The Linfield Review August 31 , 2015
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Linfield College
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McMinnville, Ore.
New students attend cat camp
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121st Year
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Issue No. 1
Kyle Huizinga/Photo editor
New students are greeted by current students as they enter Maxwell Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 27, for cat camp. New students were introduced to a variety of Linfield traditions, cheers and activities they can join while at Linfield.
Arts and Humanities in Action a success Jonathan Williams Editor-in-Chief Several new students at Linfield arrived to campus early to take part in the newest pre-orientation program offered by the college. Arts and Humanities in Action (AHA), is a new program at Linfield that is funded through a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 13 new students participated in the program that was co-directed by Professor and Competitive Scholarship Advisor, Tom Mertes and Professor of English and creative writing, Anna Keesey. The theme of this year’s AHA program centered on how different disciplines in the arts and humanities look at and discuss the case of Charity Lamb, who is the Territory of Oregon’s first woman convicted of murdering her husband. Students in the program took a trip to the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, visited downtown McMinnville as well as Nicholson
Library and the Linfield Garden. President Hellie, Dean of Faculty and Vice President of Academic Affairs Susan Agre-Kippenhan and Catherine Jarmin Miller who is the director of Corporate and Foundation Relations were instrumental in securing the $100,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation. “The Mellon Foundation recognized the decline in students across the country who major in disciplines in the arts and humanities and wanted to help encourage students to major in those fields by providing funding for career development, internships, studentrun learning communities and faculty support,” Mertes said. Students who participated in the program completed projects that confronted how different majors in the arts and humanities would discuss and make sense of the Lamb case. Student projects completed incl>> See Arts and Humanities on Page 3
Photo courtesy Tom Mertes Professor of history Lissa Wadewitz talks to students in the Arts and Humanities in Action program.
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www.thelinfieldreview.com The
LINFIELD REVIEW 900 SE Baker St. Unit A518 McMinnville, OR 97128
Phone: (503) 883-5789 E-mail: linfieldrevieweditor@gmail. com Web: www.thelinfieldreview.com Editor-in-chief Jonathan Williams Business manager Copy editor Sara Levering News editor Elizabeth Stoeger Sports editor Kaelia Neal; Ross Passeck Arts & Entertainment editor Cassandra Martinez Features editor Opinion editor Emily Eisert Photo editor Kyle Huizinga Videographer Davis Pitner Advertising Executive Cartoonist Kyle Sharrer
Staff photographer John Christensen Adviser Brad Thompson Associate Professor of Mass Communication The Linfield Review is an independent, student-run newspaper. The contents of this publication are the opinions and responsibility of the Review staff and do not reflect the views or policy of the Associated Students of Linfield College or of Linfield College. Signed commentaries and comics are the opinions of the individual writers or artists. The Review is funded by advertising and subscription revenue and ASLC and is produced in cooperation with the Linfield College Department of Mass Communication. The Linfield Review is published bi-weekly on Mondays throughout the fall and spring semesters. A single copy of the Review is free from newsstands. Subscriptions are $50 for a year and $35 for a semester. Memberships The Linfield Review is a member of the collegiate division of the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association and the Associated Collegiate Press, a national college newspaper group. 2014-2015 ONPA Awards Second place Best Editorial First place best cartoons First place Best Sports Photo First place Best Spot Photo Best Website Letters to the editor Letters to the editor must be signed with name, date and address. Students should include major and year. The Review reserves the right to refuse any letter and to edit letters for length. Letters must be received no later than 5 p.m. Friday to appear in the Review the following Monday. Letters are limited to 250 words or fewer. Longer pieces may be submitted as guest commentary.
Editorial/Arts
FROM THE EDITOR
New year, new Review Welcome back current students, and welcome to Linfield, new students. As a new academic year begins, the Review remains deeply committed to serving the students, faculty, staff and administrators at Linfield. The Review also serves as the voice of the students and the Linfield community. The Review wishes to help students and faculty understand and make sense of the many intellectual truths and discoveries that will be made in our own academic community this year. The Review plans to take part in the on going conversation of diversity and wellness at Linfield through enterprise, investigative and
accountability reporting. The Review has formed many new partnerships with organizations across campus. Sigma Tau Delta, Linfield’s English honors society, will contribute bi-weekly book reviews to the paper. The Review is also working with the Linfield Archives in Nicholson library to produce research-based articles in a series of “From the Archives” articles that will be published in the Review. The Review will also publish bi-weekly columns from students involved in sustainability efforts on campus. The Review is also committed to publishing new articles on its website, thelinfieldreview.com, as fre-
quently as possible in order to best serve readers and the community. The Review recognizes that Linfield students are also global citizens around the world. A new foreign correspondent blog will be updated three to four times a week on the Review’s website with posts from nine Linfield students who are studying abroad during the fall semester. The Review also plans to develop sustainable relationships with student and administrative leaders across campus in order to foster a learning community that discusses important topics and ideas across disciplines, activ-
August 31, 2015
Review office hours Editor-in-chief Tuesdays 4-6 p.m.
