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VOLUME 138, NO. 11

Panel discusses racism

Students compete in Model UN conference KATIE NELSON NEWS EDITOR

this is an issue.”

The panel discussed the events taking place at the University of Missouri and Yale, the experiences of students of color at Luther College, questions about how to be an ally and suggestions for how Luther can become a more inclusive community.

Ferguson is a new professor at Luther and hopes to bring the perspective of being a person of color on several college campuses as a professor and a student.

“In my first semester I have been very moved by the Luther students,” Ferguson said.

“Having engaged in several conversations with Luther students regarding the situations that happen across the country and how we at Luther can create a space that we can feel included in, I can speak not only as a faculty

Luther College’s Model United Nations (UN) group competed at the American Model United Nations conference in Chicago. Luther’s group has grown large enough that they were able to bring delegation groups for two different countries, Angola and Senegal, to the conference Nov. 21 through Nov. 24.

The conference, which is one of the largest model UN conferences in the nation, is the one large event Model UN participates in during the academic year.

According to Model UN president Raleigh Sims (‘16), this event takes a lot of work, but also has benefits.

“Model UN is an actual representation of the actual UN, so we spend a lot of time doing a lot of research and preparing for this conference,” Sims said. “But also it’s good for a lot of people because it helps us keep up to date on current events and helps us be knowledgeable about everything that’s happening in the world.”

Model UN’s numbers are larger this year than past years, increasing from about 17 to 25 members. The size increase allowed them to bring a second country delegation, which created challenges and benefits for the team.

“It was fun to be president for [two delegations], but it really threw a real curveball in what my plans were for everything,” Sims said. “It did help us a bit at the conference, for strategy, because Senegal and Angola’s policies kind of align, so we had another country to write resolutions with.”

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SPEAKING UP. Panelists Pharez Monney (‘17), Michael Hagstrom (‘17), Anna Jeide (‘16) and Assistant Professor of Sociology Ronald Ferguson discuss issues of race on college campuses.

Frances Stevenson / Chips

Students, faculty and staff gather for Keep it Going—A Campus Conversation Part II: Racism, Education and Islamophobia.

FRANCES STEVESON STAFF WRITER Continuing the discussion of racism on campus, Just Action, an organization of students, faculty and community members, hosted a forum on Thursday, Nov. 19.

Roughly 160 people attended the panel in Marty’s.

The panel included three students— Michael Hagstrom (‘17), Black Student Union (BSU) President Pharez Monney (‘17) Peace Scholar Anna Jeide (‘16)—Assistant Professor of Sociology Ronald Ferguson.

Professor of Africana studies and History Lauren Anderson moderated the event.

“There is a feeling that this is not an issue at Luther,” Anderson said. “It may be an issue out there but at Luther it doesn’t happen.”

Anderson explained the impetus of the panel. “[This panel was put together] to discuss why race is such a prominent issue right now in the national moment,” Anderson said. “I think a lot of Luther students were raised with this ideology of color blindness; that racism is in the past and there is no reason to continue to discuss it. I think it’s confusing to a lot of students why it feels like suddenly

Students question sustainability of food production methods in Marty’s JACOB WAREHIME STAFF WRITER At the beginning of the 2015-16 academic year, Marty’s implemented a change in the way fried food is to be portioned.

Previously, a single cup was used to portion out serving sizes.

Now, each serving is portioned with an individual plastic bag.

Marty’s Student Manager Evan Woodard (‘16) described the change.

“All the portioning used to be done with a little plastic cup,” Woodard said. “You took the cup and put it in the fryer and you fried it. And now they’re proportioned in these little plastic bags. So any time you order a thing of [fried food], they take a plastic bag, they put the plastic bag in the fryer and then they throw the plastic bag away.”

Woodard worries about the negative environmental implications of this change.

“It’s not exactly super sustainable as far as Luther’s

sustainability goes,” Woodard said.

Woodard said he felt that the change was made purely from a financial standpoint, ignoring the negative effect on the environment.

“It’s just hard to rationalize, ‘Oh we’re making 50 cents per bag now so it’s cool to kill the environment,’” Woodard said.

According to Purchasing Specialist and Acting Retailing Manager for Sodexo Curtis Raddatz, the change was made in order to address a problem with inconsistent portion sizes.

“The change that was made from last year to this year with portion bags actually was so that we had better control over the products,” Raddatz said. “Basically, as of last year, there really wasn’t much portion control being done in the back of the house. Stuff was going out very inconsistent from one tray to another. That’s why we instituted the whole portioning program.”

Raddatz also explained that the change was in part a way to save money.

“It was for consistency as well as for our own making sure we’re not serving too much and we’re actually making money rather than just giving them all out,” Raddatz said.

Marty’s student worker Carlos Fulgencio (‘18) says that he feels the new portion sizes disadvantage the students.

“I like working at Marty’s, but I feel like they’re being really unfair,” Fulgencio said. “Apart from the plastic bags, it’s all in portion sizes. I don’t feel the students are getting their money’s worth because of the bags.”

Woodard is also concerned with amount of bags that are used on a daily basis.

“At least hundreds [are used] per day,” Woodard said. “I mean, it’s a lot.”

This is a number that Fulgencio agrees with.

“They use a pretty significant amount,” Fulgencio said. “We go through them really quick.”

MARTY’S, PAGE 4

NEWS

PAGE 2 DECEMBER 3, 2015

NEWS EDITORS: ANNA JEIDE & KATIE NELSON

Celebrating international education week CODY ARNDTSON STAFF WRITER Luther College hosted the 2nd Annual International Education Week on Nov. 16 21 as a chance to bridge racial gaps, celebrate differences through learning and become aware of other cultures.

President of International Students and Allies Association (ISAA) Jusse Aline Hirwa (‘17) highlighted that the purpose of this week was to broaden understanding among all students about cultural backgrounds and diversity.

“International Education Week is the celebration of international education and diversity,” Hirwa said. “We are holding this week of celebration to let people know the importance of and appreciate diversity and what it is all about, as well as what international students bring to Luther.”

The week provided many different platforms for people to exchange experiences and learn about diversity, including a study abroad panel discussion, a potluck, traditional games and dances and even a World Cup soccer tournament.

World Cup soccer participant Clinton Akomea-Agyin (‘17) said that the experience gave him a chance to reach out, make new friends and participate in

something he loves to do.

“I have been playing soccer recently and I felt that this was my best opportunity to participate in International Education Week,” Akomea-Agyin said. “It was a great experience, and the teams all had different representations of cultures. It was fun to meet others I did not know before and make new friends.”

After attending some events during International Education Week, participant and Coordinator of Multicultural Student Programs Michelle Boike (‘13) said that the week fostered an understanding of different cultures, which is important for understanding today’s world.

“It just helps you to see that there are different ways of doing things and there are different viewpoints,” Boike said.

“The more you are able to see and be OK with people doing things differently than yourself, the more adaptable you will be to other cultures and the world around us.”

Vice President of ISAA Tapiwa Manjengwa (‘18) said this year’s International Education Week was a great success and provided the experiences necessary for continuing this event in years to come.

“People are beginning to appreciate diversity, not only by word of mouth and theoretical things, but now it is practical,”

Manjengwa said. “I see our campus growing in diversity to the extent that if we continue to have this event year after year, the event will be better because people will expect those great experiences that they had the year before.”

Looking forward to the future for Luther, Hirwa hopes that international education provides a base for culture gaps to decrease and encourages students of all backgrounds to interact, to gather, to

discuss and to be transformed.

“I hope to see in the future that both American and international students interact and become friends and understand each other,” Hirwa said. “The purpose of having International Education Week is making people aware of where others are coming from and getting rid of stereotypes based on assumptions. I just want to see people come together and cultures connect.”

INTERNATIONAL CUISINE. Masaki Nakamura (‘19) and Joie Tanaka (‘16) cook together at an event in Norby Global House.

