Linfield Review Issue #8 February 6, 2017

www.thelinfieldreview.com

February 6, 2017

Inside This Issue

Portlanders protested President Trump’s inauguration in Jan. Peaceful protesters filled the streets, and anarchists provoked police and swat teams. Tear gas and bang grenades followed. Pg. 3

The Wildcats are ranked near the bottom of the Northwest Conference, but the women’s basketball team continues to fight and remains optimistic.

Pg. 4

Chris Miles, enducted into Linfield’s 2016 Hall of Fame. Miles took on the role of an artist and athlete, now owns CMDeigns, and taught a Jan Term graphic design class. Pg. 3

Linfield student loses eyeball, files $8.3 million lawsuit

By Malia Riggs

A Linfield student lost his eye due to a firework in an alleged fraternity-hazing event last year. He is suing Pi Kappa Alpha, Linfield College, and William Samp who was the president of the fraternity at the time, and others for $8.3 million.

The incident occurred on April 15 when Kellen Johansen was allegedly pressured by members of Linfield’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity into drinking alcohol under aged and to run naked through the McMinnville campus. His lawsuit states that members of the fraternity allegedly ordered him to perform these actions as

part of a new pledge class initiation.

The lawsuit also states that Samp ignited an illegal firework that exploded, ricocheting off of the ground into Johansen’s eye.

The damage from the firework was so severe that surgeons removed Johansen’s eye in Dec. 2016 at the Casey Eye Institute in Portland after multiple failed attempts at correcting his vision.

Scott Nelson, Director of Communications and Marketing told the Linfield Review that a reporter notified the college yesterday afternoon that a lawsuit had

been filed and that there was an allegation of hazing.

“Although we have not been served with the complaint. That’s the first we’ve heard about the hazing, we prohibit all forms of hazing, and the fraternities and sororities know that” Nelson said.

In a statement from the national fraternity, they claim the incidents that caused Johansen’s injury were not part of a formal function put on by the fraternity.

The national fraternity also stated “Johansen was hurt during a 3 a.m. informal gathering of only three individuals, all of whom were

acting in their individual capacities without knowledge or authorization.”

The fraternity’s statement also goes on to say that Johansen was attempting to record the firework with his phone, getting dangerously close and not listening to another fraternity member’s plea to back away. The video was later deleted.

The fraternity also noted in the statement that Johansen had been an initiated member when the incident occurred.

“The allegations of hazing are simply not accurate with respect to the incident at issue, and the Chapter

disputes the allegations as stated,” the statement continues.

Two months prior to the incident Linfield put the chapter on probation for not following the college’s rules and policies regarding alcohol.

Shortly before the incident with Johansen, the college lifted the probation.

The suit claims that the college should have known that the fraternity could keep violating their policies and also states that the college is at fault for not thoroughly checking the storage shed on the fraternity’s property, where the fireworks were stored.

At the time of the incident Johansen was a sophomore. He will be returning for spring semester.

“We worked with the student’s family to make housing and academic accommodations,” said Nelson.

“This is a terrible accident.

Fortunately our student has been able to continue his studies and we look forward to him returning to campus.”

In the suit, Johansen’s mother Pamela Halloran is suing for $175,000 for travel expenses, Johansen’s medical costs and time spent caring for her son.

Q & A: English professor explores family, and his Oregon Book Award nomination

Courtesy of The University of Arkansas Press

Wilkins 2016 collection of poems “When We Were Birds” has been nominated for an Oregon Book Award.

February 6, 2017

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A Linfield English professor’s collection of poetry has been nominated for an Oregon Book Award in poetry.

Joe Wilkins, associate professor of English, is one of five authors nominated for the Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry for his collection of poems “When We Were Birds” as part of this year’s Oregon Book Awards. The Oregon Book Awards is celebrating its 30th year and recognizes Oregon writers work in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction as well as in

Linfield College

By Jonathan Williams

young adult and children’s literature.

Wilkins is the author of two other books of poetry and a memoir that have been nominated and won numerous awards.

Winners will be announced on Monday, April 24, at the Gerding Theater at the Armory in Portland.

What is the genesis of this collection?

