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“Così Fan Tutte” performed in CFL
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Decorah hosts first Pride parade
Softball wins regional tournament
COLLEGE
LUTHER “Let the chips fall where they may.”
VOLUME 140, NO. 22 • EST. 1884
MAY 17, 2018
Students share stories of hope through conflict Jam Riyan Hamza (‘21), Belal Krayem (‘18), and Mohammed Aljadart (‘19) share stories about their childhoods in conflict areas. Rozlyn Paradis (‘18) | Chips
ROZLYN PARADIS STAFF WRITER Three Luther students, Belal Krayem (‘18), Mohammed Aljardat (‘19), and Jam Riyan Hamza (‘21) shared their stories of growing up in areas plagued with deep-rooted conflict in a roundtable discussion on May 9 in Olin 102. The discussion was moderated by Kim Chham (‘21) and sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Public Engagement. Despite the fear and uncertainty of their childhood surroundings, the students provided messages of resilience and hope inspired by their family and friends from home. Krayem’s home Libya was under a dictatorship for over 40 years before the Arab Spring Uprising of 2011. The uprising had a significant influence on Krayem’s life and family. “I had to leave the country to get a better education,” Krayem said. “I moved [to Italy] and left my family behind. The emotions knowing I [couldn’t] come back to visit were always in the back of my mind.” The situation in Libya is still dangerous which means returning home is not currently possible for Krayem. “I was accepted to Luther in 2014 and haven’t had a chance to go back,” Krayem said. “Going back isn’t an option. I am afraid for my life there, but also the [travel] ban by Trump wouldn’t let me return if I did go home.” Aljadart also experienced conflict growing up as a Palestinian in Jerusalem. “Seeing the military presence everywhere created a lot of fear in my life,” Aljadart said.
Aljadart’s mother, also a Palestinian, lived in East Jerusalem but the family later moved south of the West Bank, leaving her family behind. Once Aljadart turned 16 and had a Palestinian ID he could no longer easily pass through checkpoints to visit his mother’s family. “The situation back home is really hard,” Aljadart said. “The right of movement within the city is limited. Growing up like this made me really confused. It didn’t make sense because I could go on the roof of my house and see Jerusalem. But I couldn’t easily go there.” Hamza is from Pakistan and his life was affected by gangs, terrorism, and the Kashmir conflict. The Kashmir conflict took over Hamza’s childhood in many ways, including four and a half years of military service. “People fall onto the military for support instead of education,” Hamza said. “Kashmir is the most annoying thing that has happened to me and is still affecting me now. Because I went to India to study my friends from back home hate me.” Hamza feels optimistic that these conflicts can eventually be resolved. “I just wish the people from my home were more open to one another,” Hamza said. “There is more understanding with interaction. I feel the future is bright.” Aljadart also has hope for the future. “[Conflict] definitely creates a unity,” Aljadart said. “When people share the same struggle they look out for each other and try harder to understand each other. Through the many shared values that go through those hardships, hope arises.” HOPE | PAGE 4
Student pianist featured PIPER WOOD STAFF WRITER Shana Liu (‘21) performed Edvard Greig’s Piano Concerto in A Minor Op.16 with the Des Moines Community Orchestra on Sunday May 13 in Des Moines. Liu won the Bill Riley Talent Search at the Iowa State Fair on the piano in 2016. After that performance, Conductor of the Des Moines Community Orchestra Carl Johnson asked Liu to perform with the orchestra and the two chose the Grieg concerto. The Des Moines Community Orchestra’s Spring concert also included works from Felix Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” as well as collaborative guest musicians on three other pieces. SYMPHONY | PAGE 4
Shana Liu ('21) practices for her performance with the Des Moines Community Orchestra. Piper Wood (‘21) | Chips
Emeriti lecture highlights little-known musician NATALIE NELSON STAFF WRITER James Griesheimer gave the annual emeriti lecture in Shirley Baker Commons on Thursday, May 10 at 3 p.m. titled “Edward Finch (Polymath of England, 18th century).” Each topic for the emeriti lecture is chosen by the professor giving the lecture and varies year to year. Griesheimer, who taught as a professor of music at Luther from 1991 to 2015, spoke about Edward Finch, a priest and composer in England in the early 18th century. Griesheimer said one of the goals of
his lecture was to show the reach of Finch’s interests. “He was a great collector of everything,” Griesheimer said. “He was interested in everything. So we find compositions that he copied out by hand. We have about 250 compositions copied out by him.” Griesheimer said that what originally interested him in Finch was the tablature system he invented for recorder. Griesheimer also discussed the intrigue of discovering new information about important figures in music history that have gone undiscovered for many years.
“It’s hard to imagine how many masters there were,” Griesheimer said. “At the time of Bach’s death, people didn’t know who Bach was until we found the cantatas. A large part of musicology is finding a gem that’s buried and sometimes we find an unknown genre within a composer.” Associate Professor of Education and Assessment Coordinator Jeannette Pillsbury appreciated Greishemier’s depth of knowledge. “We like to joke that he is a reverend doctor because he’s an Episcopal priest and has a doctorate,” Pillsbury said. “What he is
speaking on is right up his alley, so it’s exciting that he can talk about it because he’s a priest himself. He is very active in the church and he loves to talk to anybody about anything to do with music. For anyone who has never been in a lecture from Dr. Griesheimer, he gets very excited about what he’s sharing and that excitement is felt by those who are listening.” Pillsbury added that talking about a composer like Finch is important because it highlights a lesser known composer of the time. LECTURE | PAGE 4
NEWS
PAGE 2 MAY 17, 2018
NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ
Student Research Symposium OLIVIA ENQUIST STAFF WRITER Luther held the annual Student Research Symposium and the Senior Recognition Convocation on Friday May 11. The Student Research Symposium celebrates research and creative work produced by students over the course of the year. Classes were suspended to encourage students and faculty to attend presentations from across disciplines. The day began with an opening invocation and keynote address. Nicole Weber (‘18) and Erik Floden (‘18) offered reflections on their research. In addition, the event recognized the participants of the symposium. The ceremony also showcased music from the Horn Quartet. Throughout the day students participated in research sessions, giving presentations lasting approximately 15 minutes and answering questions as a group. For many first-years, the research symposium is their first opportunity to present their Paideia research in a professional setting. Associate Professor of History and professor of a first-year Paideia section Brian Caton has a process he uses in choosing a student research project for the symposium. “I do different things each year,” Caton said. “Generally, I like to make sure I choose a student paper that has been well done. If a student hasn’t put in the effort it shows in the written version and it doesn’t turn out to be a good presentation. That’s true in any year. Sometimes I encourage a student who is a good writer and has good ideas but isn’t necessarily forward in class to say here’s a venue where your ideas matter, but you have
to actually present them.” One student from each section presents a paper they wrote on a theme their professor decides. The idea is that students learn how to connect their personal interests to diverse topics. “Our section had the umbrella topic of Asian America,” Caton said. “The idea of that is that students are interested in a variety of different kinds of disciplinary or topical things, but most of those can connect to the topic. The goal is to get students interested in the things that they are already interested in and see how those connect to . . . a larger cultural phenomenon.” In the afternoon, students presented posters from specific projects or research they conducted in classes. One such class was The Physics of Sound. Lauren Bennati (‘19) enjoyed the chance to present on research she normally would not do. “As a music major, I wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to participate in the symposium,” Bennati said. “It was a really good opportunity to learn how to create a poster or a presentation for a symposium.” Attendee Isabel De Ayala (‘19) thought the symposium highlighted the liberal arts aspects of Luther’s curriculum. “I especially enjoy Luther’s Research Symposium because I think it’s a great chance to get to see what students in different departments are doing,” De Ayala said. “It exposes us to new subjects and allows us to learn from our classmates. I also like how oftentimes the projects integrate things from multiple departments, so the presentations are more holistic and interesting.”
