CHIPS May 10, 2018

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This is the Luther we know: five students share stories of discrimination

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Jewel Theater hosts “Marie Antoinette,” “Soil Turning”

Softball finishes first in IIAC

COLLEGE

LUTHER “Let the chips fall where they may.”

VOLUME 140, NO. 21• EST. 1884

MAY 10, 2018

Ted Koppel visits Luther DIRK UMBANHOWAR STAFF WRITER Former host of ABC’s “Nightline” for 26 years, 42time Emmy, and eight-time Peabody award-winning journalist Ted Koppel visited Luther to give the Roselin Distinguished Lecture on Tuesday, April 30 in the Center for Faith and Life at 7 p.m.

The lecture was followed by a Q-&-A session.

Koppel’s visit was made possible in large part thanks to the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and Professor in Schools of Public Health and Medicine at the University of Minnesota Michael Osterholm (‘75), who gave the inaugural Roselin Distinguished Lecture last year.

“Last year, one of our regents, Michael Osterholm gave the inaugural lecture himself,” Associate Professor of History and Director for the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement

Victoria Christman said. “This year he invited Ted Koppel, who he has known for many years. Osterholm is a nationally recognized expert on infectious disease and he first met Koppel in the 1980s when he appeared on “Nightline” to talk about the AIDS outbreak. The two have known each other ever since.”

Seeing Koppel was an exciting experience for attendees who enjoyed watching him on ABC’s “Nightline” for years. This was the case for General Manager of KWLC David Grouws.

“Ted has been on the news for a big part of my lifetime, and he’s probably the most distinguished still-living journalism practitioner,” Grouws said. “It was a real treat to get to meet him.”

During the lecture, Koppel said that the democratization of media, the creation of networks such as CNN; Fox News; MSNBC; and others outside the former big three CBS, ABC, and NBC, has led to a dangerous competitiveness

Bias incidents followed up MARTEL DENHARTOG STAFF WRITER

showing the audience his rallies and live shots of an empty tarmac with nothing happening for hours before Trump’s event. Koppel criticized broadcasters for caring more about money and viewership in their coverage of Trump’s successful presidential run than journalism and factbased reporting.

The audience had mixed reactions to Koppel’s

In wake of the three bias incidents reported this semester, Luther’s administration is working towards responding to student demands regarding transparency in ongoing investigations about the incidents.

According to Vice President for Communications and Marketing Aimee Viniard-Weideman, many of the demands students expressed during the events after the first bias incident report were developments already underway in the administration, but increasing number of people speaking up and speaking out recently has increased the priority of these changes and the rapidity in addressing them.

“Many items in the short-term requests from students were already in the process,” ViniardWeideman said. “But the push from the students has helped move these forward timing and direction-wise.”

The sit-in and recent conversations between students and administrators have created more transparency about short-, mid-, and long-term goals that Luther is addressing.

“The sit-in and meetings have reemphasized the importance of ways to partner with the

KOPPEL | PAGE 4

FOLLOW-UP | PAGE 4

Ted Koppel engages with students at a meet and greet event.

Katrina Meyer (‘19) | Chips in the business. According to Koppel, this competition may lead to fake stories, partisan panels instead of actual reporting, and evening shows looking for ratings that put people in what Koppel calls “opinion silos.” According to Koppel, this leads to “bad journalism.”

Koppel criticized networks for their coverage of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, giving him over $2 billion dollars in free airtime by

“Re-imagining Luther,” anti-racism workshop MARTIN DONOVAN STAFF WRITER Members of the Luther College community gathered in Valders Hall of Science on Saturday, May 5 for the Re-imaging Luther Workshop at 9:00 a.m. The workshop was sponsored by the Diversity Center, the Office for Equity and Inclusion, and College Ministries.

Re-imaginng Luther was led by the cofounder of the Antiracism Study Dialogue Circles Metamorphosis Okogyeamon, also known as Dr. Herbert Perkins. The intention of the workshop was for students, faculty, and staff to engage in discussions on anti-racism to help better understand systems of power and oppression, especially within Luther.

“I feel like the focus was much more on the culture of Luther College because today focused so much more on continuing the conversation onward, finding purpose in action, and in general being aware of what Luther was founded on for better or for worse,” Karl Nycklemoe (‘18) said.

The initial idea for Re-imagining Luther emerged last fall after a group of students attended the 2017 Decolonizing Lutheranism Conference in Philadelphia. Originally Re-

imagining Luther was going to follow a similar course to the Decolonize Lutheranism Conference, however, after the hate incident in Carlson Stadium the aim of the workshop changed to focus on race.

“So in addition to talking about race, we were going to talk about sexuality and gender identity, disabilities, [and] issues related to international students,” attendee Linnea Peterson (‘18) said. “Eventually hearing back from Okogyeamon about what he wanted and also reflecting on the nature of some of the hate incidents, we realized we wanted to focus on race this time around and save the other topics for a future date.”

The change in the focus of the workshop was sparked by students voicing their beliefs in the need for anti-racism training on campus.

“At the listening session, we heard students and others ask for anti-racism training, and we heard Interim Dean for Equity and Inclusion Lisa Scott hoping that a day of presentations and workshops could be organized before the end of the year,” College Pastor Anne Edison-Albright said. “We all

WORKSHOP | PAGE 4

Okogyeamon, also known as Dr. Herbert Perkins, speaks at the first session of Reimagining Luther.

Martin Donovan (‘20) | Chips

NEWS

PAGE 2 MAY 10, 2018

NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ

Enrollment increases slightly FORREST STEWART STAFF WRITER As of May 4, 544 incoming students are enrolled for the 2018-2019 academic year. This number is up from 526 at this time last year and 540 students at the beginning of fall semester.

This represents the first increase in enrollment at Luther in several years.

According to Vice President for Enrollment Management Scot Schaeffer, this number will grow even more as additional students enroll later in the spring.

“We’re already ahead of year-end [enrollment] last year and our projected enrollment, based on knowing how many we usually admit from this point forward, indicates we’ll be at 560,” Schaeffer said. “It will go up, I know that for a fact.”

Schaeffer credits the increase to systemic changes in Luther’s admissions process designed to attract more students.

“We implemented some new things in our financial aid programs,” Schaeffer said. “We upped our scholarships and we’ve put in a program called distinction which looks at certain areas where students might be able to get other aid.”

Additionally, Schaeffer noted that tweaks in Luther’s student recruitment strategy have helped draw in prospective students.

“We put more emphasis on [prospective student] search in Iowa and Minnesota specifically,” said Schaeffer. “Those are the two top states we get students from and the data shows that most students typically go to school within 100 miles of their home. It doesn’t mean we’re ignoring other places, we just reallocated

[funds] to make sure we get the most bang for our buck.”

Admissions worker Bethany Larson (‘19) highlighted the aspects of Luther’s admissions department that she thinks are most influential in attracting new students.

“I hear a lot about how welcoming all of our admissions student workers and our admissions faculty are,” Larson said. “We try really hard to have a very personal and individual relationship with everyone who walks through the door.”

While the increase in enrollment this year is good news for administration, Schaeffer added that enrollment remains below ideal levels.

“We would like to get where every year we’re bringing in about 600 new students,” Schaeffer said. “I believe we’ll get there but it’s going to take things like the strategic plan and other initiatives.”

A student body of 600 students per class would translate to a total enrollment of 2,400. The current student population is about 400 students shy of that goal.

President Paula Carlson stated in an email that there is still work to be done in improving enrollment numbers.

“Enrollment, as well as student retention, continue to be areas the campus is focused on improving,” Carlson said. “The Luther College Admission team continues to address the enrollment challenges that many colleges and universities are experiencing across the country.”

According to Schaeffer, the higher education marketplace has changed considerably in the last decade.

“When the bubble burst in 2008 people became more conscious about return on

Luther's enrollment rate over the last six years including the projected number for 2018.

