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“Let the chips fall where they may.”
FebRUaRy 25, 2016
Serving the Luther College community since 1884.
VoLUme 138, No. 14
College Ministries continues search for campus pastor Karl badger STaFF WRITeR Luther College Ministries is currently in the process of finding a new pastor to replace former campus pastors Amy Larson and David Vasquez. Amy Larson left Luther in June 2015 to serve as the new pastor for Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Decorah, while Vasquez became the President of Pacific School of Religion in Berkley, California, in January 2015. Their roles are being temporarily filled by Interim Pastors Judd Larson and Marion Pruitt-Jefferson. In order to find the replacement for Amy Larson and Vasquez, a call committee has been formed to review applications for the job. Due to budget uncertainties, the committee is currently focused on hiring only one new pastor. The committee is headed by Assistant Professor of Music Andrew Last (‘97) and is comprised of multiple staff members and students. “We have a very strong call committee,” Campus Pastor Mike Blair said. “[They’re] very committed and a good representation of campus perspectives.” Blair is also a member of the committee. At
Interim Pastor Judd Larson dances from the pulpit on gospel Sunday. the moment, the committee is in the process of narrowing the number of applicants down to about 10 to 15 people. “We’ve received a strong pool of applicants,” Pastor Blair said. “So now we’ll begin to have a pool of phone or Skype interviews first with a group of candidates, and from that, discern who’s best to bring to
campus. When that happens, there will be an opportunity to meet prospective candidates sometime after spring break.” College Ministries hopes that the new pastor will begin working next fall, as the call process has been developing since the beginning of the 2015-16 academic year. President of College Ministries Carter
Concordia College tightens budget, cuts nine majors elizabeth bonin STaFF WRITeR Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, a peer institution of Luther, recently cut nine majors from their program offering due to budget cuts. As this news travels to Luther, students and faculty discuss what implications these cuts could hold for Luther. According to Concordia’s student newspaper The Concordian, the school will no longer offer Classical Studies, Classics, Latin, Latin Education, French, French Education, German and the self-standing Health and Humanities majors. Students currently in those majors can still finish out their degree, but those majors will be closed to incoming students. Concordia has reduced those classes to minors only. With these programs eliminated, some feel Concordia’s status as a liberal arts education is called into question. One of these people is Erika Strandjord (‘06), Assisstant Professor of English at Concordia College. “[The meaning of liberal arts] is a conversation a lot of liberal arts colleges are having, and nationally, they’re having the conversation and having to make cuts,” Strandjord said.
Annika Vande Krol / Source Johnson (‘16), commented on the search. “The fall was a process of figuring out what we needed in a new campus pastor,” Johnson said. “Luckily, last year the College Ministries program as a whole underwent a process called the ‘Year of Listening Review’.” Pastor searCh, Page 4
English department hosts alumni networking event Katie nelson NeWS edIToR & anna Jeide edIToR IN ChIeF
Sports Editor of The Concordian Kallie Eberling said her opinion of Concordia has not changed despite the major cuts. “The overall consensus is that students who were affected were upset, but they still see Concordia as a liberal arts college,” Eberling said. However, others disagree. Victoria Revier (‘18), a French and English double major at Luther believes a school that doesn’t offer languages is not liberal arts because it cuts students off from experiencing a global perspective. “It’s all about expanding your worldview,” Revier said. “If you only learn English, you’re pretty limited in what you can understand about the world.” Head of Luther’s Modern Languages Department David Thompson believes a school without languages is a diminished form of liberal arts. “Language learning is central to liberal arts education, so any college that calls itself a liberal arts college and does not prioritize the study of languages and other cultures is not consistent with its identity,” Thompson said.
The English department hosted a networking event titled “At Work in the World” for English majors and minors to speak with English alums currently working in various fields on Feb. 20. Roughly 20 English majors and minors from all years attended the event. Rebecca Klug (‘95), Erika Strandjord (‘06), Jordan Wiklund (‘07), Visiting Instructor in English Laura Fuller (‘10) and Visiting Assistant Professor of Library Sciences Jaci Wilkinson (‘12) spoke with students in small groups, before a dinner featuring a keynote address by Klug. The alums each represented a variety of careers ranging from English professor to librarian within the digital humanities. Students had the opportunity to rotate stations and speak with each alum about their career path and learn about how their English majors prepared them for their work in the world. The event which used to be held annually was brought back in a slightly different form than before, changing from a panel of speakers to a round table discussion with students and each alum. “This way students have the chance to ask questions and make connections with the alums,” Professor of English and co-organizer of the event Nancy Barry said. “Something I think is wonderful, is that I even heard the alums asking questions to the students.”
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News editors: katie NelsoN & jacob warehime
Paideia lecture centers on impermanence, identity aNa lopez staff writer Associate Professor of Social Work Britt Rhodes and Professor of Chemistry Brad Chamberlain delivered the Paideia Text and Issues Lecture: “Identity and the Academy: Embracing Change” on Tuesday, Feb. 16 in the Center for Faith and Life Recital Hall. This year’s Paideia lecture series focuses on the theme of impermanence in the world, answering questions about how time affects meaning and how we will be remembered. Rhodes and Chamberlain talked about impermanence in the context of academia and how the field and Luther College as an institution have changed. The speakers both started their careers with no intention of devoting their lives to academia, but to immerse themselves in the field for practical reasons. They explained how their individual stories and identities inspired the questions that originated the lecture. “How do people, not just students, but faculty and staff arrive at this place?” Rhodes said. “What impact does their
presence have on the institution, and how does the ethos of the institutions change how they see themselves?” Rhodes and Chamberlain addressed the first part of their question, about the impact of individual identities and their impact in the institution. Rhodes talked about her experiences in the classroom with her social work students and how approaching fundamental questions is vital for the liberal arts education. “Grappling with the questions on the surface as well as those that are deeply embedded from multiple perspectives is what a liberal arts education is about,” Rhodes said. Chamberlain explained how he has seen students questioning their identities in his classroom, as well as a part of their interaction with the institution as they face academic doubt and difficulties. “When that happens, I often see students questioning not only their abilities, but also their identities,” Chamberlain said. The duo also approached their question from an institutional perspective, explaining that they believe that identities are determined by our context. They argue that
Luther College has its own identity, and mentioned how it has changed over time. The lecturers showed images made with Wordle, a program that shows the most used words in a given text. Entering the mission statements of the college between 1883 and 2007 showed the changes over time. Claire Lutter (‘18) found the lecture especially applicable to her studies in social work. “A lot of social work students go into school thinking, ‘I need to learn skills about how to help people,’” Lutter said. “I think that’s accurate, not just in learning skills but also in thinking about things in a way that is meaningful and I can apply toward relationships with other humans.” Chamberlain concluded by talking about the mission statement of the college, as many colleges are supposedly losing their sense of mission. “Are we confused about our mission? I don’t think so,” Chamberlain said. “But do we possess clear and consistent educational objectives that are communicated to, and understood by, all stakeholders? Does our mission statement map into our learning goals? Do our learning goals translate directly in our curriculum?”