Madilyn Heinke ('19) and Nina Johnson ('19) discuss research posters.
Brenna Sherman ('19) and Rachel Schwabenbauer ('19) discuss their poster. Olivia Enquist (‘19) | Chips
Kate Sorenson ('19) presents her research at the Student Research Symposium poster presentation. Olivia Enquist (‘19) | Chips
Olivia Enquist (‘19) | Chips
NEWS
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NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ
MAY 17, 2018
Professors retire
Joyce Becker, Ruth Kath, and Ellen Drewes-Stoen set to leave after 2018
GRACE ONSRUD STAFF WRITER
Kath Professor of German Ruth Kath is set to retire at the end of the 2017-18 academic year. During her 39 years at Luther she taught German classes of various levels, led students on J-term trips to Germany and Norway to study sustainability, and was a project director for the “Sense of Vocation” program at Luther. One of Kath’s legacies at Luther are the Henkel Internships that she established with former Board of Regents member Rick Theiler. The internships allow upper-level German students to live in Germany for six months
Becker
Joyce Becker.
and work on a project according to their interests at the Henkel corporation. Adjunct Faculty in French Ruth Caldwell has been Kath’s friend and colleague for Kath’s 39 years at Luther. Caldwell said that Kath was creative in providing hands-on learning experiences for her students, such as teaching them to plant and cultivate German heritage seeds on the fourth floor of Main and helping them to build models of wind turbines and solar-powered cars with German instructions. “She is a genius at taking something that starts in the classroom and moving it beyond the classroom,” Caldwell said. “She has a wonderful, unusual ability to appeal to all the
Professor of Math Joyce Becker retired in December 2017. During her 34 years at Luther she taught a variety of math courses including calculus, statistics, and her favorite class, math
methods. Joyce had 20 to 25 advisees each year and most were aspiring math teachers. Becker said she enjoyed working with preservice math teachers and has fond memories of visiting her students at their teaching placements in Decorah and surrounding towns. “Interacting with the students [is what I’ll miss most], especially the student teachers,” Becker said. “I would go to Iowa or National or Regional math meetings and I would always run into [students] that graduated in math [ . . . ] and they would always share stories. I get a lot of random phone calls from
senses of learning for high school student students.” helped her make the German and decision to come to anthropology major Luther. Alison Gau (‘18) said “When I was that Kath was good first thinking about at relating the topics coming to Luther, I in her class to other Ruth Kath. sent her a long email events on campus and about my interests around the world. and she wrote back another “Kath was excited that we were long email that really affirmed doing Runes to Rap during the my decision to come to Luther,” year of the 500th anniversary Myers said. “She made me feel of the Reformation,” Gau said. welcomed.” “A lot of the class material Kath’s home of 20 years was based on that. We gave recently caught fire, so the presentations at one of the events beginning of her retirement on campus for the anniversary of will be busy as her home will the Reformation.” be under construction until the German and Russian studies fall. She hopes to spend time major Annelise Myers (‘21) gardening and researching her said that meeting Kath as a genealogy.
[former students] saying ‘I remember when you taught us this and I’m actually teaching that now!’ I still get emails from kids I had 10 or 15 years ago. It’s fun, but I’ll miss interacting on a daily basis with those kids.” According to math education major Payton Knutson (‘19), Becker remains invested in her students’ success even after they have left her class or Luther. “[Becker] was the first professor I talked to at Luther,” Knutson said. “Coming to college I didn’t really know what I wanted to do but I had always liked math. I talked to her and she was just so excited about our math program, teaching in general, and just meeting me. I think that helped me to understand what Luther means and the connection that professors have with their students. Even though she’s retired now she still checks in on me sometimes. She really embodies the Luther community.” Knutson said Becker’s knowledge and commitment to teaching is valuable to her as she begins her own teaching career. “Sometimes when you’re learning to be a teacher [your teachers] will tell you one
thing, but then as a teacher they actually do something different than what they tell you you should be doing,” Knutson said. “But she actually did everything that she told us we should be doing. She is a good example.” Becker described one of her favorite strategies for working with students on improving their skills after the 300-level practicum that preservice teachers complete during their junior year. “I always had [my students] take a video of themselves teaching during their practicum,” Becker said. “Then in the spring, we would all sit back and watch them as a class and talk about what they could do better and what they did well. It was always great fun to watch those.” The math department will not hire anyone to replace Becker, but they will hire someone to replace Associate Professor of Statistics Paul Savariappan who also recently left. Becker chose to retire in December 2017 instead of May 2018 because she and her husband wanted to visit Australia and New Zealand. They are planning on traveling to Africa next.
WEATHER THURSDAY Sunny
80/56 FRIDAY Thunderstorms
79/61 SATURDAY Rain
75/52 SUNDAY Cloudy
69/50 MONDAY Mostly sunny
73/53 TUESDAY Partly cloudy
Drewes-Stoen JORGE CONTRERAS STAFF WRITER Assistant Professor of Health and Physical Education Ellen Drewes-Stoen will retire at the end of the 2017-18 academic year. Drewes-Stoen has served at Luther College for the past 38 years. For 25 years she served as head volleyball coach. She stepped down from coaching in 2003 to take on a larger teaching load. Drewes-Stoen started by teaching skill courses in fencing and biking in her first year. After that she taught tennis, volleyball, fitness for life, methods, foundations, growth and development, supervised student teachers, sections of Paideia 450: Considering Animals and more. She spent her J-terms supervising clinical experiences in the schools and conducting seminars. Drewes-Stoen expressed that she will miss her physical
education methods courses in which she would help future teachers — her students — be creative and improve their skills. “The courses I will miss the most are my physical education methods courses,” DrewesStoen said. “I am not afraid to try different strategies and ideas, and I believe that those efforts serve as powerful examples for teacher candidates. Teaching teachers how to teach, it doesn’t get any better than that! Teaching is my passion, I was born with it, and I will always be teaching something.” Jessica Carpenter (‘20) stated that she enjoys how DrewesStoen teaches and that she is a role model for future teachers. “I really appreciate Ellen both as an energetic professor as well as a spunky role model for many future educators,” Carpenter said. “She came to class every day with loads of passion to inspire us to be better teachers and better people everyday.” According to Drewes-Stoen, the past two years have proven
to very challenging for development of the the HPE and athletic teaching curriculum training departments and departmental goals as they face removal will be missed, she from the Luther has mentored many program. young professionals “I never envisioned and fostered their that the health and Ellen growth during their physical education Drewes-Stoen. undergraduate years teaching majors at and beyond. We wish Luther College would be cut,” her the very best in this new Drewes-Stoen said. “With adventure in her life.” assistance from nearly 100 alums, Drewes-Stoen declared that I did my very best to educate she will not be replaced by the colleagues and administration department and hopes that she about the importance of these two will be remembered through her content areas that are relevant and students. very critical to the overall K-12 “As I leave the program is school curriculum.” leaving with me,” Drewes-Stoen Associate Professor of HPE said. “I will celebrate my students and Program Director Athletic and hope that my passion for Training Brian Solberg (‘88) teaching has served them well, said that the HPE department is many are now my colleagues and grateful for Drewes-Stoen’s work that brings a big smile to my face. I wishes her the best for her future. believe my years of service qualify “The HPE department me to say that teaching is the most thanks Ellen for her years of important job in the world.” commitment to teaching and Drewes-Stoen will continue working with the students in the teaching after retirement as well K-12 teaching major,” Solberg as working with dogs, one of her said. “Her contributions to the favorite hobbies.