This collection of poems grew out of our move to Iowa and being in a new

landscape, being in a place we didn’t know. We didn’t know a lot of people and that sort of experience of displacement and trying to find your way, trying to figure out who we were when we were there. A lot of the poems in this collection are in other voices – voices I was hearing as I was going about my day – sort of taking on this other way of looking at the world and speaking.

When we were in Iowa we got pregnant. Much of the collection is sort of thinking

about this new thing that is coming into our world, this new way we’ll have to be. A lot of the poems are dealing with trying to understand that, trying to reckon with that, and then suddenly there’s this little person here.

Those are two things that were happening and then as I started writing I realized these two things are part of the same project.

What sort of themes and ideas are you exploring in your work?

I’m always working with

> > See pg 2

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McMinnville, Ore.

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122nd Year

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Issue No. 8.

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News

February 6, 2017

Professor Wilkins: ‘landscape and place influences everything’

< < Continued from pg. 1

Courtesy of Joe Wilkins

Wilkins at the Dutch Henry Homestead in 2015, where he completed his writing residency.

class – ideas of privilege, poverty, and how our way of experiencing the world is so influenced by class. I’ve seen that in my own life and I’ve seen that in the lives around me. The book is reckoning with my own autobiography and my own background of poverty but also then when I’m in the small Iowa town we moved to right as the great recession kicked into high gear.

A good chunk of the town was employed my Winnebago Industries – a big manufacturing place. Many people were fired or for weeks on end were furloughed. It was a huge, huge hit to the town. To see that economic instability – I both knew it and I was seeing it in a new way again, especially as we were getting ready to have a child. It also deals with ideas of the other and how we might be able to move closer to

them and to see them as the self, potentially. A lot of the poems that speak in other voices try to do that – to try to see the other as the self and to try to see the self in the other, that sort of radical empathy. There’s also in this book a lot about inheritance: what we get and then what we pass down – for good and ill. What we get from our culture, from our parents, our landscapes and then how those things whether we want to or not, we give to those who come after us. The ways we inherit the world, and the ways then that we might hopefully take what is best of that inheritance and lose some of those things that are destructive.

Can you talk about the title of the collection and why you chose that?

JW: It comes from the first poem in the book. I tell my kids this story most nights.

One night my son was half asleep half awake and I asked him what kind of story he wanted and he said tell me the story about when we were birds and I thought of wow oh my goodness and so I tried to tell the story that night. The very next morning I started writing a poem with that title. That poem was one of the last ones that was written and was actually written here when we got to Oregon.

It was one of the last poems that made it into the book and one of the reasons it felt like it sort of encapsulated

By Jonathan Williams

the book is this sense it’s this poem about what we can be, the beauty that we are and the beauty that we see, the beauty in the world around us – its strangeness – but also then the ways the world works on us and the ways we might choose to be in it. In the end we can choose love, despite circumstance even when they get really terrible we can still choose that.

What are some of the through lines that connect your poems?

Some of the narratives. You sort of see a speaker very much like me in there. You see some of these poems that have similar titles – “Notes to my unborn son” and then I think these voice poems as well. We have these other people speaking into the experience and I think those poems for me sort of were to be able both to speak and to step back and try to say something else – to try to let this other character have their say.

What does your creative process look like?

For the most part I start with an image or a sound, sometimes in a narrative though often narrative ends up in prose. I am interested to inform a lot. I’m always on the lookout for form, I’m always trying to pay attention to it as I’m writing so it’s sort of two things: you have a little bit of an idea, an image or two, a narrative, and then you’re thinking about form and these aren’t work-

ing against each other but they’re bumping up against each other and in that kind of collision something starts to happen on the page and you find a language, you find the way the poem needs to go, you maybe discard some things that you thought might be important but are no longer important.

Who are some poets and writers you admire or who have influenced this collection of your work?

My graduate school mentor Robert Wrigley is a constant inspiration. He’s moved in some different directions and I think they’ve all been fascinating and sort of watching him change and grow as a poet has influenced my own growth and in this book I see it’s definitely a growth from the first two and so that sense of movement of being willing to try different things and speak about different things I think is from him a lot. I was actually reading a lot of James Baldwin – not a poet but an essayist and writer. What I admire so much about Baldwin is his ability to see even in the midst of catastrophe and tragedy to see clearly and to speak clearly and to always keep the other in mind.