Cody Arndtson / Chips

ZTY hosts sexual assault panel JESSE ANDERSON STAFF WRITER Students, faculty and staff gathered in Marty’s for a panel on sexual assault and consent on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

The members of Zeta Tau Psi (ZTY) fraternity organized the

panel.

ZTY president Cody Duncan (‘17) moderated the discussion, which included Luther College staff, Sexual Assault Advocate with the Riverview Center Jessica Rupp, the Volunteer Coordinator with Helping Services of North East Iowa Nikki Kuhn (‘06) and Winneshiek

LISTENING FOR CHANGE. (From left) ZTY members Joel Clarke (‘16) and Josh Gonzalez (‘18) attend the panel. Jesse Anderson / Chips

County Sheriff Dan Marx.

The aim of the panel was to raise awareness of sexual assault, consent and to inform students of the protocol involved in reporting a case.

“It is a really relevant issue on not only our campus, but others as well,” Duncan said. “People don’t realize how prevalent it actually is, and we wanted to help.”

According to Director of Campus Safety and Security Bob Harri, seven sexual assaults were reported at Luther College last year.

The panelists emphasized the number of reported cases is often lower than the number of actual cases.

“Unfortunately, most sexual assault incidents are not reported to us,” Associate Director of Human Resources and Title IX Coordinator for Luther College Matthew Bills said.

There are a number of reasons for the heightened likelihood of sexual assault occurring on campus. Some stem from high-density housing on

college campuses, others stem from confusion about consent.

According to Student Life Health Resource Advocate and Assistant Dean of Student Life Janet Hunter (‘98), students often express confusion over consent when asked about it in Fitness and Wellness and other first-year programs aimed at providing basic sex education.

A number of educational programs for first-year students and opportunities for education beyond the classroom were mentioned during the panel.

Though education is a great place to start, Marx encouraged students to be alert when they are out.

“Don’t leave home already a victim; in other words, control your environment so your environment does not control you,” Marx said.

Panel attendee Brigid Burke (‘18) reminded others that it is important to remember that the victim is never the one responsible for the assault.

“Victim blaming is [extremely prevalent] in our society, and it

helps to promote rape culture,” Burke said. “This happens because we choose to look at the survivors and say ‘What could you have done?’ We ignore the actual problem, the perpetrators of these crimes.”

Bills explains that if a sexual assault does occur, it is important to know how to respond. Luther has protocol in place for dealing with sexual assault on campus.

“I strongly recommend you call an RA, call a coordinator, call campus security, call local law enforcement; they can help you in that situation,” Bills said. “If you want to talk to someone who is purely confidential, who will not take any action without your consent, we do have confidential reporting options on campus: Counseling Service, Campus Ministries and Health Service.”

The next step would be to file an official complaint. This will trigger an official investigative process, which may lead to on-campus hearings involving students, faculty and staff to determine the best course of action moving forward.

According to Bills, this process is separate from any legal actions that one might pursue with local law enforcement.

Though it is separate, Bills made clear that Luther is willing to work with local law enforcement to make this process as easy on the victim as possible.

Students interested in educating themselves on this issue or getting involved with groups against sexual assault are encouraged to contact the Student Life Office in the Union or Norse Against Sexual Assault (NASA).

NEWS

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NEWS EDITORS: ANNA JEIDE & KATIE NELSON THURSDAY

Seven-Day Forecast

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Community commemorates Int’l Transgender Remembrance Day

MOMENT OF SILENCE. Students, staff and community members participate in transgender rememberance.

Anna Jeide / Chips

Members of Luther College Peopple for the Rights, Inclusion, and Diversity of Expression (PRIDE), Black Students’ Union (BSU) and the Just Action committee organized a commemoration in recognition of International Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20. Roughly 50 students, faculty and staff gathered at the fireplace in the Dahl Centennial Union to pay respects to the lives of transgender people who have died violent deaths in 2015.

International Transgender Day of Remembrance is held every year on Nov. 20. The date was chosen in honor of Rita Hester, a transgender AfricanAmerican woman who was murdered on Nov. 20, 1998, according to www. rememberingourdead.org.

According to the website, “The Transgender Day of Remembrance serves several purposes. It raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people, an action that current media doesn’t perform. Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred.”

At Luther, the memorial included a list of transgender people from around the world who died violent deaths in 2015.

Some of the names and accounts of death were read aloud by members of PRIDE and BSU. PRIDE President Jesus Lucero (‘16) helped organize the event and discussed the importance of the International Transgender Day of Remembrance.

“This is very unknown and not talked about,” Lucero said. “When you start to bring in transgender and gender non-conforming people, people just don’t know how to talk about it. Either they are unaware of it or don’t want to understand it.”

Some specific stories of

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transgender violence were highlighted and read aloud at the commemoration.

“The story that I highlighted was Bri Golec, a trans female, who died at age 22,” Lucero said. “She was brutally stabbed by her father 12 times. [Her father] continued to make a police report saying that a cult had broken into his house and stabbed his son. He refused to the day that she died to acknowledge her as a female.”

According to Lucero, this murder took place in Ohio. Violent transgender deaths have been recorded from around the world, with the highest concentration of deaths in Brazil and Mexico, according to Lucero.

Assistant Professor of Philosophy and member of the Just Action committee Holly Moore was also one of the organizers for the event. Moore explained some of the complications of being able to recognize transgender deaths.

“Transgender people often get misgendered in their deaths, just as they are misgendered in their life,” Moore said. “There’s a systematic problem of not being able to even recognize their deaths as trans deaths.”

According to Moore, some activist groups have made attempts to collect reports and consolidate those reports into databases in order to memorialize trans deaths, but the information can be difficult to obtain.

“When you see the 271 names, that’s just what we know from media reports,”

Moore said. “These are all violent deaths that are perhaps not legally recognized as murders. There are 64 unnamed people on the list. That alone is really staggering, that for so many of the people we are trying to recognize, we can’t even recognize their name.”

Moore explained the importance of this day on an international and local scale. “[In the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community], the T is often last in more ways than one,” Moore said. “It’s important for us to do what we can, not just because there are people in our community who identify as trans, but because there is an invisibility to the specific harms that are done to people when they are misgendered, when they are harassed and subjected to violence.”

Lucero commented on the mood of the memorial.

“It was a somber feeling,” Lucero said.

“I’ve been at a funeral and memorial services, but this was an interesting feeling. There was just something lingering in the air.”

Moore hopes to see more events such as this that recognize transgender people.

“It would be good to have an ongoing memorialization because there is reporting over the course of the year and it doesn’t have to be just one day of the year to recognize the seriousness of the problem,” Moore said.

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Life Outside Luther US sends special ops to face Islamic State The United States will deploy a new special operations force to the Middle East to help fight Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Tuesday. Carter told the House Armed Services Committee that over time these special operators will be able to conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence and capture Islamic State leaders.

Carter said that the force will improve intelligence and generate more targets for attacks. Carter did not offer troop numbers amid a growing call from some Republicans for more U.S. boots on the ground and a divide among war-weary Americans about the prospect of greater military involvement.

World leaders gather to combat global warming The largest ever gathering of world leaders began two weeks of talks on Monday, Nov. 30 aimed at producing the most far-reaching pact yet to reduce greenhousegas emissions and avert environmental havoc. “We should ask what will we say to our grandchildren if we fail,” British Prime Minister David Cameron said as the United Nations climate summit opened under heavy security on the outskirts of Paris. “Instead of making excuses tomorrow, let’s take action today.”

Even before the gathering, more than 180 countries pledged to cut or curb their emissions, but scientific analyses show that much bigger reductions would be needed to limit man-made warming of the Earth to 2 degrees Centigrade (3.8 degrees Fahrenheit) over preindustrial times, the internationally agreed-upon goal.

Chicago police chief fired after shooting, video release Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired Chicago’s police superintendent on Tuesday, Nov. 24, a week after the release of a dash-cam video that showed a white Chicago officer fatally shooting a black teenager 16 times. Emanuel called a news conference to announce the dismissal of Garry McCarthy, who only days ago insisted to reporters that the mayor “had his back.” The mayor praised McCarthy’s leadership of the force but called it an “undeniable fact” that the public’s trust in the police had eroded. “Now is the time for fresh eyes and new leadership,” Emanuel said.