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Corrections In the Vol. 140 No. 20 issue of CHIPS, the story “Luther community responds to hate” the story incorrectly stated that President Paula Carlson and the Luther administration organized the vigil held in response to the bias incidents. The vigil was organized by students and the College Ministries staff. In the Vol. 140 No. 21 issue of CHIPS, the story “Ted Koppel visits Luther” incorrectly stated that Ted Koppel delivered the “David J. Roselin distinguished” lecture. The lecture is titled “David J. Roslien distinguished lecture.”
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NEWS
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MAY 17, 2018
NEWS EDITORS: KATRINA MEYER & ANA LÓPEZ
Life Outside Luther Israelis shoot dozens of Palestinians during protest over U.S. embassy opening At least 55 Palestinians were killed and 2,700 injured by tear gas and live gunfire Monday. This came after weeks of protests after the U.S. announced that they would move their Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. The violence marks the bloodiest day for Palestinians since 2014. Netanyahu and the U.S. blame the action on Hamas and say Israel acted in selfdefense. Other countries are calling the incident a massacre and urging Israeli restraint going forward. Melania Trump undergoes kidney surgery Melania Trump was treated for a benign kidney condition when she underwent surgery at Walter Reed Medical Center. The surgery went well and there were no complications according to the First Lady's staff. She is expected to remain in the medical center until the end of the week for recovery. Smaller U.S. capitalization companies outperform larger companies According to the Russell 2000 which tracks smaller capitalization companies, the companies closed just two points short of their all-time high. Many individual companies are also setting record highs. Many smaller companies have benefited from the expanding U.S. economy as well as substantial corporate tax cuts. Prince Harry's office asks for understanding in dealing with Meghan Markle's father A report was released over the weekend saying that Markle's father, Thomas, would not attend the royal wedding May 19. The report said that Markle did not want to embarrass his daughter at the wedding after staged paparazzi pictures of him emerged. Kensington Palace said that the issue was very personal for Meghan and Harry, and asked for understanding and respect during the situation. Thomas Markle was expected to walk his daughter down the aisle at the ceremony, but Kensington Palace is not commenting on whether or not he will be in attendance.
Taken from: reuters.com
POLICE BLOTTER May 14 19-year-old Patrick Beatty ('20) of Spring Hill, Florida was arrested Sunday night and booked into the Winneshiek County Jail for operating while under the influence (drug impaired) and possession of a controlled substance. The information in the log comes from the Decorah police department activity bulletin. All those accused of violating the law are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
From left to right Mohammed Aljadart (‘19), Belal Krayem (‘18), Jam Riyan Hamza (‘21), and Kim Chham ('21). Rozlyn Paradis (‘18) | Chips HOPE | PAGE 4 Attendee and Executive Director of the Center for Global Learning and International Administrator Jon Lund felt the sense of hope present in all three stories. “There was a theme of resilience with
conflict in what [they were] all saying,” Lund said. “I am left with this feeling of hope and optimism for the future.” Attendee Nazario Jap dos Santos (‘19) felt the conversation was important for the Luther community. “[The conversation] connects the children
LECTURE | PAGE 4 “It shows other musicians from the time period so we’re not just hung up on Handel and Bach,” Pillsbury said. “He’s one of the people who influenced church music, so we should look at that as a college of the church. The primary audience would be people who know a lot of the history of the church, the Reformation and forward, because this would be post-Reformation.” Amanda Brobst (‘19) enjoyed the lecture's focus on Finch’s life. “I thought it was pretty interesting,” Brobst said. “It was kind of nice to have backstory on Edward Finch because a lot of the time in lectures, the information is purely academic, but we got some fun facts about him, like how he had a knot collection. I thought that was pretty cool.” Brobst also enjoyed the opportunity to learn about a composer she did not know well.
SYMPHONY | PAGE 4 Over the past six months, Liu practiced and performed this piece in preparation for Sunday. “Lately I have been practicing at least three hours a day, which doesn’t just include the concerto, but a large portion of my practicing does,” Liu said. “I also perform for my seminar, which is really the best thing because it makes me nervous and simulates the performance experience.” Liu also worked on this piece in her studio lessons with Professor of Music John Strauss for the majority of the semester. “Most of our lessons have centered around the Grieg,” Strauss said. “It is a real
of the war to the Luther community,” dos Santos said. “And we can hope it will create a better community that can understand people’s stories because stories are what make people connect.” Krayem suggested that his domestic peers could connect to international students
better by following current events. Both Hamza and Aljadart have a desire to share their stories and talk about their homeland. They urged their domestic peers to just ask if they are interested. Associate Professor of History and Director for the CEPE Victoria
“My biggest takeaway is that there are a lot of composers that are not necessarily recognized as well as they should be from early Baroque to Renaissance period,” Brobst said. “There’s a lot that we should know but we don’t.” Griesheimer said he hopes the biggest takeaway from his lecture is that, Finch, a wealthy member of the English nobility who might have lived a life of luxury and ease instead engaged his considerable intelligence and energy in useful ways to his society. “He rose to high positions in the church and moved at the highest circles of power and influence,” Griesheimer said. “His restless curiosity moved him to amass notebooks brimming with delectable curiosities from across many disciplines, not least over two hundred compositions by himself and others. His revision of Jeffrey Keller’s ‘Treatise on Thorough-bass,’ more than doubling the length of the original text, constitutes an important contribution to music theory.”
accomplishment that someone her age can master this material and present it in a professional fashion with an orchestra.” Liu performed all three movements of the Grieg concerto with the Des Moines Community Orchestra. Edvard Grieg, born in 1843 in Bergen, Norway, composed the concerto at 25 years old. Grieg’s major influence came from traditional Norwegian folk music and literature, which is apparent in the third movement of the concerto. Although Grieg was not as prolific in his composing as fellow musicians like Debussy or Bernard Shaw, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor stands out as one of his most dramatic and recognizable pieces. For Liu, the concerto poses technical challenges in
Christman also saw this as an event to help connect international and domestic students. “Surely one of the first moves in improving any relationship is getting to know one another better,” Christman said. “I hope that [the round table] provided a step in that direction.”
James Griesheimer delivers a lecture on Edward Finch. Natalie Nelson (‘20) | Chips
memorization, projection, and cohesiveness with the orchestra, as the piece is 30 minutes long. “With concertos, a big issue is projection, which is making sure that I’m heard over the orchestra at the important parts,” Liu said. “There are a ton of arpeggios and scales . . . it is challenging.” Liu came to Luther after four years as an Iowa AllState Music Festival member. She has also earned piano, viola, and violin accolades. At Luther, Liu is a neuroscience major and chemistry and music minor on the pre-med track, as well as a member of Luther’s Symphony Orchestra as both a violist and a pianist. Liu’s primary instrument is piano and she accompanies vocalists and instrumental
musicians. “I split a lot of my time between Jenson-Noble and Valders,” Liu said. “Lots of labs and lots of practicing.” Strauss recognizes the commitment to a liberal arts education that Liu made in coming to Luther. “She came to Luther because she wanted a rigorous academic program and wanted to continue with her music,” Strauss said. “It was the liberal arts aspect of the college that drew her here because she could get the kind of science training she needed and at the same time participate fully as a pianist, as a violist, and as an accompanist. I’ve been teaching here for 43 years and she represents the very best that Luther gets of this type of student.”
