dyslexia was confusing to me,” Rowley said. “But then I was happy that I was diagnosed, because I knew it wasn’t my fault, and now we could work on it in specific ways.”

One of the specific ways that helped Rowley learn

Typical Reader how to read was by tracing letters in a sandbox.

“You get a sandbox, and then she (the special education teacher) shows you a card that has a letter, and then you draw the letter in the sand, so you are seeing it, touching it, to try and remember the letter,” Rowley said.

Rowley’s mom was her biggest advocate so most of the push to get her evaluated came from her mom.

Rowley’s mother taught her lessons such as, “If your teacher forgets your accommodations then bring them up,” and “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

“I am lucky for my mom because she was always there with me,” Rowley said.

Having a learning disability can be discouraging, and when peers are not accepting or don’t understand, it can create additional conflict in the individual’s life.

“In elementary school, everybody picked me to read out loud in class because they knew I couldn’t read, and then everyone would laugh and the teacher would have to take over,” Rowley said.

Even now, in college, Rowley receives judgement from her friends due to her disability.

“Peers think that I should know how to spell and wonder how could I be in college without knowing how to spell,” Rowley said. “Friends have asked things like, ‘Shouldn’t you be at a technical college where you don’t have to read textbooks? How did you get past high school? How can you have a 4.0 GPA?’” In higher education, students often do not receive the same level of accommodations as in high school, because college students are responsible for themselves and their learning environment.

“I had to stay in high school to make sure that I could get evaluated so that those new evaluations could transfer over to college,” Rowley said. “I was supposed to graduate in January of senior year (of high school), but I had to take random classes so I could stay as a student so I could get evaluated as a student, which sucked.”

After high school, students need to be proactive and

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seek out assistance when they need it. For example, one of Rowley’s accommodations was to receive an anonymous notetaker. The notetaker would take notes for Rowley, but would not know that the notes were going to go to her. No one in the class was supposed to know who needed the notes, either. However, this was not clear to her professor.

“My professor said out loud, ‘Can someone be a notetaker for Jessica Rowley?’ while pointing at me,” Rowley said. “I was definitely embarrassed because a lot of people didn’t know why I needed it because he didn’t explain it.”

While self-advocacy is a factor in receiving appropriate accommodations, Mount Mary University is required to provide these resources. Mount Mary’s accessibility services state that a student who needs accommodations has to provide proper documentation of the diagnosis. The documentation should meet the following requirements: 1. A diagnostic statement identifying the disability, date the current diagnostic evaluation, and the date of the diagnosis.

2. A description of the diagnostic criteria and/or diagnostic test used.

3. A description of the current functional impact of the disability.

4. Treatments, medications, assistive devices/services currently prescribed or in use.

5. A description of the expected progression or stability of the impact of the disability over time.

6. The credentials of the diagnosing professional(s).

Marci Ocker, the coordinator of accessibilities services at Mount Mary, reviews the documentation and decides if the student will receive accommodations.

She is in charge of providing the student with an accommodation letter that lists all of the accommodations needed for her to cope in the classroom. According to Ocker, about 5 percent of Mount Mary students are dyslexic and actively receiving accommodations. It is federal law that those accommodations be followed.

According to the The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, “public schools are required to make available to all eligible children with disabilities a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment appropriate to their individual needs.”

This act requires all teaching professionals to accept the student’s accommodations.

The IEP, or Individualized Education Plan, is a written document that is developed for each public school child who is eligible for special education. The IEP does not follow the child to college; however, colleges are required to provide necessary accommodations under the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

If the accommodations change the academic integ-

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rity of the course, then the professor is able to deny the request. This was made clear on Rowley’s accommodation letter.

“When I read that on my accomodation letter, I felt cheated,” Rowley said. “I don’t think my accomodations are hard to meet. They just take time.”

Rowley’s accommodations include extended time when taking quizzes and exams, semi-private space, use of tape recorder, volunteer note-taker, use of computer, and alternate textbooks.

“Teachers need to be educated … we need more visual-based classes,” Rowley said. “Eventually, the school should look into getting technology that helps the student.”

Technology may include audio sets, smart pens that capture everything that you write and everything that is spoken, or Kindle readers. If students can not afford the appropriate technology or if it is unfunded by the school, this creates more barriers for students with dyslexia who need more assistance.

The ease of receiving the proper care for one’s learning disability varies on where they attend school.

“Depends on your district, school, and special education program,” said Mount Mary freshman Emily Green, who was diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade.

Green started taking standardized tests in third grade, when both the school and her mother noticed the significant difference between her scores and other students’ scores. She was evaluated and placed in special education classes. Her success in school was because of her strong adult support inside and outside of school.

“After sixth grade, my confidence came back because of an amazing special education teacher,” Green said.

Rowley just wants to be treated like every other student that is working toward their degree.

“I don’t want people to look at me and think I’m dumb and that I’m cheating by using the resources that I struggled to get,” Rowley said. “I want people to understand that I’m just trying to level out the playing field so I can succeed just like them.”