Complied from: ap.org

NEWS

PAGE 4 DECEMBER 3, 2015

NEWS EDITORS: ANNA JEIDE & KATIE NELSON

Model United Nations competes MODEL UN, PAGE 1

Model UN Vice-President Katie Vorderbruggen (‘16) was also excited for the opportunity to bring two delegations to the conference.

“I was really excited that we were able to get two countries, so that everybody had the chance to participate,” Vorderbruggen said. “Each year it keeps growing, so I’m hoping that next year we can do two countries again.”

According to Sims, being part of a delegation of countries with policies so different from the United States’ provided a new perspective.

“This year we were Angola [and Senegal], and we have to represent all of their policies, many of which are not American. So, we as Americans and a lot of international students have to put ourselves in another country’s perspective.

It’s kind of enlightening to see how people think differently.”

According to Vorderbruggen, the delegations split into several committees concentrating on different aspects of international law and government, but each committee mostly participates in writing resolutions.

“One of the main facets of Model UN is writing resolutions, which is my favorite part,” Vorderbruggen said. “One of the things they said is that we have to focus on debate and conversation, and one of the big things with the UN is that you have to sit down and talk to each other, which is really valuable for peace and security.”

Looking to the future, Vorderbruggen confirmed Luther’s Model UN will be a very different delegation next year.

“We’re going to be Belarus next year, so that will be really interesting,” Vorderbruggen said. “We haven’t been a European country for a while, and the fact that we’ll be an Eastern European country and we’ll be allied with Russia will be a very different perspective than what we’re

AT THE DELEGATION. Model UN members gather at the conference, representing Angola and Senegal.

Photo courtesy of Pedro dos Santos used to.”

Even though the conference is over, Vorderbruggen encourages anyone

interested to be involved in the rest of their activities in the spring or to contact modelun@luther.edu.

Discussing race issues in higher education RACISM PANEL, PAGE 1 member but having been a black student on a campus years ago, I can reflect and relate to it quite well.”

The panel hoped to continue the conversation of racism and education after the walk-out event on Friday, Nov. 13 in support of students at University of Missouri, Yale and

Upcoming Events Thursday, December 3 Christmas at Luther 5:45 p.m., Center for Faith Performance and Life, Main Hall Friday, December 4 Men’s and Women’s 10 p.m., Rochester, Swimming and DivingMinnesota Rochester Invitational Christmas at Luther 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., Performance Center for Faith and Life, Main Hall Saturday, December 5 Women’s and Men’s 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., La Basketball- Viterbo Crosse, Wisconsin University Christmas at Luther 7:30 p.m., Center for Faith Performance and Life, Main Hall Sunday, December 6 Christmas at Luther 2:30 p.m., Center for Faith Performance and Life, Main Hall CORRECTIONS In Chips issue no. 10, a story was printed about faculty cuts at Wartburg. Chips received some misinformation from a student at Wartburg. According to Wartburg staff member Emily Christensen there are 407, new students enrolled this fall, not 329 as was reported.

The decision to cut three faculty positions was not voted on Nov. 10, but the decision was made by the president and announced on Nov. 11 following protocol from the Faculty Handbook.

Retirement incentives were offered to all eligible faculty at the beginning of the year. There was not a vote about retirement incentives as the article stated.

In the story about the Sexual Assault panel in the same issue of Chips, a pull quote was attributed to Meg Hammes and should have been attributed to Janet Hunter.

students of color at Luther.

“It’s creating a campus-wide consciousness around these issues [and] that it’s important to bring everyone to the table,” Ferguson said. “[Talking] about the issues of race and microaggression or marginalization or just certain feelings students may have being a person of color on campus. Having a place to share that will inform our future actions. We have to go through the process of talking about race.”

Jeide was asked to be a panelist by Interim Director of Diversity Center Wintlett Taylor-Browne to represent the ally perspective of a white student.

“For me, allyship means listening to what others have to say, standing with them, not speaking for anybody, but speaking with them and speaking to the people in power at this institution who have the ability to effect the change that students of color are asking for,” Jeide said. “One of my goals is to have more people in the conversation. I think white students feel uncomfortable because they don’t know how to engage in these topics, but that is no excuse for refraining from the conversation.”

One of the goals presented by Anderson at the panel discussed by the Just Action group was for a chief diversity officer and a new non-interim Director of the Diversity Center.

“You have to build awareness before you can do anything else,” Taylor-Browne said. “Having the conversation is the awareness piece. The next piece is working with the college [to create a new position]. Some people call that position the chief diversity officer. I expect that members of the Just Action committee will be on the committee for designing the position and how our community as a whole should be managing issues built around race oppression.”

Professor of Religion Guy Nave, one of the faculty members in the Just Action group, played a role in getting the panel off the ground and hopes to continue the conversation past the panel.

“As an institution of higher learning we have a responsibility to promote critical reflection, and engagement, with the pressing social issues of the day,” Nave said. “As a college of the church we have a moral, ethical and even spiritual responsibility to promote critical thinking.”

Marty’s addresses concerns about sustainability, portions MARTY’S, PAGE 1 This is a number that Fulgencio agrees with.

“They use a pretty significant amount,” Fulgencio said. “We go through them really quick.”

However, Raddatz claims this number is much lower, saying that bag usage is actually quite minimal.

“As a guess, I’m thinking 30 to 40 [bags a day],” Raddatz said. “We don’t go through more than a case of them every two to three weeks. The amount we actually go through is kind of minimal, but it makes a big difference in what we’re doing.”

After working with student managers to find a more sustainable option for measuring serving sizes, Marty’s has stopped using plastic bags for the portioning of jalapeno poppers and reverted back to using a cup.

If Marty’s can find the correct cup to scoop the other fried items, they will try

to use that instead of the bags, according to Raddatz.

“For the rest [of the fried items] we’re looking pretty constantly now to find the proper cup,” Raddatz said. “We’re to find a cup that will fit the right amount in it.

So the issue is finding the right size cup.

It’s been an issue; it’s not an easy thing.”

Cup sizes aside, Woodard is upset that the new plastic bag policy has been kept secret from the students.

“Any time someone orders onion rings or cheese curds or any of those fried things, they’re just killing the environment,” Woodard said. “It’s not only that, but we’re not letting people know. There are all these Luther students who are trying to be sustainable and it’s part of our motto and it’s part of what we use to bring people to the school, and then we’re kind of spitting in the face of that.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT A&E EDITOR: JENNA NELSON

PAGE 5 DECEMBER 3, 2015

Preparing for Perfomances: Christmas at Luther weekend

REHEARSE. Perfomers participate in mass rehearsal.

ELIZABETH HURLEY STAFF WRITER The spirit of Christmas: can it be found in the twinkling lights, the freshly fallen snow, the smell of the cold and the anticipation of break? Or can it be found somewhere else?

For some, the spirit of Christmas can be found in a time honored tradition, Christmas at Luther (C@L).

Yet, C@L as we currently know it hasn’t always been a Luther tradition.

Originally the Christmas celebration at Luther was the performance of Handel’s “Messiah” in the Regents Center, where the choir was composed of anyone who wanted to join, often reaching up to 1,500 people. In 1981, wishing to add another component for those not involved in the “Messiah,” Luther added the Christmas at Luther concert, then called Juletide Fest, to the Messiah performances, making it all a Christmas at Luther weekend.

Over the years, this holiday weekend continued until the Christmas at Luther weekend transitioned into what we now know as Christmas at Luther in 2005, with

Cameron Meyferth / Chips

the name changing the year before.

Now in its 34th year since 1981, C@L’s traditional five concerts will be performed from Dec. 3 - Dec. 6 in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall.