Conversation on Islamophobia continues with webinar Matija Nikolic staff writer Luther students and staff participated in an online seminar titled, “Join the Conversation: Addressing Islamophobia on College Campuses” on Wednesday, Feb. 17 in the Mott Room of the Dahl Centennial Union. Campus participation was organized by the joint efforts of religion major Makayla Marinack (‘16) and Coordinator of Multicultural Student Programs Michelle Boike (‘13). Students and faculty in attendance listened to administrators from Interfaith Youth Core—an organization comprised of various faith backgrounds working to enact change—and learned about different ways colleges across the country have dealt with the issue of hatred directed towards Muslim populations on their campuses. Boike thought that the event was a success as it provided inspiration for future action directed towards eliminating Islamophobia. “I liked a lot of things that they had to say, and we will definitely try to implement some of them
on our campus,” Boike said. “They talked a lot about the ways in which you could work together with Allyship (an anti-oppression network) and interfaith organizations. They’re really having different groups support each other, so we could definitely do something with Black Student Union and the Just Action group.” Ashley Meyers (‘16) thinks that members of the community shouldn’t be afraid to reach out and find new ways to help. “This has always been a topic of interest to me, and I tend to attend these events because there is always something new to be learned,” Meyers said. “If someone wants to help with this issue but doesn’t know where to start, attending the events is the best place.” Marinack thinks that the best approach to fighting religious intolerance is an education and preventative approach. “I study religion and I have been involved a lot with College Ministries but experience other religions through classes and relationships that I have with different people on campus,” Marinack said. “Now I am trying to connect the greater Luther
audrey dontje lindell (‘17) and julia reimann (‘16) listen to the webinar. community with Interfaith Youth Core’s sources like the webinar and I try to inform them what the Luther community is up to.” Other students in attendance shared their approval of this sort of initiative at Luther. “I’ve heard good things about what Interfaith Youth Core does and what I can learn from them in order to apply it on our campus,” attendee Audrey Dontje Lindell
(‘17) said. “I am interested in the topic because I am a religion major and Islamophobia is something that I have been learning about. I would like to see what I could do about it on campus, in the real world, and not just in the classroom.” Dontje Lindell hopes that Islamic stereotypes can be combatted on campus due to events such as this one.
Matija Nikolic / Chips
“I came to the event because I want to figure out the best way to address the issue and figure how to fight it. Islam can mean a lot of things, and it is important that people don’t associate it just with jihad, terrorism and violence.” Marinack echoes Dontje Lindell’s sentiments, believing that Islamaphobia must be combated in the real world and on campus, even in places it may not appear to exist. “I don’t know of specific incidents at Luther, but I would think that Islamophobic incidents happen,” Marinack said. “Luther’s statement of solidarity is trying to combat that, if it were to happen. Most of the energy comes from leaders and scholars such as Todd Green, as well as organizations such as Muslim Student Association and Allies. If something was to happen, allies and supporters are always there to say, ‘This does not happen on our campus and we don’t do this here. Islamophobic tendencies are not accepted.’”
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Data culture: merging tech and humanities The Data Culture Series is a month-long series of workshops put on by Library and Information Services (LIS), the Career Center and Visiting Assistant Professor Jaci Wilkinson (‘12), consisting of workshops and networking dinners featuring various professionals in digital humanities careers. This series is an opportunity for students to discover who they are, what they are passionate about and why it is important to incorporate the digital humanities into their research. According to Wilkinson, digital humanities is less of a field of study and more of an approach to study. “[Digital humanities] is everything and it’s nothing, because you have to make your own way into it,” Wilkinson said. “You can have humanities be a way of looking at the digital world, or you can have the digital studies as a way of looking at humanities research … in another way, it’s a set of tools and devices and means to create new ends.” One of the Data Culture series guests, Concordia College Professor of English Erika Strandjord (‘06), discussed how digital humanities enhances scholarship. “Specifically, my presentation is taking a broad look and asking, ‘What is digital humanities?’” Strandjord said. “Because even though I think people understand the ideas of digital and the ideas of humanities on their own, we are trying to figure out what they mean when we put them together.” Wilkinson believes opportunities like the Data Culture events are essential for undergraduate students. “It is important to give students an opportunity to network as an undergrad, to make those connections and interact with professionals and potential job givers over coffee and a meal,” Wilkinson said. “That is something I really wish I would have learned to do when I was an undergrad.” Student Outreach Coordinator for the Data Culture series Madi Johnson (‘16) explained why the series is important for her and other students. “Programs like these provide contexts within which students can learn about practical career options and meet professionals already working,” Johnson said. “These opportunities can be hard to find. Data Culture is making
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that kind of interaction accessible. Some of the speakers have made me aware of possible career paths I’d never considered before.” Strandjord finds value in weaving digital humanities into modern scholarship. “This series can offer Luther students a way to imagine how the liberal arts lives in the 21st century,” Strandjord said. “If we can bring our arguments to the digital world and think about unique ways of spreading the kinds of thinking that we do, that can help us make it clear to people who might be doubters [of digital humanities], but also give us new and exciting ways to think about how we write and make arguments.” Wilkinson also discussed the importance of diversity when it comes to who is working in technology. “In addition to networking, each of the installments in this series share a common goal of breaking down barriers in tech,” Wilkinson said. “Lots of times, students of color, women and/or first generation college students are not as familiar with the digital world, and sometimes those voices are lost among their—particularly—white male counterparts. Which means that they decide where technology goes. And that to me, particularly as a woman in tech, is absolutely unacceptable.” According to Johnson, events like Data Culture are also beneficial to students to begin the networking process. “Students should take advantage of this sort of thing while we still have the chance, while we’re still in college,” Johnson said. “Networking can sound scary. But it’s always going to be a part of building a professional life. It’s worthwhile to just start going for it now.”
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life outside luther: election Update
katie NelSoN News editor Since Feb. 1, there have been two Democratic caucuses and one Republican caucus, with one Democratic primary and two Republican primaries. The results have caused several candidates from each party to drop out of the race. The current candidate and their number of delegates currently is as follows: Democrats: Hillary Clinton - 52 Bernie Sanders - 51 Dropped out: Martin O’Malley, Lincoln Chafee, Lawrence Lessig, Jim Webb Republicans: Donald Trump - 67 Ted Cruz - 11 Marco Rubio - 10 John Kasich - 5 Carson - 3 Dropped out: Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, Jim Glimore, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Scott Walker Iowa: Clinton (D) Cruz (R) New Hampshire: Sanders (D) Trump (R) Nevada : Clinton (D) Trump (R) South Carolina: Trump (R)
dorjee dhondup (‘16) experiences digital humanities at a data culture workshop. Photo courtesy of Madi Johnson
students and faculty listen to concordia college’s erika strandjord (‘06) speak on digital humanities in hovde lounge on friday, feb. 19. Photo courtesy of Jaci Wilkinson
Clinton and Sanders will be facing off next in the South Carolina primary on Feb. 27. Next up for candidates from both parties is “Super Tuesday” on March 1. The Democrats will have Super Tuesday primaries in Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachussetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Viginia and Vermont. Republicans have Super Tuesday primaries in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachussetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming. In addition to Clinton’s 52 delgates and Sanders’ 51, they are gaining superdelegates—a delegate who can freely choose which candidate they select and are not obligated to choose one in particular. With the superdelegates, Clinton is currently at 503 and Sanders is at 70. On Super Tuesday, there are 595 delegates at stake for Republican candidates, who need 1,237 to obtain the GOP nomination. For Democrats, 1,004 delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday, out of the 2,383 needed to receive the nomination. There are a total of 4,482 delegates available over the course of the entire primary season for Democrats, and 2,369 for Republicans.