Creative Works Creative Works provides a place for students to showcase their creativity. Arches accepts all types of artwork, photography, poetry and flash fiction. For this issue of reMARK, submissions were also accepted in languages other than English. View full submission guidelines at archesnews.com.

El Poder de Mente En un lugar muy lejos y diferente de donde vivimos, había un unicorno joven. Este unicorno vivió con su familia, mamá y papá. Xorro, el unicorno joven parece como cualquier caballo excepto que tiene un cuerno en el medio de su frente, en lugar del tercer ojo. El cuerno se proyecta por unos 12”. Xorro estaba contento todo el tiempo hasta un día que… Él estaba explorando cuando llegó acerca de unas montañas y de pronto hubo una explosión grande.

Cuando el humo se desapareció, Xorro se encuentro en un lugar desconocido donde no había ni bosque ni montañas. En esta nueva tierra solo había arena y piedras. En la distancia él vio un grupo de unicornos que estaban galopeando. Él decido correr y acercarse a ellos. Cuando él estuvo cerca vio que todos los unicornos parecen como él, pero sin cuerno.

Xorro se acercó a más joven de ellos y el pregunto: “¿Oíste la explosión?” “¿Que explosión?”

“La explosión que pasó hacia un momento…” Él miró como loco. Él preguntó otra vez: “¿Oíste la explosión?”

Sin respuesta. Después de unos momentos más

los unicornos empezaron a hablar entre ellos en un lenguaje que él no entendía e inmediatamente se acercaba a él y empezaron a atacar. Él sintió electricidad en su cuerpo y el cuerno se volvió a iluminarlo. Al mismo tiempo el quiso salir de la situación y toda la escena se paralizó.

Xorro se volvió al lugar donde él vivía con su familia. Xorro le cuento a su mama lo que paso y le dijo: “Mama me pasó una cosa extraña y miedosa.” “¿Que te pasó mi hijo, cuéntame?”

“Yo estaba explorando acerca de las montañas y de pronto hubo una gran explosión…y de pronto me encontré en un lugar desconocido. ¿Sabes lo que paso?”

“Sí cuando yo era joven yo tuve una experiencia semejante. Ahora que los años han pasado me he dado cuenta de que existan varias dimensiones de realidad…” “¿Entonces encontraste otros unicornos sin cuerno?”

“Sin cuernos, que raro. Yo encontré unicornos con dos cuernos.” “¿Te atacaron?”

“Ellos trataron atacarme, pero me escape.” “¿Cómo te escapaste?”

“Los unicornos tiene la capacidad de cambiar de dimensiones cualquier momento usando su capacidad mental.”

Y así es la vida.

Christina Lopez-Prado Christina Lopez-Prado is the mother of two beautiful children and has a double major in fashion design and international studies with a Spanish concentration. She is currently the secretary for the student chapter of Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee and a member of the Honors Society.

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CREATIVE WORKS

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La Llorona

Creciendo nosotros siempre escuchábamos las historias de mi papá cuando vivía en Michoacán, México. Algunas historias eran de cuando trabajaba y cuando estaba de cacería. Mi papá era el mayor de todos sus hermanos y siempre iba a trabajar con mi abuelito.

Pero también tenía cuentos de cuando veía u oía fantasmas. Cuando nos contaba cuentos de los fantasmas yo siempre pensaba que eran cuentos que los adultos nos decían para asustar a los niños. Pero un día mi papá nos contó la historia cuando él vio la Llorona. Todos los niños mexicanos han escuchado las historias de la Llorona. Esa historia se les dicen a los niños para que se porten bien. La Llorona es una historia de una mujer que mató a sus hijos por celos que sentía ella. Después de ver lo que había hecho ella empezó a llorar por sus hijos. Su maldición era buscar a sus hijos por todo eternidad. Dicen que cuando está buscando a sus hijos la puedes escuchar llorando, “¡Ay mis hijos! ¡Dónde están mis hijos!”

Una noche cuando estaba regresando de trabajar, mi papá estaba caminando solo y era pasada la medianoche, mi papá pasó por un arroyo pero estaba muy cansado para ver lo que había hecho. Mi abuela siempre le decía que nunca caminara cerca de un arroyo en la noche para que no se tropezara con la Llorona. Pero como mi papá estaba muy cansado y no creía en esas cosas, quería tomar el atajo para llegar a la casa más rápido. Él dijo que cuando pasó por el arroyo él sintió una mala sensación en su estómago pero decidió ignorarlo y siguió su camino a la casa. Cuando ya estaba a dos kilómetros del arroyo él tenía una sensación que alguien lo estaba persiguiendo. Luego de la nada él escuchó un grito de una mujer. Mi papá me dijo que en ese momento él sintió como su piel se le enchinó. El grito de esa mujer duró como unos diez minutos. Cuando ya no escuchaba el grito de la mujer fue cuando se dio la vuelta y a la distancia él vio la silueta de una mujer vestida de blanco.