The concert is composed of the six Luther choirs: Nordic Choir, conducted by Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Music Allen Hightower; Cantorei, conducted

by Assistant Professor of Education and Coordinator for Music Education Jill Wilson; Cathedral Choir and Aurora, conducted

by Assistant Professor of Music Jennaya Robison (‘96); and Collegiate Chorale and Norsemen, conducted by Assistant Professor of Music Andrew Last (‘97). The concert also features the Symphony Orchestra, conducted

by Professor of Music Daniel Baldwin; the Luther Ringers, directed by Associate Professor of Music and College Organist Gregory Peterson (who will also serve as the organist); and seven student dancers, a new addition to the concert. Given the number of people involved, it’s clear that putting on these shows requires a lot of work from many people.

According to Coordinator for Music,

Information courtesy of Eric Ellingsen (‘99).

Marketing, Choral Tours and the C@L Production Manager Eric Ellingsen (‘99), the numbers involved in preperation for the concerts are large.

In fact, Christmas at Luther is such an endeavor that the planning for the concerts begins in the spring before.

“We start with looking at the past four to six years,” Hightower said. “Oftentimes the theme grows out of a carol or hymn that we would like to include.”

This year that hymn and opening congregational carol is “Savior of the Nations, Come.” Looking for ways to celebrate Christmas in an intentional, international way, Hightower said that conversations began around this piece and expanded into music that reached beyond the Western tradition. Including music from around the world such as mass piece “Ríu Ríu Chíu,” the concerts will also have scripture readings in English and world languages, and a 66 flag processional representing the countries found within the Luther student population.

Despite the enormity of the event, C@L has the ability to touch every individual who experiences it.

Graphic by Emily Crowe “I hear from the audience members and conductors that you leave there as a different person,” Collegiate Choir Vice President Josue Silva (‘16) said. “Everyone takes something away from each performance. We provide the voices and instruments but we give so much more that we don’t even know.”

For Silva, who will be in C@L for his fouth year this year, the sense of community found among both past and present C@L members, and a revival of religious spirit. His favorite moment is the candle lighting.

“As the lights go down, a single candle starts and [all other candles’] flames expand throughout the CFL,” Silva said. “It’s the special spirit of C@L, the one flame that can touch everyone’s heart and reach out to those who need it most.”

According to Hightower, C@L represents the beauty in community.

“It’s a uniquely beautiful, unifying experience,” Hightower said. “It’s a beautiful representation of the [community-creating] dimension of music making. And for me, as a Christian, [C@L] is very meaningful on a large scale, to celebrate God’s fulfillment of a promise to send the savior Messiah. It’s a fulfillment of his promise through music and beautiful text.”

Many have yet to experience C@L, like Norsemen choir member Zane Larson (‘19).

Larson is looking forward to the performances.

“I’m looking forward to having that one moment where I’m going to think, ‘I’m going to remember this for the rest of my life,” Larson said. “I’m looking forward to flashing back to that moment [later on in life.]”

“Christmas at Luther: Savior of the Nations, Come” will run Dec. 3-6. Tickets information can be found online through Luther’s box office at www.tickets.luther.edu.

FEATURES

PAGE 6 DECEMBER 3, 2015

FEATURES EDITOR: ABBY CARPENTER

Peace Scholars Share Experiences from Norway

PEACE IN NORWAY. Students aboard a fjord cruise in Norway.

MATIJA NIKOLIC STAFF WRITER Over the summer, several Luther students had the opportunity to participate in the annual Peace Scholar Program, including Emily Holm (‘17) and Katie Kovacovich (‘16). On Thursday, Nov. 19, Holm and Kovacovich shared their experience as participants in the program during July 2015. This program is an expansion of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, an annual event in Minneapolis that inspires people to become active participants in peacemaking around the world.

The summer experience started with one week in Lillehammer, Norway at the Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue.

Participants studied the ins and outs of facilitating conversations between groups in conflict, and participated in team activities to demonstrate the peace process. The remaining six weeks of the summer were spent in Oslo at the University of Oslo’s International Summer School.

“This was the highlight of the summer for me,” Holm said. “There are around 500 students from 100 different countries.

Everyone takes classes that focus on global perspectives. I took an international politics class, as well as a Peace Scholars seminar.”

Students learned the importance of continuing dialogue even when the circumstances are difficult because it eventually leads to stronger and more honest relationships.

“The overarching themes that came up again and again was the importance of challenging conversations,” Holm said. “So often I find myself shying away from topics that divide people for the sake of social comfort. Conversations were tough and ugly and at times, incredibly hurtful. They rarely ended in perfect agreement, but they always ended in a transformation, and that made them worth the hurt. Some of the most beautiful friendships I’ve ever had bloomed from that rocky soil.”

Associate Dean and Director of Curriculum Development and College

Honors Terry Sparkes explained the type of students the Peace Scholar committee is looking to select.

“Students who apply talk about their academic interests, and most importantly they submit their personal statement that tells us about why they are truly interested and how it fits in their personal goals and hopes,” Sparkes said.

Holm encourages students to apply, as she found the trip especially rewarding.

“The Peace Scholar program is Luther’s best-kept secret,” Holm said. “The best part about the program is that there is a place for all perspectives and all areas of study. Whether you’re a biology major, management major or a religion major, your voice matters in the peacemaking process. The Peace Scholars program changed the way I see the world— and my place in it.”

Anna Jeide (‘16) was a Peace Scholar in July 2013.

“The Peace Scholar program completely reshaped my academic interests,” Jeide said.

“The week at Lillehammer gave me new insight into the importance and the difficulty of dialogue. After spending a summer with other students from around the world who came from different ethnic, religious, political and national backgrounds, I’ve never been more convinced of the importance of dialogue in a world that is quickly forgetting how to communicate across the barriers that divide us.”

Sparkes points out that the program has had a long history within Luther’s community.

“It’s been quite a while, and it’s gone through some changes over time,” Sparkes said. “It was originally an immersion experience in a developing country where students would spend three weeks doing service. Then the peace prize committee changed the focus to be more academic, and now it gives more onground experience and a chance to do some intensive study in the area.”

Past participant Imsouchivy Suos (‘15) believes that this opportunity is unique and encourages everyone to apply.

“I believe that this was one of the highlights

Photo courtesy of Emily Holm of my Luther experience,” Suos said. “This program allowed me to represent both Cambodia and the U.S. during a summer in Norway.”

Holm also agreed that the experience was a life-changing one.

“The seven weeks I spent in Norway were full of new perspectives and difficult

conversations,” Holm said. “It was the most challenging, exciting, formative and fulfilling time of my life.”

Interested students can get more information about the program from Sparkes or Executive Director of Center for Global Learning and International Admissions Jon Lund. Applications are due Jan. 29, 2016.

VIGELANDSPARKEN. Emily Holm (‘17) stands by a fountain in Vigeland Park, Oslo, Norway.

Photo courtesy of Emily Holm

FEATURES

PAGE 7

FEATURES EDITOR: ABBY CARPENTER

DECEMBER 3, 2015

No Shave November concludes at Luther The third installation of three following Benjamin Henson (‘16), Thomas Klinkhammer (‘19) and Luke Wilson (‘18) on their No Shave November beard growing journeys.

DANIEL RAY VOLUNTEER WRITER As November drew to a close, these three No-Shave November participants discussed their beards and what their facial hair meant to them.

Each of the three participants expressed affection for their beards.

“I’m definitely attached to it,” Benjamin Henson (‘16) said.

When asked how he would react if someone were to shave it off while

Benjamin Henson (‘16) Daniel Ray / Chips

he was sleeping, Henson responded adamantly.

“If someone shaved it off, I would feel violated,” Henson said. “You don’t touch a man’s beard. I would hope that whoever did it would have a beard too, so I could get an eye for an eye.”

According to Thomas Klinkhammer (‘19), his reaction would be different but the outcome would be similar.

“If it were shaved off, I would just think it was funny,” Klinkhammer said. “I probably would seek revenge, though. If you prank me, I’ll prank you back eventually.”

