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Library hosts “Those Who Can Do Teach” art exhibit
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Luther celebrates National Library Week
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COLLEGE
LUTHER “Let the chips fall where they may.”
VOLUME 140, NO. 18• EST. 1884
APRIL 19, 2018
Luther prepares for Students abroad address attack energy referendum in Münster PIPER WOOD STAFF WRITER
Luther Students for Municipalization held an information session on Thursday, April 12 to answer student questions on the upcoming power referendum vote. The session, led by Forrest Stewart (‘19), covered potential student concerns and explained what the referendum would mean for Luther. Stewart argued that the move to municipal energy is more common than people might think. He detailed the potential changes that could occur in Decorah, noting that a “yes” vote would shift the leadership of municipal energy to a board of directors in Decorah and would not rely on investors, which could potentially lower rates. Stewart also said that the move to a municipal energy utility would offer local control over electric priorities. Decorah Power argues that the shift could potentially be $5 million cheaper for the community. The vote, which takes place on May 1, is a vote to continue the
FORREST STEWART STAFF WRITER
Conner Kujak (‘21) responds to a survey as Susie Wold (‘20) tables for voter registration. Katrina Meyer (‘19) | Chips discussion about municipalized energy for Decorah. Geoffrey Dyck (‘18) originally got involved in the issue by interning with Decorah Power. “If you vote ‘yes’ on May 1, you will be voting to authorize city council to potentially pursue a municipal electric
utility,” Dyck said. “You are not saying, ‘We want a municipal electricity now. It just continues the conversation. . . It’s a conversation worth continuing in my opinion.”
Luther students and faculty living in Münster, Germany participating in the Münster semester were present in the city during the attack on April 7. All Luther students and faculty are safe and the Center for Global Learning has mechanisms in place to ensure student safety abroad during crises. On April 7, a van drove into a crowd in Münster killing two people and injuring 20 others, according to local officials. The incident appeared to have been a deliberate attack and the driver of the van killed himself before law enforcement arrived at the scene. Police say they found no evidence that the driver was motivated by either political or religious ideology but that the man had a history of suicidal thoughts and mental illness. At the time of the attack, nine Luther students, Professor of German Sören Steding, and Associate Professor of German Elizabeth Steding were in Münster for Luther’s semester abroad program. CJ Heck (‘19) was attending a barbecue when the incident occurred and heard about it through word of mouth. “It was just a sunny afternoon,” Heck said. “And then someone came out of the house and said ‘Did you hear what happened?’” Because it was a Saturday, the students were spread out throughout the city. Executive Director of the Center for Global Learning Jon Lund monitored the situation from Luther using information systems designed to help inform travelers of potentially dangerous situations. “We check a couple different systems that help give us an idea of security situations around the world,” Lund said. “This year we’ve implemented a system called Alert Traveler and we’ve encouraged students to download it to their phones. It allows [students] to gain realtime information pushed to their phones as situations occur.”
REFERENDUM | PAGE 4 MÜNSTER | PAGE 4
Israeli Palestinian activist shares experiences MATTHEW GLEAVES STAFF WRITER Miko Peled held a Q&A format lecture titled “From Israeli Zionist to Palestinian Defender” discussing two of his books on Friday, April 13. The lecture, hosted by the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement, focused on Peled’s journey growing up as the son of an Israeli general in a prominent Israeli family and the transformation he went through to become a Palestinian activist. In preparation for the lecture international studies classes read Peled’s first book, “The General’s Son,” which talks about his experiences and how he came to the proPalestine stance. Associate Professor of History and Director of the CEPE Victoria Christman assigned Peled’s book because of its content. “This conflict forms the basis for so much of the modern history of the Middle East — and beyond — that I see it as a key issue with which all international studies majors should be familiar,” Christman said. “[‘The General’s Son’] is a sort of history of the Israel Palestinian conflict told through the lens of his own autobiography, so it provided the students with a range of information about the past 70 years.” Peled decided to write his book and give lectures because of his unique position. “I’m promoting a very particular perspective on
Palestine,” Peled said. “It’s a perspective you don’t hear a lot and a perspective many people consider too radical. I think it’s particularly important because of my background, being an Israeli and coming from a prominent Israeli family.” Peled also lectures to inform others. He thinks Americans need to hear both sides of the conflict. “There is no audience that’s more important to this issue than the American audience because Americans pay a lot of money to Israel in the form of foreign aid,” Peled said. “No other country in the world gets as much off Americans taxpayers as Israel does. Now, if somebody is taking a bunch of your money and using it for something, and you’re not resisting, then you must agree.” Peled talked about the weight of voting in America and that voting for representatives with similar beliefs is important. “We vote for our members of Congress, they vote to send all this money to Israel, and most Americans don’t know why or what it’s going for or how much it is,” Peled said. “Unless you’re informed, you may be allowing this money to do some terrible things. You might be complicit in something that is horrifying and you might not know it.” Peled’s lecture and book argues that a large part of the problem lies in the occupation of the Jewish people and not with Jewish people as a whole. President of Interfaith
Miko Peled answers questions from attendees. Emily Turner (‘19) | Photo Bureau in Action Rebecka Green (‘19) talked about her takeaways from the lecture. “I think it’s important that people hear from someone like him who comes from the side of the oppressor — as he would say — and is informing us about what really happens, to the people who most people would assume be his enemy,” Green said. “He was so adamant about it not being an issue with the Jewish people, but with the occupation. It’s with the politics. It’s with the violence.”