Mi papá se le quedó mirando por unos segundos y luego se dio la vuelta y continuó caminando a su casa. Cuando llegó al pueblo Queréndaro fue cuando empezaron los perros a aullar. Se le hizo extraño a mi papá cuando llegó

al pueblo porque estaba más callado de lo normal. No había nadie en las calles ni los drogadictos del pueblo. Él dijo que el pueblo se veía como si fuera abandonado, como si supieran que la Llorona venía esa noche. Él empezó a sentirse nervioso porque la sensación que alguien lo estaba persiguiendo lo sentía todavía. Él quería darse la vuelta para ver si alguien lo estaba persiguiendo pero tenía miedo. Luego empezó a caminar más rápido para pasar por el pueblo más rápido. TodavíaTodavía tenía que pasar por el pueblo de Queréndaro para llegar al pueblo suyo, Zinapécuaro.

Cuando vio la orilla del pueblo fue cuando se dio la vuelta y vio que una mujer vestida de blanco lo estaba viendo de lejos. Mi papá se sintió aliviado porque por fin vio a otra persona. Él paró de caminar y la saludó pero la mujer no le dijo nada, solo se le quedó mirando a mi papá. Él pensó que la mujer era extraña y se dio la vuelta y siguió caminando. Mientras estaba caminando él escuchó otra vez el grito de una mujer pero esta vez se oía como si estuviera lejos de él. Cuando uno escucha el grito de la Llorona y se escucha que está lejos, se significa que ella está cerca de ti. Pero como se escuchaba de lejos mi papá no le dio importancia, lo único que él estaba pensando en ese momento era de que ya mero estaba cerca de su casa y que por fin se podía dormir.

Cuando llegó a su pueblo mi papá ya no aguantaba los ojos y prácticamente se estaba arrastrando a su casa.

Cuando por fin llegó a su casa fue cuando el sentimiento de que alguien lo estaba persiguiendo se fue.

El próximo dia fue cuando sus vecinos le tocaron la puerta y le preguntaron que si sabía que la Llorona lo estaba persiguiendo. Mi papá pensó que estaban locos y les dijo que no y que no existía. Uno de sus vecinos le dijo que escuchó a una mujer llorando y cuando miró afuera fue cuando vio a una mujer vestido de blanco.

Que estaba persiguiendo a mi papá y que era la Llorona.

Ese dia fue cuando mi papá paro de decir que ella no existía. También ese dia fue cuando mi abuelita lo regaño por no rezar cuando la vio.

Katie Smith

Kimberly Camacho

Osiyo! Katie dagwado’a! Hello! My name is Katie! I’m mixed indigenou: Tsalagi, Blackfeet, Gullah, Polish, and Irish. I’m a first generation student pursuing fashion design. I spend most of my time sewing or drawing fashion illustrations.

Kimberly Camacho is a first generation student majoring in international studies with a concentration in Spanish. She hopes that in taking Spanish, she can reconnect to her roots and improve her native language.

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CREATIVE WORKS In the Garden of…

In the fountain of life, I stood where rivers of coconut milk & molten lava ran down my head, my spine, my thighs, my toes.

The floor underneath made of tectonic plate, apple skin, & great-great-grandmother’s bones. Femininely, the green-faced man picked up lemon slices

Mary Migdal-Grunow Mary Migdal-Grunow is a senior majoring in psychology. She enjoys exploring ecofeminism and how different worldviews impact life on this planet. This piece focuses on her own “Garden of Eden,” reflecting vegan and pagan worldviews.

like wishing coins. “All things must die to become alive,” spoke the yellow mushrooms as they ate cakes & drank probiotic ale, plump on their edge of the rail.

Bent and focused, the silver lady sprinkled curls of orange rind like fish food while popping chickpeas into her own crescent-shaped mouth. Strings of papaya seeds hung down in her face like pearl necklaces made of aquatic eggs. Falling back to Earth, branch in hand, I throw it like a boomerang. The grandchildren wait for it to return 3-fold.

The Words The words turn on and off like fireflies poetic ideas lighting up in rapid succession.

Blinking creative Morse Code I decipher in color.

Periwinkle blue.

Black eye bruise purple.

Sunburst yellows.

Blood splatter crimson reds.

Catching color words like a juggler.

Or like kids playing Hot Potato.

Up and down.

Back and forth.

Calm.

Rage.

Joy. Wounds.

Kaleidoscope rainbows of scripted pain Failed loves Redemption and the rise again.

With these words I figure out who I am.

Line by line my pen burning with explosive verses See the Words the Words HAVE to be hot.

Have to be full of meaning.

Be, full of more than just steam and

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painted words describing vivid scenes.

Acutely aware that every word I write Exorcises a demon Stitches a wound unseen These words conjure such powerful things.

Mystically mixing scripted spells Incantations of verbal alchemy.

Creating lyrical divinity That’s what I do with the gifts bestowed to me.

Recite masterpieces given to me by the Most High.

That’s what I do as a Scribe.

Saving onlookers one word at a time.

And just writing the words the soul I save is mine.

Salvation in the ink that courses through my veins.

The words are what keep me sane the words are what give me life.