When asked how he would react, Luke Wilson (‘18) expressed a stoic attitude.

“I would be bummed, but it’s just hair, so it will grow back,” Wilson said.

Notwithstanding his stoicism, Wilson expressed fondness for his beard.

“I am very attached to my beard, even if it is a little patchy,” Wilson said.

“I love it and all its imperfections.”

When each of the three participants ranked their own beard, Henson emerged as the self-

proclaimed winner.

“On a scale of one to 10, I’d give it an eight,” Henson said. “There’s room for improvement, but it had a solid performance.”

Klinkhammer gave his beard a respectable rating.

“I’d probably rank my beard as a six right now,” Klinkhammer concluded. “I once went for three months without shaving, so I know it can get longer and better.”

According to Wilson, his beard is satisfactory.

Luke Wilson (‘18) Daniel Ray / Chips

“My beard is a five out of ten,” Wilson said. “It’s not amazing but it’s there.”

Although the rankings vary, each beard has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.

According to Henson, his beard grows quickly but not always in the right way.

“I think its biggest strength is its rate of growth,” Henson said. “Its weakness is probably its fullness. It’s not super full.”

According to Klinkhammer, his beard has the same strength as Henson’s but a different weakness.

“It grows reasonably fast,” Klinkhammer said. “Its biggest weakness is it doesn’t grow in some areas. There’s actually a gap between my mustache and my beard where I’ll never have facial hair.”

Wilson’s assessment was purely negative.

“My beard has no strengths and its weakness is kryptonite,” Wilson said. “You get any green rocks near my face and my beard hair will fall right off.”

It is uncertain whether all three participants will forego the use of a razor in November 2016.

According to Henson, he may participate, but he doubts it.

“I can’t rule it out, but I think the possibilities of me not doing it are greater,” Henson said.

Klinkhammer also expressed uncertainty.

“We’ll see what next year brings,” Klinkhammer said. “I just don’t want to guarantee anything.”

Wilson, however, is certain he will participate for many years to come.

“I will be doing this every year until I die,” Wilson said.

Thomas Klinkhammer (‘19) Daniel Ray / Chips

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 8 DECEMBER 3, 2015

A&E EDITOR: JENNA NELSON

Six Appeal shares their talent

SING TOGETHER. The a capella sextet combined humor with harmonies during their Marty’s performace on Friday, Nov. 20.

ELYSE GROTHAUS STAFF WRITER A capella group Six Appeal brought in a large crowd to Marty’s on Friday, Nov. 20. They charmed the audience with their vocals and comedic show.

The group began as an a capella group in 2006 at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. They became a professional ensemble in 2010 and have been touring ever since. This was their second performance at Luther. The sextet now includes members Andrew Berkowitz, Michael Brookens, Nathan Hickey, Reuben Hushagen, Trey Jones and Jordan Roll.

Samantha Storts (‘19) attended the concert and was impressed by the performance. “I thought they were very good,� Storts said. “Not only were they good singers but they were comedians as well, which I found to be really fun. Instead of the typical coming out, singing and leaving, they actually interacted with the audience.�

Co-chair of SAC Spotlight Anna Johnson (‘16) worked to get this group here in order to interest a large number of

Luther students. “We definitely want to get acts that are going to appeal to a lot of people at Luther because we don’t want to get something that is only going to bring in five or six people who are really interested in it,� Johnson said. “Because we have such a large music department and a capella groups specifically, we thought they would be a really good fit for a lot of the Luther campus.�

Before the concert, the members of Six Appeal met with one of Luther’s male a capella groups, Undeclared. Jacob Bunge (‘18) found this experience meaningful and helpful to their group members. “We had a little switch off with Six Appeal,� Bunge said. “One of our group members is friends with one of the members of Six Appeal from high school, so we did a little last minute switch off. We sang for them and they gave us critiques and stuff we could work on, and then they sang for us and we kind of just sat there and took it all in.�

Lianna Stewart (‘17) is a member of the all-girls a capella group on campus, Beautiful Mess. She felt that going to the concert was very motivating as an a capella artist herself.

Elyse Grothaus / Chips

“Six Appeal’s show made me so anxious and excited to go to our next rehearsal,� Stewart said. “I couldn’t wait to sing and make music with my best friends! It also just made me very grateful that I am a part of Luther a capella. It’s a really cool family that we have on campus with Beautiful Mess, Undeclared and Bromatic [Progression]!�

Along with helping the a capella ensemble, Six Appeal wanted a group from the college to open for them. SAC Spotlight worked with SAC Homecoming to bring in one of the winners from Open Mic Night earlier this fall. Because of this, student-run hip-hop group, Eklipse, prepared a number of dances for the opener. Co-captain of Eklipse Hannah Mick (‘16) recognized this opportunity as a great way for their group to improve. “One dance was from last year, but all of the other ones were new this year,� Mick said. “I’m so proud of how much work we have done already this year. I feel like by this point in the year last year I don’t even know if we had this many dances, but I think a lot of it was because we got offered this opportunity to open for Six Appeal and we just pushed ourselves a little bit more.�

Yosemite and Yellowstone gallery DANNY MAY STAFF WRITER Bison.

Ravens.

Waterfalls.

Mountainsides. Grassy valleys.

All with a distinctive, slightly foggy tone. These oil paintings are currently on display in the Kristen Wigley-Fleming Art Gallery, prepared by Davenport, Iowa-based artist Pamela Kendall Schiffer.

Schiffer’s exhibit focuses primarily on the Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. Schiffer explained that the process of creating the paintings involves both on-site sketches and photographs, which she then uses as a reference when working in her studio at home. “I take thousands of photographs and only work off of images that I shoot, having trained my eye to photograph the landscape as I can imagine it for a possible painting,�

Schiffer said. “It became obvious that I am much better suited to do studio work—I can take my time and enjoy the painting process without feeling rushed.�

Schiffer said that she takes anywhere from three months to a year to complete her paintings, rotating through several paintings in order to bring a different approach. “It’s actually good to remove oneself from a work for a short period of time, especially if its resolution isn’t clear,� Schiffer said. “Then approach it again with fresh eyes.�

Schiffer then sketches the image and lays an underpainting, thus

emulating the light from her photos. “Emotion is key, as is light,�

Schiffer said. “For me, an important element in my work is to define how the landscape image is influenced by light, whether that be with soft twilight, a foggy scene or the bright illumination of high noon.�

Schiffer also explained her specific intentions with the resolution of the paintings and her love for oil paint.

She said that oil allows her to create her desired atmospheric effect. “I always say that I never intend for my paintings to be photo-realistic,�

Schiffer said. “They’re not—there’s a painterly, atmospheric quality to the work that is a marked distinction between a photograph and a painting. I’ve been told many times that I do have my own distinct style, like no other, which I see as a good thing.�

Schiffer said that the showing of her exhibit has been years in the

making, as Gallery Coordinator David Kamm contacted her three years ago. Kamm explained that there are many considerations in choosing an artist and an exhibit to be shown in the gallery, such as budget, size, installation, style and subject matter, also keeping in mind current on-campus events. “I try to do a [variety] of things so that when people go to those spaces, they aren’t seeing the same type of work all the time,� Kamm said. “I also look for shows that might reverberate with the curriculum and events that go on at Luther so that the shows aren’t seen simply as decorative.�

Kamm spoke about Schiffer’s exhibit specifically, explaining the importance of the subject matter as a preview of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016. “She massaged her work and

Norwegian Christmas

put specific pieces together for this show,� Kamm said. “This show helps remind us of the beauty of nature and how fortunate we are to have things like Yellowstone and Yosemite.�

Schiffer explained that late fall and winter are her favorite times to be in Yosemite, developing sentiments toward nature and its significance. “My reverence toward the natural world is all-encompassing,� Schiffer said. “I think the parks deserve as

much public attention as possible, and they need to be visited.�

Wigley-Fleming Art Gallery student worker Paige Putnam (‘18) was impressed by the exhibit. “It’s so pretty how she does the snow,� Putnam said. “I think it’s really cool how she captured a similar scene at different times of day, different times of the year. It’s unique.�

Schiffer’s exhibit is on display through Dec. 11 in the Center for the Arts.