Graph courtesy of Katrina Meyer, statistics from 2017 Fall Semester Census data and Scot Schaeffer investment in regards to education and costs keep going up,” Schaeffer said. “So there’s a lot of pressure from that. Last year for the first time in the 11 years I’ve been here, five of the top ten schools that prospective students chose instead of Luther were public institutions. We’ve never had that before; it’s a whole different market.”

Schaeffer added that various factors pose challenges specifically to Luther’s enrollment.

“Three of the biggest things that are challenges when you’re recruiting students are being a rural school, a small school, and a religiously-affiliated school,” Schaeffer said. “Those three things cut down on the pool that will look at Luther and those are things we’re never going to change.

Despite these challenges, Schaeffer is confident that the institution will maintain viability and attract students.

“We have a very high 4-year graduation rate,” Schaeffer said. “We have a very low default on our loans which means our students graduate, get jobs, and can pay those back. We really have to be able to demonstrate and show that there is a return on investment.”

Carlson echoed this optimism.

“Luther campus visits are up by 13 percent, applications from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and California have significantly increased, and international applications are up by six percent,” Carlson said.

Wade Shilts and Nicholas Gomersall to retire JORGE CONTRERAS STAFF WRITER Associate Professor of Economics Nicholas Gomersall and Associate Professor of Economics Wade Shilts (‘80) will retire at the end of this academic year.

Gomersall has been a professor at Luther for 27 years. When he first visited Decorah as a graduate student, he did not know that he would end up staying.

“I first came to Decorah in 1984 on my way to grad school,” Gomersall said. “I drove down Mechanic, explored Water Street as far as the Whippy Dip, then turned around and left, not knowing the town was home to Luther College, much less that I'd be back to spend 27 years teaching here.”

Some of Gomersall’s favorite memories of his time at Luther include January-term experiences.

“Perhaps my favourite times were the J-term courses travelling with students to the Brazilian Amazon,” Gomersall said. “You learn along with the students as you confront challenging situations together at ground level.”

Shilts came to Luther as a student before he was hired as an economics professor 20 years ago.

“I always hoped to be able to get a job at a place like Luther, but I never really expected to get a job

at Luther,” Shilts said. “I came in the middle of the year in 1997. I started as a leave replacement and eventually got into a tenure-line and became tenured.”

There will be one full-time replacement for the two professors retiring, Nana Quaicoe. However, Shilts will still teach some courses next year.

“We are currently at a tough time for the college financially,” Shilts said. “Everybody knows that. We have two econ faculty who are retiring and we are going to have one full time replacement.

Part-timers will be filling the rest. In fact, I’ll most certainly be teaching the Economics History course next fall and perhaps the senior project class in the spring, at least for next year.”

Despite the college's struggles, Gomersall feels the economics department has a promising future.

“The economics major, like any other, will change over time, but it’ll continue to attract good students,” Gomersall said.

Shilts also discussed the future of the department and the new professor, Quaicoe.

“I’ve met [Quaicoe] and, to me, he is really impressive,” Shilts said.

“He has some things to offer that neither Professor Gomersall or I have. He is not a historian, but that doesn’t mean it is going to be worse for the department. I know the people who made the

decisions about who to replace me with and their judgement is sound.”

Associate Professor of Economics Steve Holland acknowledged how Shilts influenced the curriculum involving students outside the major. “[Shilts] has been a strong proponent of ‘economics for citizenship,’” Holland said.

“Most of the students who take Principles of Economics do not major in economics. [Shilts] has

advocated introducing those students to economics in a way that makes them better thinkers and citizens.”

Holland is also proud of the effect Gomersall had on the department. “[Gomersall] has long encouraged his students to look at economics, particularly macroeconomics, from heterodox perspectives,” Holland said.

“Mainstream economics often makes unrealistic assumptions or purports to explain phenomena

we don't fully understand. He exposes his students to other schools of thought, traditions, and ways of looking at problems and demands.”

Shilts is enthusiastic about his plans post-retirement.

“I’m called to do something different,” Shilts said. “I don’t consider it retirement. I consider it just moving to another stage of my life. I’m planning to do something that is much more in line for my role in the great commission.”

NEWS

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NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ

MAY 10, 2018

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Decorah Power loses energy vote On May 1, Decorah residents voted on whether to further discussion on the creation of municipalized energy. When the polls closed, the option that did not allow Decorah to continue exploring municipalized energy was ahead by four votes.

When 15 absentee ballots were counted a week later, the margin was five votes, 1,385 to 1,380.

Voting "yes" would have allowed the Decorah City Council to work with the Iowa Utilities board to potentially pursue a municipalization request.

Voting "no" would prohibit the Decorah City Council from pursuing the idea of municipal energy any further.

As of now, Decorah receives power from Alliant Energy and the request for municipalization has surfaced as Decorah nears the end of its 25year contract with the energy company. Alliant campaigned against municipalization and fought to renew their contract with Decorah.

Alliant’s main competitor has been a group called Decorah Power, which campaigned in favor of municipal energy.

The vote was so close on Tuesday that the uncounted 15 absentee ballots could have swung the vote either direction. According to Winneshiek County Auditor Ben Steines,

absentee ballots can have an effect on the overall vote, especially with such a close vote.

“Any absentee ballots that come in that are postmarked before April 30 will be added to the count,” Steines said in an interview before the absentee ballots were counted. “We have a board of three people that comes in and examines each of the

"We worked very hard on this and I was very supportive of this idea. I think it really would’ve been a good thing for Decorah, and I’m disappointed that we didn’t get quite enough votes. On the other hand, we knew we were fighting an uphill battle against a big company with really deep pockets. The structure of the way this whole process

“We know the students were engaged in the process, served as volunteers in the campaign and participated in discussions. While there was debate about students participating in municipal elections, it is wonderful to see young people engaging in the process and debate.”

- City Manager Chad A. Bird

envelopes and checks the date of the postmark and they determine if it should be added to the count or not.”

The fact that the vote was leaning towards “no” disappointed some members of Decorah Power.

Decorah Power board member and Associate Professor of Political Science at Luther College Carly Foster is upset about the vote's outcome.

“It’s sad and it’s disappointing," Foster said.

works is strongly biased in favor of Alliant and in some ways it was miraculous that we came this close.”

Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies and Decorah Power board member John Jensen explains why the close vote may not be a negative thing for the town of Decorah.

“The one thing we can say definitively is that it [was] a close vote,” Jensen said.

“And I think the fact that it was a close vote is what we need to focus on moving

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Cara Keith (‘21) | Chips

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forward. Clearly half the community thinks this is something we should be looking at. I think the most important question is, 'what does the city do with this going forward?'”

Even before the final results were in, some expected a recount to occur next week, whether called

by Alliant or Decorah Power, due to how close the vote was. Luther student and Decorah Power intern Geoffrey Dyck (‘18) thinks a recount will occur.

“If the absentee ballots come in and if it’s still vote no, or even if it starts to lean vote yes, expect a recount,” Dyck said. “It’s just way too close.”

While there was conflict between those who would like to consider municipal energy and those who would not, there was also debate surrounding whether or not Luther College students should vote in this election.

City Manager Chad A. Bird discussed what role students played in this city election.

“Until we canvass the election results, it will be difficult to tell what actual and specific impact students had on the election,” Bird said. “There is interest in counting and analyzing that impact. We know the students were engaged in the process, served as volunteers in the campaign, and participated in discussions. While there was debate about students participating in municipal elections, it is wonderful to see young people engaging in the process and debate.”

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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was a polling station during the referendum for many Luther students.

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NEWS

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MAY 10, 2018

Life Outside Luther Trump announces that U.S. is pulling out of Iran nuclear deal Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, May 8 that the U.S. is pulling out of an international nuclear deal with Iran. The agreement was signed in 2015 and joined five nations including the U.S. to lift sanctions on Iran in return for Iran limiting its nuclear program. The goal of the agreement was to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Trump referred to the deal as “a horrible onesided deal that should have never, ever been made.”