The words are my will to keep on Fighting.

So I will always looking for the creative fireflies the blinking Morse Code in my mind.

Deciphering the color words to keep Painting scenes.

Juggling hot words to keep giving souls the inspiration they need.

Give witness to God’s grace.

The words and my love for them, can never be replaced.

La Nueva Amiga de Bella Era un día fresco en el verano cuando la familia de Sofía trajeron a su nueva perrita a casa. Sofía estaba muy emocionada de tener una amiga nueva con que jugar.

“Hola,” le dijo la perrita. “Me llamo Bella.”

“Hola,” le dijo Sofía. “Me llamo Sofía. ¿Jugarás conmigo?”

“Me encanta jugar. Vamos afuera,” le dijo Bella.

Sofía y Bella jugaron a las atrapadas con un frisbee y la pelota de tenis. Corrieron mucho. Entonces…

“Sofía,” mamá le chilló. “Es tarde ahora. Casi te perdiste la cena. Entra y come.”

Sofía estaba triste. Ella no quería dejar de jugar con Bella, pero Sofía escuchó a su madre y entró en la casa. Bella la siguió. Después de la cena, se durmieron. Bella tiene su propia cama. Esa noche, Bella soñó con aventuras de mañana. A la mañana siguiente, la familia estaba desaparecida. Bella estaba asustada y solitaria.

Bella corrió alrededor de la casa llamando, “Sofía!

Dónde estás?”

“Qué debo hacer,” Bella pensó.

Bella decidió buscarlos. Primero, Bella fue a la escuela.

Bella le preguntó a la maestra, “¿Has visto a Sofía?”

La maestra le respondió, “Es el verano. Sofía no está aquí ahora.”

Próximo, Bella fue al supermercado.

Bella le preguntó al trabajador del supermercado,

“¿Has visto a Sofía?”

El trabajador del supermercado le respondió, “Ella no está aquí.”

Próximo, Bella fue al parque. Bella vio muchas chiacas, pero ninguna de ellas era Sofía. Bella comenzó a sentir mucho miedo. Ella extrañaba a su amiga. Bella no se rendiría hasta que la encontrara.

Próximo, Bella fue a la playa. Bella buscó en toda la playa, pero no pudo encontrarla.

Bella le preguntó al salvavidas, “¿Has visto a Sofía?”

El salvavidas respondió, “Lo siento. No la he visto en la playa.”

Bella no tuvo suerte. Ella comenzó a correr a casa, pero se dio cuenta de que estaba perdida. Ella estaba en una casa nueva. Ella no sabía cómo llegar a casa.

Entonces, recordó que estaba cerca del parque.

Bella le preguntó al salvavidas, “¿Dónde está el parque?”

El salvavidas respondió, “Camina por la calle hasta la biblioteca y gira a la derecha. Buena suerte!”

Mientras Bella caminaba por la biblioteca, escuchó su nombre.

“Bella! Bella!” la voz llamó.

Cuando Bella miró, vio a Sofía. “¿Qué estás haciendo aquí?” Sofía le preguntó.

Bella le dijo, “Cuando me desperté esta mañana, te habías ido. Te estaba buscando. Fui a la escuela, el supermercado, el parque, y la playa. No te encontré.”

Sofía le respondió, “Chica tonta. Esta mañana, mamá y yo fuimos a la biblioteca. Encontré tres libros nuevos para leer contigo. Nos vamos a casa ahora.”

Bella le respondió, “Pensé que te habías ido. ¿Puedo ir contigo?”

Sofía y Bella fueron a casa. Después del almuerzo, las dos amigas salieron a jugar. Próximo, entraron a leer los nuevos libros. Bella sabía que Sofía nunca la dejaría. Bella encontró una mejor amiga para toda la vida.

Genita Walker

Nicole Mueller

Genita Walker is a junior majoring in art therapy. She is a poet, a writer, a mixed media artist and a mom. She utilizes her art to entertain, inspire and empower people, especially women. Walker believes that art is the imagination of the soul.

Nicole Mueller is a sophomore majoring in psychology. Her goal is to go on to the occupational therapy program. She is also working on a Spanish minor and a peacebuilding certificate. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering and baking.

Language 2018 | reMARK

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Building Strong Foundations in Our Community

Congratulations to all of the December graduates!

To Nevaeh Wright from everyone at Arches, congratulations on graduating!

Thank you for your contributions to Arches through the years.

Aneela & Chelsea, I’m so glad we got to do this together!

I adore you both, Kayla Urban

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LANGUAGE

Words Quinn Clark | Photo & Design Lizzy Swiger

Successful body language includes standing up straight, maintaining eye contact and keeping your head up. Poor body language includes keeping your head down, avoiding eye contact and slouching.

You bought the best outfit you could find, with a pair of killer shoes to match. You’ve researched the job you’re interviewing for, and you feel prepared for any question that may be thrown at you.

While this sounds like the ideal scenario, if you don’t have the right body language, you still might not get the job.