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OPINION

PAGE 9

MANAGING EDITOR: CAMERON MEYFERTH

DECEMBER 3, 2015

Consent for organ donors in Wales?

CAMERON MEYFERTH MANAGING EDITOR Wales became the first nation in the United Kingdom to enact what has been regarded as a “revolutionary” organ donation law on Tuesday, Dec. 1. From now on, adults in Wales will be automatically considered to consent to post-mortem organ donation. Those wishing to not donate organs after death will have to opt out of the system; those who opt in or do nothing at all will remain organ donors.

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely agree with the intent behind the law, which is to increase the potential number of organ donations that can save the lives of those waiting on long donation lists. I actually have an organ donor sticker on my ID card. However, I cannot

Rape

EMILY CROWE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Rape culture. This term has been used a lot recently, in Chips and most other forms of media. But what does it really mean, and how has it evolved?

According to Wikipedia (I know, I know, but in this case they got it right!), rape culture is a term stemming from feminist theory that means “a setting in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality.” Sexism is certainly not the only thing that lends to rape culture, but it is a large contributor and the one I will focus on here.

Some people hear “feminist theory” and immediately are turned off to the idea of rape culture, believing it to have been invented to further an agenda.

But this is simply not true. Here’s an example: Bloomingdale’s recently released an ad showing a woman laughing at something over her right shoulder while a man stares her down from her left, unsmiling.

The caption on this page reads, “Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking.”

The idea that a man or woman should put anything—be it alcohol, date rape drugs or anything other substance— into someone else’s drink without them knowing is disgusting, and is encouraging sexual assault.

After my initial shock that this ad had been printed, I began to wonder how such an inappropriate advertisement could have made it through numerous rounds of editing and into print. Did no one find this ad appalling? Surely the ad was read and approved by people of both sexes. And yet, no one found this ad unfit for print?

My guess is that those who wrote, edited and approved this ad thought

agree with the way Wales is attempting to go about increasing organ donors.

Sacrificing consent, what I view to be a universal human right, cannot be justified even by the saving of lives. If a close family member of mine got in a terrible accident, was in critical condition at the hospital and needed a blood transfusion from me to save their life, neither the hospital staff nor the government could force me to give my blood, even if it’s to save someone’s life. I would, of course, donate blood to save a family member, but that’s not the point.

Even if it will increase the number of organ donors, Wales should not assume consent. Could you imagine a world in which consent is always assumed? Websites would assume you consent to their selling your personal information unless you fill out a form to opt out.

culture

they were simply implying that their clothing will allow you to have fun, get the girl and do so while looking classy.

But instead what they implied is that spiking someone else’s drink to get what you want is OK—that rape is OK. Bloomingdale’s might not understand that the indifference that led to this ad being printed is the definition of rape culture, but it is. And they are not alone in their ignorance.

Budweiser printed a slogan on their beer bottles in April that said, “The perfect beer for removing ‘no’ from your vocabulary for the night. #UpForWhatever.”

Surely this ad meant to imply that you will take more risks, go outside of your comfort zone and have fun with a Bud in hand. And it does. But it also implies that their product is perfect for getting a person so drunk that they are no longer able to give consent, taking “no” out of their vocabulary. This slogan could easily be interpreted as, “Give them enough beer and they won’t be able to stop you from raping them.”

I find these Bloomingdale’s and Budweiser advertisements horrifying; and yet, they are just the tip of the rape culture iceberg.

These advertisements made it to print because so many people—no matter what their gender—are trained to find these advertisements light, humorous and fun-spirited. But they are not funny.

They are signs of a cultural tendency toward rape. The fact that they were printed after being approved by people of both sexes proves that this is not a “men’s problem.” This is everyone’s problem.

Rape culture is ultimately a form of institutionalized sexism. There is a theory of ambivalent sexism—the idea that there are two types of sexism.

First “hostile sexism,” or an obvious

in

Companies would assume you consent to purchasing services you don’t want unless you uncheck every box.

People would assume you consent to sexual activity unless you directly tell them no (which unfortunately happens all too often).

I realize this is a slippery-slope argument, but we should stand by our belief in consent as a universal human and reject Wales’ organ donation law, for the principle of the matter. Instead, Wales should promote the benefits of being an organ donor.

On a closing note, if you are not currently an organ donor, you should be one! According to organdonor. gov, a candidate is added to the National Waiting List every 10 minutes, and an average of 22 people die each day waiting for transplants because of the shortage of donated organs.

advertising

degradation of a person based on their sex. While this type of sexism can be directed at people of either sex, it is most commonly directed at women.

For example, anyone who believes that women are inferior to men and don’t deserve equality are perpetrators of hostile sexism.

The second type of sexism recognized by the theory of ambivalent sexism is “benevolent sexism,” or the wellintended actions that subconsciously imply that the person of another sex is not the perpetrator’s equal. This type of sexism also applies to both sexes. An example would be a man feeling to need to protect a woman because she cannot protect herself, or a woman thinking a man cannot clean, make himself dinner or take care of himself.

It is important to understand these two types of sexism because they are helping to create the rape culture we live in today.

Neither ad, in my opinion, was meant to be consciously sexist or encourage rape, and yet both ads were and did. This is because it was not hostile sexism at work, but benevolent sexism. By this I mean that both advertisements made it to print because we live in a culture where sexism is common and often goes unidentified, lending to rape culture.

I do not mean to say that our rape culture is entirely because of sexism; to say that would be to deny the realities of male victims of sexual assault and victims who’s rapists were female. Their experiences are no less concerning or appalling, and are also signs of our rape culture.

It is easy and often people’s first reaction to assume that these ads are harmless and don’t affect our culture very much, but it is clear that they are affecting it. And ads like these are affecting us and creating a rape culture even on our small campus.

There are multiple instances that have occurred on our campus that exemplify this point. For one, at the sexual assault panel held on Tuesday, Nov. 17, Winneshiek County Sheriff Dan Marx suggested that we should control our environment so our environment does not control us, thereby not leaving home “already a victim.” This statement is problematic when you consider the sexual assault a Luther student experienced earlier this semester. How could she have controlled her environment? What should she have done differently? I don’t have answers to these questions, and yet Marx’s statement went unquestioned by many. This statement is problematic, victim blaming and normalized by our rape culture.

I wish that I did not have to be concerned for my safety when I walk home alone from work late at night on our campus, but I do. I wish that no one had to deal with the emotional and physical pain, stress and scars caused by sexual assault, but some do. I wish that no one had to try to comfort a friend who survived sexual assault, but some do. I wish that I could give an easy answer to this huge problem, but I can’t.

Rape culture is not something that is just going to go away. All I can hope is that—as individuals, communities, businesses and a culture—we learn from our mistakes. I also strongly believe that change can and will happen, and even a little bit of awareness helps further change. Please consume media and advertisements with a grain of salt. Through intentional reading and analyzing, we can change how we understand the information we consume and therefore change our perceptions. I am not an expert, by any means, and still have a lot to learn, but about this I feel strongly: we can inspire change simply by changing ourselves.

PETA responds to animal lab story Letter to the Editor Subjecting live animals to classroom experiments is cruel and archaic. And as a college biology instructor, I know that students learn better when they use superior and humane non-animal methods.

Forcing students who’ve been made to participate in classroom experiments on rats in Luther College’s Learning and Behavior psychology course to choose between adopting rats or likely allowing them to be cut into, poisoned, crippled and killed in further experiments is unconscionable.

Studies show that the majority of college students oppose experiments on animals, that the majority of psychology students oppose the use of animals in psychology education, and that a majority of psychologists believe that live animal experimentation

should not be required in undergraduate psychology courses.