Nestle gets welcome boost from Starbucks deal Nestle said it would pay $7.2 billion for the right to sell Starbucks coffee products. With this move, Nestle is moving towards eliminating junk food from their brand. Nestle is already involved in trading important coffee brands such as Nespresso. The deal would help the brand get a higher presence in the U.S. Female Afghanis fight opium and inequality through coding Afghanistan's first generation of female coders and designers have launched more than 20 games and several apps in the last year. The generation consists of more than 20 coders who are generally young computer experts. One of the games created by the coders involves an animated version of missions that Afghani soldiers have to undergo in the fight against opium.

Stormy Daniels’ lawyer claims Trump lawyer received 500K from a Russian millionaire Stormy Daniels’ lawyer said in a tweet that a company controlled by Russian millionaire Viktor Vekselberg sent Trump's attorney Michael Cohen money during the 2016 presidential campaign. Vekeselberg is said to have ties with Putin. At this point, Reuters can not confirm the claim and Cohen and Avenatti were not available to comment.

Syria claims Israel attack immediately after the U.S. pulled out of Iran nuclear deal According to Syrian state media, Israel launched missiles at a target near Damascus after Trump announced that the U.S. would pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. The move to quit the deal prompted Israel to be on high alert. After Israeli military identified “irregular activity,” from Iranian troops in Syria, the Israeli military deployed new defenses.

Taken from: reuters.com

NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ FOLLOW-UP | PAGE 1 community,” President Paula Carlson said.

“Last year during the Strategic Planning process, students emphasized the issues of social justice, equity, inclusivity, and diversity needing to become the top priority.”

However, the ways that these priorities are addressed are still unclear to many students at Luther. Questions continue to circulate throughout campus regarding the process of addressing bias incidents, language used to classify these incidents, and how Luther will act out its mission of creating a diverse and welcoming community.

An email was sent to students, faculty, and staff on Friday, May 4 from Vice President and Dean for Student Life Corey Landstrom that spoke to Luther’s policies related to investigating and reporting such incidents.

This email informed readers that revision of the student handbook is underway — and will be completed by the fall — to define “hate speech, hate crimes, and bias incidents, in addition to the existing definitions for discrimination and harassment.”

The email also reported that the Spanish table sign incident investigation has been sent to Assistant Dean of Student Life and Director of Student Rights and Responsibilities Kasey Nikkel and will be sent to the hearing board

through procedures published in the Student Handbook.

A decision from the hearing board will be made by the end of the academic year, but due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act federal law, specific outcomes of student conduct proceedings will not be released to the broader community. The apology letter from the two students who admitted responsibility for the Spanish Table sign incident that was emailed to the campus community was initiated by the students themselves and was not part of disciplinary action by the administration. It is up to the Hearing Board as to how they will address the apology letter.

The investigations surrounding the incident on the football field and the message left on PRIDE’s Drag Show poster are still underway.

Administrators highlight the importance of protecting the investigation’s integrity when investigations, such as these, are open.

“Releasing information might change what might come from an interview,” Landstrom said. “We have to be very careful when an investigation is open because that information is critical to the process.”

Interim Dean for Equity and Inclusion Lisa Scott stated that while federal laws may prohibit students from knowing every detail from the proceedings, it is crucial that students are able to understand and trust

KOPPEL | PAGE 1 criticism of democratization of the media.

“There were many things in his talk that I agreed with, but one of the things that I was sad to see was how pessimistic he was about the democratization of media,” Grouws said. “I think he saw that as opening the floodgates to a whole bunch of unqualified potential journalists, whereas I feel like that having more media tools available will lead to a lot of fresh new voices with some having very high journalistic standards.”

Other audience members agreed more with this aspect of Koppel’s opinions. KWLC Sports Director Andrew Lindstrom (‘19) agreed with Koppel. He said it is our fault as a society that we have allowed mass media to lower journalistic standards by prioritizing things like partisan panels.

“We as viewers have been watching and viewing these cheap panels over the years and because we are watching them we are not able to obtain real, true news,” Lindstrom said. “Because of that, a lot of the fake news has been our fault because we continue to watch this cheap fake news, which was my main takeaway from the lecture.”

Koppel also discussed the decline of the correspondents, especially foreign correspondents, citing that ABC — the network at which Koppel worked — has seen a self-inflicted decline in foreign correspondents from 35 to five over the past few decades. According to Koppel, this leads to more coverage of domestic news and less coverage of foreign news on American stations. It was this point that struck a lot of people’s interest, including the interest of Professor of Political Science Michael Engelhardt.

“I was very interested in the decline of coverage of foreign news,” Engelhardt said. “The number was striking at how much of a radical change they made in terms of the number of people who covered foreign news.”

Koppel closed both the workshop and the lecture by highlighting the

WORKSHOP | PAGE 1 looked at each other, and we talked to Scott at the end of the conversation and said, ‘Let’s work together on this’.”

Despite the change in the direction of Re-imagining Luther, Edison-Albright said that the overall content of the workshop was similar to the initial plan.

“I think the goal of this event, though it has taken a different form than when we first started imagining it back in the fall, is still essentially the same as a Decolonize event,” Edison-Albright said.

“To ask who is being excluded

at Luther, examine how that exclusion takes place, and act on what needs to change.”

Nycklemoe echoed this sentiment by expressing his belief that attendees will be more proactive in continuing to learn and address the institutional problems of the college.

“I hope that the conversation will continue forward and that people actively think and reflect on how our institution is structured,” Nycklemoe said. “How am I benefited or impacted by the way this is structured, how am I approaching my coursework, how am I approaching what classes I am taking. Am I

the investigation, reporting, and sanctioning processes. Communication between the administration and students, Scott said, must be more effective.

“There was confusion when we sent out the first email,” Scott said. “We need to look at the effectiveness, content, and rhythm in how we send out information, so there is a grounding in what the campus community can expect.

Students and faculty should understand, ‘they’re not sharing that because that’s illegal, and I know that because they told me that,’ or, ‘I know that was a hate incident or bias incident because I know what that means because they told me.’ It doesn’t mean questions won’t go away, but there will be a different set of questions from a place of understanding and knowledge.”

Through the sit-in, meetings with administration, public social media posts, and classroom dialogue, students are creating greater visibility of discrimination issues Luther faces.

“The power of numbers is really important in this work,” co-organizer of the sit-in Jane Alexandra Clare (‘19) said. “If you have people who support you and what you need, it becomes a lot less frightening to the individual to get involved in these issues. That’s an important part of what we did as a class. We stood together, and that fear was abated.”

role of the consumer in this age of democratized news media.

“The overriding message was that we, as consumers of news, are responsible for holding news agencies and journalists to the standards we expect,” Christman said. “This means that if we are willing to settle for unresearched, opinion-based, shallow reporting, then that is what we will get, and it is indeed what we are getting now. [Koppel] warned that retreating into these isolated silos of misinformation fundamentally imperils the core of our democratic system, which relies on informed voters in order to function well.”

Ted Koppel meets Emeritus Professor of Biology and administrator David J. Roselin.

Katrina Meyer (‘19) | Chips

seeking out avenues to meet experience and learn about diversity and non-Eurocentric ideas?”

Additionally, Peterson said that students’ reflections at the end of the workshop demonstrated that they had gained a better understanding of systems of oppression and power dynamics.

“I did really appreciate people sharing at the end what they were going to take away,” Peterson said. “People had learned to think more about the impact of their actions or learned to think more about culture than policy, or people had gained a common language to talk about privilege

and oppression. Those are important things that people are going to be taking away from this.”

Attendee Alex Streitz (‘19) echoed a recurring theme throughout workshop, which was the need to have future events similar to Re-imagining Luther.