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Concordia faces budget cuts CoNCordia Cuts, Page 1 Thompson believes language studies is the best way to help students step into the shoes of a person from a different culture and that Concordia students are losing that opportunity. According to Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Kevin Kraus, Concordia College has been forced to make budget cuts in the past several years due to
losing nearly 25 percent of their student body since 2008 ultimately these budget cuts have forced the college to cut majors. Concordia and Luther are peer institutions. Both are small Norwegianfunded liberal arts colleges Concordia’s current president, Bill Craft, is the former Dean of Students at Luther. Like Concordia, Luther has also lost a number of the student body after graduating a large class last year, welcoming a smaller
group of first-years this year. Despite the low enrollment, Kraus reports that budget cut decisions have not been made at Luther because the school has financial strengths. “We also have a lot of really dedicated staff and faculty who work hard,” Kraus said. The staff and faculty will work together to not only increase enrollment, but to also be conservative in spending.
“We’re working hard to make sure that our financial situation is strong so that we don’t have to make difficult decisions about which programs remain and which programs have to be cut,” Thompson said. According to Kraus, major cuts at Luther do not seem likely at this point. “I have a lot of confidence that we’re going to be able to battle through these hard enrollment times,” Kraus said.
Alumni discuss career Search for paths with English majors new pastor NetworkiNg eveNt, Page 1
Barry emphasized the importance of events such as this for humanities majors who may not know what is available to them after graduation. “It’s really important for English majors to have the opportunity to see what is out there for them, and important to show how alums have charted this path from graduation to where they end up,” Barry said. During her keynote address at the dinner, Klug described how her English major prepared her for a variety of careers. Klug currently serves as the Director of Marketing at The Delaware Contemporary, an art museum in Wilmington, Delaware. At Luther, Klug majored in English and anthropology, after which she went on to earn her master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Iowa. She has worked as a tech consultant, a web manager and a production editor. Klug spoke on the importance of being open to new possibilities, referencing how her own career path formed in ways she did not imagine. “My career has been a gradual process of discovery and of learning what I like and what I’m drawn to, and then acquiring the skills to do more of that,” Klug said. “You try things, learn what you can from
things, discover things you didn’t expect and carry that over to new endeavors. There’s no way to do that if you plan it out all in advance, but you can end up in a place that’s much more suited to you than anything you could have planned.” Along with an openness to new experiences, Klug emphasized the necessity of maintaining a curiosity to acquire new skills and exceed the expectations of any given job description. “The great thing about taking on things that are not actually in your original job description is that when you actually succeed at them, it’s a happy surprise for everyone, including your boss,” Klug said. “I traced this curiosity-based, almost experimental approach to work directly back to my experience here at Luther, and the foundation of lifelong learning that a liberal arts degree and an English major cultivates.” Wilkinson urged English majors to explore what careers are out there beyond the obvious. “Don’t put up barriers about what you can do because you were an English major or minor,” Wilkinson said. “Don’t let that be the defining trait of your personality. You have so many skills you bring to the table that you might not know about until you try. Because the world is always changing, you will never stop learning after you leave your undergrad.”
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Marion Pruitt-Jefferson speaks during the 2016 Spring Convocation Breanne Pierce / Photo Bureau Pastor searCh, Page 1
Students listen to Jordan Wiklund (‘07) (right) talk about his career as a freelance writer.
Katie Nelson / Chips
The Year of Listening Review, a way to help the College Ministries focus their search, was held last academic year before Amy Larson and Vasquez announced their decisions to leave campus. “We had [the Year of Listening] where we had an external reviewer come on campus and help us redirect our focus as College Ministries,” Gifty Arthur (‘17), who is the second student representative on the call committee said. “The idea was to listen to what students wanted and see the opportunities and ways we could help them.” The timing of the Year of Listening Review has helped the call committee find what they are looking for in the new pastor. However, not every member of the call committee participated in the Year of Listening, so they developed a method of discerning what the committee as a whole wants in the new pastor. “Based on everything we’ve heard last year and this fall in the discernment processes, we compiled a list of nine categories that we think are central to this school, and each one is going to be ranked out of a series of 10,” Johnson said. “Candidates with the highest points are going to be who we focus on. It’s a really objective way to try and go about this so we don’t have individual desires trumping the needs of the community.” Arthur echoes this sentiment. “We believe it’s a spiritual thing,” Arthur said. “As a part of the exercise that we do as a call committee we are following the process very prayerfully, hoping that we will have the best fit.”
Arts & EntErtAinMEnt
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A&E Editor: JEnnA nElson
fEbruAry 25, 2016
collegiate performs at ncacDa
choral convention. Collegiate Chorale takes the stage at the north Central American Choral director’s Association convention in sioux falls, south dakota. Photo courtesy of Eric Ellingsen lily kime stAff WritEr Collegiate Chorale was selected to perform at the North Central American Choral Director’s Association (NCACDA) Convention in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Thursday, Feb. 18. Collegiate Chorale, a mixed-choir comprised of 103 upperclassmen voices, performed five pieces for the prestigious event, all of which followed a specific theme. The American Choral Director’s Association was first founded in 1959. The North Central Division includes Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is a nonprofit music education organization dedicated to the advancement of choral music through performance, composition, publication, research and teaching. They also strive to advance choral music’s position in A m e r i c an society. These high standards contribute to the challenging audition process that choral directors go through in order for their choirs to perform. Once a choral director has worked with a choir for three years they are eligible to perform at an ACDA event. The director must submit three recordings (one from each year of directing) to be judged by other choir directors in a blind audition process. Collegiate Chorale
and Norsemen were both selected through this process. Assistant Professor of Music Andrew Last (‘97) was also invited to give a presentation with Assistant Professor of Music Jennaya Robison (‘96), but he could only select one ensemble to perform at the convention. Collegiate Chorale was the choir chosen to participate. President of Collegiate Chorale Hailey Johnson (‘16) discussed how Collegiate prepared for this event. “We’ve been working on this material since first semester,” Johnson said. “We’ve been learning convention material and Christmas at Luther material, so it was kind of a stressful semester. I’m super proud of the choir for sticking through that and being able to perform so well. We’ve never sounded better. It was incredible.”
on since fall 2015. “It’s an South African piece,” Johnson said. “It’s a wallowing piece about when Jesus was killed, and God took him away from the people. The people are reaching, out saying, ‘Since you have taken Jesus, we want you to be with us now.’ Alyssa Wildenauer (‘17) did a lyrical dance to it and it was incredible.” Vice President of Collegiate Chorale Josue Silva (‘16) also gave his opinion on his favorite piece from the performance. “It was our closer,” Silva said. “It’s called ‘Great God Almighty’ by Stacey V. Gibbs, a spiritual written during slavery about the cry to God for mercy and, essentially, they wanted their lives to end so they could go on to something better.” Both Johnson and Silva agree that the event was not only an incredible exp er ience for them, but also for Last. The choral faculty are also excited about the event. Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music Allen Hightower discussed his feelings about the honor Last and Collegiate Chorale received in being invited to perform at this event. “I was enormously proud of the work of my colleague, Andrew Last, and of each Collegiate Chorale member,” Hightower said. “As director of choral activities, it gives me great joy to celebrate
the successes of all of our students and of all of our choral ensembles and of my colleagues.” This pride resonates through Collegiate Chorale as well. “It’s an honor to sing at one of these conventions,” Silva said. “[Dr. Last] tried to describe what it was like in other areas, but in the choral world, it’s a really big honor. And you could see it in Dr. Last. He was beaming while he was up there prior to the performances. You could see
“We’re extremely proud of dr. last. it was a huge honor, and i wouldn’t have wanted to share it with anyone else.” -Hailey Johnson (‘16) Collegiate Chorale sang five pieces of music for this event. These pieces were all of contrasting styles, but they all fit the theme of Pascha. This Greek word is often associated with Passover but is also used to describe the transition between death and the next step, whatever that may mean for each individual. Johnson’s favorite piece of the convention set, “Indodana,” is one the ensemble has been working
how excited and, at the same time, slightly nervous he was to be up there, but we all knew how important it was to him and how important it was to represent Luther College.” According to Johnson, this was a once-in-a-lifetime event for the members of Collegiate Chorale, one that will stay with them for years to come. “We’re extremely proud of Dr. Last,” said Johnson. “It was a huge honor, and I wouldn’t have wanted to share it with anyone else.”