NEWS
PAGE 2 APRIL 19, 2018
NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ
Meyer delivers Gjerset Lecture OLIVIA ENQUIST STAFF WRITER
Visiting Assistant Professor of Scandinavian studies Andy Meyer gives lecture on his years as a Fulbright Roving Scholar. Olivia Enquist (‘19) | Chips
Visiting Assistant Professor of Scandinavian studies Andy Meyer gave the Gjerset lecture with a presentation titled “The Milk Route and Other Habits of Mind” on April 11. The lecture focused on Meyer’s year as a Fulbright Roving Scholar in Norway and was sponsored by the modern languages, literatures, and linguistics departments along with the Nordic studies program and the Gjerset Endowment. This Gjerset lecture marks the eighth annual event in the lecture series honoring former Luther Professor of History and Norwegian Knut Gjerset. Gjerset served in this role from 1902 to 1934 and also worked as the curator of the collection that became the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. He also held the titles Knight of the First Class of St. Olav from the Norwegian Government, and Knight of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon from King Christian X of Iceland. Meyer began the lecture by framing his experience as a Fulbright scholar through the metaphor of the Norwegian "milk route." The term comes from the airport system used to travel across Norway, which is often seen as labor intensive and inefficient. Traveling using this method requires frequent stops to pick up passengers or change planes. Meyer used the milk route system to connect his seemingly unrelated experiences in the country and highlighted the term as a reflection of Norway’s welfare state. “The idea of the milk route struck me,” Meyer said. “It’s an interesting way to metaphorize the distribution of resources: the idea that a fully functional welfare state can distribute resources pretty evenly across an entire country but that it’s also sometimes resource intensive and inefficient. That metaphor is representative of how it works.” As a Fulbright Roving Scholar, Meyer presented lectures and workshops on different aspects of American culture to Norwegians. He visited 61
different schools, 19 counties, and one territory during his time abroad. Meyer explained aspects about the Norwegian schooling system and its differences with the American education system. Through anecdotal stories about working with educators and students, Meyer explored the myth of the “typisk norsk” or the typical Norwegian. He explained that while Norwegian Americans often view Norway as an ethnically homogenous area, the country is rapidly diversifying both ethnically and culturally. “Norway is changing,” Meyer said. “Norway sometimes fails culturally to accept some of those differences, but they are also succeeding in other ways. They really are learning from our mistakes. They are watching some of the ways that we have failed to address racism and inequality. They do pretty well at setting up the structures, even if they have exactly the same kind of everyday racism that permeates our culture.” Attendee Libby Fischer (‘19) appreciated the explanation of Norwegian educational policy. “I thought it was especially interesting how much time he spent in Norwegian schools,” Fischer said. “I am in the Paideia 450 about making decisions in U.S. schools. Hearing about their educational policy versus ours was really interesting." One of Meyer’s other points concerned racial diversity in America specifically including the history of the Black Lives Matter movement. Meyer noted in his presentation that Norwegian educators often appreciate an American perspective when discussing the topic of diversity. Attendee Aaron Shouse (‘18) liked this part of the lecture as he was surprised to hear about the history of diversity in Norway. “I thought it was very eye-opening to see what Norwegians thought of America, especially when it came to the Black Lives Matter movement and the topic of race,” Shouse said. “I had no idea that teachers felt they were not equipped to talk about the subject because of their culture and history with Nazi Germany during World War Two.”
"Buried Above Ground," a documentary about PTSD MARTIN DONOVAN STAFF WRITER Active Minds, counseling services, and the social work department sponsored a screening of “Buried Above Ground” on April 12. The screening was followed by a discussion with audience members. “Buried Above Ground” is a documentary featuring three people who have post-traumatic stress disorder over a six-year period. The film follows an Iraq veteran, an evacuee of Hurricane Katrina, and a domestic abuse survivor to illustrate how trauma and PTSD affect people differently. “Something that really jumped out to a lot of people was how the film really captured the way that people who experience PTSD live their normal lives and go about navigating their symptoms and trigger responses to different aspects of their everyday lives,” Active Minds President Madeleine Ross (‘20) said. Counselor Bobbi-Jo Molokken echoed this sentiment, but added that the film captured the diverse experiences of people living with PTSD without being harmful to audience members. “It does a nice job of showing a variety of traumatic situations and how the various symptoms of PTSD can
play out in individuals,” Molokken said. “They [showed] enough of the stories to convey their message without having to do it in a way that didn't need to be traumatic to watch as a viewer.” Additionally, Molokken said that the film is applicable to Luther’s campus, as many community members have endured trauma in some manner. “Many of the students we work with have experienced some form of trauma,” Molokken said. “Because of how trauma impacts the brain it can make learning really challenging. Anyone who has experienced trauma carries that with them in some way. Staff and faculty will be influenced by their own traumatic experiences as well.” Besides capturing the different ways people live with PTSD, “Buried Above Ground” also depicts the stigma of trauma. “[The documentary] paints a wider picture of society’s stigma against people who have endured trauma,” Ross said. “Especially in the three ways the people in the documentary [who were] profiled were experiencing in their own lives.” According to Ross, the documentary’s depiction of the stigma surrounding PTSD echoes Active Minds’ mission to educate and end stigma concerning mental health.
Active Minds is a chapter of a national organization based in Washington D.C. and has been active on Luther's campus since 2011. According to their mission statement, the main objective of the national organization is to establish student-led chapters to change the negative perceptions of mental health on college campuses. “By developing and supporting chapters of a studentrun mental health awareness, education, and advocacy group on campuses nationwide, [Active Minds] works to increase students’ awareness of mental health issues,” the statement read. “Through campus-wide events and national programs, Active Minds aims to remove the stigma that surrounds mental health issues, and create a comfortable environment for an open conversation about mental health issues on campuses nationwide.” In addition to screening “Buried Above Ground,” Active Minds is launching a weekly newsletter to educate people on mental health experiences as well as provide resources to students. “We also wanted to use [‘Buried Above Ground’] as a way to launch our newsletter that we are sending out once a week,” Ross said. “Moving forward we want to stop the stigma on campus by sending resources directly to people.”
NEWS
PAGE 3
NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ
APRIL 19, 2018
Ted Koppel to visit Luther
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59/35 News anchor and managing editor of ABC News Ted Koppel.
GILLIAN KLEIN STAFF WRITER ABC News anchor and managing editor of "Nightline" Ted Koppel will visit Luther on May 1 to deliver the 2018 Roslien Distinguished Lecture titled “Science and Policy: Communication in the Twenty-First-Century World of Fake News.” Political Science Professor Emeritus John Moeller, who is familiar with Koppel’s work in broadcasting, expressed the unique method Koppel had in reporting. “There was always a seriousness about [Koppel],” Moeller said. “There was high regard for the integrity of him doing what, say, the Today Show does, but at night and more seriously.” The Roslien Distinguished Lecture is sponsored by Board of Regents member Michael Osterholm (‘75). Osterholm founded the lecture series in honor of Emeritus Professor of Biology and administrator David J. Roselin. Osterholm's work as epidemiologist, professor at the University of Minnesota, researcher at the Centers for Disease Control, and advisee for several U.S. presidents provided him the opportunity to connect with people like Koppel. Their friendship was one reason why Koppel accepted the invitation to speak at Luther. The focus of the lecture will discuss the issue of science
information, public policy, and “fake news.” Koppel intends to discuss these issues as “communication black holes.” Koppel’s reflection on his journalistic practice and the practices of today are one of many reasons why Associate Professor of History and Director of the Center for Public Engagement Victoria Christman wanted Koppel to give his lecture. “He could tell any news story
News as one of the youngest news reporters to work for a major broadcast network. Between the years of 1963 and 1967, Koppel worked his way up the ranks of ABC News.In a 2018 interview conducted by “The Stanford Daily,” Koppel commented on what his role, and every journalist’s role is, in information broadcasting. “[Journalists should] take a complex issue and reduce it to a fairly simple level so that it
“He’s covered everything in the last 50 years historical and newsworthy. What he’s doing is raising our awareness about public policy and how we tie journalism to that, because it has changed.” - Associate Professor of History and Director of the Center for Public Engagement Victoria Christman
and we would be interested in what he has to say,” Christman said. “He’s covered everything in the last 50 years historical and newsworthy. What he’s doing is raising our awareness about public policy and how we tie journalism to that, because it has changed.” Koppel’s 50 years of reporting began with his first public broadcast on WMCA’s 570 AM “The Mission” radio station in New York City. Soon after, Koppel joined ABC
can be understood by a great many people without in any way distorting the reality of the story,” Koppel said. “That’s a good journalist.” The Vietnam War coverage is what sparked Koppel’s interest in television reporting. Soon, Koppel had become the chief diplomatic correspondent in 1971 and presenter of the Saturday Night News in 1975. General Manager of KWLC David Grouws believes Koppel’s career took off
Photo courtesy of cbsnews.com so quickly because of his reporting style. “He introduced the style of reporting where you have different people exchanging views from all over the globe screening into the broadcast . . . it was pure innovation.” Grouws said. Koppel’s breakout moment was in 1979. A diplomatic standoff between Iran and the United States resulted in 52 American diplomats and citizens being held hostage for 444 days between November 1979 and December 1981. ABC News began extensive coverage on the Iranian hostage crisis and Koppel was assigned to the job. Koppel’s coverage ran on his late-night news show, American Held Hostage, and became "Nightline" in 1980. “Nightline” is how many Luther students know Koppel. Lily Zarecky (‘20) is interested in Koppel’s coverage, specifically its uniqueness among journalists nowadays. “Perspective on news and media coverage always changes,” Zarecky stated. “Learning about journalism is important from any journalist, but hearing from Koppel specifically educates the audience about the shifts in journalist reporting that have occured.” The Center for Faith and Life will host Ted Koppel’s lecture on May 1 at 7 p.m.