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE 5
A&E EDITOR: LILY KIME
MAY 17, 2018
“Così Fan Tutte”: romance, deception, and double casts
Mitch Gage (‘19) performs as Don Alfonso in both performances of “Così Fan Tutte.” Kristen Wuerl (‘18) | Chips
KRISTEN WUERL STAFF WRITER The Luther College Music Department presented Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte” in the Center for Faith and Life main hall on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12. Composed in 1789-1790 and set in late 18th century Naples, “Così Fan Tutte” is a two-act Italian opera with music by Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. The cast consists of six principle roles and a chorus, as well as orchestral
accompaniment. The story is one of deception — two young officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, disguise themselves as Albanians at the suggestion of mischievous philosopher Don Alfonso to test their fiancées’ faithfulness. Their fiancées Fiordiligi and Dorabella remain faithful for much of the production, but eventually both sisters fall for these “Albanian” men. In the finale, the women learn that Don Alfonso, Ferrando, and Guglielmo duped them. The two couples presumably reunite,
but their reunion is never specifically stated. At Luther, principle opera roles are double cast because operas are vocally demanding, especially for college-aged singers. According to Associate Professor of Music, Coordinator of Opera, and Opera Stage Director Andrew Whitfield, the opera is also double cast because Luther has the resources available for two casts and music faculty want to give students as many opportunities as possible. “There is something particularly special that happens
Members of Chamber Orchestra Samantha Rabang (‘18), Elisabeth Hartmark (‘18), and Briana McGrane (‘20) play in the pit orchestra for “Così Fan Tutte.” Kristen Wuerl (‘18) | Chips
Natalie Rumer (‘18) plays Dorabella on Saturday night’s performance of “Così Fan Tutte.” Kristen Wuerl (‘18) | Chips during tech week [with a double cast],” Whitfield said. “When off-night principles watch what unfolds [on stage] without doing it actively, they are learning from one another and can help one another. We have that richness of talent [at Luther].” Emily Dirks (‘18) and Natalie Nelson (‘19) played Fiordiligi, Aidan Spencer (‘18) and Natalie Rumer (‘18) played Dorabella, and Marie Sauze (‘18) and Brenna Sherman (‘19) played Despina, Fiordiligi’s and Dorabella’s maid. Nathan Baldwin (‘19) and Mason Montuoro (‘18) played Ferrando and Josh Vidervol (‘18) and Isaiah Cammon (‘18) played Guglielmo. Mitchell Gage (‘19) played the role of Don Alfonso at both performances. “I love to be very actingdriven and theatrical in any role [I play],” Gage said. “I like to keep things fresh and stay creative. I’m constantly thinking about how I’m reacting to other characters, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to perform.” There is also difficulty that comes with performing with two casts, according to Dirks. “A double cast means you don’t sing as much, which makes performing really challenging,” Dirks said. “But it’s also awesome because more people get experience performing. Watching [the other cast] on off-nights during tech week is a blast.” During tech week, each cast alternates a full run-through with the Chamber Orchestra,
an ensemble of 30 musicians conducted by Professor of Music Daniel Baldwin. “Playing in the pit is challenging and fun,” Chamber Orchestra violinist Mari Rathke (‘18) said. “You constantly have to be listening to give the best performance because the Chamber Orchestra is significantly smaller than the [Luther College] Symphony Orchestra, so everything is more exposed. But having the opportunity to play the music is a great learning experience. I love playing in the pit because I love playing music with my friends, hearing the audience laugh, and enjoying the production.” At the start of tech week the cast members and orchestra members participated in a sitzprobe, a “sitting rehearsal,” in which singers sang through their music with the orchestra. However, this was not the first time the singers and orchestra rehearsed together, as the principles and orchestra collaborated twice a week leading up to tech week. Attendee Anneliese Braaten (‘18) recognized performers’ hard work, theatricality, creativity, and musicality when she attended the Friday evening performance. “‘Così Fan Tutte’ was hilarious,” Braaten said. “It showcased a lovely collaborative effort between the singers and orchestra. It was so fun to see all the hard work and talent of my classmates on display.”
FEATURES
PAGE 6 MAY 17, 2018
FEATURES EDITOR: SHASA SARTIN
Norman Borlaug: Celebrating the life of a local agricultural icon MATTHEW GLEAVES STAFF WRITER Norman Borlaug (1914-2009) is an Iowa native who revolutionized wheat to help alleviate world hunger and starvation. Borlaug has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Congressional Gold Medal for his work. He was honored in the biannual celebration of Norman Borlaug Day Luther’s Education department on Friday, May 11. Despite receiving some of the world’s most prestigious awards, Borlaug is relatively unknown. In response to this lack of recognition, those passionate about his work created the nonprofit organization Norman Borlaug Heritage Foundation. The objectives of this organization are to preserve the two farms on which he grew up and to provide information
about Borlaug’s agricultural contributions. NBHF Board Member Tom Spindler explained in detail how Borlaug crossbred wheat to improve production. “[Borlaug] worked in the wheat fields of Mexico in the 40s and 50s and developed a wheat strand that transformed agriculture as we know it through his crossbreeding techniques,” Spindler said. “He bred into these plants resistance to the disease rust, quadrupled how much they grew, and helped feed the people of Mexico.” After Borlaug developed this new technology in Mexico, he took his work to India and Pakistan to help fight hunger and starvation. It took 15 years to achieve a desirable crop in Mexico, but because the new technology had been modified after the original creation, it only took three or four years to achieve the desirable goal in India and Pakistan. Borlaug’s work is attributed to transforming
Norman Borlaug crossbred wheat to increase production in order to aid hunger in various countries. Matthew Gleaves (‘19) | Chips these countries’ grain production methods and alleviating hunger and starvation. To make information about Borlaug’s work more accessible, NBHF holds Norman Borlaug Days biannually to educate kids around Iowa, once in the spring and once in the fall. Typically, the spring Norman Borlaug Day is held on one of Borlaug’s family farms that the foundation has preserved, but due to the weather, this year’s Norman Borlaug Day was held in the Luther College Regents Center. Luther education students in science and social studies methods prepared lessons for the fifth graders who attended Norman Borlaug Day. 10 groups of fifth graders rotated through 10 different lessons taught by pairs of Luther students. Half of the lessons focused on science and half of them focused on social studies. Topics of the lessons varied from
the anatomy of wheat, music of the 1920s and 30s, to baseball and old farm tools. The common theme tying together all of the lessons was putting the students into the perspective of Borlaug either through doing what Borlaug did or experiencing what life was like when he was alive. Derek Barnhouse (‘18) taught a science lesson about the wheat plant itself. “[Our lesson] revolved around the physiology of the wheat plant,” Barnhouse said. “Essentially what we wanted to get across is what [part of] the wheat plant did Norman Borlaug [manipulate] to make it so successful.” As a way to engage the fifth graders, Barnhouse included a relay in which the students ran and looked at a piece of wheat for 10 seconds, drew it, then tagged out and had a classmate do the same. The class then labeled the pieces of the wheat and explored
the importance of each part of the plant. Keeping students interested in the material was a consideration for those teaching. With this in mind, Lizzy Myra (‘18) created a social studies lesson that engaged students by exploring what farming would have been like when Borlaug was their age. “We have some old farm tools from one of our professors in the [education] department,” Myra said. “The kids [explored] using old hand drills and planters. Just some cool, old farm tools.” Anneliese Braaten (‘18) taught at the spring Norman Borlaug Day as well and thinks the day lives up to its reputation. “Part of this day was to make sure the kids understand that there’s this Nobel Peace Prize winner that grew up like 20 minutes away from [them],” Braaten said. “If he can do that, look at the things you can do.”
FEATURES
PAGE 7
FEATURES EDITOR: SHASA SARTIN
MAY 17, 2018
decorah PRIDE A crowd of people at the Party in the Park portion of Decorah Pride on Saturday, May 12.
