Members of the public discussed local, state and national issues with state Representative Ron Noble and state Senator Brian Boquist on Thursday, April 7, at a town hall meeting at the McMinnville City Hall. The public brought up many concerns, including funding for infrastructure projects and immigration reform.
The Wildcats softball team splits its games against the Whitworth Pirates on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the ‘Cats won in a score of 5-0, and lost 4-1. On Saturday, they won 7-2 and lost 6-3. Linfield is now second in the Northwest Conference standings with a record of 21-7.
>>See full story online, thelinfieldreview.com
April 17, 2017
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The Linfield Review
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McMinnville, Ore.
>>See full story on pg. 11
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122nd Year
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Issue No. 13
Hate symbol on ball riles campus By Kaelia Neal
The Linfield Young Americans for Liberty group’s free speech ball outside of Walker Hall on April 12 received attention from students and faculty when a student drew Pepe the Frog, which has recently been appropriated by white supremacist groups. Linfield College posted a picture of the ball on its Instagram account but was later removed because of the frog’s association with alt-right groups. “As soon as it was pointed out that the photo included the image, the Instagram post was removed,” President Thomas Hellie said. The free speech ball event, the first event in the Speak Freely Series at Linfield, encouraged students to express themselves by writing and drawing on the ball to promote free speech. Pepe the Frog is a popular In-
NWC party colleges ranked By Kaelia Neal
Niche.com published a list of the top American party schools in 2017, which included 1,426 fouryear colleges and universities. According to the site, rankings were based on student reviews and nightlife statistics. Linfield College ranks 896 nationally and fourth among Northwest Conference schools. Whitman stands is the number one spot among the conference, and is 509 in the nation. According to niche.com, the rankings “are based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni.” The University of Oregon was judged as the top party school among Oregon schools, as it was 51 in the nation. Oregon State University was 155, and Washington State University was 88.
ternet meme that has often appeared in humorous ways. The Anti-Defamation League has listed Pepe the Frog on its Hate Symbols Database. “I only heard about it secondhand, and I understand that it is a place for free speech but in all reality, it was certainly done in very poor taste,” junior John Christensen said. According to its website, the YAL’s mission is to “identify, educate, train, and mobilize youth activists committed to “winning on principle.” Our goal is to cast the leaders of tomorrow and reclaim the policies, candidates, and direction of our government.” A member of YAL drew the Pepe the Frog on the ball, but asked to remain unidentified. “I know the person who drew Pepe. He didn’t draw it to be negative. He drew it to be funny,”
senior Parker Wells, a member of YAL, said. “We understood some groups appropriated the image, but any image can be appropriated,” he said. Wells said his goals with the free speech ball were to get people thinking about their rights to free expression and to bring more attention to the YAL group. “I understand that it’s necessary to set limits, but I don’t think this cartoon frog is a limit to set for free speech. I find it unfortunate that people can’t enjoy this event because of the frog image,” he said. Wells said that this was an “overreaction” and “it doesn’t make the college look particularly strong or open-minded.” Lucas Carter is the president of YAL at Linfield, and the group is working toward becoming an official club. Approximately 20 >>See free speech ball page 4
Photo courtesy of Parker Wells
Pepe the Frog, also known as the sad frog, is a popular Internet meme that has been used in numerous ways, but the Anti-Defamation League has listed it in the Hate Symbols Database due to it’s appropriation.
Cabinet members offer 2017-18 plans By Olivia Gomez
The incoming officers of Linfield’s student government emphasized student involvement and communication between themselves and students for a better college. The new Cabinet members will be ratified April 20 and officially begin working May 1. The past few weeks have been spent shadowing the current members and learning each member’s daily responsibilities. Every incoming Cabinet member expressed excitement about being a part of the Associated Students of Linfield College’s executive branch. The two elected officers and seven appointed officers have already begun thinking about how to improve events, the school and student government itself. They referenced their experiences as leaders of sports teams, class representatives or members of student government in high school as motivation for joining Linfield’s student government. Some students have also been ASLC senators, club leaders, or
held positions in the Cabinet or on the Linfield College Activities Team. The Cabinet’s incoming vice president of programming, Kainoa Cuttitta, has been working as the LCAT Secretary under her predecessor, Cruz Morey. She said Morey’s hard work at refining Linfield’s brand inspired her to take the position. Cuttitta said she hopes to diversify the activities LCAT offers and is happy with the increased publicity LCAT is getting compared to last year. Junior Mike Sheldon is the only incumbent Cabinet member; he has been the Student Center director all year. His job is to make students aware of the resources they have, like the game room in Riley Hall and the bicycle co-op near Campbell Hall. He commented on how it is difficult to reach all students, saying much of the same people come to his events. Sheldon said he hopes to “level out the gender ratio,” specifically at events like the Super Smash Brothers Tournament. Most of the nine incoming Cabinet members commented on diversity at >>See ASLC members page 4