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NEWS
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APRIL 19, 2018
Life Outside Luther Trump's lawyer reveals mystery client is Sean Hannity President Trump's personal lawyer Micheal Cohen was ordered by a federal judge to release the name of one of his clients, FOX News anchor Sean Hannity. Cohen claimed that the identity of clients is protected by attorney-client privilege, but the judge did not accept that argument. Hannity has denied paying for Cohen's services and claims that Cohen was merely a confidential legal council. Cohen was in court to try to limit the reach of the Mueller investigation into his personal business. Trump's cabinet members reprimanded over spending Two members of Trump's cabinet were reprimanded by the U.S. Government Accountability Office for excessive spending. The Environmental Protection Agency and Scott Pruitt broke the law by buying a $43,000 sound proof phone booth without getting approval of lawmakers. The Department of the Interior and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke took an unnecessary charter flight that cost $12,000. The new revelations are another setback for an administration already plagued by scandal. Stock-picking fund bets on Facebook stock bouncing back BlackRock Inc. is the largest stockpicking fund and they raised their bets on the value of Facebook stock in late March. This bet signifies that they believe that Facebook will bounce back from their falling stock values and become a top ten equity holding. Trump accused China and Russia of devaluing currencies Trump accused China and Russia of playing the "devaluation game" with their currency in a tweet on Monday. Trump sees the practice as an unfair trade advantage because if a country's currency value stays low, their exports are more competitive. The U.S. has recently raised interest rates which increases the value of the dollar, putting the U.S. at a disadvantage compared to China and Russia. Since President Trump took office, the dollar has fallen in value compared to many other currencies including Chinese and Russian currencies. The dollar has recovered compared to Russian currencies in recent weeks after U.S. sanctions against Russia took effect.
NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ REFERENDUM | PAGE 1 The vote happens at the same time as Decorah’s 25year contract with Alliant Energy expires. For Dyck, the vote is pressing because if the city votes “yes,” Decorah does not have to sign another 25year franchise agreement with Alliant. Alliant, Decorah’s current energy provider, is an investor-owned utility and relies on investors to sustain business which, according to Stewart, can lead to rate increases in times when energy use remains stagnant. The referendum vote is a product of an energy feasibility study conducted by Decorah Power and a signature drive earlier this year to gauge community interest in a referendum vote. “Decorah Power simply asked the question: will a municipal electric utility be feasible in Decorah?” Dyck said. “We asked them to do this knowing full well that the results could come back negative, but it came back more positive than even we expected.” The information session covered the differences between Alliant Energy and a municipal energy utility, including how the change would affect students on campus. Currently, Luther students pay around $500 to
Alliant through tuition, and Dyck feels that maintaining Luther’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030 becomes a more difficult task when students vote “no.” “Even if you are pro-Alliant, there are a lot of reasons to vote 'yes' on this,” Dyck said. “If you vote yes, you are putting city council in the best possible position to negotiate a really good franchise agreement with Alliant. Voting yes for Luther students gives us the possibility of not staying with the same old, same old.” In the information session,
Stewart mentioned that because voting “yes” will be a vote to continue the conversation about the potential for an electric utility, the timeline for the move to municipal electricity could take years and may not affect current students directly. Still, students like Elise Carlson (‘21) feel it is important to be proactive and speak up for future Luther students. “I think that it is important to be invested in the community that you are in,” Carlson said. “The choice to come to Luther was a choice to be invested in
Sarah Wyatt ('20) speaks at the information session. Piper Wood (‘21) | Chips
MÜNSTER | PAGE 1 Lund explained that by combining the system with the planned itinerary of the group as well as GPS location, the alert system gives information specific to the CGL. “We have it set so that any time we have a Luther student, faculty, or staff member [in an affected area] we get an update that comes by email or text message,” Lund said. “The update will tell us about the situation we should be aware of and how many impacted travelers there are.” Lund added that the system alerts
travelers very quickly, which aided the CGL’s response. “The alert [about the attack in Münster] actually came out about five minutes before any of the news media was reporting it,” Lund said. “Within 30 minutes we had identified that [the students, their host families, and faculty members] were all fine.” Because the driver of the van had no known ties to political or religious ideologies that might have motivated the attack, the incident is not officially considered an act of terror. Heck noted that this was a relief for students in
the community of Decorah and my goal in voting is to create a better space for the people who are coming here.” According to Nextgen America Fellow for Luther College Sarah Wyatt (‘20) the easiest way for students to get involved in the issue is to vote. “Nextgen America is working to change a lot of things in Iowa and in the United States as a whole and one of our main goals is working toward renewable energy sources,” Wyatt said. “Luther as an institution is always here and we as Luther students need to be the voice for future Luther students. Voting is the easiest way to do that.” Because all Luther students are residents of Decorah, they are allowed to change their voter registration and vote within the state of Iowa. The vote will take place on May 1, but students must mail in their voter registration to be a registered Iowa voter by Friday, April 20. Both Decorah Power and Nextgen America are tabling outside of the cafeteria to register voters. Early voting will take place throughout the month of April and there will be a shuttle for early voting on Friday, April 20th. Otherwise, registered Decorah voters can vote early by going to the courthouse from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Münster. “A lot of us felt a lot safer when we heard that it wasn’t a terrorist attack which was specifically targeting Münster,” Heck said. Anthony Ramon Perez Soto ('20), however, does not think the motivations of the attacker should have much of an impact on how the incident is approached. “I don’t think it should matter if [the attacker] was from Germany or from some other country or why they did it,” Perez Soto said. “It doesn’t change the facts of the attack or the impacts. There are important issues here that need addressing.”