“I really hope to see workshops like this in the future because we are going to have a new class of students next year and after this summer is a time away from Luther,” Streitz said. “To come back and have people do these types of things again, I think it’s valuable and one time is not enough.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 5

A&E EDITOR: LILY KIME

MAY 10, 2018

Judah & the Lion performed 16 songs in Regents Center while wearing Luther apparel.

Matthew Gleaves (‘19) | Chips

Judah & the Lion “took it all back” to the stage at the Student Activity Council’s spring concert on Saturday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Regents Center.

Solo artist Billy Raffoul opened for Judah & the Lion. His set consisted of slow and emotional songs, as well as upbeat pieces where he would play guitar, sing, and stomp beats on a soundboard.

Near the end of his set, Raffoul played a song dedicated to his younger sister, which was accompanied with a collective “aww” from attendees. The crowd anticipated a heartfelt song and they were not disappointed. With his low and gravelly voice, Raffoul asked the world if it is ready for his little sister. Raffoul ended his set with an upbeat piece in which he encouraged the crowd to clap along and move their feet.

As Judah & the Lion’s opening track played, drummer Troy Bruner came out and added to the beat. The stage lights shined and the other members walked onstage singing and dancing along to their first song, a cover of “Booty Werk.” The members then took to their instruments and began their set.

Judah & the Lion’s set was 16 songs with an impromptu song mid-set. Their set included popular tracks like “Take It All Back 2.0,” “Suit and Jacket,” and “Going to Mars(!)” The band also peppered in several covers, most were planned and one was ad lib.

They introduced the first cover by saying it was a song the entire band loved in fifth grade, right as the opening riff to “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers started playing. Many in the crowd sang along to the entire song. In the middle of the song, a crowd member got called onto the stage

to sing along. Not on their initial set was Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin.”

Again, the crowd welcomed this piece by dancing and singing along.

Even if you are not familiar with a band, Mimi Armatas (‘19) thinks just going to a show can make for a good night. She had not heard of Judah & the Lion before but enjoyed the concert.

“I thought that the performance was very energetic and the music was interesting,” Armatas said. “It seemed like it could be identified as multiple genres, like folk and pop.”

The week leading up to the concert, Judah & the Lion released a promo video containing culturally appropriating content.

The concert was on May 5, Cinco de Mayo, and in the promo video the band told concert goers to wear their sombreros. The Luther community responded negatively to the inappropriate behavior

and SAC responded swiftly. SAC Concerts co-chair Hailey Mohler (‘18) addressed the comment. “[The band was] aware of it and acknowledged it,” Mohler said. “It’s kind of an unfortunate thing that happened. I don’t want to speak for them, but I got the feeling when talking to them that they were very supportive of what we’re trying to do here, the values that Luther students have.”

During their set, Judah & the Lion spoke about loving who you are and loving the community you live in. Armatas thought the band did attempt to talk about the issues in the video.

“I felt like maybe the band was trying to address it with the comment, ‘Be kind to people especially on social media,’ Armatas said. “I didn’t really see that as totally addressing it.

Maybe they just wanted to try to say something to cover for themselves.”

The band customized parts of their show by wearing Luther apparel and by changing the words to one of their songs to describe the Decorah community.

Judah & the Lion ended the set with their hit, “Take It All Back 2.0.” With the first notes of the song, the crowd erupted in excitement. The familiar song left the crowd asking for an encore, which Judah & the Lion delivered.

The band met in the middle of the stage and played “Lean on Me,” leaving the concert on a hopeful note.

Attendee Noah Mayer (‘20) was a fan of Judah & the Lion before the show.

“I really like Judah [& the Lion],” Mayer said. “It was a great concert, entertaining with a good message. I really appreciated that.

‘Take It All Back 2.0’ was probably my favorite song they played. I really appreciated them being at Luther and everything around it.”

Billy Raffoul, the opener for Judah & the Lion, stomps a beat on his soundboard.

Matthew Gleaves (‘19) | Chips

Frontman Judah Akers wore a shirt with the design for next year’s football apparel.

Matthew Gleaves (‘19) | Chips

Judah & the Lion member Nate Zuercher performs on the banjo.

Matthew Gleaves (‘19) | Chips

Brian Macdonald played several instruments, including electric guitar and mandolin.

Matthew Gleaves (‘19) | Chips

Drummer Troy Bruner was the first member to walk on stage during the concert.

Matthew Gleaves (‘19) | Chips

MATTHEW GLEAVES STAFF WRITER

FEATURES

PAGE 6 MAY 10, 2018

FEATURES EDITOR: SHASA SARTIN

“THIS IS OUR EVERYDAY EXISTENCE”

The sentiment that hate incidents do not happen at Luther College is incorrect. Many students can attest to a Luther with daily racist, homophobic, and xenophobic interactions.

These are their stories.

- SARAH WYATT (‘20)

Interviews conducted by Staff Writers Emma Busch and Grace Onsrud and Features Editor Shasa Sartin.

JASMIN ARIAS (‘21)

Jasmin Arias (‘21).

Emma Busch (‘20) | Chips

When Jasmin Arias (‘21) visited Luther as a prospective student, she immediately noticed the distance between herself and white individuals on campus.

“Before I decided to come to Luther, I already felt the segregation here,” Arias said. “When I came to visit in February of last year on a scholarship day, we were all put into different groups. I noticed I was the only Mexican American in the group and everyone else was a white American. They were all speaking to each other and nobody really spoke to me, so I was already left out. I was just standing there feeling awkward because almost everyone was having conversations and getting to know each other and I was just there. I don’t know if it was because they were awkward and didn’t really know me, but I just felt left out. I wasn’t even a student here yet and already noticed how things were on campus.”

Arias says she also struggled with a lack of support following the recent hate incidents.

“[On] the day of the sit-in, I asked these two people I know, a guy and a girl, why they weren’t at the sit-in and they said they don’t really go to events like those,” Arias said. “They just go to class and eat, so they don’t really go to events on campus. So [my friends and I] told them they should go because it’s affecting our community and she said, ‘I don’t really care anyway.’ We do know that even though there’s a lot of support [on campus] there are still those people who will continue to not care about what’s going on. But to know one of those people and be somewhat close to them hurts. I’m telling you about these events because I want you to come support us but you’re telling me that you don’t really care? I guess they see it as a waste of their time, but we’re all part of this community. So even if you think it’s a waste of your time, you should still show up, even for just 10 minutes.

I guess people are just ignorant and don’t want to waste their time.”

VANALIKA NAGARWALLA(‘21) “My name is Vanalika and I am from India. I grew up in a small boarding school, I guess you would call it.

It’s in the middle of nowhere in the hills. We had quite a diverse campus with more than 60 nationalities. I am from a minority group in India, too, and I think after a while you become numb to certain things that happen, especially to do with the color of your skin. When someone sees me for the first time, they would never realize I’m from India and that’s why a lot of people can never really place me until I start speaking.”

Nagarwalla went on to explain how her accent has led to judgements about her home country.

“One time I was walking out of class and there was someone next to me that I didn’t know very well,” Nagarwalla said. “We started talking and the person said something to the effect of ‘You speak very good

English for where you’re from’ and I was like ‘I don’t understand what that means.’ I had to question that because I didn’t know whether she meant for it to be discriminatory or not. So I asked her what she meant by that and she was like ‘Well I mean in India most people don’t speak English and you know, you seem to know English.’ I think to a certain extent that’s racist because someone is judging me by the way that I speak English, but at the same time I think it was ignorance and she didn’t mean to be racist. I think it’s just the basic facts that you need to learn about. English is the second most spoken language in India after Hindi. It’s common for Indians to speak English at a very high level. It is lack of knowledge and ignorance that sparks comments like these, but those little comments can lead to larger incidents like what has happened on campus recently.”