His ability to speak outside of his own experience, though he speaks inside of it a lot too, I find profound.

He’s someone who influenced sort of the ways I was trying to speak outside of my experience in this book.

Another poet who was influ- quote. What work of his ential in this book is Amy Ne- is it from and why did you zhukumatathil. She’s both a choose to lead with it? really fun, funny poet, she’s That comes from “The Fire accessible, which I admire. Next Time.” That’s in his note But she also writes about to his nephew – “my dunparenthood a lot – both the geon shook” when he’s writjoys and travails and is hon- ing about his nephew’s birth est about it and so her work and how scared he is for him has been an influence as I’m and the sense that that fear – in that same space. it’s both the fear of birth – we Quite a few of your po- are all a little scared when ems start with “Notes to someone is being born – it’s my unborn son” – can a big deal! But that sense you talk about why that too that he hasn’t stopped trembling, that he continis?

It started as kind of a chal- ues to worry and fear for this lenge when I found out we child for numerous reasons. were pregnant. Every day What distinctions did you I tried to write a short note. make between each of the There’s not nearly as many sections in the book and as that in the book so a lot how did you decide how to of them didn’t necessarily organize the poems? go anywhere or they were A little bit is narrative. There folded into something else is a movement too from but some of them, some the way I remember to sort of those notes, started to of questioning my own become something and memory at the end (of the started to cohere and stick book) especially as my son together and they became shows up and makes me things I did want to say to rethink my world and my this new person coming memories. It moves seasonally somewhat too. There’s along.

When were the first and this sense of movement through winter, especially, last poems composed? across this winter into sumMany of them were commer. We have the first three posed about 7 years ago sections before we finally because my son is seven get into the forth to birth, to years old now. I think there arrival. The last one I think were some too that are beof as kind of a coda – it’s a fore that from sort of the single long poem – which years just before we moved is both sort of trying to look to Iowa and the last one forward and to look back. is from our first year here.

It’s these letters written on About 7 years of poems the occasion of my son’s first roughly. birthday.

Your collection opens with a James Baldwin

Peace prevailed during Portland protests: For the most part Donald Trump’s Presidential Inauguration in January caused many citizens nationwide to protest his coming into office, including a large group in Portland.

The Portland Protest started at Pioneer Courthouse Square, where people gathered to burn American flags. Many held signs illustrating their beliefs in racial equality, women’s rights, immigration, and climate change. Some read “a woman’s place is in the revolution,” “civil rights cannot be deleted,” “amor y compasión por los inmigrantes,”

and “injustice anywhere is still injustice everywhere.”

Once the march took over the street, many people’s eyes were no longer filled with defeat and hopelessness, but with determination and grit. “At the beginning I felt that I was representing every person that I knew who’s been and will be affected by recent events. Although we all had different reasons to protest, it was an amazing feeling to see how we all came together for one single cause,” said Luis Rodriguez, ‘20.

As the rain came down the

By Camille Botello

march went on. Groups of anarchists in all black started provoking lines of police officers in full riot gear. “It (the police) put into perspective for me how violent and dangerous protests can be. The

protesters who were provoking the cops made me feel pretty nervous, and also a little bit angry, I guess. They were protesting the system, which is meant to keep the protesters and bystanders

safe, and not Trump, which is what we were there to speak out against,” said Maddie Brunkhart, ‘20. At the end of the night, peaceful protesters were told to leave. Once they did, Portland police officers deployed “a chemical irritant and flash bang grenades at the intersection of Southwest Morrison Street and 5th Avenue,” because some protesters had become destructive, according to the Oregonian.

The 2016 Presidential election has been perhaps the most controversial one in history. What many fail to un-

derstand is why exactly people are outraged enough to protest the Inauguration.

Some protested for racial and gender equality, while others spoke out against the differences between Islam and terrorism. Still some others protested for activists who came before them, and all those who haven’t had a voice. “I think people think that all protesters are violent, but really, and especially at the Portland one, most are peaceful. It’s just that the few who are violent seem to represent the whole batch,” Brunkhart said.