Netflix benefits from increased spending with large numbers of new customers Netflix has gained 7.4 million new customers since the new year, making their campaign to increase spending successful. Netflix will spend up to $8 billion producing movies and TV shows in 2018 alone. Shares of Netflix jumped seven percent in markets as a result of the dramatic growth in membership.
Taken from: reuters.com
(Top, left to right) Matthew Lensing ('20), Anthony Perez Soto ('20), Iris Johnson (‘20), Madeleine Flom-Staab ('20), C J Heck ('19) (Bottom, left to right) Kia Feia ('19), Taylor Gaide ('18), Samantha Headington ('20), and Hillary Gardner ('18) are all a part of the Munster semester. Photo courtesy C J Heck ('19)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE 5
A&E EDITOR: LILY KIME
APRIL 19, 2018
“Those Who Can Do Teach” Steffenee Voigt (‘18) locates the focal point of Robin Schone Hengesteg’s (‘16) “Clarks Fork Canyon” on display in Preus Library.
CARA KEITH STAFF WRITER “Those Who Can Do Teach” is an exhibit currently displayed in Preus Library that features mixed-media works created by recent Luther alum art educators Micayla Irmiter (‘14), Jenna Darsee (‘15), Jenny Bonnell (‘15), Katie Mathis (‘15), Lars Johnson (‘16), Robin Schone
Hengesteg (‘16), and Maxwell Green (‘17). Their purpose with the exhibit is to demonstrate that art educators can maintain an active studio practice outside of teaching. “This is a very specific show,” Gallery Coordinator David Kamm said. “This show features young alumni art educators who are out teaching art now. We wanted to feature some of them who are
maintaining their studio practice, still making their own art and balancing that with teaching professionally. That’s why the show is titled ‘Those Who Can Do Teach.’ They’re able to do both.” The show features multiple mediums including photography, sketches, and collages. The pieces highlight the wide range of ways that the artists create personal art
Maxwell Green’s (‘17) woodcut “The Mystery of Claudia Peppersnatch.”
Micayla Irmiter’s (‘14) acrylic painting “Jesus and Lenny.” Lily Kime (‘19) | Chips
Lily Kime (‘19) | Chips
outside of their jobs as art educators. Bonnell’s pieces feature small sketchbook drawings of different places she has visited in a project called “100 Days of Places I’ve Been.” She dedicates at least 30 minutes a day to her sketchbook practice. Hengsteng’s nature photography features the sky, mountains, and other natural sights. Darsee’s work features collages with images of children and powerful captions such as “Big Girl. Didn’t Cry” and “I wanted to hear his voice, I wanted to kill him.” Ryan Koning (‘19) explains how the exhibit influenced her as a future art educator. “This exhibition is really powerful because people think that if you’re going to be an art teacher, that means that you don’t work on your own practice anymore,” Koning said. “But having a gallery show that’s just about working teachers and the work that they’re making now shows that that’s not true. So it kind of gives me that acknowledgment that if I become a teacher that doesn’t mean that I have to stop making art.” Adjunct Faculty in Art Lea
Jenna Darsee’s (‘15) collage “Big Girl. Didn’t Cry.”
Lily Kime (‘19) | Chips
Lovelace (‘97) teaches many art education courses at Luther and has worked with the alums that are featured in this exhibit. Lovelace thinks this exhibit will make the Luther community and those who view it change their perspective on artists. “It will raise awareness,” Lovelace said. “I think that the larger campus community probably thinks that artists will either do studio art or they will teach art. This will debunk that myth by showing that these students are teachers as well as practicing artists.” Kamm also believes that this exhibit will demonstrate the benefits of a Luther education to students. “For one thing, students will realize that there’s life after Luther,” Kamm said. “These students have been training for a specific profession and they actually got work there and there were jobs for them. And from what I can tell, they have been very satisfied both by the preparation they had for that work and by the fact that they’re doing something that they really love.” The exhibit is on display until May 27.
Lily Kime (‘19) | Chips
FEATURES
PAGE 6 APRIL 19, 2018
FEATURES EDITOR: SHASA SARTIN
National Library Week
Preus Library celebrates with annual book sale EMMA BUSCH STAFF WRITER This year marks the 60th anniversary of National Library Week, an annual celebration of various types of libraries and library workers across the nation. Each year in April, libraries work to increase public engagement with all libraries have to offer. According to Technical Services Assistant Emily Mineart, Preus Library takes part in this celebration with their annual book sale. “[The book sale] is something we have been doing every year since before I was born,” Mineart said. “It’s a combination of older materials that have been weeded from the library’s collections as well as books that have been donated specifically for this purpose. It all goes to support the library and help us purchase new materials.” According to Public Services Coordinator Eddy Atwell, roughly a third of the books come directly from the library and the rest are donations from the public or retiring professors. The sale also helps Preus librarians in their collection development efforts by keeping the library’s collection from overgrowing. “[The librarians are] each assigned a few departments on campus and are responsible for reviewing that subject area in the library and deciding what books to buy and what books to take out,” Atwell said. “We don’t want to grow too much, so for every book that comes in, a book should come out.” The sale offers everything from leisure reading, textbooks, and small plants. It runs during the course of the week. Prices decline daily and Mineart says it is not uncommon to see book lovers
waiting outside before the library opens during the week. “I open the building in the morning, so it’s always fun to see people there specifically for the book sale and ready to come in,” Mineart said. Mineart says the library also makes “Read” posters every year. Faculty, staff, and students can pose with their favorite book and display the poster around the library. This year the library also took photos of individuals holding signs that say “I read because…” with their personal reason for reading written below. Student worker Shaun Crozier (‘19) says National Library Week is important because of the number of roles libraries can serve. “Libraries grant us an escape from our current realities into a world created by someone else’s pure imagination,” Crozier said. “When we aren’t reading the libraries offer a quiet place away from classes [and] social obligations. It becomes a place where anyone can relax and just leave their troubles at the door.” Mineart says libraries also exist to promote certain ideals that benefit society. “Libraries are so important, mainly because they embody so many values that are so important not just on a college campus, but especially resonant and present in people’s minds on a campus like Luther such as intellectual freedom, the public good, and the free exchange of ideas and information and life-long learning,” Mineart said. “Libraries exist to promote them.”