Vanalika Nagarwalla (‘21).

Grace Onsrud (‘20) | Chips

FEATURES

PAGE 7

FEATURES EDITOR: SHASA SARTIN

MAY 10, 2018

TAMAR TEDLA (‘20)

Tamar Tedla (‘20)..

Emma Busch (‘20) | Chips

“[First year] during my spring semester, I was hanging out in one of my friend’s rooms and we were all talking about different actors and actresses because I love movies. I’m always willing to have conversations about different films I’ve seen, actors, the imagery and all of that. I love talking about film and I believe we were talking about ‘Hidden Figures.’ We were all just talking about it and a certain [black] actress was brought up and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s so beautiful. I love the way she looks and how she carries herself.’ And one of the guys in the room looked at me and he went, ‘Well, I don’t think black girls are attractive.’ To me. To my face.

And I looked at him and I went, ‘What do you mean?’

He said, ‘I don’t know, I just never found AfricanAmericans to be that good-looking and just don’t find them attractive. Everyone has their preferences.’

Having a racial preference is racist and you absolutely can not say that based on the complexion and pigmentation of someone’s skin that they’re attractive or not. I explained these things to him and had to leave

the room afterward because I felt super overwhelmed.

I cried for an hour because I was so upset about what I heard, and the next day he messaged me and didn’t even apologize. He said, ‘Hey Tamar, about what I said yesterday, I know that may have hurt you and I truly didn’t mean to come off as racist and I hope you know that I still value you as a person.’ I didn’t respond.

Thankfully he transferred and isn’t at Luther anymore, but I remember getting that message and a few of my friends encouraged me to believe him and accept his apology. But first of all, there wasn’t even an apology.

Second of all, I think he was only upset because he got caught and I called him out. I know for a fact that no one else was going to. When we were all gathered together, I had to say something. It was a lot to handle.

It’s been hard to see myself as beautiful, because in our society if you have a lighter complexion you are seen as more desirable. Even within the black community, if you have a lighter shade of brown you are seen as more beautiful. Colorism is real. It affects so many women of color and I’ve struggled with it my entire life.”

FILIBERTO LOPEZ (‘19) “My name is Filiberto Lopez. I am a current junior and the President of PRIDE.” For Lopez, home looks a lot different than Decorah.

“Back in [my first year], it was a big transition coming to the Midwest from California,” Lopez said.

[In California] I knew only one white person and two Asian people at my school. It was not diverse at all. Where I was at school, most of the population was Hispanic and here it is the other way around and I am a minority. I come from a culture of being surrounded by people like me. [The transition] was a big struggle but I surrounded myself with great people that helped me.”

There were instances where the people Lopez surrounded himself let him down.

“I was living in Brandt my [first year],” Lopez said. “At that point I was not comfortable with my sexuality and I was not out. I had a friend at that time who just decided it was okay for him to ask me in front of our other friends. He just asked me ‘are you gay? Because you just seem so gay’ and I remember I felt so small in that moment. I had

never been asked that, because most of my friends back at high school had known me since I was very young so they never thought of that. Some of my friends reacted more than me and told him it wasn’t appropriate to ask that. After a couple of weeks, I cut that friendship out because I knew his intention wasn’t to help me, it was just to put me on the spot.

So that wasn’t a great experience to have in the first couple of weeks.

Following that, I had another experience where I was hanging out in Brandt again playing pingpong with a couple of friends. A floor-mate came up to me and said he wanted to ask about rumors he had heard about me. So I asked ‘what rumors are people spreading about me?’ He said ‘I heard this rumor that you’re gay.’ And at that point I laughed and my friends didn’t know how to respond. I just said ‘I didn’t know that was a rumor. I thought it was a fact!’

And after that I was okay with my sexuality and I was ready for people to see the real me. After that I have always surrounded myself with people in the Luther community who are very positive.”

Filiberto Lopez (‘19).

Grace Onsrud (‘20) |

SARAH WYATT (‘20)

Sarah Wyatt (‘20).

Shasa Sartin (‘19) | Chips

“I am openly part of the LGBTQIA+ community,” Wyatt said. “I personally identify as the ‘umbrella term,’ queer. I don’t keep that a secret at all about myself, so I have experienced a lot of slurs on this campus. Especially like, I’ll go to dinner with a friend from PRIDE and people will think that I can’t hear them but they’ll be like ‘oh, look at those two dykes eating.’ And I’ve heard that countless times, or even if I’m just by myself people will just be like ‘there goes the dyke,’ and it’s like, [that is] actually not what I identify as and actually a slur. So, that has been a very regular part of my experience here at Luther. I personally don’t take queer as a derogatory term. I think it’s a beautiful term that’s kind of all encompassing of the LGBTQIA+ community, but a lot of people use it as a derogatory term. That’s just kind of another [part of ] everyday existence. Also on several occasions people have told me I’m going to hell for being gay and it’s like, that’s just something

that a lot of members of the queer community kind of get used to. Not that you should. But it’s just like a normal part of existence and that is not something that stops once you enter Luther’s campus, they just keep on going.”

Wyatt went on to explain the regularity of these kind of interactions.

“Any student that’s in a marginalized group, this is our everyday existence,” Wyatt said. “Even small microaggressions are so real, but they happen like every single minute of every single day here on this campus. And then I think with the incidents that happened that were very loud and visible and reported, I think that a lot of people who have never experienced that were shocked. And then those of us who have experienced those things were like ‘yeah, this happened.’ This is part of an everyday existence for so many people that you don’t think to report it.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 8 MAY 10, 2018

A&E EDITOR: LILY KIME

Jewel Theatre Hosts: NATALIE NELSON STAFF WRITER Let them eat cake! “Marie Antoinette” opened in Jewel Theatre on Thursday, May 3.

The show is performed in the round, which means that the audience is on all sides and actors perform in the middle. The production begins on the outskirts of the stage and moves in closer to the

“Marie Antoinette”

middle with each consecutive scene until Marie Antoinette is trapped in the center of the stage.

The production is Laila Sahir’s (‘18) senior project. Sahir said she found ways to make Marie’s power evident, such as having other characters copy her gestures and turn to her for approval.

“Making her the center of the focus on stage and having her initiate action was a simple way to clarify the relationships and put her in power,

Parker Fretheim (‘19) and Morgan Fanning (‘20) embrace in “Marie Antoinette.”

Photo courtesy of Brittany Todd

which is not something that we often do with Marie Antoinette,” Sahir said. “She’s a monarch that we love to hate.”

By focusing on Marie Antoinette, Sahir hopes to give the audience perspective on the story of the French Revolution.

“We often like to align ourselves with the revolutionaries because it’s exciting,” Sahir said.

“Revolution is important, but in order to do the right thing, it’s important to recognize that there are good people on the other side. You put yourself in a really dangerous spot when you remove the humanity from the other.”

Sahir said she was inspired by her involvement with last year’s production of “Twelfth Night.”

“For me, the process was focused on, as a female actress and character, ‘how do I portray maleness?’” Sahir said. “That’s when I first started looking at how people behave in society.”

Mikaela Hanrahan (‘21) experiences a similar process playing Marie’s brother. She said adapting to play a wealthy male character is challenging.

“I talked a lot with [Sahir] and [Assistant Professor of Theatre Robert Vrtis] on how to incorporate several mannerisms of the time into this role,” Hanrahan said. “We talked about keeping a strict, high jaw, standing straight up, and taking up as much space as I could.”

John Kuntz (‘19) composed the music for the show. He focused on making the music enhance scenes and communicate feelings.

“It was important that the music evolve with

the play, adapting to the intensifying environment surrounding Marie,” Kuntz said. “I used primarily midi [synthesized] instruments. The material itself was rooted in 18th-century style, transforming throughout the play to fit the character development of Marie. I like to think that the fakeness of midi instruments represented Marie’s feelings of inauthenticity and superfluity.”