Body language determines not only how others perceive you, but also how you feel. The way you sit, stand and talk with your hands can aide in your success in an interview, and in your future career field.

“Being mindful of one’s body and emotions, especially breath-

ing, helps as a first step,” said Dr. Jeffrey Ligman, a behavioral psychologist at Alternatives in Psychological Consultation in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. “Mindfulness of body, emotions and one’s purpose start the process of accomplishing interpersonal goals.”

Barbara Gunn, a communications professor at Mount Mary University, has helped students for years on how to correctly portray themselves for success. Gunn believes that if educators do not teach students proper body language, they are not completely ready to enter their specific workforce.

“Students need to know more than they do now, and it takes

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LANGUAGE time to develop the look that is yours that still fits within the parameters of the corporate culture,” Gunn said.

There are universal ways to communicate nonverbally and gain the confidence you need to get and keep a job, even though there are different majors and careers to pursue.

“At the end of the day, the interviewers might forget what you said, they might forget what you did, but they’re not gonna forget how you made them feel,” said Jena Mahne, a career counselor at Mount Mary University.

Posture

The way you sit or stand can nonverbally speak to your persona. Gunn describes why sitting up straight is so important.

“If we’re standing up straight or if we’re sitting straight, that tells another person that you have confidence in yourself,” Gunn said. “‘I’m prepared, I’m ready to take this on, I believe in myself.’”

Mahne works to help students become ready for the workplace. Many Mount Mary students go to Mahne for help with succeeding at an upcoming interview, and she regularly helps them portray confidence through body language.

Like Gunn, Mahne expresses the importance of proper posture. She explains how to prepare yourself to give off a selfconfident stature.

“There’s this fun thing you can do before an interview called the Superwoman stance,” Mahne said. “You go into the bathroom, you go in a stall, and for a couple minutes you’re standing like you’re Superwoman. Hands on your hips, legs spread, looking up. Literally, that particular stance is supposed to increase testosterone levels which increases confidence levels.”

Stereotypically, we tend to think of men as confident interviewers with strong handshakes and a strong presence. This is because they have more testosterone than women do.

“If we’re able to up those levels (of testosterone) before an interview, we will naturally have more of that appearance of confidence that we might attribute to males,” Mahne said.

Gunn describes the danger of slipping out of a confident stance.

“Our bodies will betray us at times, though, if we start to slouch,” Gunn said.

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“It can mean you’re burdened, or it can also mean I don’t really wanna be here.”

However, slouching isn’t the only

negative posture or body position.

There are many others to be wary of.

“Arms crossed in front of your body, head down looking at the floor, not making eye contact,” Gunn said. “What you’re doing is you’re shrinking your body in, because you don’t want to take up that much space.”

We’re all human, and we all doubt ourselves or become anxious in certain situations. no one can read our minds. If we know how to disguise our nerves and self doubt, then we will be more successful

“The interviewers might forget

what you said, they might forget what you did, but they’re not gonna forget how you made them feel.”

-Jena Mahne, Career Counselor at portraying confidence.

“If you present yourself confidently, even if you’re not so sure about it inside, that’s what people are going to understand about you,” Gunn said. “Fake ’til you own it, or fake it ’til you believe it.”

Mahne agrees that body language is one of the biggest nonverbal communication signals that relays how we feel and think of ourselves.

“Certain things that (students) do with their body language actually exude a lot of confidence in who they are,” Mahne said.

Eye Contact

Eye contact is just as important posture.

Because students are used to focusing their attention on their phones, laptops or even homework, they have to make a conscious effort of looking up and engaging their eyes in conversation to produce more effective conversations.

There are ways to make the appropriate amount of eye contact in order to portray confidence and make those around you feel comfortable.

“You want to make eye contact for just a couple seconds, and then look away,

then make eye contact again,” Gunn said.

“If you’re holding on too long, then the other person may feel intimidated or uncomfortable.”

When it comes to eye contact, make sure you have done your research about your current or potential place of work.

Different cultures have different standards for appropriate eye contact.

“Some cultures make eye contact and it’s expected, and our culture is one of them,” Gunn said. “In others, you don’t make direct eye contact with someone who has more power than you. There are many cultures, so do your research and understand what the corporate culture is like.”

Hand Placement

You’ve got the right posture, but now you’re suddenly very self-conscious of your hands. Where should they go? Should they stay in one place? While this may seem like overthinking, there are rules when it comes to hand placement.

Gunn points out that it depends on the situation, but there are some universal rules to go by.

“Probably always (putting your hands) in your lap is fine,” Gunn said. “You could put an elbow on an arm (of a chair). I always bring in a portfolio or something to write on so I’ve got that in my lap.”

If you are close to a table between you and your potential employer, don’t be afraid to ground yourself. Make your presence known by placing an elbow on the table. Additionally, it’s okay to move hands from one position to another; for example, talking with hands.

“We use gestures for a lot of reasons,” Gunn said. “One, maybe to reinforce what we’re saying, to embellish what we’re saying, to replace a word.”

Reaching forward and using one’s hands to speak can engage an interviewer.