Eddy Atwell at the circulation desk in the Preus Library. Emma Busch (‘19) | Chips
Eddy Atwell Public Services Coordinator Eddy Atwell was a newspaper reporter, student chaplain, mental health counselor, city clerk, freelance editor, and almost everything in between before he began his job as a part-time circulation desk employee in Preus Library 27 years ago. Atwell’s focus has always been his family and his move to Decorah was motivated by his wife’s career as a clinical social worker. The two met and married in Minneapolis while they worked for the same division of a Lutheran volunteer program. While living in central Minnesota, Atwell’s wife, a native of Mabel, Minnesota became interested in moving to Decorah. “I said if she ever got a job down here I’d be willing to move,” Atwell said. “She finally did get a position in town, so we moved here.” Atwell studied public policy analysis as an undergraduate student and planned to pursue a graduate degree in the field before deciding to go to seminary. While he does not have a degree in library science, Atwell says his position suits him because of his love for reading. “Reading and libraries have always been important to me,” Atwell said. “My wife rolls her eyes because the only day I don’t work is Saturday and every Saturday I go down to the public library and read without interruption.” Atwell works a split shift during the week and has a number of responsibilities in the library, including running the circulation desk, handling problems with the building, taking care of the printers, running the book sale, and shelf-reading the library during the summer. “We look at every single book and make sure it’s where it’s supposed to be,” Atwell said. “That’s kind of a tedious task, but that’s how we know where everything is. I’ve touched every book in this building at least five times.” Atwell says that while academic libraries and the online resources Preus offers are valuable, they do not allow you to unexpectedly stumble upon books you may not have known existed. “When I grew up, you would roam the stacks and that’s kind of how I still read today,” Atwell said. “I would encourage students to roam the stacks when they have time. You can sit in your room now and look up books, which is so nice, but there’s a chance you’re missing those serendipitous findings in the library itself.”
Freeda Brook in her office in Preus Library. Emma Busch (‘19) | Chips
Freeda Brook Acquisitions and Resource Management Librarian Freeda Brook grew up in Fairfield, Iowa and has lived in a number of places since then, including Chicago, Seattle, and North Carolina. “Coming to Luther was sort of like a return to my home state,” Brook said. Brook majored in political science at Grinnell College as an undergraduate student but was unsure of what career to pursue following graduation. “I don’t think at the time I really fully realized that [being a] librarian was a job that you could get an education for and move into, so when I found that out I was really intrigued,” Brook said. “That was in 2007, a time when we were, and are still, in a big transition to online. But at the time it felt a little bit newer. There’s a crossover between working with people and connecting them to physical or print information versus online information, and there’s a lot of things at play in that realm that interested me.” Brook came to Luther three years ago after working at Roosevelt University in Chicago. According to Brook, the liberal arts approach to education drew her to Luther. “It worked really well for me when I was a student and I really appreciated the liberal arts focus of education, so it was appealing to me to come to a
similar type of institution and invest in that,” Brook said. Brook has a wide variety of duties that include working with the Paideia program; overseeing all of the library’s collections, such as the online sources, databases, journals; and managing all of the library’s book, newspaper, and journal acquisitions. Brook says she enjoys working with students the most. “It’s really fun to talk to students about their specific research projects and be able to work with them one on one to find the resources that they need and different ways of thinking about their research topics in order to be able to finish their projects,” Brook said. Brook says that while she enjoys working with first-years and seniors, she would like the opportunity to assist students more in between that time in order to help them build stronger research skills. “Research is built really well into the curriculum in the first year with Paideia and the senior year with senior projects, but sometimes there will be a couple years where students don’t visit us as much,” Brook said. “So I definitely think it would be good to see students a couple more times. It’s a set of skills that builds on itself, so having more practice is usually better.”
FEATURES
PAGE 7
FEATURES EDITOR: SHASA SARTIN
APRIL 19, 2018
The Preus Library Basement TRIO & SASC: providing plentiful resources
NATALIE NELSON STAFF WRITER If you walk past the SASC and TRIO offices at any point during the day you are likely to see students chatting with the staff in those offices, hear the discussion of numerous student tutors, and watch a study group draw diagrams on a whiteboard. Both offices create safe spaces for students to improve their college experiences. The Student Academic Support Center is located next to the TRIO office. The two organizations, however, are unrelated. SASC provides support to all students through tutoring, time management support, instruction in study skills, and one-on-one meetings with students who have concerns that interfere with their academics. Last year, SASC employed 90 tutors and had 536 tutor contracts. Gwen Van Gerpen (‘01) has been the Director of SASC for the last 13 years. She manages the services SASC offers while also meeting individually with students. “I love working with students,” Van Gerpen said. “I started as a high school teacher. I love to teach and I love to be in front of a classroom but the thing that gets me the most jazzed is being able to have relationships and one-onone conversations with students because I feel like I am better able to help people.” Van Gerpen is from Lowden, Iowa and graduated from Luther in 2001 with a history major. “I never thought when I was a student that I would be working here,” Van Gerpen said. “An opportunity to come back to Luther opened up and I thought, ‘Huh, that’s pretty cool’. I really valued my Luther experience and I loved Decorah and I wanted to be
Jenna Eichberger at her office in SASC.
able to come back.” Coordinator of Tutoring and Academic Support at SASC Jenna Eichberger recruits, hires, and trains all of the tutors and matches students with tutors. “I love the work with our tutors; our tutors are very bright,” Eichberger said. “I am always impressed at the quality of people we’re able to find, how well they work with students and a lot of times they work really independently, so I always feel really lucky that every year we’re able to get a good crew in here.” Eichberger is from Black River Falls, Wisconsin. She was a tutor herself during her time as an undergraduate at University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and went into a program for her master’s degree in student affairs administration seven years ago. She came to Luther after completing her masters’ in 2011. “I really enjoy the faculty and staff at Luther, we collaborate a lot,” Eichberger said. “We get their input and they sometimes help with training in the form of meeting with the tutors and giving them advice. They help us recruit and give us recommendations. I appreciate that they’re really committed to working with the students that are struggling; they make time, they have office hours, and they want to help them.”