Morgan Fanning (‘20) plays Marie Antoinette and is excited to play a historical figure.

“I have to make sure I portray her accurately,” Fanning said. “I want to justify all of her actions because I do not think she was a bad person. So I’ve done a ton of research, which is something you can’t do for most plays.”

Fanning said one of the most challenging elements is the costumes.

“I had a dress where we just couldn’t fit it,” Fanning said. “It was made for a very small person and I almost fainted. They had to take the dress off me on stage. People literally lived in these tight dresses and I can’t do it for 15 minutes.”

Fanning hopes that the audience can see the humanity in Marie Antoinette.

“I think that many people are similar to Marie in the sense that they just want to please everybody,” Fanning said. “In the second act especially, there are some lines that relate to the world today: that you can’t just think about yourself and you have to work together in order to create a good world.”

“Marie Antoinette” will be performed on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m.

“Soil Turning” PIPER WOOD STAFF WRITER Highlighting personal growth and identity through movement, 14 Luther students opened their performance, “Soil Turning” in the Center for the Arts on Friday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m.

The dance showcase, performed in three separate spaces in the Center for the Arts, is the culmination of a semester of collaborative dance. Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Andrea VazquezAguirre constructed the piece and facilitated group discussion around the theme of identity.

“The theme for this piece was one of the proposed themes for the [Visual and Performing Arts Department’s] 2017-2018 productions by dance and theatre majors in Professor Dintaman’s production class last academic year,” Vazquez-Aguirre said. “The inspiration for ‘Soil Turning’ is the reflection around the notion of identity.

The following main inquiries guided the process: ‘to what extent do our collective identities — race, nationality, religion, gender, and sexuality — constrain our ability to make an individual life?’ and, ‘To what extent do they enable our individuality?’”

The performance takes place in three separate movements, beginning in the CFA hallway, moving to the Barefoot Studio, and concluding in Jewel Theatre, with the audience literally following the dancers to each performance location. “‘Soil Turning’ evolves in three different spaces within the CFA,” Vazquez-Aguirre said. “In analogy with ‘Tillage,’ the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning, the audience and dancers move and mix in the different spaces. The text shared by the dancers is personal and connected to the theme.”

The group held auditions at the end of first semester and worked on their performance during class time twice a week. All of the dancers created the choreography for the CFA hallway.

“Each dancer created one movement and put them together to create one long piece of movement,” performer Lindsey Ahlers (‘18) explained. “From there, each dancer has their own aspect of the larger performance. We were instructed to create words and movement that represent our identity. We then created movement that is true to ourselves or true to experiences that we have had that are at the forefront of our identity.”

Performers dance as a whole unit in both the CFA lobby and Jewel

The performers in “Soil Turning” dance together in the final moments of the performance.

Theatre, but work individually and in small groups to tell their stories of personal identity in the Barefoot Studio. Each performance space brought different potential for expression and the students interacted with their surroundings through their movements.

Performer Inga Aleckson (‘18) enjoys the organic expression that flourishes from this performance.

“I hope audience members can see how organic the movement is and how each dancer has been able to indulge in their own way of expressing through movement,” Aleckson said. “It is not all set choreography, move by move, or gesture by gesture. There are a lot of concepts that we are bringing into physical form. I think that this organic movement speaks to the theme of identity and I think that that philosophy can be taken into life as well.”

Vazquez-Aguirre used this philosophy to facilitate group movement in the show and hopes that this idea can inspire the audience to consider their own personal identities.

“I hope that audience members create their own interpretation based on what they hear, see, and feel on a kinesthetic level,” VazquezAguirre said. “The abstract or concrete nature of movement is a powerful tool for communication and imagination.”

Performer Haley Steffen (‘19) uses her solo dance to highlight a personal experience in her life that has shaped her identity and she hopes that this openness will come across to the audience.

“Throughout the whole performance, completely showing my

Piper Wood (‘21) | Chips

identity to everyone in a new way while I’m dancing has made me more vulnerable,” Steffen said “It’s really easy when you take on a role to fully invest yourself in it, but when it’s actually your own role that you are showing to the audience it brings a whole new element of vulnerability and trust to the performance.”

The dancers also collaborated with Associate Professor of Music and Composer-In-Residence Brooke Joyce’s composition course, who provided the music for the performance.

“Dancers and musicians met throughout the semester to share work in order to inspire one another,” Vazquez-Aguirre said. “The musicians shared their finished pieces and they were appropriate for the emotional tone and kinesthetic energy that the dancers created. It was enriching, stimulating, and inspiring. The work of these studentcomposers became essential to the movement-text scores.”

Steffen is hoping that “Soil Turning” helps the audience reflect on their own personal identity and understand the lives of those performing.

“I hope people can understand who we are,” Steffen said. “As performers, when you take the stage, you take on some kind of role.

Instead of doing that in this piece we are literally showing our own self; we are showing our identity through the show.”

The “Soil Turning” performances continue this week, with a performance Thursday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 12 at 1:30 p.m.

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

MAY 10, 2018

TO THE EDITOR

Students create change at the vigil Last week I picked up a copy of Chips. I looked at the front page article about the hate incidents and found incorrect information. In the third paragraph it states “In light of the two incidents, President Paula Carlson and the Luther administration organized a vigil outside of the Center for Faith and Life.” This is absolutely false.

The vigil was organized by students and the College Ministries staff in response to the hate crimes. The students, including myself, who organized it, did so out of pain and grief for what had happened. We worked all day on that Thursday to ensure that a wide representation of the student body would be speaking at the vigil. To say that President Carlson and Luther administration organized the vigil is not only incorrect but it diminishes the work of this student-led vigil.

The College Ministries office contacted the President’s office with the information in order for Julie Shockey Trytten to get the word out to campus, but that was it. That office had only a very small part in the vigil.

It was students and College Ministries staff who created that space of healing and community.

There is power in what is happening right now on campus because changes are coming from the students.

I have had many conversations with faculty and staff

these past few days about how protests, such as the sit-in on April 27, are influential precisely because they are organized by students. It makes a strong statement on the leadership of Luther students. The administration can say that “these incidents violate our core Luther values” all they want, but there is never any concrete action taken.

Within a few days of these hate crimes students organized, mobilized, and set into action protests that demand change not only from the institution but from ourselves, faculty, and staff. The fact that students were able to do that in a small time span speaks volumes to the leadership and compassion that is here at Luther.

I would urge the Chips staff to give credit where credit is due, as well as to accurately report on these events and protests. You have a powerful job in which to bring information to our community. Please take care in adequately reporting these issues.

And I would urge the Luther community to recognize, nurture, and encourage the student body to raise their voices in standing up for injustice on our campus.

Signed, Jana Mueller (‘19)

Ad Representatives Bergen Gardner Web Content Manager James Miller 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.

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.

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TO THE EDITOR

Seek education to fight oppression and ignorance We, as the history department at Luther College, join many others in the community in opposing all forms of hate and intolerance. As faculty in a liberal arts college, we seek to draw student attention to the intellectual roots and ramifications of these unpleasant features of the human experience.

We therefore encourage students who want to learn about the subjugation of people on racial, gender, and other grounds to consider the ways these issues are already part of the Luther curriculum in anthropology, history, literature, Paideia, political science, religion, sociology, and many other fields.

Our study of history convinces us that the use of social power to isolate and target groups of people is inextricably tied to other forms of oppression and injustice. We believe that historical analysis of how power

has operated in the past enables us first to understand the endemic nature of dominance in human society and provides insight into how such oppression has been successfully resisted and sometimes ended.

Our department offers specific courses on African history, Asian history, women and gender history, and African-American history, including courses on the U.S. Civil Rights movement.