Luther College should use modern non-animal educational tools that create an inclusive and engaging learning environment for all students—including those uncomfortable with animal experimentation.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Samantha Suiter Science Education Specialist People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

OPINION

PAGE 10 NOVEMBER 19, 2015

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MANAGING EDITOR: CAMERON MEYFERTH

Choir member talks about gender, respect Letter to the Editor In my time here at Luther, I have been in three different choirs: Aurora, Cathedral Choir and now Cantorei. I have participated in Christmas at Luther three times. And I can say, without a doubt, that being in a women’s choir sucks. It sucks because you’re not treated with respect.

The only time it sucks, however, is Christmas at Luther.

Sunday night at Christmas at Luther rehearsal, Cantorei got to witness the other three choir directors inform Dr. Jill Wilson that, uh, actually, Cantorei will be joining the firstyear women’s choir Aurora on the treble unison descant of the first mass pieces (“Riu Riu Chiu”) instead of singing with the rest of the choirs (mixed and men’s) en masse. She was told this off to the side at the same time that 600 singers were onstage and in the aisles running through the song...and while Cantorei waited in the hallway outside the performance hall, confused and bewildered as we heard the song we had been rehearsing for months being sung without us.

When we tried to enter when the rest of the choirs started to sing, we were shooed back out into the hallway by Dr. Last as he mimed perkily, “I’ll tell you when to come in!” with a big smile. And he did tell us when to come in! We were allowed back into the aisles to stand there in uncomfortable silence during a section we had never learned while Aurora sang from the balcony; and all while this was happening, the other directors were making motions at us to communicate “Big smiles!

Big, happy smiles!” and all I wanted to do was scream.

Throwing this change at us without giving us time to react was humiliating and belittling, and all I could think about was how this never would have happened to us when I was in Cathedral Choir. Never would have happened to Collegiate Choir. What made Cantorei different? What made these directors think they could change huge portions of our choir’s performance last minute and that we would just “roll with it”?

A small group of Cantorei members went and spoke to Dr. Last after that rehearsal, and we were informed that it had always been the plan to have Cantorei sing with Aurora on the small treble part. If that was always the plan, why had they waited until now to relay that to us? Not to mention that their colleague, Dr. Jill Wilson, seemed completely caught offguard by this change, which she would have known about if it had always been the plan. This was clearly a decision that had been made without Dr. Wilson’s input—we could see her arguing for us and trying to stand her ground as a new director—and the way in which we as a choir were told about this change was also clearly orchestrated. To implement it in the middle of a run-through of the song without stopping the rehearsal to discuss it or go back for it? It didn’t make any sense. It felt like they were implying that it was all some big miscommunication instead of what it really was: major decisions being made at the expense of Cantorei without letting the person in charge of Cantorei know what was happening and making the choir members all look foolish as a result.

On Monday, we learned that it’s all back to normal now and we will sing the part we learned, and we are grateful to Dr. Hightower and the rest of the choral faculty for responding to our obvious discomfort and complaints. The thing is, it is odd that the people in charge of this formation conceded so quickly; shouldn’t something that was supposedly a part of the plan from the beginning be something you’d fight for or

stand your ground on? Why give it up so easily, then? It feels like the awkward backpedalling of someone who knows that they’ve been caught in a lie, or worse: the confused surrender of someone who wasn’t expecting a fight from what they assumed would be a push-over. At rehearsal on Monday, the day after, we quietly reverted back to what we had planned to do and it worked out perfectly. But why I am I still so annoyed by this? Why am I still so disappointed that we even had to go through this whole charade on Sunday? Isn’t it fixed now?

I think what is really bothering me is that the Powers that Be weren’t expecting Cantorei to make a ruckus; I think they made the initial change on a whim, and waited until the day of to tell Dr. Wilson about it to forestall any argument or discussion. What that did, though, was make us even angrier; it made us feel so small, like we could be moved around like we don’t even matter and were expected not to make a fuss about it. We were dispensable, and it was assumed that we would just accept what had been decided and learn to deal with it. What broke my heart was that the general feeling I got from my fellow Cantorei women for the rest of that rehearsal was one of disappointment and betrayal. However, it was exhilarating to see some girls get all riled up in solidarity about the unfair treatment, and we became closer as a group because of it, I think. We—at least the women around me—realized that for all that the choral faculty preach “community” and “how blessed we all are” during Christmas at Luther rehearsals, that doctrine did not extend to us as a women’s choir. With the exclusion from the rest of the choirs, we had to become our own community, and it was thrilling.

Cantorei has always been treated like a choir that is “less-than”; even though we are the only choir you can be a member of for your entire college career, we are always seen as a little childish, or not as special as the mixed choirs. I definitely remember the feeling last year and the year before that to be in Cantorei was to have failed at getting into any other choir.

Cantorei is treated like the final option and certainly not a desirable one. Why is that? I truly believe that it is because Luther College has a women’s choir problem. Aurora is outstandingly talented, performing some of the hardest repertoire out there with a mature sound beyond their years, but Norsemen is the one that’s lauded and performs at visit days. Aurora is treated like a choir of little girls (there’s no reason they’re singing the descant written for a children’s choir! None at all!), and I remember feeling so ready to move onto a mixed choir because that was a sign of status. We have an amazing all-female a capella choir that is truly magical to listen to … but the official Luther a capella group (Undeclared) is a men’s group, one of two men’s a capella groups on campus. Cantorei is an exceptional group of singers, and we enjoy singing together more genuinely than any choir I have ever sung with. I love coming to choir every day and hearing our sound improve exponentially under Dr. Jill’s leadership.

Dr. Jill Wilson is a wonderful director: she is kind and encouraging, she holds us to a standard that she knows we are capable of and she goes above and beyond to ensure that she knows every member’s name and story. I have never felt so unconditionally welcomed into a group my whole time at Luther than I have felt this semester in Cantorei. I now know that I want to be in Cantorei the rest of my time at Luther (which, sadly, excludes next semester, as I will be studying in Chicago). I have never had more fun singing with a choir than I have with Cantorei, and I am disappointed by the actions of the other choir directors last night. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Come see “Christmas at Luther: Savior of the Nations, Come” this weekend, and keep an eye out for our women’s choirs: they will steal the show.

“It felt like they were implying that it was all some big miscommunication instead of what it really was: major decisions being made at the expense of Cantorei without letting the person in charge of Cantorei know what was happening and making the choir members all look foolish as a result.”

- Eva Gemlo (‘17)

Eva Gemlo (‘17)

SPORTS

PAGE 11

DECEMBER 3, 2015

SPORTS EDITOR: STEVE PETERSON

Luther vs. UW-Platteville

PICK AND ROLL. Anna Madrigal (‘17) sets the pick for Moran Lonning (‘16) against UW-Platteville on Nov. 24.

CAMERON MEYFERTH MANAGING EDITOR The Norse women’s and men’s basketball teams played the UWPlatteville Pioneers in the Regents Center on Tuesday, Nov. 24, after many students had already left for Thanksgiving break.

The women continued their winning streak by defeating the Pioneers 83-64, improving their record to 3-0 before heading to St. Olaf for the Oles Thanksgiving Classic, where they beat Carleton College 72-39 and lost to St. Olaf 58-73. The men’s team almost earned their first win of the season but fell short to the Pioneer men 73-75 in overtime. The Norse men then traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, to compete in the Cavallo Classic hosted by Webster University, where they fell to Webster 64-81 and pocketed their first win against MacMurray College 77-75.

In the women’s game against UWPlatteville, the Norse maintained their lead over the Pioneers for much of the game. The Pioneers kept the score close through the first, heading into halftime 38-32, but the Norse women dominated the second half by outscoring the Pioneers 29-18 in the third quarter.

Scoring for the Norse women was led by forward Anna Madrigal (‘17), who scored a career-high 22 points by shooting 8-for-12 from the field and 4-for-8 from behind the threepoint line. Forward Solveig Nelson (‘17) and guard Moran Lonning (‘16) both added 12 points (a career best for Nelson) and forward Katie Waller

(‘18) contributed 11 of the 26 points off the bench.