Gunn says the act of reaching forward can show that the interviewee wants to create a relationship or union with her potential employer.

While Gunn thinks hand gestures along with talking can help reinforce one’s point, everything is better in moderation.

“I would practice not using as many gestures as I may naturally do,” Gunn said.

“There is nothing wrong with gestures; they just don’t need to be exaggerated.”

Hand placement should be natural and make sense. Mahne recommends starting

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1. Reach out first and lock eyes.

It shows confidence and demonstrates that you have strong interpersonal skills.

2. Get the grip right.

Extend your right hand, tilt the fingers down and scoop up into the handshake. Your palm should meet with the palm of the other person.

3.Hold on firmly.

Give the person’s hand a firm grasp to set the tone that you’re confident, that you’re owning it.

Be careful though, because there is such thing as too firm.

off with your hands in your lap and then bringing them forward as the interviewer asks questions.

“What that shows is that I’m engaged with you,” Mahne said.

Mahne recommends placing hands on the table between you and your interviewer and leaning in.

If you find that you click your pen, play with your hair, or have any other nervous ticks when in a high stress situation, keeping your hands occupied can significantly help.

“I’ve had students who, to keep their hands occupied, they would actually have a mini stress ball or something in their hand, and having one hand below the desk squeezing it,” Mahne said.

The Handshake

One of the biggest ways to communicate nonverbally is through handshaking. Your handshake can show positive professional qualities that employers are looking for.

4. Give it a pump... or two.

It is important to be in the moment and not rush a handshake.

5. Release!

Let go and continue your interaction. Sometimes, no matter how great you feel your handshake is, the encounter can still fail due to awkwardness on the other side.

“Actually, the biggest indicator of confidence and professionalism is how you shake a hand,” Mahne said.

According to Mahne, everyone should practice their handshakes because of how important they are.

“A lot of people don’t know how to give a good handshake,” Mahne said. “We get a lot of dead fishes. Actually hold their hand, like you’d hold your kids’ hand, or you’d hold your partner’s hand. You want to grip it.”

If you’re about to walk into an interview, keep in mind how valuable your handshake is. It’s up to you to portray that you are confident and ready to be there through the way you approach a handshake.

“Initially, first impression is really important in an interview,” Mahne said.

“So, you being the one who goes in for the handshake, don’t wait for the handshake to come to you, and, as you’re giving the handshake, you’re making eye contact.”

Keep It Natural

You have the tools for a firm handshake, confident posture, and proper eye contact, but this will all fail if you appear too forced.

Dr. Jeffrey Ligman believes that it is important to be centered, sincere and true to your values and emotions.

“Trying to manipulate some body language or use of touch or anything like that is destined to come off as fake or manipulative,” Ligman said.

Just breathe, and don’t think too hard about your body language, or else your interviewer won’t feel what you want them to feel: comfortable and sure of your confidence.

Mahne recommends smiling and saying hello every morning to coworkers and employers. She also stresses the importance of being yourself.

“Just walk how you walk,” Mahne said.

“I don’t want people walking ways they don’t normally walk. That’s ridiculous.

Walk in, be yourself, say hi.”

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FEATURE

Baby Talk: Communicating Through Sign Language Words & Photo Sophie Snedeker | Design Ashley Altan

Katie Dennert, a mother from Muskego, used baby sign language to communicate with her two daughters.

She used it right away with her firstborn, and started with her second born at 6 months old.

Dennert first learned about baby sign language when a friend gave her a book about it. Dennert liked the idea of using baby sign language because it allowed her to communicate with her children more effectively. Dennert explained that problems are much easier to resolve if the baby has an alternative way to communicate rather than crying.

“When the baby wants more or doesn’t like what they are given, then they just cry,” Dennert said. “So, instead of crying, they can communicate what the problem was.”

Communicating with a baby can be difficult for parents.

Babies cannot talk, but can only try to communicate by crying and making sounds. Baby sign language allows parents to SOURCE: National Institutes of Health communicate with their child in a more effective way. Although baby sign language is not an actual language, it uses hand signs to communicate the needs of a child.

Dennert recommends signs that show gratitude. Some of her favorite signs to use were “please” and “thank you,” so she could teach her children about manners at a young age. She also liked to use “sorry,” because she felt it was a great way to teach about empathy and being remorseful.

Dennert also recommends that parents read about baby sign language to become more knowledgeable.

“Just be consistent. Get whoever is taking care of the baby on board,” Dennert said. “But starting small, like one or two signs at a time is good, too.”

Teachers and principals use baby sign language to help communicate with students whom they feel benefit from that type of communication. Lauren Beckmann, principal of St. Robert School in Shorewood, has bachelor’s degrees in psychology and education. Beckmann was first introduced to baby sign language through her studies in child education.

“I was first exposed to baby sign language, or baby sign language as a tool, for facilitating verbal language,” Beckmann said.

Beckmann explained that her staff has used baby sign language with students who have Down syndrome in a program the school started called The Grace Program.

This program helps meet the educational needs of the students who have intellectual disabilities.