Natalie Nelson (‘19) | Chips
Director of TRIO Tammy Hove. Photo courtesy of Tammy Hove
Advisor and Tutoring Coordinator Cheryl Wieseler. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Wieseler
TRIO is a federally-funded program that helps first-generation college students with financial needs with the transition into college and to be successful throughout their college years. At Luther, TRIO serves about 180 students. Tammy Hove is the director of the program as well as one of three advisors. “I really like the mix between the administrative side of things and working directly with students,” Hove said. “It allows me to be creative and think big picture, but it also allows me to get into the nitty gritty details and help our students and figure out how we can best serve them. I wouldn’t do this job if I couldn’t work with the students.” Hove has lived in Iowa her entire life and has been working in higher education for almost 30 years. She worked at a community college for 20 years before her decision to come to Luther ten years ago. Both of her kids attended Luther. “I was really excited about working with first-generation students with financial need,” Hove said. “What sold me was that the day of the interview, they had arranged for a group of TRIO students to meet with me and I could just tell how strongly they felt about the program and the staff.” Hove said the most rewarding part of her job is working with the students. “They inspire me as much as hopefully the work that we do inspires them to go off and
become the best they can be and do great things in the world,” Hove said. “And I love my team. They’re lovely, they’re loyal, and they’re looney.” Cheryl Wieseler is an advisor and tutoring coordinator at TRIO and the teacher of the fall Foundations classes which serve as a support for student learning. According to Wieseler, 85 percent of eligible students participate in the program. Older students sometimes become peer leaders who assist in the classes and give advice to first-year students. “More than anything, it’s rewarding seeing the students who really struggled at first and were kind of lost and then getting it figured out and going from this really rough first semester to, usually a year later, being a totally different student, having it figured out, and giving advice to other students who are going through the same things,” Wieseler said. Wieseler is originally from Nebraska and moved to Decorah in 2003 for this job after getting her master’s. Before Luther, she taught at a high school and worked for one year as a program coordinator for an after-school program on the Omaha native reservation in Macy, Nebraska. “I really enjoyed it,” Wieseler said. “I love being able to facilitate the learning and the decisions and the guidance that we’re able do here. It’s kind of a home away from home for students and we like that we’re able to do that.”
Students laugh with Advisor and Tutoring coordinator Chivonne Marlow.
Natalie Nelson (‘19) | Chips
PAGE 8
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
APRIL 19, 2018
A&E EDITOR: LILY KIME
Luther, Decorah, and MPR
Bring the Sing
GRACE ONSRUD STAFF WRITER Over 100 Luther students and Decorah community members gathered together on Saturday, April 14 at 10 a.m. in the Center For Faith and Life for Minnesota Public Radio’s Bring The Sing, an event that joins communities together through music. MPR has hosted Bring The Sing events in Duluth; Rochester; and Moorhead, Minnesota, but this was the first time that Bring The Sing visited Decorah. Luther College is an educational sponsor of MPR and connects with the organization to bring programs, such as Bring the Sing, to the local community. Luther’s Bring The Sing will be broadcasted at 7:00 p.m. on May 4. Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music Andrew Last (‘97) and Instructor in Music Mark Potvin (‘01) led the event. Cathedral Choir served as an anchor for the event; they were interspersed among the other students and Decorah community members. Cathedral Choir recorded four of their own songs in addition to the four community songs chosen for the event. Potvin said the purpose of the event was to reach out to others who may not otherwise have the opportunity to sing in a group setting. “The philosophy is that singing is one of those things we can do for a lifetime, so we want to involve anybody who wants to sing,” Potvin said. “You don’t have to be a professional singer; you don’t have to be someone who sings actively in a choir. You can be that person who just always wanted to make a joyful noise and never found a venue.” The event began with rehearsal, followed by an hour-long lunch break in Peace Dining Hall where participants got to know one another. After the group
Cathedral Choir recorded four songs for Minnesota Public Radio’s Bring the Sing event. reconvened participants learned four songs together and then recorded them to be broadcasted. Potvin and Last were responsible for choosing the four songs for Bring The Sing. Two of the songs were chosen from a list that MPR provided. One of the songs, “Draw the Circle Wide,” was
used at every prior Bring The Sing event. Last and Potvin chose the remaining two songs based on Luther’s choral traditions, including a piece from Geaorge Frideric Handel’s “The Messiah” and “The Pasture” by Z. Randall Stroope, which was a favorite song of former Luther Choral Director Weston Noble (‘43).
Cathedral Choir members performed with community members for Minnestoa Public Radio’s Bring the Sing event held in the CFL on April 14. Grace Onsrud (‘20) | Chips
Grace Onsrud (‘20) | Chips
Cathedral Choir member Kate Wyre (‘20) said that she enjoyed meeting new people while singing. “My favorite part of the event was getting to sing with people that I don’t usually get to make music with,” Wyre said. “Going through the recording process with new voices around me was an exciting experience.” Wyre noted that many of the participants are currently in community choirs or had some form of singing experience. The setup of the event allowed people to learn from one another through their different relationships to music. “Cathedral Choir sat mostly every other seat so that we could meet community members,” Wyre said. “We had the opportunity to learn about them and how they participate in music without being in a collegiate choir right now.” Potvin says that Bring The Sing will ideally become an annual event for Luther. He sees it as an opportunity for Luther to share choral traditions with the community. “The most important thing it brings is that it reminds us of the things that Luther historically did really, really well in connecting a community of singers with the college,” Potvin said. “I think we have an opportunity to really showcase what Luther, and by extension the greater Decorah community, has always believed, which is that everybody can sing and that everybody should find a way to sing if at all possible.”
OPINION
PAGE 9
MANAGING EDITOR: ELIZABETH BONIN
STAFF Editor-in-Chief Jacob Warehime Managing Editor Elizabeth Bonin News Editors Katrina Meyer Ana López Features Editor Shasa Sartin A&E Editor Lily Kime Sports Editor Ben Selcke Staff Writers Gillian Klein Natalie Nelson Grace Onsrud Emma Busch Martin Donovan Olivia Enquist Matthew Gleaves Piper Wood Dirk Umbanhowar Cara Keith Part-time Writers Forrest Stewart Kristen Wuerl Martel DenHartog Rozlyn Paradis Head Copy Editor Olivia Benson Copy Editors Elyse Grothaus Lyndsay Monsen Ad Representatives Bergen Gardner Web Content Manager James Miller
APRIL 19, 2018
EDITORIAL
Baker and Apartments parking restrictions are necessary Students often express concern or displeasure with Luther’s parking policy. However, with a relatively low cost and access to a variety of lots, it actually provides car owners an acceptable number of locations to park their cars. As a quick disclaimer, I don’t personally have a vehicle at Luther. Instead, I BEN SELCKE walk everywhere since I live SPORTS EDITOR in Baker Village. Although the walk is pleasant in most weather, it is more difficult than driving a car a half mile down to the pool lot or Regents Center. The specific permit it seems most people have a problem with is the B permit, specifically for Baker residents and A permits for Apartments residents. The current permit system does not allow students with these permits to park in most campus lots with the exception of the pool and Regents lot. However, those relatively few restrictions are only in effect from 7:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. It is also worth noting they are also only in effect Monday through Friday which leaves the weekends
completely open for parking in these lots. While it is unfortunate students from Baker or apartments aren’t allowed to park in all lots on campus, there is a legitimate reason for this policy. The time restriction is put in place to allow staff, faculty, and visitors who need to be on campus to access parking easily without the crowding of student vehicles. If all students were allowed to park in the same lots without restrictions, people such as visitors or professors would struggle to finding appropriate parking. Just as there are restrictions as to where Baker and Apartments permits allow students to park on campus, there are general, G permits, that don’t allow students who live on campus to park in Baker. This allows Baker residents easy access to parking, even with the relatively smaller parking lot. For the cost of one management textbook and half the cost of a biology textbook, a student can park his or her car for a whole semester with few restrictions at a number of different lots. That is a good deal. Though walking from Baker or Apartments in the winter is not pleasant, spring is coming soon. Next time you think about driving your car a half mile to campus, walk instead. It helps Luther become more sustainable and you won’t have the headache of parking and finding your car at the end of the day.