Vesterheim’s
Folk Art School
Luther students receive half-price classes on stand-by basis all year! Woodworking, fiber arts, painting, jewelry making, food traditions.
Call 382-9681 to register. 502 W. Water St.
Vesterheim
The National Norwegian-American Museum & Heritage Center
Features
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Features editor: erika storvick
BLACK HISTORY MONTH: African-American Literature Review ELYSE GROTHAUS staFF Writer
There are many ways to observe Black History Month, and one way is to read African American literature. Some of stand-out texts throughout history include “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” by Frederick Douglass, “Native Son” by Richard Wright, “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison, and “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. Professor of English Martin Klammer spoke on the importance of literature in AfricanAmerican history, andAmerican history in general. “Literature can bring us imaginatively into the lives and experiences of characters, that frankly, as good as history is, it can’t do,” Klammer said. “Literature calls upon us to exercise a sense of empathy and understanding for our fellow human beings.” “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” by Frederick Douglass “I think ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’ is one of the, if not the, primary works of literature by an AfricanAmerican in the 19th century. That is important because it is certainly a powerful argument against slavery. It is very articulate and beautifully written. But the slave narrative, that form of the ex-slave writing about his or her experiences in slavery and how he or she got to freedom, and that the writing itself is part of that freedom. That becomes a template or format for African-American novels up to today. The black person or slave narrative which is often a story of struggle toward freedom and then that freedom is often problematic, so it raises the question: what is freedom? One can be literally or physically free, but then have to deal with challenges and discriminations within society.” - Klammer Many Luther students have read this narrative work. “‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’ is a common text, especially throughout Luther with Paideia. There are multiple reasons why that book is important. One is because Douglass is a slave who has this amazing story about becoming educated and educating himself and using all of his resources to do that. Also, how can we use people like Frederick Douglass as inspiration to keep growing and developing? He is able to, under the worst-case scenario, come out and achieve his dream.” - Carter Johnson (‘16)
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison “In the 20th Century, there are so many great works of literature, but I would say that probably the premiere in terms of fiction is Toni Morrison’s ‘Beloved’. What she is doing is providing a late-20th century perspective or interpretation on the slave struggle. What she’s getting at in that book, which is so rich, is what [struggle] meant to the slaves emotionally and spiritually. Also, Morrison is talking about the community’s struggle toward freedom, within the family in the house, but also the larger African-American community. At the end of the novel, it is a community of women that helps liberate all of the characters. Through Morrison’s literary imagination and through the poetry of this text, she can bring out a sense of a communal struggle. If a reader were looking for a book to read for Black History Month, I think ‘Beloved’ is the book I would choose for a reader who is willing to take his or her time to work their way through it.” - Klammer
“Native Son” by Richard Wright “In terms of the 20th century, this text had an impact on the mainstream public. It challenged people’s conceptions of blackness in a really flagrant way. People had to deal with this text and understand his argument about the supposed criminality of blackness and how it is socially determined. His work is complicated in the sense that plenty of black Americans struggled with his depiction of blackness and how the protagonist is this highly volatile or even criminally motivated black youth, and many blacks wondered why he chose to depict blackness in those terms. Wright said that he wanted to select what was arguably the most problematic TIME TO READ. Professor of english and africana studies understanding of black men and deal with that stereotype and Novian Whitsitt teaches about “Narrrative of the Life of unpack it and explain if it has any substance or truth to it and Frederick douglass” in Paideia. Elyse Grothaus / Chips why. It was one of these polarizing texts: you either loved it or you hated it, but in any case, it is one of the most important texts of the 20th century.” - Professor of Africana Studies and young, black intellectual growing up in the South. He is looking English Novian Whitsitt at a black youth with the privilege of having experienced education, a completely different take on the black perspective “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison and experience, which is exactly the nature of the black “In some ways this [novel] is a dialogue of sorts with ‘Native experience.” - Whitsitt Son.’ Ellison chooses to depict blackness in a totally different Other important texts by African-American authors include way. Rather than start with the general unattractive stereotype Harriet Jacobs’ “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl”, W.E.B. Du of black youth as being angry and capable of violence, Ralph Bois’s “Souls of Black Folk”, Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Ellison takes a totally different track and explores the life of a Were Watching God” and Audre Lorde’s “Sister Outsider.”
STUDYING LITERATURE. Nikita daly (‘19) and Lauren sather(‘19) read their copies of “Narrative of the Life of Frederick douglass” for Paideia.
Elyse Grothaus / Chips
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Features editor: erika storvick
February 25, 2016
Moss addresses race through comedy JORAM MUTENGE staFF Writer & ERIKA STORVICK Features editor Racism continues to be an important topic of discussion in the United States. Are we ever going to live in a world free of racial prejudice? Most people do not know the answers to these questions, though many are trying to find answers. Preacher Moss addresses these questions as he tours with his comedy and lecture series, “End of Racism.” Preacher Moss is an American stand-up comedian, who has previously worked for shows like Saturday Night Live (SNL). Moss was born in Washington, D.C., and attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he studied journalism. Moss has been doing his tour “End of Racism” since 1995. Recently he performed on Friday, Feb. 19 in Marty’s. As part of this performance, Moss addressed the biased and bigoted behavior exhibited toward others. “Whatever it is that’s bad about you, they highlight,” Moss said. “Whatever it is that’s good about you, they discredit. Whatever it is they don’t know about you, they make up. That’s it!” Moss’ lecture made use of humorous anecdotes in addition to serious points in addressing race. While race can be a difficult subject to address, some attendees appreciated his humorous stance on the matter. “In his stories, he will tell something funny and then get serious about it and give the moral of the story,” Daniel Jury (‘19) said. “I think it is effective.” Moss tried to keep his talk on racism light by addressing political incorrectness. Moss opened by saying that political incorrectness can, in fact, be a useful tool in matters of race. “On race, I encourage people to be a little bit politically incorrect. I am,” Moss said. According to Jury, Moss joked about issues of race primarily from an African-American perspective. “He did touch on other groups a little bit, but he did mainly focus on the African-American community because he is [African-American],” Jury said. “He is part of that community, and that’s what he has experienced and has his knowledge with.” Moss also addressed common attitudes people have toward bad situations. Moss noted that we often feel bad when bad things happen to good people but challenged the opposite reaction. Most people celebrate in such scenarios but according to Moss, that should not be the case. “Are we supposed to celebrate if bad things happen to bad people?” Moss said. “People hate people for the sake of hating. Same as discrimination; most people discriminate for the sake of discriminating.” According to Moss, most Americans fail to realize that the concept of race evolves from oppression. Characteristics like arrogance, envy and iniquity lead to oppression, which can cause racism. In short, he
POINTING OUT RACISM. Preacher Moss jokes constructively about how to combat racism. Joram Mutenge / Chips believes America has failed to teach issues of race. “[In America] they teach race as though race is in itself, of itself and evolves into itself.” Moss said. Moss also stressed the importance of peace between racial identities. To close his event, Moss asked every single person in the audience, despite their race, to raise their right hand and extend five fingers because the words Black, Asian, White and Latino (if you drop the “o”) all have five letters in them. Then he asked the audience to take away three things; arrogance, envy
and iniquity so that the index and middle fingers were the only fingers standing up representing the peace symbol. “Eliminating those three things, leaves you with peace and P-EA-C-E is five letters!” Moss said. Moss used this peace sign and his own humor to address the lingering presence of racism in today’s society. He preached that people could work to reduce their own arrogance and envy in order to bring about change.