Signers showed IQs 12 points higher than the non-signers.

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Gina Flynn is a teacher from St. Robert School in Shorewood who is communicating the word “world” to her fourth grade class.

When a parent or teacher teaches their child baby sign language, they’ll notice there are some signs easier for the baby to remember compared to others. According to Beckmann, the signs related to food are easiest for a child to remember because it is a basic need for them. Other signs that may be easier for babies to remember are ones

e

used to communicate relationships to the baby.

“Signs related to important relationships, like mommy, daddy, boy, girl, if they have a dog or a cat in the family or any special toys or activities,” Beckmann said. “If a child really likes to play with balls or cars, then you could have a sign for those.”

But it raises the question about how babies form words from a sign their parents use.

“Motor development precedes language development or verbal development, because it naturally comes first,” Beckmann said. “Movement comes before verbalization.”

Although it is almost unlikely, Beckmann warned that it is imperative for parents to watch for any indications that their baby is not attaching sounds to the signs they are learning.

Patricia Gondek, an American Sign Language professor at Mount Mary University with a background in ASL linguistics, has worked in deaf education for about 40 years. Gondek offers advice to parents who are thinking about using baby sign language with their babies.

“It’s not going to hurt your baby in learning language, and if you have the time and energy to learn it, you could start as early as 6 or 7 months,” Gondek said.

According to Gondek, children understand the rules of their language by about the age of 3, but children understand language before they can speak. While keeping in mind that baby sign language is used to communicate with a baby, Gondek warned that it is not a language.

“It’s a way of communicating and it’s not a language, so that is one thing I want to caution, because they are not learning American Sign Language, they are learning individual signs in order to communicate,” Gondek said.

Easy resources for parents to learn more about baby sign language, according to Gondek, are books and YouTube videos.

“There are a lot of books out there and YouTube videos, but I would caution that there are people who are teaching this that don’t have the credentials to be doing that,” Gondek said.

The use of baby sign language, according to Beckmann, is very beneficial for children to learn and use. It is a way of communication that can be used to create new verbal opportunities for children.

“It’s this portal into a whole new world of communication that really is exciting for kids,” Beckmann said.

World: To do the sign for “world,” if you are right-handed hold your “W” hand on top of your left “W” hand. Move both hands simultaneously. The movement is a circular motion: forward, down, back, up.

I have to go potty: Make your hand into a fist with thumb peeking out between the index finger. Hold the fist out and shake it around a little.

Stand up: Take your hand with index finger and middle finger extended into an upside-down V to make the person’s legs, and sit them on your hand ledge.

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PERSPECTIVES

A Social Media Love Story How I Dated Someone 4,302 Miles Away Words Aislinn Strusz | Design Jessica Rowley

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it Ais o cred

linn S

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Would you like to start a streak with a random stranger?

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You’re the reason why I wake up in the middle of the night, just because I don’t wanna miss you. The distance sucks and we both know that but it’s so worth it at the end of the day It’s worth it because I have you in my life, and I want you in my life any way I can take you.

On Sept. 10, 2017, my friend told me she was added to a group chat on an app called Kik. She asked me to download it so she could add me to it as well. I hadn’t used the app since I was in middle school, and I was a senior in high school when she asked me to download the app.

Reluctantly, I ended up downloading it. Seconds after, I received a notification that I was added to a group chat called “LGBTQ Babes.” I rolled my eyes at the name, but continued to make my presence known. I was welcomed with open arms by everyone who was already in the group chat.

It was the first time I ever joined a chat of multiple people who I didn’t even know. I was a little suspicious whether these people were really who they said they were, so I lied and said my name was Lily (which is incidentally my middle name). I definitely wanted to make sure I didn’t give my real name to some 50-year-old pervert.

A month later, I made good friends out of most of the people in the chat. The few that stuck with me to this day are Paige, from Michigan, and Svenja, from Germany. I even got comfortable enough to give them my Snapchat username. Once I did, I received a Snapchat from Svenja right away.

“Would you like to start a streak with a random stranger?” Svenja said.

I had yet to know exactly what she looked like. She was one of those girls who sent a picture of half of her face or a picture of the ground. At least, from what I could see,

I knew she wasn’t lying about her age or gender. .0 As time went on, I learned more about her as a person. She was my go-to person when things got rough during high school. When I stressed myself out too much, she would help me calm down and focus on graduating in the spring. Or when softball started becoming more of a job than a hobby, she helped pull me out of my own head. She had a good sense of humor, respect for her family, and, most importantly, she had a dog. We talked as friends for about two months until things took a turn. In the beginning, there was a hint of flirting here and there. But the flirting grew more intense and soon I found myself constantly wanting to be talking to her.

Since Svenja lives in Germany, she is seven hours ahead of me. We talked when we could, but our conversations were limited.

When it was the evening for me, she was sleeping. When it was the morning for her, I was the one sleeping. The times were annoying, but it seemed worth it at the time as long as I had her in my life. There were times where I didn’t even sleep just so I could talk to her. I was okay with getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep knowing that I could talk to her more.