Social Media Director Elyse Grothaus Distribution Manager Lyndsay Monsen Faculty Adviser David Faldet
SUBMISSIONS Submissions for letters to the editor should be submitted 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, 400-700 words, and submitted before Sunday at 5 p.m. the week before publication. Publication of all letters is at the discretion of the editor. Chips will not accept submitted articles or campus announcements. Opinions expressed in columns and letters are those of the authors(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Chips or organizations with which the author(s) are associated.
The Norse Poll Do you think parking passes should be less restrictive?
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. Fax: 563-387-2072 Email: chipsedt@luther.edu Advertising: chipsads@luther.edu Website: lutherchips.com Facebook: facebook.com/LutherChips Twitter: @LutherChips Instagram: @luthercollegechips
“Yes. I think that there is a small enough amount of people on campus that we can make it work.” -John Bendt (‘20)
“No, because people would park anywhere and there would never be any security that lots would have spots available. It could go south quickly.” -Nathan Schulte (‘20)
“I think that if you are paying for a pass you should be able to park anywhere because sometimes it is hard to find a parking spot. If you are paying to have a car on campus, you should be able to bring it anywhere that you want. “ -Michael Winkler (‘19)
OPINION
PAGE 10 APRIL 19, 2018
MANAGING EDITOR: ELIZABETH BONIN
TO THE EDITOR
Dance Marathon celebrates finding their “why” This year’s Luther College Dance Marathon was a landmark year as it was LCDM’s fifth event. After we saw a huge increase in the fundraising total last year, the executive board this year sought to keep morale high and emphasize the true focus of the organization: the miracle kids and their families. For the Kids! This is the reason that dancers dance and participate in Dance Marathon. All fundraising money benefits families and their accommodations at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Donations
provide meals, parking passes, pharmaceutical co-pays, event funding, research funding, and even funeral costs. However, each dancer also has their own story, or their “why,” for getting involved and staying involved with DM. During my first year of high school, I joined the Dance Marathon that took place at the University of Iowa as a way to give back after losing my dad to colon cancer only a month previous. Though childhood illness is something much different than what my
family and dad experienced, I immediately empathized with many of the stories I heard: those of life-changing news, long hospitals stays and treatment plans, losing loved-ones. The list goes on. Dancers may get involved because of a personal connection to childhood illness, an interest in a service career, or just a general interest in helping and connecting with others. This year we wanted to celebrate everyone’s “why.” Starting with our Push Day on March 14, which is also National
Write Your Story Day, we asked dancers to share their story, their “why.” This theme came alive at our Big Event on April 7. Dancers stood, danced, laughed, cried, and came together from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Our event shirts this year feature a puzzle piece containing a symbol of each of our Miracle Families’ story. Put together, the pieces formed the shape of the number five to represent our fifth year. As each family shared their story on stage during the Big Event, they each became a part of all of the dancers’ stories
too. As I graduate and become an LCDM alum I am proud to leave Luther knowing that these stories will continue to inspire and empower students to come together for a common cause and get involved in student-led organizations that truly give back. It is an accomplishment to raise $67,539.22 for the kids this year, but I feel that it is an even bigger success to see dancers find their “why.” Signed, Emily Starman (‘18)
TO THE EDITOR
Cafeteria needs to improve quality and variety Most Luther students are required to live on campus which in turn requires a full meal plan. This leads to us primarily eating in the cafeteria during the school year. However, many Luther students are not happy with cafeteria food. When we make these complaints, Dining Services often argues that it is hard to make food for around 2,000 people, especially since people have different tastes. However, the freshness of the ingredients and the variability of the menu in the Caf can be changed. Sodexo takes pride in providing the best and freshest ingredients for Luther — or at least that is what they claimed when a friend of mine complained. I bet we all have seen wilted lettuce and spinach or partially defrosted watermelon several times. Meat in the sandwich line is mostly processed meat, which is an unhealthy option for those students who can only eat in the Caf during its off hours. Some students who have gotten sick from eating food in the Caf have contacted Residence Life in the hopes that
complaints will provoke changes in the food prepared. Unfortunately, there have been no noticeable differences despite these reports occurring over a year ago.
“The fact that Luther has not taken action to ensure the quality of the ingredients, which directly affects student health, speaks for itself.” -Linh Nguyen (‘18) Meanwhile, the sanitation of these ingredients is horrible. There are countless times when students have found bugs in the lettuce. The fact that Luther has not taken action to ensure the quality
of the ingredients, which directly affects student health, speaks for itself. Another major problem is the limited menu. Since my first year, the variety of the dishes has drastically decreased. More and more often, my friends have complained that there is nothing desirable to eat. My first year, I remember having pho, pad thai, or shrimp soup every once in a while; tacos were pretty common. Sophomore year, turkey dishes seemed to replace many of these options. Junior year, I barely saw tacos and beef served; this year, even fish is a “fancy” meal. Now, only two kinds of meat are usually served: pork and chicken, the cheapest types of meat. The recipes used to cook food are also repetitive. They serve roasted chicken, pulled pork, or stir fry most days. Students should be able to enjoy experiencing a wide range of food over the course of the semester. We pay a decent amount of money towards food services, especially considering it’s required for on-campus
living. We make this concession towards required meal plans because we value the education and environment Luther promotes more. However, if we keep leaving the Caf unsatisfied, this trade-off isn’t worth it. As the expenses to attend Luther increase, these factors become even more important to prospective students. Of course, they may not notice this right away as the quality of food served during prospective student visit events is often better quality than what is typically served. But if Luther knows enough to change the quality of food served in the Caf specifically during visit days, doesn’t that mean that they are aware of the lower quality served every other day? I have learned to accept the truth that Luther outsourced dining services to save money. However, this should not mean that the quality and variety of food we are served suffers for it. Signed, Linh Nguyen (‘18)
SPORTS
PAGE 11
APRIL 19, 2018
SPORTS EDITOR: BEN SELCKE
Baseball gets back into the swing of things against Central
Jared Swanson (‘21) runs around the bases after a hit earlier in the season.
DIRK UMBANHOWAR STAFF WRITER After a two-hour delay, followed by the game being moved to nearby Independence, Iowa due to poor field conditions at Luther, the Norse broke out with 10 runs on 15 hits in a 10-4 win over the Central College Dutch to close out a sweep of the season series. “It was really good out there to play again, as well as to see the bats come alive,” Head Coach Bryan Nikkel said. “We had hit well early in the season, but then they had gone quiet a bit since the start of conference play.