Thursdays ities and athletics through 3:30-5 p.m. journalism. The Review also plans or by appointment to work closely with ASLC, LCat and KSLC to provide Follow us on Twitter and a voice for student concerns Instagram and ideas. @linfieldreview The Review’s goal is to and like us on Facebook be a source of education, information and ultimately a Corrections resource that can help people make educated decisions. The Linfield Review pubAs in the past, the Review lishes is open to publishing letters corrections from previous to the editor and guest colissues in this spot every week umns from the Linfield coma correction is needed. To munity. submit a correction, email Best wishes for a year of linfieldrevieweditor@ learning, achievement and gmail.com. success, Wildcats.
Jonathan Williams can be reached at linfieldrevieweditor@gmail.com.
“Sixth Extinction” Linfield theater prepares for fall a window to our productions, PLACE theme past and present Elizabeth Stoeger @linfieldreviewnews
Camille Weber For the Review Staff writers Chase Stowell Kellie Bowen Gabriel Nair Adam Myren
Throughout most of the human race’s history, the natural world around us is at best indifferent. For tens of thousands of years, humans and other species have had to fight for survival in order to maintain their existence on Earth. Recently, however, mankind has evolved into the dominant species. Because of our advanced ability to adapt and manipulate the world around us, humans have drastically changed the Earth’s ecological landscape. Although among scientists it is widely accepted that extinction is a natural feature of biodiversity on Earth, could it also be true that human’s may be to blame for the rapid decline of various species in the Earth’s recent history? As the title implies, Elizabeth Kolbert’s “The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History” obviously leans toward the position of a sixth, human-caused mass extinction. Through a combination of historical background in the development of the evolution theory and her own personal narrative, Kolbert is able to make the text incredibly coherent and accessible. Despite its length, the book is a fairly easy read and its unique literary-journalistic style appeals to both students planning on pursuing a career in the sciences and individuals with interests in the arts and humanities. Although Kolbert’s work may not leave readers feeling especially optimistic about the earth’s future, Kol-
bert does acknowledge the rigor and commitment many individuals and organizations go to in order to protect certain species in decline. The book is surprisingly informative in areas such as marketing, linguistics, history, economics and politics as they are all mentioned in relation to the study of the Earth’s ecology. As the book is interdisciplinary in nature, it also touches on issues concerning ethics and the overall reason why humans should take preservation and restoration efforts of different biospheres more seriously. Kolbert utilizes stunning examples ranging from species that are on the verge of extinction such as the Panamanian golden frog, to the shocking speed of the extinction process in the case of the original penguin (The Great Auk), and eventually touching upon more current examples of species in decline such as the Sumatran Rhino and the Great Barrier Reef. Kolbert even manages to appeal to individuals particularly interested in genetics as she interweaves the concept of the modern human as a hybrid-species into the tail-end of her work. By building upon and often times rejecting their predecessor’s findings, present day man is presented with the greatest understanding of the world’s history than at any other point in human existience. The only catch, according to Kolbert, is whether or not we are able to interpret that information as it reveals itself to us.
Camille Weber can be reached at linfieldrevieweditor@gmail.com.
In its 96th season, the Linfield Theater offers two productions this fall, “We Are But One Thread” and Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, both in line with this year’s PLACE theme – Air, Water, Earth and Fire: the ancient elements on a changing planet.” The production in September is a new staging of “We Are But One Thread” which “examines the way in which humankind … alters the design [of the planet] in ways no other creature has ever done.” Brenda DeVore Marshall, professor of Theater and Communication Arts at Linfield said, “We hope the production will cap-
ture some of the Linfield community’s conversation about these issues and contribute to that dialogue.” Marshall called the production “a unique, Linfield-centered artistic expression of our collective response to some of the issues embedded in the PLACE theme.” There will be an informational meeting as well as auditions held on Monday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. in Marshall Theatre located in Ford Hall. Anyone is welcome to audition and attend the meeting. In November, Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” will be staged in a new way in order to further reflect this year’s PLACE theme. The production will take place on a man-made
island of trash. Janet Gupton, associate professor of Theatre Arts as well as the show’s director said, “This exciting and daunting idea of putting sustainability to work on a micro-level through our theatre program will hopefully resonate … as we search for ways to rethink our usage of materials and natural resources.” Auditions for “The Tempest” will be held on Sept. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Marshall Theater. The goal of this season’s productions are to “further our commitment to promoting discussion of the human condition and social justice through theatre,” Marshall said.