But we would like to emphasize the fact that there is also much to be learned about our current situation from courses on the Roman Empire, the rise of the social welfare state in Europe, or the history of the medieval church. Indeed, course offerings from many departments on campus provide insights that are directly applicable in similar ways.

As Okogyeamon (Dr. Herbert Perkins) urged on April 26, each person needs to educate him or

herself regarding these matters.

Luther students are in the perfect position to do that in their course of study here at Luther College.

We urge students to include discussion of equity and social justice choices in their conversations with their advisors. These courses are here; seize the opportunity to explore them now.

Signed, Associate Professor of History Brian Caton Associate Professor of History Robert Christman Associate Professor of History Victoria Christman Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies Richard Mtisi Assistant Professor of History Anna Peterson Associate Professor of History Edward Tebbenhoff Professor of History Jacqueline Wilkie

OPINION

PAGE 10 MAY 10, 2018

MANAGING EDITOR: ELIZABETH BONIN

TO THE EDITOR

Diversity council calls for systemic change In recent weeks the Diversity Council has felt inspired by the student response to the incidents of hate speech (our words) over this past semester. In particular, we would like to acknowledge those organizations and leaders that have come together to demand change from their school. We are also heartened that the administration has made a clear priority of hearing out and responding to the students’ demands this last week.

With this letter, we voice support for the short-term demands sought by these student leaders. And seeing that steps are being taken by the administration already, it seems appropriate to broaden the scope of this letter.

First, we continue to affirm the short-

term changes demanded by students of the Luther College Cabinet. Actions planned to respond to these demands are encouraging and we urge those actions to fulfillment.

We further affirm that these shortterm changes represent a vital beginning and are not, in themselves, ends. Longterm plans, plans already begun, will require sustained energy and effort on the part of our entire campus community.

We therefore encourage the entire Luther community to lend our energies to systemic change if we hope to create a community in which all are welcome, included, and treated with their due measure of dignity.

Okogyeamon reminded us at his May 5

visit that in order to see enduring change on this campus we must do more than implement one strategy or another in response to any given event. We cannot simply react.

Rather, we must make an effort to change the culture on this campus so that these strategies are implemented before they are necessary. Because these strategies are a function of a campus community that respects all people and knows the value of living that respect in our actions to one another and the broader world. Thank you.

Signed, Interim Dean for Institutional Equity and Inclusion Lisa Scott

Associate Professor of Political Science Carly Hayden Foster Assistant Professor of English Marie Drews (‘02) Director of Diversity Center Wintlett Taylor-Browne International Student Coordinator, Diversity Center Amy Webber Director of Human Resources Marsha Wenthold Assistant Professor of Health and Physical Education Jeffrey Wettach (‘79) Head Men’s Soccer Coach and Staff Instructor for HPE Christopher GarciaPratts Rebecka Green (‘19) Assistant Professor of Theatre Robert Vrtis

EDITORIAL

Luther deer do not need or appreciate your affections

LILY KIME A&E EDITOR Just the other day, I was at my desk in Olson trying to convince myself to stop working on the easy homework and do the stuff that actually needed to get done. I had my window open because spring breezes improve my mood an unreasonable amount and I apparently enjoy listening to that local fellow start his motorcycle, rev it a

few times, and then turn it back off only to do it all again in 47 minutes.

While changing the font on my to-do list, which was definitely necessary, I heard a noise from outside. I turned to see two people standing in the open lot to the south of Olson and they seemed to be stalking something.

When one of them took a step closer to their target, I realized that they were attempting to get closer to four deer. When one of the deer noticed their approach, it cantered over to the other side of the lot to get away.

One of the people started to get more bold and walked faster, eventually jogging, to get closer to the deer. The result of this, of course, was that they scared all of them away so that they had no hopes of getting remotely

near the animals. The group of deer eventually regrouped and walked far away from the two who had bothered them.

This could very well seem like a non-issue to a lot of people because it happens all of the time on our campus, but I see this frequent occurrence as a problem. It makes me angry that these two people decided to entertain themselves by bothering a group of deer who were just trying to eat some grass, find some shade, and live their lives.

I am assuming you would be pretty bothered if someone came up to you in the cafeteria, started to pat your head while you were trying to eat, and claimed that it was all for their own entertainment.

I would expect to have to tell my 3-year-old nephew not to touch the deer because children

do not have the experience to understand the dangers that accompany close encounters with wild animals. If 20-yearolds need to be told not to touch a wild animal because it could hurt them, maybe a hoof to the face is for the better.

The only reason I have ever heard for someone feeling compelled to touch a deer on campus was, “I bet I can touch a deer,” like it is some high honor or a magic trick. Nope. It’s really not. Leave them alone.

This is not Disney and that deer is not Bambi. It does not want to be your friend. Heck, Bambi didn’t want to be any human’s friend either; Thumper was a rabbit. You are not a rabbit, nor do you live in a Disney film. Don’t touch the deer.

Not only does approaching the deer reveal you to be a fool,

but it also shows a complete lack of respect for the nature that exists here on campus. Nature not want or need your attention.

The deer are existing on their own and do not rely on humans for any of their needs. They live here because the land sustains them and they have adapted at living near humans. That does not mean they rely on us or desire our attention in any way, let alone want to befriend us.

So the next time you are walking across campus and notice a group of deer munching on some grass or resting in the sun, take a moment to enjoy their presence on campus by observing from afar. If you do choose to run up and try to pet them, understand your behavior is that of an oblivious toddler and you should take a second to reflect on your decision-making process.

SPORTS

PAGE 11

MAY 10, 2018

SPORTS EDITOR: BEN SELCKE

Frisbee teams host annual showcase on Legacy Field OLIVIA ENQUIST STAFF WRITER Luther College’s Freya, LUFDA, and Pound ultimate frisbee teams hosted the Ultimate Spring Showcase games on Saturday, May 5. Frisbee players from different teams came together to participate in mixed team scrimmage games on the blue turf field. With music playing in the background, frisbee players swapped sunscreen and discs in Saturday’s 80 degree sunshine.

Freya captain Hanna Doerr (‘19) felt the showcase ended the season nicely.

“The frisbee showcase was a great way to conclude our season,” Doerr said. “We just played in our last tournament the weekend before, so the showcase games were a fun way to keep playing even after our season ended.”

There were three parts to the afternoon’s showcase games. The games began at 1:30 p.m. with LUFDA scrimmaging. From there, Freya scrimmaged around 3:00 p.m. As an end to the afternoon, all three teams combined for a mixed scrimmage at 4:30 p.m.

“The mixed game included players from all three ultimate teams on campus, and it was a really unique experience to play with everyone on the turf,” Doerr said.

Pound captain Ethan Harris (‘18) enjoyed how the event mixed players from different ultimate frisbee teams on campus.

“The turf was really hot, but it was really fun, especially in the mixed game, to see all the teams together,” Harris said.

“It’s always great to get a chance to play on the [blue turf ].”

The combination of hot weather and full sun meant that the afternoon schedule was informal. Teams stopped for breaks as players came and went, often

Cora Egherman (‘19) attemps to throw a frisbee as Alexis Hove (‘18) defends. stopping to talk to people in the stands or to refill their water bottles. LUFDA player Marshall Creech (‘20) mentioned that the sun caused the turf field to heat up while they played.

“The blurf was like 1000 degrees underneath my feet,” Creech said. “Still, it was a lot of fun. I only played in the LUFDA game, but it was great to get a chance to play against my own teammates.”

The showcase was originally designed for the ultimate frisbee teams to generate

publicity, while coming together in community to play an afternoon’s worth of games. The event turned into an opportunity for frisbee players to spend time bonding.

Although the showcase was not highly attended, a smaller group of students came to support friends and classmates later in the afternoon.

“It definitely appeared as though it was just frisbee,” Harris said. “I think the original intent was for publicity for

Olivia Enquist (‘19) | Chips our teams, but it turned into more of an opportunity for the teams to scrimmage.