“ People hate people for the sake of hating. same as discrimination; most people discriminate for the sake of discriminating.” - Preacher Moss
arts & entertainment
Page 8 February 25, 2015
a&e editor: Jenna nelson
Celtic nights celebrates Ireland emma sChlabaCh staFF Writer The Center Stage Series presents “Celtic Nights,” a performance seeking to inspire an appreciation for Irish history and heritage through song and dance. The show will take place in the Center for Faith and Life (CFL) Main Hall at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25. Director of Campus Programming Tanya Gertz describes the show as an “extravaganza.” “We are using the word ‘extravaganza’ for a reason,” Gertz said. “It is a theatrical, magical show around Irish culture as a whole.”
The current “Celtic Nights” tour focuses on 100 years of Irish independence, told through song and dance. “There’s stunning Celtic dancing, stunning fiddle playing, great choral music, and people singing classic songs from Ireland,” Gertz said. “There’s a representation of folk Ireland and some of the contributions of Ireland today. It will incorporate all of those pieces with song, and dance and story with a touch of history thrown in. You will come out with a touch more knowledge about the Easter Rising and some of the pieces within the history of Ireland.” Jacob Cole (‘18) and Marah Owecke (‘17) both participated in the January
term course “Listening Live in London, Glasgow and the Isle of Skye,” a music study abroad program, which explored and experienced authentic Celtic music. Cole appreciated his contemporary experience with Celtic music on the Isle of Skye as well as at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow. “It was really a chance for us to see this very traditional Gaelic music in a modern day setting,” Cole said. Cole is especially excited to attend “Celtic Nights” due to his personal connections. “I did Irish dance for six years back home,” Cole said. “Ever since I started in seventh grade, I’ve always had that
100 years of IndependenCe. cast members of “celtic nights” peform traditional and contemporary celtic music during their show. Photo courtesy of celticnights.ie
connection to the Irish dance shows and performances.” Cole looks forward to seeing the many artistic disciplines in one performance. “I’m really excited to see how they incorporate dance, music and the story, especially because the history of Ireland is so rich,” Cole said. Owecke hopes to see something familiar but with a twist from her J-term experience. “I’m expecting something different than what I experienced over J-term because it was Scotland [as opposed to Ireland], but I expect some similarities as well,” Owecke said. Gertz comments on the difficulty in deciding who gets to perform as part of the Center Stage Series at Luther. “Every decision you make, you are saying ‘no’ to something else you love,” Gertz said. “You are choosing between two things that you think will connect in meaningful ways with our audience.” What really pushed Gertz to choose “Celtic Nights” was former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, who visited Luther in the Spring of 2015. “She left me with this great, deep appreciation for her, and I was on the fence about [‘Celtic Nights’],” Gertz said. “I just decided to go for ‘Celtic Nights’ because I was really moved by McAleese.” Even though Luther College does not have direct Irish roots, the struggle of the Reformation forms a bond between Ireland and Luther. “The strife in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants is so important to their history,” Owecke said. “As a Lutheran college, people should be concerned with that specific part of Irish history.” Gertz and the Center Stage Series team aims to provide variety with shows like “Celtic Nights.” “One of [Center Stage Series’] goals is to create a wide variety of experiences for people from lots of different cultures and lots of different cultural experiences,” Gertz said.
Why the Grammys don’t matter
alex brandt music librarian The 58th Grammy Awards were held on Monday, Feb. 15 2016. Viewership was down nine percent from last year to a sixyear low of 25 million people. The Grammys this year were troubled by too many slow, somber and downright mediocre performances. Lady Gaga performed an ambitious tribute to David Bowie that tried to pack in too many Bowie hits. Adele was hit with mic trouble and a guitarist warming up who didn’t realize Adele was
performing. Everyone sang their ballads. Kendrick Lamar was the only artist who received good reviews for his performance of “The Blacker the Berry,” which featured the Grammy winner walking out as part of a chain gang. They will only see viewership drop further if they continue to have lackluster performances or give awards to people that shouldn’t be eligible for them. Take Meghan Trainor, for instance. Trainor was nominated for two Grammys last year: Record of the Year and Song of the Year. This year she was nominated (and won) a Grammy for Best NEW Artist. This is only possible because, in the world of the Grammys, awards are based on eligibility year. Best New Artist is awarded to an artist who, during the eligibility year, releases an album that
“establishes the public identity of that artist.” The eligibility year runs from Oct. 1 to Sep. 30. This is why we end up with someone whose big break came in Fall of 2014 with “All About That Bass” winning Best New Artist. It brings to mind 2016’s election cycle. We have the establishment candidate and the insurgent candidates. The other nominees for Best New Artist were James Bay, Courtney Barnett, Sam Hunt and Tori Kelly. They sound like new artists to me. I’d only heard of one of them before the list of nominees was published. The Grammys went with the establishment candidate. The Grammys typically play it safe, selecting familiar and successful artists over new ones. This deprives many new, deserving artists the recognition they deserve. But there are also thousands of artists who
will never get nominated for a Grammy. They’re still good. Ever since digital music and streaming have taken off, the Grammys don’t know who to pick to appease a public who can always access their favorite artists. They’ve been in an existential crisis since the early 2000s, worrying if the recording industry can survive streaming and independent record labels. So they err on the side of familiarity. And profitability. I don’t think the Grammys will ever change their rules or start picking real “new” artists to introduce to the world until after they’ve been found to be successful and marketable. I don’t need an artist to win a Grammy for me to like them. As long as they keep picking “new” establishment candidates, I don’t think the Grammys should matter. And neither should you.
For the best in new independent music, tune in to KWlc radio monday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and saturdays and sundays 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. KWlc can be found at 1240am on the radio dial or online at kwlc. luther.edu.