The Review is hiring Open positions: • Business Manager • Features Editor • Advertising Executives For more information and to apply contact the Review’s Editor-in-Chief, Jonathan Williams, at jwillia1@linfield. edu. All positions are stipends and are paid at the end of each month.
News
August 31, 2015
Linfield alumna delivers 2015 Convocation address Elizabeth Stoeger @linfieldreviewnews
A new school year officially began on Friday, Aug. 28, with the opening Convocation of the 158 academic year at Linfield. Dr. Theresa Betancourt, a 1991 Linfield graduate, gave the Convocation keynote address. Betancourt reminisced about her time at Linfield, “I can recall this same moment many years ago when just like you I was carrying and unpacking boxes … It can be very intimidating, it’s important to remember to take your time to realize that you don’t have to figure it out all at once.” Betancourt received her doctorate from the Harvard School of Public Health in maternal and child health, and is currently the director of the Research Program on Children and Global Adversity at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard. Betancourt recounted an important milestone in her educational journey as finding a way to “build a trust in my own skills and to refine
them in their application.” She is the principal investigator in the longitudinal study of former child soldiers in Sierra Leone, and has studied mental health issues amongst HIV/AIDS affected youth. She joked, “Today I’m a professor at a little university we call the Linfield of the East: Harvard University.” She spoke about her work, studying former child soldiers and the mental issues of HIV/AIDS patients. “In all that I’ve learned about resilience in the lives of children and families affected by HIV or former child soldiers … is that resilience is tied to relationships and to the vast network from early family attachment relationships, to the friendships and mentors we meet along the way. I had tremendous mentoring at Linfield and the connections I made here lasted a lifetime.” Betancourt’s research was horrifically interrupted by the Ebola outbreak. “We felt our hands tied to contribute. I was unable to go
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to the field and supervise my projects.” By conducting a study on “knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to risky and health promoting behaviors in the context of Ebola,” Betancourt was able to continue her research in Sierra Leone during the apex of the epidemic. “In this case, and in many opportunities that life will present to you as well, both during your time at Linfield and beyond, chance will favor the prepared mind.” “As you embark on this amazing opportunity before you and this new academic year, reflect on what it means to you to be a prepared mind. Think of the toolkit that you want to build, the foundation that you want to lay for yourself here. It is open to you to make of it what you will … enjoy the journey.”
Kyle Huizinga/Photo editor Dr. Theresa Betancourt, a 1991 Linfield alumna, gave the keynote address at Convocation on Friday, Aug. 28. Betancourt is a the director of the Research Program on Children and Global Adversity at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University.
New students serve, engage in McMinnville community Emily Eisert Opinion editor
Photo courtesy Emily Eisert
First CLAS participants make a pyramid and pose. More than 45 new students participated in First CLAS, which is a week-long leadership and service based pre-orientation program.
A group of more than 45 new students arrived on campus early to take part in community service and civic engagement through one of Linfield’s pre-orientation programs. First CLAS is a weeklong leadership and service based pre-orientation program. Linfield offers several pre-orientation programs for first-year students to get involved on campus the week before classes begin. “This is a cool opportunity [for new students] to get on campus early to learn about Linfield and the McMinnville community,” First CLAS leader junior Deizhanna Kaya-Abad said. Joni Tonn, director of Community Engagement and Service at Linfield said
that First CLAS gives students the opportunity to engage in the kind of learning Linfield focuses on. “That is how Linfield as a whole excels: individuals working toward a common goal, an engaged learning community,” Tonn said. One of the most valuable parts of First CLAS is the opportunity to reflect on one’s own experiences, which students will do inside and outside of the classroom throughout their four years at Linfield. Students were able to better understand the impact they had and the leadership skills they gained through group reflection. The 49 participants were split in to groups of eight to nine and had a returning student leader to help them complete service projects. Students had the opportunity to volunteer at Miller
Woods, Yamhill County Watershed, Head Start, Habitat for Humanity as well as other local organizations. Working with these organizations allowed students to start engaging in their new community. Group leader sophomore Caitlyn Van Zandt said that “watch them grow as a team” was the most rewarding part of working with her group of new students. First CLAS is in its fifth year and is the longest running pre-orientation program. Kaya-Abad said preorientation programs are beneficial to new students because they “help ease the transition students go through from being in high school to a first year college student.”