EMMA BUSCH STAFF WRITER Rainbow flags, multicolored wigs, and wide smiles brightened downtown Decorah on an overcast Saturday during the first Decorah Pride celebration on Saturday, May 12. The Pride planning committee, comprised of Amalia Vagts (‘95), Alex Enriquez, Associate Professor of Philosophy Holly Moore, Daniel Brown (‘18), Andrew Ellingsen (‘03), Charlie Strange, and Storme Barr first met in March to organize the event. According to Enriquez, discussions about holding a pride festival began last summer at an LGBTQ potluck Vagts organized, but nothing came to fruition until the idea resurfaced in March while meeting for coffee. “It had seemed like it wasn’t going to happen until the idea came up again in March during a meeting of the local LGBTQ group,” Enriquez said. “At that time, I said that if we held the event before I moved away at the end of May I’d help put it together. I wasn’t expecting that anyone else would want to put together the event in that time scale, though we had previously discussed May as a good month to hold Decorah Pride because we wanted Luther students to be in town for it. The group was actually very enthusiastic about that suggestion.” According to Vagts, Decorah Pride was also born out of a desire to offer an opportunity to celebrate the Decorah LGBTQ community and
Alexandra Gray (‘95) performs songs by artists Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, and Donna Summer. Emma Busch (‘20) | Chips
showcase its gifts. “[Pride] is a chance to step out and be creative and be free,” Vagts said. “That is really a gift that the LGBTQ community offers everyone.” Pride kicked off with a parade that began at Mary Christopher Park, ran through Water Street, and ended at Water Street Park. 17 groups and organizations marched in the parade, in addition to dozens of individuals who held signs proclaiming pride in their identities or messages of love and support as the crowd cheered. Festivities continued at the Party in the Park, where six members of the community shared speeches. President of Luther College PRIDE Filiberto Lopez-Garcia (‘19) was the first to speak and referenced the intersections of his identity as a queer Latinx Mexican-American before proclaiming his love and belief in his “LGBTQ family.” “I believe in the LGBT community,” LopezGarcia said. “I believe in LGBTQ youth. I believe in LGBTQ marriage equality. I believe in equality and I believe in love, because at the end of the day isn’t that what it’s all about? Being able to love whomever you want without the misconceptions or anyone telling you otherwise. Equality under the law should be as natural as the air we breathe and the religion we practice.” Professor of English Nancy Barry followed by sharing her poem, “Anthem for Decorah,” in which she invites the city to “call [itself] proud and be queer.” Decorah resident Christopher Fassbender (‘16) had a more somber message of remembrance and respect for LGBTQ elders and invited audience members to join in a moment of silence. “This silence is not for me, it’s not for you, it’s for the people that paved the way for us to be here,” Fassbender said. “Celebration comes from history, and the history of the queer people is from the 80s and people dying of AIDS, people having nowhere to go and having to go to alleys to see each other. We’re here because of them.” Decorah resident Charlie Langton followed with the message that it “takes all kinds,” and walked through the history of the gay rights activism as it evolved from his youth in the 1960s to now. Langton also encouraged LGBTQ youth to blaze their own paths and thanked allies for their support. “If you’re gay but still can’t find a comfortable way to fit in, I say be gay your way,” Langton said. “None of us have a roadmap and your way might be the next great gay thing. And to all our allies out there, I so appreciate each and every one of you because I remember days where I had no one.” President of the Decorah High School GayStraight Alliance Abby Trewin shared that she was initially apprehensive about starting the GSA program up again due to her perception that the “gay demographic” in Decorah was too small but
Emma Busch (‘20) | Chips
Free Time Jazz Ensemble performs at Decorah Pride. is now proud of the organization for “binding so many of the [LGBTQ] cafeteria loners together.” Local farmer Hannah Breckbill was the last of the speakers and began her speech by acknowledging the land and the indigenous peoples who were forcibly removed from the area. She recognized how “white settlers had blinders on in their imaginations” that prevented them from accepting other ways of life. Breckbill said Pride is the first step in the city’s path to centering those who are different in what she calls Decorah’s “collective imagination.” “We need to experiment making our community a place of real belonging for people who aren’t white, aren’t straight, and who don’t fit the gender binary,” Breckbill said. “We need to experiment in making reparations for this land that was stolen from indigenous people and the labor stolen from indigenous people. We have so much to learn and I am humbled by the bigness of it. But I am also proud to be in this community that is brave enough to start by imagining that queer people like me belong here.” Following these speeches, the Luther Singers sang “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper and “Let the River Run” by Carly Simon. Afterwards, Alexandra Gray (‘95) took to the mic to perform songs from the musicals “Chicago” and “Hairspray,” and singers such as Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, and Donna Summer. Audience members laughed and cheered as Gray told jokes between songs and did an Eartha Kitt impression, but Gray shared that the day was not a completely joyous occasion for her as it was the first time she had returned to Decorah since her aunt, Phyllis Gray, who lead Luther’s Upward Bound program for 40 years, had passed away. “It’s a really rough day for me today,” Gray said. “Coming home today was bittersweet but thank you for brightening the day. We’re going to have some fun.”
Emma Busch (‘20) | Chips
During Gray’s last song, “I Know Where I’ve Been,” she approached Janet Irankunda (‘19) and thanked her for singing at her aunt’s memorial service. The two embraced and the crowd applauded. The Luther College Jazz Ensemble Free Time performed after Gray. Following Party in the Park, other Pride events were held including an all-ages dance party at the Lingonberry, a gala at Art Haus, and a party at Pulpit Rock Brewing Co. Barr was pleased by how well the festival was received and the joy it brought to the community. “I was so excited when the parade started and when I saw all the smiling faces,” Barr said. “I loved face painting with the little kids today. Everyone is just so happy and my heart is overjoyed.” According to Moore, the committee hopes that Decorah Pride will continue to grow in the future with a wider variety of events and participants. “One thing the leadership discussed was having businesses and other organizations create their own Pride events that will be run in tandem with a whole Pride weekend of events, entertainment, and other fun activities,” Moore said. “We’re hoping that Decorah Pride will become like another Nordic Fest, something where people come from all around to gather to promote and celebrate Decorah’s spirit of welcomeness and its LGBTQIA+ community.” Ellingsen added that in order for Decorah Pride to grow, the community must remain engaged and open to sharing new ideas. “I hope that it continues to grow in an organic way, in the same way that this came about from a conversation from a group of people,” Ellingsen said. “If there are additional things people want added to the Pride festival, I hope those ideas are shared and that it continues to be a grassroots thing and continues to be a community celebration. It’s going to take lots of hands for a long time to keep it going if it’s going to be an annual event.”
PAGE 8
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
MAY 17, 2018
A&E EDITOR: LILY KIME
Creating community with a cappella
Emma Deihl (‘18), Beautiful Mess. Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
Jeffrey Lackman (‘18), Undeclared. Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
Abby Saner (‘20), Fermata Nowhere. Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
Nathan Riley (‘18), Bromatic Progression. Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
CARA KEITH STAFF WRITER Fermata Nowhere, Bromatic Progression, Beautiful Mess, and Undeclared — the four Luther a cappella groups — performed their spring concert in Storre Theater on Saturday, May 12. The seats and some floor space were filled as the a cappella groups entered Storre Theater. Typically, the a cappella groups put on one concert per semester to showcase the music they worked on over the semester. Each of the groups chose the music for this concert. Many of the songs were fun and upbeat, such as Undeclared’s performance of “Toxic” by Britney Spears, Bromatic Progression’s performance of “1985” by Bowling for Soup, Beautiful Mess’s performance of “Havana” by Camila Cabello, and Fermata Nowhere’s performance of “Guillotine” by Jon Bellion.
