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Vol. 135, No. 22
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CHIPS LUTHER COLLEGE
April 25, 2013
News Editor
Two Luther alumni were present at the Boston Marathon, only three blocks away from the bombing sites when the explosions occurred. Anna Murray (‘12) and Ashley Matthys (‘13) traveled to Boston to watch Anna’s mother Lisa Murray run the 26.2-mile race.
the second bomb [12 seconds later], a feeling that doesn’t happen very often kicked in.” The bombs were set off around the four-hour mark, a time when
unopposed Katherine Mohr/
Front and senator. Luke Hanson (‘14) and Paul Esker (‘14) discuss their 2013-2014 platform.
Katherine Mohr Boston continued on page 10
Courtesy of nytimes.com
Boston marathon bombings. Many were wounded and three killed in the bombings on April 15. Suspect is in custody.
Since 1884
Candidates race
Boston bombing hits home Jayne Cole
“Let the chips fall where they may.”
Staff Writer
Paul Esker (‘14) and Luke Hanson (‘14) have been elected as president and vice president of Student Senate for the 2013-2014 school year. They ran unopposed, a rare occurrence in Student Senate’s presidential election history. Esker and Hanson still campaigned, however, by publicizing their goals for next school year hanging posters with phrases like, “Probably better than nothing,” “Because it’s still technically Democracy,” and “Opposed? ...We’re not.” They also created a video describing their platform, which is focused on funding student organizations. “We wanted to generate a discussion on campus with all parties involved – students, faculty, staff – about our goals and our platform,” Esker said. “And we wanted feedback.” Their goals are threefold: to better fund student organizations, to restructure how Student Senate uses
possible. This year, Student Senate budgeted $4,000 to fund student organizations. Esker and Hanson believe this amount to be “embarrassing,” Esker said in the campaign video. They compare the funding of student organizations at St. Olaf with the $4,000 allocated at Luther. Last year, St. Olaf distributed $74,000 for student organization funding, or about $24 per student. Luther doles out about $1.60 per student with the current budget. Next year, however, the budget will be $14,500 for student organization funding. This is due in large part to the shifting of funds from SAC and PAC to increase the budget. “SAC actually combined two committees, the Diversity Committee and the Spotlight Committee, put them together to free up more money for student Senate elections continued on page 10
20 Students awarded research grants Ingrid Baudler
our understanding of the kinds
but as an important project for
Staff Writer of research that can be done,” Luther College.
While some students plan to wait tables or fetch coffee as an intern this summer, others will be researching the percent of deer ticks that carry Lyme Disease or studying the effect of indoor gardening for nursing home residents. The Dean’s office has extended research grants to about 20 students this summer, which enables them to research a topic of their choice in collaboration with a professor. The students will receive a $3,000 stipend along with free on-campus housing and up to $500 for research materials. While most are science-based projects, this Courtesy of Hans Becklin norm has been changing. Altar-ing history. Hans “Over the past decade or so Becklin (‘14) plans to examinie as a faculty, we have expanded altar pieces in area churches.
Associate Dean Terry Sparkes said. “We have created more opportunities and made these programs more flexible.” Hans Becklin (‘14) is taking advantage of this opportunity. He plans to study 19th-century altar paintings in area churches as a way to learn about Norwegian immigrants. “[These paintings are] a visual manifestation of the values they have – and not just religious values but cultural values,” Becklin said. “It shows how these people viewed their religious identity.” This project brings together Becklin’s interest in art, history and his own personal identity as a Lutheran of Norwegian descendant. He not only sees this project as a good opportunity for himself,
“As the oldest NorwegianAmerican college in the United States, our institutional history is so tied up with the history of these churches that these altar pieces are found in and so to some extent when we talk about the identity that these congregations had, we’re talking about the identity of the early founder and early student at Luther College,” Becklin said. His research project topic’s specificity adds to the identity of the whole location of Luther College. “You can do most math or science or even humanity projects anywhere,” Becklin said. “Decorah and this area is really the capital of 19 century Norwegian America so that makes this research all the
more important to me and to the institution.” Aaron Zauner (‘14) decided to go a different route for his research project. He will be writing a critical edition of Haydn’s Cello Concerto No.1 in C Major. He will be looking at everything from the original manuscript to contemporary editions of the piece to try to figure out what the composer intended in terms of the playing style. “It’s a lot harder to know what the composer originally wanted because he didn’t give as much because it was expected that once it fell into the performers hands he would know what to do,” Zauner said. Critical editions of the piece so far have included markings Research grants continued on page 10