According to Madrigal, the team was expecting a tough game from UW-Platteville but was wellprepared. “Right away, we set the tempo of the game, pushing the ball up the court and smothering our opponents with pressure defense,�

Madrigal said. “Overall, it was just a high-intensity game, and we shot the ball really well. Moving forward, we need to bring that intensity and grit to every game, ready to get after it and work hard.�

Madrigal attributes her scoring success to her team’s tough defense and to her teammates’ playmaking abilities. “When we’re willing to work extremely hard on defense, our offense just comes naturally,�

Madrigal said. “Honestly, I was able to score off of steals and great passes from my teammates. We’re to that point in the season where we really start reading each other.�

Madrigal acknowledged Lonning’s nine assists in the game and commented on how easy it is to score when you have “one of the best point guards in the conference on your team.�

In the men’s close game against UW-Platteville, the score was tied at eight points throughout the game, and the lead exchanged sides a total of 14 times. The Norse were behind 64-69 with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. A pair of threes by team captain Jack Woolems (‘16) and guard Kevin Stafford (‘17) sent the

game into overtime with the score tied at 71-71. With four seconds left in the overtime period, Pioneers guard Boston Johnson clinched the victory for UW-Platteville with two free throws.

Men’s team captain Christian Wright (‘18) led the Norse men in scoring with 18 points, Woolems dropped 14 points and Stafford added 11. Guard Nathan Meyer (‘16) contributed seven points and a teamhigh seven rebounds, and guard Leyton Bohr (‘16) scored eight of the 34 points off the bench.The Norse were out-rebounded by the Pioneers 36-42, and the Pioneers had nine second-chance points to Luther’s two.

Meyer, who also dished out five assists, thought the team played well despite the loss. “I thought we had a great team effort,� Meyer said. “It was a tough battle, and we had some guys really step up big.�

Meyer chalked up the team’s loss to mental errors made by the team in the final minutes of the game. “There were just a few too many mental mistakes late in the game,�

Meyer said. “We will be able to easily fix those throughout the season.�

Following the conclusion of the Cavallo Challenge and the Oles Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday, Nov. 28, the men’s team is now 1-4 and the women’s team is 4-1.

Both teams will travel to La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Saturday, Dec. 5 to take on Viterbo University. The women begin play at 1 p.m., and the men tip-off at 3 p.m.

Cameron Meyferth / Chips

TIP OFF. Hank Dickey (‘17) goes for the opening jump ball against UW-Platteville on Nov. 24.

Cameron Meyferth / Chips

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SPORTS

PAGE 12

SPORTS EDITOR: STEVE PETERSON

DECEMBER 3, 2015

Luther sends three runners to DIII national XC meet

Weekly Standings Men’s Basketball IIAC 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Central Wartburg Simpson Dubuque Coe Loras Luther Buena Vista

Recent Scores

Overall 4-1 3-1 4-2 3-2 2-2 3-3 1-5 0-4

Nov. 27 @ Webster Universtity, L 64-81 Nov. 28 @ MacMurray College, W 77-75

Upcoming Schedule

Dec. 5 @ Viterbo University, 3:00 PM Dec. 9 @ UW-La Crosse, 7:00 PM

Women’s Basketball

QUALIFIED. Tyler Broadwell (‘16), Lauren Mordini (‘16) and Isaac Jensen (‘17) before the DIII National CrossCountry Championship.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Mordini SIDNEY LARSEN STAFF WRITER Norse cross-country runners Lauren Mordini (‘16), Isaac Jensen (‘17) and Tyler Broadwell (‘16), represented Luther in the NCAA Division III National Cross Country Championship meet on Saturday, Nov. 21 in Winneconne, Wisconsin. Mordini placed 156th of 280 runners in the women’s 6k and Jensen and Broadwell placed 47th and 82nd respectively out of 278 runners in the men’s 8k.

The three runners qualified for the national meet at the NCAA Division III Central Region Championships in Pella, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Head Coach Steve Pasche said that as a team the Norse had their strongest meet of the season at the regional meet but just barely missed the cut for the national meet.

“Our teams were really close to being able to advance; it was definitely our best meet of the year,” Pasche said.

Pasche said that although it wasn’t the result the team was striving for, he was still pleased with the performance at the national meet.

“We try our darndest to get a couple teams to the national championships,” Pasche said. “It didn’t work out this year, but we’ve got three awesome representatives going to the meet.”

The national meet inspired lot of mixed emotions for the three qualifying runners, according to Jensen.

“I had a lot of mixed feelings when I found out that I was going to nationals,” Jensen said. “On one hand, I was really excited that I would be able to get a chance to race at this meet as it’s a really cool opportunity, but I was also pretty bummed that we didn’t qualify as a team.”

Broadwell echoed Jensen’s feelings about qualifying, but said that the team was extremely encouraging.

“It’s kind of bittersweet that the team didn’t make it,” Broadwell said. “But it’s still a cool opportunity for some of us to be able to go, and I think the team is very supportive of that and everything.”

The temperature on the day of the National Championships was 29 degrees Fahrenheit, but this didn’t hinder Norse confidence, according to Pasche.

“It was a little bit cold, and I think that’s exciting,” Pasche said. “It adds an exciting cross-country element and a little bit of an extra air of energy to the meet.”

Assistant Women’s Coach Yarrow Pasche described the incredible support the three runners received from the whole Luther cross-country program at the national championship meet, despite the low temperatures.

“The support they received from their teammates at the National Championships as they raced over the course was unbeatable,” Pasche said. “A fan bus made the trip to Winneconne, Wisconsin, on Saturday morning, making the race much more of a team endeavor, with those on the sidelines feeling nearly as much of the race as their three teammates on the line.”

According to Mordini, this support from teammates, as well as commitment to the sport were the causes of her success this season. “[Our success comes from] hard work and dedication,” Mordini said. “I’ve been running at Luther for four years and I think the training is finally just hitting it off and clicking, and I wouldn’t have the success without my teammates and coaches who have been there through it all.”

Yarrow Pasche expressed how proud she was of the Norse performance at the national meet.

“It was a fantastic weekend and a great capstone to the season,” Pasche said.

IIAC 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Luther Coe Wartburg Buena Vista Loras Simpson Dubuque Central

Overall 4-1 3-1 3-1 4-3 2-2 3-3 1-3 1-4

Recent Scores

Nov. 27 @ Carelton College, W 72-39 Nov. 28 @ St. Olaf College, L 58-73

Upcoming Schedule

Dec. 5 @ Viterbo University, 1:00 PM Dec. 9 @ UW-Eau Claire, 7:00 PM

Wrestling

IIAC 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-1

#11 Coe #1 Wartburg Buena Vista #8 Luther Dubuque Loras Simpson Central

Overall 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 0-0 1-2 0-1

Recent Scores

Nov. 21 @ Auggie-Adidas Open Nov. 24 @ UW-Eau Claire, W 30-7

Upcoming Schedule

Dec. 10 @ UW-La Crosse, 7:00 PM

Swimming and Diving Coe Men Loras Men Luther Men Simpson Men Coe Women Loras Women Luther Women Simpson Women

IIAC 2-0 1-1 0-0 0-2 2-0 1-1 0-0 0-2

Overall 4-2 3-3 1-3 1-2 4-2 3-3 2-2 1-2

Recent Scores

Nov. 14 @ Roger Ahlman Invitational, 2 of 6 Nov. 21 vs. UW-La Crosse, L 83-154

Upcoming Schedule

Dec. 4-6 @ Rochester Invitational, 10:00 AM

Football

RAIN OR SHINE. (From left) Isaac Jensen (‘17) and Tyler Broadwell (‘16) practice prior to the national meet.

Sidney Larsen / Chips

Dubuque Wartburg Central Coe Loras Simpson Luther Buena Vista

IIAC 7-0 6-1 4-3 3-4 3-4 3-4 2-5 0-7

Overall 8-3 9-1 6-4 4-6 4-6 4-6 4-6 1-9