Leader of Undeclared Zane Larson (‘19) described how the group chose what music to perform. “At the beginning of the semester, we usually just sit down and fill up a chalkboard with a list of songs we like,” Larson said. “Then we listen to all of them and choose the ones we want. And then I contact some arrangers and see if they’re feeling any and they’ll send me back the ones they like and we choose from those. I’ve also helped arrange some stuff and some stuff we figure out by ear.” The groups took turns performing, each doing two sets. While one group was performing, the other a cappella groups sat on the sides of the stage in support. Each of the groups chose to sing at least one song to acknowledge the recent hate acts that occurred on campus. Fermata Nowhere sang “Ultralight Beam” by Kanye West, which the group believed to be an explicit call for change, and Beautiful
Mess sang “Love You Like That” by Dagny after encouraging the audience to attend Decorah’s first pride parade in town. Fermata Nowhere, Luther’s only co-ed a cappella group, was started this year, making this their first appearance in the spring a cappella concert. Co-leader of Fermata Nowhere Lauren Eakes (‘19) enjoyed the dynamic between the a cappella groups on campus. “It’s been a really good year with the other a cappella groups,” Eakes said. “I was really nervous about that. Starting a new group, I didn’t want to seem like I was stepping on anyone’s toes or taking members from their groups, but our group has been really wellreceived, especially with the other a cappella leaders, like Zane and [Coordinator of Beautiful Mess Kirsten Elstad (‘18)]. I text them all the time [asking], ‘Hey what do I do about this?’, and [it has] just been a great collaboration.” The different groups share all of the
responsibilities to put together the concert. Elstad collaborated with other a cappella groups to put on the concert. “There is a lot of behind the scenes work with planning a concert,” Elstad said. “First we have to find a venue that is realistic, second we have to get approved for that venue, and third we have to figure out how sound and lights will work for the venue chosen.” Attendee Kelsey Dinndorf ’s (‘21) favorite part of the a cappella concert was the groups’ energy. “I really liked how all the a cappella groups were really into their music and it looked like they were having a lot of fun,” Dinndorf said. “I had fun watching them and I think everyone in the room was just having a great time overall.” This was the last big performance of the year for the a cappella groups. The ensembles will hold auditions in the fall for new members to join their groups.
Zach Loving (‘19), Bromatic Progression. Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
Tamar Tedla (‘20), Beautiful Mess. Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
Sean McKenzie (‘20), Undeclared. Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
Tori Hornby (‘20), Fermata Nowhere. Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
OPINION
PAGE 9
MANAGING EDITOR: ELIZABETH BONIN
STAFF Editor-in-Chief Jacob Warehime Managing Editor Elizabeth Bonin News Editors Katrina Meyer Ana López Features Editor Shasa Sartin A&E Editor Lily Kime Sports Editor Ben Selcke Staff Writers Gillian Klein Natalie Nelson Grace Onsrud Emma Busch Martin Donovan Olivia Enquist Matthew Gleaves Piper Wood Dirk Umbanhowar Cara Keith Part-time Writers Forrest Stewart Kristen Wuerl Martel DenHartog Rozlyn Paradis Head Copy Editor Olivia Benson Copy Editors Elyse Grothaus Lyndsay Monsen Ad Representatives Bergen Gardner Web Content Manager James Miller 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.
MAY 17, 2018
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Luther Norse: is our mascot outdated? Norse is defined as a language or the people of northern Scandinavia or Norwegians. The Luther College mascot is at worst a language and at best an entire race. To increase the authenticity of the college, I am suggesting the adoption of one of the following three strategies. Option one is to teach all the classes in Norse. If we are the fighting Norse on the football fields, we should be the fighting Norse in the classroom as well. I propose Paideia to shift to Norse 101 and 102 in which instead of learning how to write and question life in English, first-years learn to write and question life in Norse. Option two is to preach it like it is. Why not just say it like it is: home of the white people. From my experience, Luther College favors white and European culture in the vast majority of its courses. The Diversity Center cited 10.9 percent of Luther students in 2016 were minority students. In the same year, only 8.7 and 6.1 percent of faculty and staff, respectively, were of minorities. White culture is also favored in a majority of the mainstream social settings as well. Option three is to change the mascot. To what you might ask? My vote would be the gnomes — the Fighting Luther Gnomes! Or the squirrels. They are cute and that could be funny. But what Luther changes the mascot to can be a topic for later debate; this option is simply laying out a possibility. If you are anything like me, you would see that the first two options are absurd. Luther is already low on enrollment and as a graduating senior, I would prefer that my alma mater continues to exist so I don’t look like a fake when applying for jobs. But in all seriousness, branding our college with a white race is not inclusive in the least. The college preaches a diverse and inclusive community in the mission statement, website, and admission pamphlet, but our mascot is a white person. If the college truly wanted to support students from different backgrounds and encourage learning from those of different backgrounds, they wouldn’t focus so much on the
white traditions of the Norse. Instead, the college should be evolving with the students and the times, especially considering the recent “bias” incidents that have publically plagued our campus and the not-so-recent private, individualized, or simply ignored “bias” incidents. Change is overdue. The first step is removing the Norse mascot and replacing it with something more inclusive to peoples of all backgrounds including skin colors and nationalities. I want to be clear that by no means am I equating the need to remove the Norse to the need to remove other mascots such as the North Dakota Fighting Sioux or the Washington Redskins. Mascots like those are culturally appropriated from cultures and ethnicities that have been marginalized for centuries. When it comes to the Norse, who knows? Maybe at one time they were considered below the Vikings or less superior to the British — I have no idea. But the Norse are of the Norwegian race and the Norwegian race is white and white has been privileged and those marginalizing all of the black and brown bodies since the beginning of history. Therefore the Norse mascot does not need to be removed in respect for the conquerors or their culture. However, it does need to be removed for the inclusivity of this institution and to avoid complete hypocrisy of what the college preaches. And I won’t even get started on the fact that our mascot also embodies a man which, as I am sure all of my feminist friends have already noted, sustains the patriarchy, delegitimizes the strength of women, and perpetuates masculine stereotypes. That’s a different conversation but one that the Luther Squirrels, again, would avoid. But this is a call for action to you at Luther College: teach all classes in Norse, preach it like it is, or change the mascot. Your choice. But if you want to live up to inclusivity and diversity that is claimed to be at this campus, let’s at least start with changing our mascot. Signed, Rozlyn Paradis (‘18)
The Norse Poll Is the Luther Norse mascot exclusionary? What would you change it to?
LUTHER COLLEGE
CHIPS Chips is a student publication of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. The paper is designed, composed edited and managed entirely by Luther students. It is published weekly during the academic year, excluding the month of January. Fax: 563-387-2072 Email: chipsedt@luther.edu Advertising: chipsads@luther.edu Website: lutherchips.com Facebook: facebook.com/LutherChips Twitter: @LutherChips Instagram: @luthercollegechips
“I think a mascot matters, but it doesn’t encompass everything. It’s the people who make up the culture.” -Anila Bano (‘20)
“I think an identity is important to recognize as a part of a foundation. I think that Norse is the way we can do that despite the changing culture and individuals that make up this campus, but I think it’s important to remember our history, where we come from, and why we’re here.” -Ann Holmes (‘20)
“It’s Norse, Norwegian College, Luther College, so I don’t see anything wrong with it. Maybe we can add to it, like a colorful Pride flag with all of the colors on it, including black and brown.” -Shaun Crozier (‘19)
OPINION
PAGE 10 MAY 17, 2018
MANAGING EDITOR: ELIZABETH BONIN
EDITORIAL
Professors should reconsider the purpose of due dates
ELYSE GROTHAUS COPY EDITOR “I do not accept late work. You are adults and need to be responsible.” I have listened to this speech more times than I can count on syllabus day and I recently began to question the reasoning behind this. My time in college is supposed to prepare me for the “real world” and this goal is best achieved when professors set expectations that replicate those in the workforce. However, in many cases I see due dates as an antiquated pedagogical
approach that benefits professors more than it does students. If professors focused less on the due date of an assignment and more on the quality of the product, college students would in turn learn to value quality over completion. This is how to best prepare students to be successful in life. After all, is it really true that bosses don’t accept late work in the “real world?” I am pretty sure that if someone worked on a project for two months and needed one more day than anticipated to finish it, their boss would not fire them on the spot or say “Nah, I don’t want the project anymore since it is a day late.” In fact, most people would prefer that someone take a little extra time to improve the quality of their project instead of turning in work that is incomplete or rushed through. Sure, some due dates need to
be strict in the workplace and college alike, and professors could easily reflect this in their syllabus. But is it really necessary for students to receive a zero for a homework assignment that they forgot in their room? There is one particularly important factor and argument in favor of due dates: the professor’s time. Professors’ schedules need to be respected and they should not have to grade every assignment from every student at the end of the semester. Perhaps you are wondering how due dates could go away without causing catastrophic consequences. Fear not! I have a few solutions — and they don’t involve getting rid of due dates completely, but rather rethinking their purpose. First, students could come up with their own due dates for big projects. Time management means more than managing
things around another person’s schedule. College students should learn how to manage their own time. For flexible assignments, students could propose their own due dates and then be expected to stick to those dates. Second, professors could include “soft” and “hard” due dates. The “soft” dates would be suggestions of the best time to turn an assignment in so as not to get behind in the course. By turning things in late, students are only putting themselves at a disadvantage and they would face a more drastic natural consequence if they chose to procrastinate until the “hard” due date at midterm or the end of the semester. It would be a learning curve, but eventually students would become more intrinsically motivated to complete assignments in a timely manner rather than relying on the extrinsic motivation of grades to keep
them on top of assignments. This would better prepare people for the workforce as well. Third, instead of taking off a portion of the assignment’s grade, professors could lower the student’s participation or attendance portion of the grade. After all, grades are meant to reflect the quality of the project, paper, etc., not when it was completed. This would help students stay accountable and still give them an accurate grade for the work they submitted. I understand that this approach would be a paradigm shift for students and professors alike and that some form of due dates are still necessary in the college setting. If professors refuse to accept late work, that is their choice. However, professors should think about why they are making this choice: Is it really to prepare students for the “real world” or is it simply to make their own lives easier?