OPINION
PAGE 9
MANAGING EDITOR: STEVE PETERSON
Luther College Chips Chips is a student publication of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. The paper is designed, composed edited and managed entirely by Luther students. It is published weekly during the academic year, excluding the month of January. The opinion section is designed to provide a forum for Chips, its staff members and the Luther community. Opinions expressed in articles, editorials and columns do not necessarily represent the views of the Chips staff. The author is solely responsible for opinions expressed in Chips commentary. Chips will not accept submitted articles or campus announcements. Submissions for letters to the editor should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document to chipsedt@ luther.edu with Letter to the Editor as a subject line. Letters to the Editor are subject to editing without changing the meaning of the letter. Authors will not be notified of changes prior to publishing. Letters must be signed, 300-400 words and submitted before Sunday at 5:00 p.m. the week before production. Publication of all letters is at the discretion of the editor. Contact Chips: Phone: 563-387-1044 Fax: 563-387-2072 Email: chipsedt@luther.edu Advertising: chipsads@luther.edu Website: lutherchips.com Facebook: facebook.com/LutherChips Twitter: @LutherChips
Spring 2016 Staff Editor-in-Chief: Managing Editor: News Editors:
Anna Jeide Steve Peterson Katie Nelson Jacob Warehime Features Editor: Erika Storvick A&E Editor: Jenna Nelson Sports Editor: Danny May Staff Writers: Karl Badger Elizabeth Bonin Elyse Grothaus Sidney Larsen Ana Lopez Katrina Meyer Jana Mueller Joram Mutenge Matija Nikolic Laura Proescholdt Emma Schlabach Head Copy Editor: Cameron Meyferth Copy Editors: Bethany Seavers Templeton Olivia Benson Ad Representatives: Alex Brandt Jesse Anderson Layout and Design Technician: Cameron Meyferth Ad Accountant: Tyler Hovey Photography Coordinator: Katie Nelson Photographer: Steve Peterson Web Manager: Michael Vann Social Media Director: Nora Sell Distribution Manager: Elizabeth Hurley Advisor: Laura Fuller
FEBRUARY 25, 2016
Senate responds on newspaper decision Letter to the Editor There seems to be a high amount of discussion as to why Senate has voted to discontinue our subscriptions to the New York Times and USA Today. Because there seems to be some miscommunication as to why this vote initially took place, I'd like to personally divulge the reasons why in hopes of obtaining understanding from our student body, faculty and staff as we move forward. In the fall, Senate took a look over our accounts and general structure of the way the Co-curricular Activities Fee (CAF)is handled with SAC officers along with members of Luther’s administration. After sitting down and talking with a lot of individuals about how this money is doled out, we were able to restructure the general flow of money in order to make ourselves more independent from SAC which gave Senate more freedom and agency with the way we handled our finances. With this new independence and funding directly from the CAF, Senate Executive Board took a look at how much money was leaving our account and for what purposes. After careful consideration we spoke with the full Senate about how we were using our money and how we wished to move forward with it. Ultimately,
our initial interest was looking at how feasible it was to continue funding newspapers on campus while holding true to our own mission and purpose. At the end of spring semester last year, we spoke with the agent that has been in charge of Luther's contract and we told him that we'd be renewing our contract for a semester and we'd come back to him by the end of fall semester with an answer as to how we wish to proceed in the coming year. We did end our contract for various reasons. The sole purpose of Senate money is to support the needs of students and organizations on campus. To quote our Senate mission, "Our mission is to serve Luther students and student organizations by providing them with resources to achieve their goals, and to support the wider college community as it fulfills its mission." Every semester we get funding requests from organizations totaling somewhere around $50,000, of which we only can grant about $20,000 per year. It's painful to see student organizations struggle to create new programming or fundraise like crazy in order to travel out to conferences. Truthfully, the newspapers were costing us $7,000 per year, which doesn't seem like a lot annually, but it makes a difference when we can directly turn that money around and give it all back to organizations that really need the funding. We in no way wish to deprive our student body of news. In fact,
we promote the idea of breaking out of the “Luther bubble” in order to grow as individuals and global citizens. But another driving force for discontinuing our contract was that the newspapers were originally meant for students on campus. More and more we've seen them being utilized by professors. We felt strongly that it didn't make sense to pay for newspapers with student money to only have professors use this resource instead. I fully understand the point that Associate Professor of English Amy Weldon has made in advocating for physical printed material, but in the rising times of digital media, it's difficult to continue on that tradition when the subscription options that we've explored are cheaper. We are still exploring options ,and in no way are we doing away with news on campus. We want our students to be informed, and we're truly just trying to figure out the best way to do that. That may come in online subscriptions but it goes without saying that we're open to partially funding newspapers if we can find another account to offset that cost for Senate. If you'd like to hear more, don't hesitate to talk to a senator or drop by during office hours: Monday -Friday in the Student Organization Suite. Signed, Jesus H. Lucero Student Senate President
In defense of the humanities
JACOB WAREHIME NEWS EDITOR When trying to solve a problem, there are two types of answers—the right and the wrong. At least this is the mentality of my chemistry-major roommate. If you don’t have the right answer, he has repeatedly told me, try again. As an English major, this is antithetical to everything I believe in. However, whenever I try to argue this point with him, I generally come out on the losing end. He has facts on his side—I have feeling. As much as it pains me to say, it’s time for us in the humanities to embrace the cold, hard, analytical truth—we live in a society that increasingly values the sciences. Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with this societal trend. One could even argue that the humanities already had their time in the sun— philosophers used to walk around in togas all day just thinking about things. However, I fear the “right or wrong” mentality that surrounds the sciences is slowly pushing what people think can be achieved through the humanities to the fringes. It’s only a matter of time until society declares our contributions frivolous—or worse, obsolete. I mean, we don’t look poorly on Socrates because he didn’t invent the printing press. I don’t want this to be misinterpreted as a diatribe against the sciences—I love the sciences. I watch Nova with my mom
and venerate Neil deGrasse Tyson just as much as the next guy. However, I do think this mentality is science’s fatal flaw. Just as my roommate constantly reminds me, in the sciences, you are either right or you are wrong. This is scary to me—and not just because I’m usually wrong. But because for every great societal development we gain from scientific achievement, we pay for with precious ambiguity. The more labcoats we gain, the more set in stone the world around us becomes. Now I’m not calling for the English majors of the world to rise up and overthrow the chemists, nor am I advocating anthropology over astrophysics. Just as I wouldn’t want a group of religion majors designing my bridges, I believe everyone has a place. What I am calling for is a societal acceptance of the “in-between.” This is a call to not simply dismiss the unknown as a problem that we have yet to solve, but to treat it as its own entity. This is a call to turn off the flashlight and just enjoy all the things you can’t see. And who are the people best equipped for this challenge? That’s right—those in the humanities. Unlike the mentality that studying the sciences so often promotes, there are questions in this world that don’t necessarily have a right or wrong answer. Why did my parents separate? Is my life on the right track? Why did I buy a PT Cruiser? No, sometimes there isn’t a right answer—but that shouldn’t mean something went wrong in the process. Perhaps me having this mentality is a copout. Perhaps there really is a concrete answer to age-old question, “What is meaning of life?” And perhaps we’re just one more biology major away from answering it. If that day ever comes, I’ll tie my high horse to its post and ride off into the sunset behind the wheel of a shiny new, solar-powered Tesla. In the meantime we shouldn’t be afraid to admit confusion. Instead, we should revel in the uncertainty. And please, let us in the humanities deal with it—we need something to do.
OPINION
PAGE 10 FEBRUARY 25 , 2015
MANAGING EDITOR: STEVE PETERSON
Privacy at stake in Apple vs. FBI:
questioning the effects of a precedent Letter to the Editor On Feb. 16, a letter was posted to apple. com from Apple CEO Tim Cook. This letter had to do with the investigation surrounding an iPhone 5c belonging to the one of the terrorists behind the San Bernardino shooting last fall. This letter details the unprecedented step that the FBI has asked Apple to take to aid in the investigation: the creation of a backdoor into the iPhone. While this backdoor would allow the FBI to bypass all of the iPhone’s security algorithms and access the device’s data, it would also allow anyone else with the knowledge of this backdoor to do the same. Once a copy of this software exists, its creation and application would be widely known. It also means that a precedent could be set for this issue, meaning the software could be recreated for the most recent iPhone, and not just by Apple.