In December of 2017, I wanted to tell Svenja how I felt. So, on New Year’s Eve, I told Svenja how I felt at midnight. I told her I liked her, and I wanted to make the distance work. But, again, she was sleeping at this time. I had to wait until I woke up in the morning to find out what she said.

I tried waiting for her to answer, but at the same time, I almost didn’t even want to know her answer. There were several scenarios go-

Hey guess what What? (: I would need someone who would pick me up from the airport on July 17th and asked myself if you would volunteer?

Photo credit Aislinn Strusz

ing through my head. I tried distracting myself with my family and joking around with them, but it wasn’t working. I constantly checked my phone, but nothing was there. It felt like the thousandth time I checked my phone when I finally told myself to put it away until I knew she was awake. In order to get rid of the nerves, I forced myself to go to sleep early so I didn’t have to deal with it. It turns out that she felt the same way and from then on, we started talking romantically. This just meant that we talked how we always did, just the flirting intensified, and we talked about things friends wouldn’t talk about, for example, how we would get to kiss when we finally met.

It only became official on Feb. 7, 2018. I sent Svenja a purple rose that had eternal life, along with a note that asked her to be my girlfriend. I chose a purple flower with eternal life to show her how my feelings for her were undying. It took a week for her to get the present, and I was anxious. I knew she would say yes, given the context clues from the last few months, but that didn’t ease my feelings at all. The doubt constantly crept into my body.

What if it is too soon? What if she wasn’t sure about her feelings and I pressured her into making a decision by asking her out? It turns out all of my doubts were just that – doubts. She said yes, and from then on, every 7th of the month was our anniversary.

We worked with the distance so much so that it almost wasn’t a problem. We FaceTimed when we could, we texted whenever we were available and she even came to visit the U.S. in July this past summer. When she came here, I had the time of my life. It felt like I could finally breathe since she was in my arms for the very first time. We went to Chicago, and I even brought her to my family’s lake house in Indiana to meet the rest of my family. I was convinced we could conquer the distance and make it until one of us could move to live in a home with the other.

You might think that when you finally meet your long-distance significant other, your relationship would only become stronger.

Believe it or not, it’s actually the opposite. Thirty-three percent of couples who meet for the first time often break up within the first three months. Svenja and I made it almost four months, so we could technically be part of that statistic.

For almost nine months, this girl was a part of my life. But as of Nov. 1, 2018, we are no longer together. We thought the distance would only be a minor factor in our relationship. It shouldn’t have mattered how many miles were between us as long as we had each other. But things change, and we couldn’t handle not seeing each other anymore.

I have social media to thank for this experience. If it weren’t for the internet, I never would’ve met her and I wouldn’t know what a long-distance relationship feels like. According to Recode, 44 percent of teenagers who were asked which social media platform they’d use if they were allowed only one, chose Snapchat. Snapchat was the foundation of the relationship between Svenja and me.

ARE YOU SERIOUS? OF COURSE I WILL

No one could have dreamed of this 10 years ago. Phones weren’t even considered smart when I was 8 years old. My relationship never would’ve happened if technology wasn’t as evolved as it is now.

Marmy Clason, the chair of the communications department at Mount Mary University, said you don’t need to constantly talk in relationships, but both parties need to negotiate when communication is necessary.

“When it comes specifically to communication, an interesting thing happens,” Clason said. “People in long-distance relationships tend to communicate more because of the distance factor.”

She said that couples in long-distance relationships will text more, email more, and Facetime or Skype more. People in longdistance relationships tend to get to know each other more since that’s all they can do to try to compensate for the distance. It might’ve taken me longer to get to know Svenja’s tendencies or her habits, but they felt more genuine because of the fact that I got to see more of her as a person due to her trying to compensate for the distance.

Metacommunication is also enhanced in a long-distance relationship. Metacommunication is the nonverbal cues that carry meaning about how a piece of information should be interpreted.

For example, if I say I had a good day, but I say it with a frown and a deep sigh, you know that isn’t the truth. In long-distance relationships, nonverbal cues are easier to communicate to a significant other.

Before I was added to the group chat, I never really used my phone much. After I was added, social media was all I used to talk to my internet friends. Personally, I think it connected me to them more than my friends in real life. I was emotionally attached to them instead of physically connected to them.

This experience led to me to believe that I wasn’t alone. I had friends in person, but the connection I got with internet friends was absent from those friendships I had. Somewhere out there, there are people ready to love you. You just have to find them. I used social media to find Svenja. Even though it didn’t last, she was still a part of my life, and I respect that.

“Long-distance relationships are tricky (and) interesting,” Clason said. “Because, of course, you are missing the physical presence of the person, which is one of the things we would assume to be a component in a good relationship.”

According to research done by the International Communication Association, almost 75 percent of college students claim to have had a long-distance relationship at least once during college.

Because of social media, people are able to maintain relationships with people they have never even met before. Even though the relationship between Svenja and I didn’t last, I have faith that true love can exist on the internet.

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