EDITORIAL
Overpaid celebrities contribute to excessive wealth
SHASA SARTIN FEATURES EDITOR I am admittedly obsessed with keeping up with the lives of my favorite celebrities, musicians, models, professional athletes, professional chefs 1, etc. Through a group project in my Political Thought 2 class this semester in which we theorized our ideal society, I 1 In reference to Gordon Ramsay, iconic host of primetime cooking challenge shows MasterChef and Hell’s Kitchen. 2 Shout out to instructor of this course, Associate Professor of Policial Science Carly Foster.
realized that accumulation of excessive wealth has no place in my ideal society. It seems my criticism of excessive wealth accumulation is incongruent with my stan 3 behavior for these very celebrities. In regular English: by idolizing and effectively dehumanizing my favorite celebrities I am creating rationale for their obscene wealth. There’s a concept in psychology known as the ‘just-world hypothesis’ which claims that when we see something bad happening to someone our quick response is to assume they did something to deserve it. Inversely when we something good happening to someone, we assume they deserve it. This hypothesis holds that we believe life is generally fair in the results of peoples’ lives. I do think that a lot of people who have achieved fame for beautiful singing or incredible physical strength are extremely hard-working at their crafts, 3 Stan (noun/verb): referencing rapper Eminem’s song “Stan” (2000) which is about an overly obsessed fan. Etymology of “stan” is the combination of “stalker” and “fan.” i.e. I stan Aubrey “Drake” Graham.
and deserve recognition for performing better than others at what they do. It is important to note, though, that not everyone who is incredibly hardworking and above average in their field gets the recognition they may deserve. Not all success is based off of merit, and neither is all failure. I do not think that the appropriate method of recognition is to get paid massive amounts of money. Yet when I see pictures of Young Thug and Lil Uzi Vert posing adorably on the floor of a Chanel showroom wearing easily $100,000 in clothing and accessories each, I’m not upset 4. It’s because they seem so extraordinary to me because of their fame and I am also a huge fan. So the extraordinary experiences they share online seem correct and normal. It seems right for them to wear $1,000 sneakers, $1,000 rings, and $20,000 chains. I accept it. We have normalized celebrities accumulation of excessive wealth because we fail to normalize their 4 See post from Instagram user @ thuggerthugger1 on May 11, 2018.
identities. Does Robert Downey Jr. deserve $200 million for his role as Iron Man in Infinity War and Avengers 4? The debate is: Do they get too much money for it? I really don’t know. I just know that as of 2018, the top one percent of global citizens, hold more than 30 percent of the worlds wealth 5. That’s disgusting and abhorrent to me. Overpaid celebrities are absolutely an aspect of that. I feel like the real enemy is actually corporate entities who are in the billions and beyond category. But the wealthy celebrities are definitely an issue, too. Anyways, I am buying tickets on presale tomorrow to see Drake on my 21st birthday and I have been listening to “More Life” 6 while writing this. 5 See World Inequality Report 2018 presentation slide 56.
6
More Life is Aubrey “Drake” Graham’s 2017 playlist album featuring incredible masterpieces such as “Teenage Fever” and “Get It Together ft. Black Coffee and Jorja Smith.”
SPORTS
PAGE 11
MAY 17, 2018
SPORTS EDITOR: BEN SELCKE
Softball wins Regional Tournament MARTIN DONOVAN STAFF WRITER The Luther College Women’s Softball team advanced to the NCAA Division III Super Regional tournament after sweeping the Iowa Regional tournament 3-0. The team ended the weekend with an overall season record of 38-8. According to captain Anna Strien (‘18), the Norse were riding the momentum from their IIAC conference tournament win. “I think the team is pretty excited to say the least,” Strein said. “We are coming off of a huge wave of confidence and focus since our conference tournament victory last week and we definitely feel this will only benefit us heading into our games tomorrow.” Strien added that playing at home provided an extra benefit for Luther. “To have the chance to play on your home field is of course an awesome opportunity for us,” Strein said. “But more so there is a comfortability factor at play and the fact that we know our friends, families, and supporters will be there to cheer us on in good numbers of course gives us even more excitement heading into tournament time.” The number 16 nationally-ranked Norse won their first game against Lake Forest College 11-3 on Friday, May 11. Lake Forest took an early lead after Samantha Bratland (‘19) gave up a solo home run in the first inning. However, Strien responded with a double hit in the first inning that brought in Natalie Stockman (‘18) to tie the game. Luther continued to add to their lead, scoring in every inning. Luther followed their win against the Foresters by defeating Cornell College 6-0 in the semifinal game, behind Bratland’s seven-inning shutout. Catcher Addy Pender (‘19) posted three RBIs and two runs while Ashley Burrows (‘18) hit a solo home run in the third inning.
Softball celebrates after their win. Bratland’s success carried over to the Iowa Regional Championship game, where she completed another no run seven-inning outing against the College of St. Benedict and Saint John’s University, helping the Norse to a 3-0 win against the Blazers. All three of Luther’s runs came in the second inning off Paige Timmerman’s (‘20) two-run double and Bailey Hocker (‘18) scoring off a St. Benedict error. After the tournament, Bratland said that Luther played well both offensively and
Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau defensively during the weekend. “We played really well,” Bratland said. “The biggest thing for us is that we played good defense and the offense followed. Hitting is contagious, one person gets a hit and every one followed.” Bratland’s three straight victories in the Iowa Regional earned her the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Bratland was joined on the All-Regional team by Burrows, Hocker, and Pender. Luther will host the seventh nationally
ranked University of St. Thomas for the Iowa Super Regional on Friday, May 18 and Saturday, 19. The winner of the best of three series will move on the NCAA Division III National Championship in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. “We have always had a history of playing St. Thomas in the past in this situation,” Bratland said. “I’m really looking forward to playing them in the Super Regional and hopefully getting past the Super Regional and getting into the final eight.”