It is important to note however that this is not possible for more recent iPhones. Encryption features are built into the processors of the iPhone 5s and later models, so the methodology behind the creation of such a backdoor remains unknown to even the software engineers at Apple, and it must stay that way, Cook argues. He continues to argue that creating this backdoor would lead down a slippery slope toward an increasing number of requests for other surveillance purposes, such as location tracking and conversation recording. Because of the dangerous implications of this software, Apple has chosen to contest the FBI’s order. Cook concludes the letter stating, “While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.” On Feb. 19, the Department of Justice filed a motion forcing Apple to comply with the court order, citing the All Writs Act of 1789. The Justice Department also believes that Apple
has made this decision out of concern for its business model. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump echoed this concern, calling for a boycott of Apple from his Twitter account. Mr. Trump used an iPhone to send the tweet. Congress has begun to stir as well. Both Cook and FBI Director James Comey have been asked to testify before a congressional committee regarding the case itself and the state of encryption. Overall, it seems lawmakers and intelligence personnel alike are keen on making a decision regarding technology that they know little to nothing about. Evidence is emerging that begs one to question the FBI’s motives and the validity of the case. Late last year, a memo was circulated throughout the National Security Council which called for the government to begin intervening in the tech industry in order to find new ways to weaken encryption in the name of national security and surveillance. The San Bernardino iPhone case allows for just this. It is a case that would serve well as the booting program for a bill calling for the weakening of encryption, or a Supreme Court case
Student Senate’s new updates for spring A Sit-Down with Senate I’m incredibly excited to assemble this new Student Senate as we transition into the spring semester. With these new changes to our body comes a multitude of new ideas and fresh perspectives which we welcome with open arms. As we transition into this semester, there are a lot of projects that we’re hitting the ground running with and some that have carried on from fall semester which we’re hoping to bring to a conclusion. In consideration of gender neutral/inclusive housing it’s important to keep in mind that the work that was done on this last semester and years prior is something to look back upon proudly. Although there is still work to be done to make our campus as open, friendly, and affirming as possible, we’ve made some excellent strides. As of the 2016-17 academic year, Farwell is now offering gender inclusive housing on various floors which means that students seeking to live in an inclusive space with others in a cluster can do so now with or without a roommate who may or may not be of the same sex. This not only affects pricing inequalities that have affected many in the past but also opens the door for the possibility of adding more inclusive housing options. After logistically examining the prospect of Baker becoming completely gender neutral, it became unfeasible and for now the proposal has been removed from the table.
However, as we have added the space in Farwell we decided to turn our attention to the lack of inclusive housing for first year students. Further conversation has evolved and, with the aid of Residence Life and our Cabinet, we have been looking into transforming a section of Brandt into a gender-neutral space, which is very exciting for our community. Senate is committed to executing some more changes on campus that will positively affect our student body and environment. One of our top priorities this semester is working on a way to facilitate student’s access to news on campus. We are in the process of exploring the medium in which to do that. Student Senate understands the necessity of engaging the student body with the news that affects all of us as global citizens. We appreciate the engagement of members of the Luther College student body, as well as members of our faculty and staff, on this matter. It is so encouraging to hear the commitment that our community has to being well-informed and well-educated. This only inspires this body to find a solution for getting high quality, easily accessible news sources to Luther. We welcome any suggestions or conversations regarding this matter, and have no doubt that a creative solution (in classic Luther fashion) will be implemented. Make sure to stop by our office during in the Student Organization Suite (SOS) with any and all suggestions throughout the week so that we can hear what you want and need on our campus! Sail Norse. Signed, Nicole Lussier (‘16) Student Senate Vice President
about the government and your phone. Whether or not the case was formed as a result of this memo, it is also worthy to note that after the FBI confiscated the phone, it ordered Apple to change the password of the terrorist’s account. Apple says that this prevented the phone from creating a backup of its data on a server, which would have made it much easier to obtain. While the acts of violence committed in San Bernardino last year were atrocious, there are other ways to obtain the evidence necessary to the case that do not involve the obstruction of privacy for all iPhone users. It is naive to think that this backdoor would be used once. We must remind ourselves of the nature of the intelligence community and government officials. In a postSnowden era, we need to remember that the intelligence community is already “always watching” or looking for a new way to watch us. Ultimately, your opinion boils down to whether or not you believe the government when they say,“Trust us.” Signed, Andrew Loutfi (‘17)
A message from “Donald J. Trump” As a candidate for President of the United States, I move to endorse the Student Senate’s decision to defund Luther’s student newspaper program. Especially the New York Times. I like the Times, I have many good friends on the staff. They really are great people. But I have to say, the unbiased news reporting is really a detriment to my campaign. As I like to say, the uninformed public is my sort of public. I also say that if you want the news, go to my website, www.donaldjtrump.com, for the best news you could want. It’s really a fantastic website, written by some very talented writers, myself included. I have so much talent. It’s true. At a time when so many political events are happening, I really hate to see the students be too saturated with information. What they should be doing is looking to me for their information. I have some really great advisors. They are truly some of the smartest minds in this country. Much smarter than who is currently in office! They give me fantastic advice. But at the end of the day it is my gut that determines right from wrong. When these students get a hold on their “readings” they find all these problems with me. But if we could only teach them to listen to their intuition, we could be so much better off. Look at China. Their news is censored. And they are winning! They probably think with their guts. We need to beat China. I’ve made billions of dollars on some fantastic deals, and I never bought a newspaper. Maybe that is why I am so rich! I don’t waste my money on these papers. Students should be doing the same. Once president, I will work to ban the New York Times from even being printed. We will save so much more. I thank the Student Senate and hope to see more cost-saving initiatives like this in the future. Signed, “Donald J. Trump” (Trever Schwichtenberg (‘17)
SPOrTS
Page 11
february 25, 2015
SPOrTS ediTOr: danny may
Luther men’s tennis team travels to Michigan to face regional opponents
The Luther men’s tennis team huddles up during a home meet this past spring. Sidney LarSen STaff WriTer The Luther College men’s tennis team traveled to Michigan and competed against Hope College, Wabash College and Kalamazoo College on Feb. 20 and 21. The Norse suffered a close loss to Wabash, 4-5. The team took a 7-2 victory against Hope and finished out the weekend with a loss to Kalamazoo, 0-9. This brings the Norse men’s season record to 4-4. Due to inadequate court surfaces in the Luther Student Recreation Center (SRC), the Norse are unable to host indoor meets. According to Head men’s and women’s tennis coach Adam Strand (‘04), this forces the men to spend a lot of time on the road. “We’ve been in Wisconsin, we’ve been in Illinois and now we’re going to Michigan,” Strand said. “Then we go to Minnesota three weeks in a row. [The men] are kind of road warriors. If you look at our schedule, we have 30 meets this season and we only have four home meets and they’re all in April.” Despite the large amount of time spent traveling, Strand said he sees these away meets as a chance to build team chemistry. “I do think they are really good trips for us,” Strand said. “I think early in the season it’s a time for the guys to just bond by spending some time together on the road.”