Ballerstadt, English; Hillary Crane, anthropology; and Ron Mills, arts and visual culture. Students also had peer mentors including seniors Camille Weber and Joanna Buchholz, sophomore Joshua Harper and recent graduate Doug Sundman. Mertes says he “hopes to
fill the program in the future and to have more students declare majors in the arts and humanities.” Current Linfield students now have the opportunity to form learning communities based on collective interests centering on topics and ideas related to studies in the arts and humanities.
Those learning communities have the chance to receive funding from the Mellon grant and will also have a faculty mentor provided. There will also be more opportunities for career development and internships in the arts and humanities.
Emily Eisert can be reached at linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com.
Mellon grant funds Arts, Humanities in Action << Continued from page 1
-ude a film, a collection of poems, a historical analysis paper, a bisecting chart, a collection of short stories and two diaries. “I got an exquisite opportunity to meet with several professors before I even have classes at Linfield and they really did help me go
deeper in looking at Charity Lamb from different perspectives,” Freshman Adrian Lu said. By the end of the program, “students were introduced and learned about several disciplines in the arts and humanities including history, philosophy, religious studies, English and creative
writing, visual arts and music,” Mertes said. Faculty mentors who helped with the program included Professors, Lissa Wadewitz, history; David Fiordalis, religious studies; Bill Millar, religious studies; Leonard Finkelman, philosophy; Lex Runciman, creative writing; Reshmi Dutt-
Jonathan Williams can be reached at linfieldrevieweditor@gmail.com.
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August 31, 2015
New students engage in orientation activities All photos by Kyle Huizinga/Photo editor
Left: Junior Rita Cohen’s Colloquium class eats dinner in the academic quad on Friday, Aug. 28. Below: New students gather in the Oak Grove to take a class picture in the formation of an “L” to represent Linfield on Friday, Aug. 28.
SOIL program educates, helps students become sustainable Sara Levering Copy editor
A group of new students arrived to campus early to participate in a pre-orientation program that focused on sustainability at Linfield. Sustainably Orientated Interconnected Living (SOIL) is a pre-orientation program at Linfield that focuses on how new students can be sustainable. The goal of the program is to educate students how to be sustainable not only at Linfield but also in the McMinnville community. Duncan Reid, who is the coordinator of sustainability at Linfield, said his main hope for students by the end of the program is to “understand the concept and relate to what is going on at Linfield and to get involved as well as to use resources to make changes as needed.” During the program,
students took part in three workshops that focused on sustainability, food values and the concept of zero waste. Students also worked in the Linfield garden, took a field trip to a recology center and camped at Camp Smith in McMinnville. This is the second year the SOIL program has been active and has kept its numbers low in order to build close relationships with Reid and the leaders. Reid said this year was definitely a success and that they made changes that benefitted them well. Sophomore Gabi Esparza participated as a leader and said she really enjoyed the camp out and her favorite part was the group bonding with the new students. Sophomore Peri Muellner said her favorite part was “learning to become a leader in sustainability, as well as
being a friend to the new students.” Sophomore Andrew Hampson said that being a leader changed his perspective because it was a quiet but thoughtful group, causing him to make some changes as a leader and to step up. Hampson enjoyed his time during the program and thinks that the students gained a lot from the program on how to be sustainable. Freshman Meghan Seifert said “Doing SOIL turned out to be one of the best things I’ve done all summer.” Seifert’s favorite part of the program was seeing the landfill and recology as well as working in the garden. Seifert also enjoyed working with all the leaders and Reid.
Kyle Huizinga/Photo editor Sustainability coordinator Duncan Reid and partcipants from the SOIL program enjoy dinner together.
Sara Levering can be reached at linfieldreviewcopy@gmail.com.
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Kyle Huizinga/Photo editor Reid and SOIL participants listen to an employee at the Western Oregon Waste Recology center in McMinnvile.