Track and field compete at conference GILLIAN KLEIN STAFF WRITER Postseason competition for track and field began this past weekend Thursday, May 10 through Saturday, May 12, at Central College in Pella, Iowa. The men’s team finished seven of nine teams and the women’s team finished six of nine teams. The track and field season for both the men’s and women’s teams at Luther led to success at conference. Like many sports teams in the 2018 school year, the track and field team had limited outdoor practices. The team worked through weather related obstacles to finish the season strong, according to multi-event competitor Jack Hendricks (‘18). “We have embraced the bad weather and constant rescheduling,” Hendricks said. “School records have been broken, PRs shattered and this is the most unified I have seen the team in my four years at Luther.” Hendricks and several other athletes competed in the cloudy weather on the first day of competition. Four of the women’s heptathlon events were run as well as five of the men’s decathlon events. The women’s 100-meter hurdles began the day with a second place finish from Jackie Krawczyk (‘18) (16.17). Marta Springer (‘19) also finished second in shot put with a final throw of 10.05 meters. Jessica Junker (‘21) appeared in the top 10 final of long jump with a seventh place jump
measuring 1.36 meters. The men’s team saw all three competitors placing in the top 10 across the day’s events. Elijah Kane (‘18) placed third in the men’s 100-meter (11.58) only 16 thousands of a second behind second place. Hendricks threw the shot put 9.99 meters finishing fifth in the finals. The final event of the day was the men’s 400-meter dash. Robert Smedsrud (‘20) crossed the line at a time of 54.69 seconds taking seventh place. Day two began with the continuation of the heptathlon and decathlon. Springer took second in the heptathlon (4075 points) Kane took third (5452 points). For individual events, Sarah Holtz (’19) became conference champion in high jump (5-3 ¼ ft.). The 4 x 800 relay team of Shannon Baker (‘20), Kaia Bierman (‘18), McKenzie Carney (‘18), and Amelia Hornseth (‘21) placed second with a time of 9:20.43. Hannah Wright (‘18) finished third overall in the10,000meters in (38:36.12). Finally, Morgan Sammons (‘18) qualified for the finals in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles, with Martel Den Hartog (‘19) qualifing in the 800-meter run. The men’s 4 x 800 relay team of Jonah Gehrt (‘19), Kyle Gilberg (‘19), Jackson Churchill (‘20), and Collin Kern (‘20) finished fourth in 7:54.98. Nate Orton (‘18) also contributed to the team points with a seventh-place finish in the 3000 meter steeplechase (9:40.30). The Norse continued their success into the third day.
According to Krawczyk, the athletes were greeted with lots of fan support. “Both curves of the track were filled with athletes cheering,” Krawcyzk said. “We are all there by choice as Division III athletes and the love for the support shows through our fans.” The final day of competition began with Elijah Kane earning all-conference honors in the javelin, placing second (169-5). Lucas Kane (‘18) also contributed team points in the javelin placing seventh (160-0). Trent Ostby (‘20) took fifth in the pole vault (13-7 ¼) and Kern placed sixth in the 1500 meter (3:57.32). Springer placed second in the javelin (121-6) alongside Holtz who took fifth (119-3) and first-year Jessica Junker (‘21) in seventh (113-10). The women’s 1500 meter also had several athletes place in the top ten; including Bierman (4th4:47.97), Carney (5th-4:47.97), and Hornseth (8th-4:56.05). Sammons placed seventh in both the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles (16.03 and 1:06.81). The 4 x 400 meter relay of Baker, Bierman, Sammons, and Springer placed sixth (4:04.05). The men’s seventh-place finish and women’s sixth-place finish in the meet were telling of the success of this outdoor season. Assistant Coach Scott Mittman (‘14) expressed a similar sentiment. “We have been steady-state improvement since January,” Mittman said. “We are running faster, throwing farther, and jumping higher and longer than ever before.”
SPORTS
PAGE 12
SPORTS EDITOR: BEN SELCKE
MAY 17, 2018
Baseball finishes 2-2 at IIAC Tournament
Weekly Standings
Baseball DIRK UMBANHOWAR STAFF WRITER The Luther baseball team finished the 2018 season this past weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, going 2-2 in the conference tournament. The final loss of the campaign came 8-4 at the hands of Coe College. The Norse, who were the number five seed in the tournament, started off with a 7-0 victory over Loras College. That was followed by an 11-1 loss to eventual tournament champion University of Dubuque, and then a thrilling come-from-behind 6-5 win against Buena Vista University before their loss to Coe in the third round of the consolation bracket. Arguably the Norse’s best all-around performance of the weekend was in their first game against Loras. The Norse won 7-0, pounding out 16 hits at the plate as Joey Cardamon (‘19) threw eight innings of shutout ball while giving up no runs on eight hits and striking out six batters. The Norse’s lineup was in large part led by centerfielder Jake Vogt (‘19) who had two hits in six at-bats on the day. “We already saw their starter once this year and hit him pretty well so we had a lot of confidence going into it,” Vogt said. “[Head Baseball Coach Bryon Nikkel] has done a great job working with all of us on approaches at the plate and how we need to prepare for each situation we encounter. Overall it was a great team effort; everybody did their job to help the team win.” In the next game however, Luther did not repeat the hitting barrage and stellar pitching performance it showed against Loras, as the Norse only collected four hits and made three errors in the field in an 11-1 loss to the number one seed, Dubuque. Dubuque went on to win the Iowa Conference Tournament, defeating Wartburg College 11-6 in the final to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament. What would end up as the Norse’s last win of the season
was a special one. Down 5-4 in the ninth with their season on the line, Luther rallied for two runs in the inning coming from Jake Halversen’s (‘19) RBI single to left field and was followed by Trent Athmann’s (‘19) game-winning sacrifice fly to center field that easily brought home the winning run from third in Vogt. “I just tried to simplify it down as much as I could,” Athmann said, on what would be his game winning atbat. “I told myself all I had to do was get a barrel on the ball and see what happened. I knew that if it didn’t work out that Bryce [Hingst (‘19)] was on deck and would’ve ended the game with a hit if I didn’t score the run.” With the loss in the next game, 8-4 to Coe, the Luther baseball season comes to a close with a record of 28-18, including 13-9 in IIAC regular season play. It was also the final game in the careers of the three seniors on the team: infielder Mitch Bruggers (‘18), outfielder Gannon Jordahl (‘18), and pitcher Sean Westendorf (‘18), three players who meant a lot to the program over their four years at Luther. “This year’s senior class was small, but all three of them had a huge impact on our team both on and off the field,” Athmann said. “They had great work ethic and really set the standard of doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Whatever situation they were put in, you just knew they were going to do well. They’re a great group of guys to be around and will be greatly missed.” The tournament was the last part in what was a memorable season for the Norse players, according to Vogt. “At the end of the day you don’t remember all the wins and losses,” Vogt said. “What we all remember is the friendships and bonds we’ve formed throughout this season and past seasons. Unfortunately we are losing three terrific guys in Gannon, Sean, and Mitch next year. But the memories those guys and the rest of the team have helped us all create is something we will all remember for the rest of our lives.”
IIAC 16-5 15-6 14-8 14-9 13-9 10-12 7-16 6-17 5-18
Dubuque Wartburg Coe Loras Luther Buena Vista Central Simpson Nebraska Wes
Recent Scores
May 11 vs. Buena Vista W6-5
Softball 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
Photo courtesy of Photo Bureau
Overall 28-14 29-12 38-8 22-18 19-20 21-16 21-15 17-17 8-30
May 13 vs. Saint Benedict W 3-0
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
May 5 vs. Coe College L
Colin Coffey (‘19) winds up for the pitch during a game.
Overall 24-15 26-13 24-18 25-15 26-16 15-23 16-23 8-28 9-26
Overall 24-6 20-5 15-12 14-5 11-13 5-12 4-16 7-14 5-13