The Luther men’s tennis team gathers before a match. Photo courtesy of Trent Schneider
Strand explained that traveling to Michigan gave the Norse players an opportunity to face teams that they wouldn’t normally compete against. “An advantage of this trip is that we get to play teams from the eastern half of our region,” Strand said. “There are only four Division III regions in the entire country, and our region is huge and goes out to Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. This is a chance for us, if we perform well this weekend, to get some good results against teams from the other half.” Prior to competing in Michigan, the Norse traveled to Moline, Illinois, to compete against Wheaton College, Augustana College (IL) and Edgewood College. The Norse scored a victory over Edgewood (9-0), but suffered two close losses (4-5) and (3-6) to Wheaton and Augustana, respectively. Assistant Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach Miriam A.B. Skrade (‘04) said that she was proud of the perseverance that the Norse men showed during those matches. “I think it was great for [Strand] and I to see that, in the really tough meets and matches, nobody gave up,” Skrade said. “Everybody really competed hard and kept trying to go on the offensive when they could.” Tennis player Kyle Appel (‘17) echoed Skrade’s pride for the team’s performance in Illinois. He said that it helped prepare the team for the meets in Michigan. “It was a really good learning experience for us,” Appel said. “We learned a lot about ourselves and got to learn a lot about each other: how we competed and our mentality on the tennis court. I think we found things that we can work on in those meets, so that’s what we’re doing, and I think we’re ready.” According to Anders Jensen (‘18), the close losses in Illinois would motivate the Norse to fight hard in Michigan. “There’s gonna be some good competition, so they’re going to be tight meets,” Jensen said. “We lost a couple tight meets last weekend so hopefully we can come out on the other end this weekend. We need to come out strong and get the momentum right away.” The Norse lived up to Jensen’s expectations with their victory over Hope College, but were unable to overcome Kalamazoo and Wabash. Despite coming out of the weekend with two losses to one win, Strand has high hopes for the rest of the season because of the team’s hardworking attitude and the willingness of
Will Heller / Photo Bureau the players to push themselves. “It’s exciting,” Strand said. “I think it’s going to be a fun team to watch grow throughout the spring.” To close out February, the Luther men’s tennis team will face St. Olaf College on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 3:30 p.m. in Owatonna, Minnesota.
Trent Schneider (‘18) prepares for an overhead. Photo courtesy of Trent Schneider
SPORTS
PAGE 12
SPORTS EDITOR: DANNY MAY
FEBRUARY 25, 2016
Track & Field teams compete at Spartan Invitational in Dubuque
Weekly Standings Wrestling IIAC 7-0 6-1 5-2 4-3 3-4 2-5 1-6 0-7
#1 Wartburg #11 Luther #14 Coe #22 Central Dubuque Loras Buena Vista Simpson
Recent Scores
Overall 19-0 14-5 12-5 9-3 14-10 2-13 3-10 2-11
Feb. 12 @ Buena Vista, W 45-3 Feb. 15 vs. St. Olaf, W 47-3
Upcoming Schedule
Feb. 26 @ JV Regional Tournament, TBA
Women’s Basketball Luther women’s hurdlers head to the finish in a meet earlier this season. KATRINA MEYER STAFF WRITER The Luther men’s and women’s track & field teams competed at the Spartan Invitational in Dubuque, Iowa on Friday, Feb. 20. It was their penultimate meet of the indoor season and their last meet before the IIAC Indoor Championships. The men’s team placed sixth out of eight teams with 47 points, while the women’s team placed seventh out of eight teams with 44 points. The men’s 4 x 200-meter relay team of Austin Flieder (‘19), Peter Krumm (‘16), Andrew McCarthy (‘16) and Jackson Reemtsma (‘19) took first place with a mark of 1:31.92, which is the third-best time in Luther history. For the women, middle-distance runner Tricia Serres (‘16) took first place in the 3000-meter run, while the 4 x 200-meter relay team of Alexis Hove (‘17), Randi-Kate Canoy (‘17), Marea Holkesvik (‘18) and Kacy Rodamaker (‘19) were the
Randi-Kate Canoy (‘17) heads around the curve in a relay. Photo courtesy of Breanne Pierce
first-place finishers on the women’s team. Head men’s and women’s track & field Coach Jeff Wettach (‘79) described the value of such a high level of competition at this point in the season. “I think we’re pretty excited for this meet,” Wettach said. “Up to this point in the season, it will be the best competition we’ve seen, and that’s what we want heading into the conference championships.” Sprinter, jumper and captain Erik Queoff (‘16) explained that this meet served as both a selection process and a preparatory meet for the conference championships. “It’s a really good opportunity for the team to show what we can do in preparation for conference,” Queoff said. “A lot of people are in events that they will be in for conference as well, or in which they are trying to make the lineup for conference, so it’s an opportunity for athletes to prove that they deserve a spot in the conference lineup.” Moving towards the conference champoinships, the team is continuing to get stronger as a whole. Heptathlete Nick Sigrist (‘18), who placed fifth in the 55-meter hurdles, described the camaraderie of the team at this point in the season. “A lot of our rookies are awesome, and a lot of our seniors have really stepped up to the captain position,” Sigrist said. “We’ve all grown as a team.” Holkesvik agreed and reiterated the importance of having a strong team bond. “Everyone is cheering for everyone and it’s so exciting,” Holkesvik said. “It helps everybody run so much faster.” That bond is one of the things that Wettach really admires in his team.
Annie Goodroad / Photo Bureau “We’re approaching the halfway mark of our season, and it’s been wonderful,” Wettach said. “Our theme is: create a great atmosphere with a lot of positive energy and support.” As the season continues, the focus remains on keeping a strong team environment and improving performances through training. Distance runner Lauren Mordini (‘16) described the goals going forward. “All of us have fun and work together as a team, that’s why we train together,” Mordini said. “Hopefully all of our events will be competed to the best of our abilities to get ready for the next couple of weeks.” Both teams will compete in the IIAC Indoor Championships this coming weekend, Feb. 26-27. The meet will be hosted by Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa. The teams then have a break for several weeks before beginning the outdoor season at the St. Mary’s Invitational in Winona, Minnesota, at the end of March.
IIAC 11-3 10-4 9-5 8-6 8-6 5-9 4-10 1-13
Luther Loras Wartburg Buena Vista Simpson Coe Dubuque Central
Overall 19-6 17-8 19-6 14-11 15-10 14-11 9-16 4-21
Recent Scores
Feb. 17 @ Coe, W 74-60 Feb. 20 @ Wartburg, L 51-69
Upcoming Schedule
Feb. 25 vs. Buena Vista/Simpson, 7:00 PM
Men’s Basketball IIAC 11-3 8-6 8-6 8-6 7-7 5-9 5-9 4-10
Dubuque Wartburg Simpson Loras Central Buena Vista Coe Luther
Overall 18-7 15-10 15-10 13-12 16-9 10-15 10-15 5-20
Recent Scores
Feb. 17 @ Coe, L 75-84 Feb. 20 @ Wartburg, L 53-86
Swimming & Diving Luther Men Coe Men Loras Men Simpson Men Luther Women Coe Women Loras Women Simpson Women
IIAC 2-0 2-1 1-2 0-2 2-0 2-1 1-2 0-2
Overall 3-3 4-4 3-4 2-3 4-2 4-4 4-5 2-3
Recent Scores
Jan. 30 @ Coe, W (women) 163-60, (men) 134-73 Feb. 10 @ Liberal Arts Championships, women 1st, men 2nd
Upcoming Schedule
Mar. 4 @ NCAA Diving Regional, TBA
Men’s Tennis Luther men pack together amidst the 3000-meter run. Photo courtesy of Breanne Pierce
#36 Coe Luther Central Loras Buena Vista Simpson Wartburg Dubuque
IIAC 3-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1 0-1
Overall 6-1 4-4 3-2 0-1 0-4 5-3 3-2 2-4
Upcoming Schedule
Feb. 27 @ St. Olaf (Owatonna, Minn.), 3:30 P.M.