We were simpler in our approach and not trying to do too much, so it was definitely an exciting day.” The Norse’s 15 hits against Central tied for the most that they have had in a game so far this season, with shortstop Kelby Johnson (‘20) leading the way at the plate. Johnson had one of his best days of the season at the plate, going three for three with a three-run home run in the sixth inning accounting for his three RBIs on the day. Johnson also scored three times, drew a walk, and stole a base. “I told myself before each plate appearance, over and over again, I was
The baseball team celebrates a run in a game ealier this year.
Annika Vande Krol (‘19) I Photo Bureau going to get a hit, and the rest worked itself out,” said Johnson. “I was seeing the ball well. I’m just grateful for the opportunity to help my team win and I’m thankful towards my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me that opportunity.” Johnson and the rest of the lineup’s strong performance at the plate was backed up by a stellar pitching performance on the mound by starter Joey Cardamon (‘19) who went five and two-thirds innings while only giving one earned run on eight hits and striking out five. After Cardamon’s performance, Cameron Reed (‘21) pitched two scoreless innings. Sean Westendorf
(‘18) finished off the game with a scoreless ninth. “I felt like even though it wasn’t my best start of the year, I was able to give the guys to opportunity to go out and win a game,” Cardamon said. “That’s always the goal when I go out there.” It was another stellar performance by a team that came into the season inexperienced and who almost no one in the rest of the IIAC predicted would have much success. The Norse staff has been lights out almost all season, ranking 14th in the entire nation in terms of staff ERA, 2.82. “I’ve been really, really impressed with them so far,” Nikkel said. “Coming into the year we graduated over 80 percent of our innings pitched from last year. We got a lot of guys though that have been here for awhile and working hard, and now they’re getting their chance and showing their capability.” Luther was scheduled to play a threegame series at Wartburg Colleg this past weekend, but was cancelled due to the recent snowstorm. Luther’s next scheduled game is set to take place this Friday against Loras at the Luther baseball field, with a start time scheduled for 3 p.m. Nikkel hopes the sweep of their conference rival, Central, will the give Luther some momentum as the push towards a spot in the IIAC conference tournament. “The sweep of Central was big,” Nikkel said. “They’re a good team, and a sweep of a quality opponent like that puts us in one heck of a spot. The league is wide open. We’ve made strides in the right momentum and hopefully we continue to do so.”
Annika Vande Krol ‘19 | Photo Bureau
SPORTS
PAGE 12
SPORTS EDITOR: BEN SELCKE
APRIL 19, 2018
Luther frisbee teams prepare for regionals ROZLYN PARADIS STAFF WRITER Luther’s three ultimate frisbee teams are preparing for their conference and regional tournaments which will take place during the last two weekends of April. The women’s team, Freya, and two men’s teams, Pound and LUFDA, are preparing for these tournaments in ways that match their specific team cultures. The teams are also creatively working around the unideal weather conditions. Pound and LUFDA will compete in the West Plains Conference tournament on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. If the teams are one of three to qualify, they will compete at the North Central Division III Regional tournament on April 28 and 29 at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. One team will have the opportunity to qualify for nationals at the regional tournament. This conference and region has fewer women’s teams, resulting in a combined North Central ConferenceRegionals Tournament at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, 22. Freya will compete for a single bid to nationals. According to Freya captain Hanna Doerr (‘19) there have been some obstacles to training this year. “It has been a challenge trying to prepare this year because of the not great weather,” Doerr said. Freya has been practicing outside every chance they get but have had to supplement their preparation through indoor practices, lifting in Legends, and having classroom time. Doerr commented that most teams in their region and conference are facing similar conditions but all must prepare for the high competition in the weekend to come. “We traditionally have had a very competitive region,” Doerr said. “Usually, we have had two bids per region, meaning two teams from our region have the chance to go to nationals but this year we only have one. So, competition getting to nationals is going to be very tough this year.” Pound is preparing differently for the upcoming tournament.
“We are pretty confident it will be cancelled [due to weather and field conditions],” Pound captain Ethan Harris (‘18) said. “We are playing a lot of sardines [hideand-go-seek type game] to keep the team engaged and prepping for next season.” When asked how Pound might perform during the tournament, Harris responded, “For us, it has always been for the fun of it.” LUFDA has been unable to practice the same drills and intense scrimmages they normally do. Instead, they have been lifting, running outside, and using the SRC. LUFDA captain Owen Schleif (‘18) discusses more in-depth how his team has been preparing for the big tournaments despite the weather. “We have had practices where we just have shoes on in the snow so it’s almost impossible to plant and change direction,” Schleif said. “So we still do that just because it is not going to get us much better at the fundamentals of Ultimate but it helps with grit and dealing with whatever is put in front of you, and if we enjoy it and start laying out in the snow it really helps with morale.” Schleif sees no other choice but to practice outside this week even if the fields are not ready. LUFDA’s goal for conference is to win the tournament, earning them a spot at regionals to compete against the three other teams that are realistically viable for nationals. “We have been preaching ‘no easy games’ because you know, we can’t get complacent and find ourselves in a hole where we might not advance,” Schleif said. “So we are trying to be a little more humble this year and approach each team like they could be a team that ends our season and we can’t let that happen. Instead, let’s end their season. We get kind of intense with it.” The original tournament days were Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15 but were rescheduled due to weather. The unseason-like weather that continues to plague the Midwest may cause more delays or cancellations for these tournaments. If canceled, the teams ranked highest will automatically receive the bid to nationals.
Weekly Standings
Baseball Coe Loras Dubuque Wartburg Buena Vista Luther Nebraska Wes. Simpson Central
IIAC 8-1 7-2 7-2 6-3 7-4 7-5 3-11 2-12 1-8
Recent Scores
Overall 13-8 18-6 11-11 15-8 11-13 17-7 7-18 3-22 10-15
April 10 vs. Central College W 10-4
Upcoming Schedule
April 20 vs. Loras College
Softball Luther Coe Central Nebraska Wes. Simpson Wartburg Loras Dubuque Buena Vista
IIAC 2-0 5-1 6-2 4-2 4-4 2-6 1-3 1-3 1-5
Recent Scores
Overall 24-2 15-9 19-7 17-11 18-10 12-12 13-12 5-21 16-10
April 11 vs. Buena Vista W 5-4
Upcoming Schedule
April 20 vs. University of Dubuque
Men’s Tennis Coe Luther Central Wartburg Loras Nebraska Wes. Dubuque Simpson Buena Vista
IIAC 7-0 4-0 3-1 4-2 2-1 1-5 0-3 0-4 0-5
Recent Scores
April 14 vs. Nebraska Wes. W 9-0
Overall 19-5 16-3 11-10 10-10 10-3 3-14 2-9 6-11 4-10
Upcoming Schedule
April 21 vs. Coe College
Owen Schleif (‘18) looks for a cutter in a tournament last fall.
Photo courtesy of Chris Lovagnini (‘16)