Some people showed up, but I wasn’t really ever expecting a large crowd of people to be there.”

Doerr also enjoyed the event.

“We were excited to hopefully have others on campus get the chance to watch us play and to encourage interest in the sport,” Doerr said. “Overall, it was an enjoyable event that I am hopeful we’ll continue to have it in the future.”

Tennis finishes second in conference JORGE CONTRERAS STAFF WRITER Luther Men’s Tennis played in the 2018 Iowa Conference Automatic Qualifier Tournament on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5. Coe College hosted the tounament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Norse finished second, just behind Coe College.

The loss ends the season for the Norse finishing with a record of 20-5, 7-1 in the Iowa Conference. Luther qualified for the tournament after finishing second in the IIAC. In the semifinal, Luther defeated Central College 5-0. In the championship match, Luther faced Coe who had previously beaten Loras College 5-0 in their semifinal match. Coe defeated the Norse 5-2 and earned the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA III National Tournament.

Nate Parsons (‘19) enjoyed playing for the Norse at Conference, but was disappointed in the second place finish.

“As far as general thoughts on the tournament, I would say that I have mixed emotions,” Parsons said. “We had a great season full of a lot of success and excitement but it always hurts to finish the season on a loss. I am mostly disappointed with the results at the Conference Tournament. Luther has gotten second place to Coe the past seven seasons or so and I think we all thought we had a really good shot at taking it this year but Coe went out and played really well against us.”

Anders Jensen (‘18), the only senior on the team, stated that although the team did not win first place, he is pleased with his years with the Norse.

“We have played in the Conference Championship each of my past four years, coming up just short in each season,” Jensen said. “Even though we did not accomplish this goal, I am satisfied with the progress that we have made as a team.

This result will be excellent motivation for every player heading into the 2018-19 season.”

Brook Norwood (‘21) mentioned that

it was a rough day for the Norse and although he gave his best during the matches, in the end they were not able to beat Coe. “It’s a long day playing two dual meets, and I definitely had a grind in the morning match, but we all had to regroup and shift our focus to the afternoon match with Coe for a chance at going to nationals,” Norwood said. “I really feel like I gave it my all out there, knowing it very well could be the last match I played this season. Coe just played some great tennis in the afternoon and ended up coming out on top.”

Jensen commented that he had a great match with his teammate Parsons.

However, he hoped he would have performed better during his singles match against Coe. “Parsons and I were very pleased with our doubles win against Coe College,” Jensen said. “I wish that I could have played better in my singles match against Coe College, but I was satisfied with my effort. I lost to a good player and left it all

out there on the court in my final match.”

Parsons commented on his individual performance.

“As far as my individual performance, I was fairly satisfied,” Parson said. “I won the spots that I played in both matches over the weekend and am happy with how I was able to wrap up the season.”

Norwood will return in the fall and stated that he will be training over the summer to finally defeat Coe. “I will definitely be playing a lot over the summer, always trying to get better for the future,” Norwood said. “It will be important for us as a team to work just as hard during the summer months so we can be ready again next year to put our best foot forward against Coe.” Parsons has one more season ahead and aims to win conference next year.

“Next year will be my final year at Luther and we will be returning with almost the same team as we had this year,” Parsons said. “I am confident we will give ourselves a good chance to finally win conference after eight years of second place.”

SPORTS

PAGE 12

SPORTS EDITOR: BEN SELCKE

MAY 10, 2018

Softball finishes first in IIAC tournament

Weekly Standings Baseball Dubuque Wartburg Coe Loras Luther Buena Vista Central Simpson Nebraska Wes.

IIAC 16-5 15-6 14-8 14-9 13-9 10-12 7-16 6-17 5-18

Recent Scores

Overall 21-15 24-11 22-16 25-13 23-13 14-21 16-23 8-28 9-26

May 5 vs. Grinnell College W 14-10

Upcoming Schedule

May 10 Iowa Conference Tournament

Softball

Luther softball team poses after their win.

GILLIAN KLEIN STAFF WRITER The Iowa Conference softball tournament play began Friday, May 4 at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Luther swept the competition with a 3-0 record. In-season conference play determined the seeding for the tournament and Luther’s in-conference record of 32-8 seeded them as number three.

According to utility player Brooke Balk (‘20), this year’s team dynamic and approach have gotten the team to where they are.

“Never in Luther softball have we had eight returning seniors,” Brook said. “Not only that, but with the impending winter weather just clearing up, we had over 90 indoor practices. It’s been a different season, but our adaptability and leadership got us where we are.”

Luther showcased this team dynamic in the tournament this past weekend. Play began on Friday for Luther against Simpson College.

Between the synchronized cheering of fans and teams, Luther scored three runs in the first inning. Shortstop Anna Strien (‘18) hit a double and drove in infielder Natalie Stockman (‘18). This added to the 54 doubles Strien has hit during her school career. Strien also added another RBI to her record, now a career total of 161, and became Luther’s all-time leader in this statistic.

Second basemen Bailey Victoria (‘18) hit in an additional two runs with a single to finish the first inning. Following the success of the first inning, the Norse again scored three runs in the third inning. Catcher Addy Pender (‘19) hit a sacrifice fly to bring in another run. This was immediately followed by utility player Bailey Hocker (‘18) hitting a tworun home run to left field. The Norse now stood with a 6-0 advantage.

Third basemen Blake Banowetz (‘19) is excited for the team’s offensive success.

“All those indoor practices really paid off since we

Photo courtesy of Renae Hartl practiced hitting so much,” Banowetz said. “As [Head Softball Coach Renae Hartl] said, as a team, we are in a place we have never been so we are going to do things we have never done before.”

Defensively, pitcher Samantha Bratland (‘19) held strong, increasing her record on the mound to 19-4. Bratland allowed no hits, walked three, and struck out four batters.

Relief pitcher Courtney Cooper (‘21) pitched the final two innings of the day, allowing two hits and one walk.

The Norse concluded their first game with a 6-0 win in six innings.

The following day, the Norse played Central College.

Ashley Burrows (‘18) and Strien combined for seven RBIs in the game. In the fourth inning, Burrows hit a grand slam.

Burrows’ hit was then followed by Strien’s three-run blast in the sixth. Victoria also contributed offensively going three for four in the box with an RBI. On the field, Bratland allowed five hits, walked three, and struck out three.

Following their 9-1 defeat of Central, the Norse faced number-one seed Coe College. The game-winning runs were scored in the second inning. Stockman batted in two runs with a single as did Strien with a one-run single.

Designated player Paige Timmerman (‘20) drove in the final run at the top of the sixth.

Bratland held her own in the circle. She allowed only five hits and got out of bases loaded during the bottom of the third.

Luther swept the game with a 4-0 defeat of Coe. The win gave Luther a final record of 35-8.

The team’s experiences this season contributed to their success in the tournament. Hartl discussed how the team reflects on every game.

“This team takes their experiences over the past few weeks and reflects on it,” Hartl said. “They use it as a springboard into the post-season and they know how to win.”

The Regional Tournament will be held at Luther on May Friday, May 11 through Sunday, May 13.

Coe Central Luther Nebraska Wes. Loras Simpson Buena Vista Wartburg Dubuque

IIAC 13-3 12-4 10-6 8-8 7-9 7-9 6-10 5-11 4-12

Recent Scores

Overall 26-12 27-10 35-8 22-18 19-20 21-16 21-15 17-17 8-30

IIAC Tournament

Upcoming Schedule

NCAA Regionals

Men’s Tennis Coe Luther Central Loras Wartburg Dubuque Nebraska Wes. Simpson Buena Vista

IIAC 8-0 7-1 6-2 5-3 4-4 3-5 2-6 1-7 0-8

Recent Scores

Iowa Conference Tournament

Overall 23-5 20-5 15-12 14-5 11-13 5-12 4-16 7-14 5-13