Features

February 6, 2017

www.thelinfieldreview.com

The Man Behind The Designs

Chris Miles: Linfield champion football player and art major to alumni hall of famer and graphic designer A profession fueled by nothing less than passion. Former Linfield student and Wildcat hall of fame Christopher Miles knows all too well that the intense love for graphic design has no walls.

Miles graduated from Linfield College in 2005 and is currently owner and creator of CMDesign Graphics Company based in McMinnville. He recently taught a graphic design course at Linfield College.

Miles is the man behind the sensational athletic posters and game day pamphlets. One of his biggest projects has been the 99foot banner set out at home football games listing out all the teams wins and accomplishments.

Miles holds Linfield athletics very close to his heart. He played defensive tackle on the football team and was part of the 2004 National Championships.

He has carried Linfield athletics into all parts of his work and business with “Perseverance, determination and the will in stride to be the best.”

By Alex Jensen

Now that he owns a business he says that it is all about having the best customer service as possible.

Miles wants it to be the best designs his customers have ever seen and will not be satisfied until they love it.

Over Jan Term Miles taught a month-long productions course under the mass communications department. His students learned the ins and outs of graphic design and paginating to create either an eight-page newspaper or 12 page magazine.

He began teaching after Professor Thompson recruited him to help modernize the newspaper class trying to make it less black and white with all the rules. Miles agreed with only one term, he wanted to completely redesign the course ensuring that the students would still be producing but his way.

This past Jan term was Miles third time teaching the class and it continues to be a success.

Miles formerly worked at the News Register after col-

Since the 2016 U.S. presidential election tensions have been running high among Americans since terms like “fake news” have started to circulate societal discussions about what are legitimate news organizations and who Americans can trust to report the truth.

The Society of Professional Journalists states in its Code of Ethics that journalists should, “seek truth and report it,” which is exactly what the Review and its staff intends to continue to do.

A cornerstone of journalistic integrity is watchdog reporting and holding those in positions of power to account for their actions. Good reporting requires journalists to be fair, accurate and accountable for the work they produce as well as providing work that is balanced and unbiased.

If a student journalist makes a mistake in article they wrote

lege from 2006-11. Within a year he was lead artist and within another he was the production artist running the design for the whole newspaper. In 2011 he left the Register to start CMDesign.

Today his clientele list reaches across the country. Doing work for Crossfit companies all around the state, Wineries, Northwest Fitness games, Barrell Restaurants, Everyday Warrior, Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan and the Parker Moore Memorial Run. Miles began to learn graphic design in 2002 at Linfield College in electronic arts media class taught

by Professor Liz Obert. At the time the college only offered the one course so Miles took the class four more times specializing each on Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver.

Miles said that without a doubt Linfield has prepared him for his career. He has always loved to draw espe-

CMDesign

Courtesy of Chris Miles

Miles designed the cover of a 2016 publication of Linfield’s Game Time magazine. The photo on the right is at The Linfield Hall of Fame banquet, of himself, wife Dani and his 5-year-old son Roman.

cially with charcoal. Professor Obert introduced and opened a way for him to design which is not so messy.

The graphics amazed him and he knew once he could be good at it then he would have a happy life, specifying that it is not always about the paycheck but for the love of the profession and what he is doing.

What sparked Miles passion is that, “There was no ceiling for probably what I could do, today I have been doing graphic arts for fifteen years and there is still more to learn. There are no pa-

Editorial

they will always correct their mistake or update their story with new information. Likewise, students and faculty are encouraged to have meaningful dialogue with Review writers and editors about articles they think include factual or ethical errors by contacting the reporter. The Review continues to take seriously its role of providing the Linfield community the facts and stories it needs to know and will steadfastly continue to provide that service this semester.

After the conclusion of the recent U.S. presidential election many students on both sides of the aisle – democrats and republicans alike – felt like they were not having their voices heard by their fellow students. The Review always welcomes Letters to the Editor and will publish them online and in the print edition of the paper. Students and faculty can submit a Letter to the Editor by going to the Review’s website, the-

rameters.”

His biggest critic is himself but sometimes he will look at a design and say

“wow I produced that, I made that.”

“I get a love for it,” he continued to say.

For students looking to be graphic designer, Miles says they must have two things.

One, is patience - learning the technology is one of the biggest steps, and two, love and passion for creating and always moving forward as an individual and designer.

Since technology and software’s keep advancing so rapidly it takes a special kind of perseverance and adaptability to stay in the game.

“Once [one has] grasped the tech there has to be a love for it because there will be a lot of nights staring at a screen” said Miles.

He tells people all the time to continue to be creative because it is what shapes us and that we never know what we could do.

linfieldreview.com., and clicking on “Submit a Letter to the Editor” at the top of the home page. The Review reserves the right to edit letters for length and to protect privacy. Letters to the Editor provide a space for all members of the Linfield community to express their opinions and to have their voice heard. In addition, they also promote one of the Review’s chief goals in providing the Linfield community the intellectual space for expressing opinions so members of the community can learn from each other’s differences and may be able to reach a better understanding of why people hold the beliefs they do.

If students or faculty have tips for stories, events or incidents they think deserve coverage they should send an email to linfieldrevieweditor@gmail.com or Tweet the Review at @ linfieldreview.

How students feel about the new year and new president I am disappointed that Trump won and I cringe when I think of him working with foreign leaders. I’m excited about 2017 because I will be graduating and hopefully traveling.

- Molly McTaggart ‘17 I’m interested to see what’s actually going to happen and the repercussions of some decisions. I’m most worried about our planet and hope that people will realize how important protecting it is New year means I’ll be graduating in the spring, and I’m nervous about finding a job!

- Elizabeth Gibson

“At this point, I think the election serves as a point of reflection/ or example of how the country feels about our current state. A lot of people are unsatisfied and in a lot of different ways. There’s a lot of clashing and discontent, but I think that these emotions are giving way to a more positive future that’ll bring about more frequent and vocal political action from people that have previously felt silenced/marginalized. The start of the new year may feel like the end of the world for a lot of people but I think more and more people are seeing support for themselves throughout the nation” - Courtney Hicks ‘19

“We’re all gonna die” - Peyton Smith, ‘18 “I feel like we are gonna have a long 4 years with this new president who is filling his cabinet with people based on their income. These people to me don't really care about the programs that they are in charge of. I am quite upset with the outcome of Mrs. Devos and and how a person like her became the head of the education for the US. This is more or less how i feel about our new president so far.”

- Guadalupe Felix, ‘20

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Sports

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Commitment, effort brings success to swimming

By Sara Levering

The Wildcats have found nothing but success in swimming, defeating Pacific University, Lewis and Clark College and Willamette University in January. Both the men and women won by sizable margins. The men are now second in the conference behind Whitworth and the women are third behind Pacific Lutheran and Whitman. The men’s and women’s 200-yard freestyle both have found success in all three meets grabbing first place.

Noah Cutting, ‘20, has become a huge contributor to the men’s team with his 400 individual medley, specifically against Willamette with a time of 4:12.15 as well as the 200 individual medley against Pacific with a time of 2:01.08. On the meets, Cutting was extremely happy with the results. “We have shown our strength of the depth of our team and to be able to push through January and with all three meets

coming in wins really only motivates us in our conference meet.”

On the entire season, “the highlight of the season has to be the Whitworth dual meet. I greatly respect their team and consider them our rival, and when a win requires

the participation and focus of the whole team all the way down to the last race, it can only make our teams stronger,” Cutting said.

As a first year on the team, “it’s an exhilarating and humbling feeling to know that I can make an impact at the meets that mat-

ter. However, this feeling is one that only comes with the support I get from my Wildcat family, and that drives me to go out and race my hardest,”

Cutting said.

Molli Hartzell, ‘20, has found great success for the women’s squad on freestyle. In the 50 freestyle, she claimed first with a time of 25.91 against Pacific. Tahni Kakazu, ‘19, claimed first in 25.43 and Rita Cohen, ‘17, notched second in 25.83

against Willamette.

Evette Dow, ‘19, has been nothing but consistent on the distance races for Linfield. Dow notched first in the 1000 freestyle in 11:42.93 against Lewis and Clark and again against Pacific in 11:04.74 as well as in the 1650 freestyle against Willamette, winning the race in 18:15.30.

David Flores, ‘19, a distance swimmer for the men’s

squad, notched first in the 1000 against Pacific in 10:23.76. Flores was “very happy with the results this month. Most importantly, everybody is starting to swim faster and starting to get excited for conference.”

One of the changes that has made a significant impact on the season is atten-

dance. “We can’t get better unless we actually put in the time and effort at each practice. Throughout the season I think we have done a great job at showing up for practices because we all have the same goal in mind: to win conference,” Flores said.

Like Cutting, Flores echoed that beating the Whitworth team was one of the most memorable moments of the season.

Flores ended by saying “everyone on the team is very excited for the conference meet in February. Go ‘Cats!”

The swim teams will be heading up to Federal Way, Washington to compete at the Northwest Conference Championships Feb. 10-12 at the King County Aquatic Center.

Photo by Malia Riggs

Junior Josh Luffred swims the 500 freestyle in meet earlier in the season.

Men’s basketball competes for spot in conference playoffs

The Wildcats are ranked in the top half of the NWC, giving them hope for post-season games

By Kaelia Neal Even with tough Northwest Competition, the Linfield men’s basketball team currently sits in the top half of the conference. The Wildcats are ranked fourth out of nine teams and have a NWC play record of 6-6 and an overall record of 129.

“The season has been a constant improvement from game to game and has been going well so far,” junior Matt Woods said.

“We are playing for something bigger than ourselves. I feel as a group we have all come together and have tried to be our best day in and day out,” junior Jordan Clark said.

The Wildcats are led by head coach Shanan Rosenberg and assistant coaches Mickey Polis and Ryan Cali, who have really turned the program around into a

competitive team.

“Our coaches really prepare us well all week in practice so by the time we play in games, situations just come naturally,” Clark said.

The men’s basketball team has had a fairly even number of wins and losses but is still in contention for the conference tournament.

The Wildcats hope to finish out the season strong and reach their end of the season goals.

“Right now our goal is to finish the season strong and get into the league playoff to give us a chance to win the league title,” Woods said.

“Our goal is to play our best ball every time we step out on the court as a group.

Whether that means we make the conference playoffs or not, as long as we feel and know we are doing our jobs successfully, we feel good about ourselves,” Clark said.

The NWC is lead by the Whits, who both sit in the top 20 among all NCAA Division III men’s basketball teams. Whitman claims the number one spot in the NWC with a record of 12-0, and the team is ranked second nationally. Whitworth is seeded second in the NWC with a record of 9-3, and also sits at eighth in the nation.

The next time the Wildcats will be on the court will be at Forest Grove where they will battle Pacific University. The game is set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Photo courtesy Linfield Athletics

Junior Matt Woods in a game earlier this season where he scored nine points, had five rebounds and had one blocked shot.

February 6, 2017

‘Cats remain optimistic on end of season

By Kaelia Neal

The Linfield women’s basketball team has certainly had its highs and lows throughout the season but remains optimistic. The Wildcats are ranked eighth out of the nine Northwest Conference teams with a NWC play record of 3-9 and an overall record of 9-12.

“We’ve had our ups and downs but it has been really fun to watch the younger players develop throughout the season,” senior point guard Quincey Gibson said.

The team is young as there are only four seniors out of the 16 players. Even with a young team, the Wildcats continue to compete in every game and not give up.

“This season has been challenging for us and definitely a learning experience.

We have a very talented league so coming into not only each game, but also each practice, we really have had to focus on doing the little things and trust the whole process even after losses,” Paige Graham said, junior guard and forward.

When the Wildcats put the pieces together, they are a force to be reckoned with.

“Our team is really successful when we play solid defense and put four whole quarters together,” Gibson said.

The ’Cats are led by head coach Casey Bunn-Wilson and assistant coaches Emily Gray and Taylor Mills. Although its record does not reflect it, the team has made many improvements over the last two seasons.

“We really have made huge strides in our program since just last season and it’s exciting to see that and very encouraging,” Graham said.

Although the competition in the NWC is tough, the Wildcats plan to continue to fight and finish the season strong. The team has been making progress and continues to grow together.

“We work hard together, we win together, we lose together. We’re a family,” Graham said.

The next game for the Linfield women’s basketball team will be against Pacific University at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 7